This place has been serving dimsum for years and honestly sometimes it hits the spot, granted the selection isn't that grand and it's true the don't serve the exotic truffle sauce etc. but seriously if you are craving the typical har gow, Shu Mai, steamed pork dumplings, cheung fun with shrimp, spare ribs and chicken feet - this place has it. Plus who doesn't love the old school way of having the carts wheeled around and getting to chose your items! Service was fun, always a line, take a number and wait to be called! Will definitely be going back to fix my dimsum cravings. read more

Very bad service! Both the waiters and manager ignore the service after taken the orders. The food material not fresh. Such as the fish has bad smell. It was an OK Chinese food restaurant 5 years ago. But the quality has come down dramatically since. Not recommended at all! read more

Parking is busy, very fast pace restaurant with long lines to be seated. Luckily, my family and I did not wait too long about 20 minutes for a party of 5 for Saturday lunch time. They give you a number, and once they call it on the speaker twice they move onto the next one, so do not go too far otherwise you will lose your spot. Dim sum carts were constantly going around the tables, prices for seafood were reasonable. Flavor was not overly salty at all, like most dim sum places. A spot if you want something quick. read more

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Decent food. We enjoyed the Shrimp in French style. Did not make it for dim sum. Heads up: Their tip calculation is incorrect. It based on total with tax. Ambiance: Looks like they haven't updated anything since they originally opened. Worth a try. Don't expect service. read more

They have lobster noodle special with 6 dim sum order. I think. All dim sum taste good.sometimes it's pretty busy during the weekend.

Quick service, reasonably priced and delicious food. This is one of the few places in Irvine that serve dim sum on carts. The staff speaks Mandarin, Canto, and English. read more

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I always passed by here and see a long line when I go to a and j. Decided to try it and it for lunch dimsum. As a baseline, I moved from LA and my go to was lunasia. Everything here was very salty. My wife's shumai had a hair in it. Overall not the best tasting food or experience. Wouldnt come back. read more

A mixed experience due to several factors. Chinese restaurants always have a reputation for having underwhelmingly bad service but good food and it's certainly stands true to this place. Went here for Chinese New Year dinner celebrations, Apparently dimsum are not served during dinner so a little disappointed. The non Chinese servers are nice, but the Chinese ones have attitude. The food is average Chinese dining. The taste factor from all the dishes honey walnut shrimp, sweet and sour fish and all have usual taste factor which is neither disappointing but also not impressive. If you know what I mean. Overall, this place is known to have good dimsum... so I might try this out again for lunch but otherwise, I prolly go here for take out and not dine in dinners. read more

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Delicious food, warm and fresh. Servers came fast, a little impatient however. Lively place for a sit-down meal with authenticity.

It was delicious! But not stand in line for over 30 minutes delicious. I honestly just don't see what the hype is about here. It seemed pretty on par to Capital Seafood to me or maybe one little step above. Also, I don't know if the custard buns are supposed to be liquid but when I bit into one it was just hot liquid pouring out. Everything else was good though! It can just be hard as a non-Chinese speaker to order and such. Definitely come here if you want to get yelled at on a Saturday morning by the ladies with the push carts haha. read more

China Garden - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

There have been roaches found in the food. Please stay away from this place, it's a health hazard !

This place can get pretty busy. Recommend getting there right at opening on the weekend if you dont want to wait for awhile. Its your typical dimsum and im not usually picky about it but my super Asian parents seem to really like it so that tells you a lot about the place already. Place was clean. It's essentially one giant room with round tables scattered everywhere. Food was delicious and not too expensive if you order from the carts that come by every so often. No designated wait staff, just flag down whoever is closest. This is a staple dimsum place i frequent pretty often whenever my parents are in town. read more

This past Memorial Long Weekend, my friend invited us over for dinner. Normally, we visit this restaurant for dim sum, and it tends to be quite crowded on weekends. To our surprise, it was pleasantly quiet this time--perhaps many people were out of town traveling for the holiday. The food was exceptional. One of the special items that caught our attention was the shrimp and chicken, which wasn't listed on the menu. It featured a delicious shrimp paste atop perfectly fried chicken, resulting in a delightful combination of soft and crispy textures, and enhanced by an aromatic sauce. Additionally, the braised duck and fried braised egg tofu were equally delicious. The live shrimp and lobster were perfectly proportioned and very fresh. To top it all off, we were treated to fresh desserts at the end of our meal. Since there were extras in the kitchen, we were even able to enjoy two different types of desserts! The service was outstanding as well, making the entire dining experience truly enjoyable. I had a wonderful time. read more

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Came for the $22 lobster noodle lunch special. We're halfway through our meal when a staff came by to tell us we have to order 6 dim sum items to get the special price for the lobster noodle. It would've been nice if they had told us that when we ordered. But now we know. We ended up with a lot of leftovers. Food is ok, not comparable to dim sum places in the 626 at all but it's ok if you're craving dim sum when in Irvine. They still have the dim sum carts which is great but they don't have the cart that pan fries the radish cake. The radish cake they bring on trays were cold and hard, not enjoyable at all. Interior is very typical old dim sum restaurant. Come early because parking here is crazy. Not enough parking in this plaza. read more

I have been passing China Garden for years and every time there is always a crowd waiting to be seated. I finally got the opportunity to check out the hype and I don't regret it at all. It took us about 15 mins to get seated on a Friday afternoon. Host isn't very welcoming and there seems to be chaos at the front counter. Parking can also be a challenge, especially during prime time hours. There's two things that I appreciated about China Garden - the servers and the food! Servers pay a lot of attention to you - great vibes, great attention, great everything - thank you! The food is exceptionally great - love that it's fresh, love that it's not greasy, love that there's variety. I would definitely recommend! read more

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This is one those old reliable places. Been going there for years. The food is varied and very tasty, cooked in the old school family style. My particular favorites are the chow mein, Chinese broccoli, Mabo dofu (without that metallic sauce that other places now use), beef (Mongolian?), spinach with white garlic sauce, etc. It's noisy and you're not going there for the ambiance but this place never disappoints where it counts: The Food. read more

This is a great local dim sum place! Traditional cart-pushing style (though you can order directly from your server as well to speed up the process). They have been around for a long time and there are usually tons of people waiting. So plan ahead if you are going on the weekend or during peak hours. Check the hours that it's offered because I'm not sure they offer it all the time. My favorites there are the shiu mai which are the pork and shrimp dumplings, and the har gow which are the shrimp dumplings. They also have all sorts of other exotic selections that can be really tasty. If you have the courage go for the chickens feet. It's not something I get every time but every now and then it is an unusual delicacy. The good thing about dim sum as it can accommodate large use of people as well as small groups. All you need to do is catch the cart at the right time. Overall, this is not going to be as crowded as some other places you might find in Little Saigon towards Central Orange County. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Irvine area. read more

My friend and I went around brunch time on a Sunday and while there was a lot of people waiting we were seated within 20 minutes (which is very reasonable!) This place gave me such great memories of childhood with them still pushing the dim sum carts. The carts didn't really come to my table as much since I was seated in a small space so you kinda had to flag them down. Overall, the dim sum was solid, not the best but definitely hit the spot for a craving The favorite was the Siu Mai which came in a big portion for each one and filled us up. The filling was also a combination of pork and shrimp where you can taste the shrimp. The rice roll wrapped around the donut was a bit stale and dry read more

China Garden - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

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Do not listen to the hype. We were terribly misled by these reviews. The dim sum here is consistently subpar, and the service is even worse. On multiple visits, the food has arrived clearly reheated from frozen--shumai with an unpleasant, old-tasting filling and har gow wrappers that were dry, cracked, and falling apart. However, the poor food quality is overshadowed by the unacceptable customer service. The staff behave as though they are the only dim sum establishment in the area, rushing guests and repeatedly recounting party sizes even after groups have been seated. During our most recent visit, our large family was seated while my husband was momentarily delayed behind a crowd at the entrance. Despite this, two separate waiters confronted us aggressively about whether our entire party was present. One Hispanic waiter in particular raised his voice at us in the middle of the restaurant, speaking to us with open hostility. His behavior was so inappropriate that our entire family chose to stand up and leave immediately. This type of treatment is completely unacceptable in any dining establishment, especially one with such mediocre food. Management urgently needs to retrain their staff and address these customer service issues. With the abundance of far superior dim sum options in the area, there is no reason to return to a restaurant that permits this level of disrespect toward its guests. read more

I'm so glad try this restaurant, came on busy lunch time but not disappointed at all. Wait on line for 10 minute and i got my tables, food was fresh and delicious. For sure will be back soon. read more

China Garden - Many kind dim sum - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

I together with 5 friends had dinner there tonight. Two of the dishes were extremely salty they were almost inedible. Should have sent them back to the kitchen at the first bite. The complimentary desert in the form of watery green bean soup was so bad it was like a joke. It was incredible that the restaurant or any restaurants would ever serve something that bad, albeit 'for free' . Will not go back. read more

Ate here for the first time yesterday, after always seeing a line out the door when we pass by on Sunday mornings. Swung by at 11:45am and waited 30 minutes for a table at 12:15pm. They have the usual dim sum items being pushed around in multiple carts. Service was very slow, maybe they are too busy. We had to ask for food from the dim sum cart to be served to us as the carts took too long to get around to our table. No one refills our water until asked to do so. Portion size of the dim sum was just right. Flavors were spot on. Not too many complaints other than the service was slow and non existent. Would have given them a 4 star if it wasn't for the lackluster service. read more

I have Dim Sum cravings, don't we all? I'm constantly looking for decent Dim Sum. Is this the best Dim Sum I've ever had? No. But is it a solid 7? Yes... it reminds me of the the typical Dim Sum places you had growing up. Same menu and same quality. I can't be totally wrong as Saturday and Sunday mornings can be quite a wait. So make sure you go when it opens, otherwise your wait could be long! read more

I like the old school traditional approach of the Dim Sum being carted around to choose from. read more

China Garden - Directions - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

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we definitely panic ordered way too much bc they were closing their dimsum for the day and so we just got everything we liked that they had left. It consisted of: ha gow, pai gwut, cha siu cheung fun, ma lai goh, lo mai gai, ham sui gok, dan tat, and jin dui (don't come for my spelling) this place is super nostalgic to me!! we used to go so frequently when I was little - to the point where the host recognized/befriended my grandma & mom and let us cut the line. love them for that! anyways yeah nostalgia does skew the review so it will be biased definitely a very authentic Cantonese Chinese restaurant esp with the interior and live fish on display 10/10 read more

China Garden - dim sum :) - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

This is my favorite restaurant foremost is the Dimsum, I use to go downtown Los Angeles for Dimsum, the defunct Sam woo is another one Jian Nan, was my nightmare it's like the Dead Sea salt kidney assault, sorry but true. I rate China Garden 5 star. read more

The worst part about this place is the line. So I tried to come earlier in the morning, but ended up a bit late so my friend went there first. I told him that we need to pick a number but he's not sure since people just wait in line. What he didn't realize is that some people just go in and grab numbers so even though people have waited outside they don't have the number anyway and is essentially in line for nothing. I think the restaurant needs to manage this better. Taste wise they're pretty good and the price is decent also, we left full and paid $27/person in 2025 which I think is pretty fair. They're very crowded though and might be hard to converse read more

Super authentic feel with good food! One of the very few places that still have the carts where you can pick it rather than ordering in advance. The workers were nice so you didn't feel rushed. Overall 4/5 ! read more

China Garden - Dim sum - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

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Ive lived in Irvine for over 20 years now and have never been here! I hear about this place for dim sum but never think to dine here. But i finally remembered that there's a dim sum place close by instead of going to LA for dim sum. We came on a Saturday morning at around 10am and the wait was around 30 minutes. The wait was quite fast I might say since they have plenty of seating. They still have the dim sum carts going around. We tried the sui mai, har gow, shrimp cheung fun, bbq pork bun, turnip cake, chicken feet, and chinese donut wrapper in rice roll. I would say everything was decent...nothing was very flavorful though. Some dishes were cold so they didnt seem as fresh. But in all honesty, it is decent for dim sum and you wouldnt have to travel far to LA to get your dim sim fix. I think I would come back if I really wanted some dim sum and didnt want to travel far for it. I also wouldnt wait longer than 30 minutes for this place. Their furniture is not the cleanest but I wouldn't expect anything more from this place. There is plenty of parking though it was busy so you might have to wait for some parking. read more

This right here is the authentic stuff! We headed to China Garden at 11 am on a Saturday - waited just 8-10 minutes before being seated (party of 4). Love to see the classic dim sum cart bustle post-pandemic! We ordered a handful of dishes but the highlights were the ha cheong fun (shrimp noodle rolls), custard buns, and steamed bbq pork buns. Busy but quick service - only 4 stars due to the subpar Xiao long bao.... read more

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I don't understand how the reviews are three stats but to me this place deserves a solid 5. Surprisingly the wait wasn't long at all. I was seated in 15 minutes during lunch peak hours. The dim sum is reasonably priced. The best part is the. Lobster Garlic Noodles is only 21.99. That's cheap. The food tasted fresh and always came out hot. The ambiance is a bit fast paced but overall I left full. I highly recommend this place. The salt and pepper pork was super crunchy and juicy. Strongly give this place a 5 stars. read more

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As a native to the SGV, I've been spoiled with quality dim sum for many years. China Garden seems to be the last of the remaining economic dim sum option in the Irvine area since nowadays, each item can be around $10 due to inflation. This restaurant does the job if you're looking to satisfy your dim sum craving. Although not what you would expect in terms of quality compared to the SGV, it is arguably the next best thing w/o needing to drive northbound for 40 minutes. We ordered almost everything they had to offer and somewhat expected, we enjoyed all the traditional items. We also appreciate that this location still has the push cart system for ordering dim sum. Service was prompt and we appreciated that they were very responsive to what we needed. Very busy during weekend lunch hour so be prepared to wait 20 min to an hour, depending on when you arrive. Parking is shared with numerous other stores in the plaza but generally, you should be able to find a spot during peak hours (although you may have to drive around looking for it). read more

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I'm starting to think these bad reviews are to keep the star level at the secret 3-3.5 stars which we all know is the secret rating for delicious Chinese food. This is one of the oldest if not the oldest Chinese restaurant in Irvine. They made it through a lot to still be here serving the community. They're also one of the only dim sum restaurants in the area that still have the dim sum aunties pushing the carts. That alone deserves 5 stars but that's not why I'm giving it 5 stars. It's everything. The ambiance, the service ( which is good for a Chinese restaurant. IFYKYK) and the dim sum! They have all the classics and they do them well! Their pricing is also not as crazy as all the other restaurants. What more could you want? I'm coming back for as long as they let me. read more

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Go inside and get a number first. Do not come here on a Sunday. It's a 2 hour wait but they'll tell you it's 20-40 min wait which is a lie. Come on a week day and just walk in. Yes this place does food well, only thing that bothers me is how dirty the bathrooms and the place is. The place really needs to upgrade the interior a little and the dirty carpet floors. One Pro tip: they do serve dinner menu during lunch time and dimsum is until 3pm. Either way, I would come back for food not the interior. read more

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Have been a frequent patron in the past, but haven't visited for about 5+ years. In the area and wanted dim sum and excited to give the carts a try (the only way to eat dim sum). Got the usual: har gow, siu mai, xlb, char siu bao, and others. Everything pretty average for the exception of siu mai. So good and plumpy topped with eggs that gave a great finishing taste! Have to say this was my favorite dish today. Service was a typical busy afternoon, but the carts came by frequent and the check immediately when requested. There are better restaurants in my local area, but wouldn't hesitate to come back if Im in the area read more

Delicious dim sum. Very long wait but the food is worth it. No reservations are possible. Service is certainly rushed but typical of dim sum places read more

Today we waited 30 minutes to be seated. Pretty much as expected on a Sunday morning. Things haven't changed much here. It is probably one of the last few dim sum places still have push carts instead of ordering on paper. Call me old fashion but I love to point & get what I want from carts. The place is crowded with tables whenever possible and the aisles just wide enough for those carts. One thing I like about push carts is getting hot food over time instead of getting everything all at once and some got cold by the time I got to them. We ordered everyone's favorite items except the almond tea which was sold out. I was amazed we ate everything, even the 5 years old did his part. Well, I don't know when I'll be back again, but I hope is sooner than later. read more

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I recently visited China Garden Chinese Restaurant and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. First, the dining environment was not clean. The tables and surrounding areas did not appear to be properly maintained, which made the overall atmosphere uncomfortable for dining. Cleanliness is a basic expectation for any restaurant, and it was disappointing to see that it was not taken seriously. In addition, the service attitude was quite poor. The staff seemed impatient and unwelcoming, and our concerns were not handled in a professional or friendly manner. Good service can make a big difference in a dining experience, but that was clearly lacking during this visit. I hope the management will take customer feedback seriously and make improvements to both cleanliness and service in the future. read more

This has always been my staple for authentic dim sum and the general meeting place for whenever visiting relatives. Be aware there may be lines since this place is always bustling for good reason. However, the food is well worth the wait. The ordered plates of greens are very fresh and tender, which is a treat for someone like me who doesn't always have the best access to fresh Asian produce. read more

China Garden - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California

Ignore all the negative user reviews about "the service" when you should expect this in all authentic Chinese Dim Sum Spots. So far, this is hands down my favorite Dim Sum restaurant in the Irvine/OC area. Everytime I visit they never miss, and this is the first place I think of whenever I want quality Siu Mai. read more

China Garden - Dim Sum Near Me - Irvine, California