South Garden Restaurant

The last two times we tried to come here during business hours, they were closed, and there was a sign in the window stating they wouldn’t be serving dim sum on the weekends anymore. Now I recommend Yummy House or Small House.

I hate to write a short review, but I am definitely enjoying this place. There is still so much I need to try on the menu. Tonight was steamed dumplings and extra spicy laksa. I make dumplings at home and can be particular, but these are a nice size, filled heartily with a great flavor. Good balance of veggies, meats, ginger and soft dumpling. The laksa soup was spicy (husband ordered it extra spicy) but it honestly tasted like I was in someone’s grandma’s kitchen. Great flavor, great veg, but tasted so homemade. Very comforting. I am looking forward to trying some more things on the menu, however, I will be buying A LOT of dumplings and soup from them!

Poor service from a family
Food is awful cause turnip cake overcook to dark chicken feet so salted
Beef chow fun is so-​so
I didn’t say anything at the time I visited but feel so bad to see a restaurant treats food like that

Gainesville, for whatever reason, completely lacks in affordable, good Chinese food. This place is no exception. Lunch specials are pretty cheap and if you’re dying for inexpensive staples like general tsos or cashew chicken this place will temporarily satisfy your cravings but it’s nothing to write home about. It’s unfortunate how unimpressive the food is because they are technically the only dim sum place in town

Best dim sum in town, though the soup bun tastes like frozen foods from grocery store.

I’m unsure why this place is ranked as highly as it is. By the amount of Chinese people I saw at the restaurant, I’m guessing it’s as good as it gets for the area. But, if you’re an out-​of-​towner and have had dim sum before, this is just NOT good. I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the items are ones that you buy straight from the freezer at a Chinese grocery store.
Steamed items were over-​steamed — the dough was mushy. The chicken feet were odd; they weren’t covered with the typical sauce, and instead had more of a neutral seasoning on them.
The only good dish was the taro cake (although, also odd — individual pieces of taro put together and fried, as opposed to ground taro made into a cake).
Also, this place is pretty small, so there are no dim sum carts. Instead, you order from the menu. The lack of carts should’ve alerted me to the breakfast I was signing myself up for.
Nothing sums it up better than what a Taiwanese man said at the table next to me, «Is the owner even Chinese?»

I’m proud to say I popped my Dim Sum cherry at South Garden.
I’d been reading reviews on this Dim Sum thing and felt that my love of Asian cuisine was not true until I had tried it. And now I have. And now I’m going to have a hard time ordering regular Asian takeout when I know this is an option.
For those of you who haven’t tried Dim Sum, in a nutshell it’s the Asian lovechild of Tapas and Brunch.
This past Sunday I tried it at South Garden. We ordered a large variety of items, the service was friendly, fast and knowledgeable about the items — which surprised me since it was a clearly non-​Asian server. It’s a small place, so I would say nix the large group outing. We sat at a table outside with an umbrella and the weather happened to be perfect. And I can’t lie, the presence of Asian families in an Asian restaurant usually makes me a little more confident in the food I will find there.
Here are the things I tried, and my (inexperienced) take on them:
Tarot Cakes — delicious! Good potato/​yucca-​like texture.
Sesame Balls — Crispy, doughy, yummy. Still not sure what flavor the filling was supposed to be…
Steamed Shrimp Dumplings — I didn’t mind them, but probably not my first choice. Is the dumpling supposed to stick to the carrot?
Scallion Cakes — crispy, flaky, yummy.
Some other scallion thing I can’t remember what it was called — also yummy. :)
Pan fried pork and scallion dumplings — absolutely delicious.
Beef Curry Turnover — great crust, but I wish there had been more filling. Didn’t really get to taste it, but the crust was well made!
Chinese Broccoli — surprising, and good! I recently got invisalign, so I couldn’t really enjoy it — but the broth it was served in tasted great.
Egg Custard Tart — I loved the filling, but the crust was again a little too thick for my liking. It was still good, it just got a little tough in the center layers.
Steamed Spare Ribs — not particularly my thing, but not bad either. The bone kind of threw me off, and I tend to not like things that have fat chunks or look like they’re sitting in fat. Everyone else loved them though! So I may not be a fair judge.
The pervasive doughy texture of several items here was probably my favorite part of the meal. It felt decadent and delicious. However — I was sad they weren’t offering BBQ Pork Buns! Everyone who says «try Dim Sum» tends to follow it with «Don’t forget the Pork buns.» I’m thinking I need to go to a larger restaurant at some point, but the choices offered here definitely sufficed for my maiden voyage.
I will definitely be going back. I will also be going to try other food — I saw some Shanghai Lo Mein on the way out that looked quite tasty.

For the last two years without fail, my boyfriend and I would frequent South Gardens for their delicious dim sum every weekend. Our numerous visits meant that we had the opportunity to try out every item on the menu, and came up with a list of our favorite dishes. Normally, I don’t write reviews for restaurants (although I’ve frequented most restaurants in Gainesville), but I believe that this review is long overdue for my favorite restaurant in town aka South Garden.
List of Dim Sum Must-​Haves:
Pork Soup Buns = Hands down, the best dim sum item I’ve ever tasted. A shanghai style dumpling known as xiao long bao, it is essentially a dumpling filled with pork and delicious broth that spills out when you bite into it. Not many restaurants offer this item because it is hard to maintain the juiciness in the bun that defines this remarkable dish. South Garden makes this dish to perfection.
Shrimp Rice Paste = The best we’ve tried anywhere. It’s hot, fresh, and the sweet, light brown sauce can be used as a dipping sauce for other dishes in place of soy sauce.
Stuffed Eggplant = This dish makes me fall in love with eggplant, and the pork filling is just so tasty.
Pork Spare Ribs = Perfectly seasoned and amazingly savory.
Shrimp dumpling = You can taste how fresh this dumpling is compare to major cities that offer the same dish.
Egg Custard = Again, the best egg custard I’ve tasted. It has a crazy amount of crusted layers which I enjoy peeling one by one. The custard inside is glazed and yummy.
Overall, I’ve had dim sum in all of Orlando, Miami, and Chicago, and none of these restaurants can compare to this quaint establishment nestled in a small community in Gainesville. I’ve yet to try dim sum from major cities like New York and San Fran, but I’m sure that with the quality of South Garden’s food, it can hold its own against the big guys.

\o/​
^ That’s me walking into South Garden from now on. Someone get the door for me.
I’m sorry to say that I haven’t tried the dim sum here, and I’m sorrier to say that it’s very unlikely that I ever will. While I would like to, it’s just too far of a drive and too time specific for us. 20 miles and 30 minutes on a Saturday morning :-\
With that said, I CAN review the take-​out lunch, and South Garden does it better than any take-​out place I’ve ever been to. I generally know what to expect when I order from those customary, generic paper menus that are almost identical at every take-​out spot. And usually, the only thing that makes me order from «Wonton King» instead of «Dumpling King» is consistency and cleanliness. South Garden nails these points flawlessly, and adds to it outstanding food quality. You know you’re in for something different when you order here for the first time and are told it will be ready in 20 minutes (What?! Not the universal 10?).
The crab rangoon is probably the biggest star I’ve had here. The filling is excellent and they are so perfectly fried that it’s seriously hard to stop eating them. I also love the homemade sauces that I’ve tried (sweet & sour and General Tso’s thus far) and am just impressed that they make their own sauces at all. The General Tso’s dish has a nice spice to it (probably spicier if you ask) and is not the bland paste I’ve been subjected to the majority of my life. Also, the fried chicken pieces have a lot more flavor and actual chicken inside as opposed to the overfried balls of disappointment I’ve had elsewhere.
It sucks that thousands of other places with this same idea can’t follow the same M.O. Apparently they are just lazy. South Garden has proven that they can provide the same menu with basically the same prices but with better execution. This is probably the only place in town I will order take-​out from anymore. If I’m not nearby or if they aren’t open, I’ll fend off my craving until I can stop by. Who knows, I might even make a special trip for the dim sum.

We got some take out from here a couple of weeks ago and I was impressed. Looking forward to having dim sum in the restaurant in the future. We will be ordering takeout again. On the phone the person taking my order recommended hot and spicy chicken. Out of what we ordered it was my favorite dish and had a nice flavor with a little spice and crisp vegetables.
Had dim sum at South Garden today. Was enjoyable and affordable. Will definitely be back. We ordered the broccoli, sesame balls, chive dumplings, pork steamed buns, beef turnovers, stuffed eggplant, and egg custard tarts. The sesame balls were really great, some of the best I have had and these are a favorite food. The chive dumplings were filled with what seemed to be ground pork and chives and were really delicious. We also enjoyed the beef turnovers and broccoli. Neither of us were impressed with the pork steam buns (too much bun to filling and just not a great flavor in either) and if we go back we will try something else instead. Ditto the stuffed eggplant, though I would rate it more highly than the pork steamed buns. Had a nice pot of jasmine tea with our food.

Disclaimer: I came here for lunch on a weekday and not for dim sum since everyone here is reviewing the dim sum.
BUT! If the dim sum really is that good, maybe the restaurant should consider only doing dim sum full time, because the lunch here is bad.
Being from Malaysia, I was excited to see that they have Laksa, which is practically a national dish. We got the Tofu Laksa and while I have had bad laksa before, this is NOT laksa at all. The Laksa here is NOT laksa at all. Funny because they have a little explanation at the end of the menu saying what Laksa is but then it leaves me wondering why if you supposedly know what it should be, how can your interpretation of it be so wrong? The laksa here will be better named Tofu, Vegetable and Vermicelli soup. If that was indeed what I ordered, then I will not be so disappointed. Even then, the broth was bland and laksa is anything but bland. There was not a hint of spice or curry in their rendition here.
Now, you may ask, why go to to a Chinese restaurant and order laksa, which is not a Chinese dish? Then my question would been, why put it on your menu when you clearly have no idea what the dish is or what it should taste like? Just stick to what one does best and do well on it. I am not super picky about authenticity and I think sometimes a little creativity and innovation will make the most remarkable flavors. Therefore, I enjoy food that are a twist on their original flavor as long as it is tasty. So, if it’s not going to be authentic, it better darn well be tasty. But alas, the laksa here is neither authentic, nor tasty.
We also ordered the Chicken in Satay Sauce, which again, has no flavor of satay sauce AT ALL. If it was named Stir-​fry Chicken with Broccoli, then it would have been a decent dish.
It may be just a name but it messes with my expectations and therefore, I was deeply disappointed.
The fried spring rolls were tasty though and it tasted very fresh. Service was friendly but a little spotty and I didn’t like that they used styrofoam boxes even for dine-​in customers.
I’m sad because I will likely never find out how good the dim sum is because I don’t think I can convince my husband to give this place another chance.

Four stars because it’s in Gainesville. If it were in a big city with more options, it would have been three.
Good food — DIM SUM on Saturday brunch only.
WAY LONG WAITS for food after ordering and laughable (really) service. Yes i’m sure we were forgotten about a few times.
Really small seating area inside — people were playing musical chairs switching from outside to inside as soon as an inside table opened.
Shrimp Dumplings — tasty, small, six pieces
Steamed Pork Dumplings — my partners fav, four larger pieces
Pork Chow Mein — large portion and yummy
Chinese Broccoli — large stalks, good portion.
Go for the dim sum, but only if you’re not in any sort of hurry.

I mainly come here for Dim Sum, and I keep coming back despite the distance. The food comes out hot, fresh and relatively fast. It doesn’t hurt that the staff is very pleasant either. I also, appreciate that the menu is updated every now and then.
The food is cooked with amazing consistency. I don’t believe there’s every been a time when something came out not tasting the way I remember it.
My one complaint (and this is just a personal preference) is the same one I have for a lot of Asian restaurants: you can’t get free refills on soft drinks since they sell them by the can/​bottle. It’s a small thing and you can always get tea after all.
I have had the dinner here recently as well. That menu reads pretty much like a standard chinese take-​out menu. However, the quality of the food is far and away better than anything you’ll get at your standard $ 5 lunch special chinese take-​out place. Don’t let the appearance fool you (of the menu not the food), it’s good stuff.

I have been meaning to update my review for a long time now. But, after returning from my many NYC escapades in dim sum I feel that South Garden needs to be re-​evaluated. «Big city» dim sum has more different types of dishes to choose from, however they lack in freshness. Often the food is served room temperature from a cart, sitting out for hours, which does not compliment the glutinous textures of most dim sum dishes.
At South Garden, all dishes are selected from a menu and cooked to order, so everything is undeniably fresh. We recently dined here and were completely blown away by the freshness of the food, specifically the steamed pork dumplings and the Gai Lan with oyster sauce. The food comes out steaming hot and now served on ceramic dishes instead of the old Styrofoam that they used to use. I am addicted to their chili oil here, that has a fragrant touch of anise to it– I cover the fried squid with the stuff.
The dim sum servers are also top notch, working well together to get the food out quickly and provide the most attentive service possible. We were even sitting outside where they could not see us, but still came by to check on us often. They open at 10:30am on the weekends for dim sum, so I try to get there by 11:00am before they are slammed with customers in their small dining space. When the weather is great we love to sit outdoors for more of a café setting.
There are only two dim sum restaurants to choose from in Gainesville; Han’s and South Garden. Both are priced the same for the dim sum courses. At Han’s you get white tablecloth service for that price, and at SG you get more of a small café setting (just a step up from take-​out). Try both often. Brunching appears to be the new hotness, and dim sum should definitely be included in that trend.

Review for the Dim Sum
This place was A-​OK. It wasn’t great and it’s one of few places that sell dim sum. (The other being Mr. Han’s) The selection was decent, and the tea was good. The servers are friendly but the place was pretty small.
We ordered a bunch of things including chicken feet, shrimp dumplings, turnip cake, beef tripe, shrimp rice paste, etc. The chicken feet was cooked in soy-​based sauce (most dim sum places across the state have em in black bean sauce — much different). They were still ok but not the best. The shrimp dumplings were good (my favorite dim sum item). The trunip cake and shrimp rice paste were merely ok, nothing special. The beef tripe wasnt good. I didnt enjoy it, it tasted kinda funny to me. The shumai is underwhelming and the roast pork buns seem to be the frozen ones.
The food wasn’t bad, but it’s certainly not the best. It may be one of the best options as far as a dim sum substitute in Gainesville.

My friend Daniel and I ate here for dinner tonight, as I had read very good reviews of South Garden here on Unilocal and a couple good friends who are very experienced with Chinese food also recommended it.
The atmosphere really surprised me: it was clean certainly, but the interior of the restaurant is downright tiny and it was clear that most of their business is take-​away except for their weekend dim sum which probably draws a large crowd – weather allowing – for their outdoor seating. As we dined here on one of the coldest nights thus far of the 2010 – 2011 winter, we were not going to eat out on the patio. There is enough interior seating for only a few tables, but the overall feel is slightly odd and uncomfortable. Despite that, our waiter was very nice and attentive. Several people came in during the course of our dinner to get their take-​away orders, too, and all seemed like regulars.
The dinner (non-​dim sum) menu is somewhat limited but contains all the Cantonese and other favorites anyone really needs for a decent Chinese experience. My Hot and Spicy Beef and Daniel’s General Tso’s Chicken were both very good – the beef was in fact spicy and the sauce tasted very fresh and exactly as I’d expect while the General Tso’s was some of the best I’d had, really. Also, their prices simply cannot be beat: their prices are in line with the generic, fast food Chinese places you see all over town. And of course, South Garden’s quality is 10x better.
Given the high quality of the food and the low prices, my only complaints are the location (which is quite far away from me yet probably a godsend for people who live in Haile Plantation), and the awkward interior seating. As huge as Haile is, they probably can do a good business on take-​away alone and besides, dim sum seems to be what they’re building their greatest fame on overall. South Garden is certainly very good food and worth a drive to partake in, I just wish the restaurant itself was of the super tacky-​glam variant of Chinese-​American palaces like Won-​Lee in DeLand or Chen’s in Savannah – you know, with dim lighting, huge booths, and many a Chinese lantern hanging about and, best of all, Teresa Teng on the stereo. Now, THAT’S the setting you expect for food like this.

5 stars. Solid!
No rounding up. No platitudes. No Bullsh*t.
Frankly put, it is not worth getting Chinese food unless it is from this place. After several visits during various times (dim sum, lunch and dinner) my conclusion is: If you don’t go for dinner, you haven’t gone at all. Not that their dim sum (or even lunch) is not good– quite the contrary, it’s very good; but dinner is absolutely exceptional. I defy anyone to find a better Kung Pao and/​or Sweet & Sour, and/​or Honey Chicken and/​or Crab Rangoon in town.
The Honey/​Sweet & Sour Chicken: Right out of the fryer these golden-​fried dumplings are unbeatable. The exterior is thin and crispy yet yield to slightest pressure, revealing immaculately juicy chicken surrounded by a molten cloud. Dip these bad boys into their HOMEMADE sweet and sour sauce (which, in this reporter’s opinion, is superior to their still exquisite honey chicken sauce). When it comes to sauces this place does not merely pry open a tin can and dump the contents into a plastic soufflé cup; the sauces are all made in house. Sprinkle some of their chili oil (a timeless favorite of mine) on the fried rice or Shredded Pork Chow Mein (Lo Mein during dinner) and know bliss– Chinese takeout CAN be ethereal!
Even though I drive from probably the furthest point you can possibly be while still in town, it is always worth it. Wanna’ talk attention to detail? Upon picking up an order (not as good as actually eating it there mind you) I noticed the little wax bag of Crab Rangoon was not closed, anticipating my query, before I could get a word out, the young lady said: «The bag is open so that they don’t steam and get soggy on the way home.» Right on point! It is better to reheat, if need be, than to «re-​crisp.»
Simply put: Perfection! My favorite restaurant in Gainesville. Bravo!

For weekend Dim Sum the best option in Gainesville. Prices are very affordable and the place does get packed on the weekend when they offer Dim Sum so get there early. I’ve been several times for the Dim Sum.
Outside seating is available too.
Very small operation hidden in Haile Plantation that turns out some surprisingly good food. Granted this is not SF, NYC or HK caliber but where most of the other Chinese restaurants in Gainesville are total grease pits, South Garden is indeed a gem.

I just had some nice dim sum here. I never thought that there would be such a nice food still hiding in Gainesville. The food was pretty impressive; I liked the shrimp in rice layers, and chive ones. The surrounding area had a soothing mood which makes it better.
There were many many Chinese eating there, so I think they agree that this is the best Chinese cousin that one can get in Gainesville (at least dim sum wise).
Update: I’ve been here 3 times now. It’s constantly tasty. If you are drinking tea, Oolong is better than Jasmine. My favorite is shrimp in rice paste.

Just went here for Dim Sum today, they offer it from 10:30am to 2pm on weekends. I’ve been a couple times and have always been pleased with the results. Mostly Asian families during dim sum time. I love the beef/​shrimp rice paste (noodles wrapped around beef or shrimp with a nice brown sauce). The sesame balls are a lot smaller, not like normal dim sum size but I liked them better that way. It’s less airy but more filled with red bean. Egg tarts are a lot smaller too, cute but a little harder than their normal sized counterparts. Ribs, tripe, chicken feet all taste great albeit a little bit greasy. Turnip cake and the pork dumplings were especially good.
They seem to have upgraded to actual plates now and chopsticks but still offer plastic utensils.
Everything came out quickly and servers were pleasant. Very lax environment. Good place to fulfill those dim sum cravings.