Golden Chopsticks — Restaurant in National City

I read a lot of good reviews about the chicken wings and I was "in the mood" so I drove down to Nat'l City. They are in a strip mall. The parking lot was CRAZY. It took me 15 minutes to get a parking spot. That's not their fault--just part of the experience.

So, I find the place and head up to the counter to order "to-go". They handed me a menu and I ordered. The person who took my order was quite pleasant (kinda pretty too, which is a bonus). It took about 20 minutes to get my food which is fine considering they were crazy busy at 2:30pm. I was pleased to see them so busy because that is normally an indication of good food. I ordered too much food--egg rolls, shrimp fried rice, chicken foo young and, of course, the salt pepper chicken wings. So, all indications are that I am about to get stuffed with a belly full of yummy Chinese food at a new place that is only about 10 minutes from home. Life is GOOD!

Not so quick! The egg rolls were okay but nothing special. The shrimp fried rice was totally tasteless. I ate the shrimp just because I didn't want to waste the money. I couldn't eat the rice which is REALLY unusual for me. The chicken foo young was also tasteless, although the sauce made it a tiny bit better--but still not good enough to eat. Alas, even the highly touted salt pepper chicken wings had very little flavor.

I will admit that the portions are really big so, if you actually like tasteless food, this is the place to go for a bargain. DAMN, I wish that the food was good!

I HATE writing bad reviews because everybody thinks "that guy is just a jerk" or "he must work for the competition" or whatever. Fair enough--I did that myself while reading these reviews but I took a chance anyway. I recommend trying somewhere else. If you're inclined to try it anyway then just order the supposedly fantastic chicken wings and see for yourself. Then don't go back and try another dish because they are all tasteless.

Note to Golden Chopsticks: "USE SOME DAMN SPICE!!!!!!" Actually, you appear to have so much business that you could probably use no spice at all and your customers would keep coming back. I guess it is...

Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings!

Yup, it’s what makes Golden Chopsticks Restaurant and its rival Royal Mandarin so popular.

Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings are a staple at family gatherings in San Diego but this is the first time I dined inside the restaurant.

Golden Chopsticks Restaurant is a mid-to-large sized, casual, sit-down Chinese restaurant located on Plaza Blvd and Palm Ave in National City, near IHOP and Jo-Ann’s Fabrics. Getting here via Google Maps is easy but the parking is a bit crazy. It has a shared lot between businesses - plenty of parking spaces but most are unavailable during the weekend. Consider your vehicle choice before coming here because the parking spaces are tight for large trucks and SUV’s.

The ambiance inside the “private” room to the right was beautiful - open and brightly lit with natural light. I say private room because our large party took up the entire space minus 2 tables. I loved the large artwork in the back wall. Noise level is loud here.

The staff were able to service our party and get all the dishes and drinks out. The tableware was neatly organized and the condiments were plentiful and easily accessible at every table.

We had a preselected, family-style menu across all the tables, which included their famous Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings. It was better eating it dined-in than served in party trays at the family parties I’ve had in the past. I did, however, like the Salt & Pepper Squid (Calamari) more than the chicken. The Beef Broccoli was my favorite of all the dishes. We also ate had noodles and fried rice. While I enjoyed the dishes, the post-meal inflammation did not.

Overall, it’s a decent spot for a step-above-casual-dining Chinese food. The salt and pepper dishes are addicting but I’ll probably stick to the...

My all time favorite Chinese restaurant in Southbay.

My daughter decided to treat me out for lunch and as always, has to order an army full of dishes. That’s her! Golden Chopstix has never disappointed, even 30 plus years later. And, what better way in honoring my parents and their spirit, we continue to dine in at Chopstix. It was their favorite Chinese restaurant too.

In past decades, our family had celebrated many birthdays, anniversaries and just because. Even when relatives from out of state or out of country would visit, Golden Chopstix was usually our go-to.

The food is always served hot, fresh, and delicious. Side note, the salted pepper chicken wings were not so tasty, it was missing the seasoning(s)we’re use to. The crunch and crispiness was still there. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with cooks having an “off” day, right. We didn’t bring this up to the server, as we felt it was minor issue. The rest of the dishes were on point and delicious, as always.

The staff are more friendlier and accommodating than other local Chinese restaurants in Southbay. Servers are usually attentive and good about clearing dirty dishes and making sure kids are taken care of (hi chairs, baby cups, etc).

The restaurant’s decor is set in traditional Chinese style and color. The place is spacious and kept clean.

Before closing, I do want to highlight the fried crispy green beans. They were extra delicious, generously portioned, and cooked to perfection. Im not a fan of green beans, but I am now. It’s a must-try dish at Golden Chopstix.

If you haven’t tried Golden Chopstix, it’s time to make it over and enjoy the variety of dishes. There has to be one to several delectable dishes you will end...