La BoriChina — Restaurant in Waterbury

Tl;dr: It's mid. If you're far, skip it. Not worth the drive and the long wait.

I decided to make the 45-minute drive to try one of the trendiest new restaurants in CT, and I would say it was not worth the drive.

I ordered the Orange Chicken with Fried Rice, and the Fried Chicken with Fries. Both dishes were uniquely unremarkable.

Starting with the Orange Chicken, the portion was adequate for one person. I counted 7 pieces of chicken. The sauce was flavorless, and no hope was to be found in the batter either. You're left with chicken surrounded by the texture of battered chicken, with none of the flavor you'd expect from any decent restaurant. No orange essence was to be found here. This was a total swing and miss.

Next, the fried rice was not flavorful either, but I can appreciate that it wasn't oily like many other places. What it was, is salty. That was the only flavor I could get from it. It's worth noting the fried rice contains pork, but the menu does not state this. The menu is very non descriptive, so if you're planning on coming here, I'd recommend you take a look at the pictures uploaded by other reviewers here on Google.

The Fried Chicken was middle of the road, but the coating was tough and chewy, akin to grocery store fried chicken sitting under a hot lamp for a few hours. The fries they were served with were also unremarkable, and most likely not made in house. It's giving starch coating, which I'm not a fan of. They weren't fried long enough either. By the time I received my order, around a 25-minute wait, they must've been queued for a while, as they were served limp.

Overall, this restaurant is unremarkable, overhyped and not worth the wait. I would not come back, but if you're local, I would consider coming back since it wasn't garbage, but it wasn't great.

Tl;dr: It's mid. If you're far, skip it. Not worth the drive and...

I've been here over 6 times. Before and after the hype of social media. Before the hype... the food was 10/10. I ordered tostones, pepper & garlic chicken, garlic shrimp, beef and broccoli, rice, and mofongo. All were great. Orange chicken wasn't crunchy as I liked it. That was a no. Crab ragoon was a no. Egg rolls were mid & nothing special. The tostones with garlic were bigger in size than I anticipated but were good.

The service when ordering is hit or miss. I don't think they have good enough training on customer service. A lot of the time, they will have these young women just standing there looking confused and not keeping the lines in order or the patrons updated on what is happening.

After the hype of social media, wait times skyrocketed. Wait times went from 20-30 min. Wait to an hour or longer. The food still tastes 10/10. Portions are a smidge less than originally in terms of meat. Expect to spend roughly $15 a plate. Usually, if I see a long line out the door I leave, I won't wait for that long. I do have to mention, I recommended this place to my friend and they spent a lot of money over $100 here. They waited over an hour to receive very disappointing mushy rice and subpar food appearing rushed.

So, in conclusion, if you see a line out the door, I suggest coming back at a later time or during a weekday. After the reviews on tiktok that drove people here, this place can't handle the demand. The organization on orders and customer service needs help. They need an experienced person directing workers and patrons. This place definitely has the food on par to succeed they just need the organization and customer service leveled up.

I do still plan on coming back because their food is worth it to me compared to your average...

We came here for the first time because of all the hype. Drove over an hour here but no crazy line as mentioned. It was around 1pm. We are Chinese/PR originally from NYC so we pretty much tried all different foods. Food was point on and delicious. I like the fact the owner respect both ethnic backgrounds by embracing her roots Chinese and Puerto Rican. This is shown by the decor at the restaurant. I want to point out some of the reviews here indicating the food is Chinese and not infused. I can absolutely say that the food was definitely not that of a Chinese restaurant and the Spanish food was not that of Puerto Rican either. That is because it's infused with flavors of both cultures. I taste Adobo seasoning in my order, and I know that's not a Chinese seasoning. Avg $13.99 is not what I would say is expensive order considering nowadays it's $4.95 for a plain slice of pizza. Servings are generous and most people take half the order with them to go. We liked the food and experience. There are signs indicating where to order, pickup and pay. It's more of a eatery cafeteria environment so can't expect service of 5 star dining with servers. I have nothing negative to say, the staff were equally diverse and very pleasant. If you go with the expectation that food are infused with two different cultures then you will not be disappointed. Everything on the menu is definitely not that of a Chinese restaurant nor is it of a Spanish restaurant. Nice blend!...