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Jimmy Wong's Golden Dragon Asian Bistro
Categories: Restaurants Chinese Restaurants Thai Chinese, Thai
414 University Ave(between 4th Ave & Brant St)
San Diego, CA 92103
Neighborhood: Hillcrest
(619) 296-4119
$6.95 for late night special
Late night special entrees start at $5.95 appetizers $3.95 from 11 pm - 3 am mon-wed
early bird special $10.95 3 course menu sun-thur
5-9pm
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 5 pm - 3 am
Sat-Sun 2 pm - 3 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Late Night, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
346 reviews for Jimmy Wong's Golden Dragon Asian Bistro
Review Highlights
"Great selection and the drunken noodles are superb."
(in 72 reviews)
"My go to place when I'm feeling Thai late night."
(in 96 reviews)
"...tasty Thai food and it's open till 3 what else do u want."
(in 27 reviews)
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346 reviews in English
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Review from Lisa F.
San Diego, CA
1/25/2012
I love this place. I used to live just a few blocks away. My absolute favorite is the drunken noodles at a level 8. I'm drooling just thinking about it.
At my old job I would get off around 2 am, I'd call up the asian bistro order the drunken noodles to-go and they would be in my belly ten minutes later.
I brought my boyfriend here and also got him hooked. -
Review from Jimmy K.
San Diego, CA
1/26/2012 2 Check-ins Here
My recommendation: money bags and lychee martini
NOT the restaurant that you expect to enter when you see the huge dragon sign a mile away! What I thought was going to be a run-down Chinese place with way too large of an entrance sign really surprised me.
Asian bistro is a clean and cozy restaurant in Hillcrest with great food and very filling portion sizes (really good value). They are also open super late so it makes for a fantastic middle-of-the night trip too! -
Review from Vanessa P.
San Diego, CA
1/22/2012
Open till 3am, fantastic/quick service, HUGE glasses, and great tasting food. Plus it's only three miles away from Lestats on Park - perfect after a late night study session.
PS the bathroom is super clean and smells AMAZING. I literally came out smelling like candy. -
Review from Nat Nat S.
San Diego, CA
2/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Open til 3 am?!?? Sold!!! We ordered tangerine chicken, wonton soup, tom kah with chicken, and shrimp spring rolls. Loved it all! Speedy and friendly service. Gets crowded quickly after the bars close (so that means drunk people who may or may not annoy you). Will def try it during the day too. Bottom line: EAT HERE!
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Review from Miss Vanessa T.
Chula Vista, CA
1/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
On a random Thursday evening at The Office (for Ms. Emily's birthday)...I run into a couple of college friends and their friends.
So, I end up leaving with them to grab a bit to eat post-drinking. They didn't want to have the typical burger or mexican fare...so we headed to Hillcrest where I FINALLY got to try Jimmy Wong's late night eats.
Service was REALLY fast...or at least it seemed that way. I got my soup which was pretty tasty and really inexpensive. I was quite happy.
It made me feel classier to actually sit down at a restaurant to get my drunk munchies on. I guess we have progressed since out college days of drive-thru Mexican food...even if that was only 2 years ago. -
Review from Dale W.
San Diego, CA
2/8/2012 4 Check-ins Here
if its late & youre in the mood for Thai, this is the place to go. theyre open til 3am! ive never received anything less than super friendly service from every staff member here, and i patronize the place weekly. like my friend David L said, anything with duck is bomb. my personal favorite is the duck salad. and while youre there, tell Bee i said hi ;)
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Review from Alan K.
1/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love the fact that this place was still open at 2am in the morning on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. Of course, this place was packed. However, what I liked about this place is that the workers here tried to make our wait pleasant. They gave us water in these ornate looking Thai cups.
I think we waited approximately 15 minutes before we were seated. I ordered the Pad Kee Mao, level 8 spiciness as listed on the menu. It was pretty good. The thin noodles were different than what I am accustomed to, but the entire dish was very spicy.....just the way I like it. They even asked me twice about the spiciness before they put it in the queue. -
Review from Julie S.
San Diego, CA
1/31/2012
Kind of expensive for what it is. Overall good Chinese food, wish it was easier to pick up take-out. I had the drunken noodles, which were good, but I like Amarin's better. I will try a few other menu items here, before ruling it out.
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Review from carolyn g.
San Diego, CA
1/5/2012
With all the late night options in Hillcrest, Jimmy Wong's has a great atmosphere. Much more relaxing and casual than Saigon on Fifth but not as dive-y feeling as Hong Kong. The service was friendly and speedy. I only wished I liked the food more. The menu seemed to have a heavy Thai theme, which wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be more of a blend of Asian dishes. We got a BBQ Chicken plate and Drunken Noodles. The noodles were tasty but nothing special. *My fav drunken noodles in town are from Bangkok.*. Anyways, back to Jimmy Wong's...I though the BBQ chicken was pretty gross. It reminded me of pre-cooked, greasy chicken from L&L.
Overall, the atmosphere would bring me back... Some of the other food items I saw looked better than mine! -
Review from David L.
San Diego, CA
1/24/2012
Sooooo glad there's finally an after hours Thai place! Love anything with duck and the service is great :)
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Review from San Diego Historic Neon H.
San Diego, CA
12/7/2011 1 photo
San Diego Historic Neon salutes Asian Bistro for keeping and maintaining their magnificent Jimmy Wong's Golden Dragon neon sign. It is an icon and landmark of Hillcrest, and it is admired and appreciated by everyone throughout the city.
Thank you to Asian Bistro for caring about your neighborhood and its history. -
Review from Keane A.
San Diego, CA
12/21/2011
2AM browsed Yelp
Chose the first thing that looked good
3AM wrote grade -
Review from Susan K.
Aldie, VA
1/21/2012
Just moved to SD from Washington, DC and this is the first Chinese restaurant we've gone to. We picked it based on the YELP reviews & went there last Monday, 1/16 with my 3 kids and LOVED it. The food was very flavorful and fresh -- we ordered a ton and devoured it all.
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Review from Alexandra H.
Newark, CA
1/15/2012
I am always skeptical of places that call themselves "asian bistros" but this place was great! We had the thai basil rice with seafood and the drunken noodles with duck which were AMAZING!! I loved the food, I can't wait to go back.
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Review from Sheena R.
San Diego, CA
12/6/2011
Absolutely LOVE this place!
Flower Cups are yummy. Definitely try the Drunken Noodles!
Thai Tea served hot or cold is good, but a little too sweet for me. -
Review from Regina T.
San Diego, CA
11/20/2011
Bomb! Great happy hour deals! My friend and I shared the tangerine chicken, which was fresh, crispy and juicy. Fantastic flavor. The jasmine rice seemed to melt in my mouth, in a way.
I'm so glad that this place is open so late, I will definitely be back. -
Review from Alyssa C.
Chula Vista, CA
11/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
So, I don't really like Asian food (though I do crave it every so often), so I'm going to say I'm slightly biased in that I'm already pretty picky with it.
With that said, Asian Bistro didn't rocky my world. I've had better Thai for sure, butttt I'm not going to let that stop me from coming back. I've only been once, so I'd love to try some other things they offer. I had the drunken noodles and, while it was a good amount of spicy, it didn't have a lot of flavor. Same goes for their pad see ew. I did, however, like their tea! And it was served as a pitcher, so you know you're getting your money's worth.
The plus, though, is they're open late. So, it's a good alternative to late night Mexican food. One other con is that parking sucks, it's pretty much street parking or any public lots. During normal dinner hours, it's not fun. -
Review from Delilah B.
San Francisco, CA
1/9/2012
some of the besttt Thai food I've had in San Diego, and they're also open late night- extra points for that!! they have some pretty delicous desserts- the fried cheescacke eggroll is my favorite and a must try! for food, the yellow curry and pad see ew are two of may faves also.
it's in the fun hillcrest neighbor hood too, so it's a good spot to eat on a night out! -
Review from Keesy S.
10/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Who doesn't love Chinese/Thai food at the wee hours of the night? Came here after a movie (about midnight) to find the place moderately packed. Night crowd was in full effect, but not that raunchy, loud, billigerently, drunk night crowd that finds it's way into establishments after a certain hour of the night. It wasn't late enough for that yet.
Hightlights: Drunken noodles and Panang curry with seafood. The curry was pleasantly sweet with that right amount of spice to it. Although we ordered it at a 5 it was still mild enough not to scorch my chapped lips. The drunken noodles were surprisingly spicier, but still very pleasant. They were flavorful without that greasy nonsense that I've encountered from most drunken noodles. Didn't order anything else since it was late night.
Lowlight: The thai tea I could've skipped, tasted watered down.
Overall, I wouldn't mind coming back. -
Review from Rocky B.
Coronado, CA
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love this place. I've been coming here since I moved to the area about a year ago, and I have never had a bad experience. It's open until 3, which absolutely rocks for late night cravings, or after bar beer munchies. Really decently priced too, for having such a nice atmosphere, despite the weird mashup of classic rock songs done in elevator music style. The appetizers are all yummy, the curry is at it's best when ordered at a 8 or 9, beer and sake deals, classic asian desserts, and I just discovered the chicken lettuce cups, WOW. Best part is it won't hurt your wallet, and if you do hit this place up after bar close, you won't feel awful in the morning as compared to eating a whole pizza from papa johns to yourself.
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Review from Melinda L.
San Diego, CA
1/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Meh, not impressed. Based on the solid reviews, I was expecting a little more than a sub-par mixed Asian restaurant. My Pad Thai was soggy and way spicier than the 6 I asked for and my Tom Yum soup was filled with WHITE mushrooms. Not those adorable black bell mushrooms that are traditionally in the soup. The black mushrooms are the best part!! My friend ordered the cheesy fried wantons (wanton skins stuffed with cream cheese) and going against every Asian fiber in my body, I sampled some. To my surprise, it was the best dish we ordered. They somehow managed to make someone who hates cream cheese stuffed foods, let alone ASIAN cream cheese stuffed foods, think twice before bashing on the creamy substance. Aside from the fact that they're open amazingly late, I dont know if they're is much other reason to go.
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Review from Mika B.
Pasadena, CA
11/7/2011
Since I am apparently now a "bi-city" traveler, I hang my hat in Pasadena and San Diego. Not that I'd be here visiting in sd if it wasn't for a certain SOMEONE...TRYING TO Enjoy hill crest and get the most out of my time here...feeling like that's not happening. The people here are not unfriendly but don't appear to be particularly friendly either. It would be nice to meet some friendly, warm hearted gay men here but don't know where I would find that and they aren't busy looking at me when I walk down the street. Lol
So I passed Jimmy wongs and haven't espied the "skinny white boy racist waiter" yet. I wonder if he will be fired or already was. I wonder why these retail establishments seem blissfully unaware of yelp and their either scorching tear u another whole reviews.
The food is adequate. -
Review from Kenny O.
TAB was my go-to 'first date' spot in San Diego.
The portions are big. The food is tasty and presentable. The ambiance is romantic and casual enough to bring somebody here for a first date. Some things I recommend are the Red Curry, Pad Khee Mao (might be called Drunken Noodles here; don't remember), and the Crab Fried Rice.
The prices here are reasonable enough that you can squeeze a few drinks here without breaking the bank. They have an exquisite Lychee Martini that's light, fruity, and refreshing. I always feel a tiny bit emasculated when ordering it, but it's so good that I just don't care.
The location is prime; it's right in the middle of Hillcrest and you can walk anywhere you'd like. I usually wander over to Chocolat for dessert and then maybe another bar or two for drinks.
Anyway, I'd recommend The Asian Bistro to anyone who likes good food or just can't figure out where to go in the middle of the night.Listed in: San Diego
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Review from Sahzad B.
Pleasanton, CA
11/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Average Chinese joint with standard pricing. Nothing to rant and rave about.
Claim To Fame: Open until 3AM. Yup, you read that right... 3AM!
Late night munchies anyone? -
Review from Krystal C.
Oakland, CA
10/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
For a place that is opened late night at a location surrounded by bars, you know their target market are hungry drunk people. Problem is you don't need to try hard to impress those people, all you need to do is stuff their face. That is why I came here with low expectations.
To my surprise, it was actually very good. The ambiance was quite fancy, so much that I had to check to make sure I was at the right place. The servers are very nice, they messed up on our check but sorted it out and fixed it. My friends and I ordered the won ton noodle soup and the duck soup. We were being picky and substituted a lot of things but they happily accommodated. The noodles and broth were flavorful and were a sizable portion. I'd definitely come back again.
Bonus points: they are opened super late! -
Review from Kristen S.
San Diego, CA
Updated - 12/6/2011
My boyfriend and I have been here about half a dozen times now and have tried a good chunk of the menu. Everything is delicious. We go here even if it isn't 2am on a Sunday night.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/19/2010
My bf and I went here after deciding to go to Hillcrest to try to find somewhere good that is open… Read more »
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Review from S. M.
San Diego, CA
1/14/2012
I like this place. Not the best Thai or the best Chinese, but a good combination if you want a little bit of both World without compromising the quality too much. I also like the fact that they are open very late.
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Review from Tiffany L.
San Diego, CA
8/29/2011
I literally just ordered take-out from this place because we were semi-drunk starving. Not too many places are open til 3AM, especially on a Sunday, so kudos. And I was actually very surprised in the tastiness and quality of the food. We got the Half Moon and Chicken Gyoza, both fried food deliciousness. I especially liked the Half Moon which are filled with potatoes and a hint of curry.
For dinner we had the Drunken Beef Noodles. Very good but very spicy. I am kind of a wimp when it comes to spiciness, and these were a little too much for me - but the flavor was excellent nonetheless. We also got these petite fried bananas drizzled in honey, so cute and so yummy. Oh and service on the phone was very friendly. Thanks for the late-night eats, Jimmy! -
Review from alyssa d.
San Diego, CA
9/29/2011 4 photos
While trying to figure out what we wanted to eat, I said "I want asian food!"...So my friend suggested Jimmy Wongs. & I thank the Lord above that she did. I absolutely LOVE this place!
We got there at about 8:30ish pm, so we were in time for there happyhour. I had the seafood pad thai & she got the garlic fish filet. I LOVED MY PAD THAI. I'm a big fan of pad thai, so I'm really picky...but I fell in love. I ordered a 4/5 on the spicey level, & it was swear to goodness PERFECTION. My friend's fish was OOBER (yes, OOBER) good! & her rice was shaped in a heart! Sorry, I have thing with hearts. The place is really cute. A bit small..but good-small..cozy-small. Does that make sense??
We also ordered a pot of tea & we were both really impressed that the pot was a good size (for only like $4.50). & since we ordered off the happy hour menu we got to an appetizer for like $4 (i think we ordered the dumplings) & we each got a dessert. We ordered the mango pudding (LOVELY.) & the banana egg rolls (YUMM.)
I definitely want to go back just for the late night happy hour!! -
Review from Tina T.
Redondo Beach, CA
12/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here on a Tuesday night. Since this is a highly recommended place, so I decided to give this place a try. We ordered something very common for benchmark purposes - chicken satay, drunken noodles with beef and house fried rice with chicken. I've had better before. chicken satay and drunken noodles are OK. I'd definitely not order house fried rice again. There must be a reason why this place has that many good reviews other than it opens till 3 AM. I'll probably come back trying other dishes and change my opinion about this place.
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Review from Merisa M.
Sacramento, CA
It's true, the food here (especially the DRUNKEN NOODLES) is totally awesome! I came here with some friends and ordered the Drunken Noodles with Pork and a Spicey Rating of 3.
This dish was so amazing, I seriously didn't know what to do with myself after I finished the plate. It was so full of flavor and the slight heat from the spices sent me into a natural high! The only bad thing about this dish was how sad I was after I finished it. I WANTED MORE!!!!!
Considering how much I rave about this dish, you're probably thinking, why would you give this place only 4 stars? Answer: their service really sucks! The employees could definitely use some happy pills...they all look pissed off! On top of that, they could be more attentive to their customer's needs.
Otherwise, I'd definitely go back to this place again! I'd practically starve myself just so I can go back and gorge on their Drunken Noodles! -
Review from Stephanie W.
San Diego, CA
12/2/2011
Went here the other night. We had the chef special. For about $11 you get soup, an entree and dessert. We started with egg drop soup and an egg roll appetizer. The soup was pretty good, egg rolls were standard. I had the garlic fillet fish and my husband had the tangerine chicken. The 13 year old girl in me loved that my rice came out in the shape of a heart and my husband's was shaped like a star but cutely shaped rice is not enough to make me come back. There really wasn't anything wrong with the food it just wasn't amazing. Also, there's a lot of Thai options which through us off cuz we came for Chinese. I'm just gonna stick to Dumpling Inn and Mandarin House.
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Review from Michelle C.
Buena Park, CA
7/9/2011 6 photos
I went here Friday night for a friends's birthday and absolutely loved it. The prices are good (great happy hour times), the employees are really nice, and the food tasted great. I split an appetizer with a friend, the Thai spring rolls with peanut sauce. I liked it, not the best spring rolls, but decent enough. My friend didn't like it at all, she thought it tasted too bland, which I could see. Usually it would've been $5, was $3.95 for happy hour. I also ordered a happy hour meal for $10.95, the seafood pad Thai dish that came with a soup of the day (miso on Friday) and a dessert (fried bananas, ice cream, or mango pudding).
The soup was good, nothing to complain (or rave) about. The pad thai was verrry good. I like to think of myself as a pad thai connoisseur, having tried a million different pad thais and also making my own pad thai at home. Jimmy Wong's pad thai was very close to perfection; also, it was full of seafood! None of that 3 pieces of shrimp bs, it was filled with all different kinds of seafood. Lastly, the dessert. I got the fried bananas, which were scrumptiousss. So yummy! Sweet, and super delicious with ice cream (the happy hour fried bananas does not come with ice cream). I also had a taste of the mango pudding, and it was quite yummy as well. I think the fried bananas were the best though, and they're not as common as ice cream, which you can get anywhere.
Overall, a fantastic place. I wasn't disappointed by any of the food items, and all my friends seemed happy and satisfied as well. The service was great, and btw the decorations inside were very cute :) -
Review from Khanh P.
San Diego, CA
11/19/2011
I rate Jimmy Wong's 3.5 stars. I like the late hours because you can actually get a meal and not have to eat fast food at 1am. The service was great! Every single staff member was really nice and really good.
The food was good too. I know it says it's an Asian Bistro, but the majority of dishes are Thai based. They had only a handful of items that are from other countries in Asia.
I ordered the roasted duck noodle soup and that was actually pretty good. Just really simple broth with a little too much plum and hoison sauce for my taste. Then 2 big pieces of roasted duck. The noodles were like a bean thread type and those were ok. My sister ordered drunken noodles at a 2 spicy level and she couldn't handle it. She said her ears were burning. She claims to like spicy food too. So be careful when you order. Other than that she said the dish was really good. My dad grew up in southeast Asia so he's accustomed to eating extremely spicy food. He ordered mee ka mao, which is a noodle dish served at spicy level 8, but he ordered level 10 and even the server was shocked and asked, "are you sure?" My dad really enjoyed his dish and said it was delicious and definitely spicy. There were chunks of red hot chilli peppers and chilli paste all over. Everyone else in our party also enjoyed their entrees very much.
We would come here again. Great staff, nice atmosphere, and fun area. -
Review from Danny W.
5/9/2011
A semi healthy meal late night is pretty hard to find in SD so I gotta give it up to Jimmy Dubs for providing an option that I don't hate myself after eating. They're open till 3 in the AM so if you're an avid fourth meal seeker like me the Wonger def comes in handy.
I get the curry every visit so it's the only entree I can really advise on even though the full menu goes for days. The green is my fav with crispy veggies and a spice kick that's perfect for my palate. At under $10 bucks you won't get satisfaction for this price at very many places on the late night.
Servers have always been friendly even though they undoubtedly have to deal with drunk people all the time. All in all Jimmy Wong's has never failed me for a midnight snack. Or 1 am or 2 am for that matter.Listed in: Asian Persuasion, Hill to the Crest, Late Night Eats
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Review from Tristan G.
Vista, CA
11/27/2011
This place is always poppin', but there's always a place to sit. The food is fresh, the service is great, not more more I could ask for at 2am in the morning after work. I've been going every Friday for about a month now. The food has so much flavor and there are so many choices. I can't wait to go through the whole menu.
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Review from carla p.
San Diego, CA
8/22/2011
Good food and a nice service. what else do you want? try it and you will like it ...
P.S. Eat the "honey walnut shrimp" delicious :P -
Review from Mike H.
El Cajon, CA
6/24/2011
The only reason my date and I went to this place was because everything else was closed and we didn't feel like having mexican food.
I am still trying to figure out how this place has a solid 4 stars. The only thing that makes sense is 90% of people that go here are going after they've had at least 3 drinks at one of the bars down the street.
The food here is bland and not authentic at all.
So its 2 stars for the Service and 1 star for the food.
Definitely not coming back I don't care how hungry I am. -
Review from anh l.
San Diego, CA
8/13/2011
I was going to give this place 2 stars because I would compare it to places in L.A. but it get's a 3 star because the food I could tell was FRESH.
MY STANDARDS
24/7 like L.A. Cheap Good Service,
San Diego Standards, open late
This place gets an average. This how I grade it, Start at 3
-1 Pricey
-1 Smaller portions
+1 Open late (Only cause its SD)
+1 Fresh Ingredients
Service meh, Setting Meh.
You get a 3.
But look at the Pros
Fresh
Open late, Great after clubbing!
You can't beat LA -
Review from Kersten S.
San Diego, CA
7/27/2011
I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED AT THIS RESTAURANT.
I went in to eat a late-night dinner after a good workout at 24 Hour Fitness up the street. I'd heard about their late hours and read some of the yelp reviews on the food...was hungry...why not.
I went in and was received rudely by this skinny white waiter kid, which I thought was odd, and it took a good ten minutes before my waiter came to take my order. All the meanwhile the skinny white waiter kid kept giving me dirty looks and welcomed other patrons and waited on them immediately. The patrons he welcomed were white and the Asian patrons he disregarded (including me).
I didn't put two and two together until I heard him say out loud to a white patron... "I don't find Asian women (people) to be attractive and...(expletives)."
IS THIS PLACE FOR REAL? I mean the food sucked! Bland and tasteless. Overpriced for its teeny tiny portion. and to top if off they have a RACIST KID working there welcoming only white patrons? LMAO! WHERE THE HELL AM I LIVING? WHAT CENTURY AM I LIVING IN???
The Asian Bistro is seriously off my list of eateries. Even if the food was divine (which it's seriously low-grade at best) I don't tolerate racism in any shape or form... and especially at a THAI RESTAURANT??EMPLOYING A RACIST WHITE WAITER KID? LMAOOOOOOOO!
