Old school since 1962. My girl was in the mood for some Chinese food on this rainy night. This old school restaurant had its interior updated but you can tell it still has that decades old character. I ordered my favorite Kung Pao chicken extra spicy, vegetable chow mien, veggie plate, and steamed rice. The food was perfectly flavored and the Kung Pao was nice and spicy because it made my nose runny. The service was friendly and fast, plenty of food to go home with also. read more

Chinese Garden Restaurant - Old school since 1962 - Cantonese Near Me - Montebello, California

We ordered sweet and sour pork, Chicken fried rice, pork chow mein with noodles . Food had no flavor very heavy's we should've known by that. My husband and I got sick that night. That place was my favorite at one time now we will never go back. read more

Egg Foo Young. Chop Suey. Wor Won Ton. If you go to most Chinese Restaurants nowadays and ask for these dishes, you will most likely get a blank, confused stare from your server, who will have no idea what you are talking about. Chinese Garden is a throwback Cantonese Chinese Restaurant. Do not go in expecting 3-Star Michelin cuisine. Don't expect a Five-Star Rating from Jonathan Gold in the LA Times. You need to understand the kind of Chinese food you are about to eat. When Chinese Restaurants were relatively new in the 50's and 60's in the US, Chinese chefs started tweaking their menu and cooking style to cater to popular American tastes. Not necessarily 'dummying down' their menu, but adapting to tastes that, at the time, were more palatable to Americans eating Chinese for the first time. Not too spicy, not too exotic, not too funky or gross. Safe, familiar tastes, mostly Sweet and Salty. Americanized Chinese means kinda the way Panda Express and Taco Bell have adapted their food to popular tastes. Most Chinese people who are from China have probably never eaten this type of Chinese/Cantonese style cooking, with the possible exception of Hong Kong. Popular Restaurants during the 70's, like Li-Wah (now out of business), and Paul's Kitchen (one still open in downtown's garment district, but the other closed in Monterey Park about 12 years ago) flourished until most of the chefs of that era retired, and different cooking styles emerged as popular (hot and spicy, sour, etc). So when you dine at Chinese Garden, which has been around since 1962, you are for the most part dining on the style of Chinese cooking that was popular decades ago. If anything, they have evolved as well, with hot and spicy dishes (Kung Pao really didn't become popular until the early 80's), and specialty fusion dishes that combine Chinese and Mexican influence. Anywayz, to make a long story longer, Chinese Gardens serves throwback, 'old-school', no-frills Chinese. I would recommend the following dishes if you really want to get a sense of what authentic Cantonese Chinese Cuisine is like: - Shrimp With Lobster Sauce, a long-revered, but now almost forgotten Cantonese dish. Made with lobster, pork, egg, black bean. It's great on rice with the sauce's velvety consistency. - Almond Duck. A weird-looking dish that looks more like a flat, thin meatloaf square with brown gravy and topped with crushed almonds (maybe they were peanuts the night we went). It is boneless, dense with a wonderful taste of duck, served over lettuce. It may not look so great, but if you like duck, you'll love it. - Sweet & Sour anything. Before General Tsao's Chicken, before Peking Porkchops, there was Sweet and Sour (usually pork) with diced onions, bell peppers and sometimes cubed pineapple. It used to be a bright, gooey red sauce. The meat was battered and fried separately, then it was mixed in with the sweet and sour sauce. It's even hard to find good Sweet and Sour these days because popular taste has phased in Orange Chicken, and phased out Sweet and Sour Chicken. - Tomato Beef Chow Mein. The sauce is kind of like sweet and sour, but if you like curry, or are a fan of Curry Ketchup (served on German Bratwurst on Curry Wurst), then you have to ask the kitchen to make Tomato Beef Curry Chow Mein. Paul's Kitchen does the best TBCCM, but Chinese Garden at least has the taste down pat. Other notables dishes include Snow Peas with Water Chestnuts, Celery and your choice of meat (we did chicken); Tofu with BBQ Pork, and Chow Fun (wide rice noodle). Now, I am not a fan, personally, but Egg Foo Young and Chop Suey are the iconic symbols of Cantonese/American Chinese food. These dishes were completely invented in America. Egg Foo Young is a Chinese pancake/omelette, usually with a gravy/sauce smothered on top. I have to be in the mood for it, but it's ok. Chop Suey is the Great Grandfather of stir-fried vegetables. Classically, it was Bean Sprouts, Onions, Celery, Cabbage, some sort of meat, wok fried with soy sauce. Not a fan, but historic and a classic Cantonese dish. Why am I ranting like this? Maybe because of some of the reviews I have read, maybe because I had a sense of nostalgia and a need to shed some light on something seemingly simple, but with a more complex history that todays generation probably had no idea about. Or maybe it's just the liquor finally kicking in... Whatever the case, Chinese Garden serves up tasty, honest, affordable, Chinese comfort food. Good times! Paul's Kitchen on San Pedro Street downtown is still the best (although it is in a not-so-great area of downtown, and the restaurant itself is as divey as it gets). Still Chinese Garden is worth a visit and a meal. Talking with the very nice staff, the restaurant's current owners have operated the place for the past four years, and they are like the fourth or fifth different owners since 1962. And there's a reason it's still around... Enjoy! read more

The food was great, we order, orange chicken, vegetable chow mien, fried dumplings, love their juice drinks. read more

Chinese Garden Restaurant - Orange chicken, vegetable fried Noddles - Cantonese Near Me - Montebello, California

It's been 20 years since I've eaten here. After such a long absence the food still taste great. read more

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I highly recommend this place my wife and I ordered wor won ton soup , beef broccoli , and shrimp fried rice it was really good and they give you good portions definitely go here again read more

Still serving the old fashioned American style Cantonese food. The type of cuisine has almost disappeared from the LA scene due to the appearance of real regional Chinese food not catering to American taste. The food is like comfort food for the older generation. The quality is uneven. Sometimes it's delicious and sometimes not. Never the less it's an endangered species that should be enjoyed until it's extinct. read more

Been going here for years. Must be switching chefs. Ordered my usual Kung Pao chicken loaded with celery uncooked onions and carrots and bell peppers. No red chilies. This chicken had no pow, no spice. I don't know if I will go back. The Egg Foo Young was off as well. read more

Enjoy the friendly service and I like how soft and tender the orange chicken was. Over a i like what they have it's not bad at all. Old style set up. They still have the lates 60 and early 70s look when they open. Fun fact the owner he attend high school with my dad. They knew each other from high school. read more

Here having lunch with my 3 cousins .worst food ever not like it was before. Very rude server has been there for 11 years . She needs to mo r on to another r Plotment. read more

Chinese Garden Restaurant - Cantonese Near Me - Montebello, California

We enjoy the food and the people who work here. The food is always fresh, fast and delicious (love the chicken and string beans, chow mein, sautéed greens and their fried rice). The people are always kind and friendly. There is plenty of parking at the back of the restaurant which is also home to multiple businesses. read more

Came along with family to eat at Chinese Garden for the first time. My family told me they used to come here since a very long time ago and had great memories of this place, so I was excited to go to this place. Our visit started off with a waitress bringing us out complimentary hot black tea, this was nice except the tea pot was dirty... So I didn't drink the tea. The sweet and sour chicken is the only thing that I really liked. When it comes to Chinese food I am spoiled by the one I go to all the time (Sino Fusion in Anaheim), that is 100% delicious. The BBQ pork fried rice was kind of bland and so was the shrimp chow mien.. The war won ton soup was ok.Our waiter never checked up on us, but I enjoyed my time with my family and was happy to see them enjoy themselves. read more

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Egg rolls are the best here hands down!!! I also love the bbq pork fried rice. I enjoy sitting here and having my meal simply because of the hot tea and comfy booths. read more

Been coming here since I was a little girl with my dad and I love this place & everything about it! All the food is great! My favorite is the Pork Won Ton Soup! read more

The place is clean and has a mix of customers....Asian, Mexican, White...... There are plenty of tables plus a counter that seats about 10 in the back which is where I sat. Front of house is ran my an older Mother and Daughter team.......Mother mostly at the cash register......Daughter all over, loudly barks orders to the kitchen...also another male and female waiter........Daughter is a joker.......tells me that she is gonna warn the other customers to stay away from me because I'm gonna stink after eating Hom Yu...she came by every couple minutes to chastize me........there was also what appeared and what I later found out to be an old friend of the daughter helping out w/the lunch crowd.......she was really nice........asked how I knew of or learned to eat Hom Yu.....I told her some grumpy old Japanese guy who grew up in the Crenshaw area turned me on to it.......... On to food........I ordered the Hom Yu....takes 20 minutes......they told me to call ahead next time and they'll have it ready........also ordered the Beef Rice..........both were not on the menu......... I sort of half way explained the Beef Rice I was referring to and hoped for the best...... The Beef Rice arrived first.......see pic........not exactly what I was dreaming of........but it had a decent flavor.......she told me to next time ask for extra gravy and whatever else I wanted in it......didn't feel like an egg on top, but they'll do that too......... the beef was very tender......the Bok Choi was just a decoration......... Then the Hom Yu arrives.......its in the 'patty' form and is a bit bigger that a standard burger patty...... It has that distinct Hom Yu smell.........I take my first bite sans a rice 'chaser' to taste the true flavor..... BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!!!! EXCELLENT!! This Hom Yu was really really good!! Definitely on par w/Dewey's version at the New Formosa Cafe in Boyle Heights. I think you grizzled old guys from the Hom Yu front lines will agree........... They have Almond Duck on the menu but it's the 'pressed' kind... They also do the pan-fried noodle thing.... Other things that sound worth a try were BBQ Pork Scrambled Eggs, Pineapple Spareribs and BBQ Pork Egg Foo Yung. There was a couple waiting at the counter next to me that came from West Covina just to get food for the two of them for the wknd. $75 bucks worth of takeout. Place seems to have a loyal customer base. Same Owners Since 1962 read more

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Chinese Garden is definitely for the regulars!! My parents brought me here as a child and they have been eating here since they were young too. We go in every time and get the regular "Three #1's please, Cantonese style!" Their Pork Chow Mien (Canto. Style) is the best I've ever tasted and their Egg Foo Young is to die for!! If it's your first time here make sure to seat yourself!! It's how they do it. Oh and don't mind the owners daughter ha ha. She's just pure entertainment! Bickering with her mom, playfully hollering at the staff, sitting down at your booth making small talk with you. The staff is just one of the many reasons that will keep you coming back. Overall this place will FOREVER be a tradition in my family! Best Chinese food EVER!! read more

OK, to start off, I am sick and tired of people offering opinions of great places like this based on "no color", or "no taste". Just like great Thai food, this style of Chinese food doesn't necessarily require a certain color to be great. In fact, most Thai restaurants that serve the disgusting orange looking noodles usually suck! Trust me, my family has been coming here for over 35 years and it turns out my wife's family for even longer! Come here with an open mind without the preconceived notion that food has to look a certain way and you won't be let down. It is simple, clean, dated, but consistent. read more

Eating here is like time warping back to to the... 60's? 50's? It's Cantonese fare of a style that was popular way back in time. If you are into this sort of thing, it's the best thing in the world. This place seems not to have changed one bit over the decades. The chipped, delaminating formica countertops are probably the originals. Same goes for the dented, tarnished teapots and some of the older waiters who serve you. There is something very comforting and warm about this. Getting to the food, I doubt it's changed much over the years. The char sui chow mein is excellent grub, and the sticky sweet sour almond duck with bits of peanut on top is pretty addicting. Ask for it "crispy". Shrimp with lobster sauce is pretty good smothered over white rice. To appreciate this restaurant you have to come with the right expectations. This is old style basic grub, comfort food, done right. If you are mainly into nouveau fusion cuisine, you won't like it. read more

New owner. Congratulations to them. However, my heart has been broken. The wor won ton soup is not the same, the fried rice is not the same, the broccoli beef is not the the same, those awesome crunchy noodles are not the same. I hate breaking up with you, but i have to. I will forever hold the old Chinese Garden in my heart. read more

I don't know why this place is getting so many bad reviews because of the ownership. I've been coming here for many years and after the new ownership this place has improved tremendously! The new owners have taken the time to remodel the place and clean it up before them this place used to look dirty and that's what made us stop coming for awhile. The food taste the same as before new dishes were added but service is still great maybe even better. Before the old owners used to stand around and be loud and argue in front of customers. So I'm glad this place has new owners and they should keep up the good work in remodeling and cleaning up the place. read more

Chinese Garden Restaurant - Free black tea, Bbq pork fried rice, Aromatic chicken, Kung Poa Chicken - Cantonese Near Me - Montebello, California

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Haven't been here in a while but been eating here since I was a kid, I'm 34 now. The place looks like it got a face lift, I wasn't even sure it was the same place. Anyway, ordered the war won ton soup and chicken chowmein- both these dishes are delicious and what I feel separates this spot from any other place. There seemed to be a slight change to the taste- but all in all, we were happy and full. AND THEN A ROACH APPEARED CRAWLING ALONG THE WALL, QUICKLY, TOWARD THE TABLE. Need I say anything else? Beyond sad and disappointed bcs like I've said I've been eating here my whole life. No way will I return- ever. read more

Welcome to Montebello!!! I have been coming to this place since the seventies. The same owner since 1962 OMG - Imagine fresh made food - nothing from steam trays. I just love their Pork Chow Mein - can you say beansprouts? they make their own crispy noodles and slide you a bowl of them along with their hot tea that is constantly being brewed all day long. I suggest you try their spare ribs and their egg rolls. GOTTA HAVE THEM! A favorite of my Husband is the Shrimp and Eggs, the Savory Tomato and beef...oh and their Wor Wan Ton Soup is the best. Great portions- I have them on my speed dial and a couple of copies of their menu in my car and at work . this is still family owned and sometimes you even get a ringside seat to the family drama(LOL). read more

Craving for an old fashioned chinese food restaurant and found this place. Wow, was I surprised that it's a great little authentic "early days of America" Chinese Food restaurant, before the Panda and $1 chinese take out era. The staff is very cordial, professional, nice and accommodating. Food is awesome bcuz it has the old authentic taste of chinese food. Setting is quaint. When I mentioned the chain restaurants, I don't mean to compare the quality, just the fact that in the early days, this was what chinese food was, not that fusion malarky. The food is top notch in taste, price, and proportion. I REALLY REALLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. TUE. & WED. SPECIALS, 10% OFF AND FREE SODA. I'm hungry just reviewing this, I think im going to eat there later.. read more

so the boyfriend was craving some crispy chow mein. so we yelped. and at first i was very skeptical because a chinese food restaurant that is located in montebello. i say this because there is not a huge asian population in montebello so how great can this place truly be? i mean this place had about 4 stars but only 18 reviews when we read it. in my mind, i have 18 friends who i can ask to write me a good review. its been around for like over 20 years and only 18 reviews on yelp? so, i just bit my tongue and went because he wanted to go. the place was pretty dead but then again it was halloween night; a sunday night for that matter. so anyways, as we walked in no one helped us and we were confused if we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait to be seated. within 2 minutes the owner greeted us. and from there on out we had spectacular service. i dont think we've ever had great service like that before at an asian restaurant. i would have to say that i was thoroughly impressed. they were all able to speak chinese and english fluently. the chow fun with beef was really tasty. the orange chicken was okay. definitely better than many fast food chinese places. as a dessert they gave free fortune cookies. and as a appetizer they gave this crispy noodle thing that i guess you dip with ketchup and hot mustard. the decor was definitely the old school diner type. i would definitely say that this place won me over! read more

Welcome to Montebello, circa 1962. This little city still has yet to get all it's roads paved and all the street lights installed but the Chinese have landed, politeness overflowing, woks pre heated and ready to rock. Fast forward about 45 years. The city is buzzing with buzy people making life happen, street lights changing, intersection cameras flashing. The city is strutured and more of a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds then ever before. But one thing hasn't changed much if at all. The Chinese Garden. Oh thank heaven!! I have fond memories of the Friday night dinner with the family at home when I was all of maybe 4 years old. Paper wrapped chicken, chow mein, fried shrimp. I could go on for days, but after reading through all the reviews before me I see I don't have to say anything more. I haven't been by for a meal in a couple of years so I'm more than over due and think I'll stop by tomorrow. I am however one of those faithful customers 24 years after the first time tasting the food, nothing can compare to the memories. This is my watermark for chinese food, by which all else must try and compare to. cheers. read more

First time at Chinese Garden. Great service!!! Quick food, it must have only taken 5 mins to get it to our table. Friendly staff!! The servers kept our water glasses full the whole meal. Orange Chicken- best I've ever had!!! Sweet and Sour Pork- amazing! Chicken Chow Mein with Pan fried noodles- a must!!! I recommend it! read more

The food was TERRIBLE! Came across this place on Yelp in search of a new sit down Chinese food restaurant in the area. This was a bad choice!! The chow mein was flavor less. Had to add soy sauce for some kind of flavor, even then my son who is usually obsessed with chow mein wouldn't touch it! The Kung pao was way too tangy with mostly peanuts and water chestnuts. The best things about this place were the free tea and egg drop soup. I would definitely not recommend this place to ANYONE! Servers were nice, however not too attentive. read more

Love this place! I've been coming here since my parents took me back in the early 70's. It's family run so some of the waiters have been around for decades. They have the best Egg Foo Young (with a brown gravy) and Almond Duck (pressed into cubes with a sweet sauce). I've tried other places and no one can compare with those 2 dishes so I keep going back. The pan fried noodles is also another family favorite. read more

First, I love that this place is family-run and has been around for ages. Not sure what to get? Let me tell you about some of my favorites: Egg Foo Young - sooooo yummy. Served in patty form, swimming in a sauce of delicious brown gravy. Kung Pao Chicken- best I have ever had. Just spicy enough, with plenty of water chestnuts (my fave) and peanuts. Also in a sauce, so no worries about it being dry (I HATE a dry kung pao dish). Aromatic Shrimp- I can eat this all day, every day. The sauce is sweet, kind of like a sweet and sour sauce but BETTER. Chicken and Broccoli is yummy too. Served with PLENTY of broccoli! Love that they do take out too. They are quick to fill your order. Go support this local business and you'll be treated to authentic and delicious Chinese cuisine! :) read more

This is a family owned/operated restaurant that is fun to visit. We always order their specials that come with the soup, shrimp, sparerib appetizers and egg foo young, house chow mein and fried rice. Their food is very simple but the atmosphere is neat because the decor is vintage. The service is really great and there is plenty of parking in the rear. I love their hot tea!!! read more

Wanting to try something different and local, I yelped the best reviewed Chinese Restaurants in town. I have to say..... What were some of you reviews thinking.....5 stars nooooo way!!!!! After asking the waitress for her recommendation, we ate their Chow Mein and Orange Chicken. Worst tasting chow main ever!!!! No flavor what so ever. The orange chicken was passable. When ask what we thought of the food, we gave out honest opinion, and lets just say they don't like constructive criticism. read more

If I could give this place a negative 10 stars I would ! We found this place on yelp and it was a big groups of us that came here 10 people. We all ordered the lunch specials . I checked in and found a 20% off coupon but the server said we could not use it ! Wtf? Why would you not take the coupon off your yelp? Anyhow their version of an egg roll is really horrible. It was fried and did not taste good at all! It was dark brown and did not resemble an egg roll of my definition. I ordered the lunch special of chicken with mushrooms and steamed rice. The food was bland and no flavor at all. My party was very disappointed ! This placed got a "B" review on the window but it really should be shut down! The environment is out dated and this place needs to be remodeled ! read more

Terrible. Bland, over salted food. Expensive too! Would throw it away and order from somewhere else if I wasn't so hungry. Chicken they use has more water in it than Mcdonalds nuggets! And there's hardly any chicken in my dish! If you don't know what I'm talking about, Chicken mcnuggets are mostly water, that's why they are so cheap and have fewer than expected calories. Avoid Chinese Garden! read more

Richard, you are missed. Words cannot describe the drastic change in the quality of food. read more

Old School Chinese food. Homestyle Cantonese comfort food. It is a dinosaur that is near extinction. This style of food was the only game in town pre 1980. Then came the wave of new Cantonese and Taiwanese food/immigrants who have entrenched their cuisine onto our palates. But if you want a blast to the past: Sweet and Sour Pork (Pakkai), Hom-yu, Cantonese chowmein (pan fried noodles), shrimp in black bean sauce, Pi chow yu, Almond duck in brown gravy, on and on. I just had a yellow mustard rush, for you old schoolers. read more

I was visiting family around that area of town and after driving all day and finally checking in to the hotel, all I wanted was some yummy Chinese food. I found this place through yelp; with all the stars I figured the place and food would be awesome. After eating I had to double check the yelp reviews to make sure I went to the right restaurant. I started wondering if all the people that gave them such high rating where either on acid, high or have never tasted Chinese food. Seriously, this place sucks! Sitting down was an event. What seems to be the mother/owner was bickering back and forth with her daughter about where we should sit. Because they couldn't agree on where we should sit, we moved several times. Really is not that complicated. When we finally sat, it took them 20 minutes to just get us water. Another 20 minutes later we finally catch the waitress's attention to get our order. Note to self, don't go there hungry. Once we placed the order, food took a while to come out. I honestly thought they would redeem themselves with the food. I have experience bad service yet amazing food. Not here, not this place. To sum it up it had no flavor and no color. read more

Gotta give credit when credit's due! Came here Friday night on the way home from downtown la. I was craving Almond duck and Beef Chowfun. Ordered it to go. The restaurant was pretty busy. Service, was, well as always, good but rushed! But I must add attentive and personal! Skipped out on the Ham yu tonight, but the two dishes, two of my favorites, were stellar, as always! This place still serves the classics: Paper wrapped chicken, pork spare ribs, snow peas, and the like! It is still the best Cantonese/'ol skool restaurant in So Cali!!! And I stand by this!!!!!!! read more

Not good the ribs were over cooked the fried rice had nothing added to it just rice with soy u sauce the food is bland

The best egg rolls, double fried! Awesome! Fast lunch service..,... The owner is funny !! Original 60's decor, cooks are really Chinese And is pretty good, not fancy but tasty. read more

I grew up eating at this joint, and i'm sure i'll continue eating here until I'm super old. It's good. is it as good as chinese gets? no. I can't lie. but their egg rolls are out of this world. make sure you eat them while they're hot, or you'll be sorry. they're big and crunchy and have chicken batter all up on them. mmmm. tasty. and I they're crunchy noodles go great with the whole meal. I wouldn't say to go out of your way for Chinese Garden, but if you're in the area, stop by. read more