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    Happy Garden Chinese Restaurant

    3.5 (175 reviews)
    ModerateChinese
    Closed • Closed

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    Jackie A.

    I have ordered from here a few times food is usually good. Rice is good, chow main is good a little thick and dry. Egg rolls are delicious. Anyways I ordered a lunch special and I was eating when it because crunchy. I spit it out and there were egg shells in my rice .. I almost threw up. Please tell chefs to be safe with the egg shells,

    Lunch Special
    Shayla T.

    Lunch for today and tomorrow! Large takeout portion with soup. Parking was easy as it's inside a plaza. Ample seating inside. Service was quick despite it being busy, and the workers are very hardworking and efficient. Their lunch special came with fried rice, chow mein, choice of protein, and hot and sour soup. Their fried rice and chow mein are super flavorful and one of the best I've had in the area. I got the cashew chicken and although that was super flavorful as well, there was not as much chicken as I expected. Instead, it was mostly veggies and jicama? (The jicama had sauce but threw off the taste a bit and kind of acted as filler). The soup was perfectly seasoned and was a nice bonus to the combo. Will be returning for more lunch specials to try the other menu items!

    Shrimp fried rice
    Maricarmen C.

    Grabbed food to go for two people, total came out to about $30. We tried their shrimp fried rice and lemon chicken. Their rice was very good, I just wish it had more shrimp. I personally was not a fan of their lemon chicken but my bf loved it! Staff were nice and the food was ready quickly. Excited to try more options in the future!

    Chow mein and seafood kung pao
    Ariana J.

    My husband and I Door dashed dinner from this restaurant during our recent visit to Aptos. We ordered chicken chow mein which was decent. The noodles were thick and well coated with sauces. We also got the mixed sea food kung pao. It wasn't as spicy nor tasted similar to a typical kung pao but it was alright. They did not skimp on the meats. Overall an ok meal. Could be better but thankfully they were open on the Christmas Eve dinner time when everyone else was closed. Thank you for feeding us. :)

    Menu October 2025

    We've been dining/ordering from Happy Garden for many years. Even though inflation and labor costs have caused higher prices, the lunch specials are still a good value. If you'd like to try some of our all time faves which we think they make very well, here's our list: honey walnut prawns, garlic chicken (the not-spicy one), beef with fresh (not fried) tofu, beef chow fun, salt pepper anything, HK style chow mein, any of the sizzling platters, sautéed fish filet, General Tzo chicken. Some of these are available as a lunch special. The service is always fast and friendly, easy parking, and convenient location.

    Lunch special with Bbq pork egg fu young
    Michael S.

    Love it! I'm so picky when it comes to Chinese food and when my favorite Chinese restaurant changed owners, I went looking for a new place and so glad I found Happy Garden. Our food came out quickly and I loved everything. Even the people sitting near us said how good the food was. Can't wait to go back for more.

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    6 months ago

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    2 months ago

    BEST Chinese food in town, hands down. Their food is AMAZNING! This is the only chinese food in town that my family will eat. Period.

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    6 months ago

    My favorite Chinese restaurant In town! Food is always super hot and yummy! Good customer service and have the food ready pretty quick!

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    2 years ago

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    8 months ago

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    11 months ago

    Best Chinese food in the county! The General's Chicken is delicious. Great value. Great lunch specials.

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    4 years ago

    Though it may not look it on the outside, I recommend this place for their good food and authentic service

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    9 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The only thing worth ordering here his the chow mein and or fried rice.

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    四姐 Special Noodle

    四姐 Special Noodle

    4.5(1.2k reviews)
    13.6 mi
    •$$
    Women-owned & operated
    Speaks Mandarin

    Had Special Noodle back up in Cupertino, but this one may the best of them all! Whichever sister…read moreruns this one is COOKING for real. Best soup dumplings we've had in YEARS...including DTF. GREAT WOK-hay on their eggplant & green beans. And their Pan Fried Pork Buns (生煎包) remind me of Yang's in Shanghai. Paper thin skin on top, and crispy doughy bottom... absolute MASTERCLASS! Edit: spoke with the manager when paying and found out this was the original HQ! No wonder it's the best haha

    I am writing to share my deep disappointment with my recent experience at Special Noodle despite…read moreits strong reviews. My husband and I stopped by to order food to go. Upon entering, an employee named Jason motioned for us to walk over, handed us an open iPad, and walked away without any explanation. As first-time visitors from out of town, we were unfamiliar with their ordering system. When I asked for assistance finding a specific dish listed on their website, he rudely told us they did not offer it. He then made a comment in Mandarin or Cantonese to a colleague, and both men looked at us. At that point, I returned the iPad and let him know we would not be ordering. As a mixed-race couple, with my husband being permanently disabled, we were left wondering if this unwelcoming behavior was motivated by discrimination or if it reflects the restaurant's typical customer service. Regardless, the interaction was extremely uncomfortable and disrespectful. Fortunately, we went to Yan Flower nearby instead, where we received kind, welcoming, and excellent service. Yes, the food was good too! Sometimes food isn't the most important thing you receive from a restaurant, don't get me wrong it is a strong motivator, but for me, service is everything.

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    四姐 Special Noodle
    四姐 Special Noodle
    四姐 Special Noodle

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    Four Streams Kitchen

    Four Streams Kitchen

    4.1(147 reviews)
    7.6 mi

    The best Chinese spot on this side of the hill! If you live…read morein Aptos or anywhere in Santa Cruz County, you need to check out Four Streams Kitchen. I've been looking for a solid go-to Chinese takeout spot for a while, and this place absolutely knocks it out of the park. Do yourself a favor and order the Szechuan Boiled Fish (Sichuan Shui Zhu Yu). It is insanely flavorful, perfectly spicy, and easily one of the most legit, authentic Chinese dishes I've had in the area. If you prefer the classic American-Chinese comfort staples, those hit the spot too. The Kung Pao has the perfect balance, the potstickers taste completely house-made, and my family is obsessed with their chow mein.  The ingredients are always fresh (especially the veggies and seafood, try the fried prawns!), and the staff is incredibly kind and accommodating. Great portions, amazing value (especially the lunch combos).

    I would give this 3 1/2 stars. It was the first time ordering last night through DoorDash. First, I…read morewill say that in the Aptos area this is far better than anything in this town, and way better than Panda Inn. I probably should have just picked up the order because $80 for Chinese food for two people is a bit steep and honestly ridiculous. The first negative thing is the fact that we ordered pork fried rice and ended up getting the fried rice but with chicken instead so OK, edible, but there is something about pork fried rice that I really like so that was disappointing. Also ordered their vegetable green bean with garlic sauce dish, and the green beans were cooked nicely although a side order of green beans for $16? Yes, I made the decision to order simply because I wanted a veggie with the rest of the meal. I ordered a chicken breast dish that was coated in some sort of a Panko-ish crunch. That was good although I wasn't expecting it to be fried. When you're hungry, you just eat it anyway... Truth. also had the potstickers which were typical nothing special, although they did serve it with some sort of a hot pepper sauce, which was good although the seeds in it were quite tough. They also pack a little container of what looked like white vinegar weird not at all like what you would normally have. We will probably try again as we explore the menu, but I will definitely pick up next time. Oh and finally with an order that clearly served two people they throw in one fortune cookie. How cheap is that? Jury is still majorly out on this place, but just wanted to share for now.

    Photos
    Four Streams Kitchen
    Four Streams Kitchen
    Four Streams Kitchen

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    Fortune Garden - super nice family restaurant that just opened. quality chinese!

    Fortune Garden

    4.7(92 reviews)
    44.0 mi
    •$$

    This restaurant is a manifestation of everything I love about Chinese restaurants. If it were in…read morethe bayarea, it would have been my monthly haunt. *Ambiance : is not spectacular, it's well maintained and clean though. They have a lot of plastic and plush toys behind the counter and some shockingly pink artificial orchids on each table top. *Food: this is where I went weak in my knees after sampling the spread in front of me. Such simple yet mind bogglingly delicious food! If it were not for the large amount of grease across the dishes, I would have rated this as my favorite Chinese restaurant in the bayarea. We got chicken fried rice, chicken chow mein, Mongolian chicken and chicken with green beans. Fried rice was moist and umami rich. The noodles had a thick delicious sauce coating them. The green beans were addictively crunchy. The chicken was soft and flavorful. I reached my happy place after this meal.

    Woooow. Third time I go to this restaurant! It's a little mom and pop shop. Absolutely amazing. I…read morealways get the dinner special that comes with 2 entrees and pork fried rice. I think there are other options too. The sisters who answer the phone are so friendly on the phone and in person. They had patience with me and my questions. Please try this place. I still need to go sit down in person. Inside is cute and Asian haha. Looks clean and smells good. I recommend 10/10 thank you so Much! We ordered the eggrolls tooo!! They are so amazing

    Photos
    Fortune Garden - Pov

    Pov

    Fortune Garden - Fried rice and a mixed special dish with beef, pork, shimp, scallops, and squid.

    Fried rice and a mixed special dish with beef, pork, shimp, scallops, and squid.

    Fortune Garden

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    Asian Buffet - Cold items/sushi

    Asian Buffet

    3.5(224 reviews)
    12.8 mi
    •$$

    I have been to this buffet about 5 times. Now drinks are included, a 7% service charge, and your…read moreparty pays before you are seated. Host said because they are short staffed they made those changed. I like that drinks are included like some buffets around the Bay Area. The sushi selection has been cut down. I skipped the sushi this visit to save room for the bbq spareribs and salt and pepper shrimp. Those are my favorite from the lunch buffet. Please tip them extra if you can.

    Final Thoughts: 2.50/5…read more My parents heard about this place and they wanted to try it. Definitely been a long time since we went to a buffet. This family really does not consume a lot of food, so sometimes going to a buffet really isn't the most idea when you're trying to get your moneys worth with quality and quantity. Location for here is somewhat farther than other places that we usually go to. We did finally get the opportunity for all of us to go, so it happened. Will round to be 3 star for today. Food: 1. Sushi bar (Simple sushi rolls with imitation crab, salmon, avocado, seaweed salad, ?tofu skin) Their selections of sushi are quite limited. Honestly, it felt like the same type of roll with just one item differing. Not even really sure if these are actual types of sushi rolls like at other restaurants. They did look slightly haphazardly put together, but overall rolls are fine and nicely plated on the larger plate to get. Heft fillings for most of them, which I appreciate. 2. Seafood Options (stir fried shrimp, braised mushrooms, mussels with cheese, clams) Most of these items felt like they were frozen and then reheated verses fresh. The assembly of these dishes seem simple enough, so they continuously refilled these. Some were steamed perhaps like the clams, others were baked maybe like the muscles. The texture is a lot more "rubbery" and difficult to remove the meat from the shell. Flavor was just alright for most of these options. 3. Classic food choices (fried rice, chow mein, orange chicken, honey walnut shrimp, eggrolls, broccoli beef, French fries, pizza, ribs) These are items are nostalgic for me if anything. Also feels like something I can cook from a bag or even get at Panda Express. Honey walnut shrimp was alright. It felt super rich and oily with the amount of mayonnaise. Not necessarily a complaint because I really like that dish, but I could only have a few of them. Orange chicken was also quite good and nostalgic for me. 4. Desserts (?Mousse cake, cream puffs, coconut macaron, soft serve, palmiers cookies) Honestly, I love desserts and sweets, but there was something about these items that weren't enticing at the time. Maybe because I was really full already from the other foods. The cake felt a little bit dry. Seems like something we can get in bulk somewhere and not necessarily freshly made. Soft serve was almost like this sweet water with just a bit of milk in it, which was interesting. 5. Fruits (Cantaloupe, canned lychee, oranges, pineapple) Very small selection of fruits here. Not too big of a fan of canned fruits, but it was something that they had. The cantaloupe was the only fruit that I could really "enjoy" because it was fresh and better looking than the other options. My parents liked the oranges, as well. Some nice vitamin C for them after the big meal. Labeling: Nothing Labeled None of their items are labeled, so just be sure y'all are careful of food allergies or intolerances. --------- Quality: As expected for the price Their quality is ok??? Ish??? It's what I expected for the price. A lot of the foods appear frozen and then reheated or cooked. Sushi was rolled on the spot and refilled. Some foods felt like they were just sitting there under a warmer. For the seafood, definitely felt like from the freezer and not fresh. You can see this in the clams because they were really stuck onto their shell and absolutely would not come out cleanly. Texture is a little more chewy. Price: Affordable for the Buffet If you want affordable and all you can eat, this is the place to go. One of the reasons why my parents want to go here is because of the price. This place is in Gilroy, so a little farther away from where we are, but we still wanted to try it. Prices are fully on the rise. For an adult, it will be $18.99 now. There are discounted pries for kiddos between 2 and 11 years of age. Senior citizens of age 65 and older will also get a $1 off discount. Very sweet and totally works for us. Service: Fast Not sure how crowded this place gets, but we were seated immediately after coming in. I didn't see how busy it was outside, but most, if not all of the seats were filled at one point. They took our drink order and then we were free to go get food afterwards. There's always a trash plate and they took those away pretty quicky. Ambiance: Dim lit Interior was quite dark and dim lit. The area where the foods were was really warm and this might be nicer on a cold winter day versus summer. The space actually looks quite small for something of a buffet style. Perhaps there aren't too many options, but it/s definitely a nice small buffet to go to for a change of taste once in a blue moon. Location/Parking: Spacious area This area is very spacious and located where the South Valley Plaza Shopping Center is. It is within kind of the side corner of this plaza. Highly unlikely there will be a concern with parking because of how large the area is.

    Photos
    Asian Buffet - Mousse cake, cream puffs, macarons, soft serve, etc.

    Mousse cake, cream puffs, macarons, soft serve, etc.

    Asian Buffet
    Asian Buffet - Shrimp, braised mushrooms, chow mien, fried rice, orange chicken, etc.

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    Shrimp, braised mushrooms, chow mien, fried rice, orange chicken, etc.

    Panda Inn - Tomato sizzling rice soup

    Panda Inn

    3.7(272 reviews)
    6.8 mi
    •$$

    I really like this place! The food was good, but more than anything the cozy vibes, cute panda art,…read moreand great service are why I can't wait to come back! Got the curry fried rice, tomato sizzling rice soup (love that sizzling crunchy rice hitting the hot soup!), and some very well piced Sapporos. On the whole the menu was really affordable and that makes me want to come back and try more dishes!

    (Disclaimer: this review is based on a takeout order, so I can't speak to the in-restaurant…read moreservice. And maybe other dishes are better, so take this with a grain of salt. Salt...haha.) I am so bummed. I was soooo busy that I hadn't eaten the day before and was craving Chinese food. A friend suggested we grab food and head to the beach, so I decided on Panda Inn, which I'd been wanting to try for some time now. I ordered Singaporean style rice noodles, which is said to be cooked with eggs, and vegetables, and curry sauce. That sounded delicious! On the phone, they asked what protein (ie, chicken, pork), so I chose tofu, which I didn't know at the time had an additional cost. It was +$3 for tofu! (He should have informed me, I think.) The order was prepared quickly and was hot. It was seasoned (salted), but there was no curry flavor (I was surprised to read this in the menu!) I also saw, smelled, felt, and tasted NO TOFU. *sigh*. It wasn't a huge deal, except that I really wanted some substance since that was the main thing I was eating in 2 days, that was what I ordered so I was expecting to see it, AND I had to pay extra for it! All in all, I was quite disappointed.

    Photos
    Panda Inn - Inside seating

    Inside seating

    Panda Inn - Close-up of my 83. Singapore Style Thin Rice Noodles with no tofu.  For $17+, it was small and simple, and I was still hungry.

    Close-up of my 83. Singapore Style Thin Rice Noodles with no tofu. For $17+, it was small and simple, and I was still hungry.

    Panda Inn - Cute Indoor

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    Cute Indoor

    Happy Garden Chinese Restaurant - chinese - Updated September 2026

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