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Garden Cafe

3.5 star rating
based on 82 reviews

Category: Chinese  [Edit]

Neighborhood: Alhambra
228 W. Valley Boulevard
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 289-1833
  • Price Range: $
  • Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
  • Parking: Private Lot
  • Attire: Casual
  • Good for Groups: Yes
  • Good for Kids: Yes
  • Takes Reservations: No
  • Delivers: No
  • Take-out: Yes
  • Waiter Service: Yes
  • Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
  • Outdoor Seating: No
  • Good for: Dinner, Late Night
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"it's hard to find good Chinese without going into Chinatown...this place is good. Good, not great, not horrible (which, somehow, it's really…" read more »

82 Reviews for Garden Cafe

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Photo of Ryan B.

Elite '08

14

94

Ryan B.

Riverside, CA

4 star rating
07/02/2008

Just like the R.H. location, this place stays open late. It's funny, you'll run into a lot of the other people you were just clubbing with out in Hollywood. LOL. This place gets packed that there's a wait for tables at 2AM. You will see most people in large groups. Try to avoid the restrooms at these times if possible. Chances are you will run into someone that is sobering up, drunk, or just messed up.

The food is always good here. It comes out very fast and it's always cooked fresh. My favorites here are the indo fried rice, the chicken pan fried noodle chow mein and of course their calamari. They have a large selection of fried rice dishes, so if you like fried rice, this place pretty much has it all.

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Elite '08

751

792

SAM Y.

Los Angeles, CA

4 star rating
Updated - 07/04/2008

woah ok. why the hell did i order nasty ramen here???

this chain of restaurants is one of my favorites but the one in rowland heights has better portions. its a chinese american restaurant. a great selection of items from pasta to germ pork knuckle to indo friend rice.

i went there with some of my bffs. i shared a giant combo grill with someone and though it was smaller than the one i got at rowland, still a lot of food, and i ended up eating other people's food anyways cuz they couldn't finish it. everything i've had besides the ramen is great!

its like wow, i really do like chinese food! well not real chinese food, but like pork chops, lamb chops, chicken steak, pasta, chicken wings, fried rice, beef cubes, mash potatoes, corn, and watermelon juice made by chinese people. i hope its chinese people in the back or i'd feel really ripped off eating nonchinese food made by nonchinese people!

and yes i ate all that. us koreans we eat a lot. i don't know why but we do. i gotta constantly feed just to maintain my weight otherwise i would shrink into nothingness. it's a lot of hard work and sacrifice to try to eat 3500 calories a day! but dammit i will try really hard even if i gotta eat stuff like this all day. woe is me!

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1 Previous Review: Show all »

  • 3 star rating 10/17/2007

    they have a ramen here with spam and eggs and that had all the makings of the most delicious thing… Read more »

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Photo of AhLin C.

 

28

316

AhLin C.

San Francisco, CA

3 star rating
06/23/2008

Just like any HK Style restaurant, but I love their afternoon pricing from 3-5pm.  Most stuff are about $5 and comes w/ a drink.  

Food tastes fine.  Not the best iced lemon tea that I've had, but for that cheap price, it was ok.  Service was ok.  Apparently, they have a lot of locations.  Def. a place to just sit and kill some time w/out killing your wallet.

One of the servers were nice.  One of our friend didn't want to order anything, but she gave him a glass of water anyway.

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9

93

Jaimee S.

West Covina, CA

4 star rating
06/05/2008

Holy crap I've been going here since my high school days! well it's rare that i go there now but still this place is still there!

It just shows how good they are.  You can get pretty much anything, and since they've revamped their place along with the arcadia and roland heights locations, they're food has gotten even tastier.

I'm sure it's not going to be the best for everyone, but they're open till early morning. That's the best part!

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1

71

Misha T.

Westwood, CA

2 star rating
05/24/2008

i'd give them more stars but they mistakenly charged my friend 230 dollars instead of 23 so that was a pain. The prices are ok and the food is ok, Theres nothing terribly special that i can tell about this place which differentiates it from the plethora of hk cafes that dot the streets of san gabriel valley. Its average in every way and they would get 3 stars if not for the service fiasco

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Photo of Seong P.

Elite '08

200

601

Seong P.

Oakland, CA

3 star rating
04/24/2008

After getting my first Chinese foot massage, I was famished and sleepy = cranky.  We drove around and ended up here.

We ordered the seafood fried rice with XO sauce, pork chops and a casserole type thing with rice, fish, cheese and cream sauce.  That last dish sounded like an abomination but I was willing to give it a try.  

I'd never eaten at a HK style cafe before so it was interesting.  For example, I would never think to put fish, cheese and rice together nor would I expect to see borscht, ox tail stew, bulgogi and chow mein all on one menu.  Everything was good and if I lived in the area, I would  come here late night.  

Well, maybe.  I think I would still prefer going for yuk ge jang (because I'm Korean) late night since you can do that in the LA area.

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Photo of TINA C.

 

2

57

TINA C.

San Gabriel, CA

5 star rating
07/01/2008

i come here way too much. i always order the chicken chow mein and spare rib chow fun. they get pretty packed on weekends so service isn't always impeccable. they always refill my orange iced tea when i'm out. prices are reasonable

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Photo of Jill C.

Elite '08

338

310

Jill C.

Covina, CA

4 star rating
05/30/2008

what the heck?  i've never reviewed garden in the alheezy???  dude...what is my problem?

garden cafe is my savior after a night of excess amounts of alcohol consumption.  I don't think I've ever eaten here before 2 a.m.  indo fried rice, fried chicken wings with spicy salt, and a glass of spanish coffee...hits the spot every time!  the chicken steak is pretty damn good as well.  

the portions are very generous so i end up taking it home and having some indo fried rice for breakfast.  yum!  it gets really packed in here at wee hours in the morning.  i think the servers hate us cuz my girlfriend is always drunk and talking a lot of sh*t when we're there.  but oh well... i love it!

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Photo of Daniel H.

 

3

40

Daniel H.

Alhambra, CA

3 star rating
05/17/2008

The food is mediocre and the service is not that great. The place is usually busy during weekend lunches so there might be a wait. The price is reasonable and you get free refills on drinks.  I recommend going during lunch to take advantage of their lunch special menu and discounted drinks. They also give you a bowl of soup as part of your meal. I usually get the baked pork chop on rice, satay beef on chow fun, or singapore style thin noodles.

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Photo of C P.

 

4

103

C P.

Los Angeles, CA

3 star rating
05/18/2008

I used to go there quite frequently when another friend was still in town. I went with a friend last week. It was late at night but this place was busy as usual.

Both the food and the service were better than the Garden Cafe in Arcadia. I don't have special cravings for HK-style cafes but it's nice to look at the menu and pretend I'm in HK someimes (The irony: I hardly go to a HK-style cafe when I lived in HK...)

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Photo of David C.

 

4

17

David C.

Los Angeles, CA

1 star rating
04/01/2008

Garden Cafe is a HK style dining institution known throughout LA as the place to go after a night of drunken debauchery.  They serve the standard cantonese and western dishes that you would expect from a HK cafe, as you can get almost anything from a hearty bowl of Bortsch to Braised Ox-Tail over rice.  

Unfortunately I will not be able to return because I was in the bathroom the other night and one of the cooks used the urinal and then walked straight out without washing his hands.  

Of course this happens everyday in every restaurant, but when you see it with your own eyes its hard to stomach.  pun intended.

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Photo of Gary H.

Elite '08

33

59

Gary H.

Park La Brea, CA

2 star rating
03/27/2008

Garden Cafe is one of the oldest HK style cafes around.  It's popular for late night eats.  However there's really nothing that sets this place apart from the mass of HK-style cafes in the SGV.

I liked their Indonesian fried rice and Lamb chops.  The other dishes not memorable and mediocre.

As for the service, I came here with a group of friends for a birthday party.  We ate family-style and they got everyone's order right except for mine.  The braised oxtail never came.  I guess 13 out of 14 aint bad.  Oh and they didn't refill my iced tea either.

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Photo of Natalie T.

Elite '08

41

166

Natalie T.

San Jose, CA

3 star rating
03/01/2008

Garden Cafe offers you non-typical Chinese food like your broccoli beef or orange chicken.  It's more on the HK or Taiwanese style food.

They have a wide menu with lots of great food. I have never been dissapointed with anything that I ever ordered here.

What I love about these Cafe food places is that their Thai Tea is unlimited refills which are great!

There will always be a wait when you go late night since it's one of the few restaurants near LA for the asians who are coming back from the clubs.

Also, don't mind the servers, they're just rude hahah but most of these places you will always get rude waiters and servers.

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Photo of PEACE L.

 

0

6

PEACE L.

West Covina, CA

3 star rating
05/30/2008

the lunch menu's prices are great !
food is also great !
but i think the service should be more enhanced.

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Photo of JXN Y.

 

1

5

JXN Y.

Baldwin Park, CA

5 star rating
04/18/2008

You can find me at this place on Tuesday Tea nights. Top notch service. Good food, what else can you ask for?!?!?!

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Photo of Joseph H.

 

2

13

Joseph H.

Burbank, CA

4 star rating
01/24/2008

Jeeze, I remember there was one week were my friends and I, came here 5 times. Five times. 5/7 days in the week. Hahahah, I guess we were addicted or something, and we were.

One of the dinner specials there is the Pork chop and new york steak combo. It comes with the following: Soup(veggie or cream), mashed garlic potatoes, steamed veggies, gravy of your choice(mushroom, garlic, blackpepper) and two huge cuts of porkchops and a good sized ny steak, oh and i forgot your choice of a side of rice, spaghetti, or fries...
wowzers, i think my stomach is crying for mercy, hahaha

Their drink selection is wide, and they have a wide variety of food as well, ranging from chinese to french, lol. Besides that, it's open till 4amish.

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Photo of David W.

 

2

94

David W.

El Monte, CA

4 star rating
03/20/2008

I love this place.
Cantonese wait staff.  The food is good for cafe food.  They open till the butt crack of dawn, thus great for "Seal Yeah" Late night grubbing!!!

They have an array of classics from the shores of China as well as some HongKongnese cafe faves....food and drink wise.

Price is very reasonable.  Swing by!

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Photo of Jenni C.

 

16

35

Jenni C.

Westwood, CA

3 star rating
02/11/2008

It's decent food for the price. The menu is extensive enough so that everyone in your party can probably get what they want, and the lunch specials are a good deal.

But...

Yesterday, I was near-deathly ill. But I wanted to meet my mother for lunch since she's going back to NorCal today. So my aunt suggested that we meet there, because the bf was feeling something noodley and mom/aunt only really likes to eat at Asian places.

I just wanted a friggin' glass of water! We asked for water BEFORE they took our order. We asked for water WHILE taking our order. We asked for water 2x MORE TIMES before actually getting some.  We actually got the soups that came with the lunch before we got some water.

Since I was sick, I wanted something lighter, so I ordered a mango,fruit and ham salad. It sounded weird with the ham, but I was feeling fruit. When it came, it was this giant heap of cubes and mayo-y stuff and strips of ham with more mayo on it. I didn't eat the ham, but I didn't expect my fruit salad to be that way. I gave it a shot though, because I've had good mayo-y fruit salad before. However, the concoction was just weird. The texture is kinda gritty for some reason. I think there was some POTATO in there. Potato in my fruit salad is off-putting. Despite this, the food IS DECENT (I've been here a good few times) and for some reason, I love HK cafe-style spaghetti.

Re-reading my review, it sounds like 4, but for some reason, my guts say 3 stars. Maybe it was the crappy water service when I felt so sick. Maybe it's the crowd there. Maybe it's the average food. Maybe if I went to this place more as an after-clubbing thing I'd like it more.

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Photo of Serina T.

Elite '08

55

222

Serina T.

Long Beach, CA

4 star rating
01/20/2008

I can't count the the number of times we've come to Garden post clubbing.  It seems to be a popular spot around 2-3am.  Around this time I'd say this is one of the better options of places to go but I'd avoid this place any other time when there are much better choices open.

I usually end up with a bowl of rice porridge or soup since I feel guilty with the late night consumption.  But sometimes when I've expended a lot of calories dancing I opt for the steak or pork chops.  They're not anything extraordinary but taste great because of the fattiness and greasiness of the meat.  

I love their creamy vegetable soup...my favorite.  You get a choice of complimentary pasta or rice with your entree and I always choose the pasta...it's a little sweeter than your typical spaghetti.  The spicy fried chicken is also pretty yums.

The price is pretty cheap considering the large portions.  There's easy parking in the lot in back.  Service usually sucks but that's to be expected at an asian place late at night.  Be prepared to see the same people at the clubs here.

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Photo of Emoh E.

 

3

108

Emoh E.

Los Angeles, CA

4 star rating
03/08/2008

Standard Hong Kong style cafe.  Reasonably priced and consistent food.  Extensive menu.  You have to like a place that has squeezable bottle of sweetened condensed milk on the table.    

East meets West here, folks.  

They're open until 2 or 3 am so it's a nice change from Denny's.  The parking lot can get full but there's a bunch of street parking all around so I've never had a problem.  They can get busy, but I've never had to wait for a table.

Some of my favorites to order:

Fried chicken wings and/or fried squid with pepper and salt.
Minced meat with rice topped with a fried egg.  Mix everything together and then eat.  (Another dish from my childhood - so good).
Sizzling udon with beef, black beans, and pepper.
Oxtail with red wine sauce.  
Baked pork chop rice.

Combo plates/specials  are popular but it's a lot of food.

Everything here is pretty good.  The baked rice dishes are tasty.  The portion sizes are quite large and I tend to have to take a lot of it home.  The nature of this style of food is that it's on the heavier side.  Large portions and thick sauces.  If you get a choice of soup with your meal I would suggest ordering the one that most likely doesn't contain cornstarch or flour, such as a chowder.  It can get a bit too thick and gooey and tends to be fairly bland.

My friend likes their chocolate milkshakes.  I sometimes like the avocado milkshake.  Great variety of drinks.  

The wait service can be a bit slow but generally the food comes out quickly.  Keep in mind that they bring out whatever is ready first.  If you order the fried chicken and squid appetizer, it usually comes out after the rest of our order.

Overall, it's a good place for a quick meal.

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Elite '08

160

566

Jonas T.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
12/26/2007

Probably one of the better choices for late night HK food dining. Portions are huge - even the chicken wings themselves were on steroids. My favorite is their peanut butter French toast. Most people find it weird, but I'll eat peanut butter with anything.

JONASAPPROVED!

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Elite '08

63

143

Ags P.

West Los Angeles, CA

3 star rating
02/01/2008

Just like everyone's mentioned.  It's pretty much good after some late night clubbing.  After I've put down the moves in the club, I'm down for something salty and unhealthy.  That's where Garden Cafe comes into play.  It satisfies your salty craving.  I have to admit, the squid with spicy salt, or the minced meat with egg on rice isn't as good during the day, as it is at night.

Sure, service is crap.  It's because they have to deal with the rowdy kids who come in all late at night.

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2

34

William W.

El Monte, CA

2 star rating
01/02/2008

I have had a long history with garden cafe... im not going to get into the specifics. The food is ok compared to other cafes. Foods better than JR, JJ, JT, Bacallis, tasty, etc by a small margin. However the service is just balls out terrible. One time it took them over 30 mins to get my friend a ham and egg sandwich. Another time after prom they forgot to give a few of us our order. It wasnt until after my other friends finished their meals that they came out with it. They hardly ever come to refill the drinks or perform any services. Might as well serve yourself sometimes. I know asian cafes usually dont have good service, but in terms of the worst service among the cafes in SGV garden and bacalli are in the same tier. Ironically they are across the street from each other. Coincidence?

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11

103

K C.

Rosemead, CA

3 star rating
02/06/2008

Garden cafe is one of the original modern chinese cafes that started up in Monterey Park/Alhambra along wtih JJ's.  This place is what you'd expect, many customers, cheap prices, good food, ok service.  I recommend trying the Sizzling XO sauce seafood udon.  It's one of my favorite dishes there along with the Baked Pork Chop rice.  
Garden isn't my favorite restaurant, but it is a place where I eat frequently.  Parking can be a problem so you might have to find street parking.  Other than that, this place is solid.

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0

4

Lucy S.

Alhambra, CA

4 star rating
04/03/2008

A really great place for Cantonese comfort food! And the prices are pretty good. I LOVE the sizzling BEEF UDON and the Chinese waffle. It can get a bit noisy at times, but that's your typical Chinese cafe.

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Elite '08

619

832

Mike L.

Norwalk, CA

3 star rating
09/25/2007

I'm stunned to see 44 reviews for this place. (as of now, before I become the 45th reviewer)

The only reason I was shocked was the fact this place seemed to never get crowded whenever I come in for late lunch. I came in with a group of coworkers one afternoon and was swamped. Since then I never really gotten any type of mass crowd.

This restaurant gets good vibes from me in terms of ambiance and decor. It is very polished, clean, and very swanky for a Chinese sit down dine in. I'm shocked only because the food served here tends to be in the casual fare of traditional Chinese dishes with nothing to stand out. Most of the dishes tends to be not very remarkable with beef and pork you can usually get at other restaurants.

What makes this place cool was the nice atmosphere. It is a kind of place where you can probably ordered some Bobba tea drinks while getting some fried rice to along with that. I noticed they added some pasta dishes (aka Chinese noodles) in their menu. I guessed it was to combat against the ever popular Savoy restaurant down the street.

The Chinese restaurant war can be brutal at times.

This place would have been cool for hangout for kids. What deterred the normal youngsters from coming here are the prices in the menu which can range upwards above $7 for each dish.

God Bless the Chinese enterprise to deter these kids from hanging out here! They had to settle for Tapioca Express next door.

Overall the food is not very remarkable as I tried out various different chow mein and fried rice. Their pork chop rice are actually pretty good. Then again it's hard to screw up that dish.

The service is OK at best. They don't disappear for a long time, but the food doesn't come out that fast either. One time I had to order two different bobba milk drink and stop ordering a third because the food hasn't come out yet. (settled for a glass of iced water after the 2nd Bobba Tea drink).

It's a decent choice for a cafe with cool selections of iced drinks. The decor would have been great if the food match the performance. Otherwise it is just a standard run of the mill kind of place for Chinese eatery. There are just so many cafe or diner along Valley Blvd that serves the same thing as Garden Cafe.

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10

40

Cheryl N.

Alhambra, CA

1 star rating
11/11/2007

I went here once with my girl friend and there was  FLY in her food!  The waiter was a douche and did not even apologize!  If anything, he reacted annoyed at the fact we were complaining.  He brought her back a new plate, but after that neither of us had an appetite.  Never going back there ever.

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99

85

Gina T.

Monterey Park, CA

4 star rating
12/12/2007

Late nights after a fashion show? Clubbing? stayed up til 2 am playing video games?

This is where I go when I get those late night hunger monsters. My friends and I have spent countless nights here, eating, laughing, and staring at the creepy waiter.

The service is pretty damn quick. The soup is great. I usually get the New York steak with garlic sauce, veggies, rice, mashed potatoes, and clam chowder.

The steak is always good, never dry. The mashed potatoes taste kinda bland but nothing to complain about.

I came here once with about 20 people at midnight and we actually had a place to sit. They got our food out pretty damn quick. The price isnt so bad and the quality is good.

So if you go there late at night and see me, treat me to a soda ;]

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32

18

Mina W.

Monterey Park, CA

3 star rating
12/17/2007

Yes, if you're drunk at 3am, then anything short of horse poo will taste good.  But if you want QUALITY chinese cafe food, then i'd avert this place.  I came to eat here once on a quasi-date with Tom Anderson (myspace founder) and even he, being an ignorant white guy, was disappointed in the food.

To its credit, its pretty nice and clean inside with cool decor.  If you come past 2am on fri or sat nights, you might even catch some eye candy, with all the asian club-goers returning drunk from hollywood. (sadly, i myself have been one of them a few too many times)

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2

23

Feline I.

Monrovia, CA

5 star rating
11/08/2007

This is deffinitely one of the nicer, cleaner Hong Kong style cafe around the neighborhood. They recently updated their decor and it looks modern-sleek now.

Back in the days, my friends and I would stay up wayyyy late and get hungry, this is one of our go to places. I still frequent this place cause they have one of the best fried rice and great value for their menu.
My favorite item is the spicy salt squid, Indo fried rice & Thai seafood fried rice ( spicy!!)

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Tony Y.

Alhambra, CA

3 star rating
09/01/2007

Boy, browsing around in a porn shop sure makes us hungry. After leaving my first adult toy store experience, my friends and I had to figure out what was cheap and open at 3am. After driving around for about twenty minutes only to find closed joint after joint, we headed towards the old reliable Garden Cafe in Alhambra.

This place was PACKED when we got here. I'm sure it's because this was the only place around open this late besides Denny's and IHOP. We entered through the rear (couldn't help myself after the porn store reference) only to be pointed to the front of the restaurant. We thought they had a table available for us, but no, they were just pointing us to where we should wait. We amused ourselves with the fish, especially the one with a really long turd coming out of it. It might have been there for days. It wasn't long before we were sat.

I didn't feel like eating anything too heavy, so I thought I would get a sandwich. I ordered what essentially was a tuna melt in a croissant. It was eh... kinda nasty. It was something I could have made better at home. I ate most of it anyway, because I didn't want to waste food.

My friend Joyee got the club sandwich, generously accompanied by 8 fries. Maybe generous isn't the word I'm looking for. You think it would have been too much to ask for 11 fries? Good thing my tuna croissant sandwich came with more than 8 fries.

Amber got the beef chow mein (cantonese style). She gave... ok more like I coaxed her into giving the food/experience a rating (I'm going to Yelpify the world!). She gave it a 2 star rating out of 5. Joyee gave 3 out of 5, and I also gave a 3 out of 5, because I know I've had better food there. I should just stick to the baked pastas.

3 out of 5 for being one of the only late night food options and for being cheaper than Denny's and IHOP, wooooo!

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12

70

David W.

San Diego, CA

3 star rating
01/03/2008

Your average HK style Cafe restaurant. A fusion of chinese food and western food. The food is great and comparable to most HK style restaurants. The place has been remodeled not so long ago and it  looks new and stylish. The service is about average... which is about right for most HK style Cafe restaurants.

Wongger

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12

55

David C.

Westwood, CA

3 star rating
11/28/2007

They have some great dinner combos and unlimited lemon tea.  Open very late for those who like to go out and chill out/eat afterwards.

Try the beef chow fun.

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Caroline K.

Cypress, CA

4 star rating
11/04/2007

I used to go here a lot in college but haven't been back in a while.  I almost always order the chicken wings with spicy salt, which always seems to come last even though it's an appetizer.  Though I found it a little too salty this time (my friends thought it was fine), the chicken wings were hot, crispy, and juicy.  Can't go wrong with these.  We also ordered the beef chow fun (you can definitely share this among three people) and a ham/cheese casserole, which was actually rice covered with some thick broth with ham, chicken, and cheese.  They also have a really good vegetable/tomato base soup that they serve at dinner before your meal.  I used to also order the chicken and creamed corn over rice (sounds kind of gross but it's really good!) and the pork chop.  I still think this is probably one of the better Chinese cafes in the area.

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Kimmie Q.

Dublin, CA

4 star rating
08/21/2007

Come on, let's be real.  Where else can you get awesome late night eats?   Denny's?  pfft.. what are you thinking?!

Garden Cafe is awesome.  My friends and I are always sure to hit this place up after a night of drinking and partying.  They're open late, and this small factor doesn't mean their food tastes less great in the wee hours of the morning.

It's your typical Hong Kong style cafe, with the pork, chicken cutlets, and many varieties of noodles (both mein and fun).  

I like how the customers are becoming more diverse .. I hardly get any more stares for coming in here with my non-Asian friends.

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Bryant C.

Orange, CA

5 star rating
09/11/2007

This is probably the best place for a late night grub. Great menu, good food, huge portions, great price. It's definitely the place to go after a night out drinking if you're around LA. The food (and the wait -_-) will sober you up. I always get the pork chop with black bean sauce and let me tell you, it's pretty damn good. I've tried other stuff in the menu and so far, everything tastes pretty alright, especially when compared to other Chinese places.

Of course, the service isn't that great but what do you expect from a Chinese restaurant, really? Oh, and it's pretty packed around 2-3am on the weekends so if you're looking for something quick, try a different spot instead.

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Janet L.

Rolling Hills Estates, CA

4 star rating
01/31/2008

living all the way in pv (by torrance), my family & i drive all the way here just for this restaurant! real hong kong dishes with savory choices like beef, pork, chicken accompanied by the most delicious pile of spaghetti with a sweet tomato sauce. you have a variety of choices to choose from for your meat & honestly, they're all delicious!! they serve a vegetable soup that seems healthy & is suprisingly good! if it's too bland for you (my dad likes his food extra salty) there's condiments & spices on the side of the table. for the cheap price for a huge portion, this place is definitely a winner! of course, there comes a price for good food. the wait. but don't worry, just take a short walk down the street & browse through the stores until you finally get a table! and trust me, the wait is worth it!

btw, parking is in the back! it's nearly impossible to find a good parking space in the front.

update/// 3/30/08
i came here for lunch today & nothing has changed.
we were promptly seated (not wait!) & started off with complimentary soup. we opted for the vegetable soup which was decent, but a little salty. i was disappointed to find a small piece of beef at the bottom. either give more REAL beef or just don't put any meat in my soup at all because that tiny morsel of "meat" made the soup look disappointingly sad.

i ordered the chicken steak w/ black pepper sauce (there's a variety of sauces to choose from) & a side of spaghetti (or you can choose rice). the portions were generous! two-three servings of spaghetti w/ a tomato sauce that fills you up. and the chicken was delicious, but quite greasy with layers of fat stuck between the meat & skin.

my friend ordered the fish filet with a creamy mushroom sauce + a side of spaghetti. she couldn't finish her meal, so i helped her. the fish was delicious & packed with flavor & spices. the cream of mushroom complimented the fish well.
customer service wasn't friendly, but wasn't bad either. TV screens with Chinese news was on & there's a full bar.
one waiter dropped a dish & a huge crash silenced the restaurant for a few seconds. embarrased, he quickly went to fetch a broom to sweep up the broken pieces. i felt sorry for him & i hope that won't get him fired, but his face was extremely red... poor guy..

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.Ronnie. M.

Torrance, CA

4 star rating
06/20/2007

Seriously, where else are you going to get cheap Filet Mignon besides Monterey Park?

I've been coming here for years then recently started going to Red Ant because I wanted to try somewhere new. Then on a whim, I went back to Garden Cafe with my best friend after going to Nucleus Gallery on Main last month.

Like any other HK style cafe, they have a huge menu - seafood, steak, chicken, soups, pasta, Chinese, etc all ranging from $4.94 - $11.95. I usually order either the Spaghetti Bolognese or the Filet Mignon. Don't expect quality "real" filet mignon. This isn't Fleming's but it's damn good. Their prime rib is good too. Remember as with all HK places, they don't really get the "rare, medium rare, etc" system. Say you want it 60% done - that's about medium rare. 40% is WAY too bloody and I like my steaks bloody. All the meals (with exception of rice and pasta) come with rice or pasta.  

The service here is SLOW even at 10 pm on a Thursday night. While you are seated rather quickly, it takes forever for someone to come offer you a menu and get you your drinks. You practically have to wave them down.

It's usually under $30 for two people including beverage.

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Tracy T.

Los Angeles, CA

4 star rating
09/12/2007

Baked pork chop over rice please. Yes that's all I need to make me happy! This place is one of the better Chinese cafes in terms of ambiance, food, and hours.

However, I don't enjoy how they charge for tea. Who charges for tea?!? Aye... If I wanted to pay $1.50 for a tea bag I woulda gone to Starbucks. And as cute as those lightbulb containers are, I can drink so much that the blood in my veins becomes tea. So constantly refilling those tiny non-pourable lightbulb containers isn't gonna cut it.

Okay so that's my only complaint. Other than that they have an extensive menu with everything that you'd want, and everything is pretty good and comes out hot and yummy.

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Quackie C.

Irvine, CA

4 star rating
03/20/2008

Been here once. Mega brownie points for being open super late. I had a spam and egg sandwich with some sort of hot lemon-kumquat-honey drink. Maybe because it was really cold and I was really hungry, but I was so happy.

Very extensive menu. Cool decor. I want to give them 5 stars cuz I was so happy, but I just can't justify it.

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