Golden Gate Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Mesa

I'm sorry to give any restaurant one star, but I really thought about this and didn't feel it deserved more.

My husband and I have been looking for a good Chinese restaurant here in Mesa since we moved down here from Laveen. We used to go to Sun Asian in Phoenix and they are fantastic. I'll preface this by saying I'm from New York originally and nothing out here matches the Chinese food back in NY, so I'm always on the quest for good Chinese food.

We went to Golden Gate because we read so many good reviews of it on Google. The decor is very pretty and it's a nice, sit down Chinese restaurant. It's dimly lit and they have nice little booths and tables. It's got more of an intimate setting. I wasn't very hungry so I ordered some wonton soup, an egg roll and a spare rib appetizer. My husband ordered the Szechuan Chicken.

My wonton soup came out first. A tiny cup with what was pretty much just hot water with a few small wontons in it and.....canned mushrooms. The soup had absolutely no taste and was nearly colorless. I really think it was hot water. I couldn't believe they had canned mushrooms in it. What good restaurant uses canned mushrooms? They can't even slice a fresh mushroom? After a few tastes of the completely tasteless soup, my egg roll arrived. Burned on both ends and completely overcooked. I was barely able to cut it. I will say that the filling wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. Mostly chopped Chinese cabbage and bean sprouts. That was also tasteless. My husband was still waiting for his dinner when the ribs arrived. Four large spare ribs covered in an orange sauce, lying on a bed of shredded lettuce with a few sesame seeds sprinkled on top. The ribs were also very over cooked and tough. The first bite I took I was barely able to tear the meat off the bone. Although the taste wasn't bad....it wasn't great either. Basically other then the orange flavored sauce on top, they were tasteless. My husband's dinner arrived and it was all orange also. It had slices of chicken, large pieces of green pepper, pea pods and bamboo shoots. It came with a container of steamed white rice. He dished himself up some rice and there was a pea in it. Hmmmm, did they reuse someone else's rice or did the pea accidentally get in there? Anyway, on to the Szechuan Chicken. After a few bites my husband said it was "ok, not great". My husband will eat pretty much anything, so I was surprised to hear him say this. He did eat quite a bit of it (not unusual for him, lol) but at the end of the meal he said he really didn't like it. He said the chicken was basically tasteless (there seems to be a recurring theme here). He said he was eating it waiting for the taste to get better, but it never did. He said the sauce was basically an orange sauce that they put a little bit of red pepper in to spice it up. He said it didn't taste home made, it tasted like it came out of a jar. For dessert, when you get your check, they bring you two fried little flat wonton wrappers with a bit of banana inside and some confectioner's sugar on top. I will say that those were good.

The service was very good, wait staff very friendly and kind, and atmosphere was nice, but due to the lack of flavor and freshness in the food and the burnt food, I have to only give them one star. Sorry...

It saddens me to write this review as I've been going to Golden Gate since I was about twelve years old and loved it. However, things do not last forever, and this is one of them. Stepping inside for the first time in a few years and the restaurant looks the same down to the white paper coverings on the tables. I sat down and checked out the menu and decided on the broccoli with chicken. The lunch order still comes with a choice of soup and wontons and a veggie egg roll. I got the egg drop soup that came out pipping hot, and it was still delicious.

I wish I could say that the rest of my meal was delicious. However, this was not the case. The chicken with broccoli came out in a dark brown soupy sauce that I was not expecting. From what I remember for years, the chicken and broccoli came in a white and clear sauce. The sauce was very heavy, too sweet, and did not have any flavor. Eating each bite made me so sad because I remember when this used to taste good, and now it does not. The servers that came by did not seem to really care that I did not like the food.

Again, things have to change, but this has not changed for the better. I will have to find a new place for Chinese when I...

A delicious choice! Great food, FAST service, worth the price. First time eating here; ordered for pickup and it was nicely boxed, hot and ready to go when I got there! (On a Sat. night, with a good amount of inside service as well!) Far better than a couple of places we've tried in Tempe area. The restaurant was clean and attractive inside, and smelled good - not greasy and old like some places (hope to go for lunch one day), and everyone was so nice and friendly. My Pad Thai was delicious, and rather than having just one obligatory shrimp among the pork and chicken, there were several! And it wasn't smothered in whole peanuts - rather they were toasted and chopped and lightly garnished. My husband's sweet and sour chicken was quite plenteous, as was the accompanying fried rice. The crab angels and pot stickers were very tasty and good-sized, as were all the sauces. While compared to some other places, the prices were a bit higher, we will return because of the excellent food and portions. Thanks for a delicious Saturday night dinner! (Also, not sure about the person who said they only take cash; I paid with card,...