Was This Place a Secret? I must have driven past China One hundreds—if not a thousand—times and never stopped. As a loyal customer of another Chinese takeout spot in town, I never had a reason to. But tonight, after a quick trip to Lowe’s (because somehow, I always need something from Lowe’s), their menu caught my eye. At first glance, they have all the usual American Chinese favorites, but then I spotted a few dishes I’d never seen before—General Tao’s Shrimp? Double Cooked Pork? And they let you swap lo mein for rice with the dinner specials? Now we’re talking. If you looked up “hole in the wall” in the dictionary, you’d probably see a picture of China One. From the outside, you’d never guess that behind the simple storefront is a surprisingly spacious, brightly lit dining area with just a few tables pushed up against the walls. When I walked in about 30 minutes before closing, all three staff members greeted me like I was a regular. I ordered, and 15 minutes later, I was heading out the door with a piping-hot bag of food. Now, onto the good stuff. The shrimp egg roll? Easily the best-prepared one I’ve had in Charleston in a long time. Not the best ever, but definitely what I’ve been missing. But the real star? The steamed dumplings. These things seem made in-house—juicy pork wrapped in a thick, chewy dumpling skin that’s got a nice bounce to it. Delicate? No. Delicious? Absolutely. And they are filling. For my entrée, I went all in and ordered the Dragon and Phoenix (which, honestly, sounds like a slot machine). It’s half General Tso’s Chicken, half Hot and Spicy Shrimp. I subbed in Orange Chicken for the General Tso’s, and it did not disappoint. The shrimp were big and had just a mild kick, while the orange chicken was saucy, crispy, and perfect over rice. I’ll definitely be back. And if you’ve been missing Corina from that other place that’s gone downhill, you might want to give China One a shot.

I really love the people here, they understood I made a mistake upon ordering and were able to deliver regardless. I just hope I don't make that same mistake again- This is super recommended and I really love to have their Shrimp Egg Foo Young the most, comfort food for me admittedly. I just wish I can support them more.

It’s your standard Chinese-American buffet. I wish they had more “Asian” style cuisine than American. People’s tastes are more refined nowadays and I think adding more Chinese recipes would help a lot. No soy sauce or chopsticks at the table which was kind of disappointing. I will say the curry chicken was my favorite. Not spicy, just a tiny kick. Service was great. Our waitress was attentive with drinks although it was busy.

Food/Taste/Flavor: 4/5 - buffet with the typical Chinese American food. Lots of items with mayonnaise, heavy sauces, and/or fried so it is a bit harder to find cleaner items. Overall, the food was flavorful and great in texture with enough options for us to happily fill our to-go boxes. Service: 5/5 - friendly and helpful with all of our questions. Very quick service but slight language barrier Ambiance: n/a - packed a to-go box but all the food displays were tidy Value for price: 5/5 - $5.49/lb for lunch and $6.38/lb for dinner. Great price, decent food, and lots of variety overall.