We walked in on a Friday night at about 7:00pm. The parking lot was full...but all the patrons were ar the bar. The vibe was weird..like you took the attendees of a 70's swinger's party and fast forwarded them 40 years and then put them in a poorly decorated Chinese restaurant. First we ordered drinks...iced tea for me and diet cola for my husband. The iced tea was Chinese hot tea iced up and it tasted like chemicals. The soda tasted like they didnt clean their lines. The waitress, who was very nice but clueless with 70's winged back hair, kept pushing the free soda refills. No thanks we said. Water is great. The food was ....disgusting. I ordered the egg drop soup which consisted of browned egg whites in salty gelatinous broth. My husband ordered the crab rangoons. No sauce accompanying them...just dried rangoons. The dinner was a horror show. I had chicken with broccoli...which was basically white goo with strangely sliced and very thin chicken on coarsely chopped broccoli. I had to put a bunch of soy sauce on it to give it any flavor and the consistency was sloppy. My husband ordered cashew chicken. It tasted like canned La Choy reheated in the microwave. The rice was decent..but the peas had freezer burn. Halfway through dinner one of the bar patrons decided to fill the restaurant with his best rendition of a loud boisterous drunk. To top it off, the fortune cookies were stale. Expensive mistake. We won't be returning and if you are interested in someone heating up your La Choy..this is the place for you. read more

Been coming here for 25 years and just keeps getting better You will find food not in typical Chinese restaurant presentation also outstanding read more

Lychee Garden is by far one of the most authentic/best Chinese restaurants in Milwaukee! They have been open for at least 33 years now but they still keep up the amazing Chinese food. The food always smells good and never disappoints me. The staff is excellent and always make you feel special!! I recommend getting the buffet which is such a reasonable price and getting the sizzling pork yum!. I know this restaurant doesn't have 5 star rating but it's excellent and most of these people probably don't know Chinese food. So I recommend Lychee Garden read more

I can here with my husband to check it out because we drive past it a lot. Lets just say I was not impressed - when we walked in, it seemed very empty. We decided to go with the buffet & this place made New China Buffet look good. There were barely a good variety of food and half the stuff seemed like it had been sitting for a while. Never going again for the buffet. read more

Not fresh, not good. Poor quality food that, I believe, was yesterdays rejects. Dry donuts, noodles and rice that has sat so long in the heat lamps they were old and tough. This was my second attempt to try it because it's close to home, but no thanks. Won't make that mistake again. read more

We ended up here for dinner because Kopp's had nowhere to sit. We all had the buffet, which was just okay. The food was pretty salty, especially the egg drop soup. I couldn't eat more than a couple of spoonfuls. Service was pleasant and friendly. read more

As I have been thinking of a place to eat I turned to yelp to help. I didn't want a burger I didn't want a mexican food so I came across Lychee garden on yelp. The service was pleasant. The cashier hostess was friendly as well as our server. She was also very pleasant and always at our service. Our drinks were always topped off all the time. I had the dinner buffet. It was okay lots of greasy tempura style assortment. Perhaps it was a little early for the crowds to come in but eventually lots of people started to flow in. Seems like they ventured to the bar side of the restaurant and filled with a lot of regulars there. My overall experience was good. Great to use our handy yelp app to help me decide on where to go next. Keep up the good job Lychee Garden. read more

See all

Great food! One of my favorite places for lunch and dinner. My family has been going here for years. My favorite dish is Cantonese Style Chicken Chow Mein. read more

It was like going to Grandma's house in the 70s and being fed the newest asian food recipe from Ladies' Home Journal. Sweet and Sour Pork in a sweet red sauce with big squares of bell pepper and canned pineapple. Chop Suey which resembles the inside of a chicken pot pie over rice. Can't forget the classic Egg Foo Young with brown gravy. I appreciated that they had tempura vegetables, but they had become soggy in the pan. The staff was very friendly and the restaurant warm and comfortable. The egg rolls were the size of small burritos. I don't feel like it was a horrible meal, but I doubt I'll eat there again. read more

Food was barely warm on buffer, over cooked and dry. Soda qas flat, worse meal i have ever had with Chineese food

This is by far my favorite Chinese Restaurant, everything is always fresh and so delicious!you have to try the beef and pea pod dish the meat is so tender!! We have been going here for years , def check them out if your craving good authentic Chinese food !! read more

This was the worst asian food I've ever had. There was a hair in my lo mien which wasnt even actual lo mien. Would never order again. Very disappointed in the quality of the food. The egg drop soup didnt even taste fresh, it tasted old and cardboardish. read more

Overall the food is good. I can definitely say I've had better Chinese food in the Milwaukee area. The food has the taste of the Chinese food I grew up on. Very unauthentic. Not that Chinese restaurants in the US are really authentic, but we have come a long way in the last few decades. This place seems to be left somewhere in the past. The service was wonderful, yet it seemed odd that not one person working seemed to be of Asian decent. I guess maybe that alone took away some of the authenticity. I don't know. I may go back again and I may not. It's one of those places that really didn't do anything for me, but it wasn't so terrible I'd stay away. read more

The service was wonderful. Welcoming hostess. Our waitress was very polite, kept our beverage glasses full, and our table cleared of used dishes. The inside of the restaurant was nice - a pleasant surprise compared to the outside We arrived at 6:30 on a Sunday evening and we all ordered the buffet. The food - no matter what was selected (and there were a LOT of options, which is great) - was very dry. It had been sitting out under the lights for too long. So dry that I left half of it on my plate. The soup was very salty. And there were some unexpected ingredients which I personally didn't care for (green peppers in fried rice). We were glad we tried it, but it didn't please our palates enough to come back. When it's fresh, it's probably a good meal for the price ($11.50), just not for us. read more

Absolutely terrific food here. The buffet is pretty good too but I usually order off of the menu. The staff here is so friendly ! They are genuinely happy to see you each time you come in. Favorite dish: Cantonese Style Chow Mein w/ Beef read more

Best Chinese restaurant in the Milwaukee area! Staff are always friendly and I've never had a problem with anything that I've ordered. My family and I have been going to this restaurant for 20+ years. I even buy their soy sauce because it's so good! read more

Average. Buffet Is limited. The restaurant is dim and plays old American music. Hostess and staff are very attentive. They saw that I was thirsty and brought me a pitcher of water. Buffet is limited and food looks line it has been sitting out for awhile. Taste is suprisngly gokd, despite the look. No desserts. read more

This place has been my families go to for Chinese food for over 10 years. We order take out about once a month, and it is always hot and fresh. I have also gone for the buffet several times, and there is a lot of variety. It usually seems to be the way to go when you are dining in. The people working there are always very nice and appreciative of the business. Yesterday we had mooshoo Chicken, and there was enough for 2 meals. read more

Lychee Gardens has been around for 20+ years and there is a reason why. Conveniently located on Layton Ave, great food and wonderful atmosphere. Full service bar with very reasonable drinks. The people there are so very friendly. I have been there many times in my life and always enjoy it. Great Christmas Eve tradition and Chinese New Year too! I highly recommend you give it a try and you will see that it is a great place to visit again and again. read more

Fairly good for Milwaukee Chinese food. Buffet could have been fresher than when I went, but worth giving it another try. Their take out is always fresh and steaming hot. Average pricing, buffet is available for take out also. They have a bar that seemed pretty busy, nice waitstaff... Ensured after bringing the bill for the buffet "no rush, take your time" service better than most Chinese places. I can see why they've been around for so long. read more

Cute interior and attentive staff. Food was not so flavorful and pretty generic. I think I'd rather drive over to Hwy 100 in 'st Allis coming from Bayview for better Chinese buffet read more

The waitress kinda forced us to tip her. We were going to tip her in cash so we put 0 on the card. So she came back after staring down at the receipt and got mad telling us that we have to tip her and showed us other guests receipt saying "look they paid me 12$" other than that the food was okay I ordered curry chicken wasn't that spicy. read more

We always go for either their lunch or dinner buffet. The food is always delicious and the service excellent. Their egg drop soup is the best, not full of corn starch like most. Price is good too. read more

The decor can shock you,,but the food is good and the staff is awesome. And all you have to do is ask for fresh or more of a buffet item and they will make it for you,they are all about the customer. read more

I have been coming here since I can remember. Hands down best Chinese I have ever had. I now live about a hour away but keep coming back for more as my grandmother lives just down the road. Sesame chicken is my go to! Willy & Franky always do an outstanding job! Do not hesitate to try! You will get hooked! read more

What a wonderful restaurant. The bar is tastefully decorated and extremely comfortable for catching up with friends and family. The staff is amazing as they are very attentive to your needs - never waited for a drink. The food is great! Very nice buffet with a good variety - something for everyone! read more

Not very good. Could taste the preservatives right away! Rice was dry. Poor selection on buffet. Donuts were dry - yesterday's? Wings dried out and over cooked. Soda flat. read more

The food here is unbelievably AMAZING. I don't even usually like Chinese food, but I crave Lychee Garden's food!! It is by far the best Chinese food I have ever had! The owner Frank, and the amazing staff, such as Linda and Willy, are always making my visit so wonderful! I would eat at Lychee every day if I could!! read more

I no longer get the buffet because sometimes items are not hot enough. I order off the menu.

This place is fucking disgusting. The worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. The people are very nice. It's dirty and just gross.

I went there on Sunday and had the buffet. The selection was relatively limited. Items ranged from decent (sweet and sour chicken) to barely edible (egg foo yung). I would not recommend this place, as they are well below average for American Chinese restaurant. read more

We are new to Milwaukee, so are trying to sort out the wheat from the chaff. Sorry, Lychee Garden; you have fallen into the latter group. Having read the other reviews, and having stopped in once to pick up some take-out soup which my wife enjoyed at home, I gave this place a 50/50 chance, but was willing to try it for a full meal. My wife and I came in on a Thursday evening about 6:30, and there were, perhaps, ten other patrons there. This restaurant, I gather, has been around for quite a while. Unfortunately, it seems to have become complacent on it's past success and has failed to keep up with the new breed of restaurants in the MKE area now. It feels old when you walk in. Not dirty, but just not fresh. It doesn't seem to have been updated since maybe the 80s. The staff, however, did seem sincere, attentive and eager to please. Now, as to the buffet: The food was visually appealing, though the selection was pretty small (That was put to shame by another Chinese buffet we had been to on 27th, and at the same price.) The flavor just wasn't there. My wife called it "watery". It just lay there. The szechuan chicken, which is traditionally quite spicy, tasted more like my moms country chicken and rice. No zip whatsoever. The ribs were very (almost to) sweet, and a tad on the dry side. The back-breaker though, was the mold on the sugar doughnut balls that I always look forward to at the end of the meal. I didn't see it, but rather, tasted it, as I wasn't wearing my glasses at the time. This was my last bite. We quickly paid and left. I felt like bringing this to the attention of the manager would be to little, to late. I would not recommend Lychee Garden. read more

its not the worse place, some of the dishes were worth the price on the buffet was it impressive no not food wise that is the building itself is just odd and kinda cool in its own way would go again with friends perhaps but not something I would go out of my way for and the price is a little high given how small the options are IMHO read more

As a first-time customer you always want to impress your customers with great food. I only stay 2 blocks from this restaurant when I got home my food was cold the rice was hard will I ever go back again hell no it is not recommendable. read more

Good food and nice people! We live out of the area but when we visit we try to make time for Lychee Garden!

We had previously heard that this place was really good but we were disappointed. I went with my mother and sister and we had buffet. Given we went on a Monday afternoon but the buffet food had been out for a while, you could tell because it was very Crunchy, dry and had skins on the liquids. I don't feel it was worth the almost $12 a person. read more

The atmosphere is nice. The servers are very nice also. Free refills on soft drinks. Buffet has an assortment of food but i would like to add the special menu. What's nice about this place is that they'll modify or create you whatever you want. Tell them what you're interested in having and let the chef do the work. I highly recommend their special shrimp dish with jumbo shrimp that's lightly breaded with a nice seasoning, pan fried noodles and vegetables in a white sauce. To die for! You can also get a mixture of scallops/shrimp. The scallops are the size of half dollars. Nice and juicy! Their Hong Kong sizzling steak is a show stopper for some people as they like to watch the platter sizzle, juicy tender steak with vegetable or mushroom/onions. Ask "what's the special for today?" There's a lot of food that's not on the menu, no room to squeeze them all on there. read more

This is my Go to place for Chinese food! My Children, Very picky eaters, love the buffet. My Vinny is disabled (downs), and it's always been a challenge getting him to eat (He's 7, but just a lil peanut!). At Lychee, I never have any problems getting him to eat. Usually, he out-eats me AND his younger brother!. We usually come right after school. Food is fresh (Put out right at 4pm, and we usually arrive about 10 minutes before hand). My youngest loves the Egg Drop, Ribs (Go figure...) and the Shrimp Chips. My Vinny, the Veggie & Chicken. Myself, I'm partial to the Egg-Foo-Young. It's got that classic brown sauce, and cooked just right. I also enjoy the spicy foods, which vary from time to time. And don't forget to grab a Egg Roll! They are HUGE! (Tip: On the end of the buffet line, you can grab a syrup dispenser style container of Sweet & Sour sauce. Bring it back to your table. Byte the end off the egg roll, and pour a tiny bit of S&S Sauce inside. Just a few drops in between bytes. PERFECT OUTCOME!). The Hot & Sour soup is good, but the Egg Drop is great! Not runny like other places. It is a nice, thick broth, with lots of egg. If you find you arn't getting any egg, give the pot a quick stir!. The doughnut balls are great! But avoid giving them to kids, as they are sugar packed.... I made that mistake once..... The kids did not sleep that night.... And I saw that some reviewers said no white rice. Yes, they have it. It's at the end of the buffet line on it's own table. Don't know how they could have missed it. Either way, no reason to go to other Chinese Restaurants. This is a good, old fashioned, family run old school restaurant, that makes great food. They aren't just ordering it from a supplier and re-heating like most of the Chinese restaurants that seem to come and go do. ENJOY! read more

The best garlic noodles ever!! The only place I will go with my niece and my family loves the buffet.

Everytime I go to the Lychee Garden I am not disapointed. My buddy is close friends with the owner as they knew eachother his whole life. Willy (the owner) greets us personally everytime we come in and personally cooks us our food. We are treated as family by all of the staff who seem generally happy we are there. The cool part is I never have to look at a menu. Willy always remembers your favorite or if you are feeling adventurous will make you whatever you are feeling regardless of menu. Food is aleays fresh and sometimes if you are real lucky you can eat vegetables that are grown personally by Willy. Highly recommend. read more