County offices attract Chinese eatery to Westdale

After working for several Chinese restaurants for a number of years, Li Wen decided to become the boss.

Li's Garden opened in March 2009 in the center court area of Westdale Mall.

“I came here from New Jersey and met my husband, Eric Minor,” Li said. “His family is from Cedar Rapids, so we decided to stay here and open a restaurant using the skills I acquired had working at other restaurants.”

Minor said Westdale Mall was chosen for several reasons, including the fact that a Chinese restaurant previously occupied the same location.

“After the flood, with the county offices located here, we thought it would be a good location,” he said. “The China Cafe had been closed for about five years, so we had to do a lot of cleaning.

“We do a lunch buffet during the week and we're open for dinner. We also offer delivery in Cedar Rapids. That's helping us build our customer base.”

Li is from Beijing, which influences the preparation of her food. Sesame chicken is a customer favorite, along with a bourbon chicken and crabmeat rangoons.

“Our crabmeat rangoons are very crispy with a very thin skin,” Minor said. “You can eat them in one bite. They just melt in your mouth, which makes them very popular with our customers.”

Minor and Wen quickly realized that mall traffic slows after the Linn County offices close at 5 p.m.

“That's when we started delivering to expand our customer base,” Minor said. “We've really seen an increase in foot traffic since the weather has improved and more people are shopping at Westdale. A lot of people don't know what entrance to use for the county offices, so they come through here.”

Li uses 100 percent vegetable oil to prepare her fried items and offers health food specials. Steamed mixed vegetables with white rice and no oil are available as an entree, or they can be accompanied by chicken, pork, beef or shrimp.

“My wife used to work at The Great Wall Chinese restaurant on Boyson Road in northeast Cedar Rapids,” Minor said. “Many of the recipes that customers enjoyed at The Great Wall are available on our menu.”

Li's Garden is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Free delivery is offered on orders of $10 or more.  Call (319) 390-4076.