Where to get the best Chinese food in Flagstaff

The Year of the Rabbit begins on Thursday, February 3. Celebrate Chinese New Year with foods considered to be lucky or that symbolize a prosperous new year, Chinese-style. Among the dishes to be on the look out for that are said to bring you luck:

Peking duck and chicken– Symbolizes family unity, togetherness and fidelity.
Noodles – Representing a long life, noodles should be eaten whole. So don’t cut those babies. Just slurp them in whole.
Spring rolls – These symbolize wealth. Why you ask – because their shape is similar to gold bars. At least that’s why they say.
Veggies and fruits – You should eat more of these anyway and they’re considered lucky. Particularly of interest for those seeking fortune – lettuce wraps, tangerines and oranges. Eat up.

Now that you know what you should consider ordering for extra good fortune, here’s a look at some of the places to go in northern Arizona for some of the best Chinese food around.

Golden Dragon
2730 East Lakin Dr (at Steves Blvd), Flagstaff
928-527-0111
Flagstaff’s most upscale Chinese option, the Golden Dragon has recently been remodeled and revamped with a new owner (who used to own Hot Wok Express) and slightly new name. (It was Golden Dragon Bowl). Golden Dragon is a great place to get those lucky noodles! They have two delicious menus. One with classic American Chinese favorites. The other, which they call their “authentic Chinese Cuisine” menu, has more unique offerings. Among the dishes to try here: Hot Chili Oil beef, chicken or pork; beef Chow Fun; Steamed Veggie Dumplings; Szechuan Shrimp; Singapore Curry Noodles; and the House Special Pan-Fried Noodles. But then everything sweet and sour here is sure to please the taste buds too.

Hunan West
1302 Plaza Way, Flagstaff
928-779-2229
A little family-run joint tucked between Planned Parenthood and a dollar store, Hunan West has a friendly staff and some of the best Chinese food in town. The Orange Peel Chicken (which gets in several lucky categories at once) is delicately fried and served in just the right amount of orange sauce. Nothing you’ll find anywhere else in town is quite like this one. Other things to try: Chun Pai Beef, Cashew Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Spicy Broccoli and War Won Ton Soup.

Hot Wok Express
1000 N Humphreys St, Flagstaff (at the far west end of the shopping center)
928-226-1007
A fast food version of Chinese, Hot Wok serves up a quality product even though their eat-in ambience leaves something to be desired. But don’t let that stop you. The food is made fresh and quite tasty. Though the fried stuff can tend to be more greasy than desired there. The Chicken Lo Mein, Moo Goo Gai Pan and Broccoli Beef are can’t fail options. For ultimate convenience, call ahead and swing by the drive up window. Perfect for snowy days! Even if you don’t have a menu in front of you, the folks here will help you find what you want.

Szechuan Chinese Restaurant
1350 W Highway 89A, Ste 21, Sedona
Menu online: szechuansedona.net
Head down to Sedona’s Szechuan if you’re looking for the fancier side of Chinese dining in Northern Arizona. Szechuan is an ornate restaurant with a full menu for every desire. Everything on the menu is well prepared and full of flavor with a presentation and service of equal quality. I particularly recommend the Garlic Green Beans, Orange Chicken, Chicken with Broccoli and Yuan-Yang Flavors.



(This article first ran in Flagstaff Live, also written by me!)

Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant in Flagstaff, AZ (includes menus)

Golden Dragon
2730 East Lakin Dr (at Steves Blvd), Flagstaff
928-527-0111

Flagstaff’s most upscale Chinese option, the Golden Dragon has recently been remodeled and revamped with a new owner (who used to own Hot Wok Express but recently sold it to Hot Wok's cook) and slightly new name. (It was Golden Dragon Bowl).
The building is ornate and colorful both inside and out. The staff here is friendly and eager to make recommendations if you're not sure what you want to get after browsing the menus. There are so many choices because Golden Dragon has two menus - both are scanned in below, as they don't have a website anywhere. One with classic American Chinese favorites, including lunch specials. The other, which they call their “authentic Chinese Cuisine” menu, has more unique offerings.
Among the dishes to try here: Hot Chili Oil beef, chicken or pork; beef Chow Fun; Steamed Veggie Dumplings; Szechuan Shrimp; Singapore Curry Noodles; and the House Special Pan-Fried Noodles. But then everything sweet and sour here is sure to please the taste buds too.
Portions can be on the smaller side, especially on the lunch combos. But the quality of food and service more than make up for that. We find it a delight to eat here.

Hunan West in Flagstaff, AZ (includes look at menu)

Hunan West
1302 Plaza Way, Flagstaff
928-779-2229

On the hunt for Chinese food in Flagstaff, which is not known as the place for this variety despite the variety of other good Asian restaurants here, we tried Hunan West on the recommendation of a few Twitter friends.
This typical Chinese restaurant in tucked into a shopping center between Planned Parenthood and The Dollar Store. Yet inside it's homey with several booths and tables packed in and a giant mural of on the wall. We were greeted by a sweet little girl who sat us then returned to pretend feeding her doll at her table. All the servers were friendly and attentive.
Lunch special here are bargain priced in the $5-$6 range, including soup, fried won ton chips, rice and the entree. You can also find what they call their "Super Meal" deal all day for $8.95, which is the same as above plus a soft drink and egg roll and a large selection of entree choices. (See Super Meal menu below).

Chicken Chow Mein lunch special

Among the entrees recommended: Chun Pai Beef, Cashew Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and War Won Ton Soup. I tried the Chicken Chow Mein - a basic dish with nice chunks of breast of chicken and lo mein noodles, though it didn't knock my socks off, it was quality and filling. My husband tried the Orange Peel Chicken, a house specialty - this one is quite tasty with delicately fried chunks of chicken in a flavorful but not over-powering orange sauce. The won ton soup that comes with the entree as an appetizer is excellent. (Though the menu says no soups included on lunch specials on to go orders.) I'm already planning a trip back to try the Spicy Broccoli entree and Moo Goo Gai Pan, two Chinese food favorite of mine.
Hunan West doesn't have to go menus or a website, so below are a few pics (better than nothing) of their lunch menu as well as a scan of their super meal menu:

Szechuan Chinese Restaurant

By Angele Sionna

• 1350 W Highway 89A, Ste 21, Sedona


• Menu online: szechuansedona.com

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>>= good, but not great

The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xxxx= comfortable

Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$$                 $10

Value (what you get for your money)
**** = worth it - you won’t be disappointed with what you get for your money

Wanna break from the Mexican choices in Sedona (though there are several good ones)?

Check out the Szechuan Chinese Restaurant off 89A in the 2nd shopping center on the right after you pass the two traffic circles in the crossroads area of town.

The dinner menu is pricey for Chinese but normal for Sedona at about $11 for most dishes. The do have a lunch special menu which looks more reasonably priced at about $8 per person, but comes with soup or salad plus an eggroll and fried wonton. Do note the menu says they charge $4 for splitting a plate.

They do have a $5 plain noodles dish that is perfect for kiddos and plenty to share. Portions on the regular dishes aren't generous enough to split. One entree is truly for one person, unlike other Chinese restaurants. But the taste is great.

We ordered the Orange Chicken and the Chicken with Broccoli and both were great. By far the best Chinese in Northern Arizona. I'm glad we found this place. We'll definitely be back. I only wish it was located in Flagstaff, which is badly lacking in good Chinese.

Chi's Cuisine Chinese & Thai Food

Chi's Cuisine Chinese & Thai Food

114 N Cortez, Prescott, AZ

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>>>= a favorite, can count on it being good every time

The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xx= nothing to write home about

Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$$                 $10

Value (what you get for your money)
**** = worth it - you won’t be disappointed with what you get for your money

Chi's is a little whole in the wall Chinese restaurant in downtown Prescott. It has a few simple tables on two floors. The food is the best I've had in Northern Arizona.

Prices for dinner entrees are around $10, but the portions are generous. During the week Chi's has lunch specials too. For $6, you get to pick to of the items of the day plus get fried rice and lo mein.

While the name says Thai food, don't go looking for Thai. There's not much Thai on the menu. But the Chinese is plentiful with lots of variety. Particularly of note: the orange chicken and chicken lo mein.
Other items I've tried and like include: spring rolls, garlic broccoli, green beans, beef broccoli and wonton soup.

Chi's has changed management in the past year and the waiters and waitresses can barely speak English but the food is still great, full of flavor and not too salty. I wish they had one of these in Flagstaff!

Monsoon on the Rim

By Angele Sionna

6 East Aspen Ave, Flagstaff, AZ (downtown)
(no menu online)

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Monsoon's Mandarin Orange Chicken"][/caption]

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>>= mixed bag, can be good but can be bad, can’t count on it

The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
xxxx= comfortable

Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$$ = $10

Value (what you get for your money)
** = okay - overpriced for quality/taste

Asian fusion is how Monsoon on the Rim downtown Flagstaff describes itself. Japanese, Thai, and Chinese are all represented on the menu. It had been a while since I’d been to Monsoon, but I decided to go there earlier this week because I got a great coupon in the mail for a free dinner with purchase of another dinner and two beverages. That’s like a personal invitation to me. Plus, the coupon stated across the top: “Under new ownership! Completely Redecorated!” So we went. I couldn’t really remember why we stopped going there. We used to go weekly when we first moved to town.

When we walked in the door, I didn’t notice any of the “completely redecorated” portions of the restaurant. It looked pretty much the same, minus a new paint job and some light fixtures. Monsoon always had a nice feel to it with large windows around two sides of the restaurant looking out onto one of downtown’s busiest streets.

We opted to sit out on the patio because it was a nice night. The patio is very casual. People seem to linger here longer than inside the restaurant, busy people watching as they eat their meals.

When the waitress brought the menu, it looked pretty much as I remembered it, except for one little detail I’m sure the owners were hoping customers would forget – the prices. There are two menus now with different prices. The dinner menu tacks an extra $2 to each entrée. But you don’t get any extra food or better service or even different plates. It’s all the same, it just costs more – maybe to pay for the new paint job inside? I would have preferred the old look with the cheaper prices.

When I took the first bite into my dinner, I remembered why we used to come here. The Mandarin Chicken ($9.99) is great. It’s breaded and fried into crispy strips and coated with a sweet orange sauce with water chestnuts, carrots and celery mixed in and is served with white rice.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Monsoon's Chow Mein"][/caption]

A few minutes later when it was all gone, I remembered why we stopped going to Monsoon: the portions are small (though cleverly and deceptively spread out thinly across oval plates) and the prices are high for what you’re getting. (That, and our favorite waitress Marla stopped working here and relocated over to Beaver Street Brewery, where we see her often.)
They even cut back on the amount of white rice that is served with the meal. You used to get a big bowl of white rice for the table to share, but this time we got a tiny bowl. Not really enough to compliment the dish, even though it is on the skimpy serving side as well.
We also ordered the Chicken Chow Mein ($9.99). It has a gingery kick, but is short on vegetables. I’m not sure why it’s called chow mein when it is served with lo mein noodles, but they taste good. (Read the difference between lo mein & chow mein HERE) Though again, a small portion is served and no rice comes with it.
If you want friend rice, that’ll be an extra $9.99, as it is served as an entrée. The old menu, which I happen to have a copy of and am looking at as I type this, had fried rice for just $5. You can order any entrée for the price listed on the menu with beef, chicken or tofu. If you want to upgrade that to shrimp, calamari, or scallops, Monsoon adds on an extra $3.
The food tasted exactly as I remembered it, which is a good thing, as flavor is not something lacking at Monsoon. Other items we’ve ordered and enjoyed in the past include the Spicy Calamari ($9.99) (which used to be on the appetizer menu for $6), Mongolian Beef ($9.99), and the Szechuan Broccoli Beef ($9.99). There are also vegetarian options, which I’ve tried in the past, including Steamed Broccoli ($7.99) which is stir-fried with water chestnuts and carrots and Szechuan Green Beans ($7.99), stir fried with onions and peppers for a little spiciness.

The appetizer menu includes: Edamame ($4), Spring Rolls (2/$4), Chicken Lettuce Wraps ($8) (again, these used to be much cheaper at $4.50), and more. Deserts look interesting, though I’ve never tried them, with such choices as Chocolate Seduction with raspberry sauce ($4), Banana Spring Rolls ($7) and Plum Ice Cream ($4).

Despite good tasting food, when you consider the jacked up prices for food, sodas that cost $2 (and we had to ask every time for a refill), and service that was lacking (our waitress did not seem like she wanted to be there), Monsoon isn’t the kind of spot I’m going to be heading back to any time soon. If I’m going to over pay for food, I at least expect good service. *TIP: If you go, look for the “Money in the Mail” coupons beforehand. You can save quite a bit. I wouldn’t recommend going for dinner with out one.

For more photos of Monsoon on the Rim, click HERE.

Hot Wok Express

By Angele Sionna

1000 N. Humphreys St. #243
Fort Valley Shopping Center, Flagstaff
(no menu online)

The Food (taste/flavor/quality of food & drinks)
>> = mixed bag, can be good but can be bad, can’t count on it

The Atmosphere (environment, wait staff, comfortableness)
x= if the food's good enough, still worth going, otherwise forget it

Price (what to generally expect to pay per person per entree)
$= under $10

Value (what you get for your money)
Lunch *** = fair -you get what you pay for, not in a bad way
Dinner ** = okay - overpriced for quality/taste

Flagstaff is known for its beautiful mountains, gorgeous hikes, and wonderful weather; not it’s Chinese food. There’s a reason for that. Ask any local and they’ll tell you, Flag is not the place to find great, or even consistently good, Chinese. If you surveyed ten Flag residents about where they go for Chinese, their answers would most likely differ. In fact, I’ve had long discussions at dinner parties on this very topic. The one thing we all agreed on, Flagstaff could use a standout Chinese restaurant.

But as things go, sometimes you just want Chinese food. Kung Fu Panda put my family in the mood for it this weekend. Those noodle bowls Poe the panda makes were calling our name. So we headed to Hot Wok Express. This little restaurant is tucked away in the far left corner of the Fort Valley Shopping Center. It’s kind of hard to find if you aren’t looking carefully. Hot Wok is popular with people who work at or visit the hospital, which is right around the corner.

There’s nothing fancy about Hot Wok Express. The tables, chairs, and booths are all made of plastic. The interior looks a lot like most fast food spots, except for the oversized Chinese fans scattered around the walls. The fluorescent lighting doesn’t help the atmosphere either. It feels sterile and generic. This isn’t the type of place you’d go for a romantic or nice dinner. In fact, I would skip the sit down meal here all together. Instead use the drive-thru window. It’s particularly a good idea if you want to grab food on the go with the kids in the car without the hassle of unloading them. Another good option, Hot Wok delivers in a limited area for an extra charge.

We arrived hungry and craving Chinese food at 2:30pm. At most restaurants that would mean we would’ve been out of luck for getting in on lunch specials, but not at Hot Wok. They have lunch specials seven days a week from 11am to 4pm. For about five bucks, the specials are a bargain. In addition to a wide array of entrees, you also get an egg roll, crab puff, cup of soup, and steamed or fried rice. You can sub lo mein for the rice for an extra $1.50. Hot Wok is essentially a fast food joint; except here food is made when you order it and you get more variety.

On this visit we got Chicken Lo Mein with steamed rice, Kung Pao Beef with fried rice, and Orange Chicken with fried rice to split between three adults and one child. Plenty of food to go around. None of us got the soup because we don’t like hot and sour soup or egg drop soup, which were the choices today.

The Chicken Lo Mein has a distinct soy sauce and garlic flavor but is not spicy. The noodles aren’t as plump as I’ve had at other Chinese restaurants. Veggies aren’t plentiful in this dish, neither is the chicken. The Kung Pao Beef has water chestnuts, peanuts, and a sweet and spicy brown sauce. This dish has a ginger bite with lots of beef and water chestnuts. The Orange Chicken is fried with a crispy outside and chewy inside. It is surprisingly spicy. You take a bite and first notice the sweet and by the time you’re done chewing –bam- you’re hit with the spice.

As for the sides, the white rice isn’t moist and sticky like I’ve come to expect at a Chinese restaurant, which is a shame. I really enjoy sticky rice, as does my daughter. The fried rice was also dry and didn’t have much flavor. In fact, it hardly resembles fried rice at all except for the egg bits. But on the upside, their egg rolls are yummy, not too greasy, and filled with cabbage and carrots, no pork.

All in all, the three dishes and sides we had were average. On other visits to Hot Wok I’ve had better. I recommend ordering Moo Goo Gai Pan, Broccoli Chicken, or Cashew Chicken, all I have enjoyed more than today’s choices. While Hot Wok is nowhere near the best Chinese I’ve had, compared to other Chinese in town, Hot Wok gets my vote because it is quick and cheap.