Asian Kitchen

Good food, very good. Good service and nice atmosphere. Can't complain...other than...The chow mien and another noddle dish were more than a bit greasy. The rest of the dishes, which we ordered a few, were very good. Will return.

Discovered Asian Kitchen searching through Yelp. Located in a large plaza with a huge parking lot where most of the businesses were closed on a Saturday night. In the corner of the lot, a collection of cars parked for this 'hidden gem' of a restaurant.Most customers were seated inside, however outdoor seating area is fantastic. Quiet and perfect for a delicious meal. We ordered the greatest hits and they all were outstanding. Well seasoned, perfectly balanced with tender pieces of chicken and beef. Lettuce wraps were a winner as well!All of this plus a fantastic server who worked so hard to ensure we enjoyed our experience. He wanted everything to be perfect. Felt like we were being hosted in his home and he wanted to make the best impression. Even asked where we were from and invited us to return since we enjoyed everything.Although away from areas where there are the most popular restaurants, this would be a local spot we would frequent regularly in the area.Thank you Asian Kitchen.

The service here is great, the server was so kind and the food came out quickly. The portions were generous but the flavor/seasoning is definitely aimed towards non-Asians.

This place is great and also great with kids. It's a little further from where we live but we will definitely come back. The only criticism is that it is a little bit salty. That the idea is great. The service is great and it's enough to keep us coming back. Thank you.

Can't believe this place has been here for 6 years and last night was the first time we tried it. Went with my girl and we ordered hot and sour soup, vegetable chow mein, veggie fried rice, orange chicken and garlicky eggplant. The owner stood over our table and jokingly said if you two can finish all this food it's on the house. Let me tell you, the portion sizes were so incredibly generous when we left we could still feed an entire family of 4 with our leftovers. The food was delicious, I reheated the eggplant today and it was even better than last night. Service was great. Would definitely recommend.

I was looking for Xiao Long Bao and this was a suggestion near by. I thought these were pretty good! I almost ordered a small bowl of Sweet and Sour soup which was a great size. The Lychee martini was also good. The bartender working was very helpful as well. I would come back and order the same items and then some!

Here's the thing I like about this place. Not only does it have a great array of Chinese food, you name the Chinese food, They have it. The owners are very nice. They're very gracious and the servers are always on top of things. But the best part is they have a square bar in the middle of the restaurant with all the libations you will ever need. A lot of times you'll go to a Chinese restaurant and they only have beer and wine. No, you can get a martini, you can get a margarita, You can get a gin fizz, You can even get a Singapore Sling!Good times and good food!

The golf buddies and I were looking for a different place to have lunch as opposed to our favorite after golf spot, Daily's in San Clemente. That is still a great spot, but the one buddy suggested we try Asian Kitchen for something different. Not too far from us in San Clemente, so we agreed and met there.Walking in, we were greeted by the server (owner?) who directed us to a booth, but since I was having some back issues and I'm a bit fluffy I requested a normal table and we were immediately shown to a table with no issues. Also, I'm not a big fan of being in a booth with the guys. It's just me, that's how I roll. My first impression is that the place was nice, clean, modern with a cool bar in the middle of the dining room. A very good first impression.The buddy who suggested we try this place had been several times before, so he had some suggestions for what we would eat. After chatting it through, we decided to get a bunch of things to share, more on the tapas side of things and not family style chinese entrees. That sounded good so we asked the buddy to order whatever he wanted and we would be cool with that. What a great way to avoid the "menu anxiety" that I get when I need to pick something, have too many choices I want to try and everyone else is ready to order. Whew! Thanks Dude!To start we got the following:+ Crispy Vietnamese Rolls - Pork-filled and fried golden brown, served with Romaine lettuce and sweet Vietnamese chili sauce (4 rolls) - These were very good but super hot. Burn your tongue off HOT. Similar to spring rolls, but I have never had rolls served with lettuce that you wrap around the roll. The lettuce acted like a pot holder to fool you into thinking that the roll was not frick'n hot!!+ Lettuce Wraps - Chicken sautéed with white onions, water chestnuts and celery in white sauce. Sprinkled with dried garlic and served with sweet plum sauce and 4 small pieces of lettuce. Very good and I would order again, perhaps with shrimp to try something different. We were sure we needed more lettuce, but ended up eating the remaining stuffing with forks.+ Siu Mai - Steamed pork & shrimp dumpling. (4 pcs) - One of my personal favorite Dim Sums. These were the hugest Siu Mai I have ever seen. The size of a ProV1 golf ball. We had to cut them in half to stuff them in our mouths and they were delicious. Get these and be amazed by their gigantic size and fantastic taste! Get 'em NOW!+ Salt and Pepper Calamari - Tossed in garlic, green onions, fresh jalapenos, bell peppers in salt and pepper - This was a solid MEH. Not awful, but small, over fried pieces of calamari. The one buddy said he felt it was too salty. I tried with the sauce that accompanied it and with the crispy chili oil that was served as a side for anything. Still just OK and I'd avoid it next time.+ Speaking of the crispy chili oil, that was great. We ended up having to get another bowl of it and we all used it on everything we ate! Ask for this if it is not brought to you. Beg for it if you have to!We probably would have been fine sharing the above, but we wanted to fill ourselves to the point of asking the server to not let us order any more. Ha!Continuing our tour of the menu, we ordered and chowed down the following tasty nuggets:+ Har Gow - Steamed shrimp dumplings - Very good and huge pieces of shrimp inside. We destroyed a couple of them trying to use chopsticks to get them off the serving tray. Ended up using our hands to get them on our plates. You will thank me when you order this!+ Steamed BBQ Pork Bun - Steamed bun filled with BBQ pork - Very bun-nee. Lotsa bun. Suggest renaming to BUN With A Dab Of Pork. Tasted OK, but I would not get these again. Of course it was the one item I suggested we try. Hey, the buddies invited me to have lunch with them, so it's really their fault.+ Xia Long Bao (Soup Dumplings) - Pork -filled steamed dumplings - I was excited for these, since I have not had them in some time. They were served in little tiny little pie pans. While the taste was good, they were not as soupy as I would expect and even a bit dried out. Upon my return, I will try these again.+ Chive Shrimp and Pork Dumplings - These came out as flat cakes cut in two. I will have these again when I return. While I had the very tasty iced tea, the buddies had their traditional after golf beverage of Chardonnay. La Crema to be exact. You will not be disappointed by the very generous pours at Asian Kitchen. If you told me you were disappointed by the pour I would scream Fake News!By the way, I will return to Asian Kitchen as it was a good experience from the very nice, attentive server to the good food and good friends. Maybe I'll even bring the wife in the future if she's nice to me. We'll see.Go ! EAT WELL !! HAVE FUN !!!

Though a bit pricier, Asian Kitchen stands out from your typical strip mall Chinese fast food joint.Beef Chow Fun - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=h5khC6S-i3REWQkEmdrkCQ&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQUpon hearing that Chris was now at Asian Kitchen, I made it a priority to visit. I'd first encountered Chris at "The Little Asian Kitchen" in Dana Point. Back then, it was bustling seven days a week, closing only at midnight. However, after Chris departed, I noticed a significant decline in customer service. His presence as a host was pivotal, drawing many to the establishment.Cream Cheese Wontons - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=FM9koK__7YQwjzTWgmbw_A&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQMy experiences at Asian Kitchen have been mostly positive, though there's a gentleman at the front whose service can be inconsistent. I believe his name is Ken. Once, while waiting for a to-go order at the bar, I asked him for a cup of water, to which he responded, "You have a to-go order?" Really? I mean, spending $65 on takeout doesn't allow me to a cup of water? Until then, everything had been fine, but Ken could learn a thing or two from Chris about customer service.Hot Chili Oil - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Gg3WBYFo0adBmqH90Pflfg&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQSo far, I've savored dishes like Chinese Pickled Cabbage, Char siu pork, Sweet & Sour Chicken, and more--all delicious!Sweet & Sour Chicken - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=30JwyiKURkOQ1YwcIYtF8w&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQDuring one wait, I struck up a conversation with Anita about Hawaiian favorites like char siu and kau yuk. She mentioned they offer something akin to kau yuk--Braised Pork Shank. I'm eager to give it a try!Garlic Eggplant - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=IB3jEAQeWZ1tTxZRqp7YrQ&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQMost of my orders have been to-go, but recently, AR and I opted for an early dinner/date night at Asian Kitchen, conveniently located just across the street. And guess who I finally bumped into? Chris! It had been ages since I last saw him at "The Little Asian Kitchen" in 2016--eight years! His warm greetings to customers and regulars were unchanged. After a brief catch-up, he seamlessly returned to his duties. Chris truly is the secret sauce of this restaurant.Moo Shoo Combo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=oLPXeFeRoDFw4tO7xNY2cg&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQOverall rating: 4 1/2 Stars (Rounding up)Big Aloha! Food: 5Ambiance: 4Service: 5 (Chris & Anita!)Value: 4

Asian Kitchen offers a delightful culinary experience with a great mix of classic dishes and modern twists. The fried rice was flavorful, while the dumplings were a must-try. The ambiance is cozy, making it perfect for a casual dinner. A few service hiccups kept it from perfection, but overall, it's definitely worth a visit.