04/14/09

I Love Sam Woo

by philobeddoe

Sam Woo is great.

Amazing authentic Chinese BBQ.

The Pork and Duck are the stuff of legend.

The joint only takes cash, but you don't need much to get your fill.

Get there early ... or get there late.

It's all good.

Sam Woo is great!

• Pros: Great Authentic Chinese BBQ
• Cons: getting downtown is no picnic

08/12/07

Worst Chinese Food I've ever tried...

by robert_yu

I once heard that the chinese eat just about anything. I thought it was a joke until I had lunch at Sam Woo Chinese Restaurant, in the the heart of Chinatown Los Angeles. We ordered Kung Pao Chicken and the Mixed Seafood with Bean Sauce. They were both inedible.

03/29/07

good noodles

by coachlvr

Definitely get the house special pan friend noodles! Everything else is pretty much average chinese.

• Pros: noodles
• Cons: cash only

Chinatown's top lunch spot piles on roast duck and barbecued pork.

by Contributor

In Short
Despite eye-catching roast ducks and pigs hanging in the window, the interior of this popular downtown destination is uninspired. Crowds come for good value, big servings and renowned Chinese-style barbecue. Cantonese is the backbone cuisine, with dishes like duck scented with star anise. The Three Combination barbecue--duck, pork and chicken--is a carnivore's dream. Seafood includes live fish, crabs and lobsters swimming in tanks. Congee, rice soup with additions like pork, duck or preserved egg, cures hangovers.

09/03/06

Good food late night better to dine in than take out.

by felnzo

I've been going to Sam Woos for years. I usually takeout 3 meats(delicacies) on a bed of rice. It cost $7.53 I was there last night 9/2/06.

If you dine in or take out meat by weight it is a better deal. The takeout plate looks like alot of food but there are alot bones. The illusion is they will take a drumstick and cut it up then a chicken wing and cut it up and maybe a 1/4 breast and do the same.

If you eat bones your fine I don't. My experience the SamWoos in Monterey Park/Alhambra gives larger portions probably because of the fierce competition from many similar restaurants. No matter what is written of Sam Woos it will survive like a cockaroach since the base customers like the waiters there do not read or speak english anyway. For me in LA SamWoo is my choice fo BBQ chinese food. For those of you who don't know what BBQ chinese is it's the Salty chicken,Soysauce chicken,roasted duck,roasted pork,charsiu,ribs and a few others. GIVE THE BBQ STUFF A TRY YOU CAN GET THE CHOWMEIN AND FRIED RICE FROM A PANDA EXPRESS OR ANY CORNER GENERIC CHINESE PLACE. YOUR AT SAM WOO BBQ TO TRY BBQ.

• Pros: open late for my rice fix
• Cons: The BBQ on the bed of rice has lots of bones if you choose chicken or duck so have a dog handy

06/11/06

Best midweek chowmein

by jeffrey102162

Let's get this over with first: the atmosphere is laking. That said, the food kicks major butt!

The sevice is very, very fast. Order taken before the table was set from the last patrons, (we knew what we wanted),.

If you have ever had Chinese that lacks flavor and you liked it, this is not the place for you.

The flavor of all the food has taste of well seasoned woks.

You can't go wrong there!

Jeff Haggard

05/20/06

tasty chinese

by live_2_eat

now i'm not chinese but I have eaten at quite a few asian restaurant and sam woo's was pretty tasty. i ordered the chicken with black bean sauce lunch special. That was the first time i've ever had that dish in a restaurant and it was very good. the sauce was salty but not overpowering, with good depth. The chicken was accompanied with green bell peppers and onions, rounding out the dish. I'll go back if i'm ever in the neighborhood, but the rating causing my to question the back kitchen...

• Pros: quick, cheap, flavorful

07/13/04

Sam Woo's = GOOOOD

by audrae10

No doubt the best Asian food I have ever had.. and I lived in Korea for 6 mo. last year... Sam Woo's provides rich cuisine for those with taste!

06/08/04

Super Cheap for Lunch

by tyoungcha

This place is great for lunch on the weekend. Simple chinese food but lunch special price is great. If you are there in a group, each person will probably end up paying about $5-8 which include soup, all you can eat rice, the food and a fortune cookie. Lunch specials are from $3.95. It's damn good price.

• Pros: inexpensive

08/08/02

Chinese BBQ!!

by ecokix

great chinese food you won't find at panda express but you will have to put up with their service...sure worth it tho'

• Pros: food, food, food
• Cons: service, service, service