China Mama

Las Vegas Advisor publisher Anthony Curtis was among those who said their favorite Chinese restaurants include China Mama, which is tucked in a strip center around the corner from the most frenetic parts of Chinatown.

The family-owned and -operated spot makes it a point to be friendly to guests and offers a menu that mixes Chinese-American favorites with more authentic dishes. Thus, while you’ll find honey-walnut shrimp and Mongolian beef on this menu, you’re also likely to come across griddle-cooked pork intestine, with an incredibly flaky scallion pancake, sliced fish fillet with pickled mustard and stir-fried lamb with cumin falling in between, making it a gathering place for Chinese expatriates as well as those weaned on orange chicken.

China Mama is in an old bank building but the decor has been considerably brightened in recent years, with touches of blue and sage adding soothing notes to an interior heavy on wood grain.