I'm a little confused. After driving by Imperial Garden, and time after time seeing a packed parking lot, I finally tried the place. It's basically the typical Americanized, overpriced sit-down Chinese restaurant. Why so many cars and why so many people eating there? I'm not sure. The BBQ pork in our appetizer was almost cold and chewy. (Was it supposed to be jerky?) Other items on the appetizer platter were okay, but lacked seasoning. Our entrees weren't much better. The sweet-and-sour sauce was more like sweet-and-strange sauce. The very odd thing about the sauce was that it was too sweet. (And I'm someone with a sweet tooth and then some!) The sauce seemed sort of like a red version of corn syrup. Just very weird. The sweet-and-sour chicken entree came with the usual -- chicken, peppers, onions, pineapples -- and maraschino cherries. I only want to see and see those with a milkshake. As part of a dinner entree? No, no. I am still scratching my head as to why this place has a full parking lot and why it has won some of the "Best of Madison" awards. PS: Our server was nice! read more

Hands down the best Chinese food in Madison. The chicken chow mein has been a favorite since I was a child. Try the egg rolls and the jasmine or chrysanthemum tea. You really can never go wrong here! The decor is beautiful, and makes you almost feel like you could be in a restaurant in China. read more

Love this restaurant (and attached grocery store)! The shrimp ragoon are amazing, also really enjoy the sweet and sour shrimp and the lettuce wraps with tofu (available as appetizer or entree). read more

Our families favorite place to eat for Chinese in Madison!!! Delicious food, homemade egg rolls that are to die for, friendly staff, and great prices!!! Love going here every time we are in town!!!! read more

Been eating here since toms red pepper closed, I didn't know what I was missing. My favorite is the governors chicken and the beef fried rice. Food is always consistent and when I dine-in the service is impeccable. If you like Chinese cuisine you owe it to yourself to try this food. read more

This place has an aggregate 3 stars only because it has so many reviews. This is definitely a 4 star place. Im 61 and I have been to China twice and I have been to Chinese restaurants in most large cities in the US. It just doesn't get much better. We don't see many Asians there because they don't exist in Madison but I can tell they are in the kitchen. This place is a total classic American Chinese restaurant. Everything is delicious and there are always leftovers. The building is beautiful. Imperial Garden deserves support. read more

We only ever go for their lunch special - so that's what this review is, I haven't yet gone here for dinner. The dishes are a little hit/miss for authenticity. The Imperial Chicken is really good (not breaded like someone else said, but it's great), the sweet and sour chicken is definitely a "miss," the mu shoo pork is great, although a tad greasy, the fried spring rolls are fantastic, the egg rolls are okay. The service is FANTASTIC and the price is unbeatable for what you get. We never walk away from lunch hungry. I suggest getting there a little early for lunch (they open at 11am) because it can get a little crowded. Also, I love their spicy mustard - you have to try it!!! read more

This place is wonderful. One, Almost anything on the menu can be made gluten free. Two, They have about 7 different types of loose teas to choose from. Three, The food is GREAT! My favorite dishes are the Three Delicacies Sizzling Rice Soup and the Tofu Lettuce Wraps. I am not lying when I say that I have NEVER had a dish I didn't like here. The food is never greasy, never oversauced and never overcooked. The seafood and veggies always have a really fresh taste... I seriously have no complaints at all. I miss you. read more

I wasn't expecting much, I have to admit. But every single item we ordered was really good. Better than I expected. Our service was good - the place was busy on a Saturday night - so maybe we didn't get as much attention as we would have liked (drink refills, etc). But I have to say the food was worth it, and the 'imperial garden' ambience of classic American based Chinese food made this much more of a grand experience than the hole in the wall places I'm used to in bigger cities! read more

Food: It's overall pretty good and probably one of the more reliable options for semi-authentic Chinese food in the Madison area. To this Asian, there is definitely some catering to Western palates. Definitely a step down if you're used to eating at, say, Chicago's Chinatown (both old and new sections), and there's no extra menu in Chinese with the more eclectic stuff. Fresh seafood options very limited. Service: Average. Food comes in a reasonable time, though refiling the water sometimes is spotty. Value: Reasonable overall. Prices fit the portions. Most entrees $9-15 range. Overall: Good for when you crave Chinese, but I'd still head to Chicago for the more authentic stuff. read more

The imperial chicken was gut curdling and straight up soggy and undercooked. Imperial gardens more like unimposing gardens

Very good authentic Chinese food! Beautiful restaurant decor. Feels like you're in China! Hefty portions. Very good grilled dumplings, shrimp lo mein, and ginger soy sauce. White rice is better than the brown. Also, the shrimp rangoon filling is a little tasteless. Could use some salt. Friendly staff. The only drawback is that the meals are a tad pricey. But considering the portions, they aren't bad! Fast service, too. Overall, a good restaurant! (I would give it 3.5 stars) read more

Imperial Garden - Chinese Near Me - Middleton, Wisconsin

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I wanted to have peeking duck. I had heard of it for many years but have never eaten yet. I chose this Imperial Garden to try it. It required a one day notice in advance to order it. I am very satisfied with its flavor. I had the three-course version which included duck being served in three different ways. It was very tasty.The service and atmosphere was very nice. It was relaxing and enjoyable. read more

Food was bland with very little taste. Even added soy sauce and it didn't help much.

The first time I was here I had tofu stir-fried with vegetables, and it was passable. On today's second visit I had minced tofu with vegetables and mandarin pancakes. The pancakes were just right, but the filling was as bland as paste. I sprinkled on some soy sauce to give the dish at least sone flavor--which I don't do, nor should I if the cook had done his job--and it didn't sit well on my stomach. I burped lunch all afternoon. My companion had a similar reaction. I will not come here again. read more

Other reviewers have noted problems with the service, and indeed the service is some of the worst I've ever had. We went with a large group, and had reserved a private room. You might think this would make for more attentive service, but the opposite was true. Once the doors to the room were closed the waitstaff seemed to forget about us. Long delays in service meant that we had to get up and find waitstaff (can't just flag them in a private room) to ask that plates be cleared, and so forth. Poor service should deter prospective diners, but if you do decide to eat here know that this is not Chinese food but American Chinese food, characterized by fried meats and sweet sauces. As American Chinese food, the execution is decent -- however, real Chinese food is much tastier. read more

This used to have really well seasoned dishes with a variety of delicate flavors. But the last few years has led to uneven dishes, and sauces that have no subtlety or are just plain greasy with little flavor. They've also stopped paying attention to special requests. In my last two orders from IG about a month apart, I asked them to omit a vegetable ingredient from a dish. Both times they forgot. The first time they argued with me about it, and the second time they admitted their error and refunded the price of the dishes on our credit card. But I ended up having to heat up a microwave meal out of the freezer both times!! So now I'm done with IG and have to find another Chinese restaurant that cares about the taste of their food and the ingredients. read more

So disappointing. I used to go to the garden frequently, haven't been in a while, and was excited to go back. Service was great but below average food. Everything had very heavy breading and was deep fried too long. Won-tons were so over cooked they crumbled when you took a bite. Governors shrimp had breading as thick as the shrimp. Rice was "sticky". Got the whole bowl when you tried to get a serving. So sad it has come to this. Lifetime favorite gone bad - I won't go back. read more

Imperial Garden is a Madison treasure. It is one of my favorite places to go celebrate or maybe have a date night with my honey. My favorite dish is the crispy duck, We also often order their appetizers which are both yummy and more than we can ever finish. I have never had bad service and we have been there many many times. It is beautiful inside and a very relaxing place to share a meal. I always have enough for another meal the next day! read more

By far the best Moo Shoo spork I've EVER had. Hot and sour soup is also tops. Egg rolls are huge. Lunch specials are priced well and include soup or egg roll. By far my favorite Chinese restaurant! read more

I went to this place yesterday. I had reserved 3 course Peking duck. My family is 3 people. The duck dishes were really good. Not over spiced and greesy. Apparently menu says it is for 2 people, but we boxed almost half of the third course duck dish. The service was fantastic. I think by far this is the best chinese restaurant overall. read more

This is the best place for chinese in the state of wisconsin. The menu is as wide as possible and very very authentic. Management ranks a big 10!!!! read more

Took four kids tonight and we were all underwhelmed. The chicken egg drop soup was oddly sweet. We got a barbecue pork dish and some beef dish that both had a bland gravy. A huge platter of pot stickers that got everyone excited but ended up being ... bland. Even the dipping sauce just tasted like soy sauce. The calamari was not tough. I'll give them that. If this is the best Chinese food around... I'm sorry. read more

What a crushing experience. My son was in town and when he is here we like to visit and spoil ourselves to a splurge of a dinner outing. This particular night was at the end of summer and there was an amazing thunderstorm about to occur. SO on this stormy night we decided on Chinese and I had recommended we drive to Middleton for what I had heard to be the best around. Ok..so after a short 15 min drive we had a great parking spot... ran inside and were greeted with a warming beautiful atmosphere.. very welcoming large foyer, nice bar area which u walk thru to get to your dining area. After the immediate seating, WE were greeted by a pleasant asian woman and ordered drinks. which turned out to be just right. Appetizers were mediocre...nothing to remember...we had the app for two...calamari was HORRIBLE btw I could go into so much detail but who is gonna read all that....the following is my reason for writing... My forewarning is NOT TO TRUST in ordering the Lobster dish. I wanted a decadent treat for myself and decided on the (market price) 45$ Lobster dinner entree which came with two choices of preparation. Ginger sauce or garlic butter i ordered the garlic but the server said no the other was best. More importantly i asked her how large the lobster was and if it was sold by pound cause it was listed as Market Price. She said she would inquire before i ordered and returned to our table and said it was 2.5 pds or larger. So that made me excited and i did not hesitate in my ordering. I thought 45 dollars was a great price for a generous 2.5 pd lobster entree. What arrived on my plate was a cut up overly sauced jigsawed puzzled lobster animation on a platter which was in no way a 2.5 pound creature to begin with. It was dismantled then pieced together to look like a lobster shape. The meat was still in shell. (and I mean IN SHELL). There was hardly any meat to be had. The tail which should have been the meatiest portion was cut in one inch pieces with shell INTACT and had yielded maybe 2 morsel of meat total. I was shocked as i struggled to manipulate any source of goodness from the pieces of crustacean.There was literally no lobster and what was there was swimming in overpowering sticky sauce. All in all an EXTREME disappointment. Not what I was expecting in the LEAST!! As the storm gained intensity outdoors, my high hopes and any thoughts of returning to this eatery were un-intensified. I will NEVER return. I cannot tolerate being misled by a server We ended up tipping and not making a fuss...just another lesson learned. The storm raged on , I did get to spend time with my son and hopefully educate you.. Not a total loss I guess.Just stay away from places like this that lie for profit and have followings that end up being ill fated. read more

Imperial Garden has been getting progressively worse over the last few years. The waitstaff has always been attentive and professional, and the wait time for food is reasonably short. The restaurant itself and the bathrooms are clean and spacious. The ambiance is relaxed and pleasant, and noise levels are comfortably low. But none of these things can save the mediocre-to-bad food. That is, if you get your food at all. On more than one occasion, they have forgotten to include entire entrees or side dishes when I've picked up take-out. I now double-check all of my orders before leaving. The egg rolls taste like they came out of a box in the freezer. They are greasy and heavy, with very little flavor until you douse them in sweet-and-sour sauce that's so sweet it might as well be syrup. The same problems plague the entirely unremarkable crab rangoon. I've had the hot and sour soup, and disliked the taste quite a bit. Not spicy enough, and far too sour. I usually order the ginger beef stir-fry. There's hardly any ginger flavor, and the sauce is thick and also fairly sweet. If they halved the amount of sugar in everything, it would be a good start. I've had more success with the sizzling black pepper beef, which has a punch of black pepper and a good balance of meat and vegetables. On a recent trip, a friend got the beef lo mein. It had a nice quantity of beef, but an anemic quantity of vegetables. It was also very greasy and watery, and tasted extremely bland. The only reason I go here as often as I do is that my grandmother (the poster child for stereotypical Wisconsin taste buds, bless her heart) loves the three delicacies sizzling rice. I did discover one saving grace: if you dump sriracha on the food, it blends very well with the food and elevates all of the flavors. Too bad they don't have any of it at the restaurant, it could save many a dish. Bottom line: there's much better, more authentic, more balanced, and less heavy Chinese food available in Madison at comparable prices. If you're looking for good Chinese in town, check out Hong Kong Cafe on Regent or Orient House on South Park instead. read more

Absolutely THE worst! This place won "Best of Madison" for Chinese food for how many years??? The judge must have been completely stoned out of his mind! Customer service: Very poor. The server never checked back until I went looking for her, wondering where our order was 50 minutes after ordering. Food finally arrived for our group of four--STONE COLD! Plates themselves were hot but practically frostbite on the food. Couldn't eat it. Manager came by, apologized and took 50% off the bill (!!!). Should have been 100% comped. I'm one of those folks who normally overlooks a lot and actually hates to complain, but this culinary travesty really needed to be reported. If this place previously had great food and service, then as of 2014 they've completely lost their "mojo". read more

Just fair, but you learn to appreciate decent chinese food for its rarity (I know, a strange concept for those of us living in the Bay Area). read more

The only nice thing about this place is the ambiance. Unfortunately the quality of the food is quite low. The rice, for instance, was the worst I have ever eaten. I don't recommend this restaurant to anyone. There are much better Chinese restaurants in Madison and they are cheaper! read more

My best suggestion is that if you are looking for good Chinese food, this isn't the place to go. The tip off should have been when arriving just before 7pm on a Saturday night, the throngs of blue hairs leaving from their dinner. Waited 20 minutes for a seat (not the worse by any means), but then was promptly seated in the bar for dinner by a cold drafty window where everyone else waiting for their tables congregated. Essentially not very nice ambiance nor were the hosts very accommodating to the request of a place elsewhere. The meal was very disappointing to say the least. Appetizers took 45 minutes to reach the table and when they did they were cold. The wait staff were completely absent outside of delivering the food. Mind you the initial waitstaff disappeared after the appetizers were served, then followed by 3 others who too were nowhere to be found when needed. The main courses were completely bland and calling it Chinese was a very loose interpretation. What was supposed to be a sizzling dish, sizzled for approximately one minute and then lost heat very quickly. In a nutshell, if you have every eaten Chinese food outside of Wisconsin and in a large metropolitan area such as Chicago, New York, etc., this is not the place to go. The restaurant appears to cater to those who most likely have never traveled 20 miles outside the town they grew up in and find cheese curds the ultimate appetizer. read more

Early dinner, started well with great appetizer (and great service), but slid down from there. Crispy duck was way too crispy, super dry and not at all enjoyable. Waitress said it would just fall off the bone - it was just the opposite. Difficult to bone and impossible to enjoy. Topper was that we asked to take the leftovers home and the generous portion of soup left became a noticeably smaller one when opened at home. What's that about?? They have a very impressive display of restaurant awards in their entrance, but this is one restaurant goer that won't be passing by those any time soon to see if they are the real things. It looks like this restaurant is coasting on its laurels, but you can't make a decent meal out of laurels!! read more

I stop in here a few times of year, they are always busy, and they have been named 'Best in Madison' many years in a row. I don't think I have ever had a bad experience here, although my visit on April 1 was borderline. The food arrived timely, and for six different lunch menu items, I was impressed. The ginger beef was fragrant, just enough punch, and portion size was reasonable. The only complaint I have was getting our beverages refilled. They have such tiny water glasses and after about the fourth trip to the table, they finally dropped off a pitcher of water. Not until they brought the check did they offer to refill any sodas. I thought it was tacky to ask at this point since the glasses had been empty for at least half an hour. Overall, prompt service (if you know me, I really hate to wait), good portion size, tasty food... I'll be back read more

Food was disappointing. I am a huge Chinese food lover , and being my first time here, I was extremely dissatisfied. After reading about all the good awards this restaurant had gotten, I had high hopes. The flavors were bland, no authentic taste. The items on the menu were limited. Am underwhelming experience overall. read more

I really like their cashew chicken and grilled pot stickers! The ambiance is nice and the staff was attentive. Prices, portions, and quality were good. Overall it was a fine experience. Nothing exceptional, nothing bad. read more

The governor's chicken is literally my favorite food. Perfect flavor and spice--my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Service is hit or miss, but mostly hit. I love the ambiance, oh, and the steamed pots stickers! read more

Well, I fell for it, just like a Chinese finger trap. When I saw the menu's written description of the striped bass served in a broth with minced vegetables, my imagination took me to a version of the dish that is likely available on either coast. But this is Madison, so I should have known that $20 will only buy you a version of the dish that is just under the size of two decks of cards set lengthwise. The described vegetables (maybe two tablespoons worth) were more of an accessory, which were served on top of the fish, rather than an actual "side". The fish itself was flavorful, but after only 3 or 4 bites total, my memory may be a little sketchy. The shared egg drop soup had a watery and bland taste, which even the most remedial takeout place could have surpassed. read more

The food usually is pretty good but if you get take out, you better watch out! I used to be a nearly weekly take out customer, but over the last several months, probably 1/3 of my orders have been incorrect when ordering more the two things. Mostly it's missing pieces of the order, often a full entree is forgotten but of course these items are NEVER forgotten from your bill. Calling back to say the order you received is incorrect is usually not met with the apologetic, 'how can we fix this' attitude however. The staff have seemed somewhat annoyed with a simple request to refund the order left out or huffy about making the missing item for to pick up -- again. I always double check my take out orders now before leaving, and the staff seems annoyed I'm taking up counter space to dig through the often already leaking big. I received no 'thank you' on a recent pick up, despite my repeated verbal gratitude, but our most recent, and likely final, take out order was an extra large mess up. I generally order the same entree for myself (chicken fried rice, extra spicy) and used to order this nearly weekly. As I was eating my order, I though things seemed a little off, then realized instead of chicken, I was given shrimp. I'm allergic to seafood! When we called to complain, we actually had to ask for a refund. The manager was apologetic, and I understand that sometimes mistakes happen, but imperial gardens mistakes are to frequent to allow for enjoyable and confident take out. read more

Imperial Garden used to be an excellent restaurant, but it has really gone downhill over the last couple years. The food is extra salty to cover up the fact that it is bland, and about half the shrimp in my entree still had the vein in them that I had to pick out. And finally.....I found a hair that did not belong to me at the bottom of my dinner. So damn gross. Won't be ordering from here ever again. read more

Hands down, best Chinese restaurant in Madison! My husband and I have been coming here for 34 years and the quality and flavor has been on point every time we've dined here. The Governor's Chicken is to die for and the recipe has remained the same for 34 years. I love that you can count on getting your favorite dish every time and it will taste the exact same. The portions are huge and have not decreased over time. We've found that many of our other fav restaurants are raising prices, decreasing amounts and changing the recipes over time. This is our old standby which we can count on every time we dine here. Other excellent dishes to try are the lettuce wraps and moo shu pork and the egg rolls are perfectly crispy every time. The other thing I love about this restaurant is every dish is unique and taste differently from the other dishes. We joke about going to other Chinese restaurants where you can order 5 different dishes and they all taste the same. Try this place out, you'll be hooked. read more

Having always driven by this place and seeing how during some evenings the parking lot is full, my daughter and I decided to celebrate her birthday here. As we were walking in, I jokingly told my daughter, "Watch they put us way back in some corner, away from everyone else." Lo and behold, we were! I'm not sure if it was coincidence or the way we looked (dressed pretty casual..maybe it was "us"). We waited about 10 minutes for our waiter and water to come. Then another 5 to order. We were pressed for time, having another appointment to go to. I thought budgeting a time of 1 hr would be enough, but not at that pace! Our food, a dish of chow fun subgum and shrimp fried rice, took about 15 minutes to be served. The chow fun noodles looked like they had been sitting out for a while and were starting to congeal. There were little strips of carrots in the dish, something I've never had with this dish before. I was expecting something like stir-fried chinese broccoli. Skimping on veggies aren't we?! The shrimp fried rice was the better tasting dish. Plenty of shrimp and so-so flavor. Both dishes came to a total around $22. I kept on saying to my daughter, "You know, this other restaurant (which is only carryout) is so much better than this." I think I repeated it three times to her throughout our meal. By the time we were done, I quickly told the waiter we simply had to go somewhere else and needed the check asap and boxes for our food. He was prompt and delivered. I asked my daughter how many stars she would give. She said 3 1/2 because the restaurant was decorated nicely and the furniture was comfy. I still say 2 stars for food though cuz there's this one place (which is carryout only) that is so much better. read more

Imperial Garden is okay if you like "Americanized" Chinese food. If you want real real thing go to Ichiban on Park St. Most of Ichiban's customers are Chinese which should say something about the food. I've eaten there many times and have never been disappointed. read more