Taiwan Garden Restaurant — Restaurant in Charlottesville

Based on the food alone, I would not go back. It is WAY bland. However, my grievance is more with the unprofessional way I was treated. We ordered two dinner specials over the phone, which was hard to start with because of the language barrier. On top of that, the menu was not clear what came with the meals. Even looking at it now, I'm fairly certain the sides we ordered were included with the meals; regardless, when we picked up our food, we were charged for our soup as if it were an extra meal, which doubled our bill! I called back to figure out what had happened. The woman I spoke to asked me if I had soup--to which I answered yes--and hung up! I've chosen to view this whole experience as a product of language and cultural differences, with some unprofessionalism thrown in. I am not beyond wondering if I haven't just been taken...

I've never felt compelled to review cheap Asian food before. We know what we're getting into when we order from these places. So my expectations were low. But the food at Taiwan Garden was so profoundly bad that I felt the need to leave this review. It was worse than bland. The chicken, broccoli, and rice was salted to the point of near-inedibleness. The soup was devoid of flavor and the noodles/pork were clearly old. The dumplings were salty too and lacking in any other flavor.

In my years I've patronized many cheap Asian restaurants. As long as the food is edible, I'm happy. That wasn't the case for Taiwan Garden. I would...

I have been coming to this restaurant since 1986, and it's always been one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in town. Their Kung Pao Chicken is outstanding, and I'd love to have the recipe for their Hot and Sour soup! The owner is incredibly friendly, and their food is always fresh. It was not uncommon (pre-COVID) to walk in for dining and see someone at the small table sorting through fresh green beans. I'm proud to support this small business, and it will be a sad day when the owner steps away from this gem of a restaurant. It's an Ivy...