Royal Unicorn Restaurant — Restaurant in Shoreline

I pass by Royal Unicorn several times a week on my way to Richmond Beach. Every time, I say to myself, "I should check that place out." Well, last week was the time. I pulled in and wended my way through the parking lot to find plenty of spaces available. The possibility of finding good Chinese food got my mouth watering. Seeing Filipino dishes on the specials board got my inner foodie excited to try something new. A woman came out of the back right away, showed me to a table and handed me a menu. The lunch menu had all the usual Chinese favorites. I quickly zeroed in on one of my favorites - General Tso's chicken. It came with a choice of soup (I picked hot and sour), vegetable fried rice and lumpia. I added a pot of tea to my order. The tea and soup showed up right away. The tea was tea. Hot and tasty. The soup was fine, but not very hot and not very sour. I often give plain soup a shot of soy sauce to add a little flavor. That worked. The main plate arrived shortly after I finished my soup. I liked the look of the chicken. Each piece was a manageable size with a nice crispy coating. There was just the right amount of sauce - enough to get on every piece but not so much to cover the plate in goop. There was a bit of spice in the sauce, not as much as I like, but enough for most people. The fried rice was a treat. Full of flavor and there was plenty of it. The lumpia was a disappointment. My expectations were high because I love things stuffed into a fried wrapper. There was a satisfying crunch when I bit into it, but then the flavor hit me. It tasted of nothing but butter. I could see the ground meat inside, but there was no meatiness in there. I was properly full when I finished the plate and asked for the check. My mouth had all those Asian flavors in when I opened the fortune cookie packet and the familiar whiff of vanilla hit me. Memories of going out for Chinese food as a child flooded in. What a delight! My fortune said that "Flowers would brighten the day of your close friend tomorrow." I paid the $18 bill and looked on Google for a place to...

The bartenders are great and friendly but they close their bar at about 9 p.m. daily except for Friday and Saturday when it's busy with karaoke. So if you expect to go there after work (if you're a bartender or something) forget it. It's dirty, there's no working refrigeration in the bar either which makes me a little nervous about the kitchen as well. It looks a little bit run down. In fact I know it is because I used to work there. The owner is a jerk and tries to scam people and talks badly about them. Talks badly about his own customers & employees. I took a job there and was promised Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. He tried to make it even between the couple of bartenders so that each bartender had one weekend evening shift to make money because that's when karaoke is happening & when it's packed, & you work by yourself. Well, I was completely trained AND had bartended before, and he kept letting the other MALE bartender work, saying I was incapable of doing it. He had no choice one night when the man couldn't make it in and I did great. I kept up with everybody, I was complimented on how good my drinks tasted and he still wouldn't let me work that day after telling me that's what I was being hired to work. Also, had I known that my shifts were going to be 4 hours long I never would have worked there. Disappointing in that sense. Customer service not so good. Some of the food is okay; some...

UPDATE as of August 2025

I had previously given a 5 star review because the chicken was AMAZING!

The past two times we have ordered, the Orange Chicken has been soggy and on the bitter side.

I don't know if there is a new cook, but there has been an excessive amount of breading that isn't cooked to their usual crispness.

This is our favorite spot after they changed management BUT something is definitely up in the kitchen.

I hope that they go back to making it perfectly crispy.

Other neighbors have mentioned the difference with the breading as well.

We will give it one more try As they say, "third time is a charm."

UNDER NEW MGMT! My previous experience was not worth one star.

Since the change in management, the food is phenomenal! Jasmine took my phone order and was very pleasant.

I ordered the orange chicken and its SO dang good! Long pieces of lightly breaded white meat chicken covered in a glaze of orange sauce. The General Taos is just as good with such perfect flavoring.

This is my go to Chinese food spot. They even let me order an extra side of the sauce for my orange chicken.

Super nice people making amazing food.

You won't be...