Golden Harbor Authentic Chinese Cuisine

Authentic Chinese. What an expansive menu! Super friendly staff. Food was good, basic Chinese. No frills. This reviewer docked a point for the soup dumplings. Far from good. No burst of soup broth when biting into them. Just a pork meatball. They should try to improve on these. Singapore noodles lacked a lot of flavor but were not all greasy. Spicy vinegar chicken wings nothing special and not very spicy and not very vinegary. As usual for these kind of restaurants, I would love to sit with the staff when they have their dinner together and eat what they eat. I’m just a stupid American. One order of orange chicken, please.

This is my favorite Chinese food in the area. I really like the Crispy Tofu and the General Tso’s chicken. My only complaint is that it’s usually too busy.

In my opinion, golden harbor is the best Chinese restaurant on campus. But be prepared, the ordering process is not the friendliest. Aside from ordering, dishes come out quick and hot. Their crispy tofu, as other reviews have said, is really good. Other dishes like three cup chicken, and various veggie dishes are also tasty. I haven’t ordered anything that I didn’t like from this place.
The only downsides are that it is a bit pricey and can get crowded really fast. But I’ve come to rate the food, not the ambience or service (any traditional Asian restaurant should be reviewed with the same exceptions tbh), and Golden Harbor has always delivered exceptional Chinese food. You won’t be disappointed.

Service wasn’t what we expected, you basically do everything yourself and they just bring you your food. The food was excellent though and we will definitely be going back, the menu is huge and there’s many dishes we have yet to try. Definitely the best Chinese food in the area by far!

You really have to know your way around a restaurant like Golden Harbor to experience it in full. It probably has over 2000 dishes, and some of them just aren’t up to par.
I went here for the first time 4 years ago when I first came to campus with my family. I believe we ordered soup noodle dishes and porridge, all of which were severely underwhelming. So I didn’t go back again for at least 2 years.
After being riled into a large group of friends and people visiting campus, I went to Golden Harbor again and enjoyed a completely different experience. After that meal, I converted into a proponent for Golden Harbor.
Make sure to try their three cup chicken and crispy tofu!

Best Chinese food in the country. Think it’s an exaggeration? Try it and tell me different. The ONE critique would be to lower the cost and offer smaller portions… as of now, you pay a bit of a premium for really good food that’s enough to last for days… not all of us want a week’s supply of General Tso’s.

This place has probably the most authentic Chinese food you can find in the C-​U area. I would come here more often if it weren’t for the price. The dishes are far more overpriced than many other authentic Chinese restaurants I have been to with very few items near the $ 10 range, many nearing $ 20 and even $ 30 dishes. The higher than average price though is definitely worth it for the authentic food such as the mapo tofu, full of spices you would find in an authentic dish. Whether you’re Chinese craving for some food from the home land or any other nationality, I would highly recommend trying Golden Harbor.

One of the better authentic Chinese restaurants in Champaign. The place is pretty big with a lot of seating. It has a serve yourself style as in no waiters. I enjoy eating the Crispy Tofu, the Salt and Pepper Chicken and the Spicy fish. If you can, bring some friends or family and try a bunch of dishes with them while eating family style so you can try all these different kinds of foods!

Solid greasy spoon Chinese — huge portions — each dish fills 3 people so naturally we ordered way too much. Overall tast but heavy. Stick with Crispy tofu, steamed veggies (especially mustard green) and sautéed noodles, and away from any battered items

I’m not sure if these are the exact names of the dishes, but if you say it, they’ll understand what you are wanting:
— crispy tofu
— spicy fish
— woo si ribs
— salt and pepper chicken
These are the basic 4 things I get when I go with a group of ~10 (we’ll double on the tofu and chicken or fish). With smaller groups, I like to get the pork buns!
— You order/​pay at the counter. If you pay in cash, you get a discount.
— Rice is free
— Water is self-​serve (and there’s free tea)
Overall, it can get pretty pricey, but quality Chinese food!

I still think about the take out I got at Golden Harbor! It really is as good as it gets!
I enjoyed a droolworthy dinner of stir fry beef ho fun and an order of xiao long bao. The ho fun wasn’t overly greasy or salty, and it had plenty of beef. The xlb were delicate, flavorful, and lived up to my expectations! I also love that it doesn’t have to be dim sum time to get your favorite dim sum dishes! Booyah!
To close, here are 2 unique tidbits that you likely won’t come across at any other restaurant:
1) GH doesn’t accept tips! They only charge a $ 1 table clean up fee.
2) If you pay in cash, you get 5% off!

This is my favorite chinese restaurant in Urbana-​Champaign. Since I don’t need to travel here any longer, the single thing I miss most is the crispy tofu dish at Golden Harbor. It’s wonderfully saucy, with sliced scallions and good sized chunks of fried tofu.
Restaurant set up is a little odd, there’s a huge wall/​menu, and you order at the counter and they give you a number. Silverware, tea, water, etc is all self service.
Pro tip: avoid this place like the plague on UofI freshman move-​in day.

Probably the only Chinese restaurant in C-​U where I can sit down and eat anything without fear of paying for it later, if you know what I mean…
It has a nice, spacious interior, pretty clean, if not a bit outdated. The nice Taiwanese owners will help you out if you need help with the menu, because this «menu» covers the whole wall– and its all in Mandarin! Ah! Don’t worry — there is an English menu on a laminated piece of paper but it doesnt appear as extensive…
Our group ordered the orange chicken (yeah yeah I know), kung pao chicken, szechuan beef, and a shrimp dish I cannot recall. Everything is freshly cooked and you can actually taste the fact that it uses real meat and good spices. Its not overly greasy so you dont feel heavy for hours afterwards. The rice is not salty like some places, and nice and fluffy.

YES! I could seriously eat here all the time… as long as I could find 6 friends to join me. It’s definitely better with lots of folks so you can sample as many of the 1,000 dishes as you can. And so far, everything I’ve had has been delicious, though I’m dying to come back and try out a sea cucumber dish! I would definitely say it’s the most authentic Chinese spot in town so keep walking if you’re looking for some General Tso.

I went back for the gan peng chicken and OMG it was life altering. I love to share. I am a nice person. I believe in eat what you need and give to the poor.
I am so glad that I did not have to share my food. I ate what I needed and then I had a pity party for myself and said «poor me» and I ate some more. If anyone came near me, I would have mean mugged them so bad as to know: Do not bother me while I am eating gan peng chicken!!!
This dish made me forget who I was and that I had lots of work to do and instead hung out with another friend. This dish is the reason anyone moves to champaign, il.
This is the dish that makes you feel lucky that you are a single woman who is accountable to absolutely no one except to herself (because you don’t gotta share).
PS The portions are so huge you have lunch and dinner for the next two days.

This is the go-​to spot for Taiwanese /​Chinese food in the Champaign Urbana area. This place is made for family-​style feasting.
The ambiance is very comfortable: a big room with tables everywhere, always buzzing with students, professors, and locals. Order from the sweetest, nicest cashier ever, Sophie, and ask her if you need help with the menu; she is very enthusiastic, and more than happy to help. Grab a seat, serve yourself and your friends some hot tea or water, and get ready for heaven.
Best dishes? We always order crispy tofu (a couple plates of it actually), salt and pepper chicken, pepper beef, dou miao or kong xin cai, the honey walnut shrimp, and whatever else looks good in the pictures. If you ever need help finding something new and delicious, Sophie knows what to get, and you can follow the facebook page for Golden Harbor that she manages (rather, curates) for news on what’s cooking, what’s hot, what’s in season, and what’s good. As a bonus, every so often you get a handful of cute posts, pictures, and videos to brighten up your days of the week, and that’s always a good thing.
What more is there to say? This is the place to satisfy your tastes. I graduated this year and live in San Francisco now, but I still miss eating here. Do yourself a favor and choose Golden Harbor!

Golden Harbor is good, but expensive. By no means does it make it over-​priced. It’s probably the best choice for authentic/​good Chinese food in the middle of the cornfields.
This place is great for Chambana, but there are better places out there that are too far.

I came here for a Unilocal event with about 30 people. We got to try about 12 dishes! My favorite was the Pork Belly Buns and Crispy Tofu.
Everyone working here was incredibly friendly and accommodating… Service with a smile :)
This is a great place for big groups to come and share many dishes. The menu is in all chinese on the wall, and while they offer an English menu, I recommend you bring along someone who is fluent. (or just knows what they’re doing)
The food is authentic and they offer complimentary tea with your dinner. If you pay in cash, you get a 5% discount.
Check this place out!

Restaurant review
This is the asian restaurants to end all restaurants. The variety is limitless. Don’t be fooled, they do have there limitations. If you look at the menu closely you will notice there is no fresh fish or seafood items which are staples of asian food, however you will not be disappointed with the selection. They have a little of everything from the different provinces of China. Your head will spin when you walk in as you try to figure out what to order. Your best bet is to check out the menu at home online before going to the restaurant itself. You order cafeteria style and write down the numbers of your order. There is no gratuity which is nice, but don’t expect the busboy who double as servers to help you out. There main job is to dump the food off at the table and take your number back. There is a fee of 1 dollar for each person for clean up and free tea. The cashier is quite friendly ad does not get overwhelmed even when the line is super long. We ended up trying a variety of dishes which you can see from the pictures. Here is a quick run down:
1. Smoked tea duck– sort of salty and dry unfortunately, but still tasty
2. Beef ribs with some sort of glaze– deep fried and a bit dry, but plenty of sweet sauce over it
3. Glazed pork– a hybrid dish that is similar to orange chicken. Again a bit dry on the underside
4. Fish fillet with veggies– tasty and a lighter dish. Cooked well, but the white fish is your typical asian stir fry fish
5. Salted egg coated shrimp– the egg was not salty at all, but the shrimp were cooked well and crunchy
6. Soup dumplings– pretty good, not sure if they are the freezer variety or if they make there own. The skin is on the thicker side, but this is expected in the midwest
In summary, I have tried tried asian food in China, Hong Kong, Thailand and this is by no means anywhere close. The food is good given the variety and the location in Central Illinois. The extensive menu is really different proteins with variety of ingredients. Often the meat is cooked in a wok with high heat and then a sauce is applied. Given the volume a lot of the meats were a bit overcooked and dry. If you have a large party it is great given no need for TIP, BYOB; but if you want real authentic asian food you will have to go to Chinatown!
Pros: super large menu, relatively good prices, BYOB, no gratuity (1 dollar service fee for table cleaning), free tea, large tables for groups
Cons: very busy, small parking lot, no real «service», food is a bit dry and overcooked
Hidden deals: Pay in cash for 5% off, I am sure this is for there own tax write off purpose…
Health code rating: B, some issues based on the report for food temperature.

Love love love this place! Word around town has been that there are some very authentic menu items and that venturing into this restaurant is daunting and definitely not in the average persons comfort zone. I decided I would try it when a group opportunity to go presented itself. What a fool I am for waiting.
When you go inside, yes, it is very authentic to the standard restaurant you’d see overseas. There is a menu in Chinese on the wall, but they offer an American menu as well, including one with more «traditional» Americanized Chinese food. On the menu there are thousands of offerings! Yes, some items may put most people off, such as tripe, pig intestines, duck tongue, and some others, but look past that to the other thousand or so offerings!
Best Chinese food I’ve had in over 15 years since I was in an area with real authentic Chinese food.
We had the eggplant and pork, salt and pepper pork, crispy pan fried noodle with seafood, pork and Napa dumplings, garlic string beans and the chicken with bean sauce. Everything was amazing. Delicious! We all left stuffed with a bag of leftovers and I am anxiously waiting to get to eat them tonight.
Sophie at the register is a delight.
This place is no tip. Byob.