Perhaps nothing more than this second sentence best describes this restaurant. This is heavily Americanized Chinese-ish food. That should probably tell you everything you need to know, but why have few words when you can have many? The hot and sour soup here, like the oolong tea, was acceptable. Had I not used their bathroom (which badly needs work, honestly), I frankly would probably have just left once I got and saw the menu, but I know those things cost money and whether it is just a gas station or somewhere else, if I use their facilities, I almost always feel somewhat obligated to extend some patronage. So, I endured what smelled like fairly fresh paint (evidently they are doing some sort of remodel or are new, not sure which) and settled down for what I was hoping was a very quick lunch. In that regard, they were stellar. The food came out fast, amazingly fast almost, but given the physical heat, it was probably more like microwave fast. Equally stellar was the hostess/waitress, who saved this place from a sub-3 review. As to the food, I sort of chose at random something that seemed like it might be palatable, which was pork and snow peas. I'm really hating the trend of Chinese places using compressed meat for almost everything (ala Sampan) and this place was no exception. Most of the pork was inedible, the sauce more like a brown gravy than actual sauce, the carrots were sweet, the water chestnuts I don't eat as a rule, which left the bamboo, the snow peas and the rice, which was all pretty good. With a name like Rice King, one would expect the rice to be on par and it thankfully was. I knew what I was in for going in (or staying for, I guess, more accurately) once I saw the menu and I suppose rated strictly against other Americanized Chinese-type places, this is maybe on the upper end, but everything, from the decor on, is very clearly geared towards Americans. If that's your thing, you'll probably enjoy this tremendously. If not, and I generally do not, this is something that was ok once, in a pinch, but I probably won't repeat.
(3)
Kyle F.
It was $6 and it was pretty good. Much better than Panda Express at a similar price point. If you want damn good chinese food go somewhere that is not Utah, if you want something cheap and solid I'd recommend this place.
(4)
Tim M.
Really good food, atmosphere wasn't so great. It is your basic chineese menu. The staff was so so as far as politeness. The food was really tasty too, and the tea was great as well!
(4)
Stephen L.
For quick lunch is ok ... But the food is just so-so... Nothing really special. I ordered lunch special of General Tso chicken. It comes in a good size. My wife ordered egg foo Yong, but it's not that nice, so she didn't finish it. We came in because Ganesh is closed on Monday ...
(2)
Baron Daniel C.
I read the other reviews, and it's all about your taste and what you know of quality. I've been to probably fifty or more Chinese places around SLC. This one ranks in the lower quarter. It's not a bad place, but it's not particularly good. They were fast on the delivery time, which seems that I got one of their better days. I ordered the standard Americanized dishes of General Tso's chicken and house Lo mien. At first the GTC was pretty good, but the further along I went, the more lower quality chicken and preparation I ran into. The lo mien noodles weren't that bad, the beef, shrimp and chicken they used wasn't very good. The beef was very fatty and spongy, tasting as if it was a muscle. The shrimp stank of fish, and the chicken was hard and fibrous. The over quality was low. It appears that they defrosted everything before hand in the microwave, and because of that, the chicken was cooked on defrost and they threw it in the mix. That is what creates that hard, dry, fibrous texture to chicken. I would say there are a lot better places around, and a few better that do delivery than here. If you're ok with mediocre, lower quality food, then have at it.
(2)
Erica R.
Really poor quality chicken. Won't be returning. The fried rice was okay. It was really salty which I kinda like but it didn't have much flavor other than that. It was just like white rice doused in soy sauce.
(1)
Stephanie J.
Sad, sad day here. Rice King used to be my go-to Chinese delivery place for many years. Sadly, I am hanging up my menu and deleting the number out of my phone. I have just had one too many bad experiences here with the food, the service, and the delivery time. Like the other reviewers I too have had to wait far to long for delivery. This last time I waited 2 hours after being told it would be 45 minutes. The food arrived cold, and just unappetizing. I actually had to call and tell them if they were not at my door in 10 minutes I would cancel my order. They were there ... the food was just bad this time around. Our family has been going here and ordering delivery for years. We have seen it through restaffing, remodels, and new owners. I used to love the orange chicken, cashew chicken, beef with broccoli, and walnut shrimp. My family had other favorites such as the kung poa chicken and fried rice. This last time I ordered the beef low mien. It was flavorless, it smelled of rotten cabbage, and the rice that came with it was under cooked. This to me is a travesty. So I am sorry, Rice King. You just lost a former loyal customer. Now I just need to find a new, good, delivery place locally.
(1)
Nick V.
I can't help but laugh when reading some of these reviews. It's almost as though some people expect 5-star cuisine Asian food from a chinese delivery restaurant. When the average food shows up, they get disappointed and their inner Iron Chef judge comes out. Get over yourself. Realistically, you're getting what you pay for; cheap chinese food. The food can be described as something between not bad and not excellent. The delivery times aren't consistent. Expect to wait at least an hour to an hour and a half. From my experiences with them, it is seldom they will make the delivery within 30-45 minutes as they claim. Other than that, I can't complain.
(4)
Betsy H.
For the record my parents & grandma would give this place 5 stars. I however, don't love this place. I've tried most, if not all, of their vegetarian dishes, and for some reason, they all are pretty much the exact same thing... steamed rice with assorted vegetables in a light brown sauce. The decor is a little weird, they've recently tried to update, but nothing really matches. The service is decent though, and the prices are really good. You can get a lunch special here for around $6, and that includes a drink, rice, main dish and a cup of soup. I've heard them take phone orders every time I've gone, and I know that they deliver. So for those nights when you just need to order in, this may be a good option, if you're not particularly picky about food quality.
(2)
Steve S.
Very good delivery Chinese! Chicken is white meat and high quality. Hot and Sour soup is the best around. Don't be fooled by the other low scoring reviews. My wife and I are very picky and we love this place.
(5)
Melissa R.
Great Chinese food! I had the sesame chicken, pork fried rice, and dumplings. Everything was delicious!! Delivery took less that 30 minutes, everything was fresh and hot, both the person that took my order and the delivery driver were very nice. I'm glad I didn't listen to those bad reviews.
(5)
Chelsea D.
Delivery service definitely left much to be desired. The food took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to get here, after being told it would take 45 minutes. I do want to add that this place is only about a 7 minute drive from me. Once here, the food was a little cold and we didn't get the egg rolls we ordered. Instead of agreeing to take the egg rolls off the bill, they insisted on sending them back out and having us wait another 30 minutes. Food wasn't gross, but it was absolutely not worth the wait. The lack of service completely killed this place for me.
(2)
Matt T.
Arrived in town after a 4 hour flight from Michigan. Plain and simple, food was terrible. We ordered take out and ate in our hotel room. Food was hot and the portion was large...the price was HIGH! This food might be representative to SLC Chinese offerings, however I am used to Chinese with some flavor....yuck!o
(1)
Ashley B.
Ive never ordered delivery but I have visited Rice King several times for their lunch special. Can't beat the price! The egg drop soup is really good and the ham fried rice is good too (large portions). I would equate the quality to a good fast food restaurant. The food is always served quickly, and they even give free refills on drinks. It is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall, so don't expect impressive aquariums or fancy decorations. Would definitely recommend
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : No Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
D. W.
Perhaps nothing more than this second sentence best describes this restaurant. This is heavily Americanized Chinese-ish food. That should probably tell you everything you need to know, but why have few words when you can have many? The hot and sour soup here, like the oolong tea, was acceptable. Had I not used their bathroom (which badly needs work, honestly), I frankly would probably have just left once I got and saw the menu, but I know those things cost money and whether it is just a gas station or somewhere else, if I use their facilities, I almost always feel somewhat obligated to extend some patronage. So, I endured what smelled like fairly fresh paint (evidently they are doing some sort of remodel or are new, not sure which) and settled down for what I was hoping was a very quick lunch. In that regard, they were stellar. The food came out fast, amazingly fast almost, but given the physical heat, it was probably more like microwave fast. Equally stellar was the hostess/waitress, who saved this place from a sub-3 review. As to the food, I sort of chose at random something that seemed like it might be palatable, which was pork and snow peas. I'm really hating the trend of Chinese places using compressed meat for almost everything (ala Sampan) and this place was no exception. Most of the pork was inedible, the sauce more like a brown gravy than actual sauce, the carrots were sweet, the water chestnuts I don't eat as a rule, which left the bamboo, the snow peas and the rice, which was all pretty good. With a name like Rice King, one would expect the rice to be on par and it thankfully was. I knew what I was in for going in (or staying for, I guess, more accurately) once I saw the menu and I suppose rated strictly against other Americanized Chinese-type places, this is maybe on the upper end, but everything, from the decor on, is very clearly geared towards Americans. If that's your thing, you'll probably enjoy this tremendously. If not, and I generally do not, this is something that was ok once, in a pinch, but I probably won't repeat.
(3)Kyle F.
It was $6 and it was pretty good. Much better than Panda Express at a similar price point. If you want damn good chinese food go somewhere that is not Utah, if you want something cheap and solid I'd recommend this place.
(4)Tim M.
Really good food, atmosphere wasn't so great. It is your basic chineese menu. The staff was so so as far as politeness. The food was really tasty too, and the tea was great as well!
(4)Stephen L.
For quick lunch is ok ... But the food is just so-so... Nothing really special. I ordered lunch special of General Tso chicken. It comes in a good size. My wife ordered egg foo Yong, but it's not that nice, so she didn't finish it. We came in because Ganesh is closed on Monday ...
(2)Baron Daniel C.
I read the other reviews, and it's all about your taste and what you know of quality. I've been to probably fifty or more Chinese places around SLC. This one ranks in the lower quarter. It's not a bad place, but it's not particularly good. They were fast on the delivery time, which seems that I got one of their better days. I ordered the standard Americanized dishes of General Tso's chicken and house Lo mien. At first the GTC was pretty good, but the further along I went, the more lower quality chicken and preparation I ran into. The lo mien noodles weren't that bad, the beef, shrimp and chicken they used wasn't very good. The beef was very fatty and spongy, tasting as if it was a muscle. The shrimp stank of fish, and the chicken was hard and fibrous. The over quality was low. It appears that they defrosted everything before hand in the microwave, and because of that, the chicken was cooked on defrost and they threw it in the mix. That is what creates that hard, dry, fibrous texture to chicken. I would say there are a lot better places around, and a few better that do delivery than here. If you're ok with mediocre, lower quality food, then have at it.
(2)Erica R.
Really poor quality chicken. Won't be returning. The fried rice was okay. It was really salty which I kinda like but it didn't have much flavor other than that. It was just like white rice doused in soy sauce.
(1)Stephanie J.
Sad, sad day here. Rice King used to be my go-to Chinese delivery place for many years. Sadly, I am hanging up my menu and deleting the number out of my phone. I have just had one too many bad experiences here with the food, the service, and the delivery time. Like the other reviewers I too have had to wait far to long for delivery. This last time I waited 2 hours after being told it would be 45 minutes. The food arrived cold, and just unappetizing. I actually had to call and tell them if they were not at my door in 10 minutes I would cancel my order. They were there ... the food was just bad this time around. Our family has been going here and ordering delivery for years. We have seen it through restaffing, remodels, and new owners. I used to love the orange chicken, cashew chicken, beef with broccoli, and walnut shrimp. My family had other favorites such as the kung poa chicken and fried rice. This last time I ordered the beef low mien. It was flavorless, it smelled of rotten cabbage, and the rice that came with it was under cooked. This to me is a travesty. So I am sorry, Rice King. You just lost a former loyal customer. Now I just need to find a new, good, delivery place locally.
(1)Nick V.
I can't help but laugh when reading some of these reviews. It's almost as though some people expect 5-star cuisine Asian food from a chinese delivery restaurant. When the average food shows up, they get disappointed and their inner Iron Chef judge comes out. Get over yourself. Realistically, you're getting what you pay for; cheap chinese food. The food can be described as something between not bad and not excellent. The delivery times aren't consistent. Expect to wait at least an hour to an hour and a half. From my experiences with them, it is seldom they will make the delivery within 30-45 minutes as they claim. Other than that, I can't complain.
(4)Betsy H.
For the record my parents & grandma would give this place 5 stars. I however, don't love this place. I've tried most, if not all, of their vegetarian dishes, and for some reason, they all are pretty much the exact same thing... steamed rice with assorted vegetables in a light brown sauce. The decor is a little weird, they've recently tried to update, but nothing really matches. The service is decent though, and the prices are really good. You can get a lunch special here for around $6, and that includes a drink, rice, main dish and a cup of soup. I've heard them take phone orders every time I've gone, and I know that they deliver. So for those nights when you just need to order in, this may be a good option, if you're not particularly picky about food quality.
(2)Steve S.
Very good delivery Chinese! Chicken is white meat and high quality. Hot and Sour soup is the best around. Don't be fooled by the other low scoring reviews. My wife and I are very picky and we love this place.
(5)Melissa R.
Great Chinese food! I had the sesame chicken, pork fried rice, and dumplings. Everything was delicious!! Delivery took less that 30 minutes, everything was fresh and hot, both the person that took my order and the delivery driver were very nice. I'm glad I didn't listen to those bad reviews.
(5)Chelsea D.
Delivery service definitely left much to be desired. The food took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to get here, after being told it would take 45 minutes. I do want to add that this place is only about a 7 minute drive from me. Once here, the food was a little cold and we didn't get the egg rolls we ordered. Instead of agreeing to take the egg rolls off the bill, they insisted on sending them back out and having us wait another 30 minutes. Food wasn't gross, but it was absolutely not worth the wait. The lack of service completely killed this place for me.
(2)Matt T.
Arrived in town after a 4 hour flight from Michigan. Plain and simple, food was terrible. We ordered take out and ate in our hotel room. Food was hot and the portion was large...the price was HIGH! This food might be representative to SLC Chinese offerings, however I am used to Chinese with some flavor....yuck!o
(1)Ashley B.
Ive never ordered delivery but I have visited Rice King several times for their lunch special. Can't beat the price! The egg drop soup is really good and the ham fried rice is good too (large portions). I would equate the quality to a good fast food restaurant. The food is always served quickly, and they even give free refills on drinks. It is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall, so don't expect impressive aquariums or fancy decorations. Would definitely recommend
(4)