Zheng's Garden

Quite good!  We love finding good food at a hole-in-the-wall place, and this is DEFINITELY a hole-in-the-wall.  The public area is about the size of our (galley) kitchen, and you look directly into the kitchen.  There are a couple of small tables in the "dining room," but I'd wager they've never been used.

We got General Tso's Chicken, which was B+/A-.  Not as orangey and spicy as some, but it was nice and crispy, and pretty darned good.  The Happy Family was fresh and the flavors were distinct; I'd give it an A!  it was loaded with some of everything, from chicken to lobster.  Mmmmm!   Definitely a winner.

And... We got Crab Rangoon, which were crisp and sweet.  I think of them as Chinese cannoli. Very good.

Overall, a definite winner. We live nearby, so not doing delivery is not an issue.  We spent $23 on the items mentioned above, and the two of us barely finished half of it.

I'm giving this place four stars because I think that while it's not quite to the five star level, how many backalley chinese joints can really be five star? This place is about as good as it possibly can be considering it's location and (visible) working staff of two.

Pro's include convenience of being just down the street from my house, a vast menu, decent prices considering the portions given, and quick service.

Con's include the nonexistent restaurant atmosphere, subpar food quality, and relatively cold/unfriendly service.

Picked up my dinner here last night. When I called ahead the dude wasn't really playing games, I wasn't even sure if I had called the right place actually, because he didn't prompt me or anything, just said 'Hello'. Got the General Tso's when I probably should have went w the much-Yelped-about Chicken in Garlic Sauce. No worries, there will be a next time, Mister Zheng. The chicken wasn't the freshest and kind of had a grey-ish tint to it, with soggy broc and syrupy sauce. Because I've had crispy perfect golden brown General Tso's with steamed broccoli at other comparable joints albeit outside of the city, it's a little bit of a letdown. Thinking about it more as I type and I'm tempted to downgrade to three stars, honestly. But you get what you pay for and I didn't pay much, and I feel that needs to be taken into account.

I'll definitely be back considering the place's proximity to my home, so if anything changes I'll come back and edit or update this review.

If you are looking for the perfect Chinese dive without the soggy chicken...you've found it!!  The place itself is a little rough.  I definitely wouldn't try to eat there...there is seating for about 3.5 people.  But the carry out service is quick and impressive!  The food is always hot, fresh and crispy!  The order taker over the phone is short and to the point, no fluff.  I like it.  Anytime i'm looking to stay in for a night and eat-in...this is my go-to Chinese dive!  Oh and did I mention that is super cheap?!