I am so glad that they didn't have a restaurant like Hot Wok Express on my college campus because if they did, I'd be a broke and fat student, not an ideal combination. Hot Wok Express is like one of those places you see on social media where influencers highlight the insane amounts of food you get for a low price. Sure, the food is takeout Chinese and isn't the best of the best of food I've had, but it's really hard to ignore a place that loads up a box full of comforting food for a very reasonable price. When you walk in, your attention immediately goes to the cafeteria style counter full of options. I was actually really surprised with the options, there were some pretty traditional things like the egg and tomato, braised pork belly and potato and mapo tofu along with the other Americanized classics. You get a choice of a starch (rice or noodles) and 1, 2 or 3 sides. The meals come with an egg roll, soup and bottle of water. All meals are under $16, what value! My first visit, I ordered a box with fried rice, green beans, mapo tofu and the braised pork belly. The fried rice lacked a bit of flavor, but the mapo tofu had a bit of heat to it, the green beans still had some crunch (didn't feel like it had been sitting out too long) and the pork belly was tender. Let me tell you, my box was loaded, this was such a great deal! My first visit left such a great impression on me that I actually decided to come back for lunch the very next day. I went right at 11 AM when they opened so the food was basically as fresh as it was going to come. I restrained myself a bit and only got two sides, some bok choy and black pepper chicken to go with my lo mein. The lo mein noodles had a wonderful texture, and had a nice bite to it. A bit under seasoned like the rice was, but definitely tasted fresh. The bok choy was crispy and had a good garlic flavor to it. The black pepper chicken felt like it came right out of the fryer, had a nice exterior that was crispy. The flavor was also very nice, you could definitely taste the pepper, but it wasn't overpowering. I really liked this one. If I was in town any longer, I probably would have been back for a third time in a row. The value is something that you cannot overlook, even if there is generally better food that you can get. For college students, this place is the dream. I'd sacrifice a meal plan to come here more often for sure! read more

Hot Wok Express - Lo mein, bok choy and black pepper chicken box - Chinese Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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Lived almost across the street from Hot Wok in the 90's. General's Chicken used to only be on certain days and have a lot of memories chowing down on what is my titanium standard for value especially if they had the coupon for free egg roll with a meal. I think that was the height of success as there was even a location in west Champaign and Rantoul. I once even "cured" myself after a bout of food poisoning via a Hot Wok meal. So it has always had a special place in my heart. Graduated, moved away, but tried it from time to time and value/quality slowly declined. Went back after 7 years and sadly volume is still there, but the quality has greatly fallen where I could argue it's below the quality of the stuff at the local buffets in town. Service and staff were great and I just wish the quality was still there. Had the General's Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, and Kung Pow Chicken. All were subpar. If you just need a huge volume and don't care as much about taste (think La Bamba), worthy of a visit. read more

They must have changed ownership. Not the same food I remember. It wasn't bad, just not the quality/value it used to be. Also the choices are greatly reduced from before. read more

My first clue should have been there were zero cars in the parking lot, "drive-thru", and restaurant at 7pm. Second clue, I was overcharged for a two item bowl (mostly veggies) and very bland. Almost $18. Very disappointing. read more

The Service was speedy and excellent as my first time being there they explained to us which each item is with patience. It is such a shame the great customer service didn't correlate with great food. The plate ordered was Pork fried rice (bottom), general tso's chicken (top right), and jalapeño chicken (top left). Rice is okay it has a mild flavor for pork fried rice but some of the rice feels slightly undercooked and not as fluffy as some other fried rice that I've had. The sauce is really good not spicy and not as orangy it has a mild orange flavor but a good consistency this is more of a 7/10 chicken quality is around a 6/10 it doesn't feel like a real piece of chicken and it's hard to tell what type of chicken this is it's not a whole piece of any chicken. The breading of the chicken was soggy and doesn't have any flavor and just like the general tsos chicken it doesn't have a chicken feel and texture to it it just feels like I'm eating something solid. The sauce is very oily however it has a decent jalapeño flavor but it doesn't have anything else to offer other than that. read more

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I didn't even want to give it the 1 star for the review. This is clearly new owners and nowhere near what it used to be. Inedible. We had more onions than rice in the "fried rice" - although it was bright yellow in color and tasted like nothing. Our small chicken entrees tasted AWFUL. We weren't able to eat anything we paid for. Service wasn't great either - watching our cards to make sure we weren't overcharged - however, save your money - go anywhere else. read more

This place is newly renovated, the pretty Asian women who served me was very nice and professional, and ultimately the food was very good. This will be my go to Chinese place from now on. Thumbs up! read more

Hot Wok Express - Angel hair noodles with shrimp , beef and broccoli and egg rolls - Chinese Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

This place is somewhat different from your stereotypical Chinese combo plate places. First off, I don't think this place understands what half and half means since they just gave me all fried rice. Second, they have three different types of fried rice rather than just one type. Third, they don't show exact prices for how their combo plates work. Fourth, they give you enough food to feed two people. I paid $7 for fried rice and two menu items. Though they serve portentous portions, the quality of the food is lacking. Also, the person taking my order gave one of the biggest sighs I've ever heard. Dang, she must've really wanted the day to be over and was getting tired of serving or whatever. read more

Hot Wok Express - Chinese Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

Quick takeout place on University avenue close to campus. The food is good and there are lots of options to choose from. The service is good. The ambiance is like any other place and the staff is very friendly. read more

recent remodel and new menu. I loved this restaurant before and now it's even better. yum! read more

First (and last) time for this place. Large amounts of food does not mean good food. Many of the usual Chinese dishes are missing. Actually, the menu is rather brief. The Peking chicken wasn't bad. The beef and broccoli wasn't good at all. No condiments. A mere spoonful of crisp noodles with the soup. And not one fortune cookie. I must say that the staff is quite nice. Usually I go to Hot Wok on Philo but it was closed. Better menu, better food, better prices. read more

Horrible food, I had to throw it out. Even the rice was inedible.

This place was horrible. The lady who took my order could not speak or understand English at all, nor could she understand the point of the finger. When I made it home I was missing a meal. I called the business to let them know what happen they tell me to come back Monday today is Saturday evening, WTH I'm hungry now. Nope never again. read more

Attention POOR college students, this is a great place for drive-through Chinese! I rave about this place and it gets 4 stars NOT because of taste, but the consistency their huge portions. 4 words: Eat here, be full. It has never failed me that way. I don't ever go here to sit down (and don't plan on it), but the drive through is awesome for a quick boat-load of yummy carbs. I get a box FULL of steaming rice and pick a 2-item combo from their daily menu, usually chicken with mushrooms or szechuan beef. For around $5, it's the best bang for your buck. The brown paper bag they hand over probably weighs several pounds and my hand buckles as I lift it through my window. Their eggrolls and crab rangoon are good... everything is a version of "americanized" Chinese food. I don't see a lot of asians frequenting this place because they don't offer much variety or quality of flavor but hey, I can't complain! (From what I've encountered through the drive-through), the workers are smiley, pretty nice and very efficient. It's not gourmet, but when I'm hungry and telling myself "not pizza again..." it will be Hot Wok Express. Just slather on some sriracha hot sauce. read more

Hot wok now has a new ownership, the food quality is amazing and everyone there is really nice and friendly!

I have not been to this restaurant for months, because the food just kept getting worse over the past few years. But I heard it got new management and the food got much better. So I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. The teriyaki chicken and chicken and broccoli tasted tremendous and their egg rolls were fantastic. I will definitely be returning there soon. If they keep up the great taste and huge portions I can live with the price increase. read more

As always, the staff are friendly, helpful, and have plenty of food on hand. I started coming to Hot Wok while it still was occupying the building near Mattis and Bradley. The facility has a decent parking lot, a bike rake by the front door, and is very clean. They play Today's Hits while you are inside too. You order on the opposite end of the counter that the register is on, much like if you were eating at Panda Express or Kato's. It's a very similar ordering style like both restaurants. Hot Wok offer's Pepsi products also. They do have a drive thru as well which is nice when you don't want come in and you can order your food in a half order or full depending on how hungry you are. You get well what you pay for here! One of my first choices when getting Chinese food. read more

Primal. That is the one word I would chose to describe my experience with this place. If you are coming here, I'm guessing you are not looking for the pinnacle of authentic Chinese food. Sorry to say, but these harbors aren't so golden. But, for a very low price, you can fill a styrofoam box, and your stomach to the top. I got orange chicken and beef & broccoli over pork-fried rice and 3 (soft/stale) almond cookies for $6.95. It will last me two meals. That's not bad, and for dopamine-inducing comfort food, sometimes quantity is all you need. read more

Awful, awful, awful When I decided to try this place after years of never going there, I found out why. Bland is the nicest word to use to describe the food. Atrocious would actually be more appropriate. I like to give any place the benefit of the doubt, but I'll never step foot in here again. Highly recommend panda express over this "food" read more

I would not recommend this place. No chicken on the CHICKEN fried rice and it taste like plastic. Go to PANDA EXPRESSS it's cheaper and better!! read more

Hot Wok Express - They call this the "CHICKEN Fried Rice" lol. Taste like plastic. I Would not recommend this place. Go to Panda Express or Ming Garden - Chinese Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

I have never had bad Chinese food, but this wasn't bad--it was terrible. Poor quality. My sweet & sour chicken, well it wasn't chicken that's for sure. Me and my mom removed all the breading after I wasn't able to chew it. We both examined it trying to figure out what is was. It was gray and very tough with a lot of connective tissue. With being unable to chew it, the disgusting texture, and the questionable appearance, I got grossed out and threw it away. I REALLY want to know what that meat was.... read more

Great place for the value, ie $10 and under with big portions. I usually get either pork fried rice or the rice noodles (underrated). Then I usually get half chili chicken (when they have it) and half sweet and sour chicken. It is always too much food for one sitting, but the food is great, have been coming here for years. read more

ARE YOU HUNGRY? WANT SOME AMERICAN CHINESE FOOD? Well, come to Hot Wok, order a pork fried rice, and mix of 2 meats / vegetables, and it will feed you for 1 1/2 - 2 meals. Imagine panda express but close to double the portion. They really load it up and the prices are extremely cheap. Gotta recommend this place if your looking for some massively cheap food but high quantity read more

One of my vices for sure. I love this place for some odd reason. The lo mein, broccoli chicken, and sweet and sour chicken are my favs. Egg rolls are good too. read more

Hot Wok Express - Lo Mein with broccoli and chicken and sweet n sour chicken. Yum! - Chinese Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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You get a lot for your money, but you also get a lot of rice from the store for $5. And that's basically what the meals are here. I got a spicy shrimp dish and found very few, tiny shrimp. It was not spicy at all. My girlfriend got a chicken dish, which wasn't any better. This was in my poor apartment-dwelling days, when I rarely threw out much of anything - but I ended up throwing it out. There was a lot, but it was all bland rice. It will fill you up for cheap, but so will Niro's or Cocina Real next door, and they have flavor. read more

- fast: you can get your food in under 5 mins - cheap: about $5 - big portion: sometimes you can get 2 meals, really! - nice owner: he works as hard (or even harder) than any worker there and is very nice to talk to. Sometimes he even offer you free eggroll. Now, im not a big fan of eggroll, but it is free :) food is ok. you will get tired of it if you eat there everyday (which I did for almost the whole month when I was preparing for my Qual exam), but give yourselves a break and things will be back to normal again ;) read more

I have eaten at Hot Wok for many years now, and I will keep going back. The portion size for what you pay is wonderful. You often get two meals for the price of one, and paying the little bit extra for two different toppings is well worth it. Two of the best days are Tuesday for Beef Curry Day and Fridays for Coconut Shrimp Day. Both of these are excellent and worth saving a special day to have. The regular dishes are great too. I love the chicken and green beans, the General's chicken, and cashew chicken. Going around a set meal time will ensure you always have fresh food. However, this place isn't one to let lots of food sit around so even at an off time you are going to get something made pretty new. read more

It is the worst Chinese Restaurant I have ever eaten at. And you know since I am a Chinese, it is the worst among thousands of restaurants I have tried. I would have just stopped eating their food. However, since it is extremely bad I decided to let everyone know about it. The key thing is the attitude of them. The guy send out delivery is always rude, they would say "hurry up!" if they wait for longer than 3s downstairs. Yes, you can count the time, no more than 3 seconds. And when you go down to get the delivery, they will never turn their head to see you. they just open the window and throw out your food. They never smile at you, do not even look at you or say a word. I totally understand Chinese maybe shy, but this is really rude and stupid for even another Chinese. I tried about 3-4 times when I noticed the delivery guy always behave like that, then I stop ordering. I tried again this time because they put an advertisement saying that they are doing new things in the coming new term. However nothing changed in their altitude, the deliver guy is still rude without any sign of friendliness. I hope this guy should be fired as soon as possible, if unfortunately he is the boss. I hope this restaurant will close as soon as possible. read more

humans....why is this place still open ? dumpy place and dumpy food, ex. general chicken is not even spicy and nasty taste...for 8.50$ a meal a vending machine has better meals...i quess unless you are on...... read more

Cheap and great Chinese. Very fresh. However don't come late an night because at that point a lot of it is more stale at that point. Visit this place at least once a week. read more

Damn you Hot Wok. Damn your sweet savory goodness (and badness). Some years back I entered college as a skinny 135lb freshman, and I exited 4 years later a 180lb man. I don't know if I can call it 'blame', but Hot Wok definitely contributed to the additional 45lbs I found at beautiful U of I (I also blame the all you can eat dorm food, but let's just concentrate on Hot Wok for now)... Where else can you stop by and get a styrofoam box stuffed full of rice and your choice of some choice tasty toppings like General's Chicken, Curry Chicken, yada yada for only $5. And everything here tastes so good... like they sprinkle bacon on everything... I never came here once without ordering the General's Chicken. My firstborn will either be named General's Chicken or Hot Wok or Andrew Jr. (one of the three, but I'm not sure which just yet). You'll probably have leftovers so you can store the rest in your little dorm fridge, but just know that whatever Hot Wok puts into the food to make it taste so good... also causes the food to congeal once it gets below room temperature... so you're apt to open the fridge and find something that more resembles head cheese than General's Chicken. But that head cheese still tastes good cold, so rejoice. Also, plan ahead, because you'll need at least a 1-2 hour nap after each Hot Wok meal, so try not to eat it right before class, or while you're studying for finals. Tip: When your jeans begin to start fitting too tightly your freshman year, don't throw them away, give them to the Salvation Army! read more

Very hard to finish a full meal. For less than ten dollars, they give you a lot of food. I've enjoyed Hot Wok Express ever since I was little. I highly recommend the Beijing Chicken. read more

It has been probably a decade since I last ordered from Hot Wok Express, and I decided to see if they were as horrible as I remembered. I ordered the fried rice with sweet & sour chicken. Now I remember why I haven't returned in 10 years. (Trust me, I won't return ever again....10, 20, or more years...I'm done!) Service was a little slow as I watched the woman scooping the white rice into the take-away container. She realized her error and simply dumped the white rice back into the original container and started scooping up the fried rice into the same take-away container. Eventually, they laid 8 pieces of fairly large sized chicken (they look like chicken strips) on top of the bed of rice, and gave me a cup of sweet & sour sauce. Their sauce is atrocious. I brought the leftovers to work for lunch today, and the sauce will not reheat; it's a gelatinous blob of red goo - absolutely disgusting! Save your money and go anyplace else in town! read more

Experience in Hot Wok Express is horrible. It is probably the worst express restaurant I have ever met. Price is not low, but the service and the food level is extremely LOW. Bad menu, bad taste, bad service...! Nothing... except "Bad" ! Please go there if you want to punish your stomach. 这家快餐店绝对是我来美后遇到的最差的一家，没有之一。 菜的色香味俱差，都他妈的什么玩意儿，实在是难以下咽。量还少，也许他们自个儿也觉着拿不出手。唉，中国菜的脸儿算是让他们给丢尽了。 不过我出来的时候，倒也觉得饱了----气饱了。 说实话，给一颗星我都觉得太抬举这家店了。 总之，如果您想惩罚一下您的胃，就去那儿吧，您一定可以达成心愿。 read more

Well, at least it's cheap. Hot Wok serves a purpose ... It makes food court Chinese seem gourmet by comparison. Best part? You don't need to get out of your car. read more

For fast-food Chinese, it's pretty good! They have great sesame chicken and the owner is a wonderful man. Not 4 star Chinese if you are wanting sit-down restaurant quality. But it's the best fast-food Chinese around! read more

Big portion but the same dish everyday. The dishes are average, but it is still decent for quick convenient takeout

The food here is basically terrible. Greasy and loaded with sodium. So why am I still giving it 3 stars? Well, it's cheap and fast. You get a lot of stuff for under $5 and the drive-through is super fast. read more

Hot Wok is what it is- fast and cheap. As long as you understand that then you will not be disappointed with what you get.

Tried it once because I was nearby and didn't feel like walking too far. The food was very bland and seemed like it had been pre-cooked and had been reheated. read more