Sampan Chinese Restaurant

Sampan Chinese Restaurant in Winston Salem
I had read several reviews of this restaurant before our visit. I had read the owner «sometimes she is a bit rough around the edges but she is efficient and a ridiculously hard worker.» To say I had some experience with Chinese restaurants would be an under statement. I arrived just before five. «ni hao.» (knee how) is hello in Mandarin. I bow, and Sandy Lo, the very nice owner, answers «ni hao». I tell her we drove from Greensboro just to try her restaurant as we heard some many great things about the authentic menu. She beamed us a great smile and we had the pick of the tables as only two other couples were here at this early hour. I kew we were off to a great start as she was charmin. After all, three of my favorite Unilocal reviewers gave affirmative reviews (Holly K, Fred B, and Barrie P.)
We ordered appetizers of pot stickers and spring rolls and hot tea upon sitting. There are two menus, one authentic which is all pictures, and a second, regular menu. The food is mostly Americanized Chinese other reviewer said.
I asked Sandy if we could have Moo Shu Pork spicy, Mandarin beef* spicy with scallions over crispy pan fried noodles, and Beef Chow Fun (wide rice noodles) in the dry-​style (meaning not in a soupy sauce) with extra ginger, scallions, garlic and fermented black beans. All of the appetizers and dishes were excellent and spicy as we requested. The pan-​fried noodles were incredible. The Mandarin beef had a hint of sweetness, which was just right. Since I surprised them asking for fermented black beans, the chow fun maybe was a touch too salty for my wife. The Moo Shu Pork came with the traditional sweet sauce with Hoisin at its base, along with four pancakes. I am certain, that if you know you way around Chinese food, this kitchen is amenable and capable of preparing anything your way.
If you do not know authentic, ask Sandy to recommend a spicy dish to you. (The reason I say spicy, is to avoid bland. In my book bland=American food=boring. If you afraid of the heat, say «spicy but not too hot.»
A group of 12 Chinese students from the University filled the large round –lazy-​Susan table. That is always a good authenticity stanp of approval.
The is plenty to explore at the Sampan. Next time, I will try Salt & Pepper Squid, Hunan chicken, Szechuan Beef, and Hot and Sour Soup
(*The normal menu Mandarin beef is made with shredded carrots.)
Their dessert menu is enticing, if only I had room for it. Ice cream, Cheese Cake, and fried donuts yum! Their lunch menu is fantastic topping out an affordable $ 5.65 and 39 combination plates to choose from.
I even found a Facebook page (
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By the time we left, the Restaurant and its parking lot was full. If your planning a party, reserve the big table. I gave five stars, but I don’t order from the Americanized menu. I suggest you try the real stuff — It is much better. As the best Chinese in the Triad I have found, I have to encourage its success. The considerable number of dishes offered has to be taken into account. There were things on the menu Like West Lake Beef soup I have never heard of. That too is a plus!

Went to this restaurant on the way back from a camping trip. The service was alright, which is the reason I give this two stars and not one. We were in a group of 4. I got the lemon chicken, which had a weird vanilla flavor. Two members of our group got the sesame chicken — it tasted more like dough fried four times than actual chicken. The last member of our party got the beef with mixed vegetables, which didn’t have anything too bad, but the sauce was bland and the beef seemed overcooked. The rice and egg rolls with our dishes were not too bad, but still not nearly as good as other restaurants. Finally, the bathroom smelled like old sneakers and digested Chinese food. Definitely would not recommend this location.

I have been thinking of trying this place for years, and when I say years I mean for over 20 years. However, somehow the responsibilities of life and other earthly cares prevented me from ever getting to try Sampan. So i really, REALLY wanted to love this place. Sadly I can say that the food left me disappointed. We ordered two dishes Crispy Scallion Chicken and Dynasty Chicken. Both orders came with the chicken really tough and overly breaded. The pieces were really small and overdone. The result was a texture that was unpleasant and overly chewy. Both of the dishes came out the same way. Most of the entrees come with steamed white rice but you can substitute fried rice or noodles for and additional $ 1.95.
The service I can say was good, everyone was friendly and pleasant. Be prepared though if you order a soda, a 12oz can will come to the table. It just seemed a little odd for an established restaurant like Sampan.
I guess since it took so long for me to get to try the place I can’t give up on them just yet, so I will go back to try something off of the authentic/​traditional menu.

Best Chinese food in Winston hands down (I’m Chinese). Tastes authentic even with some Chinese American dishes like General tso’s chicken. The dishes have that extra umami, savory kick to it so it tastes like legit Chinese food. Order from the Chinese picture menu. I don’t recommend ordering from the Americanized menu. You might not like it if you prefer Americanized Chinese take-​out but this place is the closest to the real thing you would find in Winston.

If you don’t care service or environment but food, they do have real good food there. Order from the authentic menu and you won’t regret.

Love this place! Food is amazing. We like the scallion chicken and it is always so crispy! Except for the One time we got take out. Definitely better in the restaurant. They have quite a few authentic items on and off the menu. Lot of great options! Go eat here!

Yum! The best Chinese food I’ve had in Winston-​Salem so far. We visited on a rainy Sunday and it was relatively busy. We ordered take-​out, so I can’t comment on the service, but our food came out quickly. It was very hot & fresh tasting. The pork lo mein was especially good. Will be returning!

First, let me just say… YIPEEE scallion pancakes! Next, I will tell all my New England Xpatriots that this is GOOD Chinese food.
The house special fried rice was really fried and absolutely wonderful. Off the authentic menu, order the stuffed eggplant. Probably the best tasting Chinese item that both my husband and I have ever tasted. YES, I said ever. The spare ribs were not cooked well and very tough. The spare rib sauce was very tasty, but it was distracting because of the chewy, badly cooked, muscly rib.
It is rare to find a free standing Chinese restaurant here in North Caroline, but here it is. Complete with out dated décor and a grumpy, but professional owner/​hostess. Service is spotty, food is served quickly but with no rhyme or reason. Our first plates were the fried rice and moogoo gai pan. It was then followed by the bbq spare ribs appetizer, after we got the scallion pancakes and lastly the eggplant. Not exactly the order I would expect. But not horrible service. Not just the best. Be prepared to feel like you are burdening the waitress when you ask for something. There was only 1 server on duty on a Friday night with a filled parking lot.
All in All… we will return. Loved most of it. Finally!!!

Outstanding and authentic Chinese food. It is best to go with a few people so you can share dishes and experience Chinese style of dining. Be sure to order from the «Authentic Chinese» menu
Highly recommend.

I don’t think I have ever had a day when I’ve visited two food joints rated 4-​stars by my fellow Unilocalies and been totally disappointed at both locations.
Tonight’s meal at Sampan was mediocre. The place was virtually dead. The service was good, not great. I knew I was in for an interesting dining experience when we ordered a Sprite and a lemonade and both were delivered with the sound of a can being opened… cost, $ 1.95 per can of soda.
I ordered the authentic fried rice dish with chicken, shrimp and veggies. It was rather bland and the rice wasn’t fried, it was poured over white rice. My wife had cashew chicken with an enormous amount of mushrooms. Both our dishes had plenty of grisly chicken and a large dose of tastelessness. My daughter’s lo main noodles were very good, hence the 2 stars.
I can’t see a return trip in the offing. Unilocalers… treat me better!!!

I wanted to like this place so much after reading all of the excellent reviews and I was really excited about the extended authentic menu.
We decided to go for dinner on a Friday night around 7:30 or so. There were about 6 tables occupied when we arrived. We waited a good while before the waitress took our drink order. After another long wait we started with the pork dumpling appetizer, which was good but not really noteworthy.
We originally ordered the steamed bass and green jade beef for our entrées. They were out of the bass, so we ordered the roast duck. After about 15 minutes the waitress returned and informed us they ran out of baby bok choy for the green jade beef and suggested a different beef dish which I don’t remember. The duck was soggy and poorly butchered. My beef entrée was good, but again, it wasn’t exceptional.
The waitress was a woman of few words and it seemed like she could care less if we’re enjoying our meals or not. Once we had our food the waitress came by once to refill my drink in the hour or so while we were there, but said nothing.
I like to think I give every resturaunt a fair chance before I write any reviews, good or bad. And most of the time I won’t leave a bad one, I just won’t return. I am willing to overlook certain things if the resturaunt shines in other aspects but this one just didn’t. The only reason I decided to eat here was the rave reviews. The «best in Winston.» It just isn’t.
I really don’t understand what is so exceptional about this resturaunt. The service was disappointing and the food was underwhelming. I think 3 stars is a fair review, though 2.5 would be more accurate. The food isn’t that bad but it really doesn’t stand out either. It’s better than buffet-​style but I don’t think it is any better than most of the take-​out spots in town. Maybe my expectations were too high or, maybe this place is just overrated.
We won’t be returning.

This place will forever have a special place in my heart. I used to come and eat here at least once a week with my friends. We love the family style setting of this place. We usually each order a dish and share with the rest of the table. Of course, you can order your food individually but we prefer to share. Seriously the food here is legit. My favorite thing on the menu is the stuffed tofu. I order it every.single.time. I love it so much, a friend literally wrapped a to-​go box of stuffed tofu and gave it to me for my birthday. I was so happy. Other favorites on the menu are the Singapore rice noodles, the duck, fried rice and hunan pork. The woman who runs this place is always so kind, she’s usually the only waitress there but is still very efficient. Stop by for yourself, I promise you won’t regret it.

Finally! Some reasonable semblance of authentic Chinese food in Winston! I’ve been searching for 10 years since we moved here and after HORRIBLE experiences at all the strip mall places in my new neighborhood, Unilocal helped me find *the* place. Generous portions, tasty food, and even though it seems small, the fact that they pack to-​go orders in boxes to carry home is awesome! Saves us from having to dig around in the brown bag most places use and try to manipulate hot as hell aluminum dishes out from the bottom. Doesn’t look like much from the outside, but oh-​so-​worth the trip inside!

Blink and you miss it. And it doesn’t look like much. First time here I ordered off the other menu and got Foo Keen Chicken. It was delicious. General Tso chicken is great. Very deeply spiced in flavor not too spicy hot though. Second time here I ordered Firecracker Shrimp which was small shrimp in a sweet and spicy red sauce. A little bit too much sauce as the shrimp was swimming in it. Hubby got Beef & Broccoli and said it was good but not as great at the Tso. My kids love the Honey Chicken ordered not spicy. It’s enough to share for smaller kids. Great price for lunch. You get a egg roll or crab wonton with your dish all under $ 6 mostly. But the tip here is. Get that other menu and peruse it. It has pictures. They won’t mind you asking. That’s where the authentic dishes are.

I miss good Chinese food. I’m not from around here, and I’ve had awesome Chinese food before. There aren’t a lot of great Chinese restaurants here in Winston, and if I had to choose the most authentic place to eat, it would be Sampan. I heard about this place from a international student who claimed this was the best Chinese place to eat in Winston, and he wasn’t wrong. We’ve been several times and always make sure to order off the authentic menu. Husby gets the Cheung Bau Beef — cooked perfectly — not too much sauce and not gooey like how beef can be cooked sometimes at other Chinese places. You can still tell it’s BEEF! It comes with onions, carrots, and green onions. I like to get the crispy pan fried noodles (off the regular menu) — you can’t get this style of noodles anywhere else in Winston, people! Also off the authentic menu, we’ve tried the salt and pepper squid, fish fillet szechuan style, and the shredded pork peking style. Again, nothing like it elsewhere in Winston. This food makes my belly happy. OH! And just recently, we placed an order for fried rice to go, and it was good. It wasn’t overly seasoned, but the taste was very subtle, and it built up the more you ate it. Maybe not for everyone, but we liked it! One last thing, they have the mini deep fried sesame balls which they serve during dim sum or sell in Chinese bakeries. So good!
As for the service, I think the lady who runs the place owns it and has run it for as long as anyone can remember. She is super efficient and polite, but not overly friendly or in-​your-​face either. She gets the job done. The décor is older, and it is not in the best part of town, but I’m so glad they are still open!

Every time I go to Winston-​Salem, I would have my meal in Sampan, which is 5 mins away from Hanes Mall. Judging from the exterior, you may not feel this is a good place to dine, but it is! The price is very affordable and speaking as a Chinese, I think the food is very authentic and delicious.

Sampan has some of the best Chinese food I have had in the triad. It maybe lacking in ambiance and décor but the food is so good. I started with the wonton soup. The wontons were homemade and the broth was tasty. I think they fry their own crunchy soup noodles. I ordered my dish off the authentic menu; ask for the authentic menu. I had the stuffed eggplant. It was so delicious and stuffed with shrimp in a black bean sauce. My husband had the spicy beef off the authentic menu and it was yummy. The beef was tender and sauce had a kick. The portions are generous so I had plenty to take home. I wished I lived closer so I could order take out from them.

I have been back to Sampan a few times and I can truly say it never disappoints. We always leave there happy, full, and with cash still left in our wallet. This is really a family operation. There is always only one waitress and it is always the same woman who I assume to be the owner. Sometimes she is friendly and sometimes she is a bit rough around the edges but she is efficient and a ridiculously hard worker.
I gave the scallion pancake another try and really enjoyed it this time around. It had a perfect balance between crispy and soft like a pancake should be. As always our go to is the half peking duck, since this is really the only place in Winston you can get it. It really is tasty and this last time the skin was exceptionally crispy and good.
We will be back!

Well, we finally made it back to Sampan — the last time was around 1996 or 1997, when there were no authentic menu choices. The food then was very good, among the best Americanized Chinese in the entire Triad area, and the restaurant was held in rather high esteem. Years have passed, times have changed, and opinions vary (as always), but I came away from the meal today with a definite sense that the food I tried today was, in most respects, much better than what I’d experienced before.
If the service can be an issue, and here it seems to have had issues, it can be best to arrive early and get a jump — which we did. We were quickly seated, drinks arranged for, and our order was placed quickly since we had studied the menu before hand. Scallion Pancake appetizer ($ 3.95), Salt & Pepper Shrimp ($ 11.95), Szechuan Beef Lunch Combo ($ 5.85), and Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce Lunch Combo ($ 5.45) — the combos came with Fried Rice & Egg Roll.
The time out of the kitchen was no less than amazing — the Scallion Pancake in around 10 minutes, the remainder spread out over the next 6 to 8 minutes. We were checked on frequently by the owner and her son (?) over the course of the meal, the remainders quickly boxed to go. A thoroughly enjoyable service experience.
The Scallion Pancake was perfectly cooked, nice & flaky, no gumminess. It was served without a dipping sauce, which is a little unusual, at least in the US. The Salt & Pepper Shrimp, from the authentic menu, was out next, and was disappointing, especially considering the cost, basically double the lunch specials. The shrimp were large, and rather bland. The coating was limp and flavorless, and from the look and taste and time out of the kitchen, these shrimp were probably «recycled’ in the microwave or oven. It was served with grilled onions (regular and green), and these did have some zip. Would not reorder this dish.
The Szechuan Beef was very nice — thinly sliced beef in a nice, spicy sauce, with carrot and onion, and some gradually building heat, more heat would have been nice. The Fried Rice was ok, though a touch bland. The Egg Rolls were quite good, full of flavor, and well cooked. The Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce was also nice, though the dish contained more broccoli than anything else.
There is much to like here, much to explore here, I think, but this is not a «knock you dead» every dish kind of place, so picking the right dishes will be important. There does seem to be only two people handling everything here — seating people, taking orders, cooking, answering the phone, etc., so if it gets busy, things are gonna be slow. But they are friendly, and more than willing to discuss the dishes on the authentic menu with you. Had to stretch a bit to get to 4 stars.
We’ll definitely be back, and it will not take 17 years or so.

I just tried this place for the first time this evening with a friend. We went on a recommendation that the stuffed tofu was delicious. It was! I had had tofu before, but never, so called, «stuffed tofu». I’m not sure why it carries that name. It’s a little like tofu that has a crusty, fried layer around it.
The stuffed tofu came very hot with a side of rice. My friend and I shared this one dish. I was glad we did, as it came with eight pieces of stuffed tofu and we were both stuffed after having four each (no pun intended).
It seems like a real skeleton crew runs this place. One woman seemed to be doing it all, but lucky for her, customers were fairly sparse.
If you’re looking for something different, this is definitely a place to check out!