OK Ryan Restaurant
“If I'm in for a craving of salt and pepper pork chops, my thoughts veer this way.”
“Highly recommend their Crispy Chicken w/ Spicy Sauce and Soft Shelled Crab Bay Phoon Town Style!”
“Taiwanese 3 cup chicken- I thought the flavor was good, there was a lot of basil and the chicken thigh had nice texture.”
OK Ryan Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I'm not going to lie- this place is legit. The servers are always around making sure everything is going well while you have your meal there and although everything (besides lunch) is pretty expensive, they definitely make it up because the portions of the food is extremely generous. Everything we ordered was great, but the most memorable dish I had here was the stinky tofu. The tofu was SO stinky and it came with the most delicious sauce and pickled cabbage to clean your taste palate.
For a restaurant that's, in the words of my mother, "not really Taiwanese," they serve a lot of Taiwanese-y food.
(By "not really Taiwanese," she means that it's not owned by Taiwanese people. Likewise, the food they specialize in is more in the style of "juan cun": Taiwanese-influenced Chinese food that developed after 1949 when the Chinese Nationalist Party lost their civil war and subsequently flooded Taiwan.)
Like so many of us, I was brought here by the lovely Linny F, and then came back afterward because of what a tasty experience it was.
What's been good:
– salt and pepper fried fish. Fresh, crispy.
– dried scallop fried rice. Not greasy. I loved this.
– sauteed (wet) stinky tofu. Gets stinkier the more it cools down!
Done better at other Taiwanese restaurants nearby:
– beef noodle soup (紅燒牛肉麵). Not bad, but bit watery and average here. Try King's Cafe instead: yelp.com/biz/kings-cafe-…
– ba-suh (滷肉飯). A bit bland, though the braised pork belly was nicely chopped and not pulverized. Try Pioneer Cuisine instead: yelp.com/biz/pioneer-cui…
– salt and pepper chicken (鹽酥雞). Disappointing, with weirdly large chunks of chicken and no salt and pepper flavor or texture. Try Taipei Hong instead: yelp.com/biz/taipei-hong…
– stinky tofu (臭豆腐). Not stinky at all! Still trying to find a good contender since Xiao Yuan Huan (yelp.com/biz/xiao-yuan-h…) started sucking, but Red Chopstick's (yelp.com/biz/red-chopsti…) is up there.
Looking at the above list, it looks like "not really Taiwanese" is a good assessment. Then again, I'm probably just a bit pickier about the Taiwanese dishes that are most familiar to me.
The breakfast menu looks great, though I wonder how fresh the mostly-fried foods would be since they don't seem to have the clientele for fast turnaround. In contrast, OK Ryan must have good weekday lunch specials – we watched as people (mostly construction workers nearby) streamed in nonstop for takeout orders. It gets so busy that they set up a small buffet in the back for more efficient order-filling.
Service has been incredibly friendly all-around, but Linny also just has that charm. It always helps to bring a huge group of voracious eaters who became repeat customers.
I was a bit bummed wasn't able to make it to the UYE that was here a while ago but glad finally got a chance to try this low key restaurant and its delicious food. Although we couldn't try out more dishes since have been eating pretty much non-stop the day we were in Flushing what we tried gave a really good indications that this place is quite a nice find.
Despite the quirky name, OK Ryan (福冕餐廳) is the embodiment of what a Flushing restaurant would be like. Very low-key decorations and interiors, honestly if it wasn't for Yelp I wouldn't have given this place a chance just judging by its cover
These are what I had a chance to try out here –
Taiwanese Style Salt and Pepper chicken (鹽酥雞) – Quite crunchy and juicy chicken meats. Its a big plus that they use basil leaves as normally the fried chickens here are mostly just seasoned chicken. This has become pretty much a standard when we visit TW food restaurant and OK Ryan did a good job here
Bamboo Shoots Pork (小筍豬肉) – I've always like the stirred fry dishes and this place did a really great job here. Even though they said no MSG its really quite hard to believe as the light chili sauce was very flavorful and this dish goes with white rice so well that we pretty much cleaned it out in minutes. Highly recommended.
They actually have some parking spots out in front if I had known earlier would just park here instead. Since they're on College blvd and a bit far away from Main St. Flushing the crowd doesn't seem as bad as other places. If you park by Sky View Center Mall its only a few blocks of walk. Definitely very happy to see this otherwise unknown place so favorably reviewed on Yelp. Next time I'm coming here on a much emptier stomach, especially since they have a very enticing breakfast menu.
Things are looking up in the barren wasteland we call College Point Blvd. One of the lesser known standouts is OK Ryan, an easy to miss Taiwanese spot that cranks out classic dishes better than most of the competition, all while sporting an (English) name that very few understand (#1).
It is a sleepy joint; I've never seen it busy despite coming at random times from afternoon to dinner, and yet they've still managed to stay on point. There are a handful of large round tables for big groups and a few window booths to round out a seating capacity of 30 peeps or so. The bathrooms are clean and the staff is usually on point with everything. The latter is trilingual (Mandarin, Cantonese, English) and very hip to social media (Facebook Likes and Yelp Check-ins will merit a discount / free dish of some sort).
The menu is not as Taiwanese concentrated as some dedicated restaurants, with some Canto influence (such as 核桃虾 [honey walnut shrimp], 炸子雞 [crispy chicken], 蝦仁炒蛋 [scrambled egg with shrimp], etc.) but one should find plenty to choose from here. They have one of my favorite set dinner deals, for $22: 3 dishes, 1 soup, and two bowls of rice. (#2)
Some of the dishes I really like: 牛肉面 beef noodle soup, 水煮魚 hot sauce fish fillet, 香煸臭豆腐 sauteed stinky tofu, 三杯雞 three cup chicken, 貢丸 pork balls, 沙茶牛肉 shacha beef.
Some dishes that could be better: 臭豆腐 regular stinky tofu (not stinky enough), 滷肉飯 minced pork over rice (lots of rice, not enough sauce), 排骨飯 pork chop over rice (dry pork chop), 牛肉捲餅 scallion beef roll.
The prices are right, the service is sweet, and I've still got more to try. What's more is they also take credit card and have dedicated parking (3 whole spaces, imagine that!). I've heard incredible things about their weekend Taiwanese breakfast, which I can't wait to sample. Until then, they're 4.5 star worthy.
___________
(#1) The Chinese name 福冕餐廳 (fu mian restaurant) is much more prominent.
(#2) I still remember when the deal was $17. Damn food inflation.
Since we have 1.5 hours left parking at Skyview Center, I remember OK Ryan was literally right there so we walked over. It was semi-packed and I choose the booth by the windows. My dad ordered Taiwanese Style Stinky Tofu…oh boy…so stinky and unbearable for my nose even I am pinching it =) I am definitely too Americanized lol. My parents love that stinky tofu but of course not as good as overseas. I wanted something spicy with beef so my dad ordered the Shredded Beef w. Hot Chili…my palate were bumping all around the roof of my mouth…very spicy. Last dish, we got Malay Style Chow Fun…wow definitely way better than the boring ass Beef Chow Fun. The Malay Style has eggs, shredded pork, bean sprouts and etc…Mmmmmmmm
Ughhh this place makes me miss everything about taiwan. I came here on a Saturday w my mom after doing some house shopping and was surprised to find a hole in the wall taiwanese restaurant. It's definitely easy to miss since there's so much traffic and the other stores around it are all related to house reno supplies (kitchens, cabinets, doors, etc).
we came for lunch and it wasn't too busy. the staff is very friendly and the food came out quick. we ordered mixed greens and veggies, stinky tofu, breakfast sesame breads, wintermelon dish, and some other stuff (see pics!). everything tasted great except the stinky tofu.. (Never was a fan of it, ordered it for my mom).
OK Ryan does Chinese food right, and somehow manages to balance a casual dining experience with excellent service and consistently good food. I don't know about everyone else, but I get nervous with huge menus. The waitresses there are excellent at offering recommendations if you find yourself stuck on what to get. Here's some of the stuff I've had here:
– House Special Tofu: AMAZING & MUST GET! The tofu here is made in-house and so soft and delicious.
– Three Cup Chicken: Tons of flavor, but the chicken had more bone than I would have preferred.
– BBQ Pork Spare Ribs: Sooo delicious and crispy. The pork rib pieces were pretty small but the dish was heavy so it was satisfying
– Beef with watercress: Good flavor and a standard with Chinese dishes. Really good with white rice!
– Fried Fish Fillet with a salty pepper seasoning and onions: Amazing flavor with a good spice punch! Nicely fried big pieces of fish.
Still haven't mustered the courage to try stinky tofu, but the more trust I build with OK Ryan, the more likely I'll consider it! For the price, service, and quality of food here, OK Ryan has easily become one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood.
OK Ryan, so you are more than what I expected. You have lovely staff who will greet the clients upon entering and never slam the dishes and cups on the table. You offer a relatively easy parking and your food is honestly quite good. And you offer Chinese breakfast menu on weekend mornings. OK Ryan, I like you.
Thanks to Linny F. who brought me back to OK Ryan on an UYE, I sampled a wide variety of their offerings. Since then I have been back several times for lunch/dinner and once to try out their breakfast menu. The food is solid and their service is great (FYI: they all speak English).
From their regular menu, I have had the following:
-Stinky tofu (!! – The dish that is either loved or hated, deserving of some exclamation mark!!). They have it fried or sauteed. At OK Ryan, I prefer sauteed. Their fried version is kind of un-stinky…
-Smoked duck. Meaty, simple smokey goodness that is not dry. You should definitely try it.
-Stir fried vegetables. Just asked what vegetables they have for the day and pick that prepared with garlic. It always comes seasoned and sauteed perfectly, no overcooking.
-Pork sauce over rice. Flavors are good and I appreciate how it is not too oily. However, the amount of pork sauce they pour over the bowl of rice can be a bit inconsistent at times.
-Shredded Pork and Bamboo shots. Delicious! Many restaurants in Flushing use cheapo bamboo shots that are too fibrous (too old). OK Ryan's bamboo shots are tender and the meat is lightly marinated. Love!
-Crispy chicken in spicy sauce. Don't get it for the fried chicken fillet, get it for dipping the chicken in the sauce. It is a vinegar based sauce with herbs, slightly spicy. It just works.
-Salt and Pepper spare ribs. Pretty standard, not too oily.
-Beef with watercress spinach. A very Taiwanese dish. It is marinated beef thin strips sauteed with Chinese watercress. Goes great with white rice.
-Beef noodle soup. The pieces of beef are well cooked, still juice and flavorful and the thick noodles are right. The pickled vegetables adds more flavor and opens up the appetite. I find that the broth lacks some depth but overall, not too shabby.
I'm amused that: They don't have pork chop or chicken leg over rice. Every single Taiwanese joint offers that, but not OK Ryan… for a change.
I'm a big fan of (Northen) Chinese/Taiwanese breakfast, OK Ryan's weekend special breakfast menu leaves room for improvement but it can soothe my cravings. Here are what I have tried so far:
– Fan -Tuan(飯糰): Glutinous rice ball wrapping a fried, crunchy Chinese cruller (youtiao), pork floss (rousong) and salted radish (lo-bo-gan). Call this the Chinese Rice Burrito if you like. Ok Ryan also offers the purple rice version, which I would suggest you get. Not bad, just wished they come piping hot and not room temperature… hot fan-tuan in the morning kicks a cold one a hundred times.
-Salty Soy Milk (鹹豆漿): Your good old unsweetened soy milk curdled by vinegar, plus a few dashes of dried small shrimp, salted radish and sesame oil plus any other garnishes to spice things up. Their rendition is passable, a bit too basic.
– Fried Chinese Cruller (油條): Fried crunchy dough. Like most friend food, best eaten when hot. You can dip this into sweet or salty soy milk.
-Baked wheat flatbread (燒餅): Flakey (if they are "good") Chinese flatbread that tends to have white sesame seeds on top. You can chose to have it plain, or with fried crullers, egg or thin slices of braised beef sandwiched in. Best eaten when it is hot! Don't let it get cold.
I wish they had: Leek Pie (韭菜盒子). Sniff. The service on that weekend morning was slow due to lots of take outs. The breakfast menu is only on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am-11am.
OK Ryan takes credit cards.