I just love hidden, secret off the beaten path spots where you get bang for your buck. This is the place. Visited by the local people who live in central Irvine, but unknown by the majority of young, trendy Yelpers out there What is so special about Yu's Garden? Value and Choice Located in a strip mall in central Irvine. The sign is small and the there is absolutely nothing attractive about the front of this restaurant or the interior which is modeled after a cafeteria. You stand in front of a counter and chose your dishes. They pack them up and you either take the food home or eat there. Nothing fancy. Here is what we usually get: Two three item takeouts These are our hot items (microwave when you get home) 1. Tea Tree Chicken 2. Tofu, shrimp and green beans 3. Meat Sauce These are our cold items 1. cold tofu noodles 2. spinach 3. Tofu and vegetables It comes with two full cartons of white rice at no cost It is enough food for three adults for dinner. All the food tasted great and is very fresh and healthy. What do you think this all costs? Imagine six dishes at Delicious Food corner just a few minutes away from here? $50? $60 $70 We paid $24 for everything. Don't tell other about this place. There might be lines out the door. read more

I've been coming here for years and my family knows the front lady Tracy very well. You have the option to take out or dine in. If you want to take out, then you go directly to the counter. I always get the lunch special where you get to choose 3 entrees, with the chose of porridge or rice. If you haven't already, try the porridge! It even has sweet potato in it. Some of my favorite entrees include the tofu/edamame, the meatball (獅子頭), green beans (四季豆), egg with tomatoes (番茄炒蛋), and eggplant (茄子). There is a WIDE selection so make sure to look carefully :) If you're ever in a hurry and looking for some good Chinese/Taiwanese food, be sure to check out this place! Their take out process is very fast and easy. read more

I was missing my Taiwanese BFF and having Taiwanese food cravings, so I Yelped for a nearby Taiwanese spot and Yu's Garden came up. I have passed by this place a few times while in the same plaza for 99 Ranch, but I have not tried this place until now. Covid Safety - Face mask enforced. Staff wears face mask and gloves. The food is behind the plexi glass, but that is how they were set up to begin with. I don't think Covid effected them too much because they have a take-out model to begin with. Their lunch specials are the best value. 2-item combos are $6.99/plate and 3-item combos are $7.99/plate. I went with the 3-item combo for variety, and it comes with your choice of white rice or the beloved sweet potato porridge. I has the braised pork, braised bamboo shoots and bokchoy with the sweet potato porridge. It is not as good as the places I've been to in SGV, but it's a lot cheaper so I can overlook some things. Satisfying enough. A few things I didn't like is how they used the same tongs for everything. If you are a vegetarian or have dietary habits, I saw them use the eggplant tongs in the braised pork. And also the styrofoam container spilled out any of the sauce items and cannot be microwaved. Cash preferred. $30 minimum for credit card usage. I wouldn't say it's the best quality, but it is sooooo affordable. My 3-item combo is enough to feed me for more than 2 meals. I also got their soy milk since there was a buy 1 get 1 free sign. My total after tax was only $12.15 for all of the food and 2 soy milks. Great value! read more

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Cozy place to get some Chinese food. It's also best if you take a Chinese-speaking friend with you because there is a slight language barrier and it can be a bit intimidating/confusing, especially if it is your first time going. You can sit down and order, but you should order take-out as there's a special three item take-out deal. If you do - you go straight to the counter, look at all your options behind a glass window (there are a lot), and choose the three items you want. They are also pretty generous with their portions. As a note, they are primarily cash only - so don't forget to bring some cash. ..... HOT AND SOUR SOUP: 4/5 very comforting and nostalgic, especially with their egg drop - not overly sour, but also not overly spicy. perfect for a cold, windy day SAUTEED GREEN BEANS: 4/5 skin could've been a bit more wrinkly, but overall still very good flavor read more

Yu's Garden - Hot and sour soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Yu's Garden is a consistently good place to get some Chinese food. You order from behind the counter and tell the employee what you want. Their sliced beef,beancurd, and meatsauce are all delicious. They have a wide selection of vegetables and meats. It's a good place to order takeout. read more

It was my second time here after a good experience a week or so ago. I love Boiled with Hot Sauce dishes. But, I was curious if they'd be willing to make me a Boiled Lamb with Hot Sauce dish. The woman who helped me was super friendly and said 'sure'. It was terrific. I really liked how it tasted. That may be my new go-to favorite when I come here again. The lady that helped me was very nice, energetic, and she greeted every customer with such positive energy. She also always had a big smile on her face. Overall it was a great visit to this little hidden gem. read more

Yu's Garden - They made me a special "boiled lamb in hot sauce" - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm not really sure what to say about this place. The food wasn't bad. I ordered random food and 2/3 of my plate was cold. I'm open to cold food, but I just didn't know that was what I was getting. I wasn't intending to order to go, but somehow they made me order to go. Then I wanted to sit in the restaurant and eat with my group but all the workers got up and told me I couldn't sit inside since I ordered to go. So we all ended up eating on the curb outside. The worst part is that it wasn't even crowded inside. If I was rating only based on food I'd probably give this place a 3/5. Overall a pretty bad experience. Kinda makes me laugh thinking about it, but I won't be going back there unless I'm looking to eat on a curb in the parking lot again. read more

I come here when my parents are in town since it's quick, easy, and affordable. Usually we take it to go but this time we decided to eat in the restaurant. This place is definitely better as a to go than a sit down mostly because of service. It was super hard to get more rice/porridge and tea. We flagged the server down a couple of times but he would never come our way until I eventually had to approach him to get some refills. We got the pig ears, 3 cup chicken, tofu noodles, and smoked chicken. The food itself was delicious. I feel like often times smoked chicken can be hit or miss for me but it was great here when I tried it. I typically always get the 3 cup chicken and love the flavors. The pig ears were a bit much for me - I prefer having a more mild flavor for pig ears since I eat them as more of a side than a main portion of a meal. I enjoyed the tofu noodles as well though they were a bit mushier than I like. read more

Yu's Garden - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Great food, great price, and great service! Two items with unlimited porridge or rice is only $11.50. It also comes with tea. There's a variety of food to choose from! read more

Came here upon a recommendation from a friend for chinese food. Inside isn't large but there's enough seating. Interesting that they have a pre made entrees area if you want food that is ready for takeout. We got 2 premade entree plates and a bunch of other items that are made to order. I couldn't get pictures of everything because we were hungry and just wanted to eat! My favorite dish was the pork and egg (from the pre made entree selection), but everything else was tasty too. read more

Yu's Garden - two entree plate - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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always a great authentic dinner. the staff and the food is terrific ambiance service. read more

Yu's Garden has been a family favorite for many many years (like over 10??) and quality really hasn't changed much! There's 2 options for ordering food: you can either order dishes from the menu, or go up to the front and choose items (2 item/3 item+ rice or congee). We always get a few items from the front and order 1 or 2 things from the menu like a noodle dish. It's super easy to do take out, and are always popular because the food is already prepared Faves from the pre-cooked food: - 3 cup chicken: sweet and salty. we alwaysss get this one - bean curd sheets w/ celery and carrots: the best cold dish imo. it's very simple and seasoned with sesame oil. but it's a great cold variety - chicken: has a little bit of a smoky flavor, which I really enjoy. This is part of the cold section too. They have so many more dishes and they're all pretty delicious! Our favorite item from the menu is the sacha beef noodle- more like a stir fried noodle. I'd recommend if you like satay flavor! We've also tried the beef noodle soup and seafood noodle soup which are both solid options. I'm still so surprised how consistent Yu's has been for so long. It's definitely considered comfort food and nice treat when we visit California read more

This restaurant definitely has an authentic feel, but the food we got this time around wasn't my style. We decided to dine in, but we ordered the fast food items that were on display. You can order a plate of two items for about $8-9, which is a solid price when you think about all the expensive foods in Irvine! The food on display was a little overwhelming for me as I was not familiar with any of the foods, so my boyfriend picked out some items he thought looked good. It would be helpful if there were name tags for the food to help out nubes like me. We got a few meat and veggie dishes, but I wasn't a fan of the cold meat items. Rice was served in this large bowl, and the layout made it seem like eating a home cooked meal. We also got milk tea with boba since it was bogo! Milk tea was just the right amount of sweetness. Boba was a little on the harder side. The lady who served the food and manned the register was super friendly and smiley. I would like to come back and maybe try the hotter food items, but personally wasn't a fan of the fast food items. Bring cash if you're not gonna spend more than $30 (they only accept credit cards for purchases over $30) read more

I love this place!!! Being pork ear is my favorite dish ever!! I live in Utah,Vegas,Texas and Arkansas and cannot find any restaurants that can cook pork ear like this place! And everytime I go home I always make sure I stop here! Service is ALWAYS FAST AND FRIENDLY! read more

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Great 3 item plate plus porridge/rice for only $12. Usually get the eggplant, soy sauce chicken, and mapo tofu. Big portions too read more

Yu's Garden - Eggplant, soy sauce chicken, mapo tofu, and porridge - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I was not expecting such exceptional and authentic Chinese comfort food!!! On a trip for a wedding nearby, I saw the Yelp reviews and decided to give it a try with a bunch of non-Chinese friends. Everyone was so happy, and I was beyond thrill! The food hit my soft spot, which hasn't happened in a very long time, and if I wasn't with this many people, you would find tears in my eyes. The owner (I think) was so nice and sweet to us, she especially recommended the congee to me and I'm so glad I got it! Whoever gave poor reviews based on service should be more open minded and adjust their expectations according to the style of the restaurant. This is not a formal sit down dinner place, so please do not expect the "typical" service here. I hope this restaurant never ever changes, please we need you to survive whatever next trendy foodie thing so that people have a chance to go back to food from a simpler time... read more

Yu's Garden - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I love coming here when I crave a good home-cooked meal but am too lazy to cook. You get unlimited hot porridge and you can choose from a wide variety of entrees to go with it. My go-tos are the pig ear and ground pork! Since everything is already made, you can basically order and eat right away. The ladies here are also very nice and they would gladly refill the porridge for you. If porridge is not your thing, you can also opt for rice instead. They also have to-go deals which is perfect for your sick days! read more

Was in the area and wanted some noodle soup. Saw the sign on the window that they serve Taiwanese food and shaved ice. Basically it's like Panda Express where you can choose 3 items for a combination plate, plus either rice or porridge. I decided to order off the menu and not risk eating something that's been sitting out for a period of time. They offer take out and indoor dining. read more

Yu's Garden - Pork chop noodle - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Update: tried calling in tonight on a Saturday at 8:55pm and was told they were cleaning and I couldn't order food that wasn't already display. That was super disappointing as I've now been a repeat customer. Hopefully just a 1 time thing because I work late and liked that they're open later than other Asian restaurants in the area. Also the beef dish isn't always made with bamboo, more often its with bok choy. Just went here for a couple things and ordered over the phone. The staff is really nice, especially the woman that answered tonight. I got the hot and sour soup and the boiled beef in spicy sauce. Very reasonably priced for so much. The beef dish was so so good!!! I'm absolutely coming back here. The flavors of that beef dish were a great spice and a little numbing Sichuan flavor to it with perfectly cooked bamboo (not crunchy). That's gonna be my fave. read more

Came here cause everything else in the plaza wasn't opened for dinner yet and we were starving. They didn't have any drinks from their menu available. The only thing was milk tea. Luckily they let me bring drinks over from TapEx next door. They don't have much of a selection on food either. I ended up ordering beef noodle soup, fish ball noodle soup and pan fried dumplings. The beef soup was so bland. They had no chili oil either, only sambal. I had to dump the entire thing into the soup to help give it some flavor. The pan fried dumplings were okay. They didn't bring out any sauce for it, we had to request it from them. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Also their minimum to use a credit card is $30. So be sure to bring cash! read more

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This was our go to for late night hunger in Irvine. They used to be open until 11 but looks like they just recently changed their hours which I am sad about. Reasonably priced combos with 3 items. We usually get the basil chicken, eggplant or bokchoy, pork (i am not sure what it is called) with the porridge. We get an additional serving of rice for a few extra dollars since the meat/veggie portions are enough for 2 people. We always just order takeout but there are a good amount of tables inside. It does get loud and crowded at meal time hours since it is a small place but it is fast, efficient and good! We also love the roasted peanuts they sell at the counter. read more

Can't leave if you don't tip! Always come here for food but today the waitress, as we were leaving, caught up to us and told us to leave her tip !!!! We put it in the tip jar and she didn't see. I can't believe she has the audacity to not let us leave if we didn't tip!!! After we told her we put it in the tip jar she was like oh ok go ahead bye. LOL read more

Excellent choice from a buffet of dozens of delicious dishes, the bento is 9.99 with 3 choices, rice or porridge is 1.5. Very reasonably priced and taste good. My selections are simple since I can't have too much sodium, I choose bamboo shoots (Shanghainese delight), tofu skin and mustard greens. Light and tasty, the hardest is to make your choice- their steamed chicken is moist, cuttlefish stirred fried with celery, sea cucumber appetizer, and many many more. The service is fast and the wait staff was friendly, unlike what some of the review said. The only reason for less than 5-stars is because of the long line waiting to select your dishes, since there are so many choices, the customers take a long time to choose, even if you are disabled, you will have to stand in line between the tables in the small restaurant. No preorders, take out or dine in all have to wait in line. But if you go at a slow period, it might be a 5 star for you! It's worth the try. read more

So sad to do this as we have always loved coming here for their food and yam congee, but we will not be coming here anymore. We had come for some takeaway and noticed that the lady server behind the food counter was talking to customers while scooping the food, right over the food.....WITHOUT WEARING A MASK! We called out to her to remind her to wear a mask, but she just looked at us and said that she had already been vaccinated!!! My goodness! This complete ignorance about the huge problem we're all facing right now is just mind boggling!.... and is why the pandemic is going to be with us for a very long time to come. Sad, and so scary. Needless to say we immediately walked out. read more

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It pains me to write this; I rarely give bad reviews (check my record.). I ate here 15 plus years ago and it was very customer-friendly like most Taiwanese places. This time the counter person was rude and irritable. We specified that we were dining in and asked if she could put all the steaming hot dishes on the ceramic plates rather than the (BPA and other chemical laden) plastic take out containers. She refused. My wife then asked if she could hand her the take out container and a ceramic plate so she can pour the food out onto the plate right away for her; she said it was against inspection rules. This is not true; I work in the health industry. It is not against any regulations to hand the customer a take out container and a plate so they can eat in the restaurant. People do it all the time if they change their mind and decide to eat right there and then. If you get upset with a customer and decide to purposely give them a hard time you shouldn't work in a restaurant (or anywhere for that matter.). I wanted to walk out right there; my wife is more gracious and forgiving. Owner might want to out the moving / renovation project on hold if rendering that kind of (dis)service. read more

Honestly my go to spot whenever I want a bunch of different Asian dishes or in this case Chinese dishes. Most of the workers don't speak too much English but if I did ok, so will you! Lots of pointing lol. Super nice and quick service! Typically go for the take out option and absolutely love it. Major deal. For 3 items (cold or hot dishes) will be under $10 for a whole box that can feed two or just in this case me lol. A few of my favorite cold dishes are the spicy sliced Garlic pork , the marinated tripe, the gizzards, the Chinese chard and edamame salad, the garlic pickled cucumbers, and the potato strings. Some of the hot dishes I tend to get are the braised pork hock, braised carmelized squid with roe, all their sauteed greens are delicious, and then their carmelized chicken (similar to Vietnamese Ga Kho), and their spicy fish fillet casserole. All combinations come with a side of white rice or rice porridge. Pro tip: whatever item is your favorite, order it first when ordering your items. You'll soon understand why after... read more

Located in the Orange Tree Square Shopping Center, where you will find the Ranch 99 Market, next to the Jeffery Road south exit on Interstate 5. When it comes to authentic Chinese comfort foods, Yu's Garden is the first restaurant that comes to my mind. There are, in fact, only a handful of these types of restaurants outside of the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles that I am aware of and the only Orange County location I have been to that specializes in them. You can order off their menu or select cafeteria-style from their tray of 15 pre-made dishes, both done at the side counter as you walk-in. There are a good number of other items on the menu - including breakfast, soups, fried rice, noodles and noodle soup - if you order a la cart. A combo plate, from one to three items, comes with a choice of rice or rice porridge (and hot tea for dine-in guests). The food is simple but full flavored and inexpensive. A three item combo, plus tip, will be around $10. Restaurants of this type prepare dishes with a main emphasis on pork, offal meats (again, mostly pork) and vegetables. The vegetable dishes are mostly steamed or sauteed and lightly seasoned, while soy sauce is heavily used with the meat dishes. My favorites include the following: Basil Chicken, Pork Meatballs, Braised Soy Sauce Pork, Sauteed Intestines in Hot Sauce, Sauteed Spinach and Sauteed Chinese Broccoli with Pea Pods. Often overlooked on their menu board are the selection of desserts, which consists of shaved ice, flavored milk and flavored milk teas. Whether ordering take-out or dining in, patrons pay and tip at the counter as well. Paying by cash is strongly encouraged. There is a $30 minimum charge if paying by credit card. Yu's Garden serves full flavored, authentic Chinese food and is inexpensive, certainly by the city of Irvine's standards. A recommended spot for those that appreciate Chinese style comfort foods or sauteed offal dishes. read more

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Foods are good and many varieties. Some some of them have reasonable price. But the waitress service are not good.

Yes yes yes. Good ole Chinese food, mix and match. Owner is super sweet and always appreciative my business. Grabbing Take out is a good deal - you get 3 items and no charge for tea (dine in). My top go to: - braised eggplant - spicy pork belly w garlic (cold fish) - 3 cups basil chicken Cash only if under $30. Parking can get packed for dinner rush hour or weekends. read more

Excellent food, selection and SERVICE! Stopped in for the lunch special and was not disappointed! Highly recommend! read more

Yu's Garden - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Yu's garden is a hidden gem for me! I always get the 3 item takeout here, so you just wait at the counter, let them know which 3 premade items you want, and it's only ~$12 including rice. They have a ton of different dishes to choose from and the portions are very generous. I normally switch up what I get, but some of my favorite are the bead curd, three cup chicken, and pig ear dishes. read more

Yu's Garden - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Rice porridge is so good, just like my grandpa used to make. The dishes are super authentic and delicious. The service was good, we had a warm welcome. The only thing is about the cleanness of the place. After finishing the meal and seeing a dead cockroach lying next to my seat wasn't a pleasing experience. read more

Yu's Garden - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

It's an okay place. I was craving yam porridge like the one they have at Lu's garden in San Gabriel. The porridge here is pretty good but the hot and cold dishes couldn't be compared to Lu's. We tried 9 different dishes and most of them were oily, overly sweet, and way too heavy sauces. Not the type of Chinese food we like. But I haven't found another place in OC that serves this type of food. Plenty of parking in this plaza. They have tesla charging stations here too. read more

When this place is on and clean, it's amazing. Probably best 30 minutes to one hour after opening because they are still working on cooking the first round. After the first round, things get a lot more inconsistent. The whole problem here is consistency...sometimes some dishes are on and others are off...sometimes all the dishes are 100%, but service isn't great. Sometimes the tables feel sticky....sometimes they don't. A ton of inconsistency. BUT- this is one of my favorite breakfast places. The congee is perfect. My wife and I usually share 2x 3 item plates and I've never had something I don't like. read more

Yu's Garden - Spicy tofu, spinach, and basil chicken - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Got the three item combo with porridge. Total came out to 34.25. What a steal!! There was a bunch of sides to choose from . Lines for take out move pretty quickly. I'm pretty service for dine in would be the same given that most of the dishes are precooked and kept warm. (Panda Express style) read more

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Delicious Asian food! A bit heavy on the grease, but super friendly ladies behind the counter. Eggplant is always good!

Excellent selection of authentic Chinese food. The tofu was soft, and "lionshead meatballs" were tender.

Yu's Garden is one of those restaurants that gives generous portions for a great price. This is my go-to lunch restaurant for take-out. The weekday lunch options include 3 dishes with either white rice or rice and yam porridge ($13). The 3 dishes you can choose from include hot and cold, meat and seafood and vegetarian options. In all there are probably 25 or so ready-made options to choose from. Some favorites include 鱼香茄子 (sautéed eggplant), 三杯鸡 (3 cup chicken), 麻婆豆腐 (mapo spicy tofu), 豬耳 (pig ears), 四季豆 (sauteed string beans), and 番茄炒蛋 tomato and egg (really basic yes i know). Nearly everything is delicious. The only minor miss is the cucumbers, which tastes too vinegary compared to what I'm used to. Also the bitter melon isn't my favorite, but that's an acquired taste I suppose. read more

Great variety and affordability, and decent enough quality (a bit greasy, not enough greens at times, meat is just fine). Go with a group and each person gets 3 items with rice or rice porridge. Overall pretty enjoyable and I like to go back! read more

THE BEST Chinese/Taiwanese food! The staff here are really friendly! Even if you don't speak Chinese, they are really nice and helpful so don't feel intimidated! I love their tofu dishes! They are super flavorful! They also give you a lot of food for the price. It has to be the best bang for your buck here in Irvine! I highly recommend! read more