Pei Wei: Better Than Free Chinese Food at the Mall

I used to hate Asian food. My parents would order Chinese from this dump down the street. I always thought it smelled like garbage.

Then I started "sampling" the free Asian food in different malls. "Orange chicken! Kung pow chicken!" I still was never bold enough to pay for it. Why pay when you can walk up and down the food court twice and get a free meal?!

About two months ago I discovered Pei Wei Asian Diner. I was forced into going there by friends at work. Knowing that I could either get decent free Asian food at the mall, I wasn't too interested in paying $7 for this "Asian Diner".

When I first walked in, I was blown away by the upscale decor of the restaurant. It was classy Asian, with bold colors and dark woods, I felt like I had walked into a restaurant that served entrees' priced way higher than $7.

The serving style is simple, yet extremely effective. Pei Wei takes it a step farther than most fast casual restaurants and will actually bring your order to you when it's ready. (This is something we only dream Panera would do...)

The beauty in Pei Wei is the open air kitchen where you can hear, see, and smell your food being prepared with all of the theatre that Asian food should be prepared with. Your entree is served on bold red china with a real glass (no styrofoam) and silverware.

Did I mention that the food is amazing? This is from a guy who swore he would never actually enjoy paying and eating Asian food. It tastes the way you always hoped Asian food at the mall would taste.

Leave the mall, find a Pei Wei. Stop sampling - start paying.

You won't be disappointed.