The trouble with setting a time to meet someone on Bainbridge Island is that you have to factor the ferry into your plans. Some days, you show up and get right on - total time just over half an hour. Other days, there is a line way up the street and it may take several sailings before you get on. So, what do you do when you are looking forward to spending every possible minute with a new lady friend? My answer is to head over early. If everything works out OK, I might be way too early and not give her enough time to get ready. In that case, I find a place on the island to have coffee, read a book or get a meal.A couple of weeks ago, I had over an hour to kill and I was a little hungry. Pau’s Asian Kitchen looked like a good place to take care of both of those problems. They are tucked into a little shopping area across the street from the high school. Several teens were hanging out in the parking lot doing teenage stuff. I smiled at their celebration of their youth and found a parking spot near the restaurant.Pau’s is one of those casual places where you order at the counter, then select a table where they bring your food out to you. I was the only one there, which I took for a bad sign. The kid working the counter asked me what I wanted as soon as I came through the door. I told him that I wanted to read the menu for a few minutes. They had the usual American-Chinese dishes and the prices were reasonable. I selected Kung Pao chicken - a dish I usually like. The kid took my order, then my money, then told me that it would be 10 minutes to make the dish. He handed me a cup that I filled with Sprite from the soda machine.I picked a table that looked comfortable. The dining area was clean and in good order. I was disappointed to not find any soy sauce on the table. I looked around, but I did not see self service supplies anywhere.My food came out in the 10 minute time frame. The plate held a pile of chicken and bell peppers in a gooey sauce. The counter kid clearly had something better to do - he quickly set the plate in front of me along with a napkin wrapped around a fork. He disappeared so fast that I did not have a chance to see if I could get soy sauce or chopsticks. I guess I could have chased after him, but I was not in the mood for putting him out.The Kung Pao chicken was filling, but dull. I chewed up tasteless chunks of chicken and bits of green bell pepper. While I ate I thought about the pointlessness of living in a world with bad food. It occurred to me that the system where you pay first in a restaurant makes tipping stupid. If I wanted to protest the lackadaisical service and disappointing food, I would have to say something. That would require finding the kid. I was not in the mood. No wonder there were no other customers in the place.I finished up and took off. The good news is that my lady friend made up for the lousy dinner, so my night was a good one.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Drew Owen
Big serving sizes, very fast, and a nice atmosphere if you feel like sitting in. This is my favorite place for takeout on the island by far!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steam Dumplings 8 - Appetizer
Steven James Burks
Best legit street Chow Mein in Washington State. Recommend the BBQ pork, and have them make a custom Mongolian Beef version of the Chow Mein as well.Parking: Parking in this area of Banbridge sucks donkey flap.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: House Chow Mein
jeremy pauli
Ordered the mapo tofu and while the numbing level was good the dish was practically swimming in a pool of oil. Once I ate what was above the oil I had to drain the oil from each spoonful. Would not order
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Christopher Ulbright
Food is very fresh and portions are generous. Orders are placed at the counter and served at your table. They use real dishes and silverware, however. I would definitely recommend this one.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Casey M.
If you think Panda Express is the worst "Chinese" food prepare to be proven wrong. You'd be hard pressed to name each dish by taste alone, even if you found some flavor. I'm not a purist and usually enjoy American Chinese. This isn't even that.
LongBeachChristine
My sister and I ordered a take out supper from Pau's. The Orange chicken, steamed dumplings and Tofu with Veggies was well prepared, ready on time and great quality. We would recommend Pau's to anyone. Lovely people.
Brandon K.
A wise TikTok once said: "if a Chinese restaurant has 3.5 stars, that means it's good and authentic". I don't know how authentic the food here is but it sure is good. I always stick with the beef dishes, cause they never miss. Mongolian Beef is great and basically everyone would like it, and I love the Sichuan Beef even though it's an acquired taste and a lot of the people here on Bainbridge (if you catch my drift) won't be fans.
Greg Riehm
Was almost turned off by the reviews, but decided to give Pau's a first try tonight.Potstickers, Kung Pau Chicken, and House Chow Fun.Potstickers were decent, though a little tough on the edges. Since we ate them 30 minutes after they were cooked, I don't pass judgement on that part. The flavors were good.The Kung Pau was excellent. I saw some complaints about the meat texture, but maybe people aren't accustomed to velveted chicken? This is the correct preparation for the style of food, and it was tender and well cooked. Veggies were cooked nicely as well, and it had just the right bit of kick and not over-seasoned.Wife enjoyed the House Chow Fun with no complaints.Every restaurant can have off nights and people with bad experiences are more likely to take to reviews. I thought this was very well executed Chinese-American food and glad we gave it a shot. Prices may seem higher, but definitely enough food for 2 dinners. Will certainly return again.
Zildjian Fuller
The food is good, quick and tasty but I don't understand why their phone line doesn't work if it's takeout only. Minor inconvenience, if fixed would be a 5 from me.
Delicious! Will be back. 4 stars due to the boxes leaking.
Sunny Days
Amazing! Food was incredibly delicious. The young man at the counter was very friendly and helpful. Even brought the food out to our car. The lady in the kitchen was Smiling and also seemed very nice. ? And her cooking skills are Awesome! Definitely a place YOU should try.
Kai L.
General tso's was sixteen dollars, good amount of food for 16, except the food was decieving, the actual pieces of chicken were huge balls of fried batter with a little piece of chicken in the middle . Tastes like an elephant ear, so much fried batter so little chicken .
Leo T.
This place is outstanding. Honestly the best garlic eggplant I've ever had! Can't wait to try out all the menu!
Nicole Selene
Tried this place for the first time (and the last time) and was shocked it cost me $48 for 2 entrees and an appetizer (with a 15% tip that wasn’t earned). Ordered shrimp chow mein (decent which is why they got a star) the pot stickers were gyozas not potstickers and were hard and dry like they were frozen and microwaved too long-they were not fresh. And we ordered the kung pow chicken and the chicken was horrible! Totally inedible with soft and chewy chicken that was pink in color. We had to throw it out which was a waste of food & money. If I didn’t live 25 minutes away in Kingston I would bring it back and ask for a refund. Lesson learned.
The trouble with setting a time to meet someone on Bainbridge Island is that you have to factor the ferry into your plans. Some days, you show up and get right on - total time just over half an hour. Other days, there is a line way up the street and it may take several sailings before you get on. So, what do you do when you are looking forward to spending every possible minute with a new lady friend? My answer is to head over early. If everything works out OK, I might be way too early and not give her enough time to get ready. In that case, I find a place on the island to have coffee, read a book or get a meal.A couple of weeks ago, I had over an hour to kill and I was a little hungry. Pau’s Asian Kitchen looked like a good place to take care of both of those problems. They are tucked into a little shopping area across the street from the high school. Several teens were hanging out in the parking lot doing teenage stuff. I smiled at their celebration of their youth and found a parking spot near the restaurant.Pau’s is one of those casual places where you order at the counter, then select a table where they bring your food out to you. I was the only one there, which I took for a bad sign. The kid working the counter asked me what I wanted as soon as I came through the door. I told him that I wanted to read the menu for a few minutes. They had the usual American-Chinese dishes and the prices were reasonable. I selected Kung Pao chicken - a dish I usually like. The kid took my order, then my money, then told me that it would be 10 minutes to make the dish. He handed me a cup that I filled with Sprite from the soda machine.I picked a table that looked comfortable. The dining area was clean and in good order. I was disappointed to not find any soy sauce on the table. I looked around, but I did not see self service supplies anywhere.My food came out in the 10 minute time frame. The plate held a pile of chicken and bell peppers in a gooey sauce. The counter kid clearly had something better to do - he quickly set the plate in front of me along with a napkin wrapped around a fork. He disappeared so fast that I did not have a chance to see if I could get soy sauce or chopsticks. I guess I could have chased after him, but I was not in the mood for putting him out.The Kung Pao chicken was filling, but dull. I chewed up tasteless chunks of chicken and bits of green bell pepper. While I ate I thought about the pointlessness of living in a world with bad food. It occurred to me that the system where you pay first in a restaurant makes tipping stupid. If I wanted to protest the lackadaisical service and disappointing food, I would have to say something. That would require finding the kid. I was not in the mood. No wonder there were no other customers in the place.I finished up and took off. The good news is that my lady friend made up for the lousy dinner, so my night was a good one.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Big serving sizes, very fast, and a nice atmosphere if you feel like sitting in. This is my favorite place for takeout on the island by far!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steam Dumplings 8 - Appetizer
Best legit street Chow Mein in Washington State. Recommend the BBQ pork, and have them make a custom Mongolian Beef version of the Chow Mein as well.Parking: Parking in this area of Banbridge sucks donkey flap.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: House Chow Mein
Ordered the mapo tofu and while the numbing level was good the dish was practically swimming in a pool of oil. Once I ate what was above the oil I had to drain the oil from each spoonful. Would not order
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Food is very fresh and portions are generous. Orders are placed at the counter and served at your table. They use real dishes and silverware, however. I would definitely recommend this one.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you think Panda Express is the worst "Chinese" food prepare to be proven wrong. You'd be hard pressed to name each dish by taste alone, even if you found some flavor. I'm not a purist and usually enjoy American Chinese. This isn't even that.
My sister and I ordered a take out supper from Pau's. The Orange chicken, steamed dumplings and Tofu with Veggies was well prepared, ready on time and great quality. We would recommend Pau's to anyone. Lovely people.
A wise TikTok once said: "if a Chinese restaurant has 3.5 stars, that means it's good and authentic". I don't know how authentic the food here is but it sure is good. I always stick with the beef dishes, cause they never miss. Mongolian Beef is great and basically everyone would like it, and I love the Sichuan Beef even though it's an acquired taste and a lot of the people here on Bainbridge (if you catch my drift) won't be fans.
Was almost turned off by the reviews, but decided to give Pau's a first try tonight.Potstickers, Kung Pau Chicken, and House Chow Fun.Potstickers were decent, though a little tough on the edges. Since we ate them 30 minutes after they were cooked, I don't pass judgement on that part. The flavors were good.The Kung Pau was excellent. I saw some complaints about the meat texture, but maybe people aren't accustomed to velveted chicken? This is the correct preparation for the style of food, and it was tender and well cooked. Veggies were cooked nicely as well, and it had just the right bit of kick and not over-seasoned.Wife enjoyed the House Chow Fun with no complaints.Every restaurant can have off nights and people with bad experiences are more likely to take to reviews. I thought this was very well executed Chinese-American food and glad we gave it a shot. Prices may seem higher, but definitely enough food for 2 dinners. Will certainly return again.
The food is good, quick and tasty but I don't understand why their phone line doesn't work if it's takeout only. Minor inconvenience, if fixed would be a 5 from me.
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious! Will be back. 4 stars due to the boxes leaking.
Amazing! Food was incredibly delicious. The young man at the counter was very friendly and helpful. Even brought the food out to our car. The lady in the kitchen was Smiling and also seemed very nice. ? And her cooking skills are Awesome! Definitely a place YOU should try.
General tso's was sixteen dollars, good amount of food for 16, except the food was decieving, the actual pieces of chicken were huge balls of fried batter with a little piece of chicken in the middle . Tastes like an elephant ear, so much fried batter so little chicken .
This place is outstanding. Honestly the best garlic eggplant I've ever had! Can't wait to try out all the menu!
Tried this place for the first time (and the last time) and was shocked it cost me $48 for 2 entrees and an appetizer (with a 15% tip that wasn’t earned). Ordered shrimp chow mein (decent which is why they got a star) the pot stickers were gyozas not potstickers and were hard and dry like they were frozen and microwaved too long-they were not fresh. And we ordered the kung pow chicken and the chicken was horrible! Totally inedible with soft and chewy chicken that was pink in color. We had to throw it out which was a waste of food & money. If I didn’t live 25 minutes away in Kingston I would bring it back and ask for a refund. Lesson learned.