QingDao Garden — Restaurant in Cambridge

We tried Qingdao Garden more than 10 year ago, not impressed at all. Never visited again until today on our way back from our favorite place, Szechuan’s Dumpling in Arlington – didn’t know it was closed for renovation. We made an improvised decision to try Qingdao again, thinking maybe the owner/chefs have changed. But we regretted as soon as the first dishes came – happened to be the noodles. We ordered two types, dry/cold and hot in soup. Both were made from dried noodle one can buy from oriental supermarket, which we have not seen in any other Chinese restaurant we dinned in. Worse yet, they were both terribly overcooked. The flour pies were terrible too – dry and tasteless. I make better ones when I have time. The pork and lamb dishes were laughable (for the sake of my own health, I don’t want to be irritated by the food I’m served) – the cooked meat were laid on top of some shredded iceberg lettuce – hey, we are Chinese, we know what’s Chinese cooking, what’s not! The $12 rib dish contained 5-6 little pieces, but at least the veggies were properly cooked. The only thing that was reasonable was the dumpling. Two weeks ago at Szechuan Dumpling 12 of us spent $100 and had plenty leftover. Today, $80 for 4 with little leftover we didn’t even want to take (we did only for the reason not to dump food to trash). At the end, the owner came to our table, which I give him credit for, and asked how we liked the food. I told him the noodles were too soft and the pancakes were too dry, etc. He was polite and said he would let his chefs know. His explanation for using the supermarket dried noodle was that otherwise the cost would be too high :( He can be assured that we won’t be there again unless we are somehow convinced he has learned how to balance the cost with quality, his profit with customers’...

Overview: Sophisticated Chinese Cuisine. Talented, albeit, garrulous Owner. A MUST-TRY.

It takes something for a busy person (me) to write a review. This spot deserves a look.

Chinese food, to an outsider's palate can be complicated. It is easy for a Chinese restaurant owner to get lazy and give "Americans" food they will like. Orange chicken, some lo main, some steamed veggies, etc. And majority of us don't have a Zagat palate to discern. If its pretty good tasting, and the aftermath is manageable, we go for it.

But this is Wen (the owner) and QuigDao is his spot is in Cambridge (one of the more sophisticated, perhaps slightly snobby areas on this Coast). Wen's food reflects all that.

Yes, you can find all your typical orange chicken et al., but it is worth to take a little more effort with your chopsticks. Allow him to serve you fresh Lotus. Or steamed Chrysanthemum stems. His beef is excellent. (I haven't tried the pork) Wen (and his wife) is not your stereotypical Chinese restaurant owner. A bunch of accolades over the last 15 years attribute to that.

I am not advocating for Chinese food in your daily regimen. But I INSIST you give this little place a try. And bring all your questions about cuisine, culture, and cooking processes - Wen has deep expertise and is happy to talk. Or just try a take out. But with this particular spot, be bold. Try a few things you don't usually dare. You won't be disappointed....

Updated Aug 2025: this is a great authentic Chinese restaurant. Amazing dumplings, buns, and fish is so good. I loved the fried enoki mushrooms. All their food is really good and prepared with love. We don’t live nearby so it’s been years, and I can’t believe that owner Wen remembers us (we did eat there twice a week at some point haha) and our kids names! Kids devoured dumplings and buns.

(2014 review) Love, love, love! Wen (the owner) and his family and crew have been feeding us good home cooked meals for years. I love both their authentic Chinese food and American Chinese. Great vegetarian options and brown rice, there is something to please everyone. During their renovation, which took infinitely longer than expected, Wen paid his staff. Having done something similar for my own business, I have utmost respect for him. Now about food: My mother's family is originally from northern Korea so a lot of their food is what I ate growing up in S Korea. My mother in law, who grew up in CT loves their general Gao's chicken. My husband who loves all things spicy gets shredded beef with hot peppers and cucumber salad . My 3 y o daughter gets white rice 'the best rice ever!'. My 18 months old son devours the entire order of chicken dumplings. I have been hooked to pork tripes and cold beef dish combined. If you love food, like we do, this is a must try. Ask what they have...