My parents introduced me to Classic Chinese in Laguna Hills, and we have been going for years without issue. The new issue is that it is way too popular. Maybe we should not have told so many people about it. Getting a table used to feel easy. Now it feels like the kind of place everyone else discovered right after you did. It is great for large groups. They have a large group room, which is why this works when we are not just a couple of adults and kids. Family dinners, bigger tables, the kind of night where you order too many dishes and somehow still want one more. The food itself is pretty classic Chinese food. Not the absolute best in Orange County, nothing fancy, just solid. I would put the food around a 4 out of 5 on its own. The overall experience still lands at five for us. My kids' favorite dishes are the steamed fish and the clams. Those two are the reason they ask to come back. Steamed fish that actually tastes clean and careful, clams that feel like a treat without being precious about it. That is the lane Classic Chinese lives in. Familiar flavors, generous plates, the kind of Chinese restaurant where you already know what you are ordering before you sit down. Service is above average for a Chinese place, which matters more than people admit when you have kids and a big table. They keep things moving without making the meal feel rushed. After years of coming here, it is still our default when we want solid Chinese food that the whole family will finish, even if I am part of the reason it got too popular. read more

One of my favorite Catomede restaurant miss it's mark on my wonton Noodle soup! It has "wondyoms" that lost their Wrappers and only meatballs were there. However willing to give it another try. The soup and noodles weregood read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

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Food was so SO good! Recently heard about this spot and had to go try it! Each dish was better than the next! Super authentic taste with quality fresh ingredients! Restaurant was super clean and service was friendly and fast! I was surprised how packed it was on a Tuesday night. But once you take your first bite, you'll see why! Best dish of the night for me was the braised tofu with mushroom in brown sauce! The tofu was so silky and comforting! We also got the whole fried fish, beef with black bean sauce, pan fried noodles, and the salt & pepper shrimp. Next time you're craving Chinese, you gotta try Classic Chinese! read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Braised Tofu with Mushroom in Brown Sauce - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

We revisited this place on. Sunday around 5:00 pm. The place was already buzzing. There still were a few tables available so we were seated promptly. Notably they had added new items on the menu albeit all are appetizers. Orders were taken but we had to wait for 25 minutes before food appeared. First came the garlic pork chop which was hot and crispy. Unfortunately the piece I tried had a strong ammonia smell and taste probably due to uneven and prolonged marination with baking soda and some pieces had chunks of soda trapped in the meat that results in some chemical reaction to produce the foul taste. The fish fillet with tofu was tasty but some of the tofu cubes were blackened. Chicken with black bean sauce was nice , so was the lettuce wrap. Portion sizes were generous but the whole meal was spoiled by the pork chop piece. Very disappointing for this visit! read more

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So third time here and I still believe it's a wonderful restaurant! Today I ordered Chinese cashew chicken, with broccoli extra it was delicious. Everything was generous, the the chicken portion, the broccoli, the flavors. Everything to me was spot on. Additionally, the thing I love most about being here is sitting down and getting the rice & jasmine tea, and their delicious egg drop soup. Furthermore, I love the multicultural aspect here. Eating cultural food, it's nice to see the actual culture here! In addition, service once fast, friendly, fast and friendly, may MAI, quickly found a table for me because the place is full of patrons! read more

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Came here on Saturday night after hearing from many people that this was one of the bette Chinese spots in the area. It does get busy on Saturday night so prepare accordingly. Overall, I felt the food was pretty standard with each of the dish. I felt like it was lacking that umami or heavy msg flavor which I love. It was more on the mild flavor side for Cantonese, which is nothing wrong. But I think it would pair better w/ rice if it was a bit more salty. Very clean though. Usually feel heavy and oily from the food. But i felt like it isn't as oily for Chinese restaurant I've been. read more

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This is a great Chinese restaurant -- probably one of the best in the area now that Sam Woo is gone. We always order the same dishes when going to a Chinese restaurant for the first time so that we can compare. Every one was great. The fish with black bean sauce was excellent. Lots of pieces of fish all cooked perfectly. The fish was so tender, it melts in your mouth. The sauce was just right -- very flavorful but not overwhelming. The beef chow fun was also very good. I didn't think it was the best we ever had -- that title goes to the waygu chow fun at Palette. But this was still very good. The garlic pea shoots and fried crab balls were also excellent. And the service and prices were great. Great value. We're definitely coming back. read more

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Establishment is still very busy, clean and well lit. Staff was professional and courteous. This time we ordered 1. Steamed dumplings 2. Crab meat fish maw soup 3. Pan fried sole fish with garlic soy sauce 4. Braised pork belly with preserved vegetables 5. Garlic pea shoot Everything is fresh and authentic. TLDR: Excellent service, good food, good establishment, good value. Would recommend! read more

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130 pm, Wednesday, August 12, 2026 Never been here. Was here for a team lunch and it came highly recommended by my coworker. First impression, it was busy AF at 130 pm! That's a great sign to confirm that the food is good. Parking: plenty of spaces, however, near the restaurant most of the spaces were taken. I wouldn't mind parking further away to avoid door dings by random folks. We ordered various dishes ranging from string beans, roasted duck, beef noodles, fried pork, steamed fish, cabbage dish, and honey walnut shrimp. It came with steamed rice, side of soup (hot-sour or egg flower) and hot jasmine tea. Fortune cookies at the end. read more

Food- large portions & tastes amazing; recommend to those who love Cantonese style cuisine. Service- efficient; dishes came out very quickly; they even offer to hold my dessert at the front desk & served us later with plates, knife, and forks without charge; also refilled our teapot at least 4 times; accommodated our large party of 9 people well. Ambiance- great for casual to celebration; very family style; also can accommodate many people in 1 party. We are impressed with this place & will definitely want to come back. I'd recommend asking for their lunch menu-- huge list of options, cheaper price, and offered everyday until 4pm (which is unheard of). Plus we were offered egg drop or hot and sour soup. Also our fave food that we ordered 3 of them was the filet mignon-- so tender, flavorful with pepper and balanced with a bed of thinly chopped cabbage. read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

For special occasions, my mom likes to host lunches here. Usually, I rate the food a 4/5 because the food can be inconsistent, but this last lunch finally hit the mark in that every dish served was on point. Here are the highlights: Appetizer Platter Fish Maw Soup - while my mom loves this soup, I beg to differ Roast Chicken Seafood/Vegetable Stir-Fry Baby Bok Choy with Mushrooms, Bamboo Shoots, Sea Cucumber Peking Duck Honey Walnut Shrimp Dried Fried Green Beans Lobster Filet Mignon Whole Steamed Fish Fried Rice Complimentary Dessert to celebrate the birthday girl Service was attentive. read more

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Firstly, I would like to thank the guy at Wild Fork that recommended this place as the ONLY restaurant that his grandmother will eat at. What does that mean? I have no idea because I don't know him or his grandmother but I'm sure it's a big deal. Secondly, I'd like to thank the person that compared this place to Sam Woo and still gave this place 5 stars. YES. So on that note, I ordered what I always order at Sam Woo to compare. We ordered: salted fish and chicken fried rice, pan fried seafood noodle- crispy of course, Peking duck, and an eggplant dish. Legit perfect. Perfect crisp on the noodles, delicious crispy fatty moist duck. Everything was so good. For the volume of food we ordered, it is pretty inexpensive. The service is a little confusing because you have to ask for everything rather than American style where a single server just appears, but they were all fast and helpful. read more

Cannot give them less than a 5! They combine great food with fast service and free easy parking and most importantly: Large Portions! This boy rarely gets filled up at a restaurant and they did it! You won't be yelling, "where's the beef?" here. I had the Kung Pow chicken and it knocked me out! Filled with lots of the most tender slices of chicken, and tons of peppers! I would immediately order this again. This place was recommended to me by a friend whose family has come here religiously for years. They won't go anywhere else. Now I am fan of brown rice--but you won't find that here. They love white and that is all you will get and it's good--but not good for you. And don't take my word for it--this restaurant was half filled with Chinese dining, so you know it's authentic. And they have this great large fish tank in the front you can watch the fish go by while waiting for your table. read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Kung Pow Wow Chicken - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

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Updated review: this is still my favorite Chinese restaurant here in South OC. The service is always on point and the food is soo authentic. You literally cannot go wrong with any dish. My favorite is the honey walnut shrimp, the tofu with peanuts, and I love their pan fried seafood noodles. They're crispy and cooked to perfection. 10/10 would highly recommend. read more

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We did take out. Today we got chicken fried rice, BBQ pork, & walnut shrimp. The rice was tasty but a little short on chicken. The walnut shrimp was very good but short on walnuts; & the pork was delicious but moderately overcooked, so, all in all my rating is still 3*s. We'll go back again but with a wide variety of Asian restaurants, it probably won't be too soon. The wait time for the food was pretty minimal & the weather outside was definitely delightful, so hanging out was not at all a burden. I therefore give the weather 5*s. read more

Hidden Gem! I was surprised how good this place was, even though it has low Yelp rating. It's rare to find good and authentic Chinese food. Meals are family style. Ordered Rice, Beef Chow Fun, Walnut Shrimp, French Beef and Peking Duck. The beef tender and great flavor, the walnut shrimp was very plump shrimp and creamy, the Peking duck came with sauce and pickled daikon and carrots which is nice touch, beef chow fun wasn't too greasy and dry. Beef Chow Fun 4/5 Walnut Shrimp 5/5 French Beef 5/5 Peking Duck 4/5 read more

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Such a hidden gem for its namesake, classic Chinese food! We've tried so many dishes and they've all been really good, with my favorites being: honey walnut shrimp, filet mignon French style, mushroom and vegetables, salt and pepper squid, Kung pao chicken or Kung pao three delights, mushu pork and the fried rice. The service is fast and there's plenty of tables, big and small, and there's a banquet area good for events. The pricing is very good and the portions are just right. This will be our new go-to Chinese spot! read more

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Finally, a decent Chinese Restaraunt in the Orange County area! Nice! This place was recommended by a family member. The food here was prepared like that of Monterey Park and Alhambra just north of here. The food was tasty, brought out quickly, pushy but polite waiters (a good sign of legit Chinese establishment, haha), and very clean standards. In fact the service was pretty quick and efficient. They know what they're doing and are capable of working under pressure, or a lot of people. The food itself was flavorful which I think made it a very pleasant experience; while the lobster wasn't packed that full of meat-- the peking duck, stir fry rice, and chicken dishes were spot on. Was it incredible? No. But it was exactly what I expected. A typical Chinese meal out in an area that isn't known for Chinese food. So that for me is a good thing. It's fair to say that I enjoyed a good portion of the meal and would come back here if I craved some legit Chinese food again. Good recommendation for the next family gathering. read more

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This Chinese restaurant is located in an off the beaten path strip mall with lots of parking. I was a little bit skeptical since it's not near most of the Asian stuff in Irvine, but was pleasantly surprised. We went for dinner on Saturday. Luckily we had a reservation because the line was outrageous. Not sure if this is the norm or extra busy given the recent lunar new year. Inside reminds me of the Chinese restaurants I grew up going to--fish tank, round tables and booths, red fabric and lanterns. Servers were friendly, and service was fast. We ordered 8 dishes and had all our food within 15 mins. Portions were modest but all flavors were on point. They even gave us red bean soup and orange slices for dessert, which you hardly see anymore. Overall, a great option for traditional Cantonese style cuisine and an old school dining experience. Definitely recommend read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

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This is my 4th time at this restaurant...it never disappoints! Lots of seating with booths and large table options. Most servers speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. Food came out fast. Honey walnut shrimp (9/10): crispy, walnuts (caramelized) paired well French style filet mignon (10/10): generous portions, really tender, really addictive (pair with rice) read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Honey walnut shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

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This place is a hidden gem in Laguna Hills. I noticed a line up outside this restaurant in a strip mall and was super curious why so many people were there. I decided to give it a try. I was so impressed there was a pot of tea on the table and the service was incredible. The food was delicious. We had steamed fish, shrimp fried rice, Chinese broccoli and beef with broccoli. I went with my husband and we barely had any leftovers. The lunch special is from 11 am - 4 pm everyday and comes with either egg drop soup or hot and sour. This will definitely be my go to place in the future. read more

BABY MOUSE ALERT!! I went to my grandmother's 91st birthday party because she's a big fan of Chinese food. They seated us, and then, ten minutes later, they finally asked if we wanted to start with drinks. Took that long really??! Then, we saw a baby mouse run across the room--everyone at the front saw it! The waiter didn't seem to mind, so we told the manager, who was wearing a collared shirt and glasses, and he said that the mouse probably ran in from outside. Seriously?! Gross! We left because we definitely didn't want to get sick. They didn't seem to care at all, and there wasn't any hurry to find the mouse. They just wanted to seat people to make money. Horrible! Disgusting!! read more

Fresh ingredients and excellent service with a clean ambience. Minus stars because I had to add soy sauce to all of the dishes. I shouldn't have to do that if they were cooked flavorfully. The egg rolls were made from scratch but they are of the mushy variety. I wish they had more cabbage in them to give them a bit more substance. The House Lo Mein had a variety of quality meats, but the entire dish was nearly flavorless. The Orange Chicken had tender chunks of chicken with a nice crispy coating but somehow it was very mildly flavored. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had Egg Foo Young since that's a hard dish to find. However it was a bit rubbery and the sauce had an element to it that I couldn't place and didn't care for. Not a gravy like other places do. read more

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We came here yesterday 8/25/26 for lunch. I had high hopes looking at pictures and reading reviews. The server was very rude a talk older man. My mom placed our order and my mom called the restaurant and talked to the owner and asked if they could do my diet/health restrictions and they said yes. We ordered the Kung Pao Chicken and it came drenched in very salty sauce when we said low sodium. We had to ask someone eland they brought it back and it was not bad, but not good. We also ordered the chicken lettuce cups. They brought it out and it had those rice noodles on it. I'm allergic. He kept almost yelling at me their not rice, plus it was drenched with oil and we said no oil. They brought it out again and it was the same only they took out those white noodles. The best thing we had was the jasmine hot tea. Very disappointing. However I found a fantastic piece up in LA and I would rather go there than be back at this very busy establishment with horrible service and awful food. read more

If you're hoping for good service or a friendly attitude, this is not the place. The food itself is fine, but the staff are flat-out rude.. some of the nastiest attitudes we've dealt with in a while, and they don't even try to hide it. We dropped over $80 on our to-go order... EIGHTY DOLLARS ...and simply asked for extra sweet and sour sauce, even offering to PAY for it. Their response? "That's enough." Excuse me? We're paying customers, not asking for a favor. All that rudeness over a couple extra sauce cups was completely unnecessary. Decent food doesn't make up for shitty human behavior. read more

Wow, a hidden gem! Came here for the first time for lunch on a Tuesday and was surprised at how busy the place was; there was even a small crowd waiting outside for tables to open up. Service was prompt and the food arrived timely. Prices were reasonable. More importantly, the food was good! This will be our new go-to spot for Chinese food! read more

Updating my review because my elderly mom went today for lunch and got seriously food poisoned. She noticed the rice was old, so she asked the waiter if she could get a fresh order, but the waiter rudely refused. Sure enough, hours later, she was vomiting so hard she peed herself too. Just awful. Can't recommend this place anymore! Diners beware. Today, I called back to report the food poisoning incident on behalf of my elderly mom, and the restaurant manager did not care at all. I have filed with the OC Health Care Agency because this restaurant needs to understand that endangering the health of senior citizens with zero remorse and care is not acceptable behavior. read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Lunch specials - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

One of our favorite spots! My Chinese family loves this place & everything we've ever ordered has been 10/10! Worth making a reservation so you don't have to wait because it does get super busy. read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

Best Cantonese restaurant in Orange County . All the dishes are very authentic Cantonese style. Great customer service and very friendly staff. Alway busy ambiance even on weekday lunch. read more

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IMO quality Chinese food is hard to come by. But this place checks the boxes. Taste: varied and solidly packed with flavor Price: modest and fair Value: definitely family style portions and they don't skimp on the amount which can tend to be a common occurrence Variety: extensive menu but we went ham and ordered a lot of dishes Service: better than most in the Chinese restaurant realm I would go back here considering I had about 3-4 plates of food and channeled back to my golden years of eating. A solid 4/5 read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

Had a lovely banquet style lunch. We enjoyed the eggplant, green beans, sweet and sour pork, fried chicken wings (these were a table favorite), a whole peeking duck, and a whole lobster (these other crowd favorite). Everyone left feeling stuffed! read more

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I've been looking for a Cantonese-style Chinese restaurant and had high hopes for Classic Chinese Restaurant, especially when I saw that there were people, a mixture of Asian and Caucasian clientele, still waiting at 2pm. We ordered a couple of their lunch specials ($12.99-$14.99), served until 4pm, which comes with soup and steamed rice. The hot and sour soup was OK, leaning towards the sour flavor. The mapo tofu was the blandest version I have ever tasted. It wasn't even the right color, more brown than red, and lacked the numbing effect from Sichuan peppercorns. The fish fillet with pepper and black bean sauce didn't have much flavor, nor much heat. There wasn't very much fish either, heavy on the onions and peppers. Even though both these dishes had a spicy symbol next to them on the menu, they both lacked any sort of heat. I'm guessing this was probably to accommodate Western tastes but they probably should have just removed the symbol altogether. There are a lot of complaints about service, so I had low expectations. The waitstaff does not check on you to see how your meal is going, but this is normal for a typical Chinese restaurant. Since I was expecting worse on the service front, I'm giving Classic Chinese three stars for the service not being as rude I as I though it would be. For Chinese food, I prefer Hai's Master Kitchen across the street. They have a good mapo tofu lunch special for a mere $9.99 and Leo will make you feel like your business is much appreciated. read more

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Classic Chinese restaurant. I've been here over holidays and the food is always good but it can get crowded during these times. We've tried their Peking duck, sauté clams, and so many dishes here and nothing has disappointed yet. It's in a large plaza with plenty of free parking. The restaurant itself is casual. read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Red bean dessert - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

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The restaurant is very spacious, an is great for large parties. We came on a busy Sunday after church, an we were sat pretty quickly. Service was pretty attentive and our food came quickly. We ordered spring rolls, two cups of soup (egg drop and hot and spicy soup) beef with broccoli, and shrimp with snow peas. I enjoyed that nothing was overly salty- flavors felt light and delicate not like other Americanized Chinese places. I recommend coming ready to wait, this place is popular we were lucky to be 3rd on the list. read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Spring Egg Rolls (4 Pcs) - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

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More like 3.5 stars. Not bad but not awesome either. Traditional Cantonese menu items in a nice setting. Nothing wow but it's a decent and authentic Chinese restaurant. It gets busy but the wait is not bad. Very reasonable prices for lunch special selections. Like a typical Chinese restaurant, they deliver dishes but don't check on you to see what you may need. So you need to request what you want when someone comes around your table. read more

This was our 2nd dining experience at this recommended by a friend restaurant. First time, food was good but service not so much. We had Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken & Chicken Fried Rice (Yes, we like Chicken!) Food was good & we enjoyed the experience, even though I would rate the service as poor, bordering on rude. This time however, service continued it's trend of rudeness. You thank them for something & they do not acknowledge you - actually ignore you. And the food was much worse this time. Ordered the Kung Pao Chicken, Lemon Chicken, & Chicken Fried Rice. So, the Lemon chicken comes & nothing else. Finally, after about 10 minutes I flag down a waiter & ask where the rest of the food is? He says "it's coming". (How does he know without checking?) after about 5 more minutes the Kung Pao shows up, but no rice. Flag another waiter & ask again. She says 'It's coming". By this time, the Lemon Chicken is getting cold. Finally, the Chicken Fried Rice arrives,. Now the really bad news, food is not good! Kung Pao is OK, Lemon Chicken is horrible and Fried Rice is soggy. Left most of the dry, tough Lemon Chicken and soggy rice. Bad experience! For $60+ for 2 people in a Chinese Restaurant, I expect more than poor service & poor food. Hard pass on future visits to this place. read more

An authentic Cantonese restaurant in South OC. Very few. Roasted duck. Salted chicken. String bean. Salt pepper squid. French beef. Fish fillet with bok choy. Salted fish chicken fried rice. Tasty. Great service and prices are reasonable. Great lunch specials. Live seafood including lobster and Alaskan King Crab. Private party area attached. It's great to have this place so far from SGV and Chinatown. read more

The best HK Seafood Chinese restaurant! The best Chinese restaurant in Orange County! We no longer need to go to Monterey Parj, Alhambra nor any of the Chinese restaurants in and around LA! They have 3 banquet rooms to accommodate banquets! Reasonable prices with excellent Chinese food! Truly authentic HK Seafood Restaurant! 5 star food n services with 3 star prices! Lobsters and King crabs for special celebrations! The best in the OC! read more

Our favorite Chinese banquet style restaurant in South OC. The food is the best option in this class in the area, service is very quick and prompt. The restaurant is clean and always pretty busy. read more

3.5 rating for a Chinese restaurant??? IYKYK so I had this on my list of places to try and glad I did. Came on a busy Saturday night but after a brief wait our group of 6 got seated and had a great meal. If you know what a classic Chinese restaurant experience is like, then this place measures up to its namesake. If you're coming here expecting great service, tamper your expectations and enjoy the extensive menu and delicious food. The restaurant is located in a plaza with plenty of parking. Cost is fair for being in south OC. They also have high chairs for the little ones. read more

Classic Chinese Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Hills, California