A Caribbean-inspired Chinese restaurant is boldly stretching N.J.’s culinary boundaries
The eatery offers beef bao buns topped with sweet potato fries, dessert wontons and a standout secret sauce.
A New Jersey eatery serving Caribbean-influenced Chinese food is quickly becoming one New Jersey dining’s best hidden gems.
Bobby Wong’s, with locations in Irvington and Hawthorne, offers soulful Asian items like crispy shrimp and chicken over lo mein ($11.99), beef bao buns topped with sweet potato fries ($7.99) and dessert wontons ($5.99).
“We wanted to do something that’s already in our community but wanted it to be different,” co-owner Race Bingham told NJ Advance Media. “So we took on the challenge of doing Asian food with our own twist to it.”
Bobby Wong’s opened in Hawthorne in 2022 and followed up with a second opening in Irvington in 2023. The growing business is a spin-off of Bobby Wong’s Tao House, an Asian restaurant in Rutherford. The eponymous owner is also a consultant for the Irvington and Hawthorne business, working behind the scenes to aid co-owners Bingham, Francis Floyd and Shawn Nester’s culinary operations.
While the Rutherford restaurant’s menu is very similar, the Irvington and Hawthorne spots have an extended menu with select items like cajun pork chops, tangerine beef and broccoli and crispy creme shrimp that are only available at those locations.
Bingham, an East Orange native with a party-promoting background, credits his culinary influences to his father and grandfather who operated Jamaican restaurants during his childhood.
The Caribbean influences are evident in the eatery’s signature sauce — a bold, spicy soy-based sauce similar to a General Tso’s sauce but with a Szechuan flair. The secret sauce’s contents are under wraps, but the flavor can’t be silenced. Each bite of the signature condiment is a vibrant dance of flavor, blending the spice of peppers and the sweetness of honey. While the sauce is much spicier than your average General Tso’s sauce, the eatery offers a mild option as well.
Bobby Wong’s menu is highlighted by its bowls: proteins (chicken, shrimp, beef or tofu) over fried rice, yellow rice, white rice or lo mein made with udon noodles. The chicken and shrimp are well-seasoned and delightfully crispy — a far cry from many Chinese takeout meats that often become mushy after being drenched in sauce. The slightly crispy fried beef complemented the softer white rice which soaked up the flavors of the sauce and richness of the steak.
Each bowl is topped with crispy fried onion straws and sweet peppers.
“We wanted something that was crispy, crunchy, fresh and flavorful,” Bingham said. “It really came from us just being creative, testing and trying when cooking for family and stuff like that.”
Other menu standouts include beef bao buns (sliced beef topped with sweet potato fries and coleslaw) crispy creme shrimp tossed in a sweet, creamy glaze ($6.99), chicken ramen noodle soup ($6.99) and dessert wontons with cheesecake, Nutella or Oreo filling. The beef bao bun and dessert wontons accentuate Bobby Wong’s culinary creativity, combining flavors that are rarely paired.
Bobby Wong’s flavor is reminiscent of the state’s Szechuan-style Chinese standouts like Han Dynasty in Cherry Hill and Szechuan House in Hamilton. But the distinctive qualities like crispy onion toppings, dessert wontons and sweet potato fry-topped beef bao buns separate it from the pack — one of the best hidden gems in New Jersey.
“We’re still young in the game when it comes to this concept,” Bingham said. “But you’re going to hear and see more of us because we’re looking to scale and franchise this whole business model.”
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