It was pretty empty when we entered. If I remembered correctly, I would say there were about 3-4 small tables, and 3-4 big tables. When we first entered, there were no customers, only a big table full of employees eating. They got us some menus and sat back down. I would say to make sure you speak Chinese if you come here. The food also took quite a while to come out. The service wasn't as great either as we asked for some hot sauce and they just said "I don't know where it is." read more

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By the standards of Chinatown holes-in-the-wall, Happy Garden Palace's service is off-putting. But I've come to realize that part of that is managing our own expectations. The restaurant seems to do a large amount of takeout business via phone orders. The steady stream of customers entering to pick up and pay for their food takes the staff's attention away from customers dining in. This was a bit of a surprise, since the interior has large round tables with lazy susans, seemingly to appeal to large groups and a dine-in customer base. The first time we entered Happy Garden Palace, I was shocked that no one properly welcomed us or took our order. We had to chase down a harried staff member to place our order, only to find that we were not necessarily given preference for dining in. We left in a bit of a huff and opted for another, slightly more attentive location that day. However, after two failed Seamless delivery orders (despite being on the platform, they do not accept anything but cash payment), we decided to give Happy Garden Palace another shot. Prepared to be patient, we sat at a table by the entrance and ordered a cold peanut noodle, hongshao fried fish dish, and taro and duck noodle soup. To our delightful surprise, all three were delicious. The fried fish was so expertly done--not too oily or crispy at all--but beautifully tender and flavored. This was the star of the meal. The taro and duck noodle soup and cold peanut noodles were also superb. Happy Garden Palace seems to cater to locals who love its authentic Fujianese cooking and good prices. While there were people dining in, my guess is that ordering by phone for takeout offers a much more efficient experience. That said, I'm glad we experienced the local treatment and would absolutely reorder the fish. read more

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Cheaper and delicious Strongly recommend friends come here The most important is do not pay tips in this restaurant! read more

Happy Garden Palace - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

Food tastes good. It was served within 10 minutes of ordering...portion is comparable to the pricing. Service is not proactive but at least the ladies are nice and provides service with a smile. Typical New York style services... read more

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Happy Garden Palace is another Fujianese own restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. You can tell it's authentic because of the name of the restaurant and by all the Fujianese people who come here for breakfast. Food. I had wok ho fun, fried taro cake. Pan fried oysters pancake, and Chinese friend dough. The oyster pancakes were slightly undercooked in center but other than that, the food was great. The seasoning was perfect and eating the food brought me back to the streets of Fuzhou. As for the environment, it's a hole in the wall in Chinatown​. It's not the cleanest place and everything looks super old. But, like I've mentioned in my other reviews of places around Chinatown I feel that it's a bit unfair to dock points for the decor or service unless it's particularly terrible. In this case, it wasn't, but it also doesn't stand out. Overall, if you want the experience a Fujianese breakfast, or a Fujianese looking for good wok ho fun, you will be satisfied with this place. read more

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Beware of this place.Don't go!! DISHONEST..plus Lousy food and services service Couple days ago, my husband and I were looking for a new place to have our lunch .We walked by and decided to give this little hole in the wall( grease table,not so clean floor and NO Air conditioning) a try .We ordered 3 appetizer:-House Special Wok Ho Fun($2.00) ,Taro Cake ($.75), Pork in Sticky Pork Ball in Soup ($3.00) Also for entree :Beef Stew with Curry Casserole($11.95) and Braised Pan Fried Noodle($9.95) ..Our calculation (base on their menu -both eat in and take out)price was :$27.65 total before tax and tips.However , when the bill came , it was $40.00..So we asked where was the difference coming from , the owner-who is also our "provide zero service" waitress -said the price had changed ,that's the price.. We all spoke Mandarin .Why didn't she tell us when we order our food that menu prices changed ? I understand the inflation..things are getting expensive..but it's so unfair to customers without knowing the true cost when ordering.. This restaurant posting food pictures with prices outside the store to lure customers in..their menu and takeout menu playing the same tricks..Dishonest is worse than lousy food and service , no wonder this place was so empty during lunch hours At the end ,We didn't want to argue , just paid ( cash only) and left,will definitely not going back and advise others no to . A block away ,There is Arping restaurant -also a hole in the wall- that serve the same kind of food ...better taste and most important...Honest to the customers!! read more

Cash only establishment... This is your typical Fujianese restaurant. The food here is average. The prices of their food is pretty cheap. We ordered about 7 dishes which costs us a total of $27. They do serve authentic dishes. Very generous sizes. Customer service was lacking as we were not given water or tea at the table. Even modest restaurants provide hot tea or water for each customer table. Overall, it's a place you can try at least once in the area. Customer service as lacking, but their food is pretty authentic. Doesn't scream wow to me. read more

This place feels like home. A typical family style fujianese speaking restaurant. It was a full house when we walked in with 1 open table, lucky us! The smell of cigarettes. Diners smoking, eating, drinking and are very loud. The owners and the regular people who dine here are from Changle, China just in my neck of the woods. The cigarettes can be a bit of a headache but that's fujianese people for ya! The dishes we ordered, snails, water spinach, dungeness crab and fish soup tastes just like home. The reason for 3 stars is that the dungeness crab was not fresh. I had asked them if it was fresh which we were told yes. They thought we wouldn't be able to tell the difference but think again! The bill came up to about $130. The wallpaper which looks like they've been stained with the cigarette smoke also tables/chairs are very old. read more

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There's a good chance that my review is off because I don't understand the food here, but it was a challenging place even for a couple of foodies looking for a hole in the wall. We got what we wanted - It is definitely a hole in the wall. In fact, when we walked in at 1:30am, there were 4 guys sitting around the middle table, smoking cigarettes and eating big bowls of soup. They took one very synchronized look at us for 5 seconds, then went back to smoking and slurping. The place is small and pretty dirty. The menu, however, is large. And filled with unrecognizable dishes. We were starving so we ordered four dishes: two soups, a chicken dish, a fried pork dish and rice. All seemed safe. None of the four dishes were good. One of them was puzzling - see photo. Two were pretty bad. The service was bad. Granted, it was 2am and nobody else was open so they probably didn't expect two paying customers at that hour. But still, they literally threw a handful of chopsticks at us when they brought the food. No napkins. Tea was more cold than warm. No condiments on the table. Nuthin. Upon further review, a couple of the previous reviewers wrote that it's "fujian" cuisine, something completely new to me. Like i said, this place is beyond my comprehension. 2 stars - just can't give it any more. Sorry. read more

Happy Garden Palace - Delicious yak ball soup - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

This place earned it's 5 stars single handedly because of the really nice girl who walked us through the menu, and because of her mom's home made rice wine! The menu is pretty daring for my taste, there are an array of choices such as frog meat, some kind of intestine, jelly fish, and other things that I have never tried. Pre curser, my brother is a chef, my dad made me try raw beef when I was 10, and I prefer a hole in the wall with locals over anything trendy. That being said, I was out of my element, and did NOT want to chose from the "specials" section on their menu which housed the ever so popular white people food such as kung pao, general tso, sweet and sour ... etc. So. we sat down. it was Christmas day and neither one of us wanted to appear chicken shit among all these lovely families. The waitress came over, (owner's daughter) and we picked out a few things together that were interesting and not too american. The pork dubplings in the apetizer section are amazing and the dough is very chewy and different than usual. The sizzling seafood platter was perfect, it was in light seasoning so you could actually enjoy the seafood and the veggies were crisp. The spare ribs came in a really good sauce that was something between sweet and sour and bbq, I know there is a name for it but I am drawing a blank, and their hot and sour soup is wonderful. it has tomatoes in it and more of a flavor than I've had in a long time. The wine!! Ok so this may be the hi light of the night. For $2.50 she brought over a pint of wine. This wine went down like water, but it kicked me in the behind when I wasn't paying attention. Midway through our meal we were clinking glasses with nearby tables. I will go back. and I will conquer this menu. read more

Came here on one crowded evening and enticed by their cheap prices, again for lunch takeout only to learn their prices have increased substantially compared to the menu. The food here is mediocre. The atmosphere is awful. As I entered, I felt like I was suffocating and couldn't breathe at all. Then a few diner diners started to smoke cigarettes. Even though there are no smoking signs posted, many Fujianese establishments allow diners to smoke inside the restaurant. I most likely won't be back. read more

Happy Garden was our first meal in New York. For reals. Our late night flight meant we were stuck wandering the streets of Chinatown, poking our heads into any restaurant with the lights on. Any meal would have sufficed at that point. And Happy Garden was the first restaurant to open their doors to us. The price is so on point here. $14 for a large bowl of hot and sour soup, fried rice, and some random chicken dish. Only $14 for all of that. We thought the cashier forgot to put a dish on our bill. Nope, she didn't. You cannot beat that price at all. I literally payed $16 for a single bowl of super disappointing ramen a few nights later at some other swanky LES restaurant, so for it's price alone, Happy Garden was amazing. Food though, is just your normal run of the mill Chinese food. Wasn't expecting much taste wise, and they definitely didn't blow me away with any exquisite cuisine. Hot and sour soup kinda tasted like BBQ sauce, but I gobbled it up regardless. Random blurbage- A cat wandered in the restaurant halfway through our meal and just stared at us for awhile. More restaurants need to incorporate this method of entertainment. Their TV was showing the most absolutely ridiculous and abstract Chinese music videos. Again, more restaurants need to incorporate this. Our table had a huge crack running the entire length of the table. Less restaurants should incorporate that. And lastly, did I mention $14 only? Incorporate that everywhere please. So thank you Happy Garden. You've now set ridiculous price standards for me and my friends whenever we go out to eat. Because even though any other restaurant might be cheap, it will never be Happy Garden cheap. read more

I stumbled up this little gem after a night of boozing it up with a friend in Chinatown/the edge of the LES. Can you say total bill--with tip--for dinner for 2 $15? Which included an appetizer and two entree's? Yes you can. Delicious authentic Fujianese food at rock-bottom prices. Not sure if they take credit cards but at these low prices it doesn't matter. We split the "sweet peanut" soup, which was these mystery sweet gummy balls with crunchy sweet peanut filling in a chrysanthemum-water "soup" (more like a sweet tea). For dins I got pork blood with scallions on rice, and my friend got roasted duck on rice. The food showed up so fast you would think that they telepathically picked up our orders 10 minutes before we got there. Food was blazing hot, very fresh, and really authentic. It also passed the "we are the only two white folks in the place on a Friday night so it must be good" test. Loved it, def. going back. read more

Let me preface this review by saying I LOVE hole in the walls. I don't care for the decor or service. All that matters is how good the food is. If you want a frou frou shi shi white table cloth, fancy flatware, bowtie servers, and chandeliers, go elsewhere. If you care about what matters most in going to a restaurant (reminder: it's the taste of the food), this is a fantastic spot. This is authentic non-touristy Chinatown food! Great value as far as quantity and quality, especially for the ridiculously low price. Can't be beat! read more

Average food but very cheap price. It's your typical fujianese comfort food. This place can use some renovation. I don't see how it got an A for santiary. read more

It's a great place to eat. They remember me there. Best hot and sour soup in town, you just know it once you taste it. And it's $3 for a LARGE. Stop by, not that they need more business. 4 stars because last time only their pretty unique General Tsao chicken was not that good. read more

I don't really know why this place didn't appeal much to me....but, probably, it's the pervading smell inside that reminds me of uncooked food that's been stale for sometime. it's also not tidy enough for a food place, though i've seen worst places in the area. actually, it can still improve itself. they have to do a lot of cleaning, though. service was attentive, nevertheless. i had something like a salted fish fried rice which was not bad (i've not had this for a long while---it's a great breakfast food, actually); i also enjoyed the basic lo mein noodles and fried chicken meal that my 2 friends ordered. read more

If you are fj and enjoy the company of those who speak your native tongue, then this is the place for you. Would give it 3.5 stars if yelp allows. Food is freakishly served quickly. read more