Wok On In opens in Pelham

Published 6:42 pm Tuesday, June 27, 2023

By LIZZIE BOWEN| Staff Writer

PELHAM – Wok On In restaurant has opened in Pelham and is serving tasty meals to the community.

Owner Robert Moy offers truly innovative meals, and there is something for everyone at Wok on It, whether you’re looking for a hamburger, hotdog or more traditional Chinese food, Wok On In has it all.

“We have a lot of traditional Chinese food,” Moy said. “Having moved from California, there are some things you might not find on a typical Chinese menu. I also have hamburgers, hotdogs and crispy pork tacos.”

Moy encouraged people to try new things on the menu, the current menu offers a teriyaki avocado burger, but customers can get the stripped-down version of the burger as well.

Moy opened around a-month-and-a-half ago. He came to Shelby County from California originally for a job, but has been happy to see how Alabama is and to serve the community of Pelham as well as the Shelby County area and grow his customer base.

“That is what brought me out here,” Moy said. “But, even before we came out here, I found that my wife cooked so well. These odd ball dishes that we make in California, I always thought they tasted good. We have something called beef-stew-noodle. Even though I have seen it in other Chinese places out here, when I ordered it, it was nothing like what I was accustomed to in California. Our meat and broth are more towards the California-style.”

Moy said that people don’t seem to recognize the broth usually, but that it is delicious, and he encouraged everyone to give it a try. Moy’s wife, wife’s mother and wife’s father all help out in the kitchen.

The broth comes chalked full of cilantro, offering a savory taste and the noodles are delicate and packed with flavor.

“My passion is more of the other side dishes,” Moy said. “In L.A. there are some places where all they do is sell noodles.”

Moy’s and his wife would often go different places in L.A. and look at some of their favorite restaurants. They would then go home and do their best to replicate the meals that they had seen. Moy said his wife replicated dishes that were very close to the originals that they were eating in restaurants.

“People who have tried our food have been very welcoming to us,” Moy said. “They liked it.”

Wok on In is located in Pelham Plaza near Mi Puebla at the address 2018 Pelham Parkway, 35124.