143 North Gallatin Pike
Madison, TN 37115
615.865.2288
website
China Bell is one of many restaurants along the Gallatin Pike stretch near Hendersonville, Tennessee. It’s most apparent as a place that offers takeout and delivery Chinese food to this north Nashville suburb, and if you take a look at the menu, you’ll further see it’s aiming to be a cost-friendly place. Of course, your typical Chinese food items are on the menu, all at pretty reasonable prices. All told, you’ll save a lot of money here, though some better dining options aren’t that far away.
So the menu is dominated by lunch specials for dine-in; about 30 dishes are represented in all, with each running you about five bucks and coming with a free egg roll and fried rice. Pay attention, though, that delivery has a $15 minimum, so unless you’re feeding a groups of people, the best option is to dine in to get the good deal there.
The food itself is decent, albeit a little uncreative. The sesame chicken is woefully lacking in actual sesame seeds, and in fact the sauce itself is canned or pre-made so it doesn’t really strike me as something that’s worth a special visit. The fried rice is good but a little bit dry, and the egg rolls are along the same lines as the chicken; cooked well but in the end pretty generic. The other items on the menu, seafoods, stir fry, noodles and so forth, are about par for Chinese takeout spots in the area. You’ll be able to find these dishes in a lot of places around town.
Service is decent though, as the food comes pretty quickly. With that price point, it’s really hard to beat the restaurant on coming out with an easy meal. That said, this particular part of Nashville is absolutely packed with good restaurants, especially those that do Asian cuisine really well. A good deal of these also deliver. Comparatively speaking, China Bell is a safe enough place to get some cheap food, but it won’t really surprise you at all. The interior of the restaurant could use a makeover, so it’s probably best for its convenience if you happen to live nearby.
Recommendations
- The lunch specials are very cheap, running you as low as $4.95, and they’re good from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., definitely some of the cheapest food around.
- Delivery is also an option here, but the minimum order is $15.00 so you won’t be able to take advantage of that special, or else have a few people with you.
- Also the spot isn’t too large or attractive, so I recommend takeout or delivery.
Another Food Critic 