Green Bamboo

While there are more and more upscale Asian Fusion restaurants and lounges / cafes in the Downtown Lowell Area, Green Bamboo has delivered consistent and affordable Chinese takeout for as long as I can remember. I'm pretty sure the prices, service, and quality at Green Bamboo haven't changed in a decade and that's not a bad thing because you shouldn't need to change to meet new trends. Remember when buying Chinese takeout from restaurants like this, order numbered specials. A lot of people don't seem to understand that's where the value / quality is or may not know how to order because they're too used to buying from these online apps that make it look like all restaurants have generic menus.

I think this is my very first bad review. I was so disappointed with the fact that I paid $80 for ham Disguised as boneless spareribs. For the price I paid and what I asked for I should’ve been given boneless SPARERIBS NOT HAM in red coloring. Gross!!!!!!! The beef Teriyaki had ZERO flavor, my husband and I both couldn’t even eat it. This completely ruined my taste for Chinese for a while.

If you're looking for the best Chinese food you've ever had in your life, this probably isn't it. But if you want hot, quickly made, reasonably portioned, decent food at good prices, this is the spot. It's right by Middlesex Community College, so it's a great option for busy and hungry college students. Just make sure the box is closed securely before you start walking, lol. Might just be a one time mistake, though.

I ordered through door dash, food is great. But ordered 3 VEGGIE spring rolls added to my meal. They put 2 with PORK in them.. some of us don’t eat pork and i was specific about my order, I ordered Veggie not pork!

Been looking for a replacement Chinese food restaurant for my New Year's Eve dinner to replace my go to which closed down due to personal family issues. I found this one online browsing through Google Maps for local restaurants. Read through all the reviews, which seemed mixed for a lot of restaurants. I looked through the menus and decided on Green Bamboo. Spent almost $50 on 3 of us. The tragedy came after I brought home the food and realized there were no condiments, no fortune cookies, no silverware, all we got was a restaurant menu where our order was marked on. As for the food, can't really comment truthfully on it cuz even though a lot has to do with preparation and actual cooking the other half is the extra personal touched we add as individuals. Just very disappointed 😞

I mean absolutely no disrespect by this. I’ve never had more bland Chinese in my life. Needed salt for sure. Employees are friendly food was ready super fast. Not sure what went wrong

It's not expensive and it tastes good!! There are variety of options to pick. A 5$ fried rice for lunch is enough for me and I'm definitely gonna buy there again.

It's so hard to find doughy pan fried dumplings if you can find them at all but they make them here! & they're bite size! I also like the fried won tons, egg rolls & battered chicken fingers. The service is always kind & pleasant. They have tables set up but I don't believe they have table service & there's no ambiance. But it works if you need to eat there. I always get take out. Remember to order extra duck sauce!

TEMU CHINESE! Disappointing!! 1/3 the size of competitors! Chicken fingers are literally TINYYYY chicken BITES! Beef teriyaki is a SHIVER! Lol! No joke! Normally with Chinese, you can share a plate and have leftovers. NOT HERE! I ate the entire plate myself and I'm still hungry! Very disappointed. Value 1.5 star Taste is a solid 3-3.5. I believe they likely need to raise the prices 15-20% and increase portions; 30-50%. Profit seems to be the focus here! Child size portions! Go to LO KAI in DRACUT!! Much larger portions!

Great for what it is, the most affordable Chinese in the area. Pretty solid from everything I have had from there.

I felt like I was eating Chinese food back in New York the way they make their food I will continue to keep on going to this place because the price and the food it is great. I cannot complain about the food.

Great location, great portion sizes, good food, many options available, affordable prices, quality service & friendly staff.

Would recommend to any college students looking for a good food on a budget. Very affordable food, I would recommend the lunch or all day specials. Food is decent but don't expect exemplary cuisine, pretty run of the mill American Chinese food. Service is fast, best if you call ahead or online. They do charge extra for card so pay with cash. Don't let the interior scare you, it is a great place for affordable Chinese takeout.

I will end a mans life for the pork fired rice-- and i have yet to find anouther place that makes chicken fingers the same. The serving sizes are massive and cheap, the staff is very nice. I will say that one time i was picking up an order i told the guy what it was and he reapted something totally different and then i said "no this is what i orderd" and then he still charged me and gave me the wrong food!?!? Honestly not that upset it was like food for 3 or 4 people and i was going to work anyways so i just shared and everyone seemed to enjoy it tons. And honestly that worker was clearly stressed out that day and i could have checked my bag before i walked out so i dont think its fair to take any stars away. The inside is a little janky theres like no temperature control in there either so winter is rough. And its pretty on par with other places in lowell so its not like anything crazy

Green Bamboo's front Cashier and Mother are very nasty if you check your food before leaving restaurant. I had been a customer for over 10 years. They tend to overcook the boneless and egg foo young when I order I ask that they don't overcook them. I ask for the house special egg foo young GOLDEN not brown. Who likes their eggs brown? Usually the older man that cooks it makes it Golden and it is delicious! One day, after being a customer for over 10 years, I checked my egg foo young and it was brown on the back. I told them didn't want my egg overcooked and brown and the mother started yelling and the younger cashier did as well. She told me that they were never going to make egg foo young for me again and made me a new order.They insulted me and told me they wouldn't serve me again because I had to tell them the egg foo young was overcooked and scorched brown. Do we not have the right to say an order was overcooked? These people only want money. They don't care about customers who patronized them for over 10 years.

They tried to lie to me on the price and act like I was dumb and when they couldn't play dum no more they said it was a price increase, they are easy to finesse ur money if you are aminority

I always go here when I wanna save money or eat alot of General Tso's Chicken. Out of all the downtown lowell restaurant, their general tso's has the biggest quantity. My advice would be to order ahead of time because it takes a while to prepare, but it'll be slightly warm after a while. On the other hand, it's very very hot when you order and wait on the spot, but this tends to kill half of my 45 min. lunch break.

Three stars is generous. Place is kinda strange to walk into. Most of the food tasted the same. Kind of greasy. And we got ZERO fortune cookies. Ugh.

I haven't been to this place since my son went to MCC 9 years ago. I decided to try this place this evening. The Teriyaki beef taste like crap. They just slice piece of meat and put a stick on it. I'm not sure if they change owner but I'm sure that will be my last.

Green Bamboo has an All Day Special menu with prices starting from $4.00 to $6.00 for various combinations with pork fried rice! Their pork fried rice is kind of dry, so ask for duck sauce. I usually order the "K" special that includes chicken fingers and crab rangoon with pork fried rice for $4.00. Parking is limited for this location! I think there are like only four parking spaces available for Green Bamboo customers. They will tow your car if you park at a non-patron spot, so beware! I recommend coming late at night because traffic in the afternoon! Gotta order the D1 special - Pork fried rice with chicken fingers, boneless spare ribs and beef teriyaki.

Let's be honest. You either like it or you don't. No inbetween. I personally like it. I've been coming here for years since I was a freshman at Lowell High. I remember it as the place to go for cheap Chinese on half day Wednesdays. And it still is the place to go for cheap Chinese. The prices haven't changed much. Their all-day-specials are the deals to get. Actually it's the only thing I order from there. All are under $6. You get a ton of food in a Styrofoam to go box and so much so that they have to staple the opening shut so it doesn't spill out. Now let's discuss the food. It's really either a hit or a miss. Sometimes it's piping hot off the stove or fryer and other times it's warm and let's just say, the opposite of fresh. My experience is if you order near their closing time, you'll get the latter. So make sure you order during the day. Don't forget to ask for extra duck sauce. It goes with everything especially the crab rangoon. Yum. Let's not forget the interior of the restaurant. The counter and tables are still light pink and chipped. The floors and walls are still sticky icky and grimmey. Just as I remembered it as a freshman in high school. The interior hasn't changed, much to my displeasure. While the food and interior of the restaurant hasn't changed much in regards to taste or quantity (which is a good thing) the service has. It has surprisingly gotten better. The women who take the orders are genuinely very nice and they smile which is a plus. You don't get a lot of pleasant service with Chinese fast food anywhere. All in all, with all the other Chinese restaurants in Lowell, I think this will always remain #1 in my heart for cheap Chinese.

The food is delicious and the staff are friendly. They have lunch specials for a ridiculously low price (about $5) and they do NOT skimp on the portions! I regret not discovering them when I lived in Lowell. Because of the proximity to my office and the speed and cost of the food, I eat here pretty frequently. I can call in an order and walk over to pick it up in about 10 minutes. Pretty great when I have a busy schedule! The food is never too greasy and always flavorful. I'm particularly fond of the sweet and sour chicken and the general tso's.

This place is great. The prices are insanely low! My favorite hot and sour soup ever and a Large which is the Pint size is only 3 dollars and change! Great all day specials. My favorite is the Crab rangoon, chicken fingers, and pork fried rice. That with my pint of soup always comes under $10, and easily is 2 meals. Great go-to chinese! Family owned.

Have you noticed that some Chinese places change their name overnight? You get a nice new flyer in your mail slot, phone up a week later, eager to try something new, and discover it's no longer Lucky Panda13. Not only is their accent so thick it's hard to place the order, but the entire menu has changed and you could swear they just answered the phone "Gold Dragon restaurant". Green Bamboo is not one of these fly-by-night operations. They've been around for at least 7+ years, that I'm aware of-- and have been consistently serving great delivery food during that time. They also continue to be Green Bamboo, which may seem like a low standard, but in Lowell MA it turns out to be quite a statement. Their menu doesn't fluctuate much, and they speak excellent English on the phone. When I want a no hassle ordering experience, reliable delivery time & good quality Chinese food, they're 1st on my list. (Note: they do have dine-in booths/tables, but they're really best for waiting at until your take-out order is ready. 2 star atmosphere.)

If you are super hungry and craving Chinese -- Green Bamboo is the jam. I originally gave it 5-stars, but since have dropped it to 4-stars after a few inconsistent take-out orders. Anywhoo, I was starving and had a hankering for some spicy protein and rice. I opted for the orange chicken and vege fried rice. SPOT ON. Both very fresh and flavorful. They match up excellently together. The lo mein is also pretty flavorful, although inconsistent at times. I also got an order of fried dumplings, which to my delight, came in these awesome nugget-sized bites, instead of the usual cumbersome huge-ass shell that spills a gallon of mystery liquid when you bite into it. Innovative and awesome. The prices aren't bad for the quantity of hot and delicious food, but don't try to order over the phone -- it'll get screwed up. Also, props to the little guy at the front counter taking a break from what I assume to be some sort of advanced mathematics homework, to take our order. Super nice. All in all, this place is the best place to get Chinese take-out in Lowell. Period.

Very good considering the price. Super cheap, a bit inconsistent, but tasty most of the time. Love the General Tsos chicken and the chicken fried rice. My favorite!

Decent quick chinese food. Better than the chinese buffet options, and definitely great for the price.

The worst food ever! I was so disappointed. The pork fried rice was uncooked or maybe it's the plastic rice that's been circulating around. Dumplings were a size of a quarter and the chicken wings were really 4 wings but they charge you for 8 wings. I will never step foot in that place again.

I go to Green Bamboo on a regular basis when I know I'm not going to be able to make something for dinner. It took me several visits to figure out that they cook everything from scratch, so don't expect your food to show up if you're in a rush. There are several other Chinese restaurants in the area that produce a product of similar quality for twice the price, so it's definitely worth it. The combos are where it's at. General Tso's Chicken with pork fried rice and a gigantic spring roll for $6.70. I usually eat half and save the rest for lunch the next day, but if you do that, take it out of the Styrofoam before you microwave it, otherwise the food kind of picks up its flavor. That's a knock on Styrofoam, not on their food. It's not amazing, but it's consistently decent and always tasty.

Love it! Affordable food! Decent serving size! I've been going and order here since 2008!

This place is good if you order something fried. My favorite are the fried chicken fingers. They are hot and delicious. However, please stay away from the soup. I once ordered a hot n' sour soup and it tasted spoiled. I know my hot n sour soup. I've ordered the hot n sour soup from them before but somehow this time around it smells funky..and taste even funkier. It was so gross I threw the entire order into the garbage. This makes me wonder if they recycle their leftover soup from the day before and add that to their new badge.. ugh just the thought of it makes me want to gag.

OK, not great. The chicken with Chinese vegetables was about 80% celery. Quality wasn't bad, but it seemed like they were cutting corners to save a buck by skimping on the chicken and tastier vegetables (I've nothing against celery, but I don't usually eat a pound of it in one sitting). The vegetable lo mien was meh. However, I bumped my review up a star because the crab rangoons, which always sound better than they turn out to be, were simply fantastic. They were crisp outside, gooey inside and had lots of real crab in them. It's worth it to go in just for those, and be sure to eat them there, when they are hot and fresh.

Dirty. $8 for boneless ribs & chicken strips. Brought it back, 3 paper thin chicken strips and 3 paper thin ' ribs' on a 3 lb bed of fried rice. Waste of time

Quick, cheap, authetic and made fresh. This place does not taste like your standard asian take-out, fried rice is made fresh, delicious

This place always saying they gonna be at my house at a certain time but never come at that time making me wait like 2 hours just for one plate of food and my house and like 10 mins away walking .

The worst food in Lowell. I would say to stay away. Just go up the street or down Merrimack St. I had a soggy mess

Hands down, the best Chinese food restaurant in the downtown area. The beef with snow peas had extremely fresh snow peas and the orange shrimp was some of the best shrimp my fiancé has had in a "very long time" from a Chinese restaurant. I have tried all three in the downtown (Green Bamboo, New Great Taste, and Empire Hunan). This was our first visit and we will absolutely be back.

Went back this weekend w/ my boyfriend and little sister and the prices went up! I couldnt care less if it went up $1, but changing the cook; oh NO! The usual family and the two little kids that always work there weren't there anymore :( This place had the best beef lo mein, hands down, but when we ordered it this weekend it had no flavor and who the hell puts pieces of lettuce in lo mein? your suppose to put cabbage in, get it right! (I know, everyone cooks different, but in my opinion anyways. . . ) Everything was lacking flavor . . . I'm hoping the original workers are just on vacay...if not, I'm not coming back!

there is no parking... the restaurant is sticky and super dirty... the chairs and tables are gross... the walls still have "Merry Christmas" signs up... there are black caked-on filth on the walls... the staff is rude and will look at you funny if you ask for an extra fork... But I am telling you, they have the BEST small chain, americanized, out-side-of-boston Chinese food!!!!!!!! Seriously!

I've been ordering here for years and have always been pleased with the customer service and food. Last night was the first time we tried delivery. We ordered two K plates & a D7. The K plates were fine, however when we opened the D7 we realized there must have been a mix up. The D7 was supposed to come with pork fried rice, pork spear ribs, 5 chicken fingers and an egg roll. The plate we received came with pork fried rice, 3 chicken fingers and 2 fried shrimp. The woman on the phone said we couldn't eat the plate or they would charge us for it. I explained we had been waiting an hour to eat and couldn't wait for them to come back and fix the mistake but asked instead of sending us a whole new plate if they could send the missing items (pork spear ribs and egg roll). The woman said that was fine but there was a $1.65 price difference from the plate we received to the plate we had originally ordered, even though this was their mistake I agreed to pay the difference. The woman then asked that we return the two fried shrimp to the delivery driver as they did not go with the plate we ordered. I thought it was absurd considering they made a mistake, I was paying the difference in price & the original plate was supposed to come with 5 chicken fingers but the one we received only came with 3. They did send the driver back and we returned the shrimp but I still think it was their mistake and they should have corrected the order at their cost. I will order here again because this is the only bad experience but I will never again order delivery.

Only thing any good is the fried dumplings. Ordered shrimp w/ lobster sauce today and was sadly disappointed. Wasted $8 because I had to throw it out.

Not too great. We went an hour before closing and they still were slow and looked reluctant to service us. We ordered take out: General Tso's, Ma Po Tofu, and Beef and Broccoli. General Tso's tasted more like orange chicken, and the teeny pieces of chicken were encased in batter that was too thick. The ma po tofu was basically tofu cubes and peas in soy sauce. No minced pork, no chilis... just tofu and peas. Very boring. The beef and broccoli was the average kind of beef/broccoli you'd find anywhere else. Probably wouldn't come here again, even though I live right down the street.

Nice spot for a fast Chinese Meal. Prices are reasonable. There's nothing fancy or topnotch about this venue. Hungry? Just Get a meal sit and eat. They've been in lowell for over ten years.

I love gramboo. It's the easily the best Chinese food place in downtown. I work downtown and order gramboo almost every weekend. They have great prices, and have good food.