Plenty of great reasons to give Stir King a try
With a plethora of Chinese restaurants to choose from in Middle Georgia, it’s difficult to know which ones are worth a visit. Stir King, near the Target on Watson Boulevard in Warner Robins, has lots of reasons to give it a try.
First, they don’t use MSG. Whether or not you react badly to this 100-year-old additive, it’s a flavor shortcut that Stir King doesn’t take. Second, they deliver within a five-mile radius, plus they’re open seven days a week. So no matter when you get a craving for chicken lo mein or egg drop soup, you can place an order by phone or online and have it delivered to your door.
Speaking of online ordering, that’s another thing that sets Stir King apart from the others. Some folks like to place their orders online, go do their shopping in the nearby centers, then pick up their orders to take home.
Finally, Stir King will throw in a free item with your pick-up order of $25 or more, like egg rolls, a quart of hot and sour soup, or a generous portion of General Tso’s chicken.
So that’s at least four things that puts Stir King at the head of the pack, and we haven’t even gotten to the taste of the food. We had two Chinese guests with us and they had only good things to say. The veggies stayed crisp and the proteins were tender.
Not everything on the menu is authentic, of course (American tastes created many items we consider standard), but the quality is very good. The servings are also very large.
We preferred the spring rolls to the egg rolls and the crab rangoon to the boneless ribs for our appetizers. The chicken teriyaki with fried rice was particularly good and generous enough to have a full meal of it the next day. My favorite was the free General Tso’s chicken -- partially because it came free, but mostly because it was delicious.
There were two small downsides: the ambience is negligible and the fried items had a funny taste. There are six four-tops, so large groups need to come early or take out.
While I’m not sure why, our fried dishes had a slight freezer taste in the batter. Considering there were at least four cooks in the kitchen obviously making fresh food, I would lean toward an anomaly with the flour.
The lunch special includes your choice of 47 dishes, plus fried rice and an egg roll or a drink for $5.60, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. They use very sturdy containers for take-out and everybody’s favorite paper boxes for rice.
If you’re nearby during work, by all means try them for lunch. But my best recommendation is to order it online and take a feast home, letting everyone try everything.
Stir King
Address: 2929 Watson Blvd., Warner Robins
Phone: 478-953-2180
Website: www.stirking.chinesemenu.com
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Monday-Thrusday, 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sunday
Payment: Cash, credit
Smoking: No
Alcohol: No
Kids Menu: No
Noise Level: Low
Health Rating: 98
Price range: $5.35-$10.95
Rating: 3 stars
This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Plenty of great reasons to give Stir King a try ."