First Wok

Nearly every neighborhood has one, the local fast food Chinese joint. Seemingly a mom & pop spot serving basic Chinese-​American food and possibly run by a couple who are Asian but may or may not be Chinese. The menus read the same (& look the same) from town to town and they all end with one of the house specials being General Tso’s chicken, albeit the spelling may be different.
Some of these places are good, most are mediocre, and some are downright awful. But it’s a fine line they travel, as it’s all so similar.
The reason I place First Wok closer to the top rung on generic Chinese has nothing to do with the dining experience. As a location, it sucks, sitting in the corner of an old rundown shopping center off 7^th Street Road in Shively. As for the interior, the floors are clean, the tables too, but the place could use a visit from Robert Irvine as it lacks any type of inviting décor. Even the aquarium is bare bones and the overfed goldfish seem to long for a day when they can retire to a koi pond in the sky.
But, the fact is, and I’ve been back here time and time again for the past 10-​plus years, the food’s damn good. It’s always cooked fresh, the portions are fantastic for the price, and by that I mean it’s far more than I can eat for under $ 6, and I have never, if ever, been disappointed in an order. And by order, I mean, call in for carry-​out. Eating in, while an option and perfectly OK, isn’t really a recommendation.