Ming&#x27;s Palace

Women-owned & operated

Speaks Mandarin

This place came highly recommended by my Santa Cruz local bestie. She's part Chinese and says it is…read morecustomary for her to bring guests to this place when they're in town. To be honest, I didn't have high expectations to find good asian food in small coastal towns but this place was a true exception. Family style Chinese restaurant. Ordered through a QR code & on your phone. The food literally came in minutes. How they make them so fast left me speechless. They gifted us cucumber salad on the house and it was delicious. Per usual, we over ordered. We got to try a lot of different dishes - steamed soup dumplings, regular dumplings, salt and pepper chicken, beef wrap, onion pancake, hot and sour soup, ma-pao tofu, veggie chow mein, garlic chow mein, garlic green beans, combination fried rice, and their smoked chicken leg quarters. All the food was prepared and cooked so well. Tasted authentic and definitely one of our new favorite places to eat in SC. Reasonably priced. Delicious food. Generous portions. Special Noodle now has a special place in our tummies and hearts. Amazing service from the staff and their manager for going above and beyond for our table. Highly highly recommend this place!

I've had a variety of menu items and nothing has disappointed. Delicious and varied flavors…read more Options for both more American Chinese and traditional Chinese food (I don't know each to say which province). I particularly enjoyed the soup dumplings. The service and ambiance are both good, but it can be very busy and loud. Given the popularity, the service is good, but I wouldn't visit during dinner rush if I had an appointment after. They do takeaway, which I've enjoyed in the comfort of my own home on Friday night before. I don't love the QR code to view the menu online, order online, pay in person set-up, but I've never actually had anything go wrong, so I can tolerate it. There's a few parking spaces outside, but it can be hard to get one so you might end up trawling around the corner and walking over.

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Guang Zho Chinese Restaurant

4.2(364 reviews)

1.9 mi

Food is delicious, large portions, friendly warm staff. The prices are good for high quality food…read more I ordered take out and it was incredible. I'll definitely be back soon

It's our second time to dine here. We come here not for expensive, outstanding decorations but the…read moreauthentic Guangzhou area dishes. Outside: easy parking, basic decoration Inside: basic setting, 4-seaters and 10-seaters. Very nice, beautiful Chinese calligraphy, paintings and seashell crafts. Service: very friendly and professional Food quality: very outstanding and tasty Price & portions: affordable and worth trying It's a family running business. Will be back for more.

Front View Outside

Mongolian Beef was packed with veggies and tender beef.

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Our selections from the lunch specials.

Four Streams Kitchen

4.1(147 reviews)

2.9 mi

The best Chinese spot on this side of the hill! If you live…read morein Aptos or anywhere in Santa Cruz County, you need to check out Four Streams Kitchen. I've been looking for a solid go-to Chinese takeout spot for a while, and this place absolutely knocks it out of the park. Do yourself a favor and order the Szechuan Boiled Fish (Sichuan Shui Zhu Yu). It is insanely flavorful, perfectly spicy, and easily one of the most legit, authentic Chinese dishes I've had in the area. If you prefer the classic American-Chinese comfort staples, those hit the spot too. The Kung Pao has the perfect balance, the potstickers taste completely house-made, and my family is obsessed with their chow mein. The ingredients are always fresh (especially the veggies and seafood, try the fried prawns!), and the staff is incredibly kind and accommodating. Great portions, amazing value (especially the lunch combos).

I would give this 3 1/2 stars. It was the first time ordering last night through DoorDash. First, I…read morewill say that in the Aptos area this is far better than anything in this town, and way better than Panda Inn. I probably should have just picked up the order because $80 for Chinese food for two people is a bit steep and honestly ridiculous. The first negative thing is the fact that we ordered pork fried rice and ended up getting the fried rice but with chicken instead so OK, edible, but there is something about pork fried rice that I really like so that was disappointing. Also ordered their vegetable green bean with garlic sauce dish, and the green beans were cooked nicely although a side order of green beans for $16? Yes, I made the decision to order simply because I wanted a veggie with the rest of the meal. I ordered a chicken breast dish that was coated in some sort of a Panko-ish crunch. That was good although I wasn't expecting it to be fried. When you're hungry, you just eat it anyway... Truth. also had the potstickers which were typical nothing special, although they did serve it with some sort of a hot pepper sauce, which was good although the seeds in it were quite tough. They also pack a little container of what looked like white vinegar weird not at all like what you would normally have. We will probably try again as we explore the menu, but I will definitely pick up next time. Oh and finally with an order that clearly served two people they throw in one fortune cookie. How cheap is that? Jury is still majorly out on this place, but just wanted to share for now.

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Fusion Fare Restaurant

4.5(111 reviews)

4.0 mi

We have been coming here for a year and THIS is my FAVORITE food in town. Flavorful, spicy,…read morenumbing Szechuan food options ("Chongqing" chicken!), and a variety of other options to suit every taste as well, vibrant scene full of people enjoying their evenings, casual vibe, its really a joy to have in town. They recently added Dim Sum, which we are super excited to try, as well as the DRY COOKED GREEN BEANS I have craved for years. THANK YOU CHEF!!!! Once you try those green beans (with the Lotus Root stir fry!), you are going to question your life choices around all the other vegetables you have ever eaten :-) Thank you for sharing your Food and Talents with us Chef!!! This is one of my favorite things to share with folks when they visit Santa Cruz. I'm so excited to see the place grow into a thriving spot people are enjoying so much. And thank you to the rest of the team as well for delivering on the experience! Keep up the great work!!!!

Lovely meal at Fusion Fare. Counter service, with a delicious soup bar for all customers. We got a…read morevariety of items to split, which I'd definitely advise for this type of place. The short ribs were delicious, as were the pork buns. Was everything mindblowingly amazing? No, but definitely hit the spot for what we were looking for.

Spare Rib Rice Cake Stew

Braised Herb Duck

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Hero

Tommy's Wok

4.0(766 reviews)

30.0 mi

I keep coming back for more!!! I tried new items, and I have fallen in LOVE with their wonton soup…read more The broth is so rich and full of wontons, meats, and vegetables! I can't wait to eat in person one day, I door dashed my food again, and the food always comes so fresh! I can't imagine how well the service in person is! This is hands down my favorite Chinese restaurant in this area! I love how the staff always marks off my items, and puts their initials! They really do care!

I ordered delivery through DoorDash and had mixed results. The beef with broccoli lunch special was…read moreokay--nothing particularly memorable, but it was probably the best part of the order. Unfortunately, the chow mein was one of the worst I've had. It was mostly noodles with very little meat, and the meat that was included tasted old. I ended up throwing away at least half of it. Normally, I would have sent it back, but since it was a delivery order that wasn't practical. I had hoped to save some for leftovers, but the quality wasn't good enough to justify reheating. I also ordered two char siu baos, but after my experience with the rest of the meal, my expectations are pretty low. My biggest concern was the packaging. None of the food was sealed in any way. The chow mein container had popped open during transit and was handed to me already open. The other takeout container wasn't taped or sticker-sealed either, and the soup came in a plastic container with no seal at all. In my opinion, restaurants using delivery services should place tamper-evident stickers or tape on all containers. Food should not be arriving open or capable of popping open during delivery. The lack of sealing was concerning and did not inspire confidence. The soup was also only about half full, which made me wonder whether some had spilled during transit or if that was the intended portion size. Overall, the beef with broccoli was merely okay, the chow mein was very disappointing, and the packaging raised concerns. Based on this experience, I do not plan to order from or visit this restaurant again.

Szechuan Chicken

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The kitchen in rock and roll zen.

Full Steam Dumpling

4.1(71 reviews)

4.1 mi

Girlfriend and I randomly met Andy while he was doing prep work in the morning…read more Great conversationalist and just knew his shit was bouta hit. We came back in the evening and got the Red Chili Dumplings. Safe to say, they were the best dumplings I ever had. Very flavorful: sour just enough, spicy just enough, salty just enough, and you can taste just a bit of sweetness. Unparalleled flavor profile. I'm a fat ass so sharing the dumplings woulda never got me full, but WOW did they pack a punch.

They just nail it every single time. I don't even like mushrooms but those gyoza were amazing! With…read morethat chili crisp too, and the real crispy underside... The ramen is always fantastic, they've really upped their game with the fried tofu. Great stuff!

Shoyu Chintan Ramen Kit. Rich, salty, thick flavored broth!

Rotating take home ramen kits. This was their Shoyu Chintan Ramen Kit. Broth was out of this world!

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Chicken Gyoza

Betty Noodles

3.7(190 reviews)

3.9 mi

Locally owned & operated

Established in 2012

this place was sooo yummy!! me and my bf got dinner here and we were expecting the place to be…read morecrowded But it was completely empty... idk how tho bc the food was fire. he ordered teriyaki chicken noodles while i had teriyaki tofu noodles. i wish the sauce was mixed into the noodles before being served but other than that i have no notes fr. food was bussy and came out hella fast Thankyeeewww bf edit - the music was fucking bumping

Not the same Betty's I used to know. Their food used to be so flavorful and fresh…read more Came back on two occasions and both times the food was not fresh, and simply did not taste good. The second time they had a dog barking behind the counter. Disappointed for sure, I miss the old Betty's noodle.

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Canton

3.6(309 reviews)

1.7 mi

6 stars?! The Staff is super friendly, and the food is…read morephenomenal!! Clean, comfortable environment with no overwhelming noise! Sarah is awesome, she runs a wonderful restaurant and hires the best employees!! Joezy was a showstopper, she's possibly the best server I've ever had. Funny, kind, and on the ball. Didn't let my glass sit empty. Made us laugh throughout dinner, and gave us an overall great experience!! I highly recommend trying to get one of her tables if possible, she's amazing!! Make sure you tip her, she's a HARD worker!!!

Everything was amazing! We had the Garlic Chicken and Chicken w/ Eggplant lunch specials. They each…read morecame with some of the best hot n' sour soup I have ever had. Both chicken dishes were amazing, I wish they bottled the garlic sauce, it was pure heaven, with a mild kick, not too spicy. Pure perfection! The eggplant was damn near candied, unbelievably delicious. Perfectly cooked, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness! I will definitely be back! Our only co

Location

Mongolian Beef

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Restaurant

Dynasty Restaurant

3.7(230 reviews)

1.8 mi

Every dish is as delicious! Six adults and two children (5 & 8 ) Each one of us ordered what we…read morewanted plus appetizers. Service was outstanding. We sat at a round table with a lazy-Susan of course the kids loved spinning it to their favorite goodie. The DISHES ( and we had plenty )were delicious with all our favorite Chinese. Our son and his wife visiting were delighted, in their area they don't have a Chinese restaurant. The beautiful kimono was so interesting and had a write up with it. Everyone loved the food, service was lovely and ambiance just right. We will definitely be back. A special Thank You to the staff!

Decided to try this place today! It was awful! No flavor and too much cornstarch! Disgusting! The…read moreegg rolls weren't even fried! Never going again and super expensive! They should spend more time on the taste of their food rather than the ambience!! Don't go there waste of money!!! We barely ate any of it and the majority of it went into garbage! I was tempted to call them, but I'm sure they wouldn't do anything about it!!

Inside área

Szechuan Shredded Fish. So good and spicy ).

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Honey Walnut Prawn

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6 reviews that are not currently recommended

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Gail S.

0

49

7

15 years ago

My husband & I had eaten here for over 20 years, until the last couple of years. The quality of the food has gone downhill, and the last time we went the waitresses were RUDE. After that, I checked the County of Santa Cruz's website, specifically the environmental health department's inspection reports for retail food facilities (violations of health & safety code violations) According to this report, pg 28, Ming's has "rodent or insect infestation" and "inadequate hand washing procedure", & 5 general violations. Need I say more??? read more

Chas G.

0

1

0

3 years ago

Best Chinese food in Santa Cruz County. Great Chef, great family, great food. Walnut Prawns are legendary and love the Sizzling Rice Shrimp soup with Tomato broth read more

Puff Daddy M.

0

3

0

3 years ago

Definitely know what they're doing there. You should go, if you don't like your experience you're probably a terrible human.

Michael B.

97

6

0

2 years ago

I love the egg drop and wonton soups. I also love that they always give you extra. Great for lunch the day!

Daniel R.

0

1

12 years ago

Amazing soup and food and amazing price. Wishing they have another restaurant where I live.

Kelley X.

289

17

2

13 years ago

Best Wor Wonton soup!

Ming's Palace - cantonese - Updated September 2026

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Canton

3.6

(309 reviews)

6 stars?! The Staff is super friendly, and the food is…read morephenomenal!! Clean, comfortable environment with no overwhelming noise! Sarah is awesome, she runs a wonderful restaurant and hires the best employees!! Joezy was a showstopper, she's possibly the best server I've ever had. Funny, kind, and on the ball. Didn't let my glass sit empty. Made us laugh throughout dinner, and gave us an overall great experience!! I highly recommend trying to get one of her tables if possible, she's amazing!! Make sure you tip her, she's a HARD worker!!!

Everything was amazing! We had the Garlic Chicken and Chicken w/ Eggplant lunch specials. They each…read morecame with some of the best hot n' sour soup I have ever had. Both chicken dishes were amazing, I wish they bottled the garlic sauce, it was pure heaven, with a mild kick, not too spicy. Pure perfection! The eggplant was damn near candied, unbelievably delicious. Perfectly cooked, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness! I will definitely be back! Our only co

Dynasty Restaurant

3.7

(230 reviews)

Every dish is as delicious! Six adults and two children (5 & 8 ) Each one of us ordered what we…read morewanted plus appetizers. Service was outstanding. We sat at a round table with a lazy-Susan of course the kids loved spinning it to their favorite goodie. The DISHES ( and we had plenty )were delicious with all our favorite Chinese. Our son and his wife visiting were delighted, in their area they don't have a Chinese restaurant. The beautiful kimono was so interesting and had a write up with it. Everyone loved the food, service was lovely and ambiance just right. We will definitely be back. A special Thank You to the staff!

Decided to try this place today! It was awful! No flavor and too much cornstarch! Disgusting! The…read moreegg rolls weren't even fried! Never going again and super expensive! They should spend more time on the taste of their food rather than the ambience!! Don't go there waste of money!!! We barely ate any of it and the majority of it went into garbage! I was tempted to call them, but I'm sure they wouldn't do anything about it!!

Mandarin Gourmet

3.7

(127 reviews)

Excellent place. Great food, great service. It's clean and comfortable and the vegetables are…read morefresh and food comes hot and is quite flavorful. Love the vibe here, totally returning with friends.

My favorite Chinese restaurant in Santa Cruz! Authentic, locally owned, and way less expensive than…read moreother options.

Canton Westside

3.6

(214 reviews)

Food is Delicious and Plentiful! Service is fast and…read morefriendly! I'm a Fan of Canton Westside!!!

They took us in (a group of 8) without hesitation and were ready to service us immediately. Server…read morewas efficient, sweet, and generous. Food was amazing, I loved the silken tofu, the black bean eggplant, and the walnut prawns. Classic lazy-susan set up, perfect for a communal dinner shared with coworkers. Visit canton west side now !!

Chef Liu

3.9

(146 reviews)

Best Chinese food in Scott's Valley & the Santa Cruz Mountains! Highly recommend the spicy wontons,…read moreorange beef & shrimp fried rice. This place is consistently delicious every time we go. Nice wait staff & food comes out pretty fast. We prefer dining in but they do a ton of to go orders too.

Food always tastes great but a bit oily. Well, it's Chinese food so what would you expect lol. My…read morefavorite here is the garlic chicken and the General chicken. Authentic tasting! And of course, the hot and sour soup. Plenty of parking and a good space inside the restaurant. Staffs are all friendly and nice too! I'd been here so many times and everyone looks familiar now lol.

Guang Zho Chinese Restaurant

4.2

(364 reviews)

Food is delicious, large portions, friendly warm staff. The prices are good for high quality food…read more I ordered take out and it was incredible. I'll definitely be back soon

It's our second time to dine here. We come here not for expensive, outstanding decorations but the…read moreauthentic Guangzhou area dishes. Outside: easy parking, basic decoration Inside: basic setting, 4-seaters and 10-seaters. Very nice, beautiful Chinese calligraphy, paintings and seashell crafts. Service: very friendly and professional Food quality: very outstanding and tasty Price & portions: affordable and worth trying It's a family running business. Will be back for more.

Four Streams Kitchen

4.1

(147 reviews)

The best Chinese spot on this side of the hill! If you live…read morein Aptos or anywhere in Santa Cruz County, you need to check out Four Streams Kitchen. I've been looking for a solid go-to Chinese takeout spot for a while, and this place absolutely knocks it out of the park. Do yourself a favor and order the Szechuan Boiled Fish (Sichuan Shui Zhu Yu). It is insanely flavorful, perfectly spicy, and easily one of the most legit, authentic Chinese dishes I've had in the area. If you prefer the classic American-Chinese comfort staples, those hit the spot too. The Kung Pao has the perfect balance, the potstickers taste completely house-made, and my family is obsessed with their chow mein. The ingredients are always fresh (especially the veggies and seafood, try the fried prawns!), and the staff is incredibly kind and accommodating. Great portions, amazing value (especially the lunch combos).

I would give this 3 1/2 stars. It was the first time ordering last night through DoorDash. First, I…read morewill say that in the Aptos area this is far better than anything in this town, and way better than Panda Inn. I probably should have just picked up the order because $80 for Chinese food for two people is a bit steep and honestly ridiculous. The first negative thing is the fact that we ordered pork fried rice and ended up getting the fried rice but with chicken instead so OK, edible, but there is something about pork fried rice that I really like so that was disappointing. Also ordered their vegetable green bean with garlic sauce dish, and the green beans were cooked nicely although a side order of green beans for $16? Yes, I made the decision to order simply because I wanted a veggie with the rest of the meal. I ordered a chicken breast dish that was coated in some sort of a Panko-ish crunch. That was good although I wasn't expecting it to be fried. When you're hungry, you just eat it anyway... Truth. also had the potstickers which were typical nothing special, although they did serve it with some sort of a hot pepper sauce, which was good although the seeds in it were quite tough. They also pack a little container of what looked like white vinegar weird not at all like what you would normally have. We will probably try again as we explore the menu, but I will definitely pick up next time. Oh and finally with an order that clearly served two people they throw in one fortune cookie. How cheap is that? Jury is still majorly out on this place, but just wanted to share for now.

Four Streams Noodles

4.3

(7 reviews)

Designed for tourists I suppose. Not authentic flavors, small quantities for appetizers. Broth was…read moreunder seasoned, lacked umami flavors, really good noodle texture though.$10 for 4 wings is bit overpriced.

Had the tomato and egg noodles, for $15.99. The broth was bland and tasted like water, noodles…read morewere good and tasted fresh, tomatoes and egg were average with a small cup of kim chee in the side. Red oil braised beef noodles for $16.99 were also bland and not spicy. Beef was cooked nicely and was tender, also came with a small plate of kim chee. Service was fast and friendly, there were both indoors and outdoors seating available. Parking is limited. Menu selection is limited. The music that was being played was extremely monotonous, the same chords kept playing over and over through a single small speaker in the dining room.

Tam's Restaurant

3.3

(234 reviews)

I had such a wonderful experience here tonight. I don't usually order Chinese food, so I honestly…read morehad no idea what I was choosing at first, and I ended up not loving my original order -- but the staff was unbelievably kind and patient with me. The waiter at the front desk was so cheerful, welcoming, and genuinely helpful. He worked with me to find something I would actually enjoy, replaced the dish, and even refunded part of the order without making me feel uncomfortable at all. That level of customer service is rare. In the end, the food was absolutely delicious, fresh, and satisfying. What stood out most, though, was how caring and accommodating everyone was. They turned what could have been an awkward situation into a really positive experience. Five stars for both the food and the kindness. I'll definitely be back.

As usual... This place is completely empty. I mean nobody around at all every table empty every…read morechair empty. Waiting 10 minutes for someone to say hello. I like their food. But if you want to feel like a loner. This is the place to go. If you just wanna be alone... Have dinner at Tam. I will call it quiet and peaceful. Very quiet. Very peaceful. They don't even play goofy Chinese music in the background. It's literally dead silent in here.

Golden Fu Wah

4.4

(714 reviews)