The food is exactly what is advertised: solid, affordable, fast Chinese takeout. Not much has changed in the 35 years since I first had Main Garden. Chicken and broccoli is still my go-to order. You don't go here for atmosphere. Stick with the tried-and-true and you will be happy.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Resham Talwar
We stopped by at 10.24 pm but they still served us so that was great!! Unfortunately, 1 order of spring roll only has one roll AND they saw both me and my partner come in but gave us only one fortune cookie :( food was mid but not the worst I’ve had. No place to sit and eat either.
Kayla Brown
Honestly the worst Chinese food I’ve ever had in my life. The quality of the food is pretty bad. If you like chewy chicken and dry rice then this is your place. The restaurant looks pretty run down as well, this place needs some help
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 5
Julio pezcao
The food tastes amazing and the portion sizes are more than generous. Main garden is a cornerstone of the community. I recommend everyone try it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Ezrow
My Main Garden! Iconic Chinese joint serving Yalies till late since 1989.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 3
Jeremy Edmunds
In a forgettable corner of New Haven where neon cuts through winter's early darkness, Main Garden stands in white clapboard, its windows trimmed with gentle blue LED strips that sparkle like a chef's knife through warm tofu.
Time moves differently here. Under the steady hum of fluorescent lights, the lucky cat waves its endless blessing over transactions measured in white paper cartons and brown sauce. The menu board glows like a constellation of faded comfort, each photograph a promise of satisfaction without pretense. Every dish glistens with the same sauce that has sustained college students and third-shift workers for generations.
The chicken and broccoli arrives in its white container, steam rising like morning fog over the harbor. The sauce strikes the perfect balance, neither too thick nor too thin, carrying just enough garlic to remind you you're alive. The broccoli maintains its dignity, refusing to surrender completely to the heat. It is good because it doesn't try to be anything else.
Inside, the space is purely functional, a clean(ish), efficient takeout counter backed by a wall of illuminated menu photos. The pine counter stands guard, its knots and grain telling stories in a language older than the establishment itself. The ATM whirs in the corner, a modern concession in an analog space. No one minds. This is how it works.
They serve more than food here. They serve consistency in an inconsistent world. Every sad plastic container is a contract, between the family behind the counter and the community that keeps them there. The portions are generous because generosity is part of the deal. The service is quick because time is the one ingredient they know you can't spare.
The magic happens in those white boxes, in the steam that fogs car windows as people rush home with their treasure. The food travels well because it has to. This is takeout elevated to an art form through decades of practice.
Some say the place is basic. They're missing the point. Main Garden isn't trying to be contemporary; it's a time machine that serves lunch. The straightforward setup isn't a flaw, it's a feature. Every well-worn tile in the herringbone floor is part of the story.
And about that broccoli versus kale sign? That's the kind of wit you can't buy with a SOM marketing degree. It's the quiet confidence of a place that knows exactly what it is and what it isn't. In a world of food trends and Instagram aesthetics, Main Garden stands as a testament to the eternal truth that sometimes, you just want your chicken and broccoli to taste like chicken and broccoli.
Is it going to win awards? No. Will it change your life? Probably not. But on a cold New Haven night, when the snow is piling up and your soul needs something more substantial than a salad but less demanding than a four-star tasting menu, Main Garden delivers. Literally and figuratively.
And in the end, isn't that what we're really hungry for?
P.S. The broccoli really is 100% less trendy than kale. And that's exactly how we like it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 5
Jeffrey Duncan-Lowey
Three years of great service from Main Garden. Portions are generous, and the food is great. All dishes, General Tsos, orange chicken, moo goo gai pan, egg rolls, are what you wwnt when you envision them. They have gladly swapped proteins on dishes when we've asked. Food is ready quick, too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: General TSO's Chicken, Ribs
MachLoop
Best American style Chinese food in New Haven! We go here regularly and it’s great every time. The owners are so friendly too. Highly recommended!
Ednare Douyon
The food is good it's just that when you ask for extra sauce either Duck Sauce hot sauce or that black sauce soy sauce or even ketchup they want to charge you an extra dollar that's not right everything's supposed to be free
Never ordering here again. These people are incapable of making a good meal or following directions. I ordered extra sauce on my general tso chicken. I got 7 pieces of chicken all rice no extra sauce it was bone dry. The dumplings were hardly cooked to the point I had to throw them in the toaster oven to make sure they were safe to eat.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Pikaa Chu
Hidden gem downtown new haven. Truly chinese food heaven.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mark Niglio
Great food fast friendly service .. highly recommend
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sweet and Sour Chicken, Ribs, General TSO's Chicken, Beef Lo Mein
Shazia Khan
This place has a mom and pop feel with a cute atmosphere inside. The food is infinitely better than the fancier Mexican restaurant right next door. It was affordable and the wait staff was super polite and attentive. 10/10 if you’re looking for low key, affordable, authentic Mexican food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mark Cristoforo
Great food fast friendly service .. highly recommend
The food is exactly what is advertised: solid, affordable, fast Chinese takeout. Not much has changed in the 35 years since I first had Main Garden. Chicken and broccoli is still my go-to order. You don't go here for atmosphere. Stick with the tried-and-true and you will be happy.
Food: 5
Service: 5
We stopped by at 10.24 pm but they still served us so that was great!! Unfortunately, 1 order of spring roll only has one roll AND they saw both me and my partner come in but gave us only one fortune cookie :( food was mid but not the worst I’ve had. No place to sit and eat either.
Honestly the worst Chinese food I’ve ever had in my life. The quality of the food is pretty bad. If you like chewy chicken and dry rice then this is your place. The restaurant looks pretty run down as well, this place needs some help
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 5
The food tastes amazing and the portion sizes are more than generous. Main garden is a cornerstone of the community. I recommend everyone try it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My Main Garden! Iconic Chinese joint serving Yalies till late since 1989.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 3
In a forgettable corner of New Haven where neon cuts through winter's early darkness, Main Garden stands in white clapboard, its windows trimmed with gentle blue LED strips that sparkle like a chef's knife through warm tofu.
Time moves differently here. Under the steady hum of fluorescent lights, the lucky cat waves its endless blessing over transactions measured in white paper cartons and brown sauce. The menu board glows like a constellation of faded comfort, each photograph a promise of satisfaction without pretense. Every dish glistens with the same sauce that has sustained college students and third-shift workers for generations.
The chicken and broccoli arrives in its white container, steam rising like morning fog over the harbor. The sauce strikes the perfect balance, neither too thick nor too thin, carrying just enough garlic to remind you you're alive. The broccoli maintains its dignity, refusing to surrender completely to the heat. It is good because it doesn't try to be anything else.
Inside, the space is purely functional, a clean(ish), efficient takeout counter backed by a wall of illuminated menu photos. The pine counter stands guard, its knots and grain telling stories in a language older than the establishment itself. The ATM whirs in the corner, a modern concession in an analog space. No one minds. This is how it works.
They serve more than food here. They serve consistency in an inconsistent world. Every sad plastic container is a contract, between the family behind the counter and the community that keeps them there. The portions are generous because generosity is part of the deal. The service is quick because time is the one ingredient they know you can't spare.
The magic happens in those white boxes, in the steam that fogs car windows as people rush home with their treasure. The food travels well because it has to. This is takeout elevated to an art form through decades of practice.
Some say the place is basic. They're missing the point. Main Garden isn't trying to be contemporary; it's a time machine that serves lunch. The straightforward setup isn't a flaw, it's a feature. Every well-worn tile in the herringbone floor is part of the story.
And about that broccoli versus kale sign? That's the kind of wit you can't buy with a SOM marketing degree. It's the quiet confidence of a place that knows exactly what it is and what it isn't. In a world of food trends and Instagram aesthetics, Main Garden stands as a testament to the eternal truth that sometimes, you just want your chicken and broccoli to taste like chicken and broccoli.
Is it going to win awards? No. Will it change your life? Probably not. But on a cold New Haven night, when the snow is piling up and your soul needs something more substantial than a salad but less demanding than a four-star tasting menu, Main Garden delivers. Literally and figuratively.
And in the end, isn't that what we're really hungry for?
P.S. The broccoli really is 100% less trendy than kale. And that's exactly how we like it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 5
Three years of great service from Main Garden. Portions are generous, and the food is great. All dishes, General Tsos, orange chicken, moo goo gai pan, egg rolls, are what you wwnt when you envision them. They have gladly swapped proteins on dishes when we've asked. Food is ready quick, too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: General TSO's Chicken, Ribs
Best American style Chinese food in New Haven! We go here regularly and it’s great every time. The owners are so friendly too. Highly recommended!
The food is good it's just that when you ask for extra sauce either Duck Sauce hot sauce or that black sauce soy sauce or even ketchup they want to charge you an extra dollar that's not right everything's supposed to be free
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Chicken Lo Mein
Most chinese takeout place imaginable
Restaurantji Recommends
Never ordering here again. These people are incapable of making a good meal or following directions. I ordered extra sauce on my general tso chicken. I got 7 pieces of chicken all rice no extra sauce it was bone dry. The dumplings were hardly cooked to the point I had to throw them in the toaster oven to make sure they were safe to eat.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Hidden gem downtown new haven. Truly chinese food heaven.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food fast friendly service .. highly recommend
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sweet and Sour Chicken, Ribs, General TSO's Chicken, Beef Lo Mein
This place has a mom and pop feel with a cute atmosphere inside. The food is infinitely better than the fancier Mexican restaurant right next door. It was affordable and the wait staff was super polite and attentive. 10/10 if you’re looking for low key, affordable, authentic Mexican food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food fast friendly service .. highly recommend
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: General TSO's Chicken, Ribs
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