CHINA GARDEN — Restaurant in Key West

Edit: Upon reading other reviews I realized I have also double tipped. The bill was misleading and the staff did not remind me tip has been incorporated into the price. So I paid tip on tips, 15 dollars I think. That is not fair to me or my wallet. Thumbs down. Food was good. Not mentioning the unconventional tipping is NOT.

Loved the food. It was surprising to find a place dishing out honest and authentic Chinese food in KEY WEST. American Chinese food lovers be warned: orange chicken, broccoli beef and fortune cookies do NOT exist in China. Panda Express is better at American "Chinese" food and I use the term "Chinese" food loosely here. This place is the place to go if you want to finally find out what Chinese food is all about. Ask the owner what part of the menu is Chinese food and what part is qoute on qoute "American Chinese" food. I recommend be brave and order a few things from the wild side.

Location: Between the hotel stretch and the old town. Next to the local Publix and TJ Max. Grab a beer or icecream on the way back. Walking distance to Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott on a nicely paved ocean sidewalk.

Price: I got excited and ordered some of the most pricy stuff on the menu: today's fish, beef in spicy soup Sichuan style, and green beans Sichuan style. Three dishes costed us two hungry hungry hippos sixty dollars plus 18% tip as requested by the menu. The portions are generous. We walked out very happy. Again it is Key West. Eating in our hotel would have costed sixty dollars each plus twenty to twenty five percent tip. It was good value for what we had.

Now to the dishes.

Flavor: Try as the chef may, ingredients and seasoning are different in Key West compare with Sichuan, where I lived for more than a decade. Local Sichuan food would also have been too bold and could be off-putting for less adventurous dinners. With that said, what the chef did wih his version of Sichuan dishes are impressive: the flavor palette while undeniably adjusted to its American audience, was still complete, balanced and true to its origin. They were delicious.

Health considerations: Like proper Chinese food, all ingredients are unprocessed and fresh. The seasoning to me was on the light side since I was wondering if it lived up to killer hot and heavily seasoned Sichuan cooking. However it also meant the food was low in sodium and grease. Little sugar was used as expected. No cheese or dairy. I did not order anything breaded and deep fried. Few real Chinese dishes are deep fried. No love lost there.

Presentation: Now be warned, since I have been raving on about authenticity, the fish was served with head containing eyeballs rolled into its own skull, as well as fins, bones and skin, just how Chinese people like it. Despite our decade in Sichuan together my born American husband has reservations about his food rolling eyes at him.

Service: Good, but there may be a language problem. Not all staff spoke English and fewer spoke Spanish. I imagine many of them may have a hard time explaining what goes on in a dish to help customers completely new to the cuisine making decisions. As a result I see earlier commenters have been disappointed for not receiving Panda Express. I'd hire a good translator and photographer to upgrade the menu and sell the living daylight out of...

I went in the restaurant to order take out. When I got home I realized that one of my items was incorrect . When I called the restaurant to let them know , they told me being the item back and we will get you the correct item and I would just have to pay the difference . I told her I live 20 mins away and that being I g the item today would be inconvenience . She told me bring it any other day to get full credit back. All I can do is shake my head . She apologize and said who ever took my order made a mistake . And that's the best offer she can give me. Is to bring it back and bay the difference for the correct one. If I did bring it back to exchange it , it's a major inconvenience for me as a customer to have to come back all the way down there to exchange and pay the difference from a mistake that one of her employees made. And the difference is only $2!! Both items is less than $10 money hungry and terrible service this place is . This is so sad as business owner and a restaurant at that. I'm a local and I don't recommend this place to anyone ! Terrible customer service and all I can do is...

An Unforgettable Taste of Home in Key West

After two weeks of traveling across America, we stumbled upon what turned out to be the most delicious Chinese food of our entire trip—and it was all the way in Key West! The food at Chinese Garden is exceptional, with authentic, vibrant flavors that we genuinely enjoyed from the first bite. Our hour-long meal was a true delight.

But the most heartfelt surprise was discovering that the boss's lady is also from Hong Kong! To travel so far from home and find a fellow Hong Konger is a rare and special joy. It made the experience more than just a meal; it felt like a connection to home. The service was prompt and friendly, matching the quality of the wonderful food. If you're craving authentic Chinese cuisine with a touch of heartfelt hospitality,...