Spring Garden Restaurant

The Spring Garden is closed (8÷29÷2015) and has been for some time now. :(

J am going to miss the place. Used to go there for Kung Pau shrimp — the best anywhere. When they find a new place, I will be first in line. Those that gave 2 or 1 star to this place came based on reviews from others. If you like it — you like it. If you don’t then you can go someplace else. I guess I’ll have to join you.

I’m so sad that this place closed too. It was around for a few decades and had great food. There were loyal customers like me but not enough business to keep the doors open. The building is now going to house an Italian restaurant. We shall see how that food rates soon

My husband and I were so sorry to see that Spring Garden has closed. We’ve been going there for over 20 years. It was one of our favorite places, especially when we wanted delicious comfort food in a relaxing atmosphere. We could always count on very attentive service which was greatly appreciated.
Mai, we will miss you and how you always remembered «low sodium.» Please let me know if you find a new job at another restaurant.

Some of the best Chinese food I have ever had. Unfortunately it is now closed for good due to the property owner selling the building. It will be greatly missed.

I am sad to report that Spring Garden has closed. This was my go to spot in Pasadena for Chinese food and it will be greatly missed. Their Hunan Chicken, orange chicken, fried rice, and hot and sour soup were the best I’ve ever had. It’s a shame to see this place go. I will always love you, Spring Garden!

We drove there for lunch today and it looked closed for good. Their wooden sign was gone and the parking lot was chained closed. Anybody know if it’s permanent?

I’ve passed by this restaurant many times and always wondered how the food tasted. Given the location of the place, I knew it was going to be americanized chinese food and did not have too high of expectations of the place. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The food was quite delicious and the service was excellent.
The restaurant looks like the typical Chinese restaurant from the 70s. There were booths for smaller parties and tables for big parties.
We ordered the Szechuan Chicken Noodle Soup, Moo Shu Pork and the Round Steamed Dumplings (aka xiao long bao). They serve everything tableside here, unlike your typical family style. They served us the noodles, wrapped our moo shu pork in the wrappers individually, and served dumplings on our plates.
Noodles were not spicy, but flavors were decent. Portions were quite big. There was enough for about 5 bowls of noodles. The Moo Shu Pork was quite delicious! The wrappers were thin. (They also have peking duck here which uses the same wrappers!) The xiao long bao were the biggest surprise of them all. Of course it can’t be compared to din tai fung, but it is a lot better than a lot of other dumpling restaurants in the SGV.
To finish off our lunch, they give us each a fortune cookie!
Overall, the place is not bad. I find it much better than its counterparts PF Changs and Panda Inn. There was only one lady working when we went, but she was able to personally serve food to every table without neglecting anyone. Thumbs up for her!
Parking: Small parking lot in the back, and free street parking.

5 stars huh? But why…
Well let me tell you. The atmosphere of the restaurant was just what I was expecting and the food was amazing!
We got the Assorted Wanton Soup and Szechwan Bean Curd (Mapu Tofu). The Soup was really good, nice clean flavor. The mapu tofu was the best I’ve ever had, it definitely beats places you can get it in Alhambra/​San Gabriel/​Rosemead.
Another reason I gave it 5 was for the service, I can safely say that my water and tea cup NEVER got below half before it was filled up again. The staff is also really friendly and receptive to having not only a Chinese clientele. I’ve noticed that places I usually go to in Alham/​San/​Rose, the staff is always reluctant to come over to the table or ask if everything is okay. Seeing how I don’t speak chinese I guess.
All-​in-​all, come here if you’re in the area!

I think this place is fantastic – it reminds me of the older Chinese restaurants I used to go to with my grandparents! I think everything about this place is «typical” – and I mean that in a good way. The food is delicious and the prices are great. Service is surprisingly good as well. This is not the place to go if you want a fancy Asian-​food experience (like Saladang Thai, for instance). It’s the place to come if you want Asian comfort food that’s not fast food like Panda Express. My husband and I have recently had dinner here each Friday for several weeks in a row. Everything is delish and we will definitely be returning. Love love love!

For Pasadena, this is some great Chinese food. We’ve been here several times. I love their Peking duck and the salt and pepper shrimp. Pretty decent mu shu and egg foo young. The whole fried fish is also worth a try. Other dishes are just OK. The staff is extremely friendly. The restaurant itself is showing its age and is really not an upscale place. But again, if you’re looking for a large menu with some real gems, this place is a good bet.

Um, no.
As I glance at the previous reviews, maybe I just don’t «get» what’s going on at Spring Garden. I truly have no idea how they could rate higher than 2 stars.
I’m being generous with a second star because I went with a friend whose family goes All The Time, so maybe my experience was an aberration (but I don’t think so).
I had dinner at SG once and I regretted the visit.
My experience: profoundly drab surroundings with a vaguely dank smell. Ok service. Below-​average food. I wasn’t in the least surprised when I felt queasy about an hour later.
I feel queasy just typing this…

First off, I’d like to express my opinion on the post below written by Christina H. Although I’m sure her expression on the restaurant was meaningful at heart, her overall external description of her experience at Spring Garden seemed… egregious, bubbly, and definitely… flush.
Spring Garden is a restaurant that far exceeds your average Chinese establishment. The quality of the food here is authentic, delicious, and holds true to what you’d expect from a delicacy such as this. It is unfortunate that what most Americans consider to be «authentic» is so far-​fetched from the real deal that they are blinded by true quality from another culture. I’ve met people that would prefer to eat at places like Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill, Baja Fresh or Chipotle over authentic places you’d find in Downtown LA’s Olvera district because they THINK it’s authentic. Sadly, those places are about as authentic as a stick of margarine.
Spring Garden is NOT the place to go if you are expecting a glass of wine as delicious as one found at Spago’s in Beverly Hills, CA, because it’s an authentic CHINESE RESTAURANT that serves food and beverages that are enjoyed within their culture, with a hint of Americanism. When walking into this restaurant, your mindset should be on authenticity, not on what you saw Bobby Flay imitate on the Food Network the evening prior.
For that person or persons who are looking for a great authentic-​tasting Chinese restaurant that lacks American flair (as it should), then Spring Garden restaurant is a place I would highly recommend.
Buon divertimento!

We went with a large group (eleven) and we had a great time. Food was excellent and we had a ton. Service was attentive and friendly and I have nothing but great things to say. I did not do the ordering but the Crispy Duck was a standout dish.

I can’t really deduct stars for this restaurant just because it is practically the best display of unauthentic Chinese cuisine. But it is what it is. If you take it for what it is, I guess the food isn’t too bad. The service is exceptional compared to most Chinese restaurants. Our waiter continually filled our tea cups and no one ignored us when we were trying to get their attention. Yes, I was probably the only Asian person in the restaurant on a Friday night, but my friends wanted to go here for a quiet dinner with no frills.
Now on with the food, we ordered the three flavored crispy rice soup (not my choice btw) and it was quite bland and other than shrimp and chicken, I couldn’t find the third flavor. I decided to order the kung pao chicken, sauteed string beans, and ma la (numbing spice) tofu. I told them to add more spice to the tofu and it actually turned out to be a bit spicy with quite a few Szechuan chili peppers in it. That was probably the best dish. The sauteed string beans were pretty good, but there was no dried shrimp which is pretty typical of this dish. The kung pao chicken was kung pao chicken, I have nothing more to say about this dish. If you know your Chinese food, I think this place can actually create pretty decent dishes depending on what you order.
All in all, a pretty expensive way to get Chinese food, but for the quiet atmosphere, service, and convenience from Pasadena, I can understand the draw of this restaurant. But I think I would rather go to PF Chang’s for unauthentic Chinese food next time.

Spring Garden! My family has been coming here for years and it’s like a seriously like tradition to me to come here. My parents had their wedding rehearsal dinner here, we’ve come here for all of our graduation dinners, and we’ve celebrated countless birthdays here as well.
Everyone is very friendly and very attentive to your needs. Drinks are always refilled, so you never have to worry about it getting empty. The owner, May, is super nice and always comes around and checks on you as well.
I think their food is really delish. Some of my favorites are the pork fried rice, sweet and pungent shrimp, honey walnut shrimp and the fried wontons. Some other good dishes are their chow mein, wonton soup, egg flour soup, moo shoo pork, fish with black bean sauce, etc. It’s all good.
If you’re looking for some deals, they have some awesome lunch specials. But most of the time, I come for dinner.
In regards to parking, they have a small lot in the back, but there is also free street parking in the area as well.
Yummy food and great service — love it here!

I’ve been going here for 13 years now and I’m impressed every single time. It’s clearly underrated, don’t be surprised if you walk in on a Wednesday lunch hour to see just one table full. Their food is killer and their lunch special prices are as good as any other. $ 7.25 Salt and Pepper pork chop… Mmm. I actually prefer this place over Panda Inn or PF Changs because their food tastes less «Americanized». If you’ve got a craving for Chinese this is it.

Spring Garden Restaurant is an unassuming place, but easy to spot. I went here with my sister who’s heard raving reviews about Spring Garden. The service was nothing short of excellent.
The food wasn’t bad, but I didn’t think it was worthy of a raving review. It may be that we ordered the wrong items. But then again, I think I can judge a Chinese restaurant based on a common dish, i.e., Kung Pao Shrimp.

come on man…
My mom had Spring Garden food to go, brought it back. I asked her what was it and she said «Chinese food». Seconds later I open it up and all I could do was just laugh. Really now? THIS? pfft aint Chinese food man…
Pretty lousy «Chinese» food if you ask me. Burned the egg rolls AND wontons, I mean black and charred ugh. Sweet and sour shrimp was just… no. And they overcooked the vegetables — overall my dinner was just a soggy disappointment :(
Look, do yourself a favor and drive 4 miles south down to Las Tunas Dr. ANY Chinese restaurant (but I recommend Newport Seafood Restaurant!) on that street is better than Spring Garden restaurant, trust me.

I’m a frequent «vistor» of this down-​to-​earth, family-​owned place. They don’t make you feel like just another customer. Their attentiveness and ease makes you feel like you’re visiting rather than paying to be there. For those of you who didn’t like it, you musta been expecting glamourous food. In that case, go to P.F. Changs and get teeny-​tiney bite-​sized versions served in fancy dishes of what should be Chinese food. If you want good ol’ fashion cooking in a quiet, comfortable space than this is the place to be. I’m a Filipino for pete’s sake, I know what Asian food is supposed to taste like.
Spring Garden has been around for as long as I can remember (more than I can say about a few places people used to rave about). There’s a reason why it’s still here in Pasadena on the intersection of Sierra Madre and Foothill Blvd. It’s good, plain and simple.
My ultimate two favs are as follows: Wonton soup and pan-​fried noodles. They have the best Wonton soup ever! This is a definite win/​win all the way! The wontons stay in tact and there’s just something about the flavor that outbeats the rest; not too salty, not too overbearing. Just yummy all around. Try adding a hint of soy sauce and a drop of the famous damn hot, hot sauce to give it a little kick. Their pan-​fried combination noodles are to die for. A semi-​soft, semi-​crispy noodle mixed in with sauteed vegetables, chicken, beef, and shrimp (you can get this without meat or select the meat of your preference).
You can also order dumplings (add a little ginger, vinegar, and a drop of soy sauce to satisfy your tastebuds); Crispy chicken with plum sauce (don’t dip too much since it’s a little sweet and you don’t need a lot to make it right); Shrimp fried rice (you can even request for no peas!). If you want orange chicken or sweet and sour pork don’t go to a mandarin cuisine restaurant. Go to Panda Express! Save the time spent here on classic dishes that you can’t really find elsewhere.
Spring Garden is known for their dinner entrees, not their lunch specials. If this is new to you, go with someone who knows what they’re doing. Ya, there are other places that can be deemed as «cheaper,» but Monterey Park/​Alhambra and all their late night cafes are good for Phở and a midnight snack in-​between cramming for exams or a quick lunch break.
If you have the time and could use a little R and R from good food, come here. No long lines and loud crowds. Just ask for May or Lilly. They have a way of making you feel at home away from home and are damn good about refilling your water!