Little Chef

I’m honestly really shocked by the low rating. I started ordering here a few months ago and I am in love with their chicken wings. Fried rice is pretty decent and we also enjoyed the barbecue pork.

This was my first time ordering from this restaurant. I ordered the black pepper chicken with white rice and the house special fried rice. The food was served hot, fresh, and delicious. The black pepper chicken was very well seasoned and balanced with black pepper. The portions were huge. The only thing that was not good is that there was a charge for soy sauce, which should automatically come with your order at no additional charge. I recommend this restaurant.

The reviews on this place were so mixed. But I decided to go for it and order takeout anyways. And wow! So fresh! Entree was a huge portion (for 2 people) and the fried rice was nice and moist. Not dry like Panda Express. The wontons were fresh and crispy. Honestly the food was great quality! They even put extra sauces in the bag for me! And two fortune cookies, utensils and napkins!<3 don’t listen to the bad reviews. This place has good takeout! Check out my pics.

DO NOT BELIEVE THE HATERS THIS FOOD IS INCREDIBLE I was a little hesitant to eat here because some of the reviews, but I thought I would give it a try. And, I am so glad I did. I got the Kung Pao chicken with steamed rice and it was delicious. Hot and spicy in just the right way and even came with a fortune cookie that actually gave me a fortune. The house made hot mustard was also awesome. Worth noting that this place is no longer cash only and accepts online orders, but there is an ATM right outside if you want to help out a small business.

I think it is a good Chinese food, the portion is large, I ate it two days in a row, the fried rice and Kung Pao chicken are good

First off, it's cash only so beware but there is an atm right outside. Overall, the food was great. The orange chicken was fluffy and cooked with real oranges. It was excellent. The beef chow mein was very good. The noodles were decent, but the beef was delicious. Egg rolls were good and you get 2 or $2.50. The wanton soup was also good. Parking can be a problem, but there is a CVS behind the restaurant where you can park for a fee.

I fall in love with this restaurant. The food was delicious. Sometimes Chinese food is salty and greasy but little Chef Chinese does not have this problem. A lot of food, right price, and very friendly costumer service make this place perfect. This places is small. You need to buy food for to go.

Arden Christensen

The reviews on this place were so mixed. But I decided to go for it and order takeout anyways. And wow! So fresh! Entree was a huge portion (for 2 people) and the fried rice was nice and moist. Not dry like Panda Express. The wontons were fresh and crispy. Honestly the food was great quality! They even put extra sauces in the bag for me! And two fortune cookies, utensils and napkins!<3 don’t listen to the bad reviews. This place has good takeout! Check out my pics.

freya w

I think it is a good Chinese food, the portion is large, I ate it two days in a row, the fried rice and Kung Pao chicken are good

Stephen Cimbalik

DO NOT BELIEVE THE HATERS THIS FOOD IS INCREDIBLE I was a little hesitant to eat here because some of the reviews, but I thought I would give it a try. And, I am so glad I did. I got the Kung Pao chicken with steamed rice and it was delicious. Hot and spicy in just the right way and even came with a fortune cookie that actually gave me a fortune. The house made hot mustard was also awesome. Worth noting that this place is no longer cash only and accepts online orders, but there is an ATM right outside if you want to help out a small business.

Brett La Cues

First off, it's cash only so beware but there is an atm right outside. Overall, the food was great. The orange chicken was fluffy and cooked with real oranges. It was excellent. The beef chow mein was very good. The noodles were decent, but the beef was delicious. Egg rolls were good and you get 2 or $2.50. The wanton soup was also good. Parking can be a problem, but there is a CVS behind the restaurant where you can park for a fee.

Adann Skin

I fall in love with this restaurant. The food was delicious. Sometimes Chinese food is salty and greasy but little Chef Chinese does not have this problem. A lot of food, right price, and very friendly costumer service make this place perfect. This places is small. You need to buy food for to go.

Took the bus,and trolley from downtown San Diego for a beach day after enjoying the beautiful beach I wanted some wings to take home and came upon this establishment first off the young lady at the counter was AWESOME 👌 👏 👍 she could have sold me everything on the menu,but my pockets are not that deep 🤭as I'm a senior with limited income. Anyways I ordered off the lunch SPECIAL BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN WITH NOODLES $15.35 also the SWEET CHILI GLAZED WINGS 8 HUGE $15.99 by the time I got home my food was still hot and fresh the chicken and noodles were SO GOOD and there were big mushrooms in it so plump and juicy the chicken was SO Good large pieces and plenty 😀 😋 the wings were big a bit too sweet for me but once I put that packet of chili sauce on them my tongue was doing the tango 😋will definitely come back THANK YOU for the large portions I will definitely be recommending to anyone who asks where to get good Chinese food 😀

marilyn dauphine

Took the bus,and trolley from downtown San Diego for a beach day after enjoying the beautiful beach I wanted some wings to take home and came upon this establishment first off the young lady at the counter was AWESOME 👌 👏 👍 she could have sold me everything on the menu,but my pockets are not that deep 🤭as I'm a senior with limited income. Anyways I ordered off the lunch SPECIAL BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN WITH NOODLES $15.35 also the SWEET CHILI GLAZED WINGS 8 HUGE $15.99 by the time I got home my food was still hot and fresh the chicken and noodles were SO GOOD and there were big mushrooms in it so plump and juicy the chicken was SO Good large pieces and plenty 😀 😋 the wings were big a bit too sweet for me but once I put that packet of chili sauce on them my tongue was doing the tango 😋will definitely come back THANK YOU for the large portions I will definitely be recommending to anyone who asks where to get good Chinese food 😀

Not sure why they have negative reviews, perhaps they weren't good at one point but my food was decent and fast friendly service

I ordered spicy sesame chicken and dumplings and I really liked the flavor of both. The portions were huge and and sauce was great. Only downside is I had the worst heart burn of my life 😂

The food is delicious here. Fresh food. The service is fast. The price is not worth the portion.

Being from NYC I use to eat in Chinatown all the time. This place, So SO GOOD. Plus! The kitchen is really clean. I had General Tso' chicken. AMAZING. Thanks so much you guys.

Derek Harris

The food is delicious here. Fresh food. The service is fast. The price is not worth the portion.

Alaina Barnes

I ordered spicy sesame chicken and dumplings and I really liked the flavor of both. The portions were huge and and sauce was great. Only downside is I had the worst heart burn of my life 😂

Clean looking place however the food I ordered was no good. The egg flower soup tasted like it had sugar in it. The Szechuan chicken was definitely not “Szechuan”. It was missing the spice and the choice of vegetables was baaad (celery and carrots).

General chicken was good and the fried rice was alright. Not the best Chinese food but also decent enough to be eaten. Price was reasonable.

Totally average. Over priced. I really wanted to like this place. The flavor is entirely average and most meals are Over $10. The veggies were at least crunchy but again no depth of flavor to the sauces. I spent extra to add bbq pork to my meal at the recommend of the cashier and the pork was both dry and tasteless. The food itself is not far off from a Panda Express flavoring. I’m still hunting for authentic Chinese in San Diego. This is not it.

Michael Figueredo

General chicken was good and the fried rice was alright. Not the best Chinese food but also decent enough to be eaten. Price was reasonable.

Albert Babisha

Totally average. Over priced. I really wanted to like this place. The flavor is entirely average and most meals are Over $10. The veggies were at least crunchy but again no depth of flavor to the sauces. I spent extra to add bbq pork to my meal at the recommend of the cashier and the pork was both dry and tasteless. The food itself is not far off from a Panda Express flavoring. I’m still hunting for authentic Chinese in San Diego. This is not it.

Used to be my favorite Chinese in San Diego . A hidden gem for Authentic Chinese with the best hot mustard, and sweet and sour sauces. All hand made on premise. I have had multiple recent bad customer service experiences including being put on phone hold with a person never to return. This has happened multiple times. I was once told to order as the person "didn't have time to talk to me". Also told that they were 4 X busier than when Maryanne owned the place. Wow. Somehow that justified poor customer service. The food is still good but I have decided that I am only going to visit when Maryanne is working from now on. If they don't have time to talk to me, then I don't have time to visit when a person who doesn't understand that treating each customer with respect is the key to success. The original owner understood this philosophy and that is why she stayed in business. I am guessing you lost 13 years of consistent business. I am not the biggest spender but I was loyal and constant. Perhaps this review will remind you that each customer who has 13 + year might be a little important. It isn't about the transient business which will fade over time.

I was hoping to have a better experience. The service was great! Wonderful customer service and we were well taken care of. The issue was the food. We ordered Chow Mein and chicken and the food didn’t have a lot of flavor. Didn’t really taste like much. The consistency of the battered part of the chicken looked like it hadn’t been thoroughly cooked. Willing to try again to see if it’s any different but unfortunately our experience wasn’t the greatest.

Ick. Beef and Broccoli that was mostly broccoli. Paid extra for the side of fried rice which was equivalent to a bag of frozen fried rice from the grocery. The hunt for good Chinese food in SD continues. If you're as hopeful as I was about this place, keep moving. Mall food court Chinese was better. All the best to the staff but this is not quality and barely tolerable.

According to most of the reviews it’s a real hit or miss. For me: a big miss. The food was indeed pretty bland and the orange chicken was over cooked. I paid extra to make it extra spicy, but it was far from it. Just try another spot if you’re looking for that Chinese take out comfort food fix.

First time ordering. I was disappointed. Got general tso’s chicken, orange chicken and fried rice. Chicken batter was mushy/gelatinous but chicken was overcooked and dry/stringy. Like it was sitting under a heat lamp. I couldn’t even finish a serving. Rice was ok but again, overcooked. Hopefully, just an off day but not good.

Food here is subpar. Wok noodles tasted like boiled spaghetti noodles, and sesame chicken tasted chewy with absolutely no flavor. Wanted to give this place a shot since there were no customers coming through, but I can understand the reason why after ordering!

Jill Wright

First time ordering. I was disappointed. Got general tso’s chicken, orange chicken and fried rice. Chicken batter was mushy/gelatinous but chicken was overcooked and dry/stringy. Like it was sitting under a heat lamp. I couldn’t even finish a serving. Rice was ok but again, overcooked. Hopefully, just an off day but not good.

Charlye Tran

Food here is subpar. Wok noodles tasted like boiled spaghetti noodles, and sesame chicken tasted chewy with absolutely no flavor. Wanted to give this place a shot since there were no customers coming through, but I can understand the reason why after ordering!

We ordered for pick up, just general tsos, white rice, cream cheese wontons, and soup. very little to no sauce on the chicken, the egg blossom was gnarly. The wontons were mid. The rice was fine. We threw most of it out. No utensils, no soy sauce, no fortune cookies, I'm still hungry, but I'm not willing to eat that.

Sam

We ordered for pick up, just general tsos, white rice, cream cheese wontons, and soup. very little to no sauce on the chicken, the egg blossom was gnarly. The wontons were mid. The rice was fine. We threw most of it out. No utensils, no soy sauce, no fortune cookies, I'm still hungry, but I'm not willing to eat that.

Kay F.

Ick. Beef and Broccoli that was mostly broccoli. Paid extra for the side of fried rice which was equivalent to a bag of frozen fried rice from the grocery. The hunt for good Chinese food in SD continues. If you're as hopeful as I was about this place, keep moving. Mall food court Chinese was better. All the best to the staff but this is not quality and barely tolerable.

Inedible, overcooked, and bland orange chicken. Fried rice is bland as well and kung pao chicken was super spicy. Only good thing was the fried dumplings. Update: Avoid this place if you do not want to get sick! We had the runs all day !

Orange chicken was very over cooked! Felt like I was eating dry shards of chicken. Chicken pieces were also massive and had to be cut multiple times. Fried rice was also overcooked and bland. Never again

I ordered tofu and specifically asked for it NOT to be spicy. But what did I get spicy. I paid almost $28, and I called back... She said that she didn't know if it was the cashier's or the chef's fault. It seems that it was the customer's fault. I come in give her my business and can't get the food to my taste. So, I ended up throwing away expensive food away because I can't eat it. When I told her that I wasn't coming back "I'll tell the manager ". Poor customer service!!!!!

Quite possibly the worst Chinese food I've ever had. The orange chicken was so overcooked it's like chewing rubber. The rice is dry and hard. Uber Eats won't give me my money back and it's not even edible. Never again.

Absolutely disgusting fried rice couldn't eat and I was too scared to eat this pork for fear of dying from bad pork totally dislike and I ended up going hungry that night because oh ya they took forever for delivery

DO NOT EAT HERE. Truly the worst meal my husband and i have ever had. The chicken was grey and the fried rice was dry and tasted like nothing. I feel like i was conned. Another downside is the generous portions because you feel guilty when you inevitably throw it away because it tastes bad

Ordered takeout via UberEats and was extremely disappointed. This was probably the worst Chinese food I ever had. While the food was delivered quickly, it was completely flavorless…and I ordered simple items: special fried rice and won ton soup. Both were not appetizing. The meat in the rice actually seemed undercooked. Unfortunately, I threw most of the food away - such a waste of money. I think the high rating on UberEats is totally misleading. One positive: the fortune cookies were good!

Ordered on Uber eats. The food was awful. The shrimp fried rice tasted fishy, the orange chicken was hard and tasted like dishrag. The only thing that was okay was the salt and pepper chicken. I ordered cause it had good rating on Uber but it just wasn’t good. It was ordered late so maybe that’s why but overall. I probably wouldn’t order from here again ever.

NEVER AGAIN! I don't mind paying almost $9 for soup, and i can handle grease. But this wasnt broth, it was pure grease! Everything soaking in the container was inedible. This included the pea pods so greasy that they slid off the spoon, the 1 piece of pork, the 1 shrimp, the blob of chicken, and veggies. There were no wontons, but plenty of celery -- which I specially asked not to be included. The only thing good were the crispy noodles. Trust me. This is not the original Little Chef from a few years ago. This soup was VILE!

I'm ordering three different dishes my food no taste no flavor I don't recommend these place is very nasty food

This wasn’t good food and ruined our thanksgiving plans. We expected to pick up the food from an actual restaurant and instead picked it up from a food delivery pick up kitchen (Ubereats, Door Dash, etc.) in Barrio Logan. It was cold and did not taste good.

Ordered the Generals chicken, fried rice and spring rolls in person. Paid with a card, chose the no tip option that gets shoved in your face because I'm low on funds, plus why should I tip for something I haven't even eaten yet? What if it's no good and I dont like it? I tipped for something I didn't like. Makes sense to me. Anyway, pretty sure someone got offended by that because I've never had Generals chicken with at least 20 pieces of red peppers in it, never had it like that and I didn't ask for extra spicy. Pretty sure they were put there on purpose...and the "fried rice" is just plain white rice with a bland broth poured on it because it definitely wasn't fried. *Edit Update response: No thanks for the offer. You see the picture, is that how much pepper goes in a regular order? I see other pictures here of the Generals chicken and it doesn't look like that. Yes, the cashiers can see how much you tipped or didn't, by looking at how much the price increased or didn't or their screen, common knowledge, come on. And finally, you can clearly see the rice isn't fried,...it's fat, fluffy and white with a weak brown sauce poured over it. Pretty sad

Was visiting from out of state and just got in the city and wanted something to eat. I didn’t expect anything extravagant, but when opening the fried rice, the top quarter was fried rice, but the rest was white rice?? What is this? Very strange!

I am furious. Do not order from here. The Uber eats app is designed to rip you off because there is no easy way to identify how to cancel an order right away and Little chef Chinese allowed it. I accidentally placed a double order for $50.10 delivery (because it was not clear on the Uber eats app that the first order went through)and cancelled the second order immediately and they still charged me $43 cancellation fee. Also, My delivery receipt says $50.10 but they charged my bank account $70 plus $43 cancellation charge! Little chef, phone number at this location does not even work! I had to message and call the driver. These people are complete rip offs. I will never eat there again, and I am deleting the Uber app. Of course I am also disputing the charges. Their food used to be really good but now the shrimp is always soggy, and they have resorted to these rip off tactics. Do not eat here.

I am horrified!!!!! I have NEVER seen chicken and broccoli like this. I received what appears to be fully uncooked chicken with no sauce???? I am SHOCKED that this was sent out of the kitchen and am so disappointed.

Halfman-Halfpizza

Was visiting from out of state and just got in the city and wanted something to eat. I didn’t expect anything extravagant, but when opening the fried rice, the top quarter was fried rice, but the rest was white rice?? What is this? Very strange!

Darren Carlin

I am furious. Do not order from here. The Uber eats app is designed to rip you off because there is no easy way to identify how to cancel an order right away and Little chef Chinese allowed it. I accidentally placed a double order for $50.10 delivery (because it was not clear on the Uber eats app that the first order went through)and cancelled the second order immediately and they still charged me $43 cancellation fee. Also, My delivery receipt says $50.10 but they charged my bank account $70 plus $43 cancellation charge! Little chef, phone number at this location does not even work! I had to message and call the driver. These people are complete rip offs. I will never eat there again, and I am deleting the Uber app. Of course I am also disputing the charges. Their food used to be really good but now the shrimp is always soggy, and they have resorted to these rip off tactics. Do not eat here.

Mollie Key

I am horrified!!!!! I have NEVER seen chicken and broccoli like this. I received what appears to be fully uncooked chicken with no sauce???? I am SHOCKED that this was sent out of the kitchen and am so disappointed.

was uncomfortable with the lack of professionalism at Little Chef Chinese Take-Out. The front-of-house presentation did not feel appropriate for a food establishment, and it negatively affected my experience as a customer. I expect businesses to maintain basic standards of professionalism and respect for the public.

Little chef used to be good but it's gone downhill. Just spent over 100 bucks on take out off Uber eats and it was the most bland Chinese food I've ever had. I get they don't use msg, but there was zero flavor. Not a single won ton in my won ton soup and the rice smelled like cardboard.

I’m the type of person who will eat anything because I spent money on it. I got the chicken and veggies and I’ve NEVER seen or eaten anything more bland and mushy. I’d give this dish a negative 10. Nooooo flavor. I had to throw it away.

Nancy N.

was uncomfortable with the lack of professionalism at Little Chef Chinese Take-Out. The front-of-house presentation did not feel appropriate for a food establishment, and it negatively affected my experience as a customer. I expect businesses to maintain basic standards of professionalism and respect for the public.

Julia Bjorge

Little chef used to be good but it's gone downhill. Just spent over 100 bucks on take out off Uber eats and it was the most bland Chinese food I've ever had. I get they don't use msg, but there was zero flavor. Not a single won ton in my won ton soup and the rice smelled like cardboard.

Kimberly Rosas

I’m the type of person who will eat anything because I spent money on it. I got the chicken and veggies and I’ve NEVER seen or eaten anything more bland and mushy. I’d give this dish a negative 10. Nooooo flavor. I had to throw it away.