Shanghai Express — Restaurant in North Wilkesboro

I've been eating here more than I'd like to admit during this pandemic over the last 10 months or so (just when I am craving Chinese food because we all know that stuff you buy in the frozen section at your local grocery is not worth wasting your money on). I've actually ate here many times over the years but never more than once or twice a year. Now, I've eaten here at least twice a month since this dang pandemic got started! That's honesty for y'all! I have to let you know how great of a time I have every single time I go there! Truly! First of all, when it all began I was so tickled to be able to call in my order of Beef & Broccoli with a side of white rice! Do y'all know how nice it was to be able to call someone in the middle of all this mess with the pandemic & have them make your food in less than 15 minutes, have it boxed -n- bagged & be ready to pick up to take home as soon as you pull up in the parking lot in your bathrobe, messy bun & slippers? PLUS have it all look & smell amazing & truly taste great?!!?? And it still be super hot when you get it home to sit down & eat? I mean in my house when you go and try to cook something in a super fast hurry, it has a tendency to come out burnt, be hard as a rock, have caught on fire, be charred black or hell, all the above. So once we've decided against all the above for a night, I go & make a quick call to place our order, it takes all of 2 minutes to speak to the kind staff & place your order. Y'all I'm telling you that these people that run this place are fantastic! From the moment I went to pick-up my first to-go order last year, I knew instantly when walking up to their store front that they truly cared about the people that they were serving food. They had prepared their restaurant for Covid more than any place I had been to at the time & it remains that way even now. They made me feel so safe when I saw all the work they had put into making sure that their customer's health was being put #1. They closed their entire dining area, closed in their entire doorway to the restaurant & blocked off the entire place from anyone being able to get inside. Only their staff was in there. They left their big glass & metal front door propped open for months so that this makeshift sealed in doorway could be used because they had turned it into a walk up pick-up window! All you had to do was either call in your order like I did many times, or just walk up to the window, place your order, wait outside or in your car and then BAM!... your food is done super fast! They use speakers to talk to you when you go up to the window, so you never have to come into contact with the staff in any way. They had even built the window a certain way so that they could hand your stuff out into a window box & then you take it from there! They went above & beyond during the worst part of the last year for their customers & they continue to do so. Even though the dining room is open & the storefront has returned to it's original door, they still have the kitchen, the checkout counter, register & food bar behind a makeshift wall inside of the restaurant. It still keeps their staff from coming into contact with us. Ordering is also the same fast easy process too! I almost forgot to tell you about the food itself! 🤣🤣🤣 I do apologise. I know I've already made a long review.. but hear me out. I'm probably one of the most picky eaters you'll ever meet. I like my food cooked a certain & I only eat certain things. But I can eat their food because the wonderful people that make my food here, do it so wonderfully. The broccoli is always crisp & fresh & it snaps when I bite into it. The meat is always tender & flavorful and it's never rubbery. (I know y'all know what I'm talking about.. Where you go out to eat & end up with what I can mystery meat that no matter how many times you chew on it, it seems to get even chewier but you never actually get it chewed up). The rice is always perfect! What...

I have had the pleasure to teach in China and I have been to Shanghai. The lovely couple that run the place are beautiful and all smiles. There is no decor because of COVID but necessity is the mother of invention. These people but huge pieces of plastic all around the store. It’s like a plastic bubble. Way better than any mask.

Since I can’t wear a mask I obviously was delighted that these people have a mind they are willing to use.

It’s not the COVID Cooties that you need protection from, it’s the Evil Beings that concocted the masks in the first place

Anyway, the food was authentic and delicious

It is very similar to the Shanghai street food

And being in Wilkesboro North Carolina, the American South just makes you want to embrace multiculturalism

I came for the shrimp rolls, I stayed for...

I have been here multiple times because its close to my home and its never been great. Up until now i would have only given them 3 stars anyway. This time, i ordered the general tso chicken meal and it was terrible. Chicken was tiny and WAY overcooked. Both the chicken and rice tasted like they had sat out for hours. Thankfully i didnt eat it all because it also gave me food poisoning! I was sick for 2 days from it. Found out im not the only one whos had FP from them; customers and co-workers at my job said the same! Do yourself a huge favor and drive a few extra miles and visit Golden Wok next to Walmart in Wilkesboro they are 100x better, ive always enjoyed their food and its...