Fortune Chinese Restaurant
2869 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH, 43202
Fortune Chinese Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Columbus for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Columbus for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Columbus for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
2869 Olentangy River Rd
Columbus, OH, 43202 - Phone (614) 263-1991
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Divey, Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
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Buddy Jack E.
I'm completely sold. Went there for lunch today. Was in and out in no time. Egg roll, soup and entree (including fried rice) for $5.75? Too good to be true, but that's how it went down. Food was great, customers and staff were "authentic" and I will be back. A solid "A" for this effort. Thank you for being here, Fortune Chinese Restaurant.
(4)Lily N.
Fortune is one of our favorite places in Cbus and it has a lot to do with their eggplant dish and appetizers. Though it is not the most authentic Chinese restaurant, there is something very comforting with the dishes that Fortune provides. Definitely more of a Szechuan style restaurant, the food is spicy but not tongue numbing. We commonly order a veggie (greens) dish which is the only place Fortune disappoints. These dishes are not bad, but there is nothing to write home about there (at least in the simple ones we've had). The decor of Fortune is definitely an old Mexican restaurant. So if ambiance is important for you to enjoy Chinese food, then this will not do. It is not exactly a hot date spot either, unless your date and you care more about food than setting. Fortune provides a type of comfort that makes me love it, but I am uncertain what exactly provides me with that feeling.
(5)Amy F.
This may be the first and last time that I will ever disagree with Bryant... But I was underwhelmed and had way higher expectations based on the rave reviews from my fellow yelpers. I had a craving for Shrimp Pad Thai and didn't feel like driving to Thai Orchid for the best Pad Thai in the city. After reading the reviews, I decided to try Fortune. Three words come to mind ... I'VE HAD BETTER. Their Pad Thai had some weird red sauce on it, didn't have any lime or peanuts and the flavor was just bland. But on a positive note, they did serve it with big shrimps.... Yes, I know it's shrimp. It annoys my hubby to no end when I say shrimps and deers so this is for him if he ever reads this :) Hubby ordered the shrimp fried rice. The rice had deep brown color... Clearly saturated with soy sauce. Way too salty which made any other flavor unrecognizable. Sorry yelpers, just ain't feeling this one.
(3)Gwen W.
I was stoked to finally make it into Fortune. I've been meaning to come here for years! Green Curry with Chicken, steamed rice, wonton soup for my lunch, was my original intent. The wonton soup (for appetizer) was great. The broth was light and flavorful. I'd like to really rave about the few pieces of the Crab Rangoon that Mike G. shared with me, however: OMG! I've never had CR where the cream cheese filling was warm and gooey! The dough was crispy on the outside, yet easy to chew - it was not a fried-hard shell!! The mixture in the middle was pure bliss: the melding of the flavors... I highly, HIGHLY, recommend. The curry dish was quite good. Unfortunately, for some odd reason, the slice spiciness was not melding well with me today. I decided to get the Chicken Pad Thai, for a second try. I tried a few noodles from Mike, and the flavors intrigued me. This dish was another phenomenal hit with my tastebuds!! Very slight sweet taste. Excellent peanut flavor. I could taste the chicken and egg. My past experiences with Pad Thai have been too sweet. This dish has me hooked, line and sinker!! I'll definitely be back!
(5)Doc M.
Never thought I'd be writing a memorial review but here it goes. While this place has been on my lengthy "to try" list it took the call to collect with fellow Yelpers to celebrate the legendary Paul F to get me in the doors. While I didn't use my usual protocols on visiting a new restaurant I did get a good sense of what they are doing right in this funky campus Asian place. First off don't let the bars on the front windows scare you away, once you're through the doors you find all the accoutrements you'd find in most Chinese eateries. After sampling some of Paul's favourite spicy wontons, beautiful little pillows of filled wontons swimming in chili oil and spices. My stomach kept me away from more spicy fare so I went with one of my first try safety menus choices of the house Lo Mein. They offer two large pages of Szechuan specialties here so if hot and spicy food is your thing, you're covered here. As the plates started coming out of the kitchen I could see why Paul liked this place...huge 'effing portions at decent prices. And that explains the steady flow of college students I saw coming in and out of here because you definitely get your moneys worth. I found my dish was very well spiced with a good amount of shrimp, beef, chicken and fresh veggies and enough to make very good second meal the day after. To sum up, this is a great hole in the wall kinda place, big portions of fresh, decently priced Asian foods served up by friendly folks and you could find with a helluva lot worse in the campus area. Fortune may have lost a beloved customer but they've gained a fan with the Docman...
(4)Tiffany C.
Fortune has been on my list of 'To Try' and I finally got the chance when Mike G. hosted a UYE here. An "Oh my..." may suffice as an impression of the outside looks of the building. I can see why many have probably shrugged off this place in the past, but the bars on the window are hardly a means to brush off a good Chinese experience. You know what's killer here? The prices. They are some of the cheapest rates I've seen for Chinese in a few years. Most places I've frequented have recently upped their pricing nearly two dollars more than what you'll see here. The lunch special reigns king. You get so much food here for a little over five bucks, so if you leave hungry, then it's seriously your own fault. The egg rolls here were pretty run of the mill. They lacked a bit of flavor, but oh well. The hot and sour soup was really decent... It had a nice kick to it. In fact, it was spicier than the entrée I ordered, which claimed to be spicy. I ordered the Pickle Shrimp and Chicken off the lunch special which also came with a choice of fried or steamed rice. Overall, the dish was okay, but it wasn't what I expected, and I actually expected more heat to it. The husband ordered the House lo mien, but wasn't too blown away with it. There were just a little too many onions in it for his liking, but he'd gladly return to try something else on the menu. The authentic/specialty menu and Chef's specials are always enticing and tempting. They really busted their butts here, so kudos to that. Our waiter was pretty much on top of most of the meal, and handling a large group is not necessarily the easiest thing to do and then help run the main dining area on top of that. They tried their best to keep the glasses filled with water. It wasn't one of my all-time favorite Chinese places in the end, but I would gladly come here and accompany good friends and acquaintances should the occasion arise. A-OK!
(3)Gus W.
I was happy to be able to make another Yelp meetup this past weekend, especially at Fortune Chinese, since it was my first time trying the place. Honestly, I've been in and by this strip mall many many times, but I don't know if I've ever noticed this restaurant tucked in next to Nyoh's. The service was decent for such a large party, and the server's seemed to get everyone's meals right for the most part. I ordered quite a bit of food. Much more than I actually needed to eat, but I was determined to try as much as possible. To start off, I went with the Hot and Sour Soup along with crab rangoon and spicy wontons that I split with the girlfriend. The soup was pretty good and the crab rangoon was not very warm, but the spicy wontons stole the show for me. After reading all the reviews that hyped them up, I was afraid I'd be disappointed, but this was not the case at all. The meat inside was delicious, and the sauce they were tossed in was fantastic. I ended up dipping my eggroll and crab rangoon in this. My girlfriend really liked the wonton soup and crab rangoon, but she wasn't the biggest fan of the spicy wonton sauce. I think it was more of a taste preference. For the main course, I managed to stuff down the Szechuan pork and fried rice I had ordered, and I thought the dish was great. It had just the right balance of spice to it, and I really enjoyed it even if I felt like passing out by the end of it. My girlfriend had the General Tso's chicken and really liked it, but she tapped out a quarter of the way in due to all the appetizers we ordered. It was a bit spicy too and some of the better General Tso's I've had, but I don't order that dish very often (FYI: It tasted awful reheated). Overall, I had a great meal, and it was nice meeting more people from around Columbus with a passion for seeking out new businesses. I'll probably check this place out again, since it's only a few minutes from my house, and the lunch special at $5.50 (includes soup and eggroll) is such a great deal that you just can't pass it up.
(4)Jennifer T.
This is a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant that's right outside of campus. We came here for a small meet up. Upon walking in, it seems a bit chilly inside. We waited for about 10 minutes before being seated. They have 2 dining areas, both about the same size. The one we were in seemed closed off from the rest of the restaurant. The inside of the place could DEFINITELY use some upgrading. The ceiling where we were sat looked very dirty and was riddled with water stains. the décor was exactly how you would imagine that of a Chinese restaurant. They also have metal bars on their windows (on both the inside and outside of the place) that are most likely there to deter people from breaking and entering) but my concern is that should something happen and someone gets trapped in that dining area, they aren't going to be able to escape. It took FOREVER for us to get our orders in. The wait staff was almost nonexistent. There was no soy sauce available - and it took forever to ask for that and chopsticks. The food was alright. one thing I didn't like was this weird sauce they brought out with their pot stickers. It was like rubbing alcohol with a hint of mustard. I got General Tso's, which was alright. The chicken was a bit tough and crispy, and it wasn't very spicy. I don't think I'll return. It just didn't feel like a great place to go.
(2)Elizabeth K.
The restaurant looks extremely sketchy from the outside. If you were to blindfold me and place me in front of it on any other day- I would have ran for it! Unfortunately or FORTUNEately for me- it was Christmas afternoon and I didn't have any other options to turn to It's a nice & cozy interior in the main dining area. There is so much wasted space in their hallway / cashier area that they can remodel. Oh well. Food- Chicken & String Bean: Flavoring of the sauce is good, but it didn't soak into the string beans. Mongolian Beef: My test dish at any Chinese restaurant~ if you mess up this dish, I won't ever be coming back. Thankfully it was good, but a bit too similar to the sauce in the Chicken & String bean dish. Spicy Eggplant in Garlic Sauce: The highlight of our meal! It was so delicious! I'm not a eggplant fan, but after this dish- I think I am. The eggplant was cooked to perfection. Not mushy at all and had a slight crunch to it. The garlic sauce was savory with a hint of tang! Service was good. Nothing special to note of- but I did appreciate that they did their best given that they were working on a Holiday.
(4)Jt P.
Service was very poor. Thy ha some good things, but overall was not very good. Hot & sour soup is not good, garlic beef wa alright. Potstickers were great and egg rolls were good. Old location that is dirty.
(2)Mike G.
Just listen to the clicking of chopsticks, the slurping of soup and of people speaking Chinese in hushed tones with an occasional low key chuckle. Unless someone is speaking directly to you, you won't hear any English at all. You'll most likely hear a gentle background of Chinese.... æŽå‘¨ï¼šæˆ‘想åƒå·¦å®—æ£ é¸¡ã€‚ å‘¨æ˜Žï¼šæˆ‘æƒ³è®¢ä¸€ä¸ªæ±‰å ¡åŒ…ï¼ å®“ä¸½å—¯ï¼šä»–ä»¬æœ‰é€šå¿ƒç²‰å’Œå¥¶é…ªï¼Ÿ ( 我的天啊ï¼ä»€ä¹ˆç†æŸ¥å¾·Â·P.觉得呢？） There's nothing fancy or flashy here, just great solid food that is consistent in content and presentation. That's one of the things that I like about this restaurant. They set a standard and they keep to it. Fortune is geared toward both their American and Chinese clientele and they cater to both markets with ease. I've ordered Cantonese, Szechuan, Hunan off the regular menu and I've even forayed into the Authentic Chinese menu in the back to challenge my taste buds. Their menu tends towards the spicier, more pungent side of Chinese cooking styles which most people seem to prefer these days but if you want mild, they can do Cantonese too, but that's not what they are known for. Simply put, if you like Chinese food of any style, check this place out. It's one of the most highly rated in Columbus and rarely does anyone leave here disappointed... Recommended dishes: Pad Thai, Lo Mein, Mu Shu, Kung Pao, Crab Rangoon, Spicy Wontons, Hot and Sour Soup
(5)Annette S.
Stopped in here for lunch based on yelp reviews. Good decision! We were surprised to see that they had the lunch menu available on Sunday. We ordered the shrimp and chicken pad Thai lunch portion which was huge and very good. Had to take the rest with us. We also ordered the lunch special of shrimp and chicken combination which came with an egg roll which was very good, fried rice and choice of soup. We opted for steamed rice and the chicken corn soup. Everything we had was very good. The egg roll was especially good, not just vegetables and cabbage but plenty of meat inside gave it a lot of flavor. We will return here when in Columbus again.
(5)Bryant M.
21 Yelpers gathered tonight at Fortune to celebrate the life of our friend--and top Columbus reviewer--Paul F. This was his favorite restaurant, so it felt like the right place to share our favorite memories. I called Fortune a few days before our dinner, and they were happy to make a reservation. When we arrived, they had an entire empty room reserved for us! Take note if you're looking for a great place for a big group. This is a totally unassuming Chinese restaurant, but don't judge this book by its strip-mall cover. The people here are incredibly friendly. I think we threw them off a little with the news about Paul; they were genuinely upset about the passing of their favorite customer. But the service was still very helpful, and they handled our large group extremely well. For appetizers, everyone dined on Paul's favorite--the spicy wontons. I have this wheat thing, so I skipped these... everybody else said they were delicious. I had beef and broccoli, and I sampled a friend's pad thai. Both were very tasty, but the pad thai was the winner. The prices at Fortune are extremely reasonable too! I can definitely see why this was Paul's favorite.
(4)Susan R.
While we gathered for a somber occasion to try Fortune for the first time (and let me tell y'all, it broke my heart when I saw how upset the employees were over the loss of Paul F.--this is definitely a caring place), I had a really great experience dining here and will definitely be back. My mostly-vegetarian ass ordered the eggplant in garlic sauce, but I also tried the spicy wantons in honor of Paul F., and they were fantastic. My eggplant was also really, really good--a bit on the salty side, but I couldn't stop eating it until it was gone. My mouth tasted like a delicious garlic bomb afterward, and while my breath surely was probably offensive to anybody who got too close, the food was too good to care. I was also really impressed with the service. We had a large group, and while the service wasn't 100% perfect, they kept our water refilled and our food got out to us in a decent amount of time for a restaurant that probably isn't used to having groups of 20+ people. They automatically split the checks individually, instead of trying to glom us all into one large group, which we all really appreciated. Some of the portions of what people got were HUGE. Like, "OMFG how can I even fit this in my body" huge. My food was also generously-portioned, and for less than ten dollars before tip, Fortune meets that great intersection between inexpensive and delicious. Paul F. will be missed, but I hope it would be a comfort to him to know that we are *still* exploring new places based on his recommendations.
(4)J.J. C.
This place is horrible. Same lady as the waitress that I've seen there since I was in high school, and her skill only seems to have gotten worse. She made me wait 45 minutes before telling me that half of my dim sum order was unavailable (without refilling my water even once). Then when I didn't leave a good tip due to the crappy service, she comes out and demanded I leave more money.
(1)Will J.
Best bang bang Chicken (shredded chicken in spicy sauce) I have ever tasted!!! Service is good, not amazing service but solid.
(4)Donna O.
Fortune Chinese restaurant has been around longer than I've lived here, and with good reason. Easily one of the best Szechuan places around. It's got a familiar old-school feel, a long entry hall with dining at the back. Service was efficient and friendly, and we were the only English-speaking customers eating in, which is a good sign. We ordered the Szechuan dumplings and received six fluffy dumplings swimming in a sweet and spicy sauce rather than teriyaki sauce. The filling was a little different than the usual pork/beef mix, but texture-wise matched the dumpling itself well. If you can, order off the back of the menu, where the more "authentic" dishes are listed. Our entrees were the green bean duck (actually lima beans) and chicken with spicy peanut sauce. The chicken was sautéed and only slightly spicy. The duck was cooked well and the lima beans and sauce gave it an "earthy" flavor. We'll be back, and likely to get a carryout order of those dumplings.
(3)Tiffany W.
An excellent Chinese sit-down restaurant; I was quite happy to find it in Columbus! The place itself is located in a rather unassuming spot near campus. I love that its food is super reasonably priced, yet authentic in flavor. Their portions are also very generously sized and I always end up taking home leftovers. I think this restaurant is best suited for groups, as the dishes are meant to be shared as a table and not really meant for just 1. I particularly enjoy their spicy shui zhu yu, lamb with cumin, and duck (although the duck can be a little on the salty side at times). Their scallion pancakes are little on the greasier and thick side, but I still enjoyed them. You get a bunch of rice on the side as per most Chinese restaurants to round out your meal. Overall, very satisfied with this restaurant and will be returning!
(4)Victor N.
Total, absolute hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The outside looks totally unassuming. I would have never known about it except for it being Paul F (recently passed prolific Yelp elite) favorite restaurant. Went for lunch with a friend. We ordered off the lunch special menu...I believe it was $5 for entree, rice (white or fried), egg roll, and soup. It was a while ago, so I can't remember exactly what my friend or I got. It wasn't necessarily the best Szechuan food I've had, but 1) GREAT for Columbus, completely unexpected in a city devoid of good, Asian cuisine. 2) GREAT prices. This is what I'm used to in the college neighborhoods around U of WA (with huge Asian communities).
(4)Thomas S.
I had a very good egg roll, very good hot and sour soup, and Shrimp and Chicken with rice. All served fast at a clean table for about $5.50 (lunch special). The meal was less saucy than more Americanized Chinese food. I actually prefer the saucier type. Also, the vegetables and meats were cut into smaller pieces than am accustomed too. Of friend mine, who eats Chinese food with chop-sticks, says that is what it is supposed be like for chop-stick users.
(4)Van S.
Our lunch crew rolled 6 deep into Fortune this past Friday. We all went with the intention of family style dining to allow us the max sampling from their menu in one visit. We were given 6 standard lunch menus and 2 full dinner menus that included the authentic specialty offerings. We ended up passing the 2 full menus around between all of us, and other than one appetizer we stuck to the last 3 pages of the menu. I didn't write down all of the names, but I'll do my best to describe the dishes. For starters we had two orders of sichuan pot-stickers/dumplings(?), spicy calamari, and a beef tendon dish. The pot-stickers were fantastic. Stuffed with flavorful pork and swimming in a hot pepper oil sauce. It's important to note that it seemed to be more of a sauce than just hot pepper and oil. The calamari was fried in large tubes with a light crispy batter. I enjoyed dipping these in the left over sauce from the pot-stickers because they're served dry with some onions and sliced jalapenos. The beef tendon was pretty good, served chilled with sliced jalapeno peppers in a sauce. I prefer Helen's Kitchen's version slightly over this one where you get a little less sauce and more tendon to veggie ratio. Still the tendon texture you're ordering it for was there. For entrees we had the lamb with chili pepper, hot pepper duck, fried smelt, beef in hot pepper, fish in hot pepper, and "sea eel". My first comment is that in the future we'll learn to add more variation in how we order. The calamari appetizer, lamb, and duck are all prepared quite similarly just with different proteins. Same goes obviously for the fish and beef. Every dish was very very good, but I probably liked the duck because of the seasoning of the meat and the eel (watch out for bones!) the best. I tried to make comparisons with the other two Columbus Chinese spots I like (Little Dragon and Helen's), but other than the tendon I didn't have the same dishes between restaurants to compare them with. I will say that at Fortune, although we obviously ordered a lot of spicy foods, I didn't get quite the mouth numbing sichuan pepper sensation I normally do.
(4)Anna H.
I came last night for the Paul F farewell and now have a new restaurant to come back to. The crab rangoon and the shrimp pad thai were just delicious. Our server worked his butt off to accommodate everyone. I took an order of Hunan Beef back home to my husband who claimed it was the best thing he's eaten since arriving in Columbus 17 years ago. I can't wait to come back for dinner.
(4)Junqiushi R.
Food: 4 stars Service: 1 star The waitress was rude. And I can't believe the waitress was trying to convince us to give them 15% tip after that rude service. However, food is good. I will probably go again for the food. Price is reasonable.
(3)Sailesh P.
Most restaurants that serve authentic cuisine are always crowded by the native population. This place is no different. A good Chinese restaurant whose patrons love the food. The talk in the native dialect adds to the atmosphere. All their dishes are great. The spices are full of flavor and the meat well cooked.
(4)Maya F.
Don't waste your time asking them to make your food little spicy. They will make it TOO spicy anyway!
(2)Mark K.
Finally made it over here, after suggestions from Yelpers and scheming to alter my itinerary several times. It is hard to find; even knowing, as others said, that it was hidden. I drove right past it, and when I pulled up the Yelp app to check the location, it was incorrect (the map shows it out on the service road, and it is in the mall, as I suspected.) It is between Sushi Ting and Big Lots. Anyway... having found it, I walked into a little lobby with the wonders of an old-school Chinese restaurant visible just beyond. And the experience was incredible. Excellent service, nice atmosphere, great food. I had the spicy wontons, which were very good. Perfectly made wontons, not themselves spicy but swimming in a somewhat hot oily sauce. The heat built after eating several, but they weren't scorching, so I probably should have asked for the real heat. Next I had a lunch special, twice-cooked pork. First came one of the best egg rolls I've had in awhile- plump, good fillings, made me want another. Then egg drop soup- nothing unusual. The twice-cooked pork was more like what I have had before than a recent experience with the same dish at Little Dragons (both are good, they're just different.) Pork in a sweet-hot sauce (again, not super hot,) plenty of veggies, everything tasty. The lunch combos are great deals; I had plenty to eat just with that, but I really wanted to try the spicy wontons too. I'll figure out a way to get here again.
(4)Brian F.
We gathered here yesterday to honor the late, Paul F. Fortune gave us our own private room, which was quaint. People shared stories and memories of Paul. On to the restaurant. Like so many Chinese places, the service was a bit spotty. We did have a big group, so that might have had something to do with it. The food itself was really good. First off, we got some of Paul F's favorite, flaming wontons. I thought they were pretty darn good and quite spicy. Most people at my table agreed with the former but not the latter. For an entree, I got the sesame chicken. It wasn't mind blowing, but it was solid. And it was a lot of food for the price. So, I'd definitely check this place out again!
(4)Vivianna C.
Highly recommend - this is my number one go-to restaurant. Very hole-in-the wall with authentic Szechuan flavor. Favorite menu items are æ°´ç…®éš (water cooked fish), 五更腸旺 (pork intestine, pig blood, tofu and sour cabbage), and 北å·æ¶¼ç²‰ (Chinese jelly noodle). If you like good spicy Chinese food, you found your new joint.
(5)Jenny S.
This place is so unassuming from the outside! The food is amazing! I have had and loved Pad Thai, Sesame Chicken, Mala String Bean, Lo Mein, and General Tsos. Their lunch special pricing cannot be beat at $5.50 for soup (I love their wonton but chicken corn is good too), egg roll, and entree. The only thing I've had there I didn't swoon over was the cashew chicken which had a ton of zucchini in it which I felt was a bit strange.
(4)Marni K.
Abysmal service. I wanted to like this place as it's the closest Chinese food to my boyfriend's place; however I've had two of the worst experiences as far as service that I've ever had at any restaurant here. The first was on Christmas. A friend, my boyfriend, and myself went to the restaurant to order takeout. We placed our order, the woman at the counter did not take our name, and less than a minute later she asked if we wanted to be seated (before remembering she had just taken our order). It was pretty dead when we got there and for the first 10-15 minutes after; however it then started to get crowded. Forty five minutes later we still did not have our food and we went to the counter to check that she had remembered to put in our order (we were a bit worried since she had asked us if we wanted a table/didn't remember taking our order right after we put it in). We asked politely saying, "We wanted to check on the takeout order..." and the woman at the counter responded by yelling, "I see you. Sit down!" I think it's pretty reasonable to ask after 45 minutes where a to-go order was (granted it got busy a bit after we arrived, but there should have at least been some kind of update) and you should never bark orders at a customer who is asking a polite question. Still, I tried it again because I figured stress might be high on a holiday and maybe that was abnormal. I went again to order take-out with my boyfriend. He called in and the person who took the call hung up on him while he was asking a question about the order. We went for pick-up and, when we got home, we realized the that he had received the wrong entree. This would not have happened had the person taking the order not hung up on him. But mistakes happen...we called back the restaurant and told the woman we had gotten the wrong entree. My boyfriend had ordered the ma la string bean dish (he doesn't eat meat) and he had received chicken and string beans. The woman who answered insisted he had ordered chicken and string beans, which is a little ridiculous seeing as it would be pretty weird for a vegetarian to order chicken. Maybe she misheard him? Fine. But don't insist that is what he ordered. No apology on the phone. She did let us keep the chicken and string bean (although neither of us wanted that...and there was no apology or offer to comp either his meal or a soup for our hassle). We had to make a trek back out in the freezing cold and by the time I got home, the other meal was lukewarm. Bad bad bad.
(1)JJ S.
Sure, the food is a little greasy but you just need to know what to order. Szechuan food here is okay but it is definitely not comparable to szechuan restaurants in CA/The dishes are large so you definitely will have left over for the next day.
(3)Jackie H.
I have driven by this place for YEARS and never had the urge to stop in! I'm cursing myself, because I really think this might be a gem. Okay, so my go-to meal is Sesame Chicken...I know, I know, it's not "real" Chinese. Whatever, it's my favorite. I came by to get some lunch and was charged $5.50 for chicken, egg roll, and fried rice. That's $1 less than my usual lunch joint, so I think I've found my new place! Or I'll switch off between the two because let's be real, I eat Chinese takeout 5/7 days and I don't want the people to think I'm crazy for eating there every day. Looking forward to exploring the rest of the menu and probably bumping up a star. Great find!
(4)Helen S.
Fortune is likely the most authentic Chinese restaurant that I've tried thus far in Columbus, and it's pretty tasty. It looks kinda shady from the outside (iron bars in window and all) but it's worth checking out if you can get past that. I came with a group of four for an early Friday dinner, and we tried the following dishes, family-style: 1) Dan dan noodles - really great! Noodle texture was good, and went well with the meat sauce. 2) Beef slices in chili sauce - solid choice, tastes like what it's supposed to I think 3) Spicy triple delight - best bang for your buck in terms of protein since there's a good deal of meat in this dish, flavors were good too 4) Spicy water boiled fish - tasty but pretty spicy so watch out! This dish made me sweat a little while eating it... also there's less fish in the bowl than it looks like since it's sitting on a bed of cabbage. 5) Shrimp and scallops in oyster sauce (or was it lobster sauce? don't remember) - this was the downer of the day. There were maybe three teeny tiny scallops total; they should just call this shrimp and vegetables in oyster sauce... 6) Lamb with chilis and cumin - solid choice, although it's hard to mess up cumin lamb. Cons were the shrimp and scallops dish mentioned in (5) above, and also all the ninja veggies hidden everywhere. When the food arrives at your table, you may be taken aback initially like whoa look how much food we have. But many of the dishes have a lot of veggies in them (depends on personal taste whether you view this as a pro or a con) so it's not that crazy. Prices were also a tad higher than what I see at other Chinese restaurants in the area. But worth it :) Dine here if you're looking for the best Chinese food in Columbus.
(4)Giovanna A.
I had a wonderful time at Fortune. Though I arrived super late for Paul F's memorial, after everyone had already ordered, I did get to try Paul's favorite wontons and they were fantastic. I also tried some of Mike's Pad Thai, enough to know that though this restaurant is on the other side of town from me, I will have to come back for sure!
(4)Vignesh T.
Service at its worst. They won't even smile. Rude most of the time. The food is not authentic. It's pricey too. Unless you don't have any option, I won't recommend this place. For vegetarians, strict no no.. They misuse the stocks and mix it as well.
(1)Shuo F.
THE most authentic Sichuan food in Columbus! The atmosphere isn't fancy, the place isn't spot clean, bare minimum decorations, uses paper for table cloth, but the food is amazing and is not overpriced. Most dishes are around $10 and AUTHENTIC. My girlfriend and I used to eat here three or four times a week when we lived in Columbus. Now that we live in Dublin, we still go the extra way to eat here. Although I know a 5-star rating should be based on food quality, presentation, service, atmosphere, etc...but I believe the authenticity of the food in this hole-in-the-wall establishment makes everything else seem not as important. Of course this place does not give the classy atmosphere for a date or business dinner, but it's the perfect place for some great Chinese food with friends and family!
(5)Paul F.
Mike G got me on this Chinese Kick and now I can't stop! I eat Chinese probably three times a week, often at Fortune. To keep everyone from getting bored, I only write about it when it's special, and yesterday it was! I went down to Fortune and had my own little Dim Sum. I started off with a bowl of hot and sour soup. From there I had two spring rolls. These are different from egg rolls (although the look similar) in that they have a thinner wrapper and also contain shrimp and not nearly as much cabbage. From there I had an order of wontons in chicken soup. Then I got an order of pan fried dumplings. I missed my chance to get an order of hot and sour cabbage because they were out of the cabbage, so I'll get that next time. It was a great meal and the tab for all of that was a measly $17.
(5)Sara C.
For this attempt at organizing a Yelpy lunch meet-up, Mike G suggested grabbing lunch at Fortune, though he ended up not being able to attend. I'd had an eye on this place after several Talk threads about the different styles of Chinese cuisine. But since I grew up eating mild Cantonese style cuisine, answers to Paul F's questions about some of the more traditional Szechuan dishes including pickled vegetables eluded me. It was tricky finding something non-spicy on the menu -- I meant to ask about the snow pea sprouts that Richard P posted a photo of, but completely forgot. I ended up ordering a soup called "Happy Family" which came in a clay hot pot and included calamari, pork, duck, and assorted vegetables. It didn't look like much, but the broth was very good, though the dish itself was quite a hodgepodge of flavors. If you don't like spicy foods, this place is not for you! But I'm glad to know the option is out there if I do decide one day that I need to clear out my sinuses...
(4)Alex P.
Came here on the recommendation of my friend saying it was the most authentic Sichuan style Chinese food in the area. It didn't disappoint. I visit this restaurant on a biweekly restaurant now. Protip: if your tolerance of spice is not high do not ask for spicy and complain afterwards about how spicy it is. That is the way Sichuan style is.
(5)Suzanne F.
I forgot I've eaten here years ago. What a blast from the past. One of the things I got to try thanks to my fellow yelper Karen was the spicy wontons and they were as good as advertised. I ordered the special which was priced at a very low $5.50 for entree, soup, egg roll and fried rice...yup you got my attention on this one. I ordered the won ton soup as that's my fave, the fried rice and the mala string beans and chicken and of course the obligatory egg roll. Nothing unusual about my won ton soup as it was generally pretty good. The egg roll was a bit on the heavy side as for the wrapper but the ingredients were good. My fried rice was very good I liked the veggies in it and the flavor overall. Now onto my main course...and let me tell you this is one of my fave dishes but the green beans were overcooked and a bit too chewy. However, they did something different with this dish that was awesome it had bits of real garlic and some spicy peppers that made my nose run so there were positives. I'd give it four stars if the beans weren't overcooked and my dish was served lukewarm which really gripes me. I boxed my food up but forgot it as I was going to reheat it and eat it...sheesh but the real fun of this dining experience was meeting fellow Yelpers in person as its my first meeting. Thanks Mike G. for putting this together!
(3)Rakesh M.
I visited this place when I was too much hungry and my taste buds may have deceived me and this review!!! But nonetheless this place does deserves a 3.5 star. I hope yelp comes up with a half star option in the near future. Not many vegetarian options and they carry a very basic vegetarian menu. Me and my friend ordered the eggplant and string beans with fried rice respectively. Both dishes were fried in garlic sauce which is again a standard. But the taste of them kinda different to other Chinese restaurant which is why I am giving it a 4 start. The setup is like a star restaurant which kinda adds to rating. If you are board with normal Chinese restaurant I would recommend to try this one out. Zhanshi zaijian!!
(4)Lee B.
Quite possibly the best Chinese restaurant in Columbus. We have never been disappointed and love the out of the ordinary menu items so we can try new things, like the intestine stew and stir fry frog. Seriously the intestine stew, which made me a bit hesitant at first due to the reputation intestines have to taste gamey, was awesome and tasted so good, I did not even need to reheat it the next day to eat the leftovers. My most recent favorite dish there is the black pepper scallops. Fluffy pillows of scallopy goodness drizzled with tasty brown sauce, nestled in a bed of broccoli florets. A most delightful dish that I highly recommend. The decor is nothing to write home about, (it's an old building), but I don't particularly care about that so long as the food is as good as it is here. Also the lunch specials are a great value at under $6 for soup, egg roll, and entree. Soup is only available for dine in on the lunch specials.
(5)Rachelle S.
This is my go to Chinese restaurant. I like most of the things on the menu and I have tried a lot of the items. I mostly get takeout and it is beat to call it in before heading over. Sometimes it takes some time to get service at the front desk but the food is great. I never had a problem with rude service like some people here, maybe because my boyfriend is Chinese.
(5)Brian B.
Great Chinese food. My personal favorites are the mapo tofu and eggplant with garlic sauce.
(4)Michel O.
Hidden gem. My spouse and I used to frequent this restaurant when we lived near campus. I had forgotten about it until I was in the area again and decided to stop in for lunch. Lunch specials are $5.50 for entree soup and egg roll which is quite a bargain for good sized portions. Lunch specials run until 3 pm and they have several selections. There were no vegetarian options on the specials menu so I ordered shrimp and vegetables without the shrimp. The egg roll was a bit greasy but the hot and sour soup was delish. The entree contained a good mix of veggies: zucchini, carrots, bamboo shoots, cabbage, mushrooms baby corn and water chestnuts. I forgot to ask for no onions so it also contained scallions. The sauce was a mild light sauce. Service was prompt and cordial as I had remembered it had always been. It was nice to visit an old favorite that has maintained quality and service for many years.
(4)Ed O.
Fortune doesn't look like much but it is the real deal. Pretty much every Szechwan dish I've had has been great. Big fan of the mala string bean which is loaded with garlic, chili peppers, Szechwan peppercorns. The garlic eggplant is amazing as well. Everyone knows about the spicy wontons and dan dan noodles those are definitely worth an order as well. Best bet is to come with a big group and order a bunch of stuff family style from the Szechwan section. You won't be disappointed. Lunch special: While mostly restricted to more standard americanized chinese the lunch menu Is a fantastic deal including soup and an excellent egg roll when you dine in. Random: The pad thai was surprisingly good as well the one time I randomly got it - had a good amount of heat and a nice flavor.
(5)Madison R.
Really glad I found Fortune (thanks again, Lao Wang). The place was packed tonight (mostly Chinese, of course). We ordered seven items. Loved the dan dan mian and the spicy fish soup with pickled vegetables. Some of the other dishes I had were ok, but not as good. The one I liked the least was probably the bean curd homestyle. The back page of the menu seems to be where the good stuff is at. I definitely want to try the fried smelt on my next visit. Portions are good and prices very fair. We ate tons and still have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. Will definitely return.
(4)Carolyn B.
Went here after work last night! Good service and great food!! Chicken was cooked very well. And the people were extremely nice. I would recommend this place to anyone. Relaxing evening with good food after a long 13hr shift.
(5)Devon R.
I've had a hard time finding good Chinese food since moving to the Midwest. Being a vegetarian it can be a bit tough at times as veggie options at some restaurants are not very diverse. But Fortune had a decent number of veggie options and most are quite good. Between two friends and myself we ordered four vegetarian entrees and only one was blah. The Veggie stir fry was your standard cornstarchy-saunce over veggies thing and I won't be getting that again. If you are a fan of that type of dish, then go for it; I am not. Give this a 1/5 But the other three were good with one being pretty excellent: Ma Pao Tofu - Spicy tofu with veggies: This had really good flavor and was somewhat spicy but not very (spicyness is subjective of course). I would give this a 3/5 only because I would have preferred more veggies and firmer tofu. Vegetable Egg Fu Yung: I really liked this and would definitely order it again. The sauce isn't the standard peanut sauce I'm used to. I'm actually, come to think of it, not entirely sure it would be vegetarian friendly. Will have to double check that. 4/5 Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce: This was pretty freaking amazing. I'm not a bok choy fan but this was great. Wonderful flavor and texture. I'm picky about texture. 5/5 I'm definitely going to visit this place again.
(4)Carla D.
Wow! Hands down the best meal I've had in a long time. Order from the Szechuan menu, you won't be disappointed. My favorite dish was the wontons in a spicy chili sauce. Silky, heavenly, garlicky yumminess. The waiter was very helpful and steered me away from the Americanized Szechuan chicken in favor of the traditional preparation, and it was unlike anything I've ever had. Truly delicious!
(5)Anna S.
I pretty much crave Chinese all the time, but I'm loyal fan of Hunan House and Hunan Lion (and recently Asian Taste). However, I keep hearing excellent things about Fortune. Though I've been here before during college, that was eons ago, and seems to have not made a huge impression on me. Which is sad. I revisited last week and am already planning another trip. First, we shared the much-lauded dan dan noodles. If you are a fan of this much-butchered dish, Fortune's will make you want to come back again and again just for this. In fact, on my my next trip I might just get two orders of this as my entree. Next, we split the Sichuan eggplant (add ground pork) and Mala green beans. Yum and yum. The eggplant was sweet, spicy, salty, and umami-ey; a veritable explosion of great flavors. Plus, this is the only Chinese place I've ever eaten at that uses whole cumin in the Mala beans. The addition really elevates the dish and I enjoyed it immensely. A note of warning: the waitress we had barely spoke English and couldn't answer any questions. So, your first visit here might be hit or miss unless you do slight research about Sichuan cooking before you go.
(5)Doo-Dah W.
I had the tofu off the Szechuan app menu and the eggplant, also off the back page. Both were excellent. I can't wait to go back with friends to order lots of dishes. I have a feeling that's the way to go there.
(4)Luke T.
I've been here twice now, and my second experience was much better than the first. I honestly can't remember much of the first visit. The second time around I was just getting carryout, whereas I dined in before, but the food was miles away from the apparently forgettable prior experience. I got the Pot of Gold, so named because of its golden fried tofu. The dish was pretty darn incredible. The sauce was amazing. It wasn't thick and syrupy like at more Americanized joints, and was peppered with chilies, green peppers, some kind of scrumptious black bean that I've had maybe once before, and a sliced nut of some kind. The tofu WAS fried to perfection, just as advertised. And it bears repeating, such flavor in that sauce...oh my. The Pot of Gold stood out from the other veggie dishes on the menu, but having tried it, I think I would do well to try some of the other more typical dishes as well to see what kind of a spin they put on them. A few things to note: -The prices are a bit higher than most other Chinese restaurants in the area. ($8 for veggie dishes, $9 for chicken and pork, and more for seafood and beef). -They have pretty late hours, 10pm I think. -There are lots of "exotic" dishes on the menu. Numerous dishes featuring frog, duck, scallops, red snapper...and...oh, a few other rarer options, but they're eluding me right now. -It's a well-hidden strip mall location. Very tiny sign, very tiny entrance. Keep looking if you're missing it.
(4)Richard P.
Don't come here looking for atmosphere, because there isn't any. Negative atmosphere, really. But you shouldn't let that dissuade you, because Fortune is one of the stars of the Columbus Chinese restaurant scene. Authentic Sichuan cooking, delivered with some mainland Chinese attitude, for good measure. Step in, sit down, and place an order, and you can almost imagine being in Sichuan. Okay, not quite as good as being in Sichuan itself, but you're in the Midwest, after all, what do you expect? Go straight to the back of the menu, where they list their 'Specialties' - that's where the really great food waits. And be warned, just like in China, it is spicy! You don't have to take my word for it - walk in on a Friday night and every other table is full with expat Chinese. They're the real judges of Fortune's quality.
(4)Jina P.
Pretty authentic Szechuan chinese food. Their portions are pretty big and very tasteful. It is good to come with friends and try different dishes. I would try their Szechuan dishes rather than others on the menu.
(4)Lin L.
They have a bad attitude. Once I ordered through phone, the food were not ready until 30 minutes later! When I arrived at the front desk, they saw me but just ignored me. There were only two tables having dinner! BTW, I am a Chinese.
(2)Cherie R.
Finally got around to trying this place!!! It was about what I was expecting, taking into account my fellow Yelper's reviews and my previous experiences with Szechuan food. I have been fortunate (or unfortunate for this place) enough to have been to Lao Sze Chuan in Chicago, before it got popular and expanded. That was some EXCELLENT food. This place has GOOD food. I had the diced chicken with chili peppers - not as good as Chicago's, but still good. It's not as spicy as the title implies, but still has a nice kick. The ma po tofu is the best I've had in Columbus so far. I have a few places to try, though. :-) They did it right, with silken tofu, szechuan peppercorns, and just a little bit of pork. I'm eager to come back with the hubby (Got takeout this time.) and try some of their other specials.
(4)Roshan G.
As my first restaurant experience in Columbus, I was not sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised when I ate here, and the food was exceptional. I ordered the Szechuan beef, which claimed to be spicy. It was definitely as advertised, which it typically not the case for me, as I have a high tolerance to spicy foods. Overall the service was great and I would recommend it.
(5)Josh Hao Q.
Best in Columbus! No doubt! With this great value, I could not think of any to compete with. Always order Dan Dan noodles + spicy chicken!
(5)Emily C.
The style of cooking is definitely less American than Chinese, pretty decent, but they are really oily. Some dishes are more spicy than others (Sichuan cusines are really spicy), so be aware. However, Sichuan does not = spicy and oily. Most of their dishes are drenched in oil. Their food is cooked authentic enough for me to like it, and that's it. The service sucks as much as any other Chinese restaurant, the waiter/waitress gives you as much customer services as a metal cart. I go here to get a "spicy kick", because other restaurants will not give you the same level of spicy as Fortune. However when I went with an American friend, I was told that the spicy level in his dish is down played. We both requested Medium spicy, but his is a lot less spicy than mine. So all you American folks who can take real spice should make sure they will give you real "spicy" instead of "white spicy"
(4)Birdy N.
Great new find, will return several times. THE FOOD The Schezuan peppercorn fish is very very good, I do like Imperial Garden's a bit better...but that is personal taste, they seem more than competently made. The Dan Dan Noodles is not something I would get again, but am glad I tried. Pea pod leaf was very good too, as was the Smelt. I can wait to try the rest of the menu. THE SERVICE Nothing to complain about. THE ATMOSPHERE A repurposed mexican joint....not aa very Chinese feel but very cozy and inviting. It worked for me.
(5)Christine W.
poor hygiene condition: i saw a fly around my plate! and the service was even worse, i waited 10 minutes to actually get a waiter and order.
(1)Ramon S.
Tried their traditional Sichuan food, taste like shit, and owner refuse to exchange the dish. I know we have low expectations for Chinese food in Columbus but this is really unacceptable. I have included the photo of both dishes
(1)Maureen O.
We live nearby and hit this place monthly. Word of the street is that it is the Mecca of schezwan food in Columbus. most recently I had the schezwan garlic pork which was what appeared to be well seasoned strips of bacon that had been boiled. It was very good. It did prove challenging to get over the combination of three foreign things to my 'palette' (texture, color (definitely not dark red) and temperature (served at room temperature). This dish was very spicy a very cheap
(3)Nick F.
Best Chinese and Thai in Columbus. Their lunch special is also unrivaled. $6 for an entree, with soup and egg roll. I recommend Szechuan chicken, Thai basil shrimp or their Thai ribs. Insane.
(5)Renee W.
The new waitress there is super rude. She would ask to add more tips for her after you sign the check!! She was saying that her salary is very low at this restaurant so I must give her more tips!! I've never,ever seen a waitress like this before!! So be aware when you go there.
(1)Gavin D.
Last weekend, while house hunting, Sarah said she wanted to go get some spicy food. She wanted something Asian. Probably Thai. We headed for Nida's - my favorite Thai spot so far - only to find that they were closed at lunch time on Saturday at their Short North location (we should have just gone down to North Market). Well, a similar scenario this weekend led us to Fortune, which I'd heard great things about. It did not disappoint! The Food: The menu is a bit overwhelming because there are so many options - and we had to ask for the full menu because they first just brought us a lunch menu without any of the Szechuan offerings. And then it's tough because so much sounds good! We went with some mala string beans to start, and asked them to mix in a bit of the Spicy Pot of Gold (fried tofu). It cost $2 more but it was fantastic. There must have been half a head of sliced garlic, several jalapenos, and a handful of dried red chiles. Add the Szechuan peppercorns (not super fresh, so not much numbing) and well cooked beans and we were excited! Then we ordered some cold noodles, which frankly weren't that good (too vinegary, but soon forgotten, because...). The pork in garlic sauce - sweet, salty, nice texture differences with strips of celery, very savory - was a suggestion from the waitress and very tasty. The Ingredients: Nothing of note in terms of organic, local, etc. that we're aware of. We'll have to ask next time, but doubtful. The Story, Setting, & Service: It's going to take some time to get used to so many good things coming in strip malls. The ambiance here is nonexistent, but the people were very nice (a menu change took help from a 2nd server). The Last Bite: We're feeling pretty confident that this place is going to be consistently making us happy, and we're already looking forward to returning. I almost went for lunch today, the day after. If you don't like spicy food, be careful. But, the taste is wonderful!
(5)Doug S.
When you walk in a place and there is nothing but those of the same ethnicity of the food being served and not a lick of English being spoken you know you are in the right place.. Delicious hole in the wall and shouldn't be missed..
(5)Chris W.
Best Szechuan food in columbus, indeed! I come here all the time, almost once a week, a bit pricey for dinner portion but portion and taste quite consistence, and it is close by to where I live. Service is great, they always know my order and polite. My favorite is their spicy fish soup in szechuan peppers (or something like that) very spicy but so damn good......and another is called magic chicken (dunno the chinese name and not sure what they did but the magic works). I also like the spicy beef noodle soup, always consistence and good portion. Worth to try and definitely has better consistency than other chinese restaurant in town.
(4)Catie L.
Stopped in today for lunch. Price was nice and server was very friendly. I got a shrimp/chicken combo, fried rice and egg roll. Average lunch. Flavors were very good and portion size nice. I like the chopped zucchini in the dish, that was a bit different. I got a vegetable Lo Mien to take home. Looking over the menu they have a nice variety of Asian dishes in every price point whither you shallow pockets or deep pockets. A dish to fit most tastes even if you are a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore.
(4)Ryan B.
I went here as part of a large group dinner. Two people from the group acted as guides and ordered everything for the group and we passed each dish around the table. I must admit that I don't know very much about Chinese cuisine and I'm a creature of habit, so had I not been part of this group I would have ordered something very Americanized off the menu. On this visit, however, I didn't even get to see the menu! I would love to tell you about all of the dishes that I tried, I think maybe 20 different items, but sadly I didn't take notes. What I can tell you is that the food was mind blowing phenomenal! If you are curious to try this place I absolutely recommend it, especially if you know about Chinese cuisine because I think you will definitely find something that you will like...wait, no - something you'll love. Also, the prices are very inexpensive.
(4)Nate S.
This place is the bee's knees. I've probably had 20 different items from their amazingly extensive menu, and all of them have been "very good" to "incredible" on my scale of arbitrarily assigning adjectives to things. Fortune really stands out from the competition in two arenas: price, and complexity of flavor. Price-wise, nothing on the menu exceeds $15, with most items coming in far below that point. Seriously, you can get a half of a tea-smoked duck for $12, which is an unbelievable deal. It gets even better at lunch, when you can get an entree, egg-roll, and a bowl of the best hot and sour soup I've ever had for under $6. The lunch entree selection even includes non-Americanized options like Twice-Cooked Pork, so you're not relegated to the usual General Tso's/Sweet and Sour Whatever monotony of most Chinese lunching in this city. The flavor complexity of all of Fortune's dishes is also quite remarkable. Many of their best dishes seem to have a flavor profile that actually evolves in your mouth as you eat it in a way that is difficult for me to put into words. They also don't dumb down their spicing or ingredient choices for the American pallete, either. Your mouth WILL be numb after finishing a bowl of Dan Dan noodles, and if you order your Twice-Cooked Pork Chinese-style (they will usually ask you) it comes made with melt-in-your-mouth slices of pork belly. Service is gracious and attentive, the tea is oolong with jasmine in it, and dinner portions are always two meals worth. I might have a crush on this restaurant, even though I don't think that is a thing that is possible.
(5)Jay Q.
I have only been to Fortune after it was passed to its current owners, and I dare to say that it is one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants, or more specifically Szechuan food one could find in Columbus. I would go there whenever I crave the food from home. But do take caution: Many dishes are spicy!
(4)Steve F.
I like it spicy. Fortune chinese restaurant delivers in the spicy with the szechuan offerings. I really liked the appetizer szechuan dumplings. Not much atmosphere here...a former mexican restaurant. But if you like spicy, this is the place!
(5)Mindy W.
Thus continued my journey for excellent Chinese food in Columbus... This was my first time there, so we had to order without a menu. We stuck to some easy dishes to get a feel for this place. I shall start with the highlight of my Sunday-hangover-funday feast...the garlic pork! Thank you to my fellow Yelpers for making this suggestion! It was definitely the best thing we ordered. The pork was tender, the veggies were crispy and the sauce wasn't too spicy. As Hova would say, onto the next one...moo goo gai pan. Maybe I don't actually love this dish, since it is so rarely good these days. It had a nice veg selection, but the sauce was flavorless. I'm not a fan of General Tso's, so I won't even begin to judge that dish, but they had good rice and my boyfriend said his hot and sour soup was delish. The crab Rangoon wasn't anything to brag about, but that's a minor detail. I grabbed a menu for the next time I don't mind the idea of picking up Chinese. I'm interested in trying some of the more adventurous/ authentic dishes. I read that they have dim sum, so I'm already salivating at that thought and hoping it is actually the case. Needless to say, I will most definitely be going back here, and look forward to trying some less vanilla dishes.
(3)Joe B.
First time we've tried Fortune and it's easily the best Chinese I've had in Columbus. The garlic eggplant and Dan Dan noodles were excellent. Looking forward to trying other dishes soon.
(4)Joy W.
My boyfriend ordered there, and heard they said that there was a bug in one dish. For the flavor, I really hate there because all the dishes taste like the same, and too oil. I am good at cooking Sichuan cuisine. The cook's level even is below mine. If you just want to fill up your stomach, you may choose to go. The hot sour rice noodle sucks.
(1)Martin M.
I've only eaten one dish here so far, but it was a winner. Fish filet with Chinese pickle is skinless/boneless filets of some kind of tender white fish cooked in a broth flavored with chopped pickled vegetables, slices of fresh ginger and garlic, and some hot pepper (but not too much). It's spicy, salty, sour, and pickle-y. They serve a huge bowl, and I challenge you to stop yourself from eating it all. I would almost come back to Columbus just to eat this.
(4)Katie B.
Recently got back from a trip to China and friends of ours informed us that Fortune recently changed owners and now had amazing Sichuan cuisine. Uh, they were SO right! Although the Sichuan peppercorns were not as fresh as you would get in China, the flavors certainly came pretty damn close. Definitely the best Chinese food in Columbus. This is not the standard sugary-sauced americanized Cantonese everyone is used to...this is good non-greasy, amazing food with a little kick. As a non-Asian you can experience authentic dishes that aren't on some secret menu. So, don't order your standard dish...try the mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns, eggplant, the tofu (trust me) and other unfamiliar dishes. The fried smelt was a hit for the fish lovers. You will never look at Chinese food the same... I would say the only annoying thing is that there is no lazy susan at the table to make family-style food sharing much easier.
(4)Sandy W.
The lunch special here is such a great deal at $5.50 before tax! Your meal comes with a soup and an eggroll, and it is pretty easy to get two meals out of one. My favorite soup is the hot and sour soup (I tried all three soup offerings on the lunch menu, and the other two are okay). My one gripe is that the eggroll seems to be getting increasingly small over the past year. The first time I was here, the eggroll was so huge that it and the soup alone got me full. The ground meat inside was fairly tasteless, but this was remedied with scoops of the sweet duck sauce. Now the eggroll is kind of puny, but it's got a crispier exterior and the stuffing inside has a bit more flavor. The food is on the pricey side for dinner, but they definitely give you bigger entree portions than at lunch, at least for the dishes that I've ordered.
(4)Pony B.
Pumped about this place. Weird location, never knew it was even there. Food was really good, service was too, and friendly.
(4)Sarah C.
Good for vegan eaters. Ma po tofu. Snow pea leaves or other greens of the day. Hot and sour Chinese cabbage was on special the night we went. All delicious and not too oily like other places. Cozy atmosphere. Wish it had a bar! Will def be back.
(5)Bill H.
Great selection, excellent food, and though from a more limited menu their lunch special is a great deal. A wonderful authentic Chinese dining experience in a "hole in the wall" strip mall location.
(4)Roderick C.
Best Sichuan food in Central Ohio! The spicy dishes have the characteristic mouth numbing appeal. They not overly spicy-hot and they offer clearly differing tastes under the Sichuan spiciness. Be sure you order the dishes on the daily specials board!
(5)Samantha M.
FYI for my fellow late dinner eaters: Though Yelp says this place closes at 9 on Mondays, I just placed a pick up order at quarter after with no problem. Here comes the Dan Dan.
(5)J W.
Hands down best Sichuan Chinese food in Columbus! Finally, a Chinese restaurant worth going to (I had resigned myself to cooking it at home if I wanted anything authentic). We ordered the cold Sichuan noodles and Chengdu tofu appetizers, and the lamb with cumin and stir-fried bean shoots. Pretty nice interior given what I expected from the outside. Linen tablecloths, even! And it's right next to Momo2, so you can get your Chinese fix & KTV in one stop.
(5)Sarah H.
This place nearly brought tears of joy to my eyes. This is seriously some of the best traditional Sichuan Chinese I've had anywhere before. And in a weird, hard-to-find strip mall location? Sure, I'll take it! I skipped over all of the Americanized Chinese options and went straight to the back of the menu. There are so many options! It took me like, 20 minutes to decide. I HAD to get the Dan Dan Noodles because those are probably my favorite non-dim sum Chinese dish. Some restaurants serve them in a thick peanut buttery sauce, but not Fortune. It was a oily, thin sauce that was somewhat spicy and somewhat sweet, with peanut chunks instead of peanut butter. You can order them with ground pork or without (just ask, veggies!) - with pork it's amazing but I'm sure it's great without as well.. the sauce really is what makes the dish. The size of the Dan Dan is perfect as an appetizer. We also got the "spicy wontons" from the same section of the menu (Szechuan Delights, I think it was called). at my pre-Fortune favorite Sichuan restaurant, these would have been called Suan la chao shou. These were pretty good as well, but not better than my other favorite Chinese restaurant (which is, of course, in Cambridge MA - Mary Chung's). For our main courses, we got one of the specials which had been translated on a sheet of white paper at the front of the restaurant as "Eel and Shrimp Harmony" and an order of Moo Shu Trio. -The Eel and Shrimp Harmony was certainly harmonious. Harmoniously delicious. There were small strips of what I assume was the eel that had been deep fried to perfection, and the shrimp were beautifully deep fried as well. The batter was light but crunchy. The two seafood items were mixed in with peppers, onions, and cabbage and everything was served in light, savory sauce. Everything just went together so perfectly. Harmony indeed! -Moo Shu is basically the Chinese equivalent of fajitas, I guess. It traditionally is served with port, but this one came with beef, chicken, and shrimp instead. The meat is mixed in with a variety of mushrooms, cabbage, and onions. It also came with the Chinese equivalent of tortillas as well as tasty tasty plum sauce. This was great as well. The service was overall okay - they were really really busy on a Friday night. It took us a long time to get our order taken, but it also took us a long time to decide on what to get so it was fine. Our waters got refilled throughout the evening just fine, which is always important at a Sichuan restaurant! ETA: -The "squid in homestyle sauce" is TERRIBLE. I think this is probably just my American taste buds not liking the texture of the squid, which was kind of like chewing on cartilage. So, not everything is perfectly amazing, but I'm assuming this is more of a preferential thing. -The garlic eggplant is AWESOME. spicy and sweet and savory all at the same time. It's like a party in my mouth!
(5)Kent W.
I love this place! If you are into American-style Chinese food, I'd highly recommend going there for lunch. For less than $6 you get soup, an egg roll, rice, and a large meal. There's no beating it. If you're more daring and want to try something more authentic, the price is still reasonable for the quality and quantity of food. My personal favorite is the Diced Chicken with Chinese Pickle. Spicy, but so good.
(5)Tamara B.
I did a carry out with moo goo gai pan and it was delicious.
(5)Peter F.
Heard about this place from a coworker. kind of buried in the strip mall it is located in but happy I found it next time I am in town. Pro: Great food, huge portions, excellent service, great prices. Had the Triple Delight over noodles and a Hot and Sour Soup; both very good. Con: Not much going on cosmetically inside or outside the restaurant... kind of dark in there.
(4)EL T.
Best Szechuan Chinese food in Columbus area for sure.
(3)Alice L.
I have eaten here since I was still in a carriage. My parents love the place and brought me here weekly and I literally grew up eating their delicious dim sum and my favorite: wonton noodle soup. The portions are huge and prices are cheap, and the service is has a homey feel to it. We know the servers and it's a family owned restaurant. The ambiance could be a bit renovated because they've had the same paintings and decor since I was born. Recently they just transferred to new owners and their food has gotten 5x better in terms of variety.
(4)Wai W.
Been here a few times. We used to come in for Dim Sum... yea... well... there's no good Chinese food in columbus. Their Dim Sum is average, nothing to brag about. Sometimes inconsistent with the quality. Only if you really really really crave for Chinese Dim Sum and close by... you may stop in here. Again, Americanized Chinese food mostly.
(2)Max T.
Fortune is your classic strip mall-style "hole in the wall" Chinese restaurant. The appearance is very lacking - bland from the outside, and sort of run down on the inside. It's not dirty or disgusting by any means, it's just kind of dark and worn-looking. Service here tends to be very slow, which isn't uncommon for this type of restaurant, as there tend to be fewer employees than you might find elsewhere. The food is good, but not great. A few things stand out - dim sum options being among the highlights , but most of the entrees lean on the bland and/or sloppy side. I've found the (deep) fried items here to be the best - crisp & well done - fried wontons, eggrolls, and the dishes with crispy chickn stand out as better than the rest. Fortune is the kind of place that's good if you're in the area, but unless you're really looking for dim sum, it's nothing worth going out of your way for - there are a number of other, better Chinese offerings in town.
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