East Flavor Restaurant — Restaurant in Huntington

2025-3-23 update - There is something strange about this place. For everything it offers, there should be a larger clientele. Yet it was near deserted in prime time on Sunday . And at this point I'd blame the genteel of H-town. Specifically, the lack of sufficient population that would enjoy and appreciate a nice restaurant that rises above its peers and cuisine. I wish the atmosphere was brighter, maybe a little romantic with music, or a fire, but an investment like that would require a larger ROI, and the genteel does not reciprocate. We had a nice meal. The waiter is very good. Rest of this is my old review below.

This is a really good restaurant. Big selection in the menu and for all I know their menu is authentic and pan-Asian, so apart from Chinese dishes there arenithwrs like Thai cuisine, sushi etc. They do have a bar too. There is a big gathering room for larger groups. This is not so much a gourmet restaurant and I wish they jazz it up with music etc, but it is not your staid Chinese takeaway-like place either. One can have a semi romantic outing, or a business meeting, both perfectly possible without too much background noise, and enough privacy for a restaurant. The inside is a lot of pleasing wood paneling and stained glass in places. May be a little slow in service but not unpleasant. Food is really good if you want an authentic variety. For example, I love their cumin lamb/fish/other protein dishes, not found anywhere else. One of their servers that I have seen for some time is really good at his job. He knows the food, and he can spar with a joke, something I love. Plus he can carry those multiple dishes, so not just a fly-by-night worker. I don't want to name him because you should decide for yourself. Bathrooms are fine. I'd go to this place every week, if I did not have to cross what seems like seven seas in Huntington (you have to take city roads with lots of lights. Wish they'd open a branch near Barboursville, but that's too much ask for such a small town. I do wish this place has enough business to feel the need to stay, even expand. They are one of the better restaurants in town. Do not expect chic, a fireplace (wink wink future improvements), music, maitre'd, candles, at least not yet,until clientele rises in demand. Reservations not...

Asked the waitress if they used peanut oil or any type of peanut/tree nut products after seeing they had Thai food. Was told that they didn't use peanuts or peanut oil. Asked again when I ordered to make sure that my food wasn't going to have any peanuts in it (because I'm allergic to them). She confirmed that it didn't. Three bites in I felt my throat start to close and called her over to check again and make sure there were no peanuts. She said again there were not. She was nice and took the order off our ticket, but I'm obviously still upset about almost dying. I understand that restaurants cannot always accommodate my allergy and sometimes it's unavoidable. In that case I prefer they just have the decency to just tell me instead of letting my find out via anaphylaxis.

The waitress did okay. We did have to wait a long time for her to come over to take our orders, but I think she was the only one taking orders.

Was a little disappointed in food price and quality (what little I got to eat). I was expecting it to not be so bland. If you're very white and think salt is spicy you'd likely enjoy it. Based on the texture and taste their sweet and sour chicken is the same one you can find in the freezer...

We tried this new Asian restaurant for lunch while in town. I believe this location was once an Italian restaurant and a lot of the decor reflects that. It's an odd mixture of European and Asian that doesn't really reflect the menu. Hopefully, they will replace some of that Italian influence. The server was friendly and happy to answer our questions. Our food came out quickly and was hot and fresh We had the chicken lettuce wraps. They tasted great but, I'm a texture guy and the contrasting texture between the rubbery mushrooms, crunchy water chestnuts, and cornstarch-thickened sauce was a little off putting for me. My wife got the hot & spicy fish & tofu. She enjoyed it (for several days. It was a big serving). I don't care for the flavor of szechuan but the fish was cooked well. I had the sunset fried rice. The flavor was good (it had that smoky, hot wok flavor that I love) but it could use more pineapple and raisin. It was a good meal and we'll likely be back next time...