Happy Asian Cuisine

This place is a hidden gem in the south of albuquerque! Food: 5/5 Service: 4/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Went in for dinner. No one was dining inside beside us, but I noticed he had multiple orders getting picked up for takeout. Then I realized the owner was working alone, served our table, cashed out takeout orders, and was the cook! He had a happy demeanor through all of it and was so kind, but he definitely needed the help to keep up, which is why he lost a star. They also look like they used to offer sushi but don't offer it more. We ordered multiple plates, and they all came out hot and soooo tasty. Each had their own their unique flavor and quality of the protein is great! All plates come in sharing size, so come hungry. Must try the crab cheech wontons!

Kind of a long review because I really want this place to do better as it's amazing food that no one seems to know about. If you want the TL:DR, scroll to the end. This used to be a Japanese sushi restaurant, but is now only serves Chinese. I'm Asian, so I'm usually very hesitant when I see mixed Asian decor as it usually means it's a white dude selling "fusion," so I avoided this place every time I drove past it in the South Valley. However, my wife said since it's one of the few Asian restaurants here, we should at least try it and was happily surprised. There is one man, the owner, who works here. He pleasantly takes orders, cooks the food, serves you, and is the cashier. So, when you go, please be patient as the food is absolutely worth the wait. If you'd rather get your food and go, you can place an online order. My wife and I got the egg drop soup, egg rolls, vegetable lo mein, chicken broccoli, and Mongolian beef. The egg drop soup was honestly mid. It was sweet and had corn, which I personally don't love. The egg rolls were also just okay, but what blew me away was how good the main dishes were. The chicken and broccoli was incredible. The chicken was perfectly juicy and tender. After being full, my wife couldn't stop opening the container and grabbing one more piece of chicken. The Mongolian beef was also cooked to perfection. It blew me away. I didn't know how he got beef to be so crispy but succulent in the middle. The vegetables were perfectly charred in the wok while maintaining that savory crunch. The lo mein did not disappoint either, and the noodles were nice and soft while still being chewy. This might sound weird, but the rice was cooked really well. One of the ways I judge Asian restaurants that serve rice is by the quality in which they cook it because it means they care about the food from the bottom up. It's a really easy thing to make, but also easy to screw up and serve mushy, especially in large quantities. TL:DR - My rec: Order online for pick up, skip the appetizers, and go straight for the main dishes. Get any of the entrees with white rice and pair it with an order of lo mein. You now have food for 2 people or for yourself with leftovers all for under $30. Support local business!

***RECOMMEND *** 3/2023: NEW OWNER/MGMT Restaurant is located off of Rio Bravo and Isleta (across the street from Little Anita's and near Bank of America). Plenty of parking spots are available. Happy Asian Restaurant was not busy at my time of visit at 4p so I had time to look things over. I was greeted by Lexie, who was exceptionally friendly. She informed me that the restaurant had a new owner and asked if I liked the new concept. Lexie also asked if I needed to know about any ingredients that were in anything that I wanted to order and that it could be altered. Another friendly gentleman also assisted Lexie while I was there and seemed to be a great team. After reviewing the menu (pics attached), I ordered the pepper steak and made an ingredient change. To Go container came out within 5 - 7 mins. It was heavy! The food was tasty and hot. I will go back and try a different dish just to keep my food choices interesting.