Happy Wok has been a staple in Liberty Hill for the last 12 years, and for good reason. The restaurant serves a wide variety of Asian-inspired dishes, from the popular General Tso’s chicken to more unique dishes like pho and vermicelli.
For the fourth year, the restaurant has won the Best Asian Food award, as voted by the readers of The Independent.
Owner Daniel Quach took over the restaurant from his father about seven years ago, and just earlier this year, moved to a new location that has been a boon for the business, he said.
The restaurant, now located in the Water Tower Center on Highway 29, has seen a tremendous increase in business since it relocated, plus the new restaurant allows dine in—something the previous location hadn’t offered since before the beginning of the pandemic.
Another side effect of the pandemic was Happy Wok’s takeout business, which skyrocketed when most businesses were shut down. Even though dining in is starting to gain traction, the fact that Happy Wok offers takeout is a big deal to customers.
“We are still primarily a to-go business—about 80 percent of what we do is take out,” Quach said. “We are really known now as a takeout restaurant.”
Whether dining in or taking their food to go, customers at Happy Wok appreciate the wide range of menu items.
“Our main thing here is American Chinese style food,” Quach said. “We do sesame, sweet and sour and General Tso’s. We also have Vietnamese and Thai fare, like vermicelli, beef noodle soup (pho) and more. Since opening our new location, I have also added a few new dishes, like crispy rice noodles and a crispy rice omelet.”
Most of Happy Wok’s dishes were created by Quach’s father, who has a long history of working in the restaurant business and owning a variety of different restaurants. Quach said the most popular dishes they serve include General Tso’s chicken, crab rangoons, calamari and the vermicelli bowls.
“People like good food in this area, and sometimes that’s hard to find,” he said. “A lot of people don’t like fast food. They want to get something fast, but they want it to be hot and fresh, and that’s why they come to us.”
Quach said he prides himself on always offering fresh vegetables and meats. Everything starts out raw and is cooked fresh when it’s ordered. All of the restaurant’s sauces are also made in-house.
“We like serving our community,” Quach said. “We’ve been here for 12 years already, and we plan to be here even longer.”
Happy Wok is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit happywoklibertyhill.com.
