Food was good and made with fresh ingredients. High price for the portion size makes this restaurant only merit 3 stars. Be careful, this restaurant makes hot and spicy. Medium spice was too hot to enjoy. The restaurant has two menus, one in English and one in Chinese. read more

Went for the first time late last night. It was surprising filled with all Chinese people....a good sign for authentic food. The food is very good - we had the scorched rice with jumbo shrimp, the eggplant and seafood hot pot, and the chicken and noodles. The food came out so quickly and was hot and fresh. Don't expect five star service or ambiance - wait staff is abrupt at best - and the place is definitely a hole in the wall. But it's all about the food! read more

Fortune Cookies - Chinese Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

See all

What a surprise. In the middle of suburbia is this place that feels more like Chinatown than central NJ. The menu is extensive and dishes that are quite exotic and authentic. There are the traditional dishes that you expect but the menu has so many more things to try. As I was short on time, I ordered from the lunch menu and had the Mongolian Chicken. It was a simple dish but delicious and inexpensive. Can't wait to try it again. read more

Fortune Cookies - amber ox - Chinese Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

This is hands down the BEST AUTHENTIC Chinese food I have ever had! I have taken my East Asian friends to this place and they all consider it authentic. I HIGHLY recommend the beef bacon with white pepper and the fish filet in hot chili oil! read more

Did take out...beef chow fun fried dumplings pork fried rice and gen tso chicken. Best chinese food in the area .

Beware of this HORRIBLE place! While there was a fly in your water, they blamed on your bad luck. The only thing they could say is: we have no idea where it came from. The waitress would just walk around your table and the owner would not offer even a word of apology. What a shame! read more

Great food! Maybe a misunderstanding on the order but the man was quick and polite to correct. Definitely order again!

I ordered takeout here for the first time. I had the general chicken and my husband got the kung pow shrimp. The general chicken was soggy, unappetizing. Kung Pow was not spicy in the least. Will not he coming here again. Very disappointed. In our takeout bag there weren't even chopsticks, or fortune cookies and it was quite expensive for what you got. read more

Had steamed buns, scorched rice with shrimp, pork shoulder human style, yong chow fried rice, and sesame chicken. All was very good. For those not adventurous, the last menu pages are American Chinese selections :-) read more

Wonderful! Fortune Cookies serves authentic Hunan food, a region of China with its own cuisine. We went with Chinese friends of ours who did the ordering for the group. We sampled a wide variety of dishes, all served as group dishes on a large lazy-susan. Each dish was delicious! read more

I revisted recently on my business trip to Jersey. The English name of this restaurant is Fortune Cookies, the Chinese name is "Lao Hunan" (old hunan). This is by far the best Chinese restaurant available in the central NJ area. The owners moved the business from Los Angeles to Jersey. They serve up spicy hunan-style food for very reasonable prices. Some favorite dishes: mao shi hong shao rou (Mao's braised pork), Zi ran yang rou (Cumin Lamb), Xi gua (Chinese loufa, a vegetable). They also have a small set of typical "American Chinese food" items for lunch specials... but you don't want that. =) read more

As a Chinese who lives in Central Jersey, I have to give this place credit for being here in the middle of nowhere and satisfying my appetite for home food. I never ever get disappointed each time I order a new item from their menu. My favorite dishes: The steamed whole fish with chili sauce (obviously) or Duo Jiao Yu that uses the traditional peppers from Hunan Chicken with three kinds of peppers (spiceyyy) Braised pork, Mao's style (greasy but so good!!) Everything with pig-feet! (I'm a pig-feet lover) Loofah with fish balls (their make their own fish balls) and many more! One thing to keep in mind is that, the traditional Hunan cooking style uses more stir-frying and oil in their food. If you want something light, try their soups read more

I'm here to tell you that all Chinese restaurants are not created equally. Fortune Cookies is amazing! We stopped in because I had no cash, a massive hankering for Chinese food and only an Amex card on me. Our regular go-to Chinese restaurant does not accept Amex so we needed to expand our search. This is definitely a hidden gem. It's eat in and take out. We were take out. The staff was great in helping us with our selections especially after I explained that not everyone in my house is adventurous in their eating. I think the cucumber in scallion sauce was fabulous! The crispy chicken was a huge hit with my family. All the food was fresh and delicious. We're definitely going back. read more

Bring on the spicy! This restaurant very easily has the best and most authentic Hunan food I've ever had on the East Coast. In English, it's called "Fortune Cookies", but don't be fooled - in Chinese it's actually "Lao Hunan" (Old Hunan). A favorite among local Chinese Americans, including my very own sweet adorable grandparents - you know it's good when it's packed with Chinese people on a Sunday night. Some things to try? Their Eggplant Seafood Casserole - comes in a clay pot. The Shui Zhu Niu (literally translated to "water boiled beef" - but it's basically really tender pieces of beef drenched in spicy oil sauce), and the La Rou (literally Spicy Meat). And don't be ashamed to ask for a refill on your ice water. The waiters are nice! read more

Chinese food like in China - food is good - lots of hot/spicy dishes - There are many many dishes I have never seen on a menu in New Jersey. Not fancy - one could say run down - ignore this aspect and come for the food Staff (day we were there - a Sunday just after 12 noon) not fluent in English - so getting help with figuring out what dishes are or finding what might not be not spicy (for my spouse) was a problem. We just made some educated guesses on what we might like from the names of dishes on the menu (no descriptions). I liked every thing we had. They have many "AC" (American Chinese) dished on their menu, but we did not try any. You might want to prepare for a visit by looking at their on-line menu ahead of time and figuring out what some of the dishes are using internet resources to take some of the guess work out of ordering. Another good option would be to come here with a friend that speaks / read Chinese. Maybe staff at other times / days is more fluent in English and can assist with describing dishes. read more

This place is amazing! It has great authentic Chinese cuisine. Dishes are extremely flavorful. It might not look like much, but this place is awesome. I recommend the shredded potato with scrambled eggs, eggplant with green beans, Yangzhou fried rice, and the rice ball soup. I go here a lot and service is amazing every time. read more

Really authentic Chinese food. Pictures on the menu for easy ordering. Real hole in the wall, a little dingy, but great food. I'd write something more elaborate but I'm still full from dinner. read more

Authentic Hunan flavor! I live in the area and have been here many times. Highly recommended.

I have been here numerous times. Its one of our favorites. Although the spice level isn't always consistent, its still pretty good. If you like spicy food, this place will warm you quite fast. Since we happen to know the owner, I think service seems to be better, but from what we can see, the wait staff does seem to be pretty friendly and attentive. If you do not know how to order, best to find some chinese speaking friends to go with and learn what dish you like so you can order them next time. Overall, not too bad. decently price and good flavors. read more

All the reviews are pretty spot on. Authentic Hunan cuisine, check. Really bad service, check. Food comes out quick, check. My husband loved the duck dish. I ordered the sweet and sour cabbage and beef noodle soup. Cabbage different (glass noodles, yum!) They were out of the beef noodle soup. The waitress didn't speak English but she did offer the beef fried rice. It was good too. If you are starving I suggest eating a snack beforehand because it takes them forever to acknowledge your existence! read more

Discovered a piece of steel wool in my rice on a previous visit. The waitress never offered an apology, acted like it was no big deal. We've always been friendly with the owner and decided to give it another shot with takeout today. Same waitress took my order over the phone but neglected to tell me they were out of what we ordered. So I showed up to the restaurant and they didn't have anything for me! Complete waste of a trip. I have been coming here for years with my family but the quality and service has gone downhill. The two waitresses that are there during dinner are rude, frequently forget requests and generally don't seem to care. I will not be coming back. Find somewhere else to eat where you won't find misc objects in your food. read more

My aunt and uncle and I share a passion for authentic Chinese food. I fondly remember family trips into New York's Chinatown to shop for groceries that could not be found in suburban and rural New Jersey back in the 1960s and 70s (which always included a stop for dim sum), My uncle studied Chinese cookery and is quite accomplished at it, and has traveled to China to experience the cuisine along with his friends from China, who hosted him. Last week, my aunt and I found Fortune Cookies on Yelp and decided to rendezvous there for lunch. We were so pleased to find a Chinese (Hunan) restaurant (in a convenient location) with bona fide dishes prepared with an Asian clientele in mind, so we waded in and ordered dishes that we wouldn't encounter in a typical Americanized Chinese restaurant. We ordered three dishes to share: thinly sliced beef tendon in hot oil (appetizer size), frog's legs with Chinese herbs and vegetables prepared in a hot pot, and sauteed watercress in a sauce made with fermented bean curd. My favorite of these dishes was the beef tendon, spicy and with a chewy, glutenous texture, accented nicely with fresh coriander. My aunt's favorite was the frog, which was chopped into small bites (with bones) mixed with green and red peppers, diced water chestnuts, and other vegetables. We both enjoyed the watercress, which balanced out the meal. The frog dish was savory, but not spicy. Nibbling around the small bones (and fragments of bones) encouraged us to take our time and proceed carefully. Otherwise, we enjoyed the flavor and texture of the meat and vegetables. We are definitely planning to meet here again with my uncle in tow. Fortune Cookies also serves dishes that may be more familiar, so you can bring your less adventurous friends. However, with a menu showcasing color photos of such dishes as whole fish with chili sauce, duck casseroles, and hot and spicy pigs ears, there are so many tastes to explore! read more

See all

Decent Hunan food with decent price, especially in Bridgewater area where you would not expect lots of good Chinese restaurants. Try spicy fish/frog/short ribs. They were running out of some of the ingredients which was a little bit disappointing... read more

Fortune Cookies - Chinese Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

I dined here this past weekend to celebrate my boyfriends parents' birthday. They had come from northern PA while we had come from NYC so it was a reasonable trek for the both of us but the food was pretty darn good! Living in Midtown, we don't get a lot of authentic Chinese cuisine, so this place was a welcome reprieve from the Americanized Chinese food I'm used to here. We probably ordered 8-10 dishes (grandparents were there too so it wasn't just us 4), and everything came out super quickly and piping hot. Highlights were the Steamed Whole Fish with Chili sauce and the Pork Shoulder Hunan Style. The latter was fall off the bone tender and had just the right amount of fatty skin. They gave us complimentary noodles after hearing that we were there to celebrate a birthday, which I thought was really sweet of them! Menu is very extensive and they have tons of local Hunan delicacies. Service was pretty solid and way better than what you are used to in Chinatown. You can tell that this restaurant gets a lot of regulars since during the entirety of our meal, there were take-out customers popping in at the back. Great spot so definitely would recommend if you are in the area! read more

I wish there was an option to give a negative 100 star. This is the worst so called "restaurant" I ever been to. Over priced severely, poor quantity and under delivered in all senses. Usually Asian food comes in quantities where two people can comfortably share. My husband and I ordered fried rice and two other meat entrees. Also usually, the meat entrees comes with a small bowl of white rice in typical Asian restaurants even the high end ones. I don't know why they think they set themselves apart and gives you such less quantity for the price you pay. Rice came in a small plate where both my husband and I struggled to share and did not fill us up at all. And we are small people! The meat entrees did not come with any white rice and very less quantity. Two meat entrees, a measly quantity of fried rice cost us above $50. No music, no ambience. It was dead quiet and horrible atmosphere. The place felt shabby and cheap. Parking lot is filled with giant potholes. Your car will take a beating if you park there. What a waste of $57. I could have had food like a king in another restaurant plus would have had enough food to take home. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere read more

Fortune Cookies - Chinese Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

Very authentic cuisine... Which was a little worrisome at first. We were the only English speaking group there! The spice is just right! Whole fish in chili sauce a must try! Salt and pepper shrimp, sautéed pork belly and duck was great! The frog casserole was worth the try, but lots of little bones so beware. Kids devoured the fried rice, dumplings, sesame chicken as well as the shrimp and duck dishes. The sweet pork ribs were good too! Food came out hot from the kitchen! So spicy, so good. Definitely will go back! Service was pretty good for an authentic Asian restaurant- very pleasant staff. Only irony was that we did not get a fortune cookie with the check- funny considering it's name! read more

Steamed whole fish with homemade chili sauce, so GOOD!!!! Driving here 7 hours from Pennsylvania just for this. It's, by far, the best Chinese restaurant around the area! read more

Fortune Cookies - Whole fish! Soooo good! Recommended! :) - Chinese Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

Authentic Hunan cuisine! Our favorites are Sautéed pork kidney slice, Sautéed green pepper with preserved eggs, steamed fish with bean curd and crispy taro fries with bright sugar. read more

See all

Went here years ago and it's stuck in my mind as one of the best Chinese food spots in NJ

Authentic Chinese food, with some menu items that may be, say, unfamiliar. Don't be intimidated lest you miss out on some great dishes. There's also an American Chinese selection for folks less adventurous. read more

This is going to be an odd review because, although I didn't love this place, I would urge anyone who loves Chinese food in central Jersey to try it at least once--it is definitely different than any place you will find in the area. We checked it out during lunch when they have their $6 lunch specials and we are not the most adventurous when it comes to Asian cuisines. I had General Tso's chicken, the sauce was good and the chicken was tender but the dish had a slightly fishy taste. It also wasn't battered as much as it is in most places. Perhaps it was prepared in a more authentic way here or maybe they need to change their grease more often. The place was packed with native speaking Chinese customers. The atmosphere is terrible. Picture eating in your neighborhood hole in the wall Chinese takeout but its the size of a small restaurant. At least they had white plastic table cloths down. We were there inJuly and it was brutally hot, the have a small air conditioner (which who knows when the filter was cleaned last) so plan accordingly if you don't like sweating during lunch. They also won't let you charge anything under $20, which I believe is a violation of Visa's policies, so bring cash or complain. Its listed under 'Fortune cookie' as well on yelp so don't miss those reviews too. read more

This restaurant serves the only acceptable Chinese food in this area. In normal times, the vast majority of customers look to be Chinese; a good sign! Used to live near Manhattan's Chinatown, and this place feels and tastes like that. read more

Delish Authentic Chinese! We moved to the area about 7 months ago and have yet to find a great Chinese restaurant - until now! Fortune Cookies is wonderful! The food is very fresh and the staff is very responsive. When we arrived, we went in the back entrance and noticed that one of the staff was tending to a garden of what looked like peppers, scallions, and cucumbers which I found to be very cool! When we were seated we notice that some of the staff were making dumplings at a table close to the register and all of them were wearing gloves. The 'specials of the day' board is written in Chinese. We were the only ones there in the late afternoon on Saturday. About 90% of the menu is traditional non-American Chinese food: duck tongue, loach fish, frog legs, etc. We weren't that daring, so we looked at the American-Chinese menu and settle on Spicy Shrimp for him (extra spicy!) and Kung Pao Chicken for me. The shrimps were jumbo and my husband said that he shouldn't have asked for extra spicy! I typically never finish my plate, but this time, I ate all of my Kung Pao Chicken! The steamed dumplings tasted wonderful! By the time we finished, the place began to get busy with several Chinese couples and families, which we took as good sign that the other items on the menu are outstanding. Oh, and the huge fish tank with the orange Oscars is great to watch while having dinner. read more

Fast service, quick to order, prompt to request, and of course delicious spicy food. It's style of culinary delight leans toward mixed stir-fry and spicy meats and veggies. The order menus are filled with pictures of the dish, making the order easy to understand and they resemble the real thing closely! Though hot, the dishes retain their savory tastes! More parking at the back of the place. read more

It may seem a little out of the area - but it really isn't - don't discount the ride. It's worth it! A 20 year resident in the area and stumbled on this place - great find. The menu is a bit untraditional with the selection of meats used, but flip the menu to the last page where you'll find American Chinese food. Everything was really, really good, but to be fair - the one negative was that the soda was a no name brand - stick with water. read more

Kind of a "hole in the wall" place and not cheap either. If you are looking for courteous service or freshness or neat-looking interior (forget about deco), you are in the wrong place. I love their food all the same. This is perhaps the only Chinese that can burn through my stomach and give me that sensation even the day after. Its heavy use of chili pepper, cumin, leek and very peaty half-dried meat makes some of the dishes addictive. Our favorites: anything stir fried with well aged cured beef or pork. Thumbs down on anything fish or seafood. read more

Fortune Cookies - Chinese Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

3.5 actually The place reminds you of a 'before' version of a restaurant from an episode of Restaurant Impossible on Food Network! The place (decor) is really really bad. Its dark, dingy, looks unclean to such an extent that we called up the person who recommended this place to us before ordering our food just to confirm that we were at the right place. Now comes the food: I ordered sizzling fish. It came out on a hot sizzling pan. It looked and smelled good and tasted great. The fish was cooked properly and the sauce was wonderfully flavored. My husband ordered crispy chicken which looked almost like chicken nuggets from Mc D. Nevertheless it tasted better. the portions were large causing us to leave food on our plates. To summarize it all, the food is really nice at this place. However, they must work on their decor. Also this place is BYOB. I would go back again just for food or may be for a take out. read more

A few details one should know when reading and applying this review: 1) My wife is Chinese 2) I love GOOD chinese food 3) I have been to China, and eaten in this region (Hunan aka Chungsha) If you are 'merican and want kung poa and lo mein, go away, you do not have a clue, and this restaurant will scare the crap out of you. If you want some hoity toity upscale fake chinese like pf changs, you really do not deserve this food. That said, lets roll into the review. Located in a lesser populated part of Bridgewater on Old York Road, this unassuming restaurant, is a great hidden gem. I have an adage that I apply when entering asian restaurants: If the customers are mostly Asian, get a table. Places normally favored by us non asians, is typical run of the mill 'merican chinese food, so why bother? I have now been here 2 times in as many weeks. I am usually the only non asian. This place serves authentic Hunan dishes. From the street, if you blink, you will miss this place and need to hang a u-ee. Parking is mostly to the rear with entrances from the front and back. The place is pretty spartan - carpeted floors, drop panel ceilings, plastic and cloth table cloths, the obligatory fish tank. Larger tables sport the traditional chinese enormous lazy suzan. Probably hold about 75 people tops. The service is what you should expect from an authentic chinese place, a little spotty, but responsive. The menu has some real doozies on it, pork intestines, fish heads, mutton tendon, etc, but there are some fantastic dishes for the carnivore and vegetarian alike. My personal fav that can be consumed 2x a week no problem, chicken in hot peppers...ahh this is wonderful, seasoned perfectly fried chunk chicken swimming in chinese hot dried red peppers. It is absolutely worth the subsequent days of flaming bunghole. The cumin mutton with relleno style peppers and massive amounts of cilantro...yummy. Traditional corn and roasted pine nuts was great, as was this sizzling tofu dish my wife had. There was another dish, hot green peppers with billion year old black eggs, was pretty good to, tho I pass on archaic eggs when I come face to orb with them. In all, these dishes were great. Portions were scaled to serve 2+ people per dish. Also observed was a whole cooked bass, looked great, I think next trip with friends we will order that. Things you need to know - no discover cards, no bar, so BYOB. Chopsticks are the norm, if you cannot handle them, you can request fork/knife/spoon. Presentation - come on....if you want presentation, go get screwed by Emeril. This is about eating. Pricing, reasonable to a little pricey, 3 of us at 4-5 dishes for about 50-60 bucks, but left with cartons of left overs. So, on the whole, GO, eat till you are ready to puke, then as is the rule with chinese food, wait 20 minutes (not to swim you dumb@ss) and you will be hungry for more. To wrap it up, make the effort to patronize this place, it is a worthy gastronomic exploration. This Glutonous Pig gives the food 9/10 grunts read more

I don't understand these amazing reviews. This honestly is probably the worst Chinese food I've ever had. If you like "American" Chinese steer clear. read more

Delicious food. Authentic Chinese food.will return with a bunch of friends to try something new at one of their large tables