Let’s face it: Chinese-American fare can be the ultimate comfort food. The salty, greasy goodness goes perfectly with an alcoholic beverage, and some may see it as an ultra-casual and unpretentious type of shareable food not unlike tapas. That’s why so many people order it for takeout, spending a fun evening with friends and loved ones perhaps while watching sports or something else on TV.
You would also think that having such a night out at a drinking establishment would be every bit as much fun, but Chinese-American spots tend to fall into two categories: the little corner takeout spot where you order for pickup or delivery or the family-friendly restaurant with large tables where groups can share endless plates of food in a quiet, comfortable space.
Yes, some of these restaurants do include bar areas where people can sit and grab a bite to eat and a drink, but they tend not to be the centerpieces of the places. This is why The China Restaurant & Sports Bar in the Wollaston section of Quincy is so unique, as it is a sports bar that happens to feature classic Chinese-American food while also offering some of the types of pub grub that you would expect at a watering hole.
Quincy has very quietly become one of the best places for dining out in the Greater Boston area. Its many neighborhoods feature restaurants offer cuisines of all types, including Italian, Latin American, Indian, classic American, New American, Mediterranean and, of course, lots of regional seafood, as you might expect in a coastal community.
And with each passing year, Quincy is known more and more for its almost overwhelming variety of East Asian and Southeast Asian dining spots, especially in the North Quincy and Wollaston neighborhoods, which abut each other and each of which has its own little commercial center.
Some of the region’s best Asian restaurants can be found in this area (which is only a few minutes from the Boston line, by the way), many in tiny hole in the wall-type spots serving everything from pho to vermicelli to shabu to hand-pulled noodles to ramen to sushi and so much more.
Interestingly enough, Chinese-American places aren’t really big in these neighborhoods, as authentic fare from nearly every region of China tends to be more the focus, perhaps because there is such a large population of Asian Americans and Asian immigrants living here. And because The China is one of the few Chinese-American options in the immediate area, the place tends to bring folks into the neighborhood who might not otherwise do so.
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Unlike many of its neighbors, The China is anything but a hole in the wall. It’s a spacious spot and one of the largest on this stretch of Hancock Street.
The setup is pretty simple, with a roomy dining area to the right, another to the left and a long bar running along the back wall and cutting through nearly the entire space.
Even with the bar dominating the place and many televisions over the bar, The China isn’t a particularly loud spot. The carpeting and tables being spaced well apart helps keep the noise level manageable, and this isn’t a wild bar by any means — it’s a place for families, groups of friends and couples in the dining areas, while the bar often has people enjoying food and drink while watching whatever sports are on TV.
While Chinese-American fare is perhaps the main focus of the menu at The China, other options await as well, but many if not most diners indeed tend to come to this place for the old-school Chinese-American food.
The menu includes a number of combination plates, which is a great way to go if you would rather have your own meal rather than share dishes with others. Some highlights in this section include a decadent egg foo yong that is smothered in brown gravy, classic boneless spare ribs and chicken fingers, a deliciously savory lobster sauce, meaty chicken wings, crispy egg rolls, fried rice (offered with most combos) and lean BBQ pork strips.
A few dim sum options, such as shumai, pork buns and shrimp dumplings, are also available and complement the combo plates nicely, as do some of the standalone appetizers not found in the combos, such as Peking ravioli, beef teriyaki and crab rangoon.
Alternatively, you can order a pu pu platter if you’d rather share several Chinese-American apps with others at the table and/or order plates of chow mein, chop suey, chow yoke, lo mein and Singapore noodles.
The China has an extensive menu that goes well beyond Chinese-American options, with entire sections dedicated to Mandarin, Cantonese and Polynesian dishes and another focused on more authentic Chinese plates, such as clams in black bean sauce, ginger and scallion lobster, chicken and yu choy in garlic sauce and fried shrimp, squid and pork chop.
PHOTOS: Chinese-American food and cocktails at Quincy's The China
At the other end of the spectrum is the type of food that you might find in an old-fashioned Boston-area watering hole, and which helps make this a true sports bar. This part of the menu includes pizza (and some of the toppings are decidedly Chinese, such as kung pao chicken, boneless spare ribs and moo shi vegetable), burgers, mozzarella sticks, buffalo fingers, cheddar cheese jalapenos, fries and onion rings.
Because it serves some Polynesian dishes, you might expect The China to offer Polynesian drinks as well, and you would certainly be correct. Some favorites include mai tais, zombies, blue Hawaiians, scorpion bowls, head hunters and fog cutters, and some are served in rather interesting mugs (the head hunter is served in a large coconut, for instance).
Other drink options are available as well, including some draft and bottled beers and a few different wines, and this being a sports bar, plenty of spirits and liqueurs, though the Polynesian drinks really do tend to be front and center.
There really is no place in the Greater Boston area quite like The China. Is it an old-fashioned Chinese-American restaurant? Yes. A sports bar where you can watch a game or two on TV? Also yes. A more traditional Asian dining spot where you can have some dim sum or maybe some Hong Kong-style seafood? Once again, yes.
Basically, this is a multi-concept place in the best sense where there is truly something for everyone, all in an unpretentious, casual and affordable package.
One note: The China is open only for dinner, but one can hope that maybe someday they may add lunch service, because those combo plates are perfect for a noontime meal —they really aren’t so bad for supper either, especially if a night game featuring your favorite team is on the tube.
The China Restaurant & Sports Bar, 681 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA, 02170. chinasportsbar.com.
