Ming's

Very delicious food! The new owners have remodeled and the place looks better than ever. The food always looks and tastes fresh! My favorite dish is the crispy chicken. Very inexpensive and would recommend to anyone in the area.

I found this place on accident. Its a little whole in the wall chinese food restaurant that has some of the best cooking in the entire bay area. Everything is good. The place is small but packs a flavorful punch. Do yourself a favor and try this place out. You will not regret it if you like good service and great food.

My favorite Chinese food place for more than ten years and for good reason. Their quality of food is always consistent and delicious. I love their use of fresh veggies and they have a great lunch special.

Ming's Palace is hands down the best chinese food in all of California. I've been a customer since the early 80's and have never had a bad meal here. When I lived in Santa Cruz it was great to have Ming's within a healthy walking distance, we used to walk there to work up an appetite. We then moved about a 100 miles away. We still drove back at least once a month to enjoy Ming's fantastic Wor Wonton Soup and awesome Clay Pot dishes.

We have been enjoying Ming's for several years now. They did go through an ownership change a year or so back. It never seems to be busy when we are there. That can be good because you know the food is going to be made to order and fresh.

Super good Chinese food! #1 in the area. Must try the honey walnut prawns and Mongolian beef!

My fav Chinese takeout in Santa Cruz! Their food is always so fresh and delicious! I especially love their soups. Thank you Ming's!

Ming's has the best Chinese food in town. Food is always freshly cooked and very tasty! Staff is extremely friendly and attentive. We always enjoy eating there.

Great food, fyi my entree did not come with rice

The kids loved the chow fun, fish, and the wor wonton soup was like a cozy blanket in a bowl. Every dish came out hot, fresh, and full of that “mmm!” moment that makes a family meal feel extra special.

Short review: Good food, quick service, friendly, and clean. Long review: Okay, my photos don't do this place or this food justice. I was too busy enjoying it and was lucky to get any pictures of the food because we dug right in. - Nice, minimalistic setup with lots of wood. Wood floors, some paneling on the walls, and mahogany furniture. I felt like I was in another dimension due to how quiet and serene it was in there, and that is a good thing. Upon receiving the nicely-sized, waterproof-texture menus, we were overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia trailing back to another spot we miss dearly in the Bay Area. That's beside the point. - I had been looking for Hunan beef [crispy beef] for a while and happened to find it here, per my partner's recommendation. We also got the appetizer combo plate and chow mein - the familiar dish that is easy to screw up at most restaurants but Ming's makes it delicious and comforting. Perfect noodles and perfect rice. Seriously, I feel like I'm at an aunt's house when I eat from here. Reasonable price too, we totally got takeout the next day after coming here for dinner the first time. -I don't understand why people are complaining that the server is mean. I thought she was just straightforward and swift. If you want to be babied, please go back to Texas Roadhouse or Applebee's.

This is a cozy mom and pop Chinese restaurant that is always my go-to when I want my comfort food. The owners are very sweet and accommodating. And my all-time favorite shrimp and lobster sauce is delicious. Support your local business!

Simply the best Chinese food in Santa Cruz area... Delicious food, Friendly staff, Great prices...

Terry Chan

The kids loved the chow fun, fish, and the wor wonton soup was like a cozy blanket in a bowl. Every dish came out hot, fresh, and full of that “mmm!” moment that makes a family meal feel extra special.

Congee_Picante

Short review: Good food, quick service, friendly, and clean. Long review: Okay, my photos don't do this place or this food justice. I was too busy enjoying it and was lucky to get any pictures of the food because we dug right in. - Nice, minimalistic setup with lots of wood. Wood floors, some paneling on the walls, and mahogany furniture. I felt like I was in another dimension due to how quiet and serene it was in there, and that is a good thing. Upon receiving the nicely-sized, waterproof-texture menus, we were overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia trailing back to another spot we miss dearly in the Bay Area. That's beside the point. - I had been looking for Hunan beef [crispy beef] for a while and happened to find it here, per my partner's recommendation. We also got the appetizer combo plate and chow mein - the familiar dish that is easy to screw up at most restaurants but Ming's makes it delicious and comforting. Perfect noodles and perfect rice. Seriously, I feel like I'm at an aunt's house when I eat from here. Reasonable price too, we totally got takeout the next day after coming here for dinner the first time. -I don't understand why people are complaining that the server is mean. I thought she was just straightforward and swift. If you want to be babied, please go back to Texas Roadhouse or Applebee's.

Gargi Mitra Keeling

This is a cozy mom and pop Chinese restaurant that is always my go-to when I want my comfort food. The owners are very sweet and accommodating. And my all-time favorite shrimp and lobster sauce is delicious. Support your local business!

Marc Rigo

Simply the best Chinese food in Santa Cruz area... Delicious food, Friendly staff, Great prices...

Born and raised local. I’ve been looking for a new favorite Chinese food place. Our old favorite changed hands and recipes. No longer a favorite. So in my search for some new and good I Found some reviews about this place and decided to try it. Was impressed. Very happy with the sizzling rice soup, tomato broth. Very happy with the pepper chicken wings as well. My new favorite Chinese in town.

Everything was delicious. We were visiting the area and stopped for lunch based on a recommendation. We had their lunch special. Very much enjoyed the tofu and vegetables. Hubby loved the sweet and sour chicken too. (Forgot to take pics but the food was beautiful)

Such a warm and comfortable place. The woman working was so nice and provided excellent service. And the food was delicious! The hot and sour soup was perfectly balanced with the right flavors. That is an indication that the food will be good. I also had the Tofu eggplant with black bean sauce. A wonderfully satisfying dish.

We went here after a soccer game and were hungry. We ordered a few items including the hot and sour soup, spring rolls and a couple of entries. All of them were made fresh and were De-licious. The service was warm and friendly. In summary friendly service , fresh and fast food at a very affordable price. Will definitely come back here if we visit this region again

Tasty food and good prices. What's not to like?

Prices are great, my boyfriend and i spend max 30 dollars for both our meals, including tip and taxes. Food is great all the time, and come out very quickly. The owner is a lovely and attentive woman ! Everything I’ve had there was great, and my favorite is the salt and pepper fish

Delivery from Ming's is always a hit. Classic Chinese American dishes done right! Love being able to order the combination plates so I can try a little bit of a few dishes.

Authentic Chinese food and tastes really great! We tried the eggplant tofu sizzler and the veggie chowmein. The egg rolls were great with the some soy sauce and red sauce on the side. Coming back for more

Great food, well priced. Don’t let the dark interior fool you. Highly recommended

Extremely nice staff and very lovely food. Got a reccomendation that tasted like it was made with so much care

Paul Adams

Great food, well priced. Don’t let the dark interior fool you. Highly recommended

Aubrienne Blackwell

Extremely nice staff and very lovely food. Got a reccomendation that tasted like it was made with so much care

Emily Campbell

Delivery from Ming's is always a hit. Classic Chinese American dishes done right! Love being able to order the combination plates so I can try a little bit of a few dishes.

LandSJalomo

Everything was delicious. We were visiting the area and stopped for lunch based on a recommendation. We had their lunch special. Very much enjoyed the tofu and vegetables. Hubby loved the sweet and sour chicken too. (Forgot to take pics but the food was beautiful)

cardboardcubist

We went here after a soccer game and were hungry. We ordered a few items including the hot and sour soup, spring rolls and a couple of entries. All of them were made fresh and were De-licious. The service was warm and friendly. In summary friendly service , fresh and fast food at a very affordable price. Will definitely come back here if we visit this region again

Abhishek Basavanna

Authentic Chinese food and tastes really great! We tried the eggplant tofu sizzler and the veggie chowmein. The egg rolls were great with the some soy sauce and red sauce on the side. Coming back for more

John Hayes

Such a warm and comfortable place. The woman working was so nice and provided excellent service. And the food was delicious! The hot and sour soup was perfectly balanced with the right flavors. That is an indication that the food will be good. I also had the Tofu eggplant with black bean sauce. A wonderfully satisfying dish.

Itzel ,

Prices are great, my boyfriend and i spend max 30 dollars for both our meals, including tip and taxes. Food is great all the time, and come out very quickly. The owner is a lovely and attentive woman ! Everything I’ve had there was great, and my favorite is the salt and pepper fish

Spencer Pinot

We haven’t dined in before but the take out has always been our favorite. Thank you Ming’s! Crispy beef is so good. And hot and sour soup is a must.

My review is focused towards their lunch special. They made changes from the previous months. Pros: They have a great lunch special that starts at eleven, but I would encourage people to come in the afternoon. For the price that you pay, the food taste delicious and is brought to you very quickly compare to other non-fast-food restaurants. They often serve you a great amount of food during the lunch special. The restaurant is usually clean. Cons: Their restrooms need an upgrade. It could be a challenge to communicate with the staff.

I have lived in the area since 1992 and between 1992 and 1996 lived in soquel while single parenting two kids. We went to Ming's palace a lot. The food was always decent and reasonable in price. I have since moved to Aptos and hadn't been to Ming's for a long time and was happy to find that they had updated the decor and the place was a lot cleaner and the menu was also updated. But mainly the food was better than before. Not the best in the area but pretty darn good. I especially like the Smoky flavor of the fried rice.

Stopped here on a whim while driving to see family over the Thanksgiving holiday. The place was mostly empty so our waitress was fast and attentive. Food came out very quickly and was very good. Recommended

Very friendly wait staff. We had never eaten at a Chinese restaurant in this area and after going to 4 different ones we chose Ming’s and it was very satisfying good chow mein good rice and the snow peas were a vibrant green. Excellent

GREAT food, but it takes awhile to cook, even when it isn't busy. The interior could use some love too, otherwise I would have given 5 stars. It's becoming my go-to place!

Great lunch venue. Prices are reasonable, portions large, and staff fast, efficient, and friendly. Food could be spiced up a lot. And restaurant should attempt to highlight their specialities.

I’ve ordered 3 times from them, once eating there and twice take out. I’m not sure what’s up with this place, but it is S L O W !!! When we ate there, we almost left. There were only 2 other tables, and it took over 30 minutes to get our food. Both times take out they said 20 mins, showed up and waited another 25 mins. I’m done. Food was good, but no better than the other place up the street, and they are fast. No more for me.

Service was nice, sort of hard to understand due to a heavy accent, but friendly overall. Food was hit and miss with flavor, on the greasier side. The decor and arrangement of tables was good but the ambiance was bland. I miss the old mings.

I went during lunch and it was pretty depressing in there and the only person behind the counter was not very helpful. Also I didn't want any fish sauce or egg because I am vegetarian and it was hard to communicate what I would be getting without those. My meal was cooked simply with soy sauce and was pretty dull. I go to other restaurants and they are able to make the food flavor full without the fish sauce

Food is great. Prices suck Place is usually empty. So with an empty restaurant the prices are high for take out. They pay too much for the unused space and charge you in the food. It's been a staple for over 40 years so I support it. Be ready to drop over $50 for a 2 person meal. Update. Called in my last order, she said 25-30 minutes. I went in amd they were slammed. 1 person working. She had to answer phones, serve orders, take orders from the tables and help door dash. Yeah right. I waited forever and my food was definitely cold. I eventually left with no food and took my pregnant wife to go get Mexican food instead. Mings is greedy. Hire some workers. 40 years of experience. I'm pretty disappointed. I never even got a call about the food not being picked up because they already knew they messed up. What a waste. Can't even rely on the local Chinese staple

Damian OJEDA

Food is great. Prices suck Place is usually empty. So with an empty restaurant the prices are high for take out. They pay too much for the unused space and charge you in the food. It's been a staple for over 40 years so I support it. Be ready to drop over $50 for a 2 person meal. Update. Called in my last order, she said 25-30 minutes. I went in amd they were slammed. 1 person working. She had to answer phones, serve orders, take orders from the tables and help door dash. Yeah right. I waited forever and my food was definitely cold. I eventually left with no food and took my pregnant wife to go get Mexican food instead. Mings is greedy. Hire some workers. 40 years of experience. I'm pretty disappointed. I never even got a call about the food not being picked up because they already knew they messed up. What a waste. Can't even rely on the local Chinese staple

Sumati B

I went during lunch and it was pretty depressing in there and the only person behind the counter was not very helpful. Also I didn't want any fish sauce or egg because I am vegetarian and it was hard to communicate what I would be getting without those. My meal was cooked simply with soy sauce and was pretty dull. I go to other restaurants and they are able to make the food flavor full without the fish sauce

I received my last 2 orders with no soy sauce packets, I guess they feel Chinese food all of a sudden needs zero soy sauce ! I am their neighbor and they have good food, but if something lacks flavor like the last 2 visits you really need to add soy sauce. I ask for extra onions 2 times in my chow mien and both times received zero onions ! They charge way too much to substitute something on the menu when the difference is $1.00 they like to say “ that will be $4.00 more for substitution! Just cheap rude service ! Food is okay !!!! I need to find a new fix because they are cheap and rude !

Delivery order of beef w. Eggplant (eggplant so overcooked it was practically a single mushy entity… watery hot sour soup…mu shu pork had random pieces of smoked pork mixed in. I have not eaten from Mings in 3 years. Very disappointed.

Stared us down when parking, then started making a phone call (still staring hard at our car), made my husband so uncomfortable we reparked in another spot,... and decided to go the the Mexican restaurant nextdoor. Came back out after eating and they put crates in the parking spots. We felt very unwelcome to come eat there, so we didn't.

We came in with a party of 9 family members. Two of our family arrived literally 3 minutes later. We all placed our orders, and when the last two arrived and tried to order, the cashier refused because she was prioritizing phone/to-go orders due to a rush. Eventually, they were allowed to order, along with another large table. That table received their food, but our two family members were still waiting. Over an hour later, everyone at our table was completely done eating, and they still had no food. When we asked about it, we were told their order was never worked on. Instead of apologizing, the older lady working there blamed them for arriving 3 minutes late, which is completely unacceptable. The customer service was rude and dismissive. On top of that, the restaurant was very cold, and when the food came out, it was cold as well. My dad and I ordered broccoli beef, and the beef was still raw with blood, which is a serious health concern. Between the rude service, forgotten orders, lack of accountability, cold food, and raw meat, this was a terrible experience. We will not be returning.

This place is usually empty when i go. The food was too salty the last two times. But the worst part is the rude customer service! Ive seen other comments saying the owner is racist and i could definitely agree. When my loved ones and I go we already know she is not friendly but try to make the most of it but were not going back - this last time was too obvious she didnt want us there. No smile, no welcome, took forever to get out order, that mean look just glaring from afar. Her prices are also increasing and they are already expensive with small portions- the previous owners were amazing- these owners look like they hate their job and customers.

The food used to be good and a good deal but now its terrible. I could taste that the chicken was rotten. Spit it out and the dogs wouldn't even eat it. The orange chicken was soggy on the outside and stringy dry on the inside, yuck. The rotten chicken was in the noodles. Plus there was no one in the restaurant for lunch , yet the counter gal had a snappy, crazy attitude and claimed she was to busy to take the food next store. Used to love em- now I will never go again. Better off going to Panda Express.

The worst food in town! The Hunan beef is hard as a rock. Like chewing leather. The chicken chow mein is bland and the fried rice is like they mixed it in a separate bowl after everything was made. DO NOT EAT HERE!

I will never return to this place. The person in charge is very racist. The last time I went there were 5 of us and a baby, she wanted to sit us at a table that is for 4 when there was another table for 6 empty, there were no customers, we were the only ones and she got upset because we didn't want to sit at the one she said. We waited like 10 minutes and she never went to take the order but she did take one from a person who came to take out and even gave him his food and we were still waiting and we left. The owners used to be friendlier and these ones obviously don't want to dirty their tables.

Noemi Martinez

We came in with a party of 9 family members. Two of our family arrived literally 3 minutes later. We all placed our orders, and when the last two arrived and tried to order, the cashier refused because she was prioritizing phone/to-go orders due to a rush. Eventually, they were allowed to order, along with another large table. That table received their food, but our two family members were still waiting. Over an hour later, everyone at our table was completely done eating, and they still had no food. When we asked about it, we were told their order was never worked on. Instead of apologizing, the older lady working there blamed them for arriving 3 minutes late, which is completely unacceptable. The customer service was rude and dismissive. On top of that, the restaurant was very cold, and when the food came out, it was cold as well. My dad and I ordered broccoli beef, and the beef was still raw with blood, which is a serious health concern. Between the rude service, forgotten orders, lack of accountability, cold food, and raw meat, this was a terrible experience. We will not be returning.

audrey peace

The worst food in town! The Hunan beef is hard as a rock. Like chewing leather. The chicken chow mein is bland and the fried rice is like they mixed it in a separate bowl after everything was made. DO NOT EAT HERE!

Martha Estrada

This place is usually empty when i go. The food was too salty the last two times. But the worst part is the rude customer service! Ive seen other comments saying the owner is racist and i could definitely agree. When my loved ones and I go we already know she is not friendly but try to make the most of it but were not going back - this last time was too obvious she didnt want us there. No smile, no welcome, took forever to get out order, that mean look just glaring from afar. Her prices are also increasing and they are already expensive with small portions- the previous owners were amazing- these owners look like they hate their job and customers.

Wendy lu

The food used to be good and a good deal but now its terrible. I could taste that the chicken was rotten. Spit it out and the dogs wouldn't even eat it. The orange chicken was soggy on the outside and stringy dry on the inside, yuck. The rotten chicken was in the noodles. Plus there was no one in the restaurant for lunch , yet the counter gal had a snappy, crazy attitude and claimed she was to busy to take the food next store. Used to love em- now I will never go again. Better off going to Panda Express.

Hernandez Ana

I will never return to this place. The person in charge is very racist. The last time I went there were 5 of us and a baby, she wanted to sit us at a table that is for 4 when there was another table for 6 empty, there were no customers, we were the only ones and she got upset because we didn't want to sit at the one she said. We waited like 10 minutes and she never went to take the order but she did take one from a person who came to take out and even gave him his food and we were still waiting and we left. The owners used to be friendlier and these ones obviously don't want to dirty their tables.