You know you have a problem when the owner is familiar with your voice when you are ordering food over the phone. This is true for me whenever I order carry-out from Golden Wok. Golden Wok is located at 405 E University Avenue in Champaign and offers a combination of Chinese, Thai, and Singaporean cuisine. My family mainly orders Thai specialties, so I apologize that this review may not showcase the full purview of what Golden Wok offers.
I have frequented Golden Wok for over a decade, so I may be biased in thinking that the restaurant serves delicious, tasty, and unforgettable Thai dishes. It’s the perfect carry-out option when you’re having company over or for a family feast. My family of six ordered six dishes to enjoy family style. I will warn you in advance that we ordered mainly noodles and rice dishes, and it was carbo-terrific.
The first dish is a staple, and my family thinks it’s the best pad Thai in town. We ordered chicken pad Thai ($11.75). I have tried to make pad Thai at home, and I just can’t seem to perfect the sauce as well as the consistency of the noodles. The best part of all of these noodles and rice dishes at Golden Wok is that there’s an option to add extra noodles/rice for $2.95 more. This is perfect when you are feeding a larger family or crowd. We ordered all of our dishes with extra noodles or rice. Their chicken pad Thai has bean sprouts, peanuts, and carrots and lime on the side.
Next, we got both the chicken pad-se-ew ($12.35) with stir-fried egg noodles. To me, the pad-se-ew had a little sweeter taste and was served with broccoli.
The tofu pad kee mow ($12.35) also had stir-fried wide noodles. Pad Kee Mow had more vegetables: green peppers, onions, baby corn, carrots, bamboo shoots, and broccoli. The wide noodles were chewy and one of my favorites.
Additionally, we got beef pad lard nar ($12.35), deep-fried wide noodles. Because this noodle is deep-fried, it is crispy and the sauce comes on the side. Right before we ate this, we poured the sauce over the noodles and mixed it up. The pad lard nar’s sauce was more gravy-like and had broccoli, carrots, and onions.
The combination fried rice ($11.95) included beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp. It was loaded with flavor and suited even the pickiest of eaters. This dish complemented our other meat, veggie, and soup dishes well. I typically only get fried rice as a side, but this combination fried rice could be suitable as a main dish.
Lastly, we ordered chicken green curry ($10.95), which had eggplant, basil, bamboo shoots, and carrots. It had a little spice to it, but the spice level did not overwhelm. We poured the green curry over the white rice because I like mine soupier with less rice. I have also tried the red curry, yellow curry, and panang curry, which were all very good; it just depends on what I’m in the mood for.
Although this sounds like a lot of food, an added bonus is these dishes also taste great reheated for the next day, so we are happy to have leftovers.
If you are looking for a quick lunch option, Golden Wok offers lunch specials for $9.50 from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays. They have classic options like kung pow chicken, beef broccoli, pad Thai, and many others that are served with an egg roll and fried rice. They also offer daily specials for a reduced price and this can be ordered all throughout the day. Lastly, Golden Wok just renovated their tables and seating, you should come in and check out their new furniture and consider dining in.
It has a nostalgia that brings folks back even when they have moved away from the Champaign-Urbana area. Golden Wok is open Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m. until 7:45 p.m., on Saturday same hours but they open at noon, and they are closed on Sunday. There’s dine in, carry out, or use the delivery option. The food is made to order, so it is freshly made and warm to taste, however, there is minimal wait time, approximately 15-20 minutes.
Check out the full menu here.
Golden Wok
405 E University Ave
Champaign
M-F 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Sa noon to 7:45 p.m.