China Cafe — Restaurant in Davenport

We've eaten here at least 15 times and have always been satisfied with our food and service, and I would give them a 4.5 Rating if possible in the category of fast Chinese food.

They will modify the dish by substituting a different vegetable -- for example, I don't care for broccoli and they will substitute snow peas for me at no extra charge. They will also adjust the spiciness level to your preference.

We frequently have had one of the $10.49 Chef Specials (Hunan Triple Delight or Four Seasons). The meal comes with a large bowl of white or fried rice, the portion is large enough that we usually take some home, and the strips of various meats and shrimp are fork tender.

On our most recent lunch visit we had the lunch special. Available 7 days a week from 11 to 3, it comes with fried or white rice and your choice of egg roll or a crab rangoon. You can substitute Lo Mein noodles for the rice for 75 cents extra. There are about 25 choices, with chicken and pork dishes $5.59, and beef or shrimp dishes $5.89. I had the Kung Pao chicken and substituted snow peas for the broccoli it usually includes. It was excellent, with tender chicken in a spicy, brown sauce. I had the Lo Mein noodles and they were tasty. My wife had the mixed vegetables with chicken ( in a brown sauce without the spice). It was also excellent. My egg roll was slender, lightly browned and tasty, and my wife's crab Rangoon was tender and had a creamy sweet filling. The lunch portion size was perfect, and a good value for the cost.

My only negatives with the China Cafe, and this is a matter of preference, is that the fried rice is a little heavy on the soy sauce and the vegetables pieces are cut too large.

The location is a somewhat narrow space in a strip mall. There is booth and table seating. It looks a little cluttered towards the rear, with some boxes of supplies stored out in the open.

We have also eaten at the affiliated location in Moline, and our meals were...

A Pricey, Flavorless Disappointment

I rarely take the time to write negative reviews because I try supporting small local businesses, but this experience warrants a clear warning to others. We recently ordered from China Cafe and were extremely disappointed—not just by the flavorless food, but by the entire experience, start to finish.

To begin with, placing the order was a headache. We phoned it in, but it took over 30 minutes just to get the order placed due to a significant language barrier. The individual on the phone was clearly new, unfamiliar with the menu, and didn’t understand how to group items into their lunch combination specials. Despite calling around 1:30 PM, we were charged dinner prices—a significant markup that made absolutely no sense for what we received.

Speaking of the food: it was bland and lifeless. The Mongolian beef had no green onions or green peppers, and the meat was definitely not steak. It was some sort of soft, mushy beef substitute. The sweet-and-sour sauce was straight from a bottle or packet, not made fresh in-house. Not a single condiment was included with the meal—no soy sauce, no mustard, no fortune cookies, nothing.

And then there’s the price: $75 for two people. Yes, you read that right—seventy-five dollars for a meal that should have been under half that price, especially considering it was placed during what should have been lunch hours. There was absolutely nothing premium about the ingredients or the experience to justify that cost.

Bottom line? The food was flavorless, the ordering process was frustrating, the pricing was absurd, and the overall experience was not worth a dime, let alone $75. There are plenty of great local spots that actually care about quality and customer experience. I highly recommend avoiding China Cafe and spending your...

I remember first going to China Cafe when still in high school nearly 20 years ago. The food came in dishes shaped like boats, which was a first for me at the time. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen anywhere else serve food in such containers. At any rate, I hadn't been back to China Cafe since returning to the Quad Cities a few years ago, so tonight I decided to stop in for some Mongolian beef and dumplings in a boat.

The place is pretty much as I remember it. In fact, it's exactly how I remember it, just a little older and more worn in a few places. The tables and booths appear to be new from what I remember, but everything else is showing a bit of wear. The wood floors, which still appear left over from a gymnasium or dance studio, are pretty much the same. The drop ceiling and accent lights are showing some wear, as is the fading wall paper along all the walls. None of this is bad - it all comes together to put off a lived-in, hole-in-the-wall appearance. I kinda like it.

I opted for my aforementioned order of Mongolian beef and fried dumplings on this particular trip, both of which I had within 10 minutes of ordering. Both tasted great, exactly as I remember them! The only small exception to my nostalgia experienced tonight was a little disappointing...the food no longer comes in plastic boats. I suppose change is inevitable, even if it's a little lame...

I'm definitely coming back again - this remains my favorite Chinese food restaurant in the area. I hope they stick around for another 20 years....