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San Dong Express

3.8 (122 reviews)
InexpensiveChinese, Korean
Closed • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

San Dong Express Photos

SAN DONG EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Dogs allowed
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - San Dong Express

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Reviews With Photos

Paul F.

The BEST CHINESE in the Milwaukee area. When Yen Ching went under (a slow victim of the Scandemic), after 30 years of my patronage, I was heartbroken - I knew that none of the dozens of other Chinese restaurants in the area had food as good, or food just like that. Ming's Beef and Princess Chicken were two of our favorites from Yen Ching. No other place does them right - if they offer them. *San Dong Express does.* Both these dishes are amazing and, as far as I can recall, essentially *exactly* like Yen Ching. The amazing thing is that they're first and foremost a Korean Noodle place. We haven't even tried that yet.

The Happy Family with white sauce. Look at the size of those shrimp!
Lori L.

I still don't believe they have raised their prices in years. For around $8 you get a huge portion of food if you aren't doing the noodle dishes. I know I am a creature of habit so I get the happy family with white sauce. I normally branch out at other places but I have been getting this for years so it's become a habit for me. This place is zero frills and yes it will remind you of a Taco Bell inside but they cook the food fresh to order. It's a great quality inexpensive meal that is a quick nosh. Definitely go there if you are near the airport.

Black bean sauce noodles
Sophie Y.

We drove over an hour to Milwaukee on New Year and tried this place. Called ahead and was told they are opened for regular hours. The parking lot was full and the owner said there was a private party. OMG! He was able to finally clear out a table for our party of 4 since the private party was wrapping up. Everything we ordered was delicious and very generous portions. They take credit cards and it's definitely a hidden gem.

Tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), Jjambong

The portions are huge and the chefs are friendly! I've been returning here with my parents every time we are in Milwaukee for the past six years. My family is Korean and this is place makes the best Korean-Chinese jjampong and tangsuyuk. I noticed that most of the customers that come by order takeout so the restaurant is nice and quiet.

1/2 jjamppong
Viv P.

I can't believe it's been 10 years since my review here. I'm doing a quick update cuz I have updated lots of pictures since the last one, and they don't show up with my review. I just like seeing my menu pictures up top on my page :) It's still one of our go-to take outs for Korean-Chinese. Though on a lot of the night nowadays the Korean owners aren't there and the place is manned by the Latino guys, they have been with the restaurant for longer than I've been coming and they're just as awesome! Plus they understand all the Korean dishes I roll out when ordering over the phone; jam-pong, tangsooyook, jjajangmyun, ojinguh bokkeum. My review from before is still pretty much spot on. One of those things that haven't changed much over the years. Oh, one thing that did kinda change. Make sure you order ahead. The place got busier with the pandemic!

shrimp and broccoli,  Sam Sung Cham Pong
Hannah K.

Stopped by San Dong because it was close to the Milwaukee airport and ended up liking it so much, we went back again before our flight out of Milwaukee. Authentic Korean style Chinese food for a great price and huge portions. I definitely recommend the cham pong and sweet and sour pork. I haven't had cham pong this good anywhere in the United States and it tastes as good as in Korea.

six dumplings per order, I ate to of them.  Ymmy!
Jack M.

I write this as I wait for my food to cool down, because it come out piping hot! Samsung Champong is served in a 48oz bowl filled with a generous portion of noodles, seafood, vege and small bits of tender beef in a spicy seafood broth. The spiciness is that of kimche. It's just the right amount of fire so that you can taste all the other flavors. the pieces of squid, shrimp, fish cake and mussels give the broth that ocean freshness along with the eggs flavored fresh egg noodles that are made fresh to order! The dumplings are large and come six per order. These are unique in that the wrapper is very thick which gets crispy on the outside, but gummy on the inside and then has an uncooked dough taste and texture The tangy dipping sauce balances the flavor The meat filling is tasty. Look for the Korean dishes, labeled on the wall at the counter. Can't go wrong with any of them!

Sam Sun Cha Chang, Sam Sung Cham Pong, Tangsuyuk
Athena D.

Korean-Chinese food, a beautiful fusion of its namesake cultures, has enjoyed burgeoning popularity in the US by way of dishes such as jajangmyeon and hotteok (which even Trader Joe's offers these days!). However, outside of these most popular dishes, it seems that this cuisine has largely evaded mainstream awareness, and for this reason I was absolutely astounded to find out that there was a restaurant serving Korean-Chinese food in Milwaukee. Seriously, even my hometown (a much larger and more ethnically diverse city) only has one place that I know of. So of course, I had to stop by to support the business and give some of their dishes a try. San Dong Express is located right next to the MKE airport, in an unassuming and time-worn little building, but as soon as you see the giant budai statue in the window and dragon columns at the entrance, you'll know you're at the right place. It conveniently has its own parking lot, as well. The interior of the restaurant is somewhat of an enigma that feels kind of like stepping back in time...not sure if that's to the 1980s or to ancient times, because the simple tables and booths, industrial lighting, and menu that retains that yellow-print-on-black that is so rare to see in modern times, are offset by an ornatedly decorated ceiling and decor. I kind of like it, somehow. Place your order at the counter and note that while the black menu has San Dong's Chinese offerings, the Korean-Chinese dishes are (currently) only on the printed to-go menus and two sheets of paper taped to the wall next to the cash register. I perused the reviews before visiting and the general consensus seemed to be that this place is great for Korean-Chinese food and not so great for Chinese food, which is fine because the former was what I came here to try anyway. When we walked in, the only other people there were a Korean family and a Korean dude in the corner downing a bowl of jajangmyeon, so we felt that we were in good hands. My partner and I got the samsun jajangmyeon, samsun jjampong, and tangsuyuk. The food came out quickly on giant red trays...at first we thought that we were grabbing someone else's order by mistake, but the cook/cashier explained to us that he separated the noodles into two portions since there were two of us- I thought that was a really considerate thing to do! The samsun jajangmyeon [$12.95] came with the sauce on the side, allowing you to mix in as much sauce into your noodles as you wish. This was my first time trying jajangmyeon (I'm familiar with the Chinese counterpart, zhajiangmian), and I really liked it. Tasty pieces of pork, shrimp, zucchini, and onions were mixed in a black bean sauce that was really savory and salty, a perfect complement to the noodles. The sauce was so addictive! The samsun jjampong [$12.95] had lots of seafood and veggies in a slightly spicy broth. I wish it was a little more flavorful, but it definitely would be something I'd order again on a chilly day to warm the soul. My partner and I felt the noodle quality was pretty good for both dishes (not sure if they make their own in-house per the newspaper clipping from many years ago?), I just wish the noodles were a little more al dente to make the dishes even more hearty. The tangsuyuk [$15.95] was really yummy! It's different from the traditional Chinese version (both the sweet and sour flavors are a little more toned down in tangsuyuk) and the Chinese-American version (not bright red, haha), but honestly...fried pork in sweet and sour sauce, how can you go wrong? The pork was served in a thick sauce with lots of veggies. It was served with the sauce already over it. Next time, I would ask for it on the side so the pork could remain crispy. We also received a side of kimchi...this was a miss for us. But anyway, the 3 entrees were so much food, they fed us heartily for 2 meals' worth. Since my partner is Korean and more familiar with these dishes, I asked for his verdict- he said the dishes are served in an old-fashioned way. In modern times, restaurants will add more spice, flavor, or accoutrements, but this is old-timey Korean-Chinese food, down to the sauce being already served over the tangsuyuk and the flavors of the jjampong. It's not as good as the places in bigger cities such as LA, but for MKE, I think it's a delight to have such a restaurant available to us. The service was really nice for this kind of place that relies moreso on counter service. I previously mentioned the extra step the cooks took to divide the portions into two, and overall we had positive interactions with the staff, who were helpful and considerate. It's a bit of a drive for me to come here, but I think I would definitely like to come back when I'm craving comfy flavors. I hope they'll continue serving the Korean dishes because this is the only place in town that has them! Maybe I'll have to sneak a visit next time I'm going to the airport...

Kung Pao Beef
Nads D.

A family favorite ever since a child. The ambience is very pretty, the food is always beyond amazing and the food is always made very quickly. The owner is a sweet Korean man who's menu consists of mostly Chinese food but also some Korean specials such as jjamppong. This little humble restaurant is the perfect spot for an underrated meal.

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26 days ago

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2 years ago

Not a bad spot for some Asian food. Noodles were my favorite part. Overall a good spot to grab something quick.

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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6 years ago

Large portions, and sooo delicious! Wish they were closer, but the taste is worth the drive. :)

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7 years ago

Tasty and a very good value for the lunch specials. My fave is the hot braised pork but there are plenty of other good dishes too.

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7 years ago

This is the best Chinese/Korean restaurant in the area. The place is a hole in the wall as that's why I order to-go.

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Back Street BBQ & Hotpot

Back Street BBQ & Hotpot

4.5
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This was only my second time at a Korean bbq spot, we really enjoyed it. Our group opted to just do…read morethe bbq and not the hot pot. We ordered the bulgogi, steak cubes, pork belly, spicy pork belly, beef tongue, rib meat, shrimp, creamy corn, fried buns, and a few other smaller items. The meat was all good quality! Our tables' favorite meat was the bulgogi for sure. We also loved the creamy corn and fried buns. However, beef tongue was so tough though I couldn't even bite into it (but honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy it!). The sauce bar was a fun touch to get exactly what we each liked. It was a little tricky being in a booth and getting people out to make their sauce combos though but we made it work. There is also a dessert bar but nothing was super intriguing to us and we were pretty full from the meal. The only downside was the service. Other servers seemed awesome but our waitress was totally aloof. She missed multiple orders of ours and we had to reorder those, and she acted super confused each time we had to tell her. She didn't give any direction on the process, and each time we wanted to add to the order we had to wave her down. I don't think she proactively checked on us once. A table nearby had the hotpot and that looked really good. We were intrigued and want to come back and try it. All in all, a great experience, and $31 per person for the amount of food you can rack up felt like a really good deal.

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Back Street BBQ & Hotpot
Back Street BBQ & Hotpot
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What can I say about Todd? I love their wings, tenders, rice cakes AND their katsu. It hits all the…read moreflavor and texture profiles I usually want and they are really quick about cooking the food to order. The staff is always very nice and if they are busy for some reason, they even have kiosks to order from as well. I'm Korean and love me some Korean fried chicken wings, but going here means I do not have to make them, make a mess in my kitchen, or have to spend time prepping everything beforehand. Yes, I know these are Karaage but they are very similar. I usually get the boneless wings just because I am weird and do not like having sticky fingers when I am eating, so these I can eat with a fork. The crispiness is always spot-on and I love that they give you just enough sauce to give everything a good coat and flavor but not too much that the chicken is drowning. I also really love the rice cakes that they add into the tenders and wings, it's like a nice little chewy treat to go with everything. Their fries are a LOT of fries! My wife and I have learned we can share one order of them. They have a bunch of varieties of seasonings you can add to the fries but I tend to get mine plain and just eat it with ketchup. I love coming here and their little outdoor patio is great when I want to bring my pup or just enjoy the nice fresh air as we eat our meal.

We love this spot! The food is always fried to perfection and crispy. The staff are always kind and…read morethe little restaurant always has great music playing. This time we noticed they had a covered/heated patio seating area which was great for the chilly day but we got two barstools inside. We originally found this spot when looking for yummy fries but ended up finding a new bay view fave! Looking forward to returning!

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Kiosk ordering. This menu has pictures to see what you're ordering.
Kiosk ordering. This menu has pictures to see what you're ordering.
Cheesy Beef Bulgogi Gyoza
Cheesy Beef Bulgogi Gyoza
Outside

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Outside
Teriyaki house

Teriyaki house

4.5
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This place was much better than the take-out look of it. We were the only ones eating in, but the…read moreservice was really good. The hot and sour soup was packed with veggies and tofu, edamame and sushi were pretty good, and the grilled squid was kind of amazing! We asked for some rice to offset the sauce.

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Spicy Kani Salad
Spicy Kani Salad
Any 3 Rolls Lunch Special
Any 3 Rolls Lunch Special
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3 roll Any 3 Rolls Lunch Special

San Dong Express - chinese - Updated June 2026

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