First Wok — Restaurant in Austin

Trying to have a “Succulent Chinese Meal”? 1st Wok is the best Chinese take out place in this part of town, I pick up food from here once or twice a month and have never been disappointed. Their portions are RIDICULOUSLY HUGE, they literally stuff as much food in the styrofoam containers as possible it’s crazy, one entree is around three days worth of food. I usually get the General Tso’s chicken and I’ll ask them to go light on the sauce +add extra peppers because I just like it that way; their general tso’s has a very distinct, unique and almost hot saucy-like flavor that sets it apart from others I’ve had before, and the chunks of white meat chicken are never fatty and always juicy fresh. Their Lo Mein is really good too, and I’ve also had their Sha Cha Beef which is basically Beef and Broccoli but with additional veggies like carrots, onions, and wittle baby corns, the beef is tender and flavorful and the veggies are all crisp and fresh. Another thing I absolutely love about this place is their fried rice, it’s just so SOFT and MOIST and FLUFFY, you can choose between white or fried rice with your entree and I don’t think I’ve ever had their white rice because I just can’t stray from the fried one, it’s great. Lastly their egg rolls are really good too, crispy and they actually have meat inside and not just a bunch of cabbage. I also love their dumplings steamed or fried. The only thing I’ve eaten here that is pretty bland is their wonton soup, but whatever it’s cool. One Tuesday I had Hunan Lion because 1st Wok is closed on Tuesdays and ugh it was bad, it doesn’t even compare and tasted like generic mall Chinese, but the bad kind of mall Chinese.

I get sick from eating here but it’s because I usually just can’t stop eating and then my tummy hurts haha… and I don’t leave many reviews for things but I love 1st Wok and I want them to be around forever so go support them, you...

I ordered our takeout dinner and was told it would be ready in 10 minutes! I arrived and it was ready as promised. Our takeout order included the beef and broccoli entree, sweet and sour chicken entree, 4 crab puffs and chicken wings. Both entrees came with steamed white rice. The beef and broccoli was very good - nicely spiced and not salty. The beef was very tender and the broccoli was fresh and cooked very well - not soggy. The sweet and sour chicken was excellent. Large pieces of moist chicken, lightly battered and fried perfectly. The dish also had an appropriate amount of sliced carrots, green bell peppers and onions. I appreciated the cup of sweet and sour sauce that was provided so the entree was not soggy/messy. Both entrees were generous amounts of food - enough leftovers for another meal! As for the appetizers, the chicken wings were bland and could have used some seasoning. The crab puffs were good, small and fried perfectly. The steamed rice was cooked well - warm and soft. Our order included forks, soy sauce packets, dipping sauces, and fortune cookies. Overall, a great dinner and we will come back! This appears to be a small family business, which we prefer patronizing over chain restaurants. It appears to be strictly takeout, no dine-in.

PS - the young lady who checked me out was sweet, courteous, and...

Good Asian food is sadly more difficult to find in South Austin than in North Austin. Not that we don't have some great places, but they're sparser on the ground for us than for our norteño brethren. First Wok is a happy exception, being one of the best of the restaurants in the Chinese Restaurant Belt along Stassney and William Cannon.

I've been going to First Wok for what feels like my whole life. Out of their specialties menu, I've always liked their Lemon Chicken and Lover's Nest (beef + chicken in a special sauce). Out of the rest of their menu, I usually get either the jalapeño beef or the curry chicken. All of these things are between $8 and $10, which is at the high end for cheap Chinese food, but I feel like this is higher quality than most of the other places around here. Of course, they never make it spicy enough for me, but that's what sriracha is for....

The key is to go for lunch (11am - 3pm), when a bunch of their menu becomes between $6 and $7 for the meal and soup and an egg roll and fried rice. I wish they had more for dessert than just pineapple, but I really like pineapple so it's not a big deal. The waitstaff is pretty friendly too, which is a welcome change from a lot of other Asian places....