City Wok

It was my first time here. The 'cup' of soup was a big bowl. It was quite delicious, as was all of the food. HUGE servings, more than enough for 2 meals. This is definitely the place to go for this cuisine.

I was very impressed with the food. It was so yummy 😋

Let me just start by saying: if I were on death row, City Wok’s orange chicken would be my last meal. That crispy, tangy, sticky miracle belongs in a museum. We also ordered the Kung Pao chicken and shrimp, which came out sizzling like they knew they were hot stuff. My mouth was confused—in the best way—because it was spicy, savory, and slightly life-altering.

My wife and I have never eaten such delicious Chinese food. The cocktails were excellent. All for a reasonable price! The spring rolls where so good, we could have had a whole meal of just them. We ate outside on Valentines and the propane heater just added to the ambiance. Recommend this restaurant highly!

We thinking of appetizer in a happy hour price. Also wonton soup so good.!

I haven’t eaten at City Wok in over 20 years. The last time I ate there the food was fast-food quality at best. They have since upped their game to a true dine-in, high quality dining experience. The food was fantastic, very authentic, and the service was impeccable! The ambiance was refined, quiet, and intimate. The proximity to the shops is also very convenient for a day out.

Good city food and well-sized portions. I'd recommend the spicy chili string beans, chicken dumplings, and Singapore rice noodles. If their masonry's as good as their cooking, 5/5 would hire City Wok to build a City Wall to keep out invading Mongolians.

Such a great place to go for lunch or dinner, the quality of the food for the prices is so worth it. The flavors are good thank you for the great experience today at lunch, perfect weather outside enjoyed the outside seating. The flavors and spice was just right thank you will be back again and invite family and friends love this place wish I would of tried sooner. 💛💛💛💛💛

City Wok is such a delicious treat! Went with a group of friends, tried all sorts of things, truly can't pick a favorite. Every time I take a trip to the desert, I'm stopping by City Wok!

Well, Gotta say I've been to City Wok many times including their old location in La Quinta! You All have to try their Tasty appetizers such as their Crispy Veggie Egg Rolls & BBQ Spare Ribs! Great dipping sauces Too! Awesome service as well!

Had an excellent lunch… food was delicious, sitting out on patio enjoying the sun. Wait staff was friendly and prompt. Loved the grilled carrots, which was something different than our usual Chinese food we order. Sorry I didn’t take a photo of food… but did get to see Riverside County Sheriff’s Department patrolling on horseback…. Really greeting the public….

The food was excellent, nice ambiance people great highly recommended. It is inside the Westfield mall. You can shop and dine right away. You can celebrate your party at City Wok any time. You can order take out as well.

This open-air bar and Chinese eatery Service fresh food and great happy hour specials. I had their firecracker chicken. It was nice and spicy. And it did not make me feel weighed down like other Chinese restaurants do.

Brian H.

We thinking of appetizer in a happy hour price. Also wonton soup so good.!

Mr Drums

I haven’t eaten at City Wok in over 20 years. The last time I ate there the food was fast-food quality at best. They have since upped their game to a true dine-in, high quality dining experience. The food was fantastic, very authentic, and the service was impeccable! The ambiance was refined, quiet, and intimate. The proximity to the shops is also very convenient for a day out.

Adam L

Good city food and well-sized portions. I'd recommend the spicy chili string beans, chicken dumplings, and Singapore rice noodles. If their masonry's as good as their cooking, 5/5 would hire City Wok to build a City Wall to keep out invading Mongolians.

Geena Pietromonaco

City Wok is such a delicious treat! Went with a group of friends, tried all sorts of things, truly can't pick a favorite. Every time I take a trip to the desert, I'm stopping by City Wok!

Danielle Danielle

Such a great place to go for lunch or dinner, the quality of the food for the prices is so worth it. The flavors are good thank you for the great experience today at lunch, perfect weather outside enjoyed the outside seating. The flavors and spice was just right thank you will be back again and invite family and friends love this place wish I would of tried sooner. 💛💛💛💛💛

Andrew Stimmel

Well, Gotta say I've been to City Wok many times including their old location in La Quinta! You All have to try their Tasty appetizers such as their Crispy Veggie Egg Rolls & BBQ Spare Ribs! Great dipping sauces Too! Awesome service as well!

Greg Bown

Had an excellent lunch… food was delicious, sitting out on patio enjoying the sun. Wait staff was friendly and prompt. Loved the grilled carrots, which was something different than our usual Chinese food we order. Sorry I didn’t take a photo of food… but did get to see Riverside County Sheriff’s Department patrolling on horseback…. Really greeting the public….

Ma Gen

The food was excellent, nice ambiance people great highly recommended. It is inside the Westfield mall. You can shop and dine right away. You can celebrate your party at City Wok any time. You can order take out as well.

Excellent , high-quality, healthy dishes! Perfect menu. Great service. Gotta try the moo-shu pork! YUM!!

The food is great and the owner is so nice, he took me and my 3 friends to canada on his city plane

First visit and we were impressed! Full bar, full-service dining, and a carryout counter in one. We ordered cups of the won ton and hot & sour soups, and the servings were large. They would have been enough as a meal on their own, but we managed to move on to our entrees sesame beef and City Wok chicken. Again, the half order was a generous size and plenty of food. Server was friendly, attentive, and efficient, and they pack your leftovers for you. There are several items I look forward to trying on future visits. Thank you to everyone working there.

Had a great sit down meal. We showed up at Happy Hour and got to enjoy different dishes and drinks with no worries about pricing. Delicious food and a great ambience

Ate ther for the first time food was great 4 different dishes recomended by waitress and very good brought left over home reheated and ohhhh man still good👍

Aleks Kulenko

The food is great and the owner is so nice, he took me and my 3 friends to canada on his city plane

Eric Macias

Ate ther for the first time food was great 4 different dishes recomended by waitress and very good brought left over home reheated and ohhhh man still good👍

Allie K.

Excellent , high-quality, healthy dishes! Perfect menu. Great service. Gotta try the moo-shu pork! YUM!!

Carlos Puente Jr

Had a great sit down meal. We showed up at Happy Hour and got to enjoy different dishes and drinks with no worries about pricing. Delicious food and a great ambience

Sami M

I love this place!! I always go. My favorite is their lo mein and spring rolls. Also, their chow mein and Singapore noodles are delicious!! I want to try their eggplant next

Allan Brauer

First visit and we were impressed! Full bar, full-service dining, and a carryout counter in one. We ordered cups of the won ton and hot & sour soups, and the servings were large. They would have been enough as a meal on their own, but we managed to move on to our entrees sesame beef and City Wok chicken. Again, the half order was a generous size and plenty of food. Server was friendly, attentive, and efficient, and they pack your leftovers for you. There are several items I look forward to trying on future visits. Thank you to everyone working there.

I ordered the chicken, pork, beef, shrimp combo rice it was ok, tasted like Panda Express it was good rice but it wasn't phenomenal. The service was fast and friendly and very attentive.

Great value, the staff is hustling hard but super swamped. Great happy hour, probably need to raise prices and make sure the menu prices match happy hour pricing too.

It's a nice little place for Chinese food. I wouldn't call it authentic, but it is good. I mean, I had the BBQ pork street tacos, so it's definitely not a traditional Chinese restaurant. The pork was good, but it wasn't quite cha siu or carnitas. I liked it though. I had the Szechuan chicken dumplings, which is a go to for me when I come here. The service is always good.

Very good Chinese food. Great location in a large shopping mall on Route 111. Very fast service. Eat in or take out. Nice dining area. Food is authentic and the ingredients were very fresh. Worth a visit

The food was excellent and service was great.

Stopped by to order takeout on Friday afternoon. Ordered the candied walnut shrimp, Kung pao chicken and grilled rainbow carrots. $52. Not inexpensive, but it was tasty and we had leftovers. Service was ok but no one followed up when my order was ready, so I verified my order then took it, it was just sitting there.

Found this establishment on Google Map and was 5 min. from the hotel. The place was bustling with business, they had guests hanging around waiting for their orders. Everyone followed covid safety & sanitary protocols by wearing a mask. It took 20 mins. and we got our order - that was fast! It was very tasty, the Pan Fried Noodles W Shrimp was delicious! Fried Rice W Pork & Chicken was also tasty except i believe they may have been in too much of a hurry to finish cooking it that it was not properly fried W clumps of white unfried rice in it. The cashier - Lauren - was very personable & pleasant, and gave very nice parting greetings & thanked each customer as they arrived and left. Worth the trip for a delicious Chinese food cravings!

Odette Nudera

Found this establishment on Google Map and was 5 min. from the hotel. The place was bustling with business, they had guests hanging around waiting for their orders. Everyone followed covid safety & sanitary protocols by wearing a mask. It took 20 mins. and we got our order - that was fast! It was very tasty, the Pan Fried Noodles W Shrimp was delicious! Fried Rice W Pork & Chicken was also tasty except i believe they may have been in too much of a hurry to finish cooking it that it was not properly fried W clumps of white unfried rice in it. The cashier - Lauren - was very personable & pleasant, and gave very nice parting greetings & thanked each customer as they arrived and left. Worth the trip for a delicious Chinese food cravings!

The food was good but, not great. The place was very clean. The help was friendly and nice. The extremely loud noise coming from the the kitchen dishwashing was very distracting. They charge $8.00 if you want fried rice 🍚 instead of white rice. They charge $2.00 for having the healthier brown rice. They don't offer lo mein as a substitute. The appetizer are quite pricey unless you get the happy hour ⏳ specials which are a better value. The average entrees $17 - $22+ parking 🅿️ is a nightmare when the mall is busy. It's a decent restaurant 🍴.

MARK WIGGINS

The food was good but, not great. The place was very clean. The help was friendly and nice. The extremely loud noise coming from the the kitchen dishwashing was very distracting. They charge $8.00 if you want fried rice 🍚 instead of white rice. They charge $2.00 for having the healthier brown rice. They don't offer lo mein as a substitute. The appetizer are quite pricey unless you get the happy hour ⏳ specials which are a better value. The average entrees $17 - $22+ parking 🅿️ is a nightmare when the mall is busy. It's a decent restaurant 🍴.

I returned to palm desert after 3 years away. Looking forward to my visit to CityWok off of Cook and CountryClub drive. Found out it moved to the Westfield mall area in 2021. I irferrx on phone for pickup all my fave dishes. (4) to my disappointment it was awful. Bland and uneventful. I was soooo disappointed. The chicken used to be pounded and sliced (I think) now it’s small cubed and sauces are tasteless. I know they’re known for no MSG but it used to be tasty with their prior chefs. Did they sell and nre Owner moved to mall area. ?? I’m confused but I won’t be eating here again unfortunately Panda Express it much much better. In fact it tastes like the old CityWok of years ago. Sorry but I’m sure you’ve disappointed many over here.

One of our badest Mongolian Beef experience and pricey. Beef was dry and chewy and sauce was not really what you expect for MB. We will avoid for next time and search another chinese food location

Ordered lo mein and got chow mein noodles, doesn’t seem like a big deal but there is a reason why lol mein and chow mein are separate dishes

Food is rather bland unless you specifically order something spicy.

It's just Okay. Servers were pleasant and helpful. Food was fine...nothing to get excited about. Restaurant was sort of clean, but not like anyone was taking pride in it? It's not sure if it's a bar, a sports bar, or a restaurant, and it's not doing a great job being any of them. It wasn't bad, but when I go out I hope for more? Won't be back.

13 days in Palm Desert and I’m really missing my Korean Cuckoo rice cooker. I researched various Chinese restaurants in Palm Desert and was impressed with City Wok’s website claims: “our sauces are homemade. We never use MSG. We believe in Clean…” Since all dishes are supposedly made-to-order, we felt that we should be able to order something without garlic in the sauce or content. The interior has more of a California Club ambiance than Chinese Restaurant. The host and servers are friendly enough though. We ordered Chicken Satay, Steamed+ Fried Chicken Dumplings. Braised Tofu was in the online menu, but not showing on the dine-in menu, but they agreed to make it for us. Upon request, they made our dishes without garlic, including the braised tofu. The chicken satays were already marinated with garlic and cannot be changed. First to arrive were the steamed fried dumplings which were ok as European dumplings, but not delicate enough as Chinese dumplings. Parts of the dumplings with double dough were under steamed and tough – this would never have happened in a proper Shanghai restaurant as they would have steamed or boiled the dumplings more thoroughly before frying to get the soft & moist but crispy texture. The house-made sauce was very pleasant. The chicken satays were a big surprise, we expected delicate pieces of chicken tenders on skewers, instead, they were four chicken breasts, each on a stick. The garlic was light and not detectable at the restaurant but the garlic effects was still noticeable long afterwards. The breasts were not tough, on the dry side, and BBQ’d too long, burnt like Portuguese BBQ chicken instead of tender and juicy like Malaysian/Thai/ satays. The difference may be in the size of each piece, since they are so big, they would naturally have to be cooked longer. Because they were so gigantic, it was not possible to enjoy them like bite-size appetizer satays. The rice was a bit dry (not enough water) some people like their rice tough, we prefer our rice more steamy & soft. The tofu dish was OK, again, not very authentic, the bamboo shoots were the toughest I've ever had. Our server was a very nice lady and always approached our table with a smile. She alone gets five stars. The inside section where we sat felt like a fast food place – a different feel than the patio. Unfortunately, all the outside tables were taken. One thing I forgot to try was the half size, it would have been a great idea for the chicken skewers and actually everything else as we left half the chicken and tofu as neither of us enjoy this kind of left over Chinese food as it would have been two greasy on the second day.

We frequented the former PD location on CC for years and tried the new (mall) location for dinner this evening. Same great food we've always enjoyed, same outstanding service. Ambiance is very pleasing, better outdoor dining than the former location. Inside was smaller than we expected. NOISY to the point we had a very difficult time communicating with our server throughout our visit. I will say there was a big group close to us who left after we'd been there, and all we would think of is how noisy it's going to be in season. That was a major disappointment to us. The mall parking lot was far more congested than we had expected for 4pm out of season. We were seated near the mall entrance glass wall, and it was enjoyable people watching during our visit. In all honesty we are pretty disappointed in this new location. We kept an open mind through out our visit, and did have an enjoyable walk through the mall after dinner. I'm sure we will be back, but this location falls short of our dining expectations which is difficult to admit as much as we enjoyed the former location. It is worth a try to draw your own conclusion.

No MSG No Garlic Foodie

13 days in Palm Desert and I’m really missing my Korean Cuckoo rice cooker. I researched various Chinese restaurants in Palm Desert and was impressed with City Wok’s website claims: “our sauces are homemade. We never use MSG. We believe in Clean…” Since all dishes are supposedly made-to-order, we felt that we should be able to order something without garlic in the sauce or content. The interior has more of a California Club ambiance than Chinese Restaurant. The host and servers are friendly enough though. We ordered Chicken Satay, Steamed+ Fried Chicken Dumplings. Braised Tofu was in the online menu, but not showing on the dine-in menu, but they agreed to make it for us. Upon request, they made our dishes without garlic, including the braised tofu. The chicken satays were already marinated with garlic and cannot be changed. First to arrive were the steamed fried dumplings which were ok as European dumplings, but not delicate enough as Chinese dumplings. Parts of the dumplings with double dough were under steamed and tough – this would never have happened in a proper Shanghai restaurant as they would have steamed or boiled the dumplings more thoroughly before frying to get the soft & moist but crispy texture. The house-made sauce was very pleasant. The chicken satays were a big surprise, we expected delicate pieces of chicken tenders on skewers, instead, they were four chicken breasts, each on a stick. The garlic was light and not detectable at the restaurant but the garlic effects was still noticeable long afterwards. The breasts were not tough, on the dry side, and BBQ’d too long, burnt like Portuguese BBQ chicken instead of tender and juicy like Malaysian/Thai/ satays. The difference may be in the size of each piece, since they are so big, they would naturally have to be cooked longer. Because they were so gigantic, it was not possible to enjoy them like bite-size appetizer satays. The rice was a bit dry (not enough water) some people like their rice tough, we prefer our rice more steamy & soft. The tofu dish was OK, again, not very authentic, the bamboo shoots were the toughest I've ever had. Our server was a very nice lady and always approached our table with a smile. She alone gets five stars. The inside section where we sat felt like a fast food place – a different feel than the patio. Unfortunately, all the outside tables were taken. One thing I forgot to try was the half size, it would have been a great idea for the chicken skewers and actually everything else as we left half the chicken and tofu as neither of us enjoy this kind of left over Chinese food as it would have been two greasy on the second day.

Ron S!

We frequented the former PD location on CC for years and tried the new (mall) location for dinner this evening. Same great food we've always enjoyed, same outstanding service. Ambiance is very pleasing, better outdoor dining than the former location. Inside was smaller than we expected. NOISY to the point we had a very difficult time communicating with our server throughout our visit. I will say there was a big group close to us who left after we'd been there, and all we would think of is how noisy it's going to be in season. That was a major disappointment to us. The mall parking lot was far more congested than we had expected for 4pm out of season. We were seated near the mall entrance glass wall, and it was enjoyable people watching during our visit. In all honesty we are pretty disappointed in this new location. We kept an open mind through out our visit, and did have an enjoyable walk through the mall after dinner. I'm sure we will be back, but this location falls short of our dining expectations which is difficult to admit as much as we enjoyed the former location. It is worth a try to draw your own conclusion.

Portion of ok the rice was not steam I was ready for fry rice . The water cups where grease I scrape it whit my nails and I saw the difference sorry but I been in other Chinese restaurants and their food is better

How long should a customer wait to be seated or acknowledged when entering a restaurant? I think 5 min is the maximum time, unless of course the staff are tied up on the back and masked men are blowtorching the safe. But, absent a take-over robbery or similarly unusual incident, a customer should be greeted and/or seated I’m a timely manner. During my 5 min wait I made eye contact with a cook and a server who made no effort to indicate we would be served. Here’s what I surmise: The idea that everyone is responsible for the success of a business is foreign to the employees here. This means management has failed to impart this concept, and begs the question as to what other concepts are overlooked. Food cross contamination? Proper hand washing after rest room use? Kitchen cleanliness? It’s anyone’s guess really. There are plenty of other restaurants to choose from, I’ll go to one where they want the business.

I would give it no stars. Absolutely dicusting. Can’t call it food much less Chinese.🤮 Saus was coagulated be gables were unrecognizable they had been frozen and reheated so many times. Honestly health department should come out there bc it looked and tasted like recycled food from patrons. GROSE BEOND WORDS

DID NOT LIKE THIS THEY SERVE DOG, AND THE GUY WHO TOOK MY ORDER WAS VERU RUDE AND LOUD AND HAD AN ACCENT I COULDNT UNDERSTAND, HERES A PICTURE OF HIM

My experience with the service and food was poor and disappointing. This City Wok is located at the mall in Palm Desert. This was a family outing with my wife and 2 children age 12 and 8 as we went to shop at the mall first. My kids suggested Thai Cuisine as it is their favorite. I suggested somewhere where we would have a better experience instead of the food court since we don’t get a lot of family time due to work and kids activities. First step into this restaurant and it felt chaotic and unorganized. We waited to be acknowledged which took them until we reached out to be seated. The lady seating us was so on edge and scatterbrained that she only gave us 3 menus. As she came back (which wasn’t right away) had to ask for 2 kids which I shouldn’t have to ask as clearly my kids look like children. The lady wasn’t just scatters brained but seemed like she was rushing us by talking extremely fast and not listening to what I was asking including when I asked what brand of Spiced Rum they had. Instead she gave me a drink menu which should have been given to me from the get go. The drink menu did not describe what kind of Spiced Rum they carried. At this point I am extremely dissatisfied but not yet upset as I want to have a good time with my family. As the server came back I placed my order and my wife placed hers and the kids placed theirs. The server mentioned that it was happy hour and we had ordered drinks and food that was on the happy hour menu and we should order to save a few dollars. My wife agreed and I was reluctant but after quick thinking I agreed as well. We placed our orders at roughly 550pm and happy hour was over at 6p. The server comes back at 601pm and says that happy hour is over and she wasn’t able to put it in the system quick enough and we are going to have to pay full price and that the owner of the restaurant is there. We are dumbfounded that we don’t agree and disagree. With her whirlwind like presence she leaves and she brings us our drinks. And I tell her “You know what just forget it we will go eat somewhere else.” She changes her tone and says “I don’t want any problems I’ll just give it to you.” We agree and stay seated and as it takes me a little while to compose myself as I am extremely upset at the whole experience. Keep in mind I am extremely understanding, patient and humble as I manage over 150 employees successfully in customer service as a living. That being said if she was my employee I would have said make it right it’s only 1 minute after 6pm but instead she managed to upset a customer that will not longer be back and will spread his experience by word of mouth which is bad publicity. The cherry on the top (I don’t know if it was being vindictive or not) was she charged for my kids drinks and their dessert despite it stating that, that was included with their meal. In addition we were charged full price for the alcoholic drinks that we ordered during happy hour. Which I didn’t make a big deal because I wanted to have a good time with my family and was over the whole experience. Part of me assumes that it was racially motivated, economically discriminated or discriminated for being an interracial couple with kids as the older Caucasian males seating near us were not in any way affected. My conclusion of that was that the owner came by and asked the older Caucasian table if everything went well which he skipped by our table without even a smile or acknowledgment. But it’s only my assumption. Please draw your own conclusion but as for my family and I’m concerned I will take some time to go down the street to PFChangs at the River for the better food, and definitely the better service. Thank you for your time

Had take out, which granted isn’t always the best representation of a restaurant but 3 day old rice and my beef chow mein order which came with chicken and week old dried out noodles is pretty pathetic. If I could give 0 stars I would. This “food” was inedible. Going to in-n-out now

Went in got seated with menus and never saw anyone after that. There were four other tables with people at the time so being busy couldn't be an excuse. After using the restroom and waiting 10 minutes at the table we left. Went across to Stuft and it was good, I'll leave a picture of the pizza, just go there and avoid this place.

Tristan Wunsch

Had take out, which granted isn’t always the best representation of a restaurant but 3 day old rice and my beef chow mein order which came with chicken and week old dried out noodles is pretty pathetic. If I could give 0 stars I would. This “food” was inedible. Going to in-n-out now

Thomas Alippi

Went in got seated with menus and never saw anyone after that. There were four other tables with people at the time so being busy couldn't be an excuse. After using the restroom and waiting 10 minutes at the table we left. Went across to Stuft and it was good, I'll leave a picture of the pizza, just go there and avoid this place.