Chinese Iron Wok of Ri

Guys– this place was open on the freakin’ blizzard day. And it was just the greasy chinese food i needed. This place makes all your standards fried up delightfully. We did get a tofu thing once that we weren’t crazy about (i can’t vouch for their veggie friendly plates) but their chicken is always perfectly crispy, dripping with delicious sauces, and tastes wholesome. I totally recommend this one!

As with restaurants around the Brown campus, expect higher than average prices. The food is okay, as a student I went several times and was not particularly impressed. You can find better Chinese food elsewhere and at cheaper prices. They do serve a lot of food, so one can argue that it justifies the prices a bit, but regardless, there are better options, but unfortunately not on the campus area (at least I was not impressed by the places I went to near campus, but then again, there are not many options).

We’ve been getting discouraged with the Asian options in Providence recently, and decided to try Chinese Iron Wok one night as takeout. I was craving some ridiculous American-​Chinese sweet and sour chicken; perhaps the food is more authentic at Iron Wok but I found it really flavorless. The wontons were a huge disappointment — mostly bland dough, very little meat. The Ma Po tofu also just didn’t have much taste, and didn’t get better as leftovers. The eggplant with bean curd was the best dish, full of garlic and left us feeling pretty satisfied. I felt like the meal was too «up and down» for us to give this restaurant another try.

The craving for Chinese food is one of the most difficult to ignore. I recently walked to this corner restaurant and ordered the same dish I order at every Chinese restaurant: General Tso Chicken (I know, there’s no such General). The place is a little dark but cozy with a friendly staff. I’m not sure if the prices are high or if I’m just turning into a cheap SOB. The food was solid (read: caused few digestion problems) but the quality wasn’t anything special.
Are there many other Chinese food options around the Brown area? Not really. So you win, Chinese Iron Wok. Once my next craving rolls around, you’ll be seeing me again.
Peace.

Overpriced, greasy, small-​portions, under-​seasoned (in terms of spices) and, well, disappointing. I had some hope for this place, after eating Fuji Chen at Providence Place. I was wrong. Iron Wok delivers stereotypical Americanized Chinese food but worse. Ordered the Beef and Broccoli: Tasteless and swimming in oil. $ 11.90. Really? It’s understandable that Rhode Island may not be a mecca for ethnic cuisine; however, if a restaurant touts itself as one of City Search’s top Chinese eateries, it’s got to deliver. Felt cheated of what should have been a mediocre dinner.
Won’t be coming back.

Another great Chinese New Year meal this year — lunch instead of dinner because of scheduling conflicts. Steamed stripped bass with ginger and scallion may be among the best fish I’ve eaten; Cumin lamb, tofu with red pepper sauce, chinese greens all very good, as was the service. The price was very reasonable for the quality of the food.
If you’re looking for greasy take out chinese food at rock bottom prices look elsewhere — but I don’t have any complaints on price or value for lunch and dinner, particularly for specials.

Quick delivery, decent clean food. I dig the spring rolls, and the beef and brocolli tastes very fresh… not the best I’ve ever had and could stand a little more seasoning. Probably some of the freahest tasting I have had. Good carrots.

I have only been to Iron Wok during lunch time and I have no complaints!
For lunch, the prices are pretty decent. They also give you enough food to leave you feeling full (but not so much you can take it home for a second meal).
The General Tso’s Chicken is tasty and perfectly seasoned and sauced. The veggies are always fresh and crispy.
The staff is very nice and the service is very fast for lunch.

This was by far the worst service I’ve ever experienced in PVD/​anywhere.
The original owner is very nice, but the guy behind the counter is absolutely terrible and would even go so far as alienating customers to not give the promised 60 CENTS discount on a card program they’re on.
Spend your money elsewhere. Absolutely terrible attitude to accompany their overpriced, mediocre food.

I was craving Chinese food, and went here as a LAST RESORT knowing how ridiculously overpriced everything is here.
We got Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce and Mongolian Beef.
It was so expensive for our small portions, I cried inside.
Too bad I don’t have a car, so I can’t go to Apsara for my Chinese food fix.

great food!
i compare it to some of my favorite szechaun places in NYC chinatown.
not like sticky americanized chinese food at all.
fresh and real!

I’ve lived about 2 blocks from this place for several months, but always ended up going to Shanghai for my greasy Chinese food fix after seeing the prices on Iron Wok’s menu. I decided to try it out this evening, and probably won’t be back. The prices were steep for take-​out Chinese: $ 6 for cold sesame noodles and $ 9 for broccoli and tofu. I might have been ok with it if the portions were huge, but they were average (or even a bit small.) Noodles were not at all tasty. The broccoli/​tofu was not bad, it wasn’t remarkable either.
Overall, not that exciting.

I love coming here for a quick lunch. The lunch portions are perfect, and I love it that they bring you a kettle of hot tea.
GLUTEN FREE DINERS: My favorite dish here is the Chinese eggplant and chicken. It is a little oily, but the veggies are fresh, the chicken is tender breast meat, and I know for sure that it is gluten free! Usually with the lunch specials you get the choice of an eggroll or rangoons, but I just remind them not to put it on my plate. If in doubt about anything, ask the staff, they have been really friendly when I ask about flour/​gluten in the dishes.

Whatever you do, DON’T order the «soup» dumplings. I’m on a Xiao Long Bao binge and after eating the best xlb at JoJo Taipei (Allston, MA) last night I decided to look for a xlb place in RI on our way back to CT. I figured that there was probably a decent chance that we’d find something good due to the proximity to Boston. Well, this place failed.
There may have been one drop of soup in those little turds, but I’m pretty sure it was just condensation from the steam. Most of them were hard as rocks and some only had a chickpea-​sized (no exaggeration) amount of meat in them. We were told that they’d take 15 – 20 minutes to cook. I’m pretty sure this means they were frozen, and I’m also pretty sure that eating xlb that are not fresh is a big no-​no. Everything else is overpriced and underwhelming.
Btw, the lock on the women’s bathroom door is broken. Enjoy!

They cost more than your typical chinese restaurant… but Iron Wok does have lunch specials… i got the shredded pork with vegetables and fried rice…(the fried rice is very good)…and the spring roll combination plate…
Iron Wok does serve beer and wine… Service is good… Kristen our waitress was vey nice… I will be going back…

The owner, Tom, used to run the Chinese Food Truck during lunch hours outside of the sciences library and chemistry building at Brown. Now that he opened a restaurant (I believe it was previously in Cranston edit — Seekonk), the Chinese Food Truck is no more.
Iron Wok is really hit and miss. Some dishes are pretty decent and traditional. Others are … mediocre. A shredded pork dish was one of the hi-​lights of a recent meal.
Prices are on the higher side for average Chinese food, but it’s the best around College Hill and maybe around Providence besides Mu Mu’s, so I guess something has to give.
All in all, for the most part, Iron Wok does satisfy the sudden Chinese food craving.

Great food, and tradition dishes. Best spot in PVD for Chinese.

I’ve never had food from the Iron Wok food truck before, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. However, I would have to say otherwise for the restaurant they just opened up in the winter. The prices of the dishes here are pretty ridiculous for chinese food. Granted, there aren’t many chinese restaurants here in PVD, but still, $ 9 for a standard dish like broccoli and beef? I could get that same dish, with even more food on the plate for about half the price elsewhere on the east coast.
Although the food served is pretty authentic, it’s definitely not a place I would consider going very often. Maybe it’s because I’ve had much better tasting Chinese food back in CA, but, really, I think this place needs a lot of improvement before it can even compare to a restaurant from back home.

this place had the potential to become my favorite eatery near the brown campus. everyone was so excited for it to open because we thought we’d be getting great authentic chinese food. FINALLY, right?
but this has just been such a huge disappointment. first of all, the prices are ridiculous, esp for chinese food. i mean honestly…$ 4 for a bowl of hot and sour soup? you’ve got to be kidding me.
the thing that made me decide to never come to this place again was when a friend and i ordered some dumplings for pick-​up as a study break. when we picked up our dumplings and brought them back to the dorm, we took it straight back and demanded a refund. these «dumplings» were just the skin! there was literally absolutely no filling (we checked). iwe were insulted that they thought they could pass these off as dumplings and charge $ 7 for them.
this place is not only unimpressive, it’s a rip-​off. dont even waste your money.

Chinese Iron Wok is the answer to my prayers for good, authentic Chinese food in Providence. The restaurant was originally in Seekonk but just relocated to Brook Street (former Oliver’s bar). The food is more traditionally Chinese and reminds me of a restaurant I used to visit in Chinatown in Boston. The dumplings are excellent as is the Ginger Chicken with String Beans. We ordered take-​out but there is a small dining area.