China Café has been a mainstay on the Town Square for a few decades and deservedly so. This is has been a family owned and operated restaurant providing service with care and attention - recognizing regulars like friends. Speaking of which, many times you'll see friends and family also dining here. They have a super takeaway business. I've provided copies of their menu to help in your takeaway ordering. Today, we had the dine-in lunch specials. Each lunch came with soup; we choose Egg Drop Soup and Wonton Soup. Both soups, see my pics, are full of ingredients and piping hot (particularly welcomed on this cold, windy day). Each broth was rich and flavorful. The wonton soup had crunchy veggies inside the wonton. The Garlic Chicken was full of flavor. The garlic while pronounced wasn't over powering. The diced water chestnuts were crunchy which complimented the moist chicken and was good carrier for the garlic sauce. The carrot slices added some flavor but really added more crunch. The side egg roll (also comes with the lunch special) was super crunchy and mildly flavorful. The brown rice was a great way to enjoy the remaining sauce. The Chicken with Broccoli had the same sides as the Garlic Chicken. However, its sauce was milder, yet still savory. read more

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We were starving driving through town and made a pit stop here. WOW, awesome hole in the wall. Amazing food quality! Very clean atmosphere. The workers were very friendly. Can we go back tonight? Loved: spring rolls Eh: egg rolls (too much cabbage and nothing else) read more

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I ordered for pick up and food was ready, and tasted great. Only took 20 minutes from order to pickup

This Chinese restaurant is a hidden gem in Winterset! We are always impressed with the quality of food, the large variety on the menu, and the large portion sides. My chicken pad thai was easily two meals worth of food for me. There are several tables and booths available inside, and they do a lot of carryout business as well! read more

China Cafe - Chicken pad thai - Chinese Near Me - Winterset, Iowa

Pretty dang tasty. Only I can think of is the potstickers were actually fried dumplings, they still were pretty good and hit the spot. Service was good and friendly and attentive. Place was a cozy little spot to enjoy a nice quiet meal with people you like. read more

The food was amazing!!! We didn't know for sure what we should order, and our lovely waitress helped us decide. She suggested the vegetable fried rice for me and the sweet and sour chicken for my husband. The eggrolls are absolutely delicious, the hot and sour soup with some of the best that I have ever eaten. We will definitely take the hour and a half trip to go eat there again read more

Ordered food to go and we on time. Chicken was cold. I have had food poisoning before and lucky didn't get sick this time. That's the only problem. read more

Excellent food and very great service. I've ate there for years and love that place. Never had a bad meal there

The food was wonderful. My husband and I split the lo mein and that came with the bowl soup and egg roll. I would definitely recommend this for anyone visiting. We were visiting the John Wayne museum in just a short walk. Probably within five minutes from there. The portions are very generous. read more

Oh my this place is good, like others on here I thought good Chinese in Winterset??....um well yes this place rocks. the pad thai was amazing and a large portion. the Crab rangoon was delish and the spring rolls ...home made and fried to a crispy perfection....enjoy this place it is a gem in the middle of the wilderness, you will not be disappointed!! read more

Best Chinese in town! Big portions, short wait times and always enough for leftovers. Much larger portions for your buck than H-Vee.

Not my favorite but enjoy there rice anything else naw I'm good on, yes I've tried other foods but not what I prefer

Another great experience. So far I've been here 4 times in the last 2 weeks. I plan to eat here as much as I can while I'm in town. Not only are the Chinese dishes great ... The Vietnamese dishes are truly amazing. Today was the vermicelli noodles with chicken. Delicious!!! read more

China Cafe - Vermicelli noodles with chicken!! Yummy!!!! - Chinese Near Me - Winterset, Iowa

Ate lunch here not expecting too much because it being a smaller town, but was pleasantly surprised. Live in Omaha and the food here was better than nearly all the stuff in Omaha. Hot and Sour soup was perfect mix of not too hot and sour. my sweet and sour chicken had perfect balance of veggies to meat and sauce excellently balanced in taste and texture. Even the Jasmine tea was good. Highly recommend. read more

Whatever happened to this place in the last month or so is nothing short of miraculous. The menu is top notch for a small town Chinese restaurant. They have got a little bit of everything from Thai inspired, Vietnamese, and normal Americanized Chinese. So utterly impressed and pleased with the food here now. Excellent! read more

China Cafe - Inside of restaurant. - Chinese Near Me - Winterset, Iowa

Great only chinese restaurant in winterset. If you're visiting this town and have a craving for chinese food then this is the only place but the food is ok representing Chines/Vietnamese cuisine with a little twist to adapt to American culture. Overall good. read more

This place surprised us, we were a bit skeptical of a small town eatery but this place was so good! I got the rice noodles and tofu, being a vegetarian makes life a little difficult in the US and when you find vegetarian options they often aren't great. However, this place had the best tofu! The whole dish is so good and I am glad we found it, hot and sour and egg drop soup were good also. read more

The best chinese food around! good variety on the menu and the service is friendly good. even when they are busy the wait isn't bad. nice place to enjoy a good chinese meal. read more

It's kinda meh. Not the best place in the world but some days it is a little bit better.

I had lunch there yesterday with my wife. I ordered Kung Pau Shrimp and was not impressed, especially with the quality of the shrimp. Egg roll was not good. My wife had the Mongolian Beef and she only had a few bites because she thought it tasted odd. She did say that the Crab Rangoon was ok. I'd never go back. read more

A nice fresh breath when it comes to Asian type food. Definitely way better than the run of the mill frozen type. The meals we had popped with flavor. Even the fried rice was delicious on its own. We will definitely be coming back. read more

We love this place, the food and service are always great. We (and our friends) drive 45 min just to eat here because it is our favorite Chinese restaurant. read more

So I am usually a happy customer and try to order at least once a week, I get the to go order and even though they had a 25 minute wait to pickup that was ok. I scheduled lunch, went to pick up and waited another 15 minutes because it wasn't ready. When I asked for a time frame I was told we don't know. If you can let us know within reason don't give us a pickup time and then even when we wait tell us you don't know. I understand Covid and being short staffed but build that into your time when we drive to pick it up. This was a terrible experience snd I could not get my food as I have a limited lunch 1/2 hour to get my food and drive. read more

I stop in often and have tried quite a few different things on the menu.. Sping rolls and hot & sour soup are quite good. The food comes out hot are quite tasty. They have weekly specials which I tend to try. I actually think the asian food here is some of the best in the Des Moines area. read more

Wow! What a great surprise to come back after years to find China Cafe rising! Fresh, clean smell when walking in (opposed to years ago) - tidy and simple. Happy that I gave this place a chance, the food is hot and tasty. Soup was so good. Service was on top of game (I was only person in here) but still felt welcomed. If you have been putting this place off due to previously bad experiences, give it a try again! Will return! read more

China Cafe - Beef with broccoli - Chinese Near Me - Winterset, Iowa

I really like this place. They are always accommodating and quick. The outside of the place of deceiving. It took my awhile to try this place because the store front gives it a "hole in the wall" feel. Inside is clean and organized. The menu is HUGE and includes Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. I have tried several dishes and haven't had anything bad! My kids love the egg drop soup and crab rangoon. If you are in winterset check it out! read more

Decent Chinese food for a small town. The wait staff is always friendly and prompt. I like the cashew chicken and the hot and sour soup. The iced tea is good too. I eat there about once a month. Thanks read more

I use to love going to the China Cafe, until recently. The last few time I have went the food was bland and warm. Plus the food smelled rancide, almost as if it had been left out for a while. I hope changes will be made, if not I think I have to find a new favorite place for good food. read more

We have been to many other Asian type restaurants and hands down this is at the top of the list for quality, taste and price. I've tried various dishes and they are top drawer. Crab Rangoon is excellent as I've never had anything to compare. Try it! You won't be disappointed at all. read more

This place has the most delicious and fresh Asian food in the Winterset area. It is better than some of the places I have been to in Des Moines and VERY reasonably priced! read more

I am originally from near Chicago. If you have only ever lived in a small town this restaurant should impress you. Having been exposed to larger cities with more to offer I have come to appreciate this restaurant alot. Located right on the square of Winterset to the north is China Cafe. Inside you will find a wide variety of menu options to select from. I generally let my daughter order for the whole family when we get take out. I am not a huge Chinese fan but China Cafe will soon make you one. Im a bit partial to their pot stickers and the ginger soy sauce that accompanies them. Egg rolls are nothing basic and full of great flavor. They keep you wanting more! We typically have always ordered Sesame Chicken and the Mongolian Beef. With takeout, we always have enough for the entire family and at a great price! It's hard to ever want to go out to eat anywhere else when you have such a fine restaurant nearby. Everyone who works here is beyond nice and accommodating. You truly could not ask for more. And I've seen MORE. There literally is not ONE thing I would recommend improving to this fine establishment. You make me think Chicago exists right here in Winterset. Thanks China Cafe! read more

Very good, very fast! Much improved from earlier visits and the expanded menu a welcome addition.