While other businesses have come and gone over the years, Ponce and his wife, Tiffany, have been consistently churning out Chinese cuisine.
“We got really lucky here in Georgetown,” Ponce said.
Georgetown, though, was not part of the Ponces’ initial plan. The couple first looked in Round Rock, where Ponce began his career working as a dishwasher at the Peking Palace—the restaurant where he met Tiffany and learned how to cook.
“Then we got married, and I just thought, ‘Let’s try it out and see what happens,’” he said.
Rent was high in Round Rock, so a property manager recommended the couple look into Georgetown. They found a space in Republic Square Shopping Center, where Shanghai Express sits today.
“At first, my thought was only carryout and delivery service,” Ponce said. “We only had like five tables, but then we started getting really busy. We had a line of people waiting out the door waiting for a table.”
In 2007, Shanghai Express took over the space next door, converting a one-time nail salon into the main dining area of today’s restaurant.
Shanghai Express offers a medley of classic American Chinese dishes. Customers will find fried rice; pan-fried noodles; and lo mein, which they can combine with beef, chicken, pork or vegetables. The lunch menu includes beef and broccoli and sweet and sour chicken. While Ponce said the crispy sesame chicken is a favorite among patrons, his go-to dishes are the kung pao chicken or Mongolian beef.
“Ever since [the expansion], we’re full pretty much all of the time,” Ponce said. “It’s not so small here anymore, but the people still make you feel like you’re in a small town and community. I don’t think we will ever move.”
Shanghai Express offers carryout, dine-in and catering options. The family-owned restaurant has a wide-ranging menu, including dishes made with beef, chicken, pork and vegetables.
A look at the menu:
Appetizers
- Egg roll, $1.95
- Crispy noodles, $1.85
- Dumplings (steamed or fried), $7.25
- Crab rangoon, $4.25
- Fried meat wontons, $4.25
- Pork spare ribs, $7.95
- Chicken wings, $7.50
- Teriyaki beef sticks, $.7.95
- Pu-Pu treasure platter (for 2), $13.75
- Seafood in orange wine sauce
- Sizzling scallop with beef
- Kung pao shrimp, beef and chicken
- Seafood or beef or chicken in hot garlic sauce
- Vegetarian’s delight, $8.95
- Mixed vegetables in garlic sauce, $8.95
- Broccoli in oyster sauce, $8.95
900 N. Austin Ave., Ste. 606, Georgetown
512-864-9392
Hours: Tue.-Sun. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4-9:30 p.m., closed Mon.
