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China Village Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
1335 Solano Ave(between Pomona Ave & Ramona Ave)
Albany, CA 94706
(510) 525-2285
- Hours:
Mon-Tue, Sun 11 am - 9:30 pm
Wed-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
279 reviews for China Village Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Cumin lamb was very flavorful but wish it were a bit crisp."
(in 32 reviews)
"The Pork Shoulder was impressive and delicious."
(in 28 reviews)
"Outstanding Fish Soup - oh my god."
(in 34 reviews)
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279 reviews in English
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Review from Tom E.
Oakland, CA
1/30/2012
TL;DR: Order the good things, you'll love it. Order the boring things, waste your time. Don't complain about service, we're tired of your jabber.
Caveat: I have only tried about 10 things on the menu thusfar. I'll update the review if my opinion changes.
Review:
This is one of the harder 5 stars I've given. It should really be a 4.75.
5 stars means either everything is amazing, or some things are so out of this world they compensate for some of the usual crud. But that doesn't apply to my experiences with China Village, though Almost all the food is Amazing, some minority of it may miss the mark - but don't order that - keep reading.
The service has always been fine. Nothing spectacular (not everything was perfect, some forgotten items), but I'm not going there for the service, and neither should you. That sentence alone would have eliminated a lot of the 1-star reviews (1 star, because of service, really? Do you eat at restaurants or just demand 10 course fancy dining for 8.99 a plate, SNAP! (oh wow now I'm showing my age...)).
The food has always been great. Better then great, almost amazing. I love spicy food, and I love great flavors, and China Village delivers with a Mike Tyson punch to the face and the belly. Even better, some of the best non-spicy veggie dishes I've had at authentic Chinese restaurants.
For example, I'm assuming if you're reviewing China Village, you've had your share of bitter melon. But did you have their bitter melon with egg? Wasn't the flavor of the egg out of this world? Yes, it was. I am telling you now. Order that at least once if you like bitter mellon.
Their mapo tofu? with added ground pork? Amazing! Thankfully, the people who turned us on to China Village also told us we had to try their Mapo tofu, and try we have (many times, yes!). If there was a home run of food, this would be it.
Their fish specials also seem to rock out, so be sure to check out the special board.
Generally I found their veggie dishes and their spicy meat dishes to be amazing. I can't remember if I had their fish soup, but it's high on the list to try again. I think it got crowded out by all the other deliciousness and needed a night of its own to be remembered.
We also had good luck asking for recommendations for side dishes, especially special greens sides. Go on in and see what they've got, and ask for suggestions if you're looking to add more dishes for takeout.
Now on to what sucks:
My dining companion once ordered something generic, beef with veggies or some such. And surprise surprise, it was boring. Bland, not an ounce of depth to any flavoring, 2 steps up from late night takeout boring. Healthy, not bad tasting, but so out of line with their fantastically deep flavors in all the other dishes we had that I was shocked they would serve it. My guess is that it's coded as a safe dish for people who don't like spicy food, and someone tossed the baby with the bathwater.
So there lies the rub. With some restaurants, you can order ANYTHING on the menu. With China Village, I think if you order safe, you will have wasted an opportunity.
We generally order 2-3 extra dishes and take them home, that's how much we love China Village. -
Review from Yvette U.
Sausalito, CA
1/31/2012
I will be brief.
Came for lunch today.....service was very good, food was just "ok". I ordered classic wonton soup and Changsha prawn claypot. The soup was average, very mild. The wontons were very scant with meat. The claypot wasn't successful either. Sadly, once you have had food at Sichuan Fortune House....it's really hard to find a contender. I won't be back. -
Review from Rory D.
El Cerrito, CA
1/28/2012
This is by far one of the best Sichuan Restaurants in the East Bay - or perhaps even the entire Bay Area. What makes this restaurant so successful is their talent for blending traditional recipes where spicy flavors dance wildly amid sweat meats and exotic vegetables and sauces, and sweeter less adventuresome dishes with more familiar flavors that one would expect on a Chinese menu. Don't let the exterior dissuade you from what awaits inside, sort of like a fortune cookie that will either advise you on your next great Bay Area adventure or send you home for a movie and couch comfortable retreat. This balanced approach is just one reason to try China Village - you might find yourself hooked on their classic orange peel chicken or Braised Sea Cucumber with Bacon Cut Pork or Spicy Pork Chitlins with soft tofu.
I wrote complete review for those looking for a little more detail over here -- http://voices.yahoo.co... -
Review from Jack C.
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
China Village puts the Spice in Spicy. That play on words didn't work out quite the way I wanted to, but it's close enough. You got my meaning.
As far as szechuan and chinese food goes CV is top notch. Cream of the crop! You can pretty much order any of their signature dishes or recommended dishes and be pleasantly surprised. The Thousand Chili fish soup is one of my favs. It comes in a broth completely covered in chilis. The flavor is fantastic and kickin. I got to give you people ample warning when they say spicy it comes scorching so be prepared or order things mild to medium if you don't want to be sweating profusely and drinking gallons of water. btw this is the kind of kick and spice that gets to your throat also. Not the run of the mill spicy we are talking about.
I recently had the Szechwan beef stew noodle soup and enjoyed it immensely. The beauty about this restaurant is there are so many options to choose from. If you are adventurous and not a stubborn bull like myself you can order something new every time for 50 visits and still not complete the menu. I just keep ordering things that I like over and over, I got to think outside the box or eat with more ppl and use them as a tool to try more dishes while not sacrificing what I want to order. -
Review from Keiko S.
12/17/2011 5 photos
My friend is a loyal customer of this place. She and her husband go eat here once every week. So they invited us to join them for lunch, and we had a fabulous time with delicious food and great company.
As recommended by my friend, we ordered the spicy fish. It was burning with chilis, but very savory. We ordered a bowl of noodles for our toddler, which I actually ended up eating the leftover of since it was really tasty. The other dishes, including the stir fry veggies, were all good. The dishes were a little greasy for my stomach, but it was a satisfying meal for everyone.
The place is spacious, and the service was polite and accommodating. The prices are awfully reasonable - great for Cal students. Location is nice - Solano Ave is always a fun street to explore.
SUM: A great find. We'll definitely go back next time we're in Albany. -
Review from Elaine W.
12/29/2011
Freaking amazing! One of my friends swears that this is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Berkeley area and I couldn't agree more.
It's pretty authentic to be sure. Some dishes I'd recommend: Thousand Chili fish soup, dry cooked green beans, five spice pork, cha sha chicken, and lamb with cumin. Honestly you can't go wrong though, whatever you choose.
Stuff here really is spicy, though I don't think it's quite of the level of actual Sichuan food. Overall super tasty and definitely worth the trip out to Albany! -
Review from D C.
Dublin, CA
This place is definitely one of the better Chinese restaurant in the East Bay and the food was surprising compared to other restaurants. I was also surprised to see the 2010 Michelin Guide had recommended this place (per the insert, on the front of their menu). Wow, a Michelin recommendation in Albany, how shocking!
So anyways...came here b/c my friend and I had no idea what to get ea. other for Christmas so we decided to buy ea. other dinner instead. I usually don't go for Chinese when I go out to eat but since Chinese New Year had just passed, I was feeling extra festive.
-Fish Fillet in Hot Bean Paste: This was nice and spicy but still retained the flavor and tenderness of the fish. I would order this again and it definitely would go great with some steamed rice.
-Chow Mein w/ Homeamade Noodles: This is basic Chow Mein, but was a different texture b/c of the Homemade noodles, which made it more filling.
-Spicy Spare ribs: LOTS AND LOTS of peppers in this dish, more peppers I think than spare ribs
-Eggplant w/ Garlic Paste: This was a good eggplant dish, and i do love me some eggplant but I still prefer Spicy Eggplant w/ ground pork.
-Sweet and Sour Pork: Okay, this dish is Americanized for sure, so I usually don't order it when eating in Chinese restaurants but my friend thought it looked good, so we did. Wow, I was surprised the batter on the pork was airy and light, it wasn't like other Chinese restaurants where the batter is crunchy and heavy. The sweet and sour sauce was good too and complimented the lightly battered pork. Second best sweet and sour pork I've had in my life, the first would be my grandpa's homemade recipe.
-Bacon-cut pork w/ Mustard Greens: This dish was extremely fatty, if you like that kinda rich decadent dish. Basically, its a Chinese version of marinated bacon and reduced sauce. I didn't try it but I friend liked it, she said it was good but still not better than Daimo Restaurant, in Richmond.
I definitely want to bring my parents and the rest of my family here. I think they would like it, since we are always going to the Pacific East Mall to eat Chinese food, this is a great alternative...maybe even better. Wow, that's saying a lot considering I rarely endorse Chinese restaurants b/c I have such great cooks in my family I rarely find the need to seek out Chinese food. -
Review from Jeanette S.
Berkeley, CA
11/15/2011
My friend SHIVOM has been raving about this place for forever, so I finally made my way down here to try it out this past weekend. And I totally agree with him that it might even be better than Great China!!!
We ordered the thousand chili fish soup, which was amazing. It was ginormous with huge chunks of yummy fish and thousands of red chili pieces floating around. They scoop it out for you before they serve it to you, and so the soup base kind of has a spicy kick to you in each bite. :)
We also ordered the mapo tofu and a chicken clay pot which was all very delicious.
Definitely a place to bring your parents (especially if you're Asian)! -
Review from Omar K.
Berkeley, CA
12/12/2011
West Style Spicy Fish Fillet 1000 chili fish soup is amazing.
Sizzling Seafood Delight in Clay Pot is enjoyable too.
Village Specialty Beef/Lamb with Cumin just feels like unsatisfactory imitation cuisine to me :(. I've grown up eating a lot of Mediterranean and Pakistani meat though, so maybe my traditional taste preferences are just kicking in.
Bonus points for serving cold spicy rabbit (bunny so bony T^T) as an appetizer. I can finally cross that off my list of cute animals to eat!Listed in: Champions
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Review from Victor G.
Oakland, CA
10/21/2011
China Village is a must for szechwan , spicy food lovers. over the years, i have been here for banquets, dine-ins etc.
decor: very bright, spacious, wall of golden dragons in the banquet room.
eats: szechwan style fish with hot bean sauce, lunch special (6.95)
-cup of hot & sour soup was spot on. nice combo of sour and spiciness
-iceberg lettuce with peanut sauce nicely done, nothing exceptional-
-fried egg roll: innards couldn't be bitten off, stuck together. just ok
-medium sized chucks of unbreaded fish nicely sauteed, probably basa or swai fish. wasn't hot bean sauce, but whole black bean (maybe this was a misunderstanding with the waiter who may have changed the condiment). 3.5 stars
leftovers:
-food surprisingly good for lunch special. above average for chinese eateries (a good sign regular entrees will be as good or better).
-above average service, cantonese speakers in a mandarin eatery.
-everything tasted fresh.
chinese lessons mandarin
black bean fish fillet over rice dou4 chi1 yu3 pian4 fan4
(szechwan style fish with hot
bean sauce. -
Review from Jin C.
El Cerrito, CA
Will probably have to make this our go to chinese restaurant since Tsing Tao closed.
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Review from Garett N.
Berkeley, CA
12/24/2011
Really good Taiwanese food. We had a few dishes and all were good. Recommended!
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Review from J E.
Oakland, CA
12/29/2011
I love this place! I've only been twice for take out, but need to come back more. I think their vegetarian potstickers are pretty delectable. The inside looks like the set of a chinese restaurant. The staff is always friendly, even when they are packed. Recommended if you're looking for a good, clean, reasonably priced, somewhat authentic Chinese place.
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Review from MacDaddy F.
El Cerrito, CA
11/5/2011
Well I finally broke down and went to this place last night. Its been a saga of getting here. I've lived within 8-10 blocks for 18 months, have walked in to ask about the Dim Sum, was on the verge of making a phone order hoping that what I was ordering was something like Lion's Head, but none of it ever panned out.
Well the x wanted something heavy, and I offered Chinese, and then decided it was the perfect reason to finally come to China Village.
I initially came in when I first moved into the neighborhood, I went in to ask about the Dim Sum. I was told it was Shanghai style, and not Hong Kong, which is the well known type of Dim Sum. I was led to believe that there weren't going to be dumplings, and there would be lots of sweet dim sum items.
Well last night was a great tme to try some of it.
We walked in, and were greeted warmly, and we settled on a table that was good. Tea was there, and water on the way. I went straight to the Dim Sum section, and it looked like Dim Sum! So I choose one dumpling, with lamb and green onion. The x wanted lemon chicken, but she didn't like it when there was heavy batter....so we went back and forth with the owner, and he finally produced a sample of the deep fried chicken...how nice! And it looked good. I ordered Mu-shu, knowing it was mainly for leftovers, and we also had wonton soup. The staff was especially friendly for a chinese restaurant, and that was a pleasant suprise.
The soup arrived first, and very quickly. It was very hot, which was nice, as I can't stand lukewarm soup. The broth was falvorful, if a bit salty. There was a variety of greens and carrot in it, which I generally don't prefer, but they were fresh and crispy. I generally like a clear broth with just wontons. The wontons weren't the type I liked. They were the type that were spread with a little meat, then twisted into a pouch. I prefer the wontons that are more like dumplings, with a large meatball in the middle...you are what you eat!
The dumplings arrived next. I was excited to try the lamb dumplings...its rare that I like the gaminess of lamb, and I usually like it when its ground. The dumplings were very nice, they weren't oily, good flavor on the filling, with 6 good sized ones for 4.50. I am exciited to come back for more Dim Sum!
The Mu-Shu was solid: hot, sweet, savory, meaty mouthfuls of goodness. I think Mu-Shu is one of the "comfort" foods of chinese cuisine, and I love it when I'm in a heavy eating mood!
The lemon chicken was OK. I don't think the chicken was freshly fried for our order. There wasn't enough sauce to cover all the batter, but we asked for more, and got a quick, hot bowl of extra sauce. The flavor of the sauce was mild...not very sweet, and not very lemony. It wasn't memorable.
The owner/host guy was a pleasure to talk to, and was making an effort to be sociable and fun around us, since I usually pull for that kind of thing. We talked about the Lion's Head, and he pointed out the soup that had the similar type of meatballs. I forgot to ask about the flavor of the broth, which is really what the Lion's Head about.
This is a solid chinese restaurant, the food isn't anything to write home about, and the prices are pretty cheap. Lots of options. Clearly the pull here will be the Dim Sum, though it is a little pricey for Dim Sum.
Can't wait to come back! -
Review from Cindy N.
Pinole, CA
8/9/2011
Are you serious this restaurant is a EPIC FAIL!
1. Came in with the family and this lady be looking like something up her ass daym what kinda waitress are you seriously you gotta be more friendly and smile but my mom ate here once before and she said that lady is always been like that smh
2. Dirty plates cups etc and wtf there's a small died spider on the table ewwwww made me wanna throw up
3. the food was not all that great the only thing i liked was the honey walnut and prawns and hot and sour soup was ok
4. the steam rice was 7.50 wtf hella rip off for cheap rice
5. Remind me to never come here again! i give this place 1 star. -
Review from Windin S.
Albany, CA
12/13/2011
We live nearby, and it is a pleasure to get a great, specialized, fresh Chinese meal right on Solano. Tonight is our second trip in two days. The pork shoulder is amazing, the West Lake spicy fish is fiery, the bitter melon is bitter. As close as we can, we concentrate on the Sichuan specialties (salty spices, Szechuan style peppercorns, pickles, spicy dishes).
I've gone with different friends on different occasions with mixed results on the authentic dishes (which is a lot of the menu). I think they have fallbacks standards like chow mein and mushu but these are off-cuisine and probably could be had a bit cheaper.
You seem some comments on ambiance and friendliness. My experience has been just fine. If you are scouting an intimate candlelit location to propose... I agree this probably isn't it. On the other hand, it is pleasant and I thought it was clean enough for the sort of place that it is.
Try it! -
Review from Alison T.
Albany, CA
1/15/2012
This "too bright Chinese" restaurant is interesting, flavorful, and authentic. The emperor's pork shoulder is amazing. The beer is cheap. The service is good. Highly recommend, especially for big groups so you can share a lot of dishes and taste it all.
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Review from Rose Y.
Berkeley, CA
1/14/2012
I've been here several times, and each time has not disappointed. I think it's the best Chinese food I've had around the Berkeley/Albany area so far. Service is not great during crowded times, but the quality and spiciness of the Sichuan food here makes it worth coming here for. There's also sweet soupy dessert at the end, which is always a bonus in my book!
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Review from Gregory I.
Lafayette, CA
8/26/2011
A few words about the place:
Located on Solano Ave this unassuming Chinese restaurant looks like any other with a weathered green awning and your usual lazy susan round tables. However, this place offers not only the most authentic Chinese food in the area (other than great china) and the best Sichuan food I have had in a long time. The food comes out lighting fast, the same as any Chinese restaurant, but the service and friendliness of the staff are definitely a plus (which I can rarely say for a Chinese place).
What I recommend:
I really haven't ordered anything bad here, but I would have to recommend the West style spicy fish fillet ($16.95) aka 1000 chili soup. This soup sounds spicy, but in reality the spice is only there to accentuate the flavorful broth, succulent noodles, and melt in your mouth fish. Additionally I would say the cumin lamb ($9.95) is a force to be reckoned with. Even if you don't like lamb, the tenderness and robust flavor overcomes any issues you may have with the gamey-ness of eating lamb. In all honestly they are all pretty good, be willing to try new things I have yet to be disappointed by any dish here.
Bottom line:
In terms of flavor and quality, China village is honestly at the top. However, the dishes run on the small side so be used to eating a good amount of rice with your meal. With that said, I like to order the more unusual dishes, which can drive up the adventurously minded eater's paycheck quite a bit. Last note is that the dishes run on the greasy side. Many of the stir fry dishes are flavorful, but come with a good amount of oil. For those of you with an irritable stomach, I would say don't be discouraged but do be aware of what you are ordering. -
Review from J. L.
Richmond, CA
9/13/2011
My husband, kids and I went to this place last Sunday, during the Solano stroll. We ordered Honey Walnut Prawns, Chow Mein, Mu Shu and rice.
The chow mein was abnormally greasy; don't get me wrong, I know that chow mein is normally a little greasy, no this stuff was swimming in grease. The mu shu was under seasoned as well as having an over abundance of inedible pork parts/pieces.
Now, those two things alone aren't the worst in the world. But what totally killed my opinion of this place was the fact that the prawns in the honey walnut prawns weren't deveined at all. NASTY!
That alone will turn me away from a place; it's completely unacceptable and shows how lazy the cooks in the back really are. I definitely won't be returning here. -
Review from Vittorio L.
Oakland, CA
6/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I remember coming here years ago for a 10 course banquet a friend invited me to. And this weekend while wandering down Solano Ave i realized we were in the same area and went inside. Truly good food; better than what I remember and incredibly satisfying. We had:
Hunan Pork with Green Beans
Hot and Spicy Pork Shoulder
Chow Mein Special
Steamed Pork Dumplings
Chili Prawns (deshelled)
Chow Mein and Dumplings were fine. The Hunan pork is a good dish, with tender crispy green beans and pork belly slices perfectly seasoned. The Chili prawns were also good, with a PILE of dried chili peppers making it for a spicy, flavorful bite. The Pork Shoulder was impressive and delicious. Served on the bone and in a thick spicy sauce, it's pulled apart slightly table-side in a large bowl (tender enough to be done so with two spoons). This pork shoulder was amazing. I wanted to order another so i could take it home, honestly. The good food, combined with attentive service made for a place I will definitely be coming back to, even if not in the area. -
Review from Judy K.
Berkeley, CA
11/27/2011
Food is delicious. Waitstaff can be a bit pushy and the prices are rather high, but everything is fresh and interesting. Be adventurous -- they have a massive menu selection.
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Review from Wen-dye M.
Oakland, CA
1/5/2012
Five Stars says it all. Done.
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Review from albert w.
Oakland, CA
7/1/2011
Dude, as far as Schezwan goes in the Bay, I venture to say China Village is as good as it gets. The pork shoulder and the boiled pork/fish/beef are to die for (the latter death might be due to extreme spiciness). If you've had Schezwan before you would know that the kind of spicy is numbing, real different from your average tabasco sauce or jalapenos. This will stick with you for quite a while, but it's so good. Takes me back to my travels in China: backpacking in search of culinary goodness, eating things I never thought I ever would.
The service is standard you'd expect from a Chinese restaurant so don't expect four star service, but know that it's also a family owned joint so don't forget to tip your waitress! -
Review from Clara G.
Albany, CA
10/20/2011
Stop reading this review and go straight to China Village. Drop everything and go. Now.
Order the rice cakes with Pork and Shredded Cabbage. Eat the delicious kimchi all night long. try the spicy beef stew in the clay pot. try their homeade noodle chowmein.
WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS????
GOOOOOOOOO!
get the rice cakes. do it. or else the world will end. -
Review from Charles B.
San Francisco, CA
10/31/2011
The measure of a place is not just what they serve, but how they serve their customers when things go wrong, even if the customer may have contributed to it.
So when I ordered from the specials menu and tried to use my wretched Chinese "wui kuo" and the server helpfully completed "yu pian" (for the twice-cooked fish fillet I was pointing to on the menu), I didn't expect that somewhere between my placing the order and them entering it into their POS touch screen that it would get transmuted into "hui guo rou," twice cooked pork. I don't know if they assumed I didn't know there was more than one twice-cooked dish or what, but what landed on the table didn't look like fish (although I couldn't tell what it was). One tentative bite confirmed it had the texture of meat, not fish. I flagged down the nearest server and asked them what it was, and they replied "twice-cooked pork."
Oops! I told the server and of the problem (I don't eat pork). My server and the manager both came immediately and confirmed what I was trying to order and a few minutes later I had it. In the meantime the manager brought me a second plate of the Chinese kimchee (did I mention that as soon as you order you get a small plate of Chinese kimchee? No. Well now I did).
Anyway, the twice-cooked fish was tasty and a little bit spicy. The overall serving was not that big, but the proportion of fish was generous. It was a bit more oily than I cared for, so I probably wouldn't order it again, but it was good enough that I want to try more stuff here.
There was an upselling from rice to sesame bread, but a reasonable one given that I was ordering from the northern menu and not the southern usual suspects. The bread was delicious and I ate about half and took the rest home for the next day (when it was just as good).
So, 3.5 for the food plus good customer service means a round-up to 4. Good show! -
Review from Lindsey M.
Oakland, CA
5/12/2011
When I walked in at 1:30pm, there were two other tables seated, but no staff visible. I had to yell, "Helloo?" twice to get someone to come out of the kitchen to seat me at one of the many empty tables. It was a granny who looked like she was on pretty heavy medication because her eyes were barely open and her pupils were HUGE.
As soon as I was seated, Granny asked me if I was ready to order. Having not had a chance to open my menu, I ordered a beer to buy myself a couple minutes. Then I was asked three times in the next five minutes if I was ready to order. I ordered the kung pao beef lunch, which came with tea, soup, and your choice of rice or chow mein. I ordered the chow mein.
My food came five minutes later- huge portions of greasy, flavorless food. 2/3 of the plate was covered with chow mein, and the kung pao beef was mostly onions. I hate it when restaurants try to save money by serving as little meat as possible. It's one of my pet peeves, so I was pretty irritated to see how little of what I had actually ordered was on the plate. The flavor was of thickening agent and msg, and not much else.
When I was done I waited for a check. Then I pushed my plate to the very edge of my plate and put my napkin on it. Then I turned around to flag a staff person, but there weren't any there. Then I stood at the counter waiting to pay. It was at this point I began to consider just walking out. Then I yelled "Helloo?" and the surly granny came out and charged me $9 something for lunch.
I have never experienced such surly, poor service ever. I work in customer service, so I get how tired one can get at work, but at 1:30 in the afternoon in an EMPTY restaurant, you'd think the staff could fake it a little more. The only person who treated me nicely was the chicano busser who brought my tea and filled my water. Everyone else needs a lesson in "service with a smile."
One star for the busser. -
Review from Jonathan G.
El Cerrito, CA
11/13/2011
We've been eating here for years.
The food is VERY good and the owner (John) is wonderful and gracious.
It took me some time to find the Chinese place that would make my favorite dishes the way I liked. This place did the job and won my business.
Our daughter (2 yrs old) loves it here too! -
Review from Augusto T.
Berkeley, CA
Updated - 6/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Need to give it 5 stars again.
You need to come here and try THESE dishes:
Szechuan west style fish soup
Slow cooked pork shoulder
These dishes are not only absolutely delicious, they pack visual flare and will make you say wow factor when served at the restaurant.
The soup is just amazing. The fish is tender and the broth has complex and unique smoky flavor imparted by the dried chili peppers and ginger. The pork shoulder is tender and just falls of the bone.
As an appetizer I also had the chilled ox tendon with chili oil which is also great and one of my favorite Szechuan dishes.
The food is a bit more expensive than at other Chinese restaurants (~$16), but the portions are huge and they are totally worth it. Two dishes can definitely feed up to 4 people. Service is attentive and really professional.
The best Szechuan food in the Berkeley area, no question about it.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/20/2011
Best Szechuan food I have had in Berkeley!
This restaurant had been recommended to me by some Chinese… Read more »
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Review from Jean L.
4/3/2011
Went here the other day. They have pretty good lunch specials if you plan to eat with friends, 3 or some dishes from a list for $20. Ordered the boiled beef in chili sauce and the mapo tofu, as well as the niu rou mien (they claim they make the noodles themselves). We told the waiter that we wanted the dishes to be really spicy.
The servings of rice are generous, and you get both tea and water. However, although all of the dishes came doused in crazy red-looking oil, it is Not spicy at all. Which I found to be a little disappointing, because I have a penchant for really spicy foods. Since it wasn't that spicy to me, I could not justify why there were such large amounts of oil. The spicy beef noodle soup also took longer than expected, and came long after we were done with the other two dishes.
A lot of schezwan-style cooking, but not hot enough for me.Listed in: Beef Noodle Soup, What do you call a fake…
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Review from Tom W.
San Francisco, CA
8/14/2011
I've read many of the reviews of China Village on Yelp, and it seems that people who like it, REALLY like it, those who don't, REALLY don't.
I've only eaten here once since it opened and that is because of the negative impact this restaurant has on the neighborhood environment.
The Solano Avenue side of the restaurant presets itself well, but if you want to see what care the restauranteur takes in food preparation and cleanliness, you only have to walk around the corner to see and smell the waste, grease, and complete lack of respect shown to the environment.
The sidewalk is covered in grease and food particles, the stop sign post filled with cigarette butts left by employees waiting for entrance in the morning (butts also deposited around the neighborhood flower beds!!), and once when on a walk at night I saw a cleaning company on the roof washing out the grease vents down the street gutter, leaving a greasy residue all the way down the block.
Until China Village gets its act together to show it cares as much about its community as its popularity, I won't set foot inside. -
Review from Roberta S.
Berkeley, CA
12/27/2011
Good tasty food but very bad service since they are busy. If you have large party, watch out.....do not order double order of the same dish. You do not get the true double amount. It is better to order two dishes of the same thing.
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Review from Tony L.
Berkeley, CA
7/22/2011
Sooooo glad my friends took me here. This place truly truly has amazing authentic Chinese food. It was so good that it literally reminded me of home and made me start eating like a chinaman (again).
We got 2 dishes and a soup (1 lamb, 1 pork, and 1 fish), and 3 bowls of rice (i ate half of those on my own...) and it was definitely enough for 3 people. I'm not gonna suggest any dishes specifically because from looking at the menu everything seems to be pretty authentic. So if you're interested in trying out this place you should juts do family style and get dishes that everybody can eat.
Overall, 3 thumbs up, definitely coming back again. -
Review from BRSKI B.
San Francisco, CA
4/19/2011
I was excited to find praised Sichuan food much closer to home than my most recent crush, the Sichuan Fortune House (SFH) in Pleasant Hill. To that end, for my first visit to China Village Restaurant (CVR), I tried to stay close to many of the dishes that I've enjoyed at SFH. How do they compare? The short answer is that I found SFH to be superior to CVR at every point along the scale except for one aspect - portion size. The portion sizes at CVR are substantial, which is a good thing considering the cost of the food - cost which I consider fair per entree, but it's more than I'm used to seeing at a Chinese restaurant. Overall, CVR food is good, not great, with some favorable successes and some mild failures.
General Zhang's spicy beef is very nice and my favorite dish sampled - spunky and tasty and without any flaws. Their Sichuan peppercorns are far superior to the ones I keep in my freezer - they're brighter and spicier and I wasn't picking peppercorn shells off of my tongue.
The Sichuan mung bean noodles with ground pork (aka 'Ant Climb Tree') was less successful. Not a particularly bad dish, though too laden with oil; and maybe it's me, but the accurate moniker of 'Ant Climb Tree' didn't put me in the mood to ravish the dish. A neutral enough experience to qualify as a mild failure in this diner's mind.
The Sichuan spicy boiled beef is the kind of classic dish that I suspect might be impossible to ruin once you lay your hands on a good foundational recipe - CVR has.
The dry cooked green bean is also a classic and also hard to ruin if done properly - CVR does.
The spicy tan tan noodles ('sesame spicy sauce in soup base') were the biggest disappointment of the evening. Just nothing there to enjoy - a slight and weak-kneed sesame flavor with no heat and no back. Didn't taste bad, mind you, it just didn't taste especially good.
Unlike SFH, I don't think I'll crave anything from the CVR - and what that means is that I won't eat here regularly. But when the Sichuan urge raises its head and I'm close to the CVR, I'll go back. -
Review from Steven P.
Manhattan, NY
3/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
My favorite Chinese restaurant while I was a student at Cal.
It's all about the spicy boiled fish fillet (item 132; yes, I remember the item #). It's wonderfully spicy. It's spicy, warm, and comforting. It's fish doused with a spicy oil, so yeah it's a little oily, but that never really bothered me.
Their other dishes are good too. I get the shredded pork in garlic sauce a lot. They also serve you these spicy, oily pickled vegetables at the start of the meal, which I finish quickly every time. Sometimes, they'll end the meal with a complimentary warm, sweet soup-like dessert (I don't know what it's called), which I really like.
Service is pretty good. The staff has always been friendly to my girlfriend and me, and I'm pretty sure they recognized me since I went so often, which was cool. -
Review from Angel S.
Long Island, NY
China Village made me realize that I'm actually not that big of a fan of Szechuan cuisine, with its emphasis on bold and powerful flavors, and most items heavily sauced. Most of the dishes were too flavorful, if there is such a thing, and I know I'm saying that at the risk of sounding completely ignorant about Szechuan fare. Subtlety is not their forte.
I was not impressed with China Village, though I must admit that my opinions are not representative. People love this place. I ended up here because most people who appreciate authentic Szechuan swear by this place, and this place even grabbed the attention of Michelin (recommended), Zagat, Check Please, and of course, yelpers.
If you prefer light, fresh and subtle, this place might not cut it. But if bold, flavorful, and saucy dishes are more up your alley, China Village will likely fill the bill.
Then again, I'm not sure how authentic this place really is since they have dim sum, which I thought was more Cantonese fare. The dim sum selection was quite pathetic actually. Regardless, the dim sum here is probably some of the blandest and tasteless I've had in a long time. Do not go here for the dim sum. Also, I found it ironic that the dishes lack spice, which should be the main feature of Szechuan cuisine.
Still, some items were decent. I enjoyed the Shredded Pork with Pepper as well as the Tofu with Sauce. The Fire Charred Pork, Kidney, and Tripe was too gamey for me.
Like I said, I'm the minority, so I would encourage others to take my review with a grain of salt. -
Review from Becky L.
San Francisco, CA
2/23/2011
Full disclosure from the outset: this is my first Yelp review. After years of perusing other reviews, I've finally been compelled enough by an experience - and not even my own - to sign up and post. I wish it was to rave; unfortunately, it's to warn anyone thinking of going to China Village for a meal.
My mother and her friend went here yesterday (2/22/11) for lunch and left with severe food poisoning. My mom's friend threw up almost immediately when they left the restaurant, and my mom's chills, sweats, and vomit attacks began as she was driving home. Not pretty. This was followed by an entire half-day and night of diarrhea - the no rest for the weary kind - my poor mom was up the entire night, and in recovery today. Same exact thing happened with her friend.
They ordered three things - the twice-cooked pork, fish-flavored eggplant, and some kind of plain tofu dish.
Okay, so things like this happen. But what really compelled me to write was that the next day, today, my mom went to China Village to inform the manager of what happened to her and her friend. Immediately, defensiveness and denial, the manager had to audacity to say that the food was probably just too greasy for their 60-something year old systems. Um, whatever, won't even go there. If you're fully admitting that your food is greasy enough to bring on vomiting ... ??
Anyway, my mom said, "Look, I'm not asking for anything here. I just want to let you know that you should probably check your pork or something, and that this happened." Still, the denial (the manager refused to let her speak with the owner or anyone else, pretty much brushed her off), and no apologies whatsoever.
NOT OKAY. AVOID CHINA VILLAGE. I, being Chinese American, cannot tell you how much I loathe running into ruthless, corrupt Chinese business owners who just propogate the stereotypes and can't own up to any wrong-doing. And just plain filthiness. Clean up, people - you're sickening customers.
But all my personal stuff aside, just do yourself and your body a favor, and don't come here. -
Review from Samuel H.
12/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
If you're looking for authentic Sichuan food, then you've come to the right place. The restaurant has friendly staff, and there wasn't much waiting time for food to arrive. I would recommend:
1. Clay pots! We ordered two of them: tofu and shrimp. Both a good gateway to the spicy Sichuan cuisine our friends were about to enjoy. I have to give props to their tofu. The skin was just crispy enough but not charred and the tofu flesh was juicy and succulent. The woody mushrooms gave a nice bite too. Part of the seafood appeal was how fresh the dish was.
2. Spicy fish: Probably one of the "definitive" Sichuan dishes, our fish was SUPER spicy! I could only handle a little portion of it, probably because I'm such a noobie when it comes to these things. It's kind of a cool dish since the fish is buried underneath a super-hot crust that is made from Sichuan peppercorns, chili oil, etc. Definitely worth ordering.
+extra points for dish #2
3. A classic Asian dish: simple greens with soy and oyster sauce. It's always good to know that a Chinese restaurant can make these properly. Also good to eat when you want to cleanse your palate from all the explosively spicy food you're eating.
It's very difficult to find good Chinese cuisine in the Berkeley area. I'm definitely going to eat here again. -
Review from Brandon Y.
San Leandro, CA
2/24/2011
Food: The food is quite good here and the prices are right too. Just too bad they like to use MSG here. That is why the rating is not 5.
The Spicy Pork shoulder is quite good. The noodle soups on the back page are a winner too. Order the sesame pancake.
Atmosphere: Old Chinese. Just go for the food.
Service: They have quite a few on the wait staff. Just need to flag them down when you want service. -
Review from catherine b.
El Cerrito, CA
9/26/2010
I came here for comfort soup last week and returned again this weekend for a full entree. A word about the portions: BIG. This makes me happy. When taken to go, the large size wonton soup has to be poured into two separate containers - the big plastic kind. I didn't count the won tons, but they were plentiful, fat and good! The broth was tasty. We also had the corn and chicken soup. Again the 'large' is huge, and even though I liked the wonton better, this was nice.
The orange peel chicken was a nice mix of salty, spicy, sweet and bitter, but the almond chicken was the winner. It was full of mushrooms and water chestnuts, lots of chicken and lots of almonds. The sauce was delicious and tasted almost homemade. I usually don't like dishes that aren't hot and spicy, so this was a nice surprise.
