Ping's Garden Restaurant — Restaurant in Albany

2024 edit - down from a 4 star to a 1 star: So I stopped going here as they kept raising their prices and it was no longer a good value for that familiar food I grew up with. I went back recently and I can't say my old review is true anymore, and an edit was due.

The first sign of changes came with seeing their website is down. They would post two monthly combos that I would love to try out. I had never seen a time where their website was not active and updated properly. With their domain showing 404, you have to assume they have not paid to maintain the domain, which signals a lack of care.

Then I ordered take out... Ordered a familiar combo... Frankly, The food is different and it is in every way worse to what I am hyper familiar with. The egg flower soup is now thin and flavorless, as if it was only chicken broth and not seasoned at all. The fried rice has almost no BBQ pork in it, and what is there is tiny shreds, when it used to be full of chunks...

...But really, You have to look no further for proof of the changes than the packaged soy sauce. It used to be Lee Kum Key Premium Soy Sauce they would include with take out orders, and I know that because I buy it by the bottle for use at home after Pings showed me how great it tastes, but they have since replaced it with some flavorless junk sauce. This was the final nail in the coffin, this made the changes unmistakable. It shook me. Like an old friend replaced with a doppelganger. It says Pings on the sign, it stands on the same plot of land, but it is not Pings.

With raised prices and worse tasting food, this signaled the end of an era for Pings. It is no longer worthwhile in any way to try this restaurant, it is overpriced and bad quality. It is a monument to the concept that "You can never go home" as this is not the Pings I grew up with. It's not even the Pings I enjoyed earlier this year.

Finally, when I went in I did not recognize the staff, not one of them. So I can't even say it's worth it for the familiar faces.

See below for a peek into what once was...

6 years earlier review: "Go here all the time, and have been for years. They craft their food the exact same every time, and that consistency is the appeal for me. If you can find a few meals here that you enjoy then you can expect to be coming back time and time again. I usually do take away these days (which is always so fast, maybe 15 minute from order to pickup), but their in-house staff are always welcoming and accommodating. Their website defines the restaurant as Chinese/American food, and I believe that is an accurate description from what I've seen as many of the dishes are the most approachable versions for a newbie in Eastern Asian foods. If you happen to be familiar with Chinese food, I wouldn't expect this place to outshine your favorite alternative, however I would encourage anyone to give Ping's Garden a try.

P.s. Cost is entirely reasonable as well. Which is always a big plus when choosing...

It was quiet the last time we were here. There were only a couple other tables/booths with diners. It had been awhile since we were here and I was disappointed that every meal came with multiple variations of rice, except one entree I was not interested in, which came with chow mein. I could have got pan fried noodles as a side, but not with any of their meals. So, I ordered almost the same thing my wife had. What was different was that she had the egg flower soup and I had the hot and sour soup; which both of us enjoyed. What we both had was the sweet and sour chicken, deep fried shrimp, BBQ pork and pork fried rice. Personally, I did not care for the fried rice; but, my wife, who usually really likes the pork fried rice here, said it was not good this time to her. But, the sweet and sour chicken was pretty good. The deep fried shrimp, however, tasted a bit greasy, like the deep fryer was not up to temp when they cooked the shrimp. This told me that I probably made the correct choice when I opted not to order a side of the pan fried noodles because I was concerned they would be limp and taste oily, from being stir-fried in a pan that was not hot enough. I am hopeful that if they were busier that the food would be fresh and prepared at the best temp to make the meals even better. As you can see though, the presentation was good on the plates. I should also add I understand it is difficult for some restaurants to stay open and maintain a full menu in these...

FyI i am the account peraon wife making the review. My mother in law though we should try them out. The Waitress eas rude. When I asked for a half of serving she told me they weren't allowed to do that. When I showed my card from my Dr about doing smaller portions she told me she couldnt do that cause her boss never told her about them. When the food came out it didn't taste right. The sweet and sour pork was brown ( pork isn't brown) the shrimp didn't taste right. The Chicken Chow Mein was nasty l. It caused me to want to throw up. I hardly ate anything. My husband food wasn't even warm and he said it tasted off too. My mother in laws said the same thing. When it came to paying the bill the Waitress.was pushes about getting a tip. She didn't bring a recipe to sign or for tip my mother in law said how about $15 for tip the waitress was upset about it saying $15 for all these people. There was 9 of us and that included my two kids under 10. So when my father in law said fine $25 she was still upset but didn't complain. But made my father in law put his pin number in the card machine. WILL NEVER GO BACK FOOD WAS NASTY AND THE SERVICE WAS JUST AS BAD. Plus the waitresses was in the back yelling in Chinese as if we couldn't hear her. You could hear in her voice she was upset/angry. If I where you DONT NOT EAT HERE!!!! I wouldn't be surprised if we all get...