Chan's Place - Woodinville — Restaurant in Woodinville

Chan's Place has been my go-to Chinese food for years, since way before the Totem Lake location closed, and the Woodinville location has been even better. The people are so friendly-- though, of course, we aren't doing dine-in this year, but any time in the past that I've gone in for a sit-down meal, they are always polite and smiling, make sure I never run out of tea and water, and always get my special order right (no onions). I got my usual order tonight after having an extremely, unspeakably bad couple of days, and as always, sipping that warm egg flower soup never fails to give me a few moments where everything is at least a little bit okay. There's just something about it.

If any of you are out of towners, new to Chinese cuisine, or just looking for a different place to try, I cannot recommend this place enough, short of forcibly dialing their number on your phone for you. Their food is beyond incredible, never has MSG, and has never once failed to make me smile no matter how bad my day is. My usual order is chicken fried rice, egg flower soup, veggie egg rolls, and pan fried potstickers; beef and broccoli too, if I'm feeling extra gluttonous. You simply can't go wrong here, and every time theyre so busy that they have to put me on hold for a minute or two before taking my call-in order, it makes me very hopeful that they'll get through the pandemic okay. Please consider trying this place the next time you want to treat yourself to something...

Tucked into the heart of Woodinville, Chun Palace delivers Chinese-American dining experience that’s comforting and flavorful. On this visit, we ordered Combination #3 and Combination #4, along with cups of hot & sour soup that kicked things off with a gently spicy and tangy punch.

Combination #3:

Sweet & sour chicken was crispy, golden batter with a sticky-sweet glaze that clung to each bite.

Deep-fried prawns was satisfying with expected flavors.

Chicken chow mein had noodles lightly slicked with sauce, tossed with stir-fried vegetables and chicken in a homestyle stir-fry that felt familiar and warm.

Barbecue pork fried rice was a bit smoky but good.

Combination #4 switched things up nicely

Almond fried chicken was a crispy cutlet smothered in creamy almond gravy, offering a savory richness that paired well with the crunch.

Sweet & sour pork was slightly chewier than its chicken counterpart, but delivered that signature tangy glaze with gusto.

The same chow mein and BBQ pork fried rice brought consistency and cohesion to the meal.

The hot & sour soup had just enough vinegar to wake up the palate.

Overall Impression… Chun Palace isn’t chasing trends, it’s serving up tried-and-true combo plates that remind you why these flavors became iconic. The portions were generous, the food arrived hot, and every dish had a homespun quality that made it easy to enjoy. If you’re craving dependable, old-school Chinese-American fare, this...

Chans used to be the place to go and we've been long-time customers. But customer service has slowly been lacking each time we've gone, whether dine-in or take-out. Last night (Xmas Eve) was the nail in the coffin for us.

After calling at noon to place an order for pickup at 545...FIVE hours advance notice....my family went to pick it up and was told it wasn't ready. Now mind you we were warned by the owner when we called to have patience and we said ok, so we thought maybe 20-30 minute delay. 30 minutes went by and still no food. Staff said MAYBE 20 minutes more. They had no clue.

Waited another 30 minutes. By this time it was 645, ONE HOUR LATER! This apparently was an ongoing theme for them...as we understood others were waiting longer than an hour for take-out and 30-45 minutes late for a table.

By that point we were done. A business that can't figure out how to manage take-out demand, let alone their dine-in customers, does not deserve our business.

While this caused a major delay for our family dinner plans, it didn't ruin it. My wife and mother made it to the store 3 minutes before closing, got frozen pizza, and we enjoyed it like it was our last meal!

Now I know losing our patronage won't matter much, as they won't be going out of business anytime soon. But I sincerely hope that Chans considers how to properly manage a business during peak times. As for us, so long. We'll take our dining dollars elsewhere in...