Golden Restaurant

Doesn't Recommend

AlexanderLee

Joined 4 years ago

No Thrill No Service. I can't really say anything in this Chinese restaurant is special. It is designed for people who really don't know what good quality Chinese food tastes like. I came here at the good review I read. I came on a Sunday night with the family while we were on a vacation outing, passing through Fresno. We arrived at around 6:00 pm on Sunday 12/20/09. There were 5 of us and we were seated on a table for 4. Waitress took about 24 minutes before coming over to take our order. I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken without peanuts because my son is allergic to it, Seafood Combination Hot Plate, Szechuan tofu, BBQ Pork, and white steam rice. The waitress that took our order appeared to be tired and didn't want to work. On the seafood plate, it was $15 on the menu and included Shrimp, Clam, Squid or Scallop. I didn't care for clams, so I asked the waitress to substitute the squids for the clams.

When the dishes arrived, after about 25 minutes, the BBQ came first. The meat was very chewy. It tasted more like london broil. 15 minutes later, the Kung Pao chicken came out. It showed up with peanuts. I told the waitress that my son is allergic to peanuts and that I ordered without it. She took the dish away and brought it back along with the tofu dish within 1 minute. The cook did not prepare a new plate of Kung Pao chicken. Rather, he or she just removed the peanut and brought back the same plate. When I asked about this, the waitress told me that the cook made 2 plates and I was given the wrong one. Weird, considering that there was small peanut fragments in the dish still. This was very concerning to me. The lack of concern for the safety of its customers, reduced 2 stars from my review of Golden Restaurant. The Kung Pao Chicken and the Tofu were very salty. I can live with this because I ate less of it and more of the steam rice. The tofu, which was supposed to be spicy, but wasn't even close. I have to take 1 star off for not meeting customers' expectations nor restaurant's claim. The shocker came for me, when the bill came out. The prices on the menu and what I was charged were completely different on 2 items. Not only that, the total didn't add up on the prices the restaurant calculated! All the food items that were taken by the waitress was in Chinese. But thankgoodness I could match the prices to the dishes, or at least close enough. When I brought up the errors, the cashier told me to let her check. She came back and told me that I had I substituted the squids for the clams, so she had to charge me $2 more. But if the price was $15 and the bill was $17.95, that's almost $3 more. The cashier asked if the waitress informed me of the additional prices for the substitution. I responded, "NO" and she was arguing with me that she did! Even my wife, who was sitting in the same table, said no, the cashier still argued with us, as though she was there. Arguing with customers, especially when they are wrong, reduced another star from this review.

When I spoke with our waitress, she insisted that she told me that there was a difference in price of $1.25 for the substitution. I said that it was strange that she says $1.25 more, but the cashier said $2 more and I was actually charged $2.95 more. Weird! I didn't want to argue anymore, so I paid my bill, even for the wrong price! The price difference doesn't break my bank, but I'm just disappointed with this restaurant's poor management of customer service, food quality & safety, and dishonesty.

If you don't mind any of this, then dine at Golden Restaurant. Otherwise, I would avoid this place at all cost!

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californiatraveler

Joined 4 years ago

gourmet quality food at generous prices. after being all over california i found a chinese restaurant that i can greatly enjoy. my fresno friends brought me to this restaurant after convincing me to go from years of great experiences. i was reluctant at first because i've been to chinese places that were less than acceptable but i changed my mind after spending a few seconds into the appetizer soup and fried wonton. our group ordered a family-sized selection of dishes (i forgot what it was called, sorry) and each portion was wonderful! the orange chicken and lemon chicken was a burst of citrus flavors that just melt in your mouth. the fried rice was exemplary and it wasn't dry, crunchy and didnt' scratch your throat like other chinese restaurants. the potstickers was prepared with precision that had contrasting textures (one side was crunchy and the other soft) that was a match out of this world. Noodles can be described in the same manner with a combination of crunchy and soft textures. the service was helpful, nice and always kept an eye out for any service that was needed and was pretty quick. the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing with a very calming contrast of colors. the bathroom was very clean to my surprise; like that of many gourmet restaurants! the prices were more than reasonable for the portions we received. overall great experience and highly recommended! i can go further to compliment the soda if it wasn't actually made by pepsi haha.

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hungrymenknowsbest

Joined 5 years ago

#1 CHINESE FOOD OUTSIDE OF CHINA!!!!!!!!!. I absolutely love this restaurant and have been for years. The Chinese food here is great and the people there are very nice, especially if you can pull one aside when it's not during busy hours. I have been eating here since I was a child and I still enjoy it the same today. The dishes are plentiful, especially for the very affordable price, and is filled with a good balance of color and flavor. I have been recommending this place to my friends and they too enjoy the food with great delight. I used to live in the northern part of Fresno and it would take my about ten minutes to travel to the Golden Restaurant, but I still make the trip because it's one of a kind and incomparable to others in town. I don't live in Fresno anymore, but I always make time to take a trip to the Golden Restaurant whenever I travel back to see my parents. I highly recommend and I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! Mmmmm mmmm delicious!

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Ann1974

Joined 5 years ago

Good Healthy Chinese cooking. I like golden restaurant because the way the prepare their Chinese food remind me of my mother's family cooking. I had the chance to talk to the owner lady, she told me that they made all their broth from scratch. Now, broth is a big deal in Chinese cooking...in case if you don't know. I recommend their won ton soup. Delicious won ton serve with fresh Chinese vegetables and BBQ pork. mmmmmmmmmm, that's what I am having right now...

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

The Golden Restaurant in the Tower District isn't a buffet, and it's got great food: Almond Duck, Ginger Beef, Curry Chicken?the usual, but with a bit of flare.. The Scene:
The atmosphere may be similar to that of other Chinese Restaurants in Fresno but the food is not, and semi-casual dress is the minimum here. The decor is full of rich colors (deep green and burgundy with hints of gold for contrast), and seating arrangements consist primarily of booths, with a banquet room off to the side. The staff is helpful and will make suggestions like replacing the usual broccoli with fresh asparagus in season, and the prices are reasonable.

If you order one thing:
Try the Almond Duck.