Let me first off start by saying exterior and interior of this place isn't in anyway nice. In fact it looks like it hasn't been remodeled or renovated in the last 30-40 years. But don't let their appearance fool you. The food here is AMAZING and the service is always great. We've been coming here for many years (a couple of decades actually) and have literally tried everything on the menu and have never been disappointed. My personal favorites are; pork chops, shrimp green beans, Peking duck, wonton soup, chicken chow mein. We always stop in when we're in the area and highly recommend it. read more

We love coming here for authentic Chinese cuisine. My personal favorite is the spicy noodle soup but I've had the Mongolian beef as well as other dishes. So good. The only thing that knocks off a star is the wait. Seems like they really prioritize phone orders first so you'll be waiting for your food for awhile. I would call to order in if you want to dine here. read more

The server lady was super nice. The lunch buffet they say they always have was not going on when we went. Some of the plates were booming with flavor while others had absolutely no flavor. It was really weird. The appetizer platter was really really good. Two of the soups were not that great. The lobster with garlic sauce was amazing. The seafood hot pot was not that great. The tofu in it was not pleasant. It was a hit or miss on the plates. read more

Not very good food , i go here only when Peking Chinese is closed but on my last visit. Dec 10th , the egg rolls were on the spoiled side so there goes 8 $ to the trash, they ddnt have sweet n sour pork, and chicken chow mein was more like Mr yu's,, not going back ever!!! read more

I have been eating Chen Ling's since I was 10 years old. Everything about their food is amazing. When I come to Riverside, their food is a must. The Wonton soup is to die for her. The Mushu chicken, the Pu Pu Platter, the beef with black bean sauce, and everything on the menu is amazing and delicious. I'm a really picky eater, so I love this place. Thank you, Cindy, for always being so kind and wonderful. Keep making great food. See you next time I'm in town. I love your food. You need to open a location closer to my house. read more

Food is the best Chinese food in Riverside! Flavors are incredible and food is fresh! It does take some time to get your food but keep in mind it is fresh and not fast food. Our grandkids say this is their favorite restaurant of all. read more

Came here on a whim and must say it was definitely worth it. There was only two dishes I tried but their menu has quite a selection. It is definitely full of variety I must say for sure. The server was fantastic and the environment was quiet and cozy. read more

Chen Ling Palace is, by far, the best Chinese food restaurant in Riverside. It is the best hole in the wall you will ever find! We have been going there for 50 years. The dinner specials come with everything you could possibly want. They feed enough for 2 to 3 days, and are reasonably priced around $14 bucks. All of their food is cooked to order, so be prepared to wait a while. I guarantee you will be happy that you dead. We enjoy sweet-and-sour chicken, chicken chow mein, and cashew chicken. We also love their wonton soup! read more

This place gets a bad rep because its old style restaurant and inside/outside is kinda out date. But this is definitely a hole and a wall. BUT man salted fish fried rice is nearly spot on ( compared to the ones in Rowland Heights and what I had in Hong Kong ). Just need alittle more salted fish; would make it amazing!!! The egg flower soup was decent. The steam dumpling were really good with the sauce. The mongolian beef is good... Meat was tender and the portion is decent. Now the green pepper beef is BOMB!!! Just amazing... The food, old lady waitress ( probably was the owner ), the atmosphere... zoomed me back to my childhood; sitting across from my Dad eating at a expensive Chinese restaurant in the Philippines. Look pass the decor; Look pass the outside and youll find this place serves really good old style chinese food!!! read more

Good Chinese Food. All the items are good especially if the Orange Chicken and the Steam Rice.

Fave: crispy, pan fried noodles meat or seafood- sooo good! When the lockdown happened last year, none of the Asian restaurants that we frequented had this type of noodle, luckily Chen Ling came to the rescue! Thanks to my cousins who ordered it. We would've never known! So if ur craving these noodles, come here and get 'em Thank you for providing our noodle needs read more

Service was blah. Refills took forever, had to flag the waiters down to get one. Food was amazing! Pay attention to the bill somehow they forgot some food items. We were told that we needed to remind them. Ummm Definitely would do a take out order instead dining in. read more

The restaurant doesn't look like much when you walk past it, my fiancé and his family had been coming here for YEARS and he's been telling me so much about it. We went in the midst of the corona virus. The food was excellent. This is not your average Chinese take out place. We ordered: Salted baked pork chops- it looks dry but it absolutely was not and it was delicious Mongolian beef- saucy with green onion- good! Shrimp fried rice- good good Orange chicken- saucy and good with sliced oranges as decor We had two rounds of mai Thais they were delicious, and not too sweet, just right. Our total came out to $70 including tip. Whoever said below they were overpriced needs a vibe check. Each plate was a family sized serving that was enough for us two to be filled and still have lunch tomorrow!!!! Will be returning hopefully soon. read more

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Grossed out!! Went back for the second time, and I was excited to eat here again because the food was so delicious the first time we tried it. when they brought me my food I found a DEAD FLY in my chicken chowmein!!! I notified the waitress and showed her and she said I'll bring you out another chowmein. I said uhh NO THANK YOU!! I left and will NEVER go back. Always check your food people everywhere you go eat, especially in hot weather where flies are around where the food is being prepared. read more

These folks have owned the old oriental garden's since 1994. Very friendly, food is very good. It took 4 minutes to get the traditional egg flower soup. Very tempurature hot, good. 21 more minutes is a little long for me, but the dinners were top notch. The best bean curd and vegies I have ever had. The carpets are very old and tattered. The bathrooms are the same, so if your ok with eating some great food, this I'd go here. Take out is great too. With only one cook on a Monday night, but friendly and 25- yrs supporting the city of riverside. This is your place. read more

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Great tasting food. Service was in a timely fashion. Prices are reasonable. Great ambiance.

1st time visiting- friendly staff . Clean plenty of room. Lots of to go orders Service was reasonable as it's made fresh. Pork chops were light and crispy delicious. Spicy eggplant was not too spicy just right. Egg foo young-thick patties. Chow mein Noodles used thin noodles . Difficult to say what the favorite dish was as they were all great!! I'm coming back definitely. read more

Chen Ling Palace - Egg foo young - Chinese Near Me - Riverside, California

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The customer service was great, a very nice lady took my to go order. The food wasn't bad at all, just wasn't as flavorful as I would've expected/liked and the orange chicken was more like sweet and sour than orange. read more

food was okay. the snacks they give you for appetizers are a bit stale and the portions are not amazing. what really gives this place a negative is how long they take to prepare the food! it wasn't busy when we came in and they still took a while. i would look past this if the food was actually good but it wasn't worth the wait. price is alright. if it weren't it would be 2 stars. the actual restaurant decor from the inside and outside looks very outdated. read more

This place has been feeding my family for decades now. They have a good balance of quality, portions and reasonable prices. My favorites here are the spicy pork chop, singapore style curry noodles and honey walnut shrimp. Service has always been good. Lady is always polite on the phone and lets me know when my food will be ready. Sometimes they can get busy and might miss your call though. Other than that, it's a great place if you're craving sit down chinese food. I've been coming back for years, and that's not changing any time soon. read more

We've been looking for a new favorite Chinese restaurant since our prior one Dragon House closed. We tried Chen Ling Palace. We tried the Mongolian beef, the chicken, fried rice, the hot salted pork chops, paper wrapped chicken, and the Mushu pork. We loved everything except the paper wrap chicken and the Mushu pork. We've been back three times since for the hot salted pork chops. The food is fresh and made to order, so there may be a wait even for takeout orders. A very good choice for Chinese food in Riverside Arlington area, but this is not a point at a tray and get your food restaurant. But, it is tasty! read more

This is the best, don't even think of going anywhere else. Fresh food, very clean, lit up so u don't have to eat in the dark, restrooms clean. Oh, the prices are realistic. read more

We have been going to Chen Ling for over 20 years. the food is great, the best chinese food, The manager Louise is super nice. She's very friendly and accommodating, she's always there ever since we start eating there over 20 years. our whole family love their food, the best salt pepper pork chop, read more

So let's get to the basics. The food is pretty good, fairly decent Cantonese-style Chinese food. My family knows Chinese food, and my wife enjoyed the lunch buffet here. Definitely an old school vibe and interior. This is the opposite of fancy. I ordered the beef chow fun for takeout and it was extremely good and authentic. Have been to China and Hong Kong many, many times. Also, lived in the SGV. This place does not disappoint. I was surprised and am glad to have an option for no frills, Cantonese Chinese food here in Riverside. read more

Food is fire. This is an old school place but I love it. The lady owner is fantastic as well. I come weekly not only for the food but to visit with her. read more

You know how they say don't judge a book by its cover.... well don't just this restaurant by its facade... or even its interior decor. The building itself is old and dated, and when you walk in you kind question how good the food will be based on the old decor. But... the food. It's full of flavor. The Mongolian Beef isn't spicy like one would think it to be, but with it's big flavor you don't even miss the spice. The Sweet and Sour has a slightly thicker batter than I prefer, but again the bold flavor of the sauce more than makes up for the batter. Over all, we were impressed and will be sure to come back. read more

A couple of friends and I stayed at the neighboring inn and decided to try this place because of the charming exterior, and let me tell you the food and service was immaculate. The waitress was very kind and knows how to make a mean cocktail! We ordered the shrimp chow mein, bbq pork fried rice, and the happy family special and was not disappointed at all. It took a little while to come out but it was probably due to the food being cooked to order. A great place for Chinese food and will definitely come back whenever we're in the area. read more

I tried this place because it had decent reviews. I purchased chen ling dinner c. The fried shrimp tasted as if it had been refried several times despite the fact we showed up ten minutes before they said it would be ready, it was not even warm. All entrees were lukewarm and none of them had good flavor. The dinner was very disappointing and barely edible. I will not be returning to this restaurant read more

Last week I went for the first time. I got pork bean sprouts, pork chop suey, and assorted meats with crispy noodles. Everything was sp good. My mom and dad loved the pork dishes and I loved the crispy noodles dish. So much food. I can't wait to go back. read more

Complete and total garbage for lunch buffet. It's cheap and the quality, or lack there of, shows in the food. I'm not sure why I came knowing full well it's indigestion inducing dreck. The owner/waitress has no smile in her and treats you as if you're an inconvenience. I've come here for the last time. I can not BELIEVE I CAME HERE AGAIN. MY FAULT. read more

I hate writing 1-star reviews. Nearly $80 for a dinner for 2 Egg Drop Corn with Chicken Soup - egg corn goop, where was the chicken? Was it the bits that looked and tasted like rice? (I've had better) BBQ Pork Bun - below average (I've had better, but at least they tasted fresh - probably because they were kept frozen) BBQ Spareribs - tasted STALE like they were a few days old, dry too (I've definitely had better) Cantonese Fried Crispy Chicken - wth is this? Rotisserie chicken with just salt? No sauce was given (other than the traditional soy sauce). Vegetable Chow Mein - basic, only good thing (but I've had better) Assorted Vegetables - wet vegetable corn starch goop, asked for mushrooms, there was maybe one or two whole mushrooms (I've had better) I thought this would be a nice Chinese(-American) place... I feel ripped off tbh read more

One of the best Chinese restaurants I've been to! The buffet wasn't very big, but the food in the buffet was amazing! Originally from looking at the rating, I didn't expect the food to be that good, but once I tried the food, my mind made a quick 180. The decoration could be better and it could be a little cleaner, but it was still great. Would definitely come again the next chance I get to! Note: After reading some of the reviews here, I would suggest coming very early, say around 11:40ish and wait for the buffet foods to come out. read more

1st time visiting this place, bad Service my waitress was rude , cookers came out the kitchen got out a fish out their fish tank, I don't know if they were going to cook it , but that was gross getting the fish out it's tank in front of the customers, My waitress was also disrespectful she called me an alcoholic for ordering a whiskey read more

Finally we find a non-generic AYCE Chinese buffet w/ authentic and yummy flavors (the way it should be). This is a traditional Chinese restaurant w/ old school decor that has a daily buffet from 11am to 2:30pm. The weekday lunch buffet is only $5.75, and it is a steal. That's how much I pay for ONE piece of rib eye steak at Ralphs (when they don't have the 50% off meat sale), so I get more for my money here! My husband is a fan of everything Chinese (he is Filipino), and I am a fan of good Chinese grub myself. Forget the chopsticks, we only had 1 hour left before the buffet ended at 2:30pm, so I decided to eat most of my food with my bare hands because it was faster to chow down that way! Now for our grub on... The egg flower soup was a very nice surprise. I love egg flower soup, but not many places know how to make a good one. Leave it to this place to make the BEST one I've ever had (even better than the one I had in Chinatown L.A. and Frisco). I even forgot to take a picture of the egg flower soup ~ it was that good! I had 3 cups (24 ounces!!!) of the egg flower soup alone. I was about to go for my 4th one (something I rarely do), but then they brought out the fried salted pork chop. The pork was Mmmm yummy. Maybe it was the MSG (who knows!!) but this pork was delicious. http://s3-media2.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/ttwtfJ0lPkxgjdA3J-X8Lw/l.jpg I then went on to try the kung pao chicken, not spicy at all but still good. Everything we tried was pretty good: salted shirmp fried rice chow mein mongolian beef orange chicken beef and broccoli damn good veggie egg rolls, etc. My husband (who traveled to Hong Kong years before we met) said that the flavors at this restaurant were spot on. They did not have the A/C running for the first 20 minutes that we were inside. My husband was using the table napkins to wipe the sweat off his forehead (I could already see the droplets forming on his head). We were about to say something about how hot it was in there, but then the table across from us complained before we did. The A/C went on automatically after that. Let me tell you that it was 100 degree weather outside, but it felt like it was at least 90 inside the restaurant!!! Someone (not our server) brought our bill after only 25 minutes of eating at the buffet, and it was not over for us yet (it's not like we were at the dessert stage). I've never seen anyone bring the check to us after only less than half an hour at any buffet. I did NOT like that, and decided to push it aside to make more room for my next chow down ~ more fried pork, salted shrimp, and kung pao chicken!!! The only reason why I'm giving this place 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the following 3 reasons: 1. They brought out the bill too early (first buffet that does this to us). Were they trying to tell us something??? 2. It was too hot inside the restaurant. The A/C should have been running the minute we walked in. 3. They only had fruits for dessert and not much else (for a buffet). We will give this place another shot at the buffet, but we will do the weekend buffet instead of the weekday one. You cannot go wrong w/ this buffet at only $5.75 per person on a weekday (excludes drink). They also have a buffet on weekends ~ it is under $10. read more

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The sweet and sour chicken was mushy and not sweet or sour, the fried rice was mushy, rice overcooked and looked hurried, the shrimp lo mein WAS BITTER!!! I mean tasted so bad and the cabbage was barely edible. Bought on door dash. I'd post a picture but it is in the trash. read more

We stumbled upon this restaurant by accident just last month and we have already been dining here 4-5x since! We frequent other restaurants in the vicinity and wondered why we have never heard nor given this place a chance. Upon close inspection, I realized why... the exterior and the surrounding area where this restaurant sit does not look inviting at all. It's not rundown by any means, it's just dark and too quiet (for a restaurant); old and spooky - almost scary. It's right next to a cheap motel no less! But I tell you, "NEVER judge a book by its cover" most certainly apply to this restaurant. The interior (as pictured) does look a bit old and poorly designed. The lighting was also dark like the outside. It is however clean and no, we did not smell anything out of norm or offensive. They do have an A rating by the door so that is encouraging. Service here was at first just average. Nothing special about it. But after few more visits and we became regular customers (in such a short time), the familiar faces became very friendly and accommodating. Our last visit was fun. Servers would joke with us, suggested dishes that is not in the menu esp. when they realize we are adventurous lot. Lily and an older gentleman always served us. They speak English albeit slow and heavily accented. I do appreciate their effort to communicate with us. The food here are all delicious. Reminded me of Hong Kong flavors. I have yet to try something I didn't like in this restaurant. I can honestly say, that they have the most authentic Chinese flavors, comparable to those Chinese restaurants in Azusa area. We have sampled the following -- - (pic) house fried rice - 3/5 stars - (pic) Salted pork chop - 4/5 stars - (pic) Crispy/Salted Squid - 3.5/5 stars - (pic) Flounder fish - ordered this every visit - 5/5 stars (FAVE) - Pork green beans - 3.5/5 stars - (pic) Eggplant - 4/5 stars - (pic) Sautéed Asparagus - 3.5/5 stars - steamed bokchoy - 4/5 stars - shrimp chop suey - 4/5 stars - (pic) The whole duck combo (w/duck bones soup and moo shoo duck) 5/5 stars latest FAVE Prices and portions are reasonable for me. All worth it. This restaurant does not nickel and dime you like other restaurants out there. They always give us free tea and eggdrop soup with small bowl of rice for my son. My last visit, I miscalculated on my total bill and didn't realized it until I left. I apparently paid them too much ($9 more after the 15% tip). To my surprise, they charge my credit card accordingly and disregarded my overcharged error. To be honest, I would have just given them the extra $9 if they had not fixed it. It was my mistake after all. But the honesty and integrity was impressive. All the more for me to come back here and recommend this place to everyone. read more

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Some of the dishes are really good but they no longer offer a buffet. That was the reason we went there.

I ate at Chen Ling twice when visiting Riverside. The food was excellent. I remember the great tastes of the 1970's as a kid. Their sweet and sour pork was large and tender inside with a sweet sauce that was not overwhelming. The Roast duck was fresh and juicy heavy with meat. Their seasoning was awesome. Lastly, the salt and pepper pork chops were plentiful with lots of meat and again, seasoned perfectly with the right amount of salt and hot peppers. The restaurant looks like it has been there forever and that is part of its' charm. There are two ladies that run the place with a cook in the back who knows his stuff! They have a full bar with a full Chinese menu of everyone's favorites. I will definitely eat there again and can recommend the food to anyone who lives authentic Chinese cuisine. read more

I will this keep this review very simple . We came here on 8/3 for my parents Wedding Anniversary dinner . Our first choice was " Big Sky Restaurant " in riverside but they were closed for renovations. So , Chen Ling Palace was an option since they offered family style dinner options which my parents preferred. I don't know how to be completely honest without sounding like an A-hole on our entire experience. Overall, the poor custom service we received and poor quality of food selection requested and upon ordering items on their menu that they could not fulfill. Our waitress was beyond overwhelmed and the poor communication across the board . I've never been to an Authentic Chinese Restaurant that did not have Lobster, roasted duck or scallops or clams in stock . This place just screams poor example of authentic. Most of the items we ordered were not available so we had to put in another order . That's just a negative rating in my book . We ordered roasted duck and the waitress said " I'm sorry " it's not available but the party next to us got roasted duck with steamed buns . That's the BS I do not understand so when I brought it to her attention all she can say is " I'm sorry " they pre ordered it and it wasn't roasted duck it was Peking IDGAF that's just rude .. it was hard to understand the poor customer service and poor food quality food and we had to flag the staff down multiple times to replenish our water , hot tea and rice. I had never been to a Chinese restaurant that didn't offer chopsticks, they gave us cheap disposable ones . When it came to our check they processed the amount wrong on our card in addition to that , we even left close to 20% tip with poor Everything. As I walked out the waitress handed me a voucher for 10% off on our next visit . Seriously, 10% isn't nothing with everything we experienced on our visit . I was not pleased with anything they had to offer to be honest . I've been to many restaurants who value you their patrons . Even with a voucher that was a joke . This place isn't authentic at all they should reconsider revising their menu to the lack of options they do not have available such as their seafood options and poultry it's a damn shame and embarrassing . I can't wait until The Big Sky Restaurant in riverside re opens after their renovations because they are a legit Chinese Restaurant with great customer service & food quality . Please be advised this place is disgusting and run down with poor communication and lower grade food quality & options .This is a PSA .. so you have been warned =) . read more

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Great Chinese food for take out. We just order through Postmates and the food was really good. The items we got were beef fried rice, egg rolls, chicken chow mein, and Mongolian beef. Everything was excellent and I could not stop eating the fried rice! The portions were very large and I wasn't expecting much the place portion wise. This is my new go to take out for Chinese. We might try and go to dinner there one day. Okay we have been ordering through DoorDash for the last month every Friday. The last month has been great. Tonight we ordered the beef chow mein, chicken fried rice, and garlic chicken. And every Friday it has been great. We will continue to order here every week. Love it. read more