Overpriced for undersized dishes, Guaranteed full wallet in half filled stomach out. Ripped off !!

You'd think these guys never saw a newspaper before. There's more newspaper clippings on the walls than walls themselves. But, who cares, really. It was a dining experience that'll go down in the record books...if there even is a record book to begin with. We busted the door down with a group of 10 and made our way around the menu in familial dining style. Salt and pepper squid, chow mein, white fish, soup with pork dumplings, other pork items, noodles with other seasoned/sauteed meats. A cornucopia of choices and all were fantastic. TsingTao Beer abounded, plastic bottles of wine, and, I'm sure, other weird alcoholic beverages to be had Terrifying bathrooms situation: Check Cheap meal: Double Check "Would I go back" status: CHECK read more

Yuet Lee - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I hesitated for the longest time because the outside always reminded me of the old Hong Kong gangster movies. I'd always imagine something bad going down and people would flip those large dingy round tables upside down and bust out their machetes. But I finally mustered up the courage one day and I never looked back. I come here for the beef chow fun. And the beef chow fun only. It's greasy, no noodle is left naked (uniform soy sauce color :D), and hits the spot. 4 stars for beef chow fun. 2 stars for cleanliness. 3 stars for ok service. They've never been rude to me. read more

Yuet Lee - Greasy goodness! - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food safety and cleanliness 2 star no seat cover in the restroom Food I'll give 4 star Price and portion 2 star Service 4 star read more

the food is pretty decent here...after a night out with the boys bar hopping in northbeach..we frequent this little place..(our choices are usually limited to yuet lee or new sun hong kong...).... this is the place for the "yuet lee test"..what is the yuet lee test?..if we happen to come across some girls at bars or clubs...our beer goggles and darkness limit our vision..so we enter yuet lee...always brightly lit up with florescent lights....and you get your clear view....the "yuet lee test"...it's pretty "dive" in here... read more

4.5 Stars out of 5. Excellent quality for SF Chinatown, one of the filthiest, rat infested Districts in SF. The juk was good here, but this isn't place to go to for juk. I had a beef juk and they were generous with the cilantro. Yum! I once had a crab dish pronounced something like "'bae foeng tong" which is "Chiu Chau" style which is very good. I hate crab (unless it's softshell) because it takes too much effort to eat. This is the only crab I look forward to eating. It's fried and has a quasi-tempura like coating to it. The wonton noodle soup was very good. What impressed me about it were the freshness of the noodles. This is the best late night Chinese restaurant in SF Chinatown. Very good quality and reliable. read more

Dudes, get over the dirtiness and just enjoy the food! Delicious, authentic chinese food. But of course, like a lot of other authentic chinese dining establishments, you can order dishes that aren't necessarily on the english menu if you speak their language = \ I highly recommend the salt & pepper squid and steamed fish. Tasty! The downside of this place? Parking. But to enjoy food at yuet lee, I don't mind parking next to a dumpster. read more

Yuet Lee - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

After hitting up China Town, my parents and I were starving and decided to eat somewhere nearby since the BNB we were staying at was in Pacifica. On the way back to the car, my Dad spots this place adorned with the photos of the owner with various hosts from Travel Channel and Food Network (ie Samantha Brown and Andrew Zimmern), plus the Zagat stickers from 2011 - 2014. I checked the reviews on Yelp and it had 4 stars so it must be good right? So we decided to eat here. Little did we know we were about to embark on the most uncomfortable dining experience ever! It was terrible. If somebody from the restaurant is reading this, it was the Host and the Cook who helped serve the food working Sunday, 8/31/2014 Labor Day weekend, around 8:30pm. They are the ones who gave my parents and I terrible service and ONLY reason why I'm writing this college paper length Yelp Review. Okay. First of all, when the Host (middle age Asian man, gray hair, glasses) took our orders, he did not come across very well. He sounded like he was annoyed. I tried to shrug it off because it was Labor Day weekend, but nope! When he came back to arrange our table, this guy haphazardly tossed our napkins before us. Now I'm not a stickler for placing napkins on a table - nobody should be - but I'm pretty sure a Host does/should not toss napkins in front of the guests. For the plates, he arranged the table super rushed and sloppy like he wanted to get away from us. Shortly after that, an Asian man in a white button up shirt (I can assume he was a Cook) came over with a bowl, placed it onto the table and walked away...without telling us what it was! The hell? My parents and I were staring at each other blankly wondering what it was. It wasn't until Mr Grumpy Host came back shortl to let us know it was the Chicken Noodle Soup my Mom ordered. The Cook came out again and placed a plate of noodles on the table and murmured a barely coherent 'Noodles'. That was my Dad's Vegetable Noodle order, so he sheepishly rose his had to accept the dish. Shortly after that, the Cook came back with the Clam with Black and Pepper Sauce. This time he just handed it to me. The hell? This guy didn't even talk to us! The WORST part of this dining experience came while my parents and I started eating. In our peripheral, we could see the Host leaning against the table next to us. We were NOT the only party there. We were at a table close to the BACK of the place. There was at least 4-5 other parties in the restaurant, so why stand there facing our table? Shouldn't you be closer to the door or maybe even looking at the door? So here we are, trying to eat and this guy is watching us! Awkward and uncomfortable! I couldn't fully enjoy that delicious Clam dish and that dish was REALLY good. You could tell the clams were fresh and the meal was very hearty. I've never had clams made outside of a Progresso Clam Chowder can, so I was very satisfied. But I couldn't fully enjoy my dish with a middle aged Asian man hovering over me, watching my family and I eat. When I requested more water, this guy sounded even more annoyed. Okay seriously, was this guy scheduled when Zagat, The Food Network, and The Travel Channel stopped by? Or was he on his best behavior? The entire time we were there I never saw him once, check on ANY other table except to just deliver their food. He just stood there next to OUR table, watching. To make it worse, that table he was leaning on had a group of people on their phones. Not eating, just sitting there and playing on their phones. These people had to have worked there because the Host didn't say anything to them either. When we were done, he never asked us if we needed a doggy bag or if we were ready for the check. He overheard us talk about the check and a doggy bag AND THEN brought it to us. This guy really did NOT deserve any tip at all. As soon as my parents decide to leave the change for him, we were out of there ASAP. Outside, my parents were LIVID! My mom too, was mad about how he tossed the napkins on the table and my Dad was saying that he felt really uncomfortable being watched. So it wasn't just me feeling this way. They too felt that this restaurant gave us terrible service. So overall, despite my Clam Dish being exceptionally delicious (I'm smiling thinking about it), that's the ONLY reason I'm giving this place 2 stars. One for how good it was and another for the freshness of the clams. Other than that, terrible service combined with a VERY uncomfortable dining experience docked it the other three stars. read more

Yuet Lee - Clam with Black and Pepper Sauce. Yum. The guy who served this was terrible, but the dish itself was DELICIOUS! - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

When we first walked in, I was a bit hesitant in staying. It looked like your typical hole in the wall Chinese place with sticky tables and dirty floors. However, plastered all over the restaurant walls were photos of Eric Tsang! One of the funniest Kungfu actors in HK with their restaurant's chef! If that guy can eat here why can't I? Ambience aside or lack there of, the food was a different story! The salt and peppery squid was fantastic! Lightly battered and super crispy! No wonder they're well known for it! Salty fish and chicken fried rice: always my fav fried rice! Was very tasty here and so much more flavourful than the famous upscale Kirin in Vancouver! Beef and gai lan (Chinese broccoli): very fresh veggies and the beef was marinated nicely! Almost melts in ur mouth. I make mine slightly less tenderized but that's just how Chinese restaurants make em' since the beginning of time. I'd come here again! I looked to our neighbouring table who ordered the beef chow fun and that looked delish too! read more

Yuet Lee - Yummers! Salt and peppery squid! - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

The hubby wanted to eat in Chinatown and have me experience REAL Chinese food. We were wandering about and I was cold so I wanted to hop into the closest restaurant to us. We stumbled upon Yuet Lee's and decided to give it a try. It wasn't busy at all. The waitress greeted us and sat us next to the window. The restaurant isn't dirty just old. Let's talk about the food... shall we? - SALT & PEPPER SQUID. It was good. We enjoyed it. Hubby liked it and he's not that big of a fan of salt & pepper squid. - WON TON SOUP. I thought it was OKAY but my husband seemed to have liked it. - GAI LAN STIR FRY. It was lightly fried with garlic and delicious. I definitely would recommend it. - CHEF's SPECIAL CHOW MEIN. Was really good. Hubby is a fan. I'd go again if ever we're in the city craving some Chinese food. I'd recommend it to friends :) read more

In a sea of dim sum and bakeries, this traditional Cantonese-style sitdown restaurant is a godsend. Walking through Chinatown, my wife and I wanted a place where we could sit down and have a quality Chinese meal after walking up the hills of San Francisco for more than an hour. This place couldn't have fit the bill any better. I was just a tourist, so I'm not sure what people are talking about regarding this not being one of the best restaurants in San Fran's Chinatown. All I experienced was lightning fast service and excellent Cantonese-style cooking. I had the Roast Pork Chow Mein and it hit the spot. It was made in a matter of minutes and it tasted just like how I'd expect, coming from New York and its Chinatowns. If you're looking for a traditional sit down Chinese restaurant where you can order a nice big dish to enjoy, this is it. read more

So good! Service was great, food was fast, hot and delicious!! Mongolian Beef and shredded chicken chow mein was yummy!! read more

Yuet Lee - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Yuet Lee is a great restaurant. Since restaurants in Chinatown generally don't excel in ambiance or service they have to be judged purely on the goodness of their food. For general dining Yuet Lee is the restaurant I go to. I've heard that chefs in San Francisco go here after work because they're open late but also because chefs would know a good place when they find it. The restaurant is a fixture in Chinatown, I believe open at least 40 years. This is one restaurant where you can close your eyes and randomly point to things on the menu and know that most everything will be reasonably good. It comes down to the talent of the cooks and they seem to be good ones. About specific items: Pepper salted squid: Pretty good but for me not a must have Steamed minced pork with salt fish: A good must have dish Salt fish fried rice: Good Pork fried rice: Good Chow meins: Good Chinese broccoli with beef: Good Pea tips: Good read more

Yuet Lee - Front to back: Pork with bok choy, pea tips, beef with Chinese broccoli - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The food was delicious. I think it is underrated and the workers are very friendly. The food was little oily but the hot tea was amazing. You should try it out! read more

DAMMIT this place has got me addicted to the salt and pepper squid and for that reason i give 4 stars... its also good during certain days that you get a 15% discount and for those who come out clubben this place is a great for late nite munchies since they close around 3am on fridays and saturdays... anyways love that calamari tho it must be the MSG hahahaha suffering from withdrawels =/ ZOINKS shivers read more

where else can you go and get chinese food that is great and 1am?? Yuet Lee! Try the chicken chow mein and the wonton- very good- but they raised the prices! Very tasty! read more

If you are here for a fine dining experience with great looking food then forget about it. If you want some great tasting Chinese food that fills you up then get over there now! We used to go here at night after class and would order the salt and pepper squid, and on choy, a very tasty vegetable which isn't on the menu. The portions are pretty big for the price and tastes great in an unhealthy sort of way. read more

Came here yesterday night with a bunch of people for dinner. I would never eat here if I had to make the choice but I guess it is a better choice than eating at the DnA aka Broadway Cafe which was the original pick. The restaurant gives off the super Chinese feel. We ordered like six dishes. The duck had like no meat. We ordered two beef dishes. That was alright and the choy was good. The clay pot of chicken and oysters sure had a lot of unappetizing chicken. The fish was alright. It is like a place in those HK movies where those gangsters eat and hang out and start gang fights. read more

This place sucks. With all the great Chinese food around, I don't know why I stumbled into this sad, smelly, dirty and inhospitable place. Food was bland and lacked flavor but the service is what really blew my mind. Upon paying my bill, I was physically stopped at the front door while a balding man yelled "you have to leave more tip!" Fuck this joint, don't believe the celebrity photos from the 90's on the walls. read more

I want to preface this review by saying I must have eaten here at least more than 300 times. Today, I visited, and ordered a chow mein to go, opting for pan fried noodles instead of the soft noodles, as per my usual order here. When I went to pick up the order, to my surprise, and for the first time in my experience ordering from this restaurant, the order was split into two containers: one for the plain noodles, the other holding the gravy and everything you'd expect in a chow mein order minus the noodles. I tried to explain that every other time I had ordered this, they had mixed together these two containers into one. As much as I explained, the person to whom I was speaking (who later identified himself as Jake) was telling me I was wrong. After a while, he started raising his voice and shouting at me. That was when I asked to speak to the manager. The manager's name was Sam. I spoke to Sam and calmly explained two things: first, every single time I have ordered this dish (house special chow mein, with pan fried noodles substituted for the soft noodles), whether dining in or to go, the order has always come either on a plate or in a to go container, with everything mixed together. Without exception. Strike that last part- today, right now this was an exception. I had expected the manager to be reasonable and to be willing to make things right. But he only exacerbated the situation by also telling me I was wrong, and that this was the way this particular dish was prepared. I had to repeat over and over again, but neither Jake nor Sam seemed to want to listen to the fact that this customer, who has been ordering this dish at this restaurant too many times to count, has been served this very dish, whether there or to go, on/in a plate/container mixed together. Eventually Sam starts raising his voice and tries to tell me why I am wrong. So I left. This could have been easily resolved if both the employee and the owner had listened to the customer, acknowledged the customer's concerns, and spoken to the customer with respect and courtesy. Instead both the employee and owner chose to willfully ignore what the customer was saying, and what's worse: raised their voice at a customer, refusing to try to make it right. In the countless times I have eaten here, I've never had an issue. I am pleading with anyone reading this who will listen: Do not give this restaurant your business. I don't care how good the food here is, and to be honest- in my experience, it's quite good. I am asking everyone to avoid this restaurant because this particular employee, Jake, and worse- the manager, Sam, think that shouting at customers is ok, and they are not interested in providing decent, fair customer service to the people who patronize their restaurant. They think shouting at customers who respectfully raise reasonable issues is ok. It never is for any business involved in customer service. For that reason alone, I would give this place zero stars. read more

Late night ... famished...I know I'm not truly starving; but it feels like it! Craving Asian comfort with spice. It's been ages since I've been to Yuet Lee. First of all I am truly grateful this place exists and feeds hungry drunk folks all night long til almost 3AM. The good is decent. It's San Francisco after all. It's just not great! I had the Hot spicy seafood combo with soft tofu in clay pot . It was more like lightly spiced soft tofu clay pot with a little seafood swimming in the tofu. The flavor was just ok. A solid ok. read more

Yuet Lee - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Anthony Bourdain loves this place for a reason. Service is sh$t but in my opinion this place is the best late night chinese grubbing spot at 2am. You can Get all the classics within minutes. I've eatin at places like these in philly and New York and this place is up there in terms of flavor and authenticity. Soy sauce chicken, sweet and vinegar pork chops, sautéed chinese veggies (skip the chow fun). Food 4 Service 2 Overall 4 read more

Great spot for late night chinese, although the prices are slightly higher...I recommended the beef chow fun dry...$15.20

This restaurant popped in my app when I was looking for an after hour chinese rest. This place was the closest one to me. So I came around 11:30p on Sunday nite. Which relatively slow for any restaurant businesses. When I walkin, theres was no guest, one waiter stared at me probably thought that I was lost or something. I helped myself, and looked thr menu. First come to me was, their food is somewhat overprice given the location, ambience and service. So I Ordered Young Chau FR, which is basically a fried rice with shrimp and bbq pork. This is a safe dish in my opinion, whenever I came to unknown resto I always order this to see how they made it. As u see in the pic, a tiny shrimps was used for this $12 meal with some so called bbq pork. Fried rice was bland, No taste. I cannot taste the shrimps nor the pork. What a waste of money. But at least I learned from this experience. So if you guys stop by, try to order something else then give me a feedback. Maybe I just had a bad nite. Coz I saw lotsa photos with famous people came to this restaurant. Sonthey must be doing something right, other than fried rice.... read more

Yuet Lee - Young chau fried rice. - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I want to start with saying that this place is pretty well known around. I stayed in San Fran for two nights and people around knew this place. It was told to me that it is the "best seafood in SF". We didn't get seafood- we got the duck wonton soup but it was also probably the best around! Really tasty AND really nicely priced. :) read more

Yuet Lee - Roast Duck Wonton Soup - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Chinese food is defined here. not a fancy restaurant, just some of the best tasting Chinese food in SF. "wok hay" (heat from the wok) is extremely good here. it's so critical when cooking with the fresh ingredients they use here. read more

As a warning to readers: this review is based on my dietary habits and how accommodating Yuet Lee is to the veg diner. My family has been coming here for years, and while there are certain dishes that are absolutely delicious (see my first review), since I've been a vegan, I can't enjoy this place too much. Of course, the menu is meat-heavy. No bigs. But it seems as all the vegetable dishes are served in oyster or fish sauce. Which is not vegetarian or vegan... So when I ordered the braised tofu - which comes in oyster sauce - I asked for it to be in a different sauce. After some confusion about what I was asking for, the server said it could be made in garlic sauce. The result was... eh. It wasn't bad; it was just average. I have a feeling that the rest of the vegetable dishes are kind of similar. So, if you're veg, my recommendation is just to stay away from here. On the other hand, if you're omni and love MSG, go for it. read more

This restaurant is about three hours away and it is completely worth the drive, evertime. Staff is friendly and the food is a taste you can not get anywhere else. Fried calamari, house chow mein with crispy noodles, pork & oyster clay pot, braised (any) vegetable, and pork fried rice are all staples. Duck is great, though I did not order it this trip. Flounder is the new adventure on this trip, and I'm glad I was aboard. Eat at a table with a lazy susan and order family-style with family and/or friends. Affordable for a group. read more

Yuet Lee - Salt and pepper calamari, pork and oyster clay pot, flounder and vegetables, and house chow mein with crispy noodles. - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

One of the best Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, very consistent and great people!

You cannot deny. Chinese comfort food at its finest. The feels of this corner restaurant hasn't changed in decades. It still has that chinese food cooking in the background feels. For my late night chinese food cravings, this is the place for me. ... delicious read more

Only mediocre at best. The place might have had notoriety at one time but not anymore. I believe this is a different owner since having Anthony Bourdain, Jackie Chan, Emeril Lagasse, and Guy Fieri. I came here because during lunch it was the only place that was pretty empty and had no wait time. Well, I should have taken that as a hint that it was not good. At lunch time on a Sunday and it's slow and all the other places on Broadway is busy. Hmmm. I had ordered some jook(rice porridge) with sturgeon. The porridge you can tell had gelatin to thicken it up. Not good. I had already had jook yesterday somewhere else in Chinatown and that place had phenomenal jook. (See my review of Yee's Restaurant) I also ordered a simple Chef's special chow mein which had seafood, beef, chicken, and pork. It was decent but I wouldn't come here just for the chow mein. I think anyone who sees the man in the picture with all the celebrities should know that that is a different guy and different owner, cause the food now is not so hot and it would be best to find a busier place to visit in Chinatown. read more

Yuet Lee - Chef's special chow mein. Good but you better not mess up a simple chow mein dish. - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Friends and I would stumble in here a lot after club nights. It is pretty expensive but the food comes out quick, hot, and it is consistent. Over the times I've been here I always get porridge since it is comfort food to me. And it helps with drinking. I'd say you only remember it if it is bad since porridge is one of those things that should never be messed up I'd say. One day I'll try other versions of porridge rather than pork and preserved egg though I still always hope they'll make a tofu version of it at some point. Aside from that this last time I had gotten a spicy seafood and soft tofu claypot. The spiciness wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be but the tofu kept consistency and the flavors were there. Again a bit expensive. But it is open late. I figure if I can spend 10-12 bucks on a drink at a club, honestly this isn't that bad considering haha. read more

I was visiting the area. Bombass food freal. I don't eat shellfish but my ma absolutely loved the ginger and green onion crab ! ($42) and the portion was HUGE. They season all of their dishes very well. We also got the chinese brocoli with cod fish and beef chinese noodle. All delicious !! read more

This place is SUPER pricey! Everything was mediocre and oily. The restaurant itself could use a deep cleaning. I was afraid to use the condiments. Just by picking up the vinegar bottle I could see a visible ring along the inside on the bottle. Hello! Dump out the vinegar and clean the bottle eeeewww. Can't imagine what else hasn't been cleaned. Don't plan on returning unless was accompany friends that dragged me here. Service was attentive (cause I was with a party that spoke Chinese fluently). read more

Came here for lunch today after walking Chinatown for a bit... We were their first customers since they just barely opened at 11. Brother said this place was recommended by Anthony Bourdain... so I'm thinking this place must be good! First look at the place...old and dirty....but its like one of those family restaurants that survived for 30 years, therefore it must be doing something right. Stepping into the place I saw pictures of food network chefs and food critics and also some Hong Kong stars...definitely have high expectations for them. We ordered 4 dishes...their famous salt and pepper fried squid, double-side fried shredded pork chow mein, beef stew wonton noodle soup and a mixed porridge. So here's the breakdown: Beef stew wonton noodle soup - noodles were good and the beef was tender but only three wontons...which was ok. Porridge - smooth and lots of meats but can use a bit of salt. Double side fried shredded pork chow mein - really good! Crispy noodles and the pork was super tasty. Salt and pepper squid - they are famous for a good reason! My favorite dish out of the four. Definitely a must try! Overall not a disappointment...the food is msg free too! read more

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Barbecued pork chow mein, dry fried, without gravy. One of the best dishes you will ever have. This place has ruined me, because no other chow mein has ever held a candle to theirs. We went recently, and also ordered their beef and broccoli, and salt and pepper squid. The squid was perfectly seasoned, crispy, and delicate. They're open late, until midnight I think, so there is no excuse to not go. read more

Yuet Lee - BBQ pork chow mein! - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I enjoyed my lunch experience here. It was a weekday at an off hour, so there wasnt many other people in there. I read some complaints about poor service, but I didnt experience any of that... food came out quickly, we paid cash and left. I had the pan-fried noodles, which were very good. read more

Yuet Lee - Pam fried noodles - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

It's the most frustrating restaurant in San Francisco. Been coming here since 1984. That's 38 years! When Yuet Lee changed hands a few years ago, any knowledge about how to successfully operate a restaurant vanished with the previous owner. Simply trying to place a take-out order from the new people seems to be akin to busting Brittney Griner out of Russian stir. The words "I'd like to place a take-out order" are apparently so confounding and confusing as to bring the entire operation to a grinding halt. This has not been a one-time experience; twice I have gone to pick up an order only to be met with blank stares...no order had been taken, they had no clue. On several occasions I've called and asked if I could place a take-out order and the person on the other end ceased the conversation...they just wandered off. I loved the old Yuet Lee, but I will darken their door no more. read more

I can honestly say I was born here, my mother has been coming here for over 30+ years and we have never been disappointed. The sizzling chicken in a clay pot....ORGASMIC!!! Lol. The garlic prawns are amazing. The only thing you can say negative about this place is, it isn't the greatest location as it's in the red light district of San Francisco, but every bite makes up for that. When you go just don't take my word for it but look at the walls of continuous attendance of celebrities. Cheers read more

Yuet Lee - Chicken in a Clay Pot - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I must admit, when I ate at Yuet Lee, it was late night - after 2 a.m. The line at Sun Hong Kong (or whatever it's called at the corner of Broadway and Columbus) was way too long; my friends and I wanted to eat....and quickly. When we arrived, there was no wait - woo hoo! Since I had already had a big dinner, I wanted to be "healthy" and ordered the won ton noodle soup. Bleh - pretty flavorless, so sad as won ton noodle soup is one of my favorite foods. The rest of the dishes my friends ordered all seemed to be pretty good, especially the beef chow fun. By the time we were leaving, the place was packed - clearly the place to go if Sun Hong Kong is full and you have an itch for Chinese food... And honestly, at $6 per person, what's not to like?? read more