How do you judge the quality of a chinese resturant based on a...?

Question

MENU.

I'm out of town, and my husband's at work with the car. I have three chinese menus to choose from. Last night we ordered pizza, and it was nasty. I don't want to pay 20 bucks for chinese food for it to be disgusting.

Answer 1

Do not go by the prices or buffet that has nothing to do with it especially since your ordering out.  

I believe that you should go by the menu size or simply do an online search such as chowhound.com and they will tell you weather the restaurant is good or not.

Answer 2

I would order off the menu that doesn't offer a big selection, a smaller menu usually means they specialize on certain dishes(better)

Answer 3

I would go with the prices .Do not order from the one that has the cheapest prices because you get what you pay for.

Answer 4

Just by looking at the menu you can't really tell that the food is good or not. I like a big selection. Most Chinese res truants go with a buffet. Just order off of the menu and see if you like it. Ask someone you know if they tried it and see if they liked it. Shop around. Taste different places. If you like one then stay with it.

Answer 5

The bigger the menu the more likely it is that the restaurant  have to rely on  packaged or frozen stuff.  A good tip is to drive past the restaurant and see how many Asians are eating there. The best Chinese restaurant in my home town  is very popular with  Chinese taxi drivers and is at it's busiest in the wee small hours of the morning

Answer 6

Never order from a Chinese menu that has stuff like french fries or pizza on it - that's a sure sign that the food is going to be fake, low quality, and mediocre at best.

Look for a menu that has some original or unique dishes.  Check out the chef's specials.  Or call and ask what their specials are for the evening - if it sounds original, then you know there is a real chef working there creating fresh dishes.

I've also found that Chinese restaurants that also offer Japanese or Thai dishes tend to have better quality food.  Maybe not authentic Chinese dishes, but higher quality.