An update: They were able to fill my lunch order in ten minutes: I love this place! I especially recommend the chicken and broccoli, the sesame chicken, and the egg drop soup. So good! read more

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Food was good, soup was different. It was good Chinese, not much more that I can say. Nothing stood out though.

Super friendly new employees. They rearranged the place and cleaned it a lot. Sadly, the chicken pad thia and shrimp pad thia were nowhere near as good as the prior owner's recipe. The new crab Rangoon wasn't good either, all I could taste was green onion. The chicken and noodles were so bland it just tasted like boiled food. I added half a container of hot oil, soy sauce, and salt which didn't fix it so I ordered general tsoas sauce to put on it which made it edible. The general tsoas sauce was phenomenal. He mainly only picked the shrimp out of his and that was it because it was so bland. We'll try them again with different things in the menu since the tsoas sauce was good and staff were great. read more

Lakeview Chinese Restaurant - Lunch - Chinese Near Me - Olean, New York

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This pains me to write because I've been coming here since I was 7 years old. I understand that the other owners were aging and that the place has traded hands, but dinner yesterday was more than disappointing. Atmosphere: So they let us dine in, but everything still came in to go containers. Okay, not a deal breaker, kind of handy, I guess. The food came out extremely rapid, soup and mains almost instantaneously, and the app we put in after we were halfway finished. We felt rushed and kind of awkward. Food: This is where it hurts. The beautiful golden chicken broth that held the juicy wonton is gone. Replaced with a dark brown, almost tasteless broth that my sister and mother both tried to add soy sauce, too. (It didn't improve it.) The sauce for both the cashew chicken and shrimp and broccoli was the same gloopy and extremely sweet sauce. My bonesless spare ribs with white rice I'd classify as okay but still far too sweet. And the General Tsos was another jarring alteration. No longer savory and actually spicy, this was more sour and tangy with not a hint of peppery goodness but a lot of garlic. The only okay things we had were the egg rolls and the dumplings, though the dipping sauce for the dumplings is now way too salty and not enough vinegar. Honestly we took a lot of the food home and then tossed it. Service: The man and woman were both pretty friendly as far as it went. As I said, things came out pretty quickly, and she did stop over to see if we needed anything else. Overall, it was such a disappointing experience to see so much change to the recipes we've grown up with. I'm sure for new visitors or people who enjoy extremely sweet sauces, this would be fine. Sadly, for me, I'll be looking for a new go-to spot to get my American Chinese fix. I do wish them the best though. read more

Picture this...nighttime, hungry and have been driving for 10 hours. Need to find vegan food before we get to our Air BnB. Scrolling through Yelp and it's Monday night so choices are few. Ordered from Lakeview thinking that it's a toss up what we would be served. Surprise!! Soooo good. Lots of food per serving, perfect Al dente veggies, delicious tofu, enough to share with others and more! Had a bit of a wait. Not dine in, just take out. Glorious choice! read more

The food was ok, and I wanted to give a extra star, but after picking up the takeout order, I found out that what I ordered wasn't all in the bag. Double check your takeout order to make sure it's all there. read more

Always a family favorite. Love the way they do the fried rice, noodles, and they have a great sense of what kind of spiciness you like. Fried wontons are definitely a winner too. read more

I don'tknow if they changed owners or cooks, but the meals we had last night were awful. The chicken PadTai was so spicy we couldn't eat it. The egg drop soup had no flavor and tasted like water downed chicken broth. The egg roll was ok as well as the rangoons. But all in all we will not be ordering from there again. read more

It was very good. Food was straight gassss. My friends and I came here for dinner and it was excelsior. read more

Lakeview Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Olean, New York

Staying locally through AirBnB and tried this place for dinner. First of all, the "Waiter" put a glass of ice water (NO ice) on the edge of the table instead of near me. Same with the entree... Just thumped it on the table at the edge and didn't even bother to make eye contact. As for the food itself, the WonTon soup was decent, but the main entree SUCKED! Ordered sesame chicken and got battered bread! What appeared to be a good-sized serving actually yielded the equivalent of one chicken wing worth of meat. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY on this lousy place!! read more

My first visit. Probably move American Chinese but very good. Clean surfaces including condiments Wonton chips and sauce at the table. Vegetable egg roll very good. Chicken in garlic sauce- chicken tender and veggies crisp. Best is the price for lunch $5.85 with tax. Servers friendly. read more

Lakeview Chinese Restaurant - Chicken in garlic sauce chicken is cry tender, veggies crisp and hot. Very tasty - Chinese Near Me - Olean, New York

Let's be honest. Every small town in America probably has their own cookie-cutter, Americanized, aptly-named Great Wall/China Sea/Emperor Wok/Panda Kitchen, uninspired, basic Chinese takeout place. That's certainly true here in Western New York, and the Southern Tier definitely has its share of bland, tame-menu, non-authentic, repeat interpretations on this tired theme where Joe NASCAR Sixpack can bust out of his Applebee's rut and get really adventurous by orderin' some beef with broccoli and sweet and sour chicken (yawn). [Seriously, why do all these places have a section on their menus entitled "Seafood," when all it consists of is "shrimp? Why not just label that section shrimp? Why do they have a "poultry" section when it's really just chicken - no duck?] But Lakeview Chinese Restaurant (not sure what lake they're talking about) on the Allegany/Olean border is SLIGHTLY different. It has the same standardized menu that other places around here offer, BUT this place makes their own fresh Wontons, rather than the weak, previously-frozen, non-brain-shaped, bland offerings at the other places. It's not Hong-Kong style authentic, but its as close as you're going to get around here outside of New York or Toronto. They also use fresh (and quartered) mushrooms. It may not seem like much, but my experience has been that the other places use flavorless canned vegetables. If you dine in or ASK for it in your take out (which, of course, will be ready in "10 minutes"), they'll also give you REAL seasoned hot mustard rather than the whimpy packets that the cookie-cutter places give you. So I suppose Lakeview is the best of a weak Southern Tier (Salamanca, Olean, Allegany, Cuba, etc.) lot of fairly basic Chinese restaurants. Hey, in this non-culinary corner of New York State, you take what you can get. read more

Service a little slow, but well worth the wait. Combination lo-mein, the best I've ever eaten from California to New York! Combination egg foo young the best also! Crab Rangoon, egg rolls delicious. Perfect spice if you want it! Can't wait to come back here next year! read more

Much like other reviewers say on here every town has that little Chinese food place that's got cheap food. It isn't necessarily all good, but it's a warm meal at a fair price..... Until you dine here that is. Drove by this place for a few years now and never paid any attention to it. Nestled in a small old semi run down plaza right next to a furniture rental store I wasn't expecting much of it. After eating at the same old places day in and day out I stopped in to try something new. The main server was very odd. He came to the table not saying anything. He had his pen and order pad just waiting at the end of the table?? Ok.... I proceeded to order. It was only when he asked fried or white for the rice I picked up on he might either be really shy or doesn't speak much English. Either way I placed my order. My favorite dish general sous chicken with white rice. I was pleasantly surprised to see for I think it was 4.95 you get a soup, a main dish and rice. WHAT A DEAL!!! I've got to say this is just about the best own ton soup I've ever had. Nothing else compares for sure. Almost resembles a chicken noodle soup but still that Chinese food taste. The chicken came out amazing too. A hint of spice just the way I like it not too over powering and fried to perfection. I have to say as far as the cattaraugus county goes this is hands down the best Chinese food in the county. Just don't let the anti social waiter deter you. read more

Best Chinese food you can probably get in Western New York! The food is fresh, comes out hot and steaming, and of course delicious. Om NOM NOOOOMMMMM my mouth is watering just thinking about their food. read more

The food from here is super good! However, the food is never ready when we come to pick it up. When we call they say it'll be ready in 20 minutes and it ended up being an hour wait total. Also, when we order online the food is never ready and we are waiting for a half hour. read more

When it comes to American Chinese, few places do it as well as Lakeview. It's your generic small town Chinese joint...but just better. It's not super pricey food but the flavors are superb for this type of place. Lunch for 2 can easily be had for 12 bucks (including tip). Service is always a little gruff, but you'll never leave hungry or unsatisfied. read more

My boyfriend and I were so happy with our food we ordered last night. I got the chicken and cashew with pork fried rice and he got sweet and sour chicken with lo mein. SO GOOD! I usually can't eat a lot of this type of food because I get sick but I didn't get at all sick from this. I couldn't stop eating it was so good. Delicious! read more

The food is good, definitely not the best. The service is extremely bad though. The waiter just pointed us to our table and he just mildly threw the menus on the table. I ordered a vegetable fried rice, he gave us rice with ham and then when i told him to change it for us he literally just picked the ham out and handed it back to us. I didnt see him doing that but the rice tasted like ham. I would not come here again! But then again, the food is good so if you dont care for good service this is the place for you! read more

This place is an institution. I've been bringing my kids here since they were little. Now they are adults who come here on their own. And we get together when we come up shopping in Olean and eat there together still. It's very small. The one waiter is never really pleasant but the lady is friendly. My daughter {who loves authentic and American Asian food} turned us on to fried dumplings. They are her favorite things. Juicy and hot. Very porky. It's good stuff. My other daughter loves their Sesame Chicken and my son really loves their General Tso's. I always get shrimp and broccoli or cashew chicken. I like the sauces. The fried rice is great. And it's all so reasonably priced. You get a good amount of food. I bring my leftovers home and eat it the next day. Just as tasty then. This place isn't just about food, its about memories. Always good. P.S.: Their wonton soup is probably one of my favorite things in the world. Yummy. read more

Very good quality Chinese food! Great for take out!

Well I was dissatisfied. Thus place WAS a favorite of mine. The waiter wiped food off the floor with a towel and then wiped a table with it. Our table was sticky. He also covered food debris left on the table with a paper place mat instead of cleaning it (with his dirty rag). The waiter hated his job apparently; he was more than morose. Anyway, the food was overcooked. Maybe it was old grease being used or something. The hot and sour soup was neither hot nor sour - bland. Egg foo young was okay. Sesame chicken was very hard and had a burnt flavor. Maybe they were having a bad day but I won't go there again. read more

We love the Happy Family the waiter on the other hand is not happy. Try not to make eye contact with him he is like The Soup Nazi. The beer is ice cold . We love it read more

Best chinese in town. They have a cold sesame noodle dish that costs like $3.50, but it is huge. It's on the appetizer menu and I am sure it gets overlooked most of the time. The hot and sour soup is the best I have had anywhere and I have had Chinese many places. The vegetable delight soup is fresh and, well, delightful. Only issue is that one waiter sometimes mixes things up and is not very chipper. When ordering over the phone, it helps to give the numbers from the menu so you get exactly what you want. read more

Endlessly inventive, Tao Yuan is a gem of a restaurant. On the recommendation of some locals, we came from North Carolina not to long ago to try the tasting menu several weekends ago. Course after course was as pleasing as it was surprising. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming with zero pretension even though a waiter messed up. read more

We have stopped at Lakebiwe for years. "Mr. Personality" the server is quiet and ???? Lady(owner) in kitchen is So Sweet. For the $$ Best place Around for fresh chimes food. Lately does seem to be more ho hum than before. Like I said we have been coming for years. Broccoli is always fresh. Peanut is chicken is Very good. Shrimp is good size and fresh. Don't be looking for Fancy Place but has been refurbished lately. Beer is Cold. That makes Mr. Personality bearable. read more

Well this was by far my favorite place for Chinese. They had fried rice. No NONE of the other Chinese restaurants have fried rice they make yellow color rice. This place actually FRIES it's rice. But alas now they have changed cooks and the quality is only slightly better then most. This place crushed all the places within 100 miles but no more. So sad read more

I have eaten here for years and Saturday January 16, My husband and I decided to stop for lunch, an under $5 special. We discovered once again it was a cold winter day and there was NO heat in the restaurant. Worse was I ordered Pork lo mien and it was delivered with the plastic wrap of a bottle in the middle of the pork! I immediately handed the piece to the waiter who said "ooops accident" I was unable to eat the meal yet was charged for it. I hope that meal cost was worth the review and the business now lost! read more

I've been here multiple times, Usually for lunch.. $4.95 lunch special is a great deal! The food is good for the money.. The lunch staff sucks, waiter just sets things on your table and walks away, stands at table with pen in hand when ready to take order (or so I assume because again, he says nothing).. I was staying a hotel across the street and ordered dinner takeout, women working was very nice & helpful. Inside is small but nice. read more

I used to order from this place all the time but I'm done from now on. They are SO INCONSISTENT! and their chicken is disgusting never fully cooked. Thin flappy soggy butt chicken. I don't want to know what happens in that kitchen read more

I have been eating at Lakeview since high school (15 years+), and it is literally my favorite restaurant on the planet (and I've been a lot of places- big, small, urban and remote). I always get the same thing, and my family also orders from here at least once a week... it is truly a gem and I will be very sad if the day ever comes when they retire/shut their doors. read more

I love this place. My family and I have gone here for years and have never found Chinese food we like as much (Ive lived in NYC and multiple other places around the country). This place is a gem. I tend towards their steamed broccoli with garlic sauce on the sauce. The garlic sauce is so yummy- not thick or syrupy like every other place I've tried to order from. Plus, the owners and wait staff are so nice! read more

Decided we would switch it up and try a new place yesterday and now I wish I hadn't, everything was way over cooked and honestly none of it tasted good, I'm sorry to give a bad review but it honestly was the worst Chinese I've ever had. read more

I love hole in the wall joints and this is up there with the best of them. Is it the best Chinese food I've ever had? No, but it's great for the price and it's amazing for Olean. read more

I just ordered Pork Lo Mein from here, and let me just say....I will not make the same mistake twice! It had about half the vegetables of most places, if there was soy sauce in it, it was so limited as not to even give it that familiar color. and flavor? forget it! that was the most putrid tasting stuff i have ever put in my mouth read more

worst Chinese food in olean ny. Took my granddaughter there for dinner, she picked the place, wish she hadn't!!!!! Very expensive for what we got. My husband ordered the roast beef and scallops $13.00 only received two scallops in the whole dinner and they were cut in half!!!! Also it had no flavor! Mr personality waited on us, took our order and never came back except to bring us our dinner which came at separate times, we couldnt even all start eating together! Rice was all clumped up like it sat from the lunch menu! Granddaughter ordered white rice with her meal and received fried rice. Also drinks came in cans, is it so expensive for ice and a glass?????? Needless to say not much of a tip was left, and we are crossing it off of our list of restaurants to eat at. Cost us 33.00 for 3 people, way over priced for the quality! Wish we would of picked somewhere else to eat. read more

we eat takeout a lot from lakeview, but quite a few times we've had rotten meat...nice