Kirin Court

Terrible! Ants crawling all over the table, I can’t imagine what the kitchen looks like. The place has fallen into a state of disrepair. We left right after we saw our table. Stay away

3.5 stars. I was excited to find a place in Wichita that serves Szechuan food. My husband loves this stuff and always orders the boiled fish and the fried chicken in chili. Both dishes were available here, so we had to visit.
In Wichita, unlike anywhere else I’ve been to, some Asian restaurants have customer service. WhAT?!! I’m so used to being ignored that friendly Asian waitstaff catch me off guard every single time. Our wonderful waitress happily affirmed our choices and added that two dishes for two people was just enough. I don’t know why she didn’t push for more. The first 20mins, we were the only people in the restaurant. Then she and the chef… and perhaps another chef… and maybe the owner… I lost track of how many people stopped by our table to ask us if we enjoyed the food.
The boiled fish in chili broth was cooked well, but lacked the mala flavor… it was barely spicy. However, my husband really enjoyed the chicken. Not only was it fried perfectly so that the meat was still juicy, but the coating was just right and not overly greasy. Do not be intimidated by the amount of chilis in the dish. It’s certainly not as spicy as it appears. The chicken dish was one of the top 5 renditions we’ve had. I mentioned to the chef that the fish lacked spiciness and he said, «O! Next time I make it very spicy for you!» I know that if I had said anything even slightly critical at any other typical Asian restaurant… Well, I just wouldn’t do that b/​c I don’t want spit in my food.
Anyways, I heartily recommend the chicken dish and b/​c it was done so well, am interested in trying other dishes. The price point was not unreasonable, though on the higher side. Still definitely recommend Wichitans giving this place a shot. When we first came in the entire place was dark (I guess to save on electricity?) The space being so large and dark emphasized it’s emptiness. This causes me concern as to how long this place will last… It would be a pity if the only place in ICT to serve Sezchuan closes. FYI, they also serve dim sum type stuff, though I don’t think they push the carts around. Given that the other sim sum place in town is pretty meh, you might want to try it here.

Interesting place. The hot and sour soup was good, although the accompanying wontons were stale, tasting like KMart might if it were a food. The Mongolian beef was decent, veggies were reasonably crisp. The General Tso’s chicken was ok, a bit heavy though. The ambience is… interesting. Very large, empty and unusually decorated. Points for the insane Chinese Kung Fu movie on.

Walk past the stone lions and into the mostly void vestibule of Kirin Court and you will see an empty fish tank for sale. On top sits a camoflauge-​colored baseball cap, long forgotten. Continue walking into the cavernous dining room of the restaurant, and you might notice, off to the side, a roped-​off bar area that has been converted into an office with the help of papers and other clutter.
Kirin Court used to be a Chinese restaurant and it was eventually turned into a different kind of Chinese restaurant a few years ago: one part run-​of-​the-​mill and one part dim sum. It’s only the second restaurant in the city to offer the traditional Chinese brunch.
While the dim sum here did not seem to revel in the same bright sense of discovery as Tom’s Lotus Garden, it was still well within the realm of «not bad», and an enjoyable time could be had with chaozhou dumpling, the tripe satay, the shark fin dumpling, and whatever else ended up getting unveiled from the roaming cart. It ended up mostly being a lot of dumplings.
Between the dim sum menu, the book-​length regular menu, and the restaurant feeling much larger than it needs to be, there’s too much going on at Kirin Court to be comfortable, but at least it’s not boring.

They have dim sum in the morning over the weekends. It’s decent. I would go back for dim sum since there aren’t too many choices in Wichita. They have a lot of items on their menu that I haven’t had a chance to try but will. If you’re looking for authentic Chinese food in Wichita I would recommend giving this place a try.

I stopped in this week for lunch and ordered the shrimp lunch plate. Wow. Lots and lots of food… and PLENTY of shrimp, vegetables and rice for just $ 5. I ended up taking enough home in a carry-​out box for another meal.
It showed up lighting fast after I ordered it and it tasted wonderful.
Talk about ambiance… they have the big screen TV on the wall tuned to a Chinese channel. Whether or not you like Chinese entertainment TV or not, it certainly adds to the idea that you are in a Chinese restaurant.
My new favorite Chinese restaurant.

This restaurant is not a buffet any more. It serves dim sum for lunch, and serves from the menu for dinner.
Ambience: Nothing special. Typical Chinese buffet styling, as they didn’t really remodel much from the last Chinese buffet that was here. Only difference is the buffet area is now a dining area. It has a big koi pond in the middle of the restaurant.
Food: Amazing, and delicious! Very affordable. What really surprised me was the quality of it, and even more amazing was how fast it was all cooked! They have fresh lobster that they charge an amazingly low price for, only $ 9.99 a pound, even takeout! Our binged sautéed lobster dish was a 1.5 pound lobster for $ 19.99. the roasted duck was sooooo good! A must try! Egg drop soup was delicious, but a bit on the bland side. Salt and pepper shrimp was spot on. The sautéed beef with wide rice noodle was really a big hit with my family.
Service: Nothing special. Typical Asian service flair. The chef did come greet us and was sociable, which was different, and a nice welcome. If the chef looks familiar, it’s because he was the previous owner of the Asian Town Buffet on east central before he sold it to new management.
Impression: Great value for Chinese food ordered off menu. They serve typical Asian dishes and ones with flair you’d see at Asian weddings. Highly recommended for dinner. I have not tried their dim sum, so I can’t comment on it, yet.
Dr T, signing out.