In addition to the opening of the Hahne & Co. building housing the new and popular Whole Foods location in Newark, a new restaurant has opened on Broad Street called Wok to Walk, located next to Blaze Pizza and the Nike store. The restaurant has small origins across Europe in big cities such as Barcelona and Madrid, and the company has decided to leap across the Atlantic and open up hundreds of new locations all over the states.
Wok to Walk is a ramen-based restaurant that allows consumers to customize their dish. For the base, one can choose from noodles, quinoa, or rice. Next, one can select a type of meat, vegetable, or other topping. Lastly, one can pick a sauce for the dish.
Vector staff members were invited for a free meal the day of the grand opening. The line to get into the restaurant was about a 30 minute wait since only a certain number of people were allowed in at once.
Once inside, the restaurant had very unique interior design that will surely draw lots of attention from those who enter. The center of the floorspace is covered by the kitchen that is encased in a cage-like structure that extends all the way to the ceiling about fifteen to twenty feet high and consists of shelves with strategically placed sauces, bottles, cooking utensils, and plants swooping across the structure.
Wok to Walk brings an experience that is gaining traction in the area, as one gets to see their order being made right in front of them. Liem Ho, a Vector staff member and senior biology major enjoyed watching his food being made, “Watching my food be prepared was exciting especially when my udon noodles were sizzling and I could smell them from across the window.”
The experience itself was intriguing since the only thing separating the consumer from the cook is a thin glass window. Overall the food was lacking in uniqueness, equal to typical Chinese takeout by look, container, and taste. The food had a higher quality flavor than takeout but that was likely attributed to the sauce as the meats were relatively flavorless. Portion sizes were small considering the target audience of the location is college students. For an order including noodles, a meat, a veggie, a topping, a sauce, and a can of soda, the total came to about $13; this is more than the average meal at the neighboring Blaze Pizza and even a GDS swipe. The seating was also a little cramped but comfortable for a small group since most of the floorspace was occupied by the central kitchen and food line.
Overall, the restaurant is definitely worth a try for Asian takeout enthusiasts but will likely be a rare visit for college students in the area. Take a walk to Wok to Walk and enjoy one of Newark’s newest food spots!
