The 50 best Chinese food in Irvine (2025)

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Today, my husband and I tried out a dumpling spot called JA Jiaozi Authentic 🥟. Here’s our honest take on the experience:We ordered: Grilled Angus Beef Skewers 🍢, Hot and Sour Soup 🥘, Black Pepper Shrimp and Squid Fried Rice 🍚, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings 🥟, Steamed Beef and Onion Dumplings 🥟, and Five-Color Steamed Dumplings 🥟.🥘Hot and Sour SoupRating: 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡The flavor was outstanding! Honestly, while sipping on this soup, I started to wonder if this place was even aimed at a Chinese crowd 🤣.🍢Grilled Angus Beef SkewersRating: 🧡🧡🧡The quality of the beef was top-notch, but the taste didn’t quite hit the mark. They tried to give it a Chinese BBQ feel with cumin, but it leaned more towards Western BBQ flavors, which just didn’t do it for me.🍚Black Pepper Shrimp and Squid Fried RiceRating: 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡This dish might look simple, but it was seriously tasty. Even with my current pregnancy-related lack of appetite, I found it delicious, which says a lot. The flavors were subtle, not greasy, yet very satisfying. Definitely a win.🥟Steamed Shrimp Dumplings, Steamed Beef and Onion Dumplings, Five-Color Steamed DumplingsRating: 🧡🧡To be honest, we came here specifically for the dumplings, but they didn’t live up to expectations. The shrimp dumplings were decent, but the beef and onion and five-color dumplings (which had shrimp, chicken, sole fish, veggies, pork, and celery) were disappointing. The beef and onion dumplings were watery and lacked umami, and the five-color dumplings, aside from the shrimp ones, just didn’t have that umami in Chinese food.

Dumplings to DREAM about! 😍🥟 JA Jiaozi Authentic Dumplings is the flavor-packed adventure you didn't know you needed! 🌟We were blown away by the taste, texture, and how darn juicy these dumplings are! 🤤🎉 Seriously, you can’t eat just one!My taste buds did a happy dance with every bite, especially the Braised Pork Belly 🐖🤩. And that Honey Black Pepper Beef? 🔥🥩 A flavor explosion! 💥Duck lovers, gather 'round! Have you ever experienced the magic of Roasted Duck Breast & Peking Duck Pancakes? 🌟 If not, you're missing out!What we tried:- Kurobuta pork & celery steamed jiaozi- Braised Pork Belly (my favorite)- Honey Black Pepper Beef- Crispy Shrimp.- Roasted Duck Breast & Peking Duck Pancakes- Black Pepper Shrimp & Bonita Flakes Fried Rice- Fried Rice Cake (MUST-TRY)Plus, the ambiance is on point! 🏮✨ Charming decor and attentive service made it an unforgettable dining experience.

We really loved the food here. Had a late lunch and didnt have to wait long to be seated. The spicy boneless chicken was delicious and the Beef Fried Rice with Mushroom was cheesy and delicious too!!

Amazing dumplings love all the different flavors and textures. We had all three types, pan fried, steamed and boiled. The wings were perfectly cooked and crispy. The shrimp and scallops were a big hit with the kids and we enjoyed the chicken and mushroom too. The spicy dumplings were also tasty, nice spice to them.

This rating of 3/5 might be a bit harsh, but I’m tough on dumpling restaurants! TLDR, everything felt more Americanized or modernized and was not what I was expecting, food was on the saltier side, but service and atmosphere was great.Got the peking duck pancake (?), XO green beans, JA original boiled jiaozi, chicken cold noodles, and fried rice cakes.The peking duck pancake was a bit disappointing because the duck was nothing like what I expected. It resembled chashu meat rather than regular duck meat, and while tasty, it just wasn’t something I would reach for on my own. The duck was paired with what looked like salad greens and fried wontons, which was an unusual combo that tasted okay but again—wouldn’t go for it again.XO beans were pretty yummy, but very salty. Definitely pair with rice!Original boiled jiaozi were very juicy, but there wasn’t anything that makes it stand out compared to other dumpling spots. I did enjoy them though! One order came with 10 of them.Chicken cold noodles were also yummy but again, on the saltier side. Could have used more chicken but I still enjoyed it.Was not a fan of the rice cakes, but I think I just don’t have much of a sweet tooth! Saw many other reviews that liked them, but if you’re not a big sweets fan, be warned that they are pretty sweet.I think I would give this place 4/5 if the portion sizes were larger, but it’s definitely a nice place to stop by for dinner. Loved the service and ambience.

This restaurant is so much better than I expected. Though, not all the foods are good. If you come here you must order the crispy shrimp which is number 32 on the menu at the time I visited. It's freaking amazing. You can't leave this restaurant without trying that dish. I also recommend trying the scallop dumpling and the green beans. The rest are really average in my opinion. Anyway, I would definitely come back here for the shrimp even though I personally hate shrimp and I always avoid eating it but this restaurant completely changed my mind with a new style of cooking shrimp. You can just come here order 1 portion of crispy shrimp, some kind of veggie (green beans with garlic is the best) and a bowl of rice and that would be enough.Definitely recommend this restaurant!

One of the best Chinese restaurants we have been so far. Definitely in our top 3 for Chinese authentic cuisine. Their offer super tasty dumplings, sides dishes, rice and noodles. Staffs are able to accommodate you. The restaurant was very clean. The minus side was how strong the ac was.

Love the food here especially the varieties of dumplings offered. We especially loved the Veggie fried rice and chicken mushroom dumplings.

Food is good, especially the fried string bean with XO sauce. If you want something similar to Ding Tai Feng but don't want to wait in line, you can try this place. Good atmosphere and location, easy to find parking.

One of my must stops when in this part of the LA area. Easy access and ample parking. The dumplings are hand made in house and have great options for those that want vegan or non-vegan options. Tofu skin is great, same with the dumplings. Haven’t had a bad item and have been in small groups and large. Hope you enjoy also.

Food left a lot to be desired. Service was excellent.We tried some of the boiled, fried, and steamed dumplings. They were all standard not amazing. The fried rice was incredibly bland and overpriced. The lychee matcha drink was ok but had an overpowering floral taste (possibly jasmine) that was not explained on the menu. And I don’t like floral tastes.

Decided to come here based off their reviews and boy was I glad I did! We got there 30 minutes after opening and did not have to wait. We were seated immediately. The servers are attentive and it's cool to see an open kitchen of them making the dumplings. They make them boiled, steamed, or pan fried. We ordered a 10 piece order of the steamed scallop and shrimp dumplings. They were juicy inside and had nice chunks of scallop and shrimp inside. We also ordered the okra salad appetizer which was served in a way I've never had idea before. It was very good and refreshing to eat alongside our other entrees. The last thing we ordered was am the braised brisket with quail eggs. Since I'm currently low carb I did not order rice but this beef would've been amazing with some rice. The beef was so tender and the quail eggs were a great addition. I like that they have chili oil, house sauce, vinegar, and soy sauce already on your table in case you need it for your dumplings My daughter also ordered their jasmine green milk tea and she said it was pretty good. I definitely want to come back here when I'm in orange county!

The dumpings are made fresh. The dumplings are good but I feel that they are a bit undercooked. I ordered the Shrimp Jioazi which was OK. It was not amazing and not horrible. The outside dough part and texture of the dumplings is good but the inside filling is another story. I ordered the roasted Angus beef skewers and after the first bite the "roasted" part sunk in to my kind. The Angus beef was soft and chewy at the same time. Meat quality used is average for the skewers. I also ordered the steamed beef and onion Jiaozi which was also average. The fillings used is what is average here. Staff were friendly and customer service was very good here.Update as of 03-08-2024Teas are still bad. No good Chinese teas. Would be great if they turned bar area into a tea bar offering and serving great Chinese teas.They now do a better job on dumplings provided you ask them to cook longer. Hand made dumplings are very good. My favorite are the Scallops and shrimp ones. What would be great is if they had and made Wagyu beef dumplings for the pan fried ones like they have in Taiwan. What also would be good is if they got and offered better quality drinks and teas. The teas are horrible. Taiwan is famous for Great teas. Why not bring in some nice teas and offer them on the menu for customers who want great teas with their meals..? If they offered the Taiwan spinach for their stir fried spinach would be great also instead of the standard American spinach. The roasted Angus beef skewers is not so soft and tender. A better and softer beef would be great. I ordered a few times they gave up as meat quality was not so good. Need some Prime Beef for those Skewers. For the fried beans they should also use the French Beans instead of the standard regular green ones then they would be more gourmet and authentic like the ones in Taiwan. Coosemans in downtown LA supplies them for restaurants.

After a rainy day at Irvine Railroad Park, my family and I visited JA Jiaozi Authentic Dumplings in The Market Place, and it exceeded our expectations! Despite concerns about parking, we easily found a spot on the side of the restaurant just 30 minutes after it opened on a Saturday. We also read about long wait times, but that didn't happen for us.The staff seated us at a cozy booth with two high chairs for my kids. To my delight, they placed kid-sized utensils and cute Peppa Pig and Minnie Mouse plates on the table. We ordered Steamed Shrimp and Scallop Dumplings, Stir Fried Broccoli, Chicken and Mushroom Dumplings in Chili Oil, and two Kid's Meals, thinking it would be enough for my little ones. But I was wrong - the portions were generous! The fried rice could easily feed two kids, and the broccoli stole the show. Although my toddlers didn't like the pan-fried dumplings, I found all the dumplings incredibly delicious and juicy. The Dumplings in Chili Oil were my favorite, but they were quite spicy for my taste buds - still totally worth it!The staff was super friendly and attentive, even checking in with my kids to ensure they enjoyed their meal. The highlight of the meal was the ice cream that came with the Kid's Meals, but the cup was a little slippery on the plate. Nonetheless, we highly recommend JA Jiaozi Authentic Dumplings, especially for families with kids!

High quality food with wonderful presentation. Tastes as good as it looks. Didn’t wait too long for food, kind staff. Casual setting and good vibes. Small portions fit for two. Wide variety of flavors. Delicious rice cake, amazing drinks.

Having dinner here is a good experience. The staff really goes out of their way to anticipate their customer's needs. The restaurant ambiance is also good. We ordered the JA Signature Jiaozi, Crispy Chicken Wings and Honey Black Pepper Beef With Mushroom. The food (dumplings and Crispy wings) unfortunately, seems ordinary. The Honey Black Pepper Beef is really good though. The sauce is spectacular. The only thing is it doesn't come with rice, so make sure to order rice with it. It might be worth to try their other dishes.

We go to this place quite often and always enjoy the food and service. We love their dumplings very much—there are lots of variations you can try. Other menu items are also very tasty—we like the Okra dish and Stir Fried Eggplant. On the atmosphere: the inside seating is nice, however the outside seating does not seem to be developed well. I hope the management can make it more available and cozy.

I really like the vibe here. It's super clean, decor is nice, and the chairs are really comfortable.We had mapo tofu (highly recommend!), beef and mushroom fried rice, and steamed dumplings. We were thinking we'd have leftovers but we ate it all 😂

The Chinese food here is quite typical and Americanized, not bad, but it doesn't meet my expectations for an authentic Chinese dining experience. While the environment is nice and legit, the food leans towards a more commercialized taste, not quite capturing the essence of traditional Chinese cuisine.

13776 Jamboree Rd, Irvine, CA 92602, USA•https://www.jajiaozi.com/•(714) 786-8999•Tips and more reviews for JA Jiaozi Authentic Dumplings