The Best Chinese Food in San Diego
Sections
- Eat , on. Can't turn off the last section 276
- Drink , off. Turn on 26 Only Drink
- Stay , off. Turn on 30 Only Stay
- Do , off. Turn on 6 Only Do
Tap another section to add it. All sections
The best Chinese food in San Diego, according to the experts: The Infatuation, Eater, and San Diego Magazine have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Shan’xi Magic Kitchen comes out on top.
More Less
Royal Mandarin and Meet Dumpling hold the next two places. Eater and San Diego Magazine show up on more of this list than any other guide.
-
Rank 1. Shan’xi Magic Kitchen
Northwest Chinese
A strip-mall Northwest Chinese spot on Convoy where you order from a QR code and then forget you were ever annoyed about it. The menu leans on lamb, hand-ripped noodles, and aged vinegar with real tartness, and the cumin lamb arrives smelling like it has opinions. It's casual, cheap, and loud with the clatter of people ordering more than they should. Plan on leftovers, because the magic travels well.
The awards
- The Infatuation The 25 Best Restaurants In San Diego
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in San Diego
- San Diego Magazine Best Chinese Restaurant · The Best Restaurants in San Diego
-
Rank 2. Royal Mandarin
Chinese
The awards
- San Diego Magazine Best Wings in San Diego · The Best Restaurants in San Diego
- Eater Where to Find the Best Chicken Wings in San Diego
-
Rank 3. Meet Dumpling
Chinese
A small cut-out in the kitchen door lets you watch each dumpling wrapper get rolled, filled, and pleated by hand before it hits the boiling water. This tiny Chinese restaurant in a Point Loma strip mall specializes in dumplings from Liaoning province, alongside Dongbei beef noodle soup and rougamo flatbread sandwiches. The boba tea is made with muddled fresh fruit, which sounds like an afterthought until you order one.
The awards
-
Rank 3. Mom Kitchen
Hong Kong Cantonese Café
Mom Kitchen is a cha chaan teng on Mira Mesa Boulevard, which means a Hong Kong diner where the menu runs long, the room runs plain, and the food shows up before you've finished getting comfortable. The noodles are made in-house, the drinks include hot Ovaltine and salted lemon 7-Up, and the roast duck hangs around for the same reasons you do. Cheap, fast, and a little maternal about clean plates.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 25 Best Restaurants In San Diego
-
The awards
-
Rank 6. Steamy Piggy
Contemporary Chinese
The awards
-
Rank 7. Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe
Chinese Noodle Shop
The awards
- San Diego Magazine San Diego Magazine: Best in City: Poway · The Best Restaurants in San Diego