17 Best Chinese Restaurant Chains in 2024
Are you looking for the best Chinese restaurant chains around? Ready to dive into the flavors of authentic or fusion Chinese cuisine? If so, this curated list showcasing the best Chinese food chains is sure to be of interest!
With a wide range of dishes, price points and restaurant atmospheres, there’s a lot to discover when exploring the many options available. Whether you want the best takeout Chinese food or are searching for a place for a sit-down meal, you’ll find it in this guide to the top Chinese restaurant chains.
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The 17 Best Chinese Food Restaurant Chains
1. Panda Express
First on our list of the best Chinese restaurant chains is the iconic Panda Express. Founded by Andrew Cherng in Glendale, California back in 1983, this family-run chain has since grown to have over 2,300 locations. That makes it the largest family-run chain of its kind in the United States.
The menu features classic American-style Chinese dishes like orange chicken, chow mein and honey walnut shrimp, among many other favorites. Along with popular main dishes, you can order sides and appetizers like cream cheese rangoons, vegetable spring rolls and fried rice. When you visit Panda Express, expect to order at the counter but there is seating available or you can take your food to go.
2. Pei Wei Asian Kitchen
Next up on our list of the top Chinese restaurant chains to visit is Pei Wei Asian Kitchen. This is another fast-service restaurant serving up fresh Asian-inspired fare. First opened in 2000 in Scottsdale, Arizona, Pei Wei now has over 110 locations across the United States.
Its extensive menu offers shareable plates like chicken dumplings and vegetable spring rolls, classic Chinese-American staple entrées, such as firecracker shrimp and orange chicken, and even poke bowl options. There are kids' options as well, making it a great family-friendly spot. When it comes to Chinese restaurant chains, Pei Wei is as reliable as they come!
3. Pick Up Stix
Pick Up Stix is another great entry on our list of the best Chinese restaurant chains that offers Asian-American fare. Founded by Charlie Zhang in 1989 in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, this popular chain can be found mainly in Southern California, with a few locations also in Nevada, Texas and Utah.
This Chinese restaurant chain’s trademark flavors are achieved by adapting classic Asian dishes for American tastes. Popular dishes include crispy honey chicken, house-special tofu and grilled teriyaki salmon. Classic appetizers, including lettuce wraps, spring rolls and wonton soup are available as well. If dining as a group, you can also get family-style meals that come with a generous selection of mains and sides, plus fun fortune cookies.
4. Manchu Wok
Manchu Wok is another excellent fast food Chinese restaurant worth visiting when you want quick and filling food on the go. A historic staple at mall and airport food courts, it was first opened in 1980 by Dr. Jack Lew in Ontario, Canada. This Chinese fusion restaurant now has locations across North America.
There are lots of excellent dishes to try here, from honey garlic chicken to Shanghai noodles and fried rice. When it comes to the most delicious and comforting Chinese food restaurant chains, Manchu Wok is near the top of the list!
5. Asian Chao
Another dependable Chinese restaurant chain that’s often found in mall food courts is Asian Chao. The first location popped up in 1991 in Orlando’s Florida Mall, and today, locations can be found across Florida as well as in Georgia, Ohio and Indiana.
This chain offers a myriad of unique Asian-American dishes, like bourbon chicken, as well as classics, such as teriyaki chicken and orange chicken. Add in some appetizers like egg rolls and cream cheese rangoons and you’ve got yourself a Chinese fusion takeout feast!
6. Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fun is a popular Taiwanese and Chinese restaurant chain that grew from selling xiao long bao (steamed pork soup dumplings) to expanding into the widely-loved restaurant brand we know today. Din Tai Fung has locations in five states: California, Washington, Oregon, New York and Nevada. Internationally, this brand even gained a Michelin star at its Hong Kong branch.
Popular dishes include the chicken xiao long bao and the sticky rice shao mai. There are some good plant-based options here as well, such as vegan dumplings, vegan noodles with sesame and vegan bao buns. With such quality ingredients and artfully crafted dishes, there’s no question that this Chinese restaurant chain deserves a visit.
7. Lao Sze Chuan
With more than 15 locations, Lao Sze Chuan is a Chicago staple of a Chinese restaurant chain that is loved by many in and around the Windy City for good reason. Now with additional locations in other parts of Illinois as well as Connecticut, Texas, Maryland and Ohio, you have more options to try this outstanding restaurant for yourself.
The restaurant offers a menu of traditional dishes made with fresh ingredients. Popular choices include sole fish filet with black bean sauce, shrimp with garlic sauce and classic broccoli with beef. There are lots of meat-free options as well, from various tofu dishes to eggplant Peking style and Szechuan mixed vegetables. With its elevated décor and incredible dishes, this is one of the most famous Chinese restaurant chains you won’t want to miss if you happen to have one nearby.
8. Yang Chow
Opened in 1977 by five brothers from the Yun family, Yang Chow is a small Chinese restaurant chain based in Los Angeles. Along with serving some of the best Chinese food in Los Angeles at the Chinatown location, Yang Chow has locations in Pasadena and Long Beach.
The restaurant specializes in delectable Mandarin and Szechuan fare with specialty dishes including Szechuan chicken and lemon scallops. This spot will especially appeal to those who love appetizers thanks to the extensive starter menu filled with tasty options like shrimp toast, fried wontons, spring rolls and cold noodles with sesame. If you’re in the LA area, stopping at one of the three Yang Chow locations can’t be missed.
9. Mark Pi’s
Created by Mark Pi himself, Mark Pi’s is part of a group of Chinese restaurant chains, along with Mark Pi’s Express (often seen in food courts) and Mark Pi’s China Gate. Each varies when it comes to the style of Chinese cuisine offered but all provide delicious meals nonetheless.
The menu features classic fried rice and lo mein, as well as kung pao noodles, sweet and sour chicken with rice and much more. Fun fact: Mark Pi also held the Guinness world record for being the fastest human noodle maker from 1981 to 1993!
10. Mr. Chow
Another excellent upscale Chinese restaurant chain to visit is Mr. Chow, created by artist and restaurateur Michael Chow. Its doors first opened in London on Valentine’s Day in 1968.
Since then, this chain has expanded in the United States with five operating locations today in NYC's Tribeca and Midtown East neighborhoods, plus Beverly Hills, Miami and Las Vegas. If outside the U.S., you can visit the original location in London and there’s also a Mr. Chow in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
With a menu of tasty, authentic Beijing dishes, the fresh ingredients used make this one of the healthiest fast food chains as well when it comes to family-style Chinese cuisine. Featured menu items include the Beijing chicken and the lobster shumai. A prix fixe menu is also on offer if you can’t decide what to order among the many tempting options.
11. Xi’an Famous Foods
The story behind Xi’an Famous Foods is a heartwarming one about a father, a son and a dream to bring the delicious food of Xi’an to North America. This Chinese restaurant chain is based in New York City, with locations in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, and has a loyal cult following.
The eatery serves up dishes like cold-skin noodles, spicy beef hand-pulled noodles and more, with comforting soups to match. There are lots of spicy options if you like dishes with some extra heat and you can try some cool fusion options as well, such as stewed pork burgers. If you’re after the best Chinese food in NYC, a trip to Xi’an Famous Foods has to be on your bucket list.
12. Chow King
Chow King is another of the more unique fast food Chinese restaurant chains to consider for your next meal. This popular food joint is a counter-service style eatery that first opened in the Philippines in 1985 and was later acquired by Jollibee. Serving up a menu of Chinese-Filipino fusion dishes, it’s an interesting spot to try if you want something a little different from classic Chinese or Chinese-American dishes.
Customers often opt for the Chinese-style fried chicken, the beef wonton with asado siopao and the chicken rice bowl options. You can also get some tasty desserts to go with your main meal, including Halo-Halo, a traditional Filipino dessert with shaved ice, ube ice cream, flan and tapioca pearls.
13. Leeann Chin
With roots that date back to Minneapolis in 1980, Leeann Chin is a successful national Chinese restaurant chain with more than 40 locations today, many of which are in the Midwest. Named after the founder herself, this chain is a tribute to traditional Chinese cuisine in Leeann’s signature style.
The menu features classic Chinese-American fare like potstickers, fried rice with vegetables and lemon chicken. With a delicious menu and heartwarming roots, it makes sense that Leeann Chin is one of the most popular Chinese restaurant chains around.
14. P.F. Chang’s
One of the first national Chinese restaurant chains to open in America was P.F. Chang’s, and its reputation still precedes it today. It all started in 1993 when co-founders Philip Chiang and Paul Fleming joined forces to bring delicious Chinese fare to the wide reaches of the globe. More than 30 years later, this restaurant has grown to celebrate Asian fusion foods of all kinds, but with Chinese cuisine still at its roots. You can find over 200 locations across the United States with around 100 more across the globe.
Popular dishes at P.F. Chang’s include crispy green beans, Chang’s Spicy Chicken and shrimp with lobster sauce. With a number of vegan options, from stir-fried eggplant to chili-garlic green beans and mapo tofu, P.F. Chang’s is also one of the best vegan fast food spots for those who want quick and satisfying plant-based Chinese food.
15. HaiDiLao
This Chinese restaurant chain specializes in hot pot dishes and features a menu of delicious soup bases with ingredients provided to cook your meal as you eat. With 13 restaurants and counting the United States alone, it’s clear that this Chinese restaurant chain is growing in popularity every day.
When dining here, choose from six soup bases. You then pick your hot pot ingredients from a vast selection of ingredients. Options include fried bean curd roll, shrimp and unique dancing noodles.
What’s fun about this build-your-own Chinese restaurant chain is that you can try a different hot pot combination based on your preferences each time you visit. As you can choose your own ingredients, including lots of vegetables and lean proteins, HaiDiLao is also one of the healthiest Chinese food places to dine at.
16. Chengdu Taste
Chengdu Taste is one of the most famous Chinese restaurant chains when it comes to Sichuan food in America. First opened in Alhambra, California in 2013, locations of this sit-down restaurant can now be found across Southern California.
The menu offers mouth-numbing spicy dishes among other options, like dan dan noodles, diced rabbit, wontons and more. With that said, the menu also varies slightly from location to location but everything is inspired by traditional dishes from the city of Chengdu.
17. Boiling Point
Boiling Point is a national Chinese restaurant chain that specializes in Chinese and Taiwanese fusion hot pot cuisine. Its locations span North America, including locations in California and Washington, and Japan. With unique personal hot pots for each customer, guests trade the communal cooking aspect of a traditional hot pot for one that can cater completely to their own tastes.
The menu offers a variety of hot pot assortments inspired by flavors from a number of countries in Asia, including China Taiwan, Korea and Japan. They even have a mushroom veggie option as well, plus to-go options, making this restaurant a great choice for vegetarian fast food.
Learn To Cook Chinese Food
Eating out at one of the many high-quality Chinese restaurant chains is always a delightful treat. It may even inspire you to take the leap and learn more about Chinese cuisine by experimenting with recipes at home. Whether you want to learn how to make authentic dishes, learn the difference between chow mein vs. lo mein, or recreate your favorite Chinese-American take-out dishes, consider taking one of many cooking classes near you.
These classes are led by professional chefs and allow you to upgrade your arsenal of recipes and boost your cooking skills, so you can impress your loved ones with a delicious home-cooked meal next time the occasion calls for it. To do all this and more in the comfort of your own kitchen, you can even sign up for online cooking classes.
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Chinese food comes in all shapes and forms in the U.S., from authentic meals to fusion dishes that blend in other Asian cuisines and those that add an American twist. At the best Chinese restaurant chains, you’ll also find something for all budgets and occasions, including take-out and both casual and upscale sit-down options. No matter what you’re craving, you’re guaranteed to have discovered the right place for you on this curated list of the top Chinese restaurant chains.
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