Oriental King is one of the many eating joints near NMSU (I'm referring primarily to the decor), but unlike some of the other Asian restaurants this one has pretty good food. It is a small place with only a few tables, and a couple outside on the sidewalk (because of the lack of bugs in the desert, it really does make sense to try to eat outdoors).

The dinner menu is not what I would call cheap when compared to other Chinese restaurants in the Las Cruces and El Paso area, but there are several reasonably priced lunch specials (I almost always think this results in better food than a lunch buffet). The menu seems to be primarily Cantonese dishes, with a few Sichuan dishes (mostly listed under the "Cook's Picks").

I could not resist ordering Tofu with Plum Sauce, even though it is not one of the "Cook's Picks" (and even though the menu only lists it with chicken or beef). The only other place I know that serves this dish is Joy Luck. The one at Oriental King was not as good as the one served at Joy Luck, primarily because the tofu was mushy and not as flavorful as at Joy Luck. The sauce was good here, and it had more celery, carrots, and other vegetables I like than at Joy Luck. I enjoyed the dish, and really appreciated the fact that plum sauce is even offered, but I think Joy Luck is the place to go for this dish.

I think it is worth trying other dishes at Oriental King, though. I liked the food enough to go back, got good service, and was impressed with the menu choices. This seems to be one of the better Chinese restaurants in Las Cruces.