El calenton chino — Restaurant in Norwich

First time trying this place that has apparently been open since November 2024 in Norwich, CT. I've been wanting to go as I am not too far from their location., and not gonna lie, the owner saw my car and the business tagged the photo looking for it's owner that whomever it was would get a free combination meal. I saw it posted on their FB page. Well I stopped there today to get my free combination platter. I got the fried rice and chicken wings... don't judge me, chicken wings are always something I enjoy and order, lol. I did purchase some items as well in order to "try a few other things".I got a beef empanada and an alcapurria and a flan. The combination platter, 6 nice crunchy well seasoned wings (although I thought they were a bit on the smaller side), but very good!! The fried rice was very good also. One thing I didn't care for was the fries in the platter as well, I think there is no need for them. The rice and the wings reminded me of the Chinese food I'd get from our local Chinese spot in the Bronx many many years ago...yummy. I only ate two of the wings and a few spoonfuls of rice as I wanted to save room for the other items I purchased. But I will be eating that later for dinner! The alcapurria was very good! A decent size, I wished it was maybe a little bit bigger, BUT it was filled with a great flavorful beef meat mixture and the "masa" had a seasoned flavor as well. I ate it all. The beef empanada was also very good, great flavor and lots of meat. The only one thing I didn't like was that as I was eating it there was quite a bit of oil spilling everywhere... maybe it just needs to be drained more (?) after frying? But nonetheless, it was very good and I ate it all also! I will save the flan for dessert after I eat the rice and wings later tonight...I might add or update this post later to give my review on that. So, in closing...I really liked the food, the atmosphere, the service and the vibe....I will definitely go back and try quite a few more dishes. So if you're in the Norwich/Taftville area, STOP IN at El Calenton Chino. I usually give very detailed and thorough HONEST reviews because I am a person that reads reviews, and counts on hearing what others have to say about local spots. P.S. I went there around 12:45 in the afternoon (lunchtime). ENJOY! I forgot to take photos...

I went to El Calenton Chino after seeing it many times driving by, and not being entirely sure what kind of food was there. Luckily Jerrykya who was working out front, took time to educate me in a very friendly manner. Jerryka hit me with some recommendations, and explained some of the menu items I wasn't very familiar with.

With Jerryka's help I landed on their Mofongo Pollo Al Ajillo, which is Garlic Chicken with Mofongo. As I got it to go, I waited in the restaurant for the food to be finished, there were nice chairs to sit in as you wait, so I chilled there while my meal was prepared. It didn't take very long, possibly around 15 minutes, and it came out to $13.90, which is totally reasonable for a take out meal in 2025, so the time and price were both good.

Upon returning home, which was less than 5 minutes away, so I did eat it very close to fresh and hot. It was an enjoyable dish. The chicken was tasty, and had a nice crisp, and the mofongo had a nice texture. I was provided with sauce that was meant to be mixed with the mofongo, which I ended putting on the entire dish that was very tasty, next time I go I'm asking for one extra. And it came with some well cooked onions and other veggies.

Overall it's exactly what I was hoping for. A well balanced meal with good food, that tasted good. And the service was top notch especially for someone trying something new. I'd recommend El Calenton Chino based off of this one experience, I want to go back and try some of their Chinese dishes, so I'll for sure be back. Thanks again to Jerryka who made the experience delightful by taking the time to help...

I was so waiting for this. Unfortunately it wasn’t the best nor what I expected🥲 Let me start by saying that the idea is there. Like the meat, the rice and the french fries are there BUT the Puerto Rican Chinese presentation style was not good. Not enough food and it was messy when we opened our orders. I had a Orange Chicken combination which the chicken itself was hard, the breaded part was soggy and I couldn’t finish it because it was salty. It didn’t taste like orange chicken at all. It was more like soy sauce😭 French fries were soggy but they had a good taste. I also tasted the tostones al ajillo and those were🔥 Wish they had a little more garlic🤤👌🏽 My daughter had the General Tso Beef combination. She’s the Chinese food taste tester in our home and she said it was ok🤷🏽‍♀️ but salty and very chewy. My husband had the roast pork(boneless ribs) combination. The roast pork was the best out of everything we ordered. The meat was tender, juicy and sweet. They have potential and I REALLY hope they can get through it but for me it’s sad because the first impression is VERY important when you begin something so huge such as a restaurant. Also if you’re having customers spending money it’s only fair that the presentation is immaculate. You want these customers to come for more and not be disappointed. I hope this was just a crazy, tiring, bad and busy day and not an...