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    Garden Kitchen

    4.1 (74 reviews)
    ModerateChinese, Seafood, Soup
    Closed • 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM

    Order Garden Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

    Garden Kitchen Photos

    Business Info

    GARDEN KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Garden Kitchen

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    Reviews With Photos

    Beef chow fun
    Christine C.

    My in-laws love this spot! So much that they insisted on bringing us here for lunch. And y'know what? They were right! The food was so yummy, I pretty much forgot to take photos for most of what we ate. We visited on a weekday lunch and the place was packed! It's a neighborhood favorite given their authentic dishes and reasonable prices. It's a casual Cantonese spot with straightforward service; there're a few parking spots nearby, as well as street parking. Most memorable food & drinks: - Beef brisket and daikon dish was my favorite! The beef brisket was so tender and flavorful. It's going on my list of must-order every time we come here! - Hong Kong yin yang (coffee and milk tea combo) was legit, and had a good balance of tea and coffee flavors. Looking forward to returning to try more dishes!

    Potstickers
    Mike L.

    As one of my family's longtime, go-to spots along The Peninsula, it was equally surprising and sad when we heard that Fat Wong's Kitchen had closed. Even though it had been a while since our last visit, we always found the food to be pretty consistent and reliable. So, after seeing that Garden Kitchen had taken their place, we had to come here to see how this place compares! Looking around inside, it's hard to tell that anything about this place has changed. Their configuration is largely the same, offering plenty of tables inside, for groups large or small, and the menu, while different, is still pretty interesting. While not a HK cafe, it has a cafe sort of feel to it. Along with a slate of appetizers, they also have congee, noodle soups, chow fun/chow mein, fried rice, rice plates, noodle soups, and specialty entrees, including hainan chicken, which seems to be their most popular dish. In addition, they also have some Chinese BBQ options, like Char Siu and Roast Duck, but, tragically, we didn't see roast pork listed. -- ROAST DUCK (QUARTER) I was cautiously optimistic for this one and, thankfully, it turned out great. The pieces we got were rather meaty and the skin on this was really flavorful and neither too soft nor dried out. -- HOUSE SPECIAL HAINAN CHICKEN (QUARTER) Not as amazing as we had hoped for, but still pretty solid. The pieces we got were a bit lean and the skin wasn't the greatest, but the chicken itself was cooked well and I liked the peanuts that this came with. -- SALT & PEPPER FISH FILET Although this wasn't as good as others I've had, this wasn't bad. On the plus side, the batter was crispy, the fish was moist, and there was a fair amount of garlic and peppers. On the other, the inside of the batter was really gummy. -- THREE COMBO MEAT STIR-FRIED RICE NOODLES Sadly, I just wasn't a fan of this at all. Although this had a decent mix of stuff in it, the noodles themselves were torn apart, overcooked, and just kind of tasteless. Pass. -- BEEF CHOW FUN Pretty standard, but still pretty good! The noodles had a nice bite to them and, surprisingly, the slices of beef weren't as tough as I feared they would be. Plus, the dish wasn't very oily either. -- DRY FRIED STRING BEANS WITH MINCED MEAT Nothing special, but still pretty solid. The string beans were cooked well and they didn't skimp on the meat. However, I wish they had used some XO sauce in this to add a stronger punch of flavors. -- BEEF BRISKET & TURNIP RICE PLATE Along with the Roast Duck, this was my other favorite dish here. The brisket was super tender and I really liked how the sauce had a nice beefiness and richness to it. -- BRAISED FISH FILET WITH TOFU & BLACK MUSHROOMS This didn't look all that impressive, but it was actually pretty good. The tofu and mushrooms were both great, but, like the salt & pepper fish, the batter felt a little gummy. -- TOMATO BEEF PAN FRIED NOODLES I didn't eat much of this one, so I can't say much about it. However, based on what I had, this was fine. The noodles were crispy, the portion was decent, and the beef wasn't chewy. -- SOY SAUCE CHOW MEIN For better or worse, this was kind of generic. There wasn't anything about this that stood out, but at least the noodles weren't overcooked nor was it salty/heavy on soy sauce. -- POTSTICKERS Ehh...this was fine. The filling wasn't too shabby and I liked how soft the skins were. However, I wish these had a harder and deeper crust on the bottom to give it that crunch. -- PORK & SHRIMP WONTON NOODLE SOUP Honestly, this had the potential to be so much better. Despite how this came with a fair amount of wontons that were all pretty plump, the broth was surprisingly bland and diluted. Beyond the food, service here is unremarkable, but not necessarily in a negative sense. Rather, there's nothing amazing about it, but all of the workers are still friendly enough and efficient while the kitchen gets orders out relatively quick, which is all you can really ask for. All in all, while a couple of our dishes were definitely pretty tasty, just as many underwhelmed while the rest were just okay. Combine that with how there usually isn't a line and how parking is super easy (they have a small lot, too) and Garden Kitchen is still a terrific option for a quick and convenient meal. Though, one that isn't quite as tasty as Fat Wong's used to be. THREE AND A HALF STARS rounded down.

    Garden Kitchen: Exterior on ECR San Bruno
    Melanie C.

    Food: 3.50| Service: 4.0*| Ambiance: 3.50 *Take out only GARDEN KITCHEN in San Bruno is a good stop for Cantonese comfort foods like rice plates, noodle soups, congee, chow mein/fun. Ambiance is a bright, sun-lit dining room where the company you're with, and the food you've ordered is the focus of the day. Had to do a walk-in order since I had problems doing an online order and I was nearby. So figured it was easier to walk in and order than to call. GK may not be as fast as Panda Express but they were fast in putting my order through. Ordered, and nicely packed: SHRIMP & SCRAMBLED EGGS OVER RICE - Soft scramble eggs had nice sized shrimp, over fluffy, hot rice. Garnished w/a light sprinkling of green onions Delightfully tasty. Think the eggs were a tad diluted because of maybe chicken broth? Still tasty though. HOUSE SPECIAL HAINAN CHICKEN OVER RICE. The flavor and texture of the bone-in Hainan Chicken were good, peanuts were a bit salty. The dab of housemade ginger-onion condiment was definitely inadequate since this adds to the overall taste of the Hainan Chicken plate. The accompanying rice while supposedly steamed w/the broth that the chicken was poached in, was strangely dry. Maybe it was an off day since this is their specialty. Next time. ONG CHOI (WATER SPINACH) w/GARLIC. Simple sautéed greens dish with garlic. Never fails. GARDEN KITCHEN'S menu looks enticing enough for a return visit when I'm in the neighborhood to try NOODLES, both soup and dry-fried, especially TOMATO BEEF PAN FRIED NOODLES, or SALTED FISH & CHICKEN FRIED RICE, SALTY EGG YOLK KABOCHA. Or rice plates like BRAISED PORK KNUCKLE, HOUSEMADE ROAST DUCK, BRAISED BRISKET & TURNIP. And congees, PRESERVED EGG & PORK, ASSORTED PORK OFFAL, MINCED BEEF, and PORK LIVER. P.S. My order from walk-in, order and receiving order in hand - less than 10 minutes!

    The best Chinese food
    Elenita T.

    Love coming here god service reasonable price clean bathroom accept credit cards most of all good food eat here 3x a week

    Marinated tofu
    Jaky Y.

    We ordered the fish ball noodle soup with knife cut noodles, Hokkein fried rice, tomato and beef pan fried noodles, marinated tofu, and salt and pepper capelin. Everything came quickly and was tasty. The marinated tofu had great flavor without being too heavy or oily. Prices were very reasonable considering portion sizes. Service was friendly and there are plenty of tables inside. There's also a dedicated parking lot in front of the restaurant which makes things easier. They were sold out of their special Hainan chicken and char siu when we came for dinner, so consider coming earlier or for lunch if you really want to try! They only make a set number per day and don't keep any leftovers.

    Good Hainan chicken and rice plate for a good price closer to $-$$!!
    Michael Y.

    Oh, they are back open under a new flag, popular and busy as ever, and pretty darn good! Very very importantly, they take contactless payment and credit cards. I'm guessing that is one major reason why they have tons of business. We wanted to try more, but since they were packed, I opted for the recommendation by the waitress. The Hainan chicken rice plate was a good recommendation - thanks! As you can see from the attachè, there is quite a bit of chicken. Don't let the internet image of the takeout container fool you as there are Two layers of chicken there! The taste of the chicken and rice, rice and chicken, was good. The price is also very good and highly competitive - very good for wallets these days. Hmmm, I can't wait to try their other signature dishes! The inside ambience is familiar and comforting with a full house with families chattering around the whole restaurant and waitresses running around busy.

    Jack R.

    $10 special Hainan Chicken rice the word is out, one per person (for all of you who could eat multiple plates)! BUT, recently it's down to one per table so split yourselves up. This was during my last visit...so they changed things I guess people were overdoing it. The service for being so busy is fast, efficient, and generally pretty good. Usually a half hour wait to get a table. So the special chicken rice is decent and for $10 definitely worth it. 4/5 Roast duck: do not order this, it's super salty and cold on the inside and kind of warm as they reheat it on the outside. 2/5 The wonton noodle soup: my friends order this often--decent and fresh 5/5 Lemon tea: 5/5 just the right amount of lemon and sweet, extra charge for ice Yuzu iced drink: horrible do not order this it tastes like medicine 1/5 Shrimp dim sum 10/10 huge portions and fresh

    Menu as of Oct 5th
    Belinda C.

    They have new ownership here and the new owners took over around July. This place is not called Garden Kitchen and everything looks the same expect the menu and the staff. They currently have a promotion of their Hainan chicken over rice for $10.00 and it's dine in only. One table is limited to one order. The rice is so good and def one of the few places that it packed with more flavors. The chicken was tender and juicy but it came with bones . I was hoping it find a place that was boneless. We also got the house special pan fried noodles and that's was good as well. It has chicken, shrimp mushrooms and bok choy. The chicken were huge and might not be suitable for kids, unless you want to cut it up a little for them. The salty egg yolk kabocha (pumpkin) was fried a little too long as the batter looked a little dark brown but it was still good. I would say this is a good deal for the price $13.99 as most other places are like $17.00. The service was great here and the staff was much nicer than the previous crew. I would try their appetizers and drinks next time.

    Roast duck and char siu rice plate
    Eric Y.

    Come for: decent cantonese bbq, hainan chicken rice Know that: place is small, meat quality for stir fries not the best I wish I could give this place a 3.5. But not for the mythical "bad service, good food" chinese restaurant label but because there truly were hits and misses. The service was actually pretty good! And the ambiance looked exactly like a Chinese restaurant should with the bbq meats hanging just beyond the dining room. I ordered the two meats bbq plate (roasted duck and char siu), pan fried noodle with tomato and beef, and the hainan chicken rice. The BBQ meat plate was a solid (4/5). The duck was juicy and flavorful, and the char siu had that classic sweet smokiness you want. The rice came with some sauce on it and some greens. For about $15, solid amount of food. Pan fried noodle with tomato and beef (2/5) is where things went wrong. The pan fried noodles were good and crispy, and the sauce was a balanced sweet and sour. The meat is where things went wrong. Very, very chewy to the point where it was inedible at times. They also marinated or rubbed it with something (maybe cooking wine?) that seemed to give the whole dish a bad flavor. Would not get again. Hainan chicken rice (4/5) tasted so similar to Special Hainan Chicken just a stones throw away. Their ginger/scallion sauce paired really well with the chicken and the oil rice had that deep chickeny flavor. Peanuts were good too! My party also ordered a porridge I did not try but everyone said it needed A LOT of salt. Overall, not the worst option for cantonese food especially in the San Bruno area but dishes could be hit or miss.

    Hainan Chicken
    Joyce K.

    Came for the $10 Hainan Chicken deal, left happy. Been meaning to try this place given the grand opening sign, but have been seeing the long lines. Dropped by Sunday for lunch ~11:20am and the place wasn't packed... yet. Parking is nowhere to be found, so we parked in residential. What we got: - Salt and Pepper Capelin ~ Crispy. Not oily. Served with fried garlic bits and bell peppers/peppers. So good! Not for the faint of heart as these fish are whole and full of roe. But if you bypass that fact, each bite is a burst of crispy, umami, hearty flavor. - Hainan Chicken ~ Solid. Rice was soft and moist. Soft and succulent chicken paired perfectly with the rice. Ginger Scallion sauce was the cherry on top! Served with roasted peanuts and cold cucumber salad. - Spare Rib with Black Bean Sauce Chow Fun ~ Spare ribs were soft and juicy. Dish was on the heavier side. Perfect for sharing. All in all, decent start to their grand opening. Place is family friendly, with high chairs available if needed. This place offers a wide variety of classic dishes with a decent price point. Would return to try other things on the menu!

    Peter C.

    Checked out Garden Kitchen in San Bruno, which was formerly Fat Wong's Kitchen and what appears be a former Taco Bell. I believe the owners of Fat Wong's Kitchen retired. The interior has been refreshed with new paint, tables, and chairs with the new management. We ordered the Hainan chicken rice during their $10 grand opening promotion. The chicken was very tender and came with ginger scallion sauce, half of a hard boiled egg, and cucumbers on the side. At the regular price of $14, it still brings good value. We also ordered the beef chow fun, and pork organ congee. The pork organ congee had a good texture, but needed a pinch of salt and some pepper powder for flavoring. Everything tasted fresh, clean, and well prepared. It was noticeably better than the food quality under the previous management. There was a short wait for a table during lunch, but service was quick and friendly once we were seated. Staff was professional and spoke fluent English, which made the experience smooth and easy. In addition, they also take credit cards, which was a huge plus and convenient. There is plenty of parking in their lot or on the street nearby. Overall Garden Kitchen is definitely worth a visit and will return to try their dim sum options.

    Hainan chicken with rice
    Suki L.

    Braised beef noodles was my fav dish to get from the previous location, Fat Wong's. Seemed like they kept the same noodle chef other reviews had said. The taste was about the same, however the they were skimping out on the meat. 7/10 Hainan chicken rice was ok, went when they still had the $10 deal. 8/10 Spare rib noodle was not quite there. It seemed like noodles were not done cooking yet, left bunched up. Didn't bother to take a picture since it didn't look too appetizing. 3/10 Milk tea was ok, didn't taste super authentic though like the ones from Hong Kong cafes. 5/10

    Milk tea
    Kathy L.

    Coming to order to go, restaurant changed name but decoration and inside looks the same as before. We ordered four items and 2/4 Milke tea is good it's strong but not too sweet. House special Hainan Chicken rice is good, chicken is soft not chewy, rice are flavorful, peanut and cucumber as side and ginger sauce with over loaded green onions. Beef brisket over rice - a lot of rice and beef brisket on top looks kind of sad. Only a few pieces and few bak choy. The brisket tasted good it soft and not chewy Half roasted duck is very sad, not fresh, it has no meat, skin chewy, very fat and a lot of bone

    Exterior of Garden Kitchen in San Bruno.

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    Very authentic Cantonese food, the wonton noodle soup is a must. The servers are efficient and friendly. The roast duck is excellent too

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    Fast and courteous service. Generous portions. Recommend the Hainan chicken and beef brisket. Would come again!

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    Spicy House - dry fried wings $16

    Spicy House

    4.3(342 reviews)
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    Interior seating area

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    Kevin’s Noodle House - Pho with meatballs

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    4.2(168 reviews)
    2.7 mi
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    I was craving pho, but wanted something different than my usual spot up the street. I was skeptical…read moreat first because of some bad reviews, but decided to give it a shot so I could judge myself. Went in today, Thursday evening around 6pm and was seated promptly. The restaurant is very clean and spacious with 2 different seating levels. Cleanliness is a huge deal for me and ever since I saw a cockroach at two different visits at the place up the street, I'm always hesitant to go back there and that's another reason why I ended up here too. As many people have stated, street parking really sucks, but there is the Miller Avenue Garage just up the street so I'm not sure why people always complain about that... It's literally a 2min walk, but you know most people don't bother to look and want a spot right in front of an establishment ‍ We started off with the A4 appetizer which is the fried chicken wings. The menu states it's 5 wings, but we got 9. I was a little confused at first, but looking back now, it is 5 WHOLE wings, but broken down its 10 single pieces (5 flats and 5 drums)... I guess they shorted us one piece, but whatever They were pretty tasty, not oily at all and served with a side of fish sauce. For an entree I got the #13 TÁI, GẦU, which is pho with medium rare steak and well-done brisket. It was really yummy and wasn't watered down as read in many reviews. I really liked the fact that you could choose a size instead of just a massive bowl because I hate taking leftover soup as the noodles don't really hold well and get too soggy... iykyk!! I got the small and finished it all! I could've probably done a medium, but tbh it was the perfect size for me as we also had the wings and a soda too. It was a really great value compared to other spots I've been to. For 3 bowls of pho, an order of wings, 2 sodas and a Thai ice tea, the total came out to $80. Oh, fyi I tried my son's Thai tea and unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of it, but other than that everything else was awesome and I will definitely be back.

    Spring rolls are always my go-to order at any Vietnamese spot, so I was really looking forward to…read morethese, but unfortunately, they fell short. First, the sauce: if you're expecting a true creamy peanut dipping sauce, beware! What they serve is essentially straight hoisin sauce with a few crushed peanuts floating on top, which was a huge disappointment. Second, the packaging: the spring rolls were packed so tightly together that as soon as you try to pull one apart, the rice paper sticks to the next and tears completely open, leaving you with a messy pile. They look decent initially, but the execution and dipping sauce really missed the mark.

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    Kevin’s Noodle House - Inside

    Inside

    Kevin’s Noodle House - Wings $15.25

    Wings $15.25

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    A2. Fresh Spring roll (3 Rolls)

    Garden Kitchen - chinese - Updated October 2026

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