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How far do you have to drive for good Chinese food?
December 05, 2025, 10:35 AM
400mHow far do you have to drive for good Chinese food?
The closest major intersection to my house had 3 Chinese restaurants up until 3 years ago. Two of them are consistently bad but have been there more than 25 years. The one good one packed up and left one day.
The only good Chinese place I have found is 11 miles away and takes almost 25 minutes to get there. I don’t go often but when I do order takeout it’s worth it. It’s been in business since 1969. The owner is always there and on Sundays she spends a lot of time talking with her patrons.
Do you have good Chinese near you?
And if anyone should miraculously know of a good place in the West Chicago/Carol Stream Il area, please share.
December 05, 2025, 10:37 AM
Pipe Smoker^^^^
Depends on what you mean by “good”.
In my case, the more authentic it is the less I like it. Less than a mile for chop suey.
Serious about crackers. December 05, 2025, 10:38 AM
FenderBenderNot very, but that's the benefit of my proximity to the west coast.
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December 05, 2025, 10:42 AM
Mars_AttacksI work in Chambodia.
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December 05, 2025, 10:45 AM
BigSwedeYes, the place near work (maybe 1.5 miles) went to takeout only for the Plandemic and never went back. You can eat there but no service
Near the house there is a fantastic place that's maybe a mile away, they also do some great Thai dishes
There even some Dim Sum places not to far away
December 05, 2025, 10:45 AM
RogueJSK~20 minutes for decent Chinese or Japanese and good Thai or Vietnamese. ~45 minutes for good Chinese or Japanese.
December 05, 2025, 10:46 AM
Georgeair200-300 miles depending on if I go east or west from this good-food desert.
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December 05, 2025, 11:16 AM
tatortoddHouston has an excellent Chinatown area. So many great restaurants with choices between Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, etc.
It's about a 1hr 40 min round-trip as driving there at dinner time is about an hour, and driving home after dinner it's about 40 minutes.
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DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer. December 05, 2025, 11:19 AM
SchmelbyAlabama! The same Chinese restaurant Marisa Tomei was looking for!

December 05, 2025, 11:20 AM
71 TRUCKGood Chinese food, a couple of miles from my house.
Good Chinese Buffett, About 15 miles and would take about 25 minutes to get there.
They just opened up a few months ago. They have a good selection including Sushi. They have Crab Legs on the weekend.
They also have a "Mongolian Grill" where you give them the ingredients you want and they season it and cook it for you.
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NRA Life Member December 05, 2025, 11:23 AM
downtownvManhattan Chinatown. I've not found a decent place 25 miles surrounding my home.
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December 05, 2025, 11:44 AM
BigSwedequote:
They also have a "Mongolian Grill" where you give them the ingredients you want and they season it and cook it for you.
There was one near us, I had just perfected my ingredients for them to cook and they shut it down

December 05, 2025, 11:47 AM
arfmelThere’s a mediocre Chinese restaurant within walking distance of my hovel, and if there’s any good Chinese restaurant nearby, I would guess it’s probably in El Paso, around 3.5 hours away.
December 05, 2025, 11:49 AM
ArtieSHmmmm... Used to be Fuchsia in North Tampa, about 1:15 from where I live in Central Florida near the Mouse. It was Dr.Dan's regular haunt. Now, probably 1300 miles to Boston...
I say that a little bit tongue in cheek; there is excellent Dim Sum, Vietnamese, teppan, sushi, ramen, Thai, even authentic Korean, close to me. But traditional sit down, not take out, not buffet Chinese? No. Decent take out and buffet, both clean, tasty, but not real Chinese; more like Americanized.
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December 05, 2025, 11:52 AM
Orive 8South Hills area of Pittsburgh, Silk Road is the best Chinese restaurant - according to my wife!
A 30-minute drive from our house, a little more in rush hour.
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December 05, 2025, 11:54 AM
Rawnyquote:
Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
^^^^
Depends on what you mean by “good”.
In my case, the more authentic it is the less I like it. Less than a mile for chop suey.
Yes, you
Gwailos don't know "Good" from "Authentic".
There is no Orange/Lemon/General Tso Chicken, and no broccoli anything.

December 05, 2025, 12:00 PM
hudrPanda Express about 30 minutes from me
December 05, 2025, 12:00 PM
WaterburyBobFor 30 years it was a mile and a half, but this year new owners took it over and it's not that good.
There's another decent Chinese place about 2.5 miles away, but we're probably going to need to go farther (up to 5-6 miles, about 20-25 minutes) to find a new place.
There are about a dozen places within that distance. We just need to try them and see which one we like the best.
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December 05, 2025, 12:06 PM
architectWe have 2-3 decent Chinese restaurants within a mile or two. And, of course, DC's Chinatown is not too far (about eight miles away). The latter has many more Americans style/noodle houses than authentic Chinese, but the ones that are authentic are reputed to be some of the best in the entire country.
I do not consider the many AYCE buffets to be either authentic or good.
My mother was actually born in China (to English/Russian parents), and lived there until she was 13. She was taught to cook by her family's bǎomǔ so I was quite spoiled for Chinese food at an early age.
December 05, 2025, 12:07 PM
spunk6393 subway stops and I'm in Chinatown.