Little Garden
14725 NE 20th St, Bellevue, WA, 98007
Little Garden Menu
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Address :
14725 NE 20th St
Bellevue, WA, 98007 - Phone (425) 644-9038
- Website https://littlegardenchinese.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
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 : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Abe H.
Although I didn't see it on the lunch menu, I asked for shrimp fried rice and egg drop soup. It was delicious! Since I cannot eat too much rice (affects blood sugar levels), I ate only about a third of my meal. Also, I was surprised how inexpensive the meal was. The waitress was very nice and boxed the remainder of the fried rice for take-out. I will definitely return.
(4)Veronica S.
Although I wanted to really give this place good reviews for their food and portion sizes their table manners disgusted us!!! They were so rude!! Tossing the check on the table and walking away and all we did was order our food and eat, We noticed that the tables with people of their own ethnicity were getting waited and taken care of but not us!! This could be a place who has a potential to be regulars if their manners weren't so crummy!! Not returning.
(1)Kimberly C.
This is one of my favorite places in the Eastside for chinese food. Great prices, hot and fast food, wide variety of food offered. The full menu is available on their website now. I've had the twice cooked pork at least 3-4 times, and it varies a bit, but it's always great. (Sometimes it's more leek based, sometimes it's more green peppers, probably depending on what's best in the back.) The steamed porn buns on the menu in the appetizer section are huge, for a very cheap price ($1). It might as well be most of a meal in and of itself. I've personally tried the spicy wontons, green onion pankcake, pumpkin croquettes, xiang xi spicy fried chicken, pork in spicy garlic sauce. You have to be insistent about water sometimes, but at other times they're very attentive. I think it depends a bit on how busy they are. On evenings where they expect more business, they have more staff on hand and service seems to be better.
(4)crystal y.
Stumbled onto this small Chinese restaurant when our first 3 choices were closed on Sundays. I really liked the spicy noodle dishes. The green onion pancakes were pretty good. Only complaint is that the dishes didn't have enough meat. This was most noticeable with the dumplings which had more wrapper than meat. All and all, great value and we have lots of leftovers to take home. I'll definitely be visiting again. Second visit was a little disappointing... the noodles that we ordered had a strange smell and I couldn't finish it. I would go back and order the Dan Dan Noodles though.
(3)Mark L.
My go to spot for food coma inducing Chinese food! The portions are huge and more then enough for 2 to share which generally means the quality isn't top notch right? WRONG!!!! Every dish I've had here is down right amazing! The mapo tofu is the perfect type of spicy as well as the spicy fish in bean sauce. I've had hotpot here several times and for $12.50 all you can eat beef, pork and tripe it can't be beat! I have always left satisfied and a little thicker in the waist line. Im pretty sure it's family owned but the staff here is amazing and truly go out of there way to make sure the dining experience was grrrreat! Hell we drank so much here the server asked if we would like a different selection of beer since they only stock tsing Tao and bud light. Shows that they really do care about your business and want to make people happy. A must try for anyone in the area.
(4)Andrew R.
I wasn't going to review, because the General Tso takeout I got was just average. But after getting a third meal out of it, and one more left, I am thoroughly impressed with the value. For $12.05 including tax, I got a HUGE box of General Tso's, a small rice and 2 egg rolls. I eat a lot and am going to get 4 total meals out of this for an average of $3.01/meal. Not bad.
(3)Catherine D.
Noodle soup portion: awesome Other dishes portion: hmm... Flavor consistency: depends what you order Service: I think I can take a nap after ordering and wait for the food to arrive (didn't get the food until about 1 hr later). Ordered the cillantro tendon - came out 1/2 frozen, whatever sauce they put in there wasn't mixed properly, resulting some part having too much flavoring, some part bland, and if you're lucky, you got the just right tendon. The fish noodle soup is HUGE with pretty good chunk of fish there.I estimated that it might take about 2-3 people (maybe 2 of me will be enough though :P) to finish it off. The fish soup itself seems to be on the bland side. Worth getting the noodle soup instead of the fried noodle (other chinese restaurants in chinatown can easily beat the taste and portion for this).
(3)Jarrod L.
The green Onion Pancake was unusually fluffy, but still pretty good. Pumpkin Croquettes were super greasy, but tasty. After a half hour of grease draining into a napkin, they were even better. The Twice Cooked Pork was surprisingly spicy, but very good. The X_ X_ Chicken was also very good, but a little too salty. (I can't recall the name here other than it started with two X words, but I've had it before other places with other names; it's the crispy-fried chicken cubes with green onions, dried chiles, and no sauce) Ordering and food coming out was super fast, but water refills were slow. I'll definitely be back to try more of their nearly 200 menu items.
(4)Gabriel S.
I cannot recommend this place enough. We go for lunch so bear that in mind. We have anywhere from 3 to 9 people, order a ton of lunch entrees--all of which include an amazing hot & sour soup (egg drop is a choice too {haven't had it}), then when the bill comes we are SHOCKED at how cheap it is. OK Favorites: Kung Pao Chicken (We order two), Pan Fried Dumplings (20 for $5.50! Hello!!!), Green Beans--these are insanely good! Spicy noodles with pork (a little dry, but everyone seems to like 'em) and Beef & Broccoli. You will amaze your friends with how much tasty food you will eat--and how little it will cost you! Tell them Gabriel sent you!
(4)Tom C.
The Szechuan food here is good. The dumpling is like the one down the street and price is reasonable.
(4)Ling C.
An important rule of thumb for dining at any Asian restaurants: know what cusine the chef is best at. When you dine at a Sichuan restaurant, don't order anything other than Sichuan cusine. Maple Garden was owned by Taiwanese chef -- so decent Taiwanese and south-eastern Chinese dishes. Little Garden, on the other hand, their chef's are from Sichuan and Hunan. So if you try to order the same dishes as you did at Maple Garden, you will surely be disappointed. Because that's not their expertise! However, if you do like Sichuan and Hunan cusine, you must try Little Garden. They are the best on the eastside now. Bamboo Garden used to be great, now it has nothing close to authentic Sichuan food. The most outstanding and uniqueness of Little Garden is the variety of their Hunan and Sichuan dishes. There are plenty on the menu which you simply will not get from any where else on the eastside! I love their cabbage stir fry dish. I don't normally like cabbage, but their cabbage is just pure delicious and affordable too. They also allow you to customize your Sichuan dishes -- for example, you can ask for extra hot or extra "numbing" (effect from a special type of Sichuan pepper corn). When you go, try Hunan or Sichuan dishes, especially those you don't normally get at other Sichuan restaurant in the area. When I ordered typical Sichuan dishes, I always ask for extra "numbing". And I was never disappointed!
(4)Joe N.
This is my first visit to this restaurant. My wife and I were looking for an authentic chinese place in Bellevue. They had a pretty good amount of authentic dishes. We ended up ordering too much food not knowing that the portions were huge. The dishes we ordered were not bad. The beef brisket noodle soup needed more flavor. It was just a plain beef broth with no herbs and spices. The green onion pancakes tasted more like pizza dough. The pan fried dumplings were pretty good. The tomato egg omelet was tasty. We had enough leftovers for another meal. The overall value was pretty decent. You get what you pay for.
(3)Peng T.
I was pleasantly surprised with Little Garden. I never tried the restaurant that was here prior to Little Garden (it was called Maple Garden). The Green Onion Pancake was pretty flavorful and tasty. The pan fried dumplings were also pretty good, but I don't think I'll ever find a dumpling as good as the ones I've had in Shanghai. For all the restaurants I've had dumplings at in Seattle and the eastside, this is definitely one of the better ones. I forget the name of the entrees, but there was a beef dish with sliced pan fried noodles that was delicious. I had another beef dish that had a spicy chili sauce that was a little bit more spicy than I prefer, but still tender and flavorful. Two other positives for this restaurant were a friendly attentive staff and decent prices. I would definitely go back.
(4)Rachel B.
I had seen this place a while back, I guess when it was maple garden but didn't go. Remembered it when I needed a quick lunch last week. Lots of interesting stuff on their menus and eye-ing what folks were eating it all looked good. I couldn't pass up the green onion pancakes and decided to try the wonton soup as well. The green onion pancakes were great! Mmmm! The wonton soup? Well, the broth was great but the wontons were horrible. The thing is, the broth was so good I just might consider ordering it again. The service for me felt very personal. Kind of hard to explain but I liked it. I will definitely try some other things on their menu.
(3)Thadeus C.
If your looking for real hunan style food you got it. The hunan style cold noodle with hand made noodle is really good and you get a whole lot of food. The green onion pancake here is also good and cheap. They also have good vegetable dishes such as the garlic eggplant and bok choy and mushrooms. One of my favorite dishes is the spicy fish, which is very spicy and also has a lot of spice flavors. The only downside about the fish is that it is a little expensive at 12 or 13 dollars, but you do get a lot of fish. Overall a really good place for noodles and vegetable dishes.
(5)Kevin C.
I just moved into the area and I had good experiences with the many Chinese restaurants to take out. This is by far the best, and one of my favorite Chinese food restaurants. The chicken is cooked perfectly, has a light crisp, and is delicious. I now take my friends and my family when they visit to Little Garden and they all love it. I highly recommend going here!
(5)Sofie B.
We thought Maple Garden simply got renamed but alas, it is now gone and replaced by a totally new business. The food was bad and the service was even worse. The twice-cooked pork and chive omelette were very salty; mapo tofu was nothing special. We would have forgiven the mediocre food if not for that they mixed up our orders and first served a table of 10 who arrived and ordered much later than us. We waited for about 45 minutes for our food, all the while having people who were waiting for a table hover over us and their bums shoved against our table. They then served only 3 out of the 5 dishes we ordered, and we were pretty much done with dinner by the time the remaining two dishes came out . It was an awful experience and we will never return.
(1)Ramon N.
Best Chinese food on the Eastside now that Sichuan Express is closed. The Spicy Wonton Soup, and Popcorn Chicken were great for dinner and they have great lunch specials as well. Hot and sour soup was so-so but nothing a little hot sauce could't fix. Much better than the place that was in this space previously.
(4)P. M.
Hey, gang this is a new restaurant in one of the great traditions of Chinese cuisine: Hunan. (BTW: wikipedia, via google, has a rundown on Chinese food, along with Vietnam, Korea, et al.) They have a two part menue--most non-Asians get the ordinary selections. Be sure to ask for full menue. Innards, organ meats, other goodies. Have had slivered Tendon with coriander--scrumptious. Last time I was there it was Tripe and Onions, and Liver and Kidney with veggies. This kind of serious Chinese cooking is a chance to broaden your tastbuds beyond General Tsao. It's a venue to consider for a real Chinese experience
(5)Zhe C.
my husband and I go to this place at least once a week. we like this place for this reasonable price for a big portion of food. the soup there is always tasty. authentic Chinese cuisine. The restaurant is casual in atmosphere and always busy, so be patient for the food to come.
(4)Melodie H.
I love this little place. They have a huge menu with several vegetarian options, and the people who work here are very friendly and remember us, even though we only come in once every couple of weeks. The portion sizes are huge. I will often get one entree, eat half of it, and save the rest for lunch the next day. The only catch is, some of the items on the menu sound vegetarian but aren't, so if that kind of thing is important to you then it's always good to ask. They're really friendly about answering questions or preparing food differently if needed, though.
(4)Matthew F.
I took my usual lunch break drive over to Sternco Center, and noticed that the Chinese restaurant that used to be there (Maple Garden) had changed its name to Little Garden. The "Grand Opening" banner hanging from the front of the building caught my eye, and I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder if they have any lunch specials!" I walked in and the friendly woman asked if was just for 1 person. I asked her if I could order take-away, she smiled and handed me the menu. I open the menu to discover that indeed they DO have a lunch menu, and the prices were reasonable! Score!! But I do have to mention that the flow of the menu was a little strange, because I didn't realize that the lunch menu continued on the back cover; I nearly missed an entire page of options. Nevertheless, I ordered the spicy chicken with friend rice, and the lunch menu said that a choice of either hot and sour or egg flower soup was included. I LOVE hot and sour soup, so when she told me that I couldn't have any because I was getting it to go (it didn't mention on my menu that take away disqualifies you from the soup), I frowned. She asked if I would like to stay and eat there, and I told her that I couldn't because I was on my lunch break, and that it ended soon. I asked if I could have the soup while I waited for the food to cook, and she politely declined my request. I frowned yet again. :( The spicy chicken was OK, but it wasn't remarkable or unique to my taste buds. The fried rice, however, reminded me of the kind you might find at Safeway's China Express, or at Magic Dragon. Just a few peas and a few carrots in white rice that's tinted with soy sauce. I think there may have been a little bit of scrambled egg, but I can't say for sure. I don't know if my experience would have been much different if I had dined-in, but I have a feeling that this may have been my one and only visit to Little Garden. I noticed that only 1/2 of the sign was new on the front of the building; it seems like they replaced the word 'Maple' with the word 'Little' as a cost saving measure. Friendly service, but unfriendly cost-cutting 'no soup for you' kind of feel is what I got out of it. :( Frown.
(3)Michael S.
I want Maple Garden back! The food here is very average and overall a disappointment compared to the original Maple Garden. I ordered the mongolian beef - which was tough and didn't taste very good. Others seemed ok with their dishes - nothing too special. Honestly, the food I got at the Chinese buffet up the road was better than this - you'd be wise to go elsewhere.
(2)Olly H.
It's a family run business. They got their kids working as waiters pretty much and their mum is the only one who handles the orders and takes payment. Food is terrible. Yes originally was foolish enough in thinking this was Maple Garden rebranded. BUT it is NOT. Serving portions is the worst I've EVER seen with crazy pricing! My first review on Yelp, but I really felt I needed to save everyone else from visiting this restaurant. Where did Maple Garden go? I really miss their 3 layer pork!!!
(1)dill w.
This place is great! Food was tasty and inexpensive. Atmosphere was comfortable. Spouse and I had each our own big bowl of wonton soup (he had the spicy), a giant plate of pot stickers and a green onion pancake for $20. I can't remember the last time we had a meal for that price. The dumplings tasted fresh and handmade from scratch. Good flavor and spice. The service was excellent. As for the negative reviews, I really don't think it's fair to disparage a brand new business, but in 2 months they appear to have smoothed out their performance. We will definitely be back.
(4)K.A. E.
Pass. There are tons of restaurants around that serve good food. This isn't one of them. Mu Shu pork was over cooked. Kung Pao Chicken was mostly cabbage. Both had too much salt and not enough other flavoring to make the dishes agreeable. The rice was dry & the tea was brewed from tea leaves on their last legs. We figure that the guy smoking out back was the cook. Probably killed his taste buds with menthol. Service was friendly. Food was a waste of time and $
(1)Christine S.
I give this restaurant about 3 months before it goes out of business. Maple Garden used to be just wonderful. I always had great service and great food. Little Garden was an enormous disappointment in the food department. You are better off going to Safeway and having their Oriental Express! This location has had several restaurants and each has either left or gone out of business. Must be a curse on that location!
(1)Casey Y.
Fantastic food, portions, and prices! The wait can be very long, but they make so much food- it's hard to imagine it going faster. I've bought large portions of Pork Buns to-go while I was a poor college student, amazing stuff really. Authentic food, I haven't had a problem with the waiters / waitresses at all. I recently went here to sit down and eat because I felt as though I was ripping them off by going for the cheap and giant pork buns. We ordered about $35 of food. I had left overs for days. 7 or 8 servings. It's crazy stuff! All of it was delicious.
(5)Samuel S.
The fact that I'm asked to wait 45 minutes for my order on a Sunday night (the restaurant isn't even half full) will make me and all my friends to blacklist this restaurant. This is not how you do businesses really, avoid at all cost for horrible business ethics
(1)Ray L.
We have the Facebook group where everyone would like to try different food in the different restaurant in Seattle area. We like to choose a restaurant most people have not been to before. However, I can't believe we have got together in Little Garden many times because the portion size in each dish is really large and the price is reasonable. GOOD DEAL! We all admit that the food comes out very late if you arrive there late. I remember we went there for the first time at 6:30 PM and the waiting time was about 40 minutes. So terrible! But after having food, we said it was really yummy and delicious. Our Facebook group came back several times. Suggestion: go there earlier and just give it a try! Foods are YUMMY.
(4)Riah R.
Pickled long bean with ground pork, steamed dumplings, and dried-cook string beans are favorites. We have never had to wait long.
(5)Luni X.
The food is delicious and the dish is large and the price is very reasonable and the waitress is very responsive and I will go again to try other menus !
(5)Ty D.
OMG! This place has really good food! I love the seaweed soup! The reason why I'm knocking one star off is because the chefs cook the orders table by table. So that means if its super busy, your food wont come out for a while. But regardless, great restaurant.
(4)Kristel B.
more like 3.5?? but no option for that, haha. Went to lunch here with my coworker. A few weeks ago she had a complaint because in her takeout she found metal (probably from a wok). They told her to come back again sometime for discount. They kept their word when we came back (she took a picture and the owner remembered) and gave us 50%. We ended up spending only $10 total (w/the discount) for a cold starter and a lunch entree. Pretty good even without the discount.
(3)T T.
This low-frills but tidy place has a wide menu and most everything on it is well-made. No need to pick favorites, just pick whatever sounds tempting. It's honest to goodness cuisine at an affordable price; the weekday lunch special (a laundry list of options) is amazing. Since they're nearby in the crowded Bellevue Szechuan space, the comparison to Spiced and Szechuan Cuisine are inevitable. This "little garden" is consistently better in terms of both ingredients and preparation. For fellow chinese diners, the dishes of acquired taste such as kidney/liver are fresh and tender. It's unfortunately this place only has a three-star average, and can only attribute this to the average yelper having no taste for great food. I rarely bother to review restaurants that meet exceptions, but this little gem rises well above.
(5)lee k.
Had a quick lunch there. Ordered hand shaved noodle and steamed dumplings, and a Tientsin boa. I found them to be Very good value with large portions. Since the big boa is only a dollar each, I ordered 4 more to go with 2 lbs of Frozen dumplings that might have 60 of them for only $7.50. This is the only place I found that has this kind of good deal. No wonder they are busy all the time. Will be back surely for other goodies. I strongly recommend this place to my friends.
(4)Girl D.
The food's good, generous, fairly cheap, and very fresh. I might try to order take-out from there sometime. I don't think I'll go back to dine in, however. Not because I was the only white person in the full dining room at dinner; while that's unusual for me, I can deal. But I got a scolding from the waitresses for ordering too much (hello, it's a Chinese restaurant? I can take what I don't eat to go? Hello?). That, I don't think I need tolerate. When I go to Chinese restaurants, I always count on leftovers. I order anywhere from 2-4 dishes, and there's always plenty to take home. I had a lot of holiday shopping and errands to do over the next couple of nights, so having the leftovers around for quick dinners would be a relief. I ordered green onion pancakes, vegetables and prawns, cashew chicken, and steamed rice. The waitress clucked and said, "too much food!" as she took my order. As each dish arrived, separately, a few minutes apart, I'd be scolded again. Tag teamed. Not just by the waitress who took my order, but a second and third waitress. "You order too much food!" Of course, only I, solo female diner, got this treatment. Parties of two, three, or four who ordered abundant quantities of food, and walked out with a stack of styrofoam clamshells just like I did, heard nary a complaint. Just me. For crying out loud. Public service announcement: it's none of your business how much food I order. None. As long as you can cook it and I promptly pay for it, keep your @#$%ing comments to yourself. Maybe back in China, it's perfectly acceptable for you to go around publicly castigating unaccompanied grown women you don't know, but over here, that "let's scold the women" crap doesn't go over so well.
(3)Lily L.
I was told the dumplings here were good and I was craving Chinese noodles, so I finally popped in for dinner. I was given fair warning that one bowl of noodles was going to be enough for two people. The server had given an example, but the size came out a lot bigger than she mentioned. It's safe to say, I should've listened to her because we ordered one too many. Their version of Zha Jiang Mian and Dan Dan Mian were not dishes I was used to since it was made the Shanghainese way, so it was not only much spicier but also with a different paste. I liked the Zha Jiang Mian better, but I was disappointed with the Dan Dan Mian. I did see the couple next to us eat a stone pot cabbage and noodle dish that I want to try, so conveniently on my way home, I can also take it to go. The dumpling and potsticker plates are 20 to a plate, but for the same price, the server was willing to split up the 10 per type to one plate. Versus not accommodating our requests, she thus gained a purchase. The business is small and fills up quickly, but the service is good. Though not an absolute good fit for what I like, it is still a good business to go to.
(3)Michelle L.
Food portion is big and price is reasonable. But the lady who answered the phone was really mean, she sounded like she doesn't want us to come. I know you guys are busy but at least show respectful to the customers. Not recommend if you want good service.
(2)Mark Y.
A friend ordered take out (like a bunch of take out) to cater for a house warming party. dear god, the spicy fish ( not sure the exact menu item) was so good.. i now crave to go to the restaurant and try it freshly made.. The other dishes were solid, but that fish dish is memorable.. haven't had a 'memorable' dish in seattle in a long time.
(4)Du B.
Extremely slow service. Waited an hour till got your order served because of obvious short of hand. Below mediocre food. Won't come again, nor recommend to friends.
(1)Gabriel C.
Run of the mill Chinese food, I got the sauteed peavines (with garlic) and the sizzling beef platter. Not a disappointment by any means, but feels very "typical". Definitely will make this a spot I come back for more!
(3)Grace W.
I so wanted to give this place 5 stars BUT they took so long in bringing us our food that this place only deserves 4. Our friends recommended to us this place so we decided to check it out. The restaurant was already busy by around 5:20 p.m. We felt lucky because we snagged the last table. We placed our order by 5:25 but didn't get it until 6:20 p.m. We kept looking at the time because we were already super hungry because we had forgone eating lunch. The waitress kept bringing out dishes one by one (slowly) to the other tables. Note that they didn't bring dishes out all at once to their patrons but instead appeared as if they were serving courses. Each time they came out, our eyes looked up eagerly while salivating over the prospect of finally being able to eat our meal. After 55 minutes, we finally got it. I can't blame them because they were universally slow with every customer there. It was like a sad cycle because when we got our food, the people at the other tables would look longingly at our dishes. lol. HOWEVER, the food was delicious. It was so freaking good. The pork bun was okay (a little greasy). I'd say, skip on ordering this dish. What was spectacular was their hot pot fish, tofu, vegetable stew. Oh my goodness, that stuff was so good. The fish practically melts in your mouth. The fish and stew didn't taste fishy at all. It was this perfect tasting broth. After eating this dish, I didn't feel like a big pig because a lot of the items was pretty healthy within the pot. They gave generous portions of fish, vegetables, and tofu. This one dish is enough to feed two people with leftovers to take home. Tip: If you come here 1) bring a book or something to keep you entertained 2) order more than you can eat because we noticed that a lot of people would order a lot of food and take it home to go after their meals. I think they do this because the wait is so long but the taste of the food is so good and price of it so cheap that they have to make their visit worthwhile. That is why they ordered enough to take home. For $25 with tip, we had enough to eat for four meals. Never again, I came here and ordered to go. I waited a total of 50 minutes. They said it would only take 30 minutes. People who came in after me got their food before me. I was kind of pissed. We ordered the same quantity of food but they got their food first? wth?
(3)Victor H.
Some of the worst Chinese food in a long time. Yes, stuff is cheap, but you get what you paid for. Nasty, greasy, and devoid of real substance. You order a chicken dish you end up with a plate of bones. The business model is clearly cut corners. Avoid!!!!!!
(1)Mason W.
Awesome food with lots of options. Overall cheap prices and large quantities per dish compared to other restaurants. The staff is very polite even with demanding customers. The only problem with this restaurant is how slow the food comes out. I feel they only have one chef cooking so busy times can result in a 50 min wait. You can order take out over the phone and come in to pick up the food to avoid the wait but you cant order your food first and expect to eat in since there is limited space and lots of people waiting for a table. It can get annoying when you are hungry, but this is still the best Chinese restaurant my wife and i have found. I always take my friends here and for me, it's worth the wait.
(4)Danielle M.
My family of six (plus two kids) went here for dinner. The smell was... interesting. It smelled a little like dirty dish water mixed with the smell of really good Chinese food. Not too bad but not a great smell either. The tables were kind of sticky and so were the menus. Our food came out pretty quick but it took a while to get all of us some water - someone asked for water and they brought them a glass only but didn't ask if anyone else needed some. Most of us got the spicy selections so our mouths were on fire without the water. The service was OK, not super friendly but they did things quick. Plus we had two very loud children in our group so I can see how that could be difficult for our waitress. Overall not too bad. But I've had better
(3)Julia Z.
We ordered too many dishes from the 170+ item menu but everything was tasty and fresh. We had to ask for steamed rice, which was a little odd. The entire bill for 8 people who ordered 11 dishes and several drinks was $115, which is a total bargain considering we pretty much had 8 meals' worth of leftovers too. The tables were a little sticky and the glass lazy Susan was finger-printy.... not the cleanest place I've ever been to but it's really about what I expect at this price point. Surprisingly good: chicken stir-fried with celery, pork fried rice, stir-fried Buddha's hand, and the wheat grass jelly stuff. The service was friendly even though they were pretty busy. I would definitely take the work crowd here. It's a million times better than Mandarin Garden and if you're willing to do family-style, it's cheaper too.
(4)Mag Y.
Went there for lunch, ordered 3 things...spicy wonton soup, tan-tan noodle, cashew chicken....the place was almost full house, but everyone, I mean really...no one had food on their table!!!! We waited for more than an hour to have our 'appetizer' - spicy wonton soup, totally disappointed!!! Not enough sauce and the wonton are totally flavorless.....waited for another 20 mins, our food finally came, my first bite of the cashew chicken was awful!!!! Very salty!!! Tan-tan noodle was disappointed as well, although the amount of noodle is huge, but the taste wasn't impressive. The service was bad, asked if they can check if our food is ready, the lady said, ' if the food is ready, we of course will serve you, please be patient!' Very rude and keep in mind that we have already waited for an hour, and she didn't even feel sorry about that!! Not recommending this place to anybody.
(1)Yidian S.
Terrible service. We have waited literally more than one hour nothing got served. I will not go there again personally.
(1)Clinton T.
Ordered the Spicy Peppercorn Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Beef Chow Fun and Mapo Tofu. All of it was delicious and the portion size for the price makes it an incredible value. They also don't skimp on the proteins like so many Chinese restaurants do. The Mapo Tofu was bomb with just the right amount of heat. The Peppercorn chicken was also well flavored and I like the cabbage mixed in to add some fresh crunch. The Mongolian Beef was mainly Beef and onions, exactly how it should be. No random vegetable fillers or fried noodles. Beef Chow Fun was also delicious and was amazing with some Mapo Tofu on top. Did I mention the awesome portion size? I have leftovers for days, which is fine by me. I also ordered it all to go, which was ready in about 20 min from when I called. I'd recommend to-go if you don't want to wait for their occasionally slow service if you eat in. Definitely a must try if you are like me and get a hankering for some awesome spicy Chinese food and love leftovers. Get some!
(4)Jan C.
Terribly slow service, as the other reviewers also mentioned. We waited over 50 minutes for the food to come out during lunch on a not so busy day. What was worse was that we saw people people who ordered after us get their food first, including people who came in to order take out. They need to hire a lot more people in the kitchen. The food overall is average, and unfortunately not good enough to wait an hour for.
(1)Jonelle T.
Little Garden is a little gem, hidden in a strip mall, that has become one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. It has a crazy long extensive menu, and is a lot of bang for your buck. Prices are small and portions are huge. Typically, I would never order chicken fried rice from a restaurant, as it's usually quite bland with weird little nuggets of chicken. Little Garden's chicken fried rice is ah-mazingly flavorful, with large chunks of moist chicken. Other standouts include the green onion pancake, spareribs in bamboo, mongolian beef, and the fish soup. Service can be a bit slow sometimes, as there's only one chef, and he can only cook so fast, but it's worth the wait.
(4)Kay N.
When we came here, it was really crowded. For the prices and the extensive menu, you do get your money's worth. We ordered three dishes for my boyfriend and I and it was more than enough. We had the Mongolian beef, mapao tofu, and spicy wonton soup. My favorite dish is wonton soup. It was inexpensive and the wonton was tasty. It did not taste frozen at all. The other two dishes are okay. They used a lot of oil. They lacked a little in flavor. I see others ordering different dishes. I think we ordered the wrong dishes. The dishes came out really slow as well. We waited over 30 minutes for them. If you are on a time crunch, do to-go. Overall service was friendly and attentive.
(3)Me M.
My husband and I are new to the area and found this small restaurant walking by.Delicious, flavorful and great hosts. Food is delicious, portions are very generous and price nails it. Will come back.
(5)Ninette C.
I don't know if I should blame the descriptions or the execution of these dishes. I was flabbergasted by how horribly these dishes were plated and how odd the flavors were. The salt and pepper shrimp was fried and tossed with cabbage and vegetables in the most unappealing way ever. There was little flavor to the dish. The mackerel fish was covered in a brown gravy that didn't compliment the fish. There was also some random vegetables sprinkled throughout. They made no sense. The eggplant dish came in a big plop o'eggplant. Seriously no plating skill whatsoever. The stir fry Chinese green vegetable dish (blanking on an English name here) was good. I would definitely not say this food is inedible or anything. I ate it hence the 3 stars but I think their understanding of flavors, plating and execution need work. 2.5 stars
(3)Ranran W.
What to say. Ok I have to admit, the food here is good. it's not a American-style Chinese food but original one. And it has Chinese donut which is a traditional breakfast. But the service is terrible. I believe it's a family owned small restaurant and they don't have enough waiters and may have a small kitchen. So you need wait for ages there to get a seat, order food and wait for food being cooked.
(3)Billy A.
The quality of food is Okay but it definitely not worth the long wait. We went there on Sat and the restaurant wasn't even completely full. We ordered our dishes and it took almost an hour to come. We asked several times and the lady just said they were very busy today. We looked around and we just murmured ourselves and saying wow.. this is considered busy? I can't imagine if it is really busy.. we had to ask for our water twice and it took a while before water showed up. I looked around and I saw a few unhappy faces waiting for that food. The table behind us stood up and left the restaurant. We came in here for lunch at least a yr ago. It was also very slow. We tried to give it another chance but there was no improvements. I guess that will be our last time to this restaurant.
(2)Tony C.
Price ? 5 stars Food? between 3 and 4 stars wait time? 1 or 2 stars depending on time Overall, 3.5 stars. Will I visit again? Sure, when I am hungry and short on Cash.(and nearby) I will be back.
(4)N-P H.
Great tasting authentic Szechuan food, but be prepared to wait for your food. You may get seated immediately, but the food takes forever to come to the table. I'm talking about an hour wait at dinner time on the weekends. Get the spicy tofu pudding (only avail on weekends), the spicy Szechuan fish, the Chong Qing chicken, the cilantro chicken, the seasonal greens and the house special chow mein.
(4)Hai L.
Order anything with the house own smoked meat or bamboo shoots and you will not be disappointed with the rich flavor. Probably the only authentic hunan style restaurant in seattle area
(3)Earnie G.
This is a small place with authentic dishes. They aren't Americanized (though portions should be shared). So, if you order a Szechuan dish and have never had real Szechuan cuisine in China, the intensity of the spice and heat may shock you. But, they have an extensive menu, so there is something for everyone. Clean and quaint. Don't be surprised to see mostly asian customers.
(4)Aditya J.
I have been at this place 3 times. Pros : decent food, ( sometimes too oily ), reasonable by price Cons : Pathetic service , extremely long wait time - easily upto 1 hr , customer service is not good ( waitress took 15 min to take our order) . Was too spicy although we order medium spicy Next time if I want to get , I would call for order and pickup instead of eating there.
(1)P W.
If you arrive at this place at 12 PM, you won't get your hot food until 1+ PM. If you arrive at this place at 6 PM, you won't get your hot food until 7+ PM. If you arrive at this place at 7 PM, you won't get your hot food until 8+ PM. DO NOT TEST THE ABOVE WITH YOUR OWN STOMACH/APPETITE, BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT FAIL. The average wait time for this place is between 40 min to 1+ hour. Experienced diners often order a few buns or faster dishes to fill the stomach while waiting, but the waiting is really annoying because the place is so small, crowded, noisy, and the servers are not active whatsoever. They will happily stand there and do nothing as everyone waits. The food's taste varies a lot from dishes to dishes. Some are OK, but some are notoriously bad. I have tried to come to this place a few times and never had any good dining experiences due to the long & annoying wait time involved. Unless I change the time I dine, I will never be happy eating at this small, noisy, and crowded place. The price of this place is a little high in terms of price vs value as well.
(2)Kevin W.
Little Garden is one of my family's favorite restaurants, and for good reason. The stuff they have here is simply delish! I've been coming here since it was called "Maple Garden." My dad told me that when the store changed ownership several years ago, the name was also changed, but only the first word was different because they wanted to save money by not making too many alterations. His tales have always been apocryphal, so I don't know whether I believe that. What I can believe is that this restaurant does Sichuanese food really well, and I also love how it's so conveniently located close to the Asian Food Center! Anyway, my family has come here several times, so we already know the staff... kind of. I'll try not to throw in too many of my personal biases here. But I've been here so many times that I don't even know how to rate it anymore. I will say that three things here stand out to me the most, and I find them to be among the best Chinese food offered in the Seattle area. They are the hot pot, fish, and kidney dishes. Not kidding about that last one. I won't go too into detail about these because they have different varieties for these things, and their menu is honestly pretty vague about the contents so I'm not too sure of them myself. Anything here with hot pot, fish, or kidney in the name is an instant win in my book. It's also pretty cheap, so there's no reason not to check it out! Well, there is one problem. The food here is pretty MSG-heavy if I'm not mistaken, and has me feeling drowsy after a meal. That's Chinese food for ya.
(4)Suzy Z.
Yes, they have horrible service. I'm pretty sure that they only have one chef back there and give priority to regulars? We came back from a road trip and were extremely hungry. It took over 1 hour for the food to get there despite the fact that it wasn't that full (it was Monday evening), so by the time we actually received the food I was pretty angry...rather have gone to Applebee's. The portions are big and the food is pretty cheap. The baozis(steamed pork buns) are huge, about the size of a small child's head. But the baozis are so oily and disgusting, it's not even worth the 1 dollar they are. When you bite into it, the oil just drips out. It's disgusting. Will not be back. Horrible service, so-so food.
(2)John W.
Very tasty, a wide range of options. The rice, noodle and dumpling "small plates are actually quite large. My wife loves the spicy popcorn chicken, thought it was very hot!!!
(4)David S.
I really miss the maple garden that used to be in this spot. For the food this place gets 3 stars, but the service gets only 1 star. I ordered the preserved pork with white pepper once per the recommendation of a friend. When the dish was brought up, I could not find anything that looked like white pepper. So I asked. The waitress took the dish back to the kitchen and came back a minute later with white pepper in it. She didn't provide any explanation or apology. I also didn't know where the white pepper was from ... Will not go back.
(2)Walker C.
Food is great. However, extremely SLOW! I am so starving and even start panic... They won't service anything to you before finishing the entire order for previous tables (need optimization for sure). So don't walk in if there are more than 4 tables occupied.
(1)Karly T.
I've been going to this place for about a year and I've never been disappointed. The food is very good and reasonably priced. However if you can't wait I suggest not going here. On the weekends it gets very busy; about 45 minutes to an hour wait for your food, depending on how busy it is. If you don't like waiting too long go on the weekdays and the wait is usually 10-15 minutes for your food. This place is definitely a must try if you love Szechuan food!
(5)Ad I.
I felt compelled to write this review after having a horrible dining experience yesterday evening. From the time we got seated (party of 4), it took an hour before we were served our first dish. Another table of 3 seated just before us, gave up waiting and left in a huff. To make things worse, they got one of our orders wrong. The food was average at the most -- one particular dish, the Chicken in Mini Hotpot was served with leftover chicken parts and bones, it was an utter disappointment. My advice is to avoid this place.
(1)Isaac C.
Great family staff and fantastic Chinese food! My Chinese friends originally introduced me to it telling me they're not sure if I would like it as it's very authentic. Turns out I love the food and to top it off everything is priced well with large portions!
(5)Chris X.
As a Chinese, I promise I will never go there one more time! This is the worst Chinese food I've ever had. The food there just sucks. You can never imagine how they cook so disgusting like that! And we waited just a fry noodles for 45 min! They told me they only had one cook working, and that was on Saturday noon! So ridiculous! If you wanna wait for at least 40 min to have a just fucking disgusting noodles, this place is definitely a good place.
(1)Kevin C.
food is great and cheap, but the wait time is ridiculous. took them an hour and 15 minute to give us our first dish. Business like this obvious doesn't care about their customer base, even if they food is best in town, I hope they go out of business sometime soon.
(1)Capt k.
Good food and slow kitchen. Please prepare to wait at lease 20 minutes or more for your meal during none busy time and 45 minutes or more for during peak hour.
(3)Rachel P.
DH, his sissy and I were headed to lunch on Monday, President's Day and we were going to go to IHOP (albiet a bit against my will). But, some President above was smiling down on me because IHOP was crowded with kiddos. yay! so instead we went to this place. Sissy in law said that she got take out from them often and it was good value and good food. The back has the black windows, walk to the front and the dining area has nice windows and space. So we went inside and it was clean, tidy and organized. It is small so probably not good for groups over 4, unless you can get the tables next to each other or the giant round table. We got there just before the lunch rush and there was a rush, people waiting for tables by the time we left. We got like 4 dishes and some rolls and only spent 25 dollars. I wish I lived closer. The food was very very tasty, the leftovers that night for dinner were also good. I'm a smartie, ordered alot of food to ensure left overs :) I am not giving 5 stars because we had to ask 4 times for water (although tea is provided) and service slowed considerably when they got busy. We had to ask for check and togo boxes. My husband says that their cold noodles are like in this mental top 5 of all time, hopefully that means that we'll be back soon. We also had the cashew shrimp, pancake thingy, bbq roll things, some eggplant thing and everything was delish. They do this thing with the rice, it's like soy sauce faux friend rice. amazing.
(4)D.J. Y.
Very enjoyable dining experience, I mean the place has been packed the few times we have visited, been here for both lunch and dinner. Staff were pleasant and service quick. I agree the portions are solid and for the most part we have enjoyed our meals, my issue is the overuse of star anise. Or it might be too much 5-spice, whatever it is I just don't care for the heavy handed use of it. If they could manage the spices better, I'd luv this place to death...
(3)J Z.
As you can see from other reviews, the actual food quality x reviewer's personal taste x dishes that was ordered during a specific visit comes down to too many factors that could make most reviews completely meaningless for you. I am writing this to share with you what actually to expect. Personally, I've had 1 start experience as well as 5 start experience in Little Garden. Here's the deal: The cons, it is very slow. If you order regular dishes style instead of combos (lunch special) it could take 20 mins before all dishes arrive. This restaurant is in general clean however restroom is single threaded. Then pros, Price VERY reasonable. Staff responsive and kind. Several excellent dishes include HongshaoRou (pork), Rice noodle, beef soup and spicy noodles. I would recommend you give it a try, best part is it opens till 10:00pm so would be a nice place to grab a bite if you are running late.
(4)Robert B.
The circumstances of our bad experience: I guess those who order to go will be given the crap treatment (the place was busy and lots of customers actually seemed to be enjoying their meals when we were there). The order was wrong (asked for no onions, but they were in there), the beef and broccoli was absent of that thing called taste (completely bland, and the juice it was in was like bath water), and the meat in the fried rice was frequently fatty and had cartilage. Ultimately we had to toss the meal.
(1)agari n.
solid chinese place, recently upgraded to my "Go to" restaurant. Great price, mammoth portion on all dishes, really nice staff. Would recommend
(4)Bill K.
I was in the mood for some fresh noodles and found out I was across the street from this place. Picked out the spicy fried noodles and she asked if I wanted skinny or fat noodles. Of course I chose fat! The plate was heaping with fat red noodles. There was tons of flavor from chili oil, garlic, cilantro and scallions, among other savory flavors. Chicken was tender and plentiful but the noodles stole the show. Thick , tender, hearty and flavorful. I don't live near here at all but I will be making excuses to get here again and again.
(5)Luke S.
Food is good but the service is not. They need to do better about providing water and being prompt. Otherwise, the portions are nice and the taste is solid. Prices at lunch time are very fair.
(2)Robert M.
This is by far and away my family's favorite Chinese place. Their steamed pork buns are only one dollar each, and are fantastic. Their fried rice is great and their sesame chicken is absolutely out of this world. They are always friendly and courteous but when they get busy, their service is horrendous. I won't take any stars away for that, but they could use an extra wait staff or two.
(5)Dave S.
Great value and tastes much better than you'd expect for the price... $20 takeout fed a family of 3 with leftovers! Pot stickers were good. I was there at 2pm so there was no wait at all. Good choice for no-frills, clean, casual family meals.
(4)Kevin W.
Came here w/ my Dad going off his suggestion since it was close to where we were, and I was pleasantly surprised. Order this: Mapo Tofu w/ pork, spicy wontons If you really like szechuan style Mapo Tofu, you should hit this place up. I like to order mapo tofu at any new restaurant I try out just to see how it is, most of of the time I'm not that impressed, but it was really good here. Spicy Wontons were great too.
(4)Rasil T.
My roommate who is from china introduced this place to me. He said this is one of the only few Chinese restaurants in the area. Well, i totally agreed with him when i saw almost everyone( except of one guy) talking and ordering in mandarin. With my roommates suggestion i ordered bamboo and beef dish, which didnt disappoint me. You have to come here with a group so that you can share the food , because they give a alot! and with a group you can get more varieties for less bucks.
(4)Faith R.
LOVE this place so much. Easily my favorite Chinese place in the area. Huge selection, inexpensive, super tasty. Pumpkin croquettes are amazing. Almond chicken is amazing. Everything I've tasted has been delicious. It's a small place that can get quite busy during peak times, so you may have a little bit of a wait, but you won't be disappointed.
(5)Karen L.
The portions are HUGE! The BF and I ordered two noodle soup dishes (because it was freaking cold and I was craving noodle soup), and when our server brought out the first one, we were like, "Uhhhh, is it too late to cancel our other order?" It was so much food! We ordered the beef brisket noodle soup and the intestines with handmade noodles. The former was tasty but I personally did not enjoy the latter. We actually didn't know the intestines with noodles was a soup dish. We tried a little but ended up leaving most of it. The beef brisket noodle soup was good--if you've ever had the boiled spicy fish at Spiced, the soup tastes just like it. However, if we were to return, we'd give their other entrees a try.
(3)jingjing l.
The waiting time is too long! We waited over one hour when we came at 8:30 at evening. They just ignore your complain and keep u waiting. I will never come back here again! So disappointed!
(2)Joyce J.
My friends like to come here all the time on Sundays for lunch. You can do family style and get lunch for a reasonable price if have a large group to split the bill. The one comment about food that I would make is that the mandarin chicken tastes better than sweet and sour chicken. People also liked the pork spareribs with winter melon. Rice is ordered separately.
(3)Joe P.
Huge portions for very reasonable prices - especially the soups. The soup comes in a huge clay pot, my wife and I typically eat several bowls at the restaurant and end up taking it home for another meal. I recommend the eggplant w garlic (spicy), the spicy wontons, and soup with the picked greens and fish.
(5)Marc M.
Big portions + Little price = Happy me! I've worked by this place for a couple years now and only just recently stopped in after a recommendation from a coworker. Why have I not been in here before?! The lunch specials are all really good deals ranging from $5.95 to just a couple dollars more. For that price you get your choice of soup and one entree and every dish comes with rice. I'll admit that I can eat a lot of food, but this place had me asking for a to go box after only finishing half of my meal. The dish that I tried was the peppercorn chicken which was very tasty although a bit greasy. As I've already mentioned the portion was very generous and the big pile of rice made the whole thing just a little bit intimidating. Service was great as two ladies zipped back and forth seating people, taking orders, and bringing out food. Water glasses were constantly being filled and it didn't seem like anyone was left waiting for any reason. Location is a little bit hidden away in the middle of a strip mall, but if you know where the Les Schwab is on 148th then just look across the street and you will find it pretty easily. Now that I have found this place, I will be back to try more items off the lunch menu to see if the rest are as good or better than what I've had so far.
(4)Jon L.
Little Garden is a hidden Bellevue treasure. It is unassumingly located in a Bellevue strip mall. I admit I was skeptical of this place. This location formerly housed Maple Garden. The "Garden" part of the front signage was retained, with the "Little" part added in. The restaurant is conveniently located across from Fred Meyer. The storefront faces NE 20th St, so you will likely need to walk past a courtyard if you are parking in the strip mall. There is a handful of parking spaces right in front as well. Most of the tables here are small, but seem like they can be combined together for larger groups. There are also 3 big tables. There are two menus here. Lunch and dinner. And each has a lot of menu choices. The lunch menu for instance has 52 lunch special items which come with your choice of rice (fried/steamed) and soup (hot & sour/egg drop) for $5.95 or $6.95 depending on the selection! It is an ideal place to go for a Microsoft off-campus Chinese lunch. The dinner menu demonstrates the comprehensive offerings available. There is a mix of Chinese cuisines here. The specialties being Sichuanese and Hunan cuisine. It is the type of menu that you can be as adventurous or as safe as you want. There are 199 menu items plus a AYCE hot pot offering as well. As for my order, I was picking up some lunch so I got the pickled pepper fish lunch special ($6.95) and an order of the pan-fried pot stickers (20 for $5.50). Although the wait was a little long, I was pleased with my order. The pepper fish dish was really good. It has got a kick to it, but not overly so. As for the pot stickers, I like the quantity offered, but the meat got lost in the wrapper. This is because these are smaller size pot stickers, so there is not as much filling in each pot sticker. But these taste much better when you mix it with the sauce. Service was friendly. I did also notice the waitstaff speaking in Cantonese. I only tried two items, but am very interested in trying more of the menu selections. And with my parents who almost exclusively eat only Chinese food out (mostly my mom), coming to town in a few weeks, I have good reason to try Little Garden's other menu items out when they visit.
(4)raquel b.
What Chinese restaurant makes their customers wait 35 minutes for steamed wontons and sautéed eggplant. Ridiculous!
(1)DK C.
This place had the worse service ever!! Servers/owners yelling at each other in front of customers, waiting to be seated is a joke even when tables are available they don't acknowledge you. When I finally got a table took forever to order and get served. Food is so heavily seasoned with spice you can't taste anything but pepper and chillis. The cook must of lost all sense of taste. I enjoy spicy food but if i don't want to eat straight chillis. Won't be coming back!!!!!
(1)Emma L.
I've been here twice with friends - once for lunch and once for dinner. All the food I've had here was great. Their menu is pretty extensive, and doesn't have the best descriptions of what you'll get, but I've never been disappointed. So far my favorites are the fish dishes.
(5)J C.
Have been here multiple times now. Food is consistent and good, a wide variety, authentic, and pretty price friendly. The green onion pancake is not the usual kind you expect but is tasty. During one of our early visits, we saw a bunch of people ordering this noodle soup...number 20 on the menu...and we ordered it and is quite tasty. Dumplings are just OK but other Szechuan dishes are great. We have never found service to be slow and the people there are friendly and helpful
(4)Joshua R.
This restaurant was my favorite for its awesome pork mixed fried rice with pickled beans. The staff is always friendly and knew me well. Lunch time can be packed but I'd always go a lil later when the crowd is back to their respective businesses. Coz that's the time you'd get the best from the chef coz he's not in a hurry. I miss their kungpao chicken .. One of the best, if you can handle spicy food.
(4)Aiven S.
Don't ever go there if you haven't yet. The service is just the worst ever. I have yet see one that is worse than this. It's like going to DMV to get your license renewed. You get the feeling that you are there begging for favor from them, rather than getting what paid for.
(1)Matthew D.
I absolutely love Little Garden. Especially like their spicy popcorn chicken, and their Daikon with pork strips. I am bilingual, and since the staff speaks the same language as I do, then they always start a lot of friendly conversations. Another dish that I like is the Cashew Nut Chicken. One thing that I complain about is usually the service is a little slower than expected, and that the chefs always use MSG (monosodium glutamate) in the food, and so I always have to get my glass refilled by the waitress. Other than that, I recommend Little Garden to people who are fans of Chinese food!
(4)Helen S.
We are regulars at the Little Garden. Pros: very affordable, good portions. Love their shaved noodle (I personally think the one has egg/tomato/chicken or pork) is better than the beef version which is kind of bland. They are almost always open, including Thanksgiving day, Christmas Day, New Year, etc. Cons: dishes other than noodle soup are not very consistent. We tried a few dishes and some of them were pretty sad.
(4)Lasairiona M.
We popped in here for lunch the day we went to the Microsoft visitors centre - the place wasn't packed but it wasn't empty. The food had great favours, huge portions and everything was great with the exception of the quality of the meat used. I'm not sure if it's Chinese restaurants in general here or just the ones that I've gone to, but honestly, the quality of the meat is very important in a meal and this place just doesn't have it - big shame too - cause everything else was lovely!
(3)Jon A.
Very informal setting, very homey. The waitress was even prepping green beans in the main dining room when we came in around 5 for dinner. The beef brisket noodle soup was spicy and, the mandarin chicken was tender, the pork fried rice was okay, and so was the daikon and beef brisket hot pot. My eldest ordered cured pork with leeks, and the waitresses were kind enough to warn us that we may not like it. It had a strong smoky medicinal odor, with the pork strips being 90% fat. Only the eldest enjoyed it. The serving sizes were enormous. However, the food was oily, which in itself wasn't bad, but the oil smelled old and rancid. Too bad.
(2)Kathy Z.
Not good I have to say. Went there because a friend recommended. The waiter's attitude is something I can't stand. Long menu means they are really not good with anything. The room was half full, but we waited for more than one hour before we got the food.
(1)Joan K.
Worst service ever here. Waited for over 40 mins and got no food. We asked the waitress what's going on and she said she will check it out for us. When she came out from the kitchen she didn't even bothered to acknowledge us and went about her business as usual. We just stood up and left. Most horrible experience ever!
(1)Richard S.
Good, cheap, authentic. Get the cumin lamb.
(4)Trina W.
I've been here at least four times in the last month or so and I would have to say that this is the best Szechuan/Chinese restaurant on the Eastside. They open until ten on weekdays which is an added plus since everything has a tendency of closing early in Bellevue unless you want fast food, bar food, or Denny's. The food at Little Garden tastes fresh and not old and they use a lot of vegetables in their cooking which is good because eating too much meat is not very good for your health. The portion size is huge for what you pay for and you even have enough food for the next day. I've tried other szechuan places on the Eastside and they are either way too spicy its rendered inedible, overly greasy and salty. There's also a lot of menu items that you would not find in typical Chinese restaurants. Its always fun to try a new dish you cannot get anywhere else which is part of the allure of this place. This place is truly a hidden gem because its easy to miss and small. Some things worth trying there are the potstickers which tastes like they had just made them, the Dan Dan noodles which has a spicy kick to it and the spicy popcorn chicken with green beans. Amazing!
(4)Qing L.
One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Seattle area. My top picks are: popcorn chicken, spicy boiled fish, fried potstickers, cold noodles, "ant on the tree" (grounded pork with mung bean noodles). Big portion and reasonable price. I've been taking all of my out of town guests there and everybody just loves it.
(5)Du B.
Extremely slow service. Waited an hour till got your order served because of obvious short of hand. Below mediocre food. Won't come again, nor recommend to friends.
(1)Gabriel C.
Run of the mill Chinese food, I got the sauteed peavines (with garlic) and the sizzling beef platter. Not a disappointment by any means, but feels very "typical". Definitely will make this a spot I come back for more!
(3)Casey Y.
Fantastic food, portions, and prices! The wait can be very long, but they make so much food- it's hard to imagine it going faster. I've bought large portions of Pork Buns to-go while I was a poor college student, amazing stuff really. Authentic food, I haven't had a problem with the waiters / waitresses at all. I recently went here to sit down and eat because I felt as though I was ripping them off by going for the cheap and giant pork buns. We ordered about $35 of food. I had left overs for days. 7 or 8 servings. It's crazy stuff! All of it was delicious.
(5)Samuel S.
The fact that I'm asked to wait 45 minutes for my order on a Sunday night (the restaurant isn't even half full) will make me and all my friends to blacklist this restaurant. This is not how you do businesses really, avoid at all cost for horrible business ethics
(1)Ray L.
We have the Facebook group where everyone would like to try different food in the different restaurant in Seattle area. We like to choose a restaurant most people have not been to before. However, I can't believe we have got together in Little Garden many times because the portion size in each dish is really large and the price is reasonable. GOOD DEAL! We all admit that the food comes out very late if you arrive there late. I remember we went there for the first time at 6:30 PM and the waiting time was about 40 minutes. So terrible! But after having food, we said it was really yummy and delicious. Our Facebook group came back several times. Suggestion: go there earlier and just give it a try! Foods are YUMMY.
(4)Riah R.
Pickled long bean with ground pork, steamed dumplings, and dried-cook string beans are favorites. We have never had to wait long.
(5)Luni X.
The food is delicious and the dish is large and the price is very reasonable and the waitress is very responsive and I will go again to try other menus !
(5)Ty D.
OMG! This place has really good food! I love the seaweed soup! The reason why I'm knocking one star off is because the chefs cook the orders table by table. So that means if its super busy, your food wont come out for a while. But regardless, great restaurant.
(4)Kristel B.
more like 3.5?? but no option for that, haha. Went to lunch here with my coworker. A few weeks ago she had a complaint because in her takeout she found metal (probably from a wok). They told her to come back again sometime for discount. They kept their word when we came back (she took a picture and the owner remembered) and gave us 50%. We ended up spending only $10 total (w/the discount) for a cold starter and a lunch entree. Pretty good even without the discount.
(3)T T.
This low-frills but tidy place has a wide menu and most everything on it is well-made. No need to pick favorites, just pick whatever sounds tempting. It's honest to goodness cuisine at an affordable price; the weekday lunch special (a laundry list of options) is amazing. Since they're nearby in the crowded Bellevue Szechuan space, the comparison to Spiced and Szechuan Cuisine are inevitable. This "little garden" is consistently better in terms of both ingredients and preparation. For fellow chinese diners, the dishes of acquired taste such as kidney/liver are fresh and tender. It's unfortunately this place only has a three-star average, and can only attribute this to the average yelper having no taste for great food. I rarely bother to review restaurants that meet exceptions, but this little gem rises well above.
(5)lee k.
Had a quick lunch there. Ordered hand shaved noodle and steamed dumplings, and a Tientsin boa. I found them to be Very good value with large portions. Since the big boa is only a dollar each, I ordered 4 more to go with 2 lbs of Frozen dumplings that might have 60 of them for only $7.50. This is the only place I found that has this kind of good deal. No wonder they are busy all the time. Will be back surely for other goodies. I strongly recommend this place to my friends.
(4)Girl D.
The food's good, generous, fairly cheap, and very fresh. I might try to order take-out from there sometime. I don't think I'll go back to dine in, however. Not because I was the only white person in the full dining room at dinner; while that's unusual for me, I can deal. But I got a scolding from the waitresses for ordering too much (hello, it's a Chinese restaurant? I can take what I don't eat to go? Hello?). That, I don't think I need tolerate. When I go to Chinese restaurants, I always count on leftovers. I order anywhere from 2-4 dishes, and there's always plenty to take home. I had a lot of holiday shopping and errands to do over the next couple of nights, so having the leftovers around for quick dinners would be a relief. I ordered green onion pancakes, vegetables and prawns, cashew chicken, and steamed rice. The waitress clucked and said, "too much food!" as she took my order. As each dish arrived, separately, a few minutes apart, I'd be scolded again. Tag teamed. Not just by the waitress who took my order, but a second and third waitress. "You order too much food!" Of course, only I, solo female diner, got this treatment. Parties of two, three, or four who ordered abundant quantities of food, and walked out with a stack of styrofoam clamshells just like I did, heard nary a complaint. Just me. For crying out loud. Public service announcement: it's none of your business how much food I order. None. As long as you can cook it and I promptly pay for it, keep your @#$%ing comments to yourself. Maybe back in China, it's perfectly acceptable for you to go around publicly castigating unaccompanied grown women you don't know, but over here, that "let's scold the women" crap doesn't go over so well.
(3)Lily L.
I was told the dumplings here were good and I was craving Chinese noodles, so I finally popped in for dinner. I was given fair warning that one bowl of noodles was going to be enough for two people. The server had given an example, but the size came out a lot bigger than she mentioned. It's safe to say, I should've listened to her because we ordered one too many. Their version of Zha Jiang Mian and Dan Dan Mian were not dishes I was used to since it was made the Shanghainese way, so it was not only much spicier but also with a different paste. I liked the Zha Jiang Mian better, but I was disappointed with the Dan Dan Mian. I did see the couple next to us eat a stone pot cabbage and noodle dish that I want to try, so conveniently on my way home, I can also take it to go. The dumpling and potsticker plates are 20 to a plate, but for the same price, the server was willing to split up the 10 per type to one plate. Versus not accommodating our requests, she thus gained a purchase. The business is small and fills up quickly, but the service is good. Though not an absolute good fit for what I like, it is still a good business to go to.
(3)Michelle L.
Food portion is big and price is reasonable. But the lady who answered the phone was really mean, she sounded like she doesn't want us to come. I know you guys are busy but at least show respectful to the customers. Not recommend if you want good service.
(2)Mark Y.
A friend ordered take out (like a bunch of take out) to cater for a house warming party. dear god, the spicy fish ( not sure the exact menu item) was so good.. i now crave to go to the restaurant and try it freshly made.. The other dishes were solid, but that fish dish is memorable.. haven't had a 'memorable' dish in seattle in a long time.
(4)Grace W.
I so wanted to give this place 5 stars BUT they took so long in bringing us our food that this place only deserves 4. Our friends recommended to us this place so we decided to check it out. The restaurant was already busy by around 5:20 p.m. We felt lucky because we snagged the last table. We placed our order by 5:25 but didn't get it until 6:20 p.m. We kept looking at the time because we were already super hungry because we had forgone eating lunch. The waitress kept bringing out dishes one by one (slowly) to the other tables. Note that they didn't bring dishes out all at once to their patrons but instead appeared as if they were serving courses. Each time they came out, our eyes looked up eagerly while salivating over the prospect of finally being able to eat our meal. After 55 minutes, we finally got it. I can't blame them because they were universally slow with every customer there. It was like a sad cycle because when we got our food, the people at the other tables would look longingly at our dishes. lol. HOWEVER, the food was delicious. It was so freaking good. The pork bun was okay (a little greasy). I'd say, skip on ordering this dish. What was spectacular was their hot pot fish, tofu, vegetable stew. Oh my goodness, that stuff was so good. The fish practically melts in your mouth. The fish and stew didn't taste fishy at all. It was this perfect tasting broth. After eating this dish, I didn't feel like a big pig because a lot of the items was pretty healthy within the pot. They gave generous portions of fish, vegetables, and tofu. This one dish is enough to feed two people with leftovers to take home. Tip: If you come here 1) bring a book or something to keep you entertained 2) order more than you can eat because we noticed that a lot of people would order a lot of food and take it home to go after their meals. I think they do this because the wait is so long but the taste of the food is so good and price of it so cheap that they have to make their visit worthwhile. That is why they ordered enough to take home. For $25 with tip, we had enough to eat for four meals. Never again, I came here and ordered to go. I waited a total of 50 minutes. They said it would only take 30 minutes. People who came in after me got their food before me. I was kind of pissed. We ordered the same quantity of food but they got their food first? wth?
(3)Victor H.
Some of the worst Chinese food in a long time. Yes, stuff is cheap, but you get what you paid for. Nasty, greasy, and devoid of real substance. You order a chicken dish you end up with a plate of bones. The business model is clearly cut corners. Avoid!!!!!!
(1)Mason W.
Awesome food with lots of options. Overall cheap prices and large quantities per dish compared to other restaurants. The staff is very polite even with demanding customers. The only problem with this restaurant is how slow the food comes out. I feel they only have one chef cooking so busy times can result in a 50 min wait. You can order take out over the phone and come in to pick up the food to avoid the wait but you cant order your food first and expect to eat in since there is limited space and lots of people waiting for a table. It can get annoying when you are hungry, but this is still the best Chinese restaurant my wife and i have found. I always take my friends here and for me, it's worth the wait.
(4)Danielle M.
My family of six (plus two kids) went here for dinner. The smell was... interesting. It smelled a little like dirty dish water mixed with the smell of really good Chinese food. Not too bad but not a great smell either. The tables were kind of sticky and so were the menus. Our food came out pretty quick but it took a while to get all of us some water - someone asked for water and they brought them a glass only but didn't ask if anyone else needed some. Most of us got the spicy selections so our mouths were on fire without the water. The service was OK, not super friendly but they did things quick. Plus we had two very loud children in our group so I can see how that could be difficult for our waitress. Overall not too bad. But I've had better
(3)Julia Z.
We ordered too many dishes from the 170+ item menu but everything was tasty and fresh. We had to ask for steamed rice, which was a little odd. The entire bill for 8 people who ordered 11 dishes and several drinks was $115, which is a total bargain considering we pretty much had 8 meals' worth of leftovers too. The tables were a little sticky and the glass lazy Susan was finger-printy.... not the cleanest place I've ever been to but it's really about what I expect at this price point. Surprisingly good: chicken stir-fried with celery, pork fried rice, stir-fried Buddha's hand, and the wheat grass jelly stuff. The service was friendly even though they were pretty busy. I would definitely take the work crowd here. It's a million times better than Mandarin Garden and if you're willing to do family-style, it's cheaper too.
(4)Mag Y.
Went there for lunch, ordered 3 things...spicy wonton soup, tan-tan noodle, cashew chicken....the place was almost full house, but everyone, I mean really...no one had food on their table!!!! We waited for more than an hour to have our 'appetizer' - spicy wonton soup, totally disappointed!!! Not enough sauce and the wonton are totally flavorless.....waited for another 20 mins, our food finally came, my first bite of the cashew chicken was awful!!!! Very salty!!! Tan-tan noodle was disappointed as well, although the amount of noodle is huge, but the taste wasn't impressive. The service was bad, asked if they can check if our food is ready, the lady said, ' if the food is ready, we of course will serve you, please be patient!' Very rude and keep in mind that we have already waited for an hour, and she didn't even feel sorry about that!! Not recommending this place to anybody.
(1)Yidian S.
Terrible service. We have waited literally more than one hour nothing got served. I will not go there again personally.
(1)Aditya J.
I have been at this place 3 times. Pros : decent food, ( sometimes too oily ), reasonable by price Cons : Pathetic service , extremely long wait time - easily upto 1 hr , customer service is not good ( waitress took 15 min to take our order) . Was too spicy although we order medium spicy Next time if I want to get , I would call for order and pickup instead of eating there.
(1)Clinton T.
Ordered the Spicy Peppercorn Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Beef Chow Fun and Mapo Tofu. All of it was delicious and the portion size for the price makes it an incredible value. They also don't skimp on the proteins like so many Chinese restaurants do. The Mapo Tofu was bomb with just the right amount of heat. The Peppercorn chicken was also well flavored and I like the cabbage mixed in to add some fresh crunch. The Mongolian Beef was mainly Beef and onions, exactly how it should be. No random vegetable fillers or fried noodles. Beef Chow Fun was also delicious and was amazing with some Mapo Tofu on top. Did I mention the awesome portion size? I have leftovers for days, which is fine by me. I also ordered it all to go, which was ready in about 20 min from when I called. I'd recommend to-go if you don't want to wait for their occasionally slow service if you eat in. Definitely a must try if you are like me and get a hankering for some awesome spicy Chinese food and love leftovers. Get some!
(4)Jan C.
Terribly slow service, as the other reviewers also mentioned. We waited over 50 minutes for the food to come out during lunch on a not so busy day. What was worse was that we saw people people who ordered after us get their food first, including people who came in to order take out. They need to hire a lot more people in the kitchen. The food overall is average, and unfortunately not good enough to wait an hour for.
(1)Jonelle T.
Little Garden is a little gem, hidden in a strip mall, that has become one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. It has a crazy long extensive menu, and is a lot of bang for your buck. Prices are small and portions are huge. Typically, I would never order chicken fried rice from a restaurant, as it's usually quite bland with weird little nuggets of chicken. Little Garden's chicken fried rice is ah-mazingly flavorful, with large chunks of moist chicken. Other standouts include the green onion pancake, spareribs in bamboo, mongolian beef, and the fish soup. Service can be a bit slow sometimes, as there's only one chef, and he can only cook so fast, but it's worth the wait.
(4)Kay N.
When we came here, it was really crowded. For the prices and the extensive menu, you do get your money's worth. We ordered three dishes for my boyfriend and I and it was more than enough. We had the Mongolian beef, mapao tofu, and spicy wonton soup. My favorite dish is wonton soup. It was inexpensive and the wonton was tasty. It did not taste frozen at all. The other two dishes are okay. They used a lot of oil. They lacked a little in flavor. I see others ordering different dishes. I think we ordered the wrong dishes. The dishes came out really slow as well. We waited over 30 minutes for them. If you are on a time crunch, do to-go. Overall service was friendly and attentive.
(3)Me M.
My husband and I are new to the area and found this small restaurant walking by.Delicious, flavorful and great hosts. Food is delicious, portions are very generous and price nails it. Will come back.
(5)Ninette C.
I don't know if I should blame the descriptions or the execution of these dishes. I was flabbergasted by how horribly these dishes were plated and how odd the flavors were. The salt and pepper shrimp was fried and tossed with cabbage and vegetables in the most unappealing way ever. There was little flavor to the dish. The mackerel fish was covered in a brown gravy that didn't compliment the fish. There was also some random vegetables sprinkled throughout. They made no sense. The eggplant dish came in a big plop o'eggplant. Seriously no plating skill whatsoever. The stir fry Chinese green vegetable dish (blanking on an English name here) was good. I would definitely not say this food is inedible or anything. I ate it hence the 3 stars but I think their understanding of flavors, plating and execution need work. 2.5 stars
(3)Ranran W.
What to say. Ok I have to admit, the food here is good. it's not a American-style Chinese food but original one. And it has Chinese donut which is a traditional breakfast. But the service is terrible. I believe it's a family owned small restaurant and they don't have enough waiters and may have a small kitchen. So you need wait for ages there to get a seat, order food and wait for food being cooked.
(3)Billy A.
The quality of food is Okay but it definitely not worth the long wait. We went there on Sat and the restaurant wasn't even completely full. We ordered our dishes and it took almost an hour to come. We asked several times and the lady just said they were very busy today. We looked around and we just murmured ourselves and saying wow.. this is considered busy? I can't imagine if it is really busy.. we had to ask for our water twice and it took a while before water showed up. I looked around and I saw a few unhappy faces waiting for that food. The table behind us stood up and left the restaurant. We came in here for lunch at least a yr ago. It was also very slow. We tried to give it another chance but there was no improvements. I guess that will be our last time to this restaurant.
(2)Tony C.
Price ? 5 stars Food? between 3 and 4 stars wait time? 1 or 2 stars depending on time Overall, 3.5 stars. Will I visit again? Sure, when I am hungry and short on Cash.(and nearby) I will be back.
(4)N-P H.
Great tasting authentic Szechuan food, but be prepared to wait for your food. You may get seated immediately, but the food takes forever to come to the table. I'm talking about an hour wait at dinner time on the weekends. Get the spicy tofu pudding (only avail on weekends), the spicy Szechuan fish, the Chong Qing chicken, the cilantro chicken, the seasonal greens and the house special chow mein.
(4)Hai L.
Order anything with the house own smoked meat or bamboo shoots and you will not be disappointed with the rich flavor. Probably the only authentic hunan style restaurant in seattle area
(3)Earnie G.
This is a small place with authentic dishes. They aren't Americanized (though portions should be shared). So, if you order a Szechuan dish and have never had real Szechuan cuisine in China, the intensity of the spice and heat may shock you. But, they have an extensive menu, so there is something for everyone. Clean and quaint. Don't be surprised to see mostly asian customers.
(4)Kevin W.
Little Garden is one of my family's favorite restaurants, and for good reason. The stuff they have here is simply delish! I've been coming here since it was called "Maple Garden." My dad told me that when the store changed ownership several years ago, the name was also changed, but only the first word was different because they wanted to save money by not making too many alterations. His tales have always been apocryphal, so I don't know whether I believe that. What I can believe is that this restaurant does Sichuanese food really well, and I also love how it's so conveniently located close to the Asian Food Center! Anyway, my family has come here several times, so we already know the staff... kind of. I'll try not to throw in too many of my personal biases here. But I've been here so many times that I don't even know how to rate it anymore. I will say that three things here stand out to me the most, and I find them to be among the best Chinese food offered in the Seattle area. They are the hot pot, fish, and kidney dishes. Not kidding about that last one. I won't go too into detail about these because they have different varieties for these things, and their menu is honestly pretty vague about the contents so I'm not too sure of them myself. Anything here with hot pot, fish, or kidney in the name is an instant win in my book. It's also pretty cheap, so there's no reason not to check it out! Well, there is one problem. The food here is pretty MSG-heavy if I'm not mistaken, and has me feeling drowsy after a meal. That's Chinese food for ya.
(4)P W.
If you arrive at this place at 12 PM, you won't get your hot food until 1+ PM. If you arrive at this place at 6 PM, you won't get your hot food until 7+ PM. If you arrive at this place at 7 PM, you won't get your hot food until 8+ PM. DO NOT TEST THE ABOVE WITH YOUR OWN STOMACH/APPETITE, BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT FAIL. The average wait time for this place is between 40 min to 1+ hour. Experienced diners often order a few buns or faster dishes to fill the stomach while waiting, but the waiting is really annoying because the place is so small, crowded, noisy, and the servers are not active whatsoever. They will happily stand there and do nothing as everyone waits. The food's taste varies a lot from dishes to dishes. Some are OK, but some are notoriously bad. I have tried to come to this place a few times and never had any good dining experiences due to the long & annoying wait time involved. Unless I change the time I dine, I will never be happy eating at this small, noisy, and crowded place. The price of this place is a little high in terms of price vs value as well.
(2)Suzy Z.
Yes, they have horrible service. I'm pretty sure that they only have one chef back there and give priority to regulars? We came back from a road trip and were extremely hungry. It took over 1 hour for the food to get there despite the fact that it wasn't that full (it was Monday evening), so by the time we actually received the food I was pretty angry...rather have gone to Applebee's. The portions are big and the food is pretty cheap. The baozis(steamed pork buns) are huge, about the size of a small child's head. But the baozis are so oily and disgusting, it's not even worth the 1 dollar they are. When you bite into it, the oil just drips out. It's disgusting. Will not be back. Horrible service, so-so food.
(2)John W.
Very tasty, a wide range of options. The rice, noodle and dumpling "small plates are actually quite large. My wife loves the spicy popcorn chicken, thought it was very hot!!!
(4)David S.
I really miss the maple garden that used to be in this spot. For the food this place gets 3 stars, but the service gets only 1 star. I ordered the preserved pork with white pepper once per the recommendation of a friend. When the dish was brought up, I could not find anything that looked like white pepper. So I asked. The waitress took the dish back to the kitchen and came back a minute later with white pepper in it. She didn't provide any explanation or apology. I also didn't know where the white pepper was from ... Will not go back.
(2)Walker C.
Food is great. However, extremely SLOW! I am so starving and even start panic... They won't service anything to you before finishing the entire order for previous tables (need optimization for sure). So don't walk in if there are more than 4 tables occupied.
(1)Karly T.
I've been going to this place for about a year and I've never been disappointed. The food is very good and reasonably priced. However if you can't wait I suggest not going here. On the weekends it gets very busy; about 45 minutes to an hour wait for your food, depending on how busy it is. If you don't like waiting too long go on the weekdays and the wait is usually 10-15 minutes for your food. This place is definitely a must try if you love Szechuan food!
(5)Ad I.
I felt compelled to write this review after having a horrible dining experience yesterday evening. From the time we got seated (party of 4), it took an hour before we were served our first dish. Another table of 3 seated just before us, gave up waiting and left in a huff. To make things worse, they got one of our orders wrong. The food was average at the most -- one particular dish, the Chicken in Mini Hotpot was served with leftover chicken parts and bones, it was an utter disappointment. My advice is to avoid this place.
(1)Isaac C.
Great family staff and fantastic Chinese food! My Chinese friends originally introduced me to it telling me they're not sure if I would like it as it's very authentic. Turns out I love the food and to top it off everything is priced well with large portions!
(5)Chris X.
As a Chinese, I promise I will never go there one more time! This is the worst Chinese food I've ever had. The food there just sucks. You can never imagine how they cook so disgusting like that! And we waited just a fry noodles for 45 min! They told me they only had one cook working, and that was on Saturday noon! So ridiculous! If you wanna wait for at least 40 min to have a just fucking disgusting noodles, this place is definitely a good place.
(1)Kevin C.
food is great and cheap, but the wait time is ridiculous. took them an hour and 15 minute to give us our first dish. Business like this obvious doesn't care about their customer base, even if they food is best in town, I hope they go out of business sometime soon.
(1)Capt k.
Good food and slow kitchen. Please prepare to wait at lease 20 minutes or more for your meal during none busy time and 45 minutes or more for during peak hour.
(3)Rachel P.
DH, his sissy and I were headed to lunch on Monday, President's Day and we were going to go to IHOP (albiet a bit against my will). But, some President above was smiling down on me because IHOP was crowded with kiddos. yay! so instead we went to this place. Sissy in law said that she got take out from them often and it was good value and good food. The back has the black windows, walk to the front and the dining area has nice windows and space. So we went inside and it was clean, tidy and organized. It is small so probably not good for groups over 4, unless you can get the tables next to each other or the giant round table. We got there just before the lunch rush and there was a rush, people waiting for tables by the time we left. We got like 4 dishes and some rolls and only spent 25 dollars. I wish I lived closer. The food was very very tasty, the leftovers that night for dinner were also good. I'm a smartie, ordered alot of food to ensure left overs :) I am not giving 5 stars because we had to ask 4 times for water (although tea is provided) and service slowed considerably when they got busy. We had to ask for check and togo boxes. My husband says that their cold noodles are like in this mental top 5 of all time, hopefully that means that we'll be back soon. We also had the cashew shrimp, pancake thingy, bbq roll things, some eggplant thing and everything was delish. They do this thing with the rice, it's like soy sauce faux friend rice. amazing.
(4)D.J. Y.
Very enjoyable dining experience, I mean the place has been packed the few times we have visited, been here for both lunch and dinner. Staff were pleasant and service quick. I agree the portions are solid and for the most part we have enjoyed our meals, my issue is the overuse of star anise. Or it might be too much 5-spice, whatever it is I just don't care for the heavy handed use of it. If they could manage the spices better, I'd luv this place to death...
(3)J Z.
As you can see from other reviews, the actual food quality x reviewer's personal taste x dishes that was ordered during a specific visit comes down to too many factors that could make most reviews completely meaningless for you. I am writing this to share with you what actually to expect. Personally, I've had 1 start experience as well as 5 start experience in Little Garden. Here's the deal: The cons, it is very slow. If you order regular dishes style instead of combos (lunch special) it could take 20 mins before all dishes arrive. This restaurant is in general clean however restroom is single threaded. Then pros, Price VERY reasonable. Staff responsive and kind. Several excellent dishes include HongshaoRou (pork), Rice noodle, beef soup and spicy noodles. I would recommend you give it a try, best part is it opens till 10:00pm so would be a nice place to grab a bite if you are running late.
(4)Robert B.
The circumstances of our bad experience: I guess those who order to go will be given the crap treatment (the place was busy and lots of customers actually seemed to be enjoying their meals when we were there). The order was wrong (asked for no onions, but they were in there), the beef and broccoli was absent of that thing called taste (completely bland, and the juice it was in was like bath water), and the meat in the fried rice was frequently fatty and had cartilage. Ultimately we had to toss the meal.
(1)agari n.
solid chinese place, recently upgraded to my "Go to" restaurant. Great price, mammoth portion on all dishes, really nice staff. Would recommend
(4)Bill K.
I was in the mood for some fresh noodles and found out I was across the street from this place. Picked out the spicy fried noodles and she asked if I wanted skinny or fat noodles. Of course I chose fat! The plate was heaping with fat red noodles. There was tons of flavor from chili oil, garlic, cilantro and scallions, among other savory flavors. Chicken was tender and plentiful but the noodles stole the show. Thick , tender, hearty and flavorful. I don't live near here at all but I will be making excuses to get here again and again.
(5)Luke S.
Food is good but the service is not. They need to do better about providing water and being prompt. Otherwise, the portions are nice and the taste is solid. Prices at lunch time are very fair.
(2)Robert M.
This is by far and away my family's favorite Chinese place. Their steamed pork buns are only one dollar each, and are fantastic. Their fried rice is great and their sesame chicken is absolutely out of this world. They are always friendly and courteous but when they get busy, their service is horrendous. I won't take any stars away for that, but they could use an extra wait staff or two.
(5)Dave S.
Great value and tastes much better than you'd expect for the price... $20 takeout fed a family of 3 with leftovers! Pot stickers were good. I was there at 2pm so there was no wait at all. Good choice for no-frills, clean, casual family meals.
(4)Kevin W.
Came here w/ my Dad going off his suggestion since it was close to where we were, and I was pleasantly surprised. Order this: Mapo Tofu w/ pork, spicy wontons If you really like szechuan style Mapo Tofu, you should hit this place up. I like to order mapo tofu at any new restaurant I try out just to see how it is, most of of the time I'm not that impressed, but it was really good here. Spicy Wontons were great too.
(4)Rasil T.
My roommate who is from china introduced this place to me. He said this is one of the only few Chinese restaurants in the area. Well, i totally agreed with him when i saw almost everyone( except of one guy) talking and ordering in mandarin. With my roommates suggestion i ordered bamboo and beef dish, which didnt disappoint me. You have to come here with a group so that you can share the food , because they give a alot! and with a group you can get more varieties for less bucks.
(4)Faith R.
LOVE this place so much. Easily my favorite Chinese place in the area. Huge selection, inexpensive, super tasty. Pumpkin croquettes are amazing. Almond chicken is amazing. Everything I've tasted has been delicious. It's a small place that can get quite busy during peak times, so you may have a little bit of a wait, but you won't be disappointed.
(5)Karen L.
The portions are HUGE! The BF and I ordered two noodle soup dishes (because it was freaking cold and I was craving noodle soup), and when our server brought out the first one, we were like, "Uhhhh, is it too late to cancel our other order?" It was so much food! We ordered the beef brisket noodle soup and the intestines with handmade noodles. The former was tasty but I personally did not enjoy the latter. We actually didn't know the intestines with noodles was a soup dish. We tried a little but ended up leaving most of it. The beef brisket noodle soup was good--if you've ever had the boiled spicy fish at Spiced, the soup tastes just like it. However, if we were to return, we'd give their other entrees a try.
(3)jingjing l.
The waiting time is too long! We waited over one hour when we came at 8:30 at evening. They just ignore your complain and keep u waiting. I will never come back here again! So disappointed!
(2)Joyce J.
My friends like to come here all the time on Sundays for lunch. You can do family style and get lunch for a reasonable price if have a large group to split the bill. The one comment about food that I would make is that the mandarin chicken tastes better than sweet and sour chicken. People also liked the pork spareribs with winter melon. Rice is ordered separately.
(3)Marc M.
Big portions + Little price = Happy me! I've worked by this place for a couple years now and only just recently stopped in after a recommendation from a coworker. Why have I not been in here before?! The lunch specials are all really good deals ranging from $5.95 to just a couple dollars more. For that price you get your choice of soup and one entree and every dish comes with rice. I'll admit that I can eat a lot of food, but this place had me asking for a to go box after only finishing half of my meal. The dish that I tried was the peppercorn chicken which was very tasty although a bit greasy. As I've already mentioned the portion was very generous and the big pile of rice made the whole thing just a little bit intimidating. Service was great as two ladies zipped back and forth seating people, taking orders, and bringing out food. Water glasses were constantly being filled and it didn't seem like anyone was left waiting for any reason. Location is a little bit hidden away in the middle of a strip mall, but if you know where the Les Schwab is on 148th then just look across the street and you will find it pretty easily. Now that I have found this place, I will be back to try more items off the lunch menu to see if the rest are as good or better than what I've had so far.
(4)J C.
Have been here multiple times now. Food is consistent and good, a wide variety, authentic, and pretty price friendly. The green onion pancake is not the usual kind you expect but is tasty. During one of our early visits, we saw a bunch of people ordering this noodle soup...number 20 on the menu...and we ordered it and is quite tasty. Dumplings are just OK but other Szechuan dishes are great. We have never found service to be slow and the people there are friendly and helpful
(4)Jon L.
Little Garden is a hidden Bellevue treasure. It is unassumingly located in a Bellevue strip mall. I admit I was skeptical of this place. This location formerly housed Maple Garden. The "Garden" part of the front signage was retained, with the "Little" part added in. The restaurant is conveniently located across from Fred Meyer. The storefront faces NE 20th St, so you will likely need to walk past a courtyard if you are parking in the strip mall. There is a handful of parking spaces right in front as well. Most of the tables here are small, but seem like they can be combined together for larger groups. There are also 3 big tables. There are two menus here. Lunch and dinner. And each has a lot of menu choices. The lunch menu for instance has 52 lunch special items which come with your choice of rice (fried/steamed) and soup (hot & sour/egg drop) for $5.95 or $6.95 depending on the selection! It is an ideal place to go for a Microsoft off-campus Chinese lunch. The dinner menu demonstrates the comprehensive offerings available. There is a mix of Chinese cuisines here. The specialties being Sichuanese and Hunan cuisine. It is the type of menu that you can be as adventurous or as safe as you want. There are 199 menu items plus a AYCE hot pot offering as well. As for my order, I was picking up some lunch so I got the pickled pepper fish lunch special ($6.95) and an order of the pan-fried pot stickers (20 for $5.50). Although the wait was a little long, I was pleased with my order. The pepper fish dish was really good. It has got a kick to it, but not overly so. As for the pot stickers, I like the quantity offered, but the meat got lost in the wrapper. This is because these are smaller size pot stickers, so there is not as much filling in each pot sticker. But these taste much better when you mix it with the sauce. Service was friendly. I did also notice the waitstaff speaking in Cantonese. I only tried two items, but am very interested in trying more of the menu selections. And with my parents who almost exclusively eat only Chinese food out (mostly my mom), coming to town in a few weeks, I have good reason to try Little Garden's other menu items out when they visit.
(4)raquel b.
What Chinese restaurant makes their customers wait 35 minutes for steamed wontons and sautéed eggplant. Ridiculous!
(1)Joe P.
Huge portions for very reasonable prices - especially the soups. The soup comes in a huge clay pot, my wife and I typically eat several bowls at the restaurant and end up taking it home for another meal. I recommend the eggplant w garlic (spicy), the spicy wontons, and soup with the picked greens and fish.
(5)Emma L.
I've been here twice with friends - once for lunch and once for dinner. All the food I've had here was great. Their menu is pretty extensive, and doesn't have the best descriptions of what you'll get, but I've never been disappointed. So far my favorites are the fish dishes.
(5)DK C.
This place had the worse service ever!! Servers/owners yelling at each other in front of customers, waiting to be seated is a joke even when tables are available they don't acknowledge you. When I finally got a table took forever to order and get served. Food is so heavily seasoned with spice you can't taste anything but pepper and chillis. The cook must of lost all sense of taste. I enjoy spicy food but if i don't want to eat straight chillis. Won't be coming back!!!!!
(1)Joshua R.
This restaurant was my favorite for its awesome pork mixed fried rice with pickled beans. The staff is always friendly and knew me well. Lunch time can be packed but I'd always go a lil later when the crowd is back to their respective businesses. Coz that's the time you'd get the best from the chef coz he's not in a hurry. I miss their kungpao chicken .. One of the best, if you can handle spicy food.
(4)Aiven S.
Don't ever go there if you haven't yet. The service is just the worst ever. I have yet see one that is worse than this. It's like going to DMV to get your license renewed. You get the feeling that you are there begging for favor from them, rather than getting what paid for.
(1)Matthew D.
I absolutely love Little Garden. Especially like their spicy popcorn chicken, and their Daikon with pork strips. I am bilingual, and since the staff speaks the same language as I do, then they always start a lot of friendly conversations. Another dish that I like is the Cashew Nut Chicken. One thing that I complain about is usually the service is a little slower than expected, and that the chefs always use MSG (monosodium glutamate) in the food, and so I always have to get my glass refilled by the waitress. Other than that, I recommend Little Garden to people who are fans of Chinese food!
(4)Helen S.
We are regulars at the Little Garden. Pros: very affordable, good portions. Love their shaved noodle (I personally think the one has egg/tomato/chicken or pork) is better than the beef version which is kind of bland. They are almost always open, including Thanksgiving day, Christmas Day, New Year, etc. Cons: dishes other than noodle soup are not very consistent. We tried a few dishes and some of them were pretty sad.
(4)Lasairiona M.
We popped in here for lunch the day we went to the Microsoft visitors centre - the place wasn't packed but it wasn't empty. The food had great favours, huge portions and everything was great with the exception of the quality of the meat used. I'm not sure if it's Chinese restaurants in general here or just the ones that I've gone to, but honestly, the quality of the meat is very important in a meal and this place just doesn't have it - big shame too - cause everything else was lovely!
(3)Jon A.
Very informal setting, very homey. The waitress was even prepping green beans in the main dining room when we came in around 5 for dinner. The beef brisket noodle soup was spicy and, the mandarin chicken was tender, the pork fried rice was okay, and so was the daikon and beef brisket hot pot. My eldest ordered cured pork with leeks, and the waitresses were kind enough to warn us that we may not like it. It had a strong smoky medicinal odor, with the pork strips being 90% fat. Only the eldest enjoyed it. The serving sizes were enormous. However, the food was oily, which in itself wasn't bad, but the oil smelled old and rancid. Too bad.
(2)Kathy Z.
Not good I have to say. Went there because a friend recommended. The waiter's attitude is something I can't stand. Long menu means they are really not good with anything. The room was half full, but we waited for more than one hour before we got the food.
(1)Joan K.
Worst service ever here. Waited for over 40 mins and got no food. We asked the waitress what's going on and she said she will check it out for us. When she came out from the kitchen she didn't even bothered to acknowledge us and went about her business as usual. We just stood up and left. Most horrible experience ever!
(1)Richard S.
Good, cheap, authentic. Get the cumin lamb.
(4)Trina W.
I've been here at least four times in the last month or so and I would have to say that this is the best Szechuan/Chinese restaurant on the Eastside. They open until ten on weekdays which is an added plus since everything has a tendency of closing early in Bellevue unless you want fast food, bar food, or Denny's. The food at Little Garden tastes fresh and not old and they use a lot of vegetables in their cooking which is good because eating too much meat is not very good for your health. The portion size is huge for what you pay for and you even have enough food for the next day. I've tried other szechuan places on the Eastside and they are either way too spicy its rendered inedible, overly greasy and salty. There's also a lot of menu items that you would not find in typical Chinese restaurants. Its always fun to try a new dish you cannot get anywhere else which is part of the allure of this place. This place is truly a hidden gem because its easy to miss and small. Some things worth trying there are the potstickers which tastes like they had just made them, the Dan Dan noodles which has a spicy kick to it and the spicy popcorn chicken with green beans. Amazing!
(4)Qing L.
One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Seattle area. My top picks are: popcorn chicken, spicy boiled fish, fried potstickers, cold noodles, "ant on the tree" (grounded pork with mung bean noodles). Big portion and reasonable price. I've been taking all of my out of town guests there and everybody just loves it.
(5)Abe H.
Although I didn't see it on the lunch menu, I asked for shrimp fried rice and egg drop soup. It was delicious! Since I cannot eat too much rice (affects blood sugar levels), I ate only about a third of my meal. Also, I was surprised how inexpensive the meal was. The waitress was very nice and boxed the remainder of the fried rice for take-out. I will definitely return.
(4)Veronica S.
Although I wanted to really give this place good reviews for their food and portion sizes their table manners disgusted us!!! They were so rude!! Tossing the check on the table and walking away and all we did was order our food and eat, We noticed that the tables with people of their own ethnicity were getting waited and taken care of but not us!! This could be a place who has a potential to be regulars if their manners weren't so crummy!! Not returning.
(1)Kimberly C.
This is one of my favorite places in the Eastside for chinese food. Great prices, hot and fast food, wide variety of food offered. The full menu is available on their website now. I've had the twice cooked pork at least 3-4 times, and it varies a bit, but it's always great. (Sometimes it's more leek based, sometimes it's more green peppers, probably depending on what's best in the back.) The steamed porn buns on the menu in the appetizer section are huge, for a very cheap price ($1). It might as well be most of a meal in and of itself. I've personally tried the spicy wontons, green onion pankcake, pumpkin croquettes, xiang xi spicy fried chicken, pork in spicy garlic sauce. You have to be insistent about water sometimes, but at other times they're very attentive. I think it depends a bit on how busy they are. On evenings where they expect more business, they have more staff on hand and service seems to be better.
(4)crystal y.
Stumbled onto this small Chinese restaurant when our first 3 choices were closed on Sundays. I really liked the spicy noodle dishes. The green onion pancakes were pretty good. Only complaint is that the dishes didn't have enough meat. This was most noticeable with the dumplings which had more wrapper than meat. All and all, great value and we have lots of leftovers to take home. I'll definitely be visiting again. Second visit was a little disappointing... the noodles that we ordered had a strange smell and I couldn't finish it. I would go back and order the Dan Dan Noodles though.
(3)Mark L.
My go to spot for food coma inducing Chinese food! The portions are huge and more then enough for 2 to share which generally means the quality isn't top notch right? WRONG!!!! Every dish I've had here is down right amazing! The mapo tofu is the perfect type of spicy as well as the spicy fish in bean sauce. I've had hotpot here several times and for $12.50 all you can eat beef, pork and tripe it can't be beat! I have always left satisfied and a little thicker in the waist line. Im pretty sure it's family owned but the staff here is amazing and truly go out of there way to make sure the dining experience was grrrreat! Hell we drank so much here the server asked if we would like a different selection of beer since they only stock tsing Tao and bud light. Shows that they really do care about your business and want to make people happy. A must try for anyone in the area.
(4)Andrew R.
I wasn't going to review, because the General Tso takeout I got was just average. But after getting a third meal out of it, and one more left, I am thoroughly impressed with the value. For $12.05 including tax, I got a HUGE box of General Tso's, a small rice and 2 egg rolls. I eat a lot and am going to get 4 total meals out of this for an average of $3.01/meal. Not bad.
(3)K.A. E.
Pass. There are tons of restaurants around that serve good food. This isn't one of them. Mu Shu pork was over cooked. Kung Pao Chicken was mostly cabbage. Both had too much salt and not enough other flavoring to make the dishes agreeable. The rice was dry & the tea was brewed from tea leaves on their last legs. We figure that the guy smoking out back was the cook. Probably killed his taste buds with menthol. Service was friendly. Food was a waste of time and $
(1)Catherine D.
Noodle soup portion: awesome Other dishes portion: hmm... Flavor consistency: depends what you order Service: I think I can take a nap after ordering and wait for the food to arrive (didn't get the food until about 1 hr later). Ordered the cillantro tendon - came out 1/2 frozen, whatever sauce they put in there wasn't mixed properly, resulting some part having too much flavoring, some part bland, and if you're lucky, you got the just right tendon. The fish noodle soup is HUGE with pretty good chunk of fish there.I estimated that it might take about 2-3 people (maybe 2 of me will be enough though :P) to finish it off. The fish soup itself seems to be on the bland side. Worth getting the noodle soup instead of the fried noodle (other chinese restaurants in chinatown can easily beat the taste and portion for this).
(3)Jarrod L.
The green Onion Pancake was unusually fluffy, but still pretty good. Pumpkin Croquettes were super greasy, but tasty. After a half hour of grease draining into a napkin, they were even better. The Twice Cooked Pork was surprisingly spicy, but very good. The X_ X_ Chicken was also very good, but a little too salty. (I can't recall the name here other than it started with two X words, but I've had it before other places with other names; it's the crispy-fried chicken cubes with green onions, dried chiles, and no sauce) Ordering and food coming out was super fast, but water refills were slow. I'll definitely be back to try more of their nearly 200 menu items.
(4)Gabriel S.
I cannot recommend this place enough. We go for lunch so bear that in mind. We have anywhere from 3 to 9 people, order a ton of lunch entrees--all of which include an amazing hot & sour soup (egg drop is a choice too {haven't had it}), then when the bill comes we are SHOCKED at how cheap it is. OK Favorites: Kung Pao Chicken (We order two), Pan Fried Dumplings (20 for $5.50! Hello!!!), Green Beans--these are insanely good! Spicy noodles with pork (a little dry, but everyone seems to like 'em) and Beef & Broccoli. You will amaze your friends with how much tasty food you will eat--and how little it will cost you! Tell them Gabriel sent you!
(4)Tom C.
The Szechuan food here is good. The dumpling is like the one down the street and price is reasonable.
(4)Thadeus C.
If your looking for real hunan style food you got it. The hunan style cold noodle with hand made noodle is really good and you get a whole lot of food. The green onion pancake here is also good and cheap. They also have good vegetable dishes such as the garlic eggplant and bok choy and mushrooms. One of my favorite dishes is the spicy fish, which is very spicy and also has a lot of spice flavors. The only downside about the fish is that it is a little expensive at 12 or 13 dollars, but you do get a lot of fish. Overall a really good place for noodles and vegetable dishes.
(5)Kevin C.
I just moved into the area and I had good experiences with the many Chinese restaurants to take out. This is by far the best, and one of my favorite Chinese food restaurants. The chicken is cooked perfectly, has a light crisp, and is delicious. I now take my friends and my family when they visit to Little Garden and they all love it. I highly recommend going here!
(5)Ling C.
An important rule of thumb for dining at any Asian restaurants: know what cusine the chef is best at. When you dine at a Sichuan restaurant, don't order anything other than Sichuan cusine. Maple Garden was owned by Taiwanese chef -- so decent Taiwanese and south-eastern Chinese dishes. Little Garden, on the other hand, their chef's are from Sichuan and Hunan. So if you try to order the same dishes as you did at Maple Garden, you will surely be disappointed. Because that's not their expertise! However, if you do like Sichuan and Hunan cusine, you must try Little Garden. They are the best on the eastside now. Bamboo Garden used to be great, now it has nothing close to authentic Sichuan food. The most outstanding and uniqueness of Little Garden is the variety of their Hunan and Sichuan dishes. There are plenty on the menu which you simply will not get from any where else on the eastside! I love their cabbage stir fry dish. I don't normally like cabbage, but their cabbage is just pure delicious and affordable too. They also allow you to customize your Sichuan dishes -- for example, you can ask for extra hot or extra "numbing" (effect from a special type of Sichuan pepper corn). When you go, try Hunan or Sichuan dishes, especially those you don't normally get at other Sichuan restaurant in the area. When I ordered typical Sichuan dishes, I always ask for extra "numbing". And I was never disappointed!
(4)Joe N.
This is my first visit to this restaurant. My wife and I were looking for an authentic chinese place in Bellevue. They had a pretty good amount of authentic dishes. We ended up ordering too much food not knowing that the portions were huge. The dishes we ordered were not bad. The beef brisket noodle soup needed more flavor. It was just a plain beef broth with no herbs and spices. The green onion pancakes tasted more like pizza dough. The pan fried dumplings were pretty good. The tomato egg omelet was tasty. We had enough leftovers for another meal. The overall value was pretty decent. You get what you pay for.
(3)Peng T.
I was pleasantly surprised with Little Garden. I never tried the restaurant that was here prior to Little Garden (it was called Maple Garden). The Green Onion Pancake was pretty flavorful and tasty. The pan fried dumplings were also pretty good, but I don't think I'll ever find a dumpling as good as the ones I've had in Shanghai. For all the restaurants I've had dumplings at in Seattle and the eastside, this is definitely one of the better ones. I forget the name of the entrees, but there was a beef dish with sliced pan fried noodles that was delicious. I had another beef dish that had a spicy chili sauce that was a little bit more spicy than I prefer, but still tender and flavorful. Two other positives for this restaurant were a friendly attentive staff and decent prices. I would definitely go back.
(4)Rachel B.
I had seen this place a while back, I guess when it was maple garden but didn't go. Remembered it when I needed a quick lunch last week. Lots of interesting stuff on their menus and eye-ing what folks were eating it all looked good. I couldn't pass up the green onion pancakes and decided to try the wonton soup as well. The green onion pancakes were great! Mmmm! The wonton soup? Well, the broth was great but the wontons were horrible. The thing is, the broth was so good I just might consider ordering it again. The service for me felt very personal. Kind of hard to explain but I liked it. I will definitely try some other things on their menu.
(3)Sofie B.
We thought Maple Garden simply got renamed but alas, it is now gone and replaced by a totally new business. The food was bad and the service was even worse. The twice-cooked pork and chive omelette were very salty; mapo tofu was nothing special. We would have forgiven the mediocre food if not for that they mixed up our orders and first served a table of 10 who arrived and ordered much later than us. We waited for about 45 minutes for our food, all the while having people who were waiting for a table hover over us and their bums shoved against our table. They then served only 3 out of the 5 dishes we ordered, and we were pretty much done with dinner by the time the remaining two dishes came out . It was an awful experience and we will never return.
(1)Ramon N.
Best Chinese food on the Eastside now that Sichuan Express is closed. The Spicy Wonton Soup, and Popcorn Chicken were great for dinner and they have great lunch specials as well. Hot and sour soup was so-so but nothing a little hot sauce could't fix. Much better than the place that was in this space previously.
(4)P. M.
Hey, gang this is a new restaurant in one of the great traditions of Chinese cuisine: Hunan. (BTW: wikipedia, via google, has a rundown on Chinese food, along with Vietnam, Korea, et al.) They have a two part menue--most non-Asians get the ordinary selections. Be sure to ask for full menue. Innards, organ meats, other goodies. Have had slivered Tendon with coriander--scrumptious. Last time I was there it was Tripe and Onions, and Liver and Kidney with veggies. This kind of serious Chinese cooking is a chance to broaden your tastbuds beyond General Tsao. It's a venue to consider for a real Chinese experience
(5)Melodie H.
I love this little place. They have a huge menu with several vegetarian options, and the people who work here are very friendly and remember us, even though we only come in once every couple of weeks. The portion sizes are huge. I will often get one entree, eat half of it, and save the rest for lunch the next day. The only catch is, some of the items on the menu sound vegetarian but aren't, so if that kind of thing is important to you then it's always good to ask. They're really friendly about answering questions or preparing food differently if needed, though.
(4)Zhe C.
my husband and I go to this place at least once a week. we like this place for this reasonable price for a big portion of food. the soup there is always tasty. authentic Chinese cuisine. The restaurant is casual in atmosphere and always busy, so be patient for the food to come.
(4)dill w.
This place is great! Food was tasty and inexpensive. Atmosphere was comfortable. Spouse and I had each our own big bowl of wonton soup (he had the spicy), a giant plate of pot stickers and a green onion pancake for $20. I can't remember the last time we had a meal for that price. The dumplings tasted fresh and handmade from scratch. Good flavor and spice. The service was excellent. As for the negative reviews, I really don't think it's fair to disparage a brand new business, but in 2 months they appear to have smoothed out their performance. We will definitely be back.
(4)Matthew F.
I took my usual lunch break drive over to Sternco Center, and noticed that the Chinese restaurant that used to be there (Maple Garden) had changed its name to Little Garden. The "Grand Opening" banner hanging from the front of the building caught my eye, and I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder if they have any lunch specials!" I walked in and the friendly woman asked if was just for 1 person. I asked her if I could order take-away, she smiled and handed me the menu. I open the menu to discover that indeed they DO have a lunch menu, and the prices were reasonable! Score!! But I do have to mention that the flow of the menu was a little strange, because I didn't realize that the lunch menu continued on the back cover; I nearly missed an entire page of options. Nevertheless, I ordered the spicy chicken with friend rice, and the lunch menu said that a choice of either hot and sour or egg flower soup was included. I LOVE hot and sour soup, so when she told me that I couldn't have any because I was getting it to go (it didn't mention on my menu that take away disqualifies you from the soup), I frowned. She asked if I would like to stay and eat there, and I told her that I couldn't because I was on my lunch break, and that it ended soon. I asked if I could have the soup while I waited for the food to cook, and she politely declined my request. I frowned yet again. :( The spicy chicken was OK, but it wasn't remarkable or unique to my taste buds. The fried rice, however, reminded me of the kind you might find at Safeway's China Express, or at Magic Dragon. Just a few peas and a few carrots in white rice that's tinted with soy sauce. I think there may have been a little bit of scrambled egg, but I can't say for sure. I don't know if my experience would have been much different if I had dined-in, but I have a feeling that this may have been my one and only visit to Little Garden. I noticed that only 1/2 of the sign was new on the front of the building; it seems like they replaced the word 'Maple' with the word 'Little' as a cost saving measure. Friendly service, but unfriendly cost-cutting 'no soup for you' kind of feel is what I got out of it. :( Frown.
(3)Michael S.
I want Maple Garden back! The food here is very average and overall a disappointment compared to the original Maple Garden. I ordered the mongolian beef - which was tough and didn't taste very good. Others seemed ok with their dishes - nothing too special. Honestly, the food I got at the Chinese buffet up the road was better than this - you'd be wise to go elsewhere.
(2)Olly H.
It's a family run business. They got their kids working as waiters pretty much and their mum is the only one who handles the orders and takes payment. Food is terrible. Yes originally was foolish enough in thinking this was Maple Garden rebranded. BUT it is NOT. Serving portions is the worst I've EVER seen with crazy pricing! My first review on Yelp, but I really felt I needed to save everyone else from visiting this restaurant. Where did Maple Garden go? I really miss their 3 layer pork!!!
(1)Christine S.
I give this restaurant about 3 months before it goes out of business. Maple Garden used to be just wonderful. I always had great service and great food. Little Garden was an enormous disappointment in the food department. You are better off going to Safeway and having their Oriental Express! This location has had several restaurants and each has either left or gone out of business. Must be a curse on that location!
(1)