Wok Street Review

Other posts related to the Hai Street Kitchen empire of restaurants include: Hai Street Kitchen, Wok Street, and Ai Ramen. 

Wok Street is the new fast-casual concept from the folks that brought us the monster Sushi-ritos at Hai Street Kitchen. Located on Chestnut Street between 15th and 16th streets, it's the perfect place to pop in for a work-week lunch or while you're shopping. Well-designed with the building's original elevator doors mounted on the walls and exposed brick, there's plenty of seating within.

Banh mi and signature bowls are on offer, but feel free to create your own bowls. You can fill up on quality wok-cooked proteins, veggies, noodles, or rice. For those looking to go low-carb, you can opt to have it all on a salad as well! 

Thai Iced Tea [$2.49]
Sweetened spiced tea, milk 

I started off with a refreshing Thai Iced tea. Normally, these sweet concoctions are a bit too "diabetic coma" for me. But this hit the spot, with just enough sweetness highlighted by some great cardamom-cinnamon spice notes. No surprise because the matcha green tea from Hai Street is awesome. Probably not a coincidence that the matcha tea makes a reappearance on the menu at Wok Street! 

Pork Banh Mi [$6.89]

Hoisin mayo, cucumber, jalapeno, pickled red onion, cilantro

You can fill your banh mi with chicken, pork, steak, or tofu. I opted for the tender fall-apart pork shoulder - juicy and succulent. There was a burst of freshness from the crisp jalapeno, cucumber, pickled onions, and herbaceous cilantro - all housed within a crusty, seeded baguette that had a slight spread of hoisin mayo, A squirt of sriracha brought it all together. 

Bangkok Beef Signature Bowl [$9.19 Regular | $11.18 Large]
White rice, veggies, chard, braised beef, tamarind sauce, pickled red pepper, sliced cucumber, mint, tempura crunch

The Bangkok Beef bowl came highly recommended. The sweet, tender beef reminded me of Korean marinated short-ribs. Hearty with plenty of well-cooked rice, red peppers, spinach, and chard, the tempura crunch offered some textural contrast. All for under $10! 

"Soon to be Famous" Tofu Cheesecake [$1.29]

Ginger maple syrup

To end my lunch date with Wok Street, I enjoyed the tofu cheesecake. Light and certainly a healthier option, expect a nicely firm texture, with the ginger maple syrup providing a subtle sweetness. 

I knew that Hai Street Kitchen was expanding quickly (it's third location is opening up at Liberty Place fairly soon!), but didn't realize that they were expanding their reach beyond just sushi-ritos. Wok Street offers great bowls and banh mi's, but did you know that a ramen restaurant was in the works too? The Hai Street empire is taking over Philly - and that's not a bad thing at all!

Pro-tip: Look out for Wok Street to be on GrubHub and Caviar! 

FTC Disclaimer: Special thanks to Wok Street and Breslow Partners for having me in to try their offerings. Regardless, my opinions are mine alone and, therefore, unbiased.