Yen Ching

My husband grew up going to eat out at this restaurant. We went to check out the place.  Let me just say we will never go back.  We had egg drop soup it was tasteless as if they opened a powdered egg drop soup. Beef and broccoli they just put a hip of garlic it was horrible. Sizzling beef was the bad.

They deserve 1/2 a star. Worst chinese food

I've been eating at Yen Ching since the 1980's--in fact, ever since I can remember dining out.  As a child, this was my favorite restaurant.  At that time (and until the late 1990s or early 2000s), it was housed in it its former-location in Nora.  Anyone who can remember the Nora location will certainly agree that it made for a much more unique dining experience. Fortunately, despite being in its newer and more strategically-placed location, directly off of I-465, Yen Ching's food has remained unchanged. As an admitted Chinese food addict, Yen Ching gets my vote for the best Chinese food outside of China.  That statement is bound to anger many pretentious foodies, but I'm entitled to my right opinion.

From my more than 25 years of dining experience at Yen Ching, here are my recommendations:

Start with the sizzling rice soup and the appetizer platter.  The appetizer platter is large, and the serving size that is recommended for two is suitable for four.  It includes chicken and beef strips that are flame roasted at the table, egg rolls, pot stickers, crab Rangoon, and fried chicken wings (with hot mustard/sweet and sour sauce).

For entrees, above anything else, try the cashew chicken.  In my opinion, it is, far and away, the best item on the menu.  The chicken Lo mein and the Mongolian beef are other sumptuous choices.  My suggestion is to order all three dishes and share them.

One of the most outstanding aspects of Yen Ching is the service.  Many of the restaurant's workers have been employed there for decades.  Several of them still remember me from when I was a child.  The staff is not satisfied until the customer is satisfied.  I've never left Yen Ching dissatisfied or unsatisfied.  Not once.

I've been going to Yen Ching since I was a kid, when it was originally located behind Target in Nora.  The food hasn't changed a bit, it's always fantastic.  They have the best potstickers in town- obviously made fresh right on the premises.  Every other Chinese restaurant has the same potstickers, frozen right out of a bag- but Yen Ching's are a bit larger and look handmade.  They also have the best hot and sour soup I've ever had- so delicious!  Other favorites are their sesame chicken, Mongolian Beef, and Crispy Chicken (on the bone- so don't be surprised by that).  Everyone that works here is so nice and friendly.  My friends and I all love this place and visit often!  Don't miss out on their lunch specials, such a great bargain.  Sunday brunch is great, too. The menu for that changes weekly- they always post what they are going to have for that week's menu on the front door.