The Lotus Garden

The place looks and smells old.
But…
The noodles we had was so good!
We had Pad Woon Sen (recommended) and Dynamite rolls (good but not great. I expected more from the name).
Service is a little longer because they only have one server but please don’t be discourage. If your not in a hurry the noodle we had was worth the wait.

I’ve walked by this place a million times and had never gone in until tonight. It was such a nice day I was determined to enjoy my dinner outside. They have outdoor seating. Not the best view of Utica NY but hey you’re outside. Utica has very limited options when it comes to outdoor seating. I had the copperhead roll and my boyfriend and I split a shrimp dish. Their salads have peanuts in them so if you have a peanut allergy watch out! The food was really good! What a great hidden gem. It’s set far back in the parking lot for the Stanley Theater or Swiftys. We even got to catch a stunning sunset. Highly recommend their sushi here! The staff was great too. I forgot to take a photo!

Hard to understand how others could not see what a great place this is! We eat here every time I visit Utica from Washington, DC, and I am never disappointed. In addition to Chinese, Japanese and Thai dishes, there are some hard-​to-​find Cambodian specialties — I especially love the Cha Kroeurng. I also really appreciate the way the menu specifies the items that are gluten-​free (of which there are many, which is unusual in Asian restaurants because of the soy sauce). I will definitely be coming back!

I travel to Utica frequently with work and am always looking for a new good spot – and I think I found it. I love any type of Asian food. My waitress was fantastic, I was about to order an Authentic Cambodian dish, which she confirmed was very spicy so made some other suggestions. I ended up getting a red curry dish with shrimp and vegetables, which was simply amazing. I read some other reviews about poor service and waiting to long to sit so was a bit apprehensive coming here, but in all of my time in Utica I think this was my favorite restaurant so far. Needless to say, I’ll be back!

The food was good, not great. The service was HORRIBLE. The hostess made us wait 10 minutes to be seated for no apparent reason. The restaurant was half empty. She walked by us several times saying she’d be right with us. Finally we are seated and we couldn’t get our order taken to save our lives. Then they bring out only a couple meals, leaving the rest of us to wait. Getting more water, salt — anything was impossible because no one came to check on us until we flagged them down. That’s how the whole night went. That said, the food was good. We were traveling thru but would not go back if we were local.

The food and service were good. The flavors crisp and refreshing. The dining room was a bit too dark however. It was hard to see the menu.

We got there at 8:15 and were turned away because the kitchen was closed. I’m posting this more to give people a heads up about the fact that they close the kitchen very early. I’ve never eaten there. Doubt I will.

Hands down the BEST fried calamari in the world! We also enjoy their sushi and dinners. The dipping sauce for the calamari and the super light breading delish.

On our way through we were craving a bit of Asian food and decided to try the lotus garden.
Really eerily quiet dining room, other patrons inside but no music or anything. I think everyone felt the need to be quiet because it was quiet… if that makes sense.
We had Tom Yam soup for a starter. Great soup but the bowl it was served in was noticeably cold, like ice cold. And two little side bowls for us to take our share were like ice as well. Really disappointing because the soup was dying so fast with the ice cold dishware.
For our mains my wife got shanghai noodles with chicken and me the Loc Lac with beef. I specifically asked for the dishes to be warmed before plating hot food on them. The server acknowledged the request.
Of course when the food came out, it was piping hot but the dishes again were ice cold… we were so famished we started anyway. I showed the server how cold the dish was, she asked «do you want me to warm it», I declined and we ate anyway
It was delicious, but of course, as we made our way to the bottom and were left with ice cold left overs. When leaving I approached the Chef who was now behind the bar as the kitchen was now closed. I told him about the wonderful food, and the ice cold dishes. He apologized, said something about how he «usually have them under the lamp but. .» blah blah.
I can’t imagine any chef plating hot food onto ice cold plates and caring an ounce about anything else other than «what time do I get to go home». Very disappointing.

Trust me, its the first time I am writing a review about any restaurant!.. We were on our way from Ogdensburg to Providence and passed by Utica. My wife did a quick search on the restaurant nearby and that’s how we came to this place. The ambiance itself gave us the feel that we have landed at a decent place. We chose to sit by the bar and requested our meal. I went for Amok, the national dish of Combodia and my wife picked Pad thai. I have no second thought saying that it was one of the best meal I have ever had in that genre and similar was my wife’s comments for the Pad Thai. So this place is undoubtedly foodie’s delight. The servicing was very nice too, full marks to the bartender!
Since we landed in non-​rush hours, we even happened to meet the chef — Sam who was very warm and hospitable. We enjoyed conversation with him and he even presented us complimentary Mochi which is again my favorite desert.
I would definitely recommend this place to others and would like to go back if it comes our way!

Stopped for dinner before a show at the Stanley. Service was pleasant, food was out of this world! It was also really reasonable. I had a whole lobster, my friend had the monster roll, an appetizer, two glasses of wine, two beers, and a large sake.. $ 89!!! Will definitely go back next time we are in town.

First visit of many many more! I had heard so much about it here and finally came to try it. They had a limited theater menu so I was going to leave and the owner I believe said he’d make whatever I wanted and even let me try the sushi. Excellent authentic food with a wonderfully accommodating owner and staff. I will absolutely be returning again and again. Thank you!

Wow, this is a gluten free haven, and also the best sushi I’ve ever had (kamikaze roll). Excellent beer/​wine selection. Awesome place. We will return! All around top notch. Great service.

My sister and I had a delicious meal. I went there for my birthday and was very happy with the service. I had the sweet lotus shrimp and she had the Massaman curry. Both of us were happy with our meal. The ambiance is not traditional asian. I recommend for the food.

I was told this was the best vegetarian restaurant in town, so naturally I came in with high expectations.
When we walked in, a server told us she would be right with us but we waited over five minutes for my party of three to be seated in the near-​empty restaurant. Our drinks were delivered quickly but it took forever for our dinner order to be taken. A couple across from us who ordered shortly before us got their first two dishes before we even got our first appetizer. To sum it up, the service was excruciatingly slow for seemingly no reason. I was optimistic that maybe the food would make up for the poor service and the offsetting dusty smell that clung to the place. After all, this restaurant had come highly rated. The Pad Thai was recommended by our server, so I ordered that and was severely disappointed. Without the little bowl of sauce they give you, the dish tastes like nothing, and even with the sauce I would say it is a far cry from authentic tasting Pad Thai. To cap our subpar dining experience off, as I finished my iced tea, I noticed there was a beer bottle cap at the bottom of my glass. This unfortunate end to our meal was really reflective of the dining experience as a whole, and it is with great disappointment that I award the Lotus Garden one star.

Love this restaurant – yummy food, friendly service and reasonable prices. I told them I was on a special died and they went out of their way to accommodate my needs. Food could have been a little more seasoned but it was very filling and healthy and fresh. A really good meal.

Newly open for Sunday brunch now. So happy to have more options on Sundays. Make sure to visit for a healthy option.

Horrible place. Came into the restaurant on a Tuesday night. Hostess is hiding behind the wall and dodging us. Finally are seated. Place has no AC on and it’s horribly hot. 10 minutes go by and finally we are asked if we want any water. 8 minutes later and we finally have water. We wait. We wait. We wait some more. Nothing. 30 minutes after arrival our sushi order isn’t even placed to the chef and we are sitting there. We walk out to leave, the hostess/​waitress sees us, and says nothing. Horrible waste of 30 minutes, but hey, the water was great!

On the whole, I really like this place. I’ve enjoyed my food both times I’ve visited and the people who run the restaurant seem very nice.
I’ve particularly enjoyed the Cha Kroeurng and the Lemongrass Tamarind dish. Other Khmer dishes there look great, too, but I’m somewhat limited to what can easily be made vegetarian/​vegan.
I think the real strength of this place is the Cambodian portion of the menu. I share one reviewer’s concern that it is generally best to be wary of pan-​Asian restaurants, as they tend to get none of their various cuisines quite right. However, Khmer food is rare enough in the States, so I treat Lotus Garden as if it were a strictly Khmer restaurant. Go to a Thai restaurant for pad Thai, panang curry, or other Thai standards. Go to a Japanese restaurant for sushi. Go to Lotus Garden for Cambodian dishes you won’t find in most cities ten times the size of Utica.

Fantastic restaurant with very good selection of Asian cuisines… The staff is extremely friendly and helpful… Some dishes are not available due to seasonal ingredients, but I respect the chef for not serving the dishes unless they are at their best… Very reasonable prices… Definitely recommend it to all because I will return.