Golden Garden Chinese Restaurant

Simply the best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten. It had been talked up by my companions, and while I had my doubts, it exceeded all expectations.
The small restaurant was clean and lacked the old oil smell that so many places have. Our crew packed the seating and threatened to overwhelm staff. But our orders were gracefully and quickly taken. Once the food started coming, it trickled out (27 of us plus a couple of other tables, so not unexpected) and everything was hot and fresh.
I have never been a huge fan of Americanized Chinese food, you know the typical sesame, orange, Tso chicken and so on, because it was always overly sweet, saucy, heavily breaded, oily, and really tasted about the same. But the food here had distinctive tastes, was not too sweet or heavy, and the fried items were fresh and lacked that old fryer taste.
The spring rolls were awesome, best I’ve ever had. The hot and sour soup looked like everyone else’s but tasted much better than any I’ve had. Crab Rangoon was very good, each generously filled with distinguishable crab pieces and cream cheese, versus the mush most have. And my sesame chicken was off the hook good. It tasted unique, the sauce was light, and I really enjoyed it. The rice was good, nothing too special but not dried out or over-​cooked, either. It complimented the main dish well.
All members of our group seemed pleased or impressed with their picks. Most said it was the best they’ve had, too. I have to say, I’m a fan. My wife has a special dietary need and they had no trouble modifying her dish to suit.
Lastly, the prices were crazy cheap for the lunch menu. My tab for six, three of which were teen boys who had just played a frisbee tournament, was under $ 43 before tip. Folks, that’s McD’s money for quality chow. What a great pick and worth the drive for the unique tastes. Give it a try.

While getting a manicure a few weeks ago, one of the other customers was commenting on how good this food was. I decided to try it and was not at all disappointed. It stays crowded for lunch and dinner. I brought my daughter with me on my second visit and she fell in love with the place too. The service is good, the food is hot and fresh and very affordable. Great neighborhood jewel, hidden in plain sight!

This is the best Chinese in town! I love Pad Thai and order it wherever I can find it, since I’ve had it here I don’t order it anywhere else! It is to die for! It has the standard spice with chicken, shrimp and tofu! My husband enjoys the Cantonese Noodles which are very good as well. The Hot & Sour Soup is also very delicious! This is a family owned and operated restaurant so the wait may be a little long on a Friday or Saturday but it is well worth it!

Very clean, the owner was very polite and completed my take out when she’s said she would. The pork fried rice was the best I’ve Everything tasted fresh, which is not typical with most Chinese restaurants. It may be a hole-​in-​the-​wall but don’t be fooled, it’s worth a visit.

The best Chinese food in the land… You will not be let down with anything on the menu. We have eaten here a few times, have tried completely different items and everything has tasted perfect. You might get whatever you want to go because this place is always packed. Enjoy!

One of the last old school Chinese family restaurants in town. Lunch time it’s busy and will be full of people. Service is good for being as busy as it always is.
The one thing I can say is that this place is very clean. I peeked in the kitchen. It was spotless, even during lunch.
As far as food goes it’s the typical Americanized Chinese food. Kung pow, general tso, three meat delights in brown sauce are all great along with the fried rice & lo mien. Served in good sized but not overwhelming portions. Apps and soups are great especially the hot & sour soup.
If you want an old school, clean Chinese dining experience at a great price this is the place.

I got a glimpse of the kitchen when I was taking my mother in law back to the bathroom, it was sparklingly clean! So many Chinese restaurants don’t take care to keep their corners clean this one has squeaky clean corners!
The food, OMG, the food! Start out with the hot and sour soup. It’s got just the right amount of spice it’s a great temperature and thick enough to be called soup and its entirely made on the premises!
Then get the appetizer platter, it gives you three different flavors for only 5 95.
There were three of us in our party. My husband got garlic chicken it was very garlicky and very delicious! I got the curry beef I askd them to make it mildly spicy. It arrived perfectly seasoned and full of flavor! My mother in law got chicken with cashews, they have added a twist to their sauce they put a spot of hoison (sweet plum sauce) in it which gives it a sweet flavor. This was not my favorite dish but it was still very tasty!
For three people our bill came to 39.50, before tip. That included drinks, soup appetizer plate and 3 entrees! Great deal for the price.
Customer service: when you first walk in you’re at a loss as to whether to seat yourself or wait to be seated but almost immediately the owner’s wife makes eye contact, indicates how many people and points to a table. I say this because there’s always a waiting line in this place but they always make eye contact with you and acknowledge that you’re there. Several times while we were eating the owner Raymond came out and would chat with people at the tables. He’s a tall jovial oriental man. While he is talented as a cook he is also an accomplished conversationalist ! You will enjoy your visit! My favorite part was when he introduced himself as Waymond… Instead of Raymond!

Everything I expect in a Chinese restaurant. Fast to take our order. Fast to get our order. Water glass always full. We went on a Saturday for lunch. Lots of locals. Very pleasant time. Price is reasonable and portion size is plenty.

I love this place! The only downside is they’re closed on Mondays. And it seems that I always crave them on Monday… Kinda just like craving Chick-​fil-​a on Sundays…

Here are 3 reasons why I love golden garden:
1. Yu Shang tofu (Also available with a variety of alternative proteins or broccoli) is my favorite Chinese dish ever — the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.
2. Rebecca knows my name and my partner’s. She recognizes our voices when we call in for take out. She helps us remember things like I like extra veggies and she likes a little egg drop in her hot and sour soup.
3. Speaking of the hot and sour soup… Soooooooooooooooo good. And when one of us is sick, we literally buy tubs of it to take home for medicinal purposes.
For great food and excellent service, I think golden garden is the best Chinese restaurant in town.

For the BEST General Tso’s Chicken in Knoxville go here. The portions are generous and very tasty. The lady that runs the place is a service oriented person and does a really good job of getting me in and out during a lunch rush. I’ve had other things on their menu but the General Tso’s is my favorite.

Nothing fancy but was good. The service was lacking but believe it was a family business and was busy. I would go back and get something simple like general Tsos to compare it to others.

How many Chinese villagers could be fed by an order of chicken from Golden Garden? Probably at least six if you count the rice it comes with, and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. My General’s lasted me through three separate meals, and after each one I felt like I had eaten too much. Golden Garden definitely has the «bang for your buck» thing down.
But just what is it that you’re getting so much of? Actually, the chicken itself tastes like its at least one notch above the cheapest cut; in other words, one gets a sense of actual chicken being present. I can’t say I’m too fond of the sauces, though. I tried both the sesame and the General’s, and both were on the verge of being sickly sweet (in fact, the sesame may have been just over that verge). Furthermore, there was no heat to the General’s and really not much flavor to either. Seems like an unfortunate fate for the entire coop of chickens which was presumably slaughtered to fill up one box of chicken here.
The sides were similarly mediocre. The potstickers were okay I suppose, but there was some ingredient in the crab rangoons that just seemed a touch off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, and it’s nothing over-​the-​top gross, but it’s just not quite right either.

Where to start. From the outside you don’t know whether you’re entering an adult video store or a restaurant.
We ordered the appetizer sampler. The crab rangoon was by far the best thing we had. The egg roll was ok, it had an odd taste to it. The dumpling was nothing more than fried dough with a spec of meat in it.
The general tso’s chicken was the worst I’ve ever had. The chicken was dry and the sauce was runny and flavorless. There was no spice in this dish either.
By far the worst Chinese food I’ve had in a very long time. I would not recommend.

Good, cheap Asian food. Not much else to say. I really like the lunch specials they have. It’s good, but nothing outstanding so 4 stars.

The food here is really good. Things like the general tso’s have a more delicate flavor than just super in your face sugar sauce goop. It is also nice that the meat looks like real chicken instead of that grey meat junk most places serve. They also make their own duck sauce that is just fantastic. I have never had anything from here that I did not enjoy. Prices are pretty much standard for Chinese food in this area and of course the lunch specials are a much better value.
The only complaint I have about Golden Garden is the lack of service. It is pretty much just 1 lady running the entire operation (Serving, taking to-​go orders, ringing people up, etc etc) with someone in the back cooking. They really need to hire a dedicated waitress so you don’t sit there for 5 minutes with an empty glass of tea.
Definitely give this place a try if you want chinese food and you are in the area, you won’t regret it.

Great food at quite a reasonable price. My mother and I both ate for $ 11. The lunch menu wasn’t extensive, but we both asked for items not on the menu. I was more than satisfied with the accommodation and execution of the dishes. I asked for broccoli & mushrooms in a brown garlic sauce, and it was awesome. Not too greasy, either. The hot and sour soup was tasty too.

Disappointed in the amount vs the money and quality. House Special Soup had little contents as far as meats, vegetables, etc. Pork was chewy and fatty. Only one shrimp in a quart of soup, little bit of chicken and that unsavory pork. I’ll go somewhere else from now on.

3.5 would be more accurate. This place is clean, the staff is very friendly, and the ingredients in every dish I’ve had tasted fresh (unlike some hole in the wall chinese take out places where the shrimp was bad well before they decided to put it in your shrimp fried rice. you know what I’m talking about).
That said, the food was just not that flavorful. Each dish seemed like a dumbed down version of something I’ve eaten elsewhere. They need to kick up the flavor a notch.

This is American Chinese food, and if you go in expecting that, you’re going to be pleased.
They have all of the standards – kung pao, fried rice, lo mein, mooshu, and I even saw egg fu yung on the menu.
I was in for lunch & got the hot & sour soup and the twice cooked pork. Both were solid. The soup was nicely spicy, but what grabbed me was the sour element. Clearly, they gave it a shot of fresh lime juice right before it left the kitchen. It really hit my spot.
The pork was really tasty, as well. Again, nicely spicy – I could see flecks of red pepper (possibly sambal) but I also found nice – still small, but visible, chunks of chili in there. Comes with the standard corn-​starch thickened brown (soy based) sauce, and it wasn’t terribly greasy. Comes with an eggroll, which although my food-​snob self considers them to be pedestrian, I ate the hell out it anyway. Solid eggroll.
The owners are really very nice – Rebecca took our order & her husband prepared it AND served it. Really cool to see that.
Next time, I’m going to get the big bowl of hot and sour soup and I’m going to try the potstickers. Definitely worth making the trek on Western Ave.