Peking Garden

Best cantonese restaurant in St Paul. Service was friendly and fast. We love the sweet and sour chicken with extra Vegas and pineapples made with the no breaded chicken. It is not on the menu but they will make it by request. The egg roll are great as well. I prefer the sweet and sour sauce used to make the sweet and sour chicken over the sweet and sour sauce served at the table. We have also had the house fried rice and thought it was excellent as well.

Worst place to order from. They want you to order at least 25 $ worth of food. so if your ordering by yourself you have to get extra food. Secondly they add a 5 dollar charge on top of that just to deliver!!! so im up to 30 $ before taxes. Oh and the 5 dollars for the delivery charge, does not count toward your delivery. Thats HORRIBLE! high way robbery. When I brought this up to them when I was on the phone, they just got angry at me. horrible service and over priced. steer clear!

Delivery was fast and food was the best! Will get again.

The worst service ever!!! today is mother’s day i know they were busy but they charge the tips so we should got the service, we dont have water after we asked after 15mins, we dont have soup cup after our two soup arrived 20mins, we dont have rice, and the peking duck we ordered two tastes the pancake was freeze! So ridiculous and we have to pay the tip! Worst service ever in MN! I like to give «0“star if i can!

Okay, I admit it; this is the ONLY Chinese Food restaurant that I go to. No matter where I live in Minnesota, I will drive the 30 minutes it now takes to get there. Get this people; there is a Chinese Food place five blocks away from me. God bless them but no. THIS is where you go to get the best. The house fried rice has this smoky flavor to it that I just love. The cream cheese won-​tons, crispy and delicious. The egg foo yung, fresh and SO tasty! So, if you have not tried this place. Go. Warning — no Chinese food will ever taste right to you again except if it is from here.
There is only a couple of things that I was not pleased with and that is the buffet, sorry guys but I am not crazy about your buffet. The food isn’t hot, none of my favorites are available. What is the use of a Chinese buffet without your usual choice of fried rice?
Also, if you eat in, I rarely do. The service is spotty at best. I have had good service there maybe twice, the rest of the time, I had to get proactive and call a waitress over. Not even the same waitress because she had disappeared.
And don’t let something interesting be on television because the wait staff will sit down and watch it. In the restaurant. Totally ignoring you. So, I have not tipped for bad service but made sure to leave a generous tip the two times that I had great service AND called the manager over in order to compliment the waitress.
So, if you go please remember; the buffet is NOT a good indication of the delicious food to be had. … it should be… but it’s not.

Probably one of the best Chinese dine in restaurants in the state. Peking duck was well worth it!!!

Visited with my family to celebrate Chinese New Year. Ordered the dinner for 6. The service was effective, food was better than strip mall Chinese joint, but what held it back for me was the operations of the place is a mess. We were in the middle of eating dinner and they were cleaning with bleach somewhere that the smell was so strong it gave someone in my party an allergic reaction. I would try again, but I’ll look hard for another place first.

I have had the food at Peking Garden several times and dined in twice. When I dined in, I went to lunch on one occasion and dinner on another occasion. Let me tell you, the experiences were very different. I attended Hamline University and we’ve ordered food from Peking Garden multiple times and just had their food at an event last night. I’ll break it down for ya.
1. Lunch Experience:
When I, along with some friends went to grab some lunch at Peking on a weekday, there was actually a lot of people there. We weren’t expecting it to be too busy because of the fact that it was a weekday, but the lunch buffet seems to draw in a good amount of people. Service was minimal since it was a serve yourself buffet. The price of the buffet wasn’t too bad for the quality of food we got. The food was fresh, and they continuously refilled it. I liked their low mein noodles.
2. Dinner Experience:
I went to dinner here when I was invited for a birthday, and boy oh boy… there was practically no breathing room. The place was PACKED. Maybe it was just that particular weekend, but I remember how hot it was in the place. The food was delicious though. It was served family style, so our entire table had plenty to choose from. I liked their shrimp, so I would recommend that as a dish to share.
3. Take Out Experience
Can’t go wrong. My friends and I would order the noodles, fried rice, stir fry, etc. to go and come and pick it up since we were right down the road. Sometimes it takes them some time to prepare the food, and it isn’t ready when we come to pick it up, but the food is always well done.
Peking Garden isn’t the best Chinese food I’ve ever had, but they seem to be a popular place in the St. Paul area. At the event at Hamline last night, we LOVED their Peking duck. Sooo delectable. Tender and juicy. Highly recommended.
Overall, I’d say that y’all should come here for take out. That’s always been my preferred method of devouring Chinese food. It’s best when you can have it in the comfort of your own home, in the little white take out boxes.

Honestly, the food here is awesome. I’ve had a lot of Chinese food and I think the place takes the top spot in terms of food. Then on the other hand, the service needs a lot of work. Every time I come here, I seriously contemplate bringing my own water. They are pretty bad at refilling water even when it’s not busy. I’ve had some dirty silverware a few times too. Stains on dishes and silverware.
I probably come here a few times a year and the food has never disappointed, but man I wish their service was better. This place would easily be a ⁵⁄₅. Maybe it’s a better idea to just do take out from this place.

Cheap, fresh, and tasty buffet.
Their lunch buffet is like 8 bucks including a soft drink. Food is always fresh and they have a good selection to choose from. Servers are polite and attentive.
Tasty dumplings, chicken wings, and bbq skewers.
I always mean to try ordering things from the menu, but I’m always a sucker for the buffet.
I go here fairly regularly and have never been disappointed.

Authentic, fresh and delicious! A go-​to for Cantonese seafood.
My favorites here include the seafood tofu soup, they have the best walnut shrimp in the twin cities (get it Hong Kong style, not American). The pei pa tofu here is divine with pieces of shrimp and café tables and a delicious sauce. I also like the young chow fried rice (no bbq pork for us) and our newest discovery here is the steamed tofu stuffed with pork and shrimp. It is delicious!

The food is good, but I’ve notice the portion has gone down a bit, price has gone up too
When in doubt ask for the price, just because some seasonal stuffs can get spendy fast.

I’ve been here a few times. Once with some friends and we ordered family style, which was really good. Duck is pretty decent, especially in Minnesota.
I mainly come here for the Duck rice plate. It’s basically roasted duck and some steamed veggies over rice. It’s pretty good. Under $ 10 and filling. I love duck and this place has pretty good duck on most occasions. There are sometimes where the duck parts they give are more fatty and bony with less meat. Other occasions, they’ll give you parts that aren’t too fatty nor bony.
I like stopping by after work. It takes about 10 minutes for them to make my rice plate :).

Who doesn’t love a Chinese Buffet? Moreover who doesn’t love a Chinese Buffet in a shopping center? lol
This Place is large and they have a good variety of food to choose from.
There are a few things you should know though before you get too excited.

1. They cater for weddings and other special events they close by 7 pm on Saturdays and then reopens at 10pm for regular customers
2. Don’t get fooled by the buffet option. It is only for a limited time: from the time they open until 5pm. After that it becomes a regular sit down restaurant.
3. If you think you can sit down to eat and take away food that does not happen. It is an either you goto the buffet or you sit down, not both.
Every time I have gone here it has been solid. They place is run pretty effectively and you are guaranteed some flavorful food.
Some things I would recommend include:
Beef fried rice, Chicken wings, Beefs ribs and their Beef and Broccoli!

The food here are delicious! I have yet to complain about a dish and I would like to keep it that way.
Servers are not really attentive but they do try. I understand that they don’t want to be bothersome while you’re eating but it’s always a plus to check up with how the meal is going, making sure drinks are refilled properly, and asking if anything is needed.

I have been coming here for years and I’m
loyal to the Peking duck. Its thinly sliced and comes with tortilla wraps and a side dish with cucumber, green onion, and hoisin sauce. This dish used to come with steamed lotus buns instead of tortillas. damn I miss those days!
I also like
* soft shell crab for an appetizer
* chicken & salty fish fried rice
* house clams in black bean sauce
* lobster in ginger scallion
* hollow vegetables stir fry with garlic

To preface my review, I know a grip of peeps that like to debate the use of the ambiguous word «authentic,» which is understandable. I mean, what does that mean, exactly? Well, based on my past experiences that often relate to many other Southeast and East Asians that I grew up with, a Chinese restaurant is authentic if it meets the several criteria outlined below. Does Peking Garden pass?
CRITERIA I: Fast service. Not necessarily friendly.
Hungry patrons want to shove food in their face as quickly as possible, and most Chinese restaurants I’ve grown up in often skip formalities such as «how are you this fine evening?» A server at a Chinese restaurant will usually ask, «What would you like to order?» and wait for your response to scribble everything down on his or her little pad, then dash to the kitchen. As long as the food comes out blazing fast and piping hot, what else matters? Also, like with any job, a server might forget an order. And, if that ever occurs, make sure to wave a staff member down to remind him or her. Shouting is A-​OK.
During my most recent experience there, our food came out incredibly fast, and I had to flag down a server to get some extra napkins. (No big deal.) Our three dishes came out in less than 15 minutes, which was awesome. I’m assuming that the kitchen carries a legion of cooks.
*Side note: Don’t be offended if the server only looks at one or two people. It’s customary that only a couple people order for an entire table.
CRITERIA II: 90% or more of the diners are Asian.
Shouldn’t a cuisine — that comes from a particular country of origin — appease the people that also come from the same country of origin? I would think so! That’s your bread and butter, yo! So, anytime Asian folks at a Chinese restaurant can be spotted, it’s a good sign. (I say «Asian,» because I can’t assume everyone is Chinese. Lots of Hmong and Viet folks there, too.)
Peking Garden is usually filled to the brim with Asian folk, especially on the weekends. Not to mention, my girlfriend’s family (Taiwanese) has been eating there for over a decade. Legit? I think so… BTW, why an arbitrary percentage of 90? Because us Asian folks love «As.» Ha. Ha. Ha. But seriously, I wouldn’t be surprised if 5−10% of the Twin Cities’ Chinese population ate there at least once on the weekends.
CRITERIA III: The same old characters.
There’s the kid face-​to-​screen watching Pokemon on his iPod, the elderly grandma walking to the bathroom with the assistance of her daughter, and the old man with his shirt tucked in telling stories about the old times. Peking Garden often has all three of these characters, practically every night. Sometimes, they’re all part of the same family.
CRITERIA IV: Tasty food.
This is the most important criterion that causes to I-​III to occur. I’ll review what we had, most recently.
*Steamed Black Cod With Ginger & Soy-​Sauce: Fatty and savory skin and luscious meat. If you love fish, this is definitely one of the best dishes in the Twin Cities. Not to mention, black cod is a much more affordable and sustainable than sea bass, and they taste practically the same.
*Lobster With Ginger & Scallion: Can’t get any better than fresh lobster! Peking Garden has several tanks in the back right filled with them, and when ordered, they’re taken out and quickly cooked. There isn’t a ton of meat, but plenty of flavor. *Pro tip: Fellas — Give the claws to your girl. She’ll appreciate that you’re giving her the parts with the most meat. lol.
*Crab And White Asparagus Soup: Usually served at Chinese and Vietnamese weddings, we indulged in this delight. Pretty good, although, there’s an unusual after-​taste.
*Pea Tips: Best I’ve ever had and perfectly salted. Yum!
*Note: Don’t order General Tsos, orange chicken, and the like.
****
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy eating at fancy restaurants and don’t mind dropping money for them; however, if I had to choose how I would spend $ 70 on a meal and highly weighed value and taste over other factors, I would pick a Chinese restaurant like Peking Garden ten out of ten times.

I have visited Peking Garden at two different occasions now. The food is fine and not very expensive. It is a good place for very large groups as they have plenty of space. My only slight concern is the cleanliness of the place.
I would really like to give it a higher rating but because of the abject state of cleanliness I am going with two stars.

Peking Garden has no Garden. It’s in a strip mall in St. Paul not in Beijing/​Peking. I love how Chinese named their restaurants. It doesn’t have to be true, but as long as it connects to the old country, it’s great!
. And it is! When I first moved here, I was a bit depressed looking at the Chinese restaurant scene. There wasn’t much choice compared to where I used to live. There really isn’t much of the fancier restaurant either for celebration like Chinese New Year. The ones that always come up are Mandarin Kitchen and Peking Garden. Either is far from fancy but they do serve good non chop suey Chinese foods with selections of fresh live seafoods.
Yesterday was my second Chinese New Year dinner at Peking Garden. Yeah, we did it a bit early so we can eat freely before Lent starts. It doesn’t bother me but I’m a sinner. Big sinner. Some of my friends on the table probably had halo on their head trying to do the Daniel Fast for Lent. Not me. I may give up smoking or Candy Crush. Wait, I don’t smoke and I don’t play Candy Crush. I think it’ll be a successful Lent!
But Chinese New Year first. It’s a huge holiday for Asians and it’s one of my fave holidays ever. The kids and singles get red envelope filled with money and I used to rake it in and then had a shopping spree from hard work bowing with my hands clasped together and wishing my elders a prosperous new year. Peking Garden was packed from the CNY crowd too though it’s way early for it. People can celebrate within the 15 days from the actual date as China had over 1 billion people in China alone and hundreds of millions elsewhere. We have relatives to visit and one day won’t be enough.
Service was fast and not at all delicate. They put bowls and utensils like they would throw it at you. Carts filled with food or cleaning carts smelling like bleach were also come and go fast and furious. That’s how it is anywhere in Asia so it felt natural. Don’t expect anything but that at Peking Garden.
We ordered the course dinner for 8 and there were some fancy stuff coming. Lobster flash fried and cooked with ginger; Shanghai pork chops — breaded pork chop in a tangy sweet but also sour sauce but not sweet and sour sauce; fried tofu cooked with mushrooms and pork slices; baby bok choy in garlic sauce; seafood stir fry; spicy manila clams; fresh whole steamed walleye; and Peking Duck!
The Peking Duck really hit the spot. Too bad it came already cut and we didn’t get the show on when they dress the duck table side. It also only came with the tortilla looking pancakes instead of the yummy steamed buns. However, it was still a huge treat and tasted so delicious! The Shanghai pork chop was my other favorite. Tender pork, breaded and then paired with that tangy sauce? Happy new year to me! They also provided you with the tofu seafood soup to start and a tapioca pearl dessert soup cooked in coconut milk with chunks of soft taro. The dessert was awesome! I actually asked for another bowl.
It is missing some of the more traditional CNY dishes that my mom would cook like the pork belly or anything cooked with these shreds of Chinese fungus called fat chay to resemble the saying «Gong xi fat chay» and have a great year. However, for what I could get here, I was pretty damn happy.
I come here once in awhile for their noodle soup as well. It’s great and cheap. That’s also why my friends opted for here instead of Mandarin Kitchen. It was so much cheaper here. Our fancy dinner was only $ 25 per person with tip. That’s so cheap considering we were eating lobster, a whole duck, and a whole fresh walleye. I almost wanted to tell the men to just pick up the tab. Like Russell Peters would say in his made up Chinese accent. «be a man!» Lol.
Fun night, great food. Hope we started the year of the Ram grandly and great prosperous new year for us all. I’m a Rabbit and Rabbit and Ram are a good pairing. I’m looking forward to great wonderful things! If you believe, you’ll make it happened. Gong xi fat chay!

The food here is delicious ! Way better then your average Chinese food. When the food comes out, it comes in a big family sized portion and the wait isn’t too long. The food is rich in flavor and I’m never disappointed in the dishes at all. The servers are okay, not the best, but they ain’t the worst as well. This place is a definitely must try !
Note: try the coconut walnut shrimp !! It’s delicious!

Peking Garden is my go-​to whenever I get a craving for Chinese… which is about twice a week. Unfortunately I can’t always get it twice a week, but you get my point.
Sick? Peking Garden.
Rough day at work? Peking Garden.
Hungover? Peking Garden (+ Vitamin Water).
Casual date night? Peking Garden.
Delivery = fast/​standard. Customer service = (with the exception of one time with a larger group) super prompt and friendly.
And the food… I really, REALLY wish they did dim sum. I have no idea how the buffet is, but all of the menu items we’ve had have been super tasty, well priced, with large portions. Definitely a bit on the greasier side with some things (why it’s 4 stars instead of 5), but we’ve yet to order anything that we didn’t like.
Suggestion: the roast duck anything and the shredded pork, eggplant, and fried tofu dish. They also have a Family Special deal for a 4+ people with tons of awesome looking food at a really reasonable price. Plan on doing that in the very near future.
SUPER happy this place is so close.