China Inn Restaurant — Restaurant in Wichita

Exceptionally disappointed. Myself, as well as my extended family (and many friends that I have recommended this establishment to) have been regular patrons of China Inn for YEARS (I'm talkin' WAAAAAY BACK... since Judy was in a different location, further east on Central, when it was called Cathay Gourmet, and when she took over the old Aloha Restaurant on Rock Rd. & E. Kellogg). We're talking for 36+ years!

One of the special things that set China Inn apart from its peers was their FRESH and FLAVORFUL entrées and their homemade egg rolls and pan-fried dumplings. We're talking melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness! Well, imagine my dismay when I stopped in recently, and quickly discovered that the "magic" of China Inn had suddenly vanished! Its magnificent egg rolls and scrumptious pan-fried dumplings had been inexplicably replaced with imposters - frozen/then microwaved - dupes! I asked our server if this was true, and she confirmed that they were no longer preparing these in-house ~ they had indeed been replaced with the frozen variety. (?!?)

Most notably, it saddens me to see so few restaurants (that are not chains!) available in Wichita, some of which have been around for decades, either have to shudder their doors permanently... or the quality has plummeted; meanwhile, the prices have increased.

The ambiance of China Inn is lovely, the staff is always friendly & courteous, and I will always have a soft spot for Judy (I've known her since I was a kid... I'm now almost 47). However, until they are willing to bring back the "China Inn Magic", I fear that I will no longer be able to provide my patronage nor will I be able to continue to recommend them to...

If there was a minus one, I would have given it. My husband and I ate there this evening, after reading some good reviews, mostly from a year or more ago. I don’t know if they’ve changed ownership or management in the last year but the food and service was horrible. I’m thinking the good reviews must be family or employees. We ordered a sampler plate that was overcooked and tasteless. I ordered beef chow mein, and my husband ordered rainbow chicken. What they called chow mein was just a big pile of mush with some inedible pieces of supposedly beef, but no discernible vegetables whatsoever. A small ball of fried rice and two some kind of puffed shrimp were also on the plate. The fried rice was tasteless, as were the overcooked egg rolls. I tried eating the chow mein but honestly it was awful. Our server might as well have been a robot. I called her over, gave her my plate of mush and ask her to take it, that it was mush and I wasn’t going to eat it. She took it and didn’t say one word. Not I’m sorry, not may I bring you something else, nothing. My husband ate his rainbow chicken and said it was just OK. The server brought the bill, and it had my meal on it. I called her back and asked her to take my meal off since I didn’t eat it. She took the bill, said nothing, took my meal off, brought it back and laid it on the table without a word. Really the worst service I’ve experienced in a long time, and really terrible food. Don’t waste your time or money on this place. There was only one other table occupied besides us,...

Pretty flavorless food. I requested spicy Heat in my dish, but there was not even flavor much less any spices, herbs, Etc. Servings are humongous, so if you like lots of undifferentiated food at a good price, you might feel a different experience. A young waitress was absolutely superb. She was friendly, conscientious, thorough, and helpful. however my friend and I decided the food needed to be enhanced so we requested some sauces including Chinese mustard. The hostess was determined not to let us have it, because the sausage should only be served with appetizers and not with the full meals that we ordered. The same host is returned to the table several times to request that we be finished with the sauces. Well we weren't about to give up the hot mustard which Justified eating the tasteless food... So I asked if she needed the service pieces, that we would just pour some on our plates and she looked completely disturbed by that thought. This restaurant is very close to my home and it would be very convenient if I could tolerate their food,...