Been going here for about 20 years but today will probably be my last time. I walked in and was very disapointed to see that it had changed owners. Its pretty obvious when you walk in and see new tables and new flooring. It looks great better than before. But the food was not great. The hot and sour soup that i always order had no flavor and the kung pao chicken didmt have much eathier. I hadnt been there in 2 years because i moved out of the area. I am extremely disapointed because i always liked Mings. I do give them a good rating though on the customer service. It was great. Also they raised the prices on everything. read more

I will start with saying that when i was attending soquel high school i was always treated well at this place, got good service and good food. Years later, food is still pretty good, but everything else has changed. At least for me. I went to dine in a week ago with my cousin. As soon as we entered the door we both received stares from the waitress. It wasnt inviting. We both picked up on it right away. As we sat down she gave us our menus and left in a hurry. My cousin and i brushed it off and looked over the menu. She came back and asked for our orders, this is where my love for this place went away. My cousin and i both ordered a beer with our meals, and we both got our id's checked. Standard, but not when she litteraly took about 10 minutes to look over both of our i.d.'s, took them to the back, scanned them, and still asked us what our age was. We told her 23 and she still went back and asked her coworkers if that seemed ok. After all that we got our ids back. Got our food and then halfway through we got our beers. Throughout all this she kept looking at me and my cousin, like she wanted us to leave immediately. If you ever watched menace to society or dont be a menace, this is almost litteraly how she looked at us. She even gave us our checks before we were even done with our meal. We never disrespect anyone or try to make anyone feel bad. We both just were hungry, wanted to kick back and enjoy a beer after work. The kicker to this is the fact that a few other people had come in and received a warm greeting and service. Maybe its because of our complexion and build. All i know is, after this, i wont be dining in anymore at mings. Para mi gente latino, con cuidado comiendo aqui. No los dan respecto como a los otros. read more

There are some places where it's not about the food. Some places are just saturated with memory and tradition. The place might not even be "objectively" good (a meaningless term really), but it doesn't matter ... the smell and taste hit parts of your reptilian brain in ways that can't be understood. So, you offer up the five stars b/c anything else is disrespectful, inappropriate, simply unthinkable. The #4 combination here will forever remind me of growing up in Soquel. That particular taste is seared into my consciousness ... it is part of my identity. It is irrational ... just like most of our desires. read more

Chinese food is my obsession. I have favorite places from Santa Cruz to Soquel to Watsonville to Salinas to Monterey. I've been coming here for over a decade. While I loved the old Ming's, I have to say that I find the food quality to be better now. Before there were only a few dishes that I found truly flavorful (most seemed bland compared to other places). Now all the dishes seem improved in terms of flavor and lightness (less grease). The new owners are very friendly and they've opened the place up and redone it so that it's brighter and cleaner. I've had the kung pao chicken, garlic chicken, hunan beef, and potstickers and loved all of it. The portions were very generous for the prices (yes it's not as cheap as before but really, how long did you think those prices could last in this area, let alone anywhere?). I hope more people will try them out. Change is good! read more

I work in Salinas and my favorite Chinese food resides there at Dim Sum but I think Ming's Palace is the best in this area. I have gotten take out and dined in. Don't let the empty dining room sway you. They have good quality food and affordable prices. read more

I don't know if this place really deserves 3 stars. It's pretty standard, mass produced, greasy Chinese food and most of the meat dishes are frankly gross. I lived down the street though and I found that you can substitute tofu for pretty much anything on the menu, and you can specify if you want it crispy deep-fried or soft pan-fried. The lunch special is the way to go. Kung Pao or Garlic Tofu are my recomendations. The quality is nothing special but the sauce is yummy, the hot and sour soup and egg rolls are good, and the value is exceptional for the amount of food you get (easily enough to feed an average person for lunch and have enough leftovers for dinner as well). Don't go for the shrimp, it's made me and others sick on multiple occasions. read more

Under new management, prices doubled and the quality of the food is not the same they charge extra if you want vegetables rice and they don't give you an egg roll with your food. I order 2 lunch specials and payed 20.00 read more

It's been awhile since I reviewed Ming's now that they have new owners, especially. I lived in Soquel several years ago and we would enjoy the customer service and food then. We went in Tuesday evening for dinner and walked in the door and didn't see any employees. There was about five tables occupied and we were wondering what was going on. Eventually someone did seat us and give us the menus. It was a bit of a chore to go through the menu since it seemed like more of an encyclopedia of there selections but that's okay. We decided on one of the family dinners. What I didn't realize is that two of the five tables ahead of us had not even ordered yet. They claimed they were busy. Another reviewer mentioned there was a problem in the kitchen and I would agree. It took way too long to order and receive our food for the small amount of people there. They do a brisk take out business and even those people were waiting in line to receive their food. Unfortunately the new owners are not running the business well. I'm glad that the residents of soquel have a Chinese restaurant and can rely on at least average Chinese food but service and quality of food we're lacking and we will not return. read more

Good lunch deals for Cabrillo students. Got $5 for lunch. Don't waste it on a bagel and a red bull. Come and have a great lunch. With large portions that will fill you up your typical locally owned restaurant. Not super clean. The place has been here for many years and the service has been the same. Great for college students like my self when I was in that area. read more

When you go for the lunch special, all you need to say is sweet and sour pork-pork fried rice-won ton soup. You're set. My friends and I have been going to Ming's for years and I don't think I've ordered anything besides that. Yes it may be a bit dirty, maybe even a bit smelly, but the food is definitely good. Plus you can't beat the lunch special, its so cheap! read more

Finally food Chinese food that was decent enough to enjoy here in Santa Cruz area. Fried rice was ok, won ton soup was the best we had in some time and the asparagus chicken was very tasty.Very attentive service.Will definitely try again. read more

Horrible. Made us feel sick. I knew it was a mistake as soon as I walked in but stupidity made me stay. The fact that this place has more than 1 star is a sure sign that Yelp reviews are complete BS and written by fake costumers read more

After asking the wife if she wanted to give Mings a try she said neh, I told her that according to nextdoor new owners as of a couple years ago and is much improved. We gave it a try and were not sorry, by far the best chinese food in Santa Cruz county. My wife is from Taiwan and she is picky about her chinese food typically only caring to eat chinese when we go to san jose. in her words ok definitely worth coming back. read more

I love the War Won ton soup and Chicken salad

Love mings!! The owners have changed over the years but still the best my go to is a lunch plate and fried cream cheese wontons! The new owners are so nice and have great customer service, always clean and fast! I recently tried a new place because of my friend and she ended up with a hair on her chicken, we all lost our appetite and I explained to them that's why mings is my go to! read more

After bringing back the crispy chicken and even adding a crispy chicken lunch special, I have no choice but to give them 5 starts. This is officially my favorite Chinese restaurant again! read more

Fast and cheap lunch. The hot and sour soup is to die for. It is delicious, you won't ever experience anything like this anywhere else. I've tried them all and no others compare. Lunch comes with soup, egg roll and main meal. I never finish it. Too much food but what a deal. Sometimes leaves me bloated but that's more about my greed than their food. read more

Delicious meal! Your search for good Chinese food is over. Friendly service and, did I mention the food is delicious?

Went to Mings For the first time tonight. So disappointed! The hunan chicken was so hard that I couldn't even cut it with a knife let alone eat it. I called to complain and gave the lady three chances to either offer new food or to give me my money back for the chicken and I got silence each time. All she could say was that it was probably over fried and that she understood that I was disappointed. I told her I wouldn't be going back and she said oh it's OK I understand. Terrible! read more

THE ACTUAL WORST!!! do NOT order takeout from here. there are so many other great and attentive Chinese food places in Santa Cruz. If I could give this restaurant 0 starts I would. I ordered takeout which was three items and I included my phone number to pick up. She repeated my order back to me and it was exactly what I wanted. Don't expect that you will PAY FOR WHAT YOU BOUGHT. We payed for $43 worth of food but our food should have cost $20. Anticipating our three usually delicious items, we instead were given five different disgusting items. After paying for our food, my sister saw our order behind the desk along with another order. The woman there tried to give her the order that she could clearly tell was not ours and wouldn't give her our order that she SAW. The staff mixed up the phone numbers but wouldn't listen to my sister testify that we know what we ordered and that clearly wasn't ours. Because she already paid for it, assuming it was our orders, the woman told her that she can take it or leave it but can't take OUR ORDER WITH OUR THREE ITEMS. We are never ordering from this place ever again, and are still hungry because we literally can't eat the disgusting items that we paid for. The employees are so absolutely rude and the woman wouldn't listen to my sister telling her MULTIPLE TIMES THAT IT WAS NOT OURS. Don't ever order takeout from here. Can't wait to see what the people who received our order have to say! xoxo read more

This place doesn't change much over the years. The food is good. Its not spectacular But I have noticed that's all an individual preference but it is good. Can't tell you how many reviews I have read that say some place is the BEST food ever and I try it and say EH its alright. I will say this, I Have eaten at a lot of Chinese food places. I have had better and I have had worse. I still come back to this place because it is good. The portions are large. Whether you are have a lunch special or a dinner. There is always plenty of food. And Some of the lowest prices in town. Where else can you get a lunch special for $5.00. I would recommend this place if you are hungry and on a budget. Good food big portions great price friendly and fast service. Whats not to like? read more

We haven't been disappointed yet! The employees are delightful and attentive. The food is fresh and we like it.

Big guy portions for not so big pockets on the lunch specials. Had the garlic chicken with won ton soup and it was amazing! Service was on point as well. Great overall experience read more

Go to Panda Express - it's close by and way better. Dishes were watery, not very flavorful and the dumplings were thick-doughed.

Loveee love loveee this place! I've tried half the stuff on their menu and everything is delicious! Awesome prices and portions! Can't go wrong with Ming's read more

Great service reasonable price. Went and had lunch there. Food was hot and tasty and good size portions. Will be going back for more!

After returning pork buns not once but twice because they were icy cold inside, we cancelled the rest of our food and left. We waited 45 min for the buns to arrive. There is something going on with the kitchen. The woman working the front of the house was hustling and apologetic. read more

I haven't been to Ming's since they changed hands. I just had lunch here and it was FANTASTIC. We ordered too much food for 2 people, but now we have dinner too. I ordered the walnut prawns, and I'm so happy I did. The prawns were perfectly battered and fried and the candied walnuts were yummy. I've had this before and it is often too sweet, this was well balanced and delicate. My bf ordered hunan beef, it wasn't too spicy and the beef was perfectly crispy and flavorful (meat candy!). We realized that we didn't have enough veggies so we ordered the mixed vegetables, which were the highlight of lunch. All the food was really good, but I'll be dreaming about those veggies. Perfectly cooked to crips tender and what a great variety: bok choy, carrots, celery, mushroom, onion, pea pods and sauced perfectly. I will be back! read more

Well its definitely not gourmet, but you will get your moneys worth. the lunch specials are pretty good and a great value. My Mom really likes the lemon chicken. The war won ton soup is pretty good as well. If you are on a budget this is the place to go read more

The best Chinese food in the area hands down. Hard to compare anything to Chef Chu's, but this place is just as satisfying at a fraction of the price. Great service, very clean, and just excellent Chinese food. read more

Best Bang-for-Buck ratio by far.

I've long been a customer of Ming's in Soquel. Recently I heard they are under new ownership. So I went to give it a try. The waitress was friendly, and the food came very quickly...and hot. The Hot and Sour soup was like liquid library paste...and my entree, chicken chow main, sweet and sour chicken, fried rice and a spring roll. Had none of the wonderful flavor that the former owners used. This food had a 'off' flavor, and left a somewhat sour aftertaste. They have raised the prices too...for a less than pleasing dining experience. One thing I was surprised at...while I was eating, the waitresses brought a big bowl of green beans to an adjacent table, and proceed to prep them...and they did not have protective gloves. I am sure it is not allowed by the Health Dept. to prep food in the dining area, and wearing gloves is always the rule. read more

Ok so they're cheap and decent to good food especially for the price. My only gripe? WHY would you make your egg roll orders in batches of 3? The average dinner party is usually two or four people - you can't charge more and make it 4 so it's an even amount in your order for sharing? It's just an awkward number? Really a totally small thing to complain about I know. Service is average though they're generally pretty friendly and as a plus food comes fast. read more

This is my favorite place to grab Chinese food whether to go or eat in. The price point and the portion size is so generous, and the foods taste so good too! I highly recommend people ordering the hot and spicy chicken wings if you like spicy food and the Zilan beef. People should also check out their chow fun, which I like it better than the chow mein in term of texture, but either one is a must pick. They also have vegetarian friendly meals too such as Ma Po Tofu and the Vegi- Chicken and Eggplant with Garlic sauce! If you having check out this place yet, you are missing out!!! read more

Piping hot, DELICIOUS flavors, and wonderful customer service. This place is completely different than it was 15 years ago (different owners). I've been going at least twice a week since giving it another try a month ago. I love the Kung Pao and the General chicken!! read more

Dymanite Chinese food. I stopped eating meat recently but damn, the Crispy Chicken rivals any other Chinese food I've ever had. The prices are very, very reasonable - probably the best in town and the portions are huge. The lunch specials here are I think $4.50. Where else will you find a huge meal for $4.50? A homeless shelter? It's awesome./. Also, this place is locally owned and operated. The two waitresses (of which one is an owner) are sisters and they just do an awesome job of keeping the quality up. Thanks for 8 years of killer Chinese food, Mings! read more

We really enjoyed our dinning experience at Mings last night. We had the hot and spicy wings, Singapore style noodles and pot stickers and everything was spot on. I brought a good friend who has traveled far and wide chasing down those special culinary experiences, and he was very impressed. Fast and friendly service topped off the night. Explore the menu and give Mings a try. read more

Very friendly staff easy ordering on Eat24 yelp app. Always satisfied with the food I've ordered.

The food is great and fairly priced. Service is good, but its not the cleanest. The bathroom is especially disgusting.

This is my very favorite place to eat in Soquel, very good customer service, very good food, the wait time is like 10 to 15 minutes if that. Very good prices, and seating is great HIGHLY RECCOMENDED! read more