Chin’s Garden Restaurant

The service here is god awful. We had a big group of friends here and the waitress told us we all had to pay halfway through our meal (we were still ordering drinks!) because her shift was ending and she wanted the tips from us. Made us all sort out the pay and open a new tab. Food is so-​so. Better places in Marlborough for less money and better service. That was only one example of bad service I’ve had there. Avoid this one.

I Went Back and the Place seems to have improved
The Food taste a lot better, didn’t have the old oil taste anymore, and the staff was nice.
I would go back again

I cannot understand the low stars here, i just cant… I went there las 25 christmas day (yes christmas) And everything was perfect. The place was packed, but i got sited pretty quickly, also the waitress was pretty fast with our drinks and orders. The mai thai was really good, scallion pancakes were good, the pork fried rice is one of the best i ever had and the crab ragoon is just anENORMOUS portion for the 7 dollars you pai for it. 5 drinks + rice + 2 apetizers = 52 dollars. I dont know why this place has so many low ratings but you should REALLY try for yourself.

This has to be my favorite chinese food in the area. I’ve been coming here for a long time and it’s always consistent. Go for the general gaos chicken! My favorite dish here. Drinks here are awesome too.

The lunch price is misleading. It says the lunch is a combo that includes 2 appetizers, yet the appetizer sides cost extra. I got a general gau lunch (which they list as 4.95) and two sides thinking it was included, but it cost extra for each one. Also, the food was not that good…

Worst Chinese restaurant I’ve ever been to had a headache for 2 days because of so much msg. No wonder there was nobody in there when we ate for lunch during the weekday. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

Came back this past weekend. Food is still great. Got my Mai Tai fix. Tried a few different plates. Fried rice and some house Lo mein. Got a bunch of their apps. Yum!

We have always liked their food & usually order each week but the last two have been very disappointing.
Last week the meat & veg dishes have almost no meat & the veg do undercooked it was like they went in as an after thought. This week we got a pupu platter, rice, shrimp egg foo yong & pork chow mein. I poured about an inch of oil from the egg foo box & used half roll of paper towels trying to soak the oil from the pieces. The egg rolls & wings were obviously leftover from lunch & thrown fryer to cook again – I edible. The rest was ok.
Don’t know if they’re having kitchen problems but considering they are pricey they need to get it right! Guess I’ll be looking elsewhere this week.
Debbie G

I’ll start with the good. The service was not bad.
The food was fine and they had a good inexpensive lunch deal that was plenty of food. We didn’t experience any of the issues that others had with surprises on our plate. The fried food however tasted like the oil probably needed to be changed.

I go here every once and awhile for drinks, very cheap, but strong. Not a big fan of a strong drink, I’d much rather have it mixed correctly, but I mean for the price and if you want to get drunk. Then this is the place to go.
The main reason I’m at Chin’s is the food, very convenient (I live right down the street), the taste, consistency, and cost. My go to’s are a pu pu platter, fried rice, kung pow chicken, lots of crab rangoons, beef and pea pods, and much more! I don’t know what was going on with anyone else, but I always have a good experience and never a bad time. I don’t know who decides the sizes of the food but they’re absolutely fair.
The décor is generic and plain «Chinese restaurant» but if that’s what you’re going there for then you’re going to be thoroughly unimpressed.

This place is a dingy hole in the wall but the prices are low and the servings are massive. I’m not gonna say this place is gourmet, amazing stuff but if you know what to get you’ll have some good greasy Chinese good for really cheap.
The wonton soup here is very good. They put huge strips of ports in it and the wonton’s are big with delicate pasta and a nice interior.
I like their egg rolls. They’re kinda junky, having far more pork than is standard but it’s just that kind of place.
The crab rangoon are good and have a slight, almost bacony taste in the background. I’m sure what causes that taste is something awful but I like it. The portion is also insane.
I also like the fried baby shrimp. All it is a tray full of deep fried baby shrimp. Awful for you and really greasy but still tasty.
The best thing they have is the boneless spare ribs. They’re fatty but that just makes them melt in your mouth.
My favorite entrée is the Xing Zhou Mi Fun, which is a massive plate of rice noodles with various meets and curry flavor.
The sesame chicken is also very good but I will say the other typical sauced fried chicken dishes are pretty generic.
There’s some other decent stuff on the menu but alot of it ranges from standard to poor. I’ve rarely had anything bad but there’s alot that’s not much to write home about. Still, if your looking for some low cost, greasy, tasty Chinese food, it’s a place where I’m sure you can find something that will satisfy you.

This place sucks.
I was there on Christmas Day.
Plenty of families. Plenty of business.
They charged like $ 0.75 higher per «exotic» Chinese drink, and tried to slide it by.
The menu said another price.
They were totally begrudging about taking it off the bill.
This kind of place is an ilk, — a certain throw-​back to the American, Polynesian greasy Chinese places that had their halcyon days back in the 60s-​80s.
That’s ok, These kinds of places serve a purpose and hit the spot.
This joint is just an amazingly horrible example of this species. The worst I’ve experienced in the area.
Bad service. Chiselers trying to scam on the sly. Bad food.
Believe it or not greasy American-​Chinese style food can be made just plain bad.
Try Dragon 88 in Boylston, as it’s a very decent example of this style.
Chin’s is NOT inexpensive for this style of food.

Stay away from here. The only plus is very inexpensive Chinese food.
Located in the heart of downtown Marlborough, this is the only reason they probably stay in business. They are open late, and have all the standard dishes.
Last time I ordered, someone in my group got a penny in their Fried Rice. None of us felt very good after eating it either. General Gaus was soggy, and the Kung Pao Three Delights was full of salt and MSG.

This place is open late, if you know what dishes to order you should be fine. The bar is actually very vibrant, and the place has a lot of loyal customers.

Dirty and kinda gross. My kid and I were in Marlboro and she wanted Chinese food. I saw Chin’s Garden near the center of town. (It is in a good location.) Soon as I walked in I had a bad feeling. I went to the bathroom and it was gross and not well maintained. I should have left, but we had been in the car for a while and we were hungry. I ordered chicken fingers for my daughter and a beef and mixed vegetable dish for myself. The serving sizes were huge, but that was the only redeeming quality. The chicken fingers were mostly greasy batter with just a little piece of chicken embedded inside. The beef dish was passable, but it was mostly green peppers. I don’t mind some green peppers, but I order mixes vegetables and not beef and green peppers. The price was reasonable ($ 21).
The worse part was the cleanliness. I put my hand on the both and it was sticky and the floor was filthy. It was dingy and dirty and mostly empty on a Friday at 7PM. I got skeeved out and did not enjoy my meal. I will not go there again.

I remember going here all the time with co-​workers at a previous job, but I had not been in about 10 years. I had an occasion to there again today.
The only change was the height of the ceiling as it slumped under the weight of the grease stuck to it. And the food was terrible. The only reason to try to buffet is so that you be certain that you dislike everything they make.

Depressing décor, slow grim-​expressioned service, with an antiseptic odor in the air that brings to mind a hospital waiting area instead of a ‘garden’ restaurant. So why 2 stars?
Mainly because it’s very cheap. $ 6.39 for Yu Shang pork with fried rice, both piled high on a large plate, plus tea and tax. The wait for food was long, but that was apparently because it was cooked to order. When it finally arrived it was hot and spicy, though also pretty high on the ‘greasy’ scale.
And here’s a weird twist: the tea was served in a beer stein. Ok, maybe Chin’s should be 1 star, but that’s an idea that’s so bad that it’s almost good again due to its weirdness.
But what the heck, it’s dirt cheap, the food is decent, and you can watch ESPN for the price of a take-​out sandwich. Not a foodie destination, but easy on the wallet.

First off. there are two owners there, pretty much all the time. I think they’re husband and wife. Husband is always on the bar, and is quick to smile, and seems actually give a damn. The other one. well. is usually on the register, but i’ve seen her on the bar as well… just does not want to be there. never a smile and actually, downright rude. If you’re looking for strong Mai Tais and substandard appetizers then this is your place, it does the trick. don’t expect a quality meal. and stick to the bar area. I will call ahead, speak to one of the rudest restauranteers on the planet, and order the chicken chow mein for take out from time to time. It is pretty good. although the chicken is not white meat, not dark meat. but grey, which is a little frightening to be honest. but it is cheap.

Run away, just run away.
Our 1^st clue should have been that there was no one more than 4 feet from the bar, in the entire restaurant, including a cook. I was a cook, I know what a cook looks like, especially one who’s not in a working mood.
We are eating on a Wednesday, not a busy day for most restaurants, but better than the Monday, Tuesday slump. Still no one, once came in to sit down and eat, maybe 3 or 4 take outs, and a half dozen bar patrons.
The waitress didn’t even fake a smile when she took our order. 2 soups, 2 egg rolls 1 pad Thai 1 General Gau Chicken.
Soups Great, and now I assume came from a can off site, I got won ton, she got hot and sour. Both excellent.
Egg rolls, too much cabbage, and a funny, taste and smell, I did not try to finish mine.
Entrees, the pad Thai was crunchy, and did not come with the extra lime that was requested and the shrimp smelled fishy, a sign of spoilage. General Gau Chicken, HUGE portion, Enormous, I was thinking what a great deal when I saw it, surrounded by steamed broccoli… not just steamed over steamed and mush when touched. As for the chicken, red (dark) meat, not under cooked, but the wrong part of the chicken to use. They use the cheaper cuts to save money and cost taste. However that’s not all, the breading crust, was rock solid, like they used a fryalator not a wok, and put it in for 15 min’s. The sauce, was bland, and bad.
At the end of the meal, I was still hungry. so was my date, what a disaster. The waitress asked if i wanted a doggy bag, I told her I would not make my dog suffer the same fate that I would that night.
I see the other reviews knock service, which did indeed suck, but I can deal with bad service with good food, this was bad service serving worse food… which leaves me wonding, do they sell that won ton soup at my local supermarket, maybe I should go back and ask where they buy it, because I’m 100% positive that kitchen didn’t do anything but put the soup in the microwave to heat it up.

Want some first rate quality authentic Chinese fare? Go someplace else.
Want greasy friend Americanized Chinese and strong drinks at 1 or 2 am after dancing at the divey Speakers or bar-​hopping through Marlborough?
Chin’s is your place!