Part of almost every college student’s education is finding the best Chinese food in town. Luckily in Ypsilanti, we have a few good Chinese restaurants near campus. I went to four of them: Lucky Garden, Golden Wall, Lucky 7 and Hidden Dragon. These places offer great deals to college students with their prices of food, location and hours of operation.
The first Chinese restaurant I went to was Lucky Garden, located at 1072 N. Huron River Dr., next to Campus Book and Supply.
I ordered sesame chicken with a bowl of wonton soup. The soup came almost immediately and had five wontons in it. I wasn’t expecting to get so many wontons, since the soup only cost around $4.
Before I could finish my soup, my sesame chicken arrived at the table. It came with a side of rice and some broccoli to accent the chicken. The chicken was absolutely delicious and I got plenty of it for almost $6.
I had an excellent dinner at Lucky Garden for only $10.69, including a $2 tip. If you have a free lunch hour and want to go somewhere a little different for lunch, check out Lucky Garden’s lunch specials from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Lucky Garden is a five-minute walk from Eastern Michigan University’s Student Center and the plates only cost $5.
Lucky Garden is open 11 a.m.10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon-11
p.m. on Sunday.
For my next Chinese dinner I went to Golden Wall on Cross Street, across from the historic Eagle’s Market. I came in at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night and ordered the sweet and sour chicken with a spring roll.
When considering the value for a college student, I would say Golden Wall does pretty well. Their entrees range from about $7.50 to $9. My food came relatively quick and was fairly tasty.
My only problem with my meal was that when I tried to cut the chicken, the breading separated from the chicken and I had to stab it with my fork to get a bite.
Golden Wall is open 11 a.m.- 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.- 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon – 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Lucky 7, located at 1777 Washtenaw Rd., down from Covington Apartments, was a very busy place at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening when I arrived there for dinner. Every table was full except for the bar by the door.
I ordered the pork lo mein and an egg roll, and treated two friends to dinner. The entire meal, which included another egg roll, pork fried rice and sweet and sour chicken, cost only $21.66 with a $2 tip.
The food came within ten minutes, but I have to admit it was a bit lackluster.
I figured Lucky 7’s food would be incredible since so many people were there, but my egg roll was a bit soggy and
the pork lo mein had an overwhelming smoky flavor that drowned out the rest of the dish. My friends had the same underwhelming experience with their food.
I would rather spend a dollar or two on a different restaurant, but for someone who just wants quick and inexpensive food, Lucky 7 is a good place.
Lucky 7 is open Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and noon-10 p.m. on Sunday.
For my last dinner on my Chinese food excursion, I went to Hidden Dragon, located at 15 W. Michigan Ave., a few blocks down from EMU’s Business School and across from Haab’s restaurant. The entrance is small, so you have to look for their brightly colored front door. Here I ordered the pepper steak and a spring roll.
Hidden Dragon’s entrees range from $6 for a pint to $9 for a quart. My pepper steak and spring roll came within ten minutes and were delicious.
Hidden Dragon is a great place in terms of value. I only spent $6 on my entree and had to take half of it home because there was so much on the plate.
I would definitely recommend Hidden Dragon if you’re near the Business School and want some good Chinese food.
Hidden Dragon is open 11 a.m.10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.- 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Overall, Lucky Garden and Hidden Dragon have the best deals on food, service and price. These restaurants gave me plenty of delicious food for a low cost and I would recommend either restaurant for a Chinese food fix.
