Chinez Chinese Restaurant

Does anyone have any information on whether or not they have reopened anywhere else? This is my favorite Chinese restaurant. I’d been eating there for over 15 years & can’t stand the fact that I may never be able to have it again. If anyone knows anything, please let me know! Me + so many friends & family are missing their food terribly.

Is there another restaurant that makes chinez chicken?

What a shame. Another victim of the greedy Irvine Company. Ran out after 8+ years. Hopefully Karma will get the greedy bastards at Irvine Company.

I have been coming here for years. So it really is disappointing that I would give 2 stars, since believe it or not they had really good Chinese food along with larger portions. The restaurant was busier back then, where they had ppl waiting outside to get a seat, certainly not the case now (lucky to have 3 – 4 tables at one time). As the the years have passed the service has gone down. So I am not sure if these are the original owners. Definitely do not feel the warmth of customer service, certainly not a place that children are welcomed. Which is a killer since Irvine is very family oriented! I was there with my son 16 year old and 1 year old but you can feel the mood shift when they saw my toddler. They could not throw the food at our table fast enough and get my family out of there without being totally rude but it could not be more obvious

Unfortunately Chinez closed after over a decade of wonderful food. The owner’s said that the Irvine company was charging way too much on the lease. I have been going here since I was 16(I’m 28 now), I discovered the place when I got a job at Conroy’s next door and couldn’t resist going here every couple weeks since.
Now what am I going to do? My alternative to Chinese food is Sam Woo’s, Panda Express, and Pick up Stix all of whom have bland salty absolutely disgusting food compared.
So sick of the franchise restaurants in OC, and now one of the last few truly unique restaurants in Irvine is gone. If anyone knows where they relocated to, please post it. Thanks!!!
I ate at Sam Woos tonight and their seafood curry was flavorless and had a consistency like that of some really runny snot. People complained that Chinez perhaps did not have the greatest service or the best bang for your buck, but they certainly had the best food in OC.

A bit disappointed.
The interior is run down and getting grungy. The 80’s peach /​gray /​aqua décor is starting to chip and fade. The service is lack-​luster and tired.
As for the entrees, the flavors were lacking and watered down.
The Fried Crème Cheese Wontons were very skimpy on on the filling. Instead of pouches, they were more like small swipes of filling wrapped in origami notes kids used to pass around in grade school:
The Chinese Mushroom and Tofu was lacking mushrooms, and the tofu was very bland, almost as if it was taken right from the package and warmed in sauce, then served on a plate:
The Sweet & Sour Chicken was a bit better, but not much. The flavor was very corn-​syrupy and too sweet. There was no tangy-​ness to it:
It seems like Chinez is slowing sinking. Hopefully, it will get some life breathed into it again soon.

This staff must be the most rude people I have ever met. I am paying $ 8 for a simple chinese salad and they treat you like dirt. Honestly, don’t waste your money here. Go somewhere where they appreciate your business and don’t treat you like an inconvenience.

Decided to give this place a try instead of waiting 30 – 35 minutes for a table at Olive Garden.
Ordered Chinez Beef, Cashew Chicken, Pineapple Scallops, Chinez Fried Rice and Chinez Lo Mein. Portions were smaller than I’m used to but reasonably priced — we spent less than $ 60 and all of us (5 adults & 2 kids) were full. Not stuffed. But just right.
Food was decent and service was alright — friendly enough, but as long as you don’t mind asking for refills and/​or the check, you’ll be fine. I’m okay with it — as long as they’re nearby and haven’t completely abandoned us.
Would I go back? I dare say I will :)

Not the greatest chinese food restaurant! WTF is it in the OC! No good chinese restaurants! Its pretty terrible. The service is rude and I had to «give it» to the counter people– the chick who answers the phone (NO accent) and the guy at the counter who you pay for the food too (an accent). Seriously… I was not in the mood. The food is also over priced. The food is NOT quality and I have had better! So over it. Probably will NOT eat here again. The General Tso wanna be chicken was not impressive. They do not sell chicken wings… Huh? What chinese restaurant does that? So much for it being close to home and good food. NOT! No thanks Chinez.

I have to give this place 4 stars been coming for ages and the place never lets me down I always get the cream cheese wontons, Chinese beef which is always crispy the Chinese chicken salard they put dressing on the side which is nice, and the service and price have always been acceptable.
The only down side is that the décor is a little worn out and out dated some of the glass and plates are old need replacing.

I’ve been coming here for 10+ years with friends and am surprised by the average ratings. I’ve never gotten a bad meal here and the service has always been good. It’s a very clean and nice establishment.
These are our favorites:
Sizzling rice soup with shrimp. Wonderful. The tomato base one use to be on the menu but isn’t anymore, but they will usually make it for you if you ask.
Pineapple scallops — Fabulous!
Walnut Shrimp — Very good
House Special Double Pan Fried Noodles — My husband calls this «birds nest» because that’s what it looks like, and it’s his favorite.
Chinese Chicken Salad — Delicious with dressing on the side.

Honestly it’s hard to find good chinese food in Irvine town that isn’t ridiculously expensive or more fusion.
Chinez Chinese was a moderate chinese. Not super authentic, but not completely fast food. It’s a bit of a dive-​y dinner; as the clientele will reveal. We saw the craziest characters on a Thursday night.
We ordered the chinese salad; which didn’t look that great, but tasted divine! The sauce was on the side, which is nice because most chinese food these days are drenched in sauce. The jasmine tea was also quite nice as well. I ordered sweet and sour chicken, which was A-​OK. Not the best, but not terrible either. My sister ordered a beef dish which she said didn’t taste like real beef and was making her sick. Bf ordered a wonton soup which he really liked. So food is definitely hit and miss. The salad was a hit among all of us though.
Would I go again? Debatable. I would have to be craving chinese like I was that night, and with no alternative nearby.

Very poor service every time I go here. Today the server brought the wrong food, and when I tell him he asks, «Did you want me to change it for you?» I wouldn’t have said anything if I didn’t. He looked at me like it was my fault. I often go thirsty, because refills are difficult to come by, even though I make it obvious that I want a refill by placing the cup at the edge of the table – I am often go thirsty here.
I always have to ask for hot sauce twice before I get it, and they never bring out soy sauce with the dish. It should be sitting on the table, in my opinion. The host/​cashier (man) is not friendly and rushes you out. He gives you bad looks when you pay with a credit card. Today the host/​cashier parked in the closest spot to the restaurant – why not let customers park there?
The food is good, maybe a little too greasy. If you want a small side of noodles they charge an extra $ 2.50 just for a few bites. I gave this place many chances (maybe 8 – 10), but after today I’m not going back.
They really need to do something about the unfriendly, self-​centered service. Would it be too much to ask for a smile? Or when I thank you perhaps you can respond with «you’re welcome.» The whole time I’m eating here, I feel out of place, and unwelcome.
I do not recommend this place.

I came inside alone to have some dinner and kill time to avoid traffic going back home to the Inland Empire. It just happened to be near me, so I stopped and came in. I was greeted and taken to a table immediately. The restaurant has about 15 tables, and there were two other groups already being served.
The service is quick here, which I appreciated. I wanted to try an egg roll, so I got the dinner «combo» which requires that you get any regular entrée ($ 10 +) and then add $ 4.00 for rice, 1 eggroll, 1 wonton, and a bowl of soup.
I went for the mandarin chicken with all of the above plus rice. They brought out the soup first, and everything followed continuously and on point (thank you!).
Soup seemed to have been egg drop, unfortunately I didn’t ask and didn’t realize it would be included in the dinner, but it was and so I just sipped on it while waiting for the good stuff to be prepared. It surprisingly had a ton of flavor!
Eggroll and wonton were nothing special — especially the eggroll. It was an awful flavor in fact. Seemed to have been freshly prepared though, so that was good.
Next the mandarin chicken and rice — fantastic! I loved the chicken. Small bits that I mixed with the fried rice. Tasted great and I loved the thick sauce that they use, it reminded me a lot of the General Chicken that you’d find at other Chinese restaurants.
I ended up having to leave quickly because of an emergency, and felt sick to my stomach (not from the food though!), so I asked for a cup of water to go as I paid. The gentleman at the front didn’t seem too willing to get it for me, but he did and I left quickly.
Overall, I probably won’t be here again but it was a decent «first and last try» for me :)

Food was pretty good. BUT this restaurant is trying to suck every penny out of their customers. Credit card minimum, small portions, NO REFILL on sodas?! WTF. The soda size they give you is probably half a can. I’m surprised they didn’t charge for water. Also don’t order the shrimp roll appetizer thing. They give you like six small ass rolls the size of a pencil for $ 7 bucks I think. I should have taken a picture haha.
Also the lady at the cashier never smiled. Bleh.

I have been going to Chinez for well over 18 years. During this time, it has changed hands twice, having now had 3 owners. The current owners are a husband and wife who are considerate, charming, and gracious. The 2^nd owner did not do well for this restaurant and seemed to have sent away all of the regular clientele. Not so today. The husband is an award-​winning chef from Hong Kong who has extensive experience in his specialty. He and his wife have brought back many regulars.
The food is excellent. It is fresh, it is distinctively tasty, and they will honor your requests to leave in, add, or delete a spice or ingredient according to your needs. There is never a «no» that I have heard from the wait staff or from the owners to any request. The servers are pleasant and converse well. I do agree, though, that refills on soft drinks would be great!
The atmosphere could use some updating, but it will take ALL of us Chinez fans to support this restaurant and patronize it so the $$ come in and the tablecloths go back on!
The most recent meal I have had was last week, I went with two friends, one of whom had not eaten there, and she was very surprised and loved it (I was NOT surprised)!
Go Chinez!

Pros: Most of the meals are good, low prices
Cons: Not the best service, some of the meals are not as good as others
Chinez is in a shopping center I frequent a lot due to it having a lot of things I need in one area close to where I live (Sprouts, Albertsons, a movie theater, etc.) I’ve gone here a few times with my fiancée when we want Chinese, but don’t feel like Pei Wei, one of our frequent take out places. I have to say this place is a toss up. Some of the meals are very good. I got sesame chicken and it was great. However, I got the orange chicken before and it wasn’t as good. The prices are low, which is really nice. You can get a full dinner for two typically for right around $ 20, which for a sit-​in restaurant isn’t bad at all. The service though… not the best I’ve seen. Kind of aloof at times and seemingly wanting to get rid of you as fast as they can (table turnover must be emphasized here). I’ll give this place three stars. Solid place to eat, not terrific, but not terrible either.

I actually really like this place.
I keep stopping in for their sweet and sour chicken and bbq pork fried rice. I do like real chinese food, but sometime i really just crave that americanized… well, whitey food. They do it really well here. the sweet and sour chicken is usually all white meat (i have had a few pieces dark, but the vast majority are nice chunks of white chicken breast). The sweet and sour sauce is exactly what i’m craving — it’s probably a little too sweet (but thats the way i like it). They do great bbq pork fried rice as well — the pork is perfect and every time i get it im tempted to just order a side dish of the chopped up pork. but that seems excessive.
I have tried their corn soup before as well — it was like egg drop soup with corn in it. Eh. I’m not really a fan of egg drop though, but i didnt think the corn added too much to the dish.
Otherwise, the people that run this establishment are friendly and efficient (**disclaimer, ive never eaten in here, only to-​go orders). i think they know me by my order now (and the fact that the first time i picked up food it was almost closing time and i did a little celebratory dance over getting dinner). but they say hi when they see me come in. it’s kinda nice. my order is always ready and waiting when i get there and they get me out quick, i appreciate that.
overall i’d recommend this place for your quick fix chinese craving. it’s become my go-​to spot for pleasing the family with chinese take-​out, and for my own personal cravings. Just don’t come here expecting a really authentic meal — go off walnut for that.

Decent Chinese food in the heart of Irvine? Really? Wow.
I’d give it 2 stars but the fact that it’s halfway authentic ethnic food in Irvine adds 1 star. You Irviners know what I’m talking about.
Wait. 2 +1 = 3, not 4.
Yeah, I know. Keep reading.
I’ve been coming here a lot and so far have not been disappointed with the menu. For the most part, this place is good and it’s Asian enough. Prices are a bit high but again, it’s Irvine.
Place is kept clean, service is FAST, and the food is pretty good. Hot tea is complimentary and the tap water doesn’t taste like butt juice.
Management is typical for a Chinese restaurant and so is the table turn over speed, though the waiters all speak English and do a good job of looking friendly. NOT typical at all for Chinese restaurants.
I like the cream and corn soup, though the hot and sour soup is also pretty good.
Shrimp or Scallops, both sauteed with snow peas is great.
I’ve tried probably a third of the entire menu and I’m not going to list everything off one by one, but I will say that the quality has been consistently good and the produce in each and every dish on each and every one of my visits has been fresh, crisp, and flavourful.
Consistency earns this place another added star, making 2 into 4.
See? I know my A B 3’s.

Pulling into the shopping center for our usual Jalapeño’s run I noticed Chinez and asked my lunch buddy if he wanted to try it. We’ve been coming to the Jalapeño’s for years and had never noticed this place. So we took the turn and headed in.
This review is in two sections– the food and the service/​experience. My friends orange peel chicken was just ok. However, my honey chicken salt and pepper thingamajig was really bloody good. What put it over the top was the wok fried spinach leaves that were just brilliant. I would order this again. Now, each lunch comes with a soup or salad. I ordered the salad which had some anemic chicken pieces on it with equally pathetic lettuce, however the dressing was some sort of sweet honey concoction which was quite nice. It reminded me of the dressing from Thai Kitchen. Hmmm?
The second section of this review is about service and pride in ownership. The restaurant is well worn, kind of like a porn star– threadbare, beat up and in need of some TLC. On the menu they state that you do not get refills with your soda… Now this is a fucking pet peeve of mine. I’m not going to order 15 cokes during my lunch session and break your profit/​loss margins on your damn cokes! I would however, like to have 1 refill in gratis form. Is that too much to ask? Interestingly enough, you can order an iced tea and have as many refills as you want– so I ordered 74 refills. Put that in your pipe and smoke it buddy!
Last, what is it with the service at these mom and pop run places. It always seems that the owners are on edge, ready to lower the boom on the unsuspecting patron for some real or perceived infraction. While our service teetered on the abyss it did not plummet as others have documented.
To the owners, learn to be gracious hosts, build some goodwill and customers will spend more money.