How is it bad? Ask them what is freshest, what do they recommend? Is it greasy or what?

What do you like in Chinese food? We have dozens and dozens of Asian restaurants near us. Maybe hundreds.

You can also ask them to go easy on the oil. Good luck!

Or make it yourself? Most recipes are easy and can be found online.Of course you might have to buy the ingredients which would probably cost at least what you would pay for it,but it might be better than trying to down something inferior.LOL

I love Chinese food, but NOT often. Have a great family owned one close to me. I just get two egg rolls and a cup of sweet and sour soup. I'm satisfied for another 3-6 months.

But the Chinese food served in the USA vs Mainland China just are not the same. Been there, done that.

I hear you Angelaid. There are two in Braiderd, the 'big' town 20 miles away, and when I go there, I always stop at one and get the large order of Beef & broccoli or beef and peppers. That is enough for three lunches. Hubs don't like it so It's all for me!! I don't care for the chow mein from either place, though. That suffices for a couple months, ubtil I need another fix. LOL Dottie

You might look for this in the frozen food section at your grocery: "Wanchai Ferry". It's a stir-fry kit that comes in five flovors, and we think it's better than our local place. (But then there's only one GOOD bistro/restaurant in our town!) I add some shrimp, scallops or left-over chicken to it but you wouldn't have to.

We go to a China Buffet place not far from us, I don't know if it's authentic or fresh but I like the way it tastes!

if the restaurants are that bad, stop in to the safeway and eat their chinese food at the deli.. can't be any worse! lol

Get a wok. Buy some spices to keep on hand.

That way anytime you want Asian style cooking you can have it anytime and have it your way; Hunan, Cantonese, Szechuan, Thai, ect.. You won't waste food by trying to eat someone else's cooking that you may not like.

I make good Chinese food at home. But just to run out and grab something to bring back to the office for lunch. I love Almond Fried Chicken, but I've never been able to duplicate the thick light brown gravy I used to get down in Boise. I ordered it at a new restaurant that opened up here a few months ago and the gravy was neon yellow. I'm not kidding, it was brighter than a lemon.
There's also a Mandarin Chicken sauce I've been trying to duplicate for at least 20 years. The cooks at the restaurant I used to work at didn't even speak English, much less share their recipes with you. LOL
And the pan fried soft noodles for Special Chow Mein. There is only one selection available at the grocery here, and it's not the same as I've had in restaurants.

Oh, and I ended up with pizza instead of Chinese yesterday. Not all that impressed with Domino's "new and improved" pizza.

I';m so lucky, I have two decent Chinese restaurants in my town. Good egg rolls, fried rice, etc. I only order simple stuff like soup. But they both make good tasting fresh food I like.

I love General Tso's Chicken. Hot and Spicy Style. But, our only Asian Restaurant here is awful. My old Asian Restaurant that makes the best is 75 miles away. I sympathize Ang.

We have a few around here and get it once in awhile. Usually if my son and dil are here, or we are there, we will run out and pick some up. I couldn't tell you if it's good, bad or indifferent, but we eat it. I don't like any kind of shrimp, so that leaves chicken for me. I like sweet n sour and honey chicken. There's a place real close to home that used to have wonderful almond chicken, but they switched over to that neon yellow gravy that angelaid was talking about.

Dee in Michigan