Royal China Santa Rosa

⭐☆☆☆☆ A Royal Disappointment: The Culinary equivalent of a Wet Fortune Cookie Let me be perfectly clear: I have eaten questionable food from street vendors in foreign countries with less trepidation than I felt consuming my meal at Royal China. The "Royal" in the name must be a reference to the sheer audacity it takes to serve food this tragically mediocre and charge money for it. My journey into this gastronomic abyss began with hope. The restaurant is unassuming, which in retrospect should have been my first clue. We started with the Pork Dumplings. The menu called them "juicy." The kitchen, however, apparently interpreted "juicy" as "a desiccated wad of spiced cardboard encased in a doughy, leaden purse." They arrived lukewarm, with a dipping sauce that tasted like soy sauce cut with tap water and regret. For my main, I ventured for the Kung Pao Chicken, a classic dish that should sing with the harmonious flavors of chili, peanut, and a hint of sweetness. What arrived was a crime scene on a plate. The chicken had the rubbery, springy texture of a poorly made eraser, suggesting it had taken a long, sad journey from freezer to wok. The peanuts were so stale they had lost their crunch and taken on a faintly bitter, rancid quality. And the sauce? It was a gloopy, one-note assault of sugar and cornstarch, completely devoid of any heat or complexity. It was less "Kung Pao" and more "vaguely brown, sweet sludge." My dining companion, in a fit of optimism, ordered the Beef with Broccoli. The broccoli was a depressing, olive-drab mush, having been boiled into submission long before it ever saw the wok. The beef was so tough and stringy it required a concerted effort to chew, turning what should have been a pleasant meal into a jaw workout. The entire dish was swimming in a salty, generic brown sauce that could have been ladled onto anything from shoe leather to actual broccoli with the same lack of distinction. The Fried Rice was an afterthought in every sense of the word. It was the bland, clumpy white rice from the bottom of the pot, tossed with a few frozen peas and carrots and a single, lonely strand of scrambled egg. It had no wok hei, no soul, no reason for existing other than to take up space on the plate. The final insult wasn't just the food, but the sheer apathy it represented. This wasn't food prepared with care or passion; it was food assembled with a profound sense of "good enough." Every bite tasted like the chef had given up on life years ago and the kitchen was just going through the motions. In summary, Royal China Santa Rosa serves food that is not just bad; it's profoundly forgettable and yet, somehow, memorably terrible. You will leave not angry, but sad—sad for the ingredients that died in vain, sad for your taste buds, and sad for the money you will never get back. Do yourself a favor: drive past Royal China. Go to the grocery store, buy a frozen dinner, and eat it in your car. I promise you, it will be a more authentic and satisfying culinary experience.

My wife & I had lunch today at Royal China, & unfortunately I have to agree with the recent review by Michael NitrosMike McPherson. The food has continued a downward spiral in flavor & quality from what I formerly concidered the best Chinese restaurant in the area. In a response to Michael’s review, the owners claimed no changes in ownership or in the chef. All I know is that Tina & Andy are no longer there to greet us with their energy & wonderful dining experience. Andy was the chef & is no longer there — I even told two staff members today that they need to bring Andy back to re-teach them how the prepare good food. I won’t be returning, & now need to begin my search all over again for good local Chinese food.

Everything about our visit was great, and we'll definitely be back. It's American or east coast Chinese food (so all the fried chicken dishes are white meat, which I love). Waiter was very attentive, helpful, and friendly. Portions large. I thought it would be dimly lit/romantic inside, but it was actually fairly bright, ah well, but still the decor is beautiful.

Considered some of the absolute best Chinese food in Sonoma County. We have been enjoying Royal China since they opened. They have super fresh food & are consistent with their quality. Shown are the Beef Skewers & Sampler Plate from the dinner menu. The Spicy Green Beans, sweet-and-sour pork, cashew nut prawns & Mongolian chicken are from the lunch menu. You can request the more extensive dinner menu for lunch if you like. Do not forget to ask for the Hot Mustard!

Something happened! Last several times during the past two years the food was always good. On Monday night, October 28th, 2025 the food was extremely disappointing. Wontons in soup were falling apart, and the broth was flavorless. Sweet and sour pork was like a sweet and sweet stew, and the pork coating was mush. The Staters combo was soggy.

Nice Chinese restaurant tucked away inside one of my favorite shopping centers - love Best Day Spa for massages, and Dollar Tree for deals! Came here to celebrate my girlfriend's retirement as it's her favorite Chinese place to eat. Nice atmosphere, good service, clean, comfortable seating, good food and fun decor. I had Sweet and Sour chicken. Good portion and tasty!

Terrible food, very disappointing. Sweet and sour pork tasted rancid, pot stickers were doughy and uncooked. Do NOT recommend, will NOT being going here again.

Royal China Restaurant is one of our go-to spots for consistently great Chinese food. The food is always fresh, hot, and flavorful—and the quality never disappoints. Portions are generous without being overwhelming, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. We’ve dined here multiple times and the experience is always dependable. Highly recommended!

Every time I'm visiting home and have a craving for Chinese food, this is the place I go to satiate that craving. The staff is really friendly and the ambiance is nice and modern; I like how the bar is set up. We always order a jasmine tea, so delicious sipping on it before and after your meal. Everything we get comes out really quick and it's always tasty and delicious. Last time we got the cashew shrimp, chicken eggplant, and the combination chow mein. Sooooooo good. I want to try other dishes like the mapo tofu. Highly recommend coming here if you haven't been here before...you won't be disappointed!

I made some ahi poke at home and wanted to have it with some rice. It was already getting dark and I didn't want to mess around making rice after my commute home so I stopped to get a order of plain rice. The place was packed and smelled really great, there were people waiting for a table and many pick up orders lined up on the counter. So I called in the order instead of waiting in line and was told to pick it up in 15 minutes. I went to the dollar store for a short time and went back to the Royal China. The woman at the counter had my order waiting, it was about 6.50. I gave her a twenty and told her to just give me a 10 back. She said thank you very much and put the change in her too jar which was shamefully low on tips, especially because the place was jamming. I understand that many people use cards so it might not seem like she had any tips, but it still shouldn't have only had a small amount. She was very taken back by me giving her one that she told me she wanted to give me an order of lemon chicken on the house. It was really delicious and enough for two meals. Her generosity and kindness really made me feel like I was appreciated and a valued customer. I know tip culture has many people feeling less than thrilled about the subject, but I'm old school. I dealt cards when minimum wage was $3 an hour and every dime I was given helped me immensely. Back then it was absolutely taboo to ask for bring up tips. You could only say thank you when it happened and you gave every customer the same respect and service in the didn't tip. So I don't mind tipping and except it's more widespread. But I truly value when you have good service and miss my tipping as a way to say thank you for that. Now let's talk about this lemon chicken. Literally the best I've had anywhere. The pieces of chicken were top notch and breaded perfectly. It's not my usually choice of entree but I'd be hard pressed not to get it again. The rice was also better than I would have made at home. I look forward to coming back and splurging a little to have a full on feast. I recommend giving them a try.

This restaurant has been a staple for over 30 years, changing ownership only once when Tina retired and sold it a few years ago. Thankfully, the food remains just as it always has been--absolutely delicious! It's been amazing to watch Royal China's evolution. What started as a single-unit eatery has now expanded into three spacious areas. We've celebrated countless family dinners and special occasions here, and we still dine here at least 3-4 times a month.

The service was amazing and the staff were friendly and welcoming. The portion sizes are big and the taste is delicious. You can see the cook in the kitchen so they make everything on the spot. Also, the decorations for the restaurant is really cute. I had a wonderful time with my mom and we would go back again.

Came here after passing by several times decor is beautiful. Food was good and service was great. Glad we gave it a try

Consistently fantastic food and consistently wonderful service. Royal China was our top pick for Chinese food in the area whenever the craving hit so we highly recommend it.

All good customer service. Food is always delicious ready very fast. Love this place!

This food is always consistent, friendly staff reasonable prices. The food comes out very fast.

Hands down best Chinese food in Santa Rosa, probably Sonoma County. Sad thing is not nearly as good as it used to be. Sauces aren't thicken at all anymore, still good flavor, but so watery. As all SoCo restaurants have done portion size has substantially decreased as prices have skyrocketed. Some chicken dishes (kung pao) meat is no longer edible. Still good, but just a shadow of it's former self

I'll give a 3.5. This is a to go order. I will say it is a very pretty restaurant. We ordered three lunch meals with an order of egg rolls. Let's start with egg rolls. They tasted old and were very greasy and soggy, won't order them again. Hubby had spicy chicken with rice and loved it, daughter had orange chicken and also loved it. She had with showmen and said it was delish. I had basil eggplant and it was not good, tasted old and there was no basil or spice. Was very greasy. Definitely will try again, but order and ask if things could be made fresh. I will make rice at home and get chow me in. So not best but not worse. Btw place was packed.

Oh man I wanted to love this place because of the amazing reviews but I hate to say my fiancé and I were sorely disappointed. We ordered the chow mien, hunan beef, schezuan tofu, and prawn fried rice. The chow mien lacked flavor and vegetables. The hunan beef and schezuan tofu, both of which we expected to have spice, were also bland. Hunan beef is typically a spicy dish and the schezuan sauce tasted like sweet and sour sauce. The prawns were big in the fried rice but it was so bland, like everything else. We ordered take-out so I can't speak on the service or ambiance, but it looks very beautiful and we were so excited to do a date night there, but unfortunately we will not be eating from here again.

The food is delicious and they have fabulous service snd great takeout! The wonton soup is amazing

A girlfriend and I came here for lunch and had such a charming waiter, named Matthew. Lunch was delicious and conversation was enjoyable.

Ambiance was warm and cozy with many booths and a large bar on the left side of the restaurant. Service was friendly, knowledgeable and our server had great customer service and paid attention to my water glass, which I appreciated. Food was really good. You can tell they use quality ingredients. Prices were normal in my experience. Over all a very nice meal, we will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu.

I've been coming to this restaurant to eat since I was a kid. Always the each and every employee has been kind and always seems in a good mood. The staff are attentive and the food is good as well. Priced very well.

Excellent food and prompt service. The restaurant was clean. Service was friendly. My teenage granddaughter enjoyed it too.

Everything was so delicious. It's a very beautiful place. You can feel that the staff is proud of this place. Ordered chicken lettuce cups which are amazing. I've had these so many places and I'd have to say these are the best ever. Next was moo shu pork. Only the good places know how to make this and goodness do they know how. Photos of food and inside. I can't believe this is my first time here. Looking forward to returning with family.

My boyfriend and I love the food and have gone there for years. To the point that we would frequent them once a week and rotate who we sat with since we loved 3 of the wait staff there. Scotty, Corey and Carly, they were so amazing, and to the point that they remembered exactly what we had at our routine, we always felt very special and taken care of. To my disappointment, I noticed that not one of them was there, which was odd. I ask a fellow employee, and come to find out neither one of them are long longer there. The food was good as always, but the ambience in the field was not the same. Unfortunate that Royal China has lost these 3 amazing people who I know That many other customers are disappointed. It's just not the same. I don't think I'll be going there as often. The service was OK but I have seen better.

Great food quality, affordable lunch specials, and quick service make this place our #1 Chinese restaurant choice.

I heard about this place a decade ago or so, and ate there a few times before they did their remodel and expanded. The old decor wasn't bad, but the the new remodel is great - I really love the textured plaster walls, lighting, and the blown glass light fixtures - this place is not a hole in the wall by any measure! Although the menu and pricing is pretty typical - I always find the food is very well prepared, hearty portions, and high quality ingredients. I have triad a lot of dishes here over the years, and it would be hard to pick one favorite! I recently had the sautéed been curd with vegetables and was really impressed with the variety of vegetables and how well the tofu was prepared - it had a nice "skin" to it that made it very satisfying! Other favorites are the hot and sour soup, sizzling rice soup, and orange chicken! We really like the service here too - they always seem to be friendly, and prompt -and make sure we always have what we need. The kitchen seems to be very solid - food always come out fast and fresh! If you are traveling solo (or +1) they have a nice bar in the center of the restaurant, which provides comfortable seating and an alternate from the table/booth experience. They have a range of local and imported beers, wine and drinks as well. Overall, there is very little not to like about Royal China - the food is great, consistent, and the service is excellent. We are always happy after we eat here! Give Royal China a try - you might find it is your new favorite!

My family and offices have been eating at Royal China for 30 years. They are class with beautiful food. They are above average in price but well above the norm in quality. I highly recommend them for lunch or dinner.

Atmosphere and decor in the restaurant are incredible. Everything was delicious, and the service was ok. They could be more attentive. It's not genuine Chinese cuisine, very LA-ified, if you know what I mean. The sweet and sour chicken while divine, had a "chicken nugget" taste, LOL.

This is our go-to Chinese restaurant in Santa Rosa! Delicious food with great servings. We often go for the orange chicken, eggplant with pork, chicken chow mein, and egg rolls. We are never disappointed. When we eat there, the ambiance is perfect for bringing guests for special occasions! Customer service is friendly and food arrives fast.

The food is excellent. We shared a beef, a chicken and a pork dishes, and the string beans. All dishes were fabulous. The combo appetizer was just ok. The ambiance inside is nice. They also have a full bar and ample parking the problem is the service. We felt like we were in a cafeteria. No eye contact ; no engagement. Efficient though.

Honestly, still a solid option for the area where honestly there aren't that many viable choices for it in my opinion. Summer colds are totally a thing tho just improbable by nature. Thankfully that rather than other potential occurrences. So we opted for soup to soothe our sickly status. I had gotten the hot and sour, and compatriot decided on the wor wonton and an order of cheese wontons. Flavors were good across the board and hit the spot for what we needed. I'd also say I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of types of veggies in the wor wonton. We'll swing by again when we're not so under the weather.

I ordered Mongolian beef and wanton soup; they are so delicious; even next day they still tasted like fresh ones. Services are good. Thanks.

Ordered take away on Christmas Eve. They were so busy we had dinner at 3 pm, 100% worth it! Even tastes good the day after!

Royal China is by far the most upscale looking Chinese restaurant I've had the opportunity to visit in Santa Rosa. The service from the hostess to the server was excellent. The server was very knowledgeable about the menu and attentive. I ordered the Beef Chow Fun, my favorite Chinese dish. Royal Garden's dish had a nice portion size and was unique in comparison with other Chinese restaurants I'd experienced in the San Francisco Bay Area region. I enjoy vegetables and usually other restaurants will feature bean sprouts or maybe bok choy or Chinese broccoli upon request. This dish had a vegetable medley of broccoli, celery, asparagus and a couple other veggies. The taste of the dish was a little sweet. The server shared with me some hot yellow mustard and that hit the spot. I look forward to returning:)

I've been twice and it's by far the best Chinese food in Santa Rosa I got the eggrolls which are house made and they're delicous ! I have also got the chow mein, bbq pork fried rice, and snow peas with beef and it's all top notch! The service was amazing and i also got two mixed drinks which we're very yummy as well! Definitely give this place a try!

Love love love Chinese food but this place just didnt really do it for me. Inside- the inside is more on the elegant side. Theres butterflies and cloud fixtures on the walls. Theres a bar in the middle which is always a nice option to have. Food- the food was just okaaaay honestly. Some of the dishes could have had more flavor. Our favorite from here was definitely the walnut prawns. Plenty of parking and the bathrooms are very nice!! The customer service is also a plus because everyone is really friendly and accommodating. Would i come back? No

I have gone to Royal China for over 30 years Prior to their business owner selling business Food and service was incredible . I always enjoyed getting sweet and sour chicken , Kung pao chicken , lettuce wraps hot and sour soup Etc etc Since new ownership I have tried food 3 or 4 times All I can say is I GIVE UP I think 3-4 times have them enough chances but quality of food has degraded so badly but not the prices for sure

Our order came quickly and was beautiful. Full of color. Shrimp Chow Fun was great, veggies bright and crisp, shrimp was perfect. Orange shrimp was delicious, firm, tempura batter light and crisp. Wait staff was attentive and service great. We'll be back when we are in the area. Great find!!

This is my go to place and I want Chinese food. It's not only good but consistently good. I would recommend it in a very good atmosphere and friendly staff.

Food was tasteless and bland. Everyone tastes the same. Also felt sick after eating it. I am not claiming food poisoning. Just bubble gut...

My new favorite restaurant! The food is fresh and delicious and the ambiance is very relaxing. Staff are also very friendly. Definitely making this a regular place to eat.

Authentic, traditional Chinese cuisine with a not to the American palate in Santa Rosa, CA. The interior decor blends old world sensibilities with new age glass sculptures: see the attached photo. Very chic.

I've been to this restaurant many times with my mom. It's her favorite Chinese restaurant in the area. So this week I went two days in a row to get soup because it's been cold out. Like most things in life everything is about context. So to me, this place is the best of the worst. The first time we ordered 2 wor wonton soups, and I asked them for no broccoli, maybe extra bok choy to it instead, and a order of potstickers. We got everything we wanted at the normal price. The next day we order the same wonton soup, but they charged an extra $4 dollars each order for the bok choy and didn't disclose it over the phone and didn't give me a receipt until I asked for it when the price seemed off. I don't know about you, but eight dollars for a couple of small pieces of bok choy in a soup to replace broccoli seems outrageous, for what is at best is a very mediocre soup! The girl at the front desk gave me a phony sing song apology and said it was a decision of management wail not really looking at me. I came close to telling her to keep their soup, but my mother was home not feeling well. So I think I will vote with my feet and find another mediocre wonton soup at one of the other Chinese restaurants in town. The review: The soup itself had no salt or white pepper to speak of, the broth is very plain and lacked a depth of flavor of what should have been a bone broth. The potstickers were very doughy, and thick, more like a bao bun than a potsticker with just a so so flavor. The other times I've eaten here some of the other dishes were passible but not great. The only thing I can say for the places is that it has reasonable service and ambience. But in this case it won't enough for another visit for a very long time, unless my mom wants to come here to spend her $$ not mine. Enjoy the $8 dollars, it will need to last you awhile!

My husband and I got takeout. The walnut prawns were fresh, delicious, and enormous. I prefer a bit more sauce and they were a bit heavy. I thought the tempura was a bit thick. We ordered shrimp fried rice. There were 4-5 shrimp in the container and they were giant and delicious. Also very delicious. It had a smoky flavor. That was just scrumptious.. We ordered potstickers that were also very yummy. Unfortunately, we wound up eating our dinner cold, it was not our plan, and it was so delicious. We both said how yummy it would be if it was ordered and eaten in the restaurant. This is our new favorite place for Chinese food. We will definitely be back.

Best chinese in the area. Their noodles are amazing and the tofu is something to write home about.

We wanted to try a new place for Chinese food. Everything we got was delicious. We were there for a late lunch/early dinner and it was quite crowded by the time we were seated and got our food but we were seated right away. Was nicely surprised when we walked in how bright and clean the inside was compared to what it looked like from the outside. Look forward to coming back and trying new dishes.

I dream about the walnut prawns dish here it's so very delicious! Always friendly fast service.

We were so lucky to find Royal China! Chinese restaurants can be hit or miss. Having just moved here, we wanted to find a go to spot for Chinese food. Royal China is it. First, let's talk about the ambiance. This isn't your typical Chinese restaurant. No, it feels high end with modern wall decor and art glass on the ceiling. And the food, wow! Reasonably priced and oh so delicious. One tip - we were disappointed that our entrees didn't come with rice. And we didn't see our waiter again until we were nearly done. So we learned to ask when placing our order if it comes with rice.

I have eaten great Chinese food in different parts of the world including HongKong and Mainland China . I have Chinese friends so I am familiar with homestyle Chinese cooking . I took a look at Great China menu , pretty basic suburban American Chinese restaurant dishes which can be delicious so instead of heading to Oakland China town , I decided to give it a go at Lunch time . We ordered from the lunch menu , I went for chicken with asparagus since this is asparagus season , my husband ordered kung pao prawns . The lunch menu is served with soup and salad . The hot and sour soup was underwhelming, slightly eggy , the salad dressing was not Asian but passable . The main dishes arrived steaming hot which was terrific but my chicken was I cut in big clunky slices instead of thinly sliced, the taste was good and the asparagus was delicious. Kungpao prawns/shrimp was good and the accompanying pork fried rice was tasty . There is nothing adventurous about the menu except they do serve lamb . Would I go again ? Probably . Occasionally, if I don't want to drive to SF , Oakland or South Bay .

I came here with my parents , my brother and his wife and their two kids and we all loved every item we ordered. We made a reservation for 4 ( which is when they open for dinner) because this place gets packed real quick especially on weekends. Sure enough, when we got there, there were already a few others waiting to get in so we were glad we had a reservation. We ordered chow Mein, sweet and sour chicken, beef broccoli, fried rice and steamed veggies. There was not much food left. Mostly because we all ate a lot but also because portions aren't that big to begin with. It is a bit pricey, but quality is great, so we didn't mind the prices so much. The waitress Karly was super friendly and so attentive. Can't wait to go back!

Delicious food. The staff are always very friendly and check up on you often. It's a pretty restaurant with lots of lights and nice decorations. The restaurant is clean and spacious.

The broth in the wonton soup wasn't good and didn't have a chicken broth flavor and the wonton noodles were dense and not cooked enough. Hard to find any filling and lacked flavor. The fried rice was heavy and we didn't care for the texture and flavor.

THE best Chinese food I've ever had. The restaurant is beautiful. The staff is amazing. Everything about this place is absolutely wonderful.

Best Chinese food in Sonoma County! Everything on the menu is excellent! nothing greasy, all fresh vegetables. Friendly people, nice atmosphere...best Vegetable Egg Foo Young ever! Oh did I say the fried Prawns were also the best!

Our family favorite. They've got a real cool interior. The food is good and the service as well.