Golden Horse Seafood Rstrnt
(503) 228-1688
238 NW Fourth Ave
Portland,
OR
97209
45.5249
-122.6743
Neighborhoods: Old Town - Chinatown, Neighbors West - Northwest
Reviews & Ratings for Golden Horse Seafood Rstrnt
31 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 31 reviews
authentic chinese
by zoggith
February 29, 2008
I see lots of reviews that talks about the poor service, but all of these raters need to remember...these people are from immigrant business people from Hong Kong. They are not American, so are they going to act like American waiters. They are brisk, they are curt, but they are professional. The food portions are huge, and delicious. The English is not the best, but when we walk in and see that we are the only white people in the restaurant it confirms that the food is great. And it is! If you do not like the service, sorry, but remember that not everyone acts like you want them to. The food is amazing and they are friendly when you get to know them.
- Pros: FOOD!
- Cons: restaurant is a bit dingy, ambiance is blah
I enjoyed my meal
by msx
June 12, 2009
Not NYC Chinatown quality, but a good basic restaurant. Far superior to many others I've eaten in on this coast, and a mostly Chinese clientele tells me there's something there which I need to explore further. Wait staff wasn't friendly initially but they do respect good food choices and warmed up.
Went with a group of friends who ordered American-Chinese dishes, Lemon Chicken and the like. Not authentic Chinese fare and it was typically bland and disappointing, but everyone else enjoyed it. The duck I ordered was very tasty although a bit dry, but my order of string beans was huge and cooked superbly, deep fried tender and tossed with just the right amount of Szechuan preserved vegetable. I had hoped to find Cho Tofu but was told that it's not served in this area.
- Pros: Quite decent for the PNW
- Cons: Not overly clean
Authentic Chinese by adrienne s. at InsiderPages
Contributor
January 25, 2009
Although Portland has a super small China town, The Golden Horse is authentic and worth a visit. I've come here in a large group and had great service and enough food to take home. They have specialty items like pigeon that you can order if you call ahead. I like to stick to the basics. The fish porridge is delicious!
Best Chineese in Portland, take my advise, go with someone that speeks the language or one of the many dialects.
by spearse
November 22, 2008
If you go, ask what fresh vegetables are available and what fresh fish are available. they have a combination where they take a whole fish, make a soup, a main dish and a vegetable dish from the same fish. it is wonderful.
I like the Hong Kong style noodles with the fresh vegetables and It is a fresh noodle that is fried and the then topped with a stir fry.
Also, if the live shrimp are in the tank, they have several fresh shrip dishes that are the best in Portland.
When i go for Chinese food, i want the real stuff and an atmosphere that matches. Golden Horse is as good as any place in Chinatown in San Francisco.
But don't waste your time going and ordering "American" Chinese. My mother drives me crazy because she insists on a #3. Once I got her to try the walnut glazed shrimp, she started letting me order for her and enjoys every trip.
Enjoy
- Pros: fresh, high quality, inexpensive meals
- Cons: location, decor could be updated
Horrible food and atmosphere!
by jeannie37
November 01, 2008
I do tend to be picky when it comes to Chinese food but I thought this was horrible. I am NOT a fan of greasy, saucy, fried foods and that's all they have here. The restaurant itself was not very clean and appealing and the food was even worse. Even the tea tasted like dirty water. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone!!
- Cons: Horrible food, dirty restaurant
No good food, no atmosphere, curt service.
by wanderingom
October 13, 2008
The place was full of people, so we guessed it had to be decent food. Unfortunately we were wrong. I ordered the Sesame Chicken and my hubz ordered the General Tso's Chicken - and he asked for it extra spicy. The hot tea was very bitter. The service was curt. Both of our dishes looked and tasted exactly alike - except mine had sesame seeds. The General Tso's was not one bit spicy. Both dishes had sliced jalepenos on them. Really? In chinese food? The chicken was burnt on the edges and every bite began and ended with overly crispy, burnt flavored yuck. I definitely don't recommend this place.
- Pros: none
- Cons: food, service, atmosphere
gross "food"
by Ursula159
June 04, 2008
Although I may be picky, I don't think anybody should eat here. In my General Tso's Chicken was a squishy ball. Out of the squishy ball squirted liquid. Um, ewwwwww. Also, our server was really crabby. After 20 minutes of waiting (trust me, she seemed allergic to the normal "flagging down") she finally came over and was like, "What?" So I asked her if I could please have some more rice. Well, I really had to go to the bathroom*, so unfortunately, I was gone when she came by with the rice. Instead of leaving the rice, she took it back with her. At the end, I told her the potstickers were good, and she glared at me and spoke rapid chinese to the two hunched over figures peeling beans. Unless you're really adventurous, DO NOT EAT AT GOLDEN HORSE.
*Upon the toilet is a small sign and it says, "For maximum quality flush, take top off of toilet and take rubberband off of flap."
Authentic Cantonese restaurant, reasonable price
by 2puddytat
April 04, 2008
This is obviously not a place for a date with its outdated decor and fluorescent lighting. However, if you care for authentic cantonese food, you will not be disappointed. We came from San Francisco bay area. Me, raised in China, husband, an HIGHLY TRAINED white , both agree that food is genuinely delicious.
There we were, wandering in the Chinatown on our trip, trying to find a place to eat. Read the menu on about every restaurants in China town, totaling about 6 (?!). Only two stood out as serving authentic full menu . There is another one looked ok, but for noodle porridge type of food. Yes, you can tell from the menu.
What we ordered? Chicken Tofu sheet mushroom soup(soup of the day), sauteed scallop, eggplant anchovy stew, and the BBQ pork fried rice (in case the restaurant is a put off, can't go too wrong on a fried rice). Unfortunately oyster is sold out on that night, otherwise we would have ordered it steamed, with black bean sauce. No complaints what's so ever, food was cooked what it supposed to taste like in China, and huge portion. When the check came, found out soup and rice are both complimentary. Plus the no sales tax bargain, this meal would have cost about 40% more in California.
- Pros: Authentic delicious, Good price
- Cons: outdated interior
eew. Just...eew.
by sparklehearts
March 02, 2008
Anyplace that smells primarily like urine and old wood more than cooking food should probably be avoided. But, having eaten here before and enjoying it, I ordered the orange chicken anyway. It came out drowned in soy sauce. My date's sweet and sour chicken was undercooked. Both dishes were completely inedible. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, under any circumstances. *shudder*
- Pros: none
- Cons: smells awful.
Authentic Experience and Food, Fun staff.
by smithee
November 14, 2007
I love Golden Horse. It is one of the few restaurants in town that make me feel like I am in Chinatown. I could see how someone with limited experience of Chinese food and culture might take offense to the decor, style of service, and flavors of food, but this is the real deal folks! This is authentic Chinese food that offers many classics that you can't find elsewhere such as "ung choy", a delicious Chinese green in a garlic sauce that is to die for. The Buddha's Delight contained an unusual, crunchy "wood mushroom" that imparted a flavor that took some getting used to, but was delicious nonetheless. It's a shame that the special board is written only in Chinese, because that's where some of the best food I've had comes from. It doesn't hurt to ask about the specials. The main point I want to make here is that Golden Horse is a really good restaurant, but it takes some patience, savvy, and a little cultural understanding on your part to have a good experience.
- Pros: Very Authentic
- Cons: Special Board could use some english translations.
