A-OK Chinese

Hey, it’s like I’m psychic… A-​OK Chinese folded not long after it opened and another restaurant quickly snapped up the space.
I think any place cranking out decent Chinese food on South Lamar would make good money. Suzi’s lasted for a very long time (until their shopping center was demolished) and their food was consistently ok. But it was good enough that my house ordered take out from Suzi’s at least twice a month.
Anyway… A-​OK Chinese clearly failed to live up to its name.

Name doesn’t do them justice…
Great MSG free scratch sauces made fresh daily and all put together after you order. One of my my favorite lunch spots. Lunch Special comes with an app and drink. Also great place to happy hour with weekly bottle of wine specials and draft and bottle beers. And did I mention bacon fried rice? Um yes!

This place is really just A-​OK.
Décor is beautiful. Clean, sleek lines, cool ambiance. The beer and wine selection is really, really great for a small joint like this. The menu is small, but hits all the bases in terms of what kind of menu items to expect.
The staff is courteous and friendly. We received our food very quickly and it looked fresh. I ordered the kung pao chicken. Obviously, when you order kung pao anything, you have to be prepared for spicy. However, the one thing that typically pushes you to fight through the pain and sweat is the flavor. There was no flavor — just heat. I was very disappointed.
Oh, and two entrees? $ 23. Pretty pricy for A-​OK chinese take-​out.
I would try another dish here because it really does have potential, but I would not order the kung pao again.

This place reminds me less of a fast-​food Chinese restaurant and more of a Asian fusion restaurant from the early aughts Remember that fad? The food tastes neither Chinese nor American Chinese, not that that’s a bad thing. They have salad. It’s just not Chinese food on any level.
The setup here is typical fast food strip mall. Thumbs up for a good beer selection for those dining in. The staff is very courteous and friendly, and very helpful. Servie is quick and efficient.
The pork dumplings here are delicious: savory with a little kick. The chicken fried pork buns were topped with pickled veggies and some spicy mayo, pretty tasty as well. Our mains were less impressive. The crunchy salad has zero flavor and is a weird mix of pickled and non-​pickled fare. I’m not sure what’s going here but it’s not good and I found myself eating it just for the fiber, that’s sad. The shrimp lemongrass curry was also bland and uninteresting.
I will be back for more dumplings and to try more things, but definitely not in a hurry.

If you’re looking to quickly grab some chinese food in south Austin, this is your place.
If you’re looking for write-​home-​about-​how-​delicious-​the chinese-​food-​was … keep going.
The place has a modern look to it and the staff is friendly and sweet. It’s in a strip mall, so there’s that, but quick and easy.
While this doesn’t have much to do with the food, I must comment on how clean the bathroom was. Impressive!

Don’t quite understand all the hatin’ going on in the reviews for this place… not deserved.
If you are coming here to eat Panda Express you obviously are blind or mistaken. As soon as you walk in you should know this isn’t your typical Asian restaurant atmosphere. It’s hipster, and unique and so is the food.
The lo mein is delicious. It’s not your chow mein from the neighborhood chinese Buffet so if that’s what you are looking for don’t come here. It’s Szechuan inspired so it comes spicy. It has lots of garlic which i personally love. You can add flavors at your own risk at the table. I added the ginger garlic vinegar concoction and it was Delicious with it. It should also be mentioned all the veggies are fresh and cooked just right (not mushy).
We also got the rangoons. Crispy and fresh with mushroom, goat cheese, scallions and mascarpone. They were delicious even without the mustard sauce.
On top of it they serve Maine root soda which just is another plus.
The only reason I took a star away is because it’s a little pricier for casual dining but they do have frequent coupons for $ 5 off in the austin Impact newspaper and on PayPal. So using those make this a 5 star situation.

Went there on a Sunday eve and was disappointed. Reviews seemed hit or miss, depending on people’s taste I suppose. Basically it’s BLAND.
They recommended the lo mein. We got beef and veggie lo meins and both were missing that traditional take out flavor. We weren’t expecting authentic Chinese, but the flavor all merged together… which wasn’t much of anything. Also, I like spicy to mean it’s a spicy sauce or the dish is made spicy… they just put a ton of red pepper flakes on it. Lazy spicy. I could do that myself.
The mushroom soup was just odd. None of us liked the flavor, but couldn’t put our finger on what was wrong.
It’s expensive for not really liking anything either.
So worst part– all the fortune cookies were stale. Like can’t even eat it stale. Sad :(
Staff was really sweet and nice.

Blandity bland bland. What’s the point of no MSG when you have to drown everything in soy and sriracha just for it to have any flavor? At all. Sister needs some spice. Or garlic. Or ginger. For the love of Pete.
This was my second try. Think I’m done. Kung pao chicken was pao-​less, tomato curry, completely forgettable. Meat was dry and flavorless, not even sure if it was pork or chicken. Some one dimensional soup didn’t help. Felt like I was eating a black and white photocopy of food.
I appreciate the fresh crunchy vegetables, and the chippy friendly staff. But something is wrong in the kitchen.
From the looks of it, these guys are not reading the reviews, so not expecting any improvement.

I was excited to find a new place to get Asian food… even if it’s the Americanized stuff, but my excitement was pretty short lived. The name itself should have warned me but the buzz around this new place got my hopes up. The food was indeed just a-​ok if not less than average. Although their mission states that they are quality, healthy, cheap, and used no MSG, what I ordered didn’t seem to reflect that.
I ordered the five spice pork ribs after reading good reviews about it and boy was I let down. The ribs were overdone, meat was tough and dry, seasoning and sauce was too salty. There was a lot of flavor to the sauce, but it was too overpowering and didn’t blend well with the meat and rice. Each bite got increasingly less enjoyable than the previous. By the time I was done with the food, I felt sick from the sauce and grease.
Despite the press, this place is overhyped and disappointed, I won’t go back there again.

Ugh– this place is so close to being so good! The inside is cute, clean and diner-​like. The staff is some of the most friendly people I’ve ever talked to in a restaurant setting. The daily beer/​wine specials are legit. Tip: Texas beer Tuesdays– $ 2 off gets you a local draft beer for $ 2. The food is visually stimulating with bright colors, fresh looking veggies and a heaping plate at that. But, once you actually taste it, it is utterly disappointing.
I had the lemon ginger veggies with tofu. Tofu was dry and unseasoned much like the rest of the dish. The ginger vinaigrette they have table side brightened the flavors a little bit and made it more manageable. The bf had some sort of chicken and broccoli dish, which again, looked great but was extremely tasteless. He even made the comment that McDonald’s chicken was better because it had more flavor. That’s pretty bad. I hope the owner and chefs take heart to these reviews because they really do have a good thing going. They just need to kick it up a notch.

If I could give no stars I would. I’ve lived in Austin for awhile. This is the first place I walked out of. I had the moo shu pork. It was overly salty. Everything was limp and gross. It came with tortillas. They were not cooked completely. The rangoon tasted ok but there’s a reason you fry cream cheese. It doesn’t melt down to hot grease. That’s what happened with the goat cheese rangoon. The place was overly expensive for the taste. That’s $ 40 I’m not getting back.
This is the second place I went to on the eater heat map that was terrible. What the heck eater?!?

Why do people have some random ‘Gold Standard of Food’ by which all subsequent restaurant experiences are measured?
(Checks-​in at Home Slice)
«I judge all pizza parlors by their Margherita pizza.»
(Checks-​in at Habanero)
«I judge all Mexican restaurants by their cheese enchiladas.»
(Checks-​in anywhere)
«I judge all of Austin by the degree of ‘dog friendliness’ observed.»
Why does everything have to be the same? Little boxes, on the hillside…
A-​OK isn’t trying to be like all other Chinese joints in town. Sure, they don’t offer crab rangoon or egg drop soup, but does that decrease the legitimacy of the food? Does it hurt you to try something new?
So, I didn’t get to eat fried wonton wrappers filled with cream cheese and minuscule flakes of Krab meat. But that just means I got to grub down on the amazingly crisp Salt and Pepper Wings, wings I never would have given a second thought to if the crab puffs had been on the menu. And I didn’t have the chance to fill up on some sodium-​laden-​syrup-​of-​a-​soup with bits of scrambled egg floating in it like wisps of a Dementor’s tattered cloaks. Instead, I filled the hollow of my stomach with Devil’s Backbone and shared a large bowl of sweet and spicy Chinese Sausage Fried Rice loaded with crisp bell peppers. Not too shabby for a lunch date.
The staff is awesome, the wine list begs me to play with it (oh darn, the things you have to do in the interest of more Unilocal research), I will be back soon.

Oh man, I wanted so badly to like this place. The Lady at the counter was f****** awesome and so personable and she seemed to genuinely like what she was doing I will go back and give it another try just because of her, but I will NOT order the same thing.
I love Kung Pao, so much so that I went to MT Asian Grocery Store to get the ingredients to make it myself a few days before trying A-OK’s version.
When it came to the table it was piping hot, the veggies looked fresh and the smell was incredible but unfortunately when i had my first bite it was very disappointing.
It was the sauce that killed it as it was unbalanced. I had to add a variety of sauces like chili oil, Sriracha and finally out of desperation I added duck sauce, but it just was mediocre. Oh well guess I’m going to have to stick to making it myself for now.
Will we ever have good lip smacking Chinese food in South A? Lets get a campaign going to get First Chinese BBQ or Din Ho over here in these parts! Who’s in? Anybody? Anybody… Is this thing on?

Americanized Chinese food. I get the concept but dishes still need to be executed better than what we experienced. Perhaps this new restaurant is still working out the kinks.
We had the five spice fried rice and the salt and pepper wings. The fried rice had too much moisture, it was mushy, and we hardly tasted five spice flavor. The salt and pepper wings lacked flavor as well. –3 stars for the food.
The décor is a modern «austiny» twist on a Chinese restaurant. The employees were helpful and able to explain the menu. +1 star for the cute décor and friendly employees.

I was really rooting for this place, like so many others, but the food falls short.
The wine list is impressive, and I love the open, sunlit space, but my partner was served burnt egg foo young. When we sat down, I asked how he was enjoying his food, and he gave me a stern, disappointed look. A few seconds later, a barista came by and asked how things were. He pointed out that the egg foo young (an omelette-​type dish) was literally brown, and she sort of nodded and agreed and walked on. I don’t know how many of you have ever burnt omelettes before, but once they turn that shade of cocoa-​brown, you know it tastes horrible. He described his dish as, «burnt, dry eggs on dry rice, and just a bowl of dry.»
My dish was okay. I had them tweak the salt and pepper shrimp for my diet, and they accommodated me, which I really appreciated. They obviously cooked it in a spicy oil, which elevated the dish, but I wouldn’t say it was a plate worth $ 15. Their main redemption for me was the fact that I liked the wine, and anyone who knows me can tell you that a good wine list goes a long way with me. I just wish the food was better. My partner barely touched it, and left hungry. I hope they figure the food out.

Checked this place out while in town (visiting from Houston) and loved it! I wish there was a take-​out Chinese place like this close to us.
We tried a few things that were suggested by a friend, all good. Of what we had, I highly recommend trying the 5 Spice Ribs and the Salt & Pepper Shrimp.
The ribs have an incredible flavor, cooked perfectly and fall right off the bone. Delicious! It comes on a bed of white or brown rice (we tried white) and it was perfect because you’ll want something to sop up the rest of the awesome sauce.
The shrimp was also very good, fried but light, and seasoned well. Overall a fresh, light dish.
The Kung Pao was tasty. Not for the faint of heart however, but I’m a spicy fan. It comes with roasted, charred Thai chilies, and they burn so good!
We were quite full by the end, but still found room for the green tea soft serve ice cream (genius). It came with a choice of toppings, sesame glass, peanuts, or candied ginger. My favorite topping was definitely the ginger, it had a great spicy kick.
The décor is perfectly minimal, nice and clean. I love the large black and white of Nixon eating with chopsticks.
Overall, it was a great place to take my Chinese food loving dad, two thumbs up. We will be back.

I hate to give bad Unilocal reviews, well 100% negative ones, I try to give the restaurant’s the benefit of the doubt. But, I struggle with even giving this restaurant one star.
First off, I agree with all the other reviews– that there’s no good Chinese Food in South Austin after Suzie’s left. That’s true. I normally order from Hunan Lion, and find most of the Chinese places in Austin with good food are up north. Meaning these places also don’t deliver South.
I went on the soft opening, and other then the price I thought it was good. I thought the sweet and sour chicken was well made, lightly breaded and I loved the plentiful amount of veggies. Then I went back last week, after hearing they made improvements, and I struggled to eat it. I felt embarrassed suggesting this place to my friend and making her eat it. It’s also really expensive for chinese, I get more places in Austin are raising their prices, but paying $ 12.00 for Sweet and Sour Chicken is just a little over priced in my opinion. I’ve only done dine in, so I can’t speak about the take out. I also ordered their egg rolls one time, and thought those were decent enough but still pricey. Pricey being the big key word here.
If you’re in the area, and really craving Chinese food, then i’d stop in here. If you’re not in the area, don’t make the trip South for their food. Wait until they change around some recipes. I have faith and hope, and I hope A OK pulls through the new restaurant trials.

As a new restaurant in a town with preconceived notions on what Chinese takeout /​dine in should or shouldn’t be, I can say I’ve never had decent Chinese food in Austin. Especially your American-​Chinese style. And you still won’t because A-​OK isn’t trying to be the sugary gloppy deep fried grossness you get in this category.
Five-​spice ribs are heaven. Sesame beef actually tastes like rich beef. The Kung Pao had great spice and smooth texture. Rice cooked perfectly. I’m going back, ready to try the special they just posted this week. Great work!

Happy there’s a Chinese restaurant in this area. Had the Broccoli with beef, which consisted of American & Chinese broccoli. It’s okay. Wish they’d supply real silverware (instead of plastic forks and spoons — no knives — or wooden chopsticks) if the meat & vegetables aren’t all cut into bit sized pieces. The hot and sour soup is not the usual hot and sour soup one usually sees. It’s not bad but takes some getting use to — lots of silver and wood ear mushrooms, use of gai lan leaves and cilantro, very peppery, and possibly too vinegary.
A little pricey but decent serving sizes.

Really dug, in order, the shrimp toast, the dumplings, and the salt and pepper chicken we ordered. Did not like the hot & sour soup which did not taste good in my opinion. We also got the wonton soup which WAS good, so my advice to the restaurant is to rethink the hot & sour.
I’m going to give this place a four star because a) they’re new and they deserve some leeway and b) the bathrooms are clean and cleverly designed (not something you normally see in a chinese food restaurant).
The only other thing I’ll say for now is that I don’t like that I ordered 3 appetizers and 2 entrees, and they all came out at the same time. I get that this might just be how the restaurant does business (as if it’s a food trailer), but it’s not awesome.
Also, the price is a bit much … 2 people, 35 bucks. We didn’t tip at the counter (since it’s a walk-​up counter) so I guess we saved some money there.
We’ll go back and hopefully see some time and a few taste improvements.