Golden Chopsticks Restaurant — Restaurant in San Diego

I LOVEEEEEEeeeeeee this place!!!!!! It’s HARD to find tasty Chinese food in San Diego! We have other great Asian cuisines but good Chinese is hard to find. Discovered this place by accident. Noticed it was very busy and had many Asian customers. It’s my opinion they any ethnic food place you plan to try, especially on the fly, look to see that the many customers match the cuisine!!!

The employees are very friendly. I’ve only ordered to go but service is top notch. The spare ribs are AMAZINg and have white ginger and some sauce as well. There salt/pepper chicken wings are extremely popular. We made the mistake of going there Xmas as the line was around the corner. One employee gave us a chicken wing sample at our car lolol. So yummy!! They told us they sell THOUSANDS of them in Christmas and hmmm thanksgiving or new years?? I can’t recall but I think he said they sold 4k pounds of wings between the 2 locations already. Ppl buy huge party trays and the place is always busy when I’ve been there but that was crazy that day. It’s very clean and lots of employees so helps to keel things moving. The place is a nice size. Not huge but a average larger size. It’s typically very full but rarely seen others waiting to be seated. Lots of to go orders and you can see tables near the kitchen full of to go orders. Despite accents, they seem to understand orders well even over the phone. When you order in person, they will answer questions. I only experienced 1 order messed up. My one complaint is the rice is EXPENSIVE!!!! It’s lRONIC bc helloooo Asian and rice is expected in large rice pots. And the typical jasmine rice isn’t that expensive. They are VERY generous with there portions but a cup of rice is $5!!! It’s so WRONG!! Other then that, you get very large amounts. I think the prices are fair for the quality. Very large menu full of delights. They have Chinese cuisine from several regions- some Szechuan, Peking, Cantonese, Singapore and more! Of course the ‘Americanized’ orange chicken and a sweeter flavor that American tastebuds prefer. The fried dumplings are so yum and I like the egg rolls but they aren’t typical. You only get 2 for $4+ but they are tasty and unique. The popular salt and pepper chicken wings are very good but have a big appetite bc they need to be finished thr 1st day. The Flavor changes the next day and doesn’t reheat well. The Singaporean noodles are hard to find. I’ve only had them once somewhere else and They are even better here!! Plus come with several types of meat. It has a curry flavor in it (maybe a Himalayan cuisine influence??) stir fried w/rice noodles, etc. I absolutely loved the chow mein. IMO,The food isn’t oily nor extra salty. I typically don’t like sweet/sour sauce but tried it expecting yuk but OMG, it’s GOOD! It’s a little tangy & not 2 sweet!

I had a AMAZING experience that I HAD to share. I’m physically disabled & sometimes use mobility tools. On Xmas day crowded lines, they had rope dividers near entrance to counter. They had signs & kept things organized & moving.

Anyways it was cold and I was using my wheelchair. Once I got up front, I was asked if I had ordered to go or new etc. It was a mass of activity everywhere but still organized. After paying, I was trying to place the bag that included soup safely on my larger footrests. Manual Wheelchairs aren’t typically friendly with carrying food! The woman who got my food noticed my challenge and she came back to the counter & asked for my food. She took a extra bag and tightly wrapped it. Then added another bag and somehow sorta made it like a handle. I wish i had taken a photo! Cashier was harried and seemed to be confused about what she was doing. Then she carried the bag, moved the rope barrier in front of the other door clearing space & made it so easy for me. I was able to place the bag securely. I was absolutely touched. I’ve rarely had such respectfully helpful assistance!! 10/10! Not...

Food: 5/5 Service and Setting: 3/5 Value: 4/5

There has been a new rule floating around social media that the best Asian restaurants always hover around a 3.5/5. My meal at Golden Chopsticks confirms that. While I hope that my rating doesn’t throw the rule out completely, I hope that it encourages more people to try the food out. The restaurant is newly renovated and very clean. The service is a bit terse but efficient as it is in most Chinese restaurants. My food took a little more time than expected but it was extremely fresh. What I enjoyed most about Golden Chopsticks is that food has that old Cantonese charm that I feel many Chinese restaurants are abandoning. Because the Cantonese were the one of the first groups to come and thus created Americanized Chinese food, I believe there is a stigma that Cantonese food is inauthentic and inferior compared to other regions. Golden Chopsticks was a great reminder that these restaurants still exist and serve bomb food. FYI the lunch deal is an amazing value!

Salted Pepper Spicy Pork Chops: 6/5 Such a simple dish, but very hard to perfect. Golden Chopsticks does a phenomenal job in creating these pork chops. The batter is extremely crispy and while oily, is not overly so. The meat is perfectly cooked and not a bit dry. The seasonings, especially the brazen MSG crystals, sparkle as you inspect the golden coating. The green onions and chili add an incredible amount of umami. Honestly, it is a tad too salty, but something about it adds to the charm. The overall flavor is simple but the composition of the food creates an incredibly savory depth that is hard to replicate without great chefs. If you want a change of pace, a quick dip into garlic vinegar or sweet and sour sauce help brighten the deep fried landscape. I really enjoyed this dish and will be back to enjoy it again.

Corn Soup: 3.5/5 Nothing spectacular but it was very fresh and hot. A great accompaniment to the meal. I put some of the free wonton chips they give you on top and call it a day.

Fried Rice: 3.5/5 Again, nothing special but it does have that nostalgic taste that I have missed. I will be sure to try an actual entree fried rice soon!

Salted Pepper Wings: 4/5 I had to go back to try these and I will be honest and say that I was not impressed. The flavor is the same as the pork chops but because of the shape of the wings, less seasoning adheres to each piece. Because the batter is so thick, it prevents the skin from rendering and gives the wing an overall more “chicken-y” flavor that I find unpleasant. If you are a diehard chicken eater, get this, but I recommend the pork chops over the...

So happy another location opened up so we don't have to go all the way down to National City any more! We had expectations that it would be at least the same quality and taste, so we ordered our usuals to compare.

PARKING - Huge parking lot shared with other businesses, so there's never an issue finding spot.

SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - Make sure you come early to put down your name during peak meal hours - the inside isn't extremely big, and the seating outdoors isn't being used. We waited about 30 minutes for our party of 8 near 5pm. Service is quick - whether it's getting your order, bringing your food, or bringing your check.

FOOD - Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings ($18.25): Just as good as I remembered! Super crispy, super juicy meat inside, and delicious onion and garlic bits sprinkled over. A must for the table.

Orange Chicken ($17.75): Also the same as National City's location - for those that haven't been to Golden Chopsticks before, these will not taste like Panda Express Orange Chicken! Definitely more savory!

Beef Chow Fun ($16.25): Unfortunately this was also the same as National City's is at times - bland but deceivingly delicious looking. The char and deep brown color makes it look so appetizing, but once you take a bite, there isn't much flavor. Not sure why it's like this!

Chicken Chow Mein (thicker noodles) ($14.75): Delicious, much better seasoning than the Chow Fun. Really great chew, lots of chicken pieces!

Honey Walnut Shrimp ($21.50): A really great portion - everyone got at least 3 pieces, some 4! I do think there was some citrus taste in this, but it could have been from the orange slices that are served on the side.

Yang Chow Fried Rice ($15.25): Nice wok flavor on the rice, good sized portion!

Salt Pepper Squid ($17.95): Really disappointed in this one - the breading on the squid had no flavoring, and the vinegar sauce that was served with it didn't really work for me. Wish the Salt Pepper flavoring stuck to the pieces better.

Beef with Black Bean Sauce ($17.95): This was our first time getting this dish and we were not disappointed. Beef was super tender, and there was a good amount of Bell Peppers!

OVERALL - Definitely up to par with the National City location, so you no longer have to travel as far if you're craving Golden Chopsticks! Come early or come ready to wait as it...