Golden Restaurant — Restaurant in Fresno

I took my family on a Saturday night for dinner. When we got there, it was jam packed (an indication that it has good food). We had to wait a bit to be seated (Duh, there are a lot of people), but it was worth it because the food was great. It was our first time, so we asked the neighboring table for some recommendations. We took their advice and ordered some special fried rice, lemon chicken, special chow mein, egg foo young (not sure if that's spelled correctly), and walnut shrimp (because it is our favorite). We didn't know this, but they brought everyone of us a small, complimentary bowl of egg flower soup and it was so delicious. Initially I thought they made a mistake and were going to charge us for the soup, but the neighboring table ensured us it was complimentary and agreed that it was one of the bright spots eating at The Golden. When the food came, it was more than I expected and more than me, my wife, and two young children can handle (we had to take it to-go). The food was delicious and the helpings were pretty darn good for the price. The decor was a bit Westernized, but then again I wasn't expecting paper lanterns and giant indoor dragon statues, though they have an indoor fountain my kids loved as if it was The Wiggles. The place was a little understaffed, but the people who were there were ever so nice, which is something I expect from a local, family-owned restaurant. It's about a 15 minute drive from where I live, but it's definitely worth the effort. Great first experience and hope for more to come! By the way, does anyone else find it annoying to register for an account before reviewing? I just hope my 3 reviews will be...

Golden Dragon was our choice for Friday family dinner, we walked in with very high hopes considering all the recommendations and reviews read. We walked in to a very welcoming smell and sat in a corner table, which I am greatful the staff allowed us to accommodate my disabled leg. The air was muggy/humid and it was an uncomfortable warm atmosphere that made us break into a clamy sweat. We ordered 2 orange chicken and 1 scallop dinners as well as the appetizer sampler. We were wow'd when the appetizer came as it was huge, but upon eating we looked at each other with a odd face as the tempura broccoli tasted old with a freon taste and the onion rings as well as the chicken wings were mush instead of crunchy; seems like the platter was boiled in oil. The orange chicken was not crunchy and seemed mushy, sad to say the fried scallops were the same. My girls didn't eat and wifey & I both agreed we had enough. This is the first time we didn't want to ask for a to go box but didn't want to be rude. What a shame, this was a restaurant we have been hearing nothing but great things about from just about everyone we asked where is the best place to eat Chinese food at in Fresno. The soup and fried wonton that came before our meals was the best part of our experience. We paid $70 for this meal but strongly feel it was not...

Good place to get your chinese food fix on a big steaming plate. Kind of "OK" quality overall.

Food: I got the Sechzuan Chicken dinner plate. Every dinner comes with a little soup boil, sweet and sour wontons, chow mein noodles with vegetables paired with your dinner of choice. The chicken was plentiful and filled me up well when paired with a ball of rice on the side.

BEWARE the chow mein noodles, they can be dry, sticky, or even burnt making the majority of the noodles practically inedible. Also, I noted to the the waiters that the noodles are dry and they just kind of shrugged and said "sorry that's just the way they are". I know a good serving of chow mein does not have dry noodles.

Service: Service is subpar. Not once was I asked if I wanted a refill for my drink or if my food was good. The waiters spent too much time talking to each other on the dining floor and didn't check on me at all.

Atmosphere: Yeah, it's the usual Chinese restaurant atmosphere. Glowing green ceilings as if they were glowing with jade crystals.. Old red and dirty looking carpet. Always playing some classic rock music which doesn't feel very fitting to the atmosphere of the restaurant. Good...