Menu glossary

Chinese takeout menu glossary

Takeout terms · Dish names · Sauces · Cooking styles

Chinese takeout menus use a compact vocabulary. Once you understand the repeated terms, the menu becomes easier to read and the dishes become easier to compare.

How to use this glossary

Use this page when a menu term is familiar but still vague. Many American Chinese takeout menus are organized by protein, starch, sauce, and cooking method. A dish name such as chicken with garlic sauce is not only a chicken dish. It is also a sauce family, a vegetable mix, a wok technique, and a spice expectation. The point is not to memorize every item. The point is to recognize patterns.

Menu language varies by restaurant. Some menus use older Cantonese romanizations, some use Mandarin pinyin, and some use plain English descriptions. A restaurant may also adapt a term to local customers. Treat the definitions below as practical reading guidance, not as certification that every kitchen uses the same recipe.

Common dish families

TermWhat it usually meansOrdering implication
Lo meinSoft wheat noodles tossed with sauce, vegetables, and protein.Usually saucy and easy to share. See lo mein vs chow mein vs chow fun vs mei fun.
Chow meinIn American takeout, often stir-fried vegetables and protein, sometimes with crispy noodles on the side.Ask whether the restaurant means soft noodles, crispy noodles, or the American-style vegetable dish.
Chow funWide flat rice noodles, often stir-fried with beef, scallions, and bean sprouts.Look for wok fragrance and lightly charred noodle edges.
Mei funThin rice vermicelli, often stir-fried; Singapore mei fun is usually curry-colored.Lighter texture than lo mein, but can still be oily.
Egg foo youngA Chinese American omelet or patty served with brown gravy.Good for someone who wants egg, gravy, and rice rather than a saucy stir-fry.
Moo shuStir-fried shredded vegetables, egg, and protein served with pancakes and hoisin.A wrap-style dish rather than a rice-centered entrée.

Sauces and flavor words

TermWhat to expectWatch for
Brown sauceSavory soy-based gravy used with beef, broccoli, egg foo young, and many combination dishes.Not necessarily spicy; often thickened with starch.
Garlic sauceSweet-sour-savory sauce with garlic, ginger, soy, vinegar, and chile in many takeout kitchens.Usually more assertive than brown sauce, but heat varies.
MalaThe numbing-hot Sichuan profile from chile and Sichuan peppercorn.Spicy and tingling, not just hot.
HoisinSweet fermented-bean sauce used with moo shu, roast meats, and pancakes.Sweet and dark; not the same as soy sauce.
Black bean sauceSalty fermented black soybean sauce, common with clams, beef, ribs, and vegetables.Savory and pungent; usually not sweet.

Cooking methods and menu clues

Steamed often signals a lighter dish, but sauce may be served separately or added later. Fried may mean deep-fried appetizers, pan-fried dumplings, or crisped noodles, depending on the menu section. Dry-fried or dry pot often signals concentrated seasoning and less loose sauce. Roast usually belongs to Cantonese BBQ menus, where roast duck, soy sauce chicken, and char siu are displayed or sold over rice.

Words such as “house special,” “chef’s special,” and “combination” are commercial signals as much as culinary ones. A house special fried rice may simply include multiple proteins. A chef’s special in takeout may be a sweet, crispy, sauced entrée such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, or orange chicken.

Useful next pages

Where to go next

Return to the Chinese dish guides hub, use the Chinese menu tools, or search the site if the menu uses another spelling.