China Express

Continuing my 2020 alphabet series. So far A (5-stars), B (4-stars), & now time for a negative review. C is for China Express:Background:I'm new to Russett neighborhood and was trying to find Chinese in the area tonight, 12/9/20. I had tried GrandE Buffet in October, which was quite good, while starting on the moving process, a little more than 2 miles away just across the county line in Prince George's County. I get Chinese maybe once a month as it's exorbitantly unhealthy. This was the first time since fully living here in Russett that I was deciding on Chinese. I didn't want to go out and wanted delivery. I called around to see what Chinese place delivered and not through a stupid third party site like GrubHub, Doordash, or USuckEats. Well, the places I called in City of Laurel, North Laurel, South Laurel, & Savage either said they didn't deliver at all or go through GrubHub or whatever.Finally Picking China Express: I finally called my local Chinese restaurant, which is my only Chinese within 2 miles of my place. They don't do delivery. So, I ordered and schleped in the cold driving over there.Never trust a place without a website. When I googled this place, they had NO website! There were a bunch of various 3rd party sites in order of the first 10 when Googling 'China Express Laurel': 1. Zomato.com, 2. Restaurantji.com, 3. Yelp (should've gone here as I would've had more correct than the first one), 4. Postmates, 5. Doordash, 6. TripAdvisor, 7. Menupix, 8. BringMeThat.com, 9. Menuism, & 10. ZMenu. Because there was no website, I went with the first one Zomato.com. Customer Service/Price/Atmosphere:The cashier was cordial enough but a little short. She told me the price, and I said that I ordered the small egg drop soup. She said she got that. Confused still, I asked how much was sesame chicken? She said $11 (& something) I didn't catch. I told her I saw it was $9.99. She said it hasn't been $9.99. I was flustered and didn't remember exactly where I saw it (*See Footnote at Bottom) plus I was starving (hence why I chose Chinese for dinner), just wanted to get out so that I could drive back home to eat. Atmosphere was a little dingy takeout place, which was what I was expecting. They did have hand sanitizer out so I'll give them that.Food:The egg drop soup was pretty good. The sesame chicken was decent, but not great either. The broccoli was dry & bland. The sesame chicken was a little sweet & a little too much sauce for my taste. It was pretty good, but the chicken was a bit chewy. I've had a lot of better Chinese in my previous residencies in Montgomery County, northern Virginia, & Arizona. And I've certainly had some worse places. Frankly, this was NOT worth my $15, worth $12 or maybe $13 tops.Footnote/Conclusion:After I ate, I looked at the Zomato website where I saw the menu and confirmed, it said $9.99. Perhaps, this was an old menu. But the site was: https://www.zomato.com/prince-georges-county-md/china-express-1-laurel/reviews. This is listed as Prince George's County and Laurel. City of Laurel is in PG County. This area east of City of Laurel, outside the city limits, is in Anne Arundel County, but yet, the website says 'Prince Georges County/Laurel'. I was thinking there was one in PG County in City of Laurel or in PG with a Laurel mailing address, but there was not finding 8 in MD, 3 of which are actually in PG County (but not in Laurel; in Brentwood, Glenarden, & Lanham), this one in AA County, and 4 others across MD.To be fair, I should've confirmed the price over the phone instead of assuming the third party website was up-to-date menu or the same location.Would I try this again? I probably would considering that they are the ONLY Chinese restaurant within 2 miles of where I live, and therefore, I'll go with what's convenient if I'm at home, but I'm not going to rush back here. The next time I would probably try the beef lo mein and maybe egg drop soup, other soup, or other appetizer. I would love if another better Chinese opened in this part of Anne Arundel County (Maryland City/Russett area), and I'm not talking about Panda Express, which is about 3 miles away in Laurel, my 3rd closest Chinese. I'd want a decent sit-down Chinese restaurant that at least has an easy carryout option and delivery would be nice too, but not as necessary, to give this place much needed competition, since they have a monopoly in the Maryland City area.

I mostly get a Yat which is fantastic! but I haven't tried anything yet that wasn't good. Food is hot and the wait is pretty short.

Not bad, but no raves. Crispybeef, and egg drop soup. Nice people. I would go here again, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do so.

Moved to the area about 6 months ago and was super apprehensive about trying this place because of mediocre reviews. Finally gave it a go, and I wasn't disappointed. I had a great experience with the women at the register. She was a no frills kind of gal, but gave us a big smile and thanks on our way out. I personally really liked that there was a clear view of the kitchen from the front counter, and it looked very clean!We ordered the Orange Chicken and Szechuan Chicken dinner specials. They came with the main dish, fried rice, and an egg roll for $8.05 The food is just above your run of the mill take-out Chinese food. We loved the taste, and the price. Don't pass up this spot if you want a quick bite for a good price, you can't really go wrong. We look forward to trying more bits of the menu.

I'm giving them four stars because they give me exactly what I expect from a Chinese take-out place. I've tried their pan-fried pork dumplings, orange chicken, and General Tso's chicken and I liked them all. I recommend coming here for dinner because their dinner combo is a really good value--you get the entree, rice, and an egg roll. One combo could easily make for two meals. The pork dumplings have a nice, doughy shell which I love. Don't go for them if you prefer dumplings with thinner wrappers.It's worth noting that there's like, two tables in this whole place. I'm pretty sure they're only meant for you to sit at while you wait for your food. I've found that the food takes 10-15 minutes to prepare after ordering. Definitely call ahead to save yourself some time.

Amazing Egg Foo Yung! The pancakes were perfect with a nice balance of ingredients. The Mixed vegetables were crispy and fresh and the brown sauce was perfection! Altogether a great meal with generous portions, for a good price. Excellent customer service! I will definately make this my go-to when I'm Craving Chines Food!Thank you!!

Have been going here since I was a small child. Best Chinese food in MD imo. Will always choose to come here, quick and fast service. Fair prices, great portions. Come here

I have been coming here since i was a Kid and since i can remember. The food is always tasty and hot! A great spot if you're looking for some quick and fairly priced takeout. The lady behind the counter is always very friendly and helpful It gives you the true take out experience!

Best place in Laurel for Chinese food. I have been a patron for over 10 years and have not been disappointed.

Last weekend Ordered Szechuan Chicken - $12.46. It was bit sweet for my taste. The most disappointing thing was the chicken proportion: 20% chicken - 80% (sliced onion, bell paper etc.) ??