The Wishing Well Restaurant

Best Hot and Sour soup, BBQ spare ribs, ample portions. Restaurant side is comfortable, Bar side can get rowdy but very friendly. Give it a try!

I have been going here since I was young ! I also come back for the egg foo young ! Been up and down the west coast nothing compares. Good old johns place. Never let down. Do of you want good food come on down to this gem.

Beyond great service!
I ordered almond chicken. It came… And boy was I surprised. It was a wet, gooey mess. Not like almond chicken I’d ever had before! My friend offered to trade. Here’s was the same gooey stuff — Chow Mein maybe? All I know is I don’t like it. No onions, celery or water chestnuts for me — PLEASE!
I asked the lady if my order was correct… And then told her the problem before she left the table. She was very kind and asked what I’d like instead. She said she’d take off the almond chicken — which in my opinion is how a restaurant should run its practice. (Customer leaves happy.)
When the bill came she hadn’t charged for either meal, even though if ordered broccoli beef instead. Needless to say, she got a very nice tip that night! And recently I figured out… She is also one of my neighbors!
We will definitely be back! Ooh, and their drinks are stiff. ;)

I wasn’t expecting much, but it was was way better than I anticipated. Very reasonable prices, nice pours at $ 3.50, friendly bartender, fresh veggies. I love bars at old school Chinese restaurants.
No pretence. Fast and friendly service, interesting clientele, nice prices. If you’re in the area why not? Air conditioning if you’re having heat stroke. Like now. Or feel like doing karaōke.
Chow mein with crispy noodles!

This bar is where bar flies in St John’s go to die. Everyone raised in and around NoPo knows that.
They do have karaōke here nearly every night, which is hilarious. So the people-​watching is prime. But seriously – smelly, divey, full of tweakers and poker players, questionable characters abound.
Not without its weird charms, though. Go see for yourself. Our crew sneaks on in here every now and again for a post-​shift drink.

We have been coming to the wishing well since I was a child my parents came here when they were young as well. Service is always exceptional food is wonderful.

Great dumplings! Serves was fast and friendly. Strange that it had a bar inside but it wasn’t a burden. If I could live at the apartments behind this building then this would be my every Tuesday night dinner then get a bagel at Anna Bannanas and movie date right next door! Great location and The Wishing Well has really good food.

Really great food, cheap prices, and huge portions. I would definately recommended this restaurant.

My friend, Ron, is about to have an, ahem, a common procedure which involves no solid food and only clear liquids for 24 hours beforehand. He thought a Chinese restaurant might be a good place for some clear chicken broth. Ron invited me along for lunch, and I was delighted to accompany him because I’ve been dying to come here because the place just speaks volumes to me. I remember buildings like this all over Portland from childhood and even up into the 1990s, but they are starting to disappear and that grieves me.
On entering, a gentleman greeted us by telling us to sit across the room from him so that our waitress would have to work hard for her tip. It was evident he’s a regular and well liked and this made things instantly comfortable. Our waitress was excellent and quite sweet. We had to explain to her about Ron’s need for clear liquid soup. She thought we wanted her to boil up a chicken and serve the liquid from that. After some back and forth and lots of listening, we were all able to come to a consensus that it was really chicken bouillon he wanted just for the flavor. She brought him a pretty Chinese bowl full of bouillon and this made us all very happy. I’m not sure how happy Ron was to watch me eat solid food in the form of General Tso’s Chicken, but it was really pretty tasty and hit the spot.
The décor is definitely something else, but I liked it, all done in shades of gold, salmon, and cinnabar. Someone had put some thought into this and you have to give them points just for trying. I saw a bar in the corner and I see from other reviews the drinks are strong. It probably would be an adventure coming here to watch karaōke or something else and have a drink after a long week at work. Ron explained the finer points of «brocading,» (painting technique) which is used throughout the ceiling of the restaurant, as he has been a contractor, so not only was lunch tasty but also educational. Perhaps Ron can take this off taxes as an educational AND medical expense?
Poor Ron. His stomach growled audibly the rest of the afternoon, and he’s dreaming of his first meal after the procedure. I’m glad I don’t have to have the procedure and sympathize with him, but on the other hand it got me in the door of The Wishing Well, and it was a trip worth taking.

We always order take out family dinners. We call put the order in and it’s ready to pick up in 15 – 20 minutes. Foods always been good and the people are nice. Whenever we want to modify our order a bit it’s not a problem. Great for a quick dinner on a night I’mto busy or tired to cook

We walked in on a Friday night and were met with every pair of eyes in the joint staring back at us. Not in a judgmental way mind you, just protective against who was entering their watering hole. The bartender was the sort of surly guy you’d hope to find behind the bar at this type of establishment. He was a man of few words and let the stiff drinks do the talking for him. I won’t go to much into my whiskey ginger because at this type of place it’s more about sheer quantity of booze in a single drink rather then quality. This shit will put hair on your chest. Coarse, black hair.
The wall are gold but not in a way that is glamourous. It’s the sort of gold that has lived through the 70s and thinks you can go eff yourself if you have a problem with it. The side walls are plastered with lottery winners of yore. Stained chairs against the machines suggest winning streak far too intense to have paused to use the facilities. They have yet to take the Smokeeter off the wall, still bitter with the liberals who took away their God given right to smoke inside. All of this was rounded out nicely by Karaōke night — which is Thursday and Friday.
I put my song in, Dolly Parton, and to my delight was called a few songs later. I heard a man with no front teeth tell his friends that I was here last week and brought the house down. Although I appreciated the vote of confidence this was my first trip to this establishment, but he had one thing right. I did indeed bring the house down with my rendition of Jolean. A drunk women even came to dance with me. If you’ve got an itch to do some singing, this wishing well has your number.
The Wishing Well could easily scrape a few coins off the bottom and make a wish or two on it’s own behalf. A working sign out front? Some clean chairs? But why bother, we need places like this. With all the hip bars designed to the utmost degree it’s nice to go some place who’s sole concern is stiff drinks and no BS.
The Wishing Well Restaurant — A dive bars, dive bar.

My niece, baby son and I went here for lunch today. We had the longshoreman noodles and the broccoli beef. We actually enjoyed both dishes very much. I’m Chinese — so I think that carries some weight.
The atmosphere is eh… but I don’t care. It’s probably not where I would recommend for a date or anything professional.
I would definitely return and probably soon — I work nearby.

Don’t judge a book by it cover… the food here is simply Awesome! Yea sure it shares a the same building as a pub, but once you step into the actual restaurant portion, with its clean tables and humble service, you’ll see what we mean. The staff is helpful and courteous, not to mention patient with new customers whom do not know the menu. Plenty parking in the rear, and for those looking to grab a quick brew from the bar, just ask for it. Enjoy!

If you can imagine what a Tri-​Met Bus (the #4, of course, or maybe the 72) would be like, if it was morphed into a late-​nite Chinese-​American flop house of the most dubious of culinary pedigrees, that served grease-​soaked wontons and lentil soup (etc.) till late every night, this would be IT, baby! The patrons, the poverty, the conspicuous drug/​alcohol addictions, the lack of education or all-​around accomplishment, the ever-​present threat of crime, the occasional and ever-​unlikely romantic interlude, the SMELLS… Congratulations, my friend, if you have a handle on all those ingredients, you already have a keen insight into the heady brew that defines the ambiance permeating the Wishing Well and has indeed, for many, many a moon…
I grew up in St. John’s in the 70s and 80s. It fascinates and intrigues (and slightly repulses) me that, like a nasty case of VD after numerous go rounds with anti-​biotics and the board of health, The Wishing Well is STILL hanging in there. Hangin’ tough, baby! Make no mistake: I LOVE that it is still in existence, and largely unchanged from the innumerable times I dined there with my family over the past 35+ years – though admittedly w/​far less regularity in the past 10 years or so.
How many Unilocalers from No Po out there remember the 88 cent store down there by Dad’s and Slim’s? Cornet’s? The creepy mannequin legs stuck, dressed in coveralls and work boots on top of the fence post and stuck in the barbed wire at the auto transmission shop down by the old McD’s location (by the former pizza Hut)? One by one these landmarks have disappeared, apparently forever. Everything changes, St. Paul once wrote, but only love remains. Love that is, and the never-​ending, blotto consumer demand for grease-​laden fishy fritters at ungodly hours, and what have you. I ENTREAT you Unilocalers, both living in and visiting Portland, to give Wishing Well a try before it too inevitably is relegated to the ash-​heap of history. Before the re-​gentrification of No-​Po with Ultra Liberal (as though it weren’t already sufficiently Liberal) yuppies in all their radiantly intolerant, effete snobbery, is truly complete…
A heart-​felt THANK YOU, to the beautiful folks at Wishing Well, for helping us so effectually «Flip the Bird» to our waist lines, our livers, and our cholesterol levels all these years.

Have to admit I enjoyed the nostalgic aspect of this place!
It’s a hole in hole in the wall. Dark, dingy and covered in MSG. It’s what my 84 year old South Texas grandpa would consider good Chinese food.
Vegetarians Beware!

I kid you not; this place has not changed in appearance in a generation. Its your typical St. Johns Chinese hole in the wall.
The portions are going to be large, the taste is good quality, the service is what you would expect from an older Chinese woman, and the price is about right for what you’re paying.
Hears the thing, the place has a character of its own and when I say character I’m talking about the smell, the dirty kitchen, the regulars, the scuzzy bar with the cool chick bar tender, and low lighting. When all is said and done, I will be coming back for seconds.
Bit of advice though, much like the movie «gremlins «it gets a little creepy after dark so women beware! Mogwai

Don’t think I need to come back.
I stalled for 9 months walking past this place before I ever dare went INSIDE!!! After a pubcrawl and some ramblings of being pissed about makin some dollars from some could be new regulars, I came back, because It looked like a lounge from vegas.
This place IS like Vegas, if Vegas was a dirty dirty whore that loved gold paint, cheep beer, b/​o, and smells of hate seeped into the carpet… yeah, so exactly like Vegas.
I ordered some Chinese food as my options on foot are limited.
Is that the fucking kitchen??@? GROSS!
The food tastes like the kitchen looks… like a failing inspection, maybe with a hint of old bandaid.

Well I’ve had two different experiences here. The first time was extremely enjoyable even though I didn’t order a drink. The bartender was extremely friendly and it looked like she wasn’t shy when pouring out the booze for everyone around me. The second time, the bartender had a nasty attitude. You think he would be happy he was getting some more business in there. Instead he was a snarky older man that didn’t seem to like that we included the establishment in our pub crawl. I mean hello… it’s money. You should be happy about lots of extra money!
Still haven’t had any of the Chinese food. It looks delicious. Looks like good sized portions. However, it has an odd stench when you walk in. When the door is first open, the smell of old bar and Chinese food accosts you. It isn’t always the friendliest of smells but you can quickly get used to it as you step into the lounge.
Now the décor? I love that dark and dirty look that is filled with the sound of people playing video poker. It’s also a great people watching place because of the mirrors all around. Yep, that’s right, I people watch.
Wishing Well, you have done me proud. I will still keep going back in hopes of finding that friendly bartender from the first go around.

St John’s has changed so much in the last couple of years, but thank gawd places like this are still around, before that final round of gentrification takes this block over entirely in a couple more years. Don’t get me wrong, I love the new places that have opened in St Jeezy (like Leisure Public House, for example), but there’s something I love even more about the older, more aesthetically-​challenged places, like being confident every other patron in there is a regular who, unlike me, can remember what that street looked like 20 years ago.
Wishing Well is on one side a full-​service restaurant («Chinese and American Food» as the wall says), and a lounge with a TV, jukebox, and video poker on the other. While the smoking ban went into effect well over a year ago, I think this place took that memo with a grain of salt. On a couple of trips to the restroom, I definitely walked through a haze of smoke… couldn’t find said secret smoking area, but someone’s got a hide-​out in there somewhere. There’s also a covered smoking area with a couple of chairs out back.
Drinks are cheap. Bartender was very friendly and loved us. I’d come back any time if for nothing else than to stare at the gold leaf ceiling. The bartender was eternally grateful that we bussed our own table on the way out, saving her a trip. Her parting words were something like, ‘With customers like that, I could do this job on crutches!”

The bar is not my scene, but the restaurant is great. I have been coming here since I was about 6 years old (over 30 years ago), and if you know what to order (and you eat meat), you’ll be back.
Start off with the bbq pork. The best thing about it is the hot mustard. Unlike most Chinese restaurants in Portland, this is the real deal mustard. You will lose your nose hair and cry about it.
The egg foo yung is teh awesome. Maybe I’m nostalgic for childhood flavors, but I can’t get enough of it. I recommend getting one of the combination platters that also offers fried shrimp. Not only do you get a second go at the membrane-​melting mustard, but the batter is always golden fried with large shrimp to boot.
Now I won’t tell you the chow mein is good, but I LOVE IT. It is greasy, served with the old school Chun King crunchy noodles, and plentiful.
All in all, you get two meals for the price of one, quick service, and the art alone is worth the money. This is junky (not junkie) American Chinese food at its very best.