University Garden Chinese Cuisine in Waterloo
425 University Ave E, Waterloo, ON N2K 1K2, Canada
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Enjoy delicious traditional Chinese food at University Garden Chinese Cuisine Restaurant. Order online for delivery and pick-up Waterloo (425 University Ave E, Waterloo, ON).
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I dined in two weeks ago. It was by impulse. The Medditerian Restuarant needed Reservations. Service was good but little slow. Extremely busy on Take out. Food was okay. The Noodels tasted like food I buy at dollar store and were hard on the one end. I don't think will be going back becuase I don't live in the area.
Bought a dinner for four and one extra dish . It barely fed four of us and it was over 90 dollars ..and the egg rolls they sent were so over cooked that we couldn't eat .chicken balls had so much batter on them and barely any chicken . Would not recommend at all
Reasonable prices, but mediocre food. I got the lemon chicken, which was mostly batter with not much chicken, and the sweet and sour flavour of the lemon sauce was too strong. The fried rice was the opposite, lacking flavour. The spring roll was crunchy and not like the typical spring roll, but tasted ok.
November 25, 2023 I ordered Salt & Pepper Tofu, Chicken Egg Foo Yong, and Flat Rice Noodle With Beef Black Bean Sauce. All the food is good. Except the sauce for egg foo Yong is a little bit too salty. January 9, 2024 I ordered Beef Fried Rice, Szechuan Beef Lo Mein, and Salt & Pepper Shrimp. The fried rice tastes from leftovers and is tasteless. It needs more soy sauce when cooking it. It's the same with the lo Mein. The taste is nothing special. Only the shrimp dish is good.
Placed an order for Christmas Eve THREE DAYS AGO for 6pm pick up. Went to pick up my order at 6pm and well, GONG SHOW doesn't even begin to describe it. The place had about 30 other people waiting for their pick up orders. There was a supposed line up but people were just walking in and going right up to the counter so I decided to do the same. By the time I got to the counter it was 6:15 and she told me it'd be another 10-15 minutes until my order was ready. I then waited until 6:45 (when it should've actually been ready at 6:30 according to the lady), and went up to the counter and my order was still not ready so I asked for a refund and said I had placed this order 3 days ago for 6pm pickup and had already been waiting 45 minutes past. They looked stunned that I wanted a refund and told me "everywhere is busy tonight" and I got no apology. They called out one order every 10 minutes too, and said they took their phone off the hook because they couldn't keep up - yet they were still taking new orders if people came in. All of the other 30 people waiting were absolutely livid and started taking beers from their fridge and opening them which is actually quite funny. Absolutely ridiculous and insane. Not sure how they can keep their business running like this. We got Cameron's Chinese food last year on Christmas Eve and there were absolutely zero problems, they had your order ready when you walked in and everything ran smoothly. Go there instead or just get pizza as that's what we ended up doing and it was ready in 20 minutes, and don't waste your time at this poor excuse for a business. Thanks for ruining my time and my Christmas Eve 👍
Horrible horrible food. I ordered Pad Thai and got these tasteless, flavorless noodles with a couple of vegetables. I couldn’t eat it. I had 2 spring rolls that were soaked in old oil … I didn’t take a photo because I threw them straight in the garbage. Maybe they have other dishes that are decent but don’t order the pad thai!!!
Fast service. We ordered egg rolls, shrimp rolls, crab rangoon and shrimp lo mein. Crab rangoons were disappointing, chewy and not crispy at all and nothing about crab really, just cream cheese. Lo mein was pretty good and plenty of food for sure. Shrimp rolls were not impressive and the egg rolls were ok. It was average in general
Often get delivery or takeout and it's always yummy!! I've never had a problem with the staff there. Quite the opposite! Would recommend.
The chicken fried rice had no taste. We had to throw it out.
Super nice folks. A family run business. My go to chinese food takeout place
SLOOOWWWWW and cold food and terrible service!
Food is great, lady working not friendly at all
I ordered the chicken pad thai and to be honest that was not a pad thai. Never again Ill order there. Very disappointed.
Good
Have never been so disappointed with a restaurants customer service in my life. Placed an order 3 days ahead for a specified time for Christmas Eve dinner. Get there at that time, the place is packed and the line isn t moving. Finally get to the front of the line , now 15 mins past my pick up time. First they tell me they can t find my order. They finally find it and then tell me it s going to be another 20 mins. Asked her why as I placed it online days ago for a pick up time of 6, and I didn t get a phone call or anything informing me it would actually be ready 45 mins later. No apology, all they said was everywhere is busy tonight . So I missed about an hour and a half of my Christmas Eve with my family just to do a simple pick up that would take maybe 20 mins. Oh and turns out basically every other person in there was also there for a 6pm pre scheduled pick up. What a joke.
Dont place a pre-order they wont have it ready for more than an hour then after they tell you to pick it up. Waited 45mins + in lobby after pick up time.
Waited 60 mins on chirstmas eve for them to tell me they forgot to make my it. 30 people in there waiting for same time of order.
Used to be my fav chinese place...new owners...saddly not as great as it was.
We ordered here for new years. Placed and paid for our order 3 days in advance. Pick up time set for 6:45. Well what a gong show. They were telling customers that they were 15-20 minutes behind. This was an understatement. They finally called our order at 7:44 so they were an hour behind. They continued to take orders which they clearly couldnt keep up with. The girl at the counter apologized continuously but it did not feel sincere. People were frustrated. There was no priority given to those that placed orders ahead of time. It felt like they were only dropping 1 order out at a time every 10 minutes. Its unfortunate they do not know their limits and capabilities. Our group said the food was good otherwise it would be a 1 star from me.
Picked up an order on New Years eve I pre ordered for 4:00pm and was disappointed. The portion sizes are quite small for the price compared to other similar restaurants (no left overs). The rice was normal as were chicken balls however the Gen Tao was sub par (very small) the flavour wasnt great and no spice what so ever. I dont think I will be back with so many other options.
The food is delicious at this place. If you want tasty Chinese food, great portions at decent prices, this is your spot. Their dinner menu is a go to for my family.
Amazing spot! Great food and awesome service...
This is no longer an eat in restaurant but the takeout is still as good under the new owners as it ever was. We usually order their Thai Curry but recently ordered from the Full Course Family Dinner offer. We were very satisfied. The taste was yummy, the portions were generous and its all served up with a friendly smile. Easy easy takeout. Try it!
Not as good as it used to be with last owners tastes supper bland and could not even get threw half of it before getting sick
Our family has been going here for years. We order takeout and it always arrives on time and hot. Very friendly staff.
Always love their food. Did not eat in but the service for takeout was excellent.
My go to restaurant for Chinese food.
Food is decent quality . Service ... not so much. When picking up our meal there was options to tip 15% and up . When we tipped nothing they looked at the bill and asked why we didnt tip. The standards these days are so entitled IMO. We dont tip pickup up anything else Not sure if expectations have been changed or if entitlement is the issue.
Food was yummy and service great! Restaurant could use a good clean and refresh.
Pricey for the portions and quality they give, not impressed compared to the other places in Waterloo.
University Garden has really upped their game in significant ways. If you tried it before and were impressed, try it again. Food. More flavorful recipes. More meat in dishes. Ordering for takeout or delivery. Easy, accurate and on time. Really good experience ordering from here every time.
Pad thai is great!
Average chinese fast food, pricing is standard.
Their food and especially soup is some of the best in town. Nice smokey and nutty flavours, definitely made with love. I would drive out of my way for it
My go to lunch spot. Their lunch curry with chicken abd shrimp is outstanding and keeps me coming back fora repeat over and over.
My wife found a piece of bamboo stick in her food . She called and they said it was from the an old bamboo basket that they washed the vegetables in. They offer her $10.00 of our next order.
This used to be the best Chinese food in Waterloo until very recently. Not sure if theyve changed owners or something, but the last order I had from here was not up to previous standards. There used to be incredible spring rolls here, but theyve been switched to a cheaper version that are about half the size and mostly breading. The garlic sauce in some of our favourite dishes were bland. The egg foo young was overcooked and dry and its gravy was congealed and tasted like it came from a package. The vegetable fried rice wasnt fried long enough, and they really skimped on the vegetables. We used to eat here pretty often and Ive never experienced such a large decrease in quality.
Service was fast efficient and the food was top notch!!.. was actually amazed on how fast the food arrived..it probably helped we live within a few km. Yet still for a Friday night? Lol..we use them quite frequently as my wife requires gluten free.. food has been excellent on a regular basis and the menu is extensive..highly recommend
We have been ordering Chinese Food take out from University Gardens for the last 10 years. We just finished our latest meal. It was fantastic, fresh and with just the right amount of seasoning. The chicken and beef pieces were very tender.
This is my go-to Chinese in Waterloo. The food is always tasty with good portions and the staff are always warm and accommodating.
I m disappointed We ve been ordering from University Gardens for over 10+ years and even knew the owners personally. Don t know when the owners changed, but the food is no longer the same. Today we have ordered some of our usual dishes and couple others to change up a little. We were told that the delivery may take up to an hour, which is fine. 30 minutes late our food arrived. When all was unpacked and we started to serve on plates, all food was cold and had no taste. The main and the most (previously) delicious dish Cantonese Chow Mein use to come with all: beef, pork, chicken, shrimp & veggies! Not this time! It had only chicken in it. Egg rolls were smaller and not as tasty as previous ones. Looks like this is the cheap version of all food on the University Gardens menu. Totally disappointed. BRING BACK THE QUALITY & FRESHNESS! Cold food is NOT tasty!
Great Food everytime! Helpful staff and great recommendations on what to have if your not sure. Thank you again!
Great Chinese Food
The food was unremarkable. I dont think Ill ever order their food again. Its the first time in 30 years I received chow mein that didnt contain noodles...just bean sprouts. Wish Id known. The staff seemed alright.
Great taste, great price, great location, great service, great staff.
I love this place.The food is great quality at an excellent value. The people are very friendly and service is quick.
Food is always hot & fresh, plus they have vegan options!
I will remove this post in a few days however would just like to bring something to you attention! On google it says you would be open till 930. So the wife and I went along our days with the assumption we could order later with now problems! We called at 8:10 to get an automated answer machine saying your hours are completely different! Its a time when people are really depending on online ordering and the simple fact of accurate buisness hours! We love your food and will be a customer for a long time but please have your hours accurate on all information platforms! Thanks!
Pretty decent food for good price. Lovely people. Fast service.
Excellent food, service and prices. It doesnt matter how busy they are, the owner will still give you a smile and friendly greeting.
Ive ordered from here before and enjoyed my meals. But apparently now they wont do ANY substitutions, because its to difficult for their kitchen.
I had a chicken pad Thai for lunch. It was delicious, I would recommend eating here.
Very good food
Delicious, fast.
The food was overall ok. Nothing special to be honest. Tempura vegetables were way too doughy. Had to toss them. But the staff were super friendly - which is always nice. I wish I could give more stars just because of their friendliness - but for the food.
Always fast. They use real shrimp and fresh vegetables. Favorite place in town with an English name.
The house chicken dish is superb, and not over-coated with batter. Wish theyd offer the soup for a meager add-on price, considering the other lunch options come with the soup.
Arguably the best Chinese Food in Waterloo. Good prices, friendly family staff (I think!), pleasant casual small restaurant with a steady stream of take-out traffic.
We have a quick lunch,good price and the food taste very good, but the materials are not good, if they could use better materials(beef, rice), we would give them high score
Great Place. Friendly Staff, Prompt Service, And Honestly bigger portions than I expected. Very happy.
Stumbled in one day after sons soccer game at berchel park across the street and this place was decent. Our Malaysian noodles had too many dried spices (not heat) but it was still good. The Thai curry though, it was very well made. Great service, seem like very nice people. Definitely give them a try!
Awesome food
Friendly staff; orders are ready on time and the food tastes good. It s also not overly oily or greasy.
Great food and nice service!
Good food and good value.
Excellent quality food!
Great food! Good portions ! Great value here! Ask for utensils if you want them In the bag
Recommended! Staff are very pleasant and helpful in person or on the phone. Havent tried eat in yet, usually we pick up and pay cash for 10% discount. Food is good and big enough portions that we always have leftovers. Good flavor on all dishes, but Beef in black bean sauce was a little salty. Cant say anything about seafood because Im allergic, but never had any issues with cross contamination. Always ready in 15-20 minutes, very consistent. Were quite happy with them!
This restaurant has won best Chinese food in Waterloo for a reason...its not the most attractive restaurant but the food is top notch and bags and bags of takeout go.out of the place... Ive been going there for years. Great lunch specials...amazing wonton soup ... what else can I say?... the people out front are very friendly and give good service when you eat in
Amazing food, fast delivery! Definitely ordering again!
I thought the sign saying voted best Chinese food in Waterloo was a joke... but honestly, the food was spectacular! The best soups anywhere!!!
Nice small family run place with great tofu dishes and lots of vegan options. Generous portions for a reasonable price.
Fast and delicious
Please dont eat at this place. This is NOT authentic Chinese food. The food are all made with pre-made frozen packages. For sweet sour pork, meat is probably 25% and 75% of it is batter. The sauce is made with artificial flavours. Its disgusting. The food is cheap but its not even worth the price.
Incredibly overrated. The advertisement that they are best Chinese restaurant in Waterloo is far from true. There is nothing authentic about the cuisine, and i made the mistake of ordering a Thai dish from a Chinese restaurant (Never do that!). They were incredibly busy though the evening i went, and i wonder that is what led to the average quality food.
We tried University Gardens on a whim about a year ago. Everything has been very tasty and reasonably priced. Mark us down as satisfied customers.
Best thai curry chicken in town. They use coconut milk in this dish which taste smooth and not too spicy the way I like it.
Nothing amazing or authentic but pretty good Canadian-style Chinese food. Service was quick and friendly and the portion sizes were good. A good take-out option if you live in the area, as the seating area in the restaurant is quite small.
Its been kind of hit and miss with the dishes Ive ordered. They have fantastic crispy beef and singapore noodles, but didnt like the overly sweet pad thai that was all noodle, a bit overcooked and chicken that seemed like it was boiled. I will definately try more things as i really like their crispy beef!
If you eat inside the restaurant, theyll give you decent food. Not so if you order for delivery ! Its sub-quality, small portions and arrives cold. Never again. Its a waste of money.
THE BEST wonton soup!!
I have always had a great experience with University Garden Chinese Cuisine. Food is always fresh and my orders have never been messed up - modification on orders due to allergy.
Traditional Canadian Chinese! Tastes great!
Better than any other Chinese restaurants in the area and a lot cheaper. Highly recommended.
New favorite restaurant!!! Wow!!! Amazing quality, speedy & friendly service, clean eat in atmosphere, food is always top notch in taste, appearance, and freshness! Even the Dozer Dawg Approves! Thank you!!!!
Very good food, ready quickly, all at reasonable prices.
Food is good . Especially rice dishes
Excellent Chinese food. Found the ginger beef hot plate particularly excellent.
Good food, attentive service and decent value.
First time there. Got a dinner for one and some Won Ton soup. Everything was delicious. Service was friendly and fast.
Just finished another great meal at University Garden. Best Chinese food in Waterloo!!
Delicious every time I order from here. The General Tso Chicken has a good flavour and little spice to it. The prices are around the same has elsewhere.
They are so helpful in modifying the dishes to make them vegetarian or vegan for us. And the dishes are always so tasty!
Got the lunch special, it was really good for only $7.25 and got it quick too.
Good food
Great lunch menu
Been here a couple of times . Flavours are good and quantity is pretty decent . Tastes resembles like home cooked food :-)
Very good food. Very freindly and open. We had an issue with our food and they were nothing but helpfull and understanding. Thank you for your awsome service hope all is figured out
Got sweet/sour ribs and chicken balls. The ribs looked nothing like ribs...Everything was deepfried and had a bitter taste. The chicken fried rice was very bland. Wonton soup was pretty much just brown salt water. Saddening to see how some people can say that this is the best Chinese food theyve ever had.
First time ordering from here, Un sure if I will again. Food is definitely decent, price is average for Chinese food. The general tso chicken was my first problem... First off its not the typical red pulled chicken styles Im used to. It was brown. Like homemade gravy style. My second problem was the egg rolls, I feel they were good tasting although they seemed over cooked. So now its a waiting game, how hungry will I be in 45-120 minutes.. Definitely not bad, but also not mind blowing.
Food poisoning, I have been up most of the night! Never again and I only ordered vegetarian
The Singapore noodles and crispy beef are amazing!!
Waited an hour and a half for delivery , food was a let down and very expensive for portions size .... Much better places to have Chinese.
great food
Flavour, portion and price.. regular go-to for me.
I have enjoyed the food and service at University Garden for 7 years. Highly recommend it. You simply wont find nicer people and the food is always very good.
Best Chinese food in Waterloo. Food is always fresh and delicious.
Ive only been a few times but every occasion has been good. So far Ive enjoyed the food and the prices seem fair. My favourite meal to date is the Combo for One #5 (Egg roll, Szechuan beef, Beansprout lo mein)
The best Chinese food I have ever had. Amazing
We order takeout from University Gardens quite frequently. The food is tasty and fresh and they are quick to get it ready. Not too expensive either - just a little more than when we order takeout pizza.
Great food. Fast friendly service. Only thing that could have made it 5 stars was they forgot the gravy for the Almond soo guy. They were very busy and Im sure I could have gone back for it. I would not hesitate to order here again.
Good food.
Standard Canadian Chinese restaurant. The noodle dishes are pretty good, Im not a fan of the General Tsos chicken here.
Service was good but the four of us all agreed that the food was below average at best for taste.
Always good
I dont know what the fuss is about authentic Chinese, this is a takeout place and not somewhere in Richmond Hill or Markham. Still a good Chinese fast food place and eaters need to adjust to that reality or just go home and heat up a Swansons instead. Chicken wings are a must try.
Second time doing take out and they are very accommodating; wanted a very large order to be ready for pick up at a later time and it was no problem! They have wonderful customer service on the phone!
