SMITHSBURG– Sometimes the best places you find to get lunch are found in small shopping plazas while you’re out running errands. If you’re traveling down route 64 through Smithsburg, then China 88 needs to be on your list of places to visit.
It is a small Chinese restaurant located next to Martin’s grocery store on Jefferson Blvd and offers the normal cuisine options that one would expect to find. The dining area consists of a limited number of tables and booths, only a couple of each, but the atmosphere is cozy and inviting. Judging by the number of customers coming in and out, China 88 is a popular place for meal pick-ups.
I decided to eat in and enjoy the aroma of Chinese delicacies and the charming staff, who were very friendly. There were few surprises on the menu as far as options were concerned. There were Chinese favorites like fried rice, lo mein, chow mein, and the traditional combination plates. There was a long list of lunch specials in the price range between $9.49-$10.99. The specials came with your choice of specialty meal and pork fried rice.
I was torn between my usual favorites of General Tso’s chicken, orange chicken, and the House Special Lo Mein, so I decided on the last one. Since the meal already came with fried rice, I thought a little variety would be nice. To start the meal, I started with an order of crab Rangoon with sweet and sour sauce.
The crab Rangoon came out first and it was fresh and delicious right out of the fryer. Then came my main course, which was definitely a plateful. I was not going to leave there hungry. The house special came with chicken, pork, and shrimp, mixed with onions, carrots, bamboo shoots, scallions, and lo mein noodles.
The meal was amazing, but what really impressed me was the freshness of the ingredients. I have eaten at many Chinese restaurants where the rice and noodles were a little dry and stale and the veggies soggy. China 88 however is not on that list. The veggies were crisp and all the flavors blended together delightfully.
China 88 is located at 22405 Jefferson Blvd. and is open everyday except Mondays from 11am-9pm. They offer takeout and delivery in addition to their dine in experience which I highly recommend. They can be found online at: www.china88smithsburg.com
