Since I've been working in the area for so long ive tried a lot of Chinese restaurants in smithtown. This one is by far the best. Theyre food is always SO good. Today I got sesame chicken and it was cooked perfectly. The rice was a litter over done but overall good flavor. They forgot my sprite which really sucked and that seems to happen often. The man who delivered my food today was also not nice. He was very rude and demanding. I wanted to put the tip on my card, he refused. So I was only able to give him $1 cause I didn't have any cash so now I'm nervous to order from there invade this guy doesn't like me or something, idk. But anyways try they're pork dumplings, SSOOO gooooodd ! read more

We ordered pork spare ribs, pineapple fried rice with shrimp and chicken chow mein for take out tonight. Everything was delicious!

The food is good, the location is good my only issue that caused them to lose a star would be the service was slow. We ordered a ton of food for the table and it although there were only two other people in at the time it took over an hour to get our food. I will visit again and hopefully I can give them that extra star. read more

This food is awful. We spent $58 and had the most disgusting Chinese food I have ever had. The dumplings tasted old and dried out, the egg rolls were filled with grease, the sesame chicken was dry and so tough and chewy, the beef was rare and fatty. It was terrible and we will not go back read more

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This place is fairly typical of Long Island chinese joints. Me and my waistline appreciate them offering brown rice though. Their sesame chicken is amazing! Last time they skimped a bit on the sesame seeds, but that's just me nitpicking. Other than that, everything was great! read more

AMAZING food! Very affordable, prompt delivery with no glitches, and the driver was an absolute sweetie

Service is improved from our last visit. This has been our New Year's Eve for several years as well as during the year. The scallion pancakes are a favorite. The Mongolian Beef was flavorful but not spicy enough. The shrimp dishes were well prepared. Service was good, servers were attentive. read more

I'm a student at Stony Brook, I will be talking about the delivery experience. I think the combination platters are pretty good for the price about 8.75-9 dollars for entree with rice, soup and spring Roll. Their beef and brocolli has great flavor, and a generous amount, i usually cannot finish an order! I do not recommend getting anything fried like salt and pepper pork chop, or sweet and sour shrimp/chicken/pork because it's fried it gets soggy by the time they deliver. Speaking of delivery time, if you're lucky sometimes they come in 45 mins others it may take one hour - 2 hours. As a stony Brook student you are required to give a 3 dollar "tip" Usually I'm okay with that but if I'm going to tip you 3 dollars please get me my food here in timely manner. Another thing is they have rude delivery guys. Sometimes we get a nice guy, but most of the time we get this angry man who doesn't bother to tell us the price, or even say thank you. This is why i don't want to 'tip' them. Food wise, is good but their service is pretty horrendous. Edit: I just made an order, for two dinner combos, not only did the order take 2 hours, they forgot one of the dinners. I called back to get refund for just the dinner they missed, and they refused. I will not be ordering here again. read more

Delivery.this is first time ordering They just gave me a bad impression over the phone. This is my first time ordering a delivery from this place. As usual like other chinese restaurant. "Free delivery with minimum..blah blah blah." After I put in my order and before we hung up, the guy on the phone clearly told me "you HAVE TO pay 3 dollar tips". I never had a problem paying 3 dollars tip or more for delivery but what not please me is how demanding he was. I feel a little bit offended. That' was pretty rude.. I will add more comments when I get my food lol (030) read more

Excellent chinese! Small place, but the food makes up for it. Not your typical menu. There are really interesting choices. The yellow prawns are wonderful. My wife loves the veggie mu shu. Haven't had a mediocre meal yet. Lunch specials are excellent and easy on the wallet. Highly recommended! Really a gourmet of Chinese restaurants. read more

I have not been here in forever, but I have been craving it for a while. I went here about a handful of times and each time it got more delicious. Most certainly some of the best Chinese food there is on Long Island. It even has real chinese noodles, which makes me happy. read more

My favorite for both take out and eat in. I live in East Setauket, but I gladly travel to St. James to Ancient Ginger. They are definitely a cut above the other local Chinese restaurants. Their food is fresh and flavorful. The combination lunch menu is excellent and very reasonable. I've enjoyed everything I've ever ordered and love that it's not greasy or heavy. Shrimp in garlic sauce is my favorite and the shrimp is a nice size. I like that they serve almost everything in a pint size. They also have a wide variety of healthy choices. The only thing my family didn't love was the pork dumplings. Although tasty, the meat inside is a bit different that the usual dumpling. I love the atmosphere, very peaceful and clean. My only complaint would be that when we were there on a Saturday, we felt a bit rushed. This never happens during the week and I sometimes even see single diners reading while they eat. Whether you want to take out or dine in Ancient Ginger never disappoints. read more

Great place!!! Walking into the joint I was surprised at how nice and clean it was. We were seated promptly even though it seemed quite busy. Immediately, once seated, I reviewed my menu and was pleased with the selection and combo meals offered. We each ordered a combo meal and quickly it was served. The food was incredibly delicious and the portions were tremendous. This is my new favorite Chinese takeout "eat in" place. You will not be disappointed. read more

I've been here a few dozen times for lunch. The staff is polite, helpful and professional - rarely making me wait long to get my order even when it is busy and the quality of the food has always been excellent. The other Chinese food places in the area may be a bit cheaper but no where near as satisfying dining experience. Ancient Ginger makes the best Moo Shu I've ever had. I won't even order Moo Shu as most places anymore. Other stand outs on the menu: Pineapple Chicken & Shrimp (absolutely wonderful), Sweet & Sour Shrimp, Chicken with Black Bean Sauce, Pepper Steak & Onion, Vegetable Dumplings, Spring Rolls and Lemon Chicken. read more

Ancient Ginger deserves more clout, 3 and half stars is definitely underrated. This is another small business in Saint James thats been here FOREVER. The younger gentleman, manager (possibly owner) is SUPER friendly. He's there 95% of the time at the front desk. I love their food for take out, however, the trick to this place is sitting to eat. It makes a nice date with a friend, fam, or significant other. The place is never packed, unless you go at prime time but out of the many times I've eaten there I've only seen a wait like once, maybe twice. Their food is 5 stars for take out, but 6 stars if you eat it there for some reason. Sitting to eat isn't painful either. The service is actually really quick. If you order a combo they strategically bring you out your egg roll to eat, then your soup, then your dinner dish shortly after. For some reason it makes the waiting time for your food less painful by incrementally bringing out you combo order. Their dumplings are on point, if you ask for a side of the chili oil that's a solid move. A friend of mine showed me that once when we sat there. One thing I also have to mention is the food is very inexpensive. Certainly check this place out don't let the stars rating deceive you. In fact, I'm shocked this joint doesn't have at least 4 stars. Definitely the best chinese food in Saint James. read more

My favorite dine in Chinese spot. The decor and ambiance are really nice surprises. It's nice to have a restaurant feel while paying the same prices. The food is always really good and fresh. Only complaint is that the spice level isn't very consistent(I enjoy spicy food). read more

The staff is friendly and can see that there are many regulars. That said, I can only describe my experience as "takeout" chinese. I was expecting a lot more from this place and have known about it for years. The food is too americanized and has lost its authenticity. read more

Always like it, food good, waiters pleasant.

Ordered on seamless, I was excited to try a new restaurant as I am in their area of delivery. they cancelled our order without letting us know that they were doing so because we're "outside" of their delivery area. I would have at least liked a courtesy call asking if we would like to pick it up instead of cancelling the entire thing. should fix the delivery zones so that this doesn't happen to another customer. read more

Real homemade Chinese food, not that processed food you usually get, by far the best I've had. Got the general tso's chicken lunch combo, the wonton soup was in my opinion incredible as well as the tso's chicken and the fried rice. Best Chinese I've ever had! read more

I used to live down the block from Ancient Ginger many, many moons ago. And when I used to live there, I would get take out from Ancient Ginger at least once or twice a week. Their steamed dishes are amazing and the portions were always enough for 2 to 3 meals. It wasn't cheap but the quality was well worth it. read more

Consistent and tasty Chinese food. Each time I go the service is good and the food taste fresh. Nice atmosphere and clean. Had the hot n sour soup which was good. Also ordered the cold noodles with peanut sauce for an app which was tasty but a bit heavy on the peanut butter.. we ordered the sesame chicken, generals chicken, sweet n sour chicken and the vegetable moo shoo which was good. The sesame chicken was the best of these dishes. If you are looking for a low key solid meal this is your local place. read more

The food was not that good. The Eggfoo Young was cremated and full of oil! The sauce was greasy too. The steak dish was sent back becuase it was bland and the steak was so so tough. The tea kettle was white with tea stains on the out side. I was very disappointed. I saw all these great reviews... ??? read more

Friendly staff, best Chinese takeout I have ever had! I order it at least once a week. The restaurant is very cute and small, but I absolutely adore it. Food is amazing and for the price, you can't beat it! read more

This place is fantastic. I grew up in Brooklyn, so I have tried all kinds of Chinese foods from hole in the halls in Brooklyn, to local gems in Chinatown to upscale Chinese restaurants you need reservations for and I have to say this place really surprised. Short of those speciality restaurants in chinatown Chinese food is usually about average 3 stars if it's okay. And that's usually a pretty good ranking for most places I have been. And because of that you sort of get used to okay Chinese food. However, this place blows all the other Chinese places out of the water, especially in this area. The people are always friendly and nice. The decor is beautiful and the food is fantastic. This place has made me rethink what good Chinese takeout good be. read more

Best chinese food in Saint James area. Very friendly staff and food is always hot and fresh. My take-out orders are always correct and never disappoints. I never get delivery or dine-in but I am sure it would be excellent. read more

I like this place. The food is good, the service is friendly, and the prices are reasonable. I get take outs from here on a regular basis. Well worth a try. read more

I've never been to the restaurant itself but the take-out/delivery is great! I've been ordering from this place for 4 years and have never been disappointed. The lady that takes the phone orders is so pleasant, the food is great (best chinese in the area, I think) and delivered quickly. read more

Ordered food through an app on my phone. Was told the food was going to be delivered about 1.5 hours after I ordered. A little long, but I wait. 1.5 later when the food is supposed to come, I call to see where it is only to be told they're not coming cause I'm "too far" along with a little smirk attitude from whoever was on the phone. No problem, but I have 3 hungry kids at home. DONT YOU THINK SOMEONE SHOULD LET THE CUSTOMER KNOW?! read more

Ancient Ginger is definitely not your average Chinese restaurant. It's really very good, has a nice atmosphere and reasonable prices. I am a brown rice fan and it's really hard to find restaurants that properly prepare it. AG offers brown rice and it's quite tasty! Combo lunch/dinner choices are a great value, menu has a nice variety overall. The portions are slightly smaller than other places...this is true...but I think it's a fair trade off for the quality/price. read more

I was really disappointed because I'd seen some great reviews of this place but it was absolutely awful. I ordered Genereal Tso's chicken, pork fried rice, and egg rolls. The egg rolls tasted stale (I didn't even know egg rolls could be stale), the chicken was too crispy to eat with almost no actual meat, and the fried rice was literally almost all red from the pork. I couldn't stomach any of it. And to top it all off, even the fortune cookies were stale :( Would not recommend. read more

Probably the only proper sit down Chinese restaurant on the island. Food is good and staff very helpful. The only reason the 4/5 star because sometimes they take the American express card and sometime the staff says they never take it..inconsistency is what annoyed me. Over all food is good and Bill is not too hefty read more

We choose Ancient Ginger when we want Chinese food in an informal setting. Food is fairly good and above average value. My favorite entree: beef, yum! Bring your own wine--no corkage fee! Service is attentive without being intrusive. Like all good restaurants, the place is very busy, with a little wait necessary on weekend nights. Tables somewhat crowded. read more

LOVE this place! clean and simple décor and I love the green tea they set on the table. wonderful vegan and vegetarian options and I've never had anything I didn't like :) they have a full bar too which I've never taken advantage of but I do think it's a major plus. read more

Consistent flavors and decent service make this place one of my favorites on Long Island. Not sure if its because I'm not totally crazy about Chinese food or if i haven't found the right spot; but for what they are offering I think it's pretty damn good! Excellent won ton soup; I always stick to the basics here for everything else and my expectations are always met. jot exceeded though. Complimentary green tea and pineapple to finish your meal with; this is a solid good Chinese joint. read more

Went to eat at the restaurant. Food is fine, normal. I would say it's a half step above a normal takeout place - nothing to go crazy over. If you feel like eating takeout in a nicer atmosphere than your couch then I would recommend it. read more

A pretty good Chinese place. It is hard to find an authentic Chinese place near Stony Brook University and this place almost fits the bill. Most of the food is Chinese style which I like, however there are also American elements as well. I think was done so as to not alienate the neighborhood. Overall I had a good experience here. Prices are good and the wait staff is attentive because it is a small place and doesn't really get busy. I was pleasantly surprised by this place. read more

I was liking this place for a minute but now it seems their food is just short of ok. I like the moo shui pork but everything else I usually order like the pork lo mein, pan fried dumplings, fried rice and hot and sour soup to keep it brief are terrible. I hate inconsistent restaurants adios read more

What can I say the past 6 months things really went down hill with screwing up the orders making the dishes wrong and long delivery times ,With missing stuff . Scallion pancakes soaked in oil gross!!! Baby corns filling up the dishes . What happened Time for a change bye bye AG read more

Love this place!!! First time but not the last. Best high quality Chinese food around.