China Cafe

Please ignore the supercilious jerkoffs who've given China Cafe a 1 out of 5 here. It's ridiculous to call this restaurant "lower than the average" typical neighborhood spot, or whatever the Einstein who made that comment said. It's always possible to have a less than satisfying experience at an otherwise consistently great establishment. Like the character who judged this place on the basis of having sat next to a table of people drinking too much. Poor baby. Did you ask for another table? Or to have the people asked to keep it down? Or did you just sit there and fume? Pros: Ambience much nicer than average strip mall spots, owners are charming and friendly. Cons: Not much to complain about. It isn't as ritzy as Mon Jin Lau, nor is it as pricey. more

Please ignore the supercilious jerkoffs who've given China Cafe a 1 out of 5 here. It's ridiculous to call this restaurant "lower than the average" typical neighborhood spot, or whatever the Einstein who made that comment said. It's always possible to have a less than satisfying experience at an otherwise consistently great establishment. Like the character who judged this place on the basis of having sat next to a table of people drinking too much. Poor baby. Did you ask for another table? Or to have the people asked to keep it down? Or did you just sit there and fume? China Cafe has a very atypical menu, though you can still get standard, boring Americanized favorites if you're a standard, boring American. They're just better here than at most chinese eateries. But the specialities this kitchen turns out are often exceptional. And in ten years of dining here - or however long it's been open - I have rarely ordered from the menu. Grab some imagination, fellow reviewers, and ask for something that hasn't already been thought up and mapped out for you! In turning Kelly, co-owner and head chef, loose with just a few parameters, he's produced some of the most amazing, one of a kind dishes I've ever enjoyed. Did you even try something adventurous from the Korean specialties menu? If you eat at a restaurant with the capacity to turn out remarkably good, unique meals and only order predictable westernized "chinese" dishes, you have no one to blame but yourself if that's precisely what you get. To anyone contemplating a first visit to China Cafe, by all means go and order something you've never heard of. Ask Susana, the hostess and co-owner, what's especially good tonight? Ask her to recommend something customized, not from the menu. One of my favorite dishes, Ching Dao Shrimp, has never been on the menu, but I've ordered it dozens of times. China Cafe is not a below average, not a good, but a great Chinese restaurant, the best, for my $$, in town. Pros: Ambience much nicer than average strip mall spots, owners are charming and friendly. Cons: Not much to complain about. It isn't as ritzy as Mon Jin Lau, nor is it as pricey. more

I know why this restaurant is popular!!! The people at the table next to me were so drunk they could have been eating dog food. I'm not kidding. They kept ordering round after round. Drunks will scarf down anything just to keep drinking. And the waitress could not bring them drinks fast enough. Everyone was really happy. Thrilled. That has got to be it. And they will roll into here time after time... as long as the well does not run dry. Oh, the food? Who you kidding? more

I know why this restaurant is popular!!! The people at the table next to me were so drunk they could have been eating dog food. I'm not kidding. They kept ordering round after round. Drunks will scarf down anything just to keep drinking. And the waitress could not bring them drinks fast enough. Everyone was really happy. Thrilled. That has got to be it. And they will roll into here time after time... as long as the well does not run dry. Oh, the food? Who you kidding? more

Did not care for the food or ambiance. Do not understand all the hype. It is on the low end (very low end) of typical suburban Chinese fare. There is a bar scene but that is not why we drove 15 miles. We will not return to The China Cafe in Novi. Cons: Did not care for the food or ambiance more

Did not care for the food or ambiance. Do not understand all the hype. It is on the low end (very low end) of typical suburban Chinese fare. There is a bar scene but that is not why we drove 15 miles. We will not return to The China Cafe in Novi. Cons: Did not care for the food or ambiance more

We have no affiliation with any other local resturant. Don't own one. Don't work in one. We work hard and don't like to be conned when we spend money eating out. From the looks of the other people who have written reviews stating they don't care for this place, the owner comments on the poor reviews.... This time tou can save your time, Pal. The food in this restaurant is indefensible. It's a total con job. Try serving good food rather than good excuses. more

We have no affiliation with any other local resturant. Don't own one. Don't work in one. We work hard and don't like to be conned when we spend money eating out. From the looks of the other people who have written reviews stating they don't care for this place, the owner comments on the poor reviews.... This time tou can save your time, Pal. The food in this restaurant is indefensible. It's a total con job. Try serving good food rather than good excuses. more

Just went there tonight and I was impressed! I was skeptical due to some of the bad reviews on here but was persuaded to go check it out and was pleasantly surprised! Orange chicken was great as was the fried rice soup and the service was great. Orange chicken was 10.95 for a TON of all white meat chicken and I loved each piece so much I appeared pregnant on the way out haha. Check this place out! more

Just went there tonight and I was impressed! I was skeptical due to some of the bad reviews on here but was persuaded to go check it out and was pleasantly surprised! Orange chicken was great as was the fried rice soup and the service was great. Orange chicken was 10.95 for a TON of all white meat chicken and I loved each piece so much I appeared pregnant on the way out haha. Check this place out! more

I'm looking for a Chinese restaurant where I can eat: I have an MSG allergy. Not this one! I asked for steamed tofu in Genreal Tso's sauce and steamed vegetables in rice with some kind of tasty sauce with no MSG and no oils. They say "we don't add MSG to anything" whch means, if you question them closely, that their sauce ingredients are purchased ready-made from outside and all contain MSG. I was clearly told "There is nothing you can eat here." OK... I'll go to Hong Hua on Orchard Lake Rd where they will make me food from scratch without MSG. China Cafe is closer to where I work, but if they are going to feed me out of jar... oh well... Cons: Can't make a meal without using bottled sauces and MSG... how sad... more

I'm looking for a Chinese restaurant where I can eat: I have an MSG allergy. Not this one! I asked for steamed tofu in Genreal Tso's sauce and steamed vegetables in rice with some kind of tasty sauce with no MSG and no oils. They say "we don't add MSG to anything" whch means, if you question them closely, that their sauce ingredients are purchased ready-made from outside and all contain MSG. I was clearly told "There is nothing you can eat here." OK... I'll go to Hong Hua on Orchard Lake Rd where they will make me food from scratch without MSG. China Cafe is closer to where I work, but if they are going to feed me out of jar... oh well... Cons: Can't make a meal without using bottled sauces and MSG... how sad... more

Are you kidding me? People HONESTLY think that this is a one-star restaurant? I call shenanigans- these negative reviews are likely from owners of competing restaurants trying to bring down the best Chinese restaurant on the west side. The wait staff is phenomenal - I have never reached the bottom of my glass without it being cheerfully refilled. Everything is fresh and tasty. The Mongolian Beef and General Tso's chicken are our favorites. The menu has great variety, and the entire staff is very kid-friendly (one time they even offered to take our daughter to show her the fish when they saw that she had finished before us). We cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. We are regulars, but not because we're barflies - we come only for the excellent food. Pros: Friendly staff, great food, good atmosphere (and very clean!) Cons: A little pricy, but worth it more

Are you kidding me? People HONESTLY think that this is a one-star restaurant? I call shenanigans- these negative reviews are likely from owners of competing restaurants trying to bring down the best Chinese restaurant on the west side. The wait staff is phenomenal - I have never reached the bottom of my glass without it being cheerfully refilled. Everything is fresh and tasty. The Mongolian Beef and General Tso's chicken are our favorites. The menu has great variety, and the entire staff is very kid-friendly (one time they even offered to take our daughter to show her the fish when they saw that she had finished before us). We cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. We are regulars, but not because we're barflies - we come only for the excellent food. Pros: Friendly staff, great food, good atmosphere (and very clean!) Cons: A little pricy, but worth it more

After reading the reviews, we tried the China Cafe. Sorry to say we have to agree with the ones that say many of the 5 star reviews for The China Cafe must be a hoax. 100% FICTION. The China Cafe is a local watering hole that happens to serve something that resembles Chinese Food. Barely. Pros: Won't Be Fooled Again Cons: Owners review their own Food! more

We called ahead for reservations since we were a large party (6 adults and 4 kids). The staff were friendly, energetic, helpful and made us feel quite at home. more

We called ahead for reservations since we were a large party (6 adults and 4 kids). The staff were friendly, energetic, helpful and made us feel quite at home. The Sea Bass was very fresh and delicious. I ordered mine a little spicy and just loved it. I'm not usually a fish eater, either. I also loved the salad that came with it. It was a yummy combination of sweet and salty, crisp and nutty. I also sampled my friend's Gung-Pao Chicken. The sauce was just wonderful! I wanted to try my husband's Dofu dish, but he snarfed it down before I got a chance to sample (sigh). No problem, we will definitely go back. It is well worth the drive from Ypsilanti. My friends also enjoyed the appetizers of pot-stickers and a sweet, cream-cheese-filled, fried dumpling. I think it is called Rangoon or something like that. The chef and owner came out and asked us how we liked everything. We were happy to tell him the food was delicious. more

After reading the reviews, we tried the China Cafe. Sorry to say we have to agree with the ones that say many of the 5 star reviews for The China Cafe must be a hoax. 100% FICTION. The China Cafe is a local watering hole that happens to serve something that resembles Chinese Food. Barely. The China Cafe serves up great reviews for their own food. Tricky Business to be sure. Detroit News Restaurant Critic Molly Abraham does not jump up and down about the China Cafe. Why is that? Because she knows food: Nuff Said. By the way, "Dofu" is spelled Tofu in English. Unless you are the owner -- writing your own review for The China Cafe. Please read the review below and draw your own conclusion. Pros: Won't Be Fooled Again Cons: Owners review their own Food! more

The food tasted old. Service was poor. The vibe was just terrible. It's like half a resturant and half a 19th hole kind of place. Cons: Food did not taste fresh more

The food tasted old. Service was poor. The vibe was just terrible. It's like half a resturant and half a 19th hole kind of place. Cons: Food did not taste fresh more