China Cafe

This place is so good, ignore the other reviewers they clearly have weird expectations for Chinese food! This place has amazing patio views of the river, absolutely gorgeous the staff is extremely friendly! It’s some of the best customer service I’ve had in years! Their vegetarian sesame tofu is sooooo bomb like crispy and delicious and their vegetarian fried rice is also so so good with fresh vegetables and delicious bean sprouts. Their drink prices are fantastic compared to other places around here and the portion sizes are huge ( in my opinion). If you want a low key place with beautiful view of the river and great vegetarian Chinese food, then come here! They were also so sweet and let us bring our dog on the patio and have us a little bowl for her.

The chicken fried rice we had last night was delicious! It was light and had an addicting flavor to it! Oh my FOODness and the steamed dumplings with the sauce were excellent!!!! I highly recommend this place. Sincerely, Gonzalez Family! All the way from south Texas

Ordered delivery two nights in a row. Delicious food and good-sized portions. Ordered by phone direct from the restaurant to avoid the Door Dash fees. Woman on the phone who might have also been the delivery woman was very nice. Will definitely eat here again the next time I'm in Durango.

Stopped here for lunch during the work week & had a good experience! They have $11.95 lunch specials that come with soup & an egg roll which is nice. The actual dining area is very small inside and it wasn’t until I finished that I realized they had a beautiful outdoor dining area in the back that was next to the river! Sesame chicken was yummy and I upgraded my soup to Wonton soup for $1 more which to me was totally worth it. Service was great. They have a buffet during early lunch hours but I haven’t tried it yet so not 100% sure how it is. For places like this, I wish Google allowed 1/2 stars because my experience was better than 4 but the overall restaurant itself isn’t 5 stars. Will definitely be back.

Came here on a snowy day after being unable to drive up to the ski resort. Service was fantastic and attentive. The menu was large and they had a fantastic lunch menu on the back that was extremely reasonably priced. Had the sesame chicken and it came with egg drop soup, an egg roll and fried rice. Everything was super tasty. If you want a nice sit down Chinese lunch, I’d definitely recommend this place. Will be back soon

It was so delicious and relaxing. Customer service was very pleasant and the FOOD IS SCRUMPTIOUS... I would recommend every student and their Family celebrate here . It is a place I will return again..

My lunch consisted of the Honey Garlic Chicken. Hot, delicious, crispy and so good that I will return for more. Due to outside temps, we ate inside. Will definitely return to dine outside along the Animas River when warmer weather returns.

Mediocre Chinese food, not as good as it could be. Taste is average, maybe even below average considering the price for the serving size. Not much meat for family-style dishes. Really wanted to like it but cannot name a single dish I’d recommend.

Ordered sesame tofu and the house combination lo mein with egg rolls. The tofu was tasty but I wish I had more broccoli. A photo I saw on Door Dash showed more. In general the food is predictably a 4/5. They ask if you want rice or not and I'm glad they do because I don't eat mine and seems like a waste to provide this. The combination lo mein has lots of protein and mixed veggies. I just wish there were more veggies, but won't complain.

Food was amazing! Service was awesome and the ambiance was impeccable!! We ate outside on a rainy day and even though kinda weird they had no problem accommodating! View from patio is absolutely beautiful! And the food made the experience even better

We ordered carry out for dinner and everything was hot, fresh and delicious. Our order was ready in 10 minutes!

I came here for the tea! I saw that they were doing a passion fruit tea and I was not disappointed. Being from California I'm surrounded by tea places and in Durango there's not many. But I'm was able to get my fixing here, I even took one to go. I also had honey walnut shrimp here and it was good. I love the ambience of the place as it's a homey place and their outdoor eating area is right by the river. So you can have a good meal with a great view. The fried rice was ok. But the best but ok

Restaurant is amazing. The food was very tasty and the service was excellent. The restaurant had an amazing waterfront view that all together offers a wonderful and fulfilling dining experience.

We've ordered several times, and always enjoyed it! They are fast and deliver fast! We really enjoyed the lo mein and crab Rangoon.

Only place open for Xmas and they were very very busy. Order was correct and didn't take too long to be ready to pick up

Fantastic little place with exceptional food and an amazing riverside eating area. Had moo shu and garlic chicken with hot and sour soup and egg flower soup, as well as some egg rolls. Very enjoyable.

Some of their food is good. Have gotten lo mein in the past and enjoyed it. But, whatever you do, do NOT order the ramen. We only did because I was craving ramen and our go-to places were closed. We were given ONE small piece (like seriously tiny) of pork, no veggies, 1/2 and overcooked egg, and a heap of noodles. No broth. Almost like it had been gently "tossed" in broth. Ended up ordering dominos lol. I suppose I'll still give them 3 stars because there are things on the menu that are decent, but they should take ramen off their menu asap.

Fresh and flavorful food and they packed it with a box so all food was safe as we ordered delivery. It was quick. We could tell it was all made to order even the egg rolls were freshly made. Thanks China Cafe for starting our visit to Durang with a wonderful meal!!

We called in our order. Food was freshly prepared . We order to go. Place as busy. We order wonton soup egg flower soup . Yes it was a soup kind of day. Excellent . Good flavor taste consistency. Traditional Chinese food not served from serving treys. A more traditional classic' restaurant . Tribute to tradition long gone these days. A refreshing welcome . Will gladly return for other items to try.

Wow! This place is a tiny place. The owners are so very friendly!! They have the Best crab rangoons I have ever put in my mouth!! We also had there egg rolls as starters, yummy!! My boyfriend got the ultimate fried rice, it was delicious, also sesame chicken. I got the low menu with everything but pork. It was so good. I ate it all. Portions are a good size. Prices are good!!

Best veggie chow mein and moo shoo both my wife and I have EVER HAD. The veggie fried rice wasn't incredible but still really good. The patio by the river has great views but could use some improvements (cleaning up boxes and painting peeling paint). Cute family owned spot, would come again.

Zero stars!!! Prices high, portions small, no dinner combos, everything ala carte, $17 entrees that come with nothing. My wife ate there and within 10 minutes of eating she got sick. Avoid at all costs!!!!!!!

Super fast and quite good. We had the BBQ pork appetizer and it was spicy and good. We had the spicy szechwan pork plate and that was also good. Affordable for a family of five. Only draw back was they used Pepsi products...LOL. Can't win them all I guess.

Ordered at our Hotel while on Vacation, sent wrong items on a couple item, not silverware, even though requested. called to let them know, was told they will rectify and redeliver in 10-15 min, few min later, got a call back with the guy arguing with me that I placed the order wrong, not according to the receipt??? food is ok at best, will not order again

Delicious food, great service, such a nice outdoor patio! Family community, authentic Asian cuisine. LOVE!

Pretty good for Chinese-especially takeout! Haven't been disappointed and we've been about 5 times. This last time I called about 20 minutes before closing (rude of me, I know), and they were still so kind! It wasn't until I got home with the food I ordered that we realized they gave us a huge portion of free shrimp fried rice! We love them.

There's no great Chinese in Durango but as of late, and with an employee, Cody, it's gotten a little better. Today we got two entrees and used a total of five soy sauces on the two which is a good thing meaning they weren't too salty. They were lacking in sauce but that's not necessarily a bad thing because that means they're not greasy. Truth be told, I would genuinely appreciate more sauce especially because they leave plenty of room in their take-away containers. In the recent past, China Cafe has been on the sweet side and although too sweet for my liking, not too sweet over all. So, since my last review, CC has improved to a 3.5/5 which for Durango in 20+ years is the best I've had. Finally, what really rings home to me while writing this review is that historically, Durango does not have good Chinese compared to big cities. More and more, many that have the same complaint really enjoy Mongolian Grill but what I love about wok cooking is that smoky goodness well prepared Chinese food takes on but I don't think that Mongolian Grill can achieve that flavour that I love. ten years ago, May Palace was good but the three times I've had it in 18 months, it not only wasn't good but I found that no mater the dish, it tastes like the restaurant smells which is decades of sale oil and food odors on the walls and in the carpet which is kind of disgusting. I can only imagine what could be found in that joint with a deep cleansing. Given my choice of Chinese/eastern style food, as of late, it's China Cafe

Good stars for location only. Enjoyed the river side at the restaurant deck. Very small portion size, food dry n greasy. Staff and service not up to the mark. Dirty chairs and unclean surrounding. Missed on the upkeep and charged much on the food.

Fresh, quick service and beautiful patio overlooking the Animas River! And pet friendly! Enjoyed the chili and oil on my hunan chicken. Husband liked his twice cooked pork.

Friendliest place in town. Lots of food for a great price. They have inside seats, an outdoor deck overlooking the River, and To-Go. Someone complained about just getting two shrimp in an earlier review, but they must have remedied this because we had a lot of meat in our meals

The chicken chow mein here is excellent. We also enjoyed the lighted back patio at after the sun went down. Highly recommend

Right down the middle for small-town Chinese food..............................................................

We're visiting Durango and craving some good Chinese food! Found China Cafe on google and popped in for some dinner. The atmosphere itself is cozy and warm. It's a very small building. The food is delicious with excellent portion sizes! Might just move to Durango for this hidden gem ;)

We stopped in Durango late one night. It was snowy and icy out. We had been traveling a long way and were very hungry. Not much was open in town. We went into China Cafe where it looked like the waiter was tabulating receipts. We asked if they were open and he said yes and seated us. He was very welcoming and kind. I ordered a cup of wonton soup to start as I was cold and needed comfort (soup=comfort to me). He said he loved their wonton soup and when I got it, I loved it too. Chock full of fresh veggies as well as the wontons. It was wondeful. I had Hunan Chicken and my husband had Double Cooked pork. Matthew (remember that name - he was a great server!!) asked us about spice level. Food came out and both were very generous servings. Lots of meat, lots of fresh veggies (with a nice crunch left in them), lots of flavor. Couldn't finish and took leftovers back to our room for next day's breakfast! The food is American Chinese. I like very authentic Chinese, but have a soft spot for more Americanized dishes as well. Especially when as well done as these were. I left happy, full, content, relaxed, pleased....etc. The food gets a YAY and Matthew gets a big shout out! Thanks for staying open for us and not rushing us. And still giving us a well cooked and thoughtful meal!

Hi, we have ordered from CC a number of times. I agree with another reviewer that there are no great Chinese restaurants in Durango BUT I was very pleasantly surprised by how good the food was from there last night. I ordered a lot b/c leftovers are always nice to have around. All 4 of the entrees had a ton of veggies, which we love, and I thought the portion sizes were very nice; compared to eating there in the past I expected them to be smaller. This was the best Chinese food we've ever ordered from them. Keep it up, CC! Nice job.

Sitting by the Animas River was very nice. I ordered the shrimp lo mein and it was delicious . I also ordered the beef egg rolls but could not find any meat in them. Hubby ordered cashew chicken and said it was very good. Portions were very large. Service was so fast. If ever in Durango I will definitely eat there again.

We stopped in for lunch on a Sunday. Service was super friendly. I loved the patio on the river. The food was so so. I have certainly had better Chinese food. But i was a nice experience.

Fast delivery, very friendly and food was very good and plentiful. Very reasonably priced too. I got the orange peel chicken with steamed broccoli and hubby got the beef with broccoli. Tons of fried rice came with the meals. They even brought paper plates along with the forks and napkins. It was great having it delivered to our hotel. Food came fast and still very hot.

We rarely eat Chinese food but decided to order take out. We were thrilled by the delivery time, the kind young man who delivered the food and the ease of ordering over the phone. We attempted to order on line prior with difficulty. The shrimp with snow peas was short on shrimp especially for the price, although the snow peas were crisp and delicious. A few more carrots and bamboo shoots would have been welcome. The egg drop soup lacked flavor and egg along with what ever else belongs in it. The hot and sour soup was fair, missing the essential flavor of hot and sour. Since options are limited in Durango it is possible we will be back, but no time soon. I suggest adding more essential ingredients to the dishes so they better represent their names and descriptions.

The lady was very nice and attentive and food took 5 minutes to come out but tasted very eh not terrible but not exceptional and prices were high but not a terrible place

We were looking for a relaxing hotel delivery dinner after a day on the train to Silverton but were once again disappointed. delivery time was quick but everything else was bad. It all tasted like yesterday's food with no seasoning. everything was cold. it's disappointing to spend the money we did on subpar food when we are only here for a limited time.

I have had the lunch buffet prior to COVID-19 and it was a decent variety for a filling meal. How the times have changed! They still advertise the lunch buffet on the side of the building but I walked in and they no longer have the buffet. I ordered a lunch special with General Tso's chicken, fried rice, egg roll, and soup. I had hot tea and water. I waited about 15 minutes for the food, when it arrived it was tepid at best. The chicken was not hot and spicy like the asterisk on the menu designates. Honestly, the egg roll was the star of the show, for what it's worth. The cost was $13.22 before tip, the highest pricing for lunch at any of the restaurants in town. The biggest problem was the oxymoronic smallest portion of any Chinese lunch I've ever had, anywhere. Not even a fortune cookie when the bill came.

They are loading everything with sugar now. I just threw out a two dishes that are both supposed to be spicy and they were too sweet to eat and not spicy at all. A shame because I used to like this place a lot. I don't know if they changed hands or have a new chef but seems like something is different in the last month or two. Even the fried rice had little flavor and almost no veggies in it. Really disappointing

The lo Mein combination was delicious!!!!! And the ice tea too!!!! Don't judge the book by his cover!!

Salt, salt and more salt. Everything tastes the same. No flatware to be had, sad, sad. The virus has everybody down, the food just wants to make you frown. Hope all is good with them right now, I'm trying not to have a cow.

Excellent pot stickers & rangoons. Excellent hoy & sour soup & egg drop soup. Shrimp fried rice was very disappointing and the sesame chicken had good sauce but meat was very dry & tough. 5 stars for the appitizers & 1 star for the entrees. Overpriced for the quality....not good bang for the buck. Would go back but only for soup & appitizers

Food was good. Service was great. We loved the outside patio next to the Animas River. If you are in the mood for Chinese, I recommend the China Cafe.

We got this to go while staying in Durango. The food was so good. We will definitely stopping by again on our next visit.

Dropped in for a late lunch and we all ordered different dishes from the menu. I had the hunan delight with steamed rice which was delicious. The dishes are not oversized and don't come with soup so just keep that in mind also. I did notice a sign on the door stating lunch buffet from 11-2:30. My family had general tso, Mongolian beef, chicken lovers plate and a noodle dish. The noodle dish stated pan fried but had a different textured noodle(crunchy). The chicken lovers plate was two different chicken dishes in one. The dinner dishes come with either steam rice or fried rice which comes in a small bowl on the side. The restaurant was cozy. Our server took our orders, brought the food and then left for delivery. Overall it was good food with portions that are small for a dinner service. Will have to try other places in town to compare prices and food.

We really enjoyed the orange chicken with broccoli (chef's recommendation), lo mein, and vegetable tofu soup. Ordered for pick-up and it only took 10 mins to prepare, and our custom requests for added heat were perfectly executed. The ordering website needs to be checked out since i entered all my details to pay and still had to pay upon arrival. Lastly, I would recommend adding an appetizer option for summer rolls for a healthy roll option using rice paper, and possibly salmon skin salad or seaweed salad for other light appetizer options.

The lettuce wraps were a nice find. My boys really enjoyed them. No leftovers for them. We treated my so on here for his birthday since it was close to where we stayed.

Really good food. I highly recommend the beef with broccoli. They are also very fast with takeout.

Their food is on point and they actually deliver! The chow mein and volcano shrimp are my favorite.

I grew up in Durango and have eaten at the China cafe a plethora of times. My father is also a frequenter of the establishment. The food is average, however that's not surprising because it's Chinese food in Durango. I have always been a fan of lo mein, veggie fried rice, wontons and egg rolls. The lo mein is decent just lacking flavor, I got into the habit of bringing it home and sprucing it up with my own seasonings and veggies for a quick and easy meal. The fried rice has always been good. The wontons/ rangoon have been a hit or miss over the years. When they are good, they are nice and creamy when they are bad they are old, dry and crumbly. This past visit we ordered veggie pan fried noodles, wontons, egg rolls and Kung pao chicken. The wontons were pretty good and the egg rolls were decent. I was not impressed with the Kung Pao chicken. It lacked flavor and the texture was extremely off putting. There was a minuscule amount of chicken in the dish, which I ended up picking out and eating instead. My dad enjoyed his noodles, which I think is more out of habit then anything so he will still be a customer! Over the years I have seen a plethora of young students usually high schoolers behind the counter, I have always been treated very well there by the staff and appreciate their kindness and willingness to help me. I have never sat down at this restaurant but walking through it to get my to go order I have seen the buffet. Personally I would never eat a buffet, but especially this one. The food always looked tired, sad and old. This establishment would not be on the top of my recommendations for Durango eats.

I understand that restaurants are dealing with the impacts of inflation just as we are, so that's why I continued to be a customer at China Cafe even after they raised their prices to a point that I was thought was over the top. But now the portion sizes are smaller to the point where it's just not even worth it. I ordered the cashew chicken and the amount of chicken was so tiny I could barely even tell there was chicken it. 98% vegetables and cashews. So disappointing. I won't be ordering from there again.

Ordered delivery and it came pretty fast. We actually ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken three nights in a row cause my husband and I loved it so much. They put the fried chicken and sauce in separate containers so it was still nice and crispy when it got here. Generous portion for a decent price. Also love the fact that it was in recyclable plastic containers instead of styrofoam (just dislikes the chances of having that plasticky taste). Would definitely go and try out their weekday lunch buffet in the near future.

Good honest basic family friendly place. Had the Chicken and Broccoli, crisp veggies, chicken was tender. Mongolian beef was good, just the right spice. Fried rice and pork lo mein were on the money. Nice spot for some simple good Chinese. You get what you expect and it's good.