This restaurant was my go to Friday lunch spot until a recent office move pulled me away from the Chinatown area. The $4.95 lunch special is a great value. When comparing to Joy Tsin Lau, the quality of the food is better but you don't get as much (and you don't get to choose your soup). The house soup is unlike any I've had at a chinese restaurant -- it's a bit like miso soup, only with clear broth instead of the smoky, fish based dashi that is used as the base for typical miso.I've tried the chicken and shrimp with broccoli which are both solid as well as the ma po tofu, the taiwan style pork chop, and the spicy chicken. The ma po tofu and spicy chicken are legitimately spicy so watch out. That little red chili icon means something different here than it does at your standard Chinese joint, so don't be afraid to ask them to tone down the spice if you prefer a more modest level of kick. I was not really sure what to expect the first time I ordered the taiwanese style pork chop and was pleasantly surprised. It's a deep fried pork chop (I scraped most of the breading off, but if I had wanted fried I would have been happy as it was nice and crispy) with a pickled hard-boiled egg, some pickled veggies, and a meat sauce over the rice; it's a very solid meal especially for five bucks.The restaurant is small but clean and the staff is friendly. I'd definitely recommend it.
Reviewed by:
Laura G. on:
1/29/2013 12:43:00 PM
Best Chinese by far in Philly. We have eaten here many times and the only dish I don't like so far is the DanDan Noodles. Great soup dumplings, pan fried dumplings, pork belly (called twice cooked), chicken with hot peppers. Clean, great service, reasonably priced.
Reviewed by:
Melissa W. on:
11/24/2012 7:05:00 AM
3.5 stars, but I'll be nice and round up to 4. The food isn't amazing, but it's fairly inexpensive and plentiful. It tastes fresh and clean, not super heavy or greasy like Chinese food (particularly Cantonese) can be. It's kind of Taiwanese-style Sichuan, and one of the better spots in Chinatown. The Sichuan dishes could use a bit more peppercorn though.The crabs were pretty tasty, and cheap at ~$10 for a generous plate. Their Sichuan style pork belly was tasty as well, and their tea-smoked duck had a very smoky flavor, to the point where it tasted almost like bacon. Yes, bacon-flavored duck. Dan dan noodles were fine, but a bit greasy and not very spicy - not quite as good as Han Dynasty's. Sauteed veggies (snow pea leaves or chinese watercress) with garlic are always good, but it's pretty hard to mess that up.Very reasonably-priced and tasty Chinese food, but you may have to go a few times before you figure out what's good there.
Reviewed by:
Bella P. on:
11/2/2012 10:30:00 AM
Like with most Chinese Restaurants, you have to know what to order at Red King's. I would not get the chicken lo mein or dumpling/dim sum options--they specialize in Sichuan cuisine, so get their Sichuan dishes. They make amazing Sichuan food that features fresh herbs like cilantro and have a cleaner, brighter taste than at the more famous Han Dynasty and at a great price. Their lunch specials are incredible at only $4.95. Highlights include the Ox Tendon, Beef & Beef Stomach, Stir-Fried Pork Kidney And Liver, and the Salt and Pepper Frog . If you aren't interested in exotic, spicy flavors, then you probably won't appreciate Red King's finer qualities. However, they do make some surprisingly good non-spicy dishes such as the Mango Chicken.Of course, there were some dishes I've sampled at Red King's during my many meals there that were disappointments. Again, this is the hazard of dining at Chinese restaurants that have massive, unwieldy menus. I used to love the Poached Chicken, for instance, but its quality has diminished since the first time I had it a year or so ago. Hopefully this dish will return to its former glory, as I've had this dish at many restaurants since and the version at Red King's was the best I've ever tried until recently.Overall great service; the people who work there remember you and are incredibly sweet.
Reviewed by:
AJ P. on:
10/23/2012 6:17:00 AM
My favorite Chinatown restaurant so far! Living off a budget, the $4.95 lunch specials are amazing. Great selection of entrees with soup and tea.I've tried a lot of restaurants here, but nothing beats the quality and the service. Not to mention the nice atmosphere.
Reviewed by:
Ted M. on:
7/29/2012 11:38:00 AM
If you want authentic Sichuan Chinese food, this is the place to go. The waitstaff are very friendly. They were pleasantly surprised to be patronized by a westerner who ordered beef tendons and tripe with chili oil and other exotic sichuan dishes rarely found at Chinese restaurants in the US. They also have some Thai style food that is worth looking at. I've been here 3 times and enjoy it. It is one of my 3 favorite Chinese places in Chinatown.
Reviewed by:
Paul B. on:
5/6/2012 5:27:00 AM
Living close to China town, I've been eating my way through it the last couple of months. Once I heard they had soup dumplings, they moved up my list of places I wanted to eat at in this area of town.The soup dumplings were very flavorful and delicious. Unfortunately that was the best part of the meal by far. I ordered the chicken lo mein. The noodles were decent, but the chicken in the noodles was near unpalatable.My dining companion also had noodle soup, and it was ok, but not great. Nowhere near as good as Nan Zhou or Lan Zhou's versions. I wouldn't rush back here.
Reviewed by:
M B. on:
2/7/2012 5:29:00 PM
Among the many similar restaurants in Chinatown, Red King's stands out.I use my unadventurous wife of more than 40 years for my unique test of Chinese restaurants. During all that time, she has ordered the same dishes every time she eats Chinese food - an egg or spring roll and chicken lo-mein. When you eat the same thing for 40 years, you can distinguish among the good, the bad and the abysmal. She found Red King's to be very good.I try something new each time. Their steamed dumplings were tasty with just the right feeling while their shredded pork with Chinese celery and dry tofu was excellent.In addition, the eating section was quite clean (never look in the kitchen, though).Red King's is a keeper.--
Reviewed by:
tomlhm on:
2011-04-24
Went there today, Be sure to order their Sichuan dishes,I personally think their are nearly Original! My friend who came from Sichuan said she's gonna cry because the food reminds her of her hometown...well, you know girl, but be sure to try them, highly recommended
AVG:(5.0)
