Moon Temple Restaurant

11/14/08

Great Chinese Food near the U

by jeffofLaConner at Citysearch

For those living near the university, Moon Temple provides an increasingly rare necessity: good Chinese food like you had when you were a kid. Of course, if you are a kid, this cuisine was the staple of your parent's misspent youth. A culinary journey into the past.

We enjoyed a variety of take-out dishes for a family feast and everything was just right. Mongolian beef and orange chicken were delicious...it seemed to me the serving size was a little small, but we were splitting these five ways; the serving size were probably perfect for four. The fried rice was just right and the BBQ egg foo young was the soul food of my childhood. We asked for white rice for four and got enough for eight!

I can't believe that this site doesn't permit me to tell you that the fried dumplings filled with sausage were excellent, just because the name includes a synonym for funny cigarettes!

Thai seems to have overtaken mainstream Chinese and many of the remaining Chinese restaurants feel obligated to put a froo froo spin on the traditional cuisine... its hard to find a restaurant like this with the usual mandarin dishes done to perfection. Get yours today!

• Pros: great food
• Cons: pedestrian dining room, perfect for takeout

07/25/07

Average, not very many Veggies

by minnesotan_1981 at Citysearch

Food was average. The Spare Ribs were tiny and fatty...but the crab wontons were good. The Sweet and Sour Chicken and Orange Beef were average, but with hardly any veggies. (2 pieces of broccoli with the beef). BUT...the few veggies that were there were not overcooked at all...in fact, perfectly crisp tender.

08/15/06

Still Drinks

by zorajona at Citysearch

We came in from the back door and sat in the lounge as we were unaware there was a dinning room on the other side. The lounge is classic dive bar with stiff drinks. The food was quickly served and was good, but not great. A place you would hang out with friends or long time love, not so much for first dates.

• Pros: stiff drinks, dive bar casual, quick service
• Cons: dive bar dirty

12/06/05

We love Moon Temple!

by sahar03 at Citysearch

My husband and I normally go to the bar area of Moon Temple. Each time we go the bartender knows our names, is friendly and he always remembers our drinks (he even remembers what plates we like to order). The food is great! We enjoy playing the music on the jukebox or just coming in to watch Monday night football with the locals and other regulars. The bar area can be so entertaining as you have such an amazing mixture of people from frat boys and business woman to drag queens and old timers.

• Pros: good food, good service, entertaining

09/05/05

Great Chinese at a great price!

by kimyost4 at Citysearch

If you want cheap yummy Chinese food this is the place for you!

11/12/04

Great for Drinking

by alexco at Citysearch

Nieghborhood Chinese Resturants are infamous for their Dive ish bars. This one is no exception, the drinks are stiff, the bartender knows your name and your drink. The clients are diverse and you're welcome to be yourself. If you are looking for great Chinese food then go to a Chinese resturant that has a reputation for that.

• Pros: Free Parking, Interesting Area, Diverse Crowd

06/28/04

From potent cocktails in the lounge to Chinese food in the dining room, this Wallingford institution is full of contrasts.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
While the dining room is simple and sedate, with its serene tank of koi and cordial service, the adjoining lounge is a boisterous, kitschy den of iniquity, complete with pull-tabs, heavy-metal jukebox and cranky drag queens. Regardless of which nook is chosen, the staff remembers its inhabitants and remains calm, even on busy weekend nights.

The Food
Cocktails are straightforward and dive-bar stiff, but dining options are surprisingly broad and well-executed--ingredients are fresh, sauces are pitch-perfect and staff are more than happy to accommodate modifications for low-fat or vegan diners. The generous portion of soft peanut won tons is a rich and reliable starter and the classic entrees rarely disappoint. Spicy choices like kung pao chicken and Mongolian beef are some of the best in the city, while the crispy tofu dressed with a rich hoisin sauce is a consistent delight.

03/21/04

Getting worse every year...

by tombul at Citysearch

When they brought the green tea, it was just warm water with a tiny bit of flavor. We heard someone in the next booth complaining about it to her friends. I had to remind them to bring out one of our appetizers, as well as my drink. We could only eat about half of our food, so we wanted to take the rest of it home. The server put both of our entrees in the same container, one was a curry chicken and it ended up being mixed with my moo shu chicken...plus, they only put half of what we had left over for us to take with us. When we tipped 15%, the waiter looked at the tip right away and gave us a really mad look. They didn't even re-fill our water...

• Pros: nothing!, nothing!, nothing!
• Cons: , no business ethic, not kid-friendly