Golden Garden Springs Forth in Erie, PA

Golden Garden Springs Forth in Erie, PA

Helmed by an experienced owner, Golden Garden is a gorgeous Chinese buffet eatery in Erie, Pennsylvania. Weiyu Zhang has been working in the food industry for over ten years and his amiable demeanor and strong vision have created a unique restaurant staffed by loyal, dedicated chefs that produce some of the best Americanized Chinese food in the state.

Located Conveniently at a Crossroads

The restaurant is located at the border of residential and business areas of Erie, Pennsylvania. It’s easy to spot the restaurant from the street and the high traffic area ensures plenty of customers. There is also a high demand for Chinese food in the area, and thankfully little competition.

Mr. Zhang believes that the fortunate location is not the only reason for the restaurant’s success. Rather, customers constantly recommend the restaurant to their friends and have helped build the restaurant’s considerable reputation.    

Golden Garden is approximately 3,000 square feet and can hold up to 100 people, not including the waiting room. The waiting room is reserved for latecomers when the dining room is full.

The whole ambience is intended to be bright and peaceful. Once entering the eatery, you may take notice of the immaculate condition of the carpeted floors and well-lit tables or you may notice the orderly layout and the passionate service provided by the staff. But most importantly, you’ll realize that this is a comfortable place to enjoy your favorite dishes.

In addition to its clean accommodations, Golden Garden has some classical Chinese elements to satisfy your curiosity about Chinese culture. The major attraction is the decorative ceiling which is adorned with traditional Chinese symbols of success – the Dragon and the Phoenix. In Chinese culture, they bring prosperity and good luck to the house.

Buffet and Menu Dining: The Best of Both Worlds

While the decorations are certainly alluring, it’s the food that will keep you coming back time and time again. There are three buffet bars to sample with different dishes stocked in each. One buffet bar is for the hot Americanized Chinese dishes. One is for the cold items such as salad, vegetables, etc. And the last one is for Chinese style snacks, like the Spring Roll and Dumplings. This eatery features a variety of dishes that numbers over fifty distinct items in total.

According to the owner, Mr. Zhang, most customers are not only amazed by the clean and relaxed dining environment, but also by the enticing food. It’s true that each restaurant has its own character that separates it from others. At Golden Garden, it’s the ability to accommodate your unique preferences that makes the restaurant distinct: “We really know what local people like to eat and the unique sauce made by our experienced chefs is very popular,” explains Mr. Zhang confidently. Of course, during certain times of the year, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, Golden Garden offers special dishes to satisfy customers. The restaurant also provides a catering service for the customers’ convenience.

Golden Garden has accumulated lots of regular customers with its scrumptious food and first-rate service. While there are many popular dishes at Golden Garden, the top three signature items include General Tso's Chicken, Chicken/Beef w. Broccoli, and Mongolian Beef. If you have a chance to visit Golden Garden, these top dishes really should not be missed.

Along with a great dining ambience and enticing food, the considerate service has also contributed to the restaurant’s popularity with the local community. “We always try our best to satisfy the customer’s individual requirement” adds the own. A mystery diner had nothing but praise for the restaurant, stating: “First off, the food is very good, we go there often and it is an ever changing buffet, they have even added a salad bar, which is very good since my daughter is vegetarian! They have wonderful food and the service is good and if you don't like the buffet you can order off the menu.” In addition to providing an exciting menu and several buffet options, the chefs are fully prepared to cook something for your individual diet, should the need arise.

Nowadays, Americans are becoming more and more aware of the importance of dining healthy. The chefs at Golden Garden use little oil, no MSG, and adopt healthy cooking methods (such as boiling) to help provide a healthy dining experience to the customers. They also use the best available ingredients and provide the finest condiments to ensure a healthy-all-around meal.

Generally, buffet restaurant must pay attention to the freshness of dishes. To combat this, Mr. Zhang has created a plan: “We adjust the volume of ready-made dishes according to the specific day and time.” This helps ensure the freshness of dishes while keeping waste down.

Serving the Local Community

Mr. Zhang wants to ensure that “each visitor is treated as our VIP.” To that end, he has hired staff members from the local community and a staff full of English speakers. He also brags about his strong relationship with his staff, calling them his “friends” rather than his employees. He always takes their opinions to heart and often invites staff members to join him during festival celebrations. “Management becomes easy when you have a good relationship with your teammates!”

At Golden Garden, deep cleaning is conducted every week to guarantee every corner is spotless. Every two months, Golden Garden hires a professional cleaning company to get the carpet washed. The immaculate hygiene of the restaurant impresses the Health Department, awarding the restaurant a high score.   

Mr. Zhang’s Plan

In 1997, Mr. Zhang first came to America with the wish to start a brand new life. With the help of his relatives, Mr. Zhang fortunately got a job in a Chinese restaurant as a busboy. The language barrier initially made progress slow, but he persevered and in 2003, Mr. Zhang finally got an opportunity to open his own restaurant: a take-out eatery in New Jersey. But due to his inexperience and disadvantageous location, business wasn’t good. Learning from this setback, Mr. Zhang realized that he needed to learn more before running a restaurant. He decided to go back and work for his relatives to learn more about running a restaurant. In 2006, after three years of intense study, Mr. Zhang found a great chance to open Golden Garden in Erie, PA. This time Mr. Zhang was experienced in how to run a restaurant well. The business now is quite prosperous.    

In the future, Mr. Zhang would like to open another restaurant, only this time it would be a true fusion restaurant. He’s like to found a place that offers interesting Japanese, Chinese, and Western dishes to a grateful community. With his team behind him, Mr. Zhang believes he can accomplish almost anything.

Message from the owner: “Be grateful, be perseverant and be down-to-earth.”

Golden Garden

• Location: 4478 Buffalo Rd. Erie, PA 16510


• Cuisine: Americanized Chinese Food


• Signature Dish: General Tso's Chicken, Chicken/Beef w. Broccoli, and Mongolian Beef


• Year of establishment: 2006


• Phone: 814-898-8288


• Owner: Mr. Zhang