China Lake Chinese Restaurant

Tried this place for the first time last week and I loved it! Got it again today and it’s even better than before. Their spicy dumplings are soooo good! Spicy but very flavorful. The veggies in my happy family were so fresh. Even the chicken nuggets I ordered for my son were homemade. Definitely my new favorite spot!

As is the case for so many mom and pops places like China Lake, it totally depends on the day, time, and whoever's cooking/providing service that determines your experience because it can be really night and day here. Sometimes the food is really fresh, hot, flavorful, and has been our go-to for takeout. However, we've also experienced the exact opposite here and there's really no explanation for that. So I'm just going to chalk it up to what I said above: perhaps some of the people here are better cooks than others, more careful about selecting ingredients that are not past their due date (or borderline), and are just friendlier and more efficient than the others. It's a crap shoot, but I would say 75% of the time it's reliable, affordable, and fresh.

My husband & I tried the lunch special here on 11/21/25. They include the * best * eggrolls with pork. Really, really yummy, not greasy just great tasting and not cabbage only. He tried the lo mein noodles and I had chicken w/vegetables. Fresh, authentic and cooked while you relax. The son said that this place has been run by his family for 35 years! We love supporting family run places and China Lake in Rowlett is a winner !! Older place with some Chinese pictures/ plaques…not fancy but excellent food and value. Try them… you won’t regret it!!

Very good food. The portion size is very generous and the taste is genuine Chinese (of course as we know it here in America). It seems to be a family run restaurant and everyone that helps us was sweet and nice. For sure a place to go back.

China Lake - Rowlett, TX The interior of the restaurant feels a bit run-down and could definitely use some refreshing and a deep clean. I ordered the Mongolian beef, which, unfortunately, was overwhelmingly salty and quite ordinary overall. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about the dish—it was mostly rice, with a very skimpy amount of beef. They were generous with the rice, but I’d have preferred a better balance with the main ingredient. I definitely would be a bit apprehensive about what's waiting in the kitchen! A mess, an experiment gone wrong, or a stack of dirty dishes? Or maybe it's something more mysterious, like an unknown "creation" that I would rather not confront. In a nutshell ... my dining experience really missed the mark. It’s frustrating when a place wit