Ming’s Cafe Glenwood Springs — Restaurant in Glenwood Springs

Dining at Ming’s Restaurant was overall an enjoyable experience, with a few standout dishes and some that fell a little short. Here’s a breakdown:

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🍽️ Food • Spicy Edamame – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) A simple appetizer done perfectly—spicy, flavorful, and addictive. • Won Ton Soup – ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5) The broth was the star here—rich, savory, and deeply satisfying. • BBQ Pork Spare Ribs – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) Tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. One of the best items of the night. • Peking Duck – ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) While it’s expected that duck takes longer to prepare, the dish arrived halfway through the meal, which made the pacing a little awkward. Portion size and quality did not justify the price point. • Mongolian Beef – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) Perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors, with tender beef. A must-try. • Chinese Fried Rice Combo – ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5) Flavorful, satisfying, and well-balanced with protein. • Lo Mein – ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) Unfortunately underwhelming—no depth of flavor, a bit flat. • Black Pepper Chicken – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) Nicely seasoned with a subtle pepper kick. Fresh vegetables elevated the dish. • Vegetables Across All Dishes – 🌱 Exceptionally fresh and cooked to perfection—crisp and vibrant.

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🍹 Drinks • Ginger Pear Martini – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) A beautiful cocktail with a candied ginger garnish that was a thoughtful touch. A little on the sweet side for my taste, but very enjoyable. • Mandarin Mule – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) Refreshing and well-balanced, though not quite as memorable as the martini.

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🌟 Service & Atmosphere • Service – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) Staff were attentive, kind, and welcoming throughout. • Atmosphere – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) Relaxed and modern vibe, with a nice bar (equipped with a TV) and a clean sushi area that adds variety to the dining experience.

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📊 Overall Rating: 4.3 / 5 stars

Ming’s delivers an impressive dining experience with some outstanding highlights—especially the ribs, Mongolian beef, and cocktails. While a couple of dishes didn’t quite live up to expectations (notably the Peking Duck and Lo Mein), the fresh vegetables, warm service, and overall atmosphere make this a worthwhile stop in...

This review is going to have some criticism, hopefully some of it constructive.

1. First off, the restaurant looked closed from the outside in the early evening. We are not locals, but we had walked by several times and were looking forward ty trying it out. Even so, we walked right by it because it looked like a closed shop. I mention this because they are undoubtedly losing business because you can't tell they are open without really looking. We were the only customers when we arrived.
2. The staff was polite and friendly, but they seem to need some direction. Even though the place was dead when we arrived, the bathroom looked as if it was the end of a long night -- kind of filthy. I assume that if the owner or manager was around, things would look different. Again, the staff was very friendly.
3. Finally, the food. The menu is a bit of a mess -- way too many items. The problem with being so broad (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese on this menu) is that it's easy to be mediocre at a lot of it. If you get a customer that knows what a dish is supposed to taste like, they will be disappointed, even if the food is basically ok. For example, the Pho just simply did not taste like Pho. Too salty, with a cloudy miso type broth. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't Pho. My advice -- simplify the menu and do a few things...

I work across the street and finally got over to check out Ming's for lunch. My wife, daughter and I were pleasantly surprised with everything they have done and the food was very good with a nice selection that should fit anyone's pallet. The design of the restaurant is more on the upscale look, but the prices are very reasonable with plenty of food that it is a good deal for locals. Nice aged bar wood walls, tropical fish tank, trendy lighting, real glasses and cloth napkins, but don't worry, you can still bring the kids in here for a meal they will like.

They have a lunch special menu with items ranging from $9 - $11 with, rice, soup & spring roll. I personally opted for the beef Pho, which was around $11 and had all the right sides and plenty of food. We also tried the Roaring Fork Roll, which was nice mix of ingredients and then dipped in tempura and fried. Would like it a little thinner and longer, as each piece was huge and had a hard time picking it up.

Staff was very friendly and attentive with the whole family, keeping water glasses full, asking if we needed anything and answering questions. Relaxing and enjoyable lunch...