Chopsticks Chinese Restaurant Johnston

Best I've had yet and service was very pleasant it takes a bit to get your food but taste fresh as a expensive Resturant

Wait staff very friendly. Clean place. Sesame chicken very good. Potsticker very different and good, a lot of meat.

The title really says it all. I am a regular customer at this restaurant. I go every week or two. I have loved good Chinese food and have lots of experience eating it stateside as well as in Japan and a couple times in Hong Kong. You always know that a Chinese restaurant is going to either be very American-ized or very Authentic. There is usually no middle ground.

Well somehow Chopsticks flirts both sides of that line. They have good standbys you can find in any American chinese restaurant but none overseas. They have amazing flavorful dishes I had only seen in Asia.until I was here. They have cool fusion dishes you should try at least once like the House Special Chicken that brings jalapenos into a great stir fry.

On Sunday mornings they also have a Chinese treat known as dim sum. Now, I love dim sum and first encountered it in San Fransisco's china town and in Sacramento. I then had it in Japan. When I moved to Iowa I was unsure if I would ever have it again. However Johnston brings a reasonable variety of dishes to the table for a very reasonable price.

They serve an excellent lunch for under $7 that include a soup, the main entree, and your choice of either fried rice or white rice. Dinners are equally great at under $12 while providing enough food for another lunch the next day. If you have a larger gallery you can order dish by dish. One of my favorite meals is a bowl of wonton soup ($4) and an order of potstickers ($6). Both are the best variety of the dish I've had outside Chinatowns, and even then they give those places a run for their money.

The only downside I've noticed in the year I've been going is that they can be quite understaffed. As a regular I know that this is because it is a family business and they are lucky to have two family members as servers. This downside can be characterized by dirty tables covered in dirty dishes as they try to keep up during busy meal times. It can also result in slight waits for refills on drinks and the occasional mistake on an order (crab rangoon instead of an egg roll). To their credit they will clear a table you want to sit at, and rectify any mistake.

Which is why I keep going back constantly. I am a regular because I know the staff and they are very nice to me. I can forgive them for things others will huff about and say "this is unacceptable" and write a one star review on other sites. You can't beat the price, the flavor, or the staff once you get to know them.