Columnist Leah Keiter makes a case for Lam's Garden, located on East State Street, as the best Chinese food in town.
I’m a big believer in the power of Chinese food. When the craving for some good fried rice sets in, nothing in the world is better.
At home in North Carolina, we’re pretty well surrounded by different Chinese food options — everything from drive-thru Panda Express to my all time favorite, P.F. Chang’s. When I came back to Athens and started exploring lazy dinner (and drunk food) options, I remembered how lacking Court Street is in terms of good Chinese food. I’m calling Court Street out specifically because Athens does have a couple of great Chinese options, one of which is the subject of my column this week: Lam’s Garden.
I’m sure anyone who lives in Athens has seen Lam’s before, even if you didn’t know it, because it's on East State Street right across from Wal-Mart. Lam’s is small but has a charm that I could never really put my finger on. The décor is what I associate with a classic Chinese place (maybe because Lam’s is that for me?) and every table has hot water sitting out for tea.
Though the atmosphere definitely contributes to the dining experience, my favorite thing about Lam’s obviously is the food. Everything tastes really fresh, and comes out piping hot like it was made to order. My personal favorites are chicken fried rice and chicken lo mein, but the eggrolls, dumplings and General Tso's chicken are also pretty hard to beat.
It’s definitely worth the trip to East State (even if you just get take out) to break the mold of uptown Chinese buffets. Don’t get me wrong, I can definitely get down with some cheap Chinese (looking at you, China King), but Lam’s is great, fresh food at a good price.
A huge part of why I write this column is because I hate seeing great spots in Athens getting overlooked, and Lam’s is no exception. I love Jimmy John’s, Bagel Street and all of the other Court Street classics as much as the next person, but sometimes Uptown can feel small, and getting away from the regular places can be a nice way to escape the bubble without actually having to take a long trip.
Lam’s is Athens’ oldest Chinese restaurant, and it has been featured many times on the Athens News’ Best of Athens lists, including being an honorable mention for the 2015 ethnic food category. Located at 934 E. State St., Lam’s is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and features dine in and carry out options. From Monday to Saturday until 2:30, it features a lunch menu with everything from fried shrimp to chicken chow mein with fried rice and an eggroll for just about $6.
Leah Keiter is a junior studying journalism. Have you been to Lam's Garden? Email her at lk969912@ohio.edu.
