Authentic Chinese Food in Riverside/5 Points?

[ben says]

Honestly, I don't think the lack of authentic Chinese in Jax has anything to do with squeamishness or ignorance. I just think most of the guys who own these hole-in-the-wall, drug-front-esque places have done a cost/benefit analysis, and the money is in the dirt-cheap, shrimp-from-Asia, sesame chicken joints. You're going to be hard-pressed to find an owner that wants to hire more staff, cook more food, push carts around, and hire more chefs just to satisfy a few dozen "I want dim sum"ers.

[JaxNative68]

PF Changs??

You're banned.   

+1

+2

[Rynjny]

Honestly, I don't think the lack of authentic Chinese in Jax has anything to do with squeamishness or ignorance. I just think most of the guys who own these hole-in-the-wall, drug-front-esque places have done a cost/benefit analysis, and the money is in the dirt-cheap, shrimp-from-Asia, sesame chicken joints. You're going to be hard-pressed to find an owner that wants to hire more staff, cook more food, push carts around, and hire more chefs just to satisfy a few dozen "I want dim sum"ers.

+1

[fieldafm]

Unfortunately, Hung Thinh closed recently.

Buck-up Field, they didn't close, just relocated.  They opened up behind the Arby's across the street into their own building on their own land. 

New Store, New Merchandise, Same Smell.

What???  Cari texted me the other day they had closed.  Wow, this is great news!  Think I might swing by this weekend for some bahn mi!

[fieldafm]

Karam's

Karams on Hodges/Beach is pretty fantastic.

[Rynjny]

it would be nice if jacksonville have some kind of asian/china town in its downtown..

[fsujax]

The  only place to get any authentic Chinese food anywhere in the southern US is on the Buford Hwy Atlanta. Sorry.

[ben says]

Karam's

Karams on Hodges/Beach is pretty fantastic.

Haven't been to this location. Would love to check it out.

it would be nice if jacksonville have some kind of asian/china town in its downtown..

HAHA

The  only place to get any authentic Chinese food anywhere in the southern US is on the Buford Hwy Atlanta. Sorry.

Went there last weekend for Dim Sum. Fantastic...also worth going to near there is the Dekalb Farmers Market. Wow.

[5pointy]

am wondering if there are any Chinese restaurants that are actually making and cooking the food? Everywhere I've gone it seems like they are defrosting and heating up packaged food. I'd love to sit down or call in and pick up a meal where there was some actual prep and cooking going on.

Are there any out there in the area?

I grew up near San Francisco Chinatown, and so I know what you mean! You might want to check out China Joy on Margaret St/Five Points--two doors down from Starbucks. They have an open kitchen--you can see them chopping and woking madly away. I don't think they use defrosted/heated up food. I have seen their stacks of shrimp in the kitchen too.
The menu is the standard pre-printed thing, but they will change it up for you if you ask. The young Asian guy with the pink hair is usually who will take your order. He and another young woman work the counter and speak English. They shout orders only in Chinese though, and your ticket will be in Chinese.
I eat take out from them about every week and overall am always satisfied.

[Rynjny]

am wondering if there are any Chinese restaurants that are actually making and cooking the food? Everywhere I've gone it seems like they are defrosting and heating up packaged food. I'd love to sit down or call in and pick up a meal where there was some actual prep and cooking going on.

Are there any out there in the area?

I grew up near San Francisco Chinatown, and so I know what you mean! You might want to check out China Joy on Margaret St/Five Points--two doors down from Starbucks. They have an open kitchen--you can see them chopping and woking madly away. I don't think they use defrosted/heated up food. I have seen their stacks of shrimp in the kitchen too.
The menu is the standard pre-printed thing, but they will change it up for you if you ask. The young Asian guy with the pink hair is usually who will take your order. He and another young woman work the counter and speak English. They shout orders only in Chinese though, and your ticket will be in Chinese.
I eat take out from them about every week and overall am always satisfied.

But that's like any other chinese take out restaurant, IE Wok and Roll, Hot Wok..they're not real chinese food.

[KenFSU]

PF Changs??

+1

+2

-1 (bringing the current total to +1)

I'll take PF Changs over the MSG-drowned cheap Chinese food you find in most strip malls here in Jacksonville.

Even Panda Express.

The 904 isn't exactly a haven for authentic Chinese food.

[ben says]

am wondering if there are any Chinese restaurants that are actually making and cooking the food? Everywhere I've gone it seems like they are defrosting and heating up packaged food. I'd love to sit down or call in and pick up a meal where there was some actual prep and cooking going on.

Are there any out there in the area?

I grew up near San Francisco Chinatown, and so I know what you mean! You might want to check out China Joy on Margaret St/Five Points--two doors down from Starbucks. They have an open kitchen--you can see them chopping and woking madly away. I don't think they use defrosted/heated up food. I have seen their stacks of shrimp in the kitchen too.
The menu is the standard pre-printed thing, but they will change it up for you if you ask. The young Asian guy with the pink hair is usually who will take your order. He and another young woman work the counter and speak English. They shout orders only in Chinese though, and your ticket will be in Chinese.
I eat take out from them about every week and overall am always satisfied.

I also go to China Joy on Margaret, mainly because it's convenient. I, too, like how you can see that it's a clean kitchen and run by Chinese. That being said, everything I get from them seems to be pretty bland and dressed in their gooey/glue-like sauce they use. I tell them "please make it spicy," hoping maybe the spice will inject some flavor...only addition is a few chili flakes that get drowned out by the "sauce."

PF Changs??

+1

+2

-1 (bringing the current total to +1)

I'll take PF Changs over the MSG-drowned cheap Chinese food you find in most strip malls here in Jacksonville.

Even Panda Express.

The 904 isn't exactly a haven for authentic Chinese food.

I highly disagree. P.F. Changs is identical to those cheap Chinese food places...take away the square-footage, the name brand, the million square feet, the high rent, and the snotty waiters, and go into their kitchen...I bet they use the same ingredients China Joy does. Last few times there I've actually gotten pretty sick from their sauces and their meats. It's not a good sign when a restaurant brings three complimentary beef and chicken dishes to the table. The quality is so poor and the prices are so cheap, they're literally giving the food away! At least China Joy is cheap...

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

-1 (bringing the current total to +1)

I'll take PF Changs over the MSG-drowned cheap Chinese food you find in most strip malls here in Jacksonville.

Even Panda Express.

The 904 isn't exactly a haven for authentic Chinese food.

I guess we can agree to disagree.  I find the little hot-wok places to be on par with PFC (KFC?!?) with regards to the traditional rice/noodle based dishes.  I haven't been in the storage area of either to really know where the ingredients are procured from, but flavor-wise....  not seeing a difference. 

[Rynjny]

-1 (bringing the current total to +1)

I'll take PF Changs over the MSG-drowned cheap Chinese food you find in most strip malls here in Jacksonville.

Even Panda Express.

The 904 isn't exactly a haven for authentic Chinese food.

I guess we can agree to disagree.  I find the little hot-wok places to be on par with PFC (KFC?!?) with regards to the traditional rice/noodle based dishes.  I haven't been in the storage area of either to really know where the ingredients are procured from, but flavor-wise....  not seeing a difference.

Hot Woks are so much better than PFCs, and cost way less..just not better service haha..

[ben says]

I have a friend who works at the PFC in Orlando...works in the kitchen. Told me a few months back that most of the food he works with comes from Sysco. The proteins come from China, and the fish/shrimp comes from factory farms from god-knows-where.

PFC is a restaurant/marketing exec's dream...pay the same for food, charge double or triple what your competitors are charging.