Since the new owners have taken over, I think the quality has taken a strong turnaround. There's a lot of hate going around from people who IMO just don't know what to expect from a family-run Chinese restaurant. We ordered the cumin beef, crispy Sichuan fish, dry fried eggplant, and some simple steamed white rice. It was all very good. The cumin beef was my personal favorite. Healthy doses of Sichuan pepper and served on a ripping hot skillet. There's a reason that there were 6 separate tables of Chinese kids all enjoying orders of Qing Jiang whole fish while we were there. This is what we (Chinese people) like to eat. Everybody is free to their opinion, and my opinion is that many other reviewers don't know what they're talking about. read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Cumin Beef and Crispy Fish Szechwan Style - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

Wow wow wow. The food has gotten SO good since the new owners took over. I'm convinced if you don't like their food, it's because you're ordering wrong. We asked our server what she recommended and ordered all of her recommendations. We got the Chef's special fish dish, shredded potatoes, bao buns, and the green beans....... all to die for. I'm not kidding I would rate everything a 10/10. It was all so flavorful and delicious. Definitely try to potatoes- they were cilantro-y and tasty. I'll definitely be back again soon for dinner. read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

Food was producing smoking on the plate, and we had to vacate the table outside. I felt there was too much sauce on some of the dishes, and the kung pao sauce was quite watery. The cake kind of dry, and we didn't get fortune cookie at end. The ambiance was alright; had random stuff laying around the room. Service was alright as well, not a cold nor warm demeanor. Pretty middle of the road for the restaurant, but the bar seemed pretty turnt. read more

The food!! The service!! Such a great experience and looking forward to going back for more. We had the pre-order fish dish that was life changing along with a shredded potato dish and green beens, all packed with flavor and cooked to perfection. Highly recommend ordering stuff you wouldn't usually and going with what the server recommends to have a more authentic Chinese meal. Cheers! read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Grilled Qing Jiang Fish (must pre order) forgot to take picture before eating so this is what was left! - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

Now called "The Top" Chinese restaurant in Clinton. Seriously best Chinese outside of the International District in Seattle. Excellent and authentic Chinese food. Service prompt, food hot, vegetables cooked perfectly. Panoramic view of the water, ferries, and mountains in the distance. Owner is friendly and attentive. Top notch food! read more

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I had the Lunch Specials with a friend. I had Mongolian Beef and my friend had Chicken With Cashew Nuts. The servings were plenty for us to each share. Both dishes were excellent. The service was also excellent. I will eat there again in the future as I live on South Whidbey Island. This restaurant has one of the best views of any restaurant on Whidbey Island. read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - View from the dining room. - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

New ownership has absolutely knocked it out of the park. Food is great, the bar space in the back is awesome, pool tables and karaoke, and a great view. Highly recommend the special fish dish and the Szechuan fire chicken. 10/10! read more

I've wanted to try this place since moving to Whidbey and it didn't disappoint! The food was great, especially the green onion pancake and egg drop soup. Next time I will bring friends so I can try some of the larger, more traditional dishes. This restaurant has better hours than most on Whidbey and can accommodate bigger groups, which is rare. The exterior and parking lot are a little run down, but the inside is freshly updated. The staff are very welcoming. 10/10 recommend! read more

Establishment previously had a bad reputation but heard it was finally under new ownership so thought we'd give it a try. Restaurant sits on top of a hill and has an amazing view. We drove up the long driveway but unfortunately once we got up there the building seemed pretty junky and run down. Disappointed, we didn't even go in so can't speak to the food. read more

To start our food here wasn't bad yet a little different. We arrived at 7:30 on a Friday night from the ferry . Evidently the only seating was in the bar and I was ready to leave and go to China city but my wife persisted. We were escorted to the seedy looking bar In the back where we were thoroughly inspected by the local characters playing pool and mingling around. The only table available was next to the deck/smoking lounge even though only one other group of people were dining. The bar folk just take over the tables for their stuff while they roam around. Music was loud and frankly weirdly chosen. I'm familiar with many genres of music and didn't get any of it??? When it stopped for 5 minutes it was a relief! The smokers were constantly in and out exhaling their last drag on my wife on the way back in. One young guy spent the whole time with his phone in his ear and a pool cue in his hand, an older fellow sat with his cue right across from us when he wasn't shooting and stared at my wife the whole time. I know there are many different lifestyles on the island but this bunch was quite literally the bottom of the barrel. And the smokers..... The one young Asian woman serving was pretty good but after served she had to be extracted from the back of the bar to get a bill. $60 for two entrees, water, and a little steamed rice after tax and tip!! We ordered pork and bamboo shoots that was pork belly with actual bamboo shoots instead of the canned sliced ones and was small portion but pretty good! Kind of salty but used good pork belly. Egg foo young that was big but with a hard crust and cut into 4 pizza slices?? It had a good gravy yet was also very salty. The food was pretty good but way overpriced. But it's an island... On the way I used the bathroom(good thing the wife didn't as she's picky about restaurant bathrooms) and it shocked me!! I'll pee anywhere literally but this thing had a black garbage bag over the urinal, a cinder block holding the door open so everyone can see into the little bathroom, and the tile all broken and indiscriminate holes cut in the walls. This restaurant is quite literally falling apart! The former nice restaurant (from many years past) had a large waiting area booth seating that was being used to house two big dirty floor freezers. We eat at many dirty little seedy Asian restaurants regularly that has authentic cuisine but this place is quite literally gross!!!! We won't be back. And when my wife escaped outside to wait by the car she interrupted some sketchy looking character trying to break into a car by the front door that had a little puppy inside. When he saw her he hightailed it to waiting pickup truck and they sped off. We couldn't leave fast enough! They get two stars because the food was ok and yeah! We didn't get food poisoning. But there's no way in hell we would ever go there again. read more

I seldom give negative reviews of local businesses. But tonight we got take out from Hong Kong Garden in Clinton, and it is truly the worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. I did not go with my husband to pick it up, but he reported that despite its beautiful view, the restaurant, itself, was "derelict," and smelled so horrible we would not have been able to eat there. We were given an order of Egg Flower soup in error, instead of the hot and sour soup I ordered, and after one taste, I threw it away. John said the Hot and Sour soup wasn't much better. Neither of us finished our meals. I had the honey walnut chicken. They should give up trying to make this dish, and just open bags of frozen honey walnut chicken from Trader Joe's. 1000% better. John ate what he could of the Mongolian beef.....most of the beef was simply gristle. This place is an embarrassment to our island. read more

Had my first meal here on a Sunday night. We were hesitant to try on our previous trips to the island because of the old reviews but I'm so glad that we did! We had the Szechuan crispy fish and green beans. Both were delicious. The fish was incredibly crispy and well balanced. The green beans were fresh and well cooked. Both dishes were authentic Chinese cuisine. We sat by the windows at sunset and the view was incredible. The owner gave us a tour of their bar space, anime shop, and new renovations they are planning. Excited to come back and try more Szechuan food and see the space develop! read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Crispy Szechuan Fish - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

Well we tried to go to the Chinese restaurant The Top. What a joke. She had no idea if they served breakfast. She gave us only lunch/dinner menus and after asking for breakfast menus, we ultimately walked out without ordering. It's no better than before. We won't be back. If I could give less than 1 star I would have. read more

I'm really confused why this is so lowly rated. I've been once before about a year ago and it was amazing then. My experience this time was even better. My friends and I shared the General Tso's Tofu, Shredded Potatoes, Dry Pot Pork Intestines, and Pan Fried Chicken. Everything was extremely high quality and very good. As with good Chinese cuisine everything paired very well with a nice bowl of plain white rice. Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by the sight of five Chinese families all enjoying the Qing Jiang special fish. It smelled and looked amazing in both styles available, and my friends do plan on getting it next time. The taste and quality of the food was very high compared to every Chinese spot I've been to on both the island and across the water in Mukilteo or Everett. To find something comparable in my experience you'd have to go down to Seattle and even then you'd probably be paying a fair bit more for it. I feel very strongly the people going here had much different expectations than I did about authentic Chinese food. Which is weird to me, because even the General Tso's we had was amazing! Not too sweet like other places, very crunchy, paired perfectly with rice. I think it's unfortunate that Chinese American spots feel the need to include a bunch of common choices that people feel are required of Chinese restaurants. These people shine the brightest when cooking the food that represents their culture the best. The bar here is also a popular local spot. Yeah, it's a little sketchy because the Whidbey crowd is a little sketchy but they're pretty friendly and Karaoke is a blast. This is a fantastic place to experience a little bit of Chinese culture through the cuisine, and a place to experience Whidbey culture through a bunch of drunk hooligans screaming Piano Man at 1 am. read more

I was delighted to find this place. You pull up and it's very unassuming. But when you walk in you realize it has the best views on the island. I sat on the deck overlooking the water and the mountains - gorgeous. Jennifer was my waitress and she was wonderful. She asked me if I liked real or fake Chinese food. I took the bait and ordered her recommendations and it was spicy and delicious. Can't wait to visit it again soon. read more

Went here for lunch with my boyfriend, we waited for someone to come to the front desk but no one was around so my boyfriend went to the bar to go find someone. He did and they told us to sit anywhere. We sat down and ordered drinks. They came relatively fast and when I went to take a sip I noticed a big bug in my drink Food was ok, rice tasted like cleaner though. Would the recommend read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Bug from my drink - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

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I had their sweet and sour pork for lunch. Lots of onion and peppers and pineapple and sauce, which was all good but the deep fried pork definitely seemed made a while ago and reheated. It was like leftovers. Disappointing for a fairly expensive lunch. Not half as good as the nearly 1/2 price Chinese lunch menu at Golden House on the speedway across the ferry. read more

This Chinese food is still terrible ever since the new owner bought the place. Safeway has better Chinese food takeout.

Best view! We had lunch there and loved the special fish dish! Did not plan to come back on the same day, but we did. Sunday night at 7pm, when everything else in the area was closed or ran out of food (we tried the pizza place just down the street), they took us in and feed a group of 8! The place was bustling still when we left around 8:30. Oh and they are now open Mondays! (the only day the close is Tuesday) read more

The most striking thing about Hong Kong Gardens is the space and view. It sits on a hill overlooking the Sound and the ferry terminal. It has a lot of seeting, big patio, expansive bar, table top games, and even a drum set and an area for a band. It seemed like a cool place to hang out. As far as the food itself, it was better than I had been expecting. While in the end, it is Americanized Chinese food, the food was pretty palatable. My friend and I enjoyed the house special combo fried rice. I especially liked the General Tsao chicken, which had large pieces of actual chicken, instead of big balls of largely batter which you get so often at other places. The Kung Pao chicken wasn't my favorite, but it was still edible and I could have made a meal out of it without complaining. Three entrees came to about $50 after tax, and provided about 3-4 meals worth of food. All in all, the space was fun and the food was better than I would have expected, especially for the area (which is not known for its food). I would come back for an evening meal/hangout session with a view. read more

The service was so bad we had to walk through the restaurant to find our server. She was tending to Bar. Next time I looked for her, she was cooking. To top it off it's the worst Chinese food I've ever had in my entire life. read more

its to bad that this place can't get its act together . we've been going here maybe twice a year , for 7ish years . Yesterday we were the only party in the dining room . sunday at 7 pm . The food wasn't good . The owners need to look at being on site if they want any kind of legit , food service operation. Maybe thats the name of the game tho . They don't care , and it's just a front for a bar and who knows what else . Great space tho . it could have huge potential. read more

Don't waste your time. The pictures showing on their website are not accurate at all. They don't even have a beer and wine license so scratch any "lounge" thoughts. I dropped in at 7:00 on a Friday night and was the ONLY person there. When I walked in, there were two young women sitting at a table apparently ordering something for the restaurant. I told them I would like to have a beer and order some food to go. One of them said to me that they would not even have their beer/wine/liquor license for at least two more weeks. To their benefit, I did not order anything so I cannot comment on the quality of the food. I can only guess. The location has some potential. High up on a bluff looking over Clinton, WA. read more

There's a lot of bad in the reviews here, but the restaurant is under new management. A few nights ago, my wife and I went for the first time since becoming Islanders late last year; what we ordered was nothing but good all around. We were there just before Covid restrictions eased to allow limited indoor dining, so were relegated to the tents. The food was still good. After our meal the owner stopped by with our check. We had a nice conversation, which makes me want to come back again soon. What did we order? Cumin beef (says spicy, but it's actually pretty mild), salt & pepper shrimp, and dry cooked green beans. We were warned we'd be taking leftovers home, and that turned out to be the case. The ample portions fed us for 2 meals. If you last visited Hong Kong Gardens in Clinton more than 6 months ago, it's time to give it another try. read more

The one star I give is because this place has a great view. Otherwise, I would give it zero stars. The tables are sticky. The floor needs to be swept and mopped, and the building needs to be repainted inside and out. It is almost seems as if this place should not be open to the public until it gets all these things fixed. It looks like it's permanently under construction. The food was mediocre. I was served water that was warm. not that it's a huge deal, but how many restaurants do you go to that serve you warm water? This is not somewhere I would bring my family. Luckily I was by myself for this dinner. read more

Their takeout system is easy and fast. You order on line and then pay when you pick up. They are serving a full menu. We had had an assortment of dishes and everything was hot and plentiful. They have a huge bottle of hand sanitizer at the check out. I was told 20 minutes to pick up, it was ready and packaged well in about 15 minutes. I will definitely be back. Something to breakup the home cooked meals. Overall solid experience. read more

First time here, arrived around 6pm on a Friday. Ordered the Szechuan popcorn chicken ($19) and the Mongolian beef combination ($19). Crab Rangoon ($8ish I think). I attached a picture of the chicken which was very, very salty. Large portion but not enjoyable due to the saltiness and texture of batter on chicken. Mongolian beef was nothing special, not much beef and the noodles mainly were heavy on the soy sauce. The egg roll was soggy, didn't finish it. We had one bite off the fried rice bc it tasted like leftover microwaved rice. Very bland and no veggies in fried rice - just egg. I mean, fried rice is a very basic dish, should be easy to nail that but somehow it was bad. Mr.Pibb was great, especially with the very salty chicken. One shot of Hennessy ($10) to wash it all down. Food came out quickly, server was nice. read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Szechuan Popcorn Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

First came in with no service at all. My partner had to go find the waiter which they told us to sit wherever. As other reviews stated, there were plenty of flies all around us; including the tables the windows and flying around. I was reading the reviews as we ordered and remained optimistic yet a bit scared. Chose to do take out because I saw someone say that there was a sketchy character. Took the food elsewhere to eat and it was just bad. We got the kung pao chicken and the shredded potatoes, both being bland. No flavor at all. Would never recommend to anyone. I should've known there was something up with this place when it was empty and we were the only people there at 12:30pm. Please don't come. read more

Used to be excellent, the last three times it wasn't good. We have our favorites but since it changed hands or maybe different cook and recipes. I went for 30 years but no more for us read more

The food is bland. The flies are plentiful. We had been there before and it was better. Today it was unpleasant.

Before I discover this Hong Kong gardens, I always see them at the top of the hill when I'm driving off the ferry in south side of island. It's definitely a must try! First of all, the staffs are really kind. I experience dining in twice now and every time they are very welcoming and making u feel like you're at home. The portion is really good and the taste of foods is very authentic and delicious. It's better than eating at China city for sure. The prices is decent too. This time, most recently, I decide to do Togo order for a special occasion bc it's the 13th! Hehe sooo I preorder one of their specialty which is a giant I believe halibut fish which is serve in a big container fill with vegetables, fish cake, spices, and what I used to calling it, sabow! This fish is only available to order on certain day I think it's weekend only, they have a special cook come and cook it! Honesty im allergic to seafoods but I risk it all this time! The fish is delicious and it's the perfect spice that I accidentally got it in my nose and I started crying but it was such a delightful experience that it's worth triggering my allergies! I really love to eat the head part of the fish! I like to pick the fry eyeball and chew on it until I can swallow:) On the side we order some almond chicken, fry wye, and chow mane! Oh and there's eggplant too! Lord the eggplant is so thick and juicy, with flavors that is busting in my mouth! I just love to keep chewing on it too so the juices is going all over the insides of my mouth! All the foods are perfectly cook and such a great amount they give! It's a perfect meal for a celebration lunch that I recommend to everyone! I'm not sure many people know about this restaurant bc the location literally on the top of a hill and it's a quick turn to get up there from the road, but definitely if you on this side of island you must try it! It's bu-bu-bussin' A- so fat, it's bu-bu-bussin' Bag so full, it's bu-bu-bussin' Drivin' foreigns, b- bussin' QUEEN Graci Yas Hong Kong garden for the bussin food and always wonderful experience! 谢谢你 :D - Mike H. read more

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As I had just moved to Whidbey from Seattle, I wanted to try out the local restaurants. I found Hong Kong Gardens from a search of Chinese food places, so I decided to try it out one night. BTW, the entrance to this restaurant is from Hwy 525, and it's kind of hidden. Don't go to the Dairy Queen and expect to see a way to get up there. I decided to order the #2 from the menu, which I believe had hand-shaved noodles. I was excited about this, as I love hand-shaved noodles. I ordered to-go, waited in the lobby for the dish to be created, and then drove home a short distance to enjoy. There were no hand-shaved noodles in my pork chow mein. There were only standard egg noodles, which my server had mentioned that "they get them from Costco". Nothing hand-made here. It gets worse. The hot-and-sour soup, was watery! I had never seen that before. I tried some, and tasted just as bad as it looked. Next up, almond chicken. The breading was super soggy, the almond sauce seemed like it came out of a jar (it probably did) and the chicken chunks within the breading were not that great. Next up, sweet and sour pork. The sauce was way too sweet, and I felt like I was getting ill eating the pork. Score: 0. Nothing redeeming about this meal, I'll never come here again, and will do my damndest to steer people away from going here. read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Clockwise from left: pork chow mein with hand-shaved noodles (LIES!), almond chicken, sweet and sour pork. - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

I do want to start by saying the service was great. We were acknowledged when we came in and were taken care of! However, during lunch hours there were not many people there and the food was sub-par. We were not super fans of the fried rice as it had a unique taste and needed flavor (eggs, veggies, etc.). The entrees of curry chicken and broccoli and beef needed more flavor, but the sweet and sour chicken was good! Overall the place was meh. read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Sweet and sour chicken - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

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We stopped here on a whim, after seeing it from coming off the ferry. Glad we did! Great food & amazing service. The crispy pancake was so, so good. Cheap drinks, amazing view & a couple patios. Can't beat it. Great spot. read more

The reviews of this place nearly scared me away but I am glad I decided to check it out. There is not a lot of food choices in this area of town and I was starving when I realized I would be waiting forever for the ferry home. Thankfully yelp search led me to this place. I never would have found it from my vantage point below the hill. The drive is up a windy road right off the main road. My boyfriend believes that this may be dangerous for people who are indulging in strong Chinese restaurant cocktails. The most spectacular thing about this location is that it is perched on a hill above the ferry. You can see out across the water and gaze at the Cascades while dining. Its almost kind of romantic. You can see the ferry go back and forth below. You can also see down and gauge how the ferry line is shaping up and decide if its a good time to move down towards the line. There is a bar on site as well that appears to have an outdoor patio. This seemed to be the more hopping part of the establishment and I was a little saddened to not have more time to check it out. My food was decent. I was happy to find some vegetarian options. I had the bean curd with veggies and a side of edamame. My boyfriend enjoyed most of his combo plate. He also expressed that the fortune cookies were better than normal. Water was refilled regularly and service was great. We did spend most of our visit listening to the table a few over from us, so this may not be great if you are looking for privacy and a quiet dining experience. read more

Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Clinton, Washington

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I absolutely love this place. Everything I have tried is great and the owner and staff are wonderful. The view is amazing. Definitely one of my favorite places on the island. It's quirky for sure, but I dig it. read more

Magical! We went, expecting to just eat in our car, but were invited to their OUTDOOR dining with heaters and magical lights and drinks!!! And we had the most amazing chat with the owner...who stole my heart with all the efforts she and others had made to survive Covid restrictions. Not often you find a place with such heart... Come one, come all!!!! Have a drink and a smile with your food!!! read more

I honestly would rate zero stars if Yelp would let me. I have worked in the food service industry for 9 years and I have never once experienced worse service and Chinese food. Every person in my party was served cold food, only one person received the drink they ordered but not before we had to ask over 10 times. It took 30 minutes just to get water. When we had finished, very little food was actually eaten and nothing was offered to be taken care of after we clearly didn't eat. I understand being busy, but for having 3 people on the bar side and my party being the only one in the restaurant this was extremely disappointing. I'll be stopping at Dick's on the way home. ‍ read more

Overall, it is a nice secret local chinese restaurant with a open atmosphere and plenty of dine options for bar, banquet room, indoor/outdoor dining options. read more

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flies everywhere, doesn't taste authentic at all. wouldn't give refund even after calling them that me and my partner got food poisoning.