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Wing's Chinese Restaurant
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sat 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Fri 11:30 am - 10 pm
Sun 12:30 pm - 8:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Dive-y
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
175 reviews for Wing's Chinese Restaurant
Review Highlights
"I have yet to try their infamous Hot & Sour Soup."
(in 22 reviews)
"great cashew chicken n vanilla prawns."
(in 16 reviews)
"i also love the almond cookies they give you at the end."
(in 11 reviews)
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175 reviews in English
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Review from Bryce L.
San Jose, CA
1/25/2012
Going strictly off the food I give it 4 hovering around 5 stars, I'd say it's the best Chinese "fast food" in the area that I've found anyway. Convenience with take-out/delivery I give it 5, price of food 4, restaurant itself I give 1-2 stars.
Starting with the food. I'll try something new just about every time I order there and I'm always very satisfied with the quality and taste of the food. The price is right too. Convenient because I get it delivered to my house, and they are prompt around 30 minutes to deliver hot food, I live about 10 blocks away and use my credit card to pay from my front door which is extra nice. The restaurant itself is a dump lets face it, not health-code dumpy just like really old, musty and need of a thorough demo and remodel. I've never got sick off the food so I trust the kitchen itself to be in good order. The people there are friendly and decent folks. I've frequented their establishment for years now and I find the people I've dealt with to be friendly and courteous. I'd say if you got bad service from them you're probably a whiny jerk or maybe you just caught them having a bad day.
Would I suggest to friends and family? It would definitely be yes for take-out, to dine in I'd make other suggestions, there's plenty of good dine-in restaurants in the area. -
Review from Kit C.
Mountain View, CA
2/6/2012
One of the good Chinese Restaurants in bay.
Service is good, their portions are generous and they don't use MSG.
However, i have to say the building is so old and you can hear the floor squeaks as you walk. The Inside is very dark and the place has a different smell altogether.
I only _hope_ the kitchen has better conditions and ventilation.
I used to stay close by and i always preferred takeout than dine-in. -
Review from Mike F.
Santa Clara, CA
2/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
Forgot our tea and water. Overcharged and had to redo the bill.
Customers since 2001.
They need to reprint their menu to show new prices:
*2.Szechuan Spicy Soup Noodle $7.95 -
Review from denise m.
San Jose, CA
2/6/2012
We were referred here. Was told is was the best Chinese food in San Jose.
I think not. I feel most places are better. Our potstickes were burned we had to return them. The Chinese Chicken salad was huge chunks of iceberg lettuce with hardly any Chicken. The fried rice was a weird dark brown. I am a believer in trying new places. Especially if referred
But we won't be returning here. -
Review from Alice C.
Santa Clara, CA
1/13/2012
In all honesty: 3 1/2 Stars
The food is good.
The interior is old.
Sure is pretty okay except you are seated in individual cubicles that they don't really see if you need anything from across the room. They did come check up on us once or twice.
This is a really old restaurant where it has been here for at least three generations. So it's an historic restaurant in Japantown. -
Review from Frances H.
San Jose, CA
2/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
This is by far my favorite Chinese food in San Jose for the quality and quanitity of the food. So the atmospher is kinda like Big Trouble LIttle China and I hear it used to be a house of ladies of the night, that brings character. I would say that it isn't accessible for those in a wheelchair or with a movement issue ( only stairs) .. I don't know how they get away with this. The staff seemed nice and was helpeful and I LOVED there sizzling rice soup.
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Review from Anjali V.
12/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
My boyfriend introduced me to this place a few weeks ago. It was a to-go order so I didn't see the inside. He said, "imagine you walked into a Chinese restaurant from the late 70's-80's." is how he described it. Funny.
The vegetarian egg rolls were just okay. I really enjoyed that I didn't find them to be too greasy and actually pretty crispy. But on the inside, it could have done without so much of the lettuce filling. Some would be okay used in combination with other types of vegetables but simply filling it with the 'lettuce' made it taste bland. I use quotation marks because I don't actually know the real name for what it was, sorry people.
Ooh am I in LOVE with the hot and sour soup here!!! Yes! Delicious! This one was a winner for sure and why I am giving this place four stars. The rice dish was also good too. Again, not too greasy and large portions. They also threw in some random home made cookies.
If this place wasn't so far away, I'd be back sooner but if we are in the area and craving some hot soup, this will be my list to check out again. -
Review from Chris H.
San Jose, CA
1/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Talk about a lot of food!!!!! We ordered the family plate for 3. Before we knew it 5 dishes come out stacked full of food. It was waaay more than we could handle. They do NOT use any MSG and their food tastes great. Highly recommend this place. Oh and along with your fortune cookie you also get an almond cookie.....perfect. Has a nice san francisco feel to the place.
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Review from Xochitl A.
San Jose, CA
1/5/2012
My husband ans I came here because we watch the show "Check Please" and were impressed that this restaurant has been in SJ for over 20 years! They're doing something right! We arrived on New Year's eve since I didn't feel like cooking and were SOOOOOO impressed. We tried their infamous Schewan chicken and LOVED it! We also tried, their Mongolian beef, walnut shrimp, pork fried rice, hot and sour soup, spring rolls and chicken salad. They serve a ton but my husband always likes to try a little of everything at a new restaurant. The shrimp were HUGE! The beef, wonderful. The spring rolls, awesome. Everything was really good and we loved the ambiance.
I know others have said they hated it, but the decor is "Chinese dynasty." Yeah, it's old, but I didn't mind it. I especially loved the secluded booths they have for every table.
The people that worked there were very nice and polite. At the end of our meal, we received a box of almond cookies! ( I think this was a New Year's gift)
Overall, we loved it and can't wait for our next Chinese food craving! -
Review from Chandra T.
Santa Clara, CA
12/18/2011
I'm all up for Chinese restaurants to deliver to my home it was a Friday night and my boyfriend and I didn't want to drive anywhere so we looked on yelp to see who delivers and I found Wing's. I place my order, which we ordered a lot of food. We had won ton soup, it was OK I don't think i would order that again though. Egg rolls, my bf loves egg rolls, fried rice (eh i could have stuck with the just regular steamed rice). Chow mien was good. Lemon Chicken might have been just my favorite and the Mongolian beef was very yummy and good flavors. We also ordered the mushu shrimp, I've had better, but i was craving it...they said that they would be arrive at my house in 45 min and they did. they had a handy credit card machine so I got to pay with my card and everything that I ordered was right. I would definitely order for delivery again whenever I'm craving Chinese food.
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Review from Venesa C.
Los Angeles, CA
10/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Finally decided to try this place after passing by it everytime I am in japan town. It's next to a Mexican restaurant (that I have yet to try) and when you enter, you gotta go up the stairs to reach the restaurant (they sure make you work for your food..)
The atmosphere is pretty dark inside, and you get your own little booth to eat in, which I thought was interesting. I thought it would be hard to get the waiters' attention since we were in the corner booth in the back but the waiters were very attentive! A+ for service, which was not expected.
What we got:
Wonton noodle soup. The small is enough for two people. The wontons are ok, lots of veggies in the soup, which is good I guess. Overall the soup was a bit salty for my taste.
Beef chow fun. The traditional style of beef chow fun that I always eat just includes the beef, noodles, bean sprouts and onions. Wing's version does not have the bean sprouts, but has baby corns, carrots, and broccoli. This dish was tasty but I think I am more used to the version with bean sprouts. This version is good for getting your servings of veggies :P.
Peking spareribs. I think I set too high of expectations for this dish. It was alright, the meat was a bit chewy. I don't think I would order this again. It tastes like pork with a lot of barbeque sauce with a bit of sourness to it. It was actually a bit salty for me, but I solved that problem by stuffing my mouth with a spoonful of white rice with each bite of the spareribs.
I would come back to this place again to try different dishes, but it's not on the top of my priority list.. -
Review from Marshall C.
San Jose, CA
9/24/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This place used to be a favorite, but that was ages ago. Recently, the food is overly flavored/salty.
Decor is outdated and divey. I only get take out.
Overall, the food isn't bad and based on price it's a good value. -
Review from Alex R.
San Jose, CA
8/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Today, while working at a county building, I decided to order food from here. I placed my order at 5:30pm and was told it would take 30-45 minutes.
At 6:30pm, I called to check on my order and was immediately told, "FOOD ON WAY!"
Later, at 7:30pm, I called once again, this time, I was allowed to speak and was again told, "I TOLD YOU, FOOD ON WAY!" Being the kind and respectful person, I said THANK YOU.
Finally, at 8pm I called to check again. The person on the phone said, "WHO YOU!" I gave him my location and order. He said, "HE ALREADY WENT, YOU NOT THERE!" WE NOT GOING THERE AGAIN!" According to him, they called me and I never answered (NOT TRUE) and they waited ("wasted") 30 minutes on me.
This is very unfortunate because I like their food. I WILL NOT be going there again, the service will FOREVER make that food SOUR. BTW: I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE AGAIN!!!! -
Review from Mike T.
San Jose, CA
8/11/2011
It's more like 2.5 stars...I came here for dinner on a weekend with a large group, 10+ and fortunately it wasn't busy and we didn't have to wait. We ordered the typical things American-Chinese restaurants have to offer. Food is cheap and service is fast, but everything on the menu seems to be drenched in overly sweet or savory sauce.
The best part was staff. They were attentive and accommodating, but the food was okay. It's better than American-Chinese fast food, but nothing to rave about. It pales in comparison to other Chinese restaurants in the SJ area. Parking can be a pain, since most of the streets in Japantown are usually filled up. -
Review from Josh C.
San Jose, CA
9/27/2011
Came here recently To pick up the usual fried rice, chow mein, beef broccoli, etc. And they never disappoint. Order over the phone and its ready by the time you get there. Friendly people and good food. Definatley would come again and still will.
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Review from Ron T.
San Jose, CA
11/18/2011
After 30+ years, I went back to try Wing's Chinese. Always going past it while dining in Japantown, I just had to go back to see if anything has changed. Nope.
Other reviews will tell you about the booths, and stairs and decor. I came to see if the food was different. Just the same as I remember. I got a deluxe dinner with chow mein, fried rice, egg roll, and sweet and sour pork. I had to get this just to compare Wings against other restaurants. Not bad, not great, tasty, and ok. It was way too much food for one, so I took leftovers home.
The sweet and sour sauce was a little weak (thin is a better description), but the pork was ok. The chow mein and fried rice were ok too. The egg roll was filled with cabbage, nothing else. I expected something else in the egg rolls, not just cabbage, so I was a little disappointed.
I also ordered a small bowl of pork and (? I forget the veg in the title) soup. This was the best I've tasted. Flavorful and plenty for 3 people, so I took this home too. Tender pork, slices of vegetables, nicely seasoned broth. I'll go back just for the soup.
I like eating at dive restaurants and Wing's certainly qualifies as one... better than one star Mr. Chau's or Panda Express for sure (although they don't have orange chicken on the menu). -
Review from john w.
Lancaster, PA
4/3/2011
Disclaimer: Delivery service - I picked Wing's Chinese because they were the only place I could find that provided delivery service to the Doubletree Hotel on a Sunday afternoon.
With that note I must say that my delivered food was great. Memorable chinese food, maybe the best delivered chinese food I have ever enjoyed.
Steamed Dumplings - still fresh and light when delivered. Very tasty.
WonTon Soup - sure, it's just WonTon soutp right? But this seemed to have extra flavor. Lots of greens accompanied the many wontons.
Schezwan Shrimp - excellent sauce with the right spice. Good sized shrimp, lots of them. Peppers, zucchini, carrots. Really nice dish.
So, if you're stuck in the Doubletree and want good food, Wings will take good care of you. -
Review from Rawley D.
San Jose, CA
11/7/2011
Yes the place could be remodeled, But that is the atmosphere. Good value but he food is not really tasty. The soup is good but the dinner for 2 or three tasted pretty much boiler plate. I was hoping to get chop sticks but not. decent portions.
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Review from Sai D.
San Jose, CA
3/5/2011 10 Check-ins Here
One of the many gems in San Jose's Japantown. Courteous family owned establishment that isn't cheap but has nice specials. Try the garlic chicken its exceptional.
Before 3pm m-f there are lunch specials such as "happy family" or "general chicken" which come with rice and chow mein from $6.99-$8.99.
If you live in the Japantown area or near bye you are eligible for delivery which is another bonus feature for a local Chinese restaurant.
I'd recommend the Wing's Chow Mein, Beef Chow Fun and Garlic Chicken -
Review from Kanikapila Y.
San Jose, CA
5/19/2011
Went to Wings for dinner last night with a large (13 people) group that included kids, adults, vegetarians, and carnivores. Gotta tell you, they did a great job. The food was delicious, and they were able to accommodate all of our requests. The staff was very attentive, and super friendly. I would not think twice about going back with a large group, and will definitely return either to grab lunch, food to go, or just take my family.
Sure the place isn't fancy, but I would much rather have great food at reasonable prices than average food that is way overpriced. -
Review from Jen C.
9/3/2011
My husband ate here last year and I don't remember what we had but I know I was not impressed with this restaurant. I do remember the fried rice was really bland. The service was not bad, though, and I like the privacy of the booths.
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Review from Garett T.
3/20/2011
Decent experience here with friends today. I particularly liked our seating area, a window booth overlooking Japantown and hidden away by beads or a cloth of some sort.
Our food was all okay (i.e. chowmein, fried rice, wonton soup), but I'd like to try for some spicier selections next time. I think we were mainly trying to stay cheap, as well as reintroduce one of the buddies to liking Chinese food. Successful on both counts.
Did have a particularly good plum wine... Fast service, too! -
Review from Christina P.
San Jose, CA
Yuck!!
We went on a Thurday during the lunch rush 12:30, and i will never co back again.
ChowMein tasted like old ramen, all the food was cool, not warm or hot.
The batter for the fried prawns wasnt cooked and even the $2 caned soda tasted funny. Also, the tea was room temp.
I was raving about this place to my Hunny all the way up until I took my first bite.Listed in: Food, Lunch on the clock
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Review from Dave N.
San Francisco, CA
6/28/2011
I'd been meaning to try this historic, atmospheric place on the edge of San Jose Japantown, and I have to say that I was relieved to find that it's a viable, good value in a lunchtime eatery.
Going up the initial flight of stairs, entering this restaurant was like stepping back in time. It's a funky, dusty, ageless place, and I went in expecting to find mediocre food at best. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the food was good, and very plentiful, especially for the very reasonable prices.
I was seated at my own oldtime booth, which was nice. It afforded a lot of privacy and had a sort of dusty, oldworld classiness about it. The waiter was straightforward, but fast and efficient, bringing tea before I ordered my lunch, and giving me a takeout box and plastic bag when I couldn't finish my lunch.
There's a reason why a place like this has been around for so long, and in what is a very competitive restaurant neighborhood. I'd go back again, even with great places like Gombei nearby. -
Review from Andrea P.
San Jose, CA
7/13/2011
Im not that much of a chinese food fan but my family those this place so this is all we ordered when we wanted chinese and now when I try other places, they dont compare. When we go in the service is fast and food is yummy as always.
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Review from Ashley A.
San Jose, CA
11/11/2011
Hands down the best Chinese food around! My family and I have been coming to Wings for over 25 years. Yes, the restaurant decor is out dated; however, the food speaks for itself. The service is very fast, waiters are extremely nice and you wont have to wait long to receive your food. We order the shrimp fried rice, beef chow mein & boneless mandarin chicken (extra spicy). This restaurant is definitely worth a try!
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Review from myranda D.
San Jose, CA
9/11/2011
Great food...been ordering delivery for years...tho I'm bummed I moved a lil a way from my previous place, n they wont deliver...even tho the staff said they will..neways... great cashew chicken n vanilla prawns! Pricey, can easily spend $50. Enjoy
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Review from ken l.
San Jose, CA
12/14/2010
This place is one of the oldest if not the oldest Chinese restaurants in San Jose. When you walk in you can tell this place is old.
The food here is good and the service is also good. I particularly enjoy the hot and sour soup along with the lemon chicken. The fried rice is ok but their Hong Kong style noodles are good.
They have a great to go menu for two or more that comes with soup a couple of dishes and egg rolls. -
Review from Jenna R.
San Jose, CA
5/16/2011
I've been coming here since I was a little girl. The food is yummy and the service is good. Def a hole in the wall, but that's what I love about it.
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Review from Lan N.
1/14/2011
Went with a few friends to check this place out.
We tried
hot and sour soup (I thought it was good, we only had 4 adults and the portions were really generous)
Vanilla Prawns - big fried prawns with cashews. Similar to honey walnut prawns. Was good
Beef Chow Fun - wasn't a fan of the sauce, I would pass on this next time and check out the chow mein instead.
Mandarin Chicken - Fried chicken with garlic sauce. It was good and there were even slivers of garlic. Watch out for those if you don't want an explosion of fresh garlic.
Sauteed string beans - not too bad, a bit soggy on some.
Overall it was an okay meal. Nothing made it spectacular. Prices were pretty good too.
The restaurant itself is pretty old like others have said. There are little "cubicles" with a table in each so you get a bit of privacy, but the paint is chipping, the carpet is old, the lighting is dim and you got that kind of sticky feeling. They could probably do a little better on this.
I think this place is better suited for takeout/delivery. Next time I'll probably do take out and eat in the comfort of my own home. -
Review from Philip C.
San Jose, CA
7/1/2010
Too many stupid people on this site believe that new is synonymous with good---this simply isn't true. It doesn't matter if the interior at Wing's is "dated" the food is delicious and the portions generous.
I find the antiquated layout and decorations to be unique and charming. Many kitschy chain restaurants, i.e. Chili's and Applebees, would kill to have the kind of vintage appeal present here. -
Review from GRISELDA R.
San Jose, CA
12/10/2010
Had heard great reviews about, but was dissapointed =(
The food was just average, we ordered kunk pao chicken it said spicy but it was not close to being that... everything else was a little bland. -
Review from Linda D.
7/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
So you like have to walk up these stairs in order to reach the dining area. And seriously when my friend and I got up there we seriously felt like we were in a Rush Hour movie with Jackie Chan. Hahahaha its actually pretty cool because there's individual booths with curtains for you to sit in. Anyways, i tried the shrimp chow mein and got hot and sour soup with prawns(and without pork), and they were big portions for pretty cheap prices. I'f you get a lunch combo it's like 11 bucks for three items and an eggroll(the eggroll is vegetarian though). After your meal you get Chinese Almond cookies and fortune cookies for free! My fortune said "You will bring sunshine into someone's life." Hahahahah damn right you better say something nice to me you cookie.
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Review from Katherine H.
San Jose, CA
5/25/2010
Chinese delivery? I'm sold!
We live in a rather awkward part of town - it's a new development, there's stuff around but unless you want to eat nothing but pizza, it's hard to find solid delivery joints. However, Wing's comes to the rescue! We are apparently right on the border of their delivery route, and they got lost, but voila, at the end of the night, we had a very delicious meal waiting:
- Garlic chicken: VERY garlicky - with lots of well flavored and tender chicken, bell peppers, onions, zucchini, you name it - yummm
- Potstickers - crispy on the outside, and they even poke holes in the box so the steam doesn't make the outsides mushy and they layer the bottom with wax paper so they don't stick!
- Shrimp fried rice - imagine the shrimp from honey prawns in a sauteed rice and egg mixture - sooo good
- Chicken chow mein - delicious! Big chunks of chicken, thick noodles that are not TOO oily
I have no idea what the delivery fee was, but they take credit card, and everything was delicious; our new favorite takeout! -
Review from D d.
Mountain House, CA
6/8/2010
So. Much. Food.
Get one of those deluxe plates. It comes with an entree, chow mein and fried rice, and an eggroll.
These aren't baby servings either. The entree alone is enough to be considered an ala carte item. The waitress commented on how she was impressed that both my friend and I finished our plates. I guess most people don't. You can't complain when there's too much food!
The restaurant is sorta awkward. Located it Japantown (yeah, Chinese food in Japantown), you enter on street level, only to climb up one flight of stairs to get to the main dining room on the second level. The interior is dark and dated, one room full of tables, the other room with booths. Overall, it's good food, maybe freshly cooked, but otherwise, it's delicious. -
Review from Tara A.
4/11/2010
Great place for Chinese food and guess what? They deliver! On this rainy Sunday, ordering delivery from Wing's was the answer for dinner (after a full 2 days of a seminar and driving to Sacramento). The delivery fee was $3 (plus 10% suggested tip), and the delivery guy will even take debit card! Sweet, especially for all the other laziest of the lazies!
We had:
Garlic Chicken-good flavor w/ visible slices of garlic and water chestnuts were crunchy
Vanilla Prawns-came with cashews and pineapple, tastes similar to honey walnut prawns, tails were cut off
Mongolian Beef-not as spicy as expected but still flavorful and good
Black Mushroom Bean Curd-shiitake mushrooms with tofu snap peas and baby corn
Peking Spareribs-breaded pork with a bbq sauce
White Rice $4-one order is good for two and they also offer brown rice
Fortune Cookies - not the generic Vanilla kind, so they were as expected
Bill came to $63 incl. delivery and 10%
It was 45 min. from the time of order (or 15 min. if it was going to be for take out, which is nice that they gave us the option while on the phone). It was really easy to order with their menu online. No msg here so it wasn't salty. All in all, all the entrees came as were expected. Decent portions-we'll probably have leftovers for a few days. Decent meat to veggie ratio as well. We would order from here again, especially if we're lazy!Listed in: Delivery!
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Review from Stephanie R.
San Jose, CA
6/17/2011
This is one of the only chinese restaurants in town that i am always satisfied with. It's been around for years and will probably be around for more years to come. I've always liked the hole-in-the-wall dingy feel of the place and the privacy of the tables...lol. Staff is really nice, food is yum-o.....the hot and spicy soup is delish!! yay!
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Review from Archie G.
San Jose, CA
12/1/2008
Interestingly enough, Wing's is the restaurant where my parents first tried Chinese food for the first time in their lives, over 30 years ago. They lived in a crummy apartment in the area and wanted to try something new in America and this is where they went. Well, they have pretty much been going here ever since.
Ironically, of all things I have inherited from them, that include a penchant for bad fashion, strong affinity for booze, and my killer good looks, I am most thankful for them passing down the love of this restaurant.
It is without a doubt, the best Chinese place ever. Their menu is varied, delicious, and totally affordable. They also deliver within the area. Oh yeah, apparently, they do not use MSG. How awesome is that?
My favorite choices on the menu: hot & sour soup, wonton soup, kung pao prawns, Happy Family, almond chicken, and Wing's fried rice.
Anyway, if you want to go to a place that serves quality Chinese cuisine, with a nice staff, and at an affordable price, then head to Wing's. Maybe you will see me there, or even my parents, looking fly in our bad outfits (and maybe even reeking of booze).
Now that's hot. -
Review from Yo U.
San Jose, CA
6/15/2011
The staff here are lovely and solicitous, but the food is not quite to my taste. In particular, it seems that the cooks in the kitchen had too heavy a hand with oyster sauce in the beef dish that I tried. I prefer the taste of beef to shine through. (To be honest, the sauce was pretty disgusting.)
The premises are dire and need to be renovated immediately. Dated, I don't mind, but dirty and unkempt? That's not on, mon vieux! -
Review from Greg P.
San Jose, CA
8/26/2009
The Captain has decided! (After consulting Ma, of course)
This venue deserves 5 stars! We know you purists out there will decry this decision (At least you would if The Captain and Ma's ruminations were more widely read) because it is "Chinamerican food", and "not authentic". The Captain and Ma have serious issues with these allegations. This joint represents an AUTHENTIC CHINESE / AMERICAN tradition which dates back to before the turn of the last century, when "Chop Suey" first appeared among Chinese miners and rail workers during the Gold Rush!
Selling meals to round eyes was one of the few ways a Chinese immigrant could prosper during those overtly racist times, which persisted well after the 1940's. Witness... Wings's Chinese Restaurant! It opened in 1925 and represented the cutting edge of Chinese cuisine adapted for American tastes. It was only in or near large port cities like New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, after the end of the First World War, where a few adventurous round eyed bon vivants discovered "Chop Suey". It didn't fully catch on in main stream America until after WWII.
Although chop suey may have actually originated in the Toisan region which is South of Canton, (researches argue about this) it was one of the earliest Asian foods consumed by Occidentals here, along with dishes like fried rice, sweet and sour whatevers, and on and on.
The date Wing's Chinese Food was established is significant, because it appeared only about five years after even the average round eye in San Francisco knew the cuisine existed. Just parking in front of the joint is to step well back into the middle of the last century. The well preserved building was beautifully crafted in that time, which featured many authentic Chinese accents on the exterior. The crowning touch is the well maintained neon sign above the door which dates back to the building's original construction.
The Interior lobby appears little changed from it's inception. Climbing the stairs to the second floor service area, (Sorry. Apparently due to the historic landmark status of the building they seem to be exempt from wheelchair access laws. Fortunately, they do deliver) one is struck by the old red velvet wallpaper, the dark wood, and the very curious semiprivate booths divided by lacquered panels and bead curtains, which to an over-imaginative round eye as The Captain is, seemed to hearken back to the dim opium dens and Oriental intrigues of the Barbary Coast in San Francisco.
When built, the dining area consisted of many private booths, which were even equipped with "call buttons" for summoning the server. In the 1950's it was modernized and opened up somewhat, but wisely, the owners elected to preserve as much of the original ambiance as possible.
Ma and The Captain were entranced by this. We could easily imagine in one booth, a speakeasy owner whispering conspiratorially over fried rice and won ton soup with a local madam and a Fedora'd bootlegger, and in the next, a local protestant parson and his family enjoying a wholesome family meal, unaware of the unsavory and unholy plots being hatched on the other side of that thin panel.
"CAP'N!" (Ma Megabyte, The Captain's Wife, Chief Tormentor and Partner in Crime)
Yes! Floozies and flappers, cops and robbers, scions and scalawags, all dining...
"Hey! Cap'n glory hole! Yer suppozed ta be revooin da place, not writ'n a mystery novel!"
What? Harumph! Yes dear. Quite! Quite! Ahem... Although it is alleged by a fellow yelper that this place was sold to new owners recently, they seem determined to preserve everything as it was down to the last detail. Bravo! I'll be brief.
"HAH! You bein brief? That'll be the day!"
Ma! Don't interrupt. Eat your chow mein, pass me the Szechuan prawns, and let me get on with this... PLEASE!
All of the several dishes we tried were rendered perfectly. Sweet and Sour Pork doesn't get much better... Crispy, not too fatty, crunchy fresh veggies and the sauce is just right. Their famous hot and sour soup was neither particularly spicy or sour, but it was hearty, and with the addition of a bit of rice wine vinegar, and white pepper, (for those of us who prefer authentic hot/sour) delicious. We have also loved the oyster sauce beef and lobster sauce shrimp.
The service is friendly and fast, and when you order takeout and they say it will be ready in 20 minutes, they mean it.
"Hey Cap'n!"
Sigh... Yes Ma.
"When're we goin back? I wanna try the sizzling rice soup"
How about now? You know what they say about Chinese food...
"Pa! We just finished our take out an hour ago!"
Yes, but by the time we get more... Well, you know... AND DON'T CALL ME PA!
This and all other reviews posted by Captain Pie Hole on http://yelp.com are copyrighted 2009 by Pie Hole Publishing, all rights reserved.Listed in: Da "OH MY GAWD!" List
