Asian Kitchen Grill — Restaurant in Hillsboro

I had heard a lot of good things about this place, so I decided to reward myself with some nice Chinese food after work. To be honest, I rate this restaurant a solid "meh". But hear me out. I don't usually do meh reviews, only ones or fives, so let me tell you why I rated them a four. But first the meh. Their crab puffs are like every other fast food Chinese place: greasy fried chunks of dough with crab-scented cream cheese specks in the very center of the puff. But, hey, they were 2 for a dollar. Same with their spring rolls (2 for $1.99), although they managed to taste creamy, once you get past the overly-fried bits. The sweet and sour sauce was tasty, but extraordinarily thin. More like something you would pour over a salad than something you would dip an appetizer in. The hot and sour soup was, once again, pretty much like every other fast food takeout Chinese place: heavy on the corn starch, tofu, and vinegar, light on anything of any real substance. Although it did have a delightful kick in the finish. It could have used more sour, but the hot was perfectly on point. By this point in my meal I was thinking "well, this is standard fare...."

Here comes the good part.

The staff (I'm guessing the owners) were incredibly charming and helpful, and the atmosphere of the restaurant itself is like you've gone to your favorite aunt's house for dinner. Even though I ordered a lot of food to sample their offerings, my main interest was in having a hot, tasty snack, so I ordered the daily special of General Tso chicken with a side of fried rice. Oh my goodness. Seriously. The chicken was tender and plump, no gross bits, no oddly chewy bits. The breading was just enough to hold the spices and sauce (which was DELICIOUS!), and the fried rice was chef's kiss Their fried rice had the ubiquitous peas and carrots, but they were a subtle accent rather than the overpowering offering you get at most other places. And the rice itself was so tender and fluffy! So I won't be messing around with any fried appetizers or soups again, but I would MUCH rather give Asian Kitchen Grill my $5 for the daily special (orange chicken or general TSO chicken, with one free side) than buy some lame, dry burger.

Edit: I've been back for the General TSO chicken several times, and it has consistently...

Do NOT go to this place. I have done well over 200 reviews, and this is by far the worst food location experience I have had.

Pretty sure I was profiled and denied service for one reason or another. I have been on vacation for the past week backpacking on the Oregon Coast Trail. I reserved a hotel few blocks away before I pickup my rental car and drive back home the following day. I had on all clean clothes and came into the restaurant with my backpack on my back, since I been hiking with it. I was hoping to have a nice meal before checking into my hotel. Restaurant closes at 8pm (Friday), so i walked in at 5:58pm with two hours to spare. The restaurant was completely empty and the one guy working walked out and said what appeared to be "no". But thought he was referring to something different. I walked up to the counter and he had his back to me and said something. I couldn't hear him but I assumed he was telling me it would be a moment before I could order. So I browsed the menu while he walked off. The food that was in the bins had looked like it has been sitting there for awhile and pretty soggy, but figured flavor could still possibly be okay. Couple minutes later the guy walks out and says he will not serve me. He said he already told me before that he wouldn't serve me and said he was busy. He kept his back to me the entire time and said he will not make me any food. I mentioned that no one else is in the restaurant and maybe they can put up the closed signs if they aren't taking any orders. I then walked outside to figure out somewhere else to eat. While standing outside looking at Google Maps on my phone trying to find another food place I would like to go to, a father and his son walked into the restaurant and was allowed to order food. Which makes it appear I was profiled and denied service, for which I'm assuming was because I had a hiking backpack on.

Based on a couple of other negative reviews I read regarding probably the same person, this is not a place to visit. There are plenty of other good food...

This restaurant is run by local business owners. They’re super friendly and we chat with the husband and wife every time me and my boyfriend go in. The have a stir fry Wok Noodle Station where you can pick your own noodles, and veggies you’d like to go in your meal. They weigh your plate to determine price and ask what kind of meat and sauce you’d like. I personally do the Wok Noodle Station almost every time I come in, I add steak and shrimp with the spicy Sichuan sauce. They have mild and non-spicy sauce options as well. They make your meal to order, so be patient! The food will be amazing.

Every once in awhile I will choose their ready to go dishes, Bourbon Chicken, Orange Chicken, Blackened Fish, Fried Rice, Chow Mein, Egg Rolls, Cream Cheese Wontons, Pot-Stickers, they have lots of options as well. I would definitely recommend this instead of going to Panda Express, the food quality is better, the recipes are authentic, and the food is prepared with love. You can really taste a difference.

My partner and I will come here for dinner every so often, or I will stop by for lunch on my way home from work. One of my go to restaurants when I don’t know...