Chinese Wok Express

My boyfriend and I have been loyal customers of this place since it was first introduced to us in May. We always tend to lean toward their chinese menu, so I can really only speak on that. Their cashew chicken is the best in town– seriously, top notch, don’t know how they manage to get their chicken to be so thoroughly cooked and tender. The spicy chicken is also an excellent choice. It doesn’t exactly fill in the specifics of its name so if you’re a lightweight when it comes to spiciness, you’ll still enjoy it without a tall glass of water nearby. I’m definitely a big fan of all of their chicken orders– all of which come with white rice unless otherwise specified. Chinese Wok isn’t open on Sundays (or Thanksgiving or Christmas) but it makes for the best lunch option downtown. It’s possible to feed two people for less than $ 10 here (2 small chicken fried rices come out to 9 dollars and forty something cents). Even though the establishment is small and crowded sometimes, the service is quick and the environment is comfy. Lacks full blown air conditioning in the summer but so far it’s good for escaping the cold. There’s even a little bathroom off toward the back which I didn’t notice until after a few times. I love this place, love the food. Fives stars because I’m a VERY happy customer.

Many years ago, I used to work relatively close to this restaurant, so I would make the short 2-​mile trip about once a week to get my favourite dish: #24 on the Vietnamese specialties menu. It was an absolutely massive plate of deliciously-​seasoned noodles, with many meat and seafood options (at the very least, it came with thinly sliced beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, and crab), with green and white onions. It was absolutely delicious, and there was always some left over. It was definitely worth the 8 dollar price tag. The crab rangoons were hot, creamy, and tasty as well. The staff was always polite and the service was fast. Also, once recognized as a regular customer, they would give little perks: nice quality chopsticks instead of disposable bamboo sticks, for example.
After many years of not visiting the restaurant, I was craving that delicious #24 on the Vietnamese menu. Sadly enough, the entire «specialties» section on the menu was done away with. The staff was still polite, the service was still fast, the food was still good… but the fact that they took off some of their tastiest, best-​priced dishes was a little disappointing.
Definitely a good place to go if you’re in the mood for reasonably priced Vietnamese food, served quickly. The seating is very limited (around 30 – 35 people, max), so small groups or takeaway orders are probably the best way to enjoy this delicious food.

I opened up the box and had a pile of white noodles and a torn up egg roll thrown on top, no fork but just a spoon, and on the side was the egg roll that came with my order (just like the cut up one on top of the meal). Absolutely ridiculous. I ordered Bun Bo Xao which translates as BEEF Lemongrass noodle salad. No sign of lemongrass. No beef.

What can I say. I’ve only ever had the sesame chicken. But it’s so good I’ve had it at least twice a month since we discovered their lunch prices… I am going to have to start working out more so I can eat here more often.

Quick, americanized stir-​fry style dishes with a collection of Vietnamese style entrees. Contrary to the name, there’s not much about this place that feels Chinese. That being said, the food is decent for what it is (the Phở, however is not impressive. Go somewhere else if you’re craving Phở). Nothing extraordinary, but it satisfies the craving for stir-​fry.

Great value for money! The service is quick. I always get the #17 noodle dish. You won’t be disappointed. The portion sizes are massive. I always have enough for a to-​go box to have another meal later. The ambiance is basic, great for a casual date, particularly if you are a student on a budget and you can always get take-​away, particularly because they have limited seating.

Huge fan of this place, I eat lunch here at least once a week. The food is a little bit of a mine-​field between *great* and ok. All you really need to know though is that their fresh spring rolls are awesome and that their Phở tastes almost as good as what you’d pick up in Ho Chi Minh City, which is saying a lot.
The BBQ pork with noodles is good as well, but not on par with the original Bún Thit Nuong in the same way the Phở is.
The décor is very simple, service is basic but super friendly. Perfect place to take a date, to filter out superficial people :)
Eating here makes me miss Vietnam tremendously, highly recommended!

I’ve wanted by here many times and not stopped because I figured it was just another Chinese food place. But the food is not the crappy cheap food you would expect. I had the noodle soup (phở), which is a Vietnamese dish and it was as good as any Vietnamese restaurant I’ve had. They’re also very quick to serve your food. This place is always busy and now I know why.

I am quite satisfied with my food eachtime i eat here. The thing is i usually only get dishes with shrimp in them for my own personal preference. None the less they are always good. The service is great, and i get my food fairly quickly.
Also I do not recommend dining in during the hot months. It is scorching inside of the building. Not much more i can set about the place, try it out for good Chinese food.

Favorite Chinese/​Vietnamese place in como. Didn’t know about it until a year after I first got to columbia, but now it’s my go to Chinese place. I normally get the chicken stirfry and noodles dish. Also the hot and sour soup is very good. The Chinese staples are also good and very large quantities.

After reading a lot of good reviews about their Phở, I decided to try it out. But the Phở was not good and I felt like they put a lot of MSG in the broth. Phở with both chicken and beef was kinda weird too. It should be either chicken or beef. I would not recommend the Phở here.

This is one of the best places to eat in Columbia bar none. The food is simply wonderful, especially the vietnamese menu. Granted, the atmosphere is basic, but the people who run it give great service and the food is simply sublime. Try any of the vietnamese soup or noodle dishes, you will be in heaven. The standard chinese dishes are very good, but it is the vietnamese food that makes this place special.

It’s possible that there may be cocaine in Chinese Wok’s less than authentic Chinese food. There’s no other explanation for why I have never failed to go at least once or twice to Chinese Wok every time I’ve been back in Columbia for their hot and sour soup and crab rangoon, or why the aforementioned items occasionally play major roles in my dreams at night.
The Vietnamese food is, by far, the best in Columbia as well.
Additionally, everything on the menu is ready super quickly and at prices that can’t be beat.
Dear Chinese Wok, why are you so awesome?

Columbia is a funny place sometimes. Despite now having a few Vietnamese places, the best one, by far, is a rundown little place on an overlooked part of Broadway and has a name that doesn’t even emphasize their biggest strength.
Through a friends recommendation, I first tried Chinese Wok Express about 2 years ago, and I’ve been coming loyally ever since. Don’t even bother with the Chinese part of the menu, its overly Americanized and not all that interesting.
Instead, go for the Vietnamese menu. You can pretty much order anything on that menu without going wrong. My personal favorite is the spring rolls & beef/​meatball combination phở. Despite living in Falls Church Virginia, which is the mecca of Vietnamese restaurants, this place still impresses me. The phở is always fresh, the Bánh mì is always good, and the combination dishes they have are also impressive. Don’t bother with Saigon Bistro or getting mediocre Chinese food in CoMo. This is the place to go.
Oh, and by the way, most places, phở & spring rolls will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 – 14 bucks, but here, you can get out for under 10 bucks. It is cash only though, so be ready for that.

The best thing I have put in my mouth in a long time. Don’t let the building fool you! I had the #1 and the #9 which the owner told me to order.
The #1 was a beautiful rice paper wrapped roll with alight delicate basil flavor. SO Good!
The #9 was he other recommendation of vietnamese soup. He brought it and the aroma was overwhelming. In a great way. The flavor screaming home made and fresh!

Simply not that good – mediocre Vietnamese food, less-​than-​mediocre Chinese food, cockroaches, bad décor, cash only, brusque. I’ve tried intermittently, for over 10 years, to like this place.

Love this place! The best hot and sour soup in town! Prices are very fair, especially considering you always get more than you can eat in one sitting. The favorite take out for my wife and I.

YES YES YES. OH GOD YES. The Vietnamese food at the place is just superb. Their phở comes in a large bowl, with plenty of condiments, and its made just right. Their bun bo hue is simply perfect. Their bahn mi is great! I cannot say enough good things about their Vietnamese menu. I haven’t tried their Chinese food, but it looks like a fairly standard array of Americanized Chinese food… but don’t get any of that. Order the phở and be happy.
The place isn’t much to look at, and in fact it’s a little scary looking on the inside the first time you go in, but don’t be intimidated. Oh, and bring cash, they don’t plastic. And never eat at Saigon Bistro, that place is lame compared to Chinese Wok Express.

I love this place. I’m vegetarian and they’ve always accommodated to removing meat from some of their dishes for me.
It’s not the super cleanest place, but the food is sooo good.
I recommend the crab rangoons! My boyfriend loves the soups.
It’s a Vietnamese/​Chinese place worth checking out at least once.

Chinese Wok Express has been dishing up really delicious Hunan, Szechuan, Cantonese and Vietnamese food since my undergrad days. They pretty much have the entire market on Vietnamese food in Columbia, and it’s pretty damn tasty (thus I haven’t explored much on their Chinese menu). I cannot get enough of their Phở Tai, rice noodles with medium rare beef in an aromatic star anise flavored beef broth, garnished/​flavored with scallions, white onion slices, cilantro, basil, chili sauce and hoisin.
The restaurant certainly doesn’t offer up much in terms of ambiance… maybe that’s why their food is so inexpensive. (We’re talking take out counter and a small box of an undecorated room). Regardless, they’re never empty, the food is delicious, staff is friendly… I really can’t think of any complaints.
*Note that they’re cash only!