Studies in Brown and Orange

Orange Garden
1942 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago
(773) 525-7479

I've blasted by Orange Garden a number of times and keep mentally noting to myself that I should stop in to see what it looks like inside. Thanks for saving me the effort -- your pix make this stuff look better than I'm guessing it actually is.

I wish the food there was as good as those pictures. I live close and REALLY wanted to like this place. I normally have a rule for places within walking distances...they get 3 visits before I rule them "un-visitable". I broke this rule after one Orange Garden meal. The only thing decent was the egg roll.

Such lovely pictures.

I've picked up Orange Garden occasionally and thought it was borderline-edible, a typical time to get it was on Christmas Day for lunch while cooking the big Christmas meal and they were the only thing open, but I have to say, today's lunch was noticeably better, maybe I finally ordered to their strengths sufficiently to be more impressed. It's very much blandish Cantonese, but the egg drop soup had real chicken flavor, the egg roll had the taste of genuine Skippy and fresh cabbage, not too heavily fried, and the sesame chicken was just fine. I was really surprised how much I liked it, quite apart from the reason I've always liked Orange Garden beyond (despite?) the food, the virtually unaltered 1923* interior.

* According to some guy's review on Centerstage. Who knows, but it's surely unchanged since at least some time in the 40s.

Nice shots. I've always found the won ton soup, egg rolls, fried shrimp, egg foo young, "bbq" pork ribs, and several other dishes dandy Chinese-American comfort food. Don't order anything with beef has always been my rule.

My friends and I would go there for egg foo yung and egg rolls. And I found out on my first visit that speaking Chinese to them does not guarantee better food either.... =)

My philosophy on bad Ameri-Chinese food is that I eat it once in while so that I can better appreciate good Chinese food.

I like Orange Garden, because when I go there I do not expect good "Chinatown" Chinese food. Low expectations is essential to dining there.

when I go there I do not expect good "Chinatown" Chinese food.

Although you may be getting a more accurate picture of what food in Chinatown was like in its early days than any of the spots down there, even Won Kow which is at least as old, offer today.

Ok Mike, you "pictured" me into ordering from the O.G. tonight. I'll report back on my findings.

Report - still bad w/ the exception of the egg roll.

The good: Egg roll was really good. Crisp. Cabbage was still crunchy. Baby shrimp. Peanut buttery without being overpowering. Other than that? It was cheap.

The bad: the sesame chicken. White meat, decently fried. Flavorless sauce. Not sweet. Not spicy. Just a goopy. I'd honestly take Panda Express over this. At least their sauce has flavor...albeit very sweet.

Oh well. Maybe I'll serve my budget, close to home, Chinese cravings with 2 egg rolls and trying the soup from the O.G.

I'd honestly take Panda Express over this.

Funny you should say that. Stevez and I wound up at Orange Garden after a conversation that started with my confession that occasionally, after meetings in Barrington, I would stop to grab a quick bite at the highway "oasis" and usually have the orange chicken at Panda Express... and that I really kind of looked forward to this opportunity to eat sticky-sweet fake American Chinese.

So at least your and my experience of Orange Garden was right in line with the original expectations...