Rice Garden

Yesterday was the last day for rice garden. My grandma and i stopped in to get our Chinese food fix. I haven’t been to this spot in a while since they let the other lady go, she was AMAZING! she gave potions that you know you wanted for the price you were paying. The guy that was working didn’t offer a discount on what was left and it was their last day. i feel like he should have been like, «hey just have this for like 50% because as of tomorrow i no longer work here» but ehhh he didn’t but its okay.

I absolutely love this place but am unhappy about 1 thing. The new manager has decided not to make the lemon chicken everyday. This is a very popular item on the menu and my family loves it. I hate having make sure I get there between Thursday & Sunday to enjoy it. I am hoping the manager would see the light and make it everyday.

Every time I’ve come here, I’ve had to wait because they are out of food. However, it’s one of my husband and I’s favorite places for fast chinese food! Very tasty and they give BIG portions for a not so bad price.
*Update: I’m updating this review because Rice Garden reached out to me and offered me free coupons because of my disappointment with the lack of food readily available. Talk about AMAZING customer service!!!

BBQ Pork and Chicken WAS .50 extra NOW 75 cents and they don’t tell you till they ring up your order. I thought that was sneeky. Still cheaper than Panda Express but their variety is really lacking. The portions seems to be smaller and the amount of meat in some of the dishes appear to be less. I give it a 3 only because the food is relatively good.

True, my eyesight could be better, and yes I shouldn’t have agreed to the terms and conditions before ordering (even though the link was disabled) off a discount website. Even still, I think it was rather sneaky making it necessary to order $ 20 worth of food when applying a $ 10 certificate. Why not just say $ 20 worth of food for $ 14? Well first they hope you’ll spend more than that, and second they think you’ll just cave and buy $ 20 or more of chinese fast food in one trip. That’s a ton of food that I wouldn’t want leftovers of. I was wrong for purchasing an online voucher, but trust me, it will be the last mistake I make with rice garden. I will not be using the voucher and that money will be the last they will be getting from me.

I do not get all the good reviews here especially when there’s a Panda Express only two blocks away with better food. I was happy when this Rice Garden opened in the Albertsons in Long Beach because the local Panda Express is always really crowded and this is convenient, however every time we go there, either the food looks old and mangy or they are out of numerous items. Also, I noted they had to correct food temperature in a recent health department inspection. Hello, how hard is it to keep the food hot in a steam tray restaurant? The first time I went, I remember the guy was completely overworked because he was there all alone when his cook didn’t show up. I mean, that happens, so I was willing to overlook it, though it meant we had to wait quite awhile. The second and third times, there was enough food but it was 7 p.m. or so and the food was looking very tired and unappetizing. Still dinner hour, not like it was midnight. Last night was the last straw, we went in at 4:52 p.m. and they were literally out of almost everything I wanted to order for a family feast. We had to wait and wait. Very annoying. Next time, we’ll just stand in line at Panda Express. At least they have enough employees to serve the food. I actually took photos of all the empty bins to post them, but I can’t see where on Unilocal I can upload them, so just use your imagination.

The guys who work here really put in an effort when it comes to providing excellent customer service. Every time I come in here I’m always greeted (and not just your typical «Welcome to [business name]» when the person greeting you doesn’t even take the time to look your direction). The food is better than most Chinese food fast food restaurants.

This place is a step up from the Panda Express down the street. The only bummer is no cream cheese wantons. I love their hot and sour soup along with their Taiwanese rice noodles (yum!). Their sesame chicken is also pretty good as is their bbq pork. Like mentioned the bbq pork and chicken cost 50 cents more but the taste is worth it! I hardly ever shop at Albertsons but I stop in for Rice Garden. Dont let the location fool you, they are good enough to have their own store outside of a grocery store. And if your in a hurry dont go around meal times. There WILL be a line.

Taiwanese rice noodles are my guilty pleasure. When I heard my husband was going to be out of town, I started planning my lunch here. I actually went big and ordered the orange chicken, but I really should have just stuck with an order of noodles. The orange chicken was soggy and not that great. I’ve tried Taiwanese rice noodles at a lot of different places (basically whenever I see them, even if I’m not hungry just because they aren’t very common), and I think Rice Garden is in my top 2. Now, I just have to figure out a way to get my husband out of town next time I’m in Long Beach for a repeat visit…

This is a typical Panda Express clone but without the bloated prices and skimpy portions.
Rice Garden is located inside of the Albertsons and consists of your average Chinese fast food fare: Fried rice, chow mein, orange chicken, kung pao chicken, broccoli beef, mushroom chicken, bbq pork, egg rolls, etc. There are no new or surprising dishes here, which is ok because I know I will find something I like. Portions are generously served and you get a lot more then at Panda Express.
A 2 Item Combo is $ 5.89 plus tax. If you want the special Master Fung’s BBQ Pork or BBQ chicken there is a .50 cent charge. The .50 cents is worth it because the BBQ entrées are cooked whole and sliced when you order. The BBQ Pork is a must have every time I go and is delicious.
A solid 3 stars because I would like to see more variety other than the all-​too-​familiar Chinese fast food options.

OMGGG Rice Garden in Long Beach?! This was a staple for me my senior year of college because we had one on campus, way hidden back in the Engineering buildings… man is it good! Love that bbq chicken. I was actually looking for a quiznos that my gps was directing me to, but it wasn’t there anymore… so instead I looked for nearby food and was shocked when I saw Rice Garden!
Of COURSE I have to be the unlucky one with the lady getting a HUGE family order and she takes ALL of the effin orange chicken! I was in a rush so I couldn’t wait. I told the guy serving me my sob story so he gave me extra bbq chicken. What a sweetie :) Thanks so much… and man I’m so excited there’s a rice garden here! ahhhh! Oh but, the chow mein was a little dry and not as good as I remember :(

OK, I’ll admit – just like the previous poster, one of my favorite Chinese dishes is barbecued pork, not to mention barbecued spare ribs. However, I usually prefer eating the pork just so I don’t have to hassle with the bones! :-P
I’ve been shopping at this particular Albertsons location during my lunch hour at least once a week since it’s close to my workplace. I’ve seen the Rice Garden inside but never thought to stop by and pick up something for lunch from there. So one day after I picked up a couple of things at Albertsons, I passed by Rice Garden just to see what they had. To my delight, I saw they served barbecued pork! :-) Even though they charge .50 cents extra, I feel it’s worth it. They’re cooked in sizeable chunks and are sliced up when you place your order. Since I’m not a big eater, I usually get the rice bowl with the pork for lunch, and it fills me up.
I’ve never tried the combination plate special because I can’t substitute the fried rice for steamed rice. I’ve tried the orange chicken once when they didn’t have any pork. It was so-​so, and not something I’d order again anytime soon. I MAY try the teriyaki chicken sometime just for variety – but the pork will always be my favorite. :-)
The employees always pack your order to go, but there are three small tables with chairs nearby, right in front of the in-​store Starbucks. I usually eat at one of the tables if an empty one is available.
So if you’ve got a craving for some decent Chinese barbecued pork, go to this Albertsons location and stop by Rice Garden.

One of my favorite chinese dishes is bbq pork, but it is hard to find a chinese fast food place that does it well. Too often it is cooked and then sliced and sits in some briny water under a heat lamp making it tough and chewy.
Luckily Rice Garden cooks whole pieces of pork and slices it when you order it so the pieces are nice and juicy. Just the way I like it. The bad news is you have to pay extra for it. It’s an additional $.50 per combo plate to have bbq pork, they also tend to char it, so you get a lot of black pieces. They don’t have any other appetizing dishes there so I often just order the bbq pork a la carte and take it home eat it with some ramen. MMMM… pork and ramen.
They’re located inside Albertson’s, so I don’t think there are any tables to sit down. You’ll have to get it to go.