Wei Wei – A Taste of Taiwan

When I first mentioned to the GF that I wanted to check out Wei Wei, her response was, «Do you mean Pei Wei?» I then explained that it was a Taiwanese restaurant, and not the PF Chang’s fast casual chain.
We stopped in on Saturday afternoon. The spot is in a strip mall next to a corner convenience store. The interior is nicely done with a simple, modern aesthetic with gloss white surfaces.
We tried one of each of the bao (pork belly, beef, and chicken). Decent, and I really enjoyed the pork belly, but nothing amazing.
We also split a scallion pancake. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, and was surprised with how thin and light it was. I’m used to the Korean style pajeon, which is definitely thicker. These were smaller, maybe 5 or 6″ diameter circles, and had been cut into slices like a pizza. A little crisper and they would have felt like tortilla chips.
We also split the dry spicy noodles. It should be noted that the dry refers to the noodles not being in soup, though they come with a thickish sauce that has ground pork. The noodles were great, and I really liked the sauce, but definitely wouldn’t call this spicy. I’d like to go back and explore the menu a bit more deeply.

My first Taiwanese dining experience and I’m thoroughly impressed! I had the beef noodle soup. I’ve never had such subtle stretchy noodles with just the right bite. The beef brisket is also incredibly tender and not chewy at all. You MUST try the scallion pancakes as well. What a delight! I don’t think I know of any other Taiwanese restaurants in Portland, so I really have nothing to compare it to. But who cares? The others probably wouldn’t be as good as this place. One bit of warning – If you go here, be sure you’re not on a tight schedule. The service here, although very friendly, has been extremely sloooow on both of my visits. Maybe in time, that will change. Other than that, this place is totally worth a visit!

Came here on a week night to try out their Taiwanese fusion food. Very good salt and pepper basil chicken they only offer this in a appetizer portion. The pork chop rice was very delicious also battered the same as the chicken, very crispy. Very authentic flavors with a fusion twist. The only reason I give this place –1 start is that it was a little pricy and portions were kinda small, but I think this has to do with the location they are at.

Pretty good food but nothing too special, especially since the prices are a bit higher than other restaurants in the area. Jade’s beef noodle soup is around $ 8, but here the same dish is $ 14. Cost vs. Quality doesn’t quite work for me. But if you have extra foldin’ money, knock yourself out.

Unassuming décor serves unique fare. Of the three Baos we enjoyed the pork belly the most, the chicken the least.
The Spicy Noodles (no broth) edged out the Beef Noodles. The beef seemed of high quality, definitely better than what you’d find in Phở. Both were ample portions.
The Scallion Pancake was light, no better or worse than what you get at comparable venues.
The Pork Chop and blended grain rice was the winner, the salt and pepper chicken (same coating) a close second.
Average desserts were out of place: cold chocolate chip cookies filled with ganache, uh, okay. Quality tea was served in a very cute, but oh so small, pot.
Prices don’t scream value, but not rip off either. The lady was polite, but a little stoic. The guy with the glasses definitely gets flustered when it’s busy. We placed payment in the center of the table. After he walked past three times we asked if he could settle the bill, he quickly snapped, «you need to go to the counter!» Once there he of course patiently described how to enter a tip.
Favorite part of the experience: the condiment jalapeño-​like peppers.
About $ 70 for four people. It warrants a repeat visit.

Very authentic taiwanese food. Had the green onion pancakes and beef noodle soup and they were both delicious. Almost always disappointed when I try Chinese food in Portland, but this place was a pleasant surprise.

After hearing some rumors about this new Taiwanese restaurant several times, hubby and I decided to go across the river and give it a try. Here is my 2cents:
Food authenticity: 2 stars
We ordered the usual: beef noodle soup, fried pork chop rice plate, braised pork bao and S&P fried chicken. Beef noodle soup was least of our favorite. The soup tastes like soy sauce, not braising liquid. The noodles were over done. Favors of other dishes were fine, but not authentic (I am born and raised Taiwanese, so I know my flavor)
Service and atmosphere: 3 stars
Nice waiters, but dishes came out super slow for such short menu.

Was recommended here by a friend and the notion of hand made noodles drew me in.
Our server was really attentive and knowledgable about the menu. We ended up getting the salt and pepper chicken, the pork belly bao and the beef noodle soup.
Pricing is a bit high here, it is $ 2.50 for one bao, that’s a bit overpriced considering the one and a half bite portion. The bao bun was fluffy, filling consisted of a oyster sauce reduction and peanuts atop a piece of pork belly; which was very tender. It was good.
The salt and paper chicken was delicious! They use thigh meat so it is very tender and juicy. Reminds me of Japanese karaage but it’s made with five spice powder. I highly recommend the chicken although $ 7 for the portion is less than desired. I need moar on my plate!
The beef noodles were lacking.
The handmade noodles had no chew and just sat there, just a bit too soft. The chunks of beef are stewed perfectly and are super tender. However the broth was too flavorful! Reminded me of Vietnamese BO Kho but with too much salt and paired with the noodles it was a bit lackluster, I couldn’t taste anything else afterward so I ate only the meat.
I will come back here for the chicken and the baos.
I like the concept but the beef broth noodles are just a no.

First visit today. Most flavorful vegetarian broth I’ve ever had in a soup.
Chicken bao was flavorful and fresh.
The grilled squid is amazing.
Funny to read a few of the other early reviews (Wei Wei has been open for 6 weeks) that complain about the place being busy… YOU ARE THERE TOO! You are part of the reason it’s busy… if you don’t want to wait, go someplace else. If it’s too crowded, go someplace else.
Wei Wei is a perfect addition to the neighborhood. Nice to have a new and well-​done alternative to all of the Americanized phở places (no tripe or tendon) and the average Thai food that are everywhere in Sellwood/​Moreland.

We ordered several things like Fried Onion Chinese Pancake, a very oily and small portion for $ 6. Pork Dumpling Bun was not too bad, again very small portion. Pork Chop with Rice was very chewy and salty, almost like unfrozen deep fried item.
Price is above average (expensive), unfortunately we didn’t feel it’s worth the cost.

Had the pork belly bao and beef noodle soup. Both were delicious. I’m really excited that this new restaurant opened the restaurant and was glad to see they had a line out the door.

Only opened for 1 month. already have to wait for tables.
The beef noodle is one of the best in Portland/​Seattle area.
Steam bun is good to try.

As there are so few Taiwanese restaurants in the PDX area, I really want to support Wei Wei. I would give a 3.5 star rating if possible. The service at this mom and pop shop is friendly, although the food does come out a bit slow. The décor is modern and clean. I also liked that they stock Apple Sidra and Hey Song Sarsaparilla
I had the beef noodle soup and pork belly bao. The beef was not tough but could be a bit more tender. The broth was flavourful, and not too salty. But as other reviewers have mentioned, it was on the bland side. It could definitely use a bit more character. The noodles they chose were perfect — on the thicker chewier side — but they were a bit overcooked and soft.
The pork bao was flavourful, although a bit too heavy handed with the brown sauce. I would have liked to taste a bit more of the fresh peanut sauce.
I think Wei Wei deserves a return visit so I’ll be back with my family when we crave some Taiwanese comfort food.

Yum! Have only tried the pork belly bao and salt and pepper chicken — they are both great. They also have delicious apple sidra (soda) and chocolate chip cookie + ganache sandwiches. Very rich, beware, you’ll need to split it with someone. Can’t wait to come back and try more dishes.
Edit: tried the Pork Chop + noodle soup. It was ok, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It is a fried porkchop on a plate with somewhat of a bland noodle soup. You can add seasonings, however overall it did not seem worth the price.

On my first visit I thought it was pronounced Wee-​Wee. You know the universal phrase for having to take a leak. Yes squared in French.
But au contraire, mon frère. Not so fast, Tinkley Winkely. In case you’re curious and want to avoid embarrassment, it’s actually pronounced Way-​Way. And spelled just like the popular Mandopop singer and actress (thanks Wikipedia… what would I do without you).
This is a great new addition to Sellwood. Small space, and a small menu. But hey, size doesn’t matter. Right, ladies? Right?
Ok, well at least it doesn’t matter when talking about Wei Wei.
I ordered the rice plate with pork chop. Amazing. My colleague had the beef noodle soup and it looked fantastic.
Sadly, no poo-​poo platter on the menu.

Best beef noodle soup place in Portland so far :) noodle was really good and the broth was perfect! I will be returning here whenever I crave beef noodle soup

I feel its more of a 3.5 but they were nice so they get the benefit of the doubt on the 4 stars.
I got:
beef noodle soup
Pork bun
white tea
The tea was nice and had nice accouterments for drinking it. Problem is you can’t really relax and enjoy the tea with people all watching and waiting for your seat.
The soup was tasty and filling but I agree with another reviewer that the broth, while nice and clean, was also a bit bland. The ingredients all seemed fresh and well prepared, with a lot of well prepared beef.
The pork bun was tasty and probably my favorite part so far. I would try their other non-​main dishes if I go back to see what else might strike my taste buds.

Excellent! I wish i lived closer to this place.
Great owner, quality food, nice décor and very clean. It is pretty much brand new.
Limited selection on menu but they make sure each item is a winner which I have tried almost all items already.
Gotta try it !

Wei Wei could easily be ‘Wow Wow’. We’ve been there twice, and been pleased both times with the food. It’s a very small establishment, which is smart for a business trying to test the shark-​infested waters of the restaurant business.
The owner’s parents do all the cooking, and they do a terrific job of it. We’ve tried all three of the bao rolls. Instead of the doughy, under-​stuffed baos that you normally find in Chinese restaurants, these are more like a puffy mini-​taco: freshly made, stuffed with either chicken, pork or beef, and folded into a delicious two-​bite appetizer. Another excellent appetizer is the scallion pancakes. About the thickness of a crêpe, they are crisply layered, light and tasty.
For the larger items: We’ve tried the spicy pork noodle bowl (not a soup), the vegetarian soup, and the beef soup. These are very generous portions. The beef soup has a very rich and flavorful stock base with liberal amounts of tender, braised beef, noodles, spinach, etc. A very small dollop of their house-​made hot chili sauce made it perfect. The pork bowl was flavorful and plentiful, although some chopped veggies on top would be a plus. My wife liked the vegetable soup with glass noodles, which has tofu instead of meat, of course.
A condiment table has the usual soy, soy vinegar and Huy Fong Sriracha choices, along with their own hot chili sauce, which, if you really want serious heat, will light up your life. All in all, this is a pleasant place with pleasant people, and a nice departure from the usual glue fest that is local Chinese cooking.

This is a fast-​casual style restaurant where you order at the counter before sitting to eat. They really aren’t able to accomodate groups very well and there’s nowhere to wait for a table other than hovering in the entrance looking predatory while other diners finish. They don’t have high chairs, so not too kid friendly. Half the space is just empty so maybe a better seating arrangement will be worked out.
For the food, first let me say my husband lived in Taiwan for years and I have visited there as well. The pork belly buns are very good. The noodle soups are lacking in flavor, especially the pork chop noodle soup. The broth was very bland, it’s just a giant bowl of noodles in bland pale broth with a tough fried pork chop on the side. Tea eggs were tasty though clearly much of the egg white had stuck to the shell so our eggs were already on the small side, and then missing most of the white.