This is a continuing series exploring the restaurants around my “hood” as part of the larger “Welcome to My Hood” Series. Other posts in this series include Rafiki Bistro (now closed), Super Fusion Sushi, Temple Bar, Giulia, Cambridge Common, and Ten Tables Cambridge.
I admit it’s probably a stretch to say that Qingdao Garden is part of my “hood”, which up until this point has been limited to the restaurants between Harvard and Porter Square. However, Qingdao Garden sort of sits in that amorphous area on Mass Ave just north of Porter and before Arlington. I don’t have enough restaurants there to call that region a separate category, so this is as good as any.
This is technically a {Snapshot} post, since I wrote about Qingdao Garden a long time ago; Seven years ago, if you can believe that this blog has been here for that long.
Clearly my blogging style was really different back then. I find it a bit amusing to compare.
Anyway, back to Qingdao Gardens.
Qingdao Gardens is a self-proclaimed “Northern-style” Chinese restaurant that specializes in dumplings and noodles. In my mind, it’s one of the best Chinese restaurants in Cambridge, serving up excellent handmade dumplings and a large variety of both authentic Northern and Sichuan style dishes as well as your typical American Chinese fare.
I usually get the dumplings and potstickers when I go, since that is definitely what they do best. Not too long ago, however, Bryan and I decided to branch out and try a few other things on their menu.
Pictured above is the Pork and Pickled Cabbage Noodle Soup, a classic soup I like getting at Taiwanese restaurants. The soup flavor was good, although we found the noodles to be a bit too mushy for our preference. It was acceptable, but could have been better.
We were thrilled to see Shredded Potato Salad, a classic Northeastern Chinese dish that I order all the time at Golden Garden (my favorite Northeastern Chinese restaurant in Boston). The dish was decent, though I must say Golden Garden’s is significantly better.
We tried their Chongqing Fried Hot Chicken, which had fantastic flavor. This well-known Sichuan dish consists of deep fried and slightly breaded cut-up chicken wing pieces stir fried with garlic, onions, and lots of chili peppers.
It’s fiery, intensely flavorful, and really good. For those not used to eating authentic Chinese food, you may not be used to all the bones in the dish. After all, you are eating cut up bone-in chicken wings. If you can get over that, this dish is pretty tasty.
On weekends the restaurant offers a variety of weekend dim sum breakfast items, such as steamed buns, fried crullers (you tiao), and soy milk (sweet or salty!).
Both of these were fine. Nothing particularly exciting, but OK.
All in all, I came away with this conclusion:
Come to Qingdao for the dumplings: it’s what they do best.
I think they have some of the best dumplings in Boston. I especially like the potstickers at Qingdao, which most closely resemble (in shape and flavor) the ones I love from California. I also love how they sell their handmade dumplings in packs of fifty, frozen, ($14-$16 a bag) that you can take home. It’s so important to have a few bags of frozen dumplings on hand for unexpected snowstorms and such. Why not have handmade ones versus the mass produced supermarket kind?
The rest of their food is decent, but there are other Chinese restaurants that do those dishes better. For Northern style, I think Golden Garden in Belmont is one of the best. For Sichuan, there are several restaurants in Boston that do a great job, including Shangri La, Szechuan Gourmet, Szechuan Garden, and Gourmet Dumpling House.
Of course, if you don’t feel like trekking out very far, it’s still wonderful to have access to such authentic food less than 2 miles from my home.
Qingdao Garden
2382 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge 02140
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How come I didn’t know about this before I left Boston?? It’s lunch time now and my stomach is grumbling looking at your pictures. 🙂
Ha ha, I really think it’s a little under the radar. It’s not near a T stop, and it’s almost at the border of Arlington.
I had an amazing meal here two years ago. The whole time I just kept thinking to myself, I would have no idea how to begin to replicate this at home, I better enjoy ever bite! Love seeing these pics. Corn cookies? Yummers 😉
I love that everyone let you jump the line for the corn cookies. Milk Bar is definitely on my list of places to visit in NYC. And now it sounds like I need to check out that fried chicken as well!
I love reading your eating adventures and I would have totally taken that chicken home as well!
I’m surprised Ma Peche wasn’t packed! I will have to try that fried chicken next time I’m back in NYC. Also, I made a version of those corn cookies but added rice crispies and white chocolate chips 🙂 http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/white-chocolate-rice-crispy-corn-cookies
As a little-traveled west coast girl, I love the east coast posts. That apple salad is beautiful. Thank you both for sharing your travels!
Your posts are always
Your posts always leave me extra hungry. Definitely have your blog bookmarked for NYC now. I’ve been there multiple times but have never been to any of the above. Your blog has already helped me loads during our trip to Japan so we thank you for that 🙂
this was yummy! =) i tried it last night and talked to the lady that makes the dumplings. she’s from tianjin. half the kitchen staff is northern and half is southern (canto) .. i think that’s why the menu is kind of split between both northern and southern chinese food.
Cool! I had no idea. Thanks! 🙂
David Chang has certainly expanded his empire and set up post here in Toronto as well. I’m taking a short trip to NYC end of May … would love to visit his Ssam bar and Milk bar there.