Went for dim sum around noon. The place was busy and we had to wait for a bit. The food was delicious and they had a wide range of selections. You can also order from the regular menu as well. The service was attentive. I would go back.

LEAH FG

best in atmosphere cleanliness’s and being organize …. their smoothies were so refreshing one of the best smoothies i’ve ever had.,,, food were fantastic .

Mr T. You pitty the fool

You come here for the amazing flavors, not the atmosphere. Basically, everything we ordered, was very tasty. All the food seemed to be prepared with expertise and care. Place seemed to be constantly crowded with lines out the door. Dim Sum here, I can honestly say, is better than most places.

Cleo Chan

Drove all the way from San Diego to here on a SAT morning just for this!! They serve pretty decent dim sum + a really unique almond sweet soup bake (酥皮杏仁茶）it was surprisingly delicious!! Price wise ~ it’s acceptable! All the dishes are starting from $5ish but you gotta eat something FRESH! Will come back again when visiting Irvine again!

Justin Miller

My Chinese girlfriend made me come here with her and try it. I've never had lobster with soy sauce so this was new. We ordered way too much food for just us two to eat, but it was really good. I'm not sure what they're called, but almond deserts they give you at the end are really good as well. The service was great and I'd definitely come back.

Carlo del Mundo

A really great Dim Sum restaurant in Irvine that also has a regular menu which you can actually still order from even during the Dim Sum service. It's one of the pricier options in the area, but we'll worth it and I would argue even better than the even more expensive option in the District. My guess is people agree because there will regularly be lines with wait times of 15-30 minutes.

Mr. Böbby C

Good food, Less server. Dim sum is great. Very busy on lunch. The price is a little higher since the taste is good. However, it's for Asian style food that Americans may not like it much.

Julie Lan

Went for dim sum around noon. The place was busy and we had to wait for a bit. The food was delicious and they had a wide range of selections. You can also order from the regular menu as well. The service was attentive. I would go back.

Anita Hsu

This is an underrated restaurant for sure! The food is very tasty. We ordered lobster porridge, and it was great too. The service was good. We will be there again!!

My Chinese girlfriend made me come here with her and try it. I've never had lobster with soy sauce so this was new. We ordered way too much food for just us two to eat, but it was really good. I'm not sure what they're called, but almond deserts they give you at the end are really good as well. The service was great and I'd definitely come back.

Drove all the way from San Diego to here on a SAT morning just for this!! They serve pretty decent dim sum + a really unique almond sweet soup bake (酥皮杏仁茶）it was surprisingly delicious!! Price wise ~ it’s acceptable! All the dishes are starting from $5ish but you gotta eat something FRESH! Will come back again when visiting Irvine again!

best in atmosphere cleanliness’s and being organize …. their smoothies were so refreshing one of the best smoothies i’ve ever had.,,, food were fantastic .

Amazing Dimsum. Price is reasonable for the quality and quantity of Dimsum. Suimai is a highlight.

China Garden is as good as it gets for Dim Sum in Orange County. Shu Mai, Char Su Bao, Shrimp Balls and BBQ pork Chow fun are all excellent.

Tasty and affordable dim sum. Highly recommend the shrimp and the crab noodle.

+6

Dim Sum at morning&noon. Regular Chinese cuisine in afternoon &night. Full of seafoods in various cooking style. LOVE the 🐟 and 🦀 very much. May try Dim Sum next time.

+1

Solid and authentic dim sum spot - super popular on be weekends, good luck finding a parking spot. Wait times aren’t terrible if you get there early enough (before the lunch crowd). Service is standard and it’s a bit overpriced than I’m used to... but it hits the spot when I’m craving dim sum!

I ordered the lobster and once it arrived on my table I didn't take any pictures. The yummy smell coming out of the lobster house special overcome my need to take the picture. That's how I spent my Valentines with my loved ones. Just good old lobster dish. The other 2 dishes that we ordered were also good,but not as good as the lobster . We just had dim sum in April 2022 and we think the restaurant has pick up pre pandemic level somewhat based on the amount of patrons eating.

It’s always so busy. You have to wait of course. But we still go because of the yummy food.

I eat at China Garden to celebrate birthdays and special occasions with my family. The food is always delicious. I love the dim sum, especially the Cheung Fun and Don Tats. The staff is incredible and welcoming—there is nothing bad to say about this place. Lines can be long, especially during the holidays, but that's normal for most businesses. I only had a few instances of slow service, but otherwise, this is an excellent place to eat.

Overall, would come here again over other dim sum spots in OC. I appreciate they keep the traditional cart-style service and make do with the space they have. Cart attendants and waitstaff were welcoming and efficient. Most of the dim sum dishes was fresh with spot-on flavors

A classic dimsum experience. The siumai was really good. The rest of the dishes were alright (nothing really stood out) - tried the chicken feet, pork ribs, and soup dumplings.

Well-made, but standard Cantonese dishes in a very plain looking dining room. Very helpful service.

I forgot to take pictures, but I will add some next time I'm invited to go out to eat there. Of everything that was brought to our table, Mongolian Beef topped the list, it came bamboo shoots, chopped green onions, and bits of red pepper, very well prepared and of course presentation is everything. Next was the fried squid in a tasty batter and served as finger food and a delicious rice to complement the squid. There was four maybe five other dishes, but I wasn't familiar with them. This restaurant is a REAL Chinese Restaurant, they also five fish 🐠 tanks with fresh lobsters, Red Snapper, Tilapia, Carp, and other goodies.

Authentic! We were the only white people in there, and that's a compliment because it proves how authentic the Chinese food is here! Good food! Makes me feel like I'm in a nice restaurant in China Town! Minus one star because the quality of the chicken and beef was not that great. As for the service, the Asian servers ignored us because we weren't Chinese. You have to flag down any server who's nearby. There was one non-Chinese server who showed up after a while and took great care of us.

+2

Philip Poon

Authentic dim sum with wide varieties. Dim Sum come in carts that is reminiscent of old Hong Kong style restaurants. Waiters are friendly, attentive and helpful. A must try in Irvine! Dinner there was equally impressive with authentic Canto-style dishes that are mouth-watering.

Soo P

The best siu mai I’ve had in the USA. As for the rest of the dimsum taste wise it was ok. We also ordered their lobster noodles too and it was pretty good. On the crowded side especially on the weekends. Waiting time for us was around 30 min.

Jian Liang

First time at this place. Been in Irvine for a year and every time when passing by this restaurant, we see people waiting outside. The to go order takes about 30 mins to ready. PRICE is quite reasonable. Food taste okay but we live the porridge quite a bit.

Wendy Z

Tasty and affordable dim sum. Highly recommend the shrimp and the crab noodle.

B “to the” Y

Seems like we always hit this place when in the area, the missus loves the seafood. When getting lobster you must get it as the house special (fried with seasoning and jalapeños), super yummy. The eggplant is my favorite dish here. I would go to this seafood restaurant just to eat the Eggplant Szechuan Style (魚香茄子). I like how the sauce is not too wet and the eggplants are caramelized with the sauce. Every once in a while the eggplant dish comes out super caramelized and it's like having a mouth O. Other dishes we usually get are the Pan Fried Diced Beef Steak w/Black Pepper and the Crispy Deep Fried Bean Curd. Lunch time is pretty decent and fun too if you like dim sum. Place used to be busier, must be all the new competition. Would rate it a 5 if the place was cleaner, bathrooms are kind of gross. June 2023 Just got Eggplant Szechuan Style for take out, don't do it. None of the caramelized goodness, taste is fine but texture is all wrong. Just soggy veggies that gets steamed in container. May 2024 Went at lunch time to get fresh shrimp and dimsum. So good. Added some pictures too.

OC Reviews

Get 6 dim sum items and get lobster noodle for $21.99. The dim sum was pretty good but the lobster noodles wasn’t. It lacked flavor and I personally didn’t prefer the texture of the noodles. Service was fast and attentive.

Simon Kaulius

Authentic! We were the only white people in there, and that's a compliment because it proves how authentic the Chinese food is here! Good food! Makes me feel like I'm in a nice restaurant in China Town! Minus one star because the quality of the chicken and beef was not that great. As for the service, the Asian servers ignored us because we weren't Chinese. You have to flag down any server who's nearby. There was one non-Chinese server who showed up after a while and took great care of us.

Get 6 dim sum items and get lobster noodle for $21.99. The dim sum was pretty good but the lobster noodles wasn’t. It lacked flavor and I personally didn’t prefer the texture of the noodles. Service was fast and attentive.

Seems like we always hit this place when in the area, the missus loves the seafood. When getting lobster you must get it as the house special (fried with seasoning and jalapeños), super yummy. The eggplant is my favorite dish here. I would go to this seafood restaurant just to eat the Eggplant Szechuan Style (魚香茄子). I like how the sauce is not too wet and the eggplants are caramelized with the sauce. Every once in a while the eggplant dish comes out super caramelized and it's like having a mouth O. Other dishes we usually get are the Pan Fried Diced Beef Steak w/Black Pepper and the Crispy Deep Fried Bean Curd. Lunch time is pretty decent and fun too if you like dim sum. Place used to be busier, must be all the new competition. Would rate it a 5 if the place was cleaner, bathrooms are kind of gross. June 2023 Just got Eggplant Szechuan Style for take out, don't do it. None of the caramelized goodness, taste is fine but texture is all wrong. Just soggy veggies that gets steamed in container. May 2024 Went at lunch time to get fresh shrimp and dimsum. So good. Added some pictures too.

+2

First time at this place. Been in Irvine for a year and every time when passing by this restaurant, we see people waiting outside. The to go order takes about 30 mins to ready. PRICE is quite reasonable. Food taste okay but we live the porridge quite a bit.

The best siu mai I’ve had in the USA. As for the rest of the dimsum taste wise it was ok. We also ordered their lobster noodles too and it was pretty good. On the crowded side especially on the weekends. Waiting time for us was around 30 min.

Authentic dim sum with wide varieties. Dim Sum come in carts that is reminiscent of old Hong Kong style restaurants. Waiters are friendly, attentive and helpful. A must try in Irvine! Dinner there was equally impressive with authentic Canto-style dishes that are mouth-watering.

The lunch dimsum is nice with lots of variety. The restaurant is big enough for friends and family gathering.

+3

Family style restaurant with Cantonese food and Dim Sum. Many daily discount specials, worth to try. 有一、二个老油条，服务态度极差。

+6

Salted Squid wayyyy too salty. Got 7 dishes, and come out to $50 before tax… kind of pricey. The pan fried dumpling was not hot. Better value and taste to just go to A J Taiwanese across the street

Been here several times. Comparing to the price, the quality of food is a little low. The lobster was badly seasoned.

China Garden's dim sum is pretty standard. You've got your usual suspects like har gow, chinese broccoli, chicken feet, and shu mai. They all taste decent—nothing to write home about but it'll hit the spot if you're just looking for the classics.

Priyanka Bengaluru

Dim sum are good. Shrimp options are good. Turnip cake was good too. There’s more of pork and beef options. Less of chicken option except the chicken legs. I like the way the dim sums are served in carts. I am very new to this restaurant. More of chicken option would also be great in dim sums. It’s too crowded. I had been at the peak time I guess. Super long line, but it gets cleared quick.

Dim sum are good. Shrimp options are good. Turnip cake was good too. There’s more of pork and beef options. Less of chicken option except the chicken legs. I like the way the dim sums are served in carts. I am very new to this restaurant. More of chicken option would also be great in dim sums. It’s too crowded. I had been at the peak time I guess. Super long line, but it gets cleared quick.

+2

China Garden is always our go-to dim sum place. We love the siu mai and pineapple custard buns. However we went today for lunch, obviously the siu mai recipe was changed as it’s less flavored and I think they put lots of fatty pork. Every bite was full of oily greasy fatty pork. It gives us less motivation to go in the future. Luckily the pineapple custard bun is still very good.

jean law

China Garden is always our go-to dim sum place. We love the siu mai and pineapple custard buns. However we went today for lunch, obviously the siu mai recipe was changed as it’s less flavored and I think they put lots of fatty pork. Every bite was full of oily greasy fatty pork. It gives us less motivation to go in the future. Luckily the pineapple custard bun is still very good.

The manager walked too fast all the time and almost bumped into me while I tried to get someone to add another order! He got mad and talked rude like it’s all my fault!

Food was decent but not worth the wait. Bad services, feel rushed and annoyed. 15% tip minimum.

China Garden held cherished memories from my childhood as it was my mom's preferred spot for dim sum. It pains me to see its decline. The flavors now miss the mark, and the overall cleanliness is questionable, especially in the restroom. The staff seemed more interested in personal chats than in attending to customers. It was especially off-putting when a waitress showed displeasure after we passed on her dim sum offerings. Quite a letdown.

BK

China Garden held cherished memories from my childhood as it was my mom's preferred spot for dim sum. It pains me to see its decline. The flavors now miss the mark, and the overall cleanliness is questionable, especially in the restroom. The staff seemed more interested in personal chats than in attending to customers. It was especially off-putting when a waitress showed displeasure after we passed on her dim sum offerings. Quite a letdown.

I would give a zero star for the service here. We lived in Irvine for 30 years and have been in eating at the restaurant since. Today, we came over first thing in the morning before the restaurant opened to eat. We are LITERALLY the first to sit down. When the dim sum cart rolled over, one of my uncle who is in his 80, stand up and peek over at the cart to check what’s in there. The waitress, in a cold and disrespectful tone, said “sit down. It’s not your turn.” And went ahead to serve the other table next to us. We don’t really mind who she serves first, and don’t mind waiting for our turn. But her disrespect and commanding voice telling us to sit down is really inappropriate as a restaurant. The waitress with that cart when serving us didn’t even have the respect to look at us when she’s serving the dishes. We later told the manager about this, the manager LITERALLY said “if you don’t like it, don’t come next time!” This will be the last time I visit this place. Bad bad service! Awful manager and server! As a loyal customer since the restaurant first opened, it’s really sad to see this place has turned into a place with no service, no basic respect😤😤😤

This restaurant frequently engages in credit card fraud, including overcharging customers. I have experienced it multiple times. Please be cautious and aware.The server didn't give us all menus at the beginning. We are in trouble.

Scam. The protein/fillings are skimped on and everything is fluffed up with starch. The food itself is lazily reheated/too much oil. Foods that have no mention of containing shellfish have shrimp in them. This is dangerous for people who have allergies. Avoid.

Discrimination against Chinese customers and vegetarians Please don’t come. You deserve better if you are having a chilling weekend. This restaurant is known for its poor service, and unfortunately, I experienced it firsthand. What’s worse, there seems to be clear discrimination against Chinese customers and vegetarians. If you value respect, inclusivity, and fair treatment, I strongly recommend going somewhere else.

This was our first time at China Garden, and unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. The service was horrible—staff were rude, and at times, it felt like anyone could just yell at you for no reason. As for the food, it was not as authentic as some of the reviews claimed. I’ve been to many dim sum places, and this one was just so-so at best. The egg tart was a major letdown—clearly a 100% premade product. Be aware that many dim sum restaurants cut corners by using prepackaged, heat-and-serve items, and this was one of them. That’s an absolute no-go for me. If you’re looking for authentic, freshly made dim sum, I’d suggest looking elsewhere. This is total garbage

ye jin

I ordered pork BBQ buns to go, and when I got home, I found a fly on one of them. Totally unacceptable. I expect better food safety and cleanliness standards from any restaurant. Very disappointed and won’t be returning.

I ordered pork BBQ buns to go, and when I got home, I found a fly on one of them. Totally unacceptable. I expect better food safety and cleanliness standards from any restaurant. Very disappointed and won’t be returning.

I was treated badly by a waiter and left without finishing my meal. He was arrogant and disrespectful. Although the manager apologized after hearing my complaint, it appears that there is no consequence for unprofessional behavior at this place because the waiter was so quick and eager to refer me to the manager. Their dim sum is not the best but their price is in par with the top dim sum restaurants in town. There are more than 6 dim sum restaurants in town. Two fancy dim sum restaurants just opened within the last 30 days. Good luck with the competition. With this bad service, you need it.

Service is very poor. If I can give it a zero, I will. Chinese waiters were rude. Refused to add two additional seats when we had family members joining two of us 15 minutes after we were seated. We were told to go to the front desk to ask for a manager approval. The waiter was short with us and turned his back on us without any explanation. When a Spanish waiter gave us additional setting, other Chinese waiters gave this Spanish waiter a hard time in public. What a scene! I left in the middle of my meal because I was very uncomfortable.

L0lirvine

I was treated badly by a waiter and left without finishing my meal. He was arrogant and disrespectful. Although the manager apologized after hearing my complaint, it appears that there is no consequence for unprofessional behavior at this place because the waiter was so quick and eager to refer me to the manager. Their dim sum is not the best but their price is in par with the top dim sum restaurants in town. There are more than 6 dim sum restaurants in town. Two fancy dim sum restaurants just opened within the last 30 days. Good luck with the competition. With this bad service, you need it.