The Golden Wok — Restaurant in Thunder Bay

This little beautiful restaurant stays close to the city hall bus stop then it would be a good option for ones travel around the city by bus, like student ( we are.LOL. My friend and I came here after the lunch time. As the owner said the crowded time is about 12-1pm. We are served the best dish of this restaurant noodle bowl and vegetable fried rice with tofu. The whole noodle bowl was so good, pork is soft enough to chew ( some from other restaurant could be too hard and burnt), the spring roll is crunchy and the shrimp is so perfect as the black line = sand vein have been removed ( If the shrimp still have this one, OMG the sand would damage the whole bow- It did happen to me in another restaurant). The fish sauce with hot chili made the taste rising high. The fried rice also spiced with tofu as we ordered. We also have deep fried wonton and my friend ordered one for his wife with another big noodle bowl. One thing attracted me is the style of the dish they choose. The dishes did make the meal look like a piece of art. Totally for all was 52.88$ after tax. I must recommend this one as this one has a good environment which could give you a cozy area for your family. The art pieces on the wall were so nice. There are two corners on each side of the main entry which could be a perfect corner for who wants a private space. It stays near he city hall and among many offices then it is a good option for lunch for the office staff. The mirror in the male restroom surprised me. Like this style....

Please note that this review is only based on my experience. I am not trying to say that the food here is terrible, as it could have just been an off day - and everyone has those once in a while.

I ordered takeout via Skip for my family one busy night. I ordered chicken balls, fried rice with beef, wantons and consomme soup. To my surprise, the order also qualified for six spring rolls - so who would say no to that?!

We had to stop eating part way through. The Consomme was salty as all getout and kind of tasted a little like dish water. The chicken balls were still cold in the center and had a very unpleasant texture (like raw chicken, but it looked cooked and no one got sick). The rice was salty and tasted like it had been sitting around a while. The spring rolls were a big nope. The wantons were probably the only thing that anyone actually ended up eating - and they weren't great. Even the sweet and sour or shrimp or plum or whatever that pink sauce is called was watery and flavourless.

All-in-all it wasn't a great experience for our first time trying it. Unfortunately it will be our last time as first impressions are everything. But I would consider maybe grabbing something that is Vietnamese from there just to try it. After all, I DID order Chinese food from a Vietnamese restaurant. So that could be the key.

I gave two stars because the food actually came out...

Reviews are a funny thing and everyone has different taste buds and expectations or standards - a reminder to take reviews gently and if you want to try it - do it! You may have the best experience.

I myself - love the old joints and I love Thunder Bay for some of the best ones - like The Golden Wok!

The staff were exceptionally kind, attentive and efficient. The restaurant was clean, bright and nostalgic in a way! I appreciate that even the fake plants and older decor was not dusty. The condiment holders were clean as well - extra points for that!

There were many people coming in and out to order or pick up food to go - half of the restaurant was full and it was over all a great vibe. Table and booth options were great to have.

The pho - YUM 🤤 - it was delicious. The flavour of the broth was incredible! The portion was huge and had plenty to take home. The chicken balls were amazing too - real chicken and a great ratio of breading and chicken, same for the breaded shrimp which was also great! The spring rolls were cooked to perfection. The rice was fresh and yummy too - it was all great!

I recommend with a 10/10 and look forward...