An American Chinese menu is not really two hundred unrelated dishes. It is about a dozen families of dish, each repeated across a handful of proteins. Learn the families and the whole thing becomes readable.
This is a reference, section by section, in roughly the order menus use. Each entry says what the dishes are and what to expect, and links to a fuller guide where we have one. If you want help deciding rather than help understanding, start with what to order at a Chinese restaurant instead.
Appetizers
Fried rolls, dumplings, wontons and crab rangoon, plus a heavier fried list of wings, rib tips and fried seafood. The single most useful thing to know is that portions are more filling than they look, so one piece per person is usually enough before a full meal.
- Egg rolls and spring rolls differ by wrapper thickness — see egg roll vs spring roll.
- Dumplings, wontons, rangoon, wings and rib tips are covered in which appetizers to order.
Soups
Four soups cover almost every menu: wonton (clear broth with filled dumplings), egg drop (thickened, with egg ribbons), hot and sour (tangy and peppery rather than chili-hot), and vegetable (lightest). Soup is the cheapest and fastest opening on the menu, and one large shared beats several smalls.
Full detail in Chinese soups explained.
The noodle sections
Three of them, and they are genuinely different rather than variations on a theme.
- Lo mein — soft wheat noodles tossed with sauce. The saucy, comforting one.
- Chow mein — wheat noodles cooked harder, often with some crispness.
- Chow mei fun — thin rice noodles, the driest and lightest of the three.
Compared directly in lo mein vs chow mein vs mei fun, with a dedicated guide to chow mei fun.
Rice
Fried rice is a dish in its own right — cooked, cooled rice stir-fried with egg, a protein and small diced vegetables. Plain white rice is a base, and the right choice when your entrees are already sauced.
See what Chinese fried rice is, and fried rice vs lo mein if you are choosing between rice and noodles.
The protein sections
Chicken, beef, pork and seafood each get their own section, and they all work the same way: one protein plus a vegetable or a sauce. Once you know the sauces you can order the same treatment across any of them.
- Beef is thinly sliced and cooked fast — see Chinese beef dishes explained.
- Shrimp and seafood come stir-fried, battered or steamed — see shrimp and seafood dishes.
- The sauces themselves — brown, garlic, oyster, lobster, curry, black bean — are covered in Chinese sauces explained.
Chop suey and the mixed stir-fries
Chop suey is a mild, vegetable-heavy stir-fry in a light sauce, served over rice. It is worth knowing that chop suey and chow mein are broadly the same stir-fry, differing mainly in whether rice or noodles come with it — which is why menus list identical proteins under both.
More in what is chop suey.
Moo shu
The one dish that arrives as components rather than a finished plate: a finely shredded stir-fry with egg, served with thin pancakes and a sweet hoisin-style sauce that you assemble yourself. Closer to a soft taco than a rice plate, and it divides naturally across a table.
See what is moo shu.
Egg foo young
Thick egg patties filled with vegetables and a protein, pan-fried and served with a savory brown gravy. Mild, filling and unfashionable in the way good comfort food often is. Best with plain rice, and best with the gravy kept separate if it has to travel.
The sweet dishes
Several dishes are battered meat in a sweet sauce, and they are not interchangeable.
| Dish | Defining flavor | Heat |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet and sour | Sugar and vinegar; sauce often on the side | None |
| Sesame chicken | Sweetest; nutty from sesame | None |
| Orange chicken | Sweet with citrus sharpness | Little |
| General Tso’s | Sweet, tangy, savory | Mild to moderate |
| Coconut or bourbon chicken | Sweet, distinct from the above | None |
Covered in General Tso’s vs sesame vs orange chicken and sweet and sour explained.
The spicy dishes
Two regional labels and one specific dish. Szechuan brings heat plus a numbing tingle; Hunan is a more direct burn from fresh chilies; Kung Pao is a sweet-tangy dish with peanuts or cashews in it — which matters if there is a nut allergy at the table.
See Szechuan vs Hunan vs Kung Pao.
Combination plates and family options
Combination plates are one entree with rice, often an appetizer, portioned for one person. Family packs bundle dishes for a table. Both exist because the rest of the menu assumes sharing, and sometimes that is not what you want.
See combination plates explained, and how much Chinese food to order per person for the quantities.
One thing that applies to all of it
Dish names are a poor guide to allergens. Soy sauce commonly contains wheat, oyster sauce contains shellfish, lobster sauce contains egg, Kung Pao contains nuts, and crab rangoon contains dairy. Woks and fryers are shared throughout a service, so cross-contact is normal.
If you are managing an allergy, say so directly when you order rather than reading the menu for clues — the FDA’s guidance on food allergies explains why prepared foods need to be checked rather than inferred.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular Chinese takeout dishes?
Across American Chinese restaurants generally, the crispy sweet chicken dishes, lo mein, fried rice and beef with broccoli are ordered most often. That reflects familiarity rather than a judgement about which dishes are best on any particular menu.
Why do Chinese menus list the same dish so many times?
Because most dishes are a protein plus a vegetable or a sauce, and the kitchen can combine them freely. A menu with two hundred items is usually about a dozen preparations offered across beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and vegetables.
Which Chinese dishes are mildest?
Egg drop soup, lo mein, fried rice, egg foo young, sweet and sour, and anything in a plain brown sauce. Avoid dishes labeled Szechuan or Hunan, and check garlic sauce, since heat levels vary between kitchens.
What is the difference between an entree and a combination plate?
An entree is portioned for sharing and rice is ordered separately. A combination plate is one entree with rice, often an appetizer, priced and portioned as a single meal for one person.
The short version
A dozen families, repeated across a few proteins. Noodles come in three kinds, rice comes in two roles, the protein sections all follow the same protein-plus-sauce logic, and the sweet dishes differ mostly in their sauce.
Pick a family, then pick a protein. That is the whole menu.
Order from China King
Twenty-two sections, on Walter Reed Road in Fayetteville, for pickup or delivery.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Chinese cuisine — on regional Chinese cooking traditions.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: food allergies — cited above on allergens in prepared food.