Sam Woo Bar B Que Restaurant Reviews

Sam Woo isn't fancy like many Chinese eateries in the San Fernando Valley. Upon entering, the first thing that catches the eye are the ducks hanging in a glass case. It's Sunday noon, so there's a wait...virtually all the diners are Chinese. Of course we order roast duck....delicious.The fried, puffy calamari with bits of peppers also rates high. As does the Chinese broccoli, cooked to perfection. The chow mein with pan-fried vermicelli is a house special...with chicken, bbq pork, shrimp and calamari. It's well named. If rice is your thing, there are 30 items to choose from. How about preserved egg or several dried squid selections. For the more adventurous, the takeout counter has pig stomach, pig ear and chicken feet. The last item appeals to my Chinese-born wife. Been coming here for nearly 20 years. Never disappointed.

This Sam Woos is outstanding. It's all about the food. Prepared perfectly.Each dish is a taste to remember. To me it's the sauces that make the dish. lunch,or dinner,it's a winner.P.S. I've been here many times.

Food is not that great and it is a bit pricey. The range is from $9-$15 for the food we ordered. For that price I expect the interior to be beautiful but just like our food we were dismayed. Would not recommend....

place is full packed during meal hours. Food is good and the best thing is they have a lane dedicated for fast take out service. hard to beat!

One of my favorite Chinese restaurant to go to. Tip #1 This location only takes cash Tip # 2 if you like duck order the roasted duck oppose to the Peking duck. Price difference is big. Both are really good I just prefer a crispier skin with Roasted duck. Don't forget to ask for extra sauce. Tip # 3 They can get pretty busy there might be a short wait, make sure you let them know hey write your name down and give you a number Tip # 4 get the BBQ pork Tip # 5 get the Ong Chong (Chinese Spinach) sautéed with garlic if you've never tried this vegetable. It's really delicious Tip # 6 Enjoy your meal To the next plate ......

Went with 7 other members of my family, including my two kids and niece and nephew. We waited about 5 minutes for our 8-top. The restaurant is not fancy, and they only take cash (kind of a pain). However, the food is great. We had fantastic food - shrimp in lobster sauce, BBQ pork, beef broccoli, yang chow fried rice, amazing book choy and more: eight dishes in all -soft drinks and some Thai iced tea. The total - with tip included -was less than $90!!! We were totally full and completely satisfied. Will definitely be back!

Orang chicken and Pork chop with Peking Sauce - these are the 2 you should try!! Yum yum yum! Gets full quickly so come early to get a spot! People fall in line for this restaurant and its worth the wait!

Food is good here but the service and friendliness are not. I use to visit at least once a month but not lately since it is just not a great experience regardless of how good the food is. Service is not friendly, prices are going up all the time, and it is like they don't care whether you come in or not, since they are always busy.

My new rating is average, plus. This is my second review. First review was probably a bad night for me or the restaurant or both. Nevertheless, going back to Sam Woo was a good idea (not mine I am sorry to say). Tried some new items. Cod fillet in black bean sauce, great. Singapore rice noodles good but have had better. BBQ pork, passable have had better. Garlic wings great this time. Now the real kicker. I have FINALLY found a really good shrimp in lobster sauce. Closest to the dish of my youth and more than an acceptable replacement from now on. Looking forward to trying other dishes in the future. Some complaints as follows: they charge for white rice that almost everywhere else comes free with certain dishes. Portions are on the smallish side and a bit pricey for quantity. The person who took my to go order was not happy answering my questions. Very busy spot adds to customer frustration. CASH ONLY!! beware. Parking in the lot is a pain in the neck.

Every time I travel to Van Nuys for work, I make it a point to eat at least one dinner at this restaurant. I love this place. It reminds me of the places in Chinatown my friend took me to when I lived near Oakland. Ducks hanging in the window. Crowded. Elbow to elbow with other patrons waiting for a table. Bustling waitstaff. Noisy. The food is really, really good. Not the typical over-salted American-style Chinese fare. Dinner for well under $20 per person. My most recent visit, we ate like kings. We were a party of six. With tip, we walked away having spent about $11 per person!

If you are in the SFV and want authentic Chinese food, this is the place. Always solid cantonese dishes like Beef chow fun, bbQ pork, roast duck, pork chops in spicy salt. Bring cash though. It has a deli too so if your aching for roast duck and pork with the crunch skin, you'll see them hanging in the case. There is a Ranch 99 next door too so you can pick up Asian sundries.

We were going to 99 Ranch and stopped in for a pork plate and wonton noodle. The pork was good ... not too sweet. Noodles were good and we saw things we will take out next time.

I meant SGV or the San Gabriel Valley when I wrote my earlier review. Been there many times since and always have a great meal here. Just consistently good Cantonese food here. Yes, a hole in the wall and don't expect great customer service but, if you want solid Cantonese food, come to this Sam Woo and not one further east along Valley or the one on Las Tunas. Speaking of SFV or the San Fernando Valley, there is a Sam Woo on Sepulveda and Victory and that is the best place to get authentic Cantonese Chinese food in this valley.

I had reservations about visiting this place when I learned it had a C grade from Health Inspectors. But guess what? They made significant improvements and now proudly display an A grade! I've been a loyal customer at Sam Woo's for a long time, both at this location and the one in Chinatown (now permanently closed, no worries the San Gabriel locations are still around). Everything here is delicious. Having trouble choosing? Opt for the dishes with pictures – those are the chef's specialties. The rice dishes and BBQ items are outstanding. We got the 3-item combo with wonton noodle soup and they even included complimentary tea. The service was exceptional too!

Still reliable and still popular. Not the best Chinese but convenient. The Shrimp w/ lobster sauce is not the same as they used to serve, now the walnuts are candied or roasted and the dish just doesn't taste the same. The beef w/ black bean sauce is just basic, the better dish of the three we ordered was the Szechwan String Beans w/ minced pork.

Sam Woo's has an expansive menu of authentic Chinese food including porridge ?!?!? Service is quick. this location is in a sketchy strip mall with narrow parking spaces. Prices are reasonable. it is CASH only and there is a Chase bank close.

This is so far the only authentic Chinese restaurant in the Valley that I really enjoy. Unlike those American-Chinese restaurants, too much sauce and too salty. The Service: FAST!!! They don't mess around. They serve the menu & tea right away. Take the order and food will be ready in minutes!! Of course, when your plate is empty, the check in on your table right away too~ hahaha! The Food: You know it is made to order. Hot and fresh!! Remind me of my parent's cooking back home.... I order Chinese sausage with Chinese broccoli. Just a simple stir fried dish, it is yummy!! The broccoli is very crisp. The sausage has great taste. The Parking: Private Lot (FREE)

I've tried the other Sam Woo restaurants in SoCal but this Sam Woo in Van Nuys is my favorite. The food was delicious and the service was efficient. We went there around 11:15 am on a Monday and there were plenty of tables available. We were greeted promptly and the complimentary tea was brought to our table. Their Won Ton Noodle Soup was delicious! The won tons were plump and flavorful and the won ton skin was nice and thin, not like those thick won tons. The Beef Stew Noodle Soup was also delicious. I love beef tendons and this soup had plenty of tendons. The meat was also tender and flavorful. We also had their famous Soy Sauce Chicken and Roast Duck. Both were tender and full of flavor. Some of the best I've ever tasted! The only negative is that they accept CASH only, so come prepared!!

Good chicken wings in spicy salt and oddly enough, tasty steamed white rice, weird huh? Other items just so so. Kind of pricey too for the value. Not impressed, but a busy place. This is why there is more than vanilla ice cream.