Cal Wok

Went there for lunch today… yes cheap food, but you get what you pay for. Food is really bland, rice is old.
Ordered curry shrimp… you get 5 small pieces of shrimp with alot of bell pepper, onions, carrots, and potato and potatoes, and a nasty tasting egg roll.
I should of known when I walked in at 1:30 and no one was inside. Greeted by an old man who could hardly walk and looked like he just got out of bed, order taken by and served by an old lady who was missing her dentures and was very hard to understand. I only went here because china bistro off North Main St in Plessant Hill was closed. If you’re in the area I guess you could try New Lims up the street on Clayton Rd. but it’s not much better.

This place was recommended by a friend so my family decided try this place instead of going to the usual new lims garden. We placed our order and waited by the bar and watched TV. Eventually an hour passed by and no sign of our takeout order. many others came and left due to getting no service. We ended up waiting almost 2 hours for our order and nothing but an «oh, sorry» when we addressed how long we waited. The food is just as good as new lims but not worth the wait. New lims takes about 20 minutes. We won’t be coming back.

What a pleasant surprise! Very good, fresh food. It’s never busy –maybe because most people takeout. The owner is a very pleasant lady and always makes it a point to stop by our table. The menu is extensive and we have never been disappointed. Service can be a little slow but always pleasant. Not to forget –the value is amazing! We’ve paid twice as much in Walnut Creek for very similar food. We just found our «Chinese kitchen!»

It’s alright always empty so fast service just don’t order the fried calamari because they end up over frying it.

I wanted this place to be good… but it was not. Let’s see where do I start? When we first got there I was greeted by an old lady that had no teeth and her tongue was moving in and out of her mouth in a very gross manner. Then our server came out and he was a young boy who’s hygiene was so bad that my wife could smell his breath and b.o. from about 6 feet away, it turned my stomach so bad that when the disgusting food actually came out I wasn’t that hungry anymore. when my family and I ate said food we all instantly felt very bad. It was honestly such a bad experience that I am seriously questioning ever eating Chinese food again. Also I really feel inside my stomach that the old ladies teeth were soaking in a cup of water in the kitchen. We did not take any leftovers home and trust me there were a lot! Also the food took over an hour to come out after ordering!

Hands down this is the most authentic Cantonese food you will ever touch your mouf!
This is the best Chinese food Restaurant I have ever been to. The food here is very fresh, the service is super cute. I believe it’s family owned of course because the grandmother or mother of the owner always is the hostess.
The food is cooked with love, because I feel it with every bite. It doesn’t matter what you order, it comes out delish! My favorite dish is the Szechuan prawns! You’ll thank me later.
Oh they have a full bar with cheap prices! For those who like a little kick while they eat. Haha.

We highly recommend this place, the portions are big the taste of their food is delicious, my wife and I have tasted different menu items and have no complaints. Cal Wok is our only restaurant for Chinese food. A must go!

I am so happy I found this place. I have tried so many Chinese restaurants in the area and I have not found one close to my house I have been happy with.
When I am sick, I want Hot and Sour Soup. The Hot and Sour soup here was so flavorful and tangy. I did not need to add soy sauce or vinegar. I needed a moment of quiet to fully enjoy the experience, especially with a 7 yo constantly talking in my ear.
The green beans were tender, not woody like most many places. The Sweet and Sour pork was good, but a little tough. Next time, I will probably order the chicken. The fried rice was made exactly how I wanted it with no peas or carrots.
The person who took my order over the phone was courteous and willing to modify the order to suit my needs. They do not deliver, but it was worth getting in the car for it. Will definitely order again.

I have always hesitated to eat here because I’ve never seen it looking too busy. Boy was that a mistake! Not only do they serve good quality food with great service, but we fed a party of 5 for $ 62 including tips!
The servers were extremely attentive, they were sure to double check everyone was aware of what they were ordering, and we were never left waiting for service.
The dishes were all delicious, maybe not the most exquisite or fancy food available, but for the price it far exceeded my expectations! I think it’s safe to say my family will definitely be returning!

What a deal! $ 5. Lunch includes soup, egg roll, rice or chow mean and large main course! Place was EMPTY! I don’t get it… at that price in my home town this place would be packed! Give it a try! Honestly!!!
It would have been 5 stars but it’s empty in here!

One of the better Chinese restaurant in the area. Better than new Lim’s gardens. Very reasonable price.

Been here quite a few times and always enjoyed the food. The place is nice and clean and the lunch specials are $ 5.00 or $ 5.50 which includes soup. Best Chinese restaurant on Clayton Road in my opinion.

Very, very nice people at this restaurant. The server was lovely and the service was attentive. However this was the worst Chinese food I have ever had. I will not be back. We ordered several items including the Mongolian beef, Szechwan eggplant, and Chicken fried rice. We didn’t eat much and we didn’t even take any leftovers because nobody wanted them. Unfortunate because the location is a convenient one.

Yummy and delicious is all I can say. Quiet and understated with really great Cantonese family style food. It’s so hard to find good Chinese food in Concord/​Clayton/​Pleasanthill/​Walnut Creek area. The owners are nice and very friendly. Have been here a few times now and favorites are the Garlic Chicken Wings, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Fried Rice and Chicken Chow Mein. Happy to have found this place.

I just want to say THANK YOU for keeping your doors open. There are not many decent Cantonese style restaurants left in our area. I know when we dine at your restaurant we are always satisfied with delicious food. We are also treated with a personal and warm touch. I just wanted to say THANK YOU for your dedication.
~Monica & Peter

I’ve been live near Concord Blvd for almost 22 years but never been to Cal Wok. Recently my friend told me their food is good so last week I went for lunch with a friend. To my surprise the place is so clean, nice too. I ordered spring roll, 3 for $ 3, it’s so crunchy & good, I also ordered Szchusn spicy prawns. It was the best I ever have. Tonight I brought my nephew & my husband there. Again it did mot disappoint us. I give them 3 stars.

Food was absolutely delicious. Great customer service. I would recommend this place to anyone who likes Chinese food.

Well I think my wife and I have finally found a very good neighborhood Chinese restaurant. We have been looking for a local place since we moved to Clayton a year or so. We have eaten at most of the Unilocal rated places but the higher rated ones have been disappointing. We pass Cal Wok every morning and night on the way to BART. My wife saw the place and said we need to try it but the rating was only 3 ½ stars. Last night we were looking for Chinese but didn’t feel like going into Walnut Creek. We stopped in to Cal Wok with very low expectations. It wasn’t busy on a Friday night so not sure what to expect. The place is very nice inside it is clean and doesn’t smell musty like some we have visited. The owners are an elderly couple and are the main servers bartenders and greeters. They were very quiet and not aggressive so it was calming but still not sure what to expect. We ordered our usual favs on this visit. General’s Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pineapple Chicken, Egg Rolls, Hot and Sour Soup, Egg Flower Soup. The soup came out hot and delicious with just enough spice in the H&S to make it a winner. The egg rolls were normal with light flaky crust and vegetable inside. The sauce was a little heavy and sweet but you expect this from most Chinese restaurants. So far so good. The fried rice and the two main courses came out hot and may I say fresh. I use the word Fresh because this is the first time that i have been in a Chinese Restaurant where the vegetables were crisp and very flavorful. the broccoli was crisp not wilted. the Chicken lightly battered like the menu stated so you could actually taste the chicken. The General sauce was not heavy and over barring. I asked for medium spice not sure how spicy they make it. Next time I will ask to kick it up a notch since it wasn’t as spicy as I like it. The fried rice was the best I have had in a while and as I have mentioned before it came out hot and fresh tasting. The S&S pineapple chicken was just as great Fresh onions and peppers were crisp and flavorful not wimpy, pineapple was also crisp and really sweet. The sweet and sour sauce was a bit underwhelming but it was good. The overall meal was above expectations. It came out hot and Fresh and flavorful unlike most small CR I have visited. We will return to try other items we saw on the menu. My wife likes shrimp but the last few times the shrimp was old and didn’t taste good so she avoids it at Chinese restaurants. She plans on trying it here since our first impression is the food is fresh and so she is expecting their shrimp to be fresh.
I recommend this place as a go to dine in or carry out and found out that some gems can be found on Unilocal despite the ratings.
We weren’t looking for gourmet just good everyday Chinese and we found it In Cal Wok I think it is as good if not better than any place i have eaten in SF China Town. Try it you might like it!

food was good! Lovely staff! I was sick and went in for soup to soothe me. The person at the front desk seemed to sense this, immediately saying «soup! You need soup!» So I had Won ton soup. It was good! I was not expecting shrimp in there though. Pork and shrimp in a rather light broth. Lots of wantons in there, so it was hearty. Also, picked up Tomatoe Beef. This was very tangy. I really enjoyed it because it was packed with tomatoes. Neither were the best chinese food in town, but these were definitely worth the price.
Customer service was great. The lady sat me down and gave me hot tea as I waited for my Togo order. So for me, this is my new go to Chinese restaurant. Business looked really slow, so I urge others to try it! I will update review upon next trip.

I’ve been a fan of this restaurant for many years. I’ve always ordered take-​out, so I can’t comment on the service… however the husband & wife owners are very nice and always accommodate my special requests.
While I don’t consider Cal Wok ‘gourmet’ Chinese food (still searching for that in the East Bay), I have found Cal Wok to be every bit as good as Hunan Restaurant, which gets very good reviews here on Unilocal,and is just down the street. If given a choice between these two restaurants … I prefer Cal Wok. Give it a try!