We have been hoping for a good, cheap Chinese restaurant on the Northgate Roxboro Road strip area. There are a number fitting the ‘cheap’ description, but none that we’d both been enthusiastic about.  With its super cheap prices, bland name and location in a half-abandoned East Durham strip mall, 1418 Avondale Drive (near ‘Beauty World’), we weren’t too hopeful, but we thought we’d give China King a try.  We were pleasantly surprised!

China King is owned and run by a friendly family from China’s Fu Jian province.  English can make conversation a bit challenging, but is fine for ordering.  Despite the strip mall location, inside the restaurant is clean and new, with a small yet attractive eating area.  Tables had both Sriracha and Texas Pete hot sauce, a good sign.  The menu is long and mostly typical of inexpensive Chinese restaurants, with a number of vegetarian options. Most dishes are available in small or large quantities (pint or quart). While they do have fancier and slightly more expensive options, we stuck with the basics this time.

Our order arrived in record time.  Everything was freshly made from the moment we ordered. Our takeout was packed with amazing care.  All our orders were small size, but they packed the containers full and each had about enough to feed the two of us.

Shrimp Roll ($1.20) – Ingredients were about average, with only one tiny shrimp, although the roll was freshly fried, at the right temperature, in good oil and served hot.

Crab Rangoon ($3.25/8 pieces) – OK, it’s not really Chinese, but…  As with the shrimp roll, average ingredients, correctly fried.

‘Broccoli with Hunan Style’ ($3.95) – Our favorite dish was the Broccoli Hunan Style, with its perfectly cooked texture and slightly spicy brown sauce, spiked here and there with tasty sour fermented black beans. Very savory and satisfying without having the sauce overwhelm the single veggie ingredient.

'Broccoli with Hunan Style'

Shrimp Curry with Onions ($5.25) – This was good, with its large, fresh-tasting, butterflied and perfectly cooked shrimp, surprising for such an inexpensive shrimp dish, although we had to hunt through masses of onions to get to them. The sauce was good, but heavier on the chili than the curry flavor, and the taste was a bit thin.

Roast Pork Lo Mein ($4.50) – A decent Lo Mein, if a bit bland.  One of us thought it was too oily, the other that it could have used some more fatty pork. Noodles were fresh and not overcooked.

Shrimp Curry with Onions & Roast Pork Lo Mein

Sweet Donut ($3.25/10) – While Chinese donuts start out pretty much the same wherever you go, they have a very short shelf life, and many places will give them to you less than fresh.  These were fresh out of the oil and delicious.

Overall, while this may not be the most amazing Chinese you’ve ever had, it’s pretty hard to beat the quality for this price or in this part of town. They have on the lunch menu a “Diet Food Chef Special” in which the ingredients are steamed, and come with either a brown or garlic sauce on the side, free of sugar, salt, and corn starch, which means folks with dietary restrictions might benefit.   If you live in the Northgate/Duke Park/Old North Durham area and are hankering for Chinese, check this one out.

China King Chinese Restaurant

(919) 688-0102
Monday – Thursday: 11am-11 pm
Friday – Saturday: 11 am – 11:30 pm
Sunday: noon – 10:30 pm

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