China Cafe

I used to come here in college and wanted to give it another go. Wonton soup tasted very oily and the wontons tasted old. Got the combination lo mein and it was ok but really lacked flavor. Filling inside egg roll was terrible.

It is with a very heavy heart that I announce that at 9:30pm on 2÷26÷14 I was the last customer of this College Park Institution. This place had been open for 30 years! 20 of which were owned & operated by the Husband & Wife team of Jim Wey & Linda Lin (aka Ma & Pa).
My roommate must’ve ordered delivery from them on average of once a week for their final year. And so on their last day Jim Wey called him and offered to deliver one last meal on the house. He graciously accepted.
China Café’s longevity in a transient college town was a testimony to the delicious inexpensive Chinese food that a poor college student could rely on. While not everything was great, they had the best HOT & SOUR SOUP I’ve ever had! They also had homemade dumplings and Linda’s Spicy Wontons were a hard to find treat. Their Kung Pao Chicken «Chinese style» was a staple. And if you were brave enough to order something unfamiliar, you would’ve enjoyed authentic Taiwanese meals like their Fresh Bamboo dish, as well as spicy Rice Cake, and «Three Cups Chicken.»
As others have mentioned, you had to walk in and order off of the makeshift menu on the wall, and not the standard carry out menu, to really find their best dishes.
I spoke with them about why they were closing, and they said that with the new student housing off of campus, and the saturation of new restaurants in the area, they weren’t getting the foot traffic that they used to get, and that there were too many other options for them to compete with. I personally can’t understand why they weren’t able to do a booming delivery business, but I don’t know…
They said that they weren’t going to retire but were going to take a long vacation and go back to Tiawan for the 1^st time in 15 years… As I left with $ 50 of chinese food (including a gallon of freshly made Hot & Soup Soup), in what was the last order that they served, I wished them well and thanked them for all their years of service.
And So, on Wednesday February 26^th, 2014 at 10pm they closed their doors for good. Such is the death of a classic Ma & Pa restaurant. Generations of students to come will not know what they are missing.

I was really disappointed by this place and I cant understand why many people give it five stars. Its a bad Chinese place comparing to any other Chinese fast carry out style place.
The soup wasn’t good, but most importantly the chicken was bad and specially the crust was incredibly hard! Couldn’t even cut it with the plastic knife!

I have eaten here twice, and both times the food was just sad! I would recommend going to sakuras up the street if you are in the mood for Chinese food.

Hands-​down the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. The key is, steer clear of the American Chinese on the paper menu, and order off the specials menu on their wall. The American Chinese is ok, but nothing mind-​blowing.
Their shredded pork with baby bamboo shoots was my cure-​all meal when I lived in College Park. I also really liked their non-​Chinese specials, which included kimchi and drunken noodles. The three cups chicken, with its chopped ginger root and insane quantity of garlic, deserves its own sentence.
And now, writing this review has made a pilgrimage necessary. If you’ll excuse me…

The Kung Pao Chicken here would be my death-​row last meal if I ever find myself in that situation. The place looks mad sketchy, but it’s the best food in CP for my money. It always tastes fresh, and the staff is incredibly nice.

Great place to get real chinese food. Make sure you order from the special handwritten menu on the wall. I haven’t tried their lunch buffet since I usually go here for dinner or late night snack. When I went to college and I missed having a home cooked Chinese meal I would go here. And plus the owners are really nice! One time we brought a huge group to eat together (back when the restaurant was bigger) and she brought out extra food for us to share, for free!
I went here when I went to college. And I’ve eaten around and I’ve had the chance to eat other food around the area near route 1 and Knox rd. I usually get rib tips or pork with brown sauce.

In my opinion this was the worst meal ever delivered to my house. Nothing tasted edible, the hot and sour soup I ordered had a funny metallic taste, the fried wontons were way over cooked, and it seemed like the oil must have been old. The sesame chicken was very dry, the broccoli that came with it was over cooked and soggy, and the whole entrée seemed like it was not fresh, maybe left over from some buffet severed earlier in the week.

This is really two restaurants in one. On the one hand they have all the various fake Chinese food garbage like General Tsos Chicken and the rest for stupid college kids.
On the other hand they have very authentic Taiwanese dishes, including ones which they don’t even put in English on the menu (these are the best dishes they serve!) The food I’ve had there was a revelation.

This place serves decent food at a reasonable price. I only recommend coming here for lunch when you really want Chinese, but you’re restricted to walking distance from the UMD campus…
In conclusion, its just another missed opportunity: With so many unremarkable establishments around the UMD campus, you might think one would eventually shine. Yet, the search for that fourth star continues…

This is your typical Americanized Chinese restaurant. It’s not very clean inside, and it makes me wonder if it’s sanitary in the kitchen.
I’m somewhat surprised by the high ratings for this place. Even though I spent my college years at CP, I only came here once in a while, and each time the food was very forgettable. The general tso and kung pao chicken were just bland, and the only real reason to eat it is because you already paid for it. Even then, I had a hard time finishing it.
I guess given hungry, drunk college kids, food quality kinda just go down the tube. It’s a shame.

Not sure how this place is rated so highly! I walked in for takeout and almost walked out as the «eat in» area was kind of a mess. Usually i wont even entertain restaurants like this but I was hungry and the girl behind the counter was nice. After taking a good look at the kitchen (from where I was standing) I decided to order a combination plate, pretty simple every Chinese restaurant offers them, well my plate was rice and a few pieces of chicken… Sauce was running and dripped everywhere and the rice tasted a little over cooked. I will NOT make the mistake of ordering from this place again. I guess this is good for drunk college students but if your looking for good Chinese food look further!

This place brings back so many memories for me. I spent a large part of my early 20s eating here. Crappy, oily Chinese take-​out, but what options does a poor starving college student have?
I spent four undergraduate years at UMD and on many nights, this place came to the rescue. I habitually ordered the hunan chicken. They give you a large portion with rice of your choice for $ 3.95. It used to feed me for 2 days. I am sure the prices have increased by now. It has been over 10 years since I graduated.
I have been here with ex-​boyfriends, ex-​lovers, college friends, family, drinking buddies, professors, random acquaintances. Basically, if you had anything to do with UMD, you ate here at some point out of sheer desperation or sheer hunger.
This place got me thru exams, This place got me thru break-​ups. This place brought me closer to people. This place pushed me away from people. This place was the local meet-​up spot before a night of drinking at «Cornerstone.» This place was where I had fights. This place is where I also made-​up with people.
I can’t imagine my college years without this place. Too bad I am now all grown-​up and would never consider this place again. But I am glad this place is firmy rooted in my memories, an indelible mark on a past that was so cloudy and turbulent.

I’ve only gotten the noodles there, but i’ve enjoyed most of them. The beef noodle soup is especially good. Out of the 3 chinese places that you can go around UMD (Panda not the fake Chinese food chain, China Café, and Shanghai Café), China Café has probably the most authentic Chinese food. And yes I AM Chinese thank you very much.
Every time I’ve ordered from China Café, the owners have been extremely nice, and on multiple occasions, when I pick up food for my room, they would open up a brand new box of whatever (plastic forks, spoons…) and empty it out just so I can have an easier time carrying it back. Wonderful people with great authentic Chinese food, what’s not to like?

do not judge the place from its cover. I didn’t even expected myself to actually get in there and make some order, just until my friend told me to try it. took a while to choose what should I have since their list of menus, is like, super long. but then I had this white rice with some shrimp on top, with clear color sauce, looked simple, but the taste, trust me, SO GOOD!
well, not that surprise, Chinese foods are always good especially the MSG they put in it, but hey it’s not like i’m eating Chinese-​with-​MSG food every single day, so once in a while won’t kill me, will it?
DEFINITELY have to try, so so so so college-​student price. good, good, meal they have there. I don’t care if any Chinese people say it sucked or whatever, this place stays in my heart.

I am ASTOUNDED, APPALLED, AND FLABBERGASTED that people would review this place highly. Honestly, I’m not being overly critical… its just that… I’M CHINESE.
I’ve come to this place, several times – not by choice (group events), and every single experience here has been disappointing. The wonton soup that comes with the meal is just… water and lotsa pepper. And the wonton… I’ll save my breath for that.
The kungpao chickn is… RED-​and by that you know that it’s not made correctly. Not even spicy. Just sweet and sour all over. SWEET AND SOUR SWEET AND SOUR SWEET AND SOUR.
I know I know, its cheap and its fast… what can i expect?!
But honestly, th-​th-​that does NOT mean it can taste like this!
*runs away sobbing

Granted, I’ve only been for the lunch buffet once… but this us the greasy, MSG laden «Chinese» food your mother warned you about.
My boss used to go once a week with his buddies, because the food was endless and cheap. He also spent the rest of the day hustling back and forth to the men’s room.
But I’m giving it 2 stars because isn’t this what College Park is all about? Fast, cheap and sickening?

The two star rating is spot on. «Meh. I’ve experienced better.»
I got take out from there last night, and many of the reviews here ring true.
The crab rangoon was good (a little on the sweet side) and by far the best dish we got from there. We also had the shredded beef with hot pepper, a tofu dish and sauteed vegetables. By far, the best dish was the hot and sour soup though.
I’m willing to give it another try for sure, but I’ll likely try one of their noodle soups. When I was there, the tables were filled with Chinese women and almost all of them got a noodle soup. They must know something I don’t!

China Café is the best chinese food in College Park. I used to go once a week, and the flavors, portions, and prices did not disappoint. Since their main chef left, the food has not been as consistent, but it is still good. This is not a standard American Chinese food take-​out restaurant. Go and try something from the menu that you have never tried before.
Cash preferred. Free water available self-​serve. Parking right outside (w/​meter depending on time of day).

China Café was always a bit of a mystery to me. I passed it a million times, but not once did I even consider eating there. So one day, when my friend and I were craving Chinese but didn’t want any of the same old options, we decided to give China Café a try.
I was excited about trying China Café because I am not a fan of the other Chinese options in College Park and the only people I ever see in this place are Asian. I took that as a sign of quality. But the Asian China Café groupies deceived me.
The food was the same as Shanghai to me, maybe worse. Especially in the case of the crab rangoons– they were awful! My friend and I each bit into one and stopped right there. My spring roll was sopping wet in oil, and my food was. well, fine, I guess.
While waiting for my food, I stood inside reading their wall of various newspaper clippings and reviews. I was surprised to see several articles that actually dissed China Café or said it was so-​so. Why China Café would post their bad publicity is beyond me, but I guess they’re honest. Too bad I didn’t read the wall before ordering my food.