Karen Wong Chinese Restaurant

My family and I stumbled upon Karen Wong Chinese Restaurant on our walk from the flat we were staying at during our trip to Edinburgh. It’s a small restaurant which I feel caters mostly to take-​away customers but thankfully they do offer the option to dine in. We were served by Karen Wong herself which I found was friendly and helpful when it came to ordering our food. Other waitresses along with herself checked in on us regularly which was appreciated.
Food was good and was set at a reasonable price. We enjoyed the Hot and Sour Soup, Wonton soup along with the Mao Po Tofu which definitely warmed us up on that cold Scottish evening!

Were it not for the wacky infectiousness of the owner, I doubt Karen Wong’s would be as highly rated as it is, the seafood dishes are deservedly standout, the more classic (british) chinese chicken, beef or pork dishes are sweater than they should be and definitely not the best I have had.
Unlike some I actually found Karen’s comedy routine a bit wearing and it strikes me as a rather effective way of distracting diners from the time it can take to get the food out, and lets them staff the restaurant with fewer folk. People who act the fool rarely are, particularly those who own and run a business…
Perhaps I am being overly critical here, however what I am sure of is that most of the food is ok to good rather than great. All in all, go to Karen Wong’s for the experience, but there are better Chinese establishments in Edinburgh.

Have been a customer of Karen Wong’s since her days at Meadowbank and still choose to make the trip to her Pleasance restaurant over going elsewhere. She is completely bonkers, delightfully daft and mad as a brush — more energy than a dozen Duracell bunnies — but she is more than just a lively hostess with a quirky sense of fun. She never forgets a face and remembers everyone who has been to her restaurant before. She remembers your favourite meals and pays attention to detail that is both reassuring and welcoming. The food at Karen’s is of a consistently high quality, portion sizes always more than adequate and the range of menu is great.
Just my favourite Chinese restaurant in the city. You won’t ever forget the experience once you’ve been!

We were staying down the street while visiting Edinburgh for a few days, so this review is relative to other Chinese restaurants across the world rather than others in Edinburgh.
Overall we found Karen Wong’s a bit of a crap shoot. The salt and peppered squid was excellent, but the king prawn dumplings were only okay. The crispy aromatic duck with pancakes was quite good, while the ma po tofu and Singapore noodles were unremarkable. The décor leaves something to be desired but the servers were friendly and helpful.
However, there is one dish, or rather type of dish, that is an absolute standout here and gets its own star: the toffee desserts.
We had the toffee apple the first night. We went back the next night just to try the toffee banana. We will likely return in the next few days to have them both again before the end of our visit. They come sprinkled with sesame seeds that get baked into the crisp, brûlée-​style toffee crust that surrounds the light batter enveloping the perfectly warm and soft apple, banana, or pineapple pieces. These are unbelievably tasty and not to be missed. (Make sure to put in your order with your meal, as they take longer than the other desserts to prepare.)

The food was not bad but not amazing. Good service though-​seemed a bit understaffed but the food came really really fast. The vermicelli Singapore style was not bad and the lemon chicken was alright as well. The free chocolates at the end was really good.

I live just around the corner from Karen Wongs yet have only had a few take aways from there (and this was maybe 2 years ago) So on the 2^nd of January when I went out with my brothers and father this seemed like a good bet as it looked warm and inviting.
We were seated by Karen herself who is quite the character. She was immediately telling us stories about customers and being quite funny about how exactly we should take our seats. Hot towels were brought to thaw noses and fingers which I felt was a great little touch making you feel very welcome.
The décor is very cosy and although the tables are close together you don’t feel like you’re imposing on anyone.
A very nice bottle of Chilean red was ordered and brought along in a warming bucket. Wine was a little more expensive than I’d hoped but still very fair for a restaurant.
We all ordered a main:
Sweet and sour chicken — Great sauce and perfectly cooked veg and chicken
Spicy crispy beef — Just awesome
Special chow mien — plenty of meat. Well cooked and not oily. Fresh tasting.
Duck with prawn stuffing — An interesting dish that was new to all of us!
We also ordered noodles and rice to share on the side.
We all ate with rice bowls and chop sticks which I always feel makes the experience more interesting and engaging for everyone.
The staff were incredibly fast, courteous and always quick to smile, laugh and clean up any little spills (see above note about chopsticks!). Service was very quick which means that this place would be good for just popping into for a quick meal.
The portions were huge and the rice and noodles almost perfectly matched our appetites to the last strand/​grain. We were all very full despite only having a main.
The food was delicious and we all felt VERY full.
All in all would recommend a visit. I will certainly be going back once I have some cash again!
Just remember that Karen is lovely if a bit «colourful» and that they close on Mondays.

Love this wee place. The food is excellent and Karen is a lovely lovely woman, always has a smile. We eat here every few months. I wouldnt go anywhere else for chinese food.
Karen Wong runs a tight ship and the food is the best I have had in a chinese restaurant. The food is fresh, non greasy, tasty, flavoursome, colourful and in good sized portions.
The restaurant itself is small, relaxed, clean and well presented although I have no doubt Karen could run a much larger operation with ease.
The staff are polite and friendly and you are welcomed with a full menu and mini hot towels. They serve the ice seperately to the drinks which I think is a nice touch.
Reasonably priced 2 course meal for two with drinks approx £40
Definatley worth a try even if its just a takeaway.

Yum. Yum. Yum. Just polished off our first takeaway dinner from Karen Wong’s, a 10 minute walk from our house. That has to be some of the best casual Chinese food we’ve had in a looooong time.
If you’ve read my other Edinburgh Chinese food review, you can understand that we’ve not eaten such food since moving here in February.
Here’s what we ordered:
Spring rolls: generous portion size, crispy, great mild flavor.
Cashew chicken: husband demolished his, so I can’t comment on the taste or quality, but he repeated said how great it was :)
Aubergine bean curd: they customized the chicken with aubergine for me with bean curd, in a sweet bean sauce. Can I just say how well aubergine & bean curd taste together with just the right sauce? I’m not vegetarian, but this is one of my favorite Chinese dishes, so when I can’t find it on a menu, I frequently try to order it anyway! Here it’s listed under the poultry section of the menu, and I just asked for bean curd instead of chicken. I don’t know where they buy their bean curd, but it had a flavor I didn’t recognize (and loved) and my only improvement on the dish would be more bean curd.
Sweet & sour chicken: for the non-​Chinese-​food-​eating (yet) daughters. I don’t fuss at them to order something else, because that is all I liked at Chinese restaurants at their age … um, probably until university I’m embarrassed to admit.
Side orders of rice & noodles: don’t order too many sides of rice, the portions are large. I think one would have been enough for two adults.
When we eat in, we’re ordering dessert: I will dream tonight about the toffee apples: battered fried apple pieces wokked with sugar … mmmmmm. And the various fruit fritters …
As for the proprietress, she was charming and welcoming, and rather interested in: 1) was I visiting Edinburgh (I’m American, and quite obviously so!) 2) where did I live? 3) how long would I be living here? and 4) had I been in the establishment previously, as she did not remember me. As I have variations of this conversation many times throughout any given day, I don’t find it intrusive, just pleasantly friendly. I would much rather do business in my general neighborhood with people I’m getting to know and who are getting to know me. She seemed to know everyone else coming and going.
Planning to be regulars!
We’re not terribly adventurous Chinese cuisine experts, so if you’re looking for a review of something less pedestrian than this, keep looking.

The eponymous Karen Wong is a larger than life character with great customer service. Food is good too!

Karen Wong’s is one of my favourite chinese restaurants … probably because Karen is such a big character, she makes you feel like you’re a long lost relative every time you visit.
The food is really good too, whether you’re eating in or having a takeaway.
I look forward to every visit and have had lots of great times here with friends.

Karen Wong is crazy, but her food right on the money! I was there for a stag night in a back function room and the staff were friendly and the service very quick. Pretty basic inside décor wise but at least prices reflect this.

Right around the corner from me is Karen Wong’s which re-​affirmed my faith in Chineses. Like the prodigal son, it had strolled away upon tasting the shite that is most chinese food in Edinburgh, but he came galavanting back when I got a takeaway from here. The menu is a little more generous than most, offerering a wide range of dishes. I tried the beef chow mein (with udon noodles instead) and the prawn rolls. The rolls were a little greasy but really good and the noodles were excellent. Since then I have tried quite a few things on the menu and have been impressed with all of them. Bear in mind the starters are not quite as good as the main courses.
I have not eaten in there, and am not particularly inclined to as I live so close, but also it is pretty tacky décor inside. They also throw a few pounds more onto each dish to eat in, which is fair enough. Every time I have been in there I have been greeted by Karen herself (it’s like meeting a celebrity) who is really friendly and makes sure you’re happy with what you are getting. The customer service is generally great all round in fact.
Overall it is one of the better Chinese restaurants in Edinburgh, relying on flavouring as opposed to grease, always a nice change.

Known simply as Karen Wongs to many Edinburgh uni students, this restaurant is quite popular for its duck! And the characterful Karen Wong of course.
The verdict is split on Mrs Wong, but I think she’s a really amusing lady. who just likes to talk a lot. about anything.
A friend and I wandered in here for the first time out of boredom (I’m quite frequently bored!) and the menu seemed reasonable enough.
While my food was alright, it wasn’t the greatest first experience; when my friend’s food arrived, it was the furthest away from her order you could possibly go.
Later on we’d be told how silly we were to not just go for the duck, as most people choose to do at Karen Wongs. Somestimes it’s not even debatable. Karen Wongs = Duck. Which is absolutely delicious!
For any other dish I would say the food doesn’t really stand out compared to the other Chinese restaurants in Edinburgh, but where the duck is concerned, it is a MUST try!

A great little place that’s supremely popular with the local chinese community.
I’ll get the bad out of the way first. The place looks like a 4 year old decorated it, but its kinda cute. We did also have to wait a while for the food to come out, but the waiter did warn us they were busy.,
What did they get right? Everything else. Specifically, the House Special Curry. It tastes a little tame at first, but give it 3 seconds and you’ll be having mouth orgasms.
I’ve been told that the take away is a little slow, but it’s getting better every time.

The first time I tried this place it was purely out of convenience, as it’s 2 seconds’ walk from my flat, but now I get takeaways from there simply because it’s soooooo good!
In fact, the only reason I gave it 4 stars is because of the hour or so you usually have to wait if you order on a friday or saturday night. But that iin itself should give you an indication of how popular this place is. It’s mainly a restaurant, and although I’ve always got my food to takeaway every time I go to collect it at least half the tables are occupied, and there’s a nice buzz to the place.
I sound like a complete takeaway-​food junkie… I assure you I’m not! In fact I’m really high-​maintenance and fussy when it comes to getting a carry-​out: I don’t do it often, so when I do I like to know that it’s going to be good.
Their crispy seaweed starter is definitely something you should try, even if you’ve had it before. The portion is enormous, for one thing, and it’s so crispy and fresh-​tasing it’s hard to believe you just served it out of a disposable tupperware box! As far as main courses go, there are way to many that I love, so I’m not going to try and pick just one to describe on here. If you still have room at the end though, you have to try their various Toffee-​d fruits.
They ask that you allow 30 minutes prep time for this, which is great because a) it means that the toffee is freshly-​made, and b) you have a chance to digest some of your dinner by the time it arrives!
They do á la carte, as well as pre-​theatre and a special banquet, depending how much you want to spend.