My 74 year old dad was craving some good old-school Chinese American food for his birthday. We've tried so many places in south OC nothing has come close to Chinese takeout in the 90s. We've tried hole in the wall restaurants and fancy restaurants. This is what we were looking for and our search is over. This place is amazing. I placed an online order and picked it up 30 minutes later. The order: orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, garlic shrimp, chow mein, fried rice, and egg rolls. And everything was fantastic. Very kind staff and reasonably priced. The inside is cool and clean. I'm so thankful that my dad got what he wanted for his birthday and we'll definitely be back. Thank so much! read more

I'm always looking for new Asian restaurants to try because they are comfort food to me. This was nearby and the reviews seemed promising though the more recent reviews seemed highly critical. I was hopeful but ended highly disappointed in what I ordered. Mongolian Beef & House Chicken Special were both extremely salty. I'm not convince it was an Asian person that cooked these up. Asian food is usually subtle with salt. This was so terribly salty that I feel so guilty to feed my children this for dinner but it's too late to get something else. The beef was also overcooked and tough. The crispy rice soup was a fail. It's just soup with rice - nothing crispy about it. In short, it's soggy rice reminiscent of porridge. Fast food Panda Express would have been better quality. I hate to leave such a sad review for a local business but there's clearly a lot of improvement needed. This was disappointing enough to be a one and done experience - I wouldn't try this establishment again. read more

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We are from the east coast, and was looking forward to a vintage Cantonese taste. The pictures of the dishes looked authentic so we thought we would give it a try. we arrived and was greeted to friendly staff and a clean are dining room. The menu looked authentic And true Cantonese. We ordered:: Hot and Sour Soup Egg drop soup Spring Roll Shrimp in LOBSTER sauce King Pao Chicken chicken Lo Mein(Chow Mein) The spring roll and Kun Pao checked were good and authentic. The Hot and Sour Soup was not sour and had too much of a funky mushroom taste. We replaced it with a wonton soup and this came out with a hard wonton with fresh vegetables and a no flavor clear broth. The egg drop soup tasted more chicken than egg. The most problematic was the Shrimp with lobster sauce- historically this sauce would be a white lobster garlicky sauce with shrimp. Instead, frozen shrimp came out in a brown sauce that was flavored with pork and the pork pieces tasted a little funky. We really wanted to like this place because the place looked very nostalgic as an old East Coast style Cantonese restaurant. The comments here are mainly purely as constructive criticism as we have pretty high taste expectations from any Chinese restaurant read more

I hate writing negative reviews. More often than not I will just not say anything but this experience really was frustrating. I took my daughter to grab take out after a fun event and unfortunately 2 of our 3 items ordered were not edible. The hot and sour soup was almost jelly like in texture. Like gravy that sat out too long. The pork chow mein was almost flavorless yet very sweet at the same time. We were super hungry and spent $40 + tip on take out that we honestly just threw out. My daughter at least ate the cream cheese wontons and said those were good. read more

Sunday, November 23, 2025 Approx. 6:30 PM Ordered To-Go RESULT: Pleasantly Surprised! PROS: - Price was very reasonable for the volume offered during this economy. - I ordered the House Special Egg Foo Young since someone else on Yelp recommended it, and it was what surprised me. It was both visually and culinarily pleasing. This is a definite must try. - I also ordered the House Special & House Special Beef. Although the dishes weren't as visually appealing as the House Special Egg Foo Young, the taste was actually quite delicious. CONS: - Nothing really stood out on the negative side to report. - Wished that there were more eggs in the Egg Foo Young, but in this economy, it's understood that fresh eggs aren't cheap. CONCLUSION: If you've got a craving for Chinese food on a tight budget, this venue is a definite must try! read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - House Special Egg Foo Young - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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We have been here a few times now and the food is really good. Everything comes out quickly, piping hot and delicious. We usually get some chicken dishes, Mongolian beef, hot and sour soup and dumplings. If you get there early enough on a weeknight they have a dinner special that is a really good deal (wish we could get this all of the time), but even without the deal the prices are reasonable. Crunchy noodles with sweet and sour sauce are complimentary to get you started. Service is always so friendly. The restaurant is casual, but clean and enough space to feel comfortable eating in there. They seem to have a really busy take out business also! We'll continue to come back. Thank you for offering such great food!! read more

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I'm unsure what to make of the good reviews. I can't imagine anyone that has eaten real Chinese food actually thinking this is authentic and fresh. Nothing we've tried here was good unfortunately. read more

Located in a strip mall off Lake Forest Boulevard, New Shanghai Restaurant is described as a "warm, relaxed eatery...featuring ample Chinese classics." We visited for dinner on a Sunday evening and when we first arrived after 7pm, we were the only customers in the entire restaurant. However it was apparent New Shanghai is the local Chinese food spot because several parties arrived after and there were numerous takeout orders during our visit. Their menu is fairly extensive, but I wouldn't describe the Chinese cooking style as especially traditional. In fact the target audience appears to be primarily for Americans. We started with the Sizzling Rice Soup (not pictured) followed by the Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce, Mapo Tofu, House Special Chow Mein and Mu Shu Pork. Everything was good but not great. In all my years, I've never had Mu Shu Pork that was already wrapped. Some dishes were too sweet and others too salty. Regardless, it's good to see that New Shanghai Restaurant seems to have consistent business, and I wish them all the best! read more

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Decided to come here last night. It had been a while and was pleased with the newish layout of the dinning area. The server was attentive and nice. As for the food, was not surprised the food is okay. Nothing to rave about it is a bit bland but for the price it's good. Won't be coming here anytime soon but maybe next year . read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - Vegetable Chow Mein and Tofu - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Hey, my first time at this location. The food is outstanding. The chicken chow... was on point

No matter what I order it is always worth it. Outstanding quality and never disappoints. I've been eating here for over 20 years.

Been eating here for 10 years food is always been very constant and good. Always has good cuts of meats. Family owned come check it out read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Got this place for takeout using Foodja vendor for in office lunch. The mushroom chicken combo is just average with only a few pieces of snow peas and mushrooms. Chicken is also dry and not velveted like the usual Chinese stir fry dishes. I would stick with Panda Express if I wanted takeout Chinese food. read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - Mushroom ChickenMushroom - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Awesome place. Huge menu. Service is one on one amazing! As soon as I walked in they had a beautiful aquarium, came before the lunch rush and has great seating. Food: we started with a eye-drop soup Orange peel chicken Pan fried noodles White rice Drinks : water & a mango smoothie Total price : affordable ! read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Had lunch here recently. Service was pleasant. What ruined it for us was the House Special Pan Fried Noodles was overcooked and some of it burnt. We let them know but they didn't do anything. My generous husband still gave over 25% tip. read more

We went to eat here last night and saw one of the owners drop someone's food put it back on the plate and they went to walk it out to serve it to someone our family immediately got up and left. Luckily I just happen to be walking past the kitchen door at that time. read more

Best Egg Foo Young in Orange County! It's impossible to find Egg Foo Young anywhere and they do a great job making it. If you order the House style, it comes with a generous pile of a variety of vegetables and meats with a nice rich gravy throughout. Comfort food at it's finest! I like all of the meats equally. I like it how they have a complimentary array of sauces at the table including sweet and sour sauce. You start with a complimentary bowl of crispy noodles that I like to dip in sweet and sour sauce. The egg rolls are rather small with not much inside, but they have a good flavor. The egg flower soup is good. The fried rice has a nice smokey char to it and great flavor. Warning it comes with bean sprouts mixed in, but I love them. You can upgrade your complimentary white rice to fried rice for a small charge. The ambience is unfortunately lacking. The exterior is unassuming and the inside is very basic. Old pictures online show nice tablecloths, but that is no longer the case. Also there is no music playing and it is unnervingly quiet like a library inside. read more

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Great small family business with good prices. Super quick pickup too...will definitely go back

I dislike giving low reviews. We're all struggling. And I can't imagine what it must be like to run a restaurant nowadays. To be honest, I wanted some takeout at 8:00pm on a Sunday evening, and I'm at a Hilton hotel. But, there were a few spots that were open and I had a hankering for some general t's or orange chicken. The picture below with the blue "G" (for google) is the picture I saw on google for the orange chicken. Looked abundant, looked dank for late night.. good enough for me. The next picture is what I got in my small takeout box. For $18 (chicken and side of rice) I realize that my expectations were higher than I thought. Don't let the sesame seeds and flash of the camera fool you-- they aren't very appetizing to look at . Quite room temperature, underwhelming in volume, slimey and smooth, and the sauce was already solidifying on the bottom I thought there would be at least some veggies, like a broccoli or two, but uh I suppose not. (Completely my own assumption, I realize). The rice was just some basic brown rice that was also quite underwhelming and room temp, clumpy. From walking in and no one being present, to what I received for the plate compared to apparent in-house plates, and how everything is prepared: it seemed all a rushed operation. Seems like things were made quickly, sitting, not much attention. I think one star would be if it was uneatable and I returned it-- which would have to be real bad. I'd say pass this. Maybe it was a fluke? Idk. Maybe the in person experience is better. It seemed setup for quick pickup and not a welcomed restaurant ‍ read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - What google showed. - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Tucked away in a strip mall up near Saddleback mountain, is New Shanghai. It's old school Chinese. It's the place you remember as a child when your folks told you, to your delight, we are going out for Chinese food. It's a perfect place to get take out and eat out of the box like in the movies. As far as decor, it's simple. It's ordinary. It looks like they might have remodeled fifteen years ago. We sat in the older part of the restaurant that looked unkept. It needed some help, some paint, and some love. The menu is extensive. The choices are just like I remember as a kid. The portions and prices are reasonable. My favorite is the crunchy egg noodles and the egg flower soup they serve to everyone. Just like I remember as a kid. The food was good. Their shrimp dishes were good. This kind of Chinese food is wonderful to me, but the real question is: does it appeal to younger people? Places like Din Tai Fung or SUP have lines out the door everyday? May I suggest doing some traveling to other successful Asian restaurants in OC and then revamp the menu to include other more modern dishes. All restaurants need to adapt to the changes around them to survive. I recommend this place as Old School Chinese. read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - Crispy noodles - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Do you have that restaurant you go back to years later the core memory flavors are still present when you visit again? This is the restaurant for me! I've been going here for years due to my family living in the area. It is tradition to either go to the restaurant or get take out. The hot mustard and sweet and sour sauces on the tables were always a highlight. I do wish they had more vegan alternatives but they do a pretty decent job. Highly recommend! Support local! read more

I usually get take out. Their food continues to be delicious, freshly made, and fairly priced. The staff is also friendly. Still my go to for Chinese food! read more

I always get "to go" orders. Food is always fresh, delicious, and very nice portion size.

Very disappointed. Ordered 2 Entrees to go. Vegetable Chow Mein and Orange Peel Chicken. I rate the Chow Mein a 4 out of 10 and the Orange Peel Chicken a 2. Very few vegetables and the noodles are not good and flavor is meh. The chicken is fine but the sauce is not good. Overall, the food is not good and the flavors are wrong. I will not be ordering again. read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - Orange Peel Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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I was trying to find any Shanghainese dish, however, other than the Americanized menu, I found nothing fits the name of the restaurant.

I've always thought that they had the best orange chicken in the area. My other regular restaurant, the manager retired. So here I am because I know the food is good here! A bit more expensive, than my regular place, but better quality. Definitely going to come back. I took a picture of the decor, this place is a solid stable sit down Chinese restaurant. (I wrote this thinking that the meal was gonna be good until I got home, and it was very different than two years ago! Unfortunately.) Took the to go order home, Opened the first Styrofoam, and saw Black shiny hair in it, removed it with a tissue, try to ignore it. Open up the second, and there's another one. UGG read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - The decor:) - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

My daughter and I thought the food was delicious and the staff was lovely. We will be back.

We ordered the sweet and sour chicken- so gross. This big ooze of white gel- over these undercooked chicken wonton nuggets. Absolutely disgusting. The Chow Mein entree was so bad. A container of thick noodles with no flavor. Worst Chinese food I have ever had. I called the restaurant to let them know- and the lady literally hung up on me. Overpriced , gross food and horrible service. read more

There was so much wrong with it. Portions were small. It was flavorless. The crème brûlée didn't even have a sugar crust on it. When you paying $20 an entree you are expecting a nice dinner portions and well made meal. read more

This quaint restaurant hidden in the corner of a shopping center and is one of my favorite take out places for Chinese comfort food. I usually do take out but this time decided to eat in. The place reminds me of a super old school Chinese neighborhood restaurant. They have a lot of traditional dishes that you find in most restaurants. When eating in the food comes with hot and sour soup and it's actually pretty tasty. It's just a simple chicken broth with egg, tofu, and some mushrooms. I add a touch of soy and spice and it's perfect on a chilly evening. The garlic shrimp was delectable and so tasty. It had veggies, onion, bell pepper and a great garlic sauce. Came out piping hot and complemented the house fried rice perfectly. The house fried rice was as perfect as you would expect from a small neighborhood mom n pop place. It wasn't too greasy, yet had great flavor and once again, added some chili pepper. It came with shrimp, beef, and chicken. Can't really go wrong with a house fried rice. We also ordered the house chow Mein (pretty much anything with house is good lol) this was also great. The noodles were cooked just right and it had great flavor. It also comes with shrimp, beef, and pork I believe. It's family style and we all shared. They get very busy and seem to cater mostly with take out. Service was great and they are so nice. Only bad part is since they get so busy the service can get slow but other than that I love this place! read more

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Great food at good prices. Never had a dish I don't like. The soup was good along with the mushi.

This restaurant is in my neighborhood and one that I've overlooked for the past five years I've lived near it. Big mistake on my part. My wife and her niece (who was in the mood for Chinese) accompanied me for dinner here a few nights ago and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Located in a small plaza, there is plenty of parking. The interior looks to be recently updated with nice, comfortable booths and tables although with minimal decor. We were immediately seated and ordered three dishes to share: chicken fried rice, orange peel chicken, and Mongolian beef. While we waited for our entrees we were treated to a small bowl of egg drop soup which was delicious. Our food came out quickly and we immediately speculated that we'd be taking some home but we ended up eating every last bite; we enjoyed it so much we couldn't stop chowing down. The Mongolian beef was exceptionally tender and I probably enjoyed that dish the most although the chicken fried rice was really tasty too. I loved the sauce on the orange peel chicken but thought the chicken pieces were a bit small with some being too crispy...but I'm nitpicking because I definitely ate more off that plate than any of the others. One thing we all commented on was that the food was not too oily nor too salty. I have to mention that I had an Arnold Palmer to drink which might be odd to order at a Chinese restaurant but I gotta say, they made a perfect one. Service here was polite, attentive, and friendly. Prices were fantastic, enough so that it made me smile when I was presented with the bill. We all agreed this is now definitely on our list of places to return to when we want to go out for dinner. read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Good restaurant overall. We came on a Saturday evening, around 7 pm. The restaurant was not too crowded, plenty of parking, and no waiting to be seated. Clean and very organized inside. Very good atmosphere, mostly quite, noise level was a bit less than average (Dennys, BJ's, Etc.) It was pretty relaxing. Our waitress was very friendly, professional, and kind. They also do speak English well, which helps a lot when you have questions. Food came out quickly, no complaints there. Prices are very fair for the quality and quantity of food that they are serving. Flavors were there, it was all delicious, starting with the Egg Soup, then the Cream Cheese Fried Wontons, followed by my Shrimp Fried Rice and my wife's Garlic Shrimp (the have it spicy or not spicy). Food felt fresh, recently made and put together. Flavors were really good, the shrimp tasted delicious. The Spicy Garlic Shrimp was actually spicy lol. It's definitely worth the visit! Will be coming back, especially since it is at walking distance from where I live! read more

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Found this hidden gem through a yelp review. My friend and I wanted to find some authentic Chinese food. We sure found it and it's family owned. The restaurant in a shopping center by 7-11. I had a cup of sizzling rice soup. It was perfect temp. and I added some soy sauce to it. I also had the Mongolian Beef, which was tender and flavorful. I tried the potstickers as well and they were pair perfectly with there house sauce. The restaurant was not busy with just a few tables taken by families. There is plenty of seating. I would recommend eating in as it always best for the freshness! I love the authentic Chinese restaurant decor and tasty fortune cookies they offer after the meal. I definitely will be back. Thank you to the friendly server! read more

New Shanghai Restaurant - Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

My fellow Elite Yelper friend discovered this gem of a restaurant with the help of Yelp reviews. So I would like to return the favor! Last week, we were on the search of authentic Chinese food...not the fast food-y chains but rather the real deal. This restaurant is tucked away in a residential area and located in a small and quiet shopping center. Unless you seek this place out, you would never just come across it while driving so be sure to bookmark this one! We ordered: - a small cup of sizzling soup - Mongolian Beef - Black Bean Chicken - potstickers The flavorful and unsalty soup had nice crispy rice pieces floating in it as it should. She added soy sauce and said it was perfection. I had a few pieces of the Mongolian Beef, and I can confirm it was tender, juicy, savory, and not greasy. Her potstickers looked pan fried well and she enjoyed it very much. To me though it looked like it was packaged dumplings fried up there. My favorite part of the dinner was my chicken. So you'll notice this dish is not on the menu. Black Bean sauce is a flavor that takes some getting used to but well worth it. It is a deep flavor from the fermentation process without being funky. Imagine a richer unique soy sauce flavor. Be brave. It is not that out there. It's just not commonly found in American Chinese restaurants. Order the Garlic Chicken and ask them to use Black Bean sauce instead. It came with lots of crunchy green peppers and onions too. Delish! read more

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Had some late dinner cravings and decided to grab some takeout after a long day. I was looking particularly for a Vietnamese crab and egg drop soup, but nothing nearby served this. I came across New Shanghai, as I saw their egg drop soup pop up in my Yelp search. I have always passed here driving home, but never stopped in. Here is what we tried: House Special Beef: I did not expect this dish to taste the way it did. I was expecting a traditional crispy beef dish, but the beef came out very soft. It was tender, but way too sweet for my taste. Egg Drop Soup: The soup was interesting, but was the closest thing I was able to get to my cravings. The soup was served HOT and was Steamed Rice: Pretty dry and warm. Wish it was hot and a bit moist but it was toward the end of the day, so I supposed it would not have been the freshest. House Special Fried Rice: the fried rice was decent. There were large chunks of egg, which I can appreciate. There was nothing too special about this, but I did enjoy how it was not as oily as many other places I have tried. Overall, Pretty affordable if you are looking for a quick takeout. I would probably want to try something else in the future. Maybe their hot and sour soup and chicken dishes. read more

Pretty pricey for small portion! Food was ok. The kids loved the orange chicken. Chow mein was a bit oily for me. What I enjoyed most was the garlic shrimp but unfortunately it was filled with mostly vegetables and minimal shrimp. read more

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It's very hard to find a good local Chinese restaurant that is open late, but this place was great. Very budget-friendly especially for big parties and families. Food was great and service was fast. We will be back! read more

Tried New Shanghai for our family's Lunar New Year dinner. Came away a bit disappointed. On the plus side, loved the shredded pork in garlic sauce. Decent amount of pork - just wish the pieces were bigger. Loved the crunch though with the sliced celery, strip bamboo and green onions. Just ok was the sweet and sour chicken. Decent pieces of battered chicken but a little dry. Surprise was the opaque sauce and bland taste. Also ok was the house chow mein. Disappointing was the house special chicken. Little fried diced pieces of chicken and definitely not tender. My kid referred to it as chicken bb balls. Maybe not the best choice for our lunar new year dinner. We may try again with other dishes. read more

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I was looking for a Chinese resto, and this popped up. We ordered lunch and I had garlic shrimp ! It was horrible. The rice was microwaved, cuz that's what it looks like at home . It's not the steamy kind that comes out of a rice cooker. The dish had not flavor. My friend ordered the beef with vegetables. It was worse. Will not repeat a visit read more