Inchin’s Bamboo Garden — Restaurant in Irvine

Service was way too slow, even after we noted we needed to leave soon. Took over 10 mins for anyone to notice us at the "please wait to be seated" sign in a 75% empty restuarant - when we were finally noticed, we were told it would a take a few minutes to get a table ready for us although tables were ready. Took over 10 mins to get anyone's attention to order food. Water was room temp on a hot summer night - no ice was offered probably because their serve yourself pitcher spout was too small - was not refilled. Could have started with glasses filled with ice instead of empty ones? Food was bland and sauces noticablly did not hit the expected flavor notes as their names indicated - meat tasted low quality - spicy dishes were not spicy. I had to heavily suppliment using their 4 hot sauces - still was pretty bland - im usually not a spicy eater, but i felt the original spicy dish was a touch below mild. Luckily the produce was ripe and fresh. Unfortunately i got a large piece of outer onion layer that was very chewy and unpleasant- that layer is usually tossed out before cutting. Not worth it at full price ~$14/dish - the coupons for buy one get one free coupons but id still be hesitant to go back. Service was very slow entire time - half the time was looking for someone to wave down for basic service. Had to wait over 10 mins to wave someone down to pay for the bill, and another 10 mins to get it processed. They didnt offer to box our leftovers for us. Manager doesnt seem to understand the stated needs of his customers - he weirdly chit chatted with us about knowing we needed to leave soon which prevented us from eating, weirdly noted we were smiling (i was smiling cause i finally got food when i was hungry, but sadly was soon dissappointed by the flavors) and didn't ensure our check got cleared quickly. Im usually happy when food is in front of me at any point in time - thus pretty rare I am notably disappointed, so this is a pretty big deal for me - so much so that the friend i was originally disapponted couldnt make it to dinner, i was soon glad he didnt make it to dinner. Decor is very muted but some of the art work is interesting. I dont know if they had an off day across the board - but more staff and training would do some good. I wouldnt chance this place for lunch - whether with clients or coworkers - unlikely i could count on get out of there in time to get back to work. Id try other dishes, if i could spare 2 hours. I wouldnt bring my family here as their more refined tastebuds would likely be bored. Did i mention no chop sticks were offered? I think bamboo utensils would be a nice touch to go along...

Disappointing Decline in Taste and Service at Inchin's Bamboo Garden

I have been a regular patron of Inchin's Bamboo Garden, a restaurant known for its Indo-Chinese cuisine. However, I must express my disappointment with the recent decline in taste and quality, which has left me with a less-than-satisfactory dining experience.

During my most recent visit, I ordered the fried rice and vegetable coins, commonly known as veg Manchurian. To my dismay, the vegetable coins were overcooked and had a bitter taste. Additionally, the portion size was disappointingly small, especially considering the relatively high prices. It's disheartening to pay a premium for a dish and receive such a meager serving.

Furthermore, the staff's response to concerns about the vegetable coins was far from satisfactory. They offered no solution to the issue of the coins soaking up all the curry, resulting in dry coins. To add insult to injury, they demanded an additional $5 to make the dish slightly soupy. This pricing strategy felt unjustified and left a negative impression.

The lack of proper utensils, particularly the shortage of medium-sized plates, was quite unpleasant for take out orders. The ambiance may be pleasant, but it cannot compensate for the unfriendly service and subpar food quality. It is concerning that the restaurant does not take responsibility for any mishaps, often report absence of the manager, whenever you ask for one.

Inchin's Bamboo Garden's inconsistency in taste and service is disheartening. The only reason they seem to survive is the absence of nearby competition. However, once a new competitor emerges, I have no doubt that their decline will be permanent.

Overall, I regret to say that I can no longer recommend Inchin's Bamboo Garden based on my recent experiences. The restaurant's deteriorating taste, portion size, and service quality overshadow any positive aspects, making it a less-than-desirable...

We ordered to pick up lunch - they had a weekday lunch special ordered. The pick up time given to me was 1245-1pm. When I reached, I saw that there was already a group of people waiting. The girl working there told me that everyone standing there was waiting for their order and that my order would take another 15 minutes. 40 minutes later, they still needed a few more minutes to ready my order. When i asked for her supervisor to come out, the supervisor told me that my, and another customer's order, could be made ready in 2-3 minutes. We had been waiting for nearly an hour by then, so what gives? Was he waiting for us to complain to him in person to start making our order?

Another customer was waiting for 2 spring rolls, that this supervisor said was already ready but for reasons only he'd know, he didn't pack and send out.

Anyway, I then checked the other to-go orders that they were bringing to the table up front. There were orders with a pick up time of 130PM that was being given, while orders with a pick up time of 1230pm and 1245pm hadn't been made yet. It looked like orders were processed in a last-in-first-out manner. As if they picked up the most recently placed orders but forgot about the ones that were placed before.

It might be that the place was severly understaffed or that their kitchen management system is just broken. Either way, it was a frustrating wait on a weekday.

What made this worse? The chicken manchurian I had ordered wasn't cooked. They gave out barely cooked chicken. The gravy tasted bad, too. The other bowls in the order were very tasteless as well. They won't pick up the phone to give me a refund because that was money and time entirely wasted.

I'd recommend avoiding - your money is better spent elsewhere. I would give 0...