Excellent authentic chinese food. Dishes arrived HOT. Amazing peking ribs and singapore noodles. Great with a large group.

What amazing quality food. The service is kind, welcoming and efficiently fast. The environment is happy satisfied customers. What a great place to have amazing Chinese food. Highly recommend, this has been my go to place ever since I was kid. Never disappoints (: read more

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Sai Woo Garden is a Chinatown institution, with good reason. Recently, a a friend and I were looking to dine out, and the cravings were for old school Cantonese. Sai Woo was the first place that came to mind. Our experience was lovely. We were seated quickly, as the restaurant was largely empty, with tea and menus coming immediately. We picked a couple of favourite dishes and set about our visiting. The food arrived quickly, and all expectations were met. It was all delicious, and the portions generous. The service was excellent. Attentive, but not intrusive. The restaurant itself is dated in terms of decor, but is clean and rife with character. This is exactly the type of restaurant I love. My friend and I have returned since this visit, and will do so again and again. read more

Sai Woo Garden Restaurant - the outside of the restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

The food at Sai Woo has been consistently delicious for 25 years! A consistent family favourite! Black pepper beef. Szechuan chicken. Deep Fried squid. Hot and sour soup! read more

Excellent every time! Service is friendly and fast. We love the deep fried calamari SO GOOD! The seafood with veggies is cooked perfectly and tender YUMMY. Danny, Alex and Anna are welcoming and wonderful. We will be back!! read more

Sai Woo Garden Restaurant - The BEST deep fried calamari in Edmonton!! - Chinese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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All I can say , this is good place to go for Chinese food , good quality fresh veggies prices very reasonable . I very enjoy those I usually get , Sai Woo Garden never turn me down ....... read more

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Good cantonese food. Generous portions. Nothing special that really stood out. I ordered 5 items but only got 4. The sweet and sour pork was missing. Everything came in styro containers which i did not like. The deep fried squid got soggy. It tasted good but because of the moisture in the styro, the top portions had droplets of water on it. The sauce of the beef with broccoli leaked on the sides and there was a lot of it leaving the beef inside almost dry. read more

Wandered into the kitchen, off the alley. Saw two rats just ambling along the wall. Didn't even know there were rats in Alberta. Rat feces and rat urine sign me up! read more

It was a couple months ago but I took my wife there for dinner. We ordered 3 dishes at 18 dollars and then Chinese greens and rice. Bill came and it was 84 dollars. I wasn't thinking but thought it was high. I asked how much the greens were a d was told 18 dollars and 2 bucks for the rice. So I got home did the math and 4x18 is 64 with rice 66 so I got charged for a 5th dish. Food was great as always but watch your bill when dining in. read more

Was here for dinner with a group / family. Great 10-course meals. Chicken was a little dry. Most other dishes were fabulous. Soup was great. Sweet and sour beef was great. read more

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Not too many people know this, but Sai Woo Garden Restaurant in Edmonton used to be the old Lychee Garden Restaurant back in the 1950s and 1960s. Lychee Garden Restaurant used to be located down the road where Canada Place is now, but was closed and demolished in the late 70s believe. If you ever visited Lychee Garden Restaurant, you will recognize that the lantern fixtures once used at Lychee are now at the Sai Woo Garden Restaurant. Sai Woo Garden Restaurant is probably my favorite Chinese restaurant in Edmonton. It has the tastiest food, the kind of food what Chinese people call as having "wok hei" (or that distinct "heat emanating from a wok", which creates delicious food). My favorite dishes at Sai Woo are the deep fried calamari (which, in my opinion, is the best calamari in town), stir-fried sweet pea leaves flavored with shrimp sauce, and fried halibut with ginger and green onion. The service is good too. The restaurant itself is a bit old, evidenced by the walls (a new coat of paint would help), but overall it's a great Chinese restaurant. The prices are reasonable, and the dishes are of a good size as well. Sai Woo Garden Restaurant has been around since the 1980s, and it's located in the heart of Chinatown. My family and I have gone to Sai Woo for years. Whenever a stranger or an acquaintance asks me what's my favorite Chinese restaurant in Edmonton, I always tell them "Sai Woo". read more

Sai Woo Garden Restaurant - One of the antique lanterns at Sai Woo Garden Restaurant, which used to be the Lychee Garden Restaurant back in the 1950s-1960s. - Chinese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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Best Cantonese in edmonton. The calamari, black bean beef and Shanghai noodles. Oh, and the pea leaves are amazing

Been coming here since I was a kid so this restaurant has been around a very long time. If you are looking for exceptional service or great atmosphere, this place is not for you. If you want good price, good food and big quantity then this place is perfect. This place could use a facelift definitely as the decor is outdated and the chairs are dirty looking and low with little padding. The staff are very efficient however, not chatty or overly friendly. Dishes are cheap here, ranging from $11.95 to $17.95. The deep-fried calamari is the best and should be a "must-have", the shrimp are large in the peaches and shrimp dish. The beef and gai lan was cooked perfectly with lots of gai lan. The reason why I am not giving a five star rating is that I made reservations but when we arrived, I didn't see a table reserved and they asked us to wait. Eventually they set up a table at the back within five minutes. Also I noticed that since my friends were not Asian, the waitress was really trying to up sell by suggesting add-ons such as soup, oysters and lobsters. I will continue to come here as there is never anything wrong with the food! read more

Awesome Chinese cuisine with combos you can choose that are authentic. Our family went to the restaurant and choose combo four with a crab fish, vegetable stir fry with beef, fish, rice and chicken, and soup. We also order a side of fried squid. The food was fast and good. Very frsh and delicious. I would recommend coming here again. Total cost for all dishes was $114! We had plenty of left overs after. read more

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YESSS! The highlight of this place: deep fried calamari. The portions are very generous. It was crunchy outside and juicy inside. The flavor is so yummy. They don't overcook it. It was good enough that I didn't need to dip it in any sauce. We ordered multiple dishes. Everything else we ordered was good too but this was my favorite item on the menu! read more

This place came highly recommended by my parents. So we came here with empty stomachs and me with some high expectations. Unfortunately, my first impression was tainted by a couple of things. First of all, it's not a good sign when your water clearly has something foreign in it. I was able to identify a piece of what I believe to be fried rice. Our server changed the glass of water right away. I know that stuff happens. BUT...it's still kind of gross! Next, I asked for a Coke. I realized my order was forgotten, when the table behind us (who came after us) received Coke before me. I wasn't overly upset, but this also affected my first impression of this place. Our server seemed very apologetic for forgetting. In the end, my Coke was free of charge. That was kind of our server. In terms of the meal, my parents and I chose to share a dinner for two. We added an order of deep fried calamari. The food came out fairly quick. The highlight of the entire meal was the Szechuan beef (hot) which was crispy and actually pretty tasty! The special fried rice was also a great compliment to this. The dried spare ribs also tasted good but were also quite average. Nothing overly special. As for the deep fried calamari, I found it kind of hard to eat. It's was chewy yet kind of hard for me to bite through. Without the sauce, the taste seemed pretty bland on it's own. The chicken and veggies seemed fresh, not overly cooked and were generous in serving. We didn't touch the spring rolls. My parents took those home as leftovers. As for my parents' previously glowing review of this place? They said they came super late one evening. I asked my mom, if maybe they were so hungry that the food seemed like it tasted better than it actually did? She wasn't too sure but she thought perhaps? Unfortunately, after this experience, I don't know if I want to come back here to give this place another chance. It wasn't entirely horrible but in my opinion, it wasn't anything too special either. read more

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My friends tell me you can tell if it's a good Chinese restaurant when you find Chinese people and non Chinese people eating there and this is the place. If you want great Chinese food in the downtown area, I would definitely recommend. There are more larger tables to accommodate 8-10 people but they have a row for smaller tables that seat 4 people. My favourite dishes here are the deep fried squid and the sweet and sour pork. The squid is the the best I have ever had with large pieces and lots of it. The pork is crispy and the sauce isn't too thick like sweet and sour can be. Also, most pieces don't contain chunks of fat like other restaurants. Other delicious dishes include beef and gai lan, peaches and shrimp, and the seafood. The prices are reasonable and you the portion sizes are large so there's always leftovers! The only complaint would be that the washroom is small and sometimes lacks soap or tissue. read more

This restaurant in the heart of Edmonton's Chinatown has been in business for as long as I can remember. They consistently served good food, but on this particular night that I went, their dishes were not up to par. My favourite deep fried dry garlic ribs were overcooked and much too dry. This basically ruined the rest of my meal as I did not get to enjoy my favourite dish there. We ordered quite a few other dishes, some were good and some weren't that good. Maybe their top chef was not working on this particular day. Whatever the reason, I was disappointed of my meal tonight and hopefully the next time I come their food will be better. read more

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Huge portions, excellent service, and bustling, busy restaurant full of all kinds of people is what makes the Sai Woo a wonderful place to dine. Located in Chinatown, the portions are gigantic -- be prepared to take some home with you, along with some of the rice you may order to the side. In these meals, the chicken, beef, or whatever other kind of meat comes with a dish is served in an amount equal to, if not more, than the vegetables. This is definitely a place to bring a friend -- not only is it a fun place to eat, but you'll need help finishing the food. read more

Sai Woo Garden Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

I'm in agreement with Rachel F's review - not bad but nothing spectacular. I've been here WAY too many times because my family/relatives for some reason love this place to smiters. Probably because it's a) cheap and b) chinese. Oh well, if your looking for good chinese, this is one of the better places. Went here with a group of 15 and we all managed to squeeze into one big table. We ordered off of the chinese written only menu and ordered the one with 10 dishes (think it was $195) and we also ordered three extra dishes. This is what we had: - Deep fried calamari - Soup with tofu, peas, meat and carrots *Steamed fish - Chinese shrimp with mayo and peaches * Chinese mushroom with su choy * Mixed seafood with gai lan - Lobster with chow mein - Chinese fried chicken - Crab with onions and vegetables - Sweet & sour pork with pineapple (add on dish) * Tofu * These were the dishes I enjoyed the most. The lobster and crab were difficult to pry the meat from so I only had a piece or two. Also included with the meal was pot(s) of rice (with refills) along with unlimited tea and we ended the meal with oranges/fortune cookies. Oh, staff was very kind and brought the cake out for us that we had brought for my aunt's birthday. Tiramisu from the Italian Centre (you know, since we didn't have enough to eat from the 10+ courses). Been here too many times to count. Good for family dinners. read more

We went here for a weekday meal. My friend had a the beef with greens over rice, and lemon chicken; and I had the mustard greens and salted egg soup. The soup was delicious-clear umami broth with a balanced flavor including tender mustard greens, broken salted egg, and bits of shredded pork and fresh ginger. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Really good soup. My friend's meal looked amazing, the beef and greens over rice was just that, the greens were all mini shaghai bok choy - what a nice surprise, the meat was tender, but the garlicky sauce was a bit too salty for my liking, however, it paired well with the steamed rice. The lemon chicken was very pretty with big slices of lemon on top, the sauce appeared to be a reddish sweet and sour with a bit of extra lemon juice added for flavor and aroma. The breading over the chicken was tempura like. Nice, as lemon chicken goes. We were well provided for - cold water and hot tea to start off with, chopsticks, hot sauce, extra bowls and plates for sharing, and when the meal was cleared away we were served fresh orange slices with fortune cookies! The server was friendly and helpful. The servings were large, and my friend took leftovers home and got another two meals out if it! read more

This is by far the best authentic Cantonese food in the city! The service is incredible everything shows up lightning fast and steaming hot. To hot to eat without blowing on it. I've been going here for close to 5 years now and not as often as I would prefer lol I would go daily if I was able. only downside is they don't deliver to my area. As I'm a good 25 min drive away haha thank you to my favourite restaurant in Edmonton. Will add pics after I go this evening! read more

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I've been coming here all my life (28 years) and my parents a good several years before that. I love their seafood: my favourite is the crab in black bean sauce, and their steamed sole. The beef and black bean chow fun is also amazing. The servers are friendly and remember our family and our favourite dishes - some of them have been around for forever. Otherwise, the place is pretty no-frills, but the food is fantastic. I'm so happy that they now deliver via Door Dash as I live far south and it's a bit of a trek to get to them downtown. Definitely recommend this place! read more

This was my first time at Sai Woo and it was alright. We ordered the Sai Woo beef soup, steamed oysters, stir fried morning glory, fried sole, and house made pan fried noodles. The beef soup was a let down tbh, I expected a nice rich beef broth and maybe some noodles or vegetables. Instead was a clear soup with bits of breaded beef that was thickened with cornstarch (you could taste it) and some egg. The house made noodles were glass noodles stir fried with tiny shrimp and meat... although it was tasty the name implies the noodles are freshly made there, which they are not. The shining star for me were the steamed oysters as big as my hand for $4.00 topped with a green onion and vinegary soy sauce. These were delicious. The fried sole was good and had the same sauce as the oysters. The waitress cut up the fish and served us our first portion. The morning glory was a Chinese green I have never had before and it was quite tasty and not too bitter. There are a few items I'd like to try still so I will be back to try again. read more

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Accompanied by fellow Yelpers Lisa and Violet who raved about their calamari when I revealed I was an addict for the stuff, my daughter and I had a lovely introduction to the restaurant, enjoying both the food and the company. Couldn't have asked for a better combination! The calamari was as good as they promised, and the serving dish was generous enough for the four of us to get our fill. Also delicious, the shrimp in peach sauce and hot pot rounded out our meal. (Next up, we're going to show them more great calamari across the street at Golden Bird, our all-time fav - if YOU have a secret source for delicious squid, let us know - we'll make this an endless quest for the best!!) read more

WARNING!! Terrible experience, the lobster tasted very bad. We could taste the algae in the fish tank on the lobster, due to the fish tank not being cleaned. When we told our waiter he said because the bill was already prepaid he could not refund us. They offered to give us a discount for next time, but honestly we will never be coming back to this restaurant. I will definitely be following this posting up if we are all to get food poisoning tonight. WARNING Do not eat at this restaurant. They do not care about the quality of food they serve, or their customers health. Stay away. read more

If I had to pick, this is Edmonton's best Chinese restaurant, which means Southern Cantonese cuisine. The food is authentic and very well executed. There is good variety on the menu, even the English one. The decor is classic old school Chinatown and the service is attentive, helpful and welcoming. Portions are generous and priced like any other restaurant, so they're good value. Their clientele is the local Chinese community and it's busy. There is probably no better endorsement. As with all North American Chinese restaurants, the best food is often off the English menu and seasonal specials are often only written in Chinese. Ask the staff about what's good and what the chef found for the specials. Depending on seasonality, there might not be a special every day but it's worth asking. The reality is that most western diners order the "Big 3": fried rice, sweet and sour pork and Ginger Beef, over and over again; something that convinces Chinese restaurant owners that the average western customer is not interested in authentic Chinese food, which is why the English and Chinese menus are not really the same. So, ask. Their big challenges in attracting a wider customer base are the dearth of parking in Chinatown and that the neighbourhood intimidates some. Western diners also find a room full of Chinese all speaking Chinese loudly a little bit intimidating as well. Although parking is a challenge, both the neighbourhood and the restaurant are really quite welcoming in reality. Come in a group so you can order a wide variety of the dishes and have a raucous good time like everyone else. read more

Love Sai Woo .. like previous posters have suggested...you should ask for chinese menu or style. So many Edmonton restaurants cater to really questionable tastes...the thick sauced noodles etc... Sai Woo does fall prey to that on some western themed dishes as well BUT and the difinative BUT Sai Woo does make 2 of the best dishes in edmonton...in more than Edmonton IMHO the fried squid is legendary and rightly so...they go through so much that it is fresh, tender, and just plain joy my fav dish though is the sea cucumber.... it is served with sauted baby bok choy, sh*take, onion ...and is a world class dish the server will raise an eyebrow...and ask if you really want sea cucumber...but trust me...you really do...it is under 20$... 17$ last time i was there so very good.... tell them a friend told you to ask for the chinese style sea cucumber and you wont be disapointed as well... it never hurts to say you like chinese style, not american...it means less sauce and more true flavour the prawns and pods are great as well the spicey beef & gai lan... we like to ask for extra chili ... sublime the peach prawns are good but make sure the guy does not make them american style..other wise you get shelf mayo and peaches...again authenic style rules enjoy :) read more

This is where we go anytime we're too lazy to cook and are craving Chinese food. The quality of the food and service is excellent, and I've never been disappointed here yet! Like Paula K. says, you get huge portions, so definitely your buck's worth, and chances are you'll be taking some home with you too. The restaurant is big and accomodating, and there's usually a table available whether you have a party of two or twelve. The only thing I feel hesitant about is some of the other patrons who come here, street people who sometimes make your dining experience a little unpleasant. But I realize that's not the restaurant's fault, and it would be rather discriminating if they did turn away people ... And of course everybody needs to eat too! But if you're hacking and coughing away near my table, and you smell kinda funky, I'm gonna move ... Just a heads up! If you're not fazed by much, Sai Woo is still a great place to go for Chinese. read more

Try the spicy African chicken and feel free to thank me later.. please do yourself a favour and trust me on this (as long as you like spicy at least) they do have a plain version but I haven't tried that so can't review it. read more

Went to Sai Woo for dinner last night, just one of the many times I've eaten there. They were packed, of course, it being New Year's Day, but the restaurant in busy mode was a new sight for me. The restaurant being full meant I was able to make some observations not previously possible, most notably that at least one order of fried squid was being taken to every table. I know what I'm ordering next time! Reading other Yelp reviews, it seems I have only seen the westernized menu, which is still excellent despite its inauthenticity. My favourites are the fried wontons and the chicken in black bean sauce, both of which I order nearly every time I come here. The latter dish comes with a lot of veggies. The various forms of fried rice are delicious, too. Each meal is followed up with a plateful of orange slices, a tiny attention to detail that I adore. My single, perennial complaint about Sai Woo is that I feel like a tub of fat as I roll out the door. In fact, I usually walk here just to have the opportunity to burn off some of the excessive calories I've consumed. But now that I know I can order things Chinese-style, with less sauce--this might be the key to being just perfectly satisfied. Not only am I always full when I leave, I also always have leftovers, so it's an awesome value for your dollar, too. read more

This was a "give it a second chance" endeavour with my family but sadly the final consensus was that none of us liked Sai Woo and most likely won't be back. We went for dinner on a Monday night and it was pretty quiet. We ordered a fairly typical traditional Chinese dinner which included deep fried squid, steamed chicken, lobster in cream sauce, steamed fish, soup, Beijing pork chops and beef with Chinese greens. I would say the best thing on the table was the steamed fish and squid. I was really disappointed with the lobster, which was unfortunate as this is one of my favourite dishes when we go out for Chinese dinner. The cream sauce was way to excessive and bland and they didn't add any extra garnishes or anything to it. The noodles underneath were also kind of spongy and just didn't taste right. Decor wise, Sai Woo looks pretty run down and could probably use a revamp. I feel like I read somewhere that it's been around for awhile and the inside definitely looks that way. Service was also pretty poor considering it wasn't busy at all. No one really checked on us (minus a hot water refill for our tea) and no one changed our plates mid meal. Considering how slow it was there was no reason for the poor service. Like I already stated, the overall consensus from the table was that dinner was less than mediocre and none of us will be going back there any time soon. read more

I have been a here a few times now, mostly with a good Cantonese friend. There calamari is to die for, the yin yang chicken is excellent as are most of the seafood dishes. The decor consists of large murals of the Chinese countryside with dragons being ridden by people. It's a family run place, pretty chill, casual vibe. read more

This place is my favorite chinese restaurant in Edmonton! If I were to describe this place with 2 descriptions, they would be: non-greasy (as non greasy as it gets for chinese food) and large portions. I am always amazed by how little oil they have in their rice dishes! I'd have to say that the deep fried calamari (with the hot sauce) and the pot of oysters are a must here! If you live in Edmonton, you should take advantage of this place! I'm totally missing it even with all of the great Chinese food in San Francisco. read more

The food was not bad, but neither was is spectacular. Even the deep fried squid which my fellow Yelpers have been raving about was fine, though not the delectable treat I had been hoping for (and the portion was certainly too big for two people; it would probably be best when shared between 3-4). The other dishes were flavourful, just not exceptional. I did appreciate the fast and attentive service. We went for dinner at around 8pm on a Wednesday evening after yoga class, so I was famished. It's good that the food came quickly. Overall, Sai Woo Garden is a decent restaurant. But my search for the best Chinese food in Edmonton continues. read more

Me and my husband got the 4 people dinner combo so that we can pack some for lunch the next day. The portion is not as big as we expected and the food quality is disappointing. The veggies are not very fresh and the fish is a very thin piece of fillet that I can finish in few bites. Overall food doesn't reflect the price(almost $100 after tax and tips) we paid for. read more

Frequently hit up Sai Woo with a friend or 2 for the calamari and special fried rice. Service is quick, food is always fresh and on point and there's complimentary orange slices / fortune cookies for dessert. Decor and bathroom could use a lot of upgrades but I tend to look past it as its an ancient Chinese restaurant. Only minor complaint I have is at times it can be inconsistent. Couple of visits ago, I noticed the tea was off (stale flavour) along with stale fortune cookies, possibly a bad batch of off day but also could have been trying to use older stock (take it from an Asian, this doesn't really surprise me) If you're looking for great Chinese food, this is the place to go! read more

The best fried squid I have ever had the opportunity to taste. If you are looking for ambiance you should stay far away from this place. read more

I went there with my Cantonese friends. We ordered table for 4. The beef with veggies is really impressive and I personally really like the lobster (we added creamy noodles underneath lobster). The dishes are fairly big and we all ended up super full lol It would be a good place for friends getting together. Nothing too fancy but has pretty authentic Cantonese food. read more

Another hidden gem - but this one is very specific. The rest of their dishes are pretty good but the one that really stands out is their calamari. If you like the deep fried asian calamari, this place truely is the master. read more