Ching Lai Kitchen

I’ve been a loya patron of this take out establishment for longer then I can remember, it’s always our go to Chinese take out place. All dishes are prepared fresh and always satisfies. Food is excellent and not overly salted which is a huge plus. Customer service is always super freindly and on point. I would highly recommend this place for anyone who is taking out Chinese food. Prices are fair and food is excellent.

Ever since a fire caused Golden Star to close over a year ago, I’ve been struggling to find a reliable local Chinese take-​out joint. I think I’ve finally found one.
The wontons are huge and while the broth is salty, I’d much prefer flavorful soup over the bland yellow water other places offer. The noodle-​crackers (whatever you call them) that come with soup may even be restaurant-​made and are way better than the pre-​packaged, thin, tasteless noodle-​crackers that almost every other takeout place offers.
The boneless «spare ribs» are more akin to traditional char siu BBQ pork in that they were chunks (slices?) rather than strips. Sauce was flavorful and they weren’t too fatty.
General Tso’s chicken was crispy and you don’t even have to request or pay extra for white meat! Wouldn’t mind a bit more heat in the sauce, but that’s nitpicking.
Two things keep me from giving 5 stars:
1) I didn’t get any broccoli with my General Tso’s even though the menu says it comes with it.
2) I was told verbally that the price was $ 19 + change, so I thought she was being kind by only actually charging me $ 19 even. But then the receipt showed a post-​tax total of $ 18 and change. I’m not going to fret over a few cents, but that’s kind of sketchy.
Bottom line is the food was tasty, the service was friendly and I will definitely come back. It sure beats the various take-​out joints in Dix Hills and Commack. But I will make sure to double-​check the receipt before I pay next time, and also the bag to verify I get all my food.
(Side-​note, this is purely a take-​out place. I can’t even recall seeing a single table inside).

I live about 3.5 miles down the road from this place, and they refused to deliver. They told me 2 – 3 miles is as far as they go, so if you don’t live within that range, I’d suggest a different place.
In addition, the woman on the phone was also extremely rude. After this experience, I will not be trying to contact this place again!

I ordered from here yesterday during lunch for me and my daughter. The delivery was fast and the food was nice and warm. Only thing I didn’t like was that they forgot my drinks that come with the lunch special. And the crispy sesame chicken I was not a huge fan. Will order again out of convenience and because the food wasn’t terrible.

Four months ago my Chinese spot closed down and I have tried easily ten places since then trying to find quality (American) Chinese food. After several failures, I think I finally found my new spot. I tried several items off the menu tonight and was really happy with all of them. Some things that stood out: 1) The fried rice was loaded with eggs and pork, really delicious. 2) The sesame chicken was crispy, 100% white meat and not swimming in sauce 3) The fried dumplings were loaded with flavor and tasted very fresh. Lastly, the counter woman was incredibly friendly and made me feel so welcome.
Really happy I found this place and hope it continues to impress!

I’ve been eating here since I was 8 n almost 30 years later I can’t stop. It’s to the point «Jenny» the cashier knows us ALL by my mom’s name. The food isn’t as salty as other places. The fried chicken isn’t raw nor taste like old oil. The chicken n shrimp with broccoli no Chinese veg, is to die for!

I’ve been ordering from Ching Lai for years and the food is really good. It’s restaurant quality food at take out price. Service from Jenny is the best, a real nice lady. Price is a little costly compared to other takeout chinese restaurants but it’s worth it. Try it, u won’t regret it.

This is place is awesome in terms of customer service and good food for it being a take out place. I’ve been coming here ever since I’ve moved to the area and I’m so glad I found it. Inside is a sign (which I’ve posted under images) that discusses their philosophy when it comes to customer service and I think it’s quite profound. Not only that but it’s a place with a great vibe that’s lead by their owner who is awesome. Their food is very good and I encourage people to support them. I know I’ll continue to come here as much as I can as long as I’m in the area.

Great food! Their steamed wontons and boneless spare ribs are to die for and are better than any other chinese restaurant! My fiancé is a very picky eater and will never go anywhere else. Lol.

I have been going to Ching Lai for years, I really like Jenny at the counter and the owners are very nice.
I have had parties catered by Ching Lai, my guests really enjoyed the food.
We usually order from them on Fridays, I find the food constantly good.

I stumbled upon this play via Unilocal when I was craving some Chinese food. It seemed like it had some of the better reviews so, why not?
The food here wasn’t bad, but at the same time it wasn’t anything to write home about. I didn’t try the General Tso’s that seems to be the most recommended here on Unilocal,but instead went with Chicken with String Beans.
In all, this place isn’t bad by all means, but I’ll probably continue my quest to find a bomb Chinese spot around Deer Park.

I have been going here for over 10 years and just recently started getting into Unilocal.This place is by far one of the best Chinese Food Takeout Restaurants on LI. I consider myself a chinese food fan boy, and as far as take out goes they do it great. My go-​to is the Spare Rib Tips. They are perfectly cooked, which i get well done, with a new improved sauce.
Mind you this is not Flushing Chinese Food. I personally would not frequent if they weren’t superior, thats why i find myself there a few times a month. Delicious. Now I’m hungry!

I was visiting from out of town, so when I needed a place to grab a casual quick bite, I went to Unilocal to find one. I don’t often write reviews, but I really feel this place was so misrepresented here on Unilocal that a correction is needed.
Three of us came for lunch and each ordered a different lunch combo meal. The soups (egg drop and won ton) were the unnatural bright yellow that can only come from cheap, artificially flavored bouillon. They were served in plastic take-​out containers with cheap (extremely bendy) plastic spoons.
Our entrees came out quite quickly but they were no more impressive than the soups. Very, very greasy. The pork fried rice was very dry and tasted like it had been around for a while. One bright spot was the meat and veg were actually not too terrible (fresh broccoli and non-​gristly beef, in my case). They were served heaped onto small styrofoam plates, again with woefully inadequate cheap plastic forks.
The food did not agree with us very well, either. ²⁄₃ of us went right home and «evacuated» immediately and very thoroughly, if ya know what I mean.
The restaurant must be geared toward take-​out, because the sit-​down experience was honestly pretty awful. They have maybe half a dozen booths, not very comfortable. The seating area was extremely cold. Two filthy (and I mean disgusting) space heaters were in the place; we had to ask them to turn them on. In fact the order area was pretty filthy as well. I don’t think a wall has been wiped down there since the 1980s probably. Maybe they do keep the kitchen equipment clean; I couldn’t tell from my vantage point. Our table wasn’t clean, either. The «décor» was mostly piles and boxes of their supplies (cups, plates, etc) stacked around the area, with a dirty fish aquarium siting on the counter next to the coffee pot. Maybe this is our bad for sitting down in what’s supposed to be a takeout place, but why do they have the tables if they don’t want customers to dine in? Honestly, with just a little bit of effort to wipe things down once in a while, this restaurant could be a lot less disgusting and a lot more inviting.
Bottom line: If you’re a fan of *real* food, don’t eat here. If you’re a fan of cleanliness, don’t eat here. If you like to sit down to eat your food, don’t eat here. If you’re looking for extremely affordable greasy, salty takeout and you have an iron stomach (and I do recognize that such people exist), then maybe this is the place for you.

I went to Ching Lai Kitchen to order the General Tao’s Chicken after seeing all of the positive reviews on Unilocal.The restaurant is 5 minutes from my house and I have driven by it hundreds of times in the last ten years without ever stopping in for food.
The General Tao’s Chicken was good but not great. I don’t understand why they put a heavy batter on the chicken before frying it and why they used white meat. General Tao’s Chicken tastes best with dark meat and no batter. It was also very sweet and didn’t have that spicy punch that I am used to.
Although I wasn’t crazy about my order, I look forward to going back in the future to try their other menu selections: hot and sour soup, egg foo young, spicy eggplant, pork lo-​mein and sesame chicken.
The prices were very reasonable and the place looked clean. The people who worked there were also very friendly and had the order ready in under ten minutes! They are also open much later than most Chinese restaurants in the area.
I’ll be back!

I really wanted to love this place… so much that I tried it twice before writing this review. I wasn’t impressed. Food was greasier than your usual chinese restaurant and not as flavorful as I’d like it to be. I ordered the general tso chicken and requested white meat. My bf ordered the orange chicken. We both had the fried rice and eggrolls with our combinations. I guess it’s mediocore chinese food but I am selective when it comes to chinese so maybe I’m just biased. Either way I won’t be eating here again.

Tried this after reading reviews here. It’s not bad. A little too saucy for my taste but most Chinese takeout is like that. The kitchen seemed to be clean. Someone here wrote there were boxes and not inviting to sit… WHO sits in a chinese takeout?
The vegetables were crunchy as they should be. The shrimp was cooked very well, they were big shrimp. We also had moo shoo pork that was good.
I don’t really have high expectations from Chinese takeout. The things I do expect are for the vegetables not to be soggy like someone tried to kill them, I expect NOT to feel sick after I eat the food, and I expect the place to appear clean. This place gets an A for these 3 points.
Unfortunately the brown rice was under cooked, but that is usually the case in most places.
We will eat fom here again.

There are a few Chinese take out places in the area. In fact there is one across the street and another just a block away. Ignore them. Ching Lai is the best, period.
I try to go here at least twice a month for lunch when I work from home. The food never disappoints and the staff is super friendly. The lady there remembers her customers and makes you feel like home. Never a bad experience and I’ve been going there over a year now.
The restaurant itself is nothing fancy and more on the run-​down side but, it’s fast food take out Chinese.

First time to this place here’s what I found:
Food Quality: ⁷⁄₁₀ — Tasty. Had the TSO chicken as suggested here and it was good. Crispy chicken. not greasy. Ingredients seemed fresh. Fried rice had egg and pork and onion in it (not that much though.) Wonton soup was a bit flat. Almost no scallions. Flat tasting.
Cleanliness: 3.5÷10 — Kitchen area seems run down. Some people in the kitchen were wearing hair protection but not all. Dining area was a mess. Boxes were scattered all over the place. When you walk in, the walkway to the counter and the walls are dirty. Establishment needs an overhaul. I looked hard for signs of things that would flunk a board of health test but I didn’t see anything obvious. Just messy and not very clean. (Note: The «Friendly Kitchen» across the street in the 7-​eleven parking lot looked cleaner that this one. I have not eaten there though.)
Atmosphere: ³⁄₁₀ — Very basic sit down food area. Worn out booths with a mess scattered about. Live fish tank in the corner seemed like an afterthought. Lighting is dim and not inviting.
Service: ⁵⁄₁₀ — I was the only one in the establishment, and when I walked in everyone just looked at me from behind the counter for about 2 minutes before coming out to assist. They were talking with each other instead of giving me priority. I went at a time of day that was very slow. I didn’t really see a reason for the delay. Moderately friendly but nothing to write home about.
Delivery: Did not use
Parking: ⁸⁄₁₀ — Nice lot outside
Price: ⁸⁄₁₀ — My single meal cost me $ 6.75 (General TSO, Fried Rice and wonton soup.)
Overall: 6.5÷10 For a fist visit, I was concerned about the attention to detail in the restaurant area. I was afraid that the lack of care there would also reflect on the food. My concern has eased — though not completely. I have to say my General TSO chicken was very good.
I *may* return to this establishment after I visit some of the competition nearby.

Updating because they truly deserve 5 Stars!
I live so close that I could always go and get it myself, but I like that when I call they KNOW us, and their delivery is quicker than I can get shoes on and get over there!
By far it is the BEST take-​out Chinese food in the surrounding area and while I always get the General Tao’s Chicken, I do because it is OUTSTANDING to the point where I crave it bi-​weekly! Hubby is constantly trying new things and always raves about them!
I really can’t say enough great things about them — Just PERFECT!

First time and will be the last! Food was horrible, chow mein was covered in some sort of gel. Very greasy egg rolls & wontons had hard bits of something in them.