Bamboo House Restaurant — Restaurant in Escondido

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give the place a rating somewhere between a 5- and 6+, if it were not for the soup my rating would be lower . With this being me and my wife’s first visit that we thought the atmosphere was appropriate, but our opinion soon changed after we were seated. We were served a tea pot (that we were told was tea), but to our shock it was full of something resembling beef or dirty chicken broth, it was also very salty. We sent it back and was brought a new pot which did contain tea. What disappointed us the most is that the waitress wouldn’t fess up and say they made a mistake, throughout the night she kept saying it was some form of tea that was maybe meant for someone else. I think how they handled that was pretty unforgivable... based on just that I won’t go back.

So we started with eggrolls and all we got was the standard deep fried cabbage rolls, I felt they were a bit greasy and I don’t know what to say about the sauce they served, which was 100% ketchup. The mustard sauce I requested was good, but the sweet sauce I requested really needed a lot of work, it tasted almost citrus.

We split a bowl of wonton soup, it was fairly delicious, but lacked scallions. Our main course was beef with pea pods, which we found to be very salty tasting and lacking in anything memorable (such as a sauce) that would make it stand out from any other similar dish. We also ordered shrimp fried rice, it consisted of brown rice and shrimp, with a sliver of egg and zero scallion. Teamed up with the shrimp it was very salty tasting. Ending on a positive note, our water glasses were kept full...

Great service, great food, great overall experience. From the moment I walked in the door I was given an exceptional level of service. All staff members were very friendly. My table was attended to perfectly, drinks were refilled consistently, and all requests were tended to in a timely manner. The food just bolstered this experience even further. Started with the Cream Cheese Wontons and BBQ Pork, both of which had amazing flavor. The wontons were crunchy with a perfect balance of sweet and savory. The BBQ Pork was one of the best Char Siu style pork dishes I've had. I would keep coming back just to enjoy this dish again and again. My entree was the Mandarin pork lunch special which provided a plentiful amount of food and left me feeling full and satisfied. The soup to start was amazing by itself. That could definitely be worth a return trip by itself. The Mandarin pork and vegetables with abundant sides of fried rice, lo mein noodles, fried wontons and an egg roll presented a variety of great flavors, amazing textures, and one of the best Chinese food experiences I've ever had. Honestly, there are a lot of places to enjoy Chinese food in Escondido, but this one should definitely be towards the top of any and everybody's list with such great, attentive service and food that is nothing short of amazing! Please try the place...

From the moment you walk in, your dining experience begins. There are two aquariums with beautiful goldfish in them. The decor is vintage and reminiscent of Chinese restaurants from my youth in New York City.

The people working here are warm and friendly. The menu offers both Mandarin and Cantonese style Chinese food. There is something for everyone on this well-thought-out menu Including vegetarian and American options. The two standouts for me were the sizzling rice jubilee and the best cream cheese wontons I've ever had.

We spoke with the owner on the way out. He told us the place has been there for 37 years and it's family owned.

We will be regulars here. It was a very enjoyable dining experience.

By the way, another reviewer stated "CANTONESE AND MANDARIN FOOD!!!! Not Chinese!" Cantonese and Mandarin ARE both types of...