Din Ho Chinese Cuisine — Restaurant in Lake Forest

Found this place as it's in same shipping center as my Littles orthodontist. I needed a place to have supper while my little was at a pre-thanksgiving party with school friends.

From the outside it's a very unassuming location that if you were not looking your eye would just pass over. Upon entering, there were several customers obviously waiting for take-out orders. The rest of the restaurant was about half full and we didn't have to wait at all to be seated. The maitre d took no time at all getting us a table and then immediately taking out drink orders.

The atmosphere is nicely done and the authentic Chinese music playing subtlety in the background created a very cool and relax atmosphere. The booth we were seated at, which align the walls, were comfortable without being cramped or to hard. There are four-chair tables in the center of the restaurant with real linen napkins. The art work and colors also lend to a pleasant and comfortable experience.

After a good 10 min was back, having provided ample time to review the menu for what we wanted. No sooner had he left with our order and the soup, sweet & mustard and Chinese dipping crackers arrived. As we grazed through the appetizers at a leisurely pace, our entries arrived.

The two dishes we ordered were Sweet & Sour Pork and the House Special Beef. The first thing you notice is that these are not small portions by any means. One entrée could easily feed two people with some left over. Since it was just me and my dinning companion, we decided a family style would allow both of us to try everything. This ended up being an excellent idea as both dishes were superior. The flavor for both was exactly what the doctor ordered. Savory and delicious just the way you expect excellent Chinese food to be. A bit from each had my eyes closed and my saliva glands working overtime.

We took our time and enjoyed the ambiance and the fabulous meal. It was an excellent dining experience and at the end the price blew us both away. I was expecting a bill that was far less than one should expect for the atmosphere and food we had just enjoyed, and in looking at my companion, we started to laugh, as if some small miracle had just happened.

Add all this to the fact that the staff were friendly, pleasant and efficient and I would say that if you have not eaten at Din Ho, then your are doing yourself a disservice. This is a...

Great Chinese food in Lake Forest try Din Ho. When you first walk in you will notice the simple old, in good condition, furniture. The walls are decorated with artwork craved in to wood. Right of the bat, I feel like home. The host/ waitress that seats you is a sweet older lady. She is not dressed in a fancy Chinese dress and no pandas or cartoons anywhere. This place reminds me of visiting my grandparents restaurant when I was a little kid, back in Oakland. I miss those days...

I was seated quickly and was instantly given a tea cup with tea pot and a glass of ice water. That's good service. I would only add chopsticks to the table to make it true Chinese, but this is Lake Forest not Chinatown. Shortly after, a server brings crunchy strings (not sure what they are called) and 3 dipping sauces. The lunch menu is awesome everything is between 5 to 7 dollars. The restaurant is like it is filled with the daily regulars. After taking my order the server yells out the orders in the back in CHINESE!! Holey crap?! Yes in Chinese not English and not Spanish like most so-called Chinese restaurants.

I ordered the sweet and sour pork and it came with hot n sour soup, a small salad, egg roll, and won ton. Good stuff! The food will not win any awards, but it is simply Chinese food made correctly. Nothing fancy, Cantonese style meaning not too spicy not to salty, cooked just right. If you are on a budget for lunch, swing by here. Don't rush to a local burger joint. This place will get you in and out fast. You call always get take out if you are in a hurry. The hostess lady noticed that my lunch was $5.50 and not $6.25 so she changed the bill after I already paid with my credit card. That's great customer service and attention to detail. Recommended because sometimes you need some variety if you work in...

Simply put, despite how little I get here, what I have gotten (after having gone here multiple times, at least 50 or more, with my family since I was at least 2 or 3 years old) at this amazing Chinese restaurant has overall been nothing short of outstanding. The orange chicken is completely off the chart. The various soups are all total delicacies. The rice is cooked to just the right consistency -- not to hard, not too soft. The drink selection is beyond incredible. Even the appetizer chow mein noodles, when dipped in the right sauces, are transformed into pure awesomeness. The decorative murals that take up entire walls, real (in contrast to silk in some other restaurants) houseplants, bright white tablecloths, and off-the-chart plating make up the decor section of the review (which is absolutely outstanding). And, finally, of the countless times I've been here, there wasn't one incident where my family was treated with poor service. Not one! The servers are always friendly, always reliable (I haven't encountered one instance of an order misinterpretation), and always quick to deliver soups, salads, appetizers, and meals. After reading other reviews, I seriously feel somewhat bad for the others who don't feel so fortunate. That doesn't usually happen, and it certainly didn't happen for me one bit.

And for those of you "low salt" naysayers: Last I checked, Chinese food (at least Sichuan, along with Thai and other cuisines) is supposed to be sweet and spicy, but NOT salty. And in those areas especially, the restaurant is absolutely...