T e r r i b l e way to waste $18 dollars. A few days back, at 3:15 am I woke up out of a deep sleep and could not return to it. The feeling was like rocks in my stomach. I felt crappy and was out of digestive enzymes. Ugh! By 5:10 am I realized I wouldn't get back the sleep lost and might as well get up. That was sleep I genuinely needed; especially after working a portion of the day in the frigid minus temps of Chiberia 2019. I'm making a declaration now. This is the last FF Chinese American meal / combo / special, that I will ever order. Restaurants that (truly) make specials fresh from scratch, at the time of order, are rare. Recently, I had just completed a modified Whole30 so there's that. Whole30 limits you to eating fresh, mostly organic produce and meats. No beans, rice, bread, sugars or processed crap. It's a little hardcore but a good reboot for the system. After the 30 days are over, you slowly introduce all foods back to see how they affect you and then can branch out. But, food will affect you differently than previously. And you should note the differences. It's like taking the ultimate allergy test. The draw to try Canton Garden that day, were the reviews & too lazy to cook. "great quality", "everything fresh & crisp", "well prepared". But, this meal was not fresh in any regard. Based on reviews I thought everything would be made at the point of ordering. For folks that write any of the following: "my family has been coming here for.." Or, "we have dined here for over __insert number of years." Or, " this is my go-to for... " Y'all need to tell us exactly what you came for. Are you ordering a la carte or lunch/dinner specials? I was suspect when they quoted a ten minute window for pickup. I ordered a General Tso's dinner special which comes with BBQ pork fried rice, an egg roll and two "chicken nuggets." On previous menus a dinner special came with soup. This has changed. I ordered a small hot and sour soup which carried a charge of some $2.75. I requested that both the entree and rice be prepared extra spicy. She said the entrée is spicy but yes, both could be made "extra spicy" as requested. I got there before the ten minutes was up and you know what? The food was ready, packed and waiting at the hosts desk. Strange, no? The food: The soup was like a goupy Chef Boyardee can. Bad & salty. The "nuggets" are merely the same fried chicken pieces used in any of their sweet & sour or General Tso's entrées. Which were not prepared fresh. The meat was hard. The egg roll was mushy. The contents had lost its color and was saturated in oil. The entrée was mush as well. Good General Tso's should be crispy fried and then topped with sauce. This was mushy and worthless. The fried rice had already taken the shape of the styrofoam container which makes me think it was prepacked. Freshly prepared rice will not do that. (Fast food Chinese restaurants will prepare large vats of rice in advance to speed up their serving time. What can lend the impression that it's "fresh" is how much water they used when steaming it back to life. In some cases they'll perform a "faux steam" by pouring hot water over the rice and microwaving it.) With every spoonful, it felt heavy. This is indicative of old product. Freshly prepared rice is just that. It has a lightness to it. Your fork should have no struggle as it scoops up a heaping. In the taste and how the body digests it, one can tell what is fresh and what is old. A few bites in and I felt sluggish. Earlier I mentioned doing Whole30. That's a diet rich in fresh produce and meats. No processed anything. Your body is trained to eat fresh and this was anything but. I also mentioned requesting and confirming that they would prepare it extra spicy. This was not so. Either they didn't do it or their spices have expired. I can give a little leeway because this is Cantonese food and in no way close to the spice levels attained at say; Sichuan or Mandarin. Cantonese is known for being soupy, salty and having lots of brown gravies. There was a time this restaurant was at their zenith. It is long past expiration now. I'd say they were at prime about 12-15 years ago. Another reviewer mentioned that she felt sorry for the fish that look bored in their fish tank. Looks like a goldfish koi & some other cheap fishy. They are huge. There was a time when this restaurant had enormous Asian arowana fish in their tank. Arowana were believed to bring good luck & keeping them was a status symbol. Wealthy people in China often kept them. In the US however, it's on endangered species lists, depending on the variety. Arowanas are known to grow up to 3' feet in length and require enormous tanks to swim. They' are aggressive fish which dine on live prey & to some, resemble dragons of the sea. Back in the day, Canton kept one and proudly displayed it. At that time, business was constant. Today, the restaurant looks dated and dismal. If not for locals, this spot would surely go under. read more

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I just moved and was looking for a new Chinese food place. Many people recommended Canton Tea Gardens so I decided to give it a try. I had the Mongolian Beef, Beef and Broccoli and Crab Rangoon. I thought that both the Mongolian Beef and Beef and Broccoli were delicious. I would like to try more of their entrees at some point. I was not able to eat the crab rangoon because my pregnancy has made me repulsed by cheese ( I wish I remembered this before I took a big bite). My husband said that the crab rangoon was "ok", but not his favorite. Overall, good food at a reasonable price. Will definitely be back! read more

We love this place. We moved out of the area, and it's a special treat to come back. The food is always good, the service is good. I moved to an area where I was recommended a nearby place. I can't even eat it. The food is awful. read more

My first introduction to Chinese food was from Canton Tea Garden as I grew up near by. After having traveled the world near and far, I still come back here when I'm in town. A real Chinese and Park Ridge classic. read more

After several decades of getting carry out we have not been satisfied with the recent changes here. Food quality and portions have gone down. Our orders are always wrong in some way. Prices have gone way up. Sorry but after at least 6 months of trying to make it work we are taking our business elsewhere. read more

Canton Tea Gardens has been our go to restaurant for Chinese food for over 25 years. Recently it has changed ownership and we are SO DISAPPOINTED! We ordered 3 different entrees last evening and found the prices are at least 30% higher, portion sizes 30% smaller and quality was poor. The beef was so tough it was inedible. Time to find a new local restaurant for Chinese food. read more

Ordered delivery. It arrived quickly which was great and my hot and sour soup was delicious! The sweet and sour sauce for my chicken wasn't very good though. Very thin. I'd probably order again to try other things, but for delivery to my hotel it was fine. read more

Great Chinese food. I usually order take out...rush home...and enjoy ! Hmmm good. Great for unexpected company....mix and match orders... for sharing meal with friends-family. Large variety of Chinese dishes. Casual dinning...with T.V. read more

Got takeout from here last night - pleasantly surprised at the portions and the taste! We ordered the Shrimp Lo Mein, Beef & Broccoli, and BBQ Pork Fried Rice. All were above average - will order again. read more

Ever since they changed ownership the food has been wanting. egg foo young was dry, crab Rangoon too hard, pork in the Hunan Pork was mushy. They also do not offer any bbq pork dishes!! read more

This restaurant used to be my go to Chinese restaurant when I lived in Norwood Park 25 years ago. It has gone badly downhill through the years. I ordered a chicken chow fun for carryout . The noodles were overcooked and there was hardly any sauce, such a flavorless unpalatable mess. It ended up in the garbage. read more

We have been ordering from this restaurant since we moved down the block in 1977. There have been various owners over all these years which never seemed to affect the taste of the food (in our opinion) until the latest owners took over. The egg rolls are still okay but not as good as they used to be. The Kung Pao Chicken is so bland now. It's supposed to be spicy but there was not a pepper in sight. Even the sauce is not as dark as it used to be and there is just no flavor. On our latest order, we received no sweet and sour sauce for our egg rolls and no hot mustard. There were only a few soy sauce packets. The new packaging is terrible - especially for the environment. There is less food in the new plastic packaging. Even the soy sauce packets are half the size they used to be! The restaurant is a little run down. The staff is very friendly and very efficient. We have tried the food several times under these new owners and it's not getting better - only worse. We will need to find a new place for Chinese food. read more

Worst hot and sour soup i have ever had. The egg roll was cold The Mongolian beef was not good read more

If you want bland tasteless Chinese food than this is the place for you. Sorry, new owners but our dinner last night was maybe one of the worst Chinese offerings I have ever had. A bit surprised that there are some good recent reviews (I guess everyone has different taste buds). The egg rolls were "okay" but used to be the best around. We ordered Chicken Cashew, Sesame Chicken, Egg Foo Young, and Kung Bao Chicken for 6 adults; We all had the same reaction about the flavorless and bland dishes. About the only one that had some flavor was the Sesame Chicken because of the sauce. The chicken cashew and Kung Pao chicken literally tasted the same except for the peanuts vs cashew. And there was no kick or spice at all for the Kung Pao which is supposed to be a spicy dish. Very Disappointing overall. Luckily we had enough left over pizza that we reheated in the oven to provide some sustenance as we ended up throwing out most of the food. read more

The combination fried rice and hot and sour soup were good. I got large of both but the price felt a bit high. $18 total. I might go back if my usual place is closed though. I'd probably get smaller portions and the soup was a little thick. read more

It's just ok I had kung pow chicken and beef broccoli .. Vegi egg rolls are great tho!

My favorite Chinese restaurant. Ever. I've been going here since I was a child with my family and have brought friends here from time to time (good memories). Although I generally order the same food every time, it never fails to amaze me whether I eat in or take out. Portions are also pretty generous. The fried rice is to die for. Whenever I eat Chinese food from another restaurant, I always compare it to Canton Tea Garden. It's never been beat in my book! (The large fish tank is also fun to look at .) read more

Very good food. Love the egg rolls and fried rice. Our favorite is chicken with broccoli. Tons of veggies snd chicken.

It's eatable. The flavor is lacking. The spicy beef is not spicy. They forgot to put the fried rice and egg roll with my beef plate combo.

They are quite good. The food is a good bargain. Large menu. There are better options in the area but this place still has value. Wish parking was better but whatever. read more

This restaurant is open for carry out. Had the pleasure of trying it out tonight. I was AMAZED at how busy they are, given it's a Saturday night, and the staff is very gracious under fire. The cook was cranking out orders as fast as she could while the hostess took payments and orders over the phone while attending to a line out the door. The food is SUPER fresh and although we had a small variation request for one of our rices, it was done perfectly, where other restaurants always manage to mess it up. I hope they stay blessed and busy during this pandemic. They absolutely deserve the following they have! read more

This is my family's go-to place after dropping off/picking up someone from the airport. Prices here are very good, especially for the lunch/dinner specials. The dinner specials come with a bowl of soup, a tiny plate of fried appetizers, your dish and fried rice. You really can't get that much food for that price anywhere else. The food itself is pretty decent and comes in large portions. Although, the last time the hot & sour soup was for some reason sweet. Not sure how that happened. Service is fair, except for one time when we were eating there late (but still before closing) and they started mopping the floors before we were done eating. Overall we always have enough food for leftovers, and generally the food is pretty good. Given the price, I guess I can overlook average service & a few one-time food blunders. If you have a chance, check out the Living Sea Aquarium next door, it has some awesome fish & displays. read more

I was a little unsure when I entered into this place due to it being pretty low key, not very well decorated since I have been to many "greasy spoon" Chinese places where I got sick. I was wrong Sure, the place is a little odd looking, but I had some of the best Chinese food that I have ever eaten. Everything was really on point tonight and everybody in my party (five adults) agreed that this is some of the best Chinese. Most of us decided to go with the dinner special. I highly recommend doing this because you get a soup, eggroll, chicken nugget, pork fried rice, and a main entree. I thought, wow, this is a lot of food, I guess there would be smaller portions. WRONG! It was a ridiculous amount of food and it was ridiculously good food here is what I had: Hot and Sour Soup: I can usually tell a place has good food based on their soup. It was one of the best I have ever had even though it was a little on the sweeter side. Not that its a negative, but a little different. Eggroll: There is nothing I hate more than a soggy eggroll. This was a super crispy roll and the filling was tasty. Chicken Nugget: Not really needed, but it wasn't bad. It was good, but not spectacular Pork Fried Rice: I got a heaping plate of this stuff. Very flavorful and it was a little on the drier side, but I liked that. Almost like a Chinese Risotto. Mongolian Beef: Fantastic! The sauce was outstanding and the meat wasn't overly soggy. Probably my second favorite Mongolian Beef in Chicagoland. The group also got potstickers which was super large, but had the perfect amount of crunch and meat. I will be back very soon! This was really really good and really really affordable! Impressive! read more

I Canton Tea. Consistently delicious, and it always hits the spot. They have delicious veggie egg rolls, fried rice and chow mein. It is also extremely affordable. I don't dine in, but always order for pick up. You can also get it delivered through Grubhub. read more

Canton Tea Garden - veggie lo mein, veggie fried rice and vegetable egg roll. - Chinese Near Me - Park Ridge, Illinois

I've eaten at many Chinese restaurants all over the country and around the world, and Canton Tea Gardens continues to be my favorite. I've eaten at this place for decades, literally, as I grew up just down the street and they continue to deliver after all these years. The atmosphere of the restaurant is similar to one you'll find in Chinatown and the staff is always courteous and friendly. I don't have any particular recommendations, so I encourage anyone to try what they like or be experimental. It's all good. Oh, and by the way, this is what a review should look like. No need to drone on and on about a less than perfect experience. Especially if that experience was only $18. read more

First timer... been looking for a new place. ordered a variety of things liked all. Will order again for sure.

Best Chinese restaurant in Park Ridge, Rosemont, Edison Park area. Family owned restaurant so expect a very good service! Take out service is also fast and reliable. Favorites: BBQ pork fried rice, shrimp lo mein and Shrimp in Lobster sauce. read more

Without question the best Cantonese in the Chicagoland area. The very friendly staff serves very copious portions of there kitchen creations. Don't forget a fresh smoothie to keep your summer cool. read more

I ordered a meal thru Grubhub for this place. Where I arrived I was asked what did I order. I told the counter woman what I ordered but she wanted an order number. I didn't have the order number because I never needed an order number before. I ordered from Grubhub for years and my name is on the orders. Now it was a problem. I have never been denied delivery for a meal for take out, that I paid for in 50 years. I will no longer use Grubhub, and it goes without saying I will never be back to this place. Hello DoorDash, Good bye Grubhub. read more

Mongolian beef was exceptional but not very spicy, in spite the warning. Generally, all dishes were above average.

First the hours listed on Yelp are not correct. We walked in at 9pm on Tuesday and we were immediately told not once but twice they closed at 9:30pm which prompted me to ask if we could still be served. The server came out to bring a dish to the table across from us and when she saw us seated her sour face and the grimace that came along with it was clear we should have just walked out. She came to our table with menus and said "we close at 9:30" which prompted me to ask her if we could order and if they could get the food cooked and out to us so they could close at 9:30. We went simple hoping the food would be cooked and decent - this is not our first visit and I'm familiar with their food. The pan fried pot stickers looked barely fried, I cut one open and it just seemed "doughy", my son took them home in box - maybe he'll cook them through and have them for lunch. I had the beef and rice, which was okay. Not a lot of flavor, but it's just beef, a few mushrooms and brown gravy over rice I wasn't expecting much and I got what I expected. We were out by 9:20, but I'm fairly confident that will be the last time I walk through those doors. Side note - if other reviewers have said this place is filthy, that's an absolute understatement. I rate this 2 stars because - my food was as expected "meh", but reality is if you haven't been here before...think of my 2 stars as your 1 star and keep driving. read more

The best take out Chinese food by far in the area, too bad Park Ridge people don't support this small business.

FINALLY FINALLY FOUND a Chinese place in our neck of the woods. Almost 2 years, and some research and glad that this place is authentic as it comes. Neal M. seemed to be the Duke regular at this place, so I consulted with him and he gave me quite a few suggestions. We ordered the shrimp fried rice, shrimp and broccoli, Mongolian beef, crab Rangoon and 2 mango bubble teas. Now to me, to even be in the realm of being considered a good Chinese food place, your shrimp fried rice has to be legit. Such an easy task, but if you mess up shrimp fried rice, you can't be trusted with other more complex dishes. So suffice to say, shrimp fried rice not only made the cut, but surpassed our expectations. The one thing I hate is when Chinese restaurants use the frozen veggie mix in their shrimp fried rice and when Yummy's on Harlem did that to their SFR, I was pissed. The SFR at Canton was flavorful, non greasy, chock full of shrimp and they made sure to pack the rice in tight in that box. Thumbs up, as it was enough for lunch the next day. Mongolian beef was different, but in a good way. It was a tad bit on the spicier side than the normal sauce. The beef was tender and the onions were nice and fresh. Good entrée! The shrimp and broccoli is a regular favorite for the Hubs. He orders it at every Chinese restaurant like he orders quesadilla at every American fare restaurant. (smh) For him to say that this is the best shrimp and broccoli he's ever had is major. Guess he's doing his own personal mission of JC's best. Service is swift, never had to wait more than 15 minutes for our food and unlike Yummy's, our food comes home PIPPING HOT! Parking pretty open up front. read more

Steered here by a craving for chinese food while in the area, and the relatively favorable reviews, we called in our order for take out on a Friday evening around 8:30. 15 minutes later, we picked up our food, which was ready and waiting for us when we arrived. (Plus 1 star in my book). I ordered the kung pao chicken dinner combination. For $6.45, plus tax, I got a huge take out box full of BBQ pork fried rice, kung pao chicken, 2 chicken nuggets (what the chicken part of sweet and sour chicken is), and an eggroll. I didn't finish the whole thing, so I had lunch the next day too. For $6.45! The good: - The egg roll was fried correctly, and wasn't soggy at all. - There was A LOT of food. - The fried rice was good, not too greasy. - There was a lot of chicken in my dish. The not so good: - My dish wasn't super flavorful, and had zero kick to it. - My husband had the Mongolian chicken, and he wasn't a huge fan of the noodles of the dish. As my husband said, overall, a solid B. I might try a couple other chinese places in the area, but this is a solid back up if nothing else pans out. read more

Extremely rude staff. I understand you prefer asian clientele [as they make it blatantly clear] but us folk from park ridge would like to enjoy some cultural cuisine as well especially in our own neighborhood thank you very much. Don't get me wrong, the food is PHENOMENAL and that's why it gets a star but when I ask for a small rice with no egg I would like a SMALL rice not the large one after you recommend it three times and I say no..... I mean..... not to mention they charged me for a large rice anyway after THEY made the mistake... Anyways my sister and her friends have also been here before and they've found hair and plastic in their food so although it's delicious Cantonese food I just would not recommend it nor would I ever show up there again. At least the restaurant looks clean inside so if you visit at maybe that won't add to your negative experience. read more

Today was the first and last time we patronize this restaurant. We ordered our meal and when it was delivered it was incomplete. No chicken for our sweet and sour chicken. They refused to make our order whole. When I called and let them know she hung up on me! So beware...to food was nothing special! read more

This is a solid Chinese restaurant that I frequently visit with my project team whenever we are working by the O'Hare area. In fact, we pretty much go there every Thursday for the last few years. Very friendly staff and they already memorized my order - chicken lo mein with extra spice. The lunch specials have decent size portions and we always leave the place with our stomach satisfied. Although the majority of their dishes are more tailored towards the general Caucasian crowd (in my opinion), there are still quite a few other dishes that have authentic Chinese flavor. All in all, a good lunch place to satisfy my craving for food from the motherland in the middle of a work week. read more

As I said before, the best hot and sour soup in Park Ridge! This place has a great dinner special starting at 3pm till 9. You get soup, an eggroll, two pieces of chicken nuggets, a pile of the best pork fried rice ever and your choice of entree. Lately I've been going for the sweet and sour chicken. It is to die for. Their fruit smoothies are so good to. I recently had the mango smoothie. It was so delicious with chunks of mango right in it. I highly recommend The Canton Tea Garden. If you're looking for a great Chinese place, this is where it's at! read more

This is probably my favorite Chinese restaurant. At least, the ones where you know you can tons of delicious, hot Chinese food at a great price! It's your typical Chinese restaurant with the paper placemats where you can find out what animal you are based on your birth year, has a huge fish tank in the corner, and a TV that keeps up with local news and sports above the cashier. The food is GOOD. Egg rolls are excellent, and fried rice is amazing. I haven't had anything here I haven't liked. If you want a lot of food, order the dinner or lunch plate. If you eat in, they will bring you egg drop soup, egg rolls, fried rice, and your entree. Dining out, you get everything but the soup- but they pile it up in a Styrofoam container and you have enough for two people. The chicken chop suey is good- lots of chicken and veggies, and the General Tao's chicken is awesome- you can't stop eating it! read more

I so wanted this to be a great little spot. The egg rolls are meh at best. The Beef Egg Foo Young was ok, the Hot n Sour soup is sweet, (which is just not necessary) Moo Shu Beef was the best dish. they use canned mushrooms, and I originally ordered mushroom egg foo young, but once I found out there are no fresh mushrooms, I immediately switched to beef...... it's cool because it's an old place that your parents probably hung out at in the 70's, nothing fancy. heck, it beats starving I guess. read more