New China

New China, located at 3350 Gravois Ave, St. Louis, MO 63118, USA, is a Chinese restaurant primarily operating as a takeout establishment within the St. Louis community. It can be reached at (314) 771-8818 or +1 314-771-8818. This eatery, while presenting a complex customer experience, is noted for its focus on offering combination plates and a range of Chinese American classics for local patrons.

The environment of New China is largely geared towards takeout. There is "no dining allowed inside," emphasizing its role as a quick-service, carryout-only establishment. The waiting area is described as "super small," leading to potentially crowded conditions where customers will be "standing/sitting with a lot of people around you." This limited space highlights the restaurant's operational model, prioritizing efficiency for pickup orders rather than a comfortable dine-in experience. The location on Gravois Ave is implicitly linked to a "not the safest or the best neighborhood in St Louis," which, while not directly related to the restaurant's interior, forms part of the overall environmental context as perceived by customers, potentially contributing to the atmosphere both inside and immediately outside the establishment.

The services at New China primarily revolve around phone orders and in-person pickups. The efficiency of the service can be overshadowed by customer interactions, as there are consistent reports of rude behavior from the staff. Customers note that the person on the phone is "rude" and the in-person interactions are "pretty rude" as well. This service dynamic is attributed by one customer to the challenging environment, where "patrons every time I've been in this restaurant have been rude and arguing with the employees over petty stuff," leading to a hypothesis that the staff's demeanor might be a reaction to frequent customer "abuse." This suggests a high-stress environment for employees, which in turn affects customer service. Despite these challenges, the core service of providing ready-to-eat Chinese food for pickup remains the restaurant's central function, often requiring customers to navigate a potentially tense waiting period before receiving their order. The recommendation to "order ahead if you do try it though" underscores the preference for minimizing wait times in the small, potentially crowded waiting area.

New China's features are predominantly centered on its food, which receives highly varied but often strong feedback. A consistent theme among positive reviews is the "excellent" quality of the food, with one customer claiming it's "one of the best Chinese places I've eaten" and the food being "off the chain awesome." The combination plates are particularly popular, priced affordably at "$10 even," and include ham fried rice, an entree choice, and either an egg roll or two crab rangoons. Portions are notably "very large," often enough for "two helpings," emphasizing value for money. Specific dishes that have been praised include:

• Beef and Broccoli: The gravy is described as "beyond amazing," though the broccoli itself was sometimes "not cooked long enough," resulting in a hard texture.
• Ham Lo Mein: This dish was found to be "excellent" with "no complaints."
• Sweet and Sour Chicken: While typically served with sauce on the side, New China serves it with the "sweet and sour sauce already dumped and soaked on the chicken nuggets." Despite this different presentation, it was still found to be "very good."

However, not all feedback on the food is universally positive. Another customer did "not see the hype," finding the food "not bad, but it surely isn’t delicious or good." This review specifically highlighted a lack of "much flavor in anything," including fried wings that were "fried hard" and lost their batter, with bland meat suggesting they "weren't marinated before cooking." The fried rice, despite its "darker" appearance, was also noted for lacking flavor. This stark contrast in reviews suggests that while some patrons find the food exceptionally good and satisfying, others experience it as merely functional or lacking in distinct flavor. This dichotomy is a significant feature of the restaurant, indicating that the quality and appeal can be highly subjective or inconsistent across different dishes or visits.

Regarding promotional information, New China appears to rely heavily on its affordability and the large portions of its combination plates, which effectively serve as its primary draw. The "excellent" taste of some dishes, particularly for loyal customers, acts as strong word-of-mouth promotion, despite the noted service issues. There are no explicit details provided about formal advertising, discounts, or loyalty programs. The consistent pricing of the combination plates at a flat "$10 even" is a straightforward and appealing feature that acts as a promotional tool, providing clear value to the customer. However, the known issues with rude staff and a challenging environment might inadvertently deter some potential new customers or those seeking a more pleasant experience, regardless of the food quality. For those willing to overlook these aspects for good, affordable, and generously portioned food, New China maintains its appeal within its specific market segment in St. Louis.

In conclusion, New China at 3350 Gravois Ave, St. Louis, MO, is a Chinese takeout restaurant known for its generous portions and affordable combination plates. While the food garners highly enthusiastic praise from some for being "excellent" and "off the chain awesome," particularly the gravies and certain noodle dishes, others find it lacking in flavor. The environment is a small, crowded waiting area for pickup orders, with no dine-in option. Service is frequently described as rude, a situation that some customers attribute to the challenging interactions initiated by other patrons and the neighborhood context. Despite these service and environmental drawbacks, the perceived value and quality of the food for its price point continue to draw a dedicated customer base, making New China a distinctive, albeit complex, part of the St. Louis Chinese food scene.