Chinshan Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Albuquerque

Summary: Best Chinese food in town, $10-15 a plate, friendly service.

I went to Chinshan on a pure coincidence, they were the closest place that was open on a Sunday evening.

Me and my friends were trying to decide what to eat on a Sunday evening and I wanted Chinese. I've never heard of Chinshan from anyone, but they were the close by and open. I can be a little critical of Chinese food, so not having any expectations, I went in thinking it was just going to be a throwaway dinner that satisfies the craving for Chinese. Good Lord was I in for a surprise!

We ordered Salt and Pepper Shrimp, Orange Chicken, Mapo Tofu, and half of a Roast Duck. (Unfortunately they didn't have the crispy duck available)

The Salt and Pepper shrimp was crunchy, perfectly salted, and had a great flavor from the jalapeño and green onion slices sprinkled on top. I thought the shrimp heads were a little fishy, but my wife assured me I was wrong. (If you've never had Salt and Pepper shrimp before, it's lightly battered whole shrimp that is then deep-fried and seasoned. Once you get your head around eating the skin, the crunch is absolutely addicting. Goes great with a brewski.)

The Orange Chicken was the best I've had. Chicken was cooked just right, juicy and tender. The batter felt light and very crispy at the same time. Slivers of actual orange in the sauce gave the dish a balanced tangyness that coated the chicken without making the batter soggy.

The Roasted Duck was good. I'm not a huge fan of duck (except crispy), but this one was not at all gamey and had a good flavor I would describe as a blend of Hoisin and Chinese five spice.

The Pork Mapo Tofu was my favorite dish of the evening. Good Mapo Tofu has both Sichuan peppercorn and regular pepper. This dish is meant to be spicy and 'numbing' which is something I haven't experienced from other places in town (or state). Tofu was melt-in-your-mouth soft without losing shape, the pork was minced finely, and the peppers were sprinkled in just enough for a spicy flavor that anyone can handle. The Szechuan peppercorns gave a numbness that just sometimes let you know it was there without interfering with the other flavors. I would also describe the flavor of the peppercorn itself as flowery or maybe lightly herby, an interesting flavor all its own.

Give Chinshan a try, it might just be your new favorite.

TLDR: Best Mapo Tofu and Orange Chicken in town. Big portions,...

Having tried about a dozen different Chinese restaurants in Abq over the years, this is the first that I am really looking forward to going back to.

In the time I have been living in this neighborhood I have seen and eaten at two previous restaurant in the same location, so I did not have high hopes. I was greatly pleased to be proven wrong.

Generally takeout America Style Chinese ranges from mediocre to average. For roughly the same price, this food is legitimately good.

To start with, all of the ingredients seemed of a higher quality than is usual. Next it was very well prepared. Lastly, the portion size was enough for everyone to eat their fill and have plenty of leftovers.

While it looks like a nice restaurant for dining in, I got takeout for family and guests. We had a large order of Orange Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Mongolian Beef, fried rice, and hot and sour soup.

The Orange Chicken was rather good, I appreciated the ability to pick a heat level. This was notable for being more flavorful instead of just sweet.

The lemon chicken was my favorite, the sauce was sweet and flavorful with a pleasant lemon aroma.

The Mongolian beef was also a cut above the usual, with a nice flavor and actual scallions instead of just yellow onion.

The fried rice was my second favorite, with deep flavor and a mixture of meat that was "fully cooked, but not obliterated"

The Hot and Sour soup was the only note that did not seem spot on, but that seemed more likely to be a personal taste issue instead of a failing of the soup.

In all, I can give a pretty strong recommendation...

We typically don't do reviews due to time restraints and the fact that we eat out way too often......... however, the food here is amazing.

We live in the neighborhood below the strip mall that Chinshan is located. Over the past decade, we have seen many restaurants come and go in this strip mall. The entry and exit of the strip is not convenient and easily passed by. Chinshan is worth the difficultly of initially finding it.

The family that operates Chinshan puts passion into their food. The interior is nothing to write home about.

My wife typically gets Shrimp with Brocolli, I get the Chicken with green beans in black bean sauce, my sons enjoy the Wonton Soup, Chicken Udon Noodle Soup, and Sweet and Sour Chicken.

The vegetables are always crisp (not undercooked or overcooked ). Chicken and Shrimp are plump and juicy. The chefs wok technique is perfected. Sauces are some of the best we have tasted. My boys enjoy the rice to th degree that we try to duplicate at home.

We have had the opportunity to travel a good portion of the world and would rate Chinshan with some of the best Chinese food we have tried (including SF, NYC, LA, or Asia). I know this sounds odd considering this is Albuquerque, but we really...