Asian Cafe Express

This place is awesome! We walked in the restaurant on a Sunday night and it was packed, which is always a good sign! It was a bit awkward when we first arrive because we did not know if we were suppose to sit ourselves or wait. Eventually, they waved us to sit down. The menu is huge! There is so much food you can select! Taiwanese and Chinese. Not to mention, it is extremely inexpensive! Customer service was great as well! We got a wonton noodle soup, black pepper chicken, and a iced milk tea. All was good! About $ 5 – 7 an entrée. We will be back!!! :)

I love this place, been coming here since they first opened. The food is great the people are great all around great place!

This is probably my favorite place for Asian food. It can get pretty busy at dinner time so beware if the service is a little slow at that time. The majority of the time though, the food is served quickly and hot! So far, I have never been disappointed by the quality. It’s good stuff!

Asian Café Express is a tucked away gem in Mesa. It’s quality food every time. We usually get take out and it’s always got a good crowd (which is a good thing). Service is excellent and the staff are always polite and friendly.
I tried the red bean tea for the first time today. It was excellent. Perfect summer drink. I’ll get it again. Also my go to is the twice cooked pork. It’s excellent. I usually get it extra spicy took.
I’ve tried numerous dishes and they’re all excellent (the only one that i didn’t dig really was xo sauce tofu).
Love Asian café express it’s my take out Chinese food go-​to.

Just saw a African American person walk in while I was eating and the waitresses and cashier was rude to them. The Asian waitress kept bumping into them without saying «excuse me» for NO REASON while they waited for someone to help them :-(After waiting for someone to acknowledge them (and no one did), they gave up and left. I believe in diversity and humanity and because that person was not Caucasian or Asian; or even Asian like the family/​people who work here, they didn’t help them and was very rude to them for reason. This a family oriented place and this is a poor example to display to kids and other guests. I mean it’s 2016 but some people are stuck in ignorance… This ruined my meal because the person did nothing and should have been treated like any other customer. At the end of the day their money is GREEN too. This will be my last meal with my family and friends here today.

This location has been on my Unilocal bookmarks for a while. Since I have been driving to work to mesa lately, I decided to give it a try.. I was very disappointed with my order.
I ordered the fried squid with steamed white rice. The squid was deep fried and had a strong taste of the grease. It had so much grease; as soon as I took my first bite I had grease left all around me lips. I took 2 bites and I was done. The steamed rice was so dry to the point that it obviously been over cooked.
Since it was my lunch time time, I had ordeded it to go. Took 15 minutes to get it and as soon as I got it I was on my way back to work. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t even go back to replace it because I had to go back to work.
Idk why the reviews are so high, I’m hoping is because one only really orders the sqiuid or I’m hoping is because people dine in instead of to go. Whatever the case is, quality should be served regardless if the mean is to dine-​in or to-​go.
I Lost almost $ 10 but they Lost my interest.

Found this place on Unilocal and based on the excellent reviews, I thought I would try the restaurant with my husband. On a Friday night, we arrived at around 8, the place was full. We saw people waiting outside, we thought the wait will be too long but it wasn’t bad. It was a little inconvenient that although we were standing inside the restaurant for about 10 min, no body came and spoke to us so we weren’t sure if it was a «seat yourself» situation or they’re just too busy to be talking to anyone. After looking around for a while with our puzzled look and talking to the big group who was waiting before us, we ended up seating ourselves! About 3 – 4 min later the waitress looked at us asking how many we were and she got us the menu. A min later another waitress served us water. They gave us some time to look at the menu and waitress returned to take our order in a few min. We ordered the family (3 main course) meal which includes any 3 entrees you want, white or brown steamed rice and noodles, and to our surprise, for only $ 25.5! We thought the dishes must be small but to our surprise, all dishes were almost platter size! Wow, what a good deal we thought. We ordered Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Beef with Broccoli and white rice. we also ordered an appetizer of spring rolls which was only $ 1.99 for 2 pieces, not bad. Our favorite of all dishes was the sweet and sour chicken, a 5 star dish in our opinion. It was crispy and the sauce was coating it perfectly, non of this really reddish pink sauce I don’t like. We basically loved it! The rest was to us very good. We enjoyed the food and for this amount of money, this was a great experience. We saw everyone leave with boxes, and so did we. They actually pack them for you on the table, very nice.
The reason why I had to give it 4 stars rather than 5 is because only one dish was 5* quality to us really. We will be going back for sure and will definitely order the sweet and sour chicken again. A very good find we believe!

Last week we tried this place out. We did take out since it was later in the evening and the place was packed. The prices are very good. We ordered the egg fried rice, chicken fried rice, vegtable low mein, the mongolian beef, an order of egg rolls and crab puffs and it came to $ 26 and some change.
They had the food ready in about 15 minutes and that was with 3 orders ahead of ours! The food was ok. Lacked in flavor on everything but it wasn’t bad. I just put on some more salt and I was good. The beef was more onions then beef but my husband said it wasn’t too bad. The fried rice was pretty good, just needed some more added salt.
I love boboa so when I saw they had it I was excited but they don’t have any flavors of tea. Just a milk tea that to me tastes like coffee. Good but not what I wanted.
All in all if we are in that part of town and wanting some chinese food we might stop in again. Worth a try though!

When it comes to good ol’ Chinese food it’s difficult to go anywhere else but here. The place isn’t fancy but it does give that vibe of family owned and old fashioned asian diner.
Their menu is huge so we can always order something different. Their crab puffs are the best and the Chili Sauce Dumpling are absolutely delicious. Our other favorite appetizers are the fried shrimp, chili salt chicken wings, and chili salt spare ribs. You won’t be disappointed!
I think my favorite entrees would be their orange chicken (of course!), but there general chicken is also really good if you like spicy. We don’t order their beef dishes much, but their seafood dishes are pretty good. I would recommend the shrimp in lobster sauce. I think all of their fried rice is good.
The most important thing about Asian Café Express is that they are affordable for lunch or dinner. Their lunch bowls only run about $ 4.15 without tax, appetizers are between $ 2-​$ 5, and entrees are no more than $ 8. They even offer dinner specials if you want to order multiple entrees!
Oh, they also have boba milk tea… Yum!

After shopping at Mekong the family decided they were hungry. I thought we were going home, but NOPE! So checking to see what was nearby I spotted this place with 4 stars. And it was just across the street! So we put the groceries in the trunk and walked over.
From the outside it looks pretty ordinary. A neon sign tells you that you are there. It was very crowded when we walked in, but a booth was open so we grabbed it. Within 10 minutes there were even more people and some had to wait for tables to open up. I figured this was a good sign.
First impression: slow service. Dive. Shabby interior and it took a while to get the menus.
Extensive menu. Lots to choose from. Which is cool. It took a while to go through everything. Even then it took a while for them to take our order. They probably need a third server, at least during dinner. The wait was unreasonably long.
Once ordered it took a reasonable time for the food to show up. At least assuming they are cooking it fresh (which I’m assuming).
The food: big portions, simple but good flavors
I can’t really rave about it. It was good. We were all happy with our choices. Mine was supposed to be spicy (it had the red pepper symbol on the menu), but it really wasn’t. It was still good, though. Was this «as good as it gets»? No.
I could probably go to 4 stars if we hadn’t had to wait 20 – 30 minutes to take our order. It only took 10 minutes to go over the menu, and they didn’t check on us at all until at least 20 minutes. Food was tasty, and portions were large, but the wait was excessive.

We had the fish fillet over rice. The food came out hot and tasty. There was bok choy on it. The fish was tender and not dried out or firm.
We also had the kung pao shrimp which was tasty. The kung pao shrimp was a bit spicy, which I liked, and a little bit sweet at the same time. The menu is huge and a bit intimidating but the prices are super cheap.

Every time I go here I’m blown away by the quality of food and staff. Prices can’t be beat. If you can’t make up your mind, try the family style menu option 3 – 5 dishes with rice and lo mein gives great options and more food than you can shake a stick at.
Red bean tea super tasty!
Love Mongolian chicken!
Spring rolls and red chili chicken wings are amazing appetizers!
Fun side note you can bring in your own fish/​chicken/​duck if you like and they will prep and cook it for you (no idea where to get this hit up the Asian market on the other side of Dobson).

The prices and portions are great. The food is as good as it gets in metropolitan Phoenix. The staff are very friendly but it’s def a dive.

This is a casual place in a strip mall. The menu has tons of offerings and is set up a bit strange. Keep at it and you will find just the dish you want. We ordered from the photos on the wall. I had to try the 5 spice fried squid and wasn’t disappointed. A little spicy and sweet with tender pieces of squid. The Chinese greens with garlic were perfectly cooked. We also ordered the black bean mussels. They were slightly chewy but the flavor made it good. The rice was a tad bit hard; with a little gravy it was fine. People kept pouring in, a good sign. Service was quick, if only they would bring all the dishes at the same time. This is a minor issue so I see us going back. Prices are very reasonable. Mekong Grocery is across the street if you want to do some Asian grocery shopping.
Went back on a Saturday eve and the place was packed. This time, we perused the wall offerings before sitting down. Ordered the 5 spice fried squid again. This dish was perfect; squid was succulent and tender. We also ordered a seafood rice plate complete with squid, fish cake, shrimp and mussels with brown gravy. After adding some chili oil, this dish was great. I wanted some more water and had to get up with my cup to be noticed. I didn’t mind since they were really busy. Still would go back because the food is awesome and that can be challenge to find in AZ.

The reviews don’t lie. This place serves legit Chinese food at a bargain price. Since it is a hike from our home and we didn’t know when/​if we would be back, we tried a bunch of food (and will have leftovers for a million days). The menu was huge and somewhat strangely disorganized. Make sure to look all the way through so you don’t miss out on the yummies in the back. We ordered:
Kung Pao Chicken/​fried rice
General Tso’s chicken/​brown rice
Veggie Chow Fun (dry)
Crab puff ($ 2 for 2 large poofs)
Spicy chili chicken dumplings (4)
2 sodas
(all for $ 28!!)
The Kung Pao was tasty, spicy and the veggies cooked perfectly. The chicken was a good quality. The only negative was that the peanuts were placed on top after the dish was prepared. The general’s chicken sauce had a kick and the crunch and taste of the breading was unique and yummy. The chicken meat wasn’t all the greatest quality (a lot of dark meat, untrimmed gristle) but served its purpose. Bummer that no peppers or veggies come with General’s as elsewhere.
I was offered either wet or dry chow fun and went with the recommended dry (stir fried in soy sauce). So glad that I got the veggie version. Perfectly cooked and the subtle sauce on the flat rice noodles was fabulous. The crab puffs (2) were clearly homemade, which we appreciated but they didn’t have much flavor. No crab to be found and missing that slight sweetness that I enjoy in the puff elsewhere. Hubby enjoyed the dumplings (4) and saved the sauce for his dish (I didn’t care for the sauce but the dumpling was cooked really well). They give you cans of soda (thus, no refills) and the food comes out super fast. This is usually appreciated but it came out at the same time as our appetizers, which didn’t give us a chance to ease into our ginormous meal.
Due to the freshness and low cost of the food as well as wide variety of options, we would come back but try something different.

ACE is THE place to go for delicious Chinese food in the Valley! My father had been eating at Gourmet House since the 80s, and I grew to love it as well, although it was a bit of a drive from where I lived. When he told me the owners sold it and opened their own place in Mesa, closer to my digs, I was pumped. He told me the menu was different, and I became worried that my favorite, Hunan Beef, would not be on the menu. Unfortunately it’s not, but I still ask for the Hunan Beef every time, and lucky for me they are happy to oblige.
The menu is huge, gigantic really, with a whole section on Hong Kong style cuisine. I regretfully have not yet tried as many items on the menu as I would like, since I always want my favorites, but this would definitely be the place to branch out and try something new. Baby bok choy greens with garlic sauce, hot and sour soup, fried rice, Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, lo mein, all the classics are delicious! Very inexpensive, including lunch bowl portions of favorite dishes with rice for under $ 5. My friends who are now in San Francisco curse me every time I send them a photo of the food with their telltale plate design.

My wife had another business symposium she was attending at her school (WP Carey).
As is our normal routine, when I am not invited; I act as the chauffeur service and drop her off on campus, and make myself scarce.
Since I already know how long these symposiums go, and she would be famished by the time it was done, I figured I would stop by one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the area and order enough food for the both of us for the next two days.
Hence, I stopped by my friends at ACE. Li stopped to say hi, and asked where my wife was. I told her that she was at school, and I am ordering for the both of us. Some for me to consume here, and the rest would be for takeout.
I ordered the Salted Pork Chop, House Fried Rice, Minced Garlic Choi Sum, Chicken Curry, and House Special Pan Friend Chicken Lo Mein. I sampled a few of them, and had them pack up the rest.
As always, this place is authentic, unassuming, and simply delicious. They never fail to impress me. And the service? Well, I come to this place because they know me by name, and they are always glad that I came! (cue Cheers theme song)

Definitely one of the better Chinese places around the valley. The décor and seating is completely bare bones.
I ordered the chicken lo mein and my boyfriend got some spicy beef.
It really was enjoyable.

Always busy but they always find a table for you.
Master Chef Michael Leung keeps it simple, fast and reasonable prices.
All dishes are prepared Hong Kong Style and delicious. We frequently order the 5 course meal for $ 49 which you choose 5 the 5 dishes and comes with chow mein and fried rice.
We chose the fish fillet, orange chicken, Salt and pepper pork chops, pepper beef and short ribs in black bean sauce.
Each dish was excellent and actually seemed larger in quantity than before.
This restaurant is always packed with Asians which is a great sign meaning that the food is great, inexpensive and fast.
One of my other favorite dishes is the chicken curry but today I had to pass and wanted to try other items.
Will drive 25 miles in a heartbeat to dine here because of the quality and price.
Great food!

(Lyrics — Red Hot Chili Peppers — Under The Bridge)
It’s hard to believe
That there’s no good Chinese food
It’s hard to believe
That I’m so hungry
At least I have her food
The café she loves me
Bo Bites as I am
Together we try
I don’t ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
(Asian Café Express!)
Is where I ate some rice
(Asian Café Express!)
I could not get enough
(Asian Café Express!)
Don’t forgot about my spice!
(Asian Café Express!)
I had to Unilocal away…
Cheap good Chinese style cuisine from all parts of the China!
Sha-​wha?! No it’s Shu Mai stupid! Anyways, came here with 6 friends and we were going to do it the hard way; everyone order something, but instead we saw the Family Style Dinners. They had every region: Hong Kong, Northern, Szechuan, and even Spicy! Not sure where the spicy region came from, but we decided against it this time around since one of my buddies is wimp when it comes to spice. Along with the Family style comes with fried rice, white rice, and chow mein. Our 5 sides we order were XO Beef, Mapo Tofu, Fried Tofu, Calamari, and the last dish was Chicken, but not sure what it was called! My bad peeps!
Overall my favorite was the XO Beef and Calamari. Just enough spice on the beef dish while the calamari was perfectly seasoned and breaded to a crunch munch! Service was friendly and fast, but the place was definitely a dive! In the end, the bill came to about $ 50 for 6 people, but we couldn’t even finish — Fail! — Enjoy!