We were looking for an old style Chinese eat in restaurant and this seemed to be the place. It lacked in a few ways. If we wanted noodles and duck sauce on the table it was a charge of 3.25. Where I'm from that is usually free. When we ordered it anyway they were out. Who runs out of the crunchy noodles??? The soups were a nice size and had good flavor. The fried dumplings were a bit lackluster. The lo mein was really tasty. While the pepper steak was good the onions were cooked all the way and they had that strong oniony sharp taste that stays with you. The should use a sweeter onion. It was good but not the best I've had but I would go back. Service was excellent. read more

Nice family style restaurant and plenty of seating and tables big enough to fit 8 people! I've been here a couple of times with friends and the food is generally ok and leans more towards American and Korean style Chinese food. I think some dishes were too saucy (especially the veggies dishes) and salty My favorites are the three cup chicken (crispy!), Zhajiangmian (not pictured and more Korean style), the appreciating fish, a different spicy fish dish I forgot the name to. read more

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What an amazing find! My husband and I had been running errands around Champaign and were getting hungry for dinner. We drove past this place and that, and eventually decided "Rainbow Garden" sounded worth doubling back for. And oh my goodness! First off: the service was PHENOMENAL! We were never rushed but never felt unattended. Our drinks were repeatedly refilled before they were empty. Our food came so much faster than we anticipated! Even paying was quick and easy. Second: the food was honestly some of the best we've ever had. the Pekin duck was nearly perfect (the skin could have been crispier) and the beef fried rice was possibly the best fried rice we've ever had. So flavorful, so full of meat, and the meat was tender and tasty! Third: the whole restaurant was very clean. The bathroom was a little dark, and there's an obstacle in the hallway that makes it not wheelchair accessible, but overall an excellent job. We will be back! read more

Love this restaurant. Been going to it for many years. General's Chicken and Hot & Sour Soup are my favorites.

The food was excellent. Delivery was very quick and the order was correct. The delivery man was very nice and actually thanked me for his tip. read more

Overall, it was ok. The egg drop soup and orange chicken were good. However, I wasn't a big fan of the homemade crispy noodles or their cashew chicken. There were too many vegetables, and the chicken didn't taste the best. Server was nice though, and the restaurant itself is decorated authentically. read more

Rainbow Garden Champaign - Egg Drop Soup - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

We have been very pleased with the way they prepare their dishes for many years. However yesterday we ordered our favorite dishes (pot stickers, moo-shoo-pork, Mongolian beef and eggplant with garlic sauce) and they were simply awful, particularly the eggplant. Clearly something has changed for the worse. We will not order from them again. Eduardo F. read more

We came here after my niece's graduation. There was a lot of seating available which was good since we had a party of 12. The waitress took our order fast. My sister ordered a ton of dishes. Everything was tasty. I was so full. My favorite was the salt and pepper shrimp, the sole filet with bokchoy. They charge tea per person instead of just giving tea for the table. Prices weren't bad read more

Rainbow Garden Champaign - Various dishes - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Food was tasty but WAY TOO MUCH SAUCE on ALL THREE FOOD ITEMS. Orange Chicken/Moo Shu Chicken /Green Beans. ALL were DROWNING! The service was EXCELLENT! Floor between booths was sticky like it needed a good cleaning! ALL Shoes made a sound like they were sticking! read more

General's Chicken, Hot & Sour soup, pan friend dumplings were made to order, delivered in a quick timely manner. Gentleman was more than polite. Portion size generous, well priced. Pleasantly surprised with the entire process. Will order again the next time we are in town. read more

The food was delicious, delivery was timely and food was hot when it arrived. And the gentleman that delivered my food was friendly.

Had lunch here recently with my Japanese friend who really wanted to have some authentic Chinese food. We head to this restaurant after workout as it is close to ARC in UIUC. The restaurant is decorated by many classical Chinese symbolics which was good for experiencing Chinese culture. We ordered rainbow vegetables, spare pork rib, Szechuan shrimp lunch combo , stir-fried pork with eggs and black mushroom (actually it is black fungus) , and pork dumplings. I think the pork rib was the best in terms of authenticity, and the meat was tender. My friend enjoyed the stir-fried pork most, but I wish it could contain more pork, rather than egg, and the pork should be slices instead of strips, at least from what is written on the menu. Anyway, the dish tasted good. The service should be improved. They not only forgot to bring us dining wares like plates and bowls at first, and later they forgot to give us the spring roll contained in the lunch combo. And the stuff seemed to be impatient. May or may not come back lol read more

Excellent service and food! Our waitress Tammy was wonderful. We ordered the lunch portion of the orange chicken with steamed rice and the Szechuan Pork Wonton appetizer. Everything had great taste and the place had good ambiance. read more

Rainbow Garden Champaign - LC3. Orange Chicken Lunch - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

So I went to lunch solo after my dentist appointment and I stop here at rainbow garden to have a bite to eat. The host acted as if dining by myself was surprising should have been my first red flag but i stayed. He then proceeded to seat me in the very back of the restaurant and gave me a nickname of buddy (second red flag) anywho my server was horrible she totally disregarded my presence at first. I asked for sweet tea she said the didn't have any , I opted for hot tea and she took forever to bring it out. So after about another 20 minutes she come and ask was I ready to order ? I said I would like some egg foo young but it wasn't on the menu I had before, she said it on the dinner menu and I said I'll have that and before I could order my crab Rangoon she had walked off and I had to some what raise my voice to get her attention to even add those to my ticket. My crab Rangoon came out very greasy. They had refried my order. When she asked if everything was ok I said my crab Rangoon are greasy. The server with the permanent eye lining met proceeded to go back and forth with me about how the they are.. ma'am I'm a cook as well and no crab Rangoon is not supposed to have grease running out of them and a back and forth ensued and then she took them back. She brings out my main course and it's a huge portion of egg foo young looks delicious I must say . I began to eat and realize I had to use the ladies room. When I get back she had placed my ticket on the table and commits to tell that she about to take her break and she needs me to pay now but no hurry!!! I asked asked several times for sugar for my tea and was ignored don't let me forget that either. She was very fake and phony with me but the other gentleman that she was serving she was super observant and just delightful but me oh no I was black woman who she already had preconceived notions about. This place will never see me or my wallet again and oh I was so infuriated that I forgot my wallet on the table and the host who calls me buddy ran out behind me to give it back .. thanks cuz that's about the only thing they did right read more

The food here is consistently well made, frrsh and their service is very good. The take out is ready very quickly

I always leave here with plenty of great food for another meal. It's always fast, fresh and tasty. Service is fast and usually professional. This week the waiter chimed in on the conversation I was having with my lunch guest, which didn't thrill me at all. Clean, nice seating. Lots of booths, and tables for larger parties. read more

We came in as a table of 5 and had no issues, however a table with two of the most unruly children I have ever seen. Just caused a server to quit due to the parents and their lack of disciplining their kids. We watched as he tried to serve their food as a kid tried to grab plates out of servers hands. And arms all over the place while serving. He must have gotten annoyed in the midst of attempting to put the food down. The mother just started yelling at him after doing nothing to stop her children as he is trying to place their food. He should not have had to put up with that. If you take your kids to a restaurant you need to make sure they behave, not just sitting on your phone letting them do whatever. read more

The food was amazing! We ordered Szechuan won tons, the beef in black pepper sauce and a chicken dish. It was so delicious! The service was great-very attentive. The restaurant was very clean and had a nice ambiance. We'll definitely be back! read more

This pleasant family run place has a large menu of classics plus a small "insiders only" Korean menu (not in English). The service was very friendly, the Chicken and Spicy Eggplant was delicious, if a bit light on chicken. Moo-Shu Pork was a classic presentation. Eggrolls (Veg. and Spring) were disappointingly small and bland. Seafood Hot and Sour soup (for 2 only) was as good as expected, but a bit mild. read more

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The chicken curry was awesome! I will get getting that again. Crab Rangoon were great! Chicken with pan fried noodles were pretty good. Pork and snow peas were good but not many snow peas. The scallion pancakes were not good. They were soggy and thick / floppy. Also they have Chinese 5 spice which I personally just don't like. I will be back for the curry and I look forward to other great dishes to try! Order was hot and ready for pick up Ordering was easy People were nice. read more

Rainbow Garden Champaign is my go-to spot for Korean-Chinese food. They have a small section at the back of the menu for various Korean-Chinese food and I've had the chance to try most of their dishes from that section. This location has a room in the back of the restaurant, which is designated for large groups. I've been here for a birthday party consisting of 10 people before, and I've also been here for a table of two. Both experiences have been great and I'd say that kind of room in the back is rare to find in Champaign-Urbana. I don't know what it is... but I prefer this location much more than the one in Urbana. I've been to both and I live much closer to the one in Urbana, but I always gravitate toward the Champaign location. The food quality is much better and overall taste wins as well. read more

Fantastic authentic menu with delicious flavors. I recommend any dish with green beans.

A live juvenile german cockroach came out of the utensils in a to-go order. Nope. Nope Nope nope. This was in December 2023.

Very clean, elegant place with excellent service and some of the best food you will ever taste! 100% recommend

Sad to see that so many people had a negative experience at Rainbow Garden because I liked this place! My boyfriend and I came for dinner on a weekday and the place was basically empty (maybe that's why we had a more positive experience?). We ended up ordering the Seafood Noodle Soup and the Pork with Garlic Sauce. We order the same pork dish at every Chinese restaurant to taste and compare. Rainbow Garden's was pretty good! The flavor was there and the portions were reasonable. Not the best in town but not the worst. The star of our dinner was the noodle soup. My boyfriend liked it so much he drank all the broth! All in all, I liked Rainbow Garden! If you have a car, it's worth the trip off campus to enjoy a peaceful and tasty Chinese meal! read more

Rainbow Garden Champaign - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

if you have your Wife pickup the food after an hour the food will be cold. so be sure to tell staff to hold the order until they arrive. read more

Loved the Korean style Chinese dishes here! Black bean noodle tasted good and sweet and sour pork was nice and crispy! read more

Rainbow Garden Champaign - Sweet and sour pork - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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This place is amazing!! Incredible food. Awesome staff. Highly recommend!! Did I mention the food is really good??

The white sauce is gluten-free, and there are plenty of vegan/vegetarian options. That being said, the food here is just alright. My husband and I came here on our wedding anniversary, mostly because Golden Harbor up the street was closed. Our server was very nice and helpful, and the decor was clean and well done, so our dining experience was pleasant. It was the actual food that just wasn't so great. 1. Buddha's Delight: the brown sauce didn't taste brown. It looked brown, but it was flavorless. I ended up soaking the entire dish in soy sauce just so I could taste something. The tofu was cooked just fine, and the rainbow array of vegetables were perfectly tender. Buddha was no doubt delighted by the veggies in this dish, but certainly formed no attachment to the sauce. 2. General Tso Tofu: the sauce was nice and thick; it stuck to the tofu well. But again I found myself longing for flavor. I wanted it to be sweeter and way more bold. There were green peppers and onions in this dish in addition to the tofu. I liked that. 3. Spring Rolls (veg): good size appetizer for the price. $1.45 per roll. But yet again I found myself disappointed by the overall taste. The inside of the roll was mushy, and tasted like mush too. Maybe add some pepper? That might help, but I think the ingredients are just generally over-cooked and bland to begin with. The exterior was nice and crispy though. The sauce on the table, that is supposedly sweet and sour sauce, tastes like wax. Our server noticed that I didn't like it and kindly offered to get the warm sweet and sour sauce for me. It was marginally better, with a deeper red color and more sweetness to it. I just feel like this place needs to use more vinegar in the things that require vinegar, more sugar in the things that require sugar, more pepper in the things that require pepper, etc... stop skimping on the spices! read more

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My hubby and I recently moved into the area, and as a big fan of Asian cuisine I've been looking for a new local restaurant up to the bar for date night! Suggested by my coworker, who gave a glowing recommendation, Rainbow Garden does not disappoint. For an appetizer we had the Crab Meat Rangoon, which was delightfully crunchy and warm. For the main dish, I ordered the Spinach Sole Soup, while my hubby had the Mongolian Beef. I had some off his plate and it was fantastic! No complaints from him. We will definitely be returning! read more

I don't know what they are serving as "chicken" in this restaurant for deliveries but it is not fresh cooked chicken. I have tried ordering both orange chicken and General Tsao's and it's more miss than hit lately. The texture is like plastic or wood pulp. You can sit there and chew it for minutes at a time and it does not break down or change texture. I have spit out and thrown away the last two orders. It's absolutely not fresh chicken and I can't figure out what it is, but it's disturbing enough that I needed to come here and leave a review. My husband orders beef and tofu dishes from here and he enjoys those! read more

This is our favorite for consistently good, fast delivery. To customize for my son who doesn't want vegetables, we have to call the order in, but they always get it right. We really enjoy the food and friendly service. Thank you! read more

Rainbow Garden is solid and authentic. It's a quieter, cleaner, and slightly classier alternative to the Chinese restaurants on Green Street. You can tell that they care about presentation with regards to their dishes. Their menu is pretty unique and the house specials are delicious. I like Rainbow Garden's fried tofu, sole fillet, deep fried pork, salt & pepper squid, seafood bird's nest, and pan fried noodles. I'm also a fan of their Korean Chinese fusion foods, something that's pretty common in the Chicago area. Overall, it's great to escape from the hustle and bustle of inner campus once in a while and enjoy a scrumptious meal at Rainbow Garden. read more

So like most Chinese sit down restaurants, all orders are generally meant to be shared so bring a friend. The entrees are relatively expensive and each of them can be shared by two people since they don't give you too much food. I thought that the fried rice was good, but the only reason it was good was due to the portentous amount of soy sauce that was blanketed over it. I also found it odd that employees were in the restaurant working on their establishment's balance sheets as well as folding napkins. Water is on my top 5 of favorite beverages and I have to say that the water here was absolutely filthy. Perhaps the worst aspect I experienced here was the server only speaking in Chinese despite knowing that there were English-speaking people at the table. He didn't address us at all and just choose to talk Chinese to the only person in the table to understand it. That was extremely rude and I was quite offended by it. read more

I was torn on 3 stars vs. 4 stars but went with 4, because the dine-in experience can be lovely. I didn't realize how hit or miss the food was, however. I have had their lunch combos delivered and eaten there and gotten a generous portion for a reasonable price. I called in a dinner order for pickup last night and went with the sesame chicken, thinking it would be similar to other chicken dishes but less spicy and with sesame seeds. For one entree and two spring rolls, I paid almost $16. I got home and the sesame chicken was cut into flattened strips with more sesame seeds on it than there was chicken. It was extremely syrupy and chewy, like calamari. It was inedible and after two bites, I threw it away. The spring rolls were flavorful and hot, no complaints. Too pricey for dinner and inconsistent but they have some good dishes. read more

Rainbow Garden Champaign - The (terrible) sesame chicken. - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I ordered off the Korean Chinese menu and I don't recommend. The chambong is too greasy, and the gan pong gi (chicken) was fried with bone-in but no such warning about that, so I nearly broke my teeth (edit: I chipped a tooth. Never eating from here again). This is not a dish that is supposed to have the bone in. It was very difficult to eat and some pieces were just all fat/bone and no meat. read more

Rainbow Garden Champaign - Chambong - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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I am so disappointed in our most recent visit. One of the people in our party was recently diagnosed with a Heath issue that causes him extreme discomfort when swallowing as well as a choking hazard. The last time we went in, the waitress was extremely helpful and made an effort to ask if an exception could be made so he could eat something (which they accommodated). This time, the waitress not only did not even make an effort to see what could be done, she had the gall to tell him he should be able to swallow the pork that came in his dish (that he was asking to substitute out). She had no idea what he's going through. Just disappointed they didn't even try to accommodate. I wish I could say we'd be back, but just not sure now. read more

We had always loved this restaurant, but tonights dinner was so disappointing that we will never eat from here again. My husband ordered food to go. What we received was cold, the Mongolian beef had very little beef in it (but tons of onions), instead of sweet and sour pork we got little pieces of chicken fingers, the fried rice was burned and the egg rolls weren't even as good as frozen ones! Seriously disappointing! And when he called the restaurant to let them know how we felt, there wasn't really any indication that they cared about what we thought. We will never be ordering from here again. read more

My favorite Chinese food in Champaign. Been ordering from Rainbow Garden for a couple years now without issue, and finally had my first problem tonight. Usually the food shows up within half an hour, or at least 45 minutes. After about an hour and a half, I've got nothin'. I call, they say they're really slammed but the driver has left, I say no big deal, and keep waiting. An hour later (2.5 from the order), still no luck, so I call them again. Turns out there was some confusion with my address ("Drive" vs. "Court", identical street name). They void my order to comp my food, and then promise to remake it anyway. The delivery guy calls me, is at my door within 5 minutes with the original food (still warm, but obviously not "fresh"). 10 minutes later the person I spoke to on the phone delivered me a freshly-made order personally - and made a point to hand me the void receipt so I know I didn't get charged. And this was not an insignificant order, it was $50 for a few people. They essentially gave me double my order for no cost just to make things right, which I personally think is very much above and beyond (I was just looking for a straight refund, to be honest). Long story, but all I'm saying is if this is how they handle the (extremely *rare*) screw-up, you bet I'm gonna keep ordering from here. read more

Just had lunch here after not having been in a long time and then food was absolutely amazing and delicious! Our waitress was very kind and courteous and took good care of us. The prices were not bad either. Please give this place a try! You will not regret it. read more