Guangzhou Garden Restaurant - Duncan, British Columbia

Wendy M.

Guangzhou Garden (Duncan, BC): A Cautionary Tale in Takeout

Ordered takeout because locals said this was their go-to Chinese spot. If that’s true, I have questions. Big ones.

I’m not above the occasional Canadianized Chinese food craving — bring on the sweet sauces and deep-fried dreams! But this was something else entirely. The bag smelled like it had been deep-fried in regrets and reused oil. Not a great start.

Let’s break it down:

🥡 Chicken Fried Rice & Chow Mein: Pale, sad, and naked. No sauce, no flavour, no joy...and there is no hope that the fried rice ever met a hot pan. The chicken? Some kind of weird, cubed-up, processed mystery meat. I didn’t know poultry came in Lego form.

🥢 Dry Garlic Spare Ribs: Dry? Yes. Garlic? Barely. Saucy? Nope. They were breaded. WHERE was the glossy garlic sauce I was promised in my dreams?

🍚 Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls: Shockingly decent. Crispy, hot, and didn’t taste like betrayal. We love a low-bar win.

🐷 Sweet & Sour Pork: Meh. Edible. Wouldn't write home about it. Did write here about it though.

🥟 Egg Rolls: I’m still confused. These things were the size and shape of a calzone. Giant sheets of egg roll wrapper folded around a tablespoon of cabbage and a lone strip of pressed chicken. Half the inner layers were raw. I wanted crunch, not confusion.

In summary: Disappointing. If this is Duncan’s top spot for Chinese food, we may need to form a support group for mid-Island takeout trauma.

At $128 for enough food for 4 people, I guess my expectations were too high. Still hopeful though — onwards and upwards. The quest for decent Chinese food continues.

harvey D.

I Had the lunch buffett. The food was great, fresh. And awesome service.

And I went back for the buffet again.
Update with nrw photo's

Ainsley M.

So many problems:
1. Their pricing on their site is WAY off. We've ordered from them twice, paid almost double what we were expecting. Asked for a receipt and an updated menu the second time, both of which failed to materialize.

2. Food delivery was fast. WAY too fast. Literally 10 minutes after an order, and we live 10 minutes away. So no wonder the food tasted microwaved.

3. The order was wrong. 3 of the 5 dishes we ordered were incorrect in the delivery.

4. The quality of the food is inconsistent. The first time we ordered it was okay - expensive but okay. The second time it was just gross! Vegetable chow mein literally had nothing in it but noodles. etc. etc.

All in all, sad to say, if you're looking for Chinese, skip this one.

Krazy M.

The buffet wasn't the worst I've had, it also wasn't the best. Everything tasted dried out, and that they don't have steamer trays between the food and burners.
The staff was friendly, and polite. The only reason for giving 2 stars, is the staff.
The tables & Chairs are straight out of the 70s and really uncomfortable, like they don't want you there for very long.

Sandi S.

Went for the smorg tonight with my husband and 95 year old mother in law. Very disappointing. Almost all of the food was cold. The chicken wings were obviously refried for the second or third time and had absolutely no moisture left in them. The sweet and sour pork was so overcooked and dry that neither my husband or mother in law could chew or cut it.
On the bright side I did enjoy the mussels and shrimp dumplings although that's not something the others would eat and the waitress was very pleasant.
Cost was over $92 for three seniors for something that was not worth $10 a plate.

K

Beware of dishonest pricing......

I visited this restaurant over a year ago and was shocked when the bill came out higher than expected. The prices on the bill didn’t match what was advertised on the menu. When I questioned it, the staff simply said they hadn’t updated their menus yet – no apology, no effort to honor the listed prices.

Now, a year later, I’m seeing that nothing has changed. Other customers are still leaving reviews about being overcharged. This isn’t a one-time mistake – it’s a clear pattern of deceptive business practices.

Save your money and avoid the frustration – go somewhere that respects its customers and is upfront about its prices.

Allen F. V.

Checked out this local Chinese place after seeing it posted in a few facebook groups.
Tried the buffet and found the food was flavorful and in the top 3 between Nanaimo and Duncan. The spring rolls and scezwan beef were my favorite. Hit the desert bar for some Nanaimo bars and two chocolate brownies. The servers were attentive and friendly. There were lots of seats available but it was a Tuesday at 6pm. Going back on a weekend to see if there is a difference.

Kailash W.

It’s budget friendly western Chinese food, they’re doing a good job at that. It tasted good, employees were friendly, no complaints! I’d come back here.