When May Chen moved to Wilmington in 1999, she noticed that many of the Asian eateries in town offered only take-out or buffets. She didn’t see the kind of food she enjoyed in her native China. She and a partner opened Double Happiness in 2006 to offer that kind of dining experience. In 2010, Chen became the sole owner of the restaurant at 4403 Wrightsville Ave. and added a location in the Ogden area at 7122 Market St. in 2018.
Changing tastes : Chen said that there were some challenges early on. People were asking for American-style dishes (like egg fu young and chow mein) or wanted to order take-out style combos. “We wanted to do home-style cooking,” she said. “Everything made fresh.”
What to try : But Wilmington has grown to love Double Happiness. “We have great customers,” Chen said. Favorites include the Dry-wok Chicken, where lightly breaded chicken is stir-fried with vegetables, and the Sichuan eggplant. Chen also suggests shrimp with ginger and scallions, “Ants climbing a tree” (or pork cooked with thin, transparent bean noodles), and the Twice-Cooked Pork.