Woo ,Woo Woo Another day of Jury Duty!! The Judge gave us a short lunch hour today ,due to Witness scheduling. So my Posse and I Speed Walked to Big Dish . Where I encountered the rudest service that Ive had in recent memory. Since I had a short lunch break I got the Roast Pork Over Rice with Cabbage. The Food was actually pretty good but the portions were small . They even checked my $10 bill to see if it was Counterfeit. This will be the first and last time they see me. To many other good choices to go to . They really need and attitude adjustment. read more

big dish is next to a pharmacy and across from a bakery. they have char siu and bbq ducks hanging in the window. inside, you can see dim sum, jook, and small plates you can order for eat in sampling: -har cheung/shrimp crepes(1.50)nice silky "skin" with small, tasty, crunchy shrimp within. order of 3 minisections is slightly smaller than an order at a restaurtant. -siu mai(.40): nice tasty morsels of minced pork in a juicy glob. as good as most dim sum restaurants and much cheaper! takeouts: -old people always cut into line -ingredients fresh -street parking. however, my residence is nearby. read more

Big dish restaurant is a pretty weird name for a Chinese restaurant. But they do have some pretty good roast duck and roast pork. The roast duck isn't the best out there but it is pretty damn good. Not too fatty and not too salty. The skin color is just right, similar to the color of (SOCO) southern comfort in a clear cup. Only one complaint about the duck, the guy that chops it up. He doesn't know how to cut at all. I think cutting and chopping a duck is a art, you have to know what your doing and keep practicing it. This guy was old but clearly he was a newbie at cutting the duck. When i got home and opened up my box of duck it looked like chopped up dog food. That didn't stop me from eating it but, im just saying. There's a right way and a wrong way to cut a duck. The roast pork was pretty good too, better then alot of places.The skin was super crispy just how i like it. I had a order of the roasted pork ribs, they charge a little extra but its well worth it. I think the ribs section has better meat quality and it keeps more moist. Service was kind of sloppy, there were 3 people behind the counter and only one person knew how to speak English. So it took a second to get my order correct. But after all the commotion i got my order and left a happy customer. 4 Stars for Big Dish Restaurant in Oakland Chinatown read more

Talk about a good deal for Chinese BBQ! For only $3.50, you can rice, some cabbage, and 2 BBQ items (roast pork, roast duck, BBQ pork, soy sauce chicken). It's not the best quality and the cuts and quantities you get varies but for $3.50, it's a steal. My favorite place, Gum Kuo, charges $7 for this. I regularly introduce friends to this deal and the response is always, "This is awesome!" They also have rice porridge (congee) for $1.75 if you take it to go. This is absurd. Sure, the meat is kind of skimpy but it's stinkin' $1.75! You can get a small rice bowl with spare ribs or chicken feet or both for $2.50. I actually don't think this is a good deal because for only $1 more, you can get the 2 BBQ item combo. There are various dim sum dishes that are decent. There's the standard siew-mai, ha-gow, and chive balls. All of these are pretty good, much better than they are at nearby Tao Yuen. They're 50 cents each I think, which is not a super deal but it's ok. Their turnip cake is so-so. You can get a whole soy sauce chicken for like $6, which is dang cheap, maybe half of what some other places charge. Their other meats are probably pretty cheap too. The service here can be a little rude. They might bark at you when asking what you want or how many. Just accept it because at $3.50 for their BBQ combo, you're practically robbing them. One of my friends said, "Do they have to be so mean?" I say just roll with it, you got a lot of food for not a lot of money. Some elderly Chinese customers might cut in front of you. That's ok too because this is their town and you were too slow. Oh, and I like watching the butcher guy chop up my food. He reminds me of the bad guy from Ip Man. Pretty cool. So here's a recap of my go-to items: * 2 BBQ items, cabbage, rice - $3.50 * Fish or chicken porridge, some preserved egg - $1.75 ($1.50 if you eat in I think, be sure to ask for onions and pepper) * Various dim sum read more

No star if there is such a Rating. 12/13/14 Saturday. So my mom bought some roast belly pork and roast duck from this spot across the street from Chinese school, next to the pharmacy. Just found out their name...Big Dish is whats called. Anyway...I got sick immediately after I ate the duck or pork, my daughter threw up all night, then my little sister was also up all night using the restroom. Now next morning, my mom is in her bed feeling the affect too. So stay away from this place everyone! Obviously they were mis handling their meat or did something unsanitary with the food they are selling. Stay Away! read more

My new fave takeout dimsum place. Large pieces of shrimp, pork, and shark fin dumplings for half the price of other takeout dimsum places in Chinatown. And to boot, they are only $.40 - $.45 each. That's $1.60 + for an order people. No overly detectable msg flavoring in the dumplings. Just an honest taste and flavor from the associated fillings. There is no line here, so don't get all worked up about "your turn in line". Get in, make your presence known, and don't bitch or whine when an old lady cuts in front of you if you stand around all freaking passive like. HOWEVER, the roast pork was awful...overly salty and the guy who chops it, takes no pride in wielding the cleaver. And of course, cuz they are too lazy to cut it right, they always try to get you to buy more than you want. Go somewhere else for roast pork. read more

This place is ridiculously cheap. When I worked in Oakland, I always ran in here before work to grab Jook. They have Yu Jook (Fish Rice Porridge), which is only $1.75! In comparison to Gum Kuo's for $6. For lunch, I usually order the spare ribs and chicken feet over rice for $2.50. Talk about eating on a budget! read more

PROS: - BBQ Pork Buns (Really like how they have a big and small version) And love their delicious glaze on the buns that make them slightly sticky - Fish Porridge: $2.25 for jook to go? yes please. - Dim sum by the piece. CONS: - Not the cleanest - Hard to find parking - Few tables Some Dim Sum: - Har gow: the rice skin they use is a bit thick. It's okay, but I'd pass - Siu Mai: big. pretty good. - Fried Turnip Cake: something's a bit off. It was a bit bitter. Pass Have not tried their BBQ combo/meats. read more

Ok, not the cleanest restaurant, but the food is good. I always love the dim sum. The best har gaw in Chinatown! The shui mai is large, delicious and packed with flavor. Sometimes I order the rice plate and it never disappoints. The chicken congee was my first flirtation with 1000 year old preserved egg which I fished out after discovering that sulfurous joy. If you eat in, they have free tea and water which is self service. They lose a star because I think that one of the ladies behind the counter hates white people. I know that Chinese immigrants can be a little gruff for the native Cali style, but that's OK with me because the food is great and we all used to walk down from Laney College to grub down. All were always satisfied. Don't forget cash only! This is getting a little old since the invention of the cube or the square. read more

I love the roasted pork here, it's been the best in town for years!

Get the roasted pork or roasted duck over rice special. Very very very good price for such a great deal. As others mentions they do serve dim sum, but that is definitely not their strong point. I would pass on the hargow as another yelper mentioned but the shu mai were ok. Not great but ok. Though the bbq and the roasted pork had a lot of fat, it also had plenty of meat, a ton of rice, and bok choy. Filled me up for nearly three meals. Super awesome. read more

I always get the BBQ pork and roast pork rice box. They give you LOTS of meat with a large portion of rice for ONLY $3.50!! The BBQ pork was perfect. The meat was very tender and the ends were crispy. They always seem to be busy whenever I go. They have lots of seating and a variety of food. I ordered a small preserved duck egg and salted porridge for $1.75. Sadly it didn't have much egg or pork but it was less than $2 so it's not bad. They also run out of BBQ pork towards the end of the day so definitely go and get your share before they sell out! This is the place to go if you're hungry and on a low budget!! read more

The final indignity. Went there for take out recently. Just a few people crowding up to the counter to get the servers' attention. We wait patiently as they serve the patrons at the counter. Then this customer shows up at the counter and waves his dollar bills at the server and he gets served next. The servers don't even bother to figure out who has been waiting the longest. They just serve the next person who gets their attention. If that floats your boat, you should go here. read more

+ THE FOOD The food here is pretty decent and very simple. I always come here for the fish porridge. The size of the to-go porridge is the perfect size since I am full but I can finish the whole thing. The fish isn't always the freshest but the porridge is so cheap ($2.25). Sometimes I would order their shrimp rolls so the total cost of the meal is just $4. You can't expect super good quality but for that price, it's super worth it. read more

This is a pick up & go place. For value, cannot be beat! I always get the combo roast pork & bbq pork over rice $3.50! U cannot find that anywhere & portions are big! Quality is pretty good. For the most part I am usually pleased with my meal. BBQ pork is ok, roast pork is good when fresh (crunchy skin) otherwise the skin is tough but hey, it's $3.50. I believe roast duck is $4.50. Haven't tried the dim sum & don't care too, I can tell it's not my thing. Can't go wrong with a value meal on a budget & believe me, I am picky. read more

Service - 0 stars Food - 5 stars I guess that averages out to 3 stars? If you're not Chinese, then you will straight up be ignored. I tend to put up with it because the food is FANTASTIC for the price. I mean, 60 cents for 1 big shumai?? I get 3 and that's a $2 filling breakfast. I'm not too adventurous to try anything else, though. I've heard the porridge is great as well considering it's only $2. read more

Cleanliness is questionable, definitely not "organic" or anything like that. But if you want cheap, tasty, dimsum foods to go - this is your spot. This is where your Chinese's friend's aunt who lives in Chinatown goes to get her munch on. Their baked pork buns are the bomb, with a nice glaze. Roast duck, crispy port belly, tofu skin wraps and turnip cakes are all dimsum standard goodies. It's definitely cheap. But don't be all passive in there. It's chinatown style, no real line, just push up to the counter and start ordering things. If you wait like there's a line, you'll be waiting forever!! read more

This is purely on their BBQ combo plate. There's no way you're going to find a better deal on BBQ combo over rice for $4.50 tax included. I like the sauce that they put on top of the rice as well. I wouldn't put them with the best in terms of roast meats, but overall (price and quantity) they're up there. read more

This place has lots of great dim sum items that any Chinese person will love to grab and go. I happen to work nearby so I came once for breakfast since I was craving ha gow. While the service is standard for a Chinese joint, the food was great, especially for a take out place. It's cash only so be prepared, but nonetheless, it's well worth carrying a couple bucks for a quick dim sum breakfast. read more

Honestly the people working there could be nicer. If you're okay with slow public service then this place is good for you. I always get the pork ribs over rice or the BBQ pork with chicken and veggies over rice. The first one is on the menu for 1.75 while the latter is actually not on the menu. It costs 3.95 (for those of you who want to try it, it's called "cha gai fan". It's in Cantonese). To me, the food is pretty good for a pretty cheap price. The latter comes in a fairly large take out box. There's a lot of people there at times especially when the pork ribs over rice comes out. Then it's basically a fight to get it first. You kinda have to fight your way to the counter since there's a lot of people trying to get your dish. But other than, I really like the food here. read more

The dim sum here is just average. You better go to Yummy Dim Sum a street street away at 10th street. The dim Sum there is better. The price is about the same... read more

So Big Dish is one of those spots where you're looking for a quick cheap meal, instead of something that's a sit down and a well designed experience. $5 for a meal that had HEFTY servings of meat and rice. They even top it off with boiled lettuce so you can get in your veggie fix. Make sure you communicate clearly what you want, take a look at the menu up above if you're confused! Keep in mind these guys are cash only. read more

Good: Very cheap prices, and their food is decent enough to be favorable. Good variety, but can be better. Bad: Inside(kitchen) is wet, and I think their "Lo-Mai-Gai" has roast pork in it which is smelly, tastes nasty. Not recommended for fancies. I recommend this place only for ordinary cheap food, NOT A GOOD PLACE FOR EXPERTISE FOOD!@!!!!!!!! Grades: Food: D - Food needs to be fixed. Price: C+ - Too cheap, but good. read more

Just tried it yesterday. Cheap prices but I'm not sure about the quality of the food yet. I ordered the chah siu bau and gai bow (BBQ pork & chicken ) and some other bau but its not filled very well and dried out. I'll try it again sometime. It seems people like the porridge (congee, jook) so I'll report on that next. read more

Visited today, the establishment CLOSED. Red tagged by Alameda County Health Department. Hope they open as their BBQ pork & duck was the BEST and very reasonable. read more

decent, cheap, take-out dim sum by pieces

I love this place. I come here for my rice porridge for me and my coworkers. For 2.25 you can get fish or chicken. If you eat there it's only 2 dollars. The hot dog buns and green onion rolls also rock! Now that I think of it so do their vegetable buns, siu mai, potstickers and chives with shrimp dimsum. The only thing I didn't like was their egg custard tarts the crust is crunchy...but the egg custard is good minus the shell. I like the little girl that works there she always says "what else" and is super fast I'm out of there in no time no matter how much I order she never gets it wrong. read more

Can't beat a 2-item combo for $4.50 that's huge enough to be two meals! Depending on whose taking orders, I often have to repeat my orders 2-4 times. I think they mainly speak Cantonese here so keep your orders simple. Questionable cleanliness and not much customer service but the satisfying and cheap meal more than makes up for it. read more

Best and freshest in town, decently priced big bowl porridge. Great selection of dim sum whether you are a meat eater or not.

Just ate here for the second time. So far I've tried The BBQ pork buns, turnip cake and siu mai. The siu mai and turnip cake was pretty standard. Normally, I'd give a place three stars for standard food, but the BBQ pork buns are good. Almost as good as sit down dim sum places in the city. Just for that, its a four star place. I'm a fan or pork buns. read more

Things are not as good as it used to be. They tend to give you the fatty side of the bbq pork and the Chicken now is mostly bones. I have been there three times within this past month and the food especially the meat has not been impressive. Because of the Price, we at nearby offices tend to overlook these reduction in service and what you get, but I believe it's time to move on they are not consistent on their rice dishes. If they improve I will report back. May be Wednesdays is not their best days!!!! read more

The staff attitude is not the best. Seems like they don't care if you don't return. Seen a staff member smoke right outside the door and within the required 25 feet on few occasions. On his defense, there are often other patrons also standing at the door way smoking. I only return because the food is good. If I could self serve and avoid interaction with the staff, I would return more frequently. read more

shit was soooooo good... easy parking roasted duck was so crispy a win win for me and the crew

french toast? pancake and syrup? bacon and eggs? nope, my idea for breakfast this morning is a heaping bowl of rice porridge with pork and thousand year old egg and a fried taro cake. that's the good thing about being super early to a meeting in Oakland's chinatown. Big Dish had a steady stream of customers coming in getting their noshings. and for $2 - i'm more than happy to join the fhrong. read more

The meats looked so good in the window! I came here during lunch time and there were several people at the counter buying food, so I took this as a good sign. I don't speak any version of Chinese, so I always hesitate ordering food in Chinatown. Fortunately the lady that was helping me wasn't rude when I tried to order in English. I got some roast pork over rice that came with some cabbage all for $4.50. I though this was great since it'd be 2 meals for me. When I finally ate my food the pork skin was really chew, like it was a little old. Then the actual meat seemed fine, not dry, but after a couple of pieces there was a weird taster like really old meat. I had to throw it away. read more

We love getting our Chinese deli meats from here. Soy sauce chicken, roast duck, cha siu, etc. I got a small soy sauce chicken for $4.50. For the price and quality, it's way better than places like Ranch 99. read more

Not really noted as a dim sum place when searching on Yelp, but that I is what I always get here. Big Dish is my to-go dim sum place in Oakland due to their consistently good quality, reasonable pricing, and (not to be underestimated) easier access to street parking being located on the edge of Chinatown. Large and meaty Siu Mai, fluffy Char Siu and Gai Bows, and other typical dim sum choices. I have not tried the bbq meats, so no opinions there. Service is quick and the food is fresh - what's not to like? read more

best spare ribs with chicken feet rice for a good price too.

if your on a budget but want decent food this is the place! you can dine in your food here and grab a free hot tea pot... it's serve yourself style.. after you fight your way in to get your food... they are not rude thats just how they are in china.. you want authentic chinese food right! read more

This is actually my first time commenting on Yelp but I felt that I have to warn people about the dishonest business practice of this place. I ordered a whole Roasted Pig for a special event...what they gave me were ALL scraps and left overs from what they couldn't sell. I didn't realize that I got RIPPED-OFF until I broke open the covering and began serving it!!! I was shocked that any business would actually be so LOW and dishonest to do such a thing. Needless to say...I suffered great embarrassment with having to hear comments from guests and relatives on how bad the roasted pig was. I called the owner and complained to him. Unsurprisingly, he tried to deny it and started making excuses on how expensive the cost of pigs are and that he doesn't make much profit from it and more BS. So...after 15 minutes of hounding him, he finally broke and reluctantly said sorry and that he will compensate me with any amount of roasted pig I wanted the next time. I told him that he has lost my business forever and that I will YELP and tell all my friends/family and etc..., about how unethical and dishonest he is. I have also reported this to the Better Business Bureau. PLEASE DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS PLACE...They do not deserve your hard earned money. NO STARS!!!! read more