Chinese Restaurants and the Top 100

by Chinese Restaurant News

Chinese Food in the USA

Fall Volume: 2009 Issue: 16(3) page(s): 32, 33, 34, and 35

Chinese Restaurant News indicates how important the Chinese restaurant industry is vis-a-vis America's daily dining scene. The more than forty-five thousand Chinese restaurants in the USA generate more than twenty billion dollars in sales annually. There are more Chinese restaurants in the USA than all McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's combined.

The first Chinese restaurant, called Canton, opened in San Francisco on December 10, 1849 on Jackson Street in San Francisco CA. More than one hundred fifty years later, Chinese restaurants are still serving Americans delicious food. Chinese food is no longer a niche market. They serve more than two and half million healthy meals to Americans every day every year in every one of the fifty United States. They are an integral part of the American dining scene with more than seventy percent open seven days a week, almost fifty percent offering a menu listing some one hundred to one hundred fifty different food items.

The Top ten best selling Chinese foods are Egg Rolls, General Tsao's Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet & Sour Pork, Hot & Sour Soup, Wonton Soup, Chicken Chow Mein, Egg Foo Young, and Fried Rice. Dishes gaining in popularity are cha siu bao and other dumplings and lettuce wrapped chicken.

The National Restaurant Association reports Chinese, Italian, and Mexican are the three most popular ethnic foods. They advise that pizza, spaghetti, tacos, tortillas, egg rolls, and fried rice are favorite foods among Americans.

Highlighting the importance of Chinese restaurants in the United States, Chinese Restaurant News gave eateries awards for the fifth year and Flavor and Fortune is pleased to have their permission to again share the top winners with our readers. We publish only the Top 100 Overall Excellence Awards, though there are nine other categories including one for: Regional Chinese Cuisine, Take-Out, Best Décor, Signature Dishes, Chinese Buffets, Rising Stars, Healthy Menus, Asian Fusion, and Local Favorites.

To be considered for the Overall Excellence Award, winners must have at least half of their menu with Chinese foods, and they must be in business for a minimum of two years. Winners are restaurants with the highest overall score. They are evaluated for cuisine consistency, quality, taste and variety; décor and atmosphere; service; front and back of the house and restroom cleanliness, presentation, and level of compliance with the health department.

The other categories have their own rating systems, but for this category, sixty percent of the ratings come from mystery dining company visits and evaluations; twenty percent from public guest ballots at the restaurant or online, ten percent from reviews and awards; and ten percent from advisory panel evaluations. With these ratings, the 2008 winners, listed below by state, are:

ALASKA:
Panda Oriental Cuisine, 605 E. Northern Lights Blvd., Anchorage AK 99503; phone: 907-272-3308
ARKANSAS:
Fantastic China, 1900 N. Grant Street, Little Rock AR 72207; phone: 501-663-8999
ARIZONA:
Dragon Wok, 727 W. Ray Road, Gilbert AZ 85233; phone: 480-782-6889
New Wok, 11345 W. Buckeye Road, Avondale AZ 85323; phone: 623-907-9699
CALIFORNIA:
China Max Restaurant, 4698 Convoy Street, San Diego CA 92111; phone: 858-650-3333
China Palace Restaurant, 5052 West Lane, Stockton CA 95210; phone: 209-955-0888
Dynasty Garden, 3500 Coffee Road, Modesto CA 95355; phone: 209-521-8808
Happy Harbor Restaurant, 1015 S. Nogales Street, Rowland Heights CA 91748; phone: 626-965-2020
Helen's Gourmet Chinese Food, 7444 N. Fresno Street, Fresno CA 93720; phone: 559-432-4241
Imperial Garden Restaurant, 2045 W. Briggsmore Avenue, Modesto CA 95350: phone: 209-521-1226
Joy Luck House, 1144 Jordan Lane, Napa CA 94559; phone: 707-224-8788
Koi Palace, 365 Gellert Blvd, Daly City CA 94015; phone: 650-992-9000
Mandarin Plaza, 3760 Sport Arena Blvd., San Diego CA 92110; phone: 619-224-4222
Moon Star Restaurant, 383 Gellert Blvd., Daly City CA 94015; phone: 650-992-2888
Yum Cha Café, 638 N. Broadway, Los Angeles CA 90042; phone: 213-617-8698
COLORADO:
Empress Dim Sum Sea Food, 2825 W Alameda Ave, Denver CO 80219; phone: 303-922-2822
Hunan Imperial, 3623 23rd Avenue, Evans CO 80620; phone: 970-330-1887
Saigon Landing, 28080 Douglas Park Road, Evergreen CO 80439; phone: 303-674-5421
FLORIDA:
Imperial Buffet, 810 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven FL 33880; phone: 863-292-9296
Imperial Dynasty Restaurant, 2045 W. State Road 434, Longwood FL 32779; phone: 407-786-2266
South Garden Chinese Restaurant, 10855 SW 72nd Street, Miami FL 33173; phone: 305-274-8788
GEORGIA:
Chef Lee's Peking Restaurant, 6100 Bradley Park Drive, Columbus GA 31904; phone: 706-653-8888
Peking Eastside, 1935 Barnett Shoals Road, Athens GA 30605; phone: 706-549-0274
IOWA:
Hy-Vee Inc., 5820 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines IA 50266; phone: 515-267-2801
IDAHO:
Happy's Chinese restaurant, 549 Park Avenue, Idaho Falls ID 83402; phone: 208-522-2091 Wok ‘n Grill, 1188 Blue Lakes Blvd. N., Twin Falls ID 83301; phone: 208-734-6898
ILLINOIS:
Dragon Palace, 7122 171st Street, Tinley Park IL 60477; phone: 708-532-8883
Hunan Chinese Restaurant, 1101 Wabash Avenue, Springfield IL 62704; phone: 217-726-5760
Taisan Chef, 2813 83rd Street, Darien IL 60561; phone: 630-985-5006
INDIANA:
8 China Buffet, 3059 S US Highway 41, Terre Haute IN 47802; phone: 812-235-0866
KENTUCKY:
Raymond’s Hong Kong Café, 11051 Clay Drive, Walton KY 41094; phone: 859-485-2828
LOUISIANA:
Hunan Chinese, 4215 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Baton Rouge LA 70816; phone: 225-292-4462
MARYLAND:
Szechuan House, 1427 York Road, Lutherville MD 21093; phone: 410-825-8181
MASSACHUSETTS:
Beijing Restaurant, 1250 Osgood Street, North Andover MA 01845; phone: 978-689-9500
Tian Fu Restaurant, 446 Washington Street, Wellesley MA 02482; phone: 781-235-1111
Yum Yum Kitchen, 1655 Boston Road, Springfield MA 01129; phone: 413-543-5486 MAINE:
East Restaurant, 636 Post Road, Wells ME 04090; phone: 207-641-8788
MISSISSIPPI:
Golden Buffet, 5630 Dixie Hwy, Waterford MI 48329; phone: 248-623-8585
Jimmy Chen's Hunan, 1283 M 32W, Alpena MI 49707; phone: 989-356-6461
Leong’s Restaurant, 46590 Gratiot Avenue, Chesterfield MI 48051; phone: 586-949-3060
MINNESOTA:
Orient Buffet & Grill, 16314 County Road 30, Maple Grove MN 55311; phone: 763-494-8845
MISSOURI:
Bo Lings Chinese Restaurant, 4800 Main Street, Kansas City MO 64112; phone: 816-753-1718
Canton Inn, 205 W. Sunshine Street, Springfield MO 65807; phone: 417-862-5444
MONTANA:
China Buffet, 1212 Grand Avenue, Billings MT 59102; phone: 406-896-8657
NORTH CAROLINA:
Hunam Chinese, 790 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Chapel Hill NC 27514; phone: 919-967-6133
King Buffet & Grill, 5218 US Highway 70 W, Morehead City NC 28557; phone: 252-726-7878
NEBRASKA:
Hopbo Chinese, 145 Palm Bay Road, West Melbourne NE 32904; phone: 321-872-8888
NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Wang's Garden, 161 Main Street, Berlin NH 03570; phone: 603-752-3688
NEW JERSEY:
First Wok Chinese, 295 Princeton Heights Road, Princeton Junction NJ 08550; phone: 609-716-8323
Hunan Taste Chinese Restaurant, 67 Bloomfield Avenue, Denville NJ 07834; phone: 973-625-2782
Ying Hui Chinese Restaurant, 303 US Highway 130, Bordentown NJ 08505; phone: 609-298-6400
NEW MEXICO:
Bamboo Asian Cuisine, 2400 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe NM 87505; phone: 505-983-3600
Best Lee's, 2003 Southern Blvd., Rio Rancho NM 87124; phone: 505-892-7887
Chows Inc., 720 Saint Michaels Drive, Santa Fe NM 87505; phone: 505-471-7120
NEVADA:
Two Guys From Hong Kong, 6015 S. Virginia Street, Reno NV 89502; phone: 775-851-3030
Wing Lei, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas NV 89109; phone 702-248-3463
NEW YORK:
Chopstix, 8405 5th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11209; phone: 718-238-1300
Dragon Phoenix, 26 S. Ocean Avenue, Patchogue NY 11772; phone: 631-475-2522
Grand Sichuan, 15 Seventh Avenue South, New York NY 10014; phone: 212-645-0222
Homes Kitchen, 22 East 21st. Street, New York NY 10010; phone: 212-475-5049
Hua Rong Chinese Restaurant, 8323 Broadway, Elmhurst NY 11373; phone: 718-760-1027
Joy's Seafood Restaurant, 6720 Bay Pkwy, Brooklyn NY 11204
New Ruan's Restaurant, 1955 86th Street, Brooklyn NY 11214; phone: 718-266-8888
Peking Duck House, 28 Mott Street, New York NY 10013; phone: 212-227-1810
Suzie's Restaurant, 163 Bleecker Street, New York NY 10012; phone: 212-777-1395
Szechuan Delight Restaurant, 152 7th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215; phone: 718-788-5408
Yings Wings Things & Bar, 2309 Eggert Road, Buffalo NY 14150; phone: 716-837-0677
OHIO:
Flying Tiger Chinese Restaurant, 60 S. Broad Street, Fairborn OH 45324; phone: 937-878-2583
OKLAHOMA:
Taste Of China Super Buffet, 1001 E. Highway 54, Guymon OK 73942; phone: 580-468-3993
OREGON:
Lum Yuen, 3190 Portland Road NE, Salem OR 97303; phone: 503-581-2912
Moy’s Dynasty, 1914 Adams Avenue, La Grande OR 97850; phone: 541-963-8881
Wong's King Seafood Restaurant, 8733 SE Division Street, Portland OR 97266; phone: 503-788-8883
PENNSYLVANIA:
Asia Restaurant, 1102 E. Susquehanna Street, Allentown PA 18103; phone: 610-798-7777
Peking Chef Chinese Restaurant, 29 Dallas Shopping Ctr., Dallas PA 18612; phone: 570-675-0555
Ruby Chinese Restaurant, 7140 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19128; phone: 215-482-3800
Yang Ming Restaurant, 1051 Conestoga Road, Bryn Mawr PA 19010; phone: 610-527-3200
Zhuang's Garden, 2834 Penn Avenue, West Lawn PA 19609; phone: 610-670-5650
RHODE ISLAND:
Jacky’s Galaxie, 383 Metacom Avenue, Bristol RI 02809; hone: 401-253-8818
SOUTH CAROLINA:
Best China, 1046 Regent Parkway, Fort Mill SC 29715; phone: 803-802-9862
Cantontown Express, 205 N Longstreet Street, Kingstree SC 29556; phone: 843-354-3020
Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant, 3387 Highway 9 E, Little River SC 29566; phone: 843-390-2828
TENNESSEE:
Golden Dragon Buffet, 3325 W. Andrew Johnson Hwy., Morristown TN 37814; phone: 423-587-9588
Royal Panda Inc., 3120 Village Shops Drive, Germantown TN 38138; phone: 901-756-9697
TEXAS:
888 Bistro, 16744 El Camino Real, Houston TX 77062; phone: 281-990-8888
Bamboo Garden, 1220 Airline #115 Road, Corpus Christi TX 78412; phone 361-993-7993
Chef Caos, 3105 S. Texas Avenue, Bryan TX 77802; phone: 979-779-8885
China King Buffet, 2540 N. Josey Lane, Carrollton TX 75006; phone: 214-483-3606
Fung's Kitchen, 7320 Southwest Freeway, Houston TX 77074; phone: 713-779-2288
Hong Kong Buffet, 1188 N. Yarbrough Drive, EL Paso TX 79925; phone: 915-595-8883
Royal China, 6025 Royal Lane, Dallas TX 75230; phone: 214-361-1771
VIRGINIA:
Asian Garden, 12857 Braemar Village Plaza, Bristow VA 20136; phone: 703-393-8777
China King Restaurant, 5 S. King Street, Leesburg VA 20175; phone: 703-777-9831
Sampan Café, 6116 Franconia Road, Alexandria VA 22310; phone: 703-971-5404
Szechuan Star, 6960 H Bradlick Shopping Ctr., Annandale VA 22003; phone: 703-256-1111
WASHINGTON:
House of Hong, 409 8th Ave S., Seattle WA 98104; phone: 206-622-7997
Szechuan Chef, 15015 Main Street, Bellevue WA 98007; phone: 425-746-9008
Zen Garden, 16300 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek WA 98012; phone: 425-745-6668
WEST VIRGINIA:
Chinese Restaurant, 623 Fayette Square, Oak Hill WV 25901; phone: 304-465-8465
WISCONSIN:
Golden Gate Restaurant, 1427 E. Racine Avenue, Waukesha WI 53186; phone: 262-547-2171
WYOMING:
Ocean City China Bistro, PO Box 12214, Jackson WY 83002; phone: 307-734-9768

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