China Chef — Restaurant in Des Moines

NEVER A DISAPPOINTMENT! After what seemed like forever they've finally reopened after the fire. Before the fire we were primarily delivery customers, but after the long wait we had to go to the restaurant and see the changes. WOW! The interior is no bigger, but I think a couple more tables. The decor is more modern than before, tasteful, but not over done with ethnicity, very pleasant! I didn't actually go in the restrooms but from what I could see they got a great makeover as well. Unfortunately I was so excited about the food I forgot to take pictures. It was a little strange to sit there and not be cold, so I assume they've replaced the HVAC system as well. We went Friday around 6. I've never seen that parking lot so full! Even before it was China Chef and the ice cream place was there! There was a line out on the enclosed entrance area. We were seated within 5 minutes, but we were warned that our entrees could be an hours wait. The wait was interesting! First there was the menu! The food on the menu...all the options we have always enjoyed with a new feature of Pho as well as a few other new dishes. Amazingly the prices didn't go up as much as I thought it would, and I heard other customers express the same thing. We ordered the assorted appetizers for two. The egg rolls and crab Rangoon a were heavenly! My son was a little bit disappointed that it's no longer served over flames. He got over it! We both got the egg drop soup and we are reminded of how it should taste! Soup with flavor! Chicken Fried Rice, for my son, it looked good. He said it was as good as he remembered, but he wished it had a few more peas and carrots. I had Garlic Shrimp. NOT SPICY! Big shrimp cooked perfectly, not rubbery. Lots of mushrooms and water chestnuts. The garlic sauce was PERFECT, not spicy, not sweet, the perfect consistency and plenty of it! After we ordered we realized we should have ordered our to go order at the same time! Customers were walking in to make carry out orders because they were unable get thru on the phone. Carry out orders were taking around 2 hours!! We counted 4 people answering the phones, but never heard how long delivery times were running. The staff... I COMMEND THEM FOR STAYING CALM AND PLEASANT! There was more staff than I'd ever seen before! Many new young faces, as well as the familiar faces and voices from before. Even though we were told an hour we were actually done eating within the hour. Our to go order was another story. I think we waited another 20-30 minutes for it. Which was a shorter wait than others had to wait. We both brought home leftovers, but I'm most excited to tell you about the to go entree! We brought home a new Chef's Specialty, Royal Beef! The menu description is "Tender beef deep fried and then blended into a savory sauce with a touch of garlic flavoring." THAT IS SUCH AN UNDERSTATEMENT! It should say tender beef.....with a heavenly, smooth, yummy, tasty and all kinds of good descriptive words!! We also brought home Pork Lo Mein for my cousin and a dozen egg rolls. I think this review is probably a little longer than it should be, so I'll stop now, but I want people to know how great this place is! So if you have never tried it and are going to now, please be prepared for the wait time or wait until things are back to being more normal for them. Delivery times used to run 45 minutes at most, and usually less than what you are told...

Very bad service! I have ordered several meals from this company!!! And when I say, I mean several! Majority of the time something is always being forgotten. Or the older lady who answered the phone can barely speak English and messed up on orders all the time! And they have a little boy that messed up on orders too, and always apologizing! I have had enough I went back for a refund! Because my order was totally wrong!! When I got there The little boy said where is the food I said the food that you messed up on you want me to bring the food back so you can throw it away? I said, but you put the manager on the phone in the manager is just going to give me a refund. The manager said nothing to me about bringing the food back however, I have no problem with going to get it Then the little boy states, let me go get the manager because I told you to bring the food back. The manager comes up to me and then states where’s the food I said you didn’t tell me to bring the food, but I will be willing to go get it. You just offered me my refund.. He then began to tell me that all I do is complain? complain are you serious? All your mother does is messed up on the order and your son messes up as well. Matter of fact he almost forgot my rice. How do you forget a rice with the meal? he then said you know what here’s your money. I don’t want your service anymore! I said oh you’re not getting my service anymore where are the people that was running it before you? Much better service!!!! Food was even fresh and hot! How is my food code if I just ordered it five minutes? He stated that we have been here for 25 years and we’re not going anywhere! Well, you won’t get a damn dollar for me again! I have noticed that they do not allow people to come in. You can only pull through the drive-through! They want to take our money but yet feel unsafe around us.ummmm .lol Very bad service trust me I’m an open person and very nice but this place is definitely rated a 1 Out of a five!!! They will smell and take your money and get upset if they mess up? So you mean to tell me that $18 was worth you losing a customer that orders several times a week from you? Wow !!! Are you serious as I’m watching through the window looking at the dirty atmosphere? How’s it even dirty when you don’t even allow customers in?lol This place is horrible! Please spread the word you’re better off by going to Hy Vee on the southside then this place on Southwest ninth China chef sucks! The first rule of thumb is to me is customer service. If you don’t have that you will not get my money...

Because of positive reviews I decided to give China Chef a try. NEVER AGAIN! It’s easy to have a problem in a restaurant, get upset, and write a negative review. This is not the place I’m coming from. I’m writing this to protect the public. I looked at the menu online and had decided on my to-go order before arriving. (Szechuwan Prawns). It was nothing like the description on the menu. The prawns are battered and fried, and are saturated, swimming in a sauce that soaks into the batter and ruins the prawns. Right after ordering, I noticed a table in the corner of the dining area, beside the open drive thru window set up with office supplies like telephones, pens etc, where there was an open bowl of eggroll filling, a pile of egg roll wrappers and a pile of rolled eggrolls and two people making the eggrolls without gloves RIGHT THERE ON THE OFFICE TABLE! I should have cancelled my order right then and there. Instead I got home to find the Prawns were what they were. There was also two eggrolls in the bag which I had NO intention of eating. And the egg drop soup was green. Literally green. Food that isn’t green shouldn’t be green unless there’s something seriously wrong with it. I decided to pack up everything, take it back and demand a refund. At the restaurant I was asked what was wrong. I explained everything. The place is small so every customer was able to overhear what was going on. The transaction was voided so hopefully I won’t see it appear on my card statement. As I went out the door I overheard the man at the counter making derogatory comments about me to other customers. I went to my car and was confronted outside by the man at the counter. He told me he “felt like I was inappropriate.” For telling the truth? I responded. He then makes excuses such as, it’s not wrong to wrap eggrolls in that area because it is their work area. However, it’s obviously office space. And that the menu online is not their menu, it’s just what some random people think the menu is like. However, the online menu I saw was a photo of their exact menu. He had no response for the green egg drop soup. He kept trying to make excuses but I said “I’m done here” and left. There are so many positive reviews about China Chef and I don’t understand why unless they are paid and/or family and friends are...