Reviews of Grace Garden (Restaurant)

Evan Hansen

Grace Garden was wonderful. Food was really great and the owners were very friendly.

Jonathan Ciriello

Best traditional Chinese food in the Baltimore area.

Devon Budzitowski

Awesome food and great staff!

Brian Turek

Good food but beware the estimated carry-out times! Was told my food would be ready in 20 minutes but it actually took 1.5 hours!

David Guan

Good food, people there didn't seem happy to serve us

Elizabeth Jenkins

This is an amazing place to go with a group of family and/or friends! The restaurant is set up in a traditional Chinese way, similar to Tapas, where you share the dishes, which are quite large, with the group you’re with. The food is fantastic and it’s a very informal, chill place to be. Don’t let the rundown look of the building deter you from coming to have amazing food and a good time! If you go, take the dare of asking to see the Chinese menu- it has even better food than the American-Chinese version!

Kamai Kazmar

This was the worst. Bland and plain and disgusting. Way over priced. No soy packets or anything

Rino Sanchez

You have to order from the authentic menu, because that food is incredible. I've never actually seen tea smoked duck anywhere, and it's quite an experience.

Jason Krieger

Some of the best Chinese food I've had in the States hidden away in a nondescript space.

Sarah Woo

This place is awesome. When you look at it from the outside you might be scared to go in because it's in the middle of nowhere. You might also just think going to the KFC next store might be safer. But! Go inside! The food is so good. We got the fish noodles and the braised pork belly with muchoy. We would licked the plates.

john kim

This place is the definition of hole in the wall eatery. This place also is the most delicious and authentic Chinese ive had in Maryland. Cant believe it took me this long to find this gem!

Jorge Perez

Best Chinese food in the area.

Khalid El-Sayed

Hands down. Best Chinese food in the state.

Robert Mauler

To date, they have the best Chinese food I've ever had. Their best feature might be the separate traditional Chinese and Americanized take-out menus. Make sure to try the Szechuan pork belly.

Michelle Willis

We ordered take out last night and as I was eating my leftovers today, I found a bug in my food. Disgusted that I ate this contaminated food more than once.

Brad Cunningham

I have been going to this restaurant for a few years now, which originally started on a recommendation. My family enjoys going there for family style dinners. This is one of the few Chinese restaurants that offers authentic Cantonese style cooking. There is not enough I can say about how good some of the dishes actually are. There are a number of standard Chinese food dishes you can expect to find. However there are also a number of dishes that are unique to this restaurant. The restaurant is a very small space that only includes about seven tables inside. Some of the tables are built for famille-style dining with a lazy Susan in the middle. Admittedly, however, the overall appearance of the restaurant is mediocre and could use some improvement. The prices are generally reasonable with some of the more expensive dishes ranging well over $20 (with a few special order dishes that would cost more). If you need catering, they do offer availability to cook in quantities appropriate for catering larger events. The restaurant is certainly worth a visit and you won't be disappointed by the food. I recommend heading over there for a meal if you are in the area.

Bill L

The szechuan braised beef was fantastic and a perfect level of spicy!

Nicolas Barcet

Nothing fancy about the place but the food!

Erin Slonaker

This place is practically the definition of a hole in the wall, and the food is as delicious as you might expect. We first came here because of the fish noodles, which we've tried a few times and have moved on from. Now we're obsessed with the shrimp past stuffed in the cruller/bread. You just can't go wrong here for authentic Chinese food.

Tien-Seng Chiu

Great food, especially the fish noodles.

David Huang

Love the fish noodles and Phoenix dumplings which the skins are made from egg white.

Dawson Beattie

Most awesome. One of best black bean sauce kitchens in northeast. And don't get me started on the garlic salt and pepper dishes. Great spot for quality eats. A gem.

Kaijuu

We go here not as often as we should. Will go here until we die if nothing major changes. Absolutely real food from home. Good portions. Good prices. Good service. Ambience is like hole-in-the-wall for those who need something to expect.

Jeanette Beaudry

Delicious and authentic Chinese food. Make sure to order off of the menu that has more authentic food (not the paper disposable one). Fish noodles and the braised pork belly are our favorites. The restaurant itself has a very hole-in-the wall feel but the food more than makes up for it. Highly recommended!

Jonathan M

Go for the traditional menu. Lots of fantastic dishes you won't find in most Chinese restaurants around here. My favorites are the Cantonese Stir Fried E-Fu Noodles, XO Chicken, Basil Chicken, Pocket Tofu, and Fish Noodles.

Alex Rababah

This place earns its reputation. Such awesome flavorful food and some very nice staff.

Joseph Dail

Better than that other Chinese restaurant in town. If you're a transplant and looking for some quick and good takeout, go here.

Irene O

Their salty fish & chicken fried rice is awesome! I also like their other dishes~ but don't know the full names. The fried seafood platter is great~ I have tried an awesome fish dish, but can't recall the name. I also highly recommend their Sichuan Spicy Beef, Sichuan Pork Belly, and Sichuan Triple Treasures - all on the Traditional Chinese menu.

Linda Michaud

Very good CHICKEN cooked while you wait. Had collards, needed more seasoning.

Brett Cox

Really great traditional Chinese cuisine. Don't expect Americanized food here.

Todd Goldsmith

Best Chinese food in Maryland!

Mihir Patel

Food is great, but pricey! They make up prices on the fly when you want to substitute some item on the dinner platter with something else. For example, I wanted to substitute the pork rice with chicken fried rice in the dinner platter. One day it's $2 extra, next day it's $3 and I just called and now it's $4 extra, unbelievable!

Ed Tracy

Authentic Chinese food. Taiwan fish, basil chicken, Szechuan braised beef or fish all amazing.

Avi Ginsberg

Delicious!

Lisa Konrad

Really a hole in the wall! Glad I found this place while my girls were practicing at Odenton Sports. Ordered takeout here twice this week already so I can try more dishes! Truly good Cantonese food. Ordered garlic snow pea pods, pocket tofu, beef chow fun, braised pork belly, salt/peppered pork chops, pork string beans, triple treasure & hot/sour soup! All dishes were excellent like food from NYC Chinatowns! Will be back for more!

Jake Neven

amazing! my wife and I never eat in because of the size of the dine in room, however that does not stop us from ordering from this place at least once every two weeks. the food has always been amazing, and we have fallen in love with the authentic Chinese menu. I don't know how to write the spicy beef dish we always get, but it is beyond delicious every time.

Sandeep Antony

Authentic Chinese

Andrew D. Filicicchia

Best Chinese in Metro DC area! Great quality and a great price for that quality! Wonderful

Qingfeng Wang

墙上有很多食物的照片。从这些照片上似乎能看出来这个中餐馆不是美式中餐，至少还能看出不少正宗中餐的味道的。还有一面墙上贴满了来自各种媒体上关于这家店的报道。餐厅不大，就7张桌子，盖着红布。倒还算整洁干净。音响放着轻柔的音乐，是放的电台。 然而我不知道这个是哪个菜系的。不论如何，我点了我最喜欢吃的川菜之一，回锅肉。 虽然不是正宗的回锅肉，但是味道还挺好的，勉强过得去吧。在为数众多的假中餐当中，也许这家会比较响应中国胃。

lauri ragosta

I think the problem people are having with this restaurant are that there are two menus. An authentic chinese menu and the menu of americanized food. If you order off the american menu, most of that is not good. If you want a good experience order off the authentic menu. The chef is hong kong trained. The authentic chinese dishes are pretty well done. I will eat here again. Service is a tad lacking.

Russ Clarke

Heard a lot about how amazing this place is, it was ok but nothing to write home about. Add to that the owner insulted me twice.

Rodwell Smith

More than a garden, Grace Garden is an oasis for a hungry road-warrior and will customize their menu for you.

Alex Mihalyi

Very bland, the meat was dry and we didn’t realize we were missing the lo mein until we got home.

Jose Almario

Good food

cyc cyc

Rice was very dry and meats were tough

jason baxter

Great food! Bad service and the decor is lacking. I had the general tso's chicken and it had a smokey flavor.

Ken Edel

Amazing! What a great hole in the wall. Don't pass it up!

Richard Boehme

Excellent food and a wonderful meal.

ange desinor

This restaurant is thee most bland restaurant I've ever eaten at. I'm shocked that it has four stars. I wonder if those positive reviews were paid for. Everything about their food is just disappointing as far as taste. All my friends hated their food. Waste of time and money. My leftover Mexican food tastes a lot better than this crap.

William Maxey

Simply the best authentic Chinese in the area!

Toni Yarbrough

Good food, not a huge fan of the fried chicken wings

David Carns

Simply excellent food

Luciano P

This place offers great service as well as delightful food. The best place around here. The food and drinks served quickly and the prices are fair. I recommend this place.

Amy Jenkins

I have been going to this restaurant regularly since it opened a number of years ago. I am ABC (American born Chinese) and my parents are immigrants...I ate A LOT of Chinese food growing up and have been to China several times. This restaurant is VERY authentic if you order from their traditional Chinese menu. If you are looking for Kung Pao chicken and Orange beef, this is NOT the place to go. But if you are up for an eating adventure, a leisurely meal with a group of friends (we always take a crowd so we have plenty of dishes!) in a very relaxed low key place, you'll love it. My kids won't eat Chinese anywhere but here - and they'll even come home from college to do it. Always ask what fresh veggies they have today - they are always delicious! A few favorites are the Fish Noodles, the Sichuan Pork belly (the Chinese answer to bacon), Crispy Eggplant, Dan Dan noodles, Fried Tofu in Crabmeat sauce, donuts...

Michael Choi

I heard there was an authentic Chinese restaurant in Odenton and drove an hour to eat there the next day. I was not disappointed. We had the fish noodles, crispy eggplant, ma po tofu, pocket tofu, salty fish and chicken fried rice, hot and spicy shrimp. All were excellent.

Hongxia Li

Food is delicious! Will come again!

Tim Jurasevich

The only real Chinese food in the area as everything else is largely the cheap Americanized Chinese takeout. You should really try to go with a large group because it's family style friendly and then you can try a lot of different things. The food is very good and the menu has plenty of options. Note that if you go in the back door, where there is ample parking, it looks like you're walking into the kitchen. A bit off putting since you're (probably) not there to wash dishes but rest assured the food is great!

Rachel Sawyer

Delicious authentic Chinese food!

Dani Gibbons

The food is amazing. Seriously. Yum.

Sywei Doun

This unassuming place in a dingy strip mall has some of the best authentic Chinese food around. We get the tea smoked dishes a few times a year for a special treat, but everything but the shrimp dishes on their Chinese menu has been great.

Melissa Whitehead

Our new favorite Chinese food place!

Christopher Bill

Best Chinese food in town and they really care for their customers. I placed an order over the phone and the restaurant missed an item (I ordered a lot of food). I inquired, they apologized (it wasn't a huge deal) and made the dish immediately. When I tried to pay, they refused profusely and once again apologized. They truly place the customer first and they have a customer for life! You wont be disappointed! I have not had a single bad item on that menu.

Vincent Chan

The food is good . The place is clean. The service is standard.

S H

Such a small place that you might miss it, but they make amazingly delicious food! Heard about it through word-of-mouth and was not disappointed. Will definitely return. I had the General Tso's Chicken, I definitely recommend it.

Andy Little

Located in an unimposing shopping strip, Grace Garden offers the most authentic Chinese food in the area. Try the fried eggplant!

Chris Cochran

I had the Grace Garden Shrimp and I got to try the Sichuan Chicken and the Sichuan Pork Belly. Everything was amazing, so good! As a California native used to eating Chinese food in the San Francisco area, I almost gave up on authentic Chinese food in DC. I was wrong, Grace Garden is legit! So, so good for authentic Chinese food!

Kris Hamilton

This place has some of the best authentic Chinese food I've had on the East Coast. Definitely the best I've had in Maryland. The crispy eggplant is fantastic. It does get a little crowded on weekends for dinner. So plan to go early, or get food to go. I highly recommend calling in ahead of time.

Richard Sienkiewich

Great good

Danny Lee

Best Chinese restaurant in Maryland. Hole in the wall with outstanding food.

Daniel Sangaree

Hole in the wall restaurant, but absolutely wonderful food and extremely generous portions. They have the best General Tso's Chicken I've ever had and they have a separate traditional menu if you want to expand your culinary experiences past what the typical American Chinese restaurant offers.

Rui F

#1 Ignore the decor and strip mall you came for the food #2 When entering ask for the real Chinese food menu tell the nice people your not here for fried rice, if you are looking for fried rice thats ok just know it will be some gode ole greassy stuff. #3 Hopefully you came with friends so you can order multiple things don't be afraid order at least one thing you have never eaten before.

Brian Dimauro

Great food and fast service. The Sichuan pork belly was awesome.

Luke Wadsworth

Rough on the outside, but fabulous food and service!

Tunisha Ross

I just go for their Chinese Donuts

Johan Lindberg

Genuine Chinese food

Samantha Vielma

We ordered their dinner special and got sweet & sour chicken and Orange chicken for take out. The chicken was really dry and the fried rice needed salt. The cream cheese wontons were not good at all. They had some type of seasoning, which I think may have been oregano. However, the egg rolls and egg drop soup was good and the food was hot when we picked it up. Probably won’t go back though, since the chicken wasn’t really good.

Nickie Knows

Amazing food!!!

Craig Fuhr

Remember in the early 90's when the Hunan Manor in Columbia was insanely good, then just average, then it got good again....then it got and stayed really bad? Well, Grace Garden is better than Hunan Manor ever was, even when HM was at its best. Sorry Jessie Wong. You are a distant memory now that Grace Garden has graced us with the best Asian food in the Howard County region. Now - you don't get all the fancy schmancy ambience at Grace Garden (it's actually a hole in the wall), but don't let the sparse digs sway you. What it lacks in exterior charm, Grace Garden more than makes up for in fantastic foos! You'll get artfully prepared "Americanized" Chinese style dishes and even more importantly, a stunning array of deftly prepared traditional Eastern style dishes as well. The extensive menu includes; Seafood E-Fu Noodles, Crispy Eggplant, Vermicelli with Pork and Pepper, and Twice Cooked Pork to name just a few. If you know anything about really good Chinese food - you'll love it Grace Garden.

Jimmy Son

The food here is great. The stuff on the Western menu is cooked well, but ultimately nothing too different than any other Chinese carry out place. What distinguishes this place is the Traditional Chinese menu. Those items aren't served nearly as often at typical Chinese places, and Grace Garden cooks them well.

Adeeb P

Truly authentic Chinese food. American menu is also really good.

Bear Field

Not much for ambiance, but all of the food was delicious and we fed thirteen adults for $216 (before tip).

Steve Etienne

Great food. The shechuan pork belly and black pepper short ribs were amazing.

William Kim

Amazing Chinese food. Great friendly staff.

Allen D Wicks

Food is really good. The atmosphere is not.

K S

I don't know how much these people are being paid to lie for review but their crazy. From reading the reviews, I was excited to try a new Chinese stop. I order the food, Spicy Pork Fried Rice, 3 fried chicken wings and a egg roll. I got the food, paid my tab and went back to my office. When I sat down and opened it up, first thing I say clearly burnt chicken wings. I questioned it and hope it tasted good.. no, it had this very weird sweet taste on it and no flavor. I told myself, okay so let's hope the fried rice was great!!!... It was a very extra greasy, no season, almost baby food rice. Their was no pork, it wasn't even spicy!.. Finally the only thing left to make this lunch better was the egg roll. Just like the fried rice, it was bland, greasy as all can be, and it tasted like it was kicked in the same oil that the weird chicken. I try to stomach it by covering it in soy sauce and hot mustard with no change. I was so disappointed that I threw it away. There goes $11.45, so lesson to be learned that I should've done but didn't... check the damn food!!!! O and the restaurant looked very old and gross like that haven't cleaned it in a good month... Have a good day!!!!

Chloe M

Definitely not worth the price of 13.75 per entree. We ordered from the “westernized” Chinese menu and our chicken was really dry and had very little sauce. They’re chicken is almost fried chicken like. Asked about crab rangoon and was told the cream cheese wontons are crab rangoon without crab. Definitely not, they are wonton wraps filled with Italian seasoned cream cheese. I was pretty disappointed after reading all the great reviews. Maybe their “westernized” menu just sucks.

Thomas Jaehnigen

Amazing cantonese

Tiffani Vidal

Great food w huge portions for a good price

samjhana basnet

Disappointed!! We ordered Ma Po Tofu and did not taste good. Service was alright but the food was not worth.

Veronica Lim Almario

make sure to order the fish noodles!!!

Jose Gabriel Almario

Hands down some of the best Chinese I've had. Been coming here for years

Chris Daugherty

This place was OK. There wasn't much to it inside, however it has a very classic feel. The food however, just wasn't the best.

Gina Hector

Take a Chinese with you! Don't eat anything off the American menu. The food was best Chinese food I've had in DC metro area. I moved here from SoCal, so this place really reminds of the Alhambra area. I wish it was closer to VA. ^_^ I also loved the fish noodles. Sounds weird, tastes amazing.

Jeremy Smith

Great food and friendly waitstaff.

Parry Blade

FISH NOODLES? DID ANYONE EVER THINK OF THAT? DECOR: It's a place small that can barely fit 15 people. The interior is very simple but the restaurant is quite clean. FOOD: On the basis of top Yelp recommendations, we ordered the Fish Noodles (which is supposed to be an innovative speciality of this place) and Pocket Tofu. Of, the two items, I would definitely recommend the Fish Noodles. It is a very innovative dish that appears like flat noodles except that the noodles are made of fish (of course, the name of the dish kind of says that!). No way one can make out that the noodles are prepared from fish and they do not smell fishy. A very simple dish with just a few basic flavors yet very very tasty. The pocket tofu was a bit tangy and (the tofu's were tasteless) it is served with plain rice. The quantity of each dish is enough for 2 people. PRICE: Bit pricey but fish noodles are worth the price! MY DISAPPOINTMENT: SICHUAN CHILLI SHRIMP-The shrimp comes with head and shells intact and were not de-veined. I found it very very hygienic and my entire appetite was lost looking at those black poop lines. Yucky! I removed the veins before eating. The dish was $15 and the least I expect the restaurant to do is clean the shrimps well. I was disappointed!

Scott MacGregor

Beyond expectations.

Chris Rowland

Picked up some schezuan beef, combination lo mein and General Tsos chicken. Everything was good but the G Tsos had a burnt taste to it. Not sure if that is a more authentic version of the dish but it tasted much different than other places.

James Palomo

This hole in the wall restaurant is the diamond in the rough. Enough said! We had the dinner combinations off the western menu, but there is also a more authentic Chinese menu I'm looking forward to trying. I've finally found my go to restaurant!

Piano Skillz

Food was really good for a small chinese place

John

I am not going to comment on the decor, the location and will limit my comments on the food. The food is amazing. You can tell that someone put their heart into the cooking. The food is simply one of the very best. Just check out the Zagat website. Rank the Zagat score from the highest to the lowest. How many restaurant are there that score so high with so few $$ signs. It still isn't inordinately inexpensive -- the food is impressive. How is it impressive? Each dish has a different dimension. It just doesn't follow the same scheme. Each is distinctive. If only the decor is nicer, but then, the price would likely go up by 150%.

Tara F

Always outstanding! Pea shoots! Spicy eggplant! Fish noodles!

Andy Pi

Very good food, the fried rice is different but very good.

Robert Choi

One of the best Chinese restaurants in the area next to Hunan Manor. If you're on a budget go for the lunch/dinner combo otherwise ask for the Chinese menu to get the authentic Chinese food. I recommend the fish noodle dish and the black pepper steak.

Pete Cox

Food had a LOT of oil in it. Took most of it home and ended up just tossing it out.

Lydia Fisher

The food is so amazing! It is way better than regular take out Chinese

ptcat3

Delicious. Order from the large menu, not the paper menu, for the most authentic dishes. Salt and pepper squid and the crispy eggplant were great. BYOB.

lucky dog

Bad service and attitude

Smash Crashman

Cheap. Delicious. Secret back entrance. What more can you ask for in a dive restaurant?

Clive L

The best Chinese restaurant in the East coast so far in my opinion. If you ask whether it's authentic Chinese restaurant, you are asking the wrong question. Grace Garden talks about originality and next level cooking. The mastery of the chef combines his understanding of ingredients, highly complicated processes and the technique of putting things together into the food they provide. It's true to say that some of the dishes gear towards American eaters, but if you know what to ask, this place offers a whole lot more hidden items than the menu tells you. The chef worked in a famous restaurant in Hong Kong back in the days where they were required to fusion Western influenced food into the Chinese context or vice versa. A lot of creative inventions happened and the technicality of the process requires lots of skills to handle them perfectly. One example would be to make thin egg wrapping, then put silky tofu, wonton meat(?) and side ingredients to make a "bag", then toss them into chicken broth to cook. For it to stay unbroken requires skills to mix everything well. Another tea-leaves duck is to put certain type of tea leaves into the gutted duck and smoke the duck with the tea flavor. Then roast it to perfection. But you will need to call 2 days in advance to reserve these wonderful entree. Note 1: When you go, do not expect too much service. They sell specialty food, they are not known for service and good seats. That will set your expectation correctly and enjoy the food more than anything else and not be distracted by details. Note 2: Don't go to this place and treat it like any other take-out stores. It's not! If you just want a Lo-mein or Broccoli Chicken and expect they will tailor to whatever request you may have, expect to be turned down or being charged extra. To exaggerate a little, you are basically asking Jamie Oliver to make french fries to-go. I am surprised to see it's not Zagat rated. Probably staying low-key is good for my money tho.

Jeff Bowling

delicious!

Joshua Kiser

Grace Garden is excellent. Its so difficult to find a Chinese restaurant that isn't the run of the mill take-out location. I don't know if I would call the food "authentic" (I'm certainly not an expert on the subject), but it's most definitely unique from your regular Chinese joints. The food is clearly on a different level in terms of quality, and the menu is massive. Definitely a great place to try it you're sick of all the samey, boring Chinese fare.

Britteny Hudson

Sketchy exterior, but the inside was comfortable and the food was really good.