Hands down my favorite Chinese restaurant! It's a great family run spot that is cozy and delicious. I have yet to find a better General Tso's chicken - the dish should have a different name because it is unlike any other restaurants - in the best way possible! I currently live in Los Angeles but whenever I am back in Jersey visiting I make sure to stop by for some smiles and authentic Chinese! read more

Really nice chinese/taiwanese food for dine in. Friendly stuff. Really like their Lo Va Bong and soy egg. Only problem is it does not have enough space for a large group of people. read more

This place is great for a quick, cheap, good delicious Chinese meal. The lunch menu contains a lot of selections such as sesame chicken. It also includes a bowl of soup and rice. I found the lunch special items (that I tried) to be okay. Definitely better than Panda Express, but nothing special. Aside from the lunch menu, they have a number of Taiwanese cuisine, including one of my favorites, 肉羹. Seriously! It's pretty rare to find restaurants that make it well or even have it at all. I found the owners to be very attentive and thoughtful. When I visited, the owner gave me a cooler seat because it was so humid outside. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Sweet and sour chicken with fried rice lunch special - Chinese Near Me - Princeton Junction, New Jersey

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Happy to finally find a local Taiwanese option. No frills atmosphere and friendly staff. We ordered from the Chinese menu mostly and the food was overall decent. The green pepper beef strips with mixed noodles lacked in flavor. I loved the texture of the noodle though, has just the right "bounce" Pork chop over rice is tasty though it would be better if it is crispier. The fact that they cut the pork chop for you in bite size strips is a big plus. The 肉羹汤is my favorite... Very flavorful and the pork "rolls" are yummy. Lastly the beef chow fun is not so great. It is also a bit overpriced but I will still be back when I have my Taiwanese cravings read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Princeton Junction, New Jersey

It's the best Chinese/ Taiwan style restaurant in the area. I literally love all the dishes. The owner is also the chef who created menu and his recipe ideas were originated and inspired by his mother. The service is good and the environment is clean and quiet. Good place for friends to hangout or family reunion. read more

The food was mediocre. I feel the place has over rated reviews on yelp. We were here a few years back and did not think much of it then. A friend recommended this place recently and we thought we will give it another try. The Kung pao chicken had a stink. The beef with long peppers had over cooked beef. The fried rice was good. The family that runs this place seem very nice and the 3 stars are for the ambience and the service. Hate to leave this bad review. read more

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I come here very often for lunch with colleagues, and sometimes for dinner with my family. It is a very Tranditional Chinese style restaurant. I only order with Chinese version menu, and the food is good, and very close to food from really China, not Americanized Chinese food. The boss is from Taiwan, and they run this restaurant more almost 20 years. However, they can make very good spicy food. One reserved dish, not showed in menu, is called Fly, which is a mixture of vegetables and dry tofu, is really delicious. Recently, I tried their noodles, which is a surprise. It is good! If you like spicy food, try boiled fish noodle. Yummy. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Boils fish noodle - Chinese Near Me - Princeton Junction, New Jersey

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This place is great for a quick authentic Chinese/Taiwanese meal. They have 3 menus, a lunch menu, a dinner menu, and a specials menu. The lunch menu contains a wide selection of "Americanized" Chinese food. It comes along with different types of soup and a choice of fried rice or white rice. Their dinner and specials menus contain predominantly authentic Chinese/Taiwanese food. They are all very delicious! My favorites are... beef with Chilli Long Peppers, Lion's Head, Sakura Shrimp Fried Rice, Taiwan Pork Chop, and much more!!! Don't hesitate to try new things! The owners and servers are also extremely friendly and attentive to their customers! read more

I second the person who said the General Tso's Chicken was unique in a good way! The chicken was crispy, white meat, the vegetables in the dish were incredibly fresh, and the flavor had spice and sour and a tiny hint of sweetness at the end. Not to mention that I got their well-portioned lunch special for a very reasonable price. Will definitely come back here! read more

hot wok was just alright. can't say I enjoyed it as much as some other reviewers, but it was pretty not bad. the service was a little too attentive- like they watched our every move and came to refill waters as soon as a sip was taken. felt a bit awkward, to be honest. I guess it's better than a lack of attention though. veggie mu shu appetizer was decent, though the pancake was pretty dry. I had the twice- cooked pork from their specials menu (though I doubt this menu rotates much) as suggested by another yelper in a previous review. it was tasty and the spice wasn't overpowering. the side of brown rice was disappointing- way overcooked and dry. overall not bad, but not good enough to hurry back for either. read more

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The BEST Chinese restaurant in town!!! I really love their food & services. The owners are very nice, friendly, hard working, attentive and courteous. Food is really amazing!!! read more

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Tucked away in a strip mall on Clarksville Rd, this family owned joint is quite easily one of the better options for Chinese fare in West Windsor. The dining area is fairly large and can accommodate bigger groups but it does get very busy during lunch hour. After eating here a couple of times, we recommend that you try a few of the dishes from their "Chinese Menu" which is a sheet of paper in a plastic sleeve. Selections are limited but the dishes are consistent which is something we do appreciate in a restaurant. For the uninitiated, the Sichuan Wonton appetizer might pleasantly surprise your taste buds. Having said this, we feel that their wonton skin leaves a little more to be desired because it is not very thin and silky. A decent plate otherwise. The braised pork over rice is very respectable and we liked it a lot when we had it in the past. If you're in the mood for something spicy, there's a real firecracker lurking further down the menu called Beef with Long Pepper. This dish comes in a noodle soup form and also as an entree. We felt that the latter had way more heat (and we really mean it). The succulent meat and the bold flavor profile of this dish had us begging for more by the end of it. We were also recommended the Water Beef one time when we asked for a spicy entree. This classic sichuan influenced dish unfortunately was no where close to the real deal. We were expecting a lot more "ma la" flavor in it and their creation seemed to have only a teeny tiny hint of the peppercorns that produce the cool numbing sensation. The overall flavor wasn't bad but one would not call this Water Beef in a blind taste test to be honest. Moving onto familiar turf i.e. Chinese-American favorites, Hot Wok has some not so greasy and really tasty choices. The General Tsao's chicken is actually one of the best that we've had. It's not cloyingly sweet and has a likable tangy flavor with a decent amount of heat to it. Our guess is that the sour flavor comes from the Taiwanese pickled cabbage that they throw into the mix. Very friendly Taiwanese owners and fast, efficient service. We're a fan. Yay! read more

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I am a great fan of this restaurant and have been a patron for many years. The owners are wonderful, warm folks and always treat us well. The decor is modern rather than traditional Chinese and is quite comfortable. Hot Wok is not a typical Chinese restaurant. It is a small restaurant with a limited menu and many of the dishes are the owners family recipes. The food is always fresh, the restaurant is extremely clean. Service is always extremely courteous and quick. This is a small restaurant with a touch of gastronomic class. Some of the really interesting dishes are: - Mongolian lamb - Shredded pork and dried tofu - Shrimp with shallot chips (dry, no sauce) This is not a fancy restaurant and I would not drive an hour to get there but if you are in the Princeton or West Windsor area and enjoy Chinese food, by all means give this place a try. Ask the owners for their recommendations. By the way, their lunch menu is a great value. Charlie read more

We have been here twice now. second time because we forgot we had already been there - it is that memorable. I have to agree with another reviewer below - i do not know why this place has consistently good reviews. It is way overpriced and the food is often barely edible. My boyfriend had general tsos chicken and could barely finish his portion - he said the sauce had a vapid, sour taste to it that the dish should not have. He said it was the worst general tsos he has ever had. When we saw that the dish had won an award on grubhub, we were amused by the irony. I had since ordered the crispy tofu woth mushrooms and snow peas. It was watery, ultra bland, and the tofu was very soft and flabby, not crispy at all! The title of the dish is also very misleading - there is scarcely any mushroom in it. I have also ordered the szechuan style vermicelli noodles which have this sour taste that to me makes it very hard to eat. The dish is also served cold which does not help the flavors. If you have to eat here, try the moo shu veggies - that was the only decent dish i have had there. Not extraordinary by any means but definitely edible. The family that owns this place does seem very nice though but please beware of the super positive reviews of the food on yelp. Save your hard earned money and go elsewhere! read more

Authentic Taiwanese food... Try their beef noodle soup. The broth is out of this world.. You can tell they put in effort to stew the yummy delicious broth read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Princeton Junction, New Jersey

Didn't expect to find an authentic chinese food place here. They offer the normal garden variety "American" menu and the more Chinese menu where the food has pretty good flavor. Great prices for lunch as well, worth a try. read more

This is among the best Chinese food I've ever had. We've ordered the following dishes for take out: steamed dumplings pork fried rice General Tso's Chicken chicken & broccoli Chicken Lo Mein Cold noodles with spicy sesame dressing Warm Spinach - Chinese Style I love that the menu includes dishes that are over and above what is typically included. The rice and pasta dishes were lighter and less greasy than what I'm used to from local Chinese take-out restaurants. I found the dishes above to be very flavorful, but without an overabundance of fat or salt. The General Tso's chicken is the best I've ever had. Overall it is pricey, but I highly recommend it! read more

STAY AWAY FRIM THIS RESTAURANT!!! HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE AS WELL AS FOOD!!! I RECOMMEND YOU TO SAVE YOUR MONEY GO SOMEPLACE ELSE!! First of all when placing an order over the phone. I had asked for "sugar rolls", which is on their menu. The girl on the phone states I'm looking as a wrong restaurant menu and they don't carry it, so I said ok fine and continue to order other things on that specific menu. Then as I bring the food home, I am shocked at what I see especially for paying over $60 worth of GARBAGE!!! Their "king seafood" soup $8.95 which at all the other restaurant is a Qt size, they give me Pt size and isn't even full all the way. Those "scallion pancakes" $5.95 is literally dripping from all the greasy oil they cooked it in. "FRIED shrimp dumplings" are STEAMED and is a mixture of chicken shrimp and veggie, and I had specifically asked if they are shrimp only and are fried which the girl stated that they are. So of course I call the restaurant and complain of this matter to the manager in which she states "no refund unless you bring the food back and us look at it first", I tell the "manager" I don't have a car since I had to ask my neighbor to drive me. So she tells me "put the food in the fridge, being that it's Sunday we are closed Mondays and to bring the food back to back on Tuesday when I get a ride to their restaurant". And to save the best for last, there was HAIR IN MY SOUP. I SINCERELY RECOMMEND YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THIS RESTAURANT!!! read more

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We ordered the onion pancakes, beef noodle soup with tendons, and beef chow-fun. Onion pancakes were good. The beef noodle soup was ok but nothing special. Beef chow- fun was terrible. Noodle were over cooked and beef was tough. People were nice though. Probably won't be back again unless I was with people that wanted to come here. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Princeton Junction, New Jersey

My favorite Chinese restaurant. The General Tsos chicken is to die for, also would recommend the fried cream cheese wontons, but everything on the menu is delicious. read more

Compared with other local Chinese food restaurants, this is one of the better ones. The prices are a little expensive for dinner, but they have a reasonable lunch menu. Their crispy chicken sesame is lovely and sweet, and they make an excellent chicken & shrimp dish (though it's a little greasy). There are plenty of healthy options on the menu, and the vegetable are always super fresh. Their dumplings are different and thinner than typical freezer-to-frier dumplings, but the egg rolls are same old same old. read more

It took me a while to find a really good Chinese restaurant in the East and West Windsor area, but finally found one. Their orange beef and shrimp with shallot chips are very tasty. Love their pork fried rice as well. Other Chinese places in the area serve greasy, overcooked dishes, but Hot Wok Cafe does it right and with friendly customer service. read more

This place is weird because I don't think I'd ever go out of my way to come here but it's always really solid, the food is pretty fresh, they have a decent "traditional" menu and the service is good. I feel like it could go 5 or 4, depending. The menu is limited overall but I respect a place that doesn't take on more than it can handle so there's that. Stopped in yesterday because the new Shanghai Bun near Princeton Jct. train station hasn't opened yet and I was dying for Chinese food without going too far. They had the regular menu with Chinese American staples and then a second menu with some more Chinese type stuff on it. We got an order of "chives box" which I think was called shrimp and chive pancake on their menu, but they're one of my favorite dim sum items ever, and then an order of the twice cooked pork and the Shanghai year cake. I love year cake even though it sits in your stomach, but the ones here were nice and flavorful, stir-fried in a light sauce with ground pork, lots and lots of scallions and delicious mushroom. Husband's twice cooked pork was good but kind of different than I'm used to seeing it at Sichuan places, it had slices of very dense tofu in it and those thin asian green peppers but less leeks than I'm used to seeing. It was really tasty though, but kind of expensive for a small portion. Delicious though, and all the ingredients were very high quality. The woman who took our order had the waiter bring us a small dish of cold cooked eggplant in a delicious soy sauce vinegar sauce that was slightly spicy with lots of fresh cilantro on top and that was crazy good. I've never had anything like it before but it was a perfect summer type appetizer. read more

I went to this place on the recommendation of a coworker. When we went at dinner time on a weekday, this place was decently full. Also it was mostly Asian people, so you know it had to be authentic/good enough for homesick people. Price wise this place is pretty good. They now have Taiwanese menu items incorporated as well. Their Lu Rou Fan was quick and delicious. I wished the portions were a little bigger but for ~ $5 with an egg, it's great. The wait staff was attentive and so very nice. The (who I assume to be) owner even stopped by the table for a chat. It's one of the few times I've ever had the pleasure of being approached about my meal. It's definitely a place to go if you're looking for a home style meal. read more

THE BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT around, hands down! Very authentic and fresh food, yes it's a little more expensive compared to your average Chinese food but you get what you pay for. Whether its takeout or sit down they never fail to provide you an amazing meal. Absolutely my go to place when I'm in the mood for some real Asian food!! read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Orange beef and General Tso chicken. So damn good we clean our rice bowls :D - Chinese Near Me - Princeton Junction, New Jersey

Food is better than normal chinese food and seating environment is good and clean. Staff is friendly.

I Always order the crispy sesame chicken with friend rice. If you order before 3:00 you can get the lunch special which is half price which comes to under 10$. You get a large portion it's more then enough to fill you for lunch. If you order after 3:00 it's the regular full portion, which comes to 25$ which I think is ridiculous for fried chicken and rice. Granted you get a ton of food enough to share for two so take that into consideration when ordering dinner. Very friendly & food is great. Just hate that it's so expensive for dinner portion of fried chicken. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Crispy sesame chicken & fried rice, lunch portion - Chinese Near Me - Princeton Junction, New Jersey

Popular place for lunch, and it's quite authentic! Ordered the Taiwanese Rice Noodles, and was pleasantly surprised by the portions. Will likely c read more

I ordered the combination lo mein, twice cooked pork, and mixed vegetables as take out for dinner. Everything was pretty good, but the portions were small for the price. I didn't realize this so beware, the menu posted on Yelp shows lunch special prices. Dinner is around $11 to $18 a dish (our total was $41 - the most I've ever paid for take out!). The cashier was very nice though, so I'll probably go back for lunch sometime. read more

Great local place for excellent Chinese food. Good service for eat in. Great for take out as well. Easy parking and reasonable pricing. I've been going here for years and never disappointed. read more

I'm not sure how this place got any bad reviews. I go there once a week for lunch for the past year. It's basically destroyed me for any other local Chinese food. Hot and sour soup. Kung Po. Unrivaled. And I haven't even tried the truly authentic stuff. Always packed with Asian folks. That says something. read more

This review is for their take-out food. It was just my husband and I, so not a huge meal, but hopefully will help shed some light: Appetizers - We got dumplings and scallion pancakes. Not bad, actually. The skins of the dumplings were not thick like some Chinese restaurants make them. The scallion pancakes were pretty good as well. A little greasy and not as doughy like Korean pancakes; hence making them Chinese style. Entrees - General Tso's Chicken and Chow Mei Fun with Vegetables. The chicken tasted like a lighter version of a typical fast food Genral Tso's. It was still fried but not SUPER crispy fried, and it was dripping with the sweet, tangy sauce. It almost tasted like... a not as spicy buffalo wing with a hint of sweet. Healthier tasting but still good (my husband prefers the sweeter kind). The noodles dish was... okay. The noodles were all stuck together in one big glob and it lacked flavor overall. We likely won't get that dish again but will perhaps try a different noodle dish. We've had better take-out Chinese in our time, but it's still not anything horrible that we wouldn't take out from them again being that they're so close to our home. read more

Food is run of the mill and mediocre at best. General tsos chicken that was advertised as the best in the menu was overpowered with vinegar. What really stands out is how impolite they are with customers. Never returning or recommending read more

good authentic traditional Chinese food loved beef noodle soup and cold dishes and spicy fish will be back often

This is always our go to Chinese restaurant and their steamed dumplings are my favorite- light, tasty and fresh, not heavy like other restaurants. Their General Tso chicken is the dish that my husband measures all others by. Until the past month. Something has happened to their recipe and it is no longer the standout that it was. I hope that they go back to the way they were making this dish. read more

Order food from them. Chicken in Garlic sauce was so sour as if I was eating vinegar sauce. Even the dumplings were so cold and hard as if they were heated long back and given. Never ordering again. read more

Great Chinese food. My family has been going to this restaurant almost since they started. Being vegetarian, I usually have a limited choice and most Chinese restaurants do not understand that eggs or fish is not vegetarian. Hot wok is really good and once they realized that I was vegetarian, they warned me of dishes that would not work and even let me create my own dishes (Try the shredded bean curd, without the pork, but with broccoli and spicy green chillies) The owners John and Sara and most of the wait staff are very friendly and welcoming. My luck, the restaurant is also half a mile from home... Heaven ;-) read more

After many years of going to Hot Wok, my most recent meal was horrendous. The Hot and Sour Soup was just peppery, the steamed dumplings weren't wrapped and the 3 dishes we ordered were all over cooked and soggy. The food was not good at all. When I called to complain, the owner asked me to bring the food back. I did this and he offered a 20% refund. I told him I thought the meal should be guaranteed. He refused and wouldn't give me more than 40% back after I returned all that hadn't been eaten (most of the food). I would never go back to this restaurant again. If you can't stand behind your food, you shouldn't be in business. read more

Ok, not sure what's going on here, if the reviews are all fake. But here is the low down, The food sucks, would not feed it to a dog, unless I was looking to get bit. Just moved to the area, ordered the General Tao's chicken ( or what is super small Mcnuggets in hot sauce, if you buy it here) along with veg dumplings which taste like sea weed, topped it off with a Pork dish.( I think, because the strips look like string noodles). All for a total of 50$ My advise is for the owners to go to New York City and kidnap someone from Chinatown, who know how to cook. Horrible horrible horrible (that's three horrible's) food. read more

New to the area. Having lived in and around NYC for the last 13 years I was expecting the same old take out. However I was surprised to find that Hot Wok Cafe was a little bit of a change of pace. The food seemed to be cooked and served in their own sauces and not the typical "pre packaged" sauces that most of your typical take out Chinese places serve. The tastes were different but delicious and I am looking forward to tying other dishes. read more