Fresno’s ‘Best Chinese Food’ restaurant quietly opens a second spot. Here’s where

The restaurant with the “Best Chinese food” in Fresno quietly opened a second spot.

Its newer location seems kind of like a secret, too.

Imperial Garden #2 is tucked in the back of a breezeway area of a northeast Fresno shopping center with only one small sign in the parking lot area on display. The restaurant has been operating for almost a year — all while offering the same tasty Asian cuisine that helped them earn the award for “Best Chinese Food,” according to the Fresno Chapter of the California Restaurant Association.

But you practically would have to be in the know for an opportunity to dine at this hidden gem.

“We haven’t advertised; we don’t have social media,” said owner Tao Xu through a translator. “All of our business has been through people telling other people.”

As Xu, who is also a chef at the restaurant, sees it: There’s really not much to say when the food does all the talking.

Imperial Garden #2 offers a variety of options including Americanized Chinese food classics like broccoli beef and orange chicken, as well as authentic Chinese cuisines like a deep fried whole pig roast and Peking duck.

Portions are quite generous, giving dine-in customers the opportunity to eat plenty of freshly prepared foods at the restaurant and still have leftovers for later.

If large servings aren’t appealing, the restaurant has a dim sum menu (small, bite-sized dishes) with customer favorites like deep fried shrimp, shiu mai (classic juicy pork and prawn filling, enclosed with wonton wrappers) and steamed beef dumplings.

Imperial Garden #2, located at 6716 N. Cedar Ave Suite 104 in the Cedar Tree Village shopping center at the southeast corner of Cedar and Herndon avenues, has been open since September.

The owner said the newer restaurant offers the same foods and menu as the original location that’s just south of Blackstone and Herndon avenues.

In addition, Imperial Garden #2 offers clay pot specials (rice is cooked in a clay pot over a direct flame with meat selection topped on), as well as fresh daily roasted duck and roasted pork.

The whole pork roast is available for catering and special events.

“We have a big menu,” Xu said.

The original Imperial Garden restaurant, which has changed ownership over the years, has been around for about 30 years.

Xu said the original Imperial Garden was often packed and busy, so ownership wanted to branch out and serve more people with an additional restaurant.

The restaurants are located less than 4 miles from each other.

But with the newer Imperial Garden being in the same shopping center as R-N Market (a large Asian grocery store), Xu said it was a good opportunity to expand.

Imperial Garden #2 is located in the old Hunan Chinese restaurant that closed in October 2023.

“Most of the time, it’s busy but quiet here,” Xu said.