New Chinese restaurant opens in SLO County. Take a look inside

A familiar Chinese restaurant in San Luis Obispo County has reopened its doors right next to its old original location from 1983.

Golden China Restaurant, located next to Colony Cinemas at 6917 El Camino Real Suite H in Atascadero, opened on Dec. 8, serving its classic menu items like fried rice, kung pao chicken, egg foo young and seafood.

In its prime, Golden China had five locations in SLO County. Now, the restaurant is being built back up right where the Chinese restaurant started out on El Camino Real.

Owner and chef Tony Wang said he is excited to open the restaurant back up again after its SLO location, originally a buffet-style restaurant, closed in 2023. Golden China in SLO shut its doors after three years of operation due to high costs during the pandemic, Wang said.

“I’ve been here almost 30 years, my family grew up here,” he told The Tribune. “We are so happy to come back here.”

The original Golden China Restaurant opened in 1983 at 7425 El Camino Real, and Wang started working for the original owners back in 1993. He took over as owner 23 years later.

“That day, Dec. 1, I don’t forget it,” he said. “Working there, just in the kitchen, cutting, because I didn’t speak English. After a few months, I jumped to the shift, to manager after a few years. After a couple of years, the owner said, ‘You can handle everything. You want to take over the place?’ I said, ‘Why not?’”

What’s on the menu at new but familiar Chinese restaurant?

Golden China Restaurant serves a whopping 82 dishes, from egg roll appetizers to fried lamb with cumin, beef egg foo young and Wang’s personal favorite: shrimp with lobster sauce.

Chow fun, a flat rice noodle, and chow mein are also menu options, as are egg flower soup, wonton soup and steamed vegetables.

The restaurant is running a 20% off everything discount during its opening month throughout the holidays.

For more information

Golden China Restaurant at 6917 El Camino Real in Atascadero is open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information about the restaurant, call 805-872-5720.