U Garden Chinese Restaurant
2725 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55414
U Garden Chinese Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Minneapolis for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Minneapolis for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Minneapolis for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
2725 University Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN, 55414 - Phone (612) 378-1255
- Website https://www.ugardenrestaurant.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
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Qaiser B.
I had the misfortune of not ever visiting U Garden while I was at the University of Minnesota. Recently I rectified that serious omission of mine by visiting it. I am a big fan of the Americanized Chinese food no doubt but my chief complaint has been that some of these Asian restaurants can be very small in size and waiting for a table can long arduous task, ensued by a very claustrophobic dining experience. Not with U Garden, it has plenty of space and for people like me who like to have their own space, a very good option. Definitely try the sesame chicken. I just read in some of the other reviews that their lemongrass chicken is good so perhaps I need to go back and try that as well.
(5)Alison M.
It is obvious that U Garden caters to the college student that wants to eat three meals in one sitting for under $10. With that in mind, I sort of knew what I was getting into. I came here with a friend knowing that Chinese restaurants usually have a fair amount of vegetarian-friendly options: spring rolls, noodles, rice, and the like. Not only did they not have vegetarian dishes, but they LIED TO ME and told me various items in the buffet were vegetarian. I wish I could say I was exaggerating but EVERY SINGLE TIME I took a bite of something that was specifically pointed out to me as "safe" I found my mouth (and with further inspection, my plate) full of meat. They are lucky I didn't have a food allergy or some religious aversion to eating meat because I think it's grounds for a legal suit. Any decent lawyer could reasonably spin that into a case of fraud or maybe just get them labeled with a giant "F-" rating by the BBB. I am sorry but you just cant have a pan labeled "Vegetable Spring Rolls", point directly at them and call them vegetarian, and then act surprised when I get angry because I bit into it and found it was FULL OF PORK. No refund? What the hell.
(1)Gene Z.
It's all you can eat, what more can I say.
(3)Connie H.
Great food. Great Service. Really nice people. I eat here several times a month. Food is fabulous. They will make up anything you want, or ask them to freshen up an item in the buffet. Just a great place.
(5)Shana M.
This place is great! I typically get the buffet to go because I don't have a chance to get the lunch combo. However, a group of friends and I called way past the lunch combo time, but they still allowed us to order from the combos. They were great, and so accommodating!
(5)D H.
Showed up an hour before close, they sold me a buffet and cleared the entire buffet 15 mins after I sat down. Guess I'm done now
(1)Jayde D.
I've been stopping by for take-out and sometimes dine in at this location for almost a year now. I have zero complaints about this place and it's one of the better Chinese Buffet Restaurants I've been too (Americanized Chinese). I have been to a couple of restaurants that are serving the closest thing to true Chinese I've ever experienced, however, the U Garden is a safer place for the average American. I should mention that I've never actually tried the buffet. I am a menu person & I tend to try something new every time we stop in. The staff is very friendly and they have always been far nicer than I would expect from any restaurant and wait staff. (I say this because I'm more than familiar with the business of working in and running a restaurant.) I love the food, and when it comes to spicy, I tell them to make it as they would eat it (or it's too tame for me). I will say this as a cautionary to the "average American" that only speaks English - if you don't speak Mandarin, you may have trouble communicating your wishes or questions to the staff. They do speak English, but it is limited. Food Allergies? Probably going to have problems communicating that too. Vegan? Do you seriously think you are going to find something vegan friendly here? Rude to the staff? Seriously have you never seen the movie "Waiting" - don't be a turd to the people that handle your food just because you think you can. (I've witnessed this and wished for a chance to dump some boogers in their food) This is a wonderful restaurant for those who want to try some really great food. If you are one of those people who can't go in without being a typical "bad tourist / crappy customer type" - you should probably go to the pizza joint a couple blocks down the street. I love this place.
(5)Warren C.
3.5 out of 5, I'd say. Definitely not too bad. Oh, and the sheer size of the parking lot makes this a real winner. Food is okay to decent in my book. They've got a buffet thing going on too, but I didn't have any of that.
(4)Aimee N.
This review is strictly for the wedding receptions they host. I have been to almost a dozen weddings held here on the past 5-6 years and they really do have one of the best spaces if you want the traditional 10 course Chinese family style dinner. I know beer is included and dependent on the couple, each menu I have had is pretty good. This is a Chinese restaurant, don't expect modern decor. They for sure have cleaned up the venue quite a bit since I started coming here for weddings. My favorites are the appetizer platter, seafood soup, shrimp crab claws, ginger lobster and the fried walleye are always good options and they are mostly always one of the dishes served at the weddings I have been too.
(4)Amy R.
Probably one of the better Chinese buffets we've ever frequented. A friend of J's referred us to this place. Very nice selection and very fresh. - plump egg rolls - squid with onions - really decent fried rice - asparagus -egg foo young And a lot more. Most buffets are a bit questionable when it comes to freshness, but we were both really impressed by how fresh the dishes were and how fast they were replenished. Ice cream is the good stuff, not the soft serve typical. Decent service, reasonable price and pretty good food for a buffet. The dining room seems a bit like a mess hall, but alright. They were either setting up for a wedding or a NYE party complete with disco ball. Kim is a great server and really nice to talk to.
(5)Nicki N.
Should have known when I showed up for take-out & there was a wedding going on it wasn't going to go well. They got my order wrong, forgot the sauce for the sweet & sour, found a hair in my spring roll. Not good at all, through it away after about 4 bites (directly after finding the hair).
(1)Adam W.
The most recent stop on my continuing exploration of the Asian buffet phenomenon. Thumbs up to the wide variety of unique dishes offered--I can't remember the last time I saw salt and pepper squid on a buffet. Also: cheap beers all day (and full bar), nice fried rice, and friendly service. Thumbs down: some dishes were carelessly put together (the shu mei were carelessly formed and sparsely filled) or tasted off (hot and sour soup was all sour and no hot)--the usual problem with these kind of buffets. On balance, U Garden is no match for the current reigning emperor of buffet (that would be Hunan in Bloomington), but is a solid choice if you are in the area (at least pending the arrival of the Tea House's new location down the street).
(3)Grant T.
Let me preface this by saying I am not a fan of buffets. I prefer to have a menu with set options, rather than a pig-out extravaganza where one can eat copious quantities of Sesame Chicken. But sometimes I have an unquenchable hankering for copious quantities of (Americanized) Sesame Chicken. In my search for the least offensive, best prepared Americanized Chinese food, U Garden is at the top of the heap by leaps and bounds. The food is consistently fresh, due to offering less than 100,000,000 dishes at the buffet table, significantly fresher than other Chinese buffet experiences I've had. The service is incredibly friendly and hospitable, making you feel at home. Recommended dishes include the cream cheese wontons (best in town!), chicken wings, Pork with Potato, and, of course, the Sesame Chicken.
(4)Conor C.
Big fan! I have been coming here for years. Pretty unassuming little place right by the U of M campus. They really make some awesome Lemongrass Chicken!
(4)Emily Z.
I ordered takeout for lunch today from U Garden for about 25 people. I called in my order about an hour before pickup and everything was ready on time. The guy I talked to while placing the order was super helpful in advising me on the amount of food to get and what their most popular dishes are. He was upfront about the price and even gave me a discount. They helped me load everything up in my car and were so friendly! I appreciated the awesome service and everyone was raving about lunch.
(5)Kate S.
I only dine there one on my friend's wedding day. Food is so-so nothing special about this place. I think it is more for wedding party and so on.
(2)Michelle T.
I went here for a Chinese/Vietnamese style wedding reception. I'd say that the size of this place is pretty decent for an Asian wedding, but I am not sure if it's actually bigger than Lucky Dragon. It's a nice place to host a wedding, but I do not like their food! I guess I only had the food they served during the wedding reception, but it was still disappointing. Lucky Dragon may be inconvenient to walk up the stairs to the wedding reception area, but their food is so much better than here. So I personally think walking up those stairs at Lucky Dragon is more worth it than going to U Garden. But props to U Garden's decent space for the wedding reception!
(2)Sarah L.
Pretty bad food with very polite service. I had the broccoli in garlic sauce, only going because it was the only open restaurant on Sunday afternoon- having been warned that the food was bad. It was super fast & friendly. The broccoli was decent quality but the only flavoring they apparently used was cheap soy sauce, even though it had a "spicey" label. I understand Minnesota mild but garlic should atleast be present. I drenched it in sriracha which made it palatable.
(2)Mia T.
I've been here several times for the 'classic Vietnamese/Chinese tradition' wedding but never for regular dinner so here goes. If you're Asian (more leaning toward Vietnamese/Chinese) and choose the 'traditional wedding', which means your 8 course dinner, then there's only 3 restaurants in MN: Peking Garden, Lucky Dragon, and U-Garden. U-Garden by far has the clean feel, open space, and wedding decor built in. The large parking lot behind the building is also convenient. It can host a large wedding party compare to the other 2 restaurants. However, the food is less than mediocre. Again, keep in mind that I've never eaten there other than for wedding but their food was cold!! No, I'm not talking about cold plates/appetizers or sushi cold but HOT dishes that are Cold. For example, the fried walleye with meat sauce, I do know they deep fried the fish ahead of time and toss in the sauce when it's time to serve but does it kill you to microwave the fish so it's slightly warm? How do you eat cold cooked fish?? Otherwise, their flavoring isn't terrible. There's hit and missed dishes but I give them the props for having to cook for many with limited staffing (it's Asian owned so I can only imagine the staff shortage). The waitresses/waiters aren't exactly friendly. Again, probably due to limited staffing. In the end, due to limited Asian wedding receptions (3) you're going to have to settle. (These restaurants probably know but oh well) Feel free to complain but it is what it is.
(3)Kari E.
U Garden has THE BEST Sesame Chicken EVER. I used to get it weekly when I lived near by. They offer it on the buffet, but it is best when it's cooked fresh to order - sweet, spicy, crispy and a bit caramelized. Yum! The buffet is good - though I do not care for their style of cream cheese wontons. Their remodel a few years ago was nice and I have always wanted to have my wedding here (BF doesn't quite dig that idea - maybe I need to find a new man!)
(4)Natale M.
good food good seating space good service good location +++
(5)Rhonda G.
With all the Chinese places yelpers go to we're missing this place. Coming from Mpls. it a little past Caspian on the other side. From St. Paul watch it or you'll drive into the post office driveway, they're that close. Built like a palace. When I bring people here they are always shocked at the size and pleasantly surprised at how great the food is. Two huge buffet tables. Always seems to be plenty of servers around. An excellent garlic shrimp, but the best moo goo gai pan, I ever had. I have seen set ups for weddings, and they are gorgeous. I've been to white trash weddings at a hall, and they should have booked here. I've seen huge parties and they still accommodate diners. If I don't have a party, I gotta get invited to a wedding here.
(4)Sarah L.
Attention to all Asians who have Chinese banquet style wedding....this is THE PLACE to book. I can only rate this place based on wedding food. We had our wedding here last summer and they are THE place! They get booked out just about every weekend in the summer up until fall for weddings. I'm sure they make a killing on weddings...but they're banquet style food is top notch for the Twin Cities area. Our meal consisted of: appetizer sampler, seafood tofu soup (mmm...yummy), fried crab claws, abalone (not something I'm into), fried walleye, lobster, fried rice, quail, and fresh fruit platter. A nine course meal for the guests! Well, at least you know they won't go hungry during that whole time. My family is the table that finishes their platters the quickest...which leaves enough time for the waiter to come 'round with the next platter ; ) The staff there is really accommodating, friendly, and they know how to get things done! They just recently added a bar there serving liquor, so we had them serving it up part of the night. The facility itself is huge. We only had 26 tables that seated 10 per table. That is small compared to how much they can actually hold. They've told us that they've had weddings that had 400+ guests there. And my sister-in-law who had her reception there the year before had 35+ tables....not to mention a live band playing, and the place comes equipped with large dance floor, head table, a changing room for the bride. That was a nice touch. Asian brides usually have at least 1 change of dress, which is very convenient for them. We have yet to make it out here and just have a dinner or their buffet. But I hear the buffet isn't too shabby. And although they don't have people dining while weddings are going on, they do have random people come in and do take out.
(4)Leang E.
I had a different type of experience here since I was here for a wedding. It was a 9 course meal with 3 additional appetizers. The appetizers being chicken wings, some other deep fried tofu dish, and egg rolls. The meal itself consisted of the seafood soup, deep fried crab claw, quail, walleye, black mushrooms and bok choy, salty and spicy prawns, seafood combination stir fry, special fried rice, and fruit. Needless to say I was stuffed. The place is great for weddings and could probably fit 400 people. There were 37 tables, so about 370 people there, and they have room for a pretty decent sized dance floor, a band, and room for a head table. Apparently, they get booked all summer long on Saturdays for weddings, so they still have carry out open even if they aren't open for seating. The waiter/owner was very accomodating for all the things we needed for the wedding wether it was to have the lights dimmed and participating on a little prank we were playing with the bride and groom. I'm sure if I was around the area I'd stop in for more food.
(4)Nathan C.
Awesome place to get a Chinese buffet at a great price. Selections are varied and go well together, and, yes, the sesame chicken is pretty darn good, if I may say so myself!
(3)