Golden Garlic - San Jose

This restaurant truly offers authentic Chinese cuisine, featuring dishes from both Chongqing and Tianjin. The food can be a bit oily, but that's typical for many Chinese establishments. One standout dish is the cubed meat with garlic—it’s their signature item that you definitely don’t want to miss. The flavor and tenderness of the meat are exceptional. I've been a patron since they first opened, and each visit has been a pleasant experience. I will definitely return!

This restaurant offers authentic Chinese cuisine, featuring dishes from both Chongqing and Tianjin styles. While the food can be a bit oily, that's typical for many Chinese restaurants. Their signature dish, diced beef with garlic, is a must-try; the beef is incredibly tender and packed with flavor. I've been dining here since they opened, and each visit has been enjoyable. I will definitely return.

This restaurant offers an incredibly authentic Chinese dining experience, showcasing the northern cuisines from the Beijing and Tianjin areas. The decor is fantastic, blending elements of pop culture with a nostalgic charm that resonates with many generations. The food is excellent; the deep-fried steamed buns served with stewed fish are delicious and definitely a must-try. The sweet and sour fried fish is decent, but it might be a bit too oily for some. I haven't had a chance to try their Sichuan dishes yet, but I plan to on my next visit.

We kicked off our meal with jelly noodles drizzled in chili sauce—a popular street food that Golden Garlic executes beautifully. For those who haven't tried them, jelly noodles (known as 'liangfen') are made from starch powder (often pea, sweet potato, or mung bean) and cut into strips. They are generously coated in a delicious chili pepper sauce, which, in my opinion, is unparalleled. The sauce was fragrant with a notable garlic essence, a hint of nuttiness, and a touch of smokiness. We didn’t finish all the jelly noodles; we wanted to savor the chili sauce! Next up were the Zha Jiang Noodles, which had a nice chewy texture. You can adjust how much soybean paste you add, but I suggest going all in. I’m used to this dish having a bit more meat or extras, but it primarily featured julienned cucumbers and the sauce. No complaints here! Then came our entrees. We decided to sample a bit of everything: the renowned beef with golden garlic, steamed pork ribs wrapped in lotus leaves, cauliflower with ham, and house dumplings. The dishes ranked as follows: the pork ribs were absolutely delicious. They were steamed until tender, with even the bones softening up. The flavors were spot on, and I found it fantastic to add some of the chili sauce from the jelly noodles to it! Next in line was the cauliflower. It was very well cooked, but I was slightly disappointed they used Chinese sausage instead of ham (as advertised), which would have elevated the dish a bit more. After that were the dumplings; while I thought the filling was quite dense and the skin a bit thicker than usual, they were still enjoyable. Unfortunately, the beef and garlic dish was a letdown. It was overly salty and definitely needed rice to balance it out. We barely touched that plate, but we all enjoyed snacking on the generous cloves of garlic throughout the meal! Overall, it was a satisfying meal, and we’d definitely be open to returning!

Local restaurant serving very authentic Tianjin and szechuan food. Some dishes are spicy. Flavor is very good, but some are very local and not familiar to me. Good to come with a large party Must order the house made jelly noodle in chili sauce.One of best items on the menu. Take the extra chili sauce home and put it on rice or noodles. They do serve some bottle beer which goes well with the food.