Very surprised in a good way. The portions are huge and the food is great. Very comforting food as the food it cooked in an authentic fashion. You can taste the "heat" from the wok used to cook the food. I enjoyed the pork fried rice and their beef chow fun. Don't be discouraged when you walk in and see the small dining area. It maybe dismal but, this place stays open for a reason and it's for the food. Will definitely be back again in the future to try more dishes. read more

I only had the sweet and sour chicken for lunch. Want to try the chow fun dishes. But for what I had. 3.5 Stars. Seasonings/taste good= 3.5 Food is cooked pretty close to properly = 3.75 Portions are larger = 5 Ingredient quality was soso. I know it's canned pineapple in there, but don't get the cheapest one. = 3.25 Price = 5 good value Atmosphere small and plain. Could be a bit cuter to match the waitress. = 3 Service very good, cheerful and prompt. Nice waitress and she refilled my water a few times instead of the usual fill once and disappear. = 5 Tasty enough and overall pleasing. Will come back. read more

China House - Sweet and Sour Chicken w Fried Rice. Tasty and solid lunch. - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

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Based on the good reviews on here - my mom, daughter and I tried this place today. As mentioned before the decor is a bit scary, but the food was better then you'd expect. Ordered the paper wrapped chicken which was the best my mom had ever had! Hot and Sour soup that was shockingly spicy and that's saying something from us, because we love our spicy foods! Also got the China House Chicken with veggies (spicy), and Mongolia Beef, both were pretty good especially for the price. Ohhh and they have REAL fortune cookies - super delicious! We'd go back for sure! read more

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A wonderful Mom and Pop's Restaurant hit in downtown Novato. They have very wonderful hours and the food is fantastic. The service here and the people are wonderful and you won't be disappointed by the quality. highly recommended if you're looking for a fantastic place to get Chinese food! read more

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I have to admit, Chinese isn't my fav. I don't crave it, the thought of it doesn't wake me up at night, it's never my first choice, and I often find myself turning down the idea when others throw it out there, but every now and then I get a hankering and I hit up this lil joint and it all comes back to me. Sometimes I wonder why I ever go, and then I remember, China House. At work we call it "cheap Chinese".... pretty much speaks for itself. The restaurant is a little hole in the wall, very blandly decorated and old. A husband and wife duo run it alone and have a good amount of regulars. The place itself is very drab, very plain, very meh.... but the food is really another story. Once you try your first bite, you forget where you are and your snobby feeling of "uck why do I come here?" turns into, "omfg how have I never been here before?" Their sweet and sour anything is superb. And their won-tons are bomb.com, although you will have to wait an extra few minutes for them. Their hot and sour soup along with their egg flower soup (add soy sauce) is so scrumptious. But the grand finale comes when the check arrives. This is where the nickname "cheap Chinese" comes from. $5 a plate! It comes with one entre, a side of rice (steamed or fried) and a bowl of the soup of the day. All that for $5? I mean, seriously? Seriously. read more

China House - Sweet & Sour Chicken @ China House - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

Extensive selection, generous sized servings, very carefully packed for takeout. Online ordering was super easy. Service was friendly and prompt. read more

Nice, friendly family ran business. Excellent portion sizes, food wasn't greasy or fat filled. The combination meals are available throughout the day, not limited to certain times. The combos are a great deal, adding soup, rice and an egg roll to your meal, whether you're dining in or out. I will definitely return. read more

China House - Mushu chicken - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

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Located right in downtown Novato, this little Chinese place offers inexpensive and delicious food. While not the top quality, most will be satisfied by the taste and portions. The store itself is nothing to look at though. The small shop looks run down but don't let that shy you away. The staff is more then friendly and once again, the food satisfying. read more

China House - Even the takeout is good. Delicious cashew nut chicken and rice. Yummy! - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

We tried China House for the first time last night. The servings are generous and delicious. It was take out and it was ready right in time and the staff was very nice. Billy-Bob say "Check it out!!!" read more

Pretty good little hole in the wall on Grant. They have a lot of the typical Chinese food one would expect at reasonable prices. They have some of the best egg rolls I have ever had! I enjoyed General chicken, bbq Hong Kong style chow Mein and pork fried rice. General chicken was my favorite out of the three. Pork fried rice was a little dry but had good flavor. Ordered takeout and they had my order in 20 minutes on a Friday night. Dining in didn't appear to be very exciting as it doesn't have much atmosphere and is on the smaller side. Overall I would come back! read more

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This is a family run restaurant by a very nice family. the food is really really good and I could not believe how much food we got for so little money. The garlic eggplant is fantastic and so were the egg rolls and the fried rice. Would highly recommend this restaurant read more

Got beef chowmein and spring rolls good amount of food for the price prepared in a good amount of time

Favorite Chinese food restaurant by far! Reasonable prices, big portions, good customer service and delicious food! I've only ever gotten to-go orders since the pandemic started and they make it so easy. I also love how they never forget extra sauces that I ask for in the "notes" section. I know this is a small detail but countless restaurants don't read the small print of specifics. I just wish this restaurant was open more hours of the day! I drive from Petaluma to get their food because it simply is the best around. read more

I like this place small little place with Delicious food on grand Avenue we take out from there often and have never been disappointed I like their Broccoli beef chicken chow mein eggrolls it's been around forever read more

Great bang for the buck. I really like the kung pao and the chow mein. The places is small, has about 18 tables. There's only two people work at this place So if you come during busy hour you might wait a while. I try to go there only if it not busy time. Like I said, pricing is good bang for buck. And the lady is really nice. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but if you are pass by, maybe eat here. I recommend 4 stars. read more

China House - interior - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

I hate writing negative reviews...particularly for small family businesses. Maybe that's why it's taken me awhile to get to this, because we tried this place for dinner back on December 25th. And it was not good. Maybe it was partly our fault' because my family has a tradition that, because there is just the three of us, we have a super low key Christmas...Pancakes, matinee, present opening, drive into the city to look at the tree in Union Square, and then dinner at Tommie's Wok in Sausalito. No stress, Right? Well tragedy struck this year when our usual restaurant was closed! Wha? Say it isn't so... Instead we scrambled and searched around, until thankfully we found that China House was open. That is worth one star right there! They took our order for take out quickly and efficiently, and our food was ready in 15 minutes, so I think that deserves another star. And then we got home and opened up our meal. Ugh. The eggrolls tasted very much like the kind you can buy frozen. The lemon chicken had a strange gelatinous texture to both the sauce and the meat. The mixed veggies had been overcooked enough that they had yellowed. The chow mein had no taste. It was so odd. Like eating air. (But they did have a very nice texture...toothsome) So, I'm really hoping that because it was a holiday, maybe they were just having an off night. So many of the other reviews are positive, I think it might still be worth a try here...but not for us! read more

If you live in Novato, and are looking for Chinese food, don't hesitate to try out China House. This is a super-solid, basic Chinese restaurant that is on par with other Novato restaurants like China Palace. Good hole-in-the-wall dining experience with friendly waitstaff. A great value, as $40 buys enough for two meals between two people. Yes, it's not the most authentic, amazing Chinese food you'll find in the Bay Area, but standards here are extremely high. It's all relative. Ignore reviews where people attempt to compare this restaurant to the rest of the Bay, or talk about the hole-in-the-wall ambience as if this means something to you (hopefully you don't care), or that deride their preparation of your precious Lemon Chicken (gag). This place delivers on a simple promise: good, cheap, basic Chinese food. Here's some things I've gotten recently and been pleased with: War Won Ton Soup (4/5) - Wontons were somewhat dense - Lots of extras (pork, chicken, shrimp, cabbage) - Great broth/soup China House Special Beef (4/5) - Standard battered and deep-fried beef covered in hot/sour sauce - Great breading, very crispy - Slightly tangy-er than some other variants I've tried - Includes lots of vegetables (unexpected!) Green Beans with Pork (5/5) - Spicy, fried green beans, can't go wrong - HUGE portions BBQ pork chow mein (4/5) - Not a ton of ingredients - Solid (cha su) BBQ pork, thinly sliced, good flavor - Very good (QQ) noodles with just a little bit of chewiness BBQ pork Hong Kong style chow mein (4/5) - Good mix of ingredients - Decently crispy noodles, good flavor - Not too much gravy/sauce read more

Surprise! Take a drive down Grant. Wait you blinked and now you missed your chance for delicious orange chicken and tasty chicken Chow Mein. Oh then there is the Mongolian Beef...How hot do you want it? What is worse is you will not get the chance to day dream for the next several days about the amazing BBQ Pork Fried Rice you just had and wish you had taken an extra order home with you. The portions are hefty and the prices are not. Do not expect to park in front. I suggest you just plan to take your first right after the restaurant. The ladies were lovely and welcoming. Going? Yes. The Fried Rice calls to me. read more

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We had a late Saturday lunch here, about 2pm. They close at 3 and reopen at 4 for dinner. We were the only people in the restaurant but their phone orders seemed steady. We had excellent service and everything was fresh and Delicious. We had combo entries, add for $2.50 to any entree....bowl of very good soup with tons of veggies, 1 egg roll (that was nearly grease-less), and a bowl of rice. Excellent value! We had the moo shoo (sp?) pork and generals chicken. The only disappointment was the chicken. It was prepared perfectly...just flavor flat! We did specify "spicy" but it almost seemed like they forgot to add the spice/heat. This was quickly fixed by adding a spoonful of the chili mix condiment that is on each table. They do have a white board of lunch specials, all around $5 (soup, egg roll, rice, and entree!) but it is only Monday-Friday (11-3pm). Some of the best Chinese food I've had in Novato for sure....if ONLY they had dim sum!! read more

I've eaten here dozens of times and I'm so glad this restaurant exists in Novato! My go to dishes are the salt and pepper chicken wings and the braised tofu (I think it's called the China House tofu on the menu). Don't usually eat in but take out is great. read more

Best Chinese food I've had in the north bay by a wide margin. I can't say anything about eating in/service/etc. as I've only gotten delivery. We had a lot of trouble finding decent Chinese in the area so finding a place like this that has consistently been fantastic is wonderful. read more

Delicious food with generous portions, particularly good sautéed deluxe vegetables and fried rice! Nice family run business with friendly service, one of my new favorites read more

Friendly service, simple decor, food not up to par for this type of Chinese restaurant. Veggies were on the steam table too long and looked washed out and dull.... and the Sweet and sour pork was overspiced, i suppose it was like that to cover its age. Won-Ton soup was excellent..... read more

Why look anywhere else for the best Chinese food in Novato! Been coming here like 2 years, love the Hot&Sour soup! Great lunch deals also! Family run business great envirement Super friendly people Prompt service! -Perry read more

Quick Tip: This place is small but fast on your order. With tax $5.70 for a lunch special. Novato isn't the ideal place to have high hopes for chinese cuisine. With that in mind, this place is a little below average from the restaurant I normal dine at. Not to knock the place or the service, if you are near the area and want something cheap this will be a good bang for your $$. read more

Great little chinese restaurant in Novato.. great staff, friendly, great quality food and reasonable prices.. definitely recommend and will return! read more

China House - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

Amazing food, even better service! My wife and I have been looking for great Chinese since moving to Marin from SF. We found it! China House is great! The food is always cooked exactly to order, and always served with a smile! I can't recommend China House enough - GREAT!!! read more

Yummy & fresh food! Cute environment! Cheap & affordabe! Great Service! What else can you ask for? read more

Methinks not, indeed. When you live in the Bay area, this is not chinese food. We got take out last night by accident because we called the wrong place. Not wanting to be rude, we picked up the order and brought it home. Truth be told, my middle school cafeteria did a better job of representing China, and that was 1983 in Grand Rapids, MI! The generals chicken was simply salty, no sweetness whatsoever. Plus, there were mixed vegetables in it that had no place: zucchini, mushroom, carrots... The list goes on. It was clear that the vegatables were from another dish, along with the generic fried chicken you can get with any of their other chicken dishes. The potstickers somehow tasted like Campbell's chicken noodle soup?? The garlic bok choy was more like steamed ginger bok choy, with steam being the most prevalent flavor. Novato, in fact, has some of the best Chinese in the Bay: China Palace. They were so busy that they couldn't even take our order, whereas the chef for China House was out on the sidewalk when we arrived at an empty restaurant to pick up our order. Boo. read more

Updated 3/15/10 - Gone here many times now. Food is fresh and tastey. The atmosphere? Um, you don't go here for that. 2nd best Chinese in town (only due to inconsistency in preparation of dishes). Original review - Great food, low prices, and they'll make whatever you want. The couple that owns the restaurant is friendly and we love coming to this quaint, family style place. Much better soups and sauces than any other place in town. read more

An old favorite. The owners/servers are always so nice and friendly. I have never had a bad experience here. The atmosphere is kinda.. meh.. I get the idea that this is where the lonely folks go to eat in Novato. Cute and comfortable, and a quiet place to eat. The food is excellent. I never get sick of their spicy tofu! Super affordable and super fast service!!! read more

Yep, another lunch where I ate way too much and enjoyed every bite. This is Main Street local place...run as a family affair of about 12 tables...AND also some of the most generous portions you will ever get; friendly service that delivers your meal fast; great hot and sour soup; an egg roll and tea, and, of course, a fortune cookie to top it off. We had Cashew chicken and one of the vegetables and shrimp dishes filled us up (really more than we needed!) read more

Excellent friendly service. I have had 3 different meals from there, walnut prawns, Kung Pow Chicken and Pork Friend rice, the portion sizes are huge, and all the food was very tasty. The walnut prawns could almost be a dessert itself! read more

Cheap, kind of boring, pretty standard but good. I'd go back if I was with a friend but I would not in a million years take a date here again... even if we were longterm and it was cool to slum it up a bit... it's just not particularly inspiring. Atmosphere is too gloomy and cheap. read more

Great food and very cheap. I've tried most of the Chinese places in novato and this one is definitely the best. At most of the cheaper Chinese restaurants the beef can taste a little rubbery/weird, but I got the beef with broccoli and it was excellent. The woman who owns the place is also very friendly. read more

Got take out for my grandparents who live in Novato. My grandpa boldly stated that this was the best Chinese food she's had in a long time. While I don't necessarily agree with that, it is certainly delicious. THE WALNUT SHRIMP IS TO DIE FOR - sweet, if you're into it. The family who works here/ owns it are adorable. Very accommodating to all dietary preferences and substitutions. Happy to answer questions. Definitely would recommend. read more

Had the House Special Chow Mein Hong Kong Style (with Crispy Noodles) for $6.50. Overall, I'd give the dish a 3; but, I took 1 star off because the shrimp were off. Next time I go back, I'm going to ask them to give me fresh shrimp. The Egg Flower Soup was not bad. I'll have to try more things on the menu. 9/12/08 Update - I went back to try Egg Plant with Garlic Sauce. It was so-so. I still like the soup; but, I'm starting to think that this is a mediocre place. read more

Great little family run restaurant. Not much to look at but the food was fantastic AND reasonable. 8 dollars for a plate full of fried rice and your choice of entree for lunch which also comes with soup and deep fried wonton chips. Will repeat. read more

The average ratings for this restaurant are too high. The food is strictly average. Not bad. Not good. If you want inexpensive, average Chinese food that is local to the town, try it. There are better in Marin. Given proximity to San Francisco, it is a short drive to great Chinese. read more

China House, the Chinese name for this place is "May Flower", located in the downtown area of Novato. As you can see from some of the photos posted by other Yelpers, the decor is simple and the table cloth interesting to say the least.... Their lunch special today came with hot and sour soup, which didn't have much ingredients other than tofu and it tasted a little blend. Broccoli chicken and curry beef came with steam rice, delicious but there were only about five small pieces of chicken in the broccoli chicken and may be the same amount of beef in the curry. The beef curry had a lot of squash, carrots, bell peppers and onions. The service was friendly and efficient, the price was reasonable. So i guess for a $5 lunch plate, i shouldn't expect more meat... read more