Sum Wu Restaurant

Sam Wu — I’ll be back. I love your walnut shrimp and your tender French beef (like filet mignon). Your chow fun is pretty tasty too. They have beer. What’s not to like.

It’s great Chinese food in Chinatown. Everything is always fresh from the kitchen, piping hot, and delicious. I was here this past Saturday night and the place was pretty full. The wait staff was certain kept busy. I had a craving for lobster and they did not disappoint. I left very satisfied but not feeling over-​stuffed at all. It wasn’t greasy and it was just a great enjoyable experience. I’ve ordered the walnut shrimp (a triple order) for family Christmas potlucks and have the entire order devoured within 5 minutes. I think that says a lot about the food.

Cheap food! whats not to like. Came here on a weekday during lunch time to find the place crowded so i knew i was walking into something good.
When my cousin and I got seated i looked through the menu and noticed that everything was cheap! Each item was $ 5 or less. We ended up ordering the pork chop with seasoned salt, the house special chow mein, beef and broccoli and a bean sprout dish. Everything tasted good except the bean sprout. The prok chop was perfectly cooked and overly seasoned with MSG for that great taste. The house chow mein was a big plate of the pan fried noodles with vegetables and beef on top. The beef broccoli tasted great also. I will definitely be back to try other menu items!
The reason why i took off 2 stars was because of the ridiculous amounts of msg they add to all their menu items. It made the food taste really good but im sure they can find an alternative to msg.
P. S. This place validates so if you park in the underground parking it will be free

Cheap OK Chinese food. This place is probably gonna close down just like the Sam Woo Café (which I adored because of child hood memories) but they’re not bad! It’s just whatever Chinese food. My grandma wanted to eat here and I tried avoiding it but she insisted because she didn’t want to be «rude». We ordered walnut shrimp and some veggies on the side. The walnut shrimp wasn’t over powered by mayo which I was a huge fan of and the veggies. well my mom makes it better.
It’s not horrible but I can def say that there are much better restaurants elsewhere… good thing it was cheap there!

I seriously DON’T know why my family keeps coming here over and over again… But we have been for over 15 years now… It’s the same waiter. the chubby, mean looking one that doesn’t really talk to you. just kinda gives you the look and is like what do you want?!
The food is «ok» I guess… We usually get pan fried noodles, fish, salt/​peppered shrimp or walnut-​shrimp, and like some meat dish. probably sweet and sour. I think it’s the price that keeps us coming back. It’s so cheap for so much food… but seriously, their service staff needs an attitude change, especially because they’re definitely not friendly to non-​Chinese customers, but half the people there are filipino like me!!!
ps…they’re complimentary soup tasted like CRAP last time. wtf was that? and why was it luke warm?!

I always tell people who think that Chinatown is touristy and not authentic enough, that they’re wrong and you can get some quality food here. But this place just really proves me wrong, at least in this one instance. Sam Woo, or whatever this place is trying to pass itself off as these days, is truly god awful.
been here about two or three times mistakenly. Mainly because the people I were with just didn’t want to go to a place called won kok. Sorry, but keep your homophobia back and just go to the better place. Sam Woo is really awful.
The food has been questionable the last few times eating there. The quality of service has been subpar every time so far. The food has tasted like it was day old, or at the very least not fresh at all.
There’s so many other options near here. Be a good friend and don’t make anyone eat here. It’s really terrible in every way possible.

Decent chow mein. Fresh veggies. Yummy soy milk with boba. But the fried rice was bunk. Not much flavor to it. Soy sauce couldn’t save it. The tangerine chicken was way too salty. Too bad because not too many places offer that item. The dessert looked sort of scary. The waiter was nice.

My family and I have been going to this place for ages. We always order 8 – 9 dishes and it all comes out fresh and hot. Sometimes, so of the dishes comes out alil salty or bland but we cannot complain because the price here is affordable. If you go to another restaurant and get the same dishes, you will be paying double the price or even more. This place is well worth it and the waiter with the glasses is friendly. Unlike the other waiter, he always look mad and grumpy. Can’t wait to come back again soon.

I believe this place is called «Sum Wu» now?
Anyways. I’ve ate her since I was a little kid, maybe in my mommys tummy maybe.
Came here a couple of days ago after going through the parade at chinatown for chinese new year, and I was excited.
Finally I get to come here without my parents. Me and my brother both agreed how we see the workers when we are little kids, still working now, and how we are all grown up eating there without our parents. Kind of sad.
Anyways, we really wanted crab! So after the waiter telling us it will cost 16 bucks, we decided to order that along with fried oysters and a sizzlin beef with green onions and ginger on a sizzling plate.
The crab came out in 1 minute. LITERALLY. We knew it was not fresh and I knew it was not fresh because one of the claws was missing. The meat in the crab was ashy, like dry, not thick and juicy like crabs are supposed to be.
The oysters were alright, I had better. The sizzling meat will always make me happy there, but it makes me sad to see how disappointing the quality of the food was.
Maybe next time. At least it came with dessert. With really hard under cooked red beans. Yummm… =/

OK. as far as I can tell… I’m definitely in the minority on this one. But I have nothing but love for this restaurant. I have been coming to this restaurant for nearly 20 years on a regular basis… and everyone I’ve brought has always been happy and have suggested going back at least one time. This is literally the first place my relatives from Korea want to eat at… no joke. Yeah, it’s a greasy spoon type of restaurant… The plates seem. old, but I’ve never NEVER gotten a dirty one.
Anyways, on with the review. Their Kung Pao chicken is like… no other. So delicious. I challenge anyone to try their Lobster with Ginger sauce and tell me that it wasn’t good. Also their Rock Cod Filet with Corn Sauce is really tasty. I give this place 4 stars, because I think that some of their dishes have gone downhill. But at lunchtime everything is such a good deal, and yummy… geez I have no idea what the rest of you mean.

Oh Sam Woo! I am disappointed in this location! What happened!!! Your food was so bland and thoughtless! Was I eating Panda Express!!! I’m gonna stick with the San Gabriel location. You are a big disaapointment.

1 star because I didn’t get food poisoning. Has a B rating by the way
1) We ordered 3 plates. 1 went directly to trash, one was barely okay, and the other one was just okay. Each plate was about $ 8.50
2) One of the plates on the table was lined with yellow jelly/​crust all over. Hmm delicious. I learned from my fellow lunchers how to «clean» the plates with the really hot tea we were offered. My question was how did the waiter miss that completely when setting the table before we came, especially since a turned over cup was placed right in the middle of it… Special attention and care I see.
3) Forget the tea. Even if its free, just say NO. Amazingly, Lipton bag tea could make you happier…
Honestly, one of the few times in my life I have turned to those I’m dining with and said «We haven’t ordered anything yet, we can still leave.»

I always urge people to check the L.A. Times restaurant closure list before you try a place. That is, unless you don’t wanna know, which I understand too. Sam Woo’s is constantly being cited for egregious violations. I wouldn’t go if I was starving.