China House Restaurant — Restaurant in Pinole

Rude service and terrible food!

I wish we had read all the negative ratings before ordering. We ordered six dishes to pick up for three people. Although we showed up early, most of the food was already stone cold, and oddly... terribly over-cooked into a nasty glop of goo. What it lacked in pleasant texture, it "made up for" with virtually no flavor. When each of us agreed upon the poor food quality, we called them to inform the management of our displeasure. We spoke with two separate people, both of whom were rude, suggesting it was somehow our fault.

Examples:

1. We ordered our food "without MSG" as is offered as an option on their menu. The employee to whom we complained, told us that "the MSG IS the flavor". We have avoided MSG for years and NEVER had food so lacking in taste. The fella said he didn't know what else to say. I suggested a simple apology would help. That's when our call was dropped.
2. To his credit, the apparent manager called us back, but showed no care for our misfortune either. When we told him that the chicken curry was not spicy, he said it wasn't supposed to be... even though our paper menu, their main inside menu, and the printed menu found online ALL show it is supposed to be spicy. This call was also dropped, even though we are just down the street with a perfect connection.

Having eaten there periodically through the years, they usually served decent food. We were just in the mood for Chinese food tonight. Next time we want Chinese cuisine, we won't be giving them our money. There are SO MANY better quality establishments available that actually want...

Good food at affordable prices. The service however is a little lacking. I've dined there several times and NEVER has the wait staff come by and ask if I'd like more water or additional napkins. But that's not so bad, my tipping certainly reflects, the level of service. What keeps me from awarding this restaurant a higher rating, is that during my last visit about a month ago, there was a tall overweight Asian young man, manning the front counter. I'm assuming he is related to the owners. This young man was downright rude and racist. I witnessed him being exceedingly rude to a patron. I was waiting in line to pay for my family's lunch, when the patron ahead of me in line addressed him in Cantonese. Well, that was as if the patron had committed the highest insult. The manchild threw a tantrum, one of the waitresses had to run to the counter and take over. The waitress had to take this poor patrons order while the overgrow child kept up his tírade. About how "He disliked anyone who couldn't speak English and rhetorically asked if he looked like he could speak Chinese!! The poor patron as well as other customers were right in front of him!! All the waitress could say to placate him, was as if speaking to a toddler "Oh come on, you can understand a little." It truly is a shame that this young man displayed the same lack of empathy and intolerance towards his customer as, no doubt his own ancestors may have suffered after arriving in...

This was our first time trying this restaurant, and it will definitely be our last. My husband, son, and I went for dinner last night. According to their hours on Google, they are open until 9:30 pm. We arrived around 8:40-8:45 pm, and I would have appreciated it if the establishment had informed us they were closing soon, giving us the option to order takeout. Instead, they seated us without a greeting, no "hello" or "welcome." While I understand that not everyone is overly polite, the server immediately asked, "What do you want?" in a rude tone, repeatedly saying, "What else?" with the same attitude.

When the food arrived, it was obvious they were rushing us to finish our meal. The server hovered over us, eager to clear our plates, especially after the other two families left at 9 and 9:03 pm. Shortly after, she asked if we needed boxes, implying we were done, and a gentleman brought the check. It was particularly upsetting when she started clearing the table before my 3-year-old son had finished eating and then directly asked my husband to pay, even though he was still drinking his soda and the check was sitting on the table.

I wouldn’t have minded as much if it were just us adults, but rushing my son like that really bothered me. If you decide to try this place, make sure to go with plenty of time. The fried rice was the only delicious...