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Don't let the casual decor or strip mall location fool you: This is arguably Las Vegas' finest off-Strip Chinese eatery, featuring an emphasis on authentic dishes from northern and western China, with some Taiwanese influence. Don't expect to see sweet and sour pork on the menu, but you will find spicy pig ear, cold green bean noodles, shao loong bao (pork dumplings), lamb with cumin, sizzling rice soup, chitterlings in hot sauce, and the best won tons in town.
This restaurant was reviewed in the June 2010LVA; some of the information contained in the review may no longer be accurate. With Las Vegas’ growing Asian population and the many new high-end restaurants in the casinos, it takes something special to single out one Chinese restaurant. Recently, a whole lot of attention has been paid to China MaMa, mostly because it does have something special—amazing pastries. We’re not talkin’ desserts, but dumplings, wonton, pot stickers, rolls, bread, buns, pancakes, and pizza. One dish in particular, steamed juicy pork buns (or xiao long bao, we’re told by Max Jacobsen, one of our Eating Las Vegas authors), has gotten tremendous word-of-mouth. Number P23 on the menu ($7.95), they’re less bun than dumpling and squirt warm juice when you bite into them. Yep, they’re good, but not as good as the awesome spicy wonton ($5.99). It’s similar to the “red” wonton dish we’ve described from other restaurants, but with wonton more delicate than any of them. Other good pastry choices are green-onion pancake ($4.75) and pan-fried shrimp & leek ($7.25). The selection is huge, ranging from safe to adventurous. If you take the latter route, be prepared for some very different tastes. Stir-fried spiced lamb, for example, is a cumin-fest. Spinach with rice wine is sweet. You won’t find these dishes at P.F. Chang’s. Soups include sizzling-rice seafood ($5.25), beef-stew noodle ($6.99), and noodle salted duck ($7.99). Excellent hot pots (try the amazing beef in Szechwan garlic hot sauce) are $13.95. More traditional noodle and rice dishes are priced mostly under $8. Portions are large and prices are low—spend $40 for two and you’ll walk with a complete lunch of leftovers. There’s no alcohol, but you’re invited to bring your own at no additional charge.
