Happy Garden

Sad to hear that owner is retiring! Gonna be sad that one of the most authentic Taiwanese style food place will be gone soon!

I GIVE IT 5 STARS BECAUSE:
I like it how small and messy it is. There is no feel of design, form and color nor have they ever put a little effort in making this place more welcoming and better looking.
Instead they focus on the quality of the food. It’s really really authentic taiwanese dishes you get here. Only because this became a pretty much chinese neighborhood, does not mean you get the real deal everywhere.
But this place made me feel like being back for lunch in Taiwan. Well you wait a bit longer than usual I would say, but hey freshness takes its time.

Sadly was not impressed, but I wanted this place to be my next best friend!
Service: mediocre with half the restaurant full on a Saturday night. (And I’m saying in relation to other Chinese restaurants.) They were kind of inept and I wondered if they had just opened, but nope.
Food: Small portions, overpriced, middling quality. The clams with basil were good but served on a plate 2 – 3 inches smaller than you’d get elsewhere for the same price. The pig’s blood/intestine’s soup was of a decent size, tasty if not my favorite. The goose was sliced all weird across the grain but good. And the «snowfish» with black bean… I am 90% sure no snowfish is that fatty (and I didn’t even know how bad fatty fish could taste), but who can identify a fish once it’s been carved unto chunks and fried?
You do get a nice free dessert, but overall, I wouldn’t come back when there are so many MUCH better options in the same plaza!

Good taste, small portions, overpriced. Points docked most for price.
Clam & ginger soup: Typical. Good, fresh, light taste. A good number of clams was in the soup, but again, the portion wasn’t very large.
Goose: Oily and fatty, but the meat was delicious.
Green beans with garlic: Well-​seasoned and crisp but oily.
Mapo Tofu: Good Taiwanese flavor. The peanut oil taste was a little heavy to my liking. Happy Garden used soft tofu diced into very tiny cubes and tossed it with a frozen vegetable medley. Overall, not the best, but not bad. I ate it all.

Best Hakka food west of Taiwan. Everything prepared is made to order and the service is fast considering they have 2 – 3 people working. Their food is authentic Taiwanese food and yum is all I can say.
Things to get… Not sure of the actual names in english…
5 flavor pot — Small boiling pot with a thick spicy broth, tofu, coagulated pig’s blood, intestine, pickled mustard green and some bamboo soooo good with rice!!!
Spicy stir fried pork belly — well cooked seasoned nicely with leek and various veggies
Ginger clam soup — Super traditional soup prepared with clams and ginger… pallet cleanser and a perfect soup for a rainy day or not!
Simmered goose w/​ginger — delicious cuts of goose mixed with ginger that you dip in a savory sauce
Small pigs intestine with ginger– omg this is a delicious dish Its very refreshing and also goes really well with rice!
They have daily veggies that are on special, so ask them about them! They are cooked to order with garlic, peppers or Chinese bbq sauce, whatever! All cooked well!
I know some people reading my review must think, EW organs, but trust, this place is legit. and as taiwanese as it can get. totally worth a try, I’ll def put pictures up of my faves next time I go. I think I like to order the more hardcore stuff that the mainstream Unilocalers don’t!
some tips… It’s def better to go with a larger group so you can get a variety of all the dishes they can make the first time.
Their dishes tend to be on the smaller size then a regular family style restaurant, so keep that in mind, otherwise ENJOY!!! 8)

Came by for lunch and tried the shrimp and tofu ($ 7.95) and the clams with basil ($ 7.95). They also gave us a complimentary bowl of egg drop soup with some black fungi and mushroom. The soup was good and the best part of the meal. The shrimp and tofu was very plain and was topped with some peas and carrots. The clams were good but very small. Overall, the food is not bad but the price is high for the quality and portion size.

Um sometimes the hole in the wall places are the surprise gems. We ordered the traditional chicken & basil, combo noodles, chicken fried rice and some sort of veggie dish that looks like spinach. Over all very tasty. Try the watermelon juice as well. Cash only though. Just don’t be scared away by the interior.

meh… all the dishes don’t really have flavors…
They have hot pot which is like 17 bucks for one, whose size is similar to those at boiling pot, but with plain soup and not much stuffs inside. And the famous boiling pot is less than 10 bucks per pot. So, it’s really expensive… plus nothing tasty inside…
Anyway, for sure I won’t go there again. Nothing impressive and too expensive for what we got.

I’m not sure what it is about Happy Garden that I enjoy so much but it gets a 5 stars from me. It’s home-​style Taiwanese cooking where you can do family style and get entrees such as 3 cup chicken, spicy pork blood & intestines hot pot, etc. or you can opt for noodles and pork chop rice. They’re all delicioussssss.
I recently had the shrimp omelette (oysters were unavailable) and I swear I could’ve probably finished that entire plate on my own. That pink sauce is SO GOOD. I didn’t even miss the oysters. Shrimp is just as good, so try it!

Yet another reminder that Taiwanese food is better in SoCal…
Fantastic chicken roll, Taiwanese sausage, and clam soup! The sausage is in the same league as Sinbala.
No oyster noodle or pancake available because the Asian oysters cannot be imported at this time. Something about failing safety tests at US customs?
Would like to see more vegetable dishes on the menu. And no disposable wooden chopsticks for dining in.

Authentic Taiwanese cuisine in busy shopping center. We had the pork chop rice plate, chittlings, pork kidney soup, basil clams, and the squid pottage. The food and service was good. The menu is large but does not have stinky tofu. Besides fighting to get a parking space at 12:15 pm overall good lunch.

I’m surprised at its high ratings. I came here with a friend and both agreed that we wouldn’t want to come back here on our own accord.
I guess a plus about the Pork Chop rice was that it wasn’t too greasy. It was well battered but a bit tasteless, as was the pickled veggies, hardboiled egg, and the stewed pork fat. I’m used to this dish being a LOT more savory and this time, it was pretty surprisingly bland.
I liked the yam leaves and basil clams. And the ba wan was decent. Prices are slightly higher than others.
Still prefer Sinbala!

I sat there one person soaking in all the Taiwanese glorious-​ness. The background mix of mandarin and now dying Taiwanese dialect being spoken reminded me of my homeland Taiwan, specifically TaiPei.
This is your traditional no frills Taiwanese restaurant. You don’t go for the décor or service, you go for the food. Sit down and without asking a kettle of tea is placed in front of you despite it being 100 degrees outside. I alternated between drinking my cup of tea and ice water because the chances of them refilling my ice water was slim to none.
Despite the myriad of options on the menu I judge a true Taiwanese place off a few staple items one being Fried Pork Chop rice and that is just what I ordered. It came with the traditional fixing of pickled sour veggies, stewed egg and tofu. What can I say other then the fact it was fantastically delicious (true taiwanese flavoring and seasoning in the batter and meat). Not sure how I’ll ever be able to order any other dish here to try if I come solo.
Just a reminder that it’s cash only because the Taiwanese love tax evasion.

Came here with my friend for lunch today.
I had the fried pork chop rice, and it was good, but I think the best one is still in Davis where the pork chop was a bit sweet and fatty, but the way it’s fried is just like this one. Mmmh.
My friend had the Taiwanese sausage fried rice. My! Wonderful wok heat and delicious bite-​size pieces of sausage. I had to resist eating all my friend’s food!
I’d love to come back because their pig intestine looks so good and I have to try their goose meat one day!

I’m a guai lo who has spent several tours of duty in Taiwan for both work and school. Of all the places I lived in Asia, Taiwan and particularly Taiwanese food is one of the things I miss most. This joint is very mom & pop. If you didn’t look outside and see a gigantic parking lot you might think you were eating in a little restaurant in gong guan (Taipei).
The (chang wang) was very tasty as was the (3 cup chicken). I was slightly disappointed with the chou dou fu but this is pretty hard to get right (in my opinion). I especially enjoyed chatting with the s working there about my time in Taiwan. Can’t say the food totally blew my mind away but it was pretty good for Taiwanese eats in America. I’ll be back for the atmosphere tho.

This is the most authentic Taiwanese restaurant you will find in Los Angeles!
Its been around for at least 16 years! I tried just about everything on their menu… Here are a few of my favorites:
— three cup chicken (never get tired of this one): Very flavorful. Love the sauce with rice. Be cautious of the tiny chicken bones
— sliced goose meat (seasonal): It’s a popular Taiwanese dish and is very hard to find in the states.
— combination or sausage fried rice. Delicious! I love adding hot sauce to mine. gives it a kick!
— fried pork chop rice: not too dry like other places. Portions are just right
— snowfish w parsley: it says parsley on their menu but I believe it’s basil. I like fried dishes with a sauce/​glaze. The fried shrimp with sweet and sour glaze is also like this and equally delicious!
–other dishes that go really well with rice: bean curd w pork strips, bamboo shoots w pork strips, beef w green onion and ginger, sliced sausage, pan fried eggs w parsley
— fried food fans: the fried calamari or fried oysters never let me down. Great appetizer for sharing!
Also, their drinks are really good too! Freshly blended papaya milk juice and watermelon juice are my favorites. I also enjoy their lemon green tea and passionfruit black tea… so refreshing! Not refill-​able but it’s a pretty big cup for around $ 2.50!!!
My friends and I love coming here. The service is a little lacking at times but they are really friendly. The food is worth it. The prices and portions are decent. I highly recommend this restaurant for authentic Taiwanese cuisine :)

My family and I have been coming here for at least 7 years… It’s a family owned restaurant so it’s nice to see that they’re still doing well. I think I’ve spent the majority of my major holidays here for dinner with my family since there really isn’t too many places open on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, etc.
I’ve tried just about everything on the menu since I’ve been here so many times so I won’t go through the list of all the items. I do have to say that they do have a good variety of items you can order and the portions are pretty reasonable. They always give you a bowl of green bean soup for dessert and it’s really good!
If you decide to check this place out don’t forget to bring CASH as they don’t accept CC…

Not sure what we ordered since my parents took care of everything, but every dish was good! There was a fish soup that was so simple but so flavorful, and the claypot fish belly was ridiculously tender. So glad we’ve found another Taiwanese restaurant to go to!

Service — 5 stars
Taste — 4 stars
It’s a family owned restaurant and it has a homey feel to it. They serve authentic Taiwanese tapa style dishes, rice dishes, noodle, and soups.
Favorites:
Pork Chop rice or noodle
Goose Meat rice
Fried Chicken Egg Roll
Fried Fish Cake
Sauteed Kidney w/​Liver
Sauteed veggies — ask for Potato Leaf
Clam Soup
Pig’s Small Intestine
Boba Milk Tea
Parking — Plenty of parking in the shopping center.

This is a great casual Taiwanese/​Chinese restaurant, one of the first in the area! They have tons of regular customers and so you just need to know what to order. It’s family owned and service is fantastic.
— Pork Chop fried rice is delicious, and the drier kind. Great side of minced meat
— 3 Cup Chicken is tasty, but you have to deal with bones as is the style of the dish
— The fish stomach/​fried fish and goose meat are great but seasonal dishes
— Fried calamari is made fresh with great salt and pepper dipping
— Combination fried rice with beef, chicken, shrimp, ham is so delicious
— Bean curd or bamboo with pork
— Potato leaf and other fresh wok cooked steamed vegetables
Their green bean drink and boba are great too, just hope they dont sell out. Great Taiwanese snacks /​small eats /​food.