Yu's Garden — Restaurant in Troutdale

A year ago, I bought the makings for a Shirley Temple. One sip in and my entire childhood came back in a flash instant. That is what eating at Yu's Garden is like. The food is pure 1970s Americana Chinese food complete with bright red sweet and sour sauce, mounds of fried rice, and old favorites like Chow Mein, egg rolls, and family or plate combinations that throw four or five of your favorite Chinese dishes onto one plate for less than $10.00.

The #5 Combo is a big plate of fried rice, four fried shrimp, crispy coated sweet and sour pork, and almond subgum chow mein (a more chopped and crunchy version of regular Chow Mein). The appetizer of the Fried Won Tons (no meat) was like eating addictive tortilla chips and sauce at a local Mexican eatery. These large wonton skins were deep fried and served with a dipping sauce and hot mustard. Two combo plates, an appetizer, and two sodas didn't even break $30.00 on the bill. A true steal.

Service was attentive and not overbearing. Our drinks were kept filled and used dishes were taken away in due course. The staff was friendly and engaging. The entire experience was quite grand. The food is filling, fresh and hot. For the cost, the level of service and the inexpensive food, you can't go wrong.

If you are looking for authentic Chinese food from the streets of Canton or Hong Kong, this isn't your place. But if you want to relive the Americanized Chinese food of the 70s (and now today), Yu's is the place.

Note: Yu's Garden is tucked toward the back of the Love's Truck Stop on I-84 at the #17 exit (Marine Drive). Take the exit and follow the Frontage road until you get to Love's and then turn into the entrance to Love's. Look to your left and toward the back to find Yu's. If you miss the entrance to Love's you will have to loop around under I-84 and then follow the...

I have eaten here several times. Today I stopped through with my roommate to grab a late lunch. They were running happy hour all night at the bar, for the blazers game. I mispronounced "bulleit" wrong when I asked for a whiskey once, and now Trina, the good-hearted bartender, welcomes me as "Bulleit Dan". We order our food as Trina prepares for the evening rush. Upon hearing that we are looking for rental properties in Portland she takes my number, telling me she has a friend who rents properties in the area. Upon hearing that I want to find local work, she promises to contact another friend. When I whine to her to refill my glass, she hits me in the back of the head with a serving tray before obliging. The food comes out, and as always is cooked to perfection. You will be hard-pressed to find better Chinese food in all of Portland. As we dig in, an entire biker gang's worth of old ladies enters the bar. Trina asks if we will scoot down so they can sit at the bar and watch the blazers game. We oblige. One of the old ladies threatens my roommate with her cane anyway. Another engages us in conversation about life, our reasons for moving to Portland, and her plans for the future. The food is finished, we are stuffed, and not very big sports fans. We get up to depart. Trina hugs us each goodbye. The wonderfully friendly server Jade wishes us farewell on our way out the door and asks if she will see us again tomorrow. No, we reply, our job as truckers takes us back on the road tomorrow. It may be a while, but we will be back. There are many places along the road like this, but there is only one Yu's Garden. For just a little while, a couple of tired truckers can feel welcomed and at home in a happy place. You'll come for the food, but you'll stay for the experience. 10/10 would apply bandage to head and eat...

We have lived in the area for around nine months and for some reason haven't checked out any local Chinese restaurants. The atmosphere here is kind of odd. It took awhile to pinpoint it until I went to the restrooms. This restuarant used to by an old Flying J gas station and truck stop (as evidenced by the Flying J restroom signs). That made the atmosphere a little more understanding. Our waitress was extremely attentive and we never went without a drink. We order the Crab puffs as a starter and were pleasantly surprised that you get ten crab puffs (which appeared to be real and not imitation crab) for the price (under $7).

For our meal we ordered an entree of crunchy sesame beef (served on rice noodles) and General Tsao's Chicken. Both entrees were perfectly spiced and the flavor was great. Again, we were pleasantly surprised by the portion sizes. We both ate plenty of food and took home rather large portions as leftovers.

We will definately be back to visit again and took some take out menus with us so we can start ordering pickup from Yu's since it is on my way...