"There is no good Chinese food in San Diego." - Me, anytime before last Wednesday
Do you know how many times I've made that (mostly unfounded) declaration? A lot. Good Chinese food, along with even remotely decent bagels, chicken parm subs, and pizza, was something I thought I'd left behind on the east coast. And in the past 4 years, I've managed to find secret spots for each of those foods. Except Chinese.
Good Japanese food or Thai? San Diego knocks those out of the park. I have so many favorites, I wouldn't even know where to start recommending places. But good Chinese food has eluded me here.
And then I went to Wang's North Park.
Not only did I find good Chinese food... but I think I found the best Chinese food in San Diego.
Oh, and may I add, some of the best craft cocktails...
Last Wednesday Ryan and I went to a complimentary dinner at Wang's to test the menu. After a week of Mexican food in Sayulita, nothing could have sounded more appetizing to me than some Asian fusion.
When we got to North Park it was just after 7pm, so everything was bustling. Lately North Park has started to remind me of some of my favorite little streets in Brooklyn. The whole neighborhood is just booming and Wang's is right in the heart of it.
Walking into the restaurant, I was stunned at how huge it was. The space is gigantic and in fact later, when I told my coworkers about our meal there, they mentioned that our company had looked at hosting events there in the past. Which made me think: there are only so many places to host corporate holiday parties in San Diego. A place as large as Wang's is definitely a good option to know about.
After getting seated at our table, I took a long look at their overwhelming craft cocktail list. There were at least about 6 cocktails that I wanted to try, which is hardly ever the case since I tend to stick with beer or wine. But this cocktail menu though....
At the waiter's suggestion, I ordered their award-winning "North Park Paradise" special, a combination of Moonstone Raspberry Sake, Averna Amaro Siciliano Liqueur, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, and St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur on the rocks.
Yum.
For food, we started off with their mix and match Dim Spin and a bowl of salted Wok'd Edamame. The Dim Spin menu can be prepared as steamed dumplings or pan fried pot stickers in one of five flavors: lemongrass-coconut shrimp, marinated pork, herbed edamame, rosemary-mint laced grass fed lamb, or chicken with black bean.
We tried the chicken and the edamame as pot stickers and they were delish. Ryan also got some Egg Drop Soup and basically looked like he was in heaven. Then our family-style entrees came out.
I wasn't in the mood for anything too heavy, so I had ordered the Peanut Lime Chicken Salad. And while it was tasty, it became immediately clear to me that I should have ordered what Ryan got as soon as I laid eyes on it: the General Wang's Chicken. This is a sweet and spicy chicken dish with brocolli and candied walnuts. I stole one bite and wanted to devour the whole thing.
Again: not just good Chinese food... more like perfect Chinese food.
The best part about both entrees? How reasonably priced they were, especially when considering the portion sizes. My salad was $11 and his chicken was $15.
One food-induced coma later, I found myself sipping on one last cocktail for dessert: the "Wangalicious": Tanqueray Mallaca Gin, fresh cucumber, lime juice, grenadine and simple syrup. It. is. amazing. And dangerous. Because I could have had 5.
It's safe to say that Wang's has shot to the top of my list for places to get a happy hour cocktail. Based off of just two drinks. And, I mean, there were still like 3 or 4 drinks that I wanted to try.
Delicious Chinese-style Asian fusion food, great service, chill vibe and truly impressive cocktail list? Count me in. Wang's is poised to be a default meetup spot for our North Park hangouts and is definitely getting worked into the dinner date rotation.
Wang's North Park
3029 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Phone: (619) 291-7500
