General chicken was amazing. But you couldn't order it with a side of fried rice you have to order a whole side for 15 bucks and the bbq pork was cold. Very Weird. Overall it wasn't bad tho read more

The first time I ate at Yen Ching, the food and service were impressive enough to warrant a second visit. During my second visit, the hostess went out of her way to try to seat us in the very back of a nearly empty restaurant.. The food was okay. The floor to and in the women's restroom was terribly sticky. Not good. On my third and final visit, again, the hostess passed several empty tables to try to seat us in the back of the restaurant. Plus, our waitress, who took at least 10 minutes to come to our table, could barely understand English. I ordered chicken curry, but she repeated some unrelated combo. I told her "no". Then, I pointed to my desired dish on the menu and repeated my order. Unfortunately, she messed up my simple order, and I received an unwanted shrimp dish. It took three wait staff and about 20 minutes to correct my order. By that time, my boyfriend was about half way through his meal he graciously offered to share. Interestingly and oddly enough, the waitress, who finally brought me my correct order, profusely apologized to my boyfriend with barely a glance my way. What an insult! That night, they lost two customers. Goodbye, Yen Ching. read more

My sister and I were craving mapo tofu earlier this week, but the restaurant that we ordered from once before was closed on Tuesday. Yen Ching Restaurant popped up when I was searching for another place to order mapo tofu from that was within a 10 minute drive. Yelp made it super convenient for me to order directly on the app through Grubhub. The order came out to be less than $17 for pickup. The food was ready in about 30 minutes or so. Our order of mapo tofu also came with rice, two fortune cookies, and utensils and napkins! This was my first time ordering from this restaurant and I was pleasantly surprised by the experience, as well as the meal! I would consider coming back again. read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - Mapo Tofu - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

I have continually ate at Yen Ching since about 1981! And server Frank there has been graciously providing the best service by a waiter there since I think 1983 about! If you LOVE mu shu pork, this is the best: the only problem is here you love it so much that when you try it somewhere else, if like myself, you are really dissatisfied with the other places sauce and compare it to Yen Ching. The cocktails especially Mai Tai are soooo good. Now being in our late 60's we also appreciate the smaller combo meals that we still can't finish usually! Thanks server Frank servicing me for about 43 years and doing so perfectly checking back, etc! We almost NEVER have chinese food anywhere else as having eaten here maybe 150 times why not go to the best and be happy! ORDER MU SHU PORK: be super happy you did! Then reply on here too! read more

My favorite Chinese Restaurant! I love the Honey Walnut Shrimp, Mongolian beef, and Kung Pao Chicken. Pot stickers, sizzling rice soup and sweet and sour soup are also my favorites. The staff are very hard working and so kind. read more

Never again. Spent $22 on grey, rubbery pork fried rice. Tried to eat it but couldn't down it. read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - Pork Fried Rice - should it be grey and rubbery? I gagged when I saw it. Spent $22 so tried to give it a chance. Couldn't finish it. - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

I am surprised I haven't posted a review for Yen Ching yet. Granted it was quite a few years ago when I was last here. But anyway I will go ahead and correct that now. Yen Ching on the Yelp entry calls it an Old School Chinese restaurant while some acquaintances of ours called it a Chinese restaurant your grandmother would take you to. Both descriptions are said with love however. I have now been to Yen Ching twice now and both times I got their Sizzling Rice Soup which was something I had in the 90's some but steadily saw it less and less so to me it's almost like a novelty again. The soup is good and very flavorful! I have also had their Hot and Sour soup and that one is really good also. It's one of my favorite soups at restaurants like these. I spotted a Winter Melon soup also on the menu and want to try it sometime. We did Chinese food for Christmas Eve and Christmas this year (2024) as this passed December was very stressful and we had a broken dishwasher at home. While it was fixed before the holiday we had no bandwidth for making an elaborate meal ourselves so we got two meals from here at Yen Ching with those soups I described above. One meal was for there and another to go. If you come here on Christmas Eve come in the early to mid afternoon as the wait to get seated gets to be very long. We came here around 3:00 p.m. and when we left at 4:30 p.m. there was already an hour wait to be seated while there was no wait at all when we arrived. They were open on Christmas and I imagine they would be equally busy since this is a tradition with a lot of people around this holiday. For our restaurant meal in addition to the Sizzling Rice Soup I got some Chicken Chow Mein and Steve got Szechuan Chicken. Both were very good and despite me saying I snacked all day prior to coming here the Chow Mein was all eaten by the time the meal was over. For our "to go" meal we had that Hot and Sour soup that I mentioned and I got their Garlic Chicken while Steve got Mapo Tofu. Once again another hit meal with Yen Ching and this order gave us the relaxation and chill out we needed for an otherwise stressful December. I really want to go back sooner rather than later and try some more of their dishes. Hopefully not around a big holiday in order to avoid a potentially long wait. read more

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Great food. Pleasant atmosphere. Fantastic service! I thought I left something. The team searched diligently and then called me back. They didn't leave me wondering. Mixed Vegetable, Almond Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Pork with Vegetables. All so good. And one of the most flavorful egg drop soups imaginable. read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

This restaurant is gorgeous inside. Perfect lighting and decor. Large comfortable booth. Large family tables. Service was great and prompt. The food was delicious and hit the spot for classic Chinese favorites like Almond Boneless Chicken, Orange Chicken, chicken chow mein, sizzling rice soup. Everything was great except the fried rice was so-so. It was bad tasting but lacked the good stuff in classic Chinese fried rice like diced pork, veggies, green onion, etc. We will definitely be back. Interior so pretty. read more

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Grew up loving this place, but not anymore!! First of all, restaurant is so run down. Decor is appropriate, but the seating/booths are so dilapidated your ass practically touches the floor when you're sitting! The restrooms are a nightmare! So filthy! I can only imagine what the back cooking area look like. And I believe this restaurant reserves uneaten food from previous customers to fill orders for newer customers. I believed this happened to me on several visits. One other issue, this restaurant is located in a undesired area in town! I don't recommend going here. read more

So we decided to try Yen Ching again. Things have much improved since the last time I was here. So I will just chock off the last time just a bad night. However, the food is a little slow coming out. Then again it usually means everything is freshly made and not sitting in some steam table. I will come here again. Please Note! Yen Ching is one of the very few of the small handful of Chinese restaurants that is open on Tuesdays. read more

I cannot believe that it was many many moons ago, since I was here. It is a hidden gem in Tacoma!! It is Beautiful, with actual Chinese decor, clean & delicious dishes. It was a Tuesday afternoon lunch with 2 other ladies & we had an Amazing time eating, stories & laughing. We had the Best waitress in the World! It is a hidden Amazing place to try & be sure to ask if you have any questions. Definitely recommend that you try ! read more

If I could give negative stars, I would. I have never been treated so poorly and outright rudely in my life. First things first; I placed an order using their own website, picked up the order and drove home. When I looked at the receipt, I discovered the prices charged for the items were much higher than what was listed on THEIR website. This is illegal. Second, the Almond Chicken was supposed to come with gravy, but no gravy was included. It's what's makes the almond chicken, almond chicken. When I called and calmly explained what happened, the girl offered to give me the gravy if I wanted to make an hour's round trip to go back and get it. I explained that I didn't want to make the trip back as I just got home. She said she would ask someone and then HUNG UP on me. I called back and this time a woman answered. I told her the girl (Siennah) hung up on me and she said, "oh, no, it was just a mistake." I then explained to the woman what happened and asked how they would fix the issue. I also told her the prices on their website were less that what I was charged. She took a really long time hemming and hawing, but said they would take care of the charge. She put me on hold, again, and the girl, Siennah, got back on the phone and HUNG UP ON ME AGAIN! At no point was I belligerent, but at this point, I was starting to get upset at the treatment I was receiving. I called back again and THIS time I spoke to a man. After explaining and explaining, he clearly didn't care about how I was treated, he didn't care that I was overcharged, he didn't care that I'd been hung up on twice by Siennah and he didn't care my food was messed up. This man actually said that they intentionally hung up on me because I was too loud. What?? No apologies, nothing. Just an excuse for treating me so terribly because they thought I was too loud. Mind you, I certainly wasn't too loud when I first called. I didn't yell, scream, swear, nothing. I wasn't loud after I got hung up on and called back. I wasn't even 'loud' when I spoke to him. What a lousy, unprofessional, rude, disrespectful way to treat your customers. I will never, ever grace them with my hard earned money again. I did notice, however, that they finally did update their website to show accurate prices. read more

Great family spot. Easy menu. Not authentic but great authentic imitation. Love coming here

I love their sizzling hot rice soup and honey walnut prawns I receive great service from one particular staff person. She always treats me with kindness. read more

The family was in the area for some business. After that we discovered this Chinese restaurant and went in as a family. We order two plates of Honey Walnuts Prawns, Snow White Chicken, Yen Ching Chow Mein, Sweet Sour Pork and Yen Ching Beef. Everything tasted very good and season right. Will definitely come back again. read more

Been to the Yen Ching many times and have never had poor service. However the last time the sauce for the potstickers was different, sweet instead of spicy. The chicken fried rice was just okay. The shrimp with green onions was excellent. The other dish was orange chicken and it too was not up to the usual standards. I was disappointed in the quality of the food. I'm going to have to try some new places. read more

We've been going to Yen Ching for over 30years. The food, large group tables and atmosphere have always been great! As a bonus ... Frank was our server! He is the best! Thank you. read more

The food was very good. I would eat there again. We got to go order and everything was in the bag and ready to go.

The waiters were very nice but I waited 15 minutes for them to even acknowledge us and give us menus, on top of this the food was unfortunately not good at all, the flavor of the things I got tasted old like it was left overs from at least 3 days before, and also this is the first place ever ever been to that charges for tea and the tea tasted like straight water, I will not be going back here and I'm sad I even spent as much as I did read more

Well, the food is absolutely delicious. The to go containers are absolutely horrific! sauce spills everywhere & much smaller portions not sure what's going on, but they need to go back to the old to go containers. . read more

I enjoyed the Glazed Walnut Prawns & pineapple chicken fried rice. Both delicious. Good service nice & clean. I enjoyed the art & Coy pond too. read more

The Food was very low quantity! shrimp was very fishy when I got the honey walnut shrimp garlic beef was slimy with rainbow glow to it, to the hard old pea warmed since this morning "fried rice " me and my mom went it for 2 for 22.50$ 45$ for 2 I was charged for The soups gyoza and soda paying 36$ after waiting an hour for the food to come out ! We left very hungry! I would not go here or you might get food poisoning! read more

My husband and I have been to Yen Ching, 3 times now. The food is always great, and the wait staff is friendly and attentive. I especially love the veggie chow mein. It is a great experience until... you use the restroom. It is HORRIBLE. I don't think I have ever been in a more disgusting bathroom. Floors, walls, handicap bars in the wheelchair stall, everything is sticky and visibly filthy. When I got home I had to thoroughly re-wash and even hot water and soap down my shoes. If you go here, use your own bathroom before you leave the house, and don't drink too much liquid while you are out, because you're going to have to hold it until you get home. read more

Good authentic Chinese food. Family owned and has operated continuously since 70's-80's.

Been going for 30 years and was refused dining service for arriving 35 minutes before their posted closing time. Asked to speak to owner or manager yet was told they were not there. Also told us "no worries" when we told them we won't be going there again read more

Not open til 11 pm. Wouldn't take my order at 8:42. Other people were still there and eating. Rude rude rude.

Been going here for 11 years. At first and most years it's been my favorite Chinese restaurant. Especially hot and sour soup, garlic green beans with chicken, chow mein and sweet and sour chicken. In the last year and a 1/2, something changed. We've mostly ordered thru DoorDash since covid. The food was still the same and delicious. The last few times we ordered, the portions were in smaller containers and portions. Tonight we ordered by phone and went to pick it up. When I got there no one was upfront for long periods of time. I only saw two of the regular servers I'm familiar with and a new younger guy. The wait was unusually long. Seemed understaffed. The hot and sour soup was not the same and lower quality with chunks of cornstarch clearly not dissolving. I'm very disappointed. read more

Ordered Cashew Chicken to go. The chicken was gray, and smelled terrible. Despite being hungry, I couldn't bring myself to even try it due to how unappetizing it was, along with concern for food safety. It feels insulting that this was even served to me. I used to love their food but this crossed a line. Even the plain white rice seemed like it had been sitting around a while. Never again. ​ read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - Cashew Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

I've gone to this restaurant ever since I was a kid and it's always been great! The family that owns the restaurant are very kind and welcoming. The food never disappoints. Today I tried the garlic green beans and chicken for the first time and I'll definitely be getting it again! There's a large lazy susan on the table making it easy to share food. I highly recommend! read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - Garlic Green Beans w/ Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

Came here twice in the last 3 weeks. Used to come here years ago and thought it would be a good option for a take home, family birthday party dinner. The first time we ordered and thought that the food was pretty decent. We used to love to come here to get the sizzling rice soup, so we added that to our order too because we saw the soup was highlighted on the menu board, and were reminded. It had the ingredients posted - shrimp, mushrooms & water chestnuts, along with others.. Well, they weren't in there. But we decided to come back again to pick up dinner for another family dinner, and thought to give a little grace. We told the hostess how the ingredients were missing last time, and she assured us that they must be in there this time. We got home, and again, none of the main part of the soup was in there - just some broth, and some measly, cheap ingredients. We called the restaurant to give them the heads up on the mistake, of the posted ingredients on their menu, of the quality we received both visits -- they took a very long pause to check in with the owners, who ended up saying "nothing is inherently wrong with the soup". And that's their official answer. False advertising and a cheap, watery soup. Here's what we got. Picture attached! I feel cheated. They don't care about their customers, don't waste your time! read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - Watery, sizzling rice soup: missing shrimp, mushrooms, water chestnuts & love - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

The food is fantastic and the service incredible!!! We love this restaurant! Huge servings too. Everything is fresh! The crab Rangoon is the best we have ever had!!! read more

Best old school classic American Chinese in area. Tacky old restaurant with lazy Susan's and weird bar. Giant koi pond that fascinates my three children. All food is delicious. Never had a bad dish. This is not a fancy Chinese restaurant, it's a strip mall that used to be a theater. I saw Lost Boys there in the 80's. It's wedged between a pool hall and a nail salon. There will be shady guys smoking, but it still will be worth it. Door Dash and Uber crazy, support in person or call in and pick up. They'll let kids feed the fish. I could put some food porn pic up, but I'm 47 and that's g & r. Go yourself and see. read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - A happy kid after eating Yen Ching - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

Everytime we come here or order from this restaurant we are never disappointed. Everyone is so nice and the food is always flavorful and delicious. I've been coming here for almost 30 years. A true gem. read more

First time here, we stopped in to grab phood to go. What more to do as we wait but grab a couple drinks. Bar was closed, but we were given a table to wait at while we had our drinks and our phood was prepared. Mai Tai was super good. Definitely could have had a few of those, but our phood arrived pretty quickly. Phood was pretty good. Everyone was happy with what they ordered. Kids had orange chicken and mushu pork which they both really liked. We also ordered broccoli beef and shrimp with green onion which were both pretty good as well. Next time will have to stay and eat there. read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - TsingTao and a Mai Tai - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

Love the food. Service is slow, which is nice not to be rushed, but wow, could have sat there all night I think. I still go here. I love that they care about the food and not being trendy and fake. read more

We have eaten here several times. We even die dash it. This restaurant has the best food! The service is always on track. They are all very nice read more

Love this place!! My family has been frequenting this establishment for over 20 yrs, specifically for the "Peking chicken". When I was planning a birthday meal for my mom, I just knew this would be PERFECT. I called in 3 orders of Peking chicken to pick up and it was nothing short of amazing. Sticky chicken wings doused with a spicy garlic sauce and cooked to perfection. As per usual! read more

Yen Ching Restaurant - Peking Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Lakewood, Washington

Our food was ordered on a delivery app so presentation will be ignored. The appetizer was a disappointment. The wonton soup was tasteless and the wontons were very bland, the fried egg roll was greasy, the BBQ pork was dry and there was an English tea sandwich looking item that was inedible. The kung pao chicken was under seasoned and because there was no option for heat level it was tasteless. We had two orders of egg foo young, one shrimp & one chicken. Both contained large chunks of celery and were equally bland and disappointing. The gravy for the egg foo young seemed to be a concoction of soy sauce, corn starch and water. The underlying theme was greasy and a total lack of seasoning and no love of the ingredients was involved. Sadly the best part of the meal was the fortune cookies. We all hope that we don't celebrate the end of our meal with explosive diarrhea. All in all a frozen pizza from the supermarket would have been a better choice for dinner. read more

Ordered chicken egg foo young and crab Rangoon. The egg patty was delicious but the gravy not so much. It has an odd aftertaste. It's not horrible but I definitely recommend ordering the gravy on the side. The crab Rangoon was crispy but seriously lacks crab, basically tasty seasoned cream cheese ragoons. Overall I came for the egg foo young and it was great. Quick service, decent price, also a plus that the hostess was so pleasant, even tho the phone was ringing off the hook! She was attentive and handled everyone in the lobby quickly. Definitely saving this restaurant for the next time I'm in lakewood. Current Menu pic included. read more

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