Every year in late February I go out for dinner with a Beautiful Friend to celebrate our mutual birthdays, which fall just days apart. This year, my BF suggested Sam Wok, a regular go-to for her, as she has fallen in love with their Wor Won Ton Soup. We made a reservation, which proved unnecessary, but is never a bad idea. Sam Wok is located in and older motel/motor court located on Calgary Trail S at 67 ave, and is as unassuming a restaurant as you could ask for. I love places like this for their lack of pretension and for their potential to be a hidden gem. I like family run restaurants and cafes that exude character that has not been purchased from a restaurant supply warehouse. The restaurant itself is far from fancy, and any semblance of "decor" seems rather haphazard. It is small, but cozy, rough around the edges, but clean. There are booths along one wall, and several tables with comfortable chairs around the main area. The booths are comfortable and roomy, which is increasingly rare in a world where so many cafes seem to take their seating strategy from budget airlines. The menu is vast and the choices appealing, but we went with the Wor Won Ton soup and the House Special Chow Mein, to share. Tea had landed within moments of sitting down, and our food arrived in very good time. We had considered ordering a third dish, but ended up glad we did not, as both of these portions were large, and by the time we were done, had left us comfortably full and happy. The soup was loaded with goodness, the Won Tons large and home made. There were also plump, juicy shrimp and delicious BBQ pork along with everything else you would expect. All the ingredients were fresh and delicious. The Chow Mein was also excellent, incorporating many of the same ingredients, on a bed of perfectly cooked noodles and ample delicious sauce. We were there for the long haul, as we wanted to catch up and chat, and we went through 3 pots of tea in the 2 hours we spent. We never felt rushed, and we were not the only table doing this. We were, however the only table of diners not of Asian extraction. This is always a good sign to me. If you want great Chinese food (or any other) go where folks of that culture go. When we finally settled up, our total bill was $27, less tip. Great food, Great value, nice people cooking and serving. These folks are proud of their food, and with good reason. If you are a fan of great Chinese food, and not afraid of a low rent location, you need to eat here. I will definitely be back. read more

Sam Wok Restaurant - Wor WonTon Soup - Absolutely delicious. As good as any I have had. - Chinese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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Best Shanghai noodles in Edmonton. Don't let the modest atmosphere deter you. Delicious wonton soup. Better with thin noodles. Great Gai lan.The food is simply great. It won't arrive in any particular order. It will come fresh as they make it. It's all delicious. Just enjoy it. Eat here. read more

Enroute to the southside and saw Sam Wok's sign, have never been there since they moved south and it is close to lunch time so I went, why not and stopped. First impression was not good, the entrance way was filled with old newspaper and garbage, once you are in, the first thing you see is a plastic plant covered with dust. As I had said, it was lunch time, there were two occupied tables in the whole restaurant. The TVs are nice, with news on full time to keep you occupied; but the furnishings need work, a lot of work. It also can use a major head to toe cleaning. If you are familiar with the Triple D show on the food network, this restaurant fit squarely in the third D's category. The waitress slowly strolled over with a menu and some completely flavourless tea. If not for the colour, I may not have guessed that it was tea. The lunch menus was surprisingly small, fits nicely on half a page. I ordered the Dry Fried Beef Hor Fun, one of my favourite Chinese noodle dish. I have decided that it is the best dish to gauge how good a Chinese noodle restaurant is. The lunch Hor Fun came with the soup of the day and a coffee; all for $10, not a bad deal at all. The coffee, not a good sign when the waitress employed the microwave to warm up the coffee before bring it to me. Even with cream and sugar already added, it was bad, undrinkable bad. Seriously, this restaurant served me microwave reheated coffee. The soup of the day was a bit of a mystery to me. The flavour was very mild, taste a little bit like melon soup. It wasn't very good but drinkable with a little bit of salt. The Hor Fun came shortly after the soup and coffee. It was fresh and hot, smelled fantastic. I had to wait a few minutes to dig in, it came straight from the chef's wok to my table. It smelled good, it looked good, it tasted meh... I think the chef forgot to add salt, or something. The beef was tender but lacks that certain "beef" taste, can I say "the beef tasted like chicken"?. The portion was huge. Once I added a touch of salt, it was good (note the trend here). Would I return, unlikely. The place was a dive, the drinks were horrible, the service was meh and the food was meh. Unless I am desperate for a plate of noodles and I am stranded in the neighbourhood with no car, pretty much I would drive the extra few blocks south to get some real noodles. Things have definitely changed from the Whyte Ave days; gone was the busy vibrant cheap noodle joint which caters to the Asian crowd. Now, it is a run down, dirty, mediocre wannabe noodle place, no Asians in sight, not sure who the restaurant caters to anymore. Too bad I couldn't give them 1 1/2 stars, they don't quite deserve the 1 star rating but then I couldn't justify going up to 2 stars either. read more

Sam Wok Restaurant - The $10 lunch with Dry Fried Beef Hor Fun, Soup of the Day, Coffee and Tea. - Chinese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Despite connecting to a sketchy motel, this is a pretty decent place for Chinese food in the south side. Food quality is decent, although sometimes they do add a bit too much sauce to some of their dishes (namely their chow mein) which can makes things a bit too salty. Prices are very good, cheaper than most places. Service is incredibly quick, yet still tastes pretty fresh and not reheated. Definitely a good place for Chinese food on a budget or in a hurry. read more

A nice decent "been around a long time" Chinese restaurant. Informal, 60's linoleum type tables, and good "real" Cantonese food. read more

Sam Wok Restaurant - the front of the restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Sam Wok is one of those places you only ever go for a late dinner with friends. It's quiet, cozy, open late and the food is just right. Service is prompt, if curt, and the food comes to your table when it's ready, so there's not too much waiting around. The savory pork buns are nummy, and the brisket is very delicious. In fact, I can't think of s anything on the menu that isn't at least "good." Oh, and a major selling point for me - the portions are decent for the price point. Really... I can't say it's anything special - but that's okay! Some places don't need to be special to hit the spot, you know? It's one of those hidden little gems you know about, and you go to when you crave it, or the mood is right. It's been mentioned that the place looks a little sketchy on the outside, but don't let that dissuade you - Sam Wok is perfect for hardy a late night meal after a night out with friends. read more

A couple of years back a guy pulled shears on me and tried to mug me just outside this place, and I ran in, explained what happened and asked to use their phone to call the police. A middle-aged Asian man (probably the manager) shooed me out, locked the front door, folded his arms and stared me down until I left (to wander around back outside where the guy who threatened me could easily have been waiting). I went to the ski shop just south of this place and they were much more accommodating. Needless to say I will never give this place any business. It looks absolutely disgusting, run down and decrepit as well. read more

I''m pretty sure I have only go to this place after a night out and I'm pretty sure that's how many people have experienced it. This location is pretty nice, and it doesn't attract the usual drunk crowd is used to and that's a good thing. The food is good and greasy, again perfect for a night of drinking. I don't ever think of going here at any other time and I don't think I ever will come here at any other time. For me it is all about the late night meal and the "after hours" spot for the hungry. read more

Favourite Chinese. There is no better house special fried rice in the country. Plus, they are open all the time and late. I always grab takeout from here to bring back home when we are visiting Edmonton. read more

Sam Wok is a great place for some late night food. It's connected to the Roadrunner motel so it looks sketchy, but it is actually very good. They were actually shut down this summer for health code violations. But they have since reopened and are doing well. I love Sam Wok's hot pots. They are so good and they come out to the table as soon as they are ready. I love food that doesn't sit under a eat lamp that dries it up. I recommend sharing some dishes so that way, when the first dish arrives, everyone can start eating right away. It's just better that way. Be aware that once you order and your food gets dropped off, you are on your own though. They have table service but not much of it. You'll more than likely have to go up to the counter if you need anything after you get your food. read more

I absolutely loved this Chinese place!! You can order through skip the dishes and it comes delivered to your door!! All the food had amazing flavour and the general chicken (which tastes just like general zaou's chicken) was a Chinese food dish I had been looking for forever!! I give this place five stars just for that!! Although honestly it deserved it for so many things!! read more

Alright...this place use to be a favorite of mine when it was back at its old location across from the Blockbuster video. But due to health concerns, they had to close down and move to a new location. So after a night of drinking and fun in the club. Coming to Sam Wok was always a good place to come with friends. The menu line up had so much good stuff to choose from: variety of soups, entrees, some quick chinese dishes, etc. The one thing I always looked forward too was Long Donut wrapped in a rice roll with sweet soy sauce poured over it...this was the best thing. it was nice for texture of the soft rice roll and the crusty donut in the middle with the sweet taste of the soy sauce. This was the bomb-diggity. Unfortunately during their move, they have taken this off their menu. Yes this place would have been a 5 star on the borad for me, but the new location and the removal of the 1 dish its a 3 out of 5. i know, I know I'm being to harsh but come on....Is it to much for a lil satisfaction, is it to much to have a Longdonut rice roll after a night of dancing? read more

When this place was in old strathcona it was really good .Good food at good prices. I was disappointed it closed. I discovered its new location later by accident on calgary trail south and tried it out and it was pretty bad. Kind of a dive really. Vegetables were all overcooked to a pale green colour and moosh. Won't be going back now. read more

The absolute best Chinese food I've ever had.l, and I've eaten at a lot of Chinese restaurants. Super friendly staff, and a cozy, homey feel. We were greeted as we came in, and immediately brought a pot of amazing tea. The wait time was short, considering what we ordered. Super fresh and absolutely amazing!!! read more

I've been here multiple times, I would always get the combination b which is a dinner for 1. The last few times we were there, we noticed that the food wasn't as good as before thinking that maybe there was a new cook? Only to find out there was an article in the paper how this business is being fined, so not storing food away properly, the cooks not washing their hands etc! It's disgusting, I'll never return here EVER again! read more

Sam wok never fails me. They are the best chinese food spot in Edmonton. Their salted fish fried rice.......YUMMMMMMM

Very good. Got the special fried rice. Loads of protiens. Perfectly seasoned.

Previously located where Planet Organic now is in Old Strathcona, before an unfortunate fire, Sam Wok is now located further down the same street on 76th Avenue. It shares a building with the Roadrunner Motel, which makes it look seedier than the run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant, but it's still the same fantastically delicious and cheap food. I was sad to hear that the old location was no more, but this sadness was quickly dashed away when I learned it's just down the street (yay!). The service is still efficiently quick, and the food is still yummy, and the biggest bargain you will get for your buck, in terms of Chinese food in this city. There's nothing here I've tried that I haven't liked, so I'll just say I recommend everything! read more

Absolutely appalling behaviour by the server tonight. We went for dinner, and my friend asked whether the pork wontons only had pork in them. The server confirmed that it was pork and so my friend ordered the wontons. The food came out and after eating a few pieces, my friend noticed that there was shrimp in it, and she is allergic to shrimp so her tongue started tingling. We called the server over and asked whether the wontons had shrimp, the server then said it has both pork and shrimp, even though the menu lists them as "pork wontons". We mentioned that my friend is allergic to shrimp, which the server then just chuckled and walked away (without apologizing). When we went to pay for the bills, the wontons were still on my friend's bill, even though she left most of them on the table. We firmly told the server that we had asked about the wontons and she told us they were pork and the menu lists them as pork, so we don't believe that our friend should have to pay for this. The server then started blaming us, stating that we should have asked her whether it had shrimp in them and that it's our fault for not mentioning about the allergies. She continuously repeated "I'm not in the wrong here" and even told this to the customers still in the restaurant after we left. Even if we were in the wrong, the way the situation was handled was absolutely unacceptable - there should have been an apology for the misunderstanding and an awareness that this situation could have resulted in serious consequences. read more

I wanted some Asian food after shopping at home depot strathcona. Was told about sam wok Across the street. Service was good, The restaurant was a little iffy, but the food was damm good, and that's what matters 4 stars solid read more

Don't let the store front discourage you. Yes, the decor is a bit 80's. But the food is as close as you can get to chinese food. Fairly large portions. This place has lots of parking. They are open late on Fridays & Saturdays. Don't expect AAA service here...but the waitresses are friendly & helpful. Writing this review is making me hungry. I think I'll drop by for lunch. read more

The boyfriend has loved Sam Wok for quite a few years.. Thought I would give it a try. No. Just no. They use grass mat runners that look like they're from Dollarama as window coverings. It is an eye sore. The food was OK -- until I found a hair in my first bite.... And another in a different dish we ordered. The woman/women running the place sat in the lobby late at night and were loud and obnoxious while we waited for our takeout. Yes, they were very pleasant and even provided paper plates for us for take out... But cleanliness is a huge factor. I don't want to know what the kitchen looks like if they won't even invest in better window coverings... Wear a damn hair net. read more

Being going there for years. Best gingerbeef I've ever had. Always busy. Most consistent restaurant I can think of. I've been going here for about 20 years. I can't recall ever not being happy with something. Highly recommend read more

This place is cheap, fast and pretty tasty. I read the other reviews about the restaurant being shut down from the old location because of health violations, and that's inaccurate. They had a fire, needed to move and planet organic took possession of the space. The service is quick, and can seem curt. Don't let this dissuade you if you need cheap, fast food. The servers are friendly, but tend to move fast. read more

Sam Wok is the best place in town for ginger beef and house fried rice.... I have been to some of the "upper class " restaurants and nope cant come close.... Sure the place is a dive and the service is not great.... but honestly ... i dont care ... Been eatting there for years and same consistency every time.... and i dont go after the bar ,, actually go around supper time.... and hey if you dont like the decor... get take out.... best bang for your buck ... read more

The taste of the food here really isn't bad, but in order to prepare Chinese food quickly, they make use of pre-fried noodles and fry most things, THAT is why Chinese Restaurants in Edmonton will be VERY HIGH in fat and sodium. read more