Jade Fountain Cafe

Jade Fountain Cafe in Sacramento is, without a doubt, the crown jewel of Chinese dining in the area. From the moment you sit down to the time you roll out with a full belly and takeout bags in hand, it's a culinary experience that keeps you coming back. Let's start with the standout dishes. The General Tso's Chicken is pure perfection--crispy, saucy, and just the right balance of sweet and spicy. It's easily the best in town and leagues above your standard orange chicken. The salt and pepper spare ribs? A must-order. Tender, crispy, and packed with bold garlic and pepper flavor, they're the kind of dish you'll be daydreaming about later.The honey walnut shrimp is a classic done right, with crunchy shrimp bathed in a luscious creamy sauce and perfectly candied walnuts. For carb lovers, the salted fish fried rice is a flavor bomb with just the right kick of umami, and the chow fun is silky and satisfying. If you're in the mood for something hearty, the eggplant clay pot is a smoky, saucy masterpiece of texture and flavor. Oh, and don't sleep on the chicken wings--they're solid, crispy goodness that pairs perfectly with just about everything.The ambiance here is ideal for gatherings. The round tables are spacious and can easily fit 10 people--we had four big guys in our group, and no one felt cramped. Whether you're planning a family dinner or a friends' feast, the setup is perfect. Plus, Jade Fountain absolutely shines for catering. Their service is reliable and accommodating, making it a fantastic choice for parties or events. For smaller groups, calling ahead for takeout is super convenient, and the staff is always gracious, even if there's a bit of a language barrier. Patience goes a long way, and they're more than happy to help you get exactly what you need.Parking can be a little tricky, especially during busy hours. There's a small lot with just one row of regular and disability spots, but street parking is usually available, and it's worth the short walk. If you're coming from Elk Grove, Roseville, or anywhere within a 20-minute drive, don't hesitate--it's a trip you won't regret.Pro tip: Bring a group and order family style. My go-to strategy? The number of people in your group plus two extra dishes. For five people, order seven dishes--three or four proteins, two carbs, and a veggie dish. You'll have an amazing feast and plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day. Jade Fountain isn't just a restaurant; it's a food haven where knowing what to order unlocks its full magic. Whether it's for a casual lunch, a celebratory dinner, or catering your next event, this is Chinese cuisine at its finest. Highly, highly recommend!

update: we decided to try their $72 pre-set dinner menu and added another dish to complete our meal. Their pre-set menu provides value. If we had ordered the same items off the menu, it would have been 20-25% more in cost. so what did we have?1) seafood/tofu/pork soup: nice mild flavor to open up your tastebuds for the rest of our meal. 2) Peking Spareribs: this dish surprised all. the pieces of pork loin were moist and had a nice sweet sauce. it was a favorite amongst everyone. 3) Oyster Clay pot: nice flavor, there were definitely more pieces of fried tofu than oysters4) two mushrooms with squid: interesting. very flavorful dish but it only had one type of mushroom and not two types...plus it also had shrimp which was not mentioned in the menu- i wonder if tye cook added shrimp because they only used one type of mushrooms 5) chinese fried chicken: blah, nasty. it was cold and dry- avoid this entree like the plague and never order this dish again6) broccoli beef: beef was tender and they used chinese broccoli and not american broccoli- it was the least favorite dish among our diners-but for me, using chinese broccoli (Gai-lon) is a nice upgrade. 7) Tomato Beef chow mein: We didn't order it HK style because we wanted fresh skinny noodles that were not deep fried. unfortunately, they used the deep fried noodles and mixed all the ingredients together- this side ordered dish was extremely oily. We probably should've had them remake this dish. 8) white rice doesn't come with preset meals so ordering white rice was an additional chargeOverall, the meal was decent. nothing to rave about and only a few meh entrees.

Four stars, huh? Did we order wrong? We did order a special, but.....four stars?Ok, so the woman helping us and serving us was very nice. The Diet Coke was cold, so that was good too. Now, onto the food.We both ordered a special that came with sweet and sour chicken, broccoli beef, pork fried rice, and soup. To be fair, the soup broth was tasty and refreshing. Sure, it is still summer type weather outside, but it was good. The food went downhill from there. The pork fried rice was dry, old, and had no taste. I had to add soy sauce.....something I typically do not do with fried rice. The clincher of the meal was the "beef" in the broccoli beef was the type of "meat" that is in Chinese restaurants that get the lowest quality that is probably allowed to be served for human consumption. You take one bite, and before you decide to masticate and consume, you politely spit it in your napkin and set it aside.I usually go for hole in the walls and mom and pop shops, but I will definitely NOT be returning. Sorry to sound so harsh, but you need to up your game if you want to be competitive amongst Chinese food restaurants in Sacramento

We've gotten take out from the Jade Fountain several times now, and since becoming vegetarian, I always order the same exact thing because it is mouth-watering, great value, and combines into one dish things I would have to order separately at basically every other Chinese place I frequent.Chinese Vegetable with Bean Curd. Be sure to repeat this exactly from the menu so there isn't any confusion. I tend to get the Hong Kong Style Noodle treatment when I order this one. Are you sure you want that? Yes quite sure. Promise. Chinese Vegetable with Bean Curd. It is a beautiful medley of the Chinese vegetables I love, AND tofu (bean curd is tofu, mind blowing I know), nice and juicy, not fried, possibly braised, I'm not a chef, AND tofu skin, AND all of this is over a bed of thin noodles in sauce. It's easily enough for two meals, even three if you're not super hungry. Amazing. Presentation is also something to consider here. I've never seen a place cut carrot pieces into tiny little shapes. Flowers, geometrical shapes, even snowflakes. Wow. I also like the veggie egg rolls. They're crispy and have excellent flavor with minimal grease. My feller gets meat eater dishes and has enjoyed all of them so far. Customer service is great. No complaints. We have not dined in here together in a long time, so this is mostly a review for to go orders. Check out Jade Fountain if you like a real vegetarian menu and delicious food for a good price.

Haven't been here in years... I've forgotten how good it is. This place is truly authentic traditional Chinese food. I think they have the best beef chow fun, dry style. Portion is great and price is reasonable. Waitress spoke perfect English!

My Poe Poe's favorite Chinese Restaurant. Her favorite dish was tofu with gravy. She has since passed on and now we come here in her memory. The price has steadily increased over time, but it's still a good bang for your buck. Today we ordered broccoli and beef. We got American versus Chinese Broccoli and beef. They are very generous with their broccoli and the beef was very tender. We also get the salt and pepper fish. It is all white fish that is Lightly fried and has a little kick. It comes with jalapeños and sliced green onions on top. We also got a family size bowl of rice for $3. All meals come with a pot of hot tea. The tea is very tasty. I highly recommend this place to you.

Delicious Chinese comfort is why you'd want to come here. I used to come to Jade Fountain for years to get their pork liver & pork congee (rice porridge) whenever I was under the weather or needed something comforting. I moved away and came back 20 years later to find out this place made it through the decades as well as the pandemic. The location is a bit obscure and in a very very old strip of equally old looking shops and small businesses. There is dedicated parking but mind you that you can easily pass this place so trust your GPS and just pull into the parking lot. Easier to walk a few doors down than having to do a U-Turn. You can also park on the street too. Inside you'll find a handful basic chairs and tables with a few traditional 10 top tables for larger parties. There is one main server but she is quick and gets the job done. Food comes out fast and piping hot! Don't expect bells and whistles here, it's an old school vibe but will always meet expectations on tasty food.

First time eating here and it was delicious! Service was quick and courteous, the food was very tasty, and it didn't break the wallet (well appreciated these days). Would eat here again if in the area.

I liked that they opened early at 10:00am compared to some other places that opened at 11:00am. I ordered to go from here: beef stew clay pot, Peking spareribs, salt & pepper squid, and salt & pepper tofu. I called it in and it was ready by the time I went to pick it up. Everything was pretty good, but I enjoyed the squid the most. I would order from here again.

I had the hot and sour soup. How can a dish look and smell so good, but have literally zero flavor. I drink hot water and that had more flavor. However, the chow mein was perfect.