Hong Kong Delight

I was sorry to see this place go. I think it was around early 2010 that they closed. I’ve been coming here for 3 to 4 years before that.
It’s not the best Chinese fast food, but certainly not the worst. I think it’s better than some of the more famous Chinese chains, like Panda Express and Mr. Chau’s (Mr. Chau IMO is just awful). I usually get the Mushroom Chicken if they have it. My friends all like this place too. Prices are decent, portions are fair, and the location is convenient. Sure it looks bland, but most Chinese places do. The new place that replaced it is more dine-​in style, so I’m reluctant to go in if I just want a quick bite around lunch time.
Today I had some craving for the Mushroom chicken so it made me think of this place. Then I looked it up on Unilocal and was horrified by the 1 and 2 star reviews. I guess people in San Ramon have higher standards?

This place closed recently. The old owners were probably just tired. It had been there forever, a couple of decades I think. It was just terrible towards the end.
I poked my head in the place and saw that the new owners are remodeling the place extensively. I asked when it would open and they said March.

So I was in the area and felt like getting a bite to eat. I saw Hong Kong delight and wondered why I’ve never been here. So I went in.
The atmosphere was pretty bland. Plain tables and seats were located in the front. The steam tables were located in the back. I walked over and my immediate thought? «why the hell are all the entrees vibrant?!» Everything seemed so fake. I was rather hungry so I decided order food anyway. I ordered the lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork with fried rice to go. The portions were acceptable. My total was around $ 6 (too much).
I first tried the rice. It tasted pretty generic. The only difference between this and other chinese fast food establishments was that Hong Kong Delight had chicken while other places just peas and carrots. Then I tried the lemon chicken. The chicken had the consistence of real chicken… That is the only positive attribute as it tasted awful. The same goes for the sweet and sour pork. Furthermore, both entrees were very salty.
There really isn’t much I could say for service. The man didn’t really do much.
In short: cheap unappealing food ($ 3.49 lunch special), bland atmosphere, nothing special, I won’t be back.

This place is like Panda Express, but they actually have Chinese chefs cooking in the back. I know this becuase you can see the kitchen through the opening where they transfer food and empty trays. Anyway, there food are better than Panda Express and inexpensive too. They target mostly to local high school students. Good
potstickers, you dip those in the hot sauce, yum.

I actually think the food here doesn’t taste half bad. They have chicken in their fried rice, unlike Panda Express, and their spicy dishes are somewhat spicy. The good news ends there, however.
The real problem I have with this establishment is that I once contracted a full-​blown case of food poisoning around 12 hours after eating here. The food would always give me slight stomach pains, which I just attributed to the spiciness, but after that little event, I’ve called it quits. I’d suggest you do the same.

This is not the best Chinese food in the area but it is fast and cheap in price. I usually only go there once in a long while for the wonton soup but that’s pretty much it. If you’re looking for something quick in the area, feel free to stop by here but otherwise, I would suggest searching for something else.

We’ve nicked named this place «cheap Chinese» but not cheap in price but cheap in quality. The food is mediocre and the portions are really small. The value is horrible as they charge almost $ 6 for a two item meal.
As a fellow Chinese, this is horrible Chinese food!

Yes, I know I shouldn’t be expecting a chinese fast food joint in San Ramon, CA to be any good. And I didn’t. I expected something on par with Mr. Chau’s, where you can never say the food is good, but it was good enough for five bucks.
I asked the lady behind the counter for her best chicken item, and she cheerfully replied in broken English, «Oh, most definitely the lemon chicken.» I was able to distinguish the lemon chicken from the other overbreaded messes by the color (lemon=yellow goop; orange=orange goop; general’s=red goop) and told her to load me up along with a side of fried rice and chow mein. No one can mess up fried rice and chow mein, right?
Wrong. The fried rice was stale and overpeppered; the chow mein oozed grease. And the favorite lemon chicken? Overcooked and the breading had the consistency of wet, lemony cabbage. I couldn’t even finish two bites before I wanted to toss the whole thing out. Unfortunately both husband and wife team were now staring at me eat, so I felt bad and asked for a bag to go so I could enjoy* my meal later.
If you’re stuck in this center and feel like Chinese, do yourself a favor and eat a frozen Swanson’s sweet and sour pork dinner. You don’t even have to heat it up — it’ll still taste better than the best meal at Hong Kong Delight.
*throw out