A few Vietnamese friends said Yen Ching had great pho so thought I'd give them a try. I ordered the combo thin beef & beef meatball pho, pineapple pork, sesame chicken, and house lo mein to go. I was quoted 25 mins, and it was ready when I arrived. The pho was big enough for two servings for me. The broth had good flavor, and they gave more than enough rice noodles. My only complaint was the thin beef was a bit stringy, random sizes, and stuck together. Everything else was average. It didn't have much flavor. I wouldn't make a special trip to return but might get the pho again, if I was in the area. read more

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Review Visit: March 3rd, 2013 Its not Yin and Yang Chinese but Yen Ching Chinese! Yen Ching is not quite your typical 'hole in the wall' Chinese place. Now let me put this disclaimer after that phrase. I don't mean any negativity behind 'hole in the wall'. It's just how I refer to these places that all share the same menu and restaurant layout. Plus, the price is great for the generous portions you end up getting. While it does offer your usual menu that looks very similar between each of these types of places, the difference is that Yen Ching offers an actual dining area. Not just a few tables to sit at as you wait for your food. No, this is a full on restaurant as well as a place to stop in for carryout. On this particular day, my girlfriend at the time and my friend Matt decided to stop in during our usual Sunday shenanigans. With 3 empty bellies, we grabbed a seat at an empty booth and poured over the menu. As this was early in my traveling days, I was sticking to what I knew best. I got an order of chicken fried rice. What Matt and Erin ordered, I don't recall. But it wasn't long after that before we had some plates in front of us. That's the thing I like about these restaurants. You get your food cooked-to-order and the wait is very short. Maybe under 10 minutes for our meal to come out? When the waitress slid my plate in front of me, I knew I was in for a challenge. It was a big oval plate that was just heaped full of chicken fried rice. My stomach growled to let me know that it was ready for the task of trying to put it all away. I can normally eat a bit quicker than the average person but I slowly ate this plate as each bite was full of flavor. I was expecting the average taste and flavor you get from these places (which I love) but Yen Ching was a step above that. Daringly, I would say that Yen Ching is in my Top 5... if not Top 3 list of Chinese Restaurants. It's that dang good. It honestly rivals Ming Shee for favorite Chinese place in Peoria. Bite after bite, I slowly but surely put the entire plate away. Was I impressed with myself? Yes. Did I regret it? Not immediately. Was it worth it? I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If you have a hankering for quick Chinese, try Yen Ching out. Your stomach and taste buds won't be disappointed. read more

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Last review I gave was so-so. But I recently went back for a second time, and I have to say my order was really good! Delish!! I had the shrimp fried rice again and it was much better. The spring rolls were as well. Maybe they just had an off day. But this time, they were awesome!! read more

Pleasantly surprised by the food here! The restaurant ambience is quite charming and makes me feel like it's the 1980s again. We will come back for sure! read more

After moving to St Louis, I can tell you this is the best Chinese food around. Not many other places near or far do it better. Thanks Yen Ching for being a staple in Peoria...just please go back to not skimping on the sauce packets! read more

I was very overall pleased with this place! I had not eaten from here since I was a small child! My Mongolian beef was very good and tender! My husband had general tso chicken it wasn't spicy but still he loved it. It came with sticky rice. We also had creamy good potstickers! The portions of our entrees were huge! It was so pleasing! The sugar sprinkle donuts were so tasty and fresh! We shared some plum wine which was tasty but alittle syrupy. Our waitress was so nice and quick to get stuff for us. The food came out super fast too! My husband had heard this place was really good from a friend. We will be back!!! Thank you Yen Ching! read more

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Yen Ching restaurant has always been my choice for Chinese food. My take out order will be my last! The Chop Suey was uneatable, thrown in garbage. The pot stickers dough was so tough, had to be cut with a knife. Sweet Sour pork pieces so big, each had to be cut with knife and so few vegetables. The triple delight was definitely not the quality of the past. The Orange Chicken never tasted so bad. The crab Rangoon missing the crab. The white rice, egg drop soup and egg rolls were the only items that were acceptable. Well over $100, never to be experienced again. October 10,2024 read more

Real Chinese food!! Woo hoo Food was delicious, served piping hot Can compete with China town in Chicago read more

A decent restaurant serving Chinese fare. They offer large portions at a low price. The chicken with broccoli tasted delicious. There is delivery options, but it is better to go pick it up yourself. read more

Very good food! Absolutely love their beef vegetable soup. I'm on a soft diet, and went last week and ordered a large soup....was in a nice large container, went on Wednesday of this week and ordered the same large soup, and the container is half the size now, but still almost $7.00. SAD read more

I think I found my new favorite Chinese place.! Everything so so fresh and you definitely get more BANG for your buck. Loved the food and the service was very pleasant. read more

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A little disappointed. I have been on the hunt for a new Chinese restaurant and I am still looking. I got the sesame chicken which is okay, but not much flavor. I also got the lo mein which is good but not worth the extra $3. My partner got chicken and broccoli and it was not what we were expecting. It just tastes like bland boiled chicken with broccoli, and it has no flavor. If we didn't spend $40 it might have been okay, but I think I would have been happier with Panda Express. read more

My family has been dining at Yen Ching for over 20 years. The faces have changed some over the years, but the food is still very good. For years and years I always ordered the Mongolian beef and turned my husband onto it, but then discovered their chicken Lo Mein is very good, too. Recently a friend introduced me to their Szechuan string beans, which are great (they do include pork even though they are listed as a vegetable dish). The lunch specials are very affordable and come with soup, egg roll or crab rangoon and rice. I am also a big fan of their sizzling rice soup, and they serve "Exotic Polynesian cocktails". What's not to love about that?? read more

Yen Ching Chinese Restaurant - the front of the restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

I feel like I have the hardest time finding a good Chinese restaurant and this place takes the cake! Their Chinese is SOOOO GOOD and my whole family agrees. We order take out from here probably 4 times and it was amazing every time! Highly recommend! read more

came to this store to pick up an order for doordash . Asked to use the restroom while i was there waiting for the customers order . Person im just guessing to be related to the owners tells me we dont allow homeless people to use the restroom . Older couple blew a tire and pulled into their parking lot . The gentleman of the couple was told the same when he asked to their restroom after making a purchase . I dont care how good your food is you dont treat people that way . read more

I've been a Yen Ching customer and fan for over 20 years. The staff are wonderful and the food is terrific. Sizzling Rice Soup for two is outstanding. Every dish is flavorful. I go often and have never ever been disappointed. If you've never tried Yen Ching please, just do it. If you haven't been in a while it's time for another visit! read more

Love the food and friendly service! Family/locally owned and everything is always cooked fresh to order. If you haven't been, you must! And if you have and didn't like something, go back and give it another try! The "vegetable" soup is amazing for beef lovers- larger tender pcs of beef with a sweet tang flavor. You can not go wrong with the green beans and don't forget to order a Vietnamese eggroll! Yum! read more

I've been going over thirty years. The best Chinese food in town. Five Flavor Shrimp, Moo Shu Pork, Black Pepper Beef, Sesame Chicken, Pineapple Pork, Sa Cha Beef, Mongolian Beef. Everything is delicious. Great soup, Hot & Sour Soup, Sizzling Rice Soup. Great Egg Rolls and Crab Rangoon. Absolutely fabulous service! read more

Food was outstanding and ready in a snap. The place was packed, very busy. Service was great!

My husband took me here on our first date over 30 years ago, still the best Mongolian beef I have ever had. Love Yen Ching!!!!

I've been here a few times. The menu is impressive but the food is just average. Service is always good, no issues there. Nothing bad to report, but also nothing that's made me think, "Oh, I need to come here again soon!" or "I need to bring my daughters here" or "I could really impress a date here!" Don't mean to come off as mean-spirited, because the staff always seemed very friendly on my visits. Just my honest take. Will I eat here again? Maybe, since it is close to home. But I can drive a bit further for places I enjoy more. read more

It's okay most of the time. There are better options for Chinese food in Peoria. Not sure that the food is actually cooked to order. Doesn't seem as fresh as Asia Grill. read more

My mother is the main server here--for those of you complaining about service, just ask her and she will be glad to assist you with whatever you need, be it water refills, questions about the menu, etc. She is intimidating at first, but kind in heart (trust me, I lived with her for 18 years). The restaurant is slightly understaffed, but my mother tries to take care of all the patrons. The dinner rushes get very busy, and at that point she just focuses on delivering the right dishes to the right tables. But don't be afraid to ask her for anything--she will get whatever you need if you just stop her on her sprints to and from the kitchen and just ask. About the food--most dishes are great, but they are Americanized Chinese food (hard to find authentic around Peoria). Personally, I like the Black Pepper Beef and the Chicken w/ Garlic sauce. Avoid the Peking duck and BBQ Spare Ribs--these are the worst in my opinion. read more

Many reasons to enjoy only one to dislike. Food: excellent. One of the better Chinese places by far. I love my food spicy, but I've found many restaurants will make my food mild tasting even when I ask for hot and spicy, however, this was by the case here. I ordered the shrimp lo mein. Perfectly spicy, great tasting, plentiful large shrimp, and the portion was large enough for left overs. We also had the beef Yakatori skewers as an appetizer. Absolutely delicious and succulent. I love egg drop soup, but the soup tasted a little burnt, but it was near the end of the night. Price: prices were more than fair. My boyfriend and I paid about 10 dollars for soup, appetizer, dinner. Service: it seems that many reviewers love the service here. My boyfriend and I had a less enjoyable experience. Our waitress was quick but not always attentive to our needs. (my boyfriend's drink needed to be refilled for about 10 minutes) and out waitress seemed pretty pissed to be there it the first place. She asked pretty much point blank, "what do you want?". We felt a bit unwanted, but maybe she just had a bad day. It was 8:30 ish at night when we came in. (they close at 10). Other than that... The food was better than most, prices were definitely right on, the only reason they didn't get five stars was because of the service. We plan to come again in the future. :) read more

This was our very favorite oriental restaurant. We did not find out what happened, but several years ago it changed and we were so disappointed. We rated other restaurants on how their MuSho Pork and sizzling rice soup measured up to Yen Ching but their quality of dishes changed very abruptly and we quit going. So sad-we frequently ate there, so much so that we ate there when we had frequent doctor appointments, even though we had moved over an hour away. Will forever remember it as it used to be. read more

I went in for lunch last week. I ordered Mongolian Beef with and egg roll lunch special. I thought I had found the most authentic Chinese restaurant in town. The food tasted good going down. About 10-15 minutes after I left I developed the worse headache! I'm guessing it was a migraine (I've only heard people talk about migraines so idk). Each time I would even blink I would just feel my head throb more. I ended up leaving work early that day and went home to lay down. I slept for two hours. When I woke up I still didn't feel right. I began looking up side affects of MSG. I contribute my illness that day to a large amount of MSG. I could be wrong but I have never had this problem before. The only other thing it could have been were the green onions....idk ‍ Needless to say, I will not return and I'm a little hesitant to dine at a Chinese restaurant again. read more

This place never misses!! Best food and service every time!!! Must try the sizzling rice!

This is our favorite Chinese restaurant... We have been coming here for years. It is run by a great family! They are super nice! Love the happy family and their crab rangoon is great! read more

I absolutely love this place. One of the last bastions of the sit and dine Chinese restaurants of the past. In a world of take out only or buffet Chinese this place stands as it has for years. The food here is fantastic, with a wide array of choices. Large family style portions and good service. And as far as I am concerned the best Hong Kong noodle this side of the Great Wall. Do yourself a favor and go here to eat food. read more

The BEST Chinese in Peoria! My husband's family would go here often when he was growing up and now I love it too! They have amazingly cheap lunch specials ($5.50!!) that include soup, won ton or egg roll, tea, and the main dish. I love their chicken lo mein, mongolian beef, cashew chicken, chicken and broccoli...and the list goes on!!! Their Sunday brunch is the best...their crab rangoon, green beans, and sliced potatoes are soo good. I love all their food really. Can't be beat! read more

The staff is SO friendly and make you feel right at home. Great sit down restaurant. The service is quick, but not too quick to think that the food is pre-made. Everything I have had is always fresh and hot. The food is very good. It seems more traditional than a lot of the quick-serve Chinese restaurants in the area. Must tries include: hot tea egg drop soup moo-shu pork egg rolls Very nice place for an affordable dinner. I can also almost guarantee you will leave with leftovers!!! read more

The honeybun and I decided to try this place on date night one Friday night and I'm not sure it would have been possible to be more disappointed. While they delivered on the tacky aged decor, it wasn't tacky in that fun, quirky way but in that "hey, we decorated 40 years ago, it's been dusted occasionally" kind of sad, depressing way. But we go for the food, not the decor, right. Yes, and that was sad and depressing too. Kind of floppy and lacking in flavor. We dutifully packed our leftovers which we ended up tossing, untouched a few days later. Given that leftover Chinese is a big fave in our house, it speaks volumes that we didn't even want to take this for lunch. It flat out sucked and we won't ever go back. Sorry. If you read my other reviews I try pretty hard to find something I like. The only thing we liked about this place was leaving. Hard pass. In a city with Chang's )which is closer to us anyway) and Than Lihn, I don't even know how this place is still in business. read more

Yen Ching has been at this location for decades for as far as I can remember. The interior is decorated beautifully with traditional Chinese decor. Entrees are cheap and they have all of the traditional items you can find at any Chinese restaurant. In recent years, they have even added a few Vietnamese entrees to their menu. Standing the test of time, it is nice to have a formal sit-down Chinese restaurant in Peoria that is not a buffet or primarily a carry-out. However, their food is just not that good. Whether you get a Chinese staple like Kung Pao Chicken or their special Yen Ching Chicken, it is loaded with green peppers and onions and nearly identical sauces. And the sauces were rather average in taste. If you think getting a Vietnamese dish will be any better, you are wrong. It is just a generic Chinese version of the dishes. I had the Diced beef with Red Rice. The red rice was just fried rice with chili peppers in it. The diced beef was incredibly hard to chew and tough. Again, it was loaded with green peppers and onions...just those vegetables. The best part about this meal was their Hot and Sour soup which was flavorful and packed with vegetables although it was small. Service was so-so but polite. This place is pretty cheap though so it's worth a stop if you want an affordable meal. I suggest when you order you state that you want less vegetables or no vegetables. read more

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We hadn't been here for some tine, so we thought we would give it another try. Have always had good food here. The menu offers a terrific array of food...not the usual I will have the number 103. The food cones quickly and the staff is a family affair. We decided on the dinner for two for around $23. It included a choice of soups, appetizers, and two main dishes. First off, the tea is good and we drank a lot of it. I got egg drop soup which was thick and tasty. My partner got sizzling rice soup which was very good with indeed sizzling rice, vegetables, chicken and small shrimp. We then received egg rolls and fried wontons. I loved them. Hot and crispy with tasty fillings. We then started on the two huge platters of sweet and sour chicken, and Mongolian beef with tender beef and fried green onions all with excellent sticky rice. So good. We ate about a third of the main courses and being over full, we took the rest home for a couple more meals. Nice Chinese music played in the backround, people talked with their companions, and we enjoyed the evening. Not crowded and easy parking. The meal with tax and tip was just around $30. read more

Came here on a Sunday night for take out. I just ordered shrimp fried rice. Unfortunately it was mostly rice. There was not more than 10 small shrimp in it. The flavor was not bad though. I probably would not go back. read more

Reasonably priced, consistently good American Chinese food. It's always better when you eat in, but carry out is always a quick option. Smash on some crab Rangoon and Kung Pao chicken is my suggestion. read more

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This will be a quick review, great service, short wait, above average food, and bigger inside than i thought! I did take out and was impressed by the menu but again, not as good as my place "Golden Kitchen". read more

Always enjoy our food from here...General Tsos to lo mein, it has all been really good. Gotta try their paper wrapped chicken appetizer....pieces of chicken wrapped in foil, marinated in something delicious...really good serving size too! Couldn't eat an entire order,even as my main dish. Recommend! read more

We got takeout on a Sunday night. veggie lo mein, Mongolian beef, sweet n sour chicken, fried rice, crab Rangoon. we served family style so I tried everything. so fresh! best fried rice i have ever had. only critique is that I like my crab rangoon a little sweeter. sweet and sour sauce also wasnt as sweet as the buffets we have visited...but i actually liked that it wasnt so sweet (go figure). quick and easy ordering over phone. they use vegetable oil (we have a peanut allergy kid--so peanut oil was my worry esp at an ethnic restaurant). pick up was quick and easy. we all agreed that this will be on our regular rotation! read more

Frequently get carry out - wish they had delivery service! Have never been disappointed with the food. Crab rangoon is some of the best ever. Beef with vegetables is great and has plenty of meat and amazing variety of Chinese vegetables! read more