All around excellent. It is the once ubiquitous Chinese-American restaurant in its classic form. The clean interior is traditional diner booths lit with recessed incandescence under vents, in black weathered and repaired leatherine. Broad dark wood frames trim frame the walls with laquired village scapes float on facing walls. Two sets of dragons trot above either end of the dining room over comfortable midcentury chairs at the plastique table-clothed 4 tops. The fare was commensurate with the decor: fresh ingredients including the fried skin of the egg rolls with a hint of peanut butter. The seafood, poultry, and beef held their distinct character under the unifying Szechuan gravy. The flavors were clear and pleasant. The fried rice could have doubled as dessert for those with a taste for it. The mustard was vaporous and expansive and nothing was over-salted. A very familiar place not to be missed on atmosphere alone, it adds much to the experience. The waitstaff was a delight. The tiny bathroom a sanctuary. The ice water was superb.
Jose C.
Did a takeout from here on a Friday night. The oldest Chinese restaurant in Chicago, and not one person dining in. All takeout. Shame on us, seriously. The place was spacious and seems inviting yet it was still empty and a table full of takeout orders. The staff here was nice as well. We ordered their Orange Peel Chicken, Beef Chow Mein and Chicken Fried Rice. The orange chicken was good. It had a hint of spiciness but overall a flavorful dish. The chicken fried rice was good as well. A little dry but didn't have a strong dark soy sauce flavor to it which is always a good thing. The beef chow Mein was a no go. It's definitely not the chow Mein that we're used to with noodles. This was beef with vegetables in a thick sweet sauce. Definitely wouldn't order that again. Overall the food for the most part was good. And the prices were fare as well. Despite me feeling guilty for doing takeout, I still can't see myself dining in here. Wouldn't mind doing takeout from here again. Perhaps to try a few other dishes.
Melvin C.
Visited here with an ex-fling a few months ago. The egg rolls were very large, but the orange chicken left much to be desired. I found it a bit too similar to the sesame chicken ordered by my fling. It was almost like there was no difference between the two dishes' flavors. The service, however, was great.
Elizabeth B.
I have never been so disrespected in my entire life, the text feed says it all. we have tipped more than five dollars every time, we have a big family and appreciate our workers. I wish i could give ZERO stars.
Elyce B.
Good food and generous portions. The one thing I would suggest is to include a larger container of rice with the large-size entrees. There isn't really enough rice with the small container that they currently give.
Gloria P.
I haven't been here since the 80s so I brought a friend with. We shared kung pao chicken and a couple egg rolls. It was just as good as ever. They have wine or drinks so we went for a drink at the Black Eagle a few doors east after dinner.
tom p.
After hearing great comments from friends and neighbors about this place I decided to order take out. My favorite local Chinese Restaurant Wing Ho closed down so have been struggling to find a good replacement. This palce is great! Old school , I ordered Won Ton Soup, Egg rolls, Crab Rangoon, Shrimp Chow Mein with crispy noodles, and Chicken Almond Din. All were excellently prepared, packed well and very tasty. Was able to park right in front and my food was ready for pick up. I will definitely return for take out and even dine in!
Marilee K.
Wooo this was bad. All the pork smelled old. There was no seasoning in the pork & noodle soup. It tasted like dishwater. The order of BBQ pork was more like BBQ Jerky with a sickly sweet sauce. Overcooked, hard to chew. And the egg roll was also under seasoned and I couldn't find any pork in it, just flavorless cabbage. God this food was awful.
Audra Z.
Ordered carry out from here and was very disappointed. The sesame chicken arrived with a funky fake red color that was a bit off putting. But the worst part were the egg rolls. They were inedible because they were sitting in a pool of grease. One of the egg rolls had a small hole in it and when I tipped it, grease poured out of the hole. I realize they are supposed to be fried, but I have never had one actually sitting in a puddle of grease inside the paper. Gross though
Genna G.
This is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Chicago . It has been open since 1932 so they must be doing something right. I used to come here in the 80's when I lived closer to this neighborhood. I dined in today and it's exactly how I remembered it - delicious. I had the Mongolian beef, chicken and shrimp and it was great . The egg roll was great too. This restaurant maintains old school charm. Pricing is fair. Service is very good. Excellent- I'll be back !
Today Me and uncle drove from Itasca to chicago just to eat at my uncles favorite place, Orange Garden. It was rather cold inside the restaurant, service and food were mediocre at best. My combo fried rice had an overwhelming un-fresh shrimp taste that was beyond unusual for orange garden and My uncle ordered a lunch special Mongolian Beef consisting of at minimum 80% vegetables. When we advised food not tasting as usual management felt like we were trying to get free meal and treated us as such. We did not accept a free meal and left completely disappointed. Maybe it was just a fluke with the food and that's ok, it happens unfortunately we were not treated well at all. My apologies for no pictures and the negative review. Thank you for reading my review
Adam S.
I used to drive out of my way to pick up from Orange Garden for years. It has been sone time since I have ordered. I am not one to post reviews but I am so angry with the dinner. I am assuming they changed ownership. I walked in while waiting for 5 min with nobody at the front I heard a table walk out and say how terrible there dinner was. Honestly the most tasteless dinner I have ever experienced nothing had flavor. Beef and broccoli is pounded thin cut beef. These were the thickest cut beyond edible pieces of meat disgusting. Crab Rangoon soggy and tasteless. Same with the Egg rolls. I really thought I was part of an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. Again this is my nature to do this but I can tell by the way I was eventually greeted this place can care less. Instead of calling, driving back is not an option this is the only way I can express my anger. It is not about the wasted money I just spent it is about how something that has been so great Just became beyond terrible and tasteless.
C L.
Oh how I've missed you Orange Garden! Many years ago I lived around the corner and ordered at least once a week! We stopped by and got takeout tonight and I'm so happy we did. The food is still just as delicious and the servings are more than generous. I got one of my old favorites: chicken egg foo young. I haven't had egg foo young since before covid started. It was so good and it made me so happy to enjoy one of my favorites after so many years! I remembered how I craved Orange Garden's egg rolls during my pregnancy almost two and a half decades ago! My husband ordered kung pao beef. It had big chunks of green peppers. The large order was so big there's plenty for lunch tomorrow. Even though we live a ways away from Orange Garden now, we both agreed it was worth the trip and we look forward to going back again and trying more of our old favorites!!
Carlos G.
4 stars , only because I haven't tried every dish, but the ones that I have were awesome. Love that they have the old style traditional egg rolls so crispy and tasty. The best orange chicken dish I've ever had, top quality and large portions are always satisfying. Irving and Lincoln is a busy intersection but parking is never too hard to find you may have to cross four lane intersection at most. Old school traditional eat-in restaurant, has great atmosphere. Service is always friendly and the menu choices are plentiful. North side favorite, for too long.
Charles J.
We've been coming here for decades and it's always been fantastic food and service. Tonight was a little different due to another table next to us that, due to a simple kitchen error, decided to browbeat the server. This person absolutely would not stop repeating the same thing, over and over again, getting louder and louder. Apparently this simple issue was "The worst thing that has ever happened to her in her LIFE!". I sincerely doubt that, but I wouldn't know for sure. 5 stars for food and for service, 0 stars for not kicking this person out for verbally abusing another human being.
All around excellent. It is the once ubiquitous Chinese-American restaurant in its classic form. The clean interior is traditional diner booths lit with recessed incandescence under vents, in black weathered and repaired leatherine. Broad dark wood frames trim frame the walls with laquired village scapes float on facing walls. Two sets of dragons trot above either end of the dining room over comfortable midcentury chairs at the plastique table-clothed 4 tops. The fare was commensurate with the decor: fresh ingredients including the fried skin of the egg rolls with a hint of peanut butter. The seafood, poultry, and beef held their distinct character under the unifying Szechuan gravy. The flavors were clear and pleasant. The fried rice could have doubled as dessert for those with a taste for it. The mustard was vaporous and expansive and nothing was over-salted. A very familiar place not to be missed on atmosphere alone, it adds much to the experience. The waitstaff was a delight. The tiny bathroom a sanctuary. The ice water was superb.
Did a takeout from here on a Friday night. The oldest Chinese restaurant in Chicago, and not one person dining in. All takeout. Shame on us, seriously. The place was spacious and seems inviting yet it was still empty and a table full of takeout orders. The staff here was nice as well. We ordered their Orange Peel Chicken, Beef Chow Mein and Chicken Fried Rice. The orange chicken was good. It had a hint of spiciness but overall a flavorful dish. The chicken fried rice was good as well. A little dry but didn't have a strong dark soy sauce flavor to it which is always a good thing. The beef chow Mein was a no go. It's definitely not the chow Mein that we're used to with noodles. This was beef with vegetables in a thick sweet sauce. Definitely wouldn't order that again. Overall the food for the most part was good. And the prices were fare as well. Despite me feeling guilty for doing takeout, I still can't see myself dining in here. Wouldn't mind doing takeout from here again. Perhaps to try a few other dishes.
Visited here with an ex-fling a few months ago. The egg rolls were very large, but the orange chicken left much to be desired. I found it a bit too similar to the sesame chicken ordered by my fling. It was almost like there was no difference between the two dishes' flavors. The service, however, was great.
I have never been so disrespected in my entire life, the text feed says it all. we have tipped more than five dollars every time, we have a big family and appreciate our workers. I wish i could give ZERO stars.
Good food and generous portions. The one thing I would suggest is to include a larger container of rice with the large-size entrees. There isn't really enough rice with the small container that they currently give.
I haven't been here since the 80s so I brought a friend with. We shared kung pao chicken and a couple egg rolls. It was just as good as ever. They have wine or drinks so we went for a drink at the Black Eagle a few doors east after dinner.
After hearing great comments from friends and neighbors about this place I decided to order take out. My favorite local Chinese Restaurant Wing Ho closed down so have been struggling to find a good replacement. This palce is great! Old school , I ordered Won Ton Soup, Egg rolls, Crab Rangoon, Shrimp Chow Mein with crispy noodles, and Chicken Almond Din. All were excellently prepared, packed well and very tasty. Was able to park right in front and my food was ready for pick up. I will definitely return for take out and even dine in!
Wooo this was bad. All the pork smelled old. There was no seasoning in the pork & noodle soup. It tasted like dishwater. The order of BBQ pork was more like BBQ Jerky with a sickly sweet sauce. Overcooked, hard to chew. And the egg roll was also under seasoned and I couldn't find any pork in it, just flavorless cabbage. God this food was awful.
Ordered carry out from here and was very disappointed. The sesame chicken arrived with a funky fake red color that was a bit off putting. But the worst part were the egg rolls. They were inedible because they were sitting in a pool of grease. One of the egg rolls had a small hole in it and when I tipped it, grease poured out of the hole. I realize they are supposed to be fried, but I have never had one actually sitting in a puddle of grease inside the paper. Gross though
This is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Chicago . It has been open since 1932 so they must be doing something right. I used to come here in the 80's when I lived closer to this neighborhood. I dined in today and it's exactly how I remembered it - delicious. I had the Mongolian beef, chicken and shrimp and it was great . The egg roll was great too. This restaurant maintains old school charm. Pricing is fair. Service is very good. Excellent- I'll be back !
Restaurantji Recommends
Today Me and uncle drove from Itasca to chicago just to eat at my uncles favorite place, Orange Garden. It was rather cold inside the restaurant, service and food were mediocre at best. My combo fried rice had an overwhelming un-fresh shrimp taste that was beyond unusual for orange garden and My uncle ordered a lunch special Mongolian Beef consisting of at minimum 80% vegetables. When we advised food not tasting as usual management felt like we were trying to get free meal and treated us as such. We did not accept a free meal and left completely disappointed. Maybe it was just a fluke with the food and that's ok, it happens unfortunately we were not treated well at all. My apologies for no pictures and the negative review. Thank you for reading my review
I used to drive out of my way to pick up from Orange Garden for years. It has been sone time since I have ordered. I am not one to post reviews but I am so angry with the dinner. I am assuming they changed ownership. I walked in while waiting for 5 min with nobody at the front I heard a table walk out and say how terrible there dinner was. Honestly the most tasteless dinner I have ever experienced nothing had flavor. Beef and broccoli is pounded thin cut beef. These were the thickest cut beyond edible pieces of meat disgusting. Crab Rangoon soggy and tasteless. Same with the Egg rolls. I really thought I was part of an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. Again this is my nature to do this but I can tell by the way I was eventually greeted this place can care less. Instead of calling, driving back is not an option this is the only way I can express my anger. It is not about the wasted money I just spent it is about how something that has been so great Just became beyond terrible and tasteless.
Oh how I've missed you Orange Garden! Many years ago I lived around the corner and ordered at least once a week! We stopped by and got takeout tonight and I'm so happy we did. The food is still just as delicious and the servings are more than generous. I got one of my old favorites: chicken egg foo young. I haven't had egg foo young since before covid started. It was so good and it made me so happy to enjoy one of my favorites after so many years! I remembered how I craved Orange Garden's egg rolls during my pregnancy almost two and a half decades ago! My husband ordered kung pao beef. It had big chunks of green peppers. The large order was so big there's plenty for lunch tomorrow. Even though we live a ways away from Orange Garden now, we both agreed it was worth the trip and we look forward to going back again and trying more of our old favorites!!
4 stars , only because I haven't tried every dish, but the ones that I have were awesome. Love that they have the old style traditional egg rolls so crispy and tasty. The best orange chicken dish I've ever had, top quality and large portions are always satisfying. Irving and Lincoln is a busy intersection but parking is never too hard to find you may have to cross four lane intersection at most. Old school traditional eat-in restaurant, has great atmosphere. Service is always friendly and the menu choices are plentiful. North side favorite, for too long.
We've been coming here for decades and it's always been fantastic food and service. Tonight was a little different due to another table next to us that, due to a simple kitchen error, decided to browbeat the server. This person absolutely would not stop repeating the same thing, over and over again, getting louder and louder. Apparently this simple issue was "The worst thing that has ever happened to her in her LIFE!". I sincerely doubt that, but I wouldn't know for sure. 5 stars for food and for service, 0 stars for not kicking this person out for verbally abusing another human being.