Chin's Szechwan

I know this place has been a local staple for a long time and I thought Chin's used to be good, but the last 3 times I've given them a shot the food was just so greasy. I've given up on them

Tried a couple of times now.

Portions are generous, sauces are good, but quality is lacking. We ordered sweet and sour filet fish. The fish must have been dredged in corn starch or baking soda. It had no texture whatsoever. The fish was almost indistinguishable from its fried outer coating. We also ordered kung pao tofu. Again, the sauce was good but the ingredients mediocre, such as soggy peanuts and limp tofu.

Both times we asked for medium or hot spicy, but didn't detect any chili spice at all.

My guess is things will get better with time. Not many choices for Chinese food in Del Mar

Visit Date: 01/02/22
Mealtime: Lunch

This was my first visit since the restaurant changed from longtime Double Happiness to Chin's Szechwan. I was really looking forward to dining in to get the full experience, but when I arrived, I quickly learned the new owners are doing renovations so I had to place an order to go.

I ordered the honey walnut shrimp lunch, which came in a sort of bento box set up that included an appetizer (a spring roll and cream cheese wonton), a cucumber salad, fried rice and fortune cookies. The shrimp were a good size, there were plenty of walnuts on top and it was

Nothing special. American Chinese Food. Tasted like same sauce on Spicy Pork, Stir Fried Vegetables, and Cashew Shrimp. Tangerine Chicken was all breading and no Chicken. Sorry but it wasn't Chinese. Egg Flower Soup was OK. Service was acceptable but curt.

The Black Pepper Beef is made fresh in front of the table , bright out sizzling on a 500° hot iron plate reminiscent of fajitas or Ruth's Chris steaks.
Highly recommended, this place is a new family favorite. We already forgot Chang's...

What a joke! They took
Over the last Chinese place called Double Happiness, which had been there since my childhood. My hubby and I decided to ring in the New Year with some excellent Chinese food. We were so excited to try the new place. We ordered Kung Pao chicken which was 50% button mushrooms! The Kung Pao sauce was light in color not dark and there was absolutely no kick or spice! It was so bland and overly sweet! And then my Beef Broccoli was oddly textured meat surrounded by mostly snow peas ! Both entree boxes were not even filled to the top! We were shortchanged quantity and quality.

Do not order from here on Christmas. They accepted a bunch of people's orders, gave us times through app, and we show up and it's 2 more hours at least. Thanks for ruining Christmas Chins

My girlfriend and I moved to San Diego 2 years ago from New York. Really missing bagels, pizza, and Chinese. Tried a few places for Chinese and nothing was like home.

Had chins on Xmas and it was awesome, got chicken and broccoli and it tasted like home. The honey walnut shrimp was also great. Will definitely be back.

My family ordered from Chin's for dinner last night. Words cannot express how good Chin's Szechwan's food is, but I'll try anyway. The dumplings were cooked to absolute perfection. Pillowy and fried to absolute perfection, don't pass these up!

Next, the tangy taste of the Tangerine Chicken and Shrimp absolutely blew me away. I never knew that this style of chicken could be made better, but putting shrimp into the mix really skyrocketed the dish to the next level. It's a MUST GET!

I'd also highly recommend going for the higher levels of spice if you can take

I originally had an issue with my online order but Howard was very responsive and quick to rectify this problem. It was entirely out of his control so I'm very grateful for his patience and willingness to take my feedback. I truly appreciate how much this establishment cares for its customers.

Quality has gone down considerably!
Consistently is no longer an option.
Ordered spring rolls, dipping sauce not included which is new.
Ordered Szechuan Chicken, rather than sliced chicken it was ground chicken, which is new.
When brought to their attention, there us no compensation.
Containers leak badly, are delivered in paper bags rather than plastic bags, its a mess.
We've been eating there weekly 20+ years. Over the last 6 months they just don't care!!

So first, coming from NYC, I absolutely love Chinese food. I haven't found a Chinese restaurant that I love yet but my experience today has changed everything. I tried 4 entrees and they were amazing. My favorite was the Black pepper steak. It was spicy just how I like it and I couldn't stop eating it by itself. I have never had tangerine chicken and it's now my new obsession. Orange chicken who? The portions are just right if you're sharing with a special someone, friends and family. The service was great. Friendly staff and great family atmosphere. I will be back !!!

I have to start by saying we use to love Chins. We've been customers for a long time. Unfortunately the quality of the freshness of the food started to fail and not be consistent. We stopped going for a bit but returned to enjoy their generous lunch specials. We enjoyed bringing family and friends as was the case today. We started with shrimp wonton soup but the shrimp tasted awful. I didn't say anything in case it was just me. I noticed one other family member put their shrimp on the side of the bowl. Going on to our meals, we had 2 honey walnut shrimp oreders and Kung pao shrimp. This is something

We were smelling this place from a block away so despite it being takeout only due to renovations, we couldn't resist trying it. Besides, the Civic Center across the street has free public seating with tables and trash cans where you can eat outside (see picture). We got veggie egg rolls, baby bok choy with mushrooms, and steamed rice. The food was ready in minutes and we demolished it all, it was so good! The sauce on the vegetables was sweet and delicious, and the veggies were perfectly cooked, still with some crunch. Very satisfying fast food.

Ordered a lunch special takeout. Cost me over $15 out of the door.
It had four small pieces of chicken some beans and a very small
amount of rice. The new owner has started on the wrong foot. I am
pretty sure that if he keeps this up, he may have to close up soon.
The prior restaurant 'Double Happiness', was a standout. They offered
a generous portion at a very reasonable price.

Always perfectly prepared. For small meals or large meals Chin's can and will prepare what you want. Great soup.

Spring Rolls, Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings, and Black pepper beef! I've been going to Chin's Szechwan since I was a kid, and heard that there was a new one opening up in Del Mar and I had to try it! As of right now though, there is no Togo. I asked the manager lady about it and she said the dine in should be open In a month or two!! The egg rolls (even after I picked up up from Del Mar) and drove home to Carlsbad, was still extremely crispy!! The salt and pepper chicken wings have been my favorite since I was a kid and they still taste just as amazing as I remember. I felt a bit risquè

This is the sixth branch of the Chin's Szechwan restaurant empire with all of them being located in North County. The Del Mar spot is where Double Happiness used to be. Renovations were ongoing to the interior space so no on-site dining was available. The back of the takeout menu had a unique section that described the types of key sauces and ingredients that went into making them. A spiciness scale from one to five stars was also listed to provide customers a sense of how much heat was imparted at each level.

An order of four Shanghai Egg Rolls was my appetizer. The fried thin wraps were

Good service Bad food.
This is the worst Chinese food I ever had. Especially the “Kong Pao chicken” , even Panda Express do so much better than this. Don’t waste your money…

The new Del Mar Chin's Szechwan Chinese restaurant sits in the same location as the former Double Happiness restaurant, which has apparently discontinued operations. As of September 2021, this Chin's location features take-out only, with luncheon specials.

The new restaurant features a fair menu, but gone are many of the dishes that made Double Happiness a favorite for many years. Also, based on recent experience with the Black Pepper Beef, this Chin's Szechwan prepares food designed for typical palates in America. The food is much sweeter than that prepared by more authentic

Kung Pao chicken was tasteless. It was like a chicken soup chicken and peanuts were soggy.
Tangerine Beef was deep fried and no flavor. Sizing rice soup had rice that was not sizzling or crispy at all!
Not a good experience at a high cost.
Will not return. Will look for a better place even though will have to drive farther.

Used to love going for Chinese food in Del Mar when this was Double Happiness. The food was great and flavorful even though the inside of the restaurant was due for a remodel. Seems like the remodel is happening with Chins taking over, but with that comes some really mediocre, bland, overpriced chinese food. I was not impressed and quite disappointed when I ordered from here. The food had no flavor and was mediocre at best. I hope that it improves.

Despite this restaurant having multiple locations, I was very disappointed with the menu and the food. First, they don't have a regular wonton soup. Second, I ordered the chicken lo mein - it was bland and had no taste. The prior establishment Double Happiness, even though the inside of the restaurant needed updating, had wonderful food - normal wonton soup, beef chow fun, and other wonderful dishes. Del Mar needs a good Chinese restaurant like Double Happiness.

Would not frequent Chin's again

Take out review (no dining in presently; they are doing a 2 month remodeling job of the inside seating area).

Assorted Wonton Soup -- I was hoping this would be like the delicious wor wonton soup offered by the previous establishment (Chef Zhou / Double Happiness). This soup wasn't bad, but it didn't taste like any wor wonton soup I've ever had before; the broth was dark and seemed to be a beef broth, and there were no green veggies like broccoli in it. Although the soup had a nice flavor to it, I personally prefer a standard wor wonton soup which is much heavier on veggies

Stopped in for to go lunch and we ordered three meals off the menu that were suggested by the waitress and they were all delicious. We had the Imperial Shrimp, Kung Pao chicken and Szechwan Braised String Beans.

Great location and wonderful service. The staff was extremely friendly and they patiently answered all my questions about what was in different dishes.

Really authentic and tasty Szechuan style food. Ask the servers for food recommendations and you can't go wrong.
I'm definitely visiting this place again for an indoor dining experience!

Food was good but it didn't seem to have the Szechwan spice and traditional dishes. The restaurant had a very nice atmosphere, with traditional art and nice displays. Everyone that worked there was nice and food came out quickly.

Chin's is a traditonal Chinese restaurant, serving all your favorites plus their own House specialties. The Tangerine Beef was outstanding!!! Why not try the Special Lo Mein, too. Servers wear white collared shirts with black jackets for an upscale dining experience. If you are looking for a Chinese restaurant that follows tradition, then Chin's is the place to go....enjoy!