Definitely improving since going under new ownership, but I still miss the old Lemon Tree menu. I remember when the change first happened. I didn’t even know and they didn’t take down the old menus so I was confused when they had no idea what I was taking about when trying to order some of the items (like the roti). I even thought I had called the wrong place at one point even though I used the number from the menu they still had displayed in the restaurant. I settled for some items I wouldn’t normally order and to my shock they were nowhere near the quality they had been known for and was disappointed as much as to look them up and discover the transition.
They almost instantly went from a casual, but quality Chinese/Thai restaurant to a bottom-tier Americanized Chinese establishment (maintaining the higher prices, still). I swore never to order there again. Well, time has passed and I’ve still d found myself ordering there when I want to give it another try with a false hope that they will return to their former glory, but even now it’s no cigar.
The food quality just doesn’t stand up to what it once was. It’s hard to rate service and atmosphere because since Covid, dining indoors there is the equivalent of picking up your order and taking it to a dining hall yourself. This I can’t hold to their fault as it’s not feasible for their staff to currently accommodate these services. The food on the other hand definitely has room to grow and maybe they can seek advice from the previous owners
This isn’t to say there isn’t anything good. The food has improved greatly from the initial switchover. It’s still not something I’d sing at the top of my lungs about, but it’s gotten to a point where if you navigate the menu you can find decent dishes. Others are still lacking. The quality has reached a point where, although it’s still an average Americanized Chinese restaurant now, I’d give it a recommend for someone hungry, in the mood for Chinese and doesn’t want to drive further up 100.
I will still order from Lemon Tree now that I’ve seen a slow, but noticeable turnaround and also encourage the ownership to continue improving. I’ve been content with my orders the last few times. Not wowed, but happy enough to finish the food without it going bad in the fridge. I hope others give them a second chance and help provide any constructive ideas to hopefully help return the place to where it had been. Bring back the...
Read moreWhile visiting the area, my son found this place on Google and wanted to try it out. My expectations were not met but that's the problem with expectation. It's not their fault. I think they were doing the best they could but I also have to be honest with my opinion and experience. The 2 young kids handled all of the service. They did the best they could do for their ages but weren't very helpful as they wanted to do kid things, which I understand. After taking our order, they brought our food to the table. It took me quite a while to get the Egg Drop Soup as I had already eaten a good bit of my entree. I was initially surprised by the paper plates just bc I wasn't expecting it at that kind of restaurant. I use paper plates at home so not a huge negative. It was just unexpected. When we received our sodas, the top rim of my glass was very greasy and they never provided straws so I couldn't drink it. No one ever came over to check on us and I looked around to inform someone but the kids were playing and the adult was busy in the back preparing the food. I eventually took my glass to the counter and waited for the adult to come out, but he was busy. There was a fridge behind me with bottled soda pops so I left my glass on the counter and grabbed a pop. I wanted to just exchange and only pay for the bottled pop. No one ever came out so I took it. My soup finally came out and it was in a plastic container. I wanted Sriracha but couldn't get anyone's attention so just ate it as is. The food wasn't bad but didn't have the flavor I was used to when having General Tso. This was sweet but it wasn't bad. Different, but not bad. When we were finished, we stood at the counter for a bit until the young girl noticed and checked us out. I told her that I switched my sprite for a bottled pop bc my glass was dirty. I don't know if she charged me for both or not but I paid what she calculated. Based on the previous reviews, there may have been changes at this place. I'm assuming the family is doing the best they can so I do wish I had a...
Read moreThis is quintessential 'white people asian food.' If you order with those expectations in mind, then you'll probably be happy (as evidenced by the reviews). If you have ever had anything remotely authentic, you will be disappointed, as we were. Nothing against the establishment or owners, it's just extremely bland and boring. I've made much better pad thai and fried rice at home with basic ingredients from Wegmans. We seriously underestimated how truly limited good food options were in the suburbs before we...
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