华园

Food is amazing with unique dishes as an option. The staff is very nice and accommodating. And the ambiance is magnificent. Compliments to the chef and the staff. Love the experience. Thank you for slicing the duck perfectly.

We came to Hwa Yuan for dinner and were deeply disappointed—both by the food and, more disturbingly, the service. We ordered their signature Beijing Duck. The duck arrived with skin that was dark and lacked the glossy look of a well-prepared Peking Duck. The meat itself was quite dry, and the staff member slicing the duck left two large pieces untouched and cutting the skin into rough, uneven chunks. The duck crepes, which should have been soft and delicate, were stiff and hard to chew—almost like they hadn’t been fully cooked. Even the rice tasted stale and too firm. What really bothered us, however, was the service. It was blatantly unequal. We observed the waitstaff—who are all Chinese—being far more attentive and warm to non-Asian customers. Our table, made up of Chinese diners, was consistently ignored. No one checked in on us or even refilled our water until we flagged someone down to complain. It felt like we were being taken for granted simply because we’re Chinese, and that’s unacceptable—especially when we paid the same as everyone else. This kind of discriminatory treatment has no place in any restaurant, let alone one with Hwa Yuan’s reputation. We won’t be returning.

I have been a repeat customer here, but after this visit I will not be returning... We dined the night before Lunar New Year and our bill was about $300+ Some staple dishes like the Peking duck and soup were fine. The issue was the service and how a complaint was handled. I spoke to our female waitress in Mandarin and asked her to recommend a fish dish with a bean sauce. She directed me to the hot and sour fish. What arrived was a $52 tilapia that was heavily fried, dry, and covered in an extremely sweet pineapple sauce with pineapple chunks. It was clearly a Westernized sweet and sour style dish and not what I asked for! When I raised the issue, she dismissed it immediately and said there was nothing she could do because I ordered it and that is just how the dish is. She also told me she recommended it “because of your husband is a foreigner” which was inappropriate and unprofessional. I asked to speak with the manager. The first floor staff behind the host stand told me the manager was sleeping. They later relayed that the manager said no and would not come speak with me. A male server behind the host stand then shoo'd me away. No one tried to resolve the issue or even listen. I also noticed that nearby non East Asian tables were spoken to more patiently and warmly, while my concern was brushed off quickly. The difference in tone was noticeable. I had continued to dine here in the past because I understood the business had been struggling and I wanted to support them. After this experience, I no longer will. There are many nearby Chinese restaurants at half the price with better food and far better service, and I would recommend supporting those instead. At this price level, the dismissiveness and lack of accountability is unacceptable. I left feeling talked down to and ignored, and forced to pay for a misrepresented dish that was not edible. I will not be back.

Hands down the WORST Peking Duck I’ve ever had! The duck itself look malnourished (very skinny, not much meat / fat), was dark and overall dry. Check the pics posted by other users if you don’t believe me (and google “Peking duck” to see what it’s supposed to look like). And that wasn’t even the worst part… The steamed wraps were ASTONISHINGLY TERRIBLE - they looked more like tortillas (with burn marks) and were so incredibly dry that they cracked when we tried to wrap them. After complaining, the waiter gave us a slightly better batch, but still super dry! We ended up just giving up on the wraps and ate the duck straight. If you’re looking for authentic Chinese, go literally ANYWHERE else in Chinatown. On the other hand, if you like everything tasting overly sweet and malnourished ducks, then you might like this place.

The food at this restaurant was very ordinary—simply average, and far from Michelin-level quality. The service was also extremely poor. I sat at my table for five minutes without a single server offering me a glass of water. What made the experience even worse was the clear racial discrimination. I observed servers communicating with their colleagues in Cantonese and Mandarin, yet when I attempted to order in Mandarin, the server pretended not to understand and asked me to repeat everything in English. Throughout the meal, the staff were visibly impatient, and on more than one occasion I saw servers rolling their eyes while serving guests. Overall, the experience was extremely unpleasant. Considering I spent over $120 per person, this level of service was completely unacceptable and not what I deserved.