Fortune Express

Been to this place a few times and of course, food and service have been great! Now consider this. I usually come here if I happen to work from home. I usually go around 11:30am so food is fresh. Ordered the Thai iced tea with boba and it was perfect! I usually order the Green Bean Chicken and Orange Chicken. It doesn’t disappoint! I’m not sure about the other reviews but I know I’ve never had an issue. Food has always been tasty!

Friendly people however I think they need to spend some more time focusing on making the food taste better. I realize this is a family owned business and I’m not trying to make him look bad merely trying to give them some tips. Several times I have been there and the food was very bland nothing like what good Chinese food should taste like even though it is fast food.

Get this place out of Stevenson Ranch!!!
I went to Ralph’s with my daughter and on the way out she says she wants Chinese food for lunch. I usually go to Pick-​Up Stix or A&B Express for quick Chinese fix but voila! Fortune Express came into sight it being in the same shopping complex. I knew about this place but never tried before… and what a mistake… My instinct was right, we walked in and saw already made items staring at us screaming out «nasty». Even the simple chow-​mein and fried rice looked old and bland. We should have walked right out but not to be rude we ordered some combos to go. Orange Chicken for my daughter, Spicy Beef & Kung Pow Chicken for me. They all tasted a few days old. When my daughter said «this chicken tastes like a day old left over fried chicken» I almost choked with guilt trip. I poured hot sauce all over the plate just to mask the original flavor, and painfully finished without a breathe. Hey I was hungry… Never ever again. Sorry.

I have been coming here since I was a child and never once have they let me down. They’ve been so kind and attentive to me and have never once failed to ask about my family when I walked in alone as I got older and their food is always fresh (at least when I go in)! Any restaurant won’t have fresh food after the rush ends and no one comes around for hours (I used to work in food myself). They have catered to all my needs, as I’ve mentioned before. They’ve seen me go from ravenous meat eater to vegetarian to pescetarian and back to a meat eater and having tried one of everything on the menu, I am pleased, especially with the Szechaun eggplant and chop suey! Their chow mein is my absolute comfort food as well! I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the Thai tea being warm. Well, they cook up the boba (which in my opinion makes it so much better) and honestly if you let it sit for a minute it’ll cool right down. For the people saying it is expensive for what you’re getting, I wonder if you’ve hit up any fast food restaurants lately. Considering this place is closer to a home cooked meal than any fast food will be, I would like to say it’s a sweet deal.

I went here because i was really thirsty & didnt wana go anywhere to get something to drink. There was a sign outside that they have thai tea boba. I went in & ordered large thai tea boba which is almost $ 5 after tax. The lady said to wait a few minutes because they will make the boba. Few minutes later she said here u go & place the cup and straw on the counter. Kinda rude or at least no customer service but whatever. So after i put the straw, i sipped coZ i was thirsty. The drink was WARM. I then mixed the drink with straw & there were ice in it. I sipped one more time & the drink is still WARM, No its not a little cold but WARM. I kept mixing & sipping repeatedly & got the same result so i told the lady «its not cold, its warm.» She replied «of course we just cooked the boba. Wait a little bit its gona get cold later.» What a BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE! There were two people dining in, im the only customer u need to serve & u cant even offer to help & tell me its gona get cold later??? I asked for a cup of ice and she gave me a cup & pointed to me where the ice dispenser was. I put more ice in my cup, mixed it, solved the problem.
Lady, whoever u r, if u’r just working for this place, then good for u, u may just lose your job when this place gets out of business and u can get a job at del taco. If u own this business, then be prepared that u will get out of business soon. Bad customer service just dont last. If u cant serve your customer or dont like to do what u do, dont work there. At least practice making a cold boba when there r no customers.

Last night after a good work out at LA Fitness I see this Chinese food place and think, why not lets try a new place.
The owner and his son were inviting and seemed to really care about their business and the noodles looked delicious! So got a plate for me and my wife. The prices were $ 6.75 for 2 items and $ 7.75 for 3 items… a little more than what I am used to paying but why not. I grabbed chow mein on both, kung pao on one and orange chicken on another and chicken sticks* (not teriyaki chicken) on both plates however I needed to wait for two more chicken sticks, which the son told me they are cooking it now and would be coming right up.
After 5 minutes of waiting for the chicken sticks, he asks if I would like anything to drink. He says the Thai tea is good and I can add Boba. I like Boba so he convinced me. Almost $ 5 for a Thai tea with Boba! I pay for everything as *he* requested and after I pay he says the Tea will be up shortly.
Guess how long I waited in total. 30 minutes!!! For 2 chicken sticks and a Thai Tea with Boba. Holy Molly this food better be good! I wanted to leave after 10minutes but I had already paid!
I get home… and to our disappoint the food was not that great. The chow mein had a good thick noodle but didn’t have much flavor, the chicken sticks were a strange flavor, maybe a super light honey taste? Kung pao wasn’t great however the orange chicken was pretty good. My wife couldn’t even finish hers, she just didn’t like it.
Considering the very mediocre food and LONG wait times, I will never come to this place again. Sorry family, this was too long to wait for fast food.

My mother used to take my younger sister and I here all the time when we were little.
15 years later, I’m still surprised that this place is still open, and with the same workers!
I don’t eat here often, since Chinese food of any kind isn’t something I could eat daily, but when I do I am greeted with the same exact excitement and hospitality that I was 15 years ago. They know me by name, and they’re incredibly welcoming.
I won’t lie, this place is extremely easy to pass up. It looks old (and it is), and they have the same furniture from 15 years ago. The best part is the food.
Many choices to choose from, and they are all fantastic. Always extremely fresh, and if you want something made on the spot, they have no problem doing so.
It’s definitely something worth a try, as it’s not your regular Chinese food location.
It’s always quite, clean, and warm welcoming.

I’ve lived in this area since 2004 and as long as I’ve known about this place, I’ve underestimated it. Let me explain;
See, I’m a typical white dude but I know my Chinese food. I consider myself well-​educated when it comes to Chinese food. I have Chinese friends, all of whom have introduced me to their idea of great Chinese food. I’ve had Dim Sum in places where they don’t speak English. I’ve eaten Chinese food in England, Ireland, Dubai and here in the States.
Ok, that said, when I see a place that screams ‘Chinese FAST food’, I think we’re getting a bunch of low-​effort slop that can fool people who don’t know better. But, seeing as how it’s been more and more difficult to find good Hot and Sour Soup, I decided to give Fortune Express a try, because they actually still make Hot and Sour Soup…*unlike* Panda Express and unlike Pick-​Up Stix. When Panda and Stix stopped making this soup, I started looking elsewhere for it. Honestly, I can’t take a Chinese Food place seriously if they don’t at least attempt some version of Hot and Sour Soup.
I am glad I did. Fortune Express, I hope you know the niche you have here!
Let me tell you, this place knows how to make Hot and Sour Soup! Fortune Express’ version is hot, spicy (but not overly so), generously-​portioned, full of mushrooms and tofu and lots of goodness, FRESH (you’ll have to wait a bit) and is reasonably-​priced. It’s really, really GOOD! For this alone, they get to a baseline of 4 stars, because a place that close to me that sells hot and sour soup is gonna get lots of lovin’ from me. Everything else is just window-​dressing to me, or a side for the soup. ;)
Their orange chicken is always quite good. It’s hard to mess this up, or I should say, a lot of places do this well. Theirs is as good as any I’ve tried.
Egg rolls? Great. I like them a little burnt, too. Very nice.
White rice=good. But, I make my own rice too and really, how hard is it to make rice?
Their ‘Chop Suey’ dish reminds me of what my Chicago born and bred Irish-​Italian parents thought was Chinese food back in 1979, when people didn’t know much about Chinese food (and eating sushi was unthinkable). My girlfriend seemed to like the Chop Suey, however. I refuse to order anything called Chop Suey, but I’m a discriminating customer. #ThisAintOrangeCounty1979
Chopsticks won’t be handed to you… you’ll have to ask (at least, that was my experience). I didn’t ask and got regular plasticware. But, I am an expert with chopsticks and prefer to eat with them (well, not the soup). Now, I would be a little offended if I knew that they handed out chopsticks to customers who appear Asian and not me, but I don’t, so I’m not. ;) I don’t mind asking. Wood is a finite resource. I don’t mind asking for water at restaurants either.
This place also sells BOBA TEA! Granted, it’s a little pricey but man if you want Boba and you’re here, well you can get everything in one place. Those giant straws and little balls of tapioca are fun now and then.
The owners are friendly and they upsell, which I think is fun and endearing. Hey, if you’re in the business of selling-​food, why not?
I don’t necessarily like how I’ve been greeted a few times, with the first utterance being ‘For here or to go?’. How about a ‘hello’ or ‘welcome’ or something? Unless it’s a line out the door, I have time for pleasantries. ;) If I am the only one in the store, I’m willing to talk a lot more (assuming I am not in a hurry).
If you’ve been panning this place based on dishes which you can get at a zillion other places, try that Hot and Sour Soup and then decide. You can thank me on Unilocal later and adjust your review accordingly. ;)
4 Stars! I’ll be back for more of that delicious Hot and Sour Soup! :D

Dropped in after wondering what the place was like for a few months.
I would like to say that the man who was running the place was pleasant but sadly that is the best thing about this place.
I ordered orange chicken and white rice. The rice was fine, how can you screw up rice? The orange chicken was like when you have a bad experience at Panda Express. Not good.
12 dollars for us both to eat dinner and I will not be going back.
There is a Panda Express just up the road from this place and I would suggest you do that. They are generous with portions and it doesn’t taste like it was cooked yesterday.
Grade: D–

Excellent service with family run business. Highly recommend the shrimp fried rice and the salt and pepper shrimp. Agree with recommendation for ordering off the menu and they can customize dishes to your preference. Also recommend the chicken sticks

Food is okay, it’s cheap. You get what you pay for. Love the thai tea boba. Good alternative for cheap meal.

Put it this way I wouldn’t go back! The egg rolls I ordered were burnt, and it was only 11 in the morning and it seemed like the entrees had been sitting out for a very long time. I guess you have to try a place once in order to know if you are going to like it or not.

Great service, even better food! I always get the chicken sticks with mushroom chicken. Can’t ever go wrong with chicken :)

Just figuring out how to use Unilocal.Accidentally gave them a 2.5, previously. Meant to give them higher. Sorry Fortune Express.

I recently discovered this place while I was thinking what I wanted for lunch. I wanted chinese, but not Panda Express. I tried this place out a few times. Every time the staff was very friendly & the food may look bland but it’s actually pretty good. The chow mein is yummy so is the fried rice. I always get orange chicken & mushroom chicken my personal favs. Yummy place for real chinese if you’re sick of Panda Express.

The food is amazing and the owners are as well. I always come back for their black bean pork ribs, chicken egg rolls, and thai tea boba and because of their great customer service.

Pretty good for what it is. Fast, cheap, decent food. The lady at the counter is super nice!!!

I have been eating here since the year 2000. I agree with one of the other reviewers — ask the owner «what is your special of the day», i.e. what can they make for you FRESH. You will like that more than what is being served on the steam table.
They always have some kind of fresh fish of the day.
The owners who run Fortune Express are always super friendly to me.

Phenomenal flavor in the Salt and Pepper Shrimp. The shrimp are crisp-​fried whole, salty with a slight chew. The garlic flecks that cling to the shells are intense. If you’re one to discard the shells, or the tails, at least pick up the blackened bits that scatter as you eat.
Fortune Combination Chow Mein, made to order, is completely unlike what sits in the warming trays at the counter. Plenty of chicken, beef and shrimp.
The key at Fortune Express is to order fresh, not off the steam table. Yes, you have to wait. And it’s not as cheap. But 15 minutes and a few extra bucks can make all the difference between one-​star and five-​star Chinese takeout.

I really, really, really wanted to like this place. It’s been here about 10 years. Unfortunately, the food is as drab as the restaurant. Some seats have duct tape on them. The noodles are oily (do they change the oil every 10,000 miles)?
The fried rice is passable but I found it dry (aka: old). Most of the food looks like its been out for hours. Beware the chicken with stringbeans as I’ve yet to see a new batch ever put out. Sorta like the hotdogs at 7 – 11. For decoration, don’t eat.
Orange chicken was passable. Chicken curry was good (especially the potatoes) but I think too heavy on the chinese curry powder.
I like to support smaller family owned restaurants, and this is one. But good food is great and this isn’t great food.