China House — Restaurant in McMinnville

Disclaimer: This review is based on Lounge experience only as we did not eat in restaurant.

When you first walk in you don't even know that they have a lounge. ( No smoke trail to follow, personally I appreciate this.) But as we were waiting for the host to get us menus we noticed some people coming out a door of to the right hand side...a lounge! We were to moms with 5 minutes away from the kids and we thought, heck, let's check it out. WhoHoo?!? Okay, fancy bar it is not, just another hole on the wall bar. Sitting around the edges to the left, video gaming machines off to the right and two huge pool tables. Back left corner had a Karaoke set up but no one there at 8:30pm.

Our server was prompt and got our beers back to us quickly. Shout out to Stacy! Then we ordered our food, which Stacy helped me find the right kind for my allergies. Awesome. We ordered the Beef Broccoli and House Lo Mein minus shrimp (again, allergies.). YumYum, Spring rolls for appetizers. Then I asked about when they did Karaoke, wasn't until 9:30, went back to motel to refrigerate food, freshen up and went back. Had a blast! Not because of KJ (Karaoke Jockey) Jaclyn, who sang too close to the mic, sang too loudly and sang off key and pitch. Not a good sign, but the PEOPLE there, they could sing and THAT made up for the fat lady who couldn't sing aka Jaclyn.

Cons:

*Song selection was old, and didn't have the best song selection to begin with, half the songs we looked up we're either not in the book or not available if she did have a book, bizarre. What kinda country/rock n rollist tavern bar loungy place doesn't have Boy's round here by Blake Shelton!

*The singing just got worst the more the KJ drank.

*Rude wanna be hotties that slam their hands on tables when others are singing. RUDE!

*Crazy fake-n-bake tourists that give us tourist a bad name. Macking on other womens men. Not mine mind you. He was safe with the babies in the motel, thank you very much:)

Pro's ~Everybody got a chance to sing and the rotation of people was pretty good.

~The hidden back covered porch for the smokers or women with hot flashes.

~Very friendly bunch. Mostly. The Mechanic who couldn't fix Stupid cause that was him and his girl the screaming, screechy off tune drunk Valkerie KJ wouldn't be a loss to see them go. RUDE. No...

Honestly, I set the bar pretty low for these kind of places, but China House definitely cleared it and we’ll be going again, most likely for takeout.

We’ve lived in McMinnville since 2020 and finally tried this place on a recent Sunday afternoon. The decor, outside and inside, definitely needs some work. But that’s pretty typical for ‘family style’ Chinese restaurants in the USA (is it just me or do all these places look like they opened in 1985 and haven’t changed a thing since?).

We were seated quickly and offered the usual hot tea. We started with crab puffs and barbecue pork, both above average and freshly made. Our entrées were orange chicken and a spicy beef vegetable dish. Again, both were above average, fresh and tasty. Service was quick and efficient and friendly.

After listening to the nonstop racket coming from the bar area, we decided to go there for an after dinner drink. There was a very casual pool tournament happening, and it was fun to watch. The people, both Staff and customers, were very friendly. The beer was a little flat the prices were good, so I’m not complaining… Nice selection of gambling machines, if that’s your thing.

Overall, I set the bar pretty low for these types of places, but this is one of the better ones in McMinnville, for sure. Will be...

I adore the bar here...but sure wish they would get rid of the HORRIBLE karaoke. It just seems to provide a platform for idiots with zero talent who WANT to make spectacles of themselves. During non-karaoke times, this bar is great and full of locals interacting nicely. The drinks are good and are priced reasonably and all the staff want to make your experience an enjoyable one. The outdoor covered smoking area off of the bar is my favorite example of having an owner who is SMART. This is such a nice place to sit WITH your adult beverage AND a cigarette! I bet they didn't lose much business when smoking bans went into effect! Nice work, China House!

Haven't eaten in the dining room itself, but have enjoyed takeout or service in the bar. The food is VERY good. Prices are reasonable and portions are large. I am happy to recommend China House to anybody looking for an all-around good experience. EXCEPT DURING THE OUTDATED AND TRULY UNFORTUNATE KARAOKE TIMES...SOME THINGS EVEN EXCESS ALCOHOL CAN'T...