This review is for their special dishes: 5-stars (although I don't think the fried rice falls in the special dish category). Please note these dishes need to be called in and ordered ahead of time (days ahead) as it takes time to prep the squash and / or the seafood inside a whole chicken! -Japanese pumpkin with pork ribs: the flavor from the ribs just adds the perfect blend of savory and sweet. And the dish is served (or kept) piping hot, even when ordered for takeout -Bamboo fungus, fried tofu medallions, and baby boo choy: I just love fungus dishes, the texture, oh yum, just the right amount of crunchy -BBQ roast duck: perhaps the only tip is more meaty chunks here -Roast chicken with shrimp inside: always appreciate this "twofold" of a nature dish -Fried rice: not the best, average read more

See all

Was recommended by a friend this hole in a wall resturant, never knew this place existed. I thought every dish was good quality and delicious! I liked every dish with the exception of the fried shrimp was a little salty. Mapo tofu was spicy so good for spicy lovers. Glad to have found an authentic Chinese resturant that's not in the 626 area. I think my favorite has to be the soy sauce chicken, was tender. Sweet and sour soup was delicious too. Great place to share different dishes with large number of people. Next time I wanna try the pumpkin pork rib. read more

First time to try this place. Was going to order roast duck... they don't have it. Next is the chicken, it's pre order, so NO. Last is the dessert, it's also pre order , 1 day ahead. Lol The place needs a make over, or a major cleaning. It looks dusty and dirty. And cover the sink behind the cashier. read more

The service was spot on and the food was tasty. First time coming here and I enjoyed how everything was taken care of.

Very good tasting proportions were nice size. The taste was pretty authentic and close to what I've had before. We will be back for more choices. Very good service the person there was very nice and very helpful. Presentation was good. read more

Small Cantonese restaurant in the middle of a popular shopping center. Most definitely not the big dim sum restaurants that were once found further down PCH (Harbor Palace and PV Palace), though one waiter from that heyday can be found here so it was nice to see a familiar face. Menu is standard Cantonese fare with reasonable prices and decent portions. But again, it is pretty small and will obviously be more comfortable to those who are Chinese or have considerable experience in authentic Chinese restaurants. read more

I keep discovering new items here and I continue to be impressed with the quality of food and the incedible taste! During the holidays, my family ordered two of Nice China Cafe's specialities. We got the nan gua (baked pumpkin and spare ribs) and the soy sauce chicken. The nan gua is not on the menu but a speciality that they make if requested. This is one incredible looking dish. The bowl is basically a freshly baked pumpkin and then it is filled with the insides of the pumpkin and flavorful spare ribs. It's a unique and very flavorful dish. At first bite, you instantly taste the sweetness of the pumpkin and the tenderness of the spare ribs. It's very good, although afterawhile the flavor can get kind of overwhelming. It is best to eat with some plain white rice. The soy sauce chicken is a true winner. If the phrase "winner, winner, chicken dinner" was in the dictionary, there would be a photo of the Nice China Cafe soy sauce chicken. Tender, juicy and tasty, the chicken was simply mouthwatering. I know for a fact that I will be getting this again on a future trip. It is super good. Thanks to Nice China Cafe once again for their deicious food. I look forward to more trips here and to discovering even more yummy Nice China Cafe offerings. read more

See all

Peking duck here is pretty good and a great price for portion. This place has been here for a while and I really like the duck and chicken here. Reasonably priced. Just make sure you order ahead as they can take some time. read more

3 1/2 stars. Hong Kong style Chinese food. Food is delicious. Prices are what I expected (a little high) but portions were small (!) with the exception of their specialty... duck. I would come here just for that as most places will require more heads up for duck preparation but I got the impression that it's readily available here. However, I expected more than the 5 buns that came with the half Peking duck we ordered. When I asked for more buns, I was told it was another $6. I don't expect an equal number of buns for pieces but the ratio was way off. I had a lot of duck leftover. Anyway, there are no restrooms here. The waitress was very nice, but English is limited. All of the patrons look like regulars so this place is legit. read more

Nice China Cafe - Local Peking duck fix. No need to order in advance. Lots of duck with the order but need more buns. - Chinese Near Me - Torrance, California

Apparently, all the Chinese folks in the Torrance area knew about Nice China Café but me, including my parents, who by the way the waiter greeted have been coming here without their number one son! WTH!? The shopping center that Nice China Café is located in has not been known for restaurants frequented by Chinese folks for authentic food, so I was surprise to find a dining room full of Asians having dinner. I should have figured out from the sound of the conversations going on and by speaking with the waiter that our entrée choices needed to be limited to traditional Cantonese cuisines. Like many Chinese restaurants today, they also saw the need to offer popular choices that cover the spectrum of Chinese cooking. However, with the diverse styles of Chinese cooking, that strategy is bound to fail. This was the case with our Garlic Shrimp dish and beef dish (forgot the name), they both lack the delicate flavors of Cantonese style cooking. The veggie of the day, however, stir fried On-Choy was good, flavorful and tender - full of the delicate flavor that Cantonese cooking is famous for. Based on my dad's recommendation, Nice China Café is supposed to be known for their Chinese BBQ - BBQ Duck and BBQ Pork, I found both to be good but not exceptional. All in all, the food was decent, the service was good and the dining room about average. Next time? Won Ton Noodles - I will definitely give this place another chance to move up their score. read more

See all

Tried this place not to long ago and THE FOOD WAS DISGUSTING!!! My shrimp fried rice wasn't cooked well, my glazed honey walnut shrimp tasted horrible! I asked for utensils before I left and the lady gave me none I called to tell her and she laughed the whole time speaking to me. I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND this place if you like flavor read more

Nice China Cafe - Shrimp fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Torrance, California

It was Chinese New Year and we ordered the night before. We went to pick it up and they said it was going to be ready 45 min later than expected. We thought Oh NO with a back up like that how is the food going to taste? Everything was really good and fresh tasting, my compliments to the chef. The menu was Peking Duck, Soy Sauce Chicken, Braised Tofu, Pea Shoot Sprouts, noodles and Minced Pork Soup. All fresh tasting and hot for being so busy with a lot of people waiting. I wondered how they are doing through the pandemic but from the looks of it they are doing well. Try this place even though it is very unassuming you will not be disappointed. read more

Nice China Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Torrance, California

Jesus Christ the reviews tricked me. I had their tofu and fish dish which was so lacking in so many ways. The chili oil couldn't even save the dish, and I even atrociously put some sambal sauce on it to rescue any good flavors. I wish they used MSG if they weren't because it was lacking in any sort of umami. The saltiness level is fine, on the lighter side which was the only good thing. Their won ton soup is perfect for those who are sick. Very very bland and you won't miss the lack of umami, because you should be eating something bland. The waitress did respond when I forced her attention. Mediocre hot tea, mediocre food, and mediocre service. Honestly I'd give it zero stars if I was going to compare this restaurant to the Cantonese restaurants in the OC or 626. You won't find me coming back here ever. Conclusion, if you want good Cantonese authentic food this place is not good at all. read more

So sad. New staff and food was no where close to even being good. Tried 3 different times hoping it was just temporary. Not going back. read more

This place has a great potential to be an awesome hole in the wall Chinese place. The food taste good and price is reasonable. The issue is with the interior and hygiene. What a dump. read more

This restaurant is supposed to be the best Chinese food in the South Bay. It's a tiny, non-descript place hidden in a strip mall, so one wouldn't know about this place other than via word-of-mouth. The joke is that doctors and lawyers eat here, so it must be good! Haha... But really, it's no-frills and not fancy at all, so if the doctors and lawyers we know could shell out their big bucks on other places but choose to come here instead, then you know that the food is good. The Chinese broccoli is sliced thinly and still crunchy. Not oily at all. I think this place is also famous for their roasted duck, which we got a huge platter of. The orange chicken was cut into thin strips, so you could really taste the crunchy coating on every bite, too. Make sure you make reservations in advance, as they will turn you away if there is no space. Dinner for 6 adults came out to just under $90 for 6 dishes. read more

See all

We have been customers for many years. Today we ordered 3 of our favorite dishes. Each one was disappointedly very sub par. We will no longer be coming back. read more

Foods are good. I did takeout, I don't think I will eat there. Maybe a little change in the restaurant interior? We enjoyed Peking duck very much. read more

Excellent: - roast duck better than Sam Woo Ok: - braised tofu (15%) with vegetables (85%). Need better tofu ratio. Small servings. - steamed rice $0.95 read more

Always a solid selection and well prepared. Ambiance is basic family restaurant, not fancy, just plain good. Love their sesame beef, general (commanders) chicken and Chow Fun Noodles with shrimp. Also, you can order "to go." read more

We've only done takeout here but the food tastes authentic and great. The food is always hot and plenty for leftovers.

Switching to one star. The closedown for a week or so. STILL THEY OPEN AGAIN without a deep cleaning.last week ordered some food to . When I picked up, the young big girl was extremely rude. She stood there expecting a tip after her treatment. Also the food was not as good as before. The use skinny like angel hair noodles for Lo mein the broccoli n beef was over cooked, flaccid, dead. Not going back . Change your attitude, CLEAN THE PLACE !! read more

Delightful little cafe serving delicious food. We've both eaten in and taken out, both wonderful. Try it!

Food was not tasty, portions were ok but the food tasted oily with no flavor, the chicken was cut up super tiny in their sweet sour chicken and fried rice over all very expensive and not worth the money, would not go there again. read more

Food tasted great! But I could not get past how filthy the place looked and felt. Grimy table surfaces, walls and ceiling tiles. They really, really need a professional cleaning and makeover. read more

This review is long overdue. My family and I have been coming here for over a decade. This is a no frills restaurant that has authentic Cantonese food. There are about 6 small tables and 2 larger tables, so it's a cozy spot, nestled around the corner from Trader Joe's. They have great lunch specials and the dinner prices are super reasonable. This is the perfect place to go to for some down home Chinese food! read more

This restaurant has gone downhill since covid. There's no point ordering takeout because they won't prepare the order until you arrive and pay for your meal. Then you wait 45 minutes. Worse, when you arrive, the food you've ordered has sold out so you have to order something else. This has happened multiple times. The restaurant needs to get its act together. We gave them a pass before because of covid. After being long time customers, we won't be going back. This isn't the only Chinese restaurant in the South Bay. read more

One of the top Chinese places in South Bay Area. Menu selection is pretty limited but I get the impression there are a lot to order off the menu. Food was good, flavors were pretty authentic and wasn't too salty. Considerably better than Seafood Port nearby which is closer to take out and more Westernized. Definitely not as good as places in SGV but much closer to home. Staff was very friendly. Small place. Overall I enjoyed my dining experience and will be back again. read more

Authentic Cantonese style, Good food cooked well. Ordered their Roast Duck, Soya Sauce Chicken a few times and both best in South Bay. Nice and pleasant small restaurant, though i just buy food to go. read more

This place was surprisingly good for an authentic Cantonese fix for noodle soup or porridge! Though I was a bit skeptical since this place was tucked in the side of a shopping mall, it had decent prices and yummy authentic Canto food! Got the porridge with pork and preserved duck eggs. With soy sauce, it was flavorful and had a thick soup consistency I look for in good jook. For $6.95 it was a steal and came with hot and sour soup and a tiny plate of chow mein! read more

So...I like trying restaurants that get decent Yelp reviews, especially if I'm in unfamiliar neighborhoods. I found this Chinese restaurant called "Nice China Cafe" in Torrance that had pretty decent reviews. I'm always on a quest for the best Soy Sauce Chicken and they showed a picture which looked pretty yummy so I figured, with a name like "Nice China", how bad can it be, right? The place is rather small but clean and the lone waitress was pleasant, which is a rarity in Chinese restaurants. I ordered the Soy Sauce Chicken and a bowl of Stewed Beef & Rice Noodle Soup. Did the soy sauce chicken taste "nice"? Yes it did with chunks of white meat. Did the noodle soup taste "nice"? Not really. The broth was bland. Plus, the beef was not "stewed beef" as described in the menu, but just slices of beef. Would I come back to Nice China? Probably not. The food was just okay and the restaurant is located inside a large and crowded shopping center (with a Trader Joe's), so getting back out onto PCH was a friggin' nightmare. Oh well....my quest continues!! read more

See all

Solid Chinese food. Pre-ordered the lobster and pork with pumpkin as others suggested. So good! Fish with black bean sauce and the Chinese broccoli was excellent as well. Kids loved the fried rice. Not greasy or overly salty. read more

It is hard to find authentic Chinese food in the South Bay, right? My wife and I are particular when it comes to Asian Cuisine. We were fortunate enough to find this place. The food was extraordinary and authentic. You know you're in the right place when the restaurant is full of Asian people, and no one speaks English, my kind of place! I would highly recommend this place. Everything on the menu is tasty and a must-try. read more

I discovered this little jewel of a restaurant 3 days ago, and I've been back 2 of the 3 days, that's how much I like it. The first visit I wanted a light dinner, so I got the roast pork with noodles soup. My server (the same friendly lady on both visits) reminded me that the pork is Hong Kong style, i.e. barbecued. There was also bok choy in the soup, and I love bok choy with a passion. It's very close to being my favorite food of all time. So, see the photo of my soup. My server noticed me struggling to eat the loooooog noodles with my chopsticks, and came over with a scissors! Haha she stuck that scissors right into my soup and shortened them noodles! Too cool! At 5:15 pm Friday I was the first guest for dinner, so I got the "first table", right by the window. It's a great table, you get to see the parade of doggies coming from the nearby groomer, as they are picked up by their owners. My heart goes out to the elderly big yellow lab forced to wear huge bows on his ears....... : ( How terribly undignified! Anyway, that soup was some of the best soup ever. I drank a whole pot of hot tea along with it, and dangit I was sweating! TMI? And hey.....no MSG. And my big bowl of soup cost only $7, such a deal. I was reading the menu as I ate, and noticed that the lunch specials are served on weekends, too........Tuesday thru Sunday. I told my server I would be back the next day, Saturday, for lunch. And so I was. This time the place had many diners, but I still got my table by the window. I guess I must be kind of a big deal.....haha................(not). (I'm the dork who needs a fork.......again, not.......). Anyways......this time I got shrimp with green vegetables, hoping for more delicious bok choy. And I was not disappointed. I should have taken a pic of the dish, I forgot. It was loaded with tender large shrimp, broccoli, bok choy, and flat green beans. Holy crap it was amazing. It came with hot & sour soup and steamed rice. Lunch special price: $6.50! The ingredients musta cost more than that. I'm not asking any questions, though, I am just planning to eat almost every meal at Nice Cafe until I get sick of bok choy (never). I love the background music, btw. 80's! Cher, the Eagles....... Woooohoooo! Life is good. read more

See all

Decent.. the food was pretty good but as far as Chinese food goes the prices are a bit high for what you get which surprised me actually since this place looks like a cheap Chinese food place. Don't get me wrong the prices are not HIGH they are just high for what you get, the portions are small so plan on ordering a bit more than what you would normally get. Service was pretty good and you get a complimentary almond jelly dessert at the end which is pretty cool. The food itself tasted pretty good though, just wished they gave us a bit more read more

Ate here with my fiancé for lunch. I have been going here since it first opened back when I was in college. The chef is also the owner and he makes his food very well and home style. Our experience yesterday was horrible. The waitress was very rude and inattentive. She serves all other clients that came after us. I had to tell her what comes with the dishes that we ordered. Very unprofessional. I wish the owner can fire her!!!!!! We were so angry that our emotions kept us from enjoying the cook's food. She does not even give us eye contact. I think she purposefully withhold our food. Not sure how come she is like that. The stars is only for the chef. I recommend firing that waitress or at least have her trained. She is young to middle aged Chinese woman That worked on Saturday. She seems new too. Don't want the business to be hurtful to a horrible server. read more

The word is AUTHENTIC... If you crave for AUTHENTIC Cantonese/ Hong Style Delicacy, this is the place!! The owner is the chef so he make sure the food quality is always at its best. Their Roast Duck are so delicious, not too oily and fatty like the ones you buy in Sam woo, not too salty where it tastes bitter. He only makes enough for the day so he keeps them fresh, once they are sold out, they are gone. You should try their fried rice and chow fun/ chow mein dishes as well too. too tasty to pass it by. read more

The food here is delicious. They have a small kitchen so there's always a bit of wait (40+ min for take out) so be sure to call ahead.

This is my favorite Chinese food restaurant in the South Bay! They have a simple lunch menu for reasonable prices. The food is great! The owner of the restaurant is also the cook. He uses only the freshest ingredients and does not use MSG in his cooking. I highly recommend this place, you won't be disappointed! read more

The food was actually very good, although sort of taking a chance because there's no description on the menu. Normally I would ask but the person taking my order seemed a little grumpy, maybe he was the only one working besides the chef. $11.95 for a lunch special that comes with no soup, no appetizer, no soy sauce (I asked and was told they didn't have any), no fortune cookie and not even a fork (had to ask for that, and found out too late no napkins either) seems very pricey even in these crazy food price times. Overall a rather disappointing experience, but again must state that my entree - pepper beef - was very flavorful and not too salty. read more