Yang's Cafe
by Sarah
As a teacher, I don't usually have time for going out for lunch, seeing as how I usually spend my lunch break hunched over a pile of papers shoveling a Lean Cuisine into my grill; but fall break afforded me the opportunity to check out Yang's Cafe yesterday. Located at the strip mall on 48th and R next to America's Best Contacts and Eye Glasses, the ambiance leaves a little to be desired. Think about every strip mall Chinese restaurant you've ever been to. It looks just like that.
Yang's claim to fame is their $4.75 lunch buffet. While the words "Chinese Buffet" usually cause me to physically recoil, this one has two things going for it that the other ones don't. First, it has a very limited selection: a dozen choices tops. Second, every single dish is quite good. My favorites are the hot and sour soup (it actually tastes both hot and sour-- a nice flavor), the crab rangoon (you can't have Americanized Chinese food without a good hunk of fried cream cheese), and my favorite favorite: the spicy pork and potatoes. It's shoestring potatoes stir-fried with pork and lots of red pepper flakes.
If you're looking for a cheap, fast and filling lunch, check out Yang's Cafe. Now if I could only find a decent place in Lincoln for Pad Thai...
As a teacher, I don't usually have time for going out for lunch, seeing as how I usually spend my lunch break hunched over a pile of papers shoveling a Lean Cuisine into my grill; but fall break afforded me the opportunity to check out Yang's Cafe yesterday. Located at the strip mall on 48th and R next to America's Best Contacts and Eye Glasses, the ambiance leaves a little to be desired. Think about every strip mall Chinese restaurant you've ever been to. It looks just like that.
Yang's claim to fame is their $4.75 lunch buffet. While the words "Chinese Buffet" usually cause me to physically recoil, this one has two things going for it that the other ones don't. First, it has a very limited selection: a dozen choices tops. Second, every single dish is quite good. My favorites are the hot and sour soup (it actually tastes both hot and sour-- a nice flavor), the crab rangoon (you can't have Americanized Chinese food without a good hunk of fried cream cheese), and my favorite favorite: the spicy pork and potatoes. It's shoestring potatoes stir-fried with pork and lots of red pepper flakes.
If you're looking for a cheap, fast and filling lunch, check out Yang's Cafe. Now if I could only find a decent place in Lincoln for Pad Thai...
posted by Anonymous at 6:27 PM
7 Comments:
Although I haven't been to their lunch buffet, I would like to note that China Inn on North 27th is a great strip mall place for Chinese.
Generally, I have been finding that in recent years, strip mall places can have some great cuisine (of all types) because they can be creative start-ups that differ from the established Chinese-American joints that offer the typical "Chow Mein" and "Sweet and Sour Chicken" stuff. In the Twin Cities (where I am originally from) some of the best Vietnamese and Malay/Singaporean I have encountered are at strip mall places. Malay/Singaporean....now that is what Lincoln needs.
I think China Inn is probably my favorite Chinese place Lincoln. I usually get Korean food when I go there though.
Strip mall space, esp. where you find these places, is typically cheaper than a stand-alone building or a cozy spot downtown, which is another reason you'll find these places where you do.
I've never had Malay/Singaporean. I'm pro-peninsula when it comes to cuisine though so I'm all for it.
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Good Pad Thai in Lincoln? Thai Garden (in the building formerly known as Gunny's, 13th and P) has yummy Pad Thai.
I just got found the informed discussion of Thai options in the comments to the Best of Lincoln post. Doh!
The best Thai food I've found in Lincoln is at the Thai House (just south of 27th and Vine on the east side of the street). The best hot and sour soup in Lincoln and what a deal! A filling meal for about $5.
Wok Express II on Sun Valley Blvd. near Haymarket Park has the best Gen. Tso's chicken in Lincoln and their hot/sour soup rivals the Thai House's. I may have a new favorite place for Chinese food.
This may sound like travesty, but honestly, my favorite Pad Thai in Lincoln is at Noodles & Company.
I hated the Pad Thai at Thai Garden, and the only noodle dish at Blue Orchid that I've liked was the Drunken Noodles (they are fabulous!).
Noodles does a nice light Pad Thai with a really fresh feel. Try it and see.
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