Andrew Wong is the chef-patron of his multi-award-winning restaurant, A.Wong, located on the very same site as his parents' original establishment, which he has completely transformed. He is known for his...
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ChineseVegetarian Vegan FocusVegan-friendlyModerateLunchDinnerCasualCocktail Bar
Last updated: 6/29/2026, 7:59:42 PM
Key Information
Forbidden City Bar in Tacoma, WA, offers high-quality Chinese cuisine in a beautifully designed, inviting, and elegant atmosphere. It is known for its generous family-style meals and fast service.
Customer Perception
Customers generally praise Forbidden City Bar for its exceptional food quality, with dishes like lo mein, garlic green beans, and shrimp egg foo yung receiving high marks for flavor and preparation. The ambiance is frequently described as stunning, inviting, and elegant. Service is often noted as fast and attentive. However, some customers have experienced issues with the speed of service, leading to food getting cold, and occasional inconsistencies in dish quality, particularly with beef dishes being overcooked or overly salty. There have also been instances of dissatisfaction with how customer complaints were handled.
Located in the Parkland area of Tacoma, Forbidden City Bar is a popular spot for Chinese food, offering a new menu to its patrons. It is also noted for providing reasonable family meals with substantial portions.
Forbidden City Bar is open for lunch and dinner. Operating hours are generally 11:00 am to 9:00 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and 11:00 am to 10:00 pm on Friday and Saturday. Tuesdays have shorter hours, from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
5
Forbidden City absolutely exceeded expectations. From the moment we walked in, the experience was exceptional. The interior is stunning—beautifully designed with tasteful décor that creates an inviting and elegant atmosphere without feeling overdone.
The food was outstanding across the board. The lo mein noodles were perfectly cooked and packed with flavor. The spring green beans with garlic sauce were a highlight—crisp-tender and seasoned flawlessly. The beef with pepper sauce was rich, savory, and incredibly satisfying. And the hot and sour soup was fresh, vibrant, and balanced just right with that classic comforting depth.
Service was impressively fast and attentive without ever feeling rushed. Every dish came out fresh and hot, and it was clear that care goes into both preparation and presentation.
Forbidden City delivers on all fronts—ambience, service, and exceptional food. I’ll absolutely be back and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for high-quality Chinese cuisine.
I pass by here almost everyday on my way home and finally decided to pop in for a try. I ordered some cheese rangoons and a chicken and string bean dinner which came with a bowl of soup and a spring roll.
The cheese rangoons were good. Nice and crisp and the dipping sauce was lovely.
I ordered egg drop soup with my meal and it was... thick. VERY THICK. Almost like gravy that has sat for much too long. If this had been to go that would have been fine. Thin it out with a little broth at home but for dine in while the flavor was nice it was a sad soup.
This is where my one big con comes in. Service was fast. Way too fast. I was 2 bites into a soup, hadn't touched my app yet and boom there's my entree. By the time I finished my soup and app (it was fried I want to eat it while its still fresh) my meal was sad and cold.
Id eat here again but I would order in stages to avoid that happening again.
⭐️⭐️ 2/5 – Really Disappointed This Time
My first visit was great — the garlic green beans were absolutely outstanding: fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. I came back specifically because of that dish and decided to add beef this time.
Before ordering, I asked the waitress multiple times if the dish with beef would taste the same as the original garlic green beans. She assured me it would be just as delicious. However, when I later brought up how different it tasted, she said the beef version uses a different sauce. That was frustrating because I had asked very clearly beforehand.
The beef itself was overcooked, tough, and extremely salty. It did not taste freshly prepared — more like food that had been sitting and then reheated. Regardless of the sauce, there is no excuse for it being that salty or overcooked.
To make things worse, the food was brought out while I stepped away briefly, and by the time I returned, it was already cold. They reheated it, but reheated food never tastes the same — and this definitely didn’t taste freshly made.
I told the waitress about the issue. She could clearly see that I ate less than 10% of the meal (I even have a photo of the plate), yet the only solution offered was a 10% discount. That felt very disappointing considering the condition of the food and how little was eaten.
The restaurant also felt quiet and lifeless, which sadly matched the drop in food quality.
I came back excited after my first great experience, but this visit was a major letdown. Very disappointing. In pict what was left after I “ate”… and they still charged me a full price for a food I couldn’t eat! That customer service is awful! That is why they are empty!
