I love this place! But it has been closed and dead for at least the last two weeks! Some 3 weeks ago we came by and the food was still wonderful but the server was a clueless teen and the silverware was dirtier than any silverware I've seen. read more

This was probably the first restaurant I ate at after moving to Federal Hill from Silver Spring. The food is outstanding and covers a wide range of cultural mashups. I love the crab burger, dumplings, noodle dishes, really everything. Sharp flavors, unusual combinations or very traditional combinations. The chef is there a lot and he loves introducing new menus like his Latin fusion menu. Some of the fusion dishes seem a little contrived, but most have been wonderful. I am just about to start exploring the tacos. BYOB and IPAs or other heavy beers are best. read more

We came on a Saturday night and the place was surprisingly empty. We ordered the following: Garlic bok choy: 9.5/10 - wouldn't change a thing and even increased the flavor of the mixian Sautéed green bean: 10/10 well worth the price. Crab Rangoon mozerella sticks: 10/10 whoever thought of this is a genius. Highly recommended. Southern soul Bao Bun: 8/10 the bun was a little too thick. Carne asada fríes: 8.5/10 very good just wished the fries were crispier. Asada was well seasoned. Hot stone short rib mixian: 7/10 the broth was lacking body and the meat was unseasoned. Adding in the bok choy increased the flavor. The food is rather good but they lack foot traffic. I think this place needs better outdoor decor to attract the eye. We were looking on purpose and almost passed it. Not having the 'all you can eat lunch' anymore and not having a liquor license puts them at a disadvantage to the other places in the area. read more

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The owners are very nice and the interior is super cute. Their tiktoks got me to come out and support, but it's hard to see why they don't get more business, other than potentially where it's located. We ordered the braised beef mixian and the hot stone noodles. Both were quite good and felt very light, really good after a night out. They also offered us complimentary tea, which was nice. I definitely think it's worth the effort to make it out here. Support your local restaurants!! read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Right off the bat, I noticed that the service was poor. A couple who were sat down AFTER us had their order taken first, and they were served way before us. Our server also seemed unfamiliar with the menu and had us repeat our order multiple times, which slowed things down even more. On top of that, the salt shaker at our table was rusty...not a great look. We came for the AYCE lunch special ($25 per person). They also had a premium AYCE option for $45 that included mocktails, but we stuck with the regular lunch special for now. Service continued to be frustrating. 18% gratuity is automatically added for AYCE specials and it was very hard to get the waiter's attention. There were two servers working and the restaurant was not busy at all, yet it still took a long time for me to get a soda and just as long for a simple refill. They also have a 1.5 hour time limit per person for AYCE, though I'm not sure how strictly that's enforced. FOOD: Must try: Five Spiced Wings: Crispy and moist, but really lacking that signature five-spice flavor Asian Jerk Chicken: One of the stronger dishes. Well-seasoned with a nice char and a good kick. Pork Dumplings and Spicy Sour Sauce: A win. The sauce had great acidity and bright flavor. Dai Spicy Beef over Rice: The beef was definitely crispy and had a nice char that complemented the beef Pass: Beef with Tomato Gravy: The beef was tender and the sauce was sweet, which I did not like. Also, the rice was hard and dry. This was a pass for me. Spicy Pork Rice Noodles: I got spice level three. Not spicy at all, very flat, and lacking acidity. Garlic Stir Fry Bok Choy: Same char flavor as most of the other dishes, but the garlic flavor was lacking Bulgogi Beef Street Taco: I wouldn't really call it bulgogi. The beef had large fat chunks that made it unpleasant. Also, the TV was playing a weird background music with a beach house scene....it did not really fit the vibes of this establishment. read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Front - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

First time back since they hosted a Yelp Elite event 6 months ago showcasing their new menu. My wife and I came here for Chinese New Year and unfortunately, we were the only ones dining in. The waiter/cashier was nice and had a good demeanor. We ordered the braised beef noodle soup with rice noodles, garlic buffalo wings and a deep sea shrimp bun. Everything tasted good. The soup may have been a bit on the saltier side but still delicious. Looking forward to trying more things next time. read more

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Water Song is now offering $25 AYCE lunch special!!! For 90 minutes, you are allowed to pick whatever you want from the lunch menu for only $25! Here's some things you should know: -the food is amazing -customer service was great -18% gratuity automatically added -$100 disposal fee for food weighing 20oz or more left over read more

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We popped in here for lunch after hearing about their all you can eat deal, which is $25 per person from 11:30-3:00 on weekdays. We tried about 8 different dishes and some of them were excellent, while some were not great. The highlights were the stir fried garlic green beans (they were charred perfectly), the chilled noodles served in a sauce that was somehow sour and deeply umami at the same time, and the shrimp tacos. Sadly, the service was not good. With the exception of one nice waiter, the wait staff walked through the dining room with their heads down to avoid catching your eye. Also, the day we were there they were out of beef, which meant about a third of the menu was unavailable. read more

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Was in the Fed hill area for a magic show and decided to stop by for a bite to eat. Everything is confidently ordered on your phone so you don't have to fumble over a physical menu. We ordered the lemongrass fried pork, spicy fish fillets, braised beef rice noodles and potato pancake. The lemongrass fried pork was flavorful but fried too much so it came out a bit dry and hard to eat. The spicy fish fillets were nice, tender and very spicy! Fav dish of the meal! The braised beef with rice noodles were nicely balanced with flavorful broth. The potato pancake was crispy and seasoned well. Over all nice ambiance and great service! read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Lemon Lemongrass Fried Pork Ribs, Spicy Fragrant Fish Fillets, Braised Beef Rice Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Food: Tried lots of dishes. The standouts: braised beef rice noodle soup (per recommendation of our server, by far best thing we ate; noodles were an amazing texture and overall very flavorful), carne asada fried rice (flavorful). The ok: crab rangoon mozzarella sticks, fried chicken dumplings, southern soul bao bun (this was good but the sriracha mayo was on the outside of bun, literally couldn't eat this without a fork and knife, felt like a plating mistake), grilled branzino. The bad: garlic bok choy (flavorless), sweet drama bao bun (didn't like the texture of the beef at all). Service: Unfortunately, I have nothing good to say here. The manager (I think) took our order, made a good suggestion about the soup, but felt very rushed. Took a long time to get waters, then a long time to get our apps. When our apps came, we asked if we could order tea and the manager said he'll bring us something great and it's on the house (super nice offer) but then never delivered on this promise. Our water cups were never refilled, and worst of all, all the dirty tables around us were never bussed (heaps of food and plates and full fish bones just sitting out all around us for over an hour). We were a 3 top, and there were only 2 other small groups there during this time; feels like they're understaffed because this was not peak rush hour. Ambiance: cute vibe in the restaurant read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Braised Beef Rice Noodle Soup 大酥牛肉米线 - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

We came in for lunch on a Wednesday and were seated right away. We were explained the menu and at the time premium option was not available. We ended up doing the regular AYCE and ordering the snapper off the main menu. My favorite dishes here were the beef soup and the green beans. Both were so flavorful and delicious. My least favorite were the wings the marinade left you with a weird taste and I told the staff about that too. Overall this is a great place to try out Chinese fusion and introduce yourself to new flavors you've been sleeping on. read more

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Good Chinese food in Baltimore, and decently priced. We got the beef noodle soup, dumplings, fried rice, and zhajiangmian. Beware this place's food is spicy! Everything was delicious though. I will say the menu changes very often so don't go off of pictures from Yelp since their menu is seasonal. read more

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The food is delicious but the service needs improvement. I did the all-you-can-eat lunch and perhaps that is why the service is poor. If you are in the service industry, I'd expect acknowledgement or a nod, instead the staff avoids eye contact and hides outside of view. It's not hard to take a second and nod at someone to let them know that you see them and that you will be with them once you are done running away from the dinning area. The person that is in the social media videos and promos was there working but not helpful. I was hoping that the face of the restaurant would be a standard bearer but unfortunately their standards in service were disappointingly low. The location is near all the Fed Hill hot spots. I hope they can do better because the food (and chefs) are carrying this business. read more

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Empty while the rest of the street was crowded. Service was nonexistent. We waited over 30 min for someone to come back from the restroom to pay our bill. Could have left. Food was not good. read more

The service was good, everyone was attentive and someone explained that they had a new menu for the summer. The food was a mixed bag. The bok choy and short rib mixian were very good and I'd say authentic. However the egg yolk wings (too salty and charred) and complimentary fruit were not very good (it was tropical fruit with soy sauce and tajin?). The honeydew refresher was good but very sweet and a radioactive color somehow. The milk tea had a good flavor and was refreshing. Overall it was a good experience! read more

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This was probably in the top 3 best dining experiences I've had. The server was so kind, so generous, and funny too!! The food was not just good, it opens your eyes to new flavors. We just moved to the area tonight and this will be a happy memory for me. Thank you!! read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Beef mixian soup and soup dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Water Song is a place I've frequented often and enjoyed when it first opened. It's difficult to find a rice noodle restaurant that has authentic flavor. However, with each visit, I've noticed the quality decrease significantly over the years. I always try to give Water Song another chance because I always remember the initial good impression it gave me, but I always end up leaving grossly disappointed. Today was no different and is the final time. Not only did the dish I order (crossing bridge) have the most bland soup base, but the ingredient choices and quantity I was given was not worth the price point of ~$20. There was barely any rice noodles in mine, so I ended up eating the dish my girlfriend had ordered but stopped eating midway after finding a hair in her rice noodle soup (xiao guo). The hair didn't bother me as much but I was still hungry even after finishing hers and my dishes. I won't be back read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Crossing bridge and Xiao Guo Spicy Pork Rice Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I ordered takeout but this was all still really good, hot and prepared neatly! The dry hot pot (beef) was good as the beef was tender. The potatoes are surprisingly fitting with the dish. The eggplant is amazing! The beef noodle soup with rice noodles were delicious. The soup is in a separate compartment for delivery but it still feels like the noodles were slightly overcooked. I'm sure if it was fresh it'd be perfect. The mapo tofu was good, however I do feel like softer (silken) tofu would be more fitting texture wise as this was a little too firm. Nothing was too spicy, but all in all I really enjoyed what we ordered. I'd definitely come back and try more dishes! read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Attentive and accommodating service, delicious apps and entrees, and cheery well-lit space. Staff made us feel welcome from the start, gave us time to explore the menu, and did not rush our dining. This was our first time at Water Song, and we will certainly return. Likely to become one of our neighborhood go-to spots. read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Pork Wontons in Chili Sour Sauce (酸辣水餃）and Yunnan Street-Style Fried Potatoes - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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This is my new favorite spot for Asian cuisine! I love trying the dishes from the Yunnan region. For appetizers, I tried the fried pork ribs, the spicy garlic cucumber salad and the soup dumplings. They were all very delicious, especially the ribs. The ribs were seasoned to perfection. For main entree, I had the braised beef rice noodle soup. I also tried my friend's wontons and crossing bridge noodles. It was very interesting to hear the story of the crossing bridge noodles and there is art on the wall of the restaurant showing the story of the crossing bridge noodles. It was great to learn about such an authentic dish! My braised beef was done just right and the dish was very yummy. For dessert, we tried their rose cakes and it was divine! They came out warm and inside were rose petals. It was just the right amount of sweetness. I heard they have seasonal menu items that are constantly changing and I can't wait to come back and try more. read more

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Came here for a business lunch. The ambience was very new age Chinese. Well decorated, very serene. Our server, Vivi, was friendly, professional, and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. She made some recommendations that we did not regret. It is rare to get good Yunnan food. I had such a great time. Looking forward to my next trip here. read more

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I got carry out from here this weekend and it was life-changing. The garlic bok choy was probably one of the most delicious things I've eaten all year and the pork wontons in chicken broth were healing. I will most definitely be back to try other things on the menu because what I got did not disappoint. I highly recommend. read more

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I really wanted to like this place, I really did. I don't write Yelp reviews, but I am passionate about Chinese cooking and Chinese food, so I felt obligated to write this review because I wanted this restaurant to be good, maybe not to the same level as the kind of food you can get in Rockville, Ellicott City, Columbia, etc., but it fell very short for me. I brought a group of 7 people for Lunar New Year dinner to try it out. When we were ordering, we had to change our choices at least twice if not three times due to them not having bao buns or crab available to make their lump crab fried rice or softshell crab buns. I forget exactly, but in the end, we had to have the waiter bring us our menus again to reorder. Appetizers I thought were not bad. We got the chicken dumplings, scallion pancakes and crab rangoon mozzarella sticks. These came out quickly. Our pork trotters were significantly delayed (they came after many of our entrees, so late we forgot we even ordered them). These trotters were also unfortunately quite tasteless even with the added lime, which I thought was quite strange, but the lime helps a bit. My chief complaints are the noodle soups: the braised beef mixian, the xiaoguo mixian, the hot stone short-rib mixian, and the douhua (soft tofu) mixian. Growing up eating this kind of food, I was simply astonished by how bland and flavorless they all were. Even if we added salt or chili oil or lime, the flavor was not there at all in any of our dishes. I suspect they pre-made the broths earlier in the day and then diluted it over the course of a day of service, which isn't a bad thing to do, but in this case, I think they pushed it too far because our broths all ended up tasting like water. I love a light bone broth soup, but this wasn't light, it was devoid of flavor. Even my friends who aren't Chinese and maybe don't have as high standards as I do were quite disappointed. It was genuinely difficult to eat. Maybe this restaurant's food simply isn't made for my palate if the other reviews are so good... The carne asada (bugolgi) fried rice, however, seemed to be pretty good although I personally didn't try that one. If I ever make the decision to come back, I think I would stick with ordering the rice plates or proteins rather than trying your luck with the noodles. Maybe also come for lunch instead, in case you run into the same issue that we had with multiple menu items not being available. Because they were out of bao buns, we got the Southern Soul as a taco, which was also okay. I have to say, the service was not great at all. The waiter/cashier never checked up on us and our water was never refilled until I had to ask him verbally and directly if he could refill our water. If you're going to go the route of not having the waiter check on tables often, then please leave the water pitcher at the table at the start so we can refill our cups ourselves. Maybe I came on a bad day, and all of these issues were a result of coming late in the day, but to be honest, that shouldn't be such a major factor in the quality of the food and service. If it wasn't for the automatic gratuity, I would have hardly tipped at all. The restaurant on the inside looks nice though. I didn't think Peter Chang would be tough competition to beat. Unfortunately, I have to say that, at least for now, if you have a car and live in the Baltimore urban area, I recommend driving out of the inner city to a restaurant like Shi Miao Dao or Chopin Noodle House to get some more authentic noodles. read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Xiaoguo mixian, hot stone short rib mixian, and the pork trotters. - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Baltimore and one of my favorites anywhere. Chef Colin is always tweaking his menu for seasonality and the current version is his best yet. When you order something spicy, they ask regular spicy or Sichuan spicy and then deliver. Great food, great service, a passionate chef. This is a perfect spot that always delivers. I am going to bring my second large group here because I have no doubt it is going to be good. read more

Menu items have potential, but unfortunately the lemongrass pork ribs and braised beef noodles did not hit. Couldn't taste the lemongrass, and the pork was pretty dry and tough. The noodles were super light on flavor, fortunately the beef was nice and tender though. Ordered the tangyuan sticky rice balls and coconut bubble ruda for dessert. Thought that dessert might make up for the main dishes. Nope, sorely disappointed. The sticky rice balls lacked any soybean powder. The coconut ruda was the saddest, it's literally coconut milk topped with coconut shavings, rice, and there's bread/soggy cookie in it. There is no boba/bubbles in it, even though the name suggests it. The waitress was nice enough to take 10% off for their false advertising. Aside from the food, service was good. Nice decor inside and plentiful seating. Unfortunately I won't be back for the food. read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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The food was excellent. I really enjoyed the menu and learning about Yunnan cuisine. The flavors were very rich. There were so many different items I wanted to try. I went with their classic crossing bridge rice noodle. It was quite a treat. I also enjoyed the appetizer of the spicy garlic, cucumber salad. It was not that spicy, but very flavorful. And I also got the pumpkin cakes. I was a little bummed that they were out of the roast puff pastry. Service was excellent, and the ambience was stylish and clean. read more

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Very nice staff and great food! Ordered the beef soup with noodles and it reminded me of a homemade soup my mom would make. Did not feel rushed to leave after finishing my soup and was able to do work there after my meal at the courtesy of free wifi. Definitely recommend if you are in the area! read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Braised Beef Rice Noodle Soup - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

So yea... the Bulgoggie was un inspired, bland at best. Worst I've ever ordered anywhere. Terrible. Not fresh, not spicy, not tangy. Hardly any meat for a $20 dish. Never again. read more

I haven't had anything bad from this place! I've tried multiple things and they are all delicious! My go to place on Cross Street! So authentic and yummy. I love the Raven's Purple Bao, the dumplings, fried rice and noodles! read more

Water Song Yunnan Kitchen - Ravens Purple Pan- Fried Pork Bao(4) - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I've heard mix reviews of this place and since we were in the area and craving Chinese food, we figured why not. This is going to be a hard pass for me moving forward. The amount of salt in all of these dishes made me pucker up with every bite. I went through so much water and coconut milk just to combat all the salt. We couldn't even taste the spices or other seasonings because everything was just so salty. The ribs were extremely dry and it was like biting into salty beef jerky. The service was just so so and we should have gone elsewhere when we noticed no one was there for dinner. I'm too hesitant to ever try this again and waste my money. read more

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Worst service ever and literally most ridiculous thing I have ever come across in my entire life. I have asked multiple times for ordering and after roughly 15 minutes later. The server condescending informed me I have to "thank" him first and need to say "please" before he can take my order. I guess he thought he is JD Vance and people need to beg him first to ask for what he is supposed to do. read more

We ordered the pork dumplings, Yunnan street potatoes, and the eye of the tiger beef. The dumplings and potatoes were most definitely frozen. The broth on the dumplings was awful. I did like the herb mix on the potatoes. The steak was served very thick and tough -- even though you only have chopsticks as utensils. And the service was worse than the food. They only brought one plate (despite a table for 2), forgot half our order, and didn't get back to us with an update when we went to the counter to ask about the missing food. All of this despite being one of only two tables in the whole joint with no takeouts happening. It was... an experience. read more

This Yunnan restaurant is hiding in the heart of Baltimore. Easy and inexpensive parking garage next to it. The surrounding streets are not so clean and homeless is visible in the vicinity. Not surprised for Baltimore though. The restaurant itself is tidy and utensils are clean. Well maintained bathroom as well. Very responsive services but not too much of a disturbance to family conversation. Have high chairs for little kids. Food is definitely authentic. We ordered the cross bridge rice noodle, which is the most famous dish for any Yunnan restaurant, fried ribs and spicy chicken, all are on chef recommended menu. Great taste but personal wouldn't order the cross bridge rice noodles again because the formality is the selling point, not so much the rice noodles itself. Spicy chicken(in the picture) is my favorite although it would be too spicy for the kids. We are just a little shocked to see a $29 non-market priced-seafood dish! Sufficient amount for sure, but $29 for one dish? Remember to order the fresh flowers-made cakes. Delicious! I recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to try Yunnan cuisine for the first time! read more

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The service is horrible, the server is rude and slow. They ask people to wait for a long time without serving, when asked he said "you did not see I am packing for the deliveries? You should say please and thank you?" Please don't go unless you want to deal with rude server, long wait and no food. read more

too salt. It is not real traditional yunnan food. The soup is ok. Other foods either are salty or sweet. Yunnan food should be sour and spicy. Unfortunately, I only feel salty and sweet. Disappointment. Please careful for TIP TIP. Restaurant automatically adds the tip to your bill. read more

I love water song. This is the only decent Chinese food in the city that I have found. I have met the owner, he is a very kind a wonderful person. The ambiance in the restaurant is also great. All of that said, the food is inconsistent, and it makes me think twice about going. My wife and I got carry out from water song on Sunday night. We ordered kunming potatoes, kunming noodles, and the new dry ramen. The potatoes were amazing. Possibly the best rendition of that dish we had ever had. I cannot describe how amazing it was. The kunming noodles were ok, but the sauce had spilled in the bag and so it was a bit unbalanced. The dry ramen was ok, but a bit too peppery (this was likely my fault for ordering it extra spicy). All in all, a great meal. The potatoes were so good in fact, that we decided to order them again the next night. This time they were totally different. Instead of having the red sauce that is spicy and rounded and just so good, they were just doused in pepper, not spicy, just super peppery. I checked the order, we ordered the exact same thing but what we got was totally different. This is not the first time we have had consistency issues. More than half of the last 5 times we have gotten food there have been some issue with one of the dishes. This is all to say, even at its worst day, water song is better than any Chinese food I have had in the city. At the same time, you might have an amazing version of a dish one day, and an OK version of it the next... read more

Food is good.. I like the noodle (beef noodle) soup that I ordered but the anise is so strong and there is some residue of the anise seed. )Maybe the need to strain the broth to eliminate some of the small seeds. Over all, I like the soup. I like also the ginger beer. Planning to come back again and try to taste the other menu. read more

I've actually never been inside but I know their location is quite small on the side next to cross street. I've had delivery a few times and it's always been solid. Asian food is hard to find in Baltimore but I like Water Song for a clean elevated taste. I got a few items delivered. The fried rice was good - I got it spicy and the dumplings were fine. I will say Water Song is great at vegan dishes but maybe he heavy handed on the Sichuan Peppercorn. The highlight in this order was definitely the BBQ ribs small bites of ribs. I also loved their rice cakes with brown sugar - it reminded me of a dessert I used to eat as a kid! read more

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I happened to be hanging out in the Fed Hill area, something uncommon for me nowadays, so I knew I needed to give Water Song a visit since I'm rarely in the area. The inside is clean and inviting with beautiful murals and nice decor. The place was pretty much completely empty on a Thursday evening. The menu can be a bit confusing to those of us not overly familiar with Yunnan cuisine or the Chinese language. Much of the menu items are not thoroughly described so I felt a little silly asking so many questions. I was really interested in trying the noodles but the server explained to me that every noodle dish comes with meat or in a meat broth. I'm not vegan or even vegetarian, but I don't eat red meat so this pretty much cancelled out all of the options since everything had beef or pork. She suggested I get one of the noodle dishes without the meat but did warn me it'd still be in the beef/pork broth. I obliged and was happy with this modified version of the dish! It had plenty of toppings and I especially liked the flavor of the pickled mustard - very unique! My friend ordered the ribs and we also got the cauliflower to share. My friend wasn't crazy about his ribs noting they were tough and cut up oddly making it hard to eat. The cauliflower, however, was delicious! We were both really impressed with the flavor. The chef, Colin, came out and asked if we'd like to try his new chicken wing creation he was testing out. This was a total surprise but we took him up on his offer! The wings were perfectly seasoned and the sauce they were served with was absolutely incredible. If you like cilantro, you will love that sauce! I believe the chicken wings are officially on the menu now and I'm super happy about this since the menu was definitely lacking a chicken based dish. I will be back to try more and am happy to see some of the options expanding beyond beef and pork - fingers crossed they add a vegetarian noodle dish sometime soon! read more

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Very unique place. The fried snapper is amazing. Will be returning. Try the all you can eat speacial for $45