By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: Do you like any of the local Chinese food chains?
I haven't really tried many of them.
Have you discovered some Chinese food chains that you particularly like?
Shaxian is good for rice and chicken. Prices are reasonable. Try it.
Real Kungfu or whatever its English name is, 真功夫, is ok. 东方既白 sucks ass even though it's part of the KFC family. Can't think of any others off the top of my head.
BTW shaxian 沙县 is not a chain. I mean, it was to start with, but the owners didn't/couldn't afford to copyright their logo and name. So now everywhere has a shaxian place with the same Pac-Man style logo. It's not reliable to say they're good because each one is different. I know three near me and they differ vastly.
dandmcd:
You can never tell if a Shaxian snack shop is the real deal, but I've never been disappointed by any. The dumplings taste the same at every shop, and their noodles are quite wonderful. Even if they aren't part of the franchise, they usually use the same recipes and have the same source for ingredients, though their menus usually have some additional items not found at other Shaxian shops.
I also like Kongfu. All their dishes are tasty and not expensive.
Scandinavian:
Kungfu is cheap and fast. I will go for it over any foreign fast food places.
Hulk:
Is this the same one near the train station in Changsha? I went there once, and it was a bit.. err, expensive. Maybe I went to a different place? They had Kourou there.
dandmcd:
Kung Fu is overpriced, and doesn't give you anywhere near the same amount of food for the money as the small shop chains. I prefer 72 over Kung Fu, much better fast food chain.
xinyuren:
@Hulk. I like that one at the train station in Chansha also. Not Kong Fu. I had the Kou rou there too. very good. I wish I could remember the name.
Hulk:
Yeah, it was 32 RMB for one tiny, not-even-fist-sized portion of Kourou. Still delicious, but dang that was a rip-off.
I'm usually wandering around Yuelu, so I stick to that area, unless I venture over the bridge to KFC. I can't stand life without KFC.
The question would be: which one of those chains is providing with healthy and safe food? That should be taken in account when asking about Chinese food chains. Also, are the traditional fast food restaurants in China safe? One of the things I read about it back in Europe was that at one of those restaurants people used toxic oil (I am not sure if it was a sort of industrial oil, correct me if I'm wrong). I ignore whether the issue it's been fixed so far?
There's also the fact that no matter the restaurant, they use and reuse the same oil for boiling and cooking any food. From my understanding using more than 2 times the same cooking oil it leads to not only cholesterol but especially to cancer. Of course, knowing that this sort of practice it's common in China, unless you like veegetables, which I do, you risk to not eat anymore outside but cook your own food by the book, the one about good eating and healthy eating habits.
Scandinavian:
re toxic oil, do you mean McDonalds removing trans-fatty-acids from the menu 9 years ago? Strictly speaking not toxic.
xunliang:
I think you mean 地沟油, recycled oil. They scoop it out of the drainpipes or wherever and reuse it. I don't think any of the major fast food chains have been caught using it. It's usually small restaurants or people selling food on the street who are likely to use this cheap option.
CNXS or whatever it is, a chicken chain, isn't that bad. I once got a free meal or two since the bread was moldy. It's a decent place, but watch the bread...
Pala Hanbao is exceptionally awesome and cheap. There are lots of deals each week. I like the "two for almost 1" deals.
Everyone recycles oil here. Even my wife does when she cooks... but I always throw away the recycled oil. She doesn't like that, lol.
xinyuren:
does your wife reuse the oil that has been dumped out in the gutter? That's what is referred to as recycled oil. It's too bad to use again.
xunliang:
no dude. They wait until you throw the oil away, as in throw it down the sink or whatever. Then they open the manhole covers and scoop it out of the drains. I'm pretty sure your wife doesn't do that. search 地沟油. 地 as in ground, as in, they scoop it out from underground,
Hulk:
Wow, that's disgusting. No, after she's done cooking, she might save the excess oil and put it in a bowl, then use it again. I always tell her not to do that. She doesn't anymore.
a-li ren
qie zhi mian
tomato soup noodles
here in Zhengzhou, never seen it anywhere else.
and
Sushi Beef noodles is alright
Kang shifu noodles are overpriced
Oh! My absolute favorite chain is Lanzhou noodles. I must have them once or week!
Hulk:
A little off-topic, but have you tried 老干妈蛋炒粉？Lao gan ma dan chao fen. I sometimes eat it every day. 
Some reason I can't type characters in the text box, but one of the best local chains around Guangzhou is Bazhen Canting. They have amazing fried dumplings and other fried food, and they have a buffet style kitchen where you select 2 or 3 things to go on top of your rice, they give you a lot for little money, and it tastes amazing.
They are usually found in the slummier parts of the city, but Fujian Shaxian is always great for some fast food. They have their popular steamed dumplings, but I love their noodles as well.
The names can vary, but I know they are part of a chain, but anyway, there is a chain of shops that is Halal, or a Muslim owned shop, that have amazing flavors of food. Look for Arabic writing on the sign, and they use a green background color and typically red or white lettering. The recipes are a mix of Chinese and Indian spices, and they give you a lot for the money, and it is one of the better quality local chains.
And damn, I'm going to forget the Korean chain, but they are found everywhere in the South, and have great noodles, rice and dumplings. You can recognize them simply by the environment inside and tables and chairs they use.
Last, My Hero Chicken. Awesome fast food chicken and snacks, tastes far better than any other chicken in China.
Although I haven't seen them anywhere but Hangzhou, my absolute favorite is Yaobude 咬不得. They make these to-die-for shengjian 生煎！I got over that addiction only when I was introduced to the wonders of hot-pot. But that can't actually be considered chain restaurant food...so yeah, Yaobude all my life!
Fast food?!! You have fast food places where you live? Jeezuz - I gotta move.
DaqingDevil:
Just kidding. The main city area of Daqing has KFC and McDonalds, but the district I live in has neither. BUT, we do have Dicos, like KFC but I find them better.
I quite like Yong He Da Wang myself (not able to write the Chinese characters either for some reason), decent food and they can be found pretty much all over China. Which is especially good if you are travelling a lot...
Yeh, there's that one, Zhen Gong Fu (Real Kung Fu) that has Bruce Lee as its logo, resplendent in his Enter The Dragon red and yellow jumpsuit, and i've found the grub there to be cheap and tasty. Kung Food.
Orient Dumpling King 东方饺子王 is good. Especially the fried ones.
I don't know if they are located in other cities around China, but my favorite restaurant chain in Nanning is Zhuliba. Their food is great and the prices are reasonable for a major restaurant chain.
