Lotus Garden Restaurant — Restaurant in San Diego

Lotus is a Chinese/Vietnamese Restaurant and shares the same owners and parking lot as the Minh Huong Supermarket. Lotus is a great event center with multiple dining rooms with the ability to rent upstairs space. You can enter from the back if you park in the lot.

We found the restaurant to be outdated, not as clean, the food quality and taste was mediocre and the parking was terrible. Glad we had disabled placard but had to wait because someone parked illegally which caused major chaos with 2 other cars trying to maneuver out of the way safely while backing up into the Euclid Ave.

We ordered our usual go to items which would determined if we would return.

Glazed walnut shrimp ($14.99): The nuts were stale. It was soft and oily. Shrimp lacking crunchy edges.

Clay pot fish ($15.99) Lots of fish slices but too much skin because they were end pieces and not filets. Not complaining about the portions. This dish was consistent but they could use a new clay pot.

Sweet and sour tamarind fish soup (s $19.99): we thoroughly enjoyed this soup. I would prefer a tad bit more tamarind spice but it was delicious regardless. The small size was enough to feed 4 with left overs.

3 item rice ($12.99): Vietnamese translation on the menu said “broken rice”. It was regular rice. By the look of this dish alone, I lost my appetite. The pork chops were dry, spam was over cooked and the steam egg loaf was not fresh.

Combination crispy noodle ($13.99): We loved this dish. Protein included chicken, beef, seafood. Noodles were crispy and not stale. Decent flavor.

Overall, very affordable and banquet size portions. I’ll have to pass based on the inconvenient parking, poor execution and lack of flavor.

2.5 stars, rounding to 3 because of the price and generous portions. Inflation in this economy is real but Lotus is able to feed many families with their...

The restroom smelled horribly. Immediate exit. I immediately went into the ladies room to wash my hands and face and then told them and got pushback… “Are you sure? We just cleaned in a little while ago. It must’ve been that man that was here.”

No kidding lady (an older woman, wearing a t-shirt with a grunge graphic.)

Can I have a water? I got a giant class of crushed ice … the ice stacked taller than the glass itself like a mountain so if you attempted to drink it, your nose would be surrounded by crushed ice.

Velveted chicken was hard. I am sure I’ve eaten chinese food over 1000 times in my life and this was a first.

The lo mein was thin rice noodles … not thick egg noodles. I have seen lo mein like this only in a frozen food section in a supermarket.

Not a single time does anyone come over and want to refill my water or ask if everything was OK.

Got the check. Not even a fortune cookie. Not a thanks.

It was Friday at 6 PM and I was the only person sitting there. I wonder why. But you don’t have to.

It’s actually heartbreaking to write a bad review, but it is what it is and finding good Chinese food in San Diego is continues to...

Second time here and will be back for my Chinese/ Vietnamese cravings.

The food is very good. Anything fried like salt and pepper ( s&p) chicken wings / shrimps / calamari is guilty goodness with tons of garlics and jalapeños. The soup are also delicious and you can get variety of egg noodles, rice noodles (Pho type), and chow mein (both broth or dry versions).

Popular items: 3 flavor beans with coconut milk (drink/dessert section), lobster with house special sauce, s&p or Dorotios (I'm surprised too) chicken wings, and walnut shrimps.

One thing for improvement: provide a more consistent services regarding the right orders. We kept on getting dishes that weren't ours and had our plates given to the wrong tables. It isn't a good impression when we were starving and waiting for 35 mins for our food. Services may not be the best, but that isn't a priority here when it comes to local Asian restaurant.

On the other hand, the owner is really nice! We had a small chat with him regarding best selling items and recommendations. He even gave us a 3 flavor beans dessert on the house to try. 😄...