Jin's Chow Mein

I've been getting takeout from here for nearly 2 decades. It's worth the drive for authentic, flavorful Chinese cuisine. My go to is the pork fried rice. No matter what you order, don't skip the fried rice. The recipes have been the same for years. A few things to note: they are cash and check only. No credit cards. Because of this their prices are very reasonable, especially if you take advantage of lunch specials. Their menu listed online is accurate. I recommend calling ahead to takeout. There's a very small lobby with a few chairs but they rely on pickup orders.

I had been wanting to try Jin's Chow Mein for a while for a couple of reasons. The first reason was their shockingly low prices - okay, so I do think they raised their prices a bit recently, but still, when you look at their menu you'd think it's the year 2004 - it's that cheap. Honestly, it's how much a cheeky Chinese takeaway ought to cost; the number of takeaways charging near 20 dollars for a single, basic entrée has been getting out of hand lately. The second reason for my curiosity was that Jin's Chow Mein is known for serving up classic Minnesotan-style Chinese food. So what is Minnesotan-style Chinese food, you may ask? I, too, wanted to know the answer to this question. My research revealed that it really comes down to one dish - chow mein. I learned that what "chow mein" means largely depends on your geographic location. For example, on the West Coast, chow mein is a fried noodle dish. On the East Coast, it's a saucy cabbage and chicken stir fry, sans noodles (despite the "mein" in the name meaning "noodle"). The Minnesota rendition of chow mein is similar to the East Coast version in that it is essentially noodle-less. As you can likely tell by reading the other reviews, Jin's chow mein has many local fans. After getting to try it last night, I'm a little bit... perplexed? I have to choose my words wisely so as not to disrespect the local culture, but Minnesotan-style chow mein wasn't really my cup of tea. It's essentially dark brown glop made out of ground pork and celery, served with white rice and those crunchy fried sticks that are sold in cans at Cub Foods also known as "chow mein", which I suppose provide the namesake for the dish. It felt a bit like something I would have been served by the lunch lady in elementary school, bland and unattractive. I could also swear it had a slight maple syrup flavor, like the fake Aunt Jemima stuff, but my girlfriend couldn't detect it. I suspect the fan appreciation for it is largely rooted in nostalgia.Fortunately, I ordered several other dishes that I actually did enjoy. The chicken lo mein came as a generous portion of savory fried noodles and veg. The plain fried rice was one of the tastiest takeaway fried rices I've ever had, despite having no vegetables in it. And the sweet and sour chicken was coated with an almost donut-like batter - it was indulgent but delicious. The wonton soup came with shreds of cabbage and char-siu in it, and the wontons were good albeit a little soft by the time I got home.The takeaway itself was staffed by two friendly women when I was there and it was charmingly old school (from the décor to their ability to only accept cash and checks). Apparently the place has been around for decades, and I hope it stays around for many more. I would absolutely go back to Jin's Chow Mein; if you're not a local, I'd skip the chow mein itself, but their other dishes are the perfect comfort food at unbeatable prices.

Best Asian food around- Found them after Asia chow mien closed. Went to many places trying to find a place like my old place and none were even close until I found this place!

Picked up food for my sister and I after church!! It was so tasty!! Had chow mein and and egg rolls!! Warmed it up in oven later that day and it was very flavorful!! No complaints here! Was a nice steady stream of customers coming in!! The young man waiting on us was very polite and friendly!! TY

Was visiting after almost 20 yr and went back to our favorite Chinese restaurant. Was very pleased was still great! Tried Lemon chicken, was very good white meat & great sauce.The chicken chow mein was still good. Only difference is now served with fried rice instead of white rice. Hope to be back sooner.

Such good food it's worth driving a while to get it! I have gone there for years with my family.

Love the updates and even some of the new menu items. My favorite general tso chicken is finally here

Ur chow mein shod have bean sprouts plus your egg fo young u are cheap .and raised price your food not worth that price.chow mien so plan .I make better chow mien at home

Great chicken egg foo young. Potstickers dough iss too thickSame with other doughLove the EFY

not good ,not cheep any more ,cost too much now i will not go back ,cant even get extra forchan cookies now thay want .10 for bad cookies rip off will not be back