Shanghai Wok

This place doesn’t look like much from the outside, and it’s cash only. They have really good mapo tofu, which makes it well-​worth the visit.

Just had pork with bamboo and pork stomach dish. It was delicious! This is not your typical Americanized Chinese food. Exactly what I was looking for tonight, it really hit the spot.
The ambience is exactly what you would expect from a Chinese restaurant. Small tables, not a lot of seats, clean enough, no heat (save money), and free hot watered down tea!
I will be back again and again.

Walked in at 6:30 for dinner with my hungry elderly disabled mom and was quickly advised with no sign posted or notice that they will only serve take out after 6pm. Your hours are until 8pm. If you don’t want to do dishes there are paper plates. Never had an opportunity to eat here but after their fantastic bullshit reception, and I will tell my friends and family in Corvallis to skip Shanghai. Why don’t you add a NOTICE on your menu and put a sign in your window that you can’t dine in after 6? Your menu states «Dine In or Take Out». Such bad luck to treat potential customers this way. Wish I could give ZERO stars. Zai jian

Been going here for years. Nice reliable mid-​day break, or Saturday treat. Always a nice experience. Small family run place that does a wide variety of good straightforward dishes. The lunch specials are a bargain, and nicely filling. I enjoy the Orange Chicken.
My go-​to special occasion dish has been the Hot and Spicy Chicken. Just about equal parts bite sized chicken pieces, and red hot Schezwan peppers. Served with rice, the chicken is nicely spicy, but not overwhelming as long as you don’t actually eat the peppers.
I recently got turned on to their Garlic Chicken. Nice combo of chicken, shredded carrots, and shredded bamboo shoots. Good level of spice, really nice texture, and plenty of fresh tasty food.
Yes, it is small. Yes, you need cash. No, its not like every other Chinese restaurant, but you should go anyway.

I’ve taken out food from here twice now. The first time, I tried my old stand-​by, Kung Pao Chicken. It was pretty tasty, but VERY very oily – the kind of oily that leaves your lips slimy. Tasted good, but not for the health-​conscious. The second time, I tried to go healthier, so I tried their Buddha’s Delight. This is, of course, a vegetarian dish. In this case, however, it’s primarily a bowl of cooked cabbage. The primary ingredients were cabbage, carrots, celery, and bean sprouts – all the cheapest vegetables with limited nutritional value. There were a couple small pieces of broccoli tossed in, but that was it. The flavor wasn’t bad but it sat in a watery pool (probably because cabbage is mostly water). Honestly, though, paying $ 8.00 for such a meager selection of vegetables was borderline insulting. No mushrooms? No snow peas? Maybe more than four little broccoli sprouts? Not even a crunchy water chestnut? It was really pretty sad. I’ve given them two tries now, and I think that’s enough. They lady at the counter seems very sweet, but it doesn’t make up for the food.

This place is the best take out Chinese in corvallis, you definitely get your money’s worth. They are also very fast with getting their orders out, the longest I had to wait after ordering was 20 minutes, it’s usually 10 though. One thing to remember is that they’re cash only:)

I sooo miss this place after moving away from Corvallis. I had been going there probably since their son was in middle school. (He was almost always in the shop studying)
No frills and cash only, not the most appealing restaurant appearance, but the hot and spicy chicken and stir fried rice cake… Omg I want it now. My mom always goes for the mapo tofu.
I used to not be crazy about this place when I lived half a block away, but that’s because I only ordered things off the menu board or paper printed menu. You really have to order the things from the printed papers taped up on the wall to the right of the entrance, not the board to the left. If you are going to order the stuff on that board, you might as well go to Panda Express cause you aren’t getting what’s good here.
The main idea here — or so I’m told from eating with my Chinese & Taiwanese friends is that the main dish should be good enough to not need the rice– the rice is just there if you need more to be full. On that note, if you are used to Japanese white rice, this will seem low quality for rice, and a little dry– this isn’t the koshihikari but good for Chinese restaurant rice. There is free tea in the corner you help yourself to while you wait.
I used to go there so much, or send my mom to pick up food for me the owner didn’t even have to ask! She already knows!
Ps if you want a drink other than tea or water go across the street and pick it up before you go to shanghai wok! Also don’t eat the peppers in the hot and spicy chicken. I did one, once. Never again.
I’ve eaten at many Chinese food places but none I crave as much as Shanghai wok.

It was terrible. I ordered orange chicken and the chicken was so dry and stringy it was almost inedible. It was crunchy in places it should not have been crunchy. The rice was fine, but messing up rice is hard to do. The complimentary egg roll was super greasy and unappetizing. I will not be back.

I’m currently eating the sesame chicken, mongolian beef, and bbq pork lo-​mein. Everything is cooked well and everything looks good. It’s the flavor that is ABSOLUTELY lacking. I really can’t believe how bland everything is! Stay clear and don’t waste your money… unfortunately.

Decent food for just a few bucks, made and served by a very hard working couple. Yes, the place has no ambiance, but so what. This place is real. You should eat here.

I rate this place highly for what it is. In my experience, many of these details in an eatery denote tasty food, especially if the place offers Chinese takeout food: bad décor, cash only, bizarre collection of outdated magazines by the door. Let none of these details scare you. Point to one of the handwritten signs in Chinese for fun! You might get a baffling (to an American like me) vinegar-​potato item, or you might get a new favorite dish. If you want this kind of adventure otherwise, you might have to travel.
If you want a comfortable sit-​down meal with swift service, go somewhere else. The atmosphere here is utilitarian, and often I’ve had my order prepared by one overworked lady. The food is good though.

Shanghai Wok is one of those local «hole in the wall» places where the food can really hit the spot. It’s a mom and pop operation with limited seating, but a definite homemade taste. Not for large groups, and cash only, your best bet is to order to go and enjoy your meal at home or, weather permitting, at a nice spot outdoors.
I’ve tried many of the items on the menu and liked many of the things I’ve had there. The biggest negative in my book is that they only take cash. I give it a three and a half stars (but generously rounded up).

Woohoo! As good as it gets in Corvallis! Best authentic Shanghai food in town. My Dad’s from Shanghai, I can’t wait to take him here when he visits.
Yes, it’s local.
Yes, it’s a hole in the wall.
Yes, it’s a mom and pop place.
Yes, it’s real Chinese food (just take a look at the menu items hand written on the wall in Chinese and English).
Yes, they also serve the American-​Chinese fair.
Yes, cash only!
Yes, only tea and water.
Final words of advice: Order To Go, hit a park or home and enjoy. This isn’t a place that you bring a group into and dine. Think of a corner food cart in downtown Portland! Great food! Love the Shanghai style pan fried rice cake noodles (chow lien-​go). I’m hungry and salivating just writing about it.

The Good: The steamed rice was steamed, and rice. They have free hot tea.
The Bad: Cash only, very limited seating. Ordered 3 dishes, Sweet and Sour Chicken, General Tso’s, and Pan fried noodles with beef. The chicken was stringy and one person said it tasted like turkey or something. The noodles were oily, and when we cut open the egg rolls a BP sized oil slick came out. No drinks except for the aforementioned tea, not even water or canned sodas.
The Ugly: As if the décor and food weren’t sketchy enough, we noticed some equestrian magazines by the door on the way out. I don’t even know what to think about that. Won’t be back.

Good Chinese for the area. I constantly get the Kung Pao chicken. It has a nice flavor but can be on the oily side. Not the most amazing atmosphere, and while I do have friends that won’t come here because of the dinginess, it doesn’t really bother me.
Try the lunch specials.

As other reviewers have mentioned, you’d never expect this place to be the best chinese food in Corvallis from the looks of its store front.
But after years eating out in Corvallis I can say it’s the best thing going, hands down. I particularly recommend the pepper chicken. Just delicious.
The ingredients are fresh and the dishes are delicious, which is a nice thing to find after dining at other chinese restaurants in the area. And have a peek into that kitchen, it’s spotless and puts others to shame.

The place is really tiny and ghetto however the food is good and the lady at at the counter is always super nice. I generally order it to go, and it hits the spot when I want some fast Chinese food. Reasonably priced and good portions. Also I appreciate how it is not too greasy like some American Chinese style food. For what it is, I certainly like it.
Be sure to bring cash!

I’ve come here maybe 5 times now and get the same thing every time. The lunch/​dinner special. General Tso’s chicken with rice. It’s well priced and tastes delicious. Actually, I like it so much that I will keep going there even though General Tso’s chicken never agrees with my stomach. I eat it and enjoy it and suffer the consequences later! But that’s just me, for some reason. It tastes delicious. The serving size is huge. Enough that you could eat it all in one sitting though, so maybe eat half and take the rest home for later.
The people who own the place are really nice. They always bring out little cups of water and something to snack on while you wait. The wait can sometimes take a long time (20 minutes) but other times we go there and it’s quick. So it really depends.
Oh and be sure to say hi to the owners son, he’s always in the restaurant and he’s super friendly!

Authentic chinese food. I think it’s run by a husband and wife team. The wife takes and delivers the orders, the husband cooks them, but I’ve never actually seen him!
One wall is covered in sheets of printer paper with chinese symbols on them with the english translation on the bottom for various menu items. I don’t eat much meat so I haven’t tried many of those dishes and can’t say how good they are. All I can say is that if you want down-​home chinese food in Corvallis this is the place to go.

Northern style Chinese restaurant… spicy and flavorful!
Stop judging the book by its cover… Though, the place looks a little run down, old, and small… Shanghai wok is a very chinese style restaurant. It has a Americanized Chinese food menu, and a REAL Chinese food menu on the side, hand written…
Shanghai Wok is a family-​run business… The wife at the counter and the husband does all the kitchen work… There’s a wait sometime during lunch and dinner, since the place is small and there’re only 2 people working. I have had time when I had to wait for at least half an hour for their food, I thought it worth it, though.
The price is reasonable. I love their fish dishes, stir-​fried shanghai style rice cake, and chinese style bbq pork fried rice!!! Be adventures and try out their REAL chinese food menu… you’ll like it!