Peking Garden has been feeding Aurora since before most of its current regulars were born. The original location on New York Street dates back to the 1970s, which makes it one of the longest-running restaurants in the city by a considerable margin. That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen because the food is mediocre.
The dining room won’t win any design awards. Drop ceilings, round tables with lazy Susans, the kind of carpet that’s seen a few decades of spilled tea. But the place is clean, reliably staffed, and the service is the unhurried kind that actually lets you eat a meal at a normal pace. On a Friday or Saturday night, the room fills with family groups — multigenerational tables, a few people who’ve clearly been coming here for twenty years, a birthday party in the corner. It has the feel of a neighborhood institution that doesn’t need to announce itself.
The menu runs long, as these menus tend to do, but there are dishes worth steering toward. The Peking duck is the obvious headliner — they do it right, with the crispy skin served separately, thin pancakes, scallions, and hoisin, then the meat reappears in a second course if you order the full preparation. Plan ahead and call in advance; they don’t always have it available walk-in. If you miss the duck, the moo shu pork is a better-than-average version, and the hot and sour soup is exactly what it should be: thick, sour, quietly spicy, and deeply satisfying on a cold evening.
For a table of two, expect to spend somewhere in the $30–$50 range with drinks, more if you go for the duck. Portions are generous enough that taking leftovers home is practically mandatory. Lunch specials run considerably cheaper and include soup — a solid weekday option if you’re nearby.
One thing worth noting: the menu has Chinese-American staples alongside more traditional preparations, and the kitchen handles both with equal seriousness. General Tso’s chicken exists here and it’s fine, but the Szechuan dishes are where the kitchen shows more range. The twice-cooked pork and the mapo tofu are both worth ordering if you want to see what the place is actually capable of.
Peking Garden sits on New York Street in the western part of the city, with parking in the lot directly adjacent — never a problem. Hours run through dinner service most days of the week; call ahead on Mondays, as hours can vary. They take reservations, which is worth doing if you’re bringing a larger group or specifically want the Peking duck.
The reason to go is simple: Aurora has a lot of restaurants, and most of them are good for a year or two before something changes. Peking Garden has been consistent across multiple decades and multiple generations of the same families coming through the door. That’s not nostalgia talking. That’s just a track record.
