Cathay Express image

Cathay Express

Restaurant Fast food restaurant Chinese restaurant

One of the Top rated Chinese restaurants in Independence


Address

15411 E US Hwy 24, Independence, MO 64050

Website

www.cathayexpressindependence.com

Contact

(816) 254-2005

Price rating

$ $$$

Rating on Google Maps

4.30 (1K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Monday: 11 AM to 9 PM
  • Tuesday: 11 AM to 9 PM
  • Wednesday: 11 AM to 9 PM
  • Thursday: 11 AM to 9 PM
  • Friday: 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Saturday: 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Sunday: 12 to 9 PM

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: time (18) chicken (14) rice (14) good (12) order (9) crab (7) beef (7) wait (7) drive (7) great (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Robert A. 3 years ago on Google
    My "go to" for delicious Chinese! I've been coming here for years and years, and the food is always great. I haven't had a bad meal, ever. Locally owned by wonderful people! I'm a customer for life.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jeremy H. 2 years ago on Google
    Really good food, good prices, fast service.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sherri S. 1 year ago on Google
    This has been our go-to for Chinese carry out for the past 6 years. Everything is fresh & tasty & hot! Favorites are the shrimp rolls, steamed & fried dumplings, chicken fried rice, crab rangoon. Service is fast & friendly always!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 JustinMonica B. 5 years ago on Google
    Great place, great pricing, great staff. You definitely get your money’s worth. The servings were huge. Highly recommend the Combo Ramen.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Justin E. 1 year ago on Google
    I love this place, been coming here for a long time. I've never been let down, always very delicious, hot and fresh food from the most wonderful people in the world. I love the curry beef, just the perfect amount of spice with a bit of sweet. Salty and savory, crunchy peas, carrots and onions... it's so good! Always dip my rice in the sauce, mmm, it's a winner every time.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Khalil J. 1 year ago on Google
    This has nothing to do with the food, the food is amazing. But the two Indian girls up there are absolutely awful. Out of the 3 years my wife and I have been eating there we have never had an issue. But Sunday night that changed, I proceeded to tell them my order they repeated it back how everyone else that works there does. But this time is was completely wrong, o called up there and the girl proceeded to interrupt me and tell me how I should my food. It took every ounce in my body not to cuss her out. I love the food but those two girls need to find somewhere else to be
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Amanda S. 1 year ago on Google
    Been going to this restaurant for at least 20 years, always take- out. But inside is always clean and cozy. Nothing around town really compares to the flavor and quality for the price. A nice family-owned local business that will always have my loyalty.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Tony Restivo (. 10 months ago on Google
    Worst Chinese food I've ever eaten. Sesame chicken breading was soggy and chicken was tough. Steamed rice was dryer than the Sahara. Crab Rangoon bottom was soggy and top crispy part was beyond the stale. Had to wait 30 min for this. Ate here because Mandarin house is closed on Tuesday. Next time I'll wait. They are better and faster by miles.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 F C. 2 years ago on Google
    I got the beef and broccoli , it was a tad bit overpriced. The crab rangoon that came with it was soggy and wet. The beef and broccoli was not mixed with the broth. The beef tasted okay but some pieces of the beef had a weird taste, probably a little old. The broccoli was fresh and the rice was decent. You get a much better deal at Peking Express Chinese restaurant down the street on 24 Highway by Sterling, They also add in mushrooms and other stuff that makes it really good.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Holly N. 10 months ago on Google
    Missed out on lunch so we decided to stop in. It's been a while and definitely noticed a change. I didn't read the reviews and unfortunately they definitely were accurate. I think anything fried seemed to be swimming in oil/moisture. Major bummer but overall edible. I'd give it a try again. Not having chili or being able to increase spiciness was another negative. It was pretty mild in flavors overall.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Jason B. 7 months ago on Google
    I ordered via door dash. I ordered orange chicken, what I got was not orange chicken. It was nasty and as an extra surprise I got a long black hair in my food and could not eat it.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Brittany K. 1 year ago on Google
    This place is a joke for Chinese food. I have never had anything worse then this. If I could give zero stars I would. I spend 70-80 dollars here and ugh. The rice is so dry and not even done. The chicken is so over cooked its as hard as the breading. The crab Rangoon can't even be described. Will never eat here again.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Sheila M. 3 months ago on Google New
    A friend told me the food was good here and that many meals cost around $10 or $12. I stopped in last week with a friend and ordered sweet & sour chicken, an order of crab rangoon and soft drinks. First, this place has no restroom. I was told so when I asked where it was as I wanted to wash my hands before eating. The woman behind the counter pointed out the hand sanitizer and gave me a napkin. 2nd, I didn't think much of the tiny dining area that looked as if it had been decorated in the 1970's. We got our food in a reasonably short time. The chicken was below average-really bland and many pieces so overcooked that the dried out, hard nugget under the deep fried coating was too tough to even chew. Although the brown colored sweet sauce it comes with does add flavor to the pieces I could eat as well as the rice. Soft drinks are served as 12 oz. cans which was ok with me but I don't know if they serve drinks with ice. In sum, I felt disappointed in this place. However, I noticed the drive thru stayed busy the entire 30+ minutes we were there. I hope they serve better food than we got most of the time (or their drive-thru wouldn't have been so busy). So, for this reason alone, I am likely to give them one more chance soon. If I do, I will update my review.

  • 5/5 Tracie S. 4 months ago on Google
    Every time I come here the service is very friendly and professional and the food is hot fresh and delicious. The portions are certainly worth the price, the portions are large and I can never finish a dish in one setting. They have really good Rice Noodles and Vegetable Egg Foo Young

  • 1/5 Corbin E. 1 year ago on Google
    Cathy, lees express and more impress. It was gross, chicken was tough, and crab Rangoon tasted rancid. We tried to give our dog a few pieces of the chicken and she even spat it out.

  • 5/5 j l. 3 months ago on Google New
    The food is so delicious here and a great value! I love their crab rangoon. And you get so much food with the Ramen Combo and Rice Noodle Combo. Great customer service too.

  • 1/5 Wade E. 3 months ago on Google New
    Did they change owners? Crab Rangoon had no taste, beef and Broccoli wasn't very good, beef had an odd taste and rice was over cooked. We used to drive from Grainvalley and now Kearney. Don't think I'll be back. Not the best in town anymore.

  • 5/5 Bruce S. 6 months ago on Google
    Can't say anything negative here. Scale 1-10? 9+ at least. My family dinner was ACES. Love the food... love the service...the cost,eh, don't like $ going up, but what u gonna do?? I may gruffle, but the people and grub were definitely worth it. Peace out.

  • 5/5 Jose 1 year ago on Google
    Had their shrimp Lo mein. All I can say is you get more than you bargained for. Very delicious and yummy. I will definitely be going bk to try the rest of their menu. Sorry for the pic but I was hungry lol so much food in the container that I was barely able to be closed. So don't be fooled by the location.

  • 3/5 Jorge A. 1 year ago on Google
    The fried wontons were inedible and contained nothing on the inside. We had to throw them away. The staff are usually nice. General Tso’s chicken was good but not outstanding. The egg drop soup and fried egg rolls were yummy. The chicken broccoli with rice meal was tasteless. It was very disappointing and surprising.

  • 1/5 K P. 1 year ago on Google
    The staff here is incredibly rude, they act like they are doing you a favor when the food is bad and the place is run down and dirty. Save yourself the trouble. Plenty of other places in town.

  • 3/5 Kalea B. 1 year ago on Google
    One of our better places to go in our area but still not that great . . and they just raised their prices . . But they are pretty reasonable on prices per the amount of food you get

  • 5/5 Hank M. 1 year ago on Google
    Food is really good but like everything else recently the price has went up substantially. But it’s close to home and I’ve never had a bad experience.

  • 4/5 Courtney G. 1 year ago on Google
    WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HOT AND SOUR SOUP??? It's not the same! So sad, it use to be the best!! I just brought it today. Praying it would be back to normal. It wasn't, it was thick like a gravy!! Something isn't right!! Sorry guy, it's not the same!

  • 4/5 Brad D. 1 year ago on Google
    If I want quick and yummy, I go here! Big portions, and friendly. The crab Rangoon that they give you, sits on top of the rice in the entree box. So buy the time you get home, it is a bit soggy and likely why you may read a bad review about the texture. Tell them put it in a separate little baggie! They will! Atmosphere, well it's taillights, as the drive thru is the bulk of their business. I love it!

  • 5/5 Andrew L. 1 year ago on Google
    A true gem of independence. It is so worth it to stop in and order here. The staff is friendly and the rice noodles I got were cooked to perfection and balanced with flavor. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of meat and shrimp in my dish. I will be eating here again soon.

  • 3/5 Shelia 1 year ago on Google
    Not fantastic food but nice staff & has a drive thru even. Crab ragoons taste real watery & off. Good want to drive up & go rather than buffet style.

  • 5/5 Kee 1 year ago on Google
    This place is amazing! Always flavorful, great quality food! The shrimp Lo Mein will forever be my favorite. There is no other place this good.

  • 2/5 Tracy M. 1 year ago on Google
    I absolutely LOVE(d) the spring rolls and spicy rice noodles here. Unfortunately, that is the only thing here that is (was) good. The chicken was rubber, the 2 times we tried it, then simply never ordered anything with chicken again, but the spicy rice noodles and spring rolls have always been awesome…until tonight. Not sure who did the cooking but it was awful. It doesn’t taste anything like it usually does. Instead of spicy rice noodles, we got rice noodles with some funky brown sauce on it. Blech! I don’t know what is going on here, but I will not be back. 😞 I drive an hour to come here each and every time. They always say it will be ready in 15 min, but it NEVER is. It ALWAYS takes 30-45…minimum. I have always been understanding about this, but tonight was the last straw for me. I always just assumed the slow service was because they are so busy. I usually just tried to not show up for 30 min instead of 15, so that my wait might be less. But it doesn’t seem to matter how long I wait to come, I end up waiting another 15 -30 min or more. Once, my wait was an hour and a half…and that is in addition to the 30 min I waited to go pick it up. This time, I found out why, or at least one reason why call in orders take so long. As I walked in, a man was placing an order for himself and his daughter. There was another gentleman (for a call in order) between us. He and his daughter had their food in 10-15 min, while the other call in order and myself were still left waiting for orders we had placed 30 min ago. They obviously cook dine in orders as they get them, while waiting until call in customers arrive before even starting them…and STILL won’t start them until they are done with the dine in folks. So, obviously, calling in your order ahead of time does not do any good. The owner doesn’t understand English very well and always gets my order wrong. She never understands what I am saying and the phone usually ends up getting snatched away from her. She should NEVER take orders. The only time it has ever been accurate is when the daughter is there to manage things. Also, You should be just as respectful of your call in customers and their time as you are of dine in customers, (especially those of us driving so far). Btw, my wait time AFTER arriving was 20 minutes ,longer than the dine in customer had to wait from start to finish for his order. My total weight time from the time I called it in 40 minutes not counting my hour drive time. Yes I left very angry this time.


Call (816) 254-2005 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Parking
    • ✓️ Free parking lot
    • ✓️ Plenty of parking
  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Quick bite
    • ✓️ Comfort food
    • ✓️ Small plates
    • ✓️ Healthy options
    • ✓️ Vegetarian options
  • Popular for
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Solo dining
  • Accessibility
    • ✗ Wheelchair accessible seating
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✗ Wheelchair accessible restroom
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Takeout
    • ✓️ Delivery
    • ✓️ Drive-through

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