China One — Restaurant in Charleston

Was This Place a Secret?

I must have driven past China One hundreds—if not a thousand—times and never stopped. As a loyal customer of another Chinese takeout spot in town, I never had a reason to. But tonight, after a quick trip to Lowe’s (because somehow, I always need something from Lowe’s), their menu caught my eye.

At first glance, they have all the usual American Chinese favorites, but then I spotted a few dishes I’d never seen before—General Tao’s Shrimp? Double Cooked Pork? And they let you swap lo mein for rice with the dinner specials? Now we’re talking.

If you looked up “hole in the wall” in the dictionary, you’d probably see a picture of China One. From the outside, you’d never guess that behind the simple storefront is a surprisingly spacious, brightly lit dining area with just a few tables pushed up against the walls. When I walked in about 30 minutes before closing, all three staff members greeted me like I was a regular. I ordered, and 15 minutes later, I was heading out the door with a piping-hot bag of food.

Now, onto the good stuff.

The shrimp egg roll? Easily the best-prepared one I’ve had in Charleston in a long time. Not the best ever, but definitely what I’ve been missing. But the real star? The steamed dumplings. These things seem made in-house—juicy pork wrapped in a thick, chewy dumpling skin that’s got a nice bounce to it. Delicate? No. Delicious? Absolutely. And they are filling.

For my entrée, I went all in and ordered the Dragon and Phoenix (which, honestly, sounds like a slot machine). It’s half General Tso’s Chicken, half Hot and Spicy Shrimp. I subbed in Orange Chicken for the General Tso’s, and it did not disappoint. The shrimp were big and had just a mild kick, while the orange chicken was saucy, crispy, and perfect over rice.

I’ll definitely be back. And if you’ve been missing Corina from that other place that’s gone downhill, you might want to give...

I'd never eaten here before. My usual chinese restaurant was closed so I tried this place. The lady taking my order over the phone was so helpful, offering choices to similar items I usually ordered from another Chinese restaurant. She also made sure I knew exactly where they are located bc I'd just Google local Chinese restaurants and picked one. She went above and beyond while taking my order on the phone. Food priced reasonably, fresh and made to order. The egg rolls were amazing!! I have a hard time finding egg rolls I really like. Theirs are delicious! Staff very friendly and had my food ready quickly. Def ordering from here from now on vs my usual Chinese place....

This place is amazing. I'm really glad I found it they actually have homemade egg rolls which is rare to find these days. There's seafood dishes actually have lobster tails in them which is rare to find as well. It's a very small place and doesn't look like much but the food you get out of there is amazing. They are known for their general tso's chicken and they even have general tso shrimp which I've never even heard of. I would recommend this place to anyone who loves...