Tasty Gourmet Chinese Food On Joliet’s Cass Street

JOLIET, IL — Last month when I wrote about the reopening of Super China Buffet on Joliet’s West Jefferson Street, I learned something I didn’t know. Turns out, the same family that owns Super China Buffet also operates Tony’s Wok, on Joliet’s east side, at 550 E. Cass St.

I had driven past Tony’s Wok numerous times over the years and thought about stopping, but never did. Then, on Wednesday afternoon, I pulled into the parking lot and walked inside. The first thing you will notice about Tony’s Wok is that this restaurant takes the new coronavirus very seriously. The entire dining room section is blocked off and off-limits to customers during the pandemic.

For now, you can only order carryout when you visit Tony’s Wok.

Secondly, Tony’s Wok has installed a large plastic screen to keep customers separate from having close contact with the restaurant staff. That’s another big plus in my book. It shows that Tony’s Wok is doing all it can to prevent any spread of the coronavirus.

As for the food, Tony’s has 17 special combination plates that are $8.50. These meals include chicken fried rice and an egg roll and are served all day long.

Normally, when it comes to Chinese cuisine, I stick with favorites such as orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken or beef with broccoli. But on Wednesday, I was in the mood to go with something different, so I ordered the shrimp with lobster sauce.

My carryout order was ready in five minutes.

I just happened to walk inside at the same time as another customer. While we were both waiting for our orders, I told the other customer that I was with the Joliet Patch and was considering Tony’s Wok for my next restaurant column. The woman smiled and raved about how much she loves eating at Tony’s Wok.

She told that I would be impressed with how fresh their food is. The woman said that if Tony’s Wok wasn’t any good, she would not be the repeat regular customer like she is.

My shrimp with lobster sauce was excellent. I didn’t realize how much sauce came with the meal. It was almost like ordering shrimp, chicken fried rice, an egg roll and a bowl of lobster sauce soup, if there is such a thing.

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But don’t mistake. The lobster sauce was hot and tasted great. All in all, this was a perfect combination, the shrimp and the lobster sauce.

Tony’s Wok specializes in Mandarin, Szechwan, Thai and Cantonese cuisine.

According to the Tony’s Wok menu, the Joliet restaurant on East Cass Street is open six days a week, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

It is closed Tuesday.

The phone numbers for placing orders are 815-726-8989 and 815-726-8886. The Tony’s Wok’s menu indicates it will deliver for all orders of more than $10.

This article originally appeared on the Joliet Patch