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Golden Wok Chinese Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
11 reviews for Golden Wok Chinese Restaurant
I have only eaten here once, and it was okay. My roommate and I ordered delivery and received our food within 30 minutes (probably less - I wasn't really paying close attention).
If this is the best Chinese food in State College, that's pretty sad, as I've had much better Chinese in other places, but it was not bad. Not as spicy as expected and the tofu in my Ma Bo Bean Curd was not pressed well and ended up tasting a bit watery. The hot and sour soup was so-so, and the vegetable roll was quite good.
I will probably order from this place again, or better yet, eat in, but I'll also keep looking.
Since taking a class at PSU, i was recommended to try this restaurant. At first i was skeptical because i'm from southern California and in southern California there is a fine standard for decent chinese food. Upon arriving i was greeted by wonderful and curteous staff. The waiter introduced the menu to me perfectly, because there were 2 items i did not know about that he recommended. (Lovers&Shrimp.. i believe and Happy Valley). They turned out to be excellent choices! I also highly recommend getting their house special brown rice! (YUMMMMMM!). The environment was very soothing for a delicious appetizing meal, good conversation and street lights.
Overall i give this restaurant a 5/5
service - excellent
food - delicous
environment - soothing and calm
The food is pretty good. Arguments on what is considered "Americanized Chinese" and what's not aside, the food isn't bad when you actually get what you ordered. For a couple years I was a pretty frequent dine-in guest. Keeping in mind, this was a ~long~ time ago (think 2003/2004) I remember service as being decent enough, the food prompt and the seating area relatively dead on a steady basis (I always wondered why). I had ordered a few things off the menu to my particular tastes that winded up being pretty much exactly what I was requesting and while the prices were a little high, I generally had no qualms if this meant eating hot pepper cabbage with anise!
But. The unfortunate but. After having experiencing tasty food I made the poor decision of revisiting them a couple years later (re : 2006/2007) via delivery. We didn't order anything different off the menu, simply grabbing a couple combos, myself the chicken with broccoli and an appetizer to share. Literally two hours later our food showed up at the door, lukewarm and upon opening, completely wrong. I was given a sloppy mix of chicken and random veggies while the total came to well over $40.00. At the time, according to the menu this was completely wrong and when we called and expressed that we wanted our money back for the difference, they insisted the amount was correct. We were not happy at all. Still, I gave them another chance since I enjoyed their dine-in services and this time, ordered my spicy cabbage for delivery. The woman I talked to absolutely refused and we got into a spat back and forth whether or not they'll make food based on requests. In the end I tried their chicken with broccoli (again) this time being sure to specify no other veggies. Of course it winded up at my doorstep another random mix. Eh. No. This chica likes her food spicy, not her service.
In all fairness, things may have changed but I'm doubting that. Feeling kind, I gave them three stars based on the good 'ole days of eating in- if based on takeout alone it would have definitely been two. Btw, I'm not white. But even if I was, I'd still pass this place up! Believe it or not, if you're looking for a good Chinese joint that custom makes dishes, try the little restaurant in the Nittany Mall: they'll make you just about anything.
I am from Los Angeles and know a good amount about good Chinese food. This place is the real deal. I fell head over heels for their salt and pepper pork chops. The portions are huge and the price well worth it. This isn't some fast food style, "white" people food. I noticed a lot of kids who went there ordered very simple things invented in America (orange chicken, sweet and sour pork). Go for a real Chinese dish and then judge the place. Only downside is a weird parking lot/area. Usually I would park at Taco Bell next door and walk over. Otherwise, service and food are 5 stars.
Golden Wok is by far the best Chinese food in State College and it is a great Chinese restaurant. If you order off the menu, they will make it for you and it will be delicious. White people complain about Americanized Chinese restaurants, but often they wouldn't know what to order in any case, am i wrong? I write this because there may be two kinds of Americanized Chinese restaurants--those with Chinese cooks and those with Mexican cooks (and maybe those with college students as cooks). Take a peek in the back and see that Golden Wok's cooks are all Chinese. I've kicked it with the family that owns the place and their staff, and they eat both the Americanized fare and also whatever legit Chinese food they feel like eating, and it's all good.
I'm bothered because anyone who knows anything about Chinese restaurants and food knows that the kitchen will make you what you want so long as they're capable of it. The white people who complain about Americanized fare are those who need to be told what to eat, because, paradoxically, they know nothing about Chinese food. In other words, they seek authenticity without knowing anything about it. They want to be told what's authentic, appreciate it, and tell their friends that they know something about Chinese food. Golden Wok is one of the best Chinese restaurants I've ever eaten at, and I have dined on Chinese food in NYC, the SF bay area, Houston, Taipei/Taiwan, and throughout China.
This place is expensive for Chinese food, but the quality is usually pretty consistent. Compared to other Chinese restaurants in the area, the atmosphere is nicer but the food choices are pretty much the same.
In terms of chinese food available in downtown State College, Golden Wok has the lowest probability of killing or sickening you. However, you pay for this safety with higher prices. Food is decent with lunch specials being the only reasonably priced group on the menu. State College has a long way to go in obtaining a consistant chinese food joint.
I eat there when i have to. The food is good, but, I seem to have allergic reactions and have seen others have worse reactions. I wish that I did not, as the food generally tastes pretty good.
The food does come out quickly, particularly for lunch, but they will not make anything you ask for, several times they have refused and blamed the kitchen.
So Golden Wok might not stand out if it were in a Chinatown, but this is STATE COLLEGE, and yes... maybe I'm more willing to compromise now that I've been here 2 years and there aren't *that* many places where I would spend my money to eat here...
Okay, now that I've gotten all the caveats out of the way, I need to put in a good word for Golden Wok. The quality of food is consistent, the plates come out fast, and it's reasonably priced for students. I usually go with my friend to get our standard Chicken & Broccoli in white sauce and Garlic Shrimp. The chicken (breast meat) is always moist and our shrimp are always large and succulent. I've also had the House Special Brown Rice which was tasty although a bit on the oily side. I would still order it, but I might not scrape up all the rice at the bottom of the plate/to go box because it'll be soaked in oil. But it's good!
My Asian international friends from Korea, Vietnam, and China have come here to have the Peking Roast Duck and they said it was good and that I should go try it. Haven't yet, but if you have, let me know how it is.
I've also come here with a friend and her family from Germany so we ordered a whole bunch of other plates. Everything was decent, definitely not as authentic or spiced the way I'd like, but they were happy with it (um, there are also no Chinese people running Chinese restaurants in Germany so....).
The only quasi-annoying thing is the service, which is spotty. The family who run the place are all really nice & hospitable, but some of their waiters (actually, one in particular) have attitudes sometimes and don't seem to deal well with stress. Try to overlook that as your meal will come in less than 2 minutes.
I guess my rating of the place would probably be between 3 and 4 stars. But, since I stick with what I know to be good, the food comes out fast, and I have a soft spot in my heart for family-run businesses, I give them a 4 star rating. This is definitely a well-priced, dependable Chinese food restaurant that I would recommend. Plenty of seating and a nice glass covered front dining area...especially cool to look at when it's raining out. Oh, and parking is available in the Taco Bell lot.
Ehh, it's standard Americanized Chinese fare. Nothing sticks out, for better or worse.
The Golden Wok delivers a pretty consistent product, but it is average fare. Nothing to write home about here, but nothing to really complain about either. If you're looking for Chinese food in downtown State College, this is a fine option. They're friendly and the service is usually quick, but the food is not as fresh or as flavorful as I'd like.
