Brittney H.
Yelp
I have been craving good Chinese takeout ever since I moved to Bakersfield about three months ago. The Panda Express down the street just really wasn't cutting it. I oftentimes find myself scrolling through Groupon and just happened to see a Groupon for Ching Yen and thought I would give it a try!
I arrived on a weeknight around 8pm with eight other people and the owner, who was waiting tables by herself, seated us with no issue. She even opened a separate room so that we could all sit together.
Once we were seated, she brought us menus, ice water, and hot green tea (which was lovely). My friend and I decided to go with the Golden Dinner, which could feed a minimum of two people. It included an appetizer of spring rolls and cream cheese wontons, egg flower soup, garlic chicken, sweet and sour pork, and white rice. We decided to add an order of potstickers and Mandarin chow mein (chow mein with beef, chicken, and shrimp). We must have been super hungry because we ate every last bite, just the two of us!
The food was excellent. I can't stress that enough. I don't typically like egg soups but the egg flower soup was delicious! It gave me the same feeling as if I were downing a giant bowl of hot chicken soup. It was very savory and comforting to eat. The appetizers were great as well, especially the potstickers. The sauce that went with them was the perfect addition! The Mandarin Chow Mein would have been better if it was hotter. However, the taste was still great. The sweet and sour pork was my favorite. It came with onions, peppers, and pineapple. The pork was hot and juicy and I could've eaten a whole plate of it by myself (and I'm not even a fan of pork)! The garlic chicken was pretty good but it wasn't my favorite. The only reason I didn't care for it was because I'm not a fan of water chestnuts and the dish was full of them.
The service was great. The owner was a very nice, spunky older woman. She was quick on her feet and super attentive. We loved her! Our group ended our meal by discussing ghosts and Pokémon go with her.
I will DEFINITELY be back. Ching Yen is now my favorite Chinese place in Bakersfield and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for great Chinese food.