Why TikTok Says You Should Avoid 5-Star Rated Chinese Food

Internet celebrity Freddie Wong may be known as an actor and filmmaker, but this week he became known for something else entirely: The dude who spilled the beans on how to find the best Chinese restaurant. In a TikTok post that has gone viral with over 1 million likes and 7 million views, Wong revealed his criteria for tracking down the perfect Chinese restaurant. In the video, Wong said, "The easiest way to find authentic Chinese food, assuming you're living in a major metropolitan area, is to go on Yelp and look for restaurants with three and a half stars — exactly three and a half — not three, not four ... its the sweet spot for authentic Chinese food."

He further explained that restaurants that have higher than 3.5-star ratings most likely have an audience that is predominantly American and who are more likely to pay attention to details like ambiance and service. "Cultural expectations for service in Asia are different. People on Yelp are insufferable. They're dinging the restaurants because the service is bad, but the food balances it out," he said in his video.

As an example, he shared two of his favorite restaurants, both of which have 3.5-star ratings on Yelp. He recommends the restaurants because they have excellent food, but the service may be considered subpar to some. 

Freddie Wong's TikTok received plenty of love from fans on Twitter as well because Wong's advice resonated with many users. One Twitter user wrote, "Why would you reveal this hack to people? I thought this was a secret that only Asian people knew. Now all the best places are gonna get overrun with Instagram foodies lol."

A second user wrote, "I was just telling someone this the other day. Ever since you told me this years ago. It's never ever failed me." Meanwhile, a third Twitter user shared a screenshot of his favorite restaurant, writing, "Checked my favorite local ramen place (not Chinese, but still Asian), and it's true!" Another user even decided to road test the theory and came back reporting, "Checked the best Chinese restaurant in town and oh my God. He's right." The user also shared screenshots of reviews that raved about the food but had nothing nice to say about the ambiance or the service.

But not everyone was willing to buy into Wong's theory. He was challenged by one user who said their brother-in-law's family restaurant was authentic, but it had a 4.5 rating. In response, Wong replied, "There are always exceptions to the rule, but I have found 3.5 as a good rule of thumb sweet spot."