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Golden Temple
- Nearest Transit:
-
Washington St @ Beacon St (65)
Washington Sq - Outbound (Green Line)
Washington St @ Beacon St (65)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 1 am
Fri-Sat 11 am - 2 am
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Classy, Upscale
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
217 reviews for Golden Temple
Review Highlights
"the green tea buckwheat noodles was yummy too."
(in 5 reviews)
"I highly recommend the scorpion bowls."
(in 19 reviews)
"The crab rangoon were probably the best I've ever tasted."
(in 17 reviews)
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217 reviews in English
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Review from Joe V.
Brighton, MA
1/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here for Chinese New Year as I have for the past several years. They have a great mini festival complete with fireworks as well as ornate and questionably drunk dancing dragon. The kiddies love it. Best of all, with your food order they will give you a Red Golden Temple Chinese Zodiac Mug and a red envelope for good luck.
Generally speaking the food is great. It is like upscale Chinese food, however you do have to pay more for it. The mixed drinks are great and tasty however they are not cheap. They will however get you drunk.
The dining area is nice and clean and the bar area/lounge is where the magic happens. Its like a retro lounge complete with mini dance floor. Perfect for the 50 person Prom. All is quiet during the week, but Thursdays on, there is a DJ playing your favorite hits. -
Review from Rebecca V.
Boston, MA
1/28/2012
This place is weird. I have been two times. I came first on a nice, quiet, Sunday dinner date. We were seated at a small table. The tables are somewhat close to each other ... so I was dodging elbows a few times with other parties. The food was great - General Tsaos chicken, sesame chicken, and brown rice. The waitstaff rudely grabbed my glass to refill the water, but I can look past that. Overall: Okay. I didn't leave disappointed.
I came again a few months later on a Saturday night. It was such an awkward mess of trying to be a dance club with a novice DJ stumbling around in a sound booth. The crowd was older -- 30s to 40s -- and drunk, dancing to some out dated pop.
I came with a group and we ended up people watching for a few minutes. When even THAT became painful, we finished our beers in record time and went back over to the Publick House, where it was packed and fun. -
Review from Emily B.
Boston, MA
1/25/2012
So I came here for New Years Eve 2012 and I cannot stress enough how bad of time I had there. One the morning of Dec 31 I called as soon as it opened to make a reservation. It took me 12 times to get through, but that's understandable.. it is New Years. I made a reservation for my boyfriend and I for 5pm. I was told I couldn't stay for more than an hour because of the festivities going on for guests later. Whatever, thats fine. 5 o'clock came along, I pulled up for valet right in the front and went inside. We were seated immediately and the place looked pretty empty. Strange for New Years I thought.
I opened my menu and OMG they must have jacked up the prices for New Years because I was astonished at how much of a difference the prices were from usual. Alright. No problem. It's New Years lets just try to make it work. When the waitress came over and we order she tells us that each guest is required to spend 25$ minimum. EXCUSE ME? No one told me that! She explained thats how it is for New Years and that "we tell everyone on the phone". No one told me that small detail. We are college students and my bf is traveling abroad to two countries this semester. 50 bucks on Chinese is not something I wanted to do. She said the manager would come over so we can sort this out. He came over and told me that it would be okay, no need to leave. The bill will be taken care of due to the error over the phone. Good.
Food came and it was not worth any of the prices it claimed to cost, but I was okay since I wasn't going to paying full price according to the manager due to the mix up. I would have left had it not been for his caring "customer service".
Check came and the bill is 56 dollars. Uh I thought things were going to get cleared up. The waitress knew nothing about the deal the manager said hed make for me. He never ended up coming back to our table and "mysteriously disappeared" when I asked for him to come over and clarify this SECOND error.
We ended up paying 56 dollars. What b*stards.
To top it off, valet parked our car all the way down the street. Thanks for nothing.
I will never come here again and tell everyone I know this story. You just lost many customers. -
Review from Erika S.
Boston, MA
1/8/2012
Usually love this place, but was a bit disappointed this Christmas season. Apparently they have a "special menu" on holidays, which means that they take things off the menu because the kitchen is so busy (totally makes sense), but they use the regular printed menu and then when you order something, they tell you that "we don't have that because we're using a special menu for the holidays." If they had a menu insert that warned us in advance, it would be no big deal since there's other delicious stuff to have.
So yeah, they didn't have mushroom egg foo yung, vegetable tempura, or espresso drinks. This kind of sucks if you're vegetarian and/or have restrictions on what meat you'll eat, which would be a large portion of the Jews/Buddhists/Hindus/Muslims who are in Chinese restaurants on Christmas.
Otherwise, the place is great. They have a huge menu, generally tons of vegetarian stuff, and really strong drinks. Everything is fresh and not overcooked.
It's fun to order the "suffering bastard," because several of the servers call it an "SB" when they repeat it back to you or when they offer you another one. Dude, don't have bastards on your menu if your staff are not comfortable saying bastard! Or, don't hire folks who won't say bastard. Perhaps bastards should be discussed during the interview process. I'm tempted to do a little experiment and try ordering red-headed sluts or sexes-on-the beach, except the bastards are so good that I just can't switch. -
Review from Jessica B.
West Newton, MA
12/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
We just had a nice Christmas Eve dinner for six Jews. They have $9 valet parking, which was handy.
When I walked in, the four people working the host stand were friendly but confused. After I explained that we had a reservation and the name that it was under, there was some confusion and the next person at the stand asked me for the exact same information. Eventually, they led us to our table.
Our waiter was equally confused, in part because they only serve part of their menu on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. They should just print out a paper menu of what they actually are serving.
It wasn't an issue for me because I got what I wanted: Green Tea Buckwheat Noodles with shrimp and a Zombie. The noodles were super oily but delicious. I would pass on the shrimp as there were only about 7 small ones on a huge plate of noodles.
They didn't bring out all of our food at once, which was a little awkward, but the delay was not excessive.
My drink and entree were overpriced but I really liked the Green Tea Buckwheat Noodles.Listed in: Oh! The Places You'll Go!, Eat or Die
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Review from Gregg A.
Brookline, MA
1/21/2012
Bleh food and bad service. Four of us (two couples) went here last night for the first and last time. Now, I'm a value guy meaning I don't mind paying a premium for fantastic healthy food, and pay a premium we did for what ended being just ok. Not eating barely any of our entree's, my wife and I asked to take ours home. When I pulled the take out bag out of the fridge this evening I found that the waiter had sloshed two meals into one box. Here's the kicker; they WEREN'T EVEN OUR MEALS!! . I called, explained the problem and was transferred to a manager...explained the problem again and he said he didn't know what happened. "I know what happened, you gave us somebody else s food!" You would think that with all their hoopla on customer service they would want to make us happy but the manager instead offered to give me 50% off of my order, IF I ordered it AGAIN. We didn't even eat half of our meal so his "apology" offer crap.
If you want Chinese there are better/less expensive restaurants in the area. If you want healthy, same thing. If you want to get screwed, by all means, this is the place for you.
PS, To whomever has my Tofu Pad Thai, I have your bok choy and green noodles. -
Review from Katie V.
12/25/2011
To be clear: the bar/nightclub is not my scene. I felt like I was at an 8th grade mixer hosted in a giant spaceship.
But the dinner I had tonight was pretty good overall. It was Christmas Day and the place was mobbed but my friends had the foresight to reserve ahead. The service started out shaky (it took 15 minutes to get a glass of prosecco) but got better. When we first arrived, the waiter was visibly frazzled and wanted us to order right away. But he chilled out later and was attentive, which was great considering how busy the place was.
We ordered and shared a bunch of things -- the entrees went over much better than the apps. The less-than-stellar items included the scallion pancake and wonton soup. The soup was bland and the scallion pancake too mealy/doughy and there weren't very many scallions inside. It tasted healthier than your average greasy scallion pancake, but...what can I say, I guess we all wanted the classic version. The shumai were ok -- served warm but not hot, which was disappointing.
Things got better when the main dishes arrived. The Szechuan eggplant with beef was delicious, and the crispy green beans with garlic were OUT OF THIS WORLD. I would come back just to get those again. So flavorful and garlicky and a huge portion. Also good -- Mandarin chicken, which was not fried (which I was happy about). We also shared a vegetarian noodle dish (maybe chow foon?) that was very good.
Prices are a little high for some dishes -- the total damage for 4 adults was $105 before tip (and only two alcoholic drinks were ordered). Not cheap, but it is clear that they use higher quality ingredients than most joints, so I don't mind paying a little extra.
I would go back, maybe on a less chaotic night. Those green beans, man.... -
Review from Sandra K.
Brookline, MA
1/23/2012
I've only been here twice and only ate once but I am giving it 5 stars because so far it is one of the most lively, fun places I've been to in the Boston area in the 10 years I've lived here. The DJ plays the latest pop dance tunes and I happen to like that music right now (what, it's good!). It's fun and the crowd varies from 20s to 50s. It's a good feeling to go out and not feel too old or too young. There's no cover charge and both times I went (both times on a Saturday night), the dance floor was hopping. The green tea noodles with veggies was fantastic. So were the spicy green beans but next time I'll ask them to hold the meat whatever that was, probably pork. And they have brown rice. The mai tais are dangerous and delicious, not too sweet in my opinion. Looking forward to my next visit.
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Review from Luke O.
Brookline, MA
1/3/2012
One thing I've learned from eating at this restaurant: when you are a huge fan of Asian food, don't trust recommendations for Asian restaurants from people that don't really eat Asian food. Sure, this sounds obvious, but generally when someone says that a place is "soooo good", I have to try it.
Initially I visted Golden Temple's website, and I was taken by how beautiful the place looked. Finally, after a year of waiting, I went on Sunday night on a double date, and I was super-excited to get some of that fresh delicious food in my tum-tum (that's slang for "tummy"). Sure enough, when we arrived the decor was pretty sweet, but not as amazing as I remembered from the site (that's probably just me being an idiot, so no points off there). When we were seated I noticed that it was a lot more casual that how it looks from the outside and the site; we were seated next to a couple and their ugly kids, all of whom were dressed casually.
Our waiter was this cool old Chinese man (that my date later high-fived for his awesomeness). He was very attentive to our table. We started off with a couple of scorpion bowls for two. They were LOADED up with booze, but I was looking forward to drinking the flaming 151 in the center, and there WAS no center! Just boozy, boozy juice. Then we got a few appetizers - chicken fingers (fine), seaweed salad (really good), and salt and pepper calamari (a little disappointing). My date and I split the Beef, Spicy Hot, which was not spicy at all. In fact, it tasted like hot and sour soup (not a bad flavor, but perplexing to say the least). We had to order a bowl of hot sauce to get the heat going a little bit.
You can tell if you're not wowed by a restaurant if you keep comparing it to other restaurants the entire time you're there. In fact, for the duration of the dub-d (that's what I'm calling the double date now because I'm lazy), I was dreaming of Chau Chow City. The reason I demanded we get the salt and pepper calamari (with a bang of my fist on the table) is because the calamari at CCC was so unbelievable and I really wanted that again. I know now that it will be only a short while before I hit up that Chinatown spot for some sweet sweet Chinese food.
So, if you're in Brookline, and you like slightly-overpriced/average-tasting Chinese food, go to Golden Temple - you won't be disappointed! If you have higher standards and just want some bomb Asian food, go to New Rod Dee down the street for the best Thai on the C line. -
Review from Marsha W.
Waltham, MA
11/11/2011
This was my first time back to Golden Temple since 1998. Things have certainly change as there was some sort of club or prom going on that night and the decor was trendy. The place was somewhat empty, but the food was still as good as I remembered.
The infamous chicken fingers were just slightly overcooked and the portion was a bit small, but still tasted great.
We also had the salt and pepper calamari which in my opinion was the winner. The batter is light and airy, and the seasoning was on point. I garnished my entree with the vegetables from the dish it was so good.
I ordered the Shanghai Noodles which was good, but I expected it to be a little more spicey, and a little less sweet. With the vegetables from the calamari, it made it enjoyable.
I loved that they used natural ingredients when it came to the meat, and it def tasted that way.
The only downside is the menu is HUGE. Kind of like the Cheesecake Factory which can make it overwhelming on what to order. I'm sure Chef Gordon Ramsay would agree! =)
I tasted a bit of the salt and pepper shrimp that my sister had ordered, but it didn't beat the calamari.
The drinks are a little on the pricey end $10+, but no biggie.
The club on the other side though was a bit annoying only cause the kids were sitting on the stairs at the front of the restaurant, and they definitely were under 21 although the people inside look older. No idea what it was, but given the age range it must have been a private catering event.
The staff above everything else was cordial. The waiter we had was awesome. He was really accommodating from the suggestions to the little things he did to make our meal better. The dessert menu is lacking in which he offered Finales and ice cream since I think he knew they didn't have much.
I also thought the potatoes was amusing that accompanied the dinner dishes. Not sure why they choose that as the side to go with the dishes, but it was tasty too nonetheless.
Dish presentation is pretty too. This is a great place to go for a date. Atmosphere is cozy and romantic. Hip and trendy. Casual and relaxing. Def caters to whatever crowd. We were there for a birthday.
I also want to mention that the reviews below may be more used to the MSG type meals with more taste, less healthy benefits. There are plenty of those around, perhaps they should avoid the price for quality and head back to the $5.99 chicken finger apps places. -
Review from Chris C.
11/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Fancy and pricey Chinese place in Washington Square.
The bar/lounge area is huge and has some rather interesting designs. The really high and arched ceilings does not make this feel like your average Chinese food restaurant. The drinks are pretty good and the price for them is pretty average. The food on the other hand is way overpriced and not really any better than other Chinese places in the area. So if you want to eat Chinese in a stylish space then this is the place for you. If you don't care about the style than skip this place and go somewhere else. -
Review from Eve L.
Brighton, MA
12/24/2011
I'm super picky about Chinese food ever since I got horrific food poisoning from some random Chinese food dive in Somerville over a decade ago. Golden Temple is one of the few Chinese restaurants that makes the cut. Chang Sho in Cambridge is the other one. Their food is not greasy (for Chinese food), they cook it in olive oil, the vegetables are fresh, the sauces are delicious, and they have not-dry brown rice. Plus they have an excellent booze menu. What more do you need? As Jews, it's our default spot for Christmas Eve, along with (apparently) everyone else in the Brighton-Brookline area.
Listed in: 02135
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Review from Phil M.
Boston, MA
11/10/2011
I wanted to try this place for years...and now I have.
It was well Different, the chinese food isn't what one has grown accustom to in America. So not quite bad, or great really. Just different and well bland. I hoped that this would be better. Especially after all these years of driving by them on Beacon. The inside of the restaurant was nice, and the staff were helpful. I had the takeout, so I didn't get the full treatment or experience.
Parking is a little rough, but they have a valet. So that is something good I suppose.
Overall, not really what I was in the mood for. The crab rangoon wasn't typical, kind of fishy and sucked. That is what really is stuck in my mind...all the food was just bland, as I said before. I had to revisit that, because I am now starting to feel a little sick from reliving what I just ate. -
Review from Grace F.
Jamaica Plain, MA
10/29/2011
My husband heard about this place from a friend and was very excited to try it. Unfortunately, I have to agree with the other reviewers that the food was pretty bland. We got the vegetarian potstickers which were not very tasty at all--just a lot of corn kernels. I was looking forward to the spicy "Shanghai Noodles" which sadly looked horribly unappetizing and didn't taste like anything! I had to send them back. The staff was very pleasant and replaced them with the Vegetable Lo Mein, which was edible, but still not very flavorful at all. My husband got the General Tsao's chicken, which he enjoyed, but he didn't think it was outstanding.
Aside from the food, the ambience here seems fun, and they have a wide selection of strong mixed drinks. Seems like it would me a great bachelorette/birthday party place if you didn't really care about what you were eating. However, I can think of a handful of places that have good food where you can get a scorpion bowl, so I don't think we'll be coming back here. -
Review from Andrea B.
8/31/2011
I came here for dinner about a month ago and I still remember it, but that's probably because everything about it was memorable for all the wrong reasons. In addition to the host that greeted my friend and I when we got there, something that smelled oddly like cows also overwhelmed my senses. It was definitely not an odor that is conducive to keeping your appetite.
Anyway, I ordered the chicken pad thai, and the waitress returned with the biggest heaping portion of it that I've probably ever seen on one plate. It wasn't bad, but it was a bit bland to the point of bordering on tasteless. No serving of pad thai has ever left me as disappointed as this one did. Though the exact details of my friend's meal slip my memory (probably because I didn't try any), the portion size was equally huge yet unexciting.
Bottom line - This restaurant calls itself the Golden Temple, but sadly there was nothing golden about this meal. -
Review from Jen G.
Boston, MA
Updated - 12/22/2011
I've gone back and still LOVE the drinks. But it's healthy Chinese food, and it tastes that way. Still worth grabbing some apps and drinks though for sure!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/11/2009
While their mojitos, long islands and scorpion bowls are great, the food is not so much.
I've never… Read more »
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Review from Robby R.
San Francisco, CA
10/8/2011
First of all I think it's terrific that Golden Temple is trying to make it's food healthy and using fresh ingredients. We could tell that the ingredients were high quality and very fresh. We were with my parents so the dishes we ordered were marked as non-spicy, but we found them a little on the bland side and we don't equate adding hot chili oil as actually adding flavor. Maybe the local clientele likes the food a little on the bland side.
Overall a good experience. We did find the service kind of rushed. Sat down and 2 minutes later waiter was standing over us asking what we wanted to drink. The drink menu was quite extensive and I think I saw some really cool mixed drinks. But this waiter was staring at me impatiently waiting for me to tell him what I wanted. I just ordered a $5 beer to get him to leave. Kind of strange for a restaurant with $10+ cocktails and when I went to rest room I saw they were awarded a "Best Wine List" plaque by Wine Spectator and we never saw a wine list. -
Review from Katrina M.
Brookline, MA
9/12/2011
I recently had a birthday party here, and the evening went extremely well. The staff was very attentive, but not too disruptive. They served much more food than we could eat, and were happy to pack it up to go. The price-per-head was reasonable.
I agree with some of the other reviews- some of the food is so-so, but I have also had dishes that were very tasty.
The 'after-hours' scene on Saturdays is a very fun, mixed crowd, with a DJ and dance floor. A perfect end to my party. -
Review from Lindsay L.
Cambridge, MA
12/11/2011
I went to Golden Temple for a friend's birthday party. The ambience was great. There's a bar near the entrance. Then an awesome ceiling with flashing lights above the dance floor without being too tacky. Then there is a lot of seating plus tables for people who want to relax.
It is not the best place for a conversation though. More importantly, the music sucked, and the dance floor was too small. The music was a random mix of old and current, but not in a good way. There was simply no flow for dancing from one song to the next. It's hard to get into dancing when transitions between songs make no sense. -
Review from Scott M.
9/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
This was okay Chinese food. I ordered a simple vegetable fried rice to go. The flavor was good. I'd give it three and a half stars. The guy up front who took my order was not familiar with a beer commonly carried at chinese restaurants and was also at this one. HIs service gets two stars. The bar is nice and the bartender was very good. This is where I passed my time waiting on my order. I'd give the bar and bartender four stars.
Overall I'd give the visit three stars. Oh yea, where was the freaking fortune cookie? Sure they all suck to eat, but how will I know the future unless I have the cookie? -
Review from David C.
7/10/2011
Eating at Golden Temple was one of the more interesting dining experiences I've had recently. I wish that was a good thing. As I walked through the front doors of the restaurant, I was greeted by a friendly, if a bit awkward, front desk, gaudy, over-the-top decor, and a slightly noxious odor, which I somehow recognized. When my friend and I were seated, she connected the dots for me. "It smells likes cows in here," she said. I kind of laughed it off, but I know the majority of people would find it extremely off-putting.
Anyways, onto the food. It's pretty meh. I enjoyed the crab rangoons and pot stickers we had to start (large portions for the price, too), but was a little disconcerted by how quickly they arrived. No sooner had I given the order to our waitress (who was wonderful, and should be working in a better place) and proceeded to take a drink of water, was she already returning with our appetizers.
I had the sesame chicken, which was basically a plate of chicken fingers smothered in a sweet, gelatinous sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds. I've had better sesame chicken at the $8.95 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in my hometown, and this dish alone cost $13.95. I even had to pay extra for rice, as the chicken came with nothing but, well, chicken. My friend got the chicken pad thai, which was better, but pretty bland. The portions were all large, but that is hardly a consolation when you really don't want to eat the food. -
Review from Rachel P.
Boston, MA
7/25/2011
I've never actually been here but have ordered delivery several times. It's nice that they deliver to Back Bay, though they charge a hefty price tag for it.
I've loved the food every time I've ordered. All the noodles I've tried were good, but I especially love the vermicelli. The potstickers are great, and I'm extremely picky about dumplings. Also, the crab rangoons are a must.
You definitely don't get huge portions, and to spend those prices and not have leftovers is really frustrating (leftover Chinese food is the best, right?)
But, this is the only Chinese food I've had delivered that actually tastes completely fresh and almost healthy in a way. You know when you crave Chinese food and then regret eating it? You don't feel regret with this food...it's satisfying and delicious. -
Review from Dorise G.
6/3/2011
***DISCLAIMER - I have never eaten here! Review of late-night only:
Inexplicably, this is one of my favorite places in Boston. Why I am so in love with a Chinese restaurant that converts into a bar-mitzvah sized dance party with a mediocre DJ is sort of puzzling, but I think there's an intimacy amongst those who go to dance at the GT, since there's not a lot of room to keep your distance from folks. A little too crowded some weekend nights, but for me the night is always a success if it ends in a night of GT dance party!Listed in: Beantown Faves
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Review from Andi P.
Waltham, MA
8/25/2011
We've been here several times, with children, and have been treated well. Service is friendly. Bring your own crayons for the kids though, this isn't a kid menu place.
I am taking a star off because last time we went, we made a reservation, but when we arrived they said there was a large party taking up the whole restaurant and we'd have to sit on the patio. Although this worked out ok, and our waiter tried to check on us, we were the only one outside and at times we wondered if they'd forgotten us.
Dishes we like especially are the Salt and Pepper Calamari (perfectly crispy and light), Hunan Catfish, Tofu with Vegetable Soup, Chicken with wok-seared potatoes (yum), and more I can't remember. -
Review from Damien S.
3/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
First to admit, I don't spend a ton of time in Brookline. With contemporary pan-Asian, booty bumpin' wonderlands like Golden Temple, this will change.
Double-stepping past four valets, through glass doors and into the Superman's hideout, the epic vaulted ceilings and carved institutional interior set the tone for something larger than life. Is that Beyonce coming the bar to the left? Some mysteries better left unanswered as we cut right to the furthest of three dining chambers, our table of 12 already seated.
Perusing the menu, I'm struck by two distinct characteristics:
- They want you to know immediately and repeatedly that they prep each dish as healthily as possible. Hell, just check what they chose for a biz URL.
- This is obviously to offset the guilt caused by the incredibly powerful adult beverages you're bound to down. Fact.
Offering entrees that stray just enough to separate themselves from EveryChinese, dinners run $10-$18 with specialties like Cantonese lobster and Beijing duck nearing $40. Opted for beef udon ($15) with the spice kicked up a bit. Light, fragrant, loaded with promised meat and veg and plated like it was headed to a menu shoot, the meal looked beautiful, tasted mild yet ate pleasantly light. Too much food though, and if the future mandated a repeat performance, I'd order the medium serving ($10.65) to save room for the cherries in my Suffering Bastard.
Yo what?!?1 Child, you be cray cray.
Iced in an accordion highball glass, my Tiki-inspired drank, comprised of a whole shitload of rum, juice, citrus and (yay!) Chartreuse, rocked my sobriety for ten clams. Pricey, but fine because one is all you need. Ever.
Do I think the plate of noodles and a single cocktail are worth $32 after tax and tip? Probably not, yet I walked feeling full without being bloated and little more smiley, so maybe? Fence. I'm on it.
Paid and bounced only to hear Black Eyed Peas from that damn bar. Investigated like Magnum PI, discovered a strobe-painted wedding dance stage just aching for inexperienced feet to start cutting shapes. Night was young leaving the empty laminate floor merely surrounded by clapping onlookers waiting for someone to shatter the ice with a half-ass running man.
I'll be that, Golden Temple. Next time.Listed in: Dance Party! Dance Party!…
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Review from Elizabeth B.
Brookline, MA
1/23/2011
Come for the food, stay for the amazing cocktails, return for the late night dance party.
Golden Temple has it all. A casual meal, a nice date, a classy bar, and awkward dancing.
The menu: 15 pages. The cocktail menu: several pages as well, featuring highballs, frozen concoctions, sake, beer, you name it!
Everything I've eaten there has been delicious. And the cocktails are generally around $10, which is not bad considering how elaborate and tasty they are. Worth coming in just for a drink, and maybe getting distracted by an appetizer or two.
One gripe: the service could be better. An older gentleman seems to be in charge and knows his stuff, but, with another waiter, we, well, waited... a long time. Somehow it doesn't stop me from coming back.
I dream of your lo mein and mai tais.Listed in: Date Night, The hidden gems of Washington…
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Review from Jennifer S.
Brookline, MA
9/25/2011
A really great place to go for drinks and even appetizers (the BEST eggrolls ever) but the rest of their food is very expensive and honestly a little bland. It's just ok, nothing special.
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Review from Michelle C.
Brookline, MA
2/7/2011
Hmm. Golden Temple turns into a top-40 homecoming dance-esque club on Friday nights, only the dudes look like high school chemistry teachers, and the girls look like prostitutes.
I watched a girl pick up discarded drinks off of deserted tables and throw them back, forever cementing in my mind the gross-factor of a weekend night here. HOWEVER, by the time you make it to Golden Temple you're probably pretty sauced anyway and running on home-brew and adrenaline, so you might not mind.
The food is the ultimate savior here because, regardless of the grossness you are basking in, they consistently deliver some crazy-good food and the kind of cocktail that will deem it appropriate to do the Dougie. -
Review from Chris T.
Brighton, MA
8/18/2011
This place is an abomination on so many levels. I get that they don't serve real Chinese food but this is just a slap in the face to the Americanized version. Every dish is just bland and greasy. Let's not forget the sketchy gang member/middle aged coke addict roofie den this place turns into at night.
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Review from Erik O.
Boston, MA
12/12/2010 2 Check-ins Here
I don't do Chinese food like i used to, but this place is great!
it is noticeably better than your average Chinese delivery/take out place.
It has a beautiful interior, and the food is outstanding.
They do Midnight Martinis and Dancing everynight of the week in the bar area.
the drinks are awesome, very strong, but they are not cheap. ($11/Mai Thai)
This is an awesome spot to go for a gathering. ie b-day, ect, ect
They also do it up real nice for Chinese new years, with mini parades, fireworks, and the red envelopes complete with nice coffee mugs and such. -
Review from Bill C.
Brookline, MA
9/2/2011
Hard to find worse Chinese food than this place. If you like bland AND over-priced, you will love the Temple. Another in a long line of awful Brookline restaurants
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Review from Kelsey F.
2/12/2011
I've had take out from Golden Temple but hadn't actually eaten there until last night, despite the fact that I live 2 seconds away. It was pretty packed being a Friday night, but we (5 of us) were sat within 15 minutes. While we were waiting we sipped on some Mai Tai's which were delicious.
We ordered a bunch of different appetizers/dishes for the table. Beef terriyaki, scallion pancakes, pork ribs, and shao mai. They were all good.
We also ordered a scorpion bowl that we thought tasted a little funny. It was really, really sour.
The bill was relatively low for 5 of us eating and drinking. All in all Golden Temple was good, cheap, and it's defintiley different. The restaurant design itself is really cool too. I hear that it turns into a club at night - may have to check that out at some point! -
Review from Mike I.
Brookline, MA
10/4/2010
I always thought of the Golden Temple as an overpriced, gaudy restaurant, good for big groups and a random dance party. I'm not really sure why I had that idea in my head, and it's too bad because it had been too long between visits for me.
We went on Saturday night with a group of 6. We were seated promptly, but from there the service was pretty erratic. That was the only problem though, the food was really good, the Golden Temple Mai Tais are outstanding (but watch out after you've had a couple), and the prices are actually pretty good for a sit down Chinese restaurant. Yeah- other reviewers, I know it's more expensive than a take-out place down the street, but you can't get the GT experience at a take out place.
It definitely won't take as long to go back to the Golden Temple, I'm hooked!Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Alyson G.
12/5/2010
Dance Party at a Chinese Restaurant? I had heard the rumors, so when I was across the street at the Publick House a few weeks ago with some friends we decided to check it out after. The DJ was actually playing good songs, and not switching them every 30 seconds like another place I was recently. The bartenders were nice and it was easy to get a drink.
The dance floor was small, but we had fun. Didn't get any late night snacks, but I'm sure I'll end up there again. I'm not one to pass up a Dance Party. -
Review from Orly M.
Somerville, MA
7/11/2010 ROTD 9/15/2010
With my beloved Hong Kong in Fanuiel Hall still closed due to a tragic fire, there was a hole in my heart that only scorpion bowls and terriyaki could fill.
I was pretty excited about this place after reading Tsada's review, my People have a long and historic relationship with Chinese food, I think it goes back at least 3,000 years.
We sat down for some food and to peruse the long list of"exotic" (read: cheap liquor and grenadine) cocktails. I ordered shau mai because I was trying to order something that isn't too calorific to go with my 500 calorie beverage. They came fast and were oddly reminiscent of gefilte fish in color, consistency, and flavor. I will pass on gefilte fish in wonton skin on my next trip. There was a drink on the menu that boasted 5 different kind of liquor that was calling my name, but coconut cream was one of the ingredients. I asked the waiter if it was very creamy (i can deal with a 500 calorie drink, but a 1000 calorie drink is pushing it...) and he said that it wasn't. So I ordered it and this pina colada looking thing was dropped in front of me. Whaaaat? The waiter was kind enough to swap it out for a delicious mai tai.
I finish my gefilte-mai and we want to dance so we ask for our check. It comes and I drop a $20 in there and my friend puts her card in. The waiter takes the $20 and charges my friend the full amount on her card. Seriously?? I spend several minutes trying to track him down before I finally asked another waiter to resolve the situation.
So we are clearly headed into two star territory here, where did these other 2 stars come from you may ask? Why from the sketchy ass dance floors and the middle aged DJ pumping delightfully cheesy beats, of course! (holla at me Miley Cyrus!) This was sketchy beyond words in the most amazing way. We enjoyed dancing our pants off and watching the spectacle around us for quite a while. Around 1:15 we left to join a disgraced friend at another bar, and I think it was a good time to make an exit because more orange skinned women in trashy clothes than I have ever seen (excluding Bravo TV shows and the Lohan family) were swarming in.
I must have said "I love the Golden Temple" at least 10 times last night, so I will return for more mai tais and fewer gefilte-mais. -
Review from Shane M.
Cambridge, MA
12/11/2010
This is a spectacular restaurant. I went here for a birthday meal with a few of my friends and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. First, you walk in and the decor is epic. A great atmosphere. You really get that feeling that you're in a special place.
The menu is packed with all kinds of great stuff, but I was in the mood for the ol' stand-by, general gau with a side of spring rolls. I think probably the best part about this place is that you don't have to feel guilty after eating the food, unlike many Chinese restaurants where the food is greasy, fatty, and salty. The chicken was crispy but didn't have that super-fried feel that general gau chicken sometimes has. The sauce was excellent, but best of all the chicken definitely tasted fresh. As good as the chicken was, I will say the spring rolls were EXCELLENT. Easily the best I've ever had. For a drink I ordered a raspberry freeze, which was pretty much like drinking sorbet. For dessert was a tiramisu, very light and soft, excellent.
Last, the service was great, friendly and we got our food very quick. I give this place a very high recommendation. Check it out! It's a unique place, apparently there's a dance floor and a good selection of drinks too. I can't say I know any other Chinese restaurant around with that good of a combo. -
Review from Peter R.
1/4/2011
Laugh a little when you walk into Golden Temple and see how dramatically decorated it is.
I visited with Jess N. and my review coincides with hers. Though we all ordered entrees, the server brought Jess the appetizer version of what she'd ordered. Drinks spill occasionally but twice is a little rough.
My food was delicious but the experience was distracting enough that I didn't remember much of what I ate. We didn't wait for Jess but it was unpleasant eating while she waited for the correct dish to be brought out. It was just too much damage control during a dinner. -
Review from Rani P.
9/3/2010
One of the best things about being Jewish is the uncanny love for any Asian cuisine, ordering family style and our endless appetites. So when arriving to Golden Temple as a party of 11 with a reservation, including 5 young children, we were quickly seated and browsing through the several page menu. Who doesn't love family style Chinese dinners? We ordered a table full of appetizers and plates (even some we didn't order) overflowed our table for the main course... and to top off the filling dinner- we got about 5 extra fortune cookies (one with a bad fortune which of course I out of pure coincidence brought home for my roommate-- it made her feel great).
Some of the more memorable dishes I tried (good and bad) were Vegetable Tempura (delicious), Chicken Pot Stickers (meh), Crispy Orange Beef (bizarre), Sesame Chicken (typical), Vegetable Lo Mein (good) and Green Tea Buckwheat Spicy Sesame Noodles with Vegetables (this was a dish ordered by another table which arrived to our table- of course we dug in not remembering we didn't order it- and it was not good..)
The waiter seemed frantic and yelling at us the whole time- not yelling angrily- but yelling frantically. Granted you have a loud table of 11- but we didn't order specific dishes so all he had to do was take our order and bring it out. The wait was longer than it probably should have been to get the food- but when you have great company- you barely notice (I barely noticed..). So overall- it was good- Sunday nights didn't include dancing, so I had to stay in my seat, but I was satisfied with the evening.
And the best fortune of the night?
'If you're still hungry, eat another fortune cookie.' -
Review from Brian F.
Boston, MA
5/14/2010 ROTD 12/27/2010
Walking into The E Room at Golden Temple is like walking into a scene out of a Quentin Tarantino movie. On your left is a tight, cramped bar area with several TVs showing the Celtics game and fans boisterously cheering and clapping. On your right is a uniquely lit and cavernous room of tables. Splitting the two is a tiny dance floor and DJ booth blasting disco and various techno dance remixes. Any minute, the Crazy 88 are going to bust in and lay down some whoop ass.
In the meantime... yes, I would love a giant scorpion bowl with straws too long for any logical use. And the fact that I can have one with chambord and another with tequila - perfection.
I cannot wait to return with a large group and have a giant disco dance party, scorpion bowls and mai tais proudly in tow.Listed in: Best of Brookline
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Review from Rebecca A.
Belmont, MA
1/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love the drinks at Golden Temple! I especially love getting the scorpion bowls and the mai thai (the golden temple specialities)
I love almost everything at this place. Yes it's expensive, but its better quality than pretty much anywhere else in Boston.
