Best Chinese food in Arcata. Reasonably priced and I hear, if you speak, Chinese, there are special items on the menu just for you. Ordering what I can understand, generally good fresh and fairly quick. Prices are reasonable, although not dirt cheap but it's a sitdown restaurant so what else would you expect? We get takeout from here a lot read more

Really yummy food, generous portions great service- very fast and friendly. cute booth seating inside.

My family and I came here for lunch the other day. The waitress that seated and took care of us was friendly and fairly attentive. But that was pretty much the only good thing here. I ordered the appetizer sampler. For $13 I thought I'd get more than 4 thin small slices of pork, 2 frozen eggrolls, 2 frozen pieces of fried shrimp and 2 small cream cheese wontons. The only thing good in the sampler were the wontons. We also ordered from the combo option in the back page. We got the dumplings, chicken fried riced, and orange chicken. The dumplings were good. The sauce it came with was just soy sauce and chili. The fried rice, although a decent amount, was very greasy and seasoned with just soy sauce. The orange chicken was not orange chicken. The chicken was beyond crunchy. Like very hard when you try to stab it with a fork. The sauce was just sweet soy sauce. No sense of any kind of citrus. The order itself looked like a half order that they tried to spread out across the plate to look more full. The ratio of rice to chicken was very odd. The food was just not good. We should've known not to come when it was around 1pm and the place was completely dead. We were the only table the entire start to finish of our meal there. We will not be going again. read more

Szechuan Garden Restaurant - This front plate is the whole A11. Appetizer Combination platter. Not worth it. - Chinese Near Me - Arcata, California

Their orange chicken was delicious. Come for the lunch specials and you'll get a generous portion of chow mein, egg rolls, and your entree. Fast service and pleasant Asian themed decor read more

So I might be a little bit of a food snob from LA. Embarrassing I know. But Humboldt consistently has really disappointing food. I had never had bad peanut sauce before moving here so I had zero expectations when I went here. It looked like a fairly generic mediocre Chinese food restaurant. Maybe it's just the two dishes that I ordered, but they were stunning. Oh my God, the trumpet mushroom dish was phenomenal. I was so happy to find good Asian food finally that I could've cried. I love Asian food and have tried just about every other spot in town and I have been appalled with how bad it is. Maybe I just got lucky with the dishes, but for now this place is a godsend. read more

This was some of the best Chinese food I've ever had, I really enjoyed it! My sister and I got the vegetable chow mein, vegetable fried rice, orange chicken and spring rolls. Loved it! read more

Get the dry fried eggplant and the mapo tofu. It makes my mouth feel fuzzy in the best way. I've started eating here pretty regularly. That eggplant is so good. The trumpet mushrooms are also very savory and good. read more

This was only our 3rd time in past 10 years dining at this restaurant. I seem to recall different owners on my first visit, and second visit was before 2020. Abysmal quality and pitiful service. They were extremely busy attempting to fulfill online and take away orders. We called ahead and were told we wouldn't need a reservation, but when we arrived we almost couldn't fit through the door. After 25 minutes the snappy guy taking and calculating charges took a minute away to seat us. It was as if it was a bother for him. We got menues and waters then sat for about 10 minutes waiting for anyone to take our order. The wait person was interrupted constantly. I tried to order by the numbers of each item (since we waited so long I wrote the items and numbers down) but the waiter said they used different numbers than the menu, so to just tell him what we wanted. Our bill indicated each item with the same alpha numeric menu code that I attempted to give him. Ordered: Fried Prawns. We got 4@$9.95. They were flat like fan tail style shrimp sometimes served at cheap fish n chips places. They were hot and crispy but no way is that "Chinese restaurant style." They were accompanied by 2 dipping sauces: sweet and sour and some kind of soy based mixture. No mustard was served, even in a packet, though I suppose we could have asked for it. Pork Potstickers 6@$9.95. We suspect the waiter (harried beyond belief) heard the order for "wontons," but not "pork wontons." They were chicken. The bill confirmed. The worst Lemon Chicken in the world@$16.95. Big bready chunks of tasteless deep fried batter containing pieces or shreds of chicken the size of what you might pull off a small chicken wing, and then -- pull that apart. The yellow tart lemony sweet sauce smothered the lumps of dough, and there was no shredded cabbage or lettuce bed underneath. Sweet and Sour Pork@$14.95 also inexcusable, consisted of centimeter size cubes of pork (and a few actual diced chunks of chicken managed to find their way in as well) as with the Lemon Chicken, the pork bits were battered and fried to three times their size, then smothered in a weird tasting orange colored sauce. Inside the sauce were raw white onion chunks and a few canned pineapple chunks. No peppers or carrots, generally found in most standard s+s dishes. There was no bed of greens under this dish, either. It got to this point that we were picking these two dishes apart, like picking crab, looking for the protein within, and casting off the sticky coating. We had not received the third dish, and a female server came along with our bill and asked if we had gotten all of our dishes. I barely got out a, "No," when she said she would get us the vegetable Chow Mein... Vegetable Chow Mein@$10.50 was perhaps the closest to a passable dish, however there were only tiny bits of broccoli, which we picked out and ate, a few shreds of cabbage or bok choy (tiny dark green bits) and a very few slices of celery, but NO onions or carrots, or mushrooms. NO other random veg. There were big fat noodles and under 2 dozen individual bean sprouts in the whole dish. It tasted okaaay. Rapidly came the bill: $68 with tax and two fortune cookies, containing proverbs. "Now is the time to be candid and aboveboard in all things." So here I am. We will NEVER go back to this sad excuse for a Chinese Restaurant. Hoping we don't get sick within the next four hours. read more

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I have been a client in this restaurant for 20 years but now the owner Nina owns it. I ordered for the 10th time open face noodle and what I got was burned noodles. I called them and talk to the cashier and told me that this was common he argued with me. I told him that it is not common to burn food. This was a whole waste for my family the cashier argued and said this is the way it is and . It is not a big deal. I will not go there, especially since their prices have skyrocketed. read more

Best Chinese in Humboldt County (which unfortunately isn't saying much, but this food is really good). Great service. Try out the secret menu! My favorite dishes are the Mongolian beef, the curry chicken, the fish with black bean sauce, the mapo tofu, and their hot and sour soup. read more

Best sizzling beef ever! We also had the Szechuan chicken. Nice and crispy. Highly recommend the food here

Food: I ordered Mabo Tofu that comes along with steamed rice. The flavors for the dish is quite authentic with just enough kick to notice the Ma and La flavors. There are variations of this dish that doesn't use this ubiquitous MaLa flavors that are part of the Szechuan Cuisine, but this one does use those authentic flavors. While the flavors aren't on the other end of the spectrum, like the ones you can get in a place like Sichuan Provence, it is still authentic with the flavor profile. Service: The waitress was VERY quick in checking if I was going to eat inside or order take out. Before returning to my dorms with my takeout, I was asked whether I wanted a chopstick or a fork, and whether I wanted a fortune cookie. Ambiance: The exterior doesn't give it away much that it is a Chinese restaurant, but the interior definitely tells you it IS a Chinese restaurant. Situated on the entrance of the place are Year of the Dragon drawings by kids from Jacoby Creek Elementary. The place is really clean and well-decorated. Highly suggest to try it out. read more

We will never be going back to this restaurant Was just there last night 10/24/25. My daughter's visiting and I wanted to get her Chinese takeout boy are we regretting that. I feel horrible for now. My daughter is visiting and has food poisoning. We've been up all night, throwing up and other symptoms. We ordered chow mein and wonton soup. read more

Friendly and helpful order taker on the phone, ready when promised and quickly processed to take order home. Inquired about our needs (chopsticks, other utensils, sauces). The food was all very good - sampled the orange chicken, fried rice, chicken chow fat, and broccoli beef. Recommend all. Prices were average for the area. read more

Living in Eureka I drive all the way to Arcata for good Chinese food. We walked in with 8 people no reservations and they seated us right away! They had a high chair available for the baby, the server was friendly despite doing multiple jobs while it was lunch time, we showed up just before dinner rush started. Ambiance is quiet and empty and has been on several occasions when we go which is perfect for teaching children how to act in restaurant without disrupting others enjoying their food. Hidden Jem for sure! read more

4 stars. Maybe a little bit pricey but the food is good. 4.5 stars chicken fried rice. A lot of nice sized chicken. Plenty of eggs and veggies. Tasted good. 3.5 stars Wor won ton soup. Broth was really good. Just about every addition to this soup was good except the won tons? Won tons were small with very little filling that tasted ok. Everything else was really good. read more

Szechuan Garden Restaurant - Wor Won Ton soup. $14.25 - Chinese Near Me - Arcata, California

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I visited this restaurant twice during the summer when the area population is lessened due to the nearby Cal State Uni. being on break. That aside, it's still hard to believe this restaurant isn't more crowded year around. Authentic dishes, well prepared with great service, are offered far less expensively than almost any other restaurant in town. Not only that, but they pipe in some terrific contemporary music to create a far different vibe than almost any other Chinese restaurant you are likely to visit. Highly recommended! read more

I door dashed some food--the wor wonton soup was OK, but the BBQ pork fried rice was rancid. Awful. Couldn't they tell by the smell? This is my 3rd time here, and it will be my last. read more

This is our family favorite Chinese food stop. Food is fresh hot and yummy! Service is helpful and polite, highly recommended! Family friendly also read more

Service was terrible! Placed an order online and it was supposed to be ready at 6:45. Waited, waited. Couldn't find it. Then suddenly they found the ticket. Order hadn't been placed. I realize mistakes can be made. Said my order would be out in 5-10 minutes. Saw others come and go and at 7:25 I said can I just get my money back? Oh let me check one more time to see if it's ready. I was on a time limit so thats why I ordered online. Then they wanted to accuse me of not paying yet. I paid cash. Even after everything I put a 20% tip in the jar. That was the last straw! Getting accused of trying to get money back that I didn't give them. Got my money back, and I was outta there! Staff could use an update!!! read more

We love getting take-out from here now. I think they have really improved their food over the last several years. We always have the Chinese Chicken Salad, which is delicious and reminds us of the salad from Hunan Village when it was in this building. When they left we so missed the dish and now a very similar one returns. Also the Sweet and Sour Chicken is hard to stop eating, it's so good. My only caveat is that the pot stickers came without the wonderful sauce that completes the dish. This is the second time that happened to us, and last time they left out the pot stickers altogether and promised to make a note on my phone number for a free one this time. I didn't remember to ask and they didn't offer, so that will have to wait until next time. Fortunately the pot stickers are so good that they taste great even without the sauce. I hope they will pay a little more attention to getting everything into the bag that comes with the meal. Otherwise, highly recommended restaurant that seems to be improving every time. read more

Take Out Only! Went into this establishment twice, several months apart. Both time there was a sign visible from the outside indicating that it is "open". There's nothing anywhere showing it's "take out only". However when walked in and ask to be seated, both times I was told "take out only". He (the same guy) didn't give any further explanation or being apologetic. He simply stared at me as I walked back out the door. If your restaurant is not open for dine-in please indicate so with a sign somewhere visible. What a waste of people time! I gave up at this place and won't be trying them again. read more

The quality of the food and size of the portions at Szechuan Gardens are fantastic! Every time I eat here I leave absolutely stuffed and very satisfied. There are so many options and the spiciness of the food is customizable (even on dishes not listed as spicy). The service is typically quite fast, but always friendly! Many of the entrees come with a large side of white rice, which can serve 2-3 people. Every dish that I've ordered has been great! Some of my personal favorites include the orange chicken, veggie spring rolls and vegetable chow mein. The Thai tea is also very tasty and refreshing! The restaurant is kept clean and the dining areas are adorable (it feels like you're eating in your own mini dining room). The booths are spacious and comfortable. Eating here has always been a big hit with my visiting family and friends. I look forward to my next visit! read more

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Made a stop here coming from trees of mystery, The guy is rude as hell! He was yelling at the old lady whos picking up an order, asking her if she needed fork and spoons! Then the waitress asked how many of us and out of nowhere yelled at us like we're kids,, we are party of 9 people. The establishment can use a renovation , looks dirty! So we just left and made sure we told them they are rude! Zero customer service! read more

Waited for over 30 minutes n watched as other tables were being served and didn't have our order taken or even drinks

We ordered the dinner special and picked spicy chicken and chowmein with a prawn appetizer. Simple and delicious. We'll definitely be back, and we recommend you try them too. read more

Szechuan Garden Restaurant - a man sitting at a table with plates of food - Chinese Near Me - Arcata, California

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Good Chinese food. Considering the lack of options in the area, it is probably the best Chinese in Arcata / Eureka since Liu's closed their doors. read more

Five stars!! Come here if you want to enjoy authentic Chinese food. There are several vegetarian/ vegan options on the menu as well.

Deeply concerned about the quality of this food. I could get better food at the frozen section at any grocery store.

The food tasted like they just make one batch of everything in the morning and just microwave it when it's ordered. The fried rice is a really dark color but doesn't have much flavor. Pretty disappointing food overall. The pot stickers were greasy yet limp and kind of cold. I definitely won't go back because it is pretty expensive and we ended up not eating much of it. read more

Ordered pork chow Leon no veggies two pieces of pork all noodles Beef broccoli lots of meat and broccoli but no flavor! Really need a hood chines Restuarant Pot stickers were delicious read more

No no no no no no. This food is horrible. Go somewhere else,anywhere else. Trust me. Food is unconsumable. I'd drive back and demand my money if I wasn't so disgusted. The place needs to be shutdown. read more

Szechuan Garden Restaurant - "Hot and sour soup" The worst I've ever had. - Chinese Near Me - Arcata, California

We have tried Hunans, Panda Cafe, Chins, and Curry Leaf. We finally found our go to Chinese spot in Humboldt. The lunch plates we got were yummy and left all three of us satisfied. We will definitely be coming back. The Sweet and Sour was crispy and tender. The Mongolian beef was delicious. read more

A familiar menu, nice staff, and a unique ambiance gave me some relief after struggling to find a Chinese restaurant in the area with a "traditional menu" that we Americans have become used to. While the menu and service was familiar and comfortable the food and pricing didn't quite live up to my expectation... $68 plus tip for Potsticker appetizer, 2 Meat Plates, Chow Mein and 2 sodas is pretty steep considering outside of Humboldt county, I ordered this same meal and spent $35... and the servings were bigger. Each of the meat plates were what I would consider one plate worth of food for a single person and the chow mein covered their platter but just enough to cover it, it wasn't piled on like most Chinese restaurants. What REALLY got me was the price of a fountain drink ($4.50) which is steep on its own, but considering they never offered to refill it, even after I was down to munching on ice (even though they circled by 3 times to look at how we were doing). I will say the potstickers were average and tasty, the chow mein was good, but could have used more meat since it was a "combination" chow mein- I struggled to find pieces of meat. As for the Generals Chicken, it didn't have much flavor or spice to it despite it saying it was a "spicy" plate... and was more akin to a sweet and sour pork... which was the other plate we got. It was almost difficult to tell the difference in the two. Would I go here again if I was craving Chinese food? Perhaps since the other Chinese restaurants around offer different menus... but I'd be careful not to order an overpriced soda, and I'd be more selective with my entrees considering the price. read more

Never say never !!!! Everything was half decent this time around . My recommendation: Dumplings Braised short ribs Chang Qing spicy chicken. Service was good no one was there besides a few friends and I. The only Chinese restaurant in arcata so might as well give a taste read more

The lunch specials are a great option for a single person who likes a few items.

I ordered $87 worth of food and I will never return. I know good Chinese food very well when I am lucky enough to find it but this was very bad. The beef muffins were very poor, every dish was a disapointment and I had ordered this because I had very special guests at my home and after all had eaten I was left with a large amount of food because no one liked the food. The soup I ordered was terrible and did not come with the noodles that were in the picture on line but it came with fat noodles in a separate container and it was a tasteless mess. Every thing was like that. Don't be fooled by the pictures or the descriptions. Do not go to that restaurant. read more

We moved all day and just wanted a good meal to end our day. We tried calling in our order, they wouldn't do a call in.....so we went over at 8:30 (they supposedly closed at 9) their doors were locked, the man behind the door said we're closed- I said your site said you close at 9, he said yes it's 8:30! Needless to say I cannot comment on the food but we won't go back to try it. read more

Ate inside restaurant (not carry out). Not many tables had people sitting at them. So servers were at the ready. We ordered egg rolls as appetizer. They came out rather quickly which explains why they were cold (pre-cooked and sitting somewhere with marginal source of heat ). Tasted fine if you like cold egg rolls. The egg rolls worried me about the main course. When Main courses came out my worries were confirmed... cold. How does a kitchen make stir fry, presumably in a hot wok, come out with no steam? The food plates had no lids so the food temperature just got even less palatable from there. Plus side vegetables were fresh, shrimp nice sized, moist and flavorful. Down side besides cold food, chicken cut was mysterious, definitely not breast, had to eat main course on same plates as the appetizers due to lack of normal restaurant service. read more

I've been to this spot a few times. My most recent visit was very recent. The young lady that seated us seemed nice. I ordered the Chicken Schezuan rice and their yellow chicken curry. The yellow curry sauce was decent. However, the chicken was not cooked well. It was rubbery. I thought maybe it was just me so I asked my friend to try and she agreed with me. I asked the waitress if there is anyway that the chicken can be cooked since it was rubbery. She said she would talk to her manager. In which she did because I was able to hear her. The manager walked over and took the plate of chicken yellow curry. The wait wasn't long and the manager was back with the yellow chicken curry. I bit into a piece of chicken and it was still not good. It was still rubbery. My friend tried it and she spit it out into a napkin. I didn't eat the rest. I ate some of the fried rice and drank the Thai tea. The waitress had came around to ask if we needed anything prior to my chicken situation and they (our main waitress and the other waitress) did not bother to check up on us or to refill our water. The only other time they came around was to hand us boxes for our food (my friend asked for to go containers) and to give us our checks. My friend was very dissatisfied with the customer service. In all honesty it made me feel as though I should've been better off not saying anything but felt it was the right thing to do instead of not saying anything and writing about it ( I had high hopes that they would do something to correct the problem). I felt that the situation wasn't the best, especially since the manager didn't bother to ask how it was. Hopefully, you will all have better luck with the food and customer service. Happy Yelping. read more

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