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| - There is a super delicious, cute little Chinese place downtown - who knew?
We didn't. For years. Until we went on a Just Ducky tour.
We found out about the Chinatown Inn when we learned, on our Ducky tour, that there used to be a full Chinatown area in Pittsburgh. Aside from a few building facades, the Chinatown Inn is the last standing remnant of that era, and it's tucked away on a side street that makes it nearly impossible to find without word-of-mouth or a wrong turn directing you there.
And it's a shame to miss this place. It's so cozy inside, quiet, carpeted, and lined with thickly upholstered booths that give you the impression you've escaped busy city streets and stepped into a magical, relaxing little cove.
We ate just about everything on the menu. The wonton soup is probably the #2 wonton soup I've had in Pittsburgh. Their wontons are not stuffed, but the egg noodles are thick, and the bowl is filled with chicken strips and scallions. Delicious!
Even with lunch, they bring you a pot of tea at no charge, and the lunch specials offer either an egg roll or a soup of your choice for under $8. (The only odd thing is that there's no pork on the lunch menu. Not sure about dinner, but it was just chicken, beef, and seafood for lunch.)
We also added on an order of the crab rangoons, which were my favorite part of the meal. They were so crispy on the outside, so creamy on the inside. If I was craving crab rangoons, I would go out of my way to stop in here for an order.
For our entrees, we got sweet and sour chicken and General Tso's chicken. Both were excellent. Like the crab rangoons, they achieved that perfect mix of crispy outside and juicy inside. But what I was most impressed with was the balance of meat and sauce: too often, Chinese restaurants end up overdoing the sweet and sour or General Tso's sauce, but this was just right.
We also sprung for one of the 'jumbo' egg rolls. I'll say this: it was definitely jumbo! It was the size of about three regular egg rolls (picture posted in the photo section), but the problem was that with it being so gigantic, the insides were a little mushy. The outside was perfect though, but I think if we got egg rolls again, we'd go for the normal-size ones.
All in all, this place was a hit. They've got a full bar, takeout, and really prompt service. We were in and out in well under an hour, so if you work downtown and are in the mood for Chinese, this place is just right!
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