The appetizer section is where most Chinese takeout orders either come together or fall apart. Order too little and the table waits; order one each and nobody finishes their entrée. It is also the part of the menu with the widest range of things people have never tried.
The short answer
Order two to three shared appetizers for four people, and pick things that hold their texture if the food has to travel. Appetizers are a course for the table, not a starter each.
The reliable crowd-pleasers
Egg rolls
The default Chinese appetizer for good reason: recognisable, easy to divide and fine at room temperature. This menu lists a standard egg roll, a vegetable egg roll and a shrimp egg roll, so a mixed table can be covered from one item.
Dumplings, fried or steamed
The most satisfying thing in the section and the one most worth ordering if you are eating in. Fried dumplings are crisped on the base with a chewier wrapper; steamed are softer and lighter. Both come in orders of eight on this menu, which divides neatly across a table.
Spare ribs
Bar-B-Q spare ribs and boneless spare ribs both appear on this menu. The boneless version is easier to share and less work to eat, which makes it the better choice for a group; the bone-in version has more flavour for anyone prepared to do the work.
The ones worth trying
- Bo Bo platter — a combination plate that solves the problem of a table that cannot agree. One order, several items.
- Fried wonton — crisp, light and the cheapest way to add something crunchy.
- Beef on the stick — skewered and easy to hand around, and a change from the fried items.
- Chicken teriyaki — also skewered, and the mildest thing in the section.
- Edamame — the one genuinely light option, and the only thing here that is not fried or filled.
- Chinese donut — sweet, and more often ordered at the end of a meal than the start.
How much to order
| People | Appetizer plates | Suggested mix |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | One shared plate, or two if skipping soup |
| 3–4 | 2 | One fried, one dumpling |
| 5–6 | 2–3 | One fried, one dumpling, one skewer or rib |
| 7–10 | 3–4 | A combination platter plus two or three others |
What travels and what does not
This is the practical consideration nobody mentions. Fried appetizers are at their best within a few minutes of leaving the kitchen, and crispness is the first thing to go on a drive home.
- Holds up well: steamed dumplings, edamame, skewers, boneless ribs.
- Holds up reasonably: egg rolls, which soften but stay pleasant.
- Eat first: fried wonton and fried dumplings, which lose their texture fastest.
The section people miss
Worth knowing if you are ordering for a group that includes people who do not want Chinese food at all: this menu has a separate special Chinese American dishes section of buffalo wings, fried chicken wings, fried shrimp and french fries, available plain or with fried rice.
It is not an appetizer section as such, but for a mixed group — a family with children, or an office order where not everyone eats the same things — it solves a problem the appetizer list does not.
That matters more with appetizers than with entrées, because fried items often share equipment. Shellfish, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts and tree nuts all appear somewhere in a typical Chinese appetizer list. Food Allergy Research & Education keeps a plain summary of the most common allergens if you need the full list.
That section has more to it than it looks — why Chinese restaurants sell wings and fries covers what is in it and when it is the right thing to order.
Where to find them
The appetizer section at Panda Li’s Kitchen lists nineteen items. If you would rather have soup than a fried starter, the soup section runs to nine options, and the dinner specials already include an egg roll or soup with the meal.
Building the starter course
The most common mistake is treating appetizers and soup as alternatives when they work better together — and the second most common is ordering both in quantities meant for individuals.
| Group size | Soup | Appetizers | Total starter items |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | One small each | One shared plate | 3 |
| 3–4 | One large shared | Two shared plates | 3 |
| 5–6 | One or two large | Two to three plates | 4–5 |
| 7–10 | Two large | A platter plus two plates | 5 |
What to order for a mixed table
Appetizers are where a table with different tastes is easiest to satisfy, because everything is shared and nobody is committed to a whole dish they did not choose.
- Children at the table. Chicken nuggets, chicken teriyaki and boneless spare ribs are the least challenging items in the section.
- Someone avoiding fried food. Steamed dumplings and edamame are the two options that are not fried.
- Nobody can agree. The Bo Bo platter exists precisely for this.
- An office order. Skewers and boneless ribs are the easiest to eat away from a table.
A note on dumplings
Dumplings are the item most worth understanding, because the same filling behaves very differently depending on how it is cooked. Fried dumplings are crisped on one side and chewier through the wrapper; steamed dumplings are softer, lighter and cleaner tasting.
If you are ordering both an appetizer and a soup, steamed dumplings alongside a hot and sour soup is a better-balanced start than two fried items. If the appetizer is doing all the work, fried is the more satisfying choice.
Frequently asked questions
How many Chinese appetizers should I order for a group?
Two to three shared plates for four people, and three to four for six or more. Appetizers are meant to be shared from the middle rather than ordered one each, and they take the edge off appetites more than people expect.
What is a Bo Bo platter?
It is a combination appetizer plate that brings several items together on one order, which makes it the most efficient way to feed a table that cannot agree. Panda Li’s Kitchen lists one in the appetizer section.
What is the difference between fried and steamed dumplings?
The filling is the same; the cooking is not. Fried dumplings are crisped on the base and chewier, while steamed dumplings are softer and lighter. Both appear on this menu in orders of eight.
Do Chinese appetizers travel well?
The fried ones lose their crispness on a long drive, which is the main argument for eating them first or ordering them when you are dining in. Steamed dumplings and edamame hold up better.
The bottom line
Two to three plates for four people, one fried and one dumpling as the base, and a combination platter when the table is large or undecided. Eat the fried things first.
For sizing the rest of the order around them, the guide to how much Chinese food to order per person covers the full meal.
Nineteen appetizers, including a combination platter for larger tables.
See the appetizer section