Wan's Chinese
3154 Heights Village, Vestavia/Cahaba Heights
968-3988
www.wanschinese.com
Owned by the Wan family, which has owned and operated Chinese restaurants in the Birmingham area for over a decade. Fairly typical Chinese-American restaurant menu, with a few more interesting-looking offerings under the specialties menu, such as spicy stir-fried lobster, pine nut fish, and a pork dish that includes Chinese preserved vegetables. Lunch and dinner; limited delivery to Cahaba Heights, Liberty Park and Mountain Brook.



Reader Comments (2)
The first thing one notices upon entering the restaurant is its open, airy layout, accentuated with traditional Chinese art on the walls and in display cases. Our waiter was friendly and unobtrusive, and extremely timely on drink refills. The service was, in a word, excellent. We ordered wonton soup for two, to start. A large bowl and two smaller ones were brought out. The waiter filled the small bowls from the larger one, and left the larger bowl for refills. For a main course, we ordered chicken fried rice and Mongolian beef. Both were wonderful. The Mongolian beef was perhaps the best I have had, over a lifetime of ordering the entree. The beef was thinly sliced and extremely tender, completely avoiding the toughness that often plagues the dish. The level of spice was perfect, and the dish was accompanied by steamed rice in a separate bowl. I would recommend Wan's to anyone in the area looking for a delicious, reasonably-priced Chinese meal. The menu had most of the "standard" items one finds at Chinese restaurants, as well as a few interesting additions. We plan to return and explore it further.(4.5 out of 5 stars)
We've been here a few times before, and it was good but not outstanding. But tonight, it was really excellent! Even impressed my food-critic, former restaurant owning mama.
This is the perfect toddler restaurant because it is spacious and calm, with a giant round table area that has a little wall so toddlers can play on the carpeted floor safely ensconced from traffic/wandering for at least a little while while parents grab a highly enjoyable bite.
Outside, there is an interesting strip of shops to explore while your toddler gets some energy out on the wide sidewalk. Starbucks, a pizzaria, al fresco dining, a kids shoe store, a kids clothing boutique, Learning Express Toys, a fish market, and a wonderful little circle of 3 steps that arches around into a long curved wheelchair ramp...makes a perfect toddler exploration and play area for working up an appetite. ;)
Both my toddler and my almost 8 yo loved the veggie fried rice and pan-fried chicken dumplings (the chicken is pureed with veggies and very toddler-friendly). Grown-ups all agreed that every dish we sampled was a hit: Veggie egg-foo young, spicy Szechuan eggplant, another delish but not-spicy eggplant dish, and beef/chicken chow fun noodles that had just the slighest hint of sweetness. (My toddler also loved slurping up the noodles after she cleared her own plate).
We also loved the giant, crisp and lightly battered chicken wings, fresh sauteed green string beans (perfectly seasoned with a hint of garlic and salt), and tender shrimp dumplings served dim sum style for extra fun. It was not until the meal was almost over that we realized there was no soy sauce on the table, nor the need for any. What a wonderfully enjoyable dinner for our whole family, from 19 month old tot to 87 year old grandmother!