Chinese Home Style Cooking

This is my favorite restaurant in Ames. Their food is delicious and consistent every time. I’ve gotten take out from them many many times and never had a problem with the food being cold, poor quality, or the wrong order. The family that runs the business is friendly and work hard to make sure you are satisfied with your experience. Don’t over look this gem because another restaurant has a flashy sign.

We stopped in because I wanted to try some authentic-​ish Chinese food and this seemed to be a favorably rated place.
When we walked in, they seemed to be closing even though their posted hours said they were supposed to be open for at least another hour. We felt pressured to order quickly so we ended up getting less-​than-​authentic dishes, broccoli beef and sweet and sour chicken as well as crab rangoon.
The rangoons were good, the broccoli beef was runny and salty, and the sweet and sour chicken was neither sweet nor sour.
Maybe we got an off order because they seemed like they were shutting down, but I’m not sure I would go back for another try.

I like their soups & all of their chicken entrees. My fav dishes soup is egg drop & I love their Cashew chicken & Curry Chicken. Ask them to make spicy it can make you cry & clear all your sinuses!!!

I ate here daily in college and go back whenever I’m in town. Hands down the best food ever. Try the Angry Chicken! The Szechuan Squid is my second favorite.

Fast food Chinese food. I think this place is a step above your Americanized Chinese take out. This place takes cash only. They offer slightly more authentic food than the other Chinese take out places. Service has been pretty quick all the times I have been here. Order at the counter and they bring it out to you at the table. Water and tea are in dispensers on the counter for self-​serve.
I came here a few days ago and ordered:
Angry chicken — mixture of bamboo shoots and chicken. This was decent and spicy. A lot more bamboo than chicken.
Chop chae — not the best I have ever had, but tolerable since not many places in Iowa serve Korean food.
Salt and pepper pork chop — probably the best dish to order and eat. Highly recommend.
Salt and pepper squid — decent flavor but wasn’t fried crispy enough. It was on the soggy side.
Green beans and beef — green beans were crisp and lightly charred from wok. Very spicy and another dish I would recommend.
Crab Rangoons — not the best but than not the worst. Very small amount of cheese filling. There were 4 to an order.

Idk how everyone raves about this place, so I was really sad I couldn’t agree with those who recommended me to come eat here. I guess I’ve only been here once, but was so sorely disappointed I never want to try it again. The food was unappetizing, doused in sauce that was over-​seasoned. Meat was rubbery and weird. The person I was with agreed so it made me feel better that I wasn’t the only one who was let down. I had to force myself to finish my food, but I think I ended up guiltily throwing it away.

Meat are not fresh here l. I have no idea why the reviews are so good but I found the food here disgusting

CHC is what it’s called if you are in the know! I have never had a bad meal here. It’s a lot of my friends favorite Chinese place in Ames! Though not my fave, it’s really good! Good veggie options, I dig how they cook the tofu! My friends love the Crab ragoon, I have never had the chance to taste it, being a veggie but there is plenty of goodness for vegan friendly folks as well!
The actual restaurant is nothing special! A typical classic family run Chinese place! No bells and whistles here, but the food is worth the stop. And they have a private parking lot!

This place is great to go pick up some sloppy food on a lazy night. I usually order the ginger chicken or angry chicken. The owners are also really friendly and will usually chat with you once you’re a «regular».
I would not recommend this for a date night, however, as the establishment is sloppy/​not romantic, but overall pretty good food.
Only ⁴⁄₅ because when ordering take-​out, I feel the food is significantly lower quality than when dining in.

My girlfriend and I ordered food from this restaurant tonight. My girlfriend was the first to try out the food, and the look on her face said it all. She got the Sesame chicken and described it as disgusting. The sauce didn’t taste right, and the chicken was so drenched in it, that the sauce leaked out of the container. Moving on to my chicken fried rice, that was actually supposed to be shrimp. I wouldn’t describe it as being terrible, but it’s certainly nothing special. The Mongolian beef on the other hand was amazing, some of the best Mongolian beef I’ve ever had. I wish that they took debit/​credit cards, because having to go next door for cash was a minor inconvenience.

I like their beef noodle soup and coffee cake. However, the taste of the other food changed almost every time I came to this place. Some dishes is pretty oil and salty

I saw the positive Unilocal reviews and was dying to try it out. The portions seem just a tiny bit small but I will say — it does look and taste like if you literally ate at a Chinese person’s home.
It is spicy unlike many other Chinese restaurants in Ames that have watered down whitewashed food for the white kids. I’d skip CHC for better Chinese in town.

Chinese Homestyle Cooking offers a great authentic Chinese cuisine for a relaxed night. The servers of this nice family owned restaurant are very friendly and are always wearing a smile when one walks in. They offer a great selection of food at a low price. Although for a fancy night on the town I do not recommend Chinese Homestyle Cuisine but for a nice relaxed low key night, it is a slam dunk.

I’ve been warned about spicy food at restaurants before and I’m generally pretty skeptical about their «spicy» and my «spicy.» Generally I’m looking for more spice. The gentleman behind the counter at CHC confirmed my order, adding that the Angry Chicken was pretty spicy. That’s it… just a quick confirmation. I shrugged it off assuming this was another typical spicy situation. WOAH, was I wrong. The faux spicy at other restaurants is not the same here, at least definitely not with the Angry Chicken. Careful with this one — it’s a delicious kick in the mouth.

I’ve decided that CHC is the only Chinese I will eat during college experience in Ames. It’s family run and owned, and the recipes are all family recipes.
I’ve ordered the beef noodle soup numerous times, and I believe it’s pretty authentic. It has good flavor, and they serve ample servings.
I fully support family owned restaurants, especially when they have reasonable prices, which illustrates their priority for sharing their traditional recipes over the need for excessive profit.
The décor is nothing special, but the best restaurants have their food speak louder than the environment. You will always get a great meal at a very reasonable price here a CHC.
I also happen to know the owners’ sons. They both go to Iowa state and are a fun group of guys who are always more than happy to exchange an occasional hello.

My eyes began to fill with tears. Not due to sadness, but because of joy. Prior to today, I thought 888 was the best Chinese restaurant in Ames, but that is no longer the case. CHC is everything you want in an authentic eatery. Fantastic food, great service, a wonderful variety of culinary delights, and a ear-​to-​ear smile on your face upon leaving. My wife and I opted for a 4 – 5 different things and grazed which was smart since there are so many wonderful things. While many items on the menu say «hot,» they are, in the grand scheme of things, mild. Don’t be shy to ask for extra spicy! My favorite thus far is the Pork and String Beans. One word: «Legit.»

Good Chinese place in Ames!
CHC has both a Chinese American menu and a more traditional menu. They also serve a few Korean items as well such as Kimchi fried rice since the Chinese owners used to live in Korea for a little bit.
Their specialties seem to be the beef noodle soup, rock salt ribs, and rock salt shrimp or squid. When I say «rock salt», I don’t mean rocks of salt are on the food. It means that it’s basically a fried salt and pepper batter that’s delicious. If you like fried food (which most people generally do), then you will like it.
My personal favorites I’ve tried so far are the Rock Salt Squid, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings, and Hot and Sour Soup. Hot and Sour Soup is generally pretty plain at most places but this place makes it especially well because they not only put the usual ingredients, but also bamboo shoots, meat, tofu, etc. It’s also a tad bit sweeter for a Hot and Sour Soup.

Beef noodle is a must try! So good!
The owner of the restaurant is very nice and funny. Feel home at the place.

CHC is right up with there with Little Taipei. Great food, especially the angry chicken.
Unfortunately, though, they don’t deliver.

This Chinese restaurant has been touted as one of the best in the eyes of many reviewers. The interior is small, with lines of rectangular tables, has moderate lighting, and a fast food counter for its order first then find your seat protocol. They have three separate menus available: Specialized, Americanized, and Korean. It’s easy to hear the Northerner accent and they seem to have a nice following from those that go to school nearby.
I visited this place on a number of occasions. What I like about this restaurant is that the piping hot food temperature, the moist texture on the steamed rice, and friendly service. Food-​wise, it can be a hit and miss and it’s certainly not the home style cooking that I grew up with. One of their most popular items, Spicy Beef Noodle Soup ($ 7.50), came with a good amount of noodles to accompany a decent beef broth with a backdrop of roasted flavor. The beef were chunky with decent flavors, but the textures can be unevenly dry here and there. The broth got saltier midway into the meal, and the noodles were overcooked due to the high temperature. I grew up eating Beef Noodle Soup, and the one here is passable, but nothing remarkable.
The server once recommended me to try their Mongolian Combo ($ 7.95). There seems to be a lot of «Mongolian» restaurants in Iowa but I doubt the food can be considered Halal. This dish includes a mix of chicken, beef and shrimp stir fry that covered a bed of crispy white noodles and a mix of sweet and savory sauces. There was a form to the stir fry and the range of textures coupled nicely with the thickened steamed rice. This is one dish that I would recommend for those who are visiting for the first time.
The dishes that I don’t recommend are the Pork Rib Soup ($ 7.75) and Braised Pork over Rice ($ 5.50). The pork ribs were breaded and fried, so it was counter intuitive as to why they would serve them in a bland broth that tasted like boiling water. Not only were the flavors and textures compromised by the broth, the pieces were also boney without much to chew on.
Additionally, the Braised Pork could come with better seasoning as I was looking for the robust aromatic flavors that usually comes with this dish. Somehow the rice was sitting on a layer of watery sauce. This dish was not designed to be so watery so it further cast doubts about how any of these techniques were intentional or as good as those who claim this restaurant to be 5-​stars worthy.
The fast food service arrangement was quick and efficient. The husband who owns the restaurant seemed much friendlier and accessible than the wife who looked bothered and upset at times. After multiple visits, this place was not as amazing as what it is made out to be. Not bad but also not the best if you consider this a Chinese fast food restaurant. Closed on Mondays and cash only.