10019 N Dale Mabry Hwy
Full disclosure. This place is nearby and is kind of our go to place for Chinese. That doesn’t mean we think it is the best Chinese place in Tampa—it is not, but it is reliable and somewhat consistent which are both good qualities for Chinese.
They are a takeout/delivery only place, and have a fairly standard menu of the usual Chinese fare: Egg foo young, chow mein, fried rice and various dishes with pork, beef or chicken. I have often ordered one of their house specialties; Orange chicken – which is supposed to come in a spicy orange sauce. It is not that spicy and the chicken is generally a little gooey in the orange sauce—common for these Chinese places. However, I do like the hint of orange flavor. We often get a beef with broccoli dish. The one thing that usually stands out with this dish is the broccoli is nicely done, and the whole dish is cooked perfectly. I usually get the fried dumplings which are standard—nothing special—but recently, the partner accidentally ordered fried won tons instead of the dumplings. That gave me a chance to report on that dish, and it didn’t get a passing grade. The won tons had a funny taste to me and they were a bit overcooked (maybe a little burnt) and overly chewy. It is possible they were fried in old oil, giving them the burnt flavor. We often get the won ton soup which is the standard won tons in chicken broth, and it always kind of hits the spot.
Overall, this place is a good option for quick Chinese in Tampa. You probably won’t be remembering what a great place it was next week, but nor will you muttering that getting food from China Garden was a dumb mistake.