Fortune Garden

Reviews

• McKenzie P.

  star star star star star 24 October 2026

  THE ABSOLUTE BEST. I don't think I have ever heard someone say something negative about Fortune Garden. I have been eating there since middle school and now it college it continues to be my favorite Chinese food. I literally crave it on a weekly basis and is a must have whenever I come back home.

• Amanda S.

  star star star star star_border 24 October 2026

  We live in grimes and this is a must for us. The amount of resturants in town is slim, but when we are hungry and don't wanna go very far this place always hits the spot. Definitely a favorite for us.

• Christina M.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 9 October 2026

  So much no. The high reviews here blow my mind. If you like super gloopy, Americanized Chinese food with TONS of filler vegetables, look no further. At lunch you cannot order a la carte and have to get a "special" with choice of eggdrop/hot and sour and crab rangoon or eggroll.  I should have been warned off when our waitress was totally perplexed by basic questions about things like Sichuan dishes or Chinese vegetable options (there are none). Hope you're not a fan of wonton soup because they no longer offer it (at lunch at least - gotta mind those margin$). Also no scallops available. Hot and sour soup had zero spice, pork, or tofu, approximately two mushroom slices, and about a cup of shredded bamboo shoots. "Chicken with snow peas" was 1 c. bamboo shoots (notice a trend?), 1/2 c. snow peas, 1/3 c. chicken breast. Very bland. Hubby's "Sichuan shrimp" was nothing of the sort either - mostly peppers in a gloopy brown sauce with chili flakes. No Sichuan peppercorn - "ma la" was a total misnomer. Our server was totally disinterested and passive when I asked why my dish was all bamboo shoots and offered up lame excuses. The eggrolls are good - more like Filipino lumpia - but everything else is so half-assed. Just no.
  
  Not worth a trip!

• Jeff J.

  star star star star star 2 October 2026

  Without a doubt, this place has great food. It's cheap, it's filling, and it's plenty so I can't ask for more. The orange chicken is so savory and the orange flavor is just perfect, I love the tang. I do wish there was more of a crunch to the batter but I got it take out so that might just be my fault. The fried rice is awesome too, it's not overly packed with random veg and it's just good and flavorful all around. Make sure you bring cash if you're just getting a small lunch or anything under 10 bucks. After I placed my order, the wait was only a few minutes for my to-go. Thanks to my friends who recommended it to me, I think I'll be coming here often.  
  Now of course this site has its good and bad but what I notice all too often is when mom and pop joints like these get trashed. It's your opinion, and that's fair, but I came here for my Chinese American lunch and in no way am I expecting anything else. Some of us, myself included, came to Des Moines from places were there's more choices in Chinese dishes so, without a doubt, I miss those restaurants too. But I'm here to stay and I know what to expect when I come to Fortune Garden. What I want is no frills, saucy, savory, sweet Orange chicken or General Tso's. I want my sweet and sour or beef and broccoli. I want my Chinese American food and this is what I expect because this is what sells here in sunny side Grimes, Iowa. Our parents came to the United States and worked hard to give us every opportunity to succeed like every other immigrant family. So when I walked in today and saw an older Asian chef working his tail off in front of a hot wok then put in my order with the curt lady running the counter,  I recognize a family trying to make a living in a community they want to stay in. But when I read a review lamenting about the lack of authenticity or the "Americanized" flavor, I wonder if they would be so strict if they saw their own family bussing the table. I was the same way at one point but now I can't bring myself to slam any small family business in the community...short of a health code violation.

• Miguel M.

  star star star star star 1 October 2026

  In town for military school and found this great place right down the road from Camp Dodge.
  Small restaurant with great customer service
  Excellent lunch special and food was great.
  Had the Mongolian Beef, Chicken Lo Mein, and Orange Chicken on various days as I kept coming back. They were all very tasty. The Egg rolls and crab Rangoon that you can get with the $5 lunch special we're the best I've had in a long time.
  Truly recommend this place. I'll be coming here for lunch until I leave.
  
  Sit-in service was a little slow, but understandable  as they were extremely busy every time I was there
  They seem to get a lot of take out orders and that seems to be their priority and seem to be short staffed. Wait was worth it to me.