Ding’s Garden
18922 Gale Ave,Ste A, Rowland Heights, CA, 91748
Ding’s Garden Menu
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Address :
18922 Gale Ave,Ste A
Rowland Heights, CA, 91748 - Phone (626) 810-0600
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : No
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
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Brian F.
Ok. The only thing I tried here was their Braised Beef Noodle. (mild spicey) Since all the yelpers rave about how good it is. But honestly, it was overrated. It was WAY too salty. The soup was plain... Very little noodle... the beef chunks were okay. I wouldn't go back again..
(2)Tiffany L.
came here 3 times within one week of discovering the place. i think that's a pretty strong indication that this place is Amazing. each time we got the appetizer (pig ear, seaweed knots, tendon in spicy sauce. SO GOOD. be warned - it's very spicy!) the wonton soups are sooo good. super healthy in a clear (but tasty) broth, fresh wonton, and perfectly blanched veggies. yum! i also tried the beef noodle soup and the beef tendon soup on a rainy night - warmed me all the way through with it's savory, steamy goodness! i tried to dan dan noodles based on others' reviews but i didn't like it - too peanuty. the the xiao long bao was good, but i prefer their east coast counterparts. one word of advice: get the STEAMED stinky tofu. much better than the fried! (though fiance hates both, hahaha). the place is medium sized, clean, and cozy. most dishes are less that $5. the ladies are all really sweet (even if you don't speak chinese!) bring your family, bring your friends! wonderful place.
(5)Larry W.
Well worth your while for excellent food, very clean and great service. The owner, Florence greeted us and was so very helpful in making the selections from these Shanghai-style Chinese. Highly recommended spot which we will add to our favorite places though a drive from Anaheim Hills. We spoke with a couple who drive from Temecula which speaks volumes.
(5)Pauline M.
The beef noodle soup isn't nearly as delicious as the Da Ho in Rosemead, but it was more taiwan style than szechuan style. The dan dan mien was really super bomb delicious and probably the thing I would reorder. The green onion pancakes were thicker than your mom and more delicious than she can make it. The xiao long baos were about normal and the sheng jian bao (pan fried buns with meat) had a little too much ginger flavor for my liking. But I'm not a big fan of ginger. The rice dishes are alright. Overall, this place is pretty durn good and I'd give it 5 stars just for the dan dan noodles and the green onion pancakes.
(5)EQ N.
Jiao Huo Jiao Huo is my favorite. I always order the 5-item one at medium spicy. My version of comfort food when I bring it home and mix with a bowl of steaming hot brown rice. Yes, it matches perfectly with brown rice, try it!
(5)Wendy L.
Their mixed cold cuts are too expensive. We ordered the XLB, and it was only okay. It was mushy, and the bottom stuck to the steaming cloth. We ordered the beef noodle with half tendon, and when I bit through half of a large piece of tendon, it was cold in the center (ew). The soup was blah, too much MSG. The green onion pancake was only kind of crispy on the outside and not chewy enough on the inside. I. Think it's because it's too think and not folded with enough oil (I know how to make it myself). My husband told me never to suggest going there again.
(2)Gerald L.
Hands down one of my favorite restaurants in Rowland Heights. Though it doesn't have the buzz and the crowd of other popular Rowland Heights spots like Class 302 and Banana Bay, the food here is EXCELLENT. I'd recommend the Dan Dan Mian (noodles in a spicy chili oil/peanut sauce), the Xue Cai Rou Si Cao Fan (fried rice with um...stuff? trust me it's good) and the Jiao Huo Jiao Huo (basically Chinese cold cuts with marinated beef brisket, seaweed ties, and tofu in a perfectly blended spicy sauce). If you're a Chinese food fan, you really can't go wrong with this place.
(5)Chloe L.
I had the most horrific experience today. Food was ok, no doubt about that, especially if you're friends with msg. We finished our meal, walked up to the front where they had all the takeaway side dishes, picked a few things after looking around at the selection, paid a large amount (no idea how they add things up) and left. As we were talking animatedly down the road, we suddenly heard a very LOUD and chastising voice screaming from the door of the restaurant. We turned our heads, and lo and behold, it was one of Ding's Garden's waitresses, SHOUTING at us and to everyone within a 10 mile radius, saying that we had not given her a tip. I was so shocked that I froze for a few minutes before plucking a few dollars out and handing it to her. Honestly, we had forgotten to leave a tip, our fault. BUT, first of all, a tip is not mandatory, and second of all, she could have just walked to us, and reminded us nicely and quietly, that we had forgotten to leave the tip, without that unnecessary sharp accusatory tone. Instead, she had to scream at us down the sidewalk. No less than 10 people turned and stared. She made us look like thieves. HELLO!!! We didn't leave without paying, we just forgot the stupid tip! Seriously... a restaurant is not only about food, but the dining experience, and now my whole day has been ruined by an unbelievably rude waitress. Hey Mrs Ding, what's up with your employees? I think you're growing too many weeds in your garden.
(1)Chriss L.
i know i shouldn't expect much in the way of customer service when it comes to chinese joints, but it really ruins the experience. After being eye-balled by the servers, someone finally asks me if I want to order. I order some fried rice to go, pay and take a seat. A couple comes in, they chat with the servers and give their orders. They come out with their orders PRONTO! Im still waiting. More food comes out.... not for me. More to-go orders come out (I guess someone called it in) none for me. Finally after about 30 min I get my order. I dont care how good anything else is, I dont EVER need to come here again.
(2)Jenny C.
What a gem! I would not have found this place if it was not for Yelp - the world is a more blessed place now. This place is legit for a Shanghainese-Chinese restaurant. Their menus come in Chinese (unless you shamefully request for the English version like me - ABC, what what?). There are many different dishes but most of them are the familiar classics. The food comes amazingly fast - within 5 minutes - so you won't be kept in anticipation for long. I came here to satiate my craving of Xiao Long Baos but my wondering eyes caught the best of me and I feasted like it was Chinese New Year again. Here's the play by play: Appetizer / Main + Jiao He Jiao He (mixed cold-cut appetizer) - simple, herby, addictive (not overly flavorful to start off your palette) + XLBs - excellent! meaty, soupy, flavorful skin + Zha Zhang Mian - tasty, good elasticity, hint of sweetness (not comparable to the best I've ever eaten in Hong Kong but I mean, that was the motherland) + Pork Chop Fried Rice - huge pork chop, well crusted, good meat to breading ratio, comforting fried rice - Spicy Beef Noodles - great lean cuts of meat without much tendon (my preference!), but the soup lacked the herbiness that makes this dish but maybe it's the Shanghainese way vs. Taiwanese way? - Dan Dan Mian - very peanuty if you are into that but it tasted too close to a peanut butter sandwich for me; would have enjoyed more meat flavor (I love PB in every form but this seemed too much even for me) - Stir Fried Rice Cakes (Nian Gao) - ordinary, could have used more salt Drinks / Dessert + Winter Melon drink - fragrant and sweet + Boba Milk Tea - smaller boba, easier to swallow w/o necessary chew time = more time to eat noodles :) + Sesame Rice Balls in Sweet Soup - fantastic! I couldn't stop eating it! It is freshly made which you can taste from the elasticity and softness of the rice balls. The sweet soup complements the balls well and I love the hint of osmanthus flowers. This is definitely worth getting if you can appreciate classic Chinese desserts - especially perfect for a rainy day. All in all, this meal was excellent. Taste, value, and service (they're busy folks but they'll gladly stop and explain what's what and what the other table ordered, which we did plenty of despite our 7+ dishes). All the dishes were inexpensive, averaging $6/dish. My mom said it best that you know the owners of Ding's Garden are good chefs who care about their food as it clearly shows in their dishes.
(5)Victoria Y.
Did not know there were so many "Ding's out there". Hmmph. I ordered the "Idiots noodle" and I'm so upset. I really must be an idiot because the noodle dish literally consisted of noodles, OIL and MORE OIL. Not a happy camper. The stinky tofu made up for the nasty noodles but I really don't see the hype here. If it wasn't for my $1 boba tea, I would have been pretty upset.
(3)Andrew W.
I have been eaten at this place since their first store in Alhambra. Love their food. The price is fair. The food is great. Coming here pretty often.
(5)Sinae K.
I had dinner here last night. This is a quite small restaurant in the same plaza as coconut bay and boiling crab. The first thing I noticed when I went in was a woman at a table making dumplings. They looked fresh and tasty :). Not surprisingly, I ordered the steamed shanghainese-style(?) dumplings. It's the type of dumplings with 'juice' (it's probably just fat?) inside. I think the entree was like.. $6.50? When it came out, it looked pretty small --- maybe... 7-8 dumplings?--- actually, I dont know.. i might be lying. Anyway, by the time I finished though, I was pretty full. It was really tasty too. All in all, I'd come back here. Maybe I'll try the pan-fried dumplings next time. P.S. When the dumplings come out, be careful because the juice inside is super hot --- I shouldve known better, but I popped one in my mouth and it really was not fun.
(4)Marco d.
My Chinese officemate told me once to drink tea when having Chinese food. It neutralizes the fat and the oil, she said, and proceeded to ask me when was the last time I've seen an obese Chinese. Good point. Today was no different. With the amount of oil and fat in the food everyone in this restaurant was having for lunch, you begin to wonder if tea really does work. Yes, there was tea at almost every table. With the exception of the cold noodle, every dish glistened and shimmered in all its oily glory. From the pig's ears and tofu, to the fried rice with pickled vegetables and pork, the fried steamed buns and, of course, the deep-fried pork chop and the huge mound of fried rice it came with. There I was, sweating from the heat of the chili oil stuffing everything I can in my belly. Enjoying every bite, savoring every bit of oil, slurping every drop of fat. And to think I'm not even a big fan of Chinese food. And when lunch was all over, I just had one thing to ask our server before leaving, I told my officemates. "Excuse me, Miss. Can I have a pitcher of tea, please? Make that to-go."
(4)Susan L.
its not din tai fung but def a good alt when i can't drive all the way down to Arcadia, especially during my lunch break. it was my first time here but everyone was very nice, whenever i come to this plaza to eat, everyone automatically speaks to me in chinese. -___- ... i have to explain i dont speak chinese and then continue to order. anywho i got the xiao long bao, my one chinese word that i know and will memorize. its aka steamed pork dumplings/ shanghi dumplings/ pork soup dumplings, wtv you want to call it, its my favorite! it wasnt that busy which i was grateful for since XLB does take a bit of time to steam. it came out and with it steamy goodness with thinly sliced garlic. HEAVEN. i really love XLB and i turn into a dumpling snob sometimes but honestly i'll get them any way i can. the wrapper was a bit on the thicker side but i think i like it a little thicker sometimes, when i peel it off the paper i know that the the likelihood of it ripping and the yummy soup coming out is a lot lower than say the thinner counterparts. the pork was juicy and i'm pretty sure there was msg which made them better. WHAT? msg makes things yummier and even though i'm probably in msg coma right now, i'm glad i am though. i will be coming back here whenever my craving fr xlb comes back which will probably be sometime later this week. XD if i'm in the mood i'll probably try the beef noodle soup or dan dan noodle and if feeling a bit more adventurous the gizzards and pig ears.
(3)Kathy C.
Love the noodles here! I hate noodles that are too mushy and Ding's Garden has deliciously chewy noodles. The Dan Dan noodles are very tasty. The sauce is thicker than at other places and "mild spicy" is actually pretty darn spicy. We also got the 2 cold plates (one 5 item plate and one vegetarian plate). The cold plates here are super good. I previously tried the Ja Jiang Mien and it was also very flavorful. The red bean baos are also very good. There is a perfect bao to red bean filling ratio and the bao is chewy but not heavy. Very delicious. The sesame rice ball in fermented rice soup was good but I was so full by the time that came around that I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. The one star deduction is for service. They are very friendly but it took us a while to get water and tea that we asked for.
(4)Tita T.
We came here after snowboarding fail at Mt. Baldy! It was my first time there and I think if I didn't go with people who spoke Chinese, it would be slightly difficult to order food. Still it was pretty fun and delicious when you're super hungry. In general the food was pretty oily, but that is to be expected I guess. Anyway here is what we ordered: Pork ear - I love pork ear! It's crunchy but soft and there's something satisfying about eating cartilage. Really oily. Noodles - I don't remember what they were called but the waitress told my friend that it was the most popular dish there or something. We got these sticky noodles and chose pork or beef I can't remember. They were pretty good and had a lot of veggies in them! Xiao long baos - pretty good...although I think they were comparable to Mama's Lu Dumpling House in Monterey Park. Fried buns - forgot what they were called. I've had these at Kang Kang before and I though they tasted the same. My favorite! Salted chicken - very sinewy, probably my least favorite dish there. The meat was really tough and it was cold (maybe I just wasn't used to it) Salted pork - not sure what it was called either...but it was sliced and there was a dipping sauce for it as well. This place is CASH ONLY!
(3)preston f.
If you like spicy food, I would recommend this place for you. I prefer dry noodles, and order pork brown noodle (dry), idiot's noodle and ja jiang mein. My family members that love soup enjoy the beef noodle soup (extra spicy + "ma"). Don't forget to order the cold plate (tripe, pig ear, tofu, sea weed). Also get this extra spicy and with "ma" (numbing spice). Their green onion pancake is good but on the expensive side.
(4)Victor G.
Love my Dan Dan noodles you cant go wrong with the xiao long bao, its a little doughy but still one of the best in the areas, I love this plum chilli they have it goes great on my Taiwanese noodles. place is always busy so I always take it to go. And if you want some FROYO to easy the spicy Exodus they have a place connected next door that has some decent flavors.
(4)Barbara C.
When you come to Ding's garden, make sure you go w/ friends who can read and speak Chinese. When I was handed the menu, it was 100% in Chinese. So I had to rely on my good friend to do the ordering. We ordered the Dan Dan mien, which is alright. The sesame paste could have been toned down, but I did like the spicy kick to it. We also ordered these steamed buns lightly pan fried at the bottom. I dont know how to spell it in Chinese, but I call it the Shanghai pan fried buns. Inside is pork and juicyness. I'll have to make another visit to Ding's to see if it has more potential for 4 stars.
(3)Jenn C.
First of all, I have to agree with everyone else's comment on their jiao he jiao he. It's the sh*t!! We normally sub. out the beef flank w/ seaweed, but even w/o the substitution it is still very tasty! I normally order their jia jiang mien, or their dan dan mien, and they're both very good. I'm only giving this place a 4 star because it is very small inside and sometimes it is hard to get a table; however, the overall experience for me here is always positive.
(4)Jenny J.
Pork chop fried rice is a must. Dumplings, beef noodle, and fried onion cake is sold too.
(4)Cathy N.
I have been to Ding's Garden twice in the last 2 months. Ding's is definitely a best kept secret. It is a small Shanghainese restaurant that is not affiliated with the other Ding's Garden in San Gabriel or Alhambra. All the dishes that I ate at Ding's were all very delicious. I would definitely recommend the Dan Dan Noodles, Ja Jiang Mien, Xiao Long Bao (Shanghainese dumplings), and onion pancake. I was really impressed with the Xiao Long Bao. I have lived in Shanghai before so I know what a good Xiao Long Bao tastes like. After coming back to the States, I went out and tried two Shanghainese restaurants and they both failed with making good Xiao Long Bao. Ding's Xiao Long Bao has a soft texture outside and in the inside, the juice is still hot and the pork is tender. I got my friends and siblings hooked on this place. I can't wait to go again.
(5)Alvin C.
"TIGEEEEERRRR STYLLLLEEEEE." - RZA. Good Chinese food. Szechuan food always has a helluva kick. The tantan men is their specialty and it's mucho good. The shao long bao was nice, and the cold platter (beef tendon/tripe, seaweed, pig ear, tofu) were flavorful but not too salty, which was a pleasant surprise since I'm used to Chinese restaurants being too salty and/or greasy.
(4)Alex L.
Last week I made a small trip to Los Angeles - some of you might have heard the racket outside your window, that was me raving about the opportunity to finally eat at Ding's again. Calling me a loyal customer would be the understatement of the century. Back when I used to live in LA, I would come here at least once every two weeks for three consecutive years with my foam finger and all. I'd always get the Beef Noodle Soup, Xiao Long Baos, and egg rolls. Topped with a forest of spinach, cilantro, pepper, suan cai and various other spices, the top-notch flavoring of the BNS broth wins your taste buds immediately. With such a large portion, you also get a good amount of fresh and tender beef in the shape of cubes. The broth isn't very spicy however, so make sure you request for at least medium spicy if you can handle/would like hotness. The XLBs are also great - you get a good amount and they're juicy, though I have had better. The egg rolls also get a WIN card from me. You get four and they're hands down amazing. I can't explain its unique flavor, but I'm sure others can be more eloquent than I when describing its inexplicable taste, so I'll leave it up to them. I have also tried the Pai Gu Fan a few times. Unlike many other nearby establishments, the pork chop here doesn't contain many fatty parts and it's much more crispier. I also applaud the idea of coupling the pork chop with egg fried rice instead of just plain rice. I also used to get the Shen Jian Baos, but the XLBs replaced them because they were consistently burnt on the bottom. There was a lot of flavor, though! What else can I say? The service is fantastic - I'm always greeted with warm smiles by the waitresses who of course, have become familiar with me thanks to how often I frequent this place. Tapioca milk teas use REAL tea and are only $1 with the purchase of any noodle soups. Also, FREE REFILLS!
(5)sybril s.
Jiao he jiao he!!! You must get this as a starter!! No matter what ingredient you decided to take out, you must get the seaweed... love love love!! I sometimes just get the jiao he jiao he togo and eat it at home whenever I want (it's that good!). I also love their wonton soups in a good winter day. Their portions are pretty big, especially the noodle soup, so don't order too much or you'll have tons of left over. Hmm... makes me wanna go there tomorrow for lunch!! :D
(4)Karen C.
This is my go-to place when I'm not craving anything in particular, since you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. My favorites are dan dan mien, green onion pancake, Shanghai rice cake, and wonton soup. Wontons are made fresh to order, so you have to be patient as the ladies wrap and cook some up. The workers are friendly and attentive.
(5)Kevin T.
If you've never been to dings you owe it to yourself to go and check it out. hands down the best noodle house in Rowland Heights...everything has the right amount of flavor. Owner finds pleasure in her customers and her regulars. Always a treat to see a true mom and pop shop. The food is great just see for yourself.
(5)Lynn C.
Ordered the bean curd with seaweed knots, dandan noodle, and an order of their shanghai steamed dumplings to share. The dandan noodle and beancurd/seaweed dish came out quick, however, the dumplings arrived just as we were finished with the first two dishes.. Not sure why it took so long. Didn't like the dandan noodle.. it was too nutty for my liking (The best place for dandan nooodle is still in Yes Plaza at No. 1 Noodle House) but the cold appetizer and dumplings were good. The wait for the dumplings was worth it I guess haha. The only thing that bugged was the type of material they use to steam the dumplings over. It was hard to pick up the dumplings because the material sticks to the bottom of the dumplings. Sadly, it breaks the dumpling skin and you lose all the soup. I'd come back again but i'd skip on the dandan noodle and try something else.
(4)Forrest Y.
Wow, the previous reviewers were right -- having a Mandarin speaker here is mandatory. When we arrived, we were dismayed to find the menu was completely in Chinese. We asked for English menus and they were way in the back of their menu rack, dusty and disused. We ordered the beef noodles, dan dan noodles, the green onion pancake, and Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bao). For both of the noodle dishes, they asked how hot we wanted them -- we got them medium hot, which was just right. The beef noodles were very tasty, the beef chunks were nice and tender and the soup was flavorful while the spice was not overdone. The dan dan noodles were definitely peanuty and not quite as good as the beef noodle. The pancake was light, flaky and very good. The reason we went though was for the dumplings. My boss at work says that he comes down from SF Bay Area to Ding's just for their dumplings. He said that he hasn't had as good dumplings anywhere else but a place in NY and China. He buys bags of them frozen and takes them back north with him to eat slowly over the year or give to his friends and family. That said, I thought they were good. They have a little pocket of soup inside that gushes into your mouth when you bite in. Prices were pretty ok, the noodle dishes were about 5 dollars and the dumplings were almost 6 dollars.
(4)Jeannie J.
The niu rou mien was disappointing. No substance to it whatsoever. The dan-dan mian was clumpy and not appetizing, I've had better! And the xlb were just okay. The wrapper was too thick and there was not a lot of soup. The service also really sucked too, even by Chinese standards. I wish I could give a better review but sadly our meal was such a fail on all counts :(
(2)Leslie P.
Good food!! This place is almost always packed because it's so small. I like their "Jiao He Jiao He" (have no idea what they call it)- combo of pig ears, cow intestine, tofu, seaweed. I also like their winter melon drink. I usually order their soup noodles and my husband orders dry noodles. Prices are reasonable. Place is clean, service is quick.
(4)Kevin H.
first time to went here last night because of yelp reviews obviously *duh* BUT unfortunately not knowing exactly how big the place is, i was a bit surprise to see how small it is especially with our baby stroller. a lady that worked is pretty rude a.k.a non friendly and seems like they don't quite understand English My sister in law asked for "soy souce", she gave her the whole bottle to choose....*really ? seriously ?* i was about to laugh..... the noodle is damn good. the pork meat also yummy. i'll come back again for sure, and i gotta make sure to bring CASH next time, I had no idea that they don't take care. Damn iphone screen is too small, i didn't read the "Accept credit card : no" LOL.
(4)Janet L.
This is my favorite place to go for a good meal in Rowland Heights. The usual orders: - fried tofu skin strips: marinated in a sweet, salty brown sauce (it's called tofu pi in mandarin) btw, these is the best tofu appetizer dish i've ever had... but warning, they are highly addictive - jiao huo jiao huo: this appetizer is pretty big, but a little pricey for an appetizer. it's more like a main dish. - green onion pancake: good, but different from the usual, thinner kind.. the shape and size of it reminded me of a mini pizza - beef noodle soup: i was surprised how good it tasted without all the excessive oil - dan dan mien: delicious! - ja jian mian: decent - shrimp wontons in broth with seaweed, greens and shredded egg: some say it's bland but i think it's perfect. the wontons are delicious, the skin is not too thin or thick, there's a generous portion of meat in each wonton and the broth is not over the top with huge amounts of msg and sauces, it's perfect. generous amount of veggies - xiao long bao: they're good, but i've had better (din tai fung and jin jian restaurant) - kao fu: they're the best kao fu i've had around the area, but something about this appetizer is missing. however, it's decent this place can get packed, so make sure to come early, before 6 pm when the usual line of hungry customers starts forming also, you can order their frozen dumplings & appetizers they made.. my family usually stocks up on their dumplings, fried tofu strips and kao fu appetizer
(4)Thelma W.
best spicy dan dan mein in rowland heights and probably best spicy beef noodle soup too! stick with the noodles and appetizer dishes like pig ears and seaweed, the only dish that i didn't like was the green onion pancake. they make the thicker kind that tends to be chewier, whereas i personally like the thin crisppy kind. so this is just a case of personal preference
(4)calvin c.
Great food for a great price! xiao long bao = fresh and soft, tasty 4 stars shang hai noodles = it's alright... 3 stars no soup noodles (recommended by waitress) 5 stars.. very tasty, soft noodles.
(5)Anthony H.
The Shanghai pan fried noodles here are excellent. The Pan fried dumplings Shanghai style were okay, but too sweet tasting. The braised beef noodle soup is pretty good, but could've used more beef in it! I don't like their green onion pancake at all, it is too thick and dense.
(3)Bobi S.
So the owner of this place is this quirky Shanghainese couple, the wife has the balls, you can definitely see the control here. She's awesome, does a million things at once and her makeup...never needs to be touched up while the husband on the other hand has this flimpy long hair white tshirt old jeans, asian beer belly going on, not very friendly to customers either. The wait staff is fast, efficient and very nice. Two guys two ladies, super nice people who definitely remember faces! So a brief history of this place. She actually wanted to expand a decade ago and started off in the MP San Gab area, opened too many restaurants, failed, sold them all off and kept this one. Lucky for me, I now live in relatively close to Rowland. Anyway, the "Jiao huo jiao huo" is amazing. Spicy, hot, cilantro filled, chewy tendon, bean curd, pig ear, cow stomach... and the list goes on you can add more to this particular dish/appetizer. The word on the street is that they were the first ones to invent this dish. Awesome huh? The copycats just don't taste the same. Anyway, since this IS a Shanghainese restaurant, I love to eat their Chao Nian Gao which is like stir fry ricecake with spinach, pork... etc. Really good. I love it. Their steamed dumplings are great too, as well as the pan fried buns, *note these are actually authentic Shanghainese food, somehow they just make these a little differently than Taiwanese places...sweeter edge I think. Their Dan Dan mian, peanut sauce noodles with... alot of hot sauce is awesome, but I dont like paying the $5+ to eat that here, I'd rather get it at Q Noodle (shhhhh). Their pork Chop rice is definitely a hit. The only thing I don't like is that, they dont have steamed white rice. Which kind of sucks. My mom really likes their wonton soup, which is really good for people whos more accustomed to lighter palates since this place NOTICE is on the heavy side, meaning when you're done eating you'll feel really, heavy with all the msg and salt and other great vein clogger things. Their Noodles are great, beef noodle is strong, definitely above average but what I go here to eat is DESSERT! NOT the conjoining yogurt place where, during busy hour you'll find yourself seated there smelling yogurt eating very asian foods, but their BLACK SESAME BALLS in ... fermented sweet rice. "Jiu liang tang yuan" So much... like heaven! Although they recently switched to smaller balls, I still go. Anyway, price is decent, love their food, I use to go at least once a week but now I usually drop by once a week for dessert :] sesame oil and hot sauce don't sit too well after pouring that stuff down my throat, no matter how good the food is. But I still reccommend it... it's one of my regulars!
(4)jen k.
THE +'s: all the nian gao dishes. the cold-mix dishes. winter melon tea. scallion fried noodles (not on the menu, you have to ask for it specially). the fact that their noodles all have the scent of fresh flour. the always friendly staff. THE -'s: parking. man i hate parking at any chinese plaza in rowland. also, the dining room is small so any party greater than 4 will feel pretty cramped. conversation during meals require that you speak above normal voice level due to aforementioned crampness. and oh yes, the entire menu's in chinese. i think there's an english version floating around somewhere but the default handout is all in chinese. SUM: seriously one of my favorite shanghainese haunts. i'm partial to homey foods and this place fills the belly quite well thank you.
(5)Melinda A.
My aunt often brings us here for lunch because she works right next door in ING. The service here is fast and the food comes out quickly. It's usually never packed, so you don't need to worry about what time you go. Things we usually order: 1. Jiao Huo Jiao Huo- You are allowed to choose 3-5 things. Usually my family gets it with beef shank, pig ears, seaweed, and the tofu strips. 2. Beef Noodle Soup- The soup is pretty bland but the meat tastes good. The noodles are okay. 3. Stewed Beef Tendon- It comes out cold and is already pre-portioned. 4. Tofu Bean Curd in a Sweet Brown Sauce- It also comes out cold and pre-portioned. 5. Wonton Noodle Soup- I think there's only about 5 wontons. The wontons are flavorful and very chewy. 6. Shanghai Style Rice Cakes-This dish is probably my favorite. It is covered with cabbage and pork too. 7. Shanghai Pan Fried Dumplings-The outside is tough to bite, but is great nonetheless. 8. Pork with Mustard Greens Noodle- It tastes just how any other ones would taste. I don't recommend you getting their porkchop with fried rice. They are better known for their noodles. Whatever you do, do not try the Berri Yogurt place next door. They are both in the same restaurant and it's a giant rip-off for horrible yogurt. Bring cash because it's a cash only restaurant.
(4)FeyJai S.
Xiao Long Baos & Won Ton Soup. Yummy and delicious
(4)angie c.
I heart pig ears!!! Their cold mix dishes are so yummy. Stay away from the seaweed though, it's a bit fishier than usual. The owner is really nice and so helpful when you are not sure of what to order. She speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese!! If you like Chinese desserts, their black sesame balls in osmanthus rice wine soup is the best! The prices are reasonable and the place is clean. Great place to go for a quick bite.
(5)Deannie W.
Finally came for a second time last night since I was in the area and was craving for some beef noodle soup. I can finally write a review for this place since I can actually taste the food this time. My first visit here was with this guy I dated back in either April or May, and surprisingly he's not even Chinese. I didn't even get to look at the menu the first time I came since he ordered my food for me while I was driving there from class. He ordered for me the beef noodle soup however, I didn't like it very much since it had about a quarter inch of chili oil on top. It was too oily and spicy for me to eat. Last night I ordered the beef noodle soup again, fried stinky tofu, and pig ears, while my "adopted" bro ordered noodle with green onion sauce and this spicy beef slice thingy. My beef noodle soup was just ok, I like the beef noodle soup at Guppy House better or at Din Tai Fung. Fried stinky tofu was stinky, but the ones at Tofu King are better. The pig ears had a nice sesame chili flavor to it and were thinly sliced, I like it but when I bought it home for my mom she wasn't too fond of it and thought the ones I bought from 99 Ranch was better. I also took a bite from my "adopted" bro's noodle, the flavor was there but not as flavorful as the ones from my god mother's restaurant (too bad they closed the SG location.) The spicy beef slice tasted just like the pig ears but just different texture.
(3)Katie D.
Ding's rocks! We all went to Ding's with my friend Jason who is a regular customer. We weren't prepared for such great food and reasonably priced. XLB-- great. Meaty, tasty and juicy. Dan Dan noodles -- awesome! Maybe our favorite dish. Spicy and peanuty. We ordered a second round. And we had the best mochi-sweet soup for dessert. Yum. It's worth the drive out to Rowland Heights for this one!
(5)Debbie Chiou S.
Very okay. Not a bad meal, but all in all, not very memorable.
(3)Jeanette K.
Weve been here twice. And both times were pretty great, considering how hard it is to find good Shanghai nese food in Orange County. The Xiao Long Bao are a definate win. Not as great as Shanghai Joe's in NYC, but better than Din Tai Fung or that place in Flushing people seem to rave about. I also loved the beef soup noodles, the broth has the right amount of 5 spice and cloves and they dont make it too spicy/oily so that's another definite win. The place is cash only, and not really much to look it, its sort of a hole in the wall, but that wont stop me from eating here again!
(4)bruce H.
CHINESE DELI MEATS AND SOUPS DELICIOUS 4.5 stars CASH ONLY is the the ONLY SUCKY NESS -.5 stars Everything here is good and authentic beef tendon is awesome spicy peppery goodness mini won-tons are fresh and delicate boba milk tea is sweet warm and fresh tasting not overly made like crappy tea-station style service is friendly and efficient. this maybe the best spot to eat in the complex. NOTE THE PHO PLACE NEXT DOOR SUCKS
(5)Ben C.
I am getting to know these Chinese restaurants in Rowland Heights/Hacienda Heights area and this is so far the best I've been to but now the cheapest. I think it's a bit over priced for what I get. I just can't pay more than $6/dish for Chinese food. The owner was really nice and accommodating. But the workers don't speak a word in English. I was afraid they might get might not get the order right. So I asked for the owner. She's cool. Overall, food was good, service was o.k. and the value is average. But I give this place 4 stars. I think they deserve it. Work on the price and service, I'll give them 5 stars next time.
(4)Kristina L.
This place is on point! Our So Cal friends intro-ed us to this place and it's become on top of our "Must Grub" list when we visit. The mixed cold plate is the bomb, I found myself picking off every little last bit off the plate. I love pig ears, stomach, intestines...just call me an innards girl. Can I pick up the plate and lick the sauce, hmmm maybe not, might get heartburn. Next get the Dan Dan or the Ja Jiang Mien, then get the beef noodle soup and make sure to get the tendon with it, the Xiao Long Bao is really good here, nice and juicy bursts in your mouth...be careful not to burn your tongue though, cause you will need it to taste the rest of the good stuff. I prefer Taiwanese style stinky tofu, but Ding's version is good but you have to order and eat it with the Pao Tsai (pickled cabbage). They are better know for their braised stinky tofu, but woo-whee, does it stink so good! But my all time favorite here is the Dry Wonton in Red Chili Oil. I could dust off one of those suckers in a heartburn, I mean heartbeat!
(5)Jon R.
reading some of the reviews here, i was already a bit intimidated by people saying that everything was in chinese... the waiters didn't speak english and the menu was all in chinese. well... good thing i went so i can update this place's review... they now have a menu that features both chinese AND english. phew... went with a friend and we pretty much ordered what everyone else seemed to recommend, beef noodle soup, dan dan noodles, and steamed dumplings. i had never had dan dan noodles before and i was surprised that it wasn't a soup based noodle dish. it was more of noodles in a peanut based stew... which isn't a bad thing necessarily... its just that i was in the mood for soup! ah well. i did get to try a bit of my friend's beef noodle soup though... excellent! the beef was oh so tender... mmm... tender beef. service was pretty good, except that our bill was mostly in chinese... thankfully the final price was in regular numericals. its also a real clean place and quite cosy. one downside is that is where its located... on busy days, parking is hard to find in that strip mall and it can be hard to get in and out.
(4)Laurence L.
The food here is okay. Typical place for Taiwanese food. The interior is simple and generally clean. Their beef noodle soup is really good and I randomly ordered a roasted pork chop over rice once and it actually turned out pretty good. However, I'm giving this place very few stars because of my most recent experience. I ordered probably one of the most simple dishes ever - Shanghai style fried rice cake. The staff LAGGED IT like there was no tomorrow. My dad grew extremely impatient and asked at least 10 times to nearly every waitress/waiter and even the manager - "When is the Shanghai fried rice cake coming? We ordered it a long time ago." I felt a lazy/"I don't give a crap" vibe from many of the waitresses. It was ridiculous because other parties sat down, ordered, and every person got their food already, yet in that time span, my simple order of fried rice cake didn't even come. I eventually did get my food, but after nearly 40 minutes of waiting. Atrocious and completely unacceptable. And parking in this plaza is a MAJOR PAIN. MAJORRR. The parking lot may be large, but don't be fooled.
(2)Brian P.
My buddy brought me here to try out the Dan Dan Mein for lunch. He raved about it for quite a while and we finally went and I finally experienced Ding's DDM. After finishing the plate, I was left on a 3.5/5 impression of the place. It was good, but better can be easily had. I can't really complain or argue to further an extent simply because we went on an odd-ball hour (3pm) and perhaps the food in the kitchen wasn't as fresh....but is this an excuse for a restaurant? You decide. I'm going to try out this joint again and update my experience, hopefully for the better.
(3)Christian M.
The best beef noodle soup in my opinion after trying: Malan Han Mandarin Noodle Deli (Temple City) JTYH #1 Noodle House Sue's Kitchen (Torrance) I also like their dumplings, seaweed/beancurd/cilantro, etc. I heart this place.
(5)Veronica C.
We love their beef noodles (beef stew in brown sauce) because the beef is good quality and not fatty, sauce and noodles are excellent. Their steamed veggie baos (buns) are excellent. Shanghai style dumplings are good. They served frozen yogurt as well.
(5)Jones T.
Beef noodle soup was slightly above average, the dan dan mien was very very good. Prices are a bit high. The green onion pancake sucks here. But the porkchop rice ($8) and shen jian bao are delicious. Downside: its in a strip mall with very very little parking. Good luck.
(3)Joyce L.
Went today for lunch because of the good Yelp reviews. As everyone says, get there at off-peak times if possible, b/c it fills up fast. I was there at about noon (about 10 minutes before the crush really hits) and it was already pretty full--only 2 tables for 4 and 1 for 2 left (there are about 10 or so tables, w/ 2-4 people max. at each). While I was there, someone tried getting in a party of 8. Yikes! Service is quick--the manager is good with spotting people who're just sitting there, waiting to order. I ordered the dan dan noodles, the xiao long bao, and the green onion pancake. The dan dan noodles are a little on the greasy side, w/ the ma la (tongue-numbing) chili oil in plentiful supply. Good flavor, but eat it quick, or else is coagulates into something a little less appealing--and harder to swallow. The xiao long bao are among the better in the area--soupy and ginger-porky (but not too firm inside, like at 1+1 Dumplings). The green onion pancakes are great. Thicker than I'm used to, but layered, like they should be. Enough salt to make me happy (normally, they're very undersalted), not too oily--and the most important part: enough green onions to make me taste them even an hour later. Sweet! Everything came out hot, but one at a time, with about 5-10 minutes between items. Eh...that wasn't so annoying that I'd grade down for it. In case you're lost, the sign *does* say Ding's Garden in English in the corner, but it's between what used to be Sam Woo and Coconut Bay, right next to a yogurt place...but who knows if any of them will still be there tomorrow? This place, w/ any luck, will.
(4)Priscilla P.
this place is pretty good. i like that it's clean and kept well however, the prices are about $1-$2 more per dish than average for the area. we got the beef noodle soup, which was doused with too much chili oil, some soup dumplings and bean curd. the noodle soup was good, except for the fact it was too oily. the soup dumplings were really good and the bean curd was ok my only gripe is that they put too much MSG!! i was so exhausted and tired after this meal. i'd now definitely think twice before coming here.
(3)Alex P.
So I came in here with my wife around 4:00 today. There were no other customers, just workers at a table eating. One gentleman at the table had a full mouth and motioned for us to sit at a table in the corner. After we sat down we were asked about drinks and we got our water a few minutes later. After that, it took about 20 minutes until someone came to take our order. WE WERE THE ONLY CUSTOMERS IN THIS JOINT. They only came after my wife asked if we could order some food. While waiting, two guys came in who happened to be Chinese. They were tended to really well. They got refills, we had none. They got their bill in a timely manner. I had to finally flag someone down to finally get my bill. Needless to say, no tip. I hate to pull the race card...but it seems like if you're Chinese you're good to go, otherwise stay clear of this place. Go to Din Tai Fung. I haven't had any problems with service there and they are really nice. The only good thing is that the dumplings were pretty good.
(1)Teresa C.
This is my new favorite dinner spot when I'm eating alone! The prices are reasonable for the huge portions you get and the food is flavorful. My recommendations: Beef Noodle Soup 2 ways (same price, double the selection!) I like tendon and tripe but when K got beef and tripe, I was sold too! The beef comes in slices which aren't as fall apart tender in some places but have great juicy marinated flavor that goes so well with the heavier savory broth. The soup is a little oily and I love it at medium spicy which gives it a light spicy tinge. 3 item cold cut (beancurd, pork ear, tripe) OMNOMNOM with medium spicy, you get a drizzle of spicy red chili oil mixed in with sesame oil and a house blend, tons of cilantro and diced green onion that adds crunch to the dish. So good with soup! When I have leftovers, I eat it with instant noodle the next day, hehehe. XLB was a bit of a let down and not that juicy. It's also got a sweet peanut taste to it if that's not your thing. Spicy wonton was pretty good and I really dug the spicy oil with peanut powder mix they doused it in, although the filling is small and hard to taste. Plus, the oil can be overwhelming when you get to the bottom. Service is great in that...cheap chinese deli sort of way. They don't give you extra smiley faces but they always bring what you need, ask if you would like an extra bowl and pack your food promptly. Plus, they speak pretty good English and quite a few tables. Parking can be a pain because of all the competing restaurants in the plaza (Boiling Crab!!) but you can always stop by the Kee Wah bakery next door and get some egg tarts on the way out. Don't forget your wintermelon tea! ($2)
(4)Josh K.
Excellent cheap Taiwan/Shanghai dishes here, make sure to get the jiao huo jiao huo; load it up with extras as much as you dare, but keep in mind that the 'basic' 3-ingredient version is just fine, and that 'medium' spicy is quite fiery. Also, make sure to get the pan fried shanghai dumplings. We ordered the steamed ones by mistake and found that they paled in comparison to the pan fried ones, but keep in mind the pan fried ones are a bit doughy and thus a bit denser than the silky steamed ones.
(5)Bobbie W.
I normally go to Supreme Dragon when I'm craving some goood Chinese food but this might be my new spot. I got their pork chop rice and it was delicious! They serve it crunchy unlike which I normally don't care for but the batter wasn't too heavy and it didn't seem too unhealthy. It came with fried rice, pickled greens and an egg which were all very good. I tried my friends' babao noodles and dan dan mein and those were both very yummy as well! The dan dan noodles were a little rich but the flavor was definitely there. We also got the jiao huo jiao huo which is like a combination of their cold dishes (bean curd, pig ear, cilantro, chili oil, etc) and the cucumber side dish...all tasty. For dessert, you have to get the sesame ball soup...you won't regret it! Not too sweet and the fermented rice is supposed to be very good for your health!
(4)Camellia C.
Slurp slurp! Mmm mmm mm! Now that is some good noodles. I am a big noodle fanatic. I love em thick, thin, wavy, soft, chewy! I don't discriminate. After a disneyland trip, we made our way to Rowland Heights for some authentic Chinese food. It's a small restaurant where we were crammed real close to another couple on one side and a family the next. It was as if we were having a meal with them. Nonetheless, we came here to get our grub on...not chit chat. We got: Dan Dan Mien Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mien) Xiao Long Bao Green Onion Pancake Dan Dan Mien was tasty with a hint of salty and sweet. It came with thin cut cucumbers, green onions, beefy sauce, and dried egg. The noodles had great elasticity to it. Make sure to thoroughly mix the noodles with the sauce on the bottom! Beef Noodle Soup was pretty good. The meat could be more tender and the soup to be more flavorful. It lacked some magical herbs, but it still got the job done. Xiao Long Bao was steamy and juicy! I've had my fair share of xiao long baos all around and I was pretty impressed. Not the juiciest, but the skin had the perfect thickness that held all that good ol' fatty juice in. As a tip for those newbies, put it on a spoon, eat then drink that xiao long bao together. Green Onion Pancake was hot, flaky, and thicker than usual. Me likey. The restaurant is in the same plaza as Boiling Crab so parking is no problemo. Also, CASH ONLY. As Gunther would say, ooh...you touch my tralala, Ding Ding's Garden.
(4)Jessica F.
Only place I know that has food that makes your tongue numb ("mah la"). Weird but love it. I always get their spicy 3 dish appetizer with seaweed instead of tofu. Their fried dumplings are good too. And if you order a noodle soup, you get a boba milk tea for $1 or $1.50. All of the workers speak predominantly Mandarin but they do speak English.
(5)Jacki U.
Cozy typical Taiwanese/Chinese restaurant. Loved the Beef Noodle Soup!!! Very flavorful and can be made very spicy if requested. The Green Onion pancake was a good side-kick, (per usual) - the thick kind, not thin.. and great dipped in soy sauce/vinegar/hot sauce!! The wine chicken was dry & no good, the duck gizzard good for the first few bites. I can't wait to go back and try the dumprings & other specialities mentioned in other posts!!
(4)Jerry L.
Pretty good quality stuff. not too many people get this, but Chinese spinach wonton is excellent. a little pricey, lunch for two(2 bowls of noodles + any side dish) will be about $20. *Green onion pancake is mediocre.
(3)alexander s.
Best Tasting Dan Dan Mien and Green onion noodles in the area, shanghai noodles good too. Too bad they don't use hand pulled or knife shaved noodles, or it would be a solid five star. Very conscientious when serving vegetarians. Cheap, but Cash only!
(4)Stephanie Y.
Decided to try this place (saw the reviews on yelp!) when I was in the area running errands and craving xiao long bao. Their xiao long bao is pretty good ! Also ordered the spicy beef noodle soup -- also quite delicious && got the Shanghai Style Pan Fried Noodles -- yumm.!! These are the thicker noodles with meat & veggies. We also tried the Zha Jiang noodles (I'm not sure what it's called in English) but it's usually noodles mixed with cucumber slices & dark brown sauce containing meat. I wasn't really used to how light the color of it was, but I definitely was NOT a fan of the taste. To me, it was sour tasting and diiisgusting!! :( Besides the zha jiang noodle (which I won't be ordering again..) it was a good meal. I definitely want to come back to try the dan dan noodles I keep reading about! I think the bill came out to be around $30 or something around that. Don't forget -- CASH ONLY !!
(4)Sherri Z.
Whenever I'm craving Dan Dan noodles, I always go to Ding's! This place is a hidden gem, it's never too crowded inside but that's no bad thing! It's very cheap, and the food is yummy. My favorites are the dan dan mian (drenched in peanut sauce mmm), beef noodle soup, and jia jiang mian. Their dumplings are pretty good as well, but their rice dishes are only ok...you can def find better elsewhere. Bring cash! It's cash only
(4)Arthur Y.
Just went back this past Friday night, This place has gone down hill. we ordered beef noodle, pan fried buns, house special fried rice, dan dan noodle, and their special cold dish. The beef noodle came out soggy and blend, pan fried bun came out doughy still. The house fried rice came out the worse, we can taste large salt chunks. I don't recommend this place anymore, It was very good before, I guess it has gone change of ownership or cooks.
(1)Claudia Z.
I've been looking for authentic Shanghainese cuisine for ages! My search successfully ended yesterday at Ding's Garden. Dan Dan noodles in sesame sauce (not peanut) and chili oil was the best I've had! Xiao Long Bao could do with thinner wrappers and more juice, was slightly dissapointed. But not compairing to Ding Tai Feng because that is a Taiwanese knockoff. Beef noodle soup was so flavorful, tender beef, and the noodles had just enough chewiness. Mini wonton soup with seaweed was totally legit! mini wonton is unique to Shanghai and it's is wrapped differently, not just smaller versions of regular wonton like some knockoff restaurants would serve... Best for last, I ordered the Si Xian Kao Fu, the English menu translates it as glutton puff, but it's actually a type of fried bean curd cooked in brown sauce with peanuts and fungi. Haven't seen kao fu anywhere! I called my mom in the middle of the meal, she got so jealous that I was eating Kao Fu! lol I wanted to get SO MANY other items on the menu! But my stomach was not cooperating... however, a lot of their cold dishes are ready-packed for take out, so I got more of the Kao Fu and some duck gizzard (that's right!) to take home. Rowland Heights is a bit out of the way for me, probably will not come back here very often, wish I could though. Might be right about subpar service if you don't speak Chinese, the waitress' English is not the best. But I didn't see any table that didn't have at least one Chinese speaker. We had excellent service, and once I spoke Shanghainese to them, got even better!
(4)Julie N.
I didn't look up Ding's Garden beforehand so I was completely unsure of what to order. Yelp shouldn't be too depended on anyways, right? ;) I asked the waitress what was the most popular dish. She didn't speak English very well so she just ran her finger down the line of noodle dishes and mumbled a bunch of adjectives. It wasn't very helpful at all. I ended up ordering the Shanghai Style Noodles for $8.25. It was stir fried with some cabbage, chinese spinach, and barely came with any meat at all. For $8.25!? It was also VERY greasy. I couldn't tell if the noodles came with a sauce or if it was just a pool of oil at the bottom (see pictures). Excuse me, but I didn't ask for any lip gloss! I was so disappointed. It was all coated with oil so we barely ate half. Also got the Fried Pork Chop Noodle Soup. The fried pork chop was very salty. I'm pretty sure that they leave the pork soaking in saltwater since that's also a way to keep it tender. It also came out oily and the breading wasn't even. I guess you could say it's a good complement with the bland broth and noodles it came with.
(1)Nikki N.
Heard great reviews about this place for the spicy dandan noodles so the bf and I came here to try it out. Ok maybe I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter but this dish was strange to me and I didn't really like it as much as everyone. It didn't really taste right to me with the peanut butter sauce and also there was way too much oil in the sauce, it wasn't spicy at all. We also ordered the house special fried rice. This dish was alright, typically Chinese fried rice. I would like to come back and try the cold cut appetizer dishes.
(2)Sarina V.
Eh for now just A-ok...got the dan dan noodles....if you LOVE peanuts and I mean LOVE get it...and I do like peanut sauce....but this just tasted like peanut butter or something. Not good, I trashed it :( Maybe I ought to try something else, reviews seemed good. My friend got the pan fried noodles and those were better...that's why I'm giving 3 stars for now, but got a bad experience with mine, I think I need to order something else next time !
(3)Christopher Y.
Two words: Szechuan Dumplings. If you don't come here for anything else, get the Szechuan dumplings. Just make sure you leave enough in the restaurant for me because I'm going to be constantly coming back for more. I was just introduced to this place and I don't know how I've lived without it for all these years. They are hands down the best dumplings you will ever have in your entire life so get them right now. No, I'm serious. Get up right now off the computer or your smartphone and just go. Disclaimer: fairly spicy - even for my nerveless tongue. Good prices and friendly Chinese service. There's even an adjacent adjoining yogurt shop to wash down all of that spicy dumpling goodness in your tum tum. CASH ONLY.
(5)Jenn S.
Cash only. The portions are on the smaller side but it matches the low prices. We ordered a lot of carbs so it ended up being very filling. 3 meat cold-cut appetizer (jiao he jiao he) - I don't like tripe but I liked the other two meats and clilantro in this dish. Shanghai style rice cakes - soy sauce stir fried ovalettes with veggies. Fried pork buns (sheng jian bao) - top part of the bun is soft, the bottom is fried and the inside is filled with juicy savory pork. Spicy wontons - I still think Din Tai Fung's is the best I've had so far but this one is good too! I would recommend getting dessert at Class 302 after since it's across the street.
(4)Brian C.
Only came here once to eat, but came back for take out a couple more times. The main thing I get here is their Dan Dan Mein (spicy noodles with sesame and peanut sauce) If you haven't tried it you have to! Their DanDan Mein is one of the better ones that I have had. Although it's not spicy enough more me. I had to keep asking them for more spicy oil. Its also very heavy on the peanut for those that like the sauce. It's CASH ONLY, and I recommend you get take out. For some reason it seems like you get more in their togo box than what you actually get in the restaurant. I've also tried their beef noodle soup and spicy wontons. Both were good, but I would say that their DanDan mein is the best thing I've tried so far.
(4)June P.
So I tired the Babao Spicy Brown Sauce over dry noodles and it was pretty good, i think its pretty much the same as zha jiang mein but less meat and the sauce has peanuts, tofu and maybe mushroom and cucumber.... This dish was pretty good but i think it was a little sweet, i like my noodles salty but it was well worth it... I got pretty full from this bowl of noodle and usually I when I'm done with my bowl i can eat more but not this time i was Full... I also ordered a side of bean curd and it was good but i think it needed some kinda of sauce maybe soy and sesame oil. Over all I had a good experience today.
(4)Sophia L.
Definitely worth several return trips. I love green onion pancakes and while this one is thicker and doughier than normal, it had a great crispy crust and a nice soft chewy center. Note it has bacon in it which is not traditional but oh so good. Sesame noodles were above par and the stir fried veggies was fresh. The spicy wontons were a bit too sweet for my taste but had a nice kick to it. I wouldn't order the Shanghai dumpings but overall, great spot for some good Chinese food.
(4)David C.
New stinky tofu (steamed) and beef tendon noodle champ.
(5)Kay H.
It's my first time trying this place after reading all reviews, I just giving it a try. The spicy beef noodle is very good except there are only 4 pieces of meat. Otherwise Ding's Garden will earn all 5 stars.
(4)Melodie Y.
great service beef noodle overrated but many of their other dishes were fantastic. such as the jia jiang mian, xiao long bao, and their style of the green onion pancake (cong you bing).
(4)Jessica L.
Make sure you eat quickly at Ding's. The food tastes good but is mot suitable for take-out (also to ensure they don't give you spoiled food). Ding's has a large variety of tasty noodles and is well known for their 攪和 (mixed cold platter), which I always order. Their noodles are very good...for the first 10 minutes，then they become soggy and mushy (cheap quality noodles); another reason I don't recommend taking it to-go. I once ordered 7 cups of bubble milk tea to go for my office (10 minutes away) and they were sour and spoiled. When I told them, they merely said "Oh," a testament to their service. The workers are nice enough, but will absolutely chase you down for tipping too little for their mediocre service. I recommend making a mad dash for it right after leaving the cash.
(2)Kathy V.
Tried the dan dan mein and I gotta say its not really my taste. If you love peanut butter, then you'll love this. But if not, I feel like it would be a hit or miss. I also got the spicy wonton and the Shanghai pan fried dumplings (?). The wontons are $5.50 for tiny wontons with barely any meat. Meanwhile, the dumplings. OMG, the dumplings were the best thing there! It's like a pork bun, but they fry it so the bottom is really crispy and...omg, they're a delicious hybrid. I love that! Absolutely recommend!
(4)Kelly S.
The beef noodle soup is so oily. I had to scoop out the layer in order to enjoy the noodle. Don't get me wrong, the soup base is not bad, just away too oily compared to other noodle soups I had on different restaurants in LA areas. The fried rice with pork chop is not good, the fried rice is only stir fried with oil basically again with some eggs. the pork chop is so bland with no taste at all. I am not sure why people said it is good. We did not try the xiao long bao and dan dan mee since most people here in yelp said it is good. they do not take credit cards. CASH ONLY, make sure you do bring CASH! and they do not charge you SALE TAX since it is paid in CASH?? Guess many Asian restaurants in LA are doing that so nothing surprise to see here.
(2)Katherine K.
Got the spicy dan dan noodles. It tasted pretty good; has that "ma" spicy/numbing flavor. You can tell them how spicy you want it. Doesn't seem that clean as I found that my napkin was stuck to my plate when I sat down. Overall, yummy, but not something to write home about--at least from a Korean girl's perspective.
(3)Vince The G.
Good Food. Fast Service. You get the food super fast. They try to sell you more food. They sell boba milk tea drinks. spicy wontons (hong you cao shou) - better at A and J. But it's a nice portion. I don't remember the prices. Sorry I try to get prices out because I know it's helpful! Everything is around 6-7 bucks. Seared Baos (shen jian bao) - good flavors, but where it's seared on the bottom, was quite hard. Comes with 6 or 8 in a order. I forget. oil noodles - soo good! But so unhealthy! It's just noodles, onions, and oil. steamed stinky tofu - stinky and tender tofu. It was good! A little spicy. Total came out to 26 dollars I think. Something like that. The food came out so fast, I think we were out of there in 40 minutes. They are known for the cold dish mixes. But it's the same everywhere I think. The chow mein looks really good. They have lots of other things on the menu too.
(4)Candy W.
I always get the small wonton, jiao huo jiao huo (with seaweed instead of tripe) extra spicy, and the shanghai rice cakes. If you like papaya, get the papaya milk, it's pretty good, but not fresh, but still scrumptious. This place can get quite expensive, but their jiao huo jiao huo is so delicious that it temps me to go back every time!
(4)Albert L.
I've been back to this place a few times since my first review and I gotta say, I feel my initial review of this place has been validated. I've had the chicken dry noodle, one of the noodle soups, and the xiao long bao (which was surprisingly pretty good - not the best I've had but definitely one of the better ones) quite recently. Plus I found out they have roughly 4-5 drinks (honey green tea, milk tea, and etc.) that are just a buck with the purchase of a noodle dish. That's just awesome.
(4)Andrew T.
Good food! very large portions. Great price and clean. Ordered shanghai fried noodle and some noodle soup. I am definitely going to return.
(5)Katherine L.
Yummy and flavorful noodles. Came here a few times before with family but just recently came with two friends. I had the pork and veg. wontons which were pretty good. The soup was good, but nothing too exciting. One friend had the shredded chicken cold noodles, which were super flavorful but she thought it was too saucy so she used my soup to wash some sauce off. Other friend had some other noodles and they give tons of noodles! She kept eating and it seemed like noodles were being added because she didn't leave a dent! Only negative thing here is the service. Not so great.
(4)Amy D.
It's a really good place. You can get all sorts of Chinese/Taiwanese dishes here. I like the dumplings and the noodles. Their cold dish is a little expensive starting at $8 but it is amazingly good. It is cash only.
(4)Monica L.
Their jiao he jiao he is really good. I came here just to grab it to go! Be warned that parking can be a bit crazy on the weekends. The jiao he jiao he (bean curd, tripe, pig ear) was very tasty, just slightly on the salty side. If you don't like cilantro, you may not like this dish though...It was almost half cilantro and green onions, and hours later my breath still has a ton of onion breath! Overall, I still loved the dish!
(4)Noom S.
From what I remember it was pretty good. Went with the dumplings like everyone else and also a bowl of peanut noodles. Good food, decent price, small place, and bad parking typical place to find some good asian food.
(4)jessica m.
Bleh. My mom always gets me their cold noodles for takeout. The noodles are nice, and it comes with sesame paste sauce, garlic sauce, chili oil, and random other sauces which makes it good. It also comes with lots of veggies, which I always take out. Even without the veggies, I can't finish a whole order so I guess the portion is pretty big. I believe it's around $7 so it's okay. But I came here today for dine in because my friend was yelping xiao long bao. I didn't know the English name for this place, or I would've advised to go elsewhere. Xiao long bao ($6.40): ehh. Not all of them had the soup, but it was very meaty so that's fine. They didn't use cabbage though so some of them got stuck to the paper thing they did use, which caused the little soup to flow out. But for $6, I think it's really expensive and not worth it. Wontons in chili oil (hong you chao shou): I guess it's not fair because I just went to A&J yesterday, which I think has THE BEST chili wontons ever. We ordered it medium spicy, and yea it was pretty spicy at first but subsided later. There's definitely more chili oil here, and not as much garlic or soy sauce. And def not that little pinch of sugar that makes A&J so great. But $5.50 compared to $4? This place loses. I ordered their stinky tofu just for the heck of it, but was really disappointed. This is NOT the place to get stinky tofu at all. Their sauce wasn't even the right sauce. It was just half chili sauce and soy paste. Meh. Also the tofus were EMPTY in the middle...what. Not worth the $4 they were asking, especially since there were only 8 pieces or so. Now onto the bad part: their service. I came with a Vietnamese friend, so we were conversing in English. We were the only customers at that time, so when we sat down, this waitress literally just stood next to our table waiting for us to order. I was thinking, "OMG GIVE US SPACE. CHILL. WE'LL ORDER SOON ENOUGH." I don't know what her deal was. Did she think we were going to leave? Did she ENJOY making us super uncomfortable? It's not like we were asking for help. I'd actually rather have a waitress who's hard to flag down than have a waitress hovering over me. At least I can have a conversation without fear of being eavesdropped upon. She also promptly removed our dishes. And by promptly I mean stand and watch us eat and wait for us to finish and then quickly swoop in like a hawk and take our dishes away. Seriously? I don't know if they think it's good service or not, but it's not. It just makes me feel super uncomfortable. Anyway, I do like their cold noodle dish so they get 2 stars, but next time I'd rather get their stuff to go and sit on the sidewalk than dine in with that hawk-like waitress. Ugh.
(2)Mary Q.
This place is in the Mandarin Plaza! I thought that was important to note, since both my friend and I ended up parking over on the 99 Ranch plaza only to find we were across the street from our destination. Look for the Boiling Crab in the plaza and you'll know you're in the right place. So we just had dinner here and I really liked it! Most restaurants I come across tend to have Cantonese style cuisine, so it was nice to find this place with food that I'm more used to having at home and in China. My friends had the beef noodle soup that allows you to choose two items from three options: beef, tripe, and tendon. I enjoyed a tasty preserved vegetable and pork noodle soup that I was afraid would be bland, but wasn't at all! We all liked the spinach leaves that came with the noodle soups, to add some freshness and balance out the noodles and meat. The seaweed and egg drop soup was salty just the way I like it, and even had a hint of sweet corn. Now the one thing we didn't like was the green onion pancakes, which weren't the flat, oily, crispy things we expected. Instead we got a fluffy, bready pancake that was... meh. Oh, and the tea came piping hot, which you don't get much anymore. Too many places give me lukewarm drinks that just don't do it for me. I liked that for once I could get my drink as hot as I do at home.
(4)Tiffany O.
I love Ding's! I usually come here when I crave niu ro mien (beef noodle soup) but have discovered recently that everything else on the menu is amazing as well. The xiao long bao is very good. Of course not as good as din tai fung but no one can compare to them. Their shanghai style pan fried dumplings are interesting. A little bit too gingery but filling and delicious nonetheless. Last time I went I tried the noodle with pork and pickled veggies. It didn't look that appetizing but turned out to be really good. We ate it all up. The fried rice is also good. Service is good for a chinese restaurant. They actually attend to you! WHA?! You may have trouble communicating with the servers if you don't speak chinese (I have the chinese of a 3 year old) but you can just point at what you want from the menu. Cons: Cash only. Go to the bank before you get here. Also, parking can be a bit crazy...especially with all the asian drivers. Drive slowly ;)
(4)YaoYao W.
I've been coming to this joint for YEARS. I'm not going to tell you how many, since it'll reveal my age. BUT YEARS. Maybe since high school? It's always awesome here. Here's what you get: 1. Steamed vegetarian buns. They're made with this crack cocaine AHEM excuse me, they're made with this vegetable called "ji cai" that's really rare in the US for Chinese cuisine. 2. Beef noodle soup. WHAT WHAT. 3. Shanghai rice sticks 4. Jiao huo jiao huo 5. Ji cai wontons Definitely on my list of legit noodle houses!
(5)Maggie C.
What do I always get from this place? Ja Jiang Mein (noodles with meat sauce), stinky fried tofu (yes STINKY), dan dan mein, and some other noodle dish with thick spicy brown sauce. You have to ask the waiter but that particular noodle dish is my favorite. It has no meat, spicy and gets very messy to eat. Ask for extra meat if the topping is not enough for you. Fried stinky tofu is good btw. I got the pork chop with fried rice & egg for lunch yesterday and thought it was bland. I would rather get my fried pork chop @ Pearl's restaurant in Monterey Park. I have to request for an English menu every single time because they always assume I read Chinese. Well I do..but just the basic Chinese. Pay $1 extra for drinks; get iced honey green tea or iced don gua tea. I do not recommend stinky tofu to non Asian. My friend ate it and kept saying "wow it's very stinky but it's good" but he didn't get any more tofu. So I knew right there he was being polite. The servers sometimes argue loudly among themselves but I think they are just loud and excited about something. Cash only. XLB is not their specialty. My XLB has thick skin and it sticks to the lining. What a waste of the juice. The meat is pretty tasty though... 3.5 stars!! Ding's garden's stinky tofu is yummylicious!!
(3)Gabe L.
Good pricing, average zha jiang mian (although a little too much gravy, I still go back to 101 Noodle Express for my fix). The soup base for the beef tendon noodles was really tasty, and the xiao long baos were average.
(3)Josh L.
FIRST UP - CASH ONLY This white-boy is giving Ding's 5 stars! When here with my Chinese pal and his girlfriend and few few other white folk. This guy is more obsessed with food than I am so I trust his tastes. I got the Shanghai noodles and they were awesome. But since I was white, the server didn't ask me if I wanted them spicy. I want that sh*t spicy!!! I had to put a ton of pepper oil on it before I could feel the heat. It was so satisfying and can't put it into words. $7.25 and it totally filled me up. Man, I must have had just an aura or white-person glowing around me because the server brought my food and then a kid working there came out and gave me (only me) a fork.... THIS WHITE BOY DON'T NEED A FORK!
(5)Andy C.
Good food. Place is small and dirty sometime.
(3)Crystal L.
i really like their cold platters that come with seaweed and meats. so yum especially when you eat it with some rice. something about the intense flavors ... definitely is a must try. the wonton (big AND small sized) are so good. the broth just warms your belly and the flavors of the wontons are so yummy. i usually get their sauteed shanghai rice cake dish. its a bit greasy but tasty.
(4)Jonsen H.
Spicy noodle soup, will make your mouth droop. Tasty dumparings that boils, is going make your pants soil.
(4)Yvonne C.
This is the best Szechuan cuisine you will find in the area - hands down. I don't live in the area anymore but whenver I come back to visit my parents, this is the first place I have to go to. Must haves - Dan dan noodles - Spicy wontons - pig ears + baked tofu (i have no idea what this is called in english ;-) This is real authentic Chinese food at it's best. I can't believe people are dinging Ding's (lol) for dan dan noodles having too much of a kick (hello, it's called swechuan food!) or getting dinged for having a Chinese menu (sorry, the best Chinese places don't have english menus...and if they do, it probably doesn't make any sense). ;-) BTW: they do have an english menu now. Anyways, if you like garlic or spicy foods, this is a must try. Also, note that like many other good chinese restaurants in the area, they are a cash only establishment.
(5)lisa h.
I liked the prices! This is a very low key restaurant. It's pretty small with a one page menu (front and back). The menu items are hard to filter thru bc everything is jammed together. Anyhooo, my friend and I got the beef noodle soup and swezchuan dandan mein. Beef noodle soup was legit and yummy. Beef was tender. This is my first time having the dandan mien and I don't really like it. The noodles taste super peanutty like peanut butter almost lol. It tasted significantly better once I added tons of spicy oil to it. But it was too creamy/peanut buttery for my liking. I guess I was expected a gan-ban-mein type of deal. I've never had noodles that tasted like PB! To be honest though, I'd like to eat it again even though I don't think I liked it much... LOL! I wanted to like this place And am willing to give it another shot. This place has to be good since it's got so many good reviews, right? Shrug.
(4)Jeff K.
xlb all day err day, hommie. shit is so bomb, i eat enough that my shit is starting to look like it... OH! you gotta watch out when eating one. i bit into one and it squirted all over my face like a bad XLB... come on now, save that shit for the bed room...xlb, have you no manners?!? i also got the DanDan noodles. fuckin lip smacking. if you are not afraid of strong peanut flavor/sauce, get this dish. its really good with the spicy oil they provide you on the side. their spicy wontons, are really good as all. service sucks, but getting good service at an asian restaurant is like going to a viet massage parlor and NOT getting a happy ending...ya know? PS: they have a security TV in the restaurant, that shows live feed from the other restaurant right next door. you can pretend to be an secret agent and spy on the patrons. its creepy, because you wonder if they have a TV on their side and are spying on you... hahaha you best be carrying cash, cuz its cash only. unmarked bills preferable.
(5)Esther J.
Good stuff! We were on the search for some good cheap chinese food in the area and yelp led us to Ding's Garden. We were not disappointed! The waitress was really nice and pointed out their top-sellers since we were sort of lost looking at all the choices. I think there were 50+ items on the menu. We ended up getting: 1) Beef Noodle Soup - Soooo good! 2) Pork/Shrimp Wonton Soup - Delicious! 3) Green Onion Pancake - Crispy, Fried, yumminess! What's not to like! We enjoyed our meal thoroughly. All for under $20. We will be back! Mmmm....
(4)Josie K.
is it fair to rate this restaurant even though its based on left overs my brother and his gf brought home? oh well, im going to anyways! so im hungry and browsing my kitchen and kitchen cabinets for some good grub and i stumble upon some take out food in my fridge. why hello greasy styrofoam box, what do you have for me? i open it up and without even microwaving the food to make it warm, i eat a few of their spicy dumplings. WOW that sh*t is good even as left overs! cant even imagine what it tastes like when its super fresh and warm! and i also gobbled down the rest of those infamous peanut noodles. the noodles were SOO GOOD!! better than my mom's! i also finished up this dish but i dont know what its called; ill have to ask my bro what it was. but it was like circular pieces of egg fried noodle mixed with cabbage. the texture of the circle pieces was like that flat noodle stuff. it was soo good too! (dont worry i didnt eat all of the left overs cold... i eventually microwaved it to make it warm. lol) but anyways...i will have to come to Dings, to try their food in their restaurant, cause i guess service and ambience makes a big difference, but i will give the food here about 4 stars and am wanting to go back :) sorry for eating all the leftovers, jeff k. edit (9/19/11) so i did get a chance to visit Dings garden this past weekend and try the peanut dan dan noodles, szechuan spicy wontons and the shanghai stir fried rice cake all three dishes were very flavorful, my only complaint would be that the spicy wontons made me cough every time i ate a wonton :( i think it was all the pepper that was making me choke/cough haha but it was well worth it.. oh and the wonton pieces were kinda small.. like the actual fillings/meat were a little skimpy although you do get a lot of wontons in your bowl. service was pretty good and the place is clean. will definitely revisit when im in the area :)
(4)Leda T.
Probably the best place I've gone to get beef noodle stew! The soup was oh so flavorful and really stood out to me! I like how they let us choose spicyness level as well. This place isn't known for their dumplings but I just love xaio long bao (shanghai style steamed dumplings) and had to try them out! I thought they were good too and was pleasantly satisfied. I highly recommend both those dishes. I thought the dan dan noodles were just ok. At the beginning of the meal they were good but near the end the peanut sauce was just too much for me. This is a great spot for a quick bite that is sure to satisfy your been noodle stew craving and btw this place doesn't take card so bring cash!
(4)Jennifer F.
I came here on a Sunday evening at 6:30pm and was seated immediately. My friend and I had only looked at the menu for about three minutes, and a waitress asked if we were ready to order. We requested a few more minutes, but three different waitresses came over at two minute intervals to hurry us! It's understandable that they're busy, but I feel that dinner should be a comfortable experience. Anyway, the restaurant was completely packed by 7pm. We ordered vegetable "liang mian" (cold dry noodles in peanut sauce), beef dried noodles, and their most basic "ping pan" which is a trio of "lu wei" (stewed flavored items). The liang mian (non-spicy) was standard, but the other two dishes were quite good. I really enjoyed the sweet yet savory sauce that came with the beef noodles. The trio of lu wei items (tofu, pig ear, and tripe) had great flavors, especially with the cilantro. I can't wait to try their other dry noodles!
(4)Judy L.
Came here this past weekend to try their Dan Dan mein. We also ordered their scallion pancake, xlb, and pork chop rice. Everything here is on the salty side for me. Maybe my family and I are just used to more mildly seasoned food. I still like everything at Noodle King in Alhambra better. The dan dan mein at Ding's was very flavorful and very spicy (even though we asked for mild). Not bad, but not my favorite. The scallion pancakes had ham or something in them, which made them too salty. The pork chop was fried perfectly and I liked the batter they use, but again, a bit on the salty side. Although I do like how their pork chop rice came with fried rice instead of just regular rice. The XLB was good, but nothing special. We always wanted to try this place due to the reviews, but it's a far drive for us, so didn't get a chance until this weekend when we were in the area. Probably won't be coming back unless we're in the area again. The menu prices are a bit steep too. $8.25 for pork chop rice, although the pork chop was huge and it did come with fried rice.
(3)Karen W.
Michael Z. and I migrated across the street to Ding's Garden, post shaved ice. I wanted to show him one of my favorite foods--XLB, or xiao long bao, also known as Shanghai Dumplings. I made a point to research other nearby places too with XLB, and settled on Ding's. The food here was soooo fresh and tasty. There was a bit of confusion when I was talking to the waitress though about "pickled pickles" and just plain "pickles" in pork noodle soup. The English translation for their menu is not the most impressive. I settled just on the "pickles" which she explained were fresh vegetables, and was glad with my choice. We ended up with a steaming bowl of pork noodle soup with "pickles" ( media4.px.yelpcdn.com/bp… ) and a steamer of XLB ( media4.px.yelpcdn.com/bp… ). The XLB was yummy and juicy, though honestly I have had better! I prefer thinner delicate skins...and even MORE juicy if possible. I am spoiled. The pork was really tasty though :) Michael Z. did not like how the pork noodle soup did not have lots of pork, but I thought it was perfect! The pork bits that were there were tender and lean and I loved how the "pickles" turned out--they were just finely chopped up leafy greens. The broth was light yet flavorful. I have to say though, I was a little disappointed with the noodles! I'd read about their delicious handmade noodles (perhaps we should have ordered Dan-dan noodles like others). These noodles were certainly tasty and well-made, but typically when I envision handmade noodles I think of something thick and chewy. Oh well...my tummy was happy :)
(4)Tyler B.
I only order lunch to go from here since I work nearby. I've only tried: Seaweed/Bean curd: A+ (I love lots of cilantro!) Noodle in green onion sauce: A (Very flavorful although a bit oily) - Also great if you love vinegar-y foods!
(4)Jon N.
After picking up a few things for the GF at Frank and Sons I was in the mood for a steaming bowl of Beef Noodle Soup. With the sun brutally beaming down rays upon Industry. While wearing my black sweater. While wearing jeans. While wearing dark socks. While wiping the forming beads of sweat of my brow. Thanks to the other reviews on Yelp because when I looked at the menu it was all in Chinese and I don't understand a lick of it. I already had the Beef Noodle Soup in mind so I shamefully ordered that in English. I was surprised when it came out in less then THREE minutes, steamin' hot. The bowl only had a few pieces of beef inside but the broth was rich and balanced. It had a little kick to it from the couple of dashes of pepper they put it the bowl and I also noticed that the greens floating inside the bowl was spinach since I could taste a hint of bitterness from it. The noodles themselves weren't overcooked and had a solid texture to them, about average. The total bill was only $6.05 after tax and it was well worth it to have a hearty bowl of noodle soup and quick service.
(4)Abe L.
Came here with the fam recently while I was under the weather so decided to go easy. They're known for the Dan Dan noodles here so I went with their Schezwan version along with some steamed mushroom and spinach buns and cold beancurd. The fam ordered steamed pork dumplings along with the beef noodle soup and some pork chop plates. All I remember hearing when the food arrived was, "UMMMM...and OMG, sooooo good!!!" Then it came upon my senses that these sounds came directly from yours truly. After stirring up the Dan Dan noodles and taking the first bite, it was definitely a "Ratatouille" moment that made me drop my chopsticks. I looked at my mom with a mouthful of noodles and said, "WOW!" After chewing up the goodness and everything around me, I declared to my fam that we are DEFINITELY coming back very soon. Then we pulled a dine and dash. (only joking!)
(5)christina c.
3.5 Stars. The green onion pancakes were not good at all. They are very thick so the inside is a bit soggy. I think green onion pancakes taste much better thinner. The beef noodle soup was also too salty. The XLB were okay. Service was surprisingly good. These 3 dishes cost $20 so the price was only okay too.
(3)Raymond C.
The skinny: Tasty and Yay! I'm a fan. Ordered the Dan Dan Noodles was asked how spicy I wanted it? hmm odd, I don't think I've been asked that before so I said medium. Turned out to be a fantastic choice. The spicy and the sauce will did wonders. Best I've had - ever. Beef Noodle Soup, great taste as well but I preferred the Dan Dan Noodles. They put more veggies in it than other places so that was great to see. Two Negatives. On food: The Xiao Long Bao - Half of the order had no juice in side, they were already punctured :\ so it was alright, but I enjoy eating xiao long bao, so meh. On service: I went at 9pm when they were almost closing but not really. They tried to hurry us up on ordering by saying the kitchen is closing so we ordered and while we were waiting for our food and what not, more people came in and they seemed to have ordered just fine. I don't think you should push the customer to order as quickly as possible without having a chance to look at the entire menu. Tip: Look for the Idiot's Noodle (LOL)
(4)Richard M.
Assorted veggie platter- seaweed, shredded bean curd, spicy cut string beans, cucumbers, spicy cabbage. Schzechwan dan dan dry noodle. Shanghai dumplings. Spinach mushroom bun - a bit flavorless. That was the order we had, I like Dings Garden but must admit I've had better tasting food. I felt the salt level was a bit high. The service was good, and the price reasonable.
(3)Eva L.
I like this place...the people I take there like this place. 1. RECOMMENDATIONS: - The cold appetizer dishes...if you can't handle spicy just ask them to tone it down a little - Beef in Brown Sauce Dry Noodles... or something like that. It's not too oily and it's very flavorful. - Shrimp Dumpling/Wonton Soup ... I really don't know what they are called, but it's good....down to the soup - Boba milk tea...their boba has me sold. I don't know why, but yeah the tea is really good. They use mini boba so you can put it in the fridge and it'll still be good the next day. Plus it's cheap with the purchase of a noodle...like $1.38 or something. - anything with their clear soup is really good...I really really like their soup base 2. SECOND THOUGHTS: - Shao Long Bao... yeah ummm... I'm actually pretty sure they aren't supposed to taste like that. - The dry dumplings... the ones without soup... not that great either...I'm from HKG so I guess I like my dumplings with thinner skin? This one was mostly skin and the inside was ... meh.... 3. DISLIKES: - MSG!!! I get major stomachaches when the food has MSG in it and the effects are almost immediate. This place uses a lot! BUT the good thing is that you can ask them to not use any. - CASH ONLY!! - TINY!! the place is small...please be careful when turning around BTW, I'm Chinese... I can speak Chinese, but not read. The waiters speak to me in Chinese and I answer in English...It was okay like that they got my order right...
(4)Jackie H.
I'm a huge fan of their steamed dumplings and braised pork! DELICIOUS and inexpensive! The dumplings are really juicy and tasty. The menu can be a bit daunting, especially for someone who isn't familiar with Chinese. Although the menu does have an English translation, I would still recommend coming here with someone who's Chinese and is familiar with the food. Expect to spend around $20 for two people. CASH ONLY!
(5)P C.
Went to this place for some beef noodle soup after reading all the good reviews. The food was good but I found the prices to be higher than I expected. Beef noodle soup plus scallion pancakes and a diet coke cost over $15. There are cheaper places around for the same quality.
(3)Ashley C.
This place is a hidden gem-- TRUST me. The only thing I've tried (and consistently ordered) is the beef noodle stew. The beef is surprisingly sooooooo tender. I cannot stress how amazing the beef is but my mouth is literally beginning to water just thinking about it. I'm so surprised a Taiwanese restaurant in America is able to cook such delicious beef. The noodles are really good and the stew had a great balance of cilantro and spinach. I recommend visiting this restaurant-- you will be satisfied :). The prices are so fair that if I were a guy, I would just take my girlfriend here all the time. Good for your stomach and good for your wallet. Warning: - Cash only. I only had my debit so the boyfriend ended up paying. Hehe - Speaking Mandarin is always a plus but the waitresses are really nice and accommodating.
(4)Tina V.
The xiao long bao, dan dan mein, noodles in ba bao sauce, and 3 flavor spicy beef noodle soup are me and my bf's favorite here. The servers lack english communication so it is really hard to order unless you can speak mandarin but the owner is usually there and she the sweetest little lady. the prices are fair and the quality is good. i will say do not try the yogurt place they also run next door. its not their specialty meaning gross!!! I still like to come back here once every other week. Sorry but i gotta go on a diet no too much eating and sleeping haha. other than that this place is yum! in my book.
(4)paul k.
First let me say that I WAS a regular here, but I will NEVER go back again. Mrs. Ding, if you are reading this, I hope you teach your waitresses some common sense. I ordered the usual beef noodle soup. When I got it, the beef was undercooked and hard as rubber. I fished out the few pieces of beef and put them in a bowl to show the waitress. The waitress looked at them and took them away. As a customer, I expect her to bring me some replacements that are properly cooked. But instead, I sat and waited, and waited, not really sure what is going on. 5 minutes goes by, she returns with the SAME pieces I gave her, including the one I tried to chew! She had tried to boil them a little more! (my eyes were rolling in disbelief!). Some pieces were a little softer, but some were just as hard. By now I was really pissed. I called the waitress over and tried to explain that she should have brought the customer new pieces instead of letting us wait while she tried to cook the same ones some more. She gave us the look like "oh, you should have asked..." excuse me??? Maybe this is what you do in China (I'm Chinese), but ... I can't find words to describe this...
(1)Christopher L.
TLDR: - Mix-Mix plates (Jiao Huo Jiao Huo). - Pricier than other places, but tasty. Pay extra fee for thin-sliced beef addition. - Good noodle selection. House vegetables are a solid choice. - Patient staff. - Authentic comfort food.
(4)Brian B.
Honestly, this place is more like a hit and miss place. Disclaimer, I am only there for the beef noodle soup, not XLB. I tried their 3 item combo, they're all right, nothing to rave about. Their beef noodle however, sometimes are great while other times are not that great. I also notice that the quality and quantity fluctuates depending on how busy they are (their kitchen is). Most of the times, their beef noodle was great when I came during off peak hours, like 4pm or 5 pm, but became bleh when I came during peak hours (lunch or dinner). They also sell some kind of frozen yogurt (apparently following the fad of froyo many years ago) but I hardly see anybody order them. They used to offer 10% off yogurt with every food purchase, but people did not bite that either apparently. I wonder how old is the milk .... So, my suggestion is AVOID THE FROYO. One funny thing is, I noticed that you may get some freebies if you're a young white male, especially if the the female owner is there without her husband (The guy with Steven Seagal's pony tailed hairdo). I once saw a mid 20s or low 30s white man eating there with his Asian friend, and they got few freebies like XLB and others while the owner is serving their table attentively while raving and promoting her foods. "Here is our special xiao lung bao, on the house." and "Here is our special ... on the house." Man, I need to bring my white friends here.
(3)Michael H.
The dan dan noodles is not that good. If you like creamy peanut butter in your noodles then you would love this. The peanut butter like sauce was a little overwhelming. I got sick of the taste after the 3rd bite. Their onion cake was a little thicker and a lot less tasty than what I usually get at other places. Service was great here. Servers were friendly and are very attentive to you. Overall, I wouldn't go back for their food. I cringe when I think of their dan dan noodles. Don't think I will ever eat another peanut butter sandwich again.
(2)Duy L.
Came on a Monday night, Feb 21, 2011. This place seemed pretty legit, as I was probably the only non-Chinese person there. I wish I could've said I was delighted with the food, but I thought it was simply "A-OK." I got the won ton soup, which was good. The broth was clean, and it felt healthy... but nothing to write home about. My friend got the beef soup, and she was very happy with it, saying she hasn't had good beef soup in the U.S... We also got the shanghai dumplings, which were good. I'm no shanghai dumpling connoisseur, but I couldn't tell if this place's was better or Din Tai Fung's (those are the only 2 places I had tried the soup dumplings at that point in time). They were good though, but I wouldn't have driven out of my way to have some. CASH ONLY! I had offered to treat my friend, and was insistent.. until I saw the sign after sitting down. Good thing she was an old friend, and not some golddigging bitch on a first date that mighta left me there to wash dishes in payment.
(3)Chris C.
Dumplings were AMAZING. Came here after coming back from a weekend in mammoth and the food was pretty good. Hunger is always the best sauce and seasoning ;)
(4)Tiffany W.
5 stars for their "Mix Mix" (Jiao Huo Jiao Huo) cold dish, 4 stars for wontons and dumplings. The Jiao Huo is the priciest in the area, but it's the best. Pay the extra few bucks for the thinly-sliced cured beef, you don't be disappointed. Chinese cold cuts, bean curd, seaweed knots in hot oil, cilantro, green onion, and minced garlic...how can you go wrong? The Shrimp Wontons in Soup is also great! In the afternoon lull hours, you'll see the waitresses handmaking them fresh. They're huge and packed with shrimp, served with loose seaweed and minced greens in a light broth. The other wontons are also good, but if you love seafood, try the Shrimp. Shanghai Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) are decent but it's the Pan-fried Shanghai Dumplings (Sheng Jian Bao) that's worth ordering. Usually black vinegar and ginger are reserved for the soup dumplings, but it's also good for the pan-fried ones. The Stirfried Shanghai Rice Cake (Shanghai Chao Nian Gao) is what you'd expect, but the portion isn't very big given the price. Uses the same toppings and sauce as the Shanghai Fried Noodles.
(4)Chau L.
This place is AWESOME! The ladies are so adorable :) We got Dandan noodles, beef noodles, steamed dumplings, pig ears, and stinky tofu + a togo of fried rice with chicken for only $27! The food was nice and hot. I was in need of a homey meal after a long day at school. They have so many other good things on their menu for such a good price. It's clean as well and so quaint. I love it when a new restaurant is just as good as its descriptions for other reviewers :) As Arnold, soon to be ex-governor, would say: I'LL BE BACK! Muahahah
(5)eileen h.
If you haven't heard of this place, you gotta try it out. The food here is good and you're paying less than you would at other Chinese restaurants. It can get really busy during dinnertime, but you can get seated at the connected yogurt store (which is also theirs). My parents love the appetizer mix. You have a choice of how many different items you'd like to mix in. It's definitely a must get every time. I've ordered some of their noodle dishes and it's pretty good. They have an extensive list of food options, so i'll definitely be coming back to try the other dishes. Parking really sucks here sometimes. There's just a lot going on in this small plaza with Coconut Bay and Boiling Crab, so be aware of parking issues. Sometimes it's really easy, and other times it's horrible. Service isn't the friendliest, but it gets the job done. It's also CASH ONLY.
(4)Lisa C.
Their spicy beef noodle soup and pan- fried dumplings are a must! Their cold plate is also off the hook!
(5)Angela L.
I got the beef noodle soup and it was delish! The soup added so much flavor to the noodles and it was quite filling. I went there with one of my friends and apparently the waiters didn't think we could speak Chinese even though we are Chinese but they were super nice anyways. I'd also recommend the Shanghai xiao long bao. That's my favorite dish ever whenever I go to Chinese restaurants and these were one of the best. I guess the only downside was that they take cash only, which isn't surprising since alot of places in Rowland is cash only.
(4)Tawin K.
I randomly visited this small restaurant. I tried the Xiao Long Bao here, they were pretty good. I think there could have been more soup in the dumplings and also they don't serve the crab ones. I wasn't expecting much so it was a pleasant surprise. I also had the wonton soup which was also pretty good. I like the different ingredients in the soup like the seaweed and shredded egg. The wontons themselves were nice and plump, they give you a good amount of them too. I think the meat inside the wonton could have more flavor but I'm not sure if that's just the traditional way they make them. The service mostly speaks Chinese. The parking lot can be tight when the shopping center gets busy.
(3)Jimmy H.
The food here is pretty good. The spicy dan dan noodles (go medium spicy first) and the green onions mixed noodles are both awesome. The jiao huo jiao huo is also pretty good here too. Service is fast and friendly too. I come here about once a month and so far so good. Drop by and give it a try if you are in the area next time. You will like it.
(4)Jennifer C.
I had been hearing about this place for a long time, and I was very impressed by the quality of the food. While the spicy cold plate (bean curd, tendon, and seaweed knots) was painfully salty, the flavors are worth it. Also, the sweet and savory shen jian bao (white buns filled with juicy meat) balanced it out. A noodle soup would have been helpful as well. The entire meal came out to $22 including tip, which isn't super cheap, but it was worth it for the bao. I would definitely come back.
(4)Aletheia W.
i really like the appetizers here - the pigs ear, seaweed, and tendons - so good! their xiao long bao is ok. i really like their tsao nian gao (stir fried rice cake) and spicy wontons. i've decided that i don't like the dan dan mein anymore. it's too pasty and thick for me. i would be willing to try their other soups.
(4)Jay H.
First off, the food here are absolutely delicious. Came here with my friends. First time ever didn't know what to get so I just got the favorites, dan dan noodles, beef noodle soup, shanghai fried cakes, and one more I forgot the waitress picked for me. One of the waiter (kid) went to get our water from a sink (with or without filter not sure), but man..at least do it behind our back not right in front of us. We then were discouraged to drink ..haha kind of but eventually we gave in and drank the water. It was..just like any tap water. Life goes on. Then the food came...pretty fast too...wow I was amazed.Food was so damn delicious, I couldn't stop eating. Maybe because I was really hungry but I just ate and ate and didn't talk or care about anything. obv, not talking when you eat is good..since you can eat more at the same shared price. haha Then the owner came and talked to us, spoke some Cantonese to her and told her it was our first time through yelp. Made a few jokes with her in Cantonese and then she offered to hook us up with some free drinks. Had great service and felt appreciated here. cheers. Aside from the initial tap water but delicious food + free drinks made it up. Superlicious. GJ yelpers!
(5)Lee L.
Now that is some stinky tofu! I am not a fan of stinky tofu, but my husband loves it and it did not disappoint on the stinkiness scale. Salted Long Beans Appetizer- A little too salty for my taste. Stinky tofu- Pretty stinky and tasted like it. Szechuan Preserved noodles and pork- I expected a red soup with lots of chili oil, but from the looks of it, I got the the non-spicy version. I ate it anyways and it was pretty good. Tons of noodles, cabbage, and pork. Steamed Pork buns XLB- These were just ok. Not sure what kind of paper/cheesecloth it was steamed on because it stuck to the buns which tore the skin when I tried to pluck on off which caused all the juice to escape. Deep Fried Pork Chop over fried rice- My husband wanted the pan-fried one, but they were out. Pork was okay,a little too fatty. The fried rice was good though. Service was decent, accepts card, almost full house on a Sunday night at 7:30pm, but we didn't have to wait. This place is 2 suites combined into one restaurant. Looks like the place on the right used to de a dessert shop.
(4)Toby L.
Been here a few years ago and apparently my dad didn't pay enough tips. After we walked out of the door, a waitress ran out and chased after us and yelled in Chinese "AYE YOU GUYS LEFT TOO LITTLE TIPS!!!" ...well that was a first.
(1)Kat H.
Nothing like some delicious, homely Chinese food when you're sick and grumpy. The restaurant is very clean, bright, and has little decorations everywhere. We ordered the spicy wontons, xiao long bao, and wonton soup. Spicy wontons had really good flavor, very fragrant and also had garlic and other minced condiments. Xiao long bao were juicy and tender, mm. Wonton soup tasted like how it should be, simple broth with thin skinned, meaty wontons. Food is all prepared very well with the right flavors, seasonings, and textures. They spoke Chinese to us when we went in but had no trouble communicating in English either. There is a bathroom way in the back and they also sell the cold, marinated dishes in a counter in the front. They accept debit card with a $1.50 fee so bring cash if you can! Thanks for healing my sickness a little bit!
(5)Mpr D.
I was in the neighborhood looking for a quick meal. First I checked out Q noodles, but didn't see anyone in the restaurant. Maybe it has a bad location? But I figured if the place is not busy, how fresh can the food be. So, I decided on Ding's garden which looks packed. First thing you notice walking in is the stink from the stinky tofu. Regretting it already, I decided to give it a try anyway because the place does have an A rating and looks clean but most of all there is a crowd. I figured I'd just get a quick beef noodles bowl and get out. After a while you get used to the stench and don't notice it anymore. So, if you can stand the first 10 mins, this place is ok. Beef noodles: plenty of noodles, not much beef but seems to be good quality. Overall decent but bit too salty for me. Price: $8.20 with tax.
(3)Julie L.
Dings has always been my fav shanghainese in the Rowland area! This place has been opened for over 10 years. Parking is ample. The service is good and the place looks like the hole in the wall but don't let that fool you. They have one of the best beef noodle soup ($7.95) and 3 item cold dish combo ($9). You can choose between bean curd, seaweed, pig ear, and pig stomach. They will mix the 3 picks with chili oil, green onions, and parsley. Yum!!! It goes great with a bowl of noodles or rice plate. The beef noodles soup had a rich and flavorful mala spice. I usually get the medium spicy. They serve in a large bowl with a good amount of noddles and beef. They will throw in spinach, green onions, and parsley for garnish!!! Lastly and the best part is the sour pickle relish ...... You have to mix this into your bowl in order to have the ultimate beef noodle soup experience!!!! Lol. Yummy... I will continue to crave and come back for more. I just wished they opened another location in SVG!!
(4)Tt C.
Super delicious family styled restaurant! We had a fantastic friends and family gathering. Yummy authentic flavors!
(5)Chel R.
Thanks to Steve S. my brother from another mother, whom I've never even met... I found another good spot close to home. When I saw his checkin and pics posted on his visit here, I bookmarked and off I went to check it out. We arrived early Saturday morning and we were greeted and seated right away. I ordered - steamed dumplings. There was about 7 or 8 pcs with a side of sliced ginger. It was just steamed so it was indeed very moist. The beef wrap was ok. I'm use to it with just cilantro and the beef but for some reason they put this brown sweet sauce in it. Id prefer they hadnt. But whatever. The beef in brown sauce with dry noodles was really good. A simple dish made just right sautéed in onions and seasoned perfectly right, made for another great dish. From the foot traffic, it appeared to be more of a take out spot. They had several to go/pick up orders while we were there. It's a quick fix to satisfy ones cravings since dishes are portioned just right. I'd definitely return for take out night!
(4)Winnie M.
I've had my fair share of dan-dan noodles, cold dishes, and pan fried buns and this place is no different than the rest. Nothing here wowed me but that doesn't mean they didn't taste good, they are just..... A-OK. My friend and I arrived on a Wednesday night around 8:30 p.m..The place was pretty empty but that's expected on a weeknight an hour before closing. The servers here speak primarily mandarin so it would be good if you have a native who speaks the language when coming here. We ordered the: Szchewan Dan Dan Noodle ($8+): Pretty good peanut sauced noodles with just a tad bit of grounded meat. Not amazing, not spicy, but pretty decent. Pan Fried Buns ($7+): These were a bit of a disappointment. You can pretty much tell that they were frozen and NOT thawed before pan frying them. The bottom part of the bun was crunchy which is good; however, the consistency of the top is very dry and oily. The inside of the bun was mushy and the worst part is, there was no soupy juices inside! 3 Cold Dish Platter ($9+): The cold dish came with pig eat, beef tripe, and instead of bean curd, we swapped it out for seaweed knots. This dish was okay but I wish it was a bit spicier. Service: The people here are very nice but unfortunately, they only speak mandarin. Parking: This place is located within the same plaza as Boiling Crab and Coconut Bay so parking is a plenty. Tips: Szchewan Dan Dan Noodles though decent, is probably the only thing I'd come back to eat again.
(3)Jason L.
If you're looking for authentic Chinese food that has a relatively diverse menu and reasonable prices, Ding's is a logical choice. Stuck in the same plaza as Boiling Crab and Coconut Bay, Ding's has a lot of competition. We got an order of the Ding's Special Cold Plate, which is comprised of Pig's ear, bean curd, Spicy beef tendon, and tripe. It was very tasty and made for a great appetizer. I've had bad experiences with this cold plate before (being too spicy) but this spiciness level was definitely tolerable. We also got an order of XiaoLongBao and I regretted that decision as soon as it came out. 1) It didn't look very good and 2) It didn't taste very good. It was too doughy and there was barely any meat inside. There was also very little broth inside the XLB. I've been spoiled too many times with Din Tai Fung so I guess it's unfair to compare. For the entree, I got an order of the Dry noodles with spicy brown sauce and I thought it was mediocre. It came with chopped slices of cucumber to add a nice crunch to the noodles but I thought there wasn't enough sauce to compliment my dish. I had a lot of plain dry noodles, that's for sure. TIP: CASH ONLY
(3)Eva I.
Standard beef noodle and cold cut. Mediocre dan dan noodle. The broth was average. Nothing impressive that made it stood out among other beef noodle places in the area. The noodle was not my favorite. Preferred 101 knife cut noodle much more. More of a bite. Portion was generous though. Big bowl meant to stuff you to the max. The 4 combo cold cut with spicy beef tendon (~$13) was a big portion as well. Good flavors and not too oily. Wish it was more spicy. Friend had the dan dan noodle, and he wished he would've gotten something else instead. Pretty plain and one note flavor. Not too busy on a Sunday afternoon.
(3)Steve S.
Ding Ding Ding! They kept hitting it out of the park. Dish after dish, the flavor and taste just got better and better as we ate each dish that came out. My mom's going on a long vacation and I wanted to spend time with her before she left. With my brother and wife in tow, we headed to Rowland Heights for my mom's favorite cuisine, Chinese. The place itself is small, yes, they bought out the space next door, but it still looked small. Chinese style, no frills decor and simple table arrangements. Don't let that discourage you. The food was amazing. Here's the rundown: Ding's Special Cold Plate (Bean Curd, Pig's Ear, Beef Tripe & Spicy Beef Tendon) - This was a perfect appetizer for four people. The taste and textural contrast of each of the ingredient was a pleasant experience. Delicious!! Szchewan Dan Dan Noodle - Wow, was this dish good. I could taste the sesame paste they used. The heat from the chili oil was just right (we asked for medium heat). The dan dan noodles were perfect as well. Steamed Dumplings, Shanghai Style - It was my first time having dumplings with soup in it. I thought it would be boiling hot, but it wasn't (my only complain, I like my soup hot, this wasn't) The dumplings were very good. The soup was even better. Take a small bite on top of the dumpling then sip the broth inside, you will be rewarded nicely for it. lol. Beef Wrap - When you think nothing can top the last dish, the beef wrap came and it did. I've had Beef wraps before, but this was the best I've tasted. The hoisin sauce made this dish sing. This was a perfect dish in my book. GET THIS ONE!! Braised Duck (half) - After we were served the dumplings, my wife spotted the gentlemen across from her order the duck and it looked good. So we ordered it. That was a very good decision on our part. That braised duck was moist and the flavor was just wonderful. The half order was a very big order, perfect for sharing. YUM YUM YUM!! Service: well it's Chinese service. Don't expect anything special. The waitress seemed rude at the start (slamming the menu on the table and serving us luke warm tea), but as the meal progressed, she warmed up to us and the service improved. We answered the bell and Ding's Garden was a bountiful harvest of culinary flavors and absolutely delicious food. Rating: 5 Stars Try them out for yourself and decide. 2015 Review #37
(5)Bonnie L.
Ding's is delicious! I will have to come back again. I came here and ordered the beef roll and pan fried pork dumplings. Both were fresh and so scrumptious. The beef roll is huge for $8. And the pan fried pork dumplings were so crunchy on the bottom, juicy on the inside, and the bread was nice and chewy. The workers were rolling dumplings in the corner. My only cons for here is that 1) they are cash only and 2) it's a little difficult communicating (at least when I went), but the service is very friendly. I can't wait to come back to try other dishes.
(4)Megan L.
The food here does not disappoint! Get the xiao long bao and some noodles. Just be ready for slow service since they can get busy. They forgot our second order of XLB but were nice about grabbing the next tray for us immediately. Cash or debit card only. (This isn't a con for me but just a warning that they're stinky tofu smell is pretty strong!)
(4)Joyce Z.
Just when my friends and I thought we had lost hope at finding any Sheng Jian Bao (Shanghainese pan-fried baozi) since they had sold out of them at Little Shanghai's and this was our last day in LA since they don't have any Shanghainese places in Austin, HOPE PREVAILED as we found out about Ding's garden!!! We called in right after dinner to order some take out buns for out midnight snack. Not sure how authentic this place is, but the taste of the sheng jian was pretty good here (although it is incomparable to Yang's Dumplings in Shanghai!!!). The sheng jians had a pretty generous filling of meat, although I thought the bun skin was a little thick. However, I do love eating the bun soaked with all the juices from the pork filling!!! I can't say much for the other dishes, but the sheng jian here is pretty good! It's a little pricey though at almost a dollar per bun, but this is America and sheng jians are rare! Oh btw I think this place was cash only so bring those dollar bills!
(4)Suji C.
WHERE is the juice in the soup dumplings?! Not cool for only a "couple drops" to drizzle out of the xia long bao. This applied to about 50% of the dumplings. And just an FYI, this place offered no hot sauce, only hot chili oil.
(3)Samantha C.
One of the more authentic Chinese restaurants around Rowland. Shanghai Rice Cake - Flavorful and delicious! I always compare Shanghai rice cake to Chefs (also located in Rowland) because they're my favorite, and this was a close second. They both use spinach, cabbage, shredded pork, and visually they look identical! No wonder I enjoyed it so much! yelp.com/biz_photos/ding… Beef Noodle Soup - Ahh comfort food on cold winter nights. The noodles were average. The broth was subtle - although I wished it had more flavor. Beef is better than most restaurants too - not dry, but doesn't fall apart in your mouth. yelp.com/biz_photos/ding… Pork Noodle Soup - Definitely a soup that will heal a sore throat. Broth was hearty. Pork chop was pretty tasty too. yelp.com/biz_photos/ding… CASH ONLY.
(4)Andrea Y.
I really like their 4 item cold plate. It consists of seaweed knots, bean curd, pig ear, and some mysterious meat that I can't quite place (and cliantro). I'm usually a pretty squeamish eater when it comes to organs/weird animal body parts. HOWEVER, the flavor of this dish is so good that I just try my best to not think about what strange body part I'm putting into my mouth. In fact, I never want to find out...just so I can continue eating this appetizer in peace. I also had their preserved vegetable and pork noodle soup. I generally like this soup noodle dish and this place makes it well. One of the best I've tried. The spiciness and greasiness of the 4 item cold plate appetizer was well balanced by this simple noodle soup.
(4)Tony C.
Yeah.... It was sketchy. My family loves it. I did not love it. The XLB å°ç± 包 weren't juicy. The black bean noodle 炸醬麵 had a vinegar flavor to it which is different than what I had expected. The marinated seaweed and bean curds were good though!
(3)Akiko T.
So decided to check this place out because one of my friend kept raving about their food!! And I am glad I decided to drop by. We ordered three things: Shanghainese pan fried pork dumplings. To be honest Kang Kang Shaomei down the street near Home Depot is hands down the best I've ever had. The ones here...the skin was dry, the soup inside was nonexistent...the flavor of the filling however was good, I suppose. Still disappointed. Beef wrap is generic, but the sauce was good ratio to the filling. What sold me here however is their Dan Dan noodle, it's really flavorful and good! The noodles have great chewy texture and it was probably the highlight of our meal.
(4)Mike T.
We arrived on a Sunday afternoon. The inside wasn't very crowded. They also own the yogurt shop adjacent to the restaurant and you are also allowed to eat & order at this yogurt place. As such, there's plenty of seating. A lot of the foods are hit or miss. Majority of the plates we ordered weren't that great. Cold Cut Appetizer - $9 - Really good 4/5 My family really enjoyed the cold cut appetizer. It comes w/ an assortment of meats like beef tripe, pig ear, and bean curd. It's really good. It would go great w/ beer. Green Onion Pancake - Average The Green Onion Pancake tasted average. It wasn't horrible but wasn't great. Spicy Beef Noodle Soup - $7 - Below average 2/5 I didn't enjoy the beef noodle soup. The noodles are reminiscent of packaged noodles. The broth was very runny and didn't have any flavor; the soup also comes w/ an overabundance of cilantro/greens and it's practically overflowing w/ them. The meat was also extremely rough and rather difficult to eat. TIPS -Cash Only -Located in same plaza as Coconut Bay
(2)Natalie K.
The service was horrible here. Our waitress rolled her eyes at us more times than I could count and practically threw our plates on the table. I was getting kind of pissed off but my anger quickly subsided when my cold dish arrived. Ding's Garden offers a variety of noodle, rice, and dumpling dishes. The thing they're best known for though is their cold plate. My friend and I got the basic cold plate for $8.50 and it came with tripe, pig's ear, and bean curd. It's seriously the most delicious cold dish I've ever had. We ordered it extra spicy. My friend and I also shared a spicy beef noodle soup and a stir-fried yu choy (vegetable dish). Both were alright but I would have rather ordered 2 cold dishes and nothing else. They have several kinds of dumplings but we didn't try it this time around. The portions are large and everything is pretty cheap. The restaurant has a sign that says cash only but we overheard the waitress telling someone they accept debit cards.
(4)Roy H.
They are most famous for their mix cold cut items called jiao huo jiao huo however don't discount their wonton soup and also their sesame sauce dan dan noodle. Coming here continuously for years, their flavors didn't change at all. The shanghai nese manager with a schezwan chef is a great mix of subtle flavor and spicy goodness.
(4)Michelle L.
Cold dishes are where it's at! I come here whenever I go to the 99 ranch market across the street. A small, typical Chinese eatery-- traditional and not so clean with delicious eats. GET THE JIA HUO JIA HUO aka the mixed plate. Any of them are delicious. I CRAVE THIS. I always enjoy the other cold dishes that I don't know the English names of... most are made of soybean/tofu product. The rest of the dishes are good but not as good as the cold mixed plate. I like the fried stinky tofu, but it is inconsistent on the amount of stinkiness. The xiao long bao is just okay-- I think they get the frozen kind. We also always get the small wonton soup, though recently they wontons aren't as good. I've never found a noodle dish that I've been particularly fond of. I'm disappointed, but I keep trying and searching. For non Chinese speakers, do not fret! They speak English very well. Try this place when you're shopping at 99 Ranch Market or in lieu of boiling crab when the lines are long.
(4)Aiko S.
When we were in the area, we wanted to eat Chinese food so bad. And found this place in a mall. We liked everything we ordered. And it was pretty cheap. We got dan dan noodles, pig ears, green onion pancake, and fried rice with pickled green stuff. When we got there around 6pm, the place was empty. By the time we left, it was packed. Packed with all Chinese people. Service was really good. Food was good. They only accept CASH or DEBIT card. NO credit cards. Parking is free in this mall. We love Chinese food, and we wish there were places like this on west side...
(4)Sarah S.
Ah, good 'ol Rowland Heights food. Ding's Garden is located in the Coconut Bay/Boiling Crab plaza which is a b*tch to get to with the current construction going on, but you know it's true love when you still see people making their way over here. I always get the green onion pancake, XLB, panfried pork dumplings, and/or beef stew noodle soup. The green onion pancake is thick, flakey, and fcking delish. XLB is flavorful and yup, burns the inside of your mouth so you know it's legit. Panfried pork dumplings are nicely fried without being too doughy- but the last time I came here they weren't as fried on the bottom for some reason. Either way, still really tasty. I've only had the beef stew noodle soup once because the boyfriend ordered it, but it was pretty solid- broth wasn't too salty and the meat was nice and tender. Oh, and like most places in Rowland, it's CASH ONLY!
(4)Regina B.
Good food, good service. Food is reasonably priced, always a good option if you're in the area. Owner is nice.
(5)Karen C.
LOVE this place! Best dan dan noodles I've tried so far. Granted, I've only tried dan dan noodles from about 6-7 other places but Ding's Garden knocks it out of the park with theirs. I've also gotten their beef noodle soup and xiao long bao, both of which are delicious. The beef noodle soup is very flavorful with delicious noodles, and the xiao long bao are juicy and soupy on the inside. I go to school in San Diego so I don't get to have good Chinese food very often, and every time I come back home I try to stop by Ding's Garden. I can't comment on their service because I've only ever gotten to go, but everything is reasonably priced.
(5)Adrian D.
After Cris-ann L. and I had shaved snow for dinner, we decided that it probably would've been wise to have something savory before that. Alas, Ding's Garden came on Yelp, and we decided to give it a try. To be honest, I would've never given this place a shot. However, I'm glad I did. I decided to go for their shredded chicken cold noodle. A bit oily, but it's surprisingly delicious! With a mild spice level, the chicken, noodles, cucumber and sesame sauce made for a refreshing and a bit spicy combination. So good. I also got to try Cris-ann L.'s Xiao Long Bao. I enjoyed it! It's not as soupy as the one from Din Tai Fung. However, if you're not willing to make the drive to Din Tai Fung, their Xiao Long Bao will do just fine. Staff was friendly yet a bit inattentive. Service was fairly quick though. Overall, I really love their cold noodles. Gonna have to put in an order for their shredded chicken cold noodle soon.
(4)Cris-ann L.
Chinese restaurants are real tricky. I saw a picture o the Xiao Long Bao when trying to browse through Yelp for a place to grab a bite nearby and I was sold. The restaurant is brightly lit. My only complaint was that their vinegar and sauces were sticky when I held them... something that should definitely be cleaned. I ordered the Xiao Long Bao and my cousin Adrian D. got the Shredded Chicken Cold Noodle. The Xiao Long Bao was good. I think 8 pieces for about $7.95? They were great... I've had some in San Francisco and felt they were hard and rubbery to chew on. These were perfectly soft, tender, and juicy. Be warned they are hot though!! The first one I ate, the soup exploded in my mouth and it burned so bad that I was tearing up. I didn't want to spit it out and waste its deliciousness so I let it chill in my mouth. Probably one of the most painful food experiences I've dealt with, but I suppose it was worth it. My cousin's Shredded Chicken Cold Noodle was delish! Oily, but packed with flavor! I wish I lived nearby because I'd want to order that and try their other dishes that are really different from other Chinese restaurants. Also, expect to get the typical Asian restaurant service here. Nothing outstanding on those terms, and cash only.
(4)Akiko I.
- Locale Destination - It's on E Gale Ave and Nogales St in Rowland Heights. It's located in the middle of big building, inside of the small shopping plaza - across street from "Class 302", and you see "Boiling Crab" in front. It doesn't say "Ding's Garde
(3)Heidi L.
Authentic chinese food YAY This place is my mom's go-to restaurant for some yummy chinese dishes. We got dan dan noodles which were super tasty, noodles were on point but it did have a little too much sauce for my taste. The jiao huo jiao huo was my absolute favorite, really like that spicy beef! This dish is a little pricy though The pai gu fan was pretty good, the meat was cooked perfectly with that crispiness on the outside and tenderness on the inside. As for the onion pancakes, they're not your typical flat onion pancakes and have a little extra dough to it which I thought was a refreshing perspective to this dish. Very delicious nontheless! Overall, very good dishes, but a little overpriced, and its cash only!!
(4)Cece W.
After reading all the reviews, I was honestly expecting a lot more. We ordered spicy beef noodle soup, fried pork chop with fried rice, and pan fried noodles with pork, and xiao long bao. The spicy beef noodle soup was pretty oily, and although the meat was tender, there were only a few small pieces... But they were definitely very heavy handed with the cilantro.. It was a bit much... The fried pork chop with fried rice was really good! I would definitely come back for that dish! The pork was cooked perfectly, and te fried rice was the perfect compliment with a soy sauced hard boiled egg, and pickled veggies. The pan fried pork noodles were good, but nothing really special. Finally, the xiao long baos were ok. The skin is a little thicker here... And they use this mesh material on the bottom of the steamer instead of lettuce/cabbage so the dumpling often broke when you tried to pick them up-which makes you lose out of the best part, the soup filing! The place is clean, service was ok, and food was good-for this being in Rowland Heights, not bad overall. There are definitely better places in Monterey Park and Alhambra if you're willing to make the drive.
(3)Annie W.
This is my favorite place to eat in Rowland Heights to grab lunch with my parents. The waitresses are always so nice to us and the food is delicious. My favorites are the cold noodles, marinated cucumber app, jiao huo app, Shanghai pan-fried rice cake, chive pancake, and their mini boba jasmine milk tea. Everytime I visit my parents, this is my choice place to go! Parking is not great in that lot, but parking is terrible everywhere in Rowland. Decor is nothing to write home about, but who cares when the food is this good!
(5)Sylvia H.
Over priced. Bad Service. So-So food. I will never come here again. This city is filled with chinese food, and this one just did not do-the-do.
(2)Jason L.
This is one of my favorite restaurants after visiting here the first time last weekend. We had the Dan Dan noodles, Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, Pan Fried and Steamed Dumplings and every one of the dishes was amazing. Love the service too. The owner of the restaurant is very sweet and professional. She knows how to take care of her customers. I highly recommend this place.
(5)Diane K.
I don't think what I requested in my order was in their menu but they went above and beyond my expectations! Shrimp and pork wonton with noodle soup, absolutely delicious! The broth was savory and they put lots of my favorite veggies such as spinach, nori, green onion and not to mention egg dropping... The waitress was so sweet that she brought us special dipping hot sauce to enjoy as well... This is one of the great foodie adventures I love!
(5)Andrea B.
CASH ONLY. B rating. Braised beef noodle soup offers a generous portion. The broth is great and I honestly haven't had anything this good in a VERY long time. I absolutely love this soup! :D Its much spicier than I expected but its manageable. Ordered the green onion pancake, it had the consistency of potato and it was a "floury", oilless, and thick. NOT a fan of this green onion pancake. Shanghai pork dumplings were not warm (eww) and the outer layer is thicker than Din Tai Fungs dumplings. But the overall taste was so-so. The location is in the same plaza as coconut bay and boiling crab. The owner is very nice and attentive. The soup is a definite must try ! Yum, cant wait to go back.
(4)Christianne C.
***BEWARE*** 1) OVER CHARGES: This restaurant billed me HIGHER than the price listed on the MENU. My noodle soup was $5.75 but when the bill came, I was billed $6.37. When I grabbed a menu and specifically showed the $5.75 price to the waitress, she said "Our prices have increased but we haven't updated our menu yet." I ended up having to pay the over charged price. This is the THIRD time this restaurant has OVER CHARGED. 2) NO RECEIPTS PROVIDED: Restaurant does not give you a receipt, especially not for TAKE OUT ORDERS, which leads to the OVER CHARGES mentioned above in #1 and more difficult to prove. They will just say "Your total is $15.50" without ever showing you an itemized receipt for the 2 dishes you ordered. 3) CASH ONLY (no credit cards accepted) 4) RUSHED DINING: Since the restaurant is small with only approximately 8 tables, your waitress will hand you your bill before you are completely finished.
(1)Jennifer H.
Totally not as good as everyone hypes it up to be, 2.5 stars at max. The BEST beef noodle soup? I don't think so. Walk across the street and I can name two places with better beef noodle soup. Their xiao long bao were also disappointing, less than half of them had soup in it. Again, if you walk across the street, New golden city in the 99 ranch plaza has better xiao long boa AND beef noodle soup. Lastly, the shanghai pan-fried buns were even more disappointing. The bun was tough, dry and very hard to chew.
(3)Kylee C.
Food is pretty good. The only thing that made me want to leave was that right when we sat down, the waitress didn't greet us and TOSSED us our menu!! How rude!!! We almost left but we were so hungry. However, the food is pretty good here.
(3)Dennis N.
I don't feel the dumplings are at the same level as Ding Tai Fung's--however there's something to be said about how tasty they still were w/ the semi-sweet broth. I don't feel the fried pancake is on the same level as Earthen's--however there's something to be said about--eh, actually--I probably wouldn't get the pancake again, haha. My wife ordered the wonton noodles and aside from the typical broth and wontons, the noodles themselves were perfectly textured and prepped! All in all I'd say that Ding's is your typical Asian restaurant--good enough to have loyal patrons but nothing that you'd go around recommending to everybody you know. The 4/5 rating is based in part to the WONDERFUL service... neither of us spoke the language but our servers all took the time to explain the menu to us and not once did they exhibit any signs of frustration. I also got free refills on my milk tea!!! I know it isn't much, but WAHOOO nevertheless!!!!
(4)Aaron Y.
Stumbled upon this place that is quite hidden in the plaza! It's in the plaza across from Class 302 (just for reference) and the sign doesn't say "garden". Just look for "Ding's". I was searching for some good xiao long bao (Shanghai dumplings) that's closer to me than going up to Arcadia and saw that Ding's had good reviews. I tried 3 dishes, all exceptional! The Szechuan Dandan noodles were a surprise. I had no idea what it was, but I decided to get it because it was the first item on the menu, so it HAD to be good, right? Yes it was! When you first try it, you can taste a somewhat dense peanut-ery flavor, but then the spiciness kicks in a bit. It's just the right level of HOT to warm you up if you're cold! I also tried the steamed xiao long bao and the pan fried xiao long bao, which I've never seen or tried before! The meat they use has lots of flavor on its own, but you can really taste the broth in both of these! I can say that the pan fried xiao long bao is definitely something to try. The outer layer is a bit more thick, but the pan fried goodness gives your plain dumplings something extra....like getting a cool stereo for your birthday only to find your favorite album loaded into it! I must say that I will definitely be back here! The prices are also a reason to check it out because you get way more value for your buck!
(4)Yi Z.
4* if this was in Norcal, 2.5* for SoCal but since we're getting close to the holidays, I'm feeling extra generous and I'm rounding up to 3*. Let's start with the positive: - Portions are large Now onto the negatives: - The food is so oily. Not only were the fried rice cakes and pork chop oily, but the radish pastries were soaked in oil. - Average flavor - They have the most absentminded waitress I've ever seen. Within 15 minutes, she spilled soup on the ground from the noodles that someone ordered, gave a customer the wrong dish (traded it for the correct dish and walked the incorrect dish in and out of the kitchen to serve to another customer), and gave another customer the wrong bill. -It's not even that cheap! We ordered the pork chop fried rice, Shanghai fried rice cakes and 3 radish pastries and total with tax & tip was $27. Oh, their green onion pancakes are $5.50; that's just too much.
(3)Michelle P.
This is my new favorite spot for Chinese food! I've had: Three Flavor Cold Dish: - The Pig Ear, Tofu and Tripe (But it seems like it's tendon?) is really good here. Marinated to perfection with just a little bit of spice and lots of cilantro and green onions, this dish is a can't miss. Niu Rou Mein: - This niu rou mein reminds me a lot of the niu rou mein my dad makes - it's very flavorful with good sized pieces of beef. The soup is a bit soy saucy, but at least it's not bland. Dan Dan Mein: - Not bad but not great. Pretty spicy, with a thick sauce - but it could be a bit thicker and creamier. Stinky Tofu: - Since a lot of people were ordering stinky tofu (or maybe that one table ordered it and I was convinced that everyone was doing it), I ordered stinky tofu too. It wasn't as pungent as I would have liked, but it was still decent. Parking in this lot can be a bit of a pain. Bring your small car so you can squish it into a tiny spot!
(4)Tiffany D.
My friend, a born-and-raised 626 cheapie chinese food fanatic, was RAVING about this place, and we decided to make the trek out here from DTLA to eat. He told me his family had been coming here for decades, and that they had moved from 626, and that his family now drives all the way to rowland to eat here. I had to go. The place is a good size for a family asian food restaurant, and they have a connected boba shop next door. There are pictures of the owner-lady all around, paintings too, in elegant garb. I always smile when she takes my order and I see her portrait with an elaborate gown on in the background. She's super nice, and jokes with us when we are late and we keep our friends waiting to eat! Onto the good stuff, the food! Start with the cucumbers. They are boiled and marinated in a sweet and salty rice vinegar, and they are just to die for. Seriously. I always get 2 orders, and sometimes one to go. They are so simple, but so delicious. A little greased, but very fresh tasting still, and a great way to prep your stomach for the deliciousness that is about to ensue. Next, order the XLBs, or the Xiao Long Bao (juicy pork steamed soup dumplings). Way better than the famous DTF branch in LA (but not the one in taiwan, those are to die for). They come like 8-10 to an order, with fresh ginger. Add the red vinegar and drizzle a bit inside for flavor maximization and taste bud overload. Delish. Braised chow mein is delicious. It's fatty, juicy noodles, mixed with cabbage, beef, and lots of deliciousness, panfried, and a perfect carbby addition to your meal. The Beef Noodle Soup is decent. Lots of noodles and a decent portion of meat. Beware, it's spicy. The regular is plenty of spice for me, but I'm a spice wimp. My friend swears by the spicy. My friend's family dies for the Jiao Huo Jiao Huo -- mix plate sautee. you pick 3-5 things, and they usually get it with tofu strips, pigs ears, and intestines. They LOVE it. I am not quite adventurous enough to try, but I did nibble on a pig ear, and it was pretty tasty! This also stays very well as a to go. I love coming here, and each time, I love the food more and more. It's homey, family, casual, delicious. Always on point, and always there! My friend is secretly praying they will return to 626, but in the mean time, we will keep making that drive from dtla to get this stuff! Tip: Cash only, bring your $$$ Parking can be a pain (Boiling Crab is in the same plaza) but just drive around a few times and a spot always opens.
(5)Albert W.
Usually there is a line but generally speaking, you'll get above average everything... most people go with noodle and dumplings. A lot of comfort food in general. Personally speaking, although the price point is attractive, I like Chef's better for food overall and Remy's Noodle House for noodles.
(4)Priscilla C.
I've been trying really hard to find places closer to eat than SGV and it's been pretty hard. So lately, the last 2 rounds of that *time of the month* I've been craving dumplings, but I just really don't feel like spending that little ounce of energy I have to venture to J&J in SG. No, I must save that power for the unleashing of verbal lashings on those who irritate me instead. Ding's Garden has been in my bookmarks for about 1 1/2 to 2 years ever since I moved La Habra with the fam bam. I've tried JJ's Noodle House down on Fullerton and it wasn't too shabby yet it still didn't hit the spot like J&J does so my quest for dumplings and Shanghai rice cakes in Rowland/Hacienda continued. This week I came here with my sis and Pinky's friend M for lunch since M was in the area working... given full and complete authority on choosing where to dine I used it to my advantage and chose Ding's. Walking in it was pretty dead and we were seated right next to and in the same row as a grandpa with his two grandsons, a little awkward but oh well. The waitresses who weren't fluent in English were still really nice & patient with us indecisive asses. M chose some cold peanut/sesame sauce noodle that had sliced pork meat, it wasn't that bad, definitely not something I'm used to or something I would order on my own. But he's half Chinese & loves noodles so I guess he liked it. Shanghai rice cakes, pretty saucey and the rice cakes were nice & soft, however the flavor could have been more concentrated as it was a bit dull... not bland, just dull. Spicy wontons were aiight, better than the crap they served at Jasmin Garden in West Co as these had more than a pea sized portion of filling. But what the hey- Dolphin Bay, Tea Station and Guppy serve more beefed out spicy wontons than Ding's or Jasmin! Best thing ordered was the cold plate of spicy marinated tripe, bean curd and pig ears. This was the most flavorful dish and the most spicy although in reality it wasn't really spicy at all. I saw other tables ordering this and eating it with just rice, I wouldn't do that myself, but I would order this again if I came here. Overall, service was good and food was alright... I don't get the amazing rating as this place was just a-okay in my book. Personally I wouldn't come back, I'd rather just eat dim sum and save my dumpling/wonton & shanghai rice cake craving for J&Js.
(3)Ceecee W.
The first time that I took my parents here, we met the owner, who is from Shanghai. She recommended 4 dishes: 1. Dan dan noodle ( s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com… ) 2. Appetizer mix ( s3-media2.ak.yelpcdn.com… ) 3. Xue Cai fried rice ( s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com… ) 4. Wonton soup ( s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com… ) It was the perfect mix of something dry, something flavorful, something satisfying and something soupy. The owner lady was extremely helpful and friendly. Definitely coming back here and trying other dishes!
(5)Lucy N.
After being away at college, all I crave when I come home is Asian food. Lots and lots of Asian, preferably Chinese, food. Ding's Garden is a gem that is overshadowed by the likes of Coconut Bay and Boiling Crab. Shanghai XLB (~$6) - 8 juicy and delicious steamed soup dumplings filled with pork. I haven't had these in a while and Ding's definitely did not disappoint. I highly recommend you eat these as soon as you get them. Remember to add vinegar and a sliver of ginger for optimal enjoyment! Dan Dan Noodles - If you love peanut butter, you can't not order this. Peanut buttery goodness in carb heaven! They definitely don't skimp on the peanut sauce, which can't be said for a lot of establishments. Green Onion Pancake - I prefer the flat kind. These were a bit too doughy for me. Shanghai Rice Cake - Very flavorful and portions are reasonable. They definitely could have given more meat though. I highly recommend Ding's Garden if you're craving some legit Chinese food. The prices are affordable and service is quick!
(4)Jack C.
Beef noodle soup, delicious Green Onion pancake, good Beef tripe, good Fried pork chop w/ friend rice, fair Dan dan noodles, fair I'm definitely a fan of Ding's garden because right off the bat when a place can serve up a killer Beef noodle soup I'll be a return customer. The soup broth was rich and flavorful. I thought the noodles could be a tad bit better, but that's just me nitpicking. The green onion pancake is very dense and thick which is a welcome change since most restaurants serve their pancake thinner and many times too oily. The beef tripe appetizer was a great appetizer to pick at. The Fried pork chop over fried rice and dan dan noodles weren't anything too special but were all fair in taste. Insider tip: definitely ask for their soup pickled veggies since it is finely minced and their housemade hot sauce! I didn't have any problem with service and everything came very promptly. When I'm around the area count me in.
(4)Nancy T.
Man oh man. I really wanted to have high expectations for this place. In fact, I swear I have actually eaten here before, but probably just forgot about it, in the midst of all my intense Chinese food eating. Unfortunately, this place is just far too greasy for my liking. Despite the fact that I grew up on authentic Chinese food (i.e. it simply IS greasy!), Ding's is probably THE greasiest Chinese food I've EVER had. We ordered the cold platter appetizer, which was really good. Unfortunately, it was also SMOTHERED in tons of chili oil. Although we enjoyed the spicy kick of the dish, as well as the jellyfish, the grease definitely got to us halfway into the meal. Some Yelpers had raved about the XLB's (xiao long bao's) here, but once again... they just didn't measure up. Sorry, but I'm really picky about XLB's, so of course, I hafta compare this place to DTF. Anddddd of course...Ding's doesn't even come close! Then again, no one can come close to the XLB's at DTF...no one!! Their beef stew noodle is really gross. The broth tastes like they put SOAP in it or something. I kid you not!! The flavor is truly disgusting and I would never order this again - probably THE worst beef stew noodle I've ever had!! Lastly, UGH...as we were leaving, we saw them pour the tea from our cups BACK into the teapot! Now, I'm just hoping and praying that they're not going to give some poor, innocent patron that teapot next, but if they do... eek, I don't even want to think about it. I definitely won't be coming back here, unless I can find something... anything... redeeming about Ding's! I really wanted to like this place, but I simply can't.
(1)Allen W.
Simply amazing !!! Coming here reminds me of those vocation days in Taiwan, a meal after a meal, always food in my mouth. This place is like one of those noodle houses in Asia where those small marinated appetizers are available. Here, they are called jiao huo jiao huo and I strongly recommend it. Beef tendons, pig ears, O-M-G very authentic and delicious. They also have stinky tofu, I have tried both fried and steamed, and trust me the fried one is much better. However they don't give Chinese kimchi on the side, not too happy. If you have no clue what to order for entree and you are not allergic to peanuts, Dan Dan Mian is a must try. Ja Jiang Mian is equally amazing, and spicy beef stew noodle is alright, love the soup tho. As for those xlb fans, yes they are on the menu but not as good as the previous ones I mentioned in my opinion. Well the service is like any other Chinese restaurants in RH. Their service depends on how they feel that day and I was very fortunate. PS don't you hate those Chinese cash only restaurants.
(4)Anonymous L.
We have been eating at Ding's Garden from way before when they were in a obscure tiny 10 seat restaurant on Valley in Monterey Park (San Gabriel?) Their beef noodle soup is perfect. Seriously. I have eaten here probably a hundred times and each time it's been spot on. Dan dan mien good too, as well as their appetizers. Since I refuse to eat anything else, I'm not sure how the rest of the food is, but from what others say, it's great as well. Go!
(5)Donna L.
shanghainese food, it gets a little pricy, but it worth it.
(4)Jenny Y.
The food is very delicious. I am very happy that I do not have to go back to Shanghai when I missed Shanghai food. The owner is very beautiful lady, always give warm feeling.
(5)Cindy H.
My Taiwanese friend brought me here years ago... everyone in our group hung out the night before and got wasted so we needed some good hangover food. Stinky tofu - I can understand that some people find this awesome. I think it's one of those things you have to start eating at an early age to develop a palette for. To me, it smells like garbage on a hot day.. and also tasted like what it smelled like. Eek.. not for me Beef noodle soup - ? not sure what the name was but this it was pretty salty, greasy.. but somehow good Mixed plate - tofu, pig's ear, tripe, tendon - Not cheap! I think about $14? I usually like tripe but not so much in this plate. The pig's ear is actually my favorite.. similar to crunchy headcheese Pork (exploding) dumplings - that's what they are. Filled with hot ass liquid that pops and sears the inside of your mouth. I didn't really dig it while I was at the restaurant but since there was so much left I took it home. Interestingly enough, it tasted better the next day
(3)Billy J.
The food is pretty good, smaller resturaunt though, they make pretty good shanghai styled food
(4)Peggy Y.
It hasn't been too long since I've dined here. But based on my last experience with my family about a couple weeks ago, the quality definitely went downhill. The XLB was very below average. It just wasn't what it used to be anymore. The "juicy" pork dumplings wasn't juicy. Parts of it were dry and it felt like it was either overcooked or undercooked- I don't even know. This place is famous for their cold side dish mixes. We got a small one to share with the usual: seaweed, pig ear and tofu. It was just average. My dad says the food wasn't cooked as thoroughly anymore and lacked flavor. The beef noodle soup was OK, but the noodles were not as chewy and fresh as they used to taste. Overall, will not be returning anytime soon.
(2)Mimia W.
Their shen jian bao was great and so was their xiao long bao. But their dan dan mien was too soggy and flavorless for my liking. It was like a mouthful of gluten, bland peanut butter, and lots of white pepper. The beef noodle soup was decent, although there was not a lot of meat in it. The fried pork chop fried rice was yummy. Very authentic Taiwanese style fried rice with lots of green onion and eggs. Just to note: the service was pretty bad and the facilities are kind of small and dingy. The bathroom was gross and hidden away in the back behind the cash register and kitchen. I had to go to the front to wave down the waitress to ask for more hot water and then she forgot to give it to our table so I had to seek her out again. We also waited for the bill for a good 20 minutes or so. Come here for a cheap decent meal with friends but not for any big occasion or with people to impress.
(3)Ralph L.
The search for great sheng jian bao continues post-Shanghai. While this isn't it (too much bread, a 0/10 on the juiciness scale), the appetizers that the lady running this place recommended were really great. Bean curd stole the show (I am still thinking about this) and the seaweed was solid. Get the bean curd and try other stuff on the menu because it is giant. I want to give this a 4* because they were really nice, but that sheng jian bao was so, so disappointing :( Also, yes, the poster on the walls is of the lady running this place. Dressed up in her best LV scarf, fancayyy
(3)Johnson C.
This noodle place is actually not bad. My favorite is the cold-cut dish. Order it all the time. Service is ok but it's not entire fair to rate the service because it's only a noodle house. HAHA So over all the food is good and tasty. I'm not to crazy about the beef noodle soup, I've had better, but overall the price and food is good. Great place to go for quick and inexpensive Chinese Shanghai Style meal.
(5)Angie L.
Kind of a tight squeeze, but the food is good. Good: Cold plate (you have to like this kind of stuff though) cold, chewy, flavorful goodness. Pig's ears, bean curd, tripe. Green onion pancake OK: Pan Fried dumpling (kind of thick on the dough but good) Steamed dumplings (OK) Fried Rice Salty: Beef noodle soup (eh, I've had better elsewhere) Location: It's in the same plaza Boiling Crab is in.
(4)Carol L.
After grabbing some pastries and drinks at the new 85C in Hacienda Heights, we came over to this Taiwanese restaurant for a late lunch. Glad I brought lots of cash because the credit card machine was not working at 85C that day and it's cash only here. There are more than enough options on the menu and it's all very cheap. But this being my first time, I had to get the signature BEEF NOODLE SOUP. The broth is amazing, rich without being oily. The noodles also have a really nice texture. Plus, they give you a huge portion! We also ordered the SHRIMP FRIED RICE. It was a nice comfort dish and I liked that it was also not overly-greasy. Would definitely come back here if I'm in the area.
(5)Y C.
I think the highlight here was the duck -- nearly the best duck I have ever had!! Stir fried rice cake was also great. We also had Dan Dan noodle, small wonton and beef noodle soup, these were good but not exceptional. Overall food quality deserves four stars, but one star subtracted for the pushy waitress who kept nagging us to order more stuff. That was really annoying!
(3)Linh T.
We only ordered the steamed dumplings and fried dumplings but they were both good. The service was good, if only we could've understood him better. Not a huge selection of dumplings but it was delicious for what they offered.
(4)Jacelyn C.
Xiao long bao is good The shanghai fried buns are also awesome. .... I've tried their other dishes... not the best place for them, but I consistently come back here for those 2 items that I like
(4)Min L.
Oh Idiot's Noodles, you taste so good. There's no reason to try other food. I love you in your oily wonder. To go elsewhere would be a blunder. I think of you in my dreams. But if I eat you every day I'd split seams. I wish you weren't cash only. Sometimes my wallet is too lonely. Luckily there is a bank right by. So I can eat my Idiot's Noodles with a happy sigh.
(4)Amy V.
I wanted to go din tai fung but it was too far so me and my friends settled for dings and meow meow. I did not like this place at all. the soup dumplings was ok but the flour wrap they used for the dumplings was too thick. the waitress recommended Dan Dan noodles which was disgusting, too peanut-ie. the beef noodle soup was too plain. only thing I thought was ok was the pork chop fried rice.... I won't be coming back but it's always nice to try a new restaurant
(2)Emily C.
My friend was complaining about the total price for dinner after we had 3 dishes, saying that Chinese food being $13/person is a rip-off, but I thought it was ok. We shared the jiao huo jiao huo since everyone else liked it and the chili oil was one of my favorites. Not too packed with heat, but just enough. Great flavor and I loved the beancurd, pig ears and tripe. Tons of cilantro though, but it made it more fragrant. I had the dan dan mein, which was the peanut sauce kind. It was pretty heavy. When it got cold, it felt like I was eating peanut butter with the noodles but the noodles were excellent. My friend had the beef noodle soup and it was very good but different. Beef and tendon pieces were sliced instead of chunks like other places, which meant you had a perfect beef and tendon ratio for most pieces. Different, but I liked that. We were both a bit surprised that they put sriracha sauce in the center and since he's Taiwanese, he knows good beef noodle soup and it does not get its heat from sriracha. Otherwise, the broth was different than the Taiwanese kind (obviously) but good in its own way. I kept asking him for more soup, even when it was cold at the end. The menu is pretty huge, which makes me want to come back and try more things. We didn't get to try the XLB this time because we already had a lot of food, but I think I'll be back to sample other menu items. They were pretty nice and service was ok.
(4)Art O.
This was the first we've eaten here and it's going to be our last. I don't know how they expect to stay in business, but the prices on their menu do not jive with the prices on the check plain and simple. And I've asked the waitress about this. Her reply, was that each item was taxed separately. Yeah Right! I know my math well as if I didn't know any better. And the food wasn't all that great either. I would definitely avoid this place.
(1)Lizzie C.
Food's a bit bland and tastes like it was pre-prepared....came here because it has 4 stars but I'm not too convinced. I'd skip this one next time.
(2)Evelyn N.
I went here with my friends because were craving dumplings and they were really good. In addition to ordering the steam pork dumplings, we also got an order of rice cakes with sauteed vegetables and a green onion cake. Overall the highlight of dinner was the dumplings, they came out steaming hot and delicious. But the green onion cake was very dry, it was missing some kind of sauce or gravy that could go with it. Also we felt very rushed to finish our dinner. The waitress started cleaning up our table while we were still finishing our food to seat the next guests (which made us feel uncomfortable). FYI this place is cash only!
(3)Ernest Y.
One of those places where I go with my parents. Although, I do like to come here for one big reason and it is their cold cut mix dish. This is the only places that I seriously love their cold cut mix dish. Saying all that, there isn't anything else I crave in Ding's Garden. There are like 2-3 items you just get because they're the only one that taste decent. The pork chop fried rice: It is a big portion which I recommend for 2 people. The fried rice is pretty good but sometimes it lacks a bit salt. I find the green beans a bit annoying to eat but the pork chop is fried well and I like their pork chop. The pork wonton is pretty good as well but the thing is the noodles that comes with it is pretty nasty and bland. There isn't any taste to the noodle but it comes with a lot of veggies,seaweed, and eggs which I like. The noodles seriously need a kick to it to make it a good dish. Shanghai Noodle OR ricecake: I quite like both of them and it is definitely recommended for sharing. I think it is packed with flavor and it it a good price. It also one of my favorite place for the rice cake as it isn't hard or powdery(there is a place where I had that tasted really powdery ugh....) But yes I definitely recommend it. Regardless back to the cold cut dish which is the thing that you really need to get here. If only this dish can actually get you full then I wouldn't have to get anything else. I don't know how this cold cut mix dish is just so much better than other places but it is so flavorful and the the cuts are in the perfect textures. I love the cilantro and the beancurd...just everything about it is so tasty. AND OF COURSE....OF COURSE....their red chili oil is outta the world man. You eat the cold cut mix dish with the red chili oil and you get the perfect combination. I keep adding more chili oil to the site of my plate to dip the cold cut stuff.
(3)Fminus F.
Best service in any Chinese restaurant. Amazing food as well. One of my favorites. Almost everything on the menu is great.
(5)Evelyn H.
The food is just great. It has become our family favorite. The appetizer plate is unbelievible. Pressed tofu, stomach, shaved beef and pig's ear with just the right amount of spice. Owner very friendly and comes to each table to great guests.
(5)George Y.
I come here for lunch and dinner. The flavor of their noodles are so so good. Must try the Dan Dan Noodles. The only downfall to this place is that it's CASH ONLY. But if you like noodles and you want to try something different , this place is a must try. ;)
(5)Annie W.
we were disappointed by our latest visit. the dan dan noodles, instead of a variety flavors, were just very nutty. the noodles still had good consistency. the xlb's were still thicker in skinned but very little soup in them. not to mention that the skins felt a tad dry. scallions still thick and good. a couple of smaller appetizers we got were the 'pickled' cucumbers but some of them were just not very crisp and soggy. mala beef tendons maintained flavor. i've gotten more lukewarm about this place and probably wouldn't be my first pick in the area. sad.
(3)Tiffany C.
Ahh, Ding's :) Fresh ingredients and friendly service. I love this restaurant and Earthen equally. Both serve my favorite carbtastic foods in different ways: Scallion pancake: the absolute best in the area! Rich with sesame oil without tasting/feeling greasy (no small feat); their pancake is much thicker than others which affords more real estate for green scallions to hide. Must try! Jiau huo jiau huo: funky name, I know, but it's a really delicious combination plate that's customized to your tastes. Every combination tastes good, so you're always winning with this dish. Theirs is especially tasty because everything is topped with a ton of scallions and cilantro. Ja jeong myun: a staple dish from this cuisine, it tastes great here. Ding's tops theirs with a generous amount of cucumbers that brightens up the otherwise heavy dish. Wontons in chili oil: it looks much spicier than it tastes, but I always like ordering this dish because it's the perfect amount. My only complaint is that the wonton skins aren't homemade; it would make this dish amazing!
(4)M H.
ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK YOUR BILL. THEY WILL OVERCHARGE YOU 100% OF THE TIME. TRUST ME! We used to come to Ding's on a regular basis, but a friend warned us that Ding's has a habit of overcharging. Most people don't realize it because their bill would only be off by $2-$5. When I asked the waitress why our bill was so high, she responded with "We updated our prices but it's just not reflected on our menu yet." So what is the point of having a menu??? We've experienced this at least three times. Three strikes, you're out! Dishonest restaurant!!! SHAME ON YOU, Ding's!
(1)Claire S.
Their service is freaking AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would give them a ZERO if there is any way I can. So I went with my friends to eat over there today. The waitress took our order with impatience attitude. We ordered 2 noodles and other food. The waitress keeps saying we ordered too less. (I think she's telling us to order more so she can earn more $$) oh well anyways, we didn't say anything about that. This is the part everybody should hold on to the breath. Are you guys ready to hear? OK, here we go, after we finished eating and got our check and paid, we tipped them about $3.80. By the time we about to leave, there's another young waitress coming to our table all of a sudden and telling us we didn't tip them enough. We were sort of angry at this point. First of all, their services is bad. With such bad attitude taking our order. Why would I have to tip more? I told her tips is based on service, and that young waitress lectured all of us. She said on the weekend we suppose to tip even more. Plus they used to put a sign about tipping (surely a lie guys!!) She said we should learn how to tip people! In the end, we just put one more dollar and we say farewell to them FOREVER. I don't even want see them in next life. horrible. BYE!
(1)Rob D.
Beware! This was the first time I tried Ding's Garden. My wife and I decided to give this place a try after reading all the positive reviews on Yelp. However, we were disappointed and very upset with their service and quality of food. We couldn't communicate with the server at first because nobody really spoke English. So they had to send out the manager or owner. After we ordered they brought out the wrong appetizer dish. Then we complained and spoke to the manager there to address the problem. Then she appeared to help us in ordering the dish we wanted which was a cold plate appetizer. The appetizer plate was mediocre at best. But it did seem to be a big portion cold plate. After we finished our meal we asked for the check. We I got the check I saw that there was a $19 dish on it. I did not recall ordering a dish at this price. Turns out the manager was the one that up sold the appetizer cold plate for $19. I felt she took advantage of us, because we didn't speak he language and this was our first time eating at this restaurant. So beware if you are going here for the first time or don't speak the language.
(1)Shirley Wing L.
my friend and i drove from sd to LAX and thought we'd stop by for some lunch (: it was about 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and normally around that time, you already know that it might be a bad experience since there are usually no customers around that time and the staff are probably relaxing/eating their lunch? BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE! (: this place wasnt popping but had a relaxed mom and pops feel to it. we ordered the spicy wontons $5-6, beef tendon noodles $8-9, and xiao long bao ~$8. all of it was great! service: really friendly folks
(4)LUS L.
Great food thus I gave the stars. Beware- check your bill because they write up their own prices. I asked the lady and she said it's because they pretax each item. When calculated, the amounts were not accurate to taxes. The total was off by a lot. This has been a recurring problem for us.
(2)David W.
Ordered the dan dan mian and chicken dry noodle. Average tasting, but especially heavy. I felt like dying after eating the dan dan mian as it was very heavy with sesame paste and oil. Service is what you'd expect from a Chinese place, but lower. I wanted to look at the display case for their sides before ordering anything. After looking, I ask one of the waitresses to add that to our order. No problem right? I sit down and the first waitress sternly tells us "You can't do that! They'll write up a separate order and all will be lost!" (I'm only exaggerating 10% here). After writing this review and digesting a bit, I think I'm gonna go throw up now.
(2)David T.
This has been a great place for a quick fix of good Chinese food for years now.
(4)Janet L.
I was excited to try this place because of the reviews and a yelp friend also recommended it. Decided to come here one weekend with my sister and mom. We don't like to drive out this far to eat unless we've been to it before or if we're in the area. So this place was completely new to us. We had their dan dan noodles. I guess it is Szechwan style 'cause it was the type of spicy that is numbing. If that makes any sense... It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either. We also ordered their green onion pancakes which were definitely a disappointment... It was hella thick and had ham in it?!? The ham gave it an interesting kick. Not a fan. I prefer my green onion pancakes thin, crispy and flaky. Like Earthern's!!! Their XLB is nothing special. It was yummy though :) The pork chop rice was good. I liked how they used fried rice instead of regular white rice. The pork chop was crispy and tender. But I don't think it's worth $8.25... Their boba milk tea was aiiight. My sister and I love to hunt for places with good milk tea. Especially if its reminiscent to the milk tea from Taiwan. We love freshly shaken milk teas. It's an obsession for us. But theirs was just okay. I'm sure it was pre-made and we didn't expect it to be bombdiggity or anything so it evens out :) Honestly, expected it to be better... :( but it was just okay.. I wished we ordered their jiao huo jiao huo now that I think about it. But their prices are just a bit high for the food they serve (which is more on the salty side) Definitely can't betray Noodle King. We're regulars there. Their sesame noodles, kidney, beef stew noodles, and rice dishes = our all-time favorites.
(3)Nick H.
***Secret Garden, Forbidden Garden...now Ding's Garden! Dan Dan Delicious!**** And, what a garden it is! Noodle garden. Noodle Heaven. Dan Dan Men! I had the Japanese version Tan Tan Men at Chin Ma Ya of Tokyo. I loved it. Well, here is the original Chinese version and boy does it set the mold for the ideal noodle dish. I love Ramen so Chin Ma Ya still wins (I need to update that review). Both dishes have a sesame based broth. Dan Dan Men has a peanuty texture. Dan Dan noodle is pretty yummy. The dish is D-D-Delicious! Did I stutter? D-D-DELICOUS! So, I had a bowl of Dan Dan Men and a can of coke. My meal was a solid 5 stars. I also tried a similar dish but with a cucumber-type sauce. It was not as tasty to me. I still need to try other dishes. I will be back. For now, Dan Dan Delicous Men was so Delicious..Solid Five Stars for this place! Kitty cats love cat nip and I love this yummy juicy noodle. Makes me purr..Purr, Purr..A PERFECT DISH! The owners are super nice and very personable. Dan Dan Men! Dan Dan Men! Dan Dan Men! Dan Dan DELICIOUS! So, thank you Ding for planting such a beautiful garden. Thank you Yelper Maggie C for telling me about his yummy garden. Cash Only. Ding's Garden, a reason to leave the OC to eat.
(5)Jordan W.
This place is Cash Only!! To be honest, I had higher expectations from this restaurant looking at their Yelp reviews. We got the shanghai dumplings, pan fried dumplings, and beef pan fried noodles. Based on the reviews, I thought the Shanghai Dumplings were going to be on par with places like Din Tai Fung. I was very disappointed because the dumplings did not taste home-made and it was kind of dry. The Pan fried dumplings were more like bao's that tasted really bready. They used a special sauce to marinate the beef of their pan fried dumplings. The beef pan fried noodles were decent, but also very oily.
(2)Sarah O.
Here's a hole-in-the-wall Chinese place... where no one knows a lick of English. No worries, you can still able to order from the menu and snoop around at the other tables and order by pointing! We were looking for this specific noodle dish that my husband was craving, did not find but now he's found a new love, "beef in brown sauce" and dry noodle!! Terrible translation but he was extremely happy. I just HAD to order their xiao long bao since I spied it on all the other people's tables. YUM. Sometimes we come here just for the XLB. $6.50 per tin, for 8 buns. Totally worth it! I was very unhappy to find my fried pork noodle to come out like katsu, but the clean flavor matches the pork spectacularly! I will surely come again! Parking is terrible in this plaza, beware!
(4)Albert W.
Ding! Ding! Ding! "I'll take good Chinese food in Rowland Heights for $10 please, Alex." Our hero encountered the double jeopardy special of cheap eats and authentic good taste in the form of niu rou mien (beef noodle soup) and their cold cut appetizer platter here. The bowl niu rou mien was large and the meat could have been more tender, but it was overall a decent bowl of a more Shanghai style NRM. The cold appetizer sampler is done very well here, with many different thin cuts of beef that are very flavorful. Ding's also has the distinction of being one of the only places in L.A. that sells betel nuts (aka "binlang"). It's pretty pricey at $10 for an 8-pack of refrigerated nuts imported from the island. It was pretty hilarious when our hero's straight shooter friend tried to buy a pack and ended up getting a lesson from the cashier on how chew the stuff. PROS: - Pretty cheap meals mostly for under ten bucks. - Very filling meals that pretty authentic. CONS: - Gets pretty busy and service can be spotty. - Cash only.
(4)Daniel G.
I love this little place! I have been the UPS driver in this complex for many years, and Ding's Kitchen is one of my favorite places to eat, especially on the rare southern CA cold rainy day. When it does happen, Ding's is where I go for some awesome dumpling soup. The staff is great too.
(4)Sharon L.
We ordered the beef noodle soup, dan dan noodle, and sheng jian bao. After a weekend of random snacking, ramen, buffets, and restaurant food, this meal hit the spot. These are the kind of flavors that keep you up at night and bolt your stomach to your culture. The noodles were springy and chewy. The beef was soft and delicious. My only complaints are that there could have been more beef and that the broth isn't as good as some other places. The dan dan noodle was whoaaaa delicious, infused with garlic, preserved vegetables, and ma la spices. The sheng jian bao are smaller than the ones I've had but one order comes with plenty. I wanted this meal to continue forever. Restaurants like these are the only incentive that I would have to move to the LA area.
(5)Frank S.
This review is coming from someone who isn't used to this kind of food, so take note. The cold cut mixed dish (tripe, seaweed, and some sliced meat) - my friend insisted on ordering this because it's what they're known for. I'm not a fan of cold dishes, but this one was actually okay. But after some time, I needed to eat something else. I wanted to order ja jiang mian because I never tried the authentic Chinese version but my friend insisted we must eat dan dan noodles; fine... It looked yummy when it was brought out but when it was mixed and eaten, it was another story. This dish is just too heavy due to the extremely thick and creamy peanut sauce. It filled me up so much I couldn't eat much after this. The waitress suggested we order pan fried dumplings Shanghai style and although I wanted steamed instead, her advice was taken. I didn't really like it and wished I ordered steamed instead. The dumpling skin was too thick... bah... why did she recommend this! Overall, I wasn't really impressed by the food... If I come back here, I'll come alone and order what I want (lol);. maybe some ja jiang mein, beef noodle soup, or steamed dumplings. Not sure if I'll ever be back though.
(2)Shawn M.
Came here on a lazy Wednesday afternoon to try a different dumpling place. Xiao Long Bao was good, nothing amazing, but good. I prefer it at other places, but they work to hit your soup dumpling fix. The real feature here for me though are the fried pork dumplings... they are amazing. Juicy and soft on the top and a perfect fried crunchy layer on the bottom. The green onion pancake was a bit different than I've had before... it was thick and folded in on itself, but it was very tasty, greasy, and filling. They take cash only, they speak only a little english, but they are very pleasant and friendly.
(5)Roy C.
*4.5 stars* Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner! Ding's Garden is one of my favorite restaurants in Rowland Heights. It looks like your typical small Taiwanese restaurant, but the food is consistently good. 4-items Cold Appetizer with spicy beef tendon, pig ear, seaweed & bean curd = EXCELLENT! I actually crave this whenever I'm in Rowland. Ba Bao Mian = This was pretty standard, but still good. Beef Noodle Soup = A bit oily, but definitely hits the spot. Pan-fried Pork Bun = The Sheng Jian Bao here is EXCELLENT. Perfectly pan-fried with tons of oily juices. Dan Dan Mian = Very good here. Nice and spicy. Shanghai dumpling = The only item that isn't very good. As long as you stay away from their XLB, you're set. I love this place.
(4)Mitch C.
Foods weren't great and the service was even worse. The Chinese waitress there had the nerve to ask us for tip. There are better noodle house out there, and I'll never go back there again!
(1)Cate C.
Tried this place once was alright. Returned hoping for better, but hit rock bottom. Towards about half way through our noodles we smelt a funky smell. At first it smelt like Duran. Then it just started to getting worse and so bad that we had to rush our meal to run away from the smell. Felt kinda dirty after eating there after that. Also, sat at a table right next to the register and their glass display. The amount of times I got elbowed from their workers passing through disturbed my quick, unpleasant meal. Would not return.
(1)Brandon W.
With all the love for pho and ramen down here, Chinese soup noodles seem to go a little unappreciated. Cheap, delicious, and doesn't sit too heavy... Chinese has become one of my favorite cuisines for study food. A friend suggested this place and a sudden intense craving for Shanghai dumplings. They did not disappoint. THE GIST: Good broth / Good XLB / Fast service SERVICE AND SETTING It's what you'd expect from a busy little Chinese cafe. A little crowded, a little busy, a tiny bit sticky, all that good stuff. The waitresses move pretty quickly so watch your step. Considering there was a bit of a language barrier, service was fine. Our chili pot only had oil and no chili, and we requested a refill. The waitress brought us a large bowl of chili without hesitation. FOOD AND VALUE Braised beef noodle soup: They skimp a little on the meat, but aside from that it was delicious. The noodles and beef were cooked just right and the broth was very tasty. Shanghai Dumplings: I'm not an expert but I really enjoyed these. The meat-to-juice-to-skin ratio was just right and the flavor was great. The noodles were $6.50 and the dumplings $6.75, if I remember correctly. Not the cheapest, but for the quality the value is there. CONCLUSION If it were closer to my house, I'd probably go here about once a week. I definitely plan on returning one day.
(3)Jason F.
Tons of noodle options, good dumplings, tasty cold dishes, great service, and a lot of bang for the buck. Only downside is that parking is a b*tch.
(4)Careese K.
Late last night I was browsing through Yelp and I came across Ding's Garden. Flipping through the pictures, I got sucked in by all the carby-lookin' goodness: noodles, buns, pancakes..yum! Didn't help that I was cleansing at the time too... So this morning, I showed my mom the pictures and it sucked her in too! So we decided to go. Since it was only us two, we only ordered 2 things: xiao long bao (shanghai steamed pork dumplings): this was good! but I mean, there was really nothing special about it...They give you 8 of them and for 7 bucks, I can DEF find cheaper elsewhere. shanghai fried noodles: this was very mediocre. It was a tad too salty for my liking (and I love salty foods) and they were very skimpy on the meat. DRIPPING in oil too! I really wanted to try the green onion pancake as well, but there are millions of places in Rowland Heights that sell the exact same dishes for probably cheaper so I probz will check those places out instead.
(2)Karen I.
I am so obsessed with their spicy beef noodle soup. I literally wish I could eat this bowl of deliciousness every day. I wish they would open one up closer to home. The staff here are all very nice and quick to help you. I can't wait to visit again!!!
(5)Kimi P.
Checked yelp and yelpers are right! Food ordered: The dandan noodles was delicious. I ate the entire bowl and wanted more! I'm usually very picky, but it was really good here. The peanut flavor was amazing and it was perfect spicy (medium). Steamed dumplings: Just okay for me. Not the best, will order something else instead. Stinky tofu: YUM. I was craving it. Hit the spot. Friend ordered the beef noodle soup. It looked pretty good - I might order it next time. Service: Quick. Your food comes out fast and hot. Cash only! Will come here again... and soon!
(5)Jay Y.
DAN DAN NOODLES & XLB Yup.. This is where you come for the dan dan noodles and XLB! Thankfully, our friend spoke Chinese since the workers don't speak English. We ordered: XLB: yelp.com/biz_photos/RZV4… Juicy, hot, and delicious! We all agreed that this was WAY better than DTF. Beef Tripe: yelp.com/biz_photos/RZV4… Not bad at all. It had some great flavors. Beef Noodle Soup: yelp.com/biz_photos/RZV4… Had better, but this was not bad. Dan Dan Noodles: yelp.com/biz_photos/RZV4… Hello, this was a WINNER! Shanghai Style Rice Cakes: yelp.com/biz_photos/RZV4… Meh... this was just meh. Some of the rice cakes were super hard. Had better elsewhere. Note: If you aren't Chinese or have any Chinese friends, DON'T COME HERE. Seriously, you need at least ONE Chinese speaking friend because they don't understand you at all. They also upsell a lot of their food, so be careful. They'll try to make you order tons of dishes. They're not friendly, but who cares? We were here for the food! ********CASH ONLY********
(5)Margaret L.
If you need some Chinese comfort food, this is definitely the place to go. The waitresses here are super efficient and really nice. The restaurant is really clean and the service is so fast that people are usually in and out of here in 30 minutes, so the wait is never that bad. Not to mention the price of everything here is extremely affordable. Recommendations include: 1) Beef Noodle Soup - the noodles are almost always cooked al dente which I love, and the soup is awesome especially if you ask for it to be spicy 2) Dan Dan Noodles - Ding's does not skimp on the peanut sauce here and of course you can request how spicy they make it which makes it even more awesome 3) Jiao Huo Jiao Huo - You can choose from a variety of cold dishes that they mix together in a spicy sauce, I love the tripe and the gizzard because of the textures and of course the spicy sauce they slather all over 4) Xiao Long Bao - these dumplings are pretty good but they don't use cabbage to line the dumplings so they get stuck and you wind up loosing some of the soup inside This is a cash only establishment.
(4)Steph N.
So... the cold meats are pretty good, onion pancake is authentic - different (thinker and has more layers) than the overage one [ something that you should at least order once] Got this tofu + seaweed salad that was bomb. I kinda would come back for that. Beef noodles are pretty good, still say Supreme Dragon is the best. Xiao Lin Bao - good, but my dumpling heart forever belongs to Mama Lu :) Edit- came back another time with immediate family as apposed to just relatives, apparently they think this place is too pricey and wished for cheaper food a la ML... food was quite heavy - ordered lots of noodles and such.
(3)Josephine Y.
Can I just tell you how much I love this place? It may be a little greasy at times, but it ALWAYS hits the spot. I always get the cold plate with 4 items: pig ears, bean curd, beef shank, and seaweed (I substitute the beef tripe for seaweed). I always get it spicy because the medium spicy is not flavorful enough for me, but just be aware that it gets more oily when you get spicier, though it definitely tastes yummier! I'll also usually get the noodle soup with pickles (something like that haha). IT'S SO GOOD. My boyfriend didn't understand my obsession with it until he tried some and reluctantly told me that it was pretty damn good. HA The only thing I didn't like here that I tried so far was their dumpling. I like the xiao long bao, but there was this one dumpling order that came basically as a steamed bun. It has black sesame seeds on top of it but I can't remember the freaking name right now. It was my least favorite dish at Ding's, but it's only one dish out of their whole menu. The service here is usually great when I go (aside from my most recent visit, but that was just one time out of the 32854783457 times I've gone. I think it was because she was a new waitress..or I don't know. We'll just leave it at that haha). The older ladies talk to you in a more personal way so I feel like I'm at home when I'm at Ding's :) In summary, this place will really hit the spot if you're just in the mood for some goodass, inexpensive Chinese (Shanghai style) food. **Tip: Parking's a bitch a lot of times so try to come on weekdays if you want to avoid all the traffic.
(5)Steven C.
Wasn't aware there was a English menu since my friend duped me into thinking it's a strictly Chinese speaking restaurant, thereby forcing me to practice my rusty mandarin. Don't make the same mistake! General consensus was nothing sucks here, all standard Chinese eats are safe to go with. I ordered the beef noodle soup which came with the thin noodles and it wasn't on the spicy side but still flavorful. Xiao Long Baos or if forced to be lame, aka Little Dragon Balls, came out fast and were pretty soft yet didn't rip apart when you picked them up. The seaweed side is recommended if you want +asian cred. Don't bother with the boba, go a few doors down instead.
(4)Gerald S.
I admit to feeling a bit intimidated writing a review of Ding's. Neither Chinese, nor Californian, I read the other reviews and everyone knows a lot more than I do about the intricacies of this cuisine. I also admit to feeling a bit envious that many have vast life experience in the culture that has created such amazing food, and live near enough to constantly enjoy it. Truly, a wannabee. But, I know what I like. Ding's has excellent Shanghai soup dumplings, and some of their buns are also much better than average. I was surprised by the quality, because walking in I had the impression of a place with plastic chairs and minimalist decor. Glad I sat down and ordered. My friend told me to try what she liked most, and I wisely followed her suggestion. I also noticed that the photos of the beautiful woman on the walls is the person who owns/operates the restaurant. I bet she has an interesting story to tell. I have been to Ding's three times, and it is a regular stop on my personal underground dumpling railroad.
(4)Mimi C.
Service and noodles are superb at Ding's!!! Their beef noodle soup has really tender beef and delicious al dente noodles. They were good enough to earn the approval of my MIL (mother in law) who loves noodle dishes. *ding! They had a good number of meat pieces in the dish too.. so there was enough to go around. We wanted to get Mongolian beef also but they didn't have that but were awesome enough to suggest an alternative (name escapes me atm). The xiao long baos (dumplings w/ soup) and shen ghen baos (fried thick dumplings)...whatever, I know my ping yin is wrong.. let's get over it. ;0) were pretty standard. Now that I think of it, the only place I thought had outstanding xiao long baos were at Din Tai Fung (for shame...). LOL. The disappointment was really in their green onion pancake. I love the great GOP (green onion pancake.. not right wing lol), but I like 'em thin. The ones at Ding's feel like they double stacked single GOPs together. They were crispy alright, but size ... not to my liking. So let me tout their service again, though! I ordered take out... and the lady on the phone was so nice to me .. making suggestions and what not. You won't find any of that brush off here at Ding's! Plus, the place actually looks clean...none of that grease on the floor& walls thing. Ding's is also priced well!! About $6.40/dish... btw, look for it to the left of Kee Wah Bakery. It's easy to miss.
(3)Venus L.
Xiao Long Bao - not as juicy as I expected. Plus the paper they use to line the dish tears the xiao long bao right away, which definitely annoyed me when I lost some of that juice :( Din Tai Fung's xiao long bao is definitely better. Dan Dan Noodles - Got mild and it was still wayyyyy too spicy and I really didn't like the sauce that much. It was too thick and overwhelming. We didn't even finish this dish. Beef Noodle Soup was good though! I would definitely get this again.
(3)Belle N.
1/7/12 OK so I'd give this place like a 2.5 which rounds up to 3 stars but not because we really liked it mind you...We went for a bday lunch and we had the steamed dumpling shanghai style and pan fried dumplings shanghai style and the Szechwan Dan Dan dry noodles...Given that we'd never been there before it was worth a try...I don't mean to knock this place but it was really confusing...it could have also been the language barrier and really not knowing what we were ordering and taking people's suggestions...but of course everyone has their personal preferences... The Szechwan Dan Dan noodles were not our cup of tea...it was like a bowl of dry peanut sauced noodles...YUCK...seriously...we didn't even finish it...good thing i wasn't allergic... The Steamed dumpling shanghai style...were ok..but not HOT...they were lukewarm at best and i thought the whole purpose was to eat them with the hot soup stuff that comes out of the dumplings??shrug... Lastly the Pan Fried dumplings shanghai style...i have to say were our best pick of this adventure...the bottoms were grilled and crunchy...the tops were soft and chewy...enough said...It was a good experience and maybe it'lll be better once we find some dishes that we would like better!
(3)Derek S.
Was in the mood for some xlbs and had to come by to try due to the raving reviews! Note that their signage has changed! We walked right past it and had to finally call them to see where they're located! They're inside the strip mall between the Thai restaurant and Kee Wah bakery! Everything we had was really good: - Beef Stomach - Flavorful and tasty - Xiao Long Baos - Plenty of soup inside and skin was perfect thickness - Green Onion Pancake - Flaky, Light and flavorful - Beef Noodle Soup - Tender chunks of beef w/ plenty of noodles and flavorful soup! To top it all off, the owner was super sweet and friendly! She made sure we had everything we needed, extra napkins, to go boxes etc!
(5)Angela C.
Price Range: $5-10 Space: small, but there's a long table in the center that can seat 6-8. Ideally, come here with no more than 4. I love coming back to Rowland Heights for their good authentic Taiwanese food - it brings me back to my roots! Ding's Garden is authentic and delicious. It's better to come here with someone who can speak Mandarin. I ordered everything in Mandarin so I have no idea if they can speak english. They do have both english and chinese on their menu though... so if all else fails just point, nod, and smile. We ordered the xiao long baos, green onion pancake, jajangmyun, stirfried rice cakes, and dan dan noodles. The portions aren't that big, but all those carbs will fill you up fast! Everything we ordered was good. I really wanted to order their appetizers, but my friends weren't too keen on the idea of pigs ear and stinky tofu, hehe. Cash only.
(4)Emily T.
I really like this place. The food is good and it's close to my house. It doesn't have a crowd so I don't have to wait when I'm hungry. =)
(4)Flora T.
This place serves some of the best Shanghainese food outside of Shanghai. (I know.. food in America will never match food in China, but this place gets pretty close!) Let me first apologize for the terrible pinyin that I'm about to type. I don't think the English names for the dishes help describe them, nor do I ever order these items in English anyway. SO HERE WE GO. 1. jao huo jao huo: Substitute the intestine pieces for seaweed knots. 2. stinky tofu: braised and spicy - this is very different from typical Taiwanese-style stinky tofu (and tastes better imo) 3. xiao long bao: Each order comes in a bamboo basket (8 pieces?) and comes with lots of soup inside. 4. shen jian bao: I'm not usually a fan for these buns, but the way they make it gets the texture just right. If I had to order them, I'd get them from Shanghai's street stalls or from Ding's. 5. jiu niang tang yuan: This dessert soup consists of rice balls (with sesame paste inside) in a sweet rice congee (fermented so it's a bit alcoholic) topped with dried flowers (gui hua). It's very fragrant and sooo good! These are probably the best items on the menu. We also order the noodle soups sometimes (xue cai rou si tang mien).
(5)Steve H.
Love this place. There are tons of places to eat around there, with lots of choices for noodles, but you won't regret going to Dings Garden. Taiwanese style, very very tasty. I could not get enough to eat there and so took a bunch of dishes home. I loaded up a few pictures you can check them out - dumplings, shanghai noodles, and more. Great service as well.
(5)Mina P.
I've been to Ding's a few times and have always left satisfied with my experience ! The owner is super friendly and always makes sure you're happy with your food. I usually get the xiao long bao and spicy wontons when I come here. The xiao long bao is not the best I ever had, but it definitely satisfies my dumpling craving ! Will be back for more ! :)
(4)Michael C.
Great place for Chinese food. Very cozy and welcoming. However, may not be suited for large parties. The owner is very friendly and was willing to tell our table all about which dishes they are known for. She even has calendars on the wall with her pictures on them! We had the Dan Dan Mien, beef noodle soup, green onion pancake, and some dumplings. Yummy!
(5)Ashley B.
Shanghai style dumplings are what I got here and the only thing I would come back for! They give you a fairly large portion about 8 dumplings for each portion. The dumplings aren't that big, but the best part of these dumplings are that they have juice inside of them that you suck out before you eat the dumpling itself! yummz. Also what I thought was unique was they serve ginger with the dumplings in the soy sauce which gave a good touch because I love ginger. We also got the dan dan noodles which was good, but too peanut-y for me. The noodles were good but I felt like the sauce was made of peanut butter. Definitely want to try another noodle dish next time. Service was good, they speak English and Chinese.
(4)Connie C.
Across from The Boiling Crab and near Coconut Bay. This restaurant is pretty roomy, since they bought the frozen yogurt store next door to expand their business. What we ordered was the following: 1. Mild spicy pig ears, beef tripe, and bean curd-I only ate the bean curd, which was nice and soft. The texture is a bit different, but I enjoyed eating this a lot. 2. Steamed pork dumplings-These weren't steamed throughly and the top was still dry. You can taste the dumpling wrap flour...The inside was juicy though and had lots of meat. I wouldn't recommend getting this. Also, the vinegar on the side tasted like it has been sitting there for awhile... 3. Gluten puff noodle soup-The gluten puffs was sweet and tasted like tofu but it was another bean curd type just with a different seasoning. The noodles was ok, not the best though. Kind of rough to me. This had MSG... 4. Fried stinky tofu-One of my favorite places to eat this! Fried exactly how I like it and they are tiny little small bite sizes. This came with a sweet and spicy sauce that definitely went very well with the stinky tofu. The service here was not that great. The waitress kind of scared me...she just stood there the whole time when we just seated and she just waited at our table until we started ordering...when we barely just read a quarter of the menu. The menu was pretty long...Also, they were not attentive and didn't pick up the piling plates. Overall, I would say 70/30 (No/Yes), 2.5 stars, but the food and service needs to improve. Note: Cash only!
(2)Alan W.
Wow, beef noodle soup was excellent. I've been to a few places in irvine, CA and this place blows them away. Price was pretty cheap as well, but the restaurant is a little on the small side. I went with a group of friends who were already seated so no wait for me. We had the xiao long bao which were just okay, and a variety of other things on the menu but the standout was the beef noodle soup. I'd come back to get that again!
(4)Kat T.
Good prices, good flavors, and great selection. They offer a variety of Taiwanese dishes and at affordable prices. My favorite are the spicy beef noodle soup and pan fried wontons. The broth of the beef noodle soup is very clean and rich in beef flavor. What they are missing is the fresh hand pulled noodles. Like the kind you see big Chinese men pulling and stretching in the kitchen. If I could combine the noodles from Kam Hong in Monterey Park and this broth from Ding's, it'd be perfect! The fried wontons are deliciously fried. Thin wonton skin lightly pan fried. Tasty meat filling on the inside.
(4)Jenny S.
for the Szechuan Dan Dan noodles!! in the same plaza as coconut bay & kee wah bakery, Ding's is pretty small even with the extension to their restaurant! on a friday night they were pretty packed but luckily we got a seat rather quickly my friend and I both ordered the much raved about Dan Dan noodles and ON THE PLUS SIDE you can order it to your own level of spiciness! I really didn't know what to expect, but for about 6 bucks you get a nice bowl of noodles & green onions in a spicy peanutty sauce, NOT BAD but not something i'd go craving for, i think it's just a liiiiiiittle too saucy for me. BUT if you like peanut sauce this is the dish for you! i've never had Dan Dan noodles before so i've nothing to compare to, but if this is the best, i'm in no hurry to try it again! NOTE: you get to add certain tea/ milk tea drinks for only a buck when you order a noodle dish! as Albert L. has established
(3)Kent H.
It's definitely not good for any of the hot dishes we got. However the noodles we got were decent. Otherwise the dumplings, steamed and fried were a big disappointment. The taste is just lacking and missing texture. The pork inside was literally a pork ball, missed it at all levels. The steamed ones were missing the expected juices flowing out once bitten.
(3)U Y.
I am born & raised in Taiwan; I eat everything. I married to a Caucasian vegetarian. Every time we are in Rowland Heights we need to face the dilemma of "going big", or "lightly brushed it", if you know what I mean. Ding's Garden is by far the best place to fulfill the happiness of 2 worlds. I can have duck tongue and gizzards while my husband has vegan bean curd and cold sesame noodles. The owner is an amazing kind lady who always take extra good care of him while I am too busy devouring all the yummy pig ears. I highly recommend coming here if you have or don't have the similar issues. The food itself and the service are just impeccable.
(5)Yoomi P.
First off, I totally got the vibe that they didn't like us because we didn't speak Chinese... There seemed to be only chinese customers all around us.. And they took their orders first.. Gave them their food first etc etc... They barely came over to our table when we needed water.. Or the check... Maybe they felt uncomfotble because they didn't speak English.. But the service was bad enough for me to not want to ever return. Food-wise, it was pretty good. We had the Shanghai style dumplings, green onion pancakes and shrimp pan fried noodles.. The pan fried noodles definitely needed siriracha.. But they didn't come by our table so we never got to ask for it... There are so many other Chinese restaurants around this area.... I wouldn't bother with is one.. Coconut bay is like next door lol.. And it's pretty good.. And you don't have to speak Chinese to get decent service.. Oh yeah, it's also CASH ONLY here.... It's the 21st century... No one does this anymore... Being Asian doesn't make it ok..
(2)Josh A.
Their braised duck is bomb. Red braised with soy sauce and probably star anise, nice thick sauce that's savory and sweet. We also had the spicy beef noodle soup which was a gigantic portion. Tasted good but not as good as Remy's down the street on Gale. Tried the Shanghai style pan fried dumplings for the first time and that was whatever. Kinda too doughy and the meat filling was very generic. Had much better dumplings at Little Shanghai restaurant. Overall the food was great, I'd probably come back. Price is a little more than most Chinese restaurants in the area but it's clean and service was acceptable.
(4)Vencci H.
Yummy in my Tummy. I only give 5 stars to places that have good service and good food. Order the chicken cold noodle and the dings cold platter! I always eat here with my family and the food quality is always consistent.
(5)Sandy L.
Wow, they are really improving themselves! Points for effort. Super-fresh seaweed and tripes in our spicy cold cut plate, and very fresh spicy wontons. New menu, very clear sauce signage, and polite service. *Thumbs up!!* Will be back :)
(4)Emily W.
The four star is mainly for the service we got. Six of us ordered noodle soup, dandan noodle, cold noodle, rice dishes and cold plate. It looks like the lady who talked to us is the owner. She helped us order and got the drinks we want. She told us they have sweet soy milk and it tastes good! The food here has good portion for the price. Good for small or big group too.
(4)Sophia L.
The pros + Food: wontons and the cold dish are good! Love the pig ears! + Price is decent but I think that's due to location. + Location; it's in the same plaza as Boiling Crab so parking can get hectic from time to time. The cons + Service can be a little off because it seems like the employees are not as friendly to non-Chinese speakers.
(4)Stephan Y.
Not a bad place. I ordered the Spicy Beef Tendon Noodle Soup and Stinky Tofu (non-fried version). -Spicy Beef Tendon Noodle Soup: large bowl and very generous with the portion. Definitely got my bang for my buck. LARGE tendon pieces were a plus. Lots of cilantro and "GREEN TOPPINGS" which is bleh. The soup wasnt salty and had a great blend and mix of all the essential flavors of a beef soup. The noodles were thin, they were ok. I wished they were hand-pulled or if they were a thicker noodle. Compared to Irvine, this place is just "A-OK." -Stinky Tofu: wish it was stinkier! Tofu was fermented pretty well, I only wished it was spicier and stinkier! Texture of tofu was perfect, and the aroma was on point. Definitely stinky enough to bring notice to the whole restaurant. So potent that I was almost embarrassed to eat it. Will I come back again? ehhh Im right in the middle. It wasnt amazing, but it wasnt horrible. Just A-OK! UNTIL THEN!! ^-^
(3)Will L.
Another Rowland Heights' gem. This place has been around for years and the quality has been consistently good all this time. You have to appreciate restaurants like these where the chef/owner has stuck through it all these years. There's a lot of newer noodle joints in Rowland Heights that start out great, but then one of their chefs quits or there's a change in staff, and the quality just completely drops off. Ding's has several specialty dishes that they make better than anyone other restaurant in the area. One of the must tries here is the cold dish appetizer (known as Jiao Huo Jiao Huo), where they mix 3 different appetizers, served cold and in a spicy sauce. The 3 appetizers are bean curd, pig's ear (sounds gross but tastes bomb), and beef tripe. They also have good noodle soups and dry noodles here, but only some of them are absolute must tries. The beef noodle soup, for example, is good, but just on par with most other beef noodle soups in the area. If you like Dan Dan noodles though, this place has the best one hands down! The peanut sauce is mouth watering and the noodle texture is on point. I've had Dan Dan noodles at other places where the sauce tends to dry up too much, but that doesn't happen to the one here. They also give more generous portions than most other noodle places. Overall, it's a little pricier than some comparable restaurants around, but the quality and quantity given definitely makes it worth it.
(4)Shannon C.
When you walk into Ding's, you know that you're about to get a pretty authentic Chinese food experience. What we ordered: - Pork with brown sauce noodles (dry noodles) - Beef with brown sauce noodles (dry noodles) - Dan Dan noodles - Sheng jian bao - Xiao long bao - Cold platter with seaweed, tofu, and cucumbers The noodles are legit. Delicious and pretty healthy portions. I especially liked the pork with brown sauce. This place lost a star because we were upsold on the cold platter. $14 for the mixed platter. We had no idea of the cost when our waitress suggested it. We were definitely upsold there and I wish they had warned us on the cost before throwing it in at the end of our order. With that said, it was pretty good. We could have gone without one of our other orders as we ended up taking a box home for our group of 5.
(3)Angela Y.
THEY FORCE TIPS..!!!! Once we walked into this restaurant the waitress that works there rolled her eyes at us. They didn't even host us to our seats. While standing there,we saw one of the waitresses running after a young couple demanding for mandatory tip. After she came back we asked where we should be seated, and she just pointed to a random seat for us while counting her money that she got from the young couple. Once we sat down, the waitress brought us our menu. NO! She did not hand it to us like most restaurants would, instead, she threw it at us and left. After 10 minutes of waiting for her to take our order, she finally came. We asked for a cold dish first, but she refused to take the order, telling us that she wants to take it together and told us rudely to make up our mind. After taking our order, we heard the same waitress asking for tip again from another table. we saw the waitress asking for tip multiple times during our visit. After we were done we asked for the check. No matter how hard we tried to get their attention, they would ignore us completely. My friend stood up and asked for the check at the front desk while trying to hold in her anger. She brought us the check and we placed down our money. After counting our money right on the spot, she reminded us rudely :" this does not include the tip, you HAVE to give tip" and walked off. At that point I was about to flip a table. But my friend held me back. But this is not the end. After placing down a few dollars as tip, we were about to leave the restaurant. Then the same woman came after and told us that the tip was not enough. We just told them that we did not have to give mandatory tip at all after the horrible service they served. I just want to say that there's no state of law saying that we have to give mandatory tip. It is totally up to how they serve their customers to see if the customers want to give tip, Running after a customer is forcing tip. In conclusion, don't come to this place, they have shitty customer service and just ok food.
(1)Sandy K.
3 1/2 stars. First time visiting and it happen to be on a Saturday mid afternoon. Parking can be a challenge especially on the weekend. We wanted to try the most popular items and ordered Dan dan noodles, beef soup noodles and the Shanghai steamed dumplings. My faves were the dumplings and beef noodle soup. For some reason I tasted an funky taste in the Dan dan noodles and it tasted like a chemical of some sort. The Shanghai dumplings and beef soup were outstanding and I would order those again. Service was friendly but it's cash only!
(3)Tyler W.
Great stuff...easy 4.5 stars. I thought the service was decent enough...unlike some of the other reviews here. Also, they have an A now...it seems like some previous reviews mentioned a B health rating. As for the food..the xiao long bao were very good and juicy, beef roll was the best I have had, and the zha jiang noodles were good but didn't have the thick consistency we expected. Overall though we were very impressed!
(4)Dimple R.
Awesome Shanghainese food! Served by respectful servers! Small family owned restaurant where they make their dumplings and wontons fresh every morning, if you go early enough you can watch them making them.
(5)Annie W.
The beef noodle soup was a too oily, but very flavorful! They give you a ton of tendon and meat (which is good for a lot of people). The dan-dan noodles sauce is my favorite! However I can only eat so much that it gets overwhelming! The texture of the noodles seem pretty fresh and cooked perfectly. As for the xiao long bao tasted okay. It was not as fresh, the skin was a bit dry but the meat was delicious.
(3)Katie L.
Delicious food for a reasonable price! I ordered the xiao long bao and the beef noodle soup. The xiao long bao were very good. The texture of the skin was perfect: soft and translucent but still remains intact when you pick up the dumpling. The pork filling was juicy and tender. The beef noodle soup was good too. The noodles are well cooked and the beef was tender. Overall, great food for a reasonable price!
(4)Jocelyn M.
Pretty decent chinese place with good noodles. We ordered the dan dan mian and cold vegetable dish which included bean curd and seaweed. The bean curd and seaweed dish was huge, but it wasn't cheap either.. around $9 for a cold dish! That's pretty expensive for a chinese noodle place. The dan dan noodles were really good, but just too spicy for me.
(3)Stephen Y.
Best stinky tofu I've had in years!!!
(5)Amy C.
I love this place! In definitely coming back! Yelped around Rowland one weekday night and ended up here. Didn't have much expectations for this place but it turned out great! Quite a big selection they have here. Various fried rices, fried noodles, bao zi, dumplings, soup, you name it. A large selection of cold dishes too. Their noodles with pork in brown sauce is really good! Also their dan dan noodles are quite delicious. Plus I love how the owner is so cute and loving it makes my day. She's just like an asian mom or aunt that tries to stuff you with more food even though you're stuffed to the brink. It's so cute haha she's so nice! Their portions are large for the price and if you get it to go she packs the box to the rim. If you wanted to customize your order in anyway, they're really cool about it too. Will def come when in the mood for something yummy, cheap and can use leftovers as lunch the next day! Their portions are seriously like three meals for me.. and I'm eating average portions!
(5)Fiona Q.
This is my favo place for beef noodle and xiao long bao, I come almost very month, I like all the food I order so far. They just remodel last month, new table and new floor, the place look clean and neat. I recommend this place to all my friends, service was good, food was food.
(4)Marie E.
This place is so delicious, and the waitress was really nice and fast. I recommend stopping in for some amazing noodles and meat buns! I haven't had such good pork buns in a long time.
(5)Ray C.
Make sure to order the Xiao Long Bao little dumplings and have the Beef Noodle Soup if you can. The food is a great solution to any Shanghainese food cravings you might have.
(4)Rebecca H.
No restrooms for me to wash my hands. Rated B they brought out my vegetarian hot noodle soup...with the vegetarian meat COLD! i flagged her down and asked her why its cold and she said its because it was in the freezer and the microwave it and well...that just made things sound unappetizing ! The pig's ears and the intestines were drenched with chili oil that one of my coworkers just decided he will opt out! for the people that is waiting to get a heartattack in the future..this is def the place for you! ..
(1)Royal K.
This place is great. Came here for lunch and it is suuuuuper authentic Chinese, which is to be expected in Rowland Heights. Had the Dandan noodles soup, the "cold cut plate" and the "pan friend noodles." All tasted great but the soup stood out as my fav of the three. Also, place is cash only.
(5)Jai H.
Great spot! Love the beef noodle soup, soup filled dumplings, pan friend pork dumplings and beef wrap. Lots of options in the diamond bar area, but if your waiting an hour for a table at boiling crab, this is definitely a strong alternative!
(4)Jason Y.
New management definitely fixed things up. Still the same good taste of food, but healthier with better environment. They just got me back as a regular again.
(5)Theresa V.
Was headed towards Rowland Heights for a Christmas family get together and wanted to eat something before we got there. Quickly did a search on yelp looking for some fried rice and found this place. We sat down and within a minute we were asked what we wanted to order, we gave her our drink orders - honey green tea and cappucino boba and we were given blank stares afterwards and a "what else?" We literally just sat down......... so we asked if they could come back for our food order. The menu was a little overwhelming, probably because every item sounded exactly the same and the english descriptions were very vague to understand what the item reallllllllyyyy is. Another person came back to take our food order then asked what we wanted to drink, even though we had just put in our drink order........... so it seems like there may be some miscommunication between workers, or maybe because we didn't know what we want the minute we sat down we ruined their groove. We ordered the house special fried rice with fried pork chop and spiced egg. Then I got the pan fried dumplings (both the shrimp and vegetables one and the pork one) and then put in an order for their xiao long bao after I saw pictures of it on yelp. Our drinks came out and the cappuccio boba is a misnomer... because it had no boba in it... The food was fairly good. I wish I could have enjoyed the xiao long bao, but it kept sticking to the bottom so when I tried picking one up, it'd rip and the yummy juices would spill out... Everyone around us seemed to have been eating something out of a soup bowl, so I wonder if maybe that is their specialty. Maybe if I had more time to figure out what to eat... I would've been able to get something they're known for. Service was whatever. Every time I asked for something or even when I was ordering I just kept getting blank stares back. I'd probably come back though if I'm ever in the area to find out what that soup thing was that everyone was getting.
(3)Teagan T.
Came back again, in fear of MSG, we avoided ordering anything with soup. Flavor is still the same, not bad. But god, dudes, calm down with the MSG. I got another reaction towards it without even consuming a whole lot. Mostly just the marinated beef and some dry noodle. Will not be back. Minus one star for the amount of MSG added. If the food is good, why would you need so much enhancers ?
(2)K L.
Been coming here for their beef stew noodle, dan dan mien, etc etc.. LOVE THIS PLACE. the beef noodle soup is super flavorful..... oh the cold noodle is good too.. think it's some kinda of sesame sauce.... I believe they still only take cash. But definitely give this hole in the wall a try.
(5)Andrew N.
DING DING DING (was that a bit racist?) Ding's Garden is a winner in my book. It reminds me of my hometown asian hole in the wall.. but to me it feels more "hole-y" since it's more Asian than American. Xiao Lin Bao, Dan Dan noodles and pan fried noodles is my usual order. Xiao Lin Bao is great. I checked this place out after trying Din Tai Fung in Arcadia, and I must say, the Xiao Lin Bao here is a contender. It's not as fancy as Din Tai Fung, but it's JUST as satisfying. The wrap is a little thicker than DTF, but inside is a rich juicy broth and tender... pork? I'm pretty sure it's pork.. but it was great. As always with these kind of dumplings, be careful when pulling them off the plate. As "improper" as it may seem, using my hands was the easiest. Not even manners will get inbetween me and my xiao lin bao! I'll usually pick up the dumpling, put it on the spoon, add a few ginger pieces and put on some sauce. Take a small bite to let the juices flow out... I'll sip some, then devour. Dan Dan noodles are also terrific. It's a good amount.. and with Dan Dan mein being somewhat thick and heavy in sauce.. I would share this dish.. at least share so you can have room for other stuff! Pan fried noodles are somewhat standard affair for an asian restaurant. But they do it well here. I think Ding's Garden is a winner. If I was craving Xiao Lin Bao all the way from Irvine, I would def. choose Ding's Garden. If driving wasn't an issue, I'd STILL pick Ding's Garden, It just feels so much more homey and comfortable... easy parking and boba nearby. Don't expect any fancy table settings or plates like DTF... it's just not that kind of place.
(5)Emily W.
BEWARE WHEN YOU ORDER TAKE OUT. Yes, their food is good. I always get the 4 cold dish mix with pigs ear, bean curd, seaweed, and beef tripe. 3/3 times I've ordered takeout, the BEEF TRIPE IS NOT THERE. 3 TIMES. im sorry but the 1st time is fine, a mistake? sure. but 3 times is NOT OK. this dish is not cheap, the beef tripe takes up most of the pricing but where is it?! so just because I don't sit down to eat and can't see my food, I should be missing ingredients? Also the ladies here are generally nice from my past experience but the guy here was RUDE. i just stood there waiting for my food but he pushed me to the far end of the restaurant near the door. sorry, but not coming back again. even if your food is good, whats the point if im not getting what im paying for.
(1)Michelle N.
Fair prices for good food. The dan dan mian (spicy noodles) seemed popular, so I ordered that. Also ordered the xiao long bao (dumplings with soup inside) and sheng jian bao (steamed buns that are pan fried). Everything was pretty good. The xiao long bao isn't as juicy as say, Din Tai Fung, but the flavor is still delicious. Dan dan mian lives up to its reputation. Based on my first impression, it seems like a good place for noodles and dumplings. I'd go again. Cash only, by the way.
(4)Mystery M.
It's easy to miss this place, but Ding's Garden is located between Coconut Bay and Kee Wah Bakery. The place is small, however they recently took over the Yogurt place next door and now they have more space next door. They didn't destroy the divider wall between the 2 business into one, so it still looks like it's 2 businesses. However it's really just 1 business. The food here is pretty good, and had very good taste. All of the items we ordered had very flavorful tastes and we enjoyed all of them. We ordered quite a few dishes: Xiao Long Bao (Pretty good, meat and skin had great thickness). Beef Noodle Soup (Excellent, well cooked noodles, and decent beef). Stinky Tofu (Parents thought it was pretty good). Shanghai Style Rice Cake (Liked it, cooked really well, had lots of taste). Flaky Thick Green Onion Pancake (Pretty good, very flaky). Ja Jiang Mein (Decent, nothing special). Tofu Skin with a Piece of Mushroom on Top (Decent, nothing special). Pan Fried Buns (Great, and decadent). Shan Jian Bao (Pretty good, flavorful and had great taste). Taiwanese Mixed Fare (Nice flavor). We ordered 2 orders of the Xiao Long Bao, must be that good right for us to have to order 2 right!? Nahh, don't get me wrong the Xiao Long Bao was good but we just had quite a lot of people with us while dining, haha. Customer Service: We had great service, then again we speak Chinese, so we spoke to them in Chinese. They speak a little bit of English, but speaking Chinese is a plus here at Ding's Garden. Overall, really enjoyed the food here, so as Yelp says, "Yay! I'm a fan!"
(4)Charles T.
I didn't know what to expect at Ding's Garden. All I knew was that they had Xiao Long Bao and Dan Dan Noodles and I was in the mood for both. It was pretty packed when we went, but that also meant that the service was a bit rushed. Right as we sat down, the server immediately if we wanted Xiao Long Bao. If we did, they'll make it right away. We said "Sure, two orders please." While they were making our XLBs, we decided on what we wanted to eat. We ordered two Dan Dan Noodles (One regular, and one with medium spice), green onion pancake, spicy wontons, and some beefy noodle dish I don't remember the name of. The XLBs were smaller than the usual XLBs, but they tasted delicious and fresh. The Dan Dan Noodles were tasty and so was the green onion pancake. I didn't get to try the spicy wontons, but they said it was alright. I'm giving this place 3 stars instead of 4 mostly because of service and cleanliness. Alot of the utensils and cups were unsanitary and the service felt a bit rushed.
(3)Sam P.
I was more than happy to pick up the tab for lunch here with my family. $50 was all I needed for multiple entrees to satisfy 2 brothers and 2 wonderful parents on Christmas. The food itself is 3 or 4 stars at best. What pushed it over the top was the value for me. The restaurant is your typical clean, inexpensive chinese joint. They have expedited service, which may be perceived to be rude by folks who are not used to Asian customer service Favorite dishes were the beef noodle soup and the Xiao Long Bao. Highly recommended. The latter was not superb as Din Tai Fung but at the same time, I didn't have to wait 1-2 hours in line for dumpling lunch. I was not a fan of the shanghai style rice cakes. Cutting to the chase: if you want to treat your family out for less than $100 bucks, you won't be disappointed. Set expectations at a reasonable level. The food is pretty mediocre to delicious but I don't really have much of a craving for it.. except for the beef noodle soup. Did I mention it was fantastic? Bon appetite.
(5)Sam David C.
The food was decent for what it is... however the owner of the place is shady. If you go to this restaurant, please keep in mind that it is cash only. DO NOT get tricked into using their "debit" system. The business owner will tell you that it doesn't cost anything and but it will actually cost you $1.50 plus what your bank charges. It is NOT a debit system, but an ATM style withdraw system. It is very unscrupulous to tell the customer that it doesn't cost anything. Lesson learned, TAKE CASH WITH YOU or get swindled out of a few bucks.
(1)Robin Y.
Used to really like this place. Until I found out they take leftovers on plates to mix in with new dishes they serve to customers. Really gross.
(1)Oh Trust M E.
Quick quick quick. That's what I like about this place. They somehow manage to do this without compromising on the quality of their dishes. They seem to be the only restaurant in the area that make their dan dan noodles right. Its spice level is just right, the peanut sauce is...well, has a strong roasted peanut flavor (vs artificial peanut butter taste)....and the noodles are perfectly al dente. I've also had the beef dry noodles which is packed with flavor! You can't go wrong with any of their dumplings either. My fave is their San Jeen Bao...sorry, dunno what it is in english. It's a pork bun pan fried with sesame seeds on top. Super tasty and piping hot. Thier XLB is also very juicy and tasty. Lastly, their pork chop fried rice is really good too. The rice is flavored (not just plain white rice) and the pork chop is huge. It even comes with a soy sauce hard boiled egg! The price point is perfect here! Overall rating: 4.5 stars.
(4)Gali A.
I love Dings Garden. The cold plate is so delicious and so are the pan fried dumplings! I've tried many different plates here and I have yet to come across a dish I didn't enjoy. Only con is that I have a hard time communicating with staff. Other than that good food and reasonable prices!
(5)T K.
A friend told me about this place- "the best Shanghainess dumplings around". I was skeptical at first, but curious at the same time. So after weeks of putting it off, I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad that I did. Food was phenomenal and the service exceeds my expectations. We stared off with the cold dish combination. The seasoning was right on. Some places drench their cold cuts in tongue numbing Hunan sauce, but this place was just right. Then we moved onto Beef noodle soup, dan-dan noodles and the beef wraps. By now I'm pretty stuff. Then finally it arrived; the dish that I've been waiting for; the Shanghainess dumplings. It was mouth watering; melt in your mouth goodness. I committed one of the ultimate sins, gluttony. I ended eating not one but three pieces of the dumplings because it was so good. I highly recommend then place for wholesome good Shanghainess cooking. I am definitely going back for seconds!
(5)Lisa D.
Do you love noodles? Dude, this is the spot, if your answer is heck yes!!! No joke! I highly recommend this place! -Shanghai beef noodles are super flavorful! A little greasy but so so so good! Portion was a little small as well but so yummy! Two thumbs up! Regular shanghai noodles come with pork. But you can order it vegetarian style as well. -xao long bao... There's eight and its big! Very meaty! It's perfectly juicy. Service was great. The lady that I assume is the owner was well dressed and speaks really good English! She was friendly and even asked if we liked the food. My boyfriend and I saw a bunch of the staff in the front making dumplings. Which I thought was kinda cool because you know they make everything in house and its good to see how everything is prepped and made. My boyfriend and I are definitely coming back! I will definitely be recommending this place to others because of the shanghai noodles. Makes my mouth salivate just talking about it! Tips: -cash only -plenty of parking since its in a huge plaza with other plazas. -one tv -connected to a frozen yogurt place. -ask for the homemade chilli. It's pretty good with the noodles. -a little over ten tables available. - fairly priced.
(5)Richard L.
We happened to come here a half hour before closing, but they still were willing to seat us and serve us. We ended up staying 15 minutes past their closing time. The food here was good. We had two cold dishes, spicy pig ear and spicy sliced beef. We also ordered the xiao long bao and beef noodle soup. The food here was good and the prices were fairly cheap. I would definitely recommend checking this place out.
(4)Wendy S.
I love this place! And i always come here when i want Chinese food that is light in flavor. I usually come here for their Shanghai "little" dumplings and jiaohuojiaohuo (very good) however i dont really like the tofu they have in it so i always ask them to substitute it with seaweed which is super good. I rarely order anything else. My boyfriend usually orders their beef noodles, they are really good as well (i always get a little bit from him haha). NOTE this place is cash only, but thats like most Chinese restaurants in this area. Just make sure you have cash on you. If not there is an ATM in this plaza (of a bank that no body uses...no offense to the ones who do...just trying to say its gonna charge ya transaction fees)
(5)Tiffany L.
If you like to eat cockroach be my guest!! I'm sure it adds some protein to your diet. Nasty place!
(1)Rocky Q.
The xiao long bao here is delicious and definitely worth a try. They are nice and filled with broth just the way they should be. The curry beef noodle soup is one of the best around here.
(4)Jessica X.
I don't understand why she didn't tell us they charge 1.5 for debit card ahead. Their price is way too high for this type of Chinese restaurant.
(1)Jenny V.
This is my 3rd time at this place, 2nd time with my husband. As soon as we got there, we felt unwelcomed. The lady that seated us did not even greet us and just threw us in the back table. The rude lady (light complexion, black wavy medium length hair, and younger than the other 2 NICE ladies) did not even give us a chance to really look over the menu before asking if we were ready to order. I said we weren't ready, and she did not ever come back again to take our order! I had to flag down another lady to take our order, but she called for the rude lady. I'm guessing the rude one is the one in charge. We received the Shanghai style rice cake, then beef pan fried noodles, then onion pancakes, and lastly the panfried pork dumplings. However, I did not order panfried. I wanted the Shanghai steamed dumplings. When I politely told that to the rude lady that took our order, she gave attitude right away and snapped back that that was what I ordered. I didn't bother arguing and just added an order for the steamed dumplings. I told my husband that the attitude from that lady was unnecessary. He then added that she had an attitude the entire time. Ok, so it wasn't just me feeling that way. Is it because my husband and I are an interracial couple?? She was only rude to us and not all the other people there and she kept ignoring our table. On top of that, it took forever to get acknowledged for the bill. No tip due to bad service...just rounded up to the next dollar ha! This is the first time I recall not leaving tip. The food was not as good as I remembered. Oily...and everything tasted the same. No longer coming back here. Regret coming here for NYE. Great way to end 2014 haha
(1)Maggie L.
Cash only. One of my favorite little secret (or not so secret) spots to get shanghainese wontons (cai rou wonton)! They are the MOST DELICIOUS I'VE EVER HAD! and they also sell them frozen by the bags! (Used to buy these to stock up in my freezer in college all the time) Dan dan noodles are good, as well as most of their items on the menu. Chinese ladies don't really speak that much English, so come with someone who speaks Chinese or just point at the menu. At least they changed their menus to include English now! Hah. +1 for having papaya milk! :)
(5)susan l.
whenever my friend is in my neck of the woods, she demands, DEMANDS asian food. her hubby isn't too fond of chinese food, and there isnt much selection where she lives. sigh, it's a total chore (sarcasm), but i have to be a good friend and help her delicious food, right? what i ate: - bamboo shoots: tasty - beef noodle soup: very very good. i really liked the broth. - ... not sure if this is right, but my friend basically said the translation came out to "village idiot noodles": it's a mix of different sauces on noodles, so more of a dry noodle dish as opposed to noodles in soup. this was tasty and filling. pros: - clean and tidy. didn't have the dinge that some older chinese restaurants have. you know what i'm talking about - owner was super nice and attentive. she was busy bustling around, but she did everything with a smile. very rare in chinese restaurants (from the looks of it she might have been an actress or something? she had these huge posters of herself all over the walls of the restaurant) - food was tasty! - price is right. very reasonably priced cons: - asian parking lot. beware of the tight parking spots, and the business of this place. with so many yummy places to eat in that one plaze, it may be a pain to find parking, especially if you come on the weekends - you can feel a bit lost if you're not chinese. i was smart enough to let my chinese friend order everything would i come again? sure!
(4)Michael L.
So I was in the mood for Taiwanese food & decides to come here for their popular beef noodles. You can ask them to make it spicy (med, hot, and fiery). I also ordered the Szechuan pickled platter which I didn't like because it was a tad sour for me...note to self, don't get this item anymore. The dudes next to me had cold DanDan noodles & a dish of tofu, pigs ear, shredded soy noodle & cilantro mixed together. They seemed to be enjoying themselves so another note to self...get those items when I'm back.
(4)Pamela L.
This is very specialized 'locals' food. I've been here for the dan dan mien and this time I went for the spicy beef tendon noodles, cold plate (seaweed, beef tripe, tofu), and xiao long bao (dragon buns). I was somewhat half disappointed but half impressed. I'll explain. Basically, if you're coming from the San Gabriel Valley, you're not going to be overly impressed with this food. SGV definitely has better eats when it comes to these basics. Live in RH (Rowland Heights)? Yeah, this is pretty good. If you ever have time to venture out into the SGV, try Mama Lu's. The spicy beef tendon soup was as expected, they use a chili oil to increase or decrease spicy. This was abnormally salty for me, I finished two cups of water during my meal. I usually only drink about a half cup. The cold plate was good, very authentic taste. This isn't really something I can explain to a foreigner, but if you have close ties with Asia, you'll know what I mean. The xiao long bao was disappointing. Din Tai Fung was better than this place! The wrapping was good, the meat was ok, but the soup?? Yikes!! I can't believe it's a top dish here. Overall for the area it's a four star, but if you're a picky eater from Asia, this is a three banger.
(3)Thy N.
Not a lot of English but the food is oh so good!!! My friend and I had the following: -Pan fried dumplings, which were very delicious but not soupy. -Dan Dan noodles that were so delicious! I could taste the peanut and spice in it. -Green onion pancake was the best I've ever had. It's a small restaurant. You can order take out, if you'd like. If you don't speak, just ask for an English menu! Oh, and it's CASH ONLY!!! Not very expensive though. I want to come back and try a bunch of other noodles and dumplings!
(5)K G.
The beef/noodle soup is seriously one of the best things ever. The Soup dumplings are quite tasty. Very authentic place with lots of things on the menu I've not tried.
(4)Tara L.
It's been a while since my last review, and about time for an update. Every time I come back to CA to visit, this is always on the food rotation list. In fact, Husband loves it so much that he always has to come here as well. It's really comfort Southern style Chinese food and Taiwanese food at the core, so make sure you get their braised meats and vegetable cold plates. We still get their vegetarian plate with seaweed knots and braised dried tofu bean curd. Quality and freshness are still as great as before. Their shrimp wonton soup is light and brothy and has a generous amount of wontons (around 7-8 pieces per bowl), and we're still big fans of their mixed dried noodles. The great thing about this place is that whether you like hot and spicy food, or more light and mild spiced food, you will find something here. I'd give this place 5 stars if the price was just slightly lower and if they accepted credit cards (I know some people at the restaurant have seriously griped about it, but we don't have an issue with it). If you order the aforementioned items (appetizer plate, soup, and a bowl of noodles to split), it'll run you close to $20 before tax and tip. However, with fast and efficient service and fresh quality food, I'm more than happy to pay. Staff is always pleasant, and will honor any dietary requests you may have. Clean, comfortable, and cozy - Ding's Garden definitely delivers on quality noodle dishes. I will keep on coming back here when I'm in town. :)
(4)Jenny T.
Food was okay, nothing too special. Wasn't too impressed. Service was great and had no wait on a Saturday during lunch time. Lots of noodle and rice dishes, place smells like stinky tofu though.
(3)Melody H.
Dan dan noodles were pretty delicious. You can choose level of spiciness. If you're fine with sriracha, medium spicy is a good level to go. Fried dumplings and soup dumplings were very good. Green onion pancakes were not crisp enough and we're too doughy. Cold plate is good! Everything was just a little too salty. Even on a Friday night, it wasn't very busy. Though Yelp says you can't make reservations, you can by calling in if you have a big party. If you know Mandarin, you should use it bc it will make communication faster. Papaya milk drink is too sweet. Service is pretty fast and attentive.
(4)Karen L.
Great recommendation for dinner after a long day, I was so hungry. I ate way more than I should have. Beef noodle soup - decent enough Green onion pancake - so good. Crispy, chewy, and a ton of onions. Panfried dumplings - love these. Dumplings in bread form. Loved the bread. Shanghai dumplings - decent. I have a high criteria for Shanghai dumplings. These weren't bad, but they just weren't the best I've ever had.
(4)Emily Q.
The food here is so so so so oily. Especially the pig ear.If they seat you in the other room the service is really slow.(Just a tip) I will DEFINITELY NOT be coming back
(1)Louisa W.
My favorite here is the dry green onion noodle mixed with oil. Is it heavy and totally oily? Yes, but that's why it's so good. You also get to choose what 'topping' on the noodles you want. Plus, boba milk tea's only a dollar! O, and the owner, the shanghainese guy with the ponytail, is some famous Chinese singer's son.
(4)Stephanie V.
Absolutely loooove the Szechuan DanDan Dry Noodles (first on the menu)...it's peanut flavored and can be very spicy. I ordered it medium and it was still pretty spicy but yummy! The Brasied Beef Noodle Soup (second on the menu) was also very delish!!!! My new favorite place for Taiwanese Noodles!!! I've also tried the Shanghai Pan Fried Dumplings and it wasn't really what I expected. I was picturing the normal dumpling, but it came out as baos. I didn't really like it, the outside was a bit thick and the meat on the inside was a bit tooo salty. The Shanghai Pan Fried Baos at the Kang Kang food court on Valley/Garfield in Alhambra is way better! Think I'll stick with my noodles! Ummmmm ummmmm good!!!
(5)Kim l.
This little hole in the wall was a bit difficult for me to find in the big plaza. Betty Boop and I shared an order of the XLB which was most delicious! Just as good as J&J in Monterey Park. The only thing is that some of them got stuck to the paper lining on the bottom and ripped apart and all the soupy soup drained out before it reached my mouth. BB ordered the wonton and spinach soup (doesn't come with noodles). The broth was tasty and seemed very healthy. The wontons were filled with yummy meat and the skin was soft like it should be when cooked right. I ordered the beef noodle soup (a tad spicy). The beef was tender yet a little chewy. The noodles were good but some of it was stuck together in a big clump. I would order the wonton soup next time (less filling than the beef noodle since there is no noodle). Service was quick and the place seemed decently clean. Most of their entrees range around $5-7. Great food for a great deal. Too bad Rowland is so far from home!
(4)Jones L.
I have visited this place again few months later after my previous review about this restaurant. Here is some update. As usual, Din'g garden is famous with its freshness, taste, and variety. The price has been gone up again since my last review about 9 month ago, however I guess this is how inflation affects everybody. Despite the 20% price increase, their dish volume has been back to normal size like the way I used to, which both my wife and I are always need a box for a lot of unfinished goodies. Everything is back to the way I liked, except price (which is still comparably reasonable nowadays ). I am giving them the 4 star again now. It's a place you definitely need to try.
(4)Kristen H.
I've been here over 10 times now so pretty much have tried everything on the menu. They have not let me down once. Delicious. A few faves: Fried rice with mustard greens, dan dan noodles, roasted pig ear with cilantro and tofu (appetizer), dumplings, wonton soup, green onion noodles.
(4)Dee L.
Everything here is delicious! Especially the sen jian bao, dan dan noodles, you chong ban mien (green onion with oil noodles) and the dumplings with spinach in soup. so good.
(5)Allan C.
the food is okay average!! Bit too oily for me. The Miss Boss seems always desperate for money, some time is really pushy.
(3)Melody L.
This place is pretty good. My family likes to get the oil-onion noodles (I don't really know the proper name for it). I like to get the beef noodle soup. Their appetizer of the assortment of seaweed and beef parts are really good especially when you get it spicy. And their xiao long bao is delish. But, their service is kinda so-so and I believe that this place is cash only as are many other asian places in rowland heights. My family comes here often. Pretty good overall for a place to eat in rowland.
(4)Andrew W.
Hands Down~ this place is AWESOME~! It is truly a great restaurant to share with your family and friends. And this cozy place is always packed, during the prime-time, so remember~ do come early! I was blown away by both Quality (A+) and Quantity (A+) of the food.... But then, been an Asian restaurant, their services (B-) was the only minor turn off.... This restaurant serves Northeastern Chinese Cuisine, which specializes in noodles, sticky rice steamed-buns, Chinese pancake with scallion, and etc..... And their house special establishes on the unique sensation of Chinese Stewed Appetizers. Which, YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!! Stewed Tofu, Stewed Seaweeds are great for the beginners to taste..... then you can move on to more exotic items~ LOL~ just a personal experience, you might wanna just go-ahead give everything a try, before you actually ask for what it is~ I can declare it with full confident, by far, this place has mastered the authentic Stewed items. It was perfectly done, locked in all flavors, moisture and maintain the right color, texture right within all ingredients. YUM~ ~
(4)Kenny L.
This little eatery has been one of my family's favorites for a few months now. The place always seem to be busy and for a good reason: they are mighty tasty! We stopped by this past Saturday for lunch for their Shanghai wonton soup. The wontons skins were just the right thickness and plentiful. The soup was hot, well flavored with shollots, and not too salty. It is well displayed with shredded egg, spinach, and nori. The beef noodles I've had in the past was really good too. It definitely has a kick of heat if that is what you're looking for. The xiao long bao (small soup dumplings) across the tabled looked really good as well so I'll update when I've had those! Cash only and no English on the menu, so bring your well read Mandarin friend with you!
(5)Rachel C.
Best noodles I've ever had. I get the Dan Dan Noodles and steamed dumplings. But everything I've eaten here has been GREAT!
(5)Hauwei L.
Went with the whole family, very good overall, best dishes were the sheng jian bao, the cold appetizer plate, xiao long bao, and the spicy niu ro mian.
(4)Amy S.
This is a definite stop if you are craving crispy, a lite on the spicy pig ears. Not expensive-to go 2 containers was a little over $7. Place is small but service was fast and the wait staff is nice.
(4)cy t.
This place has awesome beef noodle soup!!!! You get a pretty big bowl and I love how it comes with spinach, cilantro, and white pepper. The beef is flavorful and tender. The staff does speak English. The only appetizer I've had is their seaweed and that had generous amounts of chopped garlic. Mmmm. The xlb here is ok. Keep in mind that it's cash only !!! The green onion pancake here isn't that good. It's thick and greasy.
(4)Nat S.
Yep, I'm sold on this place. I've been here 3-4 times and each time was good. I used to go to Q Noodle House right down the way but Ding's is just better in my opinion. The Beef Noodle Soup is better here and so is the Dan Dan Noodle. Remember to ask for the english menu if you can't read/speak the language. I've tried a couple random things here and all were great. Their dumplings as everyone else mentioned are good. I've never had them anywhere else so the best? Not sure. I definitely dig the steamed shanghai dumplings better than the pan fried ones. Prices are around $6-$7 bucks for each plate, even the dumplings. If u don't know what to get, get the Beef Noodle Soup or the Dan Dan Noodesl(spicy peanut sauce). And of course, get an order of the steamed shanghai dumplings. Extra: The owner is totally cool. She came by our table to ask if we enjoyed the food and we ended up chatting with her for a loooong time and what do you know? She is a classical opera singer! She sang for us and everything. Gotta love a place with an owner that has a personality.
(4)Jenny P.
Love this place especially their appetizer: pig ears, seaweed, and beancurd. Very spicy and tasty. Also their steam dumplings is good too.
(4)James Z.
Had lunch there with my bro one day when I was craving some good xiao long bao. Both of us got beef noodle soup and an order of xiao long bao. I thought the beef noodle soup to be average (I don't know- maybe my palate has changed a little since trying different variations of beef noodle soup from different Asian locales) as the only taste I could decipher was salt. It wasn't spicy at all, although I don't believe they make their beef noodle soup spicy. The saving grace was the xiao long bao and what grace it was indeed. The xiao long bao was steaming hot, and had excellent flavor, and texture. It was filled with an addicting broth that scalded my mouth each time I put in a new bao. The good was that the bao was damn good and the bad was that the bao was damn good as I couldn't help but burn myself- willingly- each time with a new bao. This restaurant has made a masochist out of me; I think I'm in need of a spanking.
(4)Vin P.
My wife and I kind of stumbled into this place one night and we left with a couple of take out boxes because we loved the food and wanted to try their other items on the menu. We ordered about 5 dishes that night and we weren't really very hungry, but we enjoyed every dish. Stinky Tofu, Dry Wonton in Red Chili Oil, Braised beef with noodles in soup, vegetable fried rice with deep fried pork chop on the side and there is much more on the menu that we haven't tried. Good eats here especially if your in the area and wanting something rather quick.
(5)Papa S.
Dan Dan noodles... Dings special with bean curb, beef tripe and pig ear in a spicy oil... shanghai dumplings... everything is so good.
(5)Don N.
Almost no one spoke English at the restaurant. I was originally handed a Chinese menu. I don't read Chinese. I kind of stared at for about 3 minutes and determined it would be unwise to just randomly point at a couple of dishes. I spoke to the waiter and requested an English menu (which I was really glad they had!). I ordered what the kind waiter said was the "specialty dish" in the restaurant ("dan dan noodles"). So I ordered it, ate some of it, and almost died because it had peanut sauce base ... and I am allergic to peanuts. The wontons I subsequently ordered were excellent. I ordered the combo wontons but if I were to do it again, I would order only the vegetable ones. I liked those a lot better. Service was really good, the folks there were really kind. I just got owned because I had to buy two lunches. They have interesting stuff in their cold cabinet ... salted duck necks and such.
(5)Fenny L.
My husband and I got the shanghai pan fried beef noodle which was awesome and smokey! We also got the braised beef noodle soup, the beef were sooo Tender! The service's great, food came out fast and the food's not too expensive. We spent about 18 bucks. Good and satisfying.
(5)Rebecca W.
I went to this place last weekend for lunch. I tried the cold cut appetizer, beef noodle soup, shrimp wonton soup, dry beef noodle and one other noodle dish that I forgot the name. Beef noodle soup is bit bland , other stuff are okay. Regardless, I won't go back to this place even the food taste better because my friends and I had diarrhea after the meal. So that's why I gave this place a one star, otherwise it could have been 3 stars.
(1)Helen S.
Wow, what a hidden gem in this mecca of Chinese eateries! The good thing about being Chinese by marriage is that the in-laws know of all the truly good Chinese restaurants... no matter how large or small. And this place is SMALL. In fact, if you have a party of 5 or greater on a Friday or Sat night, it may be a pretty long wait before they'll be able to seat you. We had a party of 11, and we were pretty much sitting in each other's laps. This place must be authentic, because the menu is written only in Chinese and the staff barely knows any English. That was fine by me because whenever I'm with my in-laws, I just sit back, relax, and let them do all the ordering. We ordered the Dan Dan noodles, beef noodle soup, pork noodle soup, stir fried rice noodle with pork, green onion pancake, stinky tofu, and some appetizer platter consisting of tofu, beef, and pig ears. Everything here is delicious! For the noodles, they let you choose the level of spicyness. Caution- we chose "medium spicy" for the Dan Dan noodles, and I thought that was a little too spicy. All in all, I love this place, and I've been to so many different Chinese restaurants, I feel I have a pretty accurate palate when it comes to judging Chinese restaurants. I will definitely be back again (with a Mandarin speaker), to try some of their other dishes. Total stars: 4.5.
(4)Mustard D.
Really good, authentic noodle house. We enjoyed our noodle soups, and my toddler really loved the dumplings (which I agree were home made and very good). My favorite was the pickled veggie appetizer - the best I've ever had.
(4)v t.
dings is one of my favore place to go for noodles. the mixed cold appetizer is one of their specialties but just be careful of how many items you request for the combo. the base one is good for about 4 people. base plus 2 or 3 items becomes big enough for 6+ people, and it also becomes a $15+ appetizer. so if you start adding stuff left and right to the base combo, be prepared to have leftovers. my favorite noodle dish is the jiang bao niu rou mien - a saucy stir fry beef noodle. it's a dry noodle dish with a soy sauce base and slices of beef. it's got as much sauce as the dan dan noodle, which i like as well, but not as heavy. some other recommendations are: spicy wontons (love), half veggie/half shrimp wonton soup, and shanghai fried noodle (or rice cake). last but not least, cash only.
(5)Lisa I.
Thank you fellow Yelpers! I found a place I can have xiao long bao without driving to Din Tai Fung. Not only can I avoid the drive but personally I think Ding's xiao long bao is better than Din Tai Fung. Granted the waiter can't speak English and was forcing me to take the Chinese menu but after he found out that I really don't speak Chinese, he tried his best to help me out. I think I ended up freaking him out by ordering so many xiao long bao. The price and the location can't be beat.
(4)janie j.
This place was quite good. We came here to try their stinky tofu and it was delicious! I haven't had good stinky tofu in forever, but this place had a pretty good grasp on how to do it right. We also ordered a bunch of noodle dishes like ja jiang mein, dan dan mein, beef noodle soup, and xiao long bao. The noodles were good, chewy and cooked perfectly. The xiao long bao was a tad disappointing, it was not hot enough and was not very memorable. If you come here don't forget your order of stinky tofu, it's really quite good, you won't be disappointed!
(4)Kristen R.
As many times as I have been to this center to go to Sam Woo, I've never noticed this place here. I only knew about it because my friend wanted to take me here. I'm glad my friend was there with me because the waiters didn't speak much English and they gave us menus in Chinese, but they were really nice and gave us ones in English. :) The noodles here are so yummy. Even though I ordered mine medium spicy, it wasn't that spicy at all. The flavors were mild, but still really tasty. Probably my favorite thing here was the plum juice! I claim it kinda tastes like a sweet bbq sauce (it does!), but I guess it's sorta like a plum sauce as a juice. The prices are reasonable and the service is quick. This is a great place for lunch.
(4)Kris P.
i absolutely love their babao spicy brown sauce dry noodle & the shanghai pan fried dumplings! the wontons in the mini wonton soup are so chewy & delicious! the food here is so incredibly tasty, i'd eat here everyday if i could! i like that the menu is in english, very helpful! it's cash only, but what chinese place isn't?
(5)Megan T.
This place is pretty much amazing..it's my grandma's favorite restaurant, and that says a lot, because my grandma is one amazing chinese cook! Their green onion pancakes (cong you bing) are really good...flaky but slighty crispy, packed with green onion and slight bacon flavor. Try their jia huo (spelling) jia huo - the appetizer/cold cut combination: do fu gan strips, seaweed, pig ears, tripe, and a lot of other stuff...YUMMY. I really like their shen jian bao- made fresh everyday! Sometimes they run out, so order that first.. Their xiao long bao are definitely good too, with lots of meaty juice, as well as their other baos. They're all wrapped nicely, and taste very fresh. Their noodle soups are always good- xue cai ro si mian is always a staple. For sweet things, try the passion fruit tea (bai xiang guo cha) or for dessert, tang yuan! (glutinous rice balls filled with sweet sesame paste).
(5)Jackie Y.
My girlfriend and I are visiting la fom northern California and found this place on yelp. We ordered the beef noodle soup and the shanghai dumplings, amazing! The flavor of the dumplings was explosive the beef in the soup was tender and juicy. Must check out this place for dinner! An added plus, the owner is super friendly and nice. Bring cash!
(5)Michael W.
The noodles are really good and i really enjoyed the fried dumpling shanghai style!
(4)Valerie L.
the little pan fried buns were delicious!!
(5)KS T.
This noodle place is actually not bad. My favorite is the cold-cut dish. Order it all the time. Service is ok but it's not entire fair to rate the service because it's only a noodle house. HAHA So over all the food is good and tasty. I'm not to crazy about the beef noodle soup, I've had better, but overall the price and food is good. Great place to go for quick and inexpensive Chinese Shanghai Style meal.
(4)Boone B.
The food is good, especially their dry noodles, but their service sucks, especially when they are super busy or if you don't speak Chinese (like us). Don't be surprised if you get a wrong order because the lady server did not understand what you want. Service wise, I've seen them trying to squeeze another chair even when there's no place left, they even forced strangers to share table. However, I think this is a good place to bring your Caucasian friend... especially when the lady owner was there. Last time I saw her giving away foods to a table next to ours which has the one and only Caucasian in the restaurant. She gave an appetizer and even an order of Xiao Long Bao (I clearly heard she said "on the house" because they felt they did not order those dishes) Honestly, I felt somewhat discriminated... but well, what do you expect? Most Asian restaurants give better service to their Caucasian clients, and there's nothing I can do to revert it. ... too bad that we look like Chinese, yet we don't know Chinese..
(3)Erin L.
They have amazing marinated dishes and my oh my i am in LOVE with their green onion pancake - it's fluffy and just enough salt and pan fried. Their stinky tofu is decent. The rest of there stuff is decent. One last plus...it's hecka cheap!
(5)Brian K.
Spur of the moment went into this place because there wasn't much waiting. Had some Dan Dan Noodle. A little drier than I'm used to but definitely pretty good. Wish I knew some mandarin though or wish they knew some cantonese!
(4)Chanli S.
Pretty authentic Chinese food. I had the spicy beef noodle soup and it was fantastic.
(4)Lem K.
This is place is way good. There are a bunch of places with the words "Ding" and "Garden" around so don't be confused. Just look at the address. The beef noodle soup (Neiu Ro Mein) and Dan Dan noodle is very very good. I come here usually for take out. I spoke chinese to the guy and I got what I wanted, I think they speak English too. That's a spicy meat ball!
(4)Chang Z.
I have too much to say, but don't know what to say. So, all I am going to say is, this is an awesome place. To prove my point, we ordered more than $60 worth of the food for both me and my wife alone!!! Yes, the food is so good, and we (I) can't stop ordering!!! And Yes, I have a lot of food left over, and I still love it on the day 4th of the left over food taste from Ding's Garden.
(5)John L.
Mmmm loving this place since it's winter now, perfect timing for beef soup/stew. Don't care much for their xiao lung bao tho. mmmm lovely with hints of MSG, i think at least. All and all, love it.
(4)Sam S.
The stir fried rice cakes and chow mein are delicious. A little salty but full of flavor. The dan dan mein is only okay. Flavor is good; however once you start mixing the noodles with the sauce it begins to dry out really fast. They have a drink special: selection of drinks for only $1 if you buy an entree. I like their green milk tea, a lot better than the regular milk tea. The boba is fun too because it's not mini size nor is it normal size. It's an inbetween so it's nice to chew on. Price is fair I think, $5-10 for entrees. Cash only though so bring your dough. Beef noodle soup is alright, I prefer it elsewhere but this place isn't bad because the flavor isn't super salty and has decent beef taste in the broth. The green onion cake here is terrible, well maybe because I dislike the really thick, rubber toy looking green onion pancakes. I prefer thin and crispy. Drop by if you're looking for a quick bowl of noodle.
(4)Kay K.
Delicious homey food, friendly service, one of my casual lunch time fav!
(4)Brandy L.
sheng jian bao (pan fried bun with meat filling) xiao long bao (steamed dumpling of the rounder variety, as opposed to crescent shaped) both were nummy! niu rou mien is alright, i do like that they put in lots of veggies. meat could be more tender. broth could be more flavorful. edit: 1/3 for the noodles. 1/3 for the broth. Niu rou: 1.5/3 tasty, not too fatty. presentation-no the people next to us had cong you bing (onion pancake) and it looked fluffier and thicker than i am used to....must return to try that along with some other starchy but probably delish noodle item. they do have an english menu. nice servers, but you got to be aggresive to be attended to (as is usual with a bustling chinese eatery)
(5)Gene W.
BEST beef noodle soup and cold cuts. I drive from the west side just for this place.
(5)Anna L.
everything is really good; noodles, stinky tofu, fried rice. their cold appetizer plate is so so good BUT $15 bux is a little too much. and lately their portion for this appetizer has been getting smaller and smaller. that's the only reason i didn't give it 5 stars.
(4)Sue L.
Get their Shanghai pan-fried buns, sheng jian bao and their spicy wontons. Their green milk tea with boba for $1 is a pretty good deal as well.
(4)Mickey L.
Just had this the other day. Service is horrible, took them a while to get us drinks and take our order even though we were the only customers there and there were 3 waiters. The food however is great and the price is rather decent.
(3)Brenda G.
Honestly, I think they have the best dry noodle soup in town. The soup is very tasty unlike other places. Few reasons why I downgrade 1 star: 1. The service, just like many other Chinese places, is not very good. Your server will not bother to bring you more water until you call them. They also tend to pressure you to buy their appetizers. While it is quite decent quality wise, I just hate being pressured especially after my first time. I usually caved in to pressure in the first time because I feel bad for them, but not for the second or third time. 2. During their busiest times, they often "forced" you to share table, especially if you have party of two and occupy a table for four (again, not unlike other Chinese places) 3. The biggest down side, for me, is NO ENGLISH. The owners are the only ones who understood English (Almost every time i went there I have been "transferred" to the owner). But food is good nonetheless. Will I be back? Yes, whenever I am really craving for a really good dry noodles (or if my wife is). But I will definitely avoid their crunch times. I hate to share a table with 2 other people that I did not know.
(4)Bugster D.
For those that think the beef noodles at Supreme Dragon kick ass, it's time to check out Ding's Garden. I've eaten a gazillion beef noodles in my life (including over a dozen spots in China and Taiwan) and Ding's is right up there. They throw in a huge amount of veggies and spices (enough that the spices don't overpower the dish) and the soupy broth at the end is to die for. It'll be helpful if you bring a friend that speaks Mandarin as the wait staff's English is limited. 5 star all the way. This location is substantially larger than the 8 seater in Alhambra
(5)roger l.
For a Chinese, you have to be picky when it comes to Chinese food. Especially if your parents know how to cook. I actually remember going to a restaurant with the same name(same pronunciation but different Chinese characters, if you know Chinese, you know what I am talking about) which was really good, but I forgot the location as it was so long ago. At that place the owner had an attitude, which I liked(if you happen to know that place, please let me know, please please please). Aside from the digression, this place is pretty nice, I can only tell you what I ordered and what I thought was good. The beef noodle is good, the dandan noodle is good, and the appetizers(you have to order those chinese appetizer dishes, pork ears, pork this and pork that, pretty much all parts of pork or beef are good. There is another dish which I enjoyed which is called "gia who gia who" which means mixed and mixed. This is a small place, so make sure you avoid busy hours.
(4)Kevin L.
its pretty good i like their tofu/beef shank/thing combo the best cuz its spicy & yummy their noodles r pretty & shi lao buo r juicy good 4 late lunch
(4)Peter L.
My friend and I weren't sure what to order, but the waitress was extremely helpful. With her help we ended up getting the shrimp wontons and beef noodle soup. Both dishes were good and the portions were bigger than we had expected. We were def content by the time we left. If you're looking for cheap, large portions, this is a place to go.
(3)Eddie C.
Awesome Chinese food. Go there for the dan dan noodle. The place is very small and always crowded, so you know it's good.
(5)SJ E.
I've only been here once. And it would be the last time. Four of us ordered 6 items. Everything was salty, salty, salty. Needed to wash out the MSG aftertaste too. The XLB was okay, price to quality ratio better than Din Tai Fung's. Beef noodle, wonton soup, shredded pork noodle - barely edible after adding hot water to dilute the saltiness. The roast pig ear/bean curd/seaweed were good but also salty.
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