Garden Bakery

Garden Bakery is one my favorite fast food Chinese places in Edmonton. The food is always hot and fresh, and they have a great variety on the menu. I would definitely recommend this place to eat as it usually is very filling and satisfying and their portions are quite big. Only downside is that the service is very slow, and they seem to forget about you once you’ve ordered and received your food. Other than that, this place is great! Would have given it 5 stars if the service was a little bit better.

I was hankering for some Chinese food so me and my friend stopped by here. I got there a few minutes early so grabbed some treats from the bakery in the front. They have quite a large selection of buns and sweets and treats. The tea bund are only 85 cents. They are light and sweet and are awesome with a little butter.
I also grabbed a few cream puffs. The regular ones were a little lack luster but the pinapple and strawberry flavored puffs were pretty wonderful.
The back is where the restaurant. It’s a bit outdated but clean so no worries. Waitresses are nice but not to helpful. The menu is huge so I was glad to have my friend with me to recommend her favorites from the menu. The plates are huge and ment for sharing with family so be sure to bring a friend of your own.
We ordered the beef gai Lan chow mein. This is your typical Chinese noodle beef and green dish. It totally hit the spot for my craving. I ordered the spring rolls which again were pretty typical. The one dish which was surprisingly good was the donut rice rolls. Apparently Chinese people eat these for breakfast. They were pretty fantastic although heavy on the carbs. Which is probably why I like them so much.
There are lots of people saying this place is cheap but be warned they have a new menu and prices have gone up. If you’re sharing it’s still pretty affordable, and there are a few items that are a great deal.
The area is a little sketchy but just be smart and park close or go with a friend. On that note there is free parking at the back but fills up so don’t be surprised if you have make make a couple drive bys before finding a spot to park.

One of my favourite early breakfast and late night restaurants. If you come in the morning you get a cheap breakfast for quality food with a wide selection. Meanwhile coming at night i get great food that fills me up after a lonng night of drinking.

The restaurant is your typical HK café style with lots of variety on their menu. They also have a bakery attached to the side. I don’t remember ever trying their baked goods…
Beef Balls in Soup ($ 4.75) with Vegetable Add-​On ($ 1.50)
I didn’t want anything heavy for breakfast and I didn’t want to load up on anything carby, so I thought some protein and veggies would be a good choice. This was pretty tame — taste exactly as it looks.
Breakfast Combo: $ 7.00
My mom went with the Chinese breakfast combo which lets you choose a congee and dim sum item. She got the house special congee with the pan fried turnip cake. I didn’t try it — huge portions though!
Beef Rice Roll — $ 4.50
I got this for the daughter. The beef is actually chopped up bits, not normally in the soft, tender, minced «cake» form. I didn’t really like it but my daughter happily ate about ¹⁄₃ of it.
French Toast — $ 4.00
My son didn’t know what he wanted to eat and then he saw the picture of the French Toast on the menu and picked that. So HK style French Toast is kind different than the Western one. It’s usually two slices of toast with some condiment slathered in between, battered, deep fried and served with a buttery syrup. The one here had a crap load of peanut butter in between and served with the most sickeningly sweet syrup ever. It was a heavy, gooey mess. My son didn’t want to eat more than half of it.
I remember the quality of food to be a lot better from my last visit, but I didn’t like the food very much this time. My cousins told me at dinner later that they have gone downhill quite a bit… damn, wish I knew. Anyways, they may be good for a quick bite if you’re in the area, but don’t expect anything spectacular.

Sometimes good, sometimes not so good

I love this place but i’m also not sure due to the time of visits. Great place to grab some food after a night out as they are one of the few restaurants open late in Edmonton. The Unilocal page says 2AM but I am sure it is later than that. Fast speedy service, as expected. Delicious greasy food, as expected. And you will run into other people you might have just seen partying, as expected.
They also do a lot of pastries in the day which can be found at the Chinatown location here or in West Edmonton Mall. I like how they offer mini size so you can sample a variety.

As I mentioned before we visit this restaurant very often but I’m getting worried about this place we like to drop by. About 6 weeks ago I found a hair in my food and today when I got the utensils the fork was not cleaned and was greasy and had some food and the knife also had dried out food. The pork chops that we always order was very dry and hard not as we are used to, nice and juicy. Another problem with this place is the air conditioning which just doesn’t seems to get fixed or at least it is not working as it should. This is not only very hard for the customer to sit there and eat in a hot and humid restaurant but also I’m sure for the employees who must suffer in the heat there. If the temperatures outside hit the mid twenties it is getting uncomftable there. For people with heart problems or if your body doesn’t function to well in a hot room, this is not the place to visit at hot days. So I hope they fix the airconditionig to make it comfortable for everybody. Oh and maybe they could paint the railing outside at the back, that would look much better than too. All said and done, the service of the staff is always 5 stars for us for sure.

This is one of my fave places to hit up if I have a craving for some no frills, fill you up, decent price Chinese food (not western, real Chinese fare I must add). Also, unlike some places, most of the dishes aren’t drenched in heavy oil or sauce, that’s one thing I really hate. Good food, shouldn’t be masked by heavy sauce.
Some of my go to for food is the seafood congee, beef brisket with noodles, or chow mein with assorted meat and bok choy. And lastly, have to wash it all down with Hong Kong style iced tea.
Like most typical Hong Kong style eateries, you don’t come here for the décor or anything like that. Has couple of tables and booths, the fish tank (think this is a like a rule that all Chinese restaurants must have one) and the TVs on the walls.
I’m glad that a few years ago they finally got with it and added a debit/​credit card machine, and not just be cash only.
The area can be a little sketchy but never had any issues.
It’s also great that it is opened late.
There is also a bakery on the main floor where you can buy the usual assortment of Chinese bakery treats.

Good ‘ol Garden Bakery. I’ve been going to this Chinese bakery since I was a kid and it seems like nothing has changed. Buns, pastries and cakes in the front and if your feeling hungry, they have a restaurant upstairs in the back. I’ve ate there a few times — the food is pretty typical (although it is dirt cheap, especially if you order one of the specials) but it’s open till 4 am Fridays/​Saturdays! Late night eaaaats.
I was there recently and grabbed a few buns to satisfy my hunger pains. It’s $ 0.85/bun but if you buy three or more, the price drops to $ 0.65/bun. Deaaaaaal. They make it even more enticing because if you buy six or more items, you don’t get charged tax. Six buns it is.
— 3 cocktail, 2 chicken and 1 BBQ pork bun ($ 0.65 each) — all the buns were delicious, soft and fluffy. The filling isn’t quite what it used to be back in the day but that’s to be expected. Cocktail buns are my favourite.
— Dan tat ($ 1.25) — bought 15 Chinese egg tarts to a potluck. They were flaky, custardy goodness. They are best warmed up so pop them back in the oven for a few minutes and they just melt in your mouth. Yum.
Garden Bakery has a selection of pastries worth trying but seriously, you can’t go wrong with the price. It’s a staple in Chinatown (second location in WEM) and a cheap, go to spot to grab Chinese buns/​pastries.

This is authentic hong kong style street food. And the prices reflect this. Large portions. Dirt cheap prices. Ghetto area but free parking in the back.
Ive frequented this place since I was teenager. I came here mostly after a night at the bar bc its like open til 430 am. its pretty damn conveinenent.
Its in the heart of chinatown. So parking is free almost everywhere in the back of restaurants. This place always has homeless in the back though so be cautious. Ive never had a problem. But I do get the I wanna rob you stare once in awhile. Lol
Anyways the daily specials are awesome. At breakfast they got a awesome congee special that comes with chow mein or the bacon and eggs with satay soup. All the specials range from like $ 5-​$ 10. Yup and most of them feed 2 people. So if your wallet is empty… scrounge up your change and eat here. Ive ordered a noodle dish and shared happily for two people for less than $ 10 with tip!
Yup its cheap. Really cheap. Reminds me of hong kong and its little street market. But here you sit and eat in comfort. Service is just barely enough to fly. Its kinda like a cafeteria. You sit doen order, the food comes within 5 min and you pay at the till. Theres not much service here. In the corner there is extra plates or bowls or utensils with takeout containers that you can help yourself too if needed.
You cant go wrong with any of the dishes here. Its authentic hong konger food. Ive eaten off the dinner menu and everything is fantastic. But I have to rave about the specials. Check the time of day bc theres a special at everytime during the day. They are really good deals. And are good for two people.
My favourite dish here is the beef guylan chowmein. Its really good here with a big portion of veggies and meat. Its sooo good with some hot sauce! Other places ive had chinese food at dont compare to this. Even expensiver places just give you small portions of meat or veggies. Leaving me dissatisfied. But not here its always the perfect amount and it always more than enough.
I like all the breakfast specials too. Dont miss out on a hot coffee for $ 1! Or a iced coffee hong kong style for just $ 2! My personal favourites are the congee with chinese donut and the beef satay soup with breakfast combos. Yummm… I could eat this stuff day in and day out. Greasy chinese food at dirt cheap prices cant go wrong here!
Only gripe is sometimes theres a shady crowd there. But the newly installed cameras have stopped alot of the bad business from coming here!
It was always cash only but I believe they take debit now too!

Great little place in China town to grab lunch or a really late dinner.
They are open till 3am which is crazy, and its usually busy on weekends. The food is average, but they give huge portions for a cheap price. When im hungry at 11 am when everyone else is closed, this is the place i go to for chinese food.

I went here with a buddy about 2 weeks ago. Ordered the Singapore noodles and a Green onion cake. Their portions are really good. Also, the food tasted excellent. Additionally, they are very reasonably priced. The meal cost us only $ 25, and we also had leftovers for supper. 5 Stars!

Good basic noodles and rice dishes, nothing special but nothing bad either.
Had to work a late shift and went to the Bakery for a let night dinner. The crowd there is an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life, there were a few trendy young partiers there, a few families with young ones, a few gentlemen who have seen the bad side of the tracks, a few city workers who just got off work…
Service wise, those ladies who work there are super fast but may be a tad on the rude side. There was no «hi, how are you…» you walk in, they motion you silently towards an empty table, generic tea and menu got placed on your table. They reappeared when you are ready to order; food were brought out quickly but dont plan on seeing them again for the rest of the meal. Do not expect fine dinning service there. Avoid using bathrooms too, the non working fixtures and foul odour can be a little offensive.
Ordered the $ 7 Beef Brisket Lo Mein and the Seafood Chow Mein. The Beef brisket Lo Mein came super fast, the beef was nice and saucy, tender and tasty, the boiled lettuce… not so good. The accompanying clear broth was pretty tasty. I would definitely give this dish 4 out of 5 stars. Some better veggie would bring this up to 5 stars for sure.
The $ 12 Seafood Chow Mein came later. The noodles were very chrispy, a plus. Lots and lots of bok choi… should have called in bok choi chow mein. Seafood was scarce, 4 shirmps, half a scallop and 2 pieces of squid. The sauce was blend, needed soya (rare that I add soya to anything) and chili (I always add chili to everything :-)). Definitely not the best chow mein I have ever tasted, only gets 2 out of 5 stars here.
Portion wise, both dishes were huge, great value for the money.
The average for me is 3 stars out of 5 for food. Would I come back, yeah, great place to come for a late night snack or late dinner. But I probably wont order the Seafood Chow Mein again, I will try something else.

I’m only writing to review the bakery side of this place as it’s been many years since I’ve eaten here. Although they have a pretty large selection, and I’ve tried many of their items, he baked goods here have gone down in quality since they first opened. The ratio of bun to filling is too much. The fillings are overly sweet or taste artificial. They used to make these mini egg tarts in this excellent (unflaky) shell but they’ve long since discontinued it — I now go to Shan Shan Bakery on 97^th street to get my bakery fix — although they don’t have nearly the selection as Garden Bakery, the quality so far has been excellent — the buns fresh and most of all, Shan Shan makes those egg tarts I love with the shortbread-​like crust!

The restaurant itself probably gets about 2 stars, but the bakery gets a solid four stars. Thus, this averages out to a 3-​star review.
The food at the restaurant is okay. And by okay, I mean that it is edible. A little on the bland and greasy side, but okay.
On the other hand, the baked goods at the bakery are quite delicious — flavourful, fresh, and quite a bargain.
If you are in the neighbourhood, skip the restaurant and head straight to the bakery. The red bean sesame balls are outstanding.

My friend Amanda and I have been frequenting the Garden Bakery ever since we were old enough to take the bus to Chinatown by ourselves. We always order the same two dishes — Kai Lan Beef Chow Fun and Seafood Chow Mein (if you read this blog often, you’ll remember my attempt at ordering these at Double Greeting) — and we never vary.
Why vary when our favourites are always consistently, mouth-​wateringly good?
I love the Garden Bakery, not only because the food is amazing but because they have a trilogy of tasty offerings — all under one roof. Firstly, there’s the general restaurant. But they also have a BBQ Shop, where you can get a selection of juicy barbecued meats to go, and the restaurant’s namesake — the bakery — is located on the lower level.
If it’s your first, fifth, or fiftieth time at the Garden Bakery, you need to make a stop at the lower level on your way out. The bakery offers fresh coconut cream puffs, coffee cakes, egg tarts, baozi (white buns), curry puffs (my favourite), hot dog buns, peanut snowballs, youtiao (long donut) and much, much more. Everything is extremely low-​priced, with many items having a ‘3 for $xx’ option. I usually get about a boxful and never spend over $ 20 (and I pick out quite a bit).
The service is always speedy and friendly — I’m sure that some of the servers have even been there since I moved to Canada in 1999. I’ve ordered take away from the Garden Bakery many times and, while the delivery wait time might be a little long (about an hour), it’s no different from most other delivery places. The food always turns up hot and delicious — perfect for when you’re craving Chinese but are already in pajamas.
Beware, though, of the 2am after-​bar rush on the weekends. Lots of drunk people up in there. If you see me, be sure to say hi and bring me a glass of water. Much appreciated.

For a long time, this was my go-​to place for cheap-​ish noodles and barbeque. When it first opened it was very clean and the staff were keen. Well, the shine is definitely gone, but there are still a few things to recommend it:
— the shrimp and peaches are good (not as good as the ones next though)
— the hot and sour soup is a monstrous portion and will make you feel much better when you have a bad winter cold
— the barbequed pork on rice is simple, but very tasty
— shanghai noodles include lots of woody mushrooms.
It is open later than most of the places in the neighbourhood and attracts a younger crowd then.
And be sure to stop in at the bakery on the way out for the fruit-​filled, chocolate-​lined shortbread tarts — an absolute steal.

I have been to Garden Bakery numerous time to enjoy the delicious assortment of baked goods, but never had an actual meal here. That changed yesterday when I headed upstairs to have lunch.
We were seated by a very friendly waitress. Looking at the overwhelming menu — pages and pages with dense lists of soups, snacks, entrees, beverages, rice dishes, congees, barbecue, rice dishes, and just about anything else you can think of, it took us quite a while to decide upon what we would have.
When we finally did, we decided to stick with the tried and true — he had lemon chicken while I had Szechuan beef on rice.
The lemon chicken was a large potion, cut up with covered in a lemon sauce that was not too sweet. The chicken was a little on the chewy side and overcooked in some spots, but overall it was crispy and delicious.
A word to describe my meal is: mountain. For $ 9 I had a huge pile of white steamed rice covered in crispy beef shreds and vegetables. I would have labelled the meal ginger beef, as the sauce had a mild and pleasant ginger taste, while Szechuan beef tends to be spicier. That aside, it was wonderful. The sauce enhanced the rice and there was no way I was going to be able to finish the entire meal. Fortunately, I was eating with someone who has a never-​ending appetite, so little went to waste (although I am sure for both of us much of it went to waist).
Afterwards, we strolled through the downstairs bakery area and picked out a few items. I enjoyed some sweet buns, caked slices, bean cakes, and other treats for several days after.
Prices in the restaurant are very reasonable. Individual dishes are no more than around $ 12 at the most, with a variety of snack dishes and smaller items that are very inexpensive. Garden Bakery would be a great place to go with a group to share a wide variety of food.

Bitter melon and chicken congee, you and me were meant to be together…
…even if the waitress checked with me 3 times to make sure she got my order correct because white people don’t generally eat such things I guess. Same waitress who told my boyfriend that there was «no one here for him» (no other whities) when he arrived at the restaurant before I did. LOL Everything about this place screams legit Chinatown experience, in a good way mostly!
Cheap good food fast sums it up. And the bathroom is clean enough to use, bonus! A regular haunt of mine, any time I find myself in the vicinity around lunch time I’ll find an excuse to hit the Garden Bakery. As for the Bakery itself, I’m not sure, I kinda think that T&Ts does it better, but I’m not a huge pastry/​baked goods fan.

Though the décor is a little dated (this restaurant has been here for years) and it won’t win any awards, for some reason I really like the food here. Of distinction would be the baked seafood rice and sweet and sour soup.
There are more tables inside than one would expect and lots of booths, my choice of seating in Chinatown. Enjoy the food while watching the strange, yet brightly colored television programming from Hong Kong.
The kicker is once you’re finished you can head down the stairs into the bakery and enjoy the Hong Kong-​style pastries on display. Nothing like an egg tart for breakfast to really get you going!
Wonderful «star-​lighting» on the ceiling! Polite and spirited servers!