China King — Restaurant in Aspen Hill

China King I won’t be going there any more.  The orange chicken - which my family has purchased several times - is typically hard, and dry,  as if it had been previously cooked and was served just to get rid of it for the night. Tonight I made sure it was made fresh and tried something new involving jumbo shrimp.  This place is not inexpensive.  So, I want an experience that meets my expectations.  Too many of the shrimp were too mushy and soft as if not fully cooked.  While waiting for my order I had noticed that no one wore gloves - neither the cooks, nor the serving staff.  The cooks used their bare hands to put vegetables into the stir fry pan.  However, I didn’t see them touching any of the food after it was cooked. When I called later to let them know of my concerns and we mutually agreed that I am not going to be their customer.  I gave an additional star in the rating because the orange chicken was not hard and dry this time - as I had requested.  The problem with this place may be that the cooks (none of whom wear gloves) are insufficiently focused on the resulting product.  So, I suggest that while waiting, take a look over the counter and keep an eye on the preparation of your food. Don’t hesitate to bail out if you see questionable...

I was extremely impressed with how clean and organized this establishment is. The interior is spacious, well lit, and neat as a pin.

The open kitchen follows suit; it too was clean and tidy. The staff is courteous, communicative, and very friendly.

The food was more than acceptable in quality and the serving size generous. The prices are about 22% greater than the local competition, a bit surprising for this lower-middle class neighborhood. However, this restaurant has been in this location for many years and their business model has been very sustainable.

My order of a beef entrée (with perfectly-cooked white rice), steamed dumplings, and a 16 ounce Schweppes would've been $33, so I forfeited the dumplings, lowering the ticket to about $22.

If cost is not a big issue for you, or you're in an expansive mood, I recommend this restaurant.

Note that there is no brown rice option and the chef told me that all the food contains a small amount of MSG.

Given my positive experience, I might add...

Quality of Food + Service varies depending on whose Manahing or OnDuty, from our exp. We live @Leisure World. Used to order from ChinaKing alor- yrs ago.. Used to get friendly Svc when ordering& Picking up. But since 2020 we noticed (- )change in Quality of Svc & Dinner entrees i.e: Phoenix+ Dragon= runny sauces, Overcookd chix & Undercooked veggies.. Since 2020 whether we Pickdup or Walkd-in we noticd Staff becoming rushed, impatient +/or indifferent... What used to be Our Favs: HappyFamily, EggFooYung varieties, Phoenix+ Dragon startd tasting Same way CK's Service changed... We havent been since Apr2024, maybe CK has new Ownership or Mgt since then- &maybe Theyre back to being Good now.. Lets hope so since their prices also went up a/r 15-22% Since...