Neighborhood: Washington Heights
825 W 181st Street
New York, NY 10033

(212) 740-3188
Add Photos Nearest Transit:
181st St (A)

181st St (1)

Attire: Casual
Accepts Credit Cards: No
Parking: Street
Price Range: $
Good for Groups: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Takes Reservations: No
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Waiter Service: No
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Outdoor Seating: No
Good for: Dinner
Alcohol: None

Neighborhood: Lower East Side
79 Chrystie St
(between Canal St & Hester St)
New York, NY 10002

(212) 925-5175

Add Photos Nearest Transit:
Grand St (B, D)

Bowery (J, M)

East Broadway (F)

Attire: Casual
Accepts Credit Cards: No
Price Range: $
Good for Groups: No
Good for Kids: Yes
Takes Reservations: No
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes

Tele: (925) 931-0083

Restaurant Reservations: No

Food Delivery: Yes

Food Take-out: Yes

Hours:

Mon-Sat. 10:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sun. 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Attire: Casual

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Parking: Private Lot

Review:

I really can’t say enough bad things about this place. I’m really hoping maybe I just had a terrible, out-of-the-ordinary experience, on a bad day because our food was inedible. It looked (although I’m sure tasted better) than dog food. We ordered I guess what you would call from the menu orange chicken and cashew chicken…so don’t get those two items. We took it home to eat, opened it up, and my boyfriend who can just eat about anything wouldn’t even finish it let alone eat more bites of the meal. I was so upset since this place is right down the street from our house and would be so nice to have a tasty Chinese place so close. From the other reviews I’m wondering what happened to our meal, but I’m not going to take the chance and go back. Suggestion…don’t go….or try and support and try for yourself…its your stomach.

Finally a close by Chinese restaurant that serves up real Chinese food. Thank you to the other reviewers who point out the Chef’s Specialty section of the menu. I would have otherwise NEVER set foot at Bo’s. We had the napa cabbage rice cake (sort of like a chewy rice based flat noodle), and the boiled beef. I agree the menu items are western China/Sichuan. Yes, you can definitely get better in the south bay, but I think Bo’s does a fine job at the specialty dishes and I commend them on having the guts to put some authentic items on their menu.

I went back and had the gringo “Lunch special” fare again. I had the lunch special stuff months back and found it forgettable enough not to write a review, but loved the authentic Chinese dishes. HO HO!, They’ve turned a corner! I had the typical Mongolian Beef, and my Samoan attorney had Kung Pao Chicken. You can’t get more Americanized mainstream than that…and they were both very good! Egg roll still tasted thick and frozen food like. Egg drop soup however was up a step! Both meal’s meats were high quality and seasoned/cooked to perfection. Bottom line…I really like this place for their truly chinese dishes on the “chinese specialty menu” (see link to my earlier review below) and now also for the “regular american menu”, and the people and service really can’t be beat. I’m still looking for a Chinese five star, but I’m not sure if it exists on this side of the hill.

Address: 30 W Angela St (between 1st St & Main St) Pleasanton, CA 94566

Tele: (925) 484-4880

Website: www.pandapleasanton.com

Home Food Delivery Service: No

Food Take out: Yes

Waiter Service: Yes

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Parking: Street, Private Lot

Attire: Casual

Good for Groups: Yes

Good for Kids: Yes

Review:

Stopped by for some take out the other night. Watching the A’s game with nachos, again, just wasn’t going to cut it. We ordered the Hong Kong chicken, veggie chow mein (not listed as part of the menu but they can make it for you) and spring rolls. The hong kong chicken is similar to orange chicken but with peas and carrots and a better kick. Chow mein was decent but I think it over cooked a little on the car ride home. Spring rolls were a little oily but still crispy when we got home. It was a little out of the way to drive for chinese but still worth it.

1. If you go here with an open mind, it’s almost a sure bet that you’ll end up enjoying your meal here.

2. Explanation: the decor is… old and outdated; stereotypical Chinese circa 1970s. Depending on the time you go (ie early dinner), it might appear empty (but they do a lot of take out). Authenticity? No. But then again, how many Chinese restaurants are “authentic”? Most Americans don’t know what authentic Chinese food is and many wouldn’t like it anyway.

3. With the above being said, if you simply want to have good tasting food, very freshly prepared, at a decent price, via very friendly staff, then just trust most of the folks who’ve positively reviewed this place; yes, it is a definite no brainer for good Chinese food. Enjoy.

Tele: (925) 846-1155

Restaurant Reservations: No

Food Delivery Service: No

Food take out: Yes

Waiter Service: Yes

Outdoor Seating: No

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Attire: Casual

Good for Groups: Yes

Good for Kids: Yes

Review:

This place IS really out of the way, which can actually be a good thing if you’re not into the whole “screaming children two booths away” thing that seems to prevalent at other Chinese restaurants. The place itself is very clean and well kept (no duct tape on their seats!) even if the decor is a little dated. The menu offers a really wide selection including a lot of tofu and vegetarian options, and a wide variety of soups. If you get coupons for the area (like my folks do) there’s a good deal for their dinner special. The portions are *huge*, and inexpensive too. We went and for $30 got enough food for about six people. And while I’ll agree that in terms of Chineseness this isn’t the best – it is thoroughly Americanized Chinese cuisine – it’s remarkably well prepared. The soup was made with fresh, tasty vegetables, the won tons were flavorful and fully cooked, the egg rolls were crunchy and good, and the entree plates weren’t greasy at all. Not greasy! Amazing! On top of this, the wait staff is very friendly and efficient, and it’s clear that they actually speak fluent English so if you have a special request, they can actually help.

Tele: (925) 462-4010

Restaurant Reservations: Yes

Home Food Delivery Service: Yes

Food Take out: Yes

Waiter Service: Yes

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Outdoor Seating: No

Good for: Lunch

Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Parking: Private Lot

Attire: Casual

Review:

Pros:
-Fast service. I place the order and 5 minutes later it was done.
-Cup of soup included with the lunch and an eggroll.
-The chef asked me how hot I wanted the mongolian beef, that’s a first!
-Lots of food, relatively cheap for Pleasanton

Cons:
-As a person who has eaten at a lot of Chinese places and being Chinese for one, the food was a C at best. Maybe it’s because I got the mongolian beef, but I’ll follow up one more time. The beef tasted…fishy, could it be they reused the oil?! ::gasp:: most likely…

Good for Groups: Yes

Good for Kids: Yes

Address: 469 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Home Food Delivery Services, Take Out

Chinese, Noodles, Dumplings

Review:

Rated Best Chinese Restaurant in Zagat, 2010! Philippe Chow Express, located in the West Village, has all your favorite dishes from Chicken and Shrimp Satays, Crispy Beef and Beijing Chicken from Philippe Chow- now in a carry out version. Or sit and dine in their sleel red banquets alongside monogrammed lacquer tables and hardwood floors. Philippe Chow Express is available in quick-servce form, taking Chinese takeout to a new level using the latest in technology. Place your orders via touch screens in automated kiosk, the pick up your food from the counter or dine in with self pick-up tray service. Philippe Chow Express offers high-end Chinese takeout with a modern design. Order, pay, and schedule deliveries through a touch screen system.

Address: 15 Mott St (Mosco Street and Worth Street) , New York, NY 10013

Review:

Wo Hop’s fluorescent-and-linoleum grotto is pure time-machine New York. Droll blue-jacketed waiters dispense schtick and fortune cookies to tables of raucous eaters, while streams of New York’s finest line up for takeout. Glossy photos of unknown “celebrities” adorn the back wall. Weary of duck feet and fermented tofu? Put down those chopsticks, and brandish your fork proudly as you plow through the unregenerate Cantonese-American classics that have been served here for years. Don’t expect culinary magic, though: Flavors harken back to the era when the two main varieties of Chinese restaurant…

The Vibe

A bird’s eye view of HarbourFront and Sentosa sounds fantastic but to enjoy such a panoramic view all 360 degrees without shifting an inch on your own is amazing. The only unforgiving factor lies with the out-of-fashion interior décor and withering exterior of the Prima Tower itself. If you are willing to forgo such petty issues, Prima Tower will allow you an unobstructed view of the coastline from any table.

The Food

Chef Chan’s expertise is honed through the decades to receive much affirmation from the Singapore Tourism Board. A visit to Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant must be accompanied by his 2 signature dishes – Shredded Scallops with Fish & Egg White ($25 – Small / $38 – Medium / $50 – Large) and the Authentic Barbequed Peking Duck ($55). The former dish comes with a generous serving of scallop, albeit shredded, and achieves an ideal consistency that does not overwhelm. Add a dash of pepper and vinegar to taste and you have an unusually tasty alternative from the usual Chinese shark’s fin. Be careful not to get carried away with this dish because it is rather starchy and fills you up fast.

The Peking duck is bound to impress with its gloriously oily sheen and tender meat. The fat ducks at Prima Tower are flown in from America and skinned, sliced and wrapped into individual parcels upon presentation. You can choose to have your parcels wrapped in a rice-flour skin or a yellow egg skin. The yellow egg skin is slightly sweet and much softer than the white rice-flour one, which offers a chewy texture highly contrasted against the crispy duck skin, crunchy cucumber stalks and tender meat. The faint aroma of rice-flour blends in very well with their slightly sweet Peking duck sauce, making it irresistible.

The Crispy Garoupa with Salt & Pepper ($55) is aptly named, promising a lovely combination of crispy skin and soft, flaky flesh. Heavily seasoned with salt and pepper, the garoupa is a tantalizing flavour of garlic that enhances the freshness of the fish. Diners may choose to have their fish done ‘half-half’, meaning their whole fish is prepared in 2 ways – half steamed and half deep fried – to cater for people who want the best of both worlds.

The Pan-fried Fresh Scallops with Seasonal Vegetables ($40 – Small / $60 – Medium / $80 – Large) was a disappointment compared to its earlier comrades. Fresh whole scallops, wrapped in a layer of minced chicken meat and pan-fried, result in pretty ingots of gold. Although the dish looks tempting, the ingots are drenched in a sauce, making them soggy and less palatable than it appears to be. The minced chicken is too salty, especially against the muted sweetness of scallop, which makes the dish pale in comparison with the first scallop-and-egg-white delicacy.

Prima Tower revived the situation with a sticky finale of Toffee Banana ($18 – Small / $27 – Medium / $36 – Large), which sounds uncharacteristically out of place in a Chinese restaurant like Prima Tower. Despite the enigmatic name, Toffee Banana is actually an authentic dessert that hails from Beijing. Chunks of warm, mushy banana are coated in a hot sticky caramel that is reminiscent of Chinese malt candy and soaked in ice water briefly. The rapid cooling of sticky caramel results in an extremely crunchy exterior with the banana still warm and mushy within. Customers may also choose to skip the ice water stage and enjoy the stickiness of toffee on their teeth, although Chef Chan advises against anything too sticky for people with dentures.

The Service

Service is typical of Chinese restaurants, although they ought to be commended for keeping plates and bowls absolutely spotless. Waiting time is relative to your orders and the dining crowd since Chef Chan and his kitchen are known to take great pride in serving fresh, piping hot dishes.

The SD Food Advisor’s Take on Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant

The restaurant’s survival throughout the decades is good enough a testament towards its tasty food, despite the unappealing appearance of Prima Tower itself. Some may enjoy the novelty of dining and revolving simultaneously but others may find the experience a giddy one. My advice: if in doubt, be seated facing the interior instead of the windows so that you are less likely to detect the gradual rotation. Personally, it is a shame to miss trying the Peking duck just because you are susceptible to motion sickness or is averse to old buildings – good food, after all, comes at some form of price.

Tel: 416-298-7897