By Zach Brown, Berks County Eats
Over the summer, I posted a picture on social media from a recent visit to Fortune Cafe in Wyomissing. It’s my neighborhood spot for Chinese takeout: General Tso’s chicken, lo mein, and all the classics. I asked followers: “What’s your favorite place for Chinese food in Berks?”
While there were a lot of good suggestions, I was surprised by how many others, like me, are big fans of Fortune Cafe.
The restaurant is located in the Berkshire Square Shopping Center, in the same strip as Redner’s along State Hill Road. It’s just a short drive from my home base in Wyomissing Hills, which is good because every order I place is ready within 15 minutes.
Typically, Fortune Cafe is a lunch spot for me. I can get in and out quickly with one of their lunch specials. And I tend to eat on the early side, before noon, when there’s virtually no wait time. I walk past the booths that line the walls, and the fish tank full of bright orange swimmers on the left, and usually go right to the counter.
On my latest trip, I arrived a little later, showing up around 12:30 in the middle of their peak time. While my food was still done before I got there, only a couple of booths were open, and I was third in line behind one person picking up and one person ordering in. Clearly, it’s not just me who enjoys the lunch specials.
I keep my order pretty simple, usually, either General Tso’s chicken or sesame chicken.
Sesame chicken is probably my favorite of the two. It has a sweeter sauce, or at least it tastes sweeter because it doesn’t have the heat of General’s chicken. And they don’t skimp on the sesame seed garnish.
The general’s chicken is a close second for me, though. It’s got some heat, nothing outrageously spicy, but it’s more noticeable than some versions of the dish that I’ve tried. It’s also a little tangy, which I like.
All lunch specials come served with fried rice and your choice of an egg roll or a can of soda. I usually opt for the eggroll, but I often don’t have room for it by the time I finish my entree (I’m just not a soda drinker). It’s a filling meal for around $10 with tax.
Just because I have my favorites, it doesn’t mean I haven’t tried other things. I recently tried the coconut chicken. Unlike the more chunky pieces used in the General’s and sesame chicken, the coconut chicken had more of a sliced texture. I liked the chicken, but the sauce wasn’t my favorite. I think I was expecting it to be a little sweeter than it was.
More reason to stick to my go-tos.
Fortune Cafe has also helped us convert Jakob into a fan of Chinese food. His favorite dish is lo mein, and Fortune Cafe’s stir-fried noodle dish is pretty solid.
I’m sure the family and I will enjoy many more meals at the Fortune Cafe, as well.
BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Excellent
Ambiance: Good
Price: $
Fortune Cafe
1177 Berkshire Blvd.
Wyomissing, PA 19610
This story was contributed courtesy of Berks County Eats, a local resource for food and dining information. Berks County Eats is dedicated to promoting the dining scene in Reading and Berks County, PA, offering restaurant reviews, news, and events, and a comprehensive Berks County restaurant directory. You can read more at berkscountyeats.com.
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Source: bctv