Decent place, but not very price friendly. Example, their fried chicken nuggets was on the expensive side based on what one gets versus price paid. Furthermore, not sure why they are prepared in such small pieces. As for their beef noodle soup, the beef they used lack of tendon, making it low ranking among beef noodle soup category. Want beef with tendon type of beef noodle soup? Check out Peter Chang's. read more

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Pretty solid taiwanese food! I came here with my family when they were visiting. We got the beef noodle soup, scallion pancakes, chicken bento, and crispy chicken bites. The beef noodle soup is good, but not worth the hype. My favorite was actually the chicken bento. The chicken is juicy and crispy, and the sides of the bento was flavorful. My parents didn't like the food that much, but I would definitely come again! read more

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Today was my first visit to Cafe 88. I ordered the General Tso Tofu and two spring rolls. I must say it was very good. Looking forward for my next visit. read more

Probably the WORST customer experience I have ever had in my life. Came to restaurant on a Saturday noon expecting a nice meal. When I arrived, a bunch of students were here preparing to eat before a performance for charity. Female manager/owner/cashier was the RUDEST and most UNPLEASANT restaurant manager I have met. First, a student requested a noodle to go, and the lady simply yelled "NO", then asked the next person in line for their order. How can she neglect a customer like that? Next, an elderly couple (onwards of 80+) were eating at a table and noticed the surge of students entering. Wanting to free up the table, the couple asked politely for a take out container so they could leave the table and allow the students to sit and eat. Female manager PUBLICLY HUMILIATED elderly couple by yelling at them that she does not allow to-go options for noodles (even though she had previously packaged noodles for an Asian customer) and proceeded to yell at them for being ungrateful and only ordering one order between of them. HOW CAN A RESTAURANT MANAGER TREAT CUSTOMERS LIKE THIS? Let alone, ELDERLY customers? UNACCEPTABLE. Although the food is good and authentic, overall customer experience was terrible, and I could not even enjoy my food thinking about how upset the elderly couple felt as they tried to leave the restaurant. Will not and CAN NOT support such a business. Never coming back. read more

A delicious and filling meal for a bargain! The best options are the bento boxes, as other reviewers mention. For just $7.88 you can get a main dish with two sides and rice. Scallion pancakes aren't as crispy as I'd like, but they still taste pretty good. The woman who served us, I assume she is also the owner and chef, was also very sweet and helpful, especially because we spoke to her in Chinese! The only thing that prevented me from giving Cafe 88 five stars is their bubble tea. Not cold enough and tastes artificial. Also the tapioca was way overcooked and almost melted. read more

Cafe 88 - Scallion pancakes are a must-order! - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Delicious!!! Ordered beef noodle soup, braised pork over rice, amazing chicken, shrimp and chives dumplings and szechuan green beans. So glad I found this place while I was in the area. read more

Very bland and over cooked food. Sweet and sour sauce had no flavor and my spicy chili beef was tough and bland also. No flavor at all. Egg drop soup was good but no crispy noodles were sent and neither were any soy sauce or duck sauce. Rice had no flavor either. read more

Our new Charlottesville favorite; we're very picky for authentic Chinese cooking. While this restaurant is Taiwanese, chef has excellent standards & consistency. Beef noodle was perfect (authentic flavor, ingredients, portion, cost). Value is overall excellent. We ended up ordering a braised (whole) duck and dishes to go. Will revise review when come again. They do have outdoor tables, which is nice in these plague days. read more

Cafe 88 - beef noodle; got second - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Dinned in today, holy shit, I have never seen a restaurant owner as rude as this. I said "Hi" when I walked in, she looked at my face and turn right around... when she served my food, I said "thanks", no response; when I asked if they have small plastic cup for the hot sauce, she said "can't you just pour in your plate" with a terrible attitude; When she was talking to customers on the phone, she literally said "hurry up and tell me your order" in Chinese. You don't want returning customers ? Unbelievable. However, she did say "thanks", " thanks for waiting" when she was taking orders for some white customers, but none to Chinese customers. Holy shit!! She is such an racist Asian woman! The noodle beef soup taste like aged soy sauce, and only the scallion pancake was decent. I am sorry, I will never return to this place. read more

I loved the side of vegetables that came with my meal, but the fake chicken was just like any other soy chicken. Another side I got on this visit (they vary by day) was yellow curry, which I appreciated because it was authentic i.e. I've made the same exact yellow curry at home. The authenticity of this place is what makes it so special, but as a vegan who doesn't like fake meat, I don't really have a reason to come here again unless it's for the sides. The fact that there are vegan options here is awesome though! Now you won't feel left out when your friends want to go get beef noodle soup. Note: There are other vegan options besides fake meat like tofu and pineapple fried rice, but I'm not that into tofu and didn't really enjoy my sister's fried rice. read more

I really liked this place , was looking for something a little different and wanted vegetable options. Staff was friendly and great tasting food! read more

Food was decent. Staff was friendly. It is a small restaurant so be prepared to wait at lunch time.

The beef noodle soup that you've been hearing so much about? It's not good. It's really not. The noodles aren't fresh, the beef is dry, and the flavor of the broth isn't any good. Cafe 88 is a tiny little place that has two people working: one cashier/waitress and one chef. We tried to order the Chinese scallion pancakes, but the cashier said they didn't have time to make it. I wouldn't listen to the hype, but the options for any sort of Asian food are super limited here in Charlottesville, so if you really have a craving, I guess this is your place. read more

FINALLY made it here for the beef noodle soup and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I found the beef noodle soup at Gingko's a little too spicy for my taste, but this had just the right amount of kick. The beef broth tastes fresh, authentic and so mouthwateringly delicious. There's a reason why this place was still half full at 4pm on Saturday with people eating her beef noodle soup!! On another note, the wonderful chicken bento box is my go to meal here and it's always the perfect lunch/dinner option when you're craving asian food. read more

Cafe 88 - This bowl will give you LIFE!!! - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

We were visiting the area to see the fall foliage. Decided on takeout after spending the day on Skyline Drive. We wanted a buffet of food so we ordered chicken curry, shrimp curry, eggplant, amazing chicken, chow fun combo and some scallion pancakes, which I was most excited about. When we got back to the hotel with an insane amount of food for 2 people, I was sad that the scallion pancakes didn't make it in the box. But, we're just visiting and that's one small ding. Human error - we all miss things. The eggplant was so good - a 10 of 10. That was a good thing because I didn't like the shrimp curry at all. The shrimp were a nice size and cooked well but the sauce only tasted of raw garlic and the veggies were super raw. I gave it a 2/10 only because of the shrimp, but I threw the dish out as inedible. Husband had a very similar review for the chicken curry, with the same trashcan fate. The combo chow fun he gave a 4/10. He picked out the ok pieces and threw the rest away. The amazing chicken wasn't amazing but it was very good (8/10) and the husband and dog each ate a piece. So $80 in take out - one missing appetizer, 2 inedible dishes, one so-so chow fun, some very good chicken thighs and some amazing eggplant. Hated to throw so much food away along with the 4 boxes of white rice that came with it. Other than the eggplant, I wouldn't recommend the place. It's a good thing we had a nice bottle of wine waiting in the hotel room or the night would have been a bust. I'll dream about scallion pancakes. read more

In what appears to be a place with a dearth of good Chinese places, Cafe 88 certainly fills the void. My girlfriend and I started with an order of scallion pancakes, which were crispy and piping hot. For dinner, I got the beef noodle soup special. The noodles are wide and tend to splash around a bit, but are cooked to perfection. The beef is the star of the dish though, as it is very tender and plentiful. The beef fat provides wonderful flavor to the broth, which is spicy, but not so much that you breathe fire. I slurped every last drop out of the bowl (apart from the drops which found their way onto my shirt). My girlfriend had the Amazing Chicken and enjoyed it very much. She tried ordering a side of sesame noodles, but we were told that they were all out. Regardless, Cafe 88 is my go-to Chinese restaurant in town. read more

The beef noodle is just so-so. Not unique at all. Plus the front desk is not friendly. read more

When I walked into this small but bustling hole-in-the-wall and saw that I was one of maybe two of the many diners present who wasn't fluent in Hokkien, Mandarin, or some other form of Chinese, I suspected I'd come to the right place. The lunch I enjoyed proved that suspicion correct. I rolled the dice on a Wonderful Chicken bento box, which arrived promptly to reveal a crispy, sour-savory fried chicken cutlet on a bed of perfectly sticky rice; chunks of eggplant stir-fried in a delicious sweet sauce; and mixed veggies simply but splendidly prepared in a light garlicky broth -- for $12 including tip, an excellent value. I wish there had been more only because what I had tasted so, so good. On a second visit, the same $12 total got me a huge, filling bowl of noodle soup with pork and greens. The noodles were just okay -- cooked well, but they hadn't absorbed the flavor of the surrounding broth. But the tender pork, piquant greens, and rich, tasty broth more than compensated. Service was fast, friendly, and no-frills. I want to order basically everything on Cafe 88's menu, and I hope that eventually, I'll get the chance to do so. read more

I love love love this place with all my heart! First off, the lady who runs it used to run the Ming Dynasty, another delicious restaurant in Cville off 29. But she sold it to open Cafe 88. She's the nicest woman! I love this place because the menu is short and to the point, the food is fresh and quality, and the people there are the nicest old chinese ladies ever. The main entrees come in bento boxes that are a little more expensive than your average chinese take out, but far superior! There are many meat and vegetarian choices that all come with rice and 2 creative side vegetable dishes, which are usually some bak choy, egg plant, brocolli type thing. My favorite is the Wonderful Chicken and the fried tofu is also super yummy. This is Chinese food you certainly will not be disappointed with and you'll definitely come back for more! read more

It's a passable Chinese food. The food was freshly prepared, but it wasn't spectacular. We ordered the amazing chicken and amazing chicken bento boxes. The bento boxes were not worth the price. I think small dim sum and snack dishes are more bang for your buck. The owner wasn't very friendly either. Definitely would not return unless I had no other Chinese food options. read more

Different place Owner and one assistant cook usually Paper plates plastic forks Homemade dishes - no frozen American Chinese crap Great sweet and sour soup Great spinach shrimp dumplings Bento boxes are good Great that you pay at counter and they walk it to your table - no tip needed - you are eating good food not going to be "waited on" Pork chop and dumplings are like you would have visiting home of Chinese friends cooking for guests May be too plain for American palette expecting grease and salt and brown sauces and gooey sweet stuff like you'd see on a buffet. Only reason not a five is because I don't like paper products. I know it reduces costs but I'd rather pay an extra buck per dish If she goes to decent dishes that are durable (not made in China plastic wear either that isn't safe) and does dish washing, I'd eat there twice a week for lunch and it gets 5 stars for value read more

Small out of the way place with yummy food. We made a quick stop while travelling by Charlottesville based on yelp reviews and it was up to expectations, thanks yelpers:). Food served in to go containers. And when we went not really prepared to "serve" because our dishes all came out at different times. Not a big deal but manage your expectations if in a rush or they are busy. All of the menu was in Chinese first, and the only diners were Asian, both of which I take as very good signs. The food was tasty, and decent proportions. I need to learn how they do their eggplant! The "vegetarian protein" in ginger sauce was interesting and tasty but not wonderful. I have had other "mock (animal name here)" dishes before and I've never really thought them very good always only ok. I will order off the daily "Home" menu on the wall next time. The other diners looked like they ordered better. My kids loved the shredded pork, and the spicy pork chop went over over well too. We will have to make sure next time we try the house specialties. Even the items we ordered were a step up in freshness and flavor from your basic Chinese-American restaurant though. I enjoyed it enough to see what they can do on their authentic dishes on another visit. Also, there's kind of like a strict mama in the kitchen which is actually ok for my sometimes rowdy kids to get a firm word from others! I have to agree with some other reviews about service, its almost a one woman show so understand what you're in for as the proprietor takes orders, cooks, serves, busses, and cashiers. I'd give it 3.5 stars. read more

Taiwanese! This place is wonderful! The style of the interior is casual and immediately gives you that cute, simple Taiwanese cafe vibe. The menu is short and sweet, which I often take as a sign that the few things made are potentially excellent. There were 2 of us, and since we were there on a Saturday, we seized the chance to try the famed beef noodle soup. It did not disappoint!! High quality beef, excellent broth, just the slightest hint of spiciness. The only thing I would change would be the noodles - it would be great if they were housemade, but I was happy that at least they were wide.. We also ordered the fried tofu with salt and basil, and the scallion pancake. Those were good though not particularly special. I thought the pancake was a little on the oily side. When we went they were not serving boba or cold sesame noodles but I will definitely be back to try those, and other things on the house specialty list. So happy to have found yummy and authentic Chinese food in the area! read more

I really like the beef noodle soup, as everyone does - it's hot, oily and full of thick noodles, some kind of green veggie, and has a lot of chunks of beef. It's only available on certain days of the weekend (saturday only?) so keep that in mind. Service is practically non-existent; you order at the counter and come grab your food later. You get your own water and probably have to ask for napkins and utensils. Don't expect much in terms of atmosphere, but the food is pretty good! read more

Cafe 88 is my favorite Chinese food place in my two years at C'ville. I cannot talk enough about how I enjoyed every dish there and their beef noodle is the reason that I long for Friday and Saturday coz it's the time of the week they serve it! I haven't had the same quality of Taiwanese beef noodle even after I moved to San Francisco Bay Area and just think there are way more Chinese food selections here than C'ville. Thank you cafe 88 for treating my homesick stomach and waking up my Saturday mornings in those old days. You will be one of the biggest reasons that I revisit C'ville. And I hope you are still there! Eric from Darden. read more

One of the places that I frequent, a great place for a quick and cheap meal that isn't Chipotle. The bento boxes are great and come with vegetable sides that change depending on the day. The best side is the fried eggplant, which they don't always have which makes me sad. The beef noodle soup is delicious. I love the fried tofu appetizer with the basil leaves as well. They have premade carry-out options which I haven't tried but heard are good. Not a whole lot of variety on the menu, its a tiny place with a very friendly owner who is almost always there. Just wish they delivered. read more

Worst Chinese food I've ever had. Avoid braised pork over rice, it looks and tastes like a left over.

BOOHOO they ran out of the beef noodle soup :( After all the raves, I was extremely excited to be try the noodle soup. I went for the amazing chicken (or was it wonderful chicken?) bento box. The names are so similar that I kept getting confused. Anyways, my friend got the friend chicken and I got the dark meat chicken with spiced sauce. It sort of tasted like barbecue chicken but was nonetheless very tasty.The two side dishes that came with the bento box was stir-fried eggplant, which was heavenly (and i'm not a huge fan of eggplant!) and stirfry cabbage and mushroom. Both were very large portions for a side dish and overall a great deal for a bento box. ($7.88) Being the huge critic I am on bubble tea, I decided to try the taro bubble tea and my friend ordered the mango bubble tea. Halfway through our meal, the owner finally decides to bring out the bubble tea. We weren't sure if she was too busy to make the bubble tea right away or what, but we were the only ones dining at the time. Overlooking the service, the taro bubble tea was okay. But honestly, the boba bubbles were lacking! I got some bubbles in my first and second sips but the third, fourth......and so on?.....none! There were literally like 10 bubbles in the "bubble" and I'm not even exaggerating. Now, I'm not sure if the taro drink was made out of powder b/c she didn't make it in front of me, but I have a terrible feeling it was!! I won't be trying their bubble tea again but will definitely be back to try the beef noodle soup!! fyi- bubble tea is discounted with the purchase of a bento box read more

visit on 5/20/2011 This place is pretty legit. I actually feel like I'm at a small cafe off an alley somewhere in Taipei when I'm in here. There are a good handful of classic Taiwanese comfort food dishes offered here including pork chop with rice and beef noodle soup. The pork chop with rice was cooked very well. The breaded and fried pork was still juicy and not overcooked. Included in this "bento box" was a really tasty eggplant side dish along with another side of stir-fried mixed veggies which were also very good. Adding a hard boiled egg with some preserved veggies would have made this dish perfect. The beef noodle soup is made on Fridays and is served until it's sold out. It's definitely worth getting there in time to try some. While the noodles themselves are not that exciting, I think the beef soup is quite good. The beef has been stewed for a good amount of time so it's tender and has absorbed a lot of the spice and flavor of the broth. And while I really liked the spice and flavor of the broth, I would have preferred it to have been a bit more "soupy" as in more broth, and a little less sauce-like. As other reviewers have posted, this is a very large bowl of noodles so find a buddy to share the joy with. The other bento boxes are very tasty and fresh as well. Prices are very good. And the lady that runs the place is super friendly and loves to chat with you to make sure everything is good. I think one of the best Asian restaurants in C'Ville. read more

Cafe 88 is a hidden gem in Charlottesville. The owners of the shop greeted us from the moment we walked in. We had placed a to-go order 10 minutes prior to showing up, and we only had to wait about 5 minutes for our food. We ordered the Wonderful Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice Bento Boxes, along with Spring Rolls. We got all this food for under $20, which is a great deal compared to other Chinese restaurants. The Wonderful Chicken has a fried layer and is topped with a seasoning that you can't go wrong with. Cooked to perfection. The Pineapple Fried Rice was not overwhelming in that it had just the right amount of everything for the flavor to be balanced. The special sides that came with our meals was eggplant (which was phenomenal), along with a mixed salad with mushrooms that was just alright. Last, we topped off our meal with the classic spring rolls that had the perfect crunch! Overall, we highly recommend eating at Cafe 88 and will definitely come back! read more

Beef noodle soup on a cold winter night, always a plus. I rarely eat out for Chinese food, but when I do, this is the number one stop. Bento boxes and bubble tea? It's one of the few places in Cville. Take you for providing me a piece of Taipei during my four years. Not even NoVA does it this well! read more

My buddy and I continue to be on the hunt for some good pho in Cville. This place does not offer pho but the positive reviews for the beef noodle soup attracted us to try it. Service was a bit slow as there is just one woman who takes the orders, cooks and serves. I respect that and had no problem waiting a while. We both ordered the beef noodle soup and split an order of the basil fried tofu. There wasn't anything special about the tofu. The texture was okay and tasted fine when paired with a fried basil leaf. The soup was was served piping hot, which is a positive in my books. But the noodles are thick, which I personally do not care for. There was a lot of oil in the broth and it was a bit on the saltier side. The chunks of beef are tender but a bit too large for a soup. I will say that all the ingredients tasted fresh and I did enjoy the meal but thought it was bit overpriced. read more

Reminds me so much of my grandpa's cooking!! So delicious, and would highly recommend.

Cafe 88 is one of the very best restaurants in Charlottesville. Li, the owner, is a wonderful person and a wonderful cook. The Vegetarian Chicken Filet and the Scallion Pancakes are my go-to, as I frequent this place practically weekly. But the Pineapple Fried Rice is also incredible.The sides are always delicious whether it's the eggplant, the potatoes, or the green beans, I am never let down eating here. The prices are practical for the amount of food that you get and the food is pretty filling so it's all totally worth it. It's great for Vegetarians, Vegans, and Carnivores alike! read more

My goodness gracious! Good taiwanese food! Solid boba! Scallion pancakes! Inexplicable bento-boxes! Look. C'ville's got some problems, but a lack of Taiwanese food is not among them. read more

we ordered two soup noodle dishes and one salt and pepper dish. The Too oily and lack of taste.

Decent AUTHENTIC Chinese Taiwanese food, which is hard to find in.. I would say Virginia. No flavored-fragrancy-industrial-sauces or whatsoever like those American Chinese food. 1st visit I ordered Wonderful Chicken (lunch box of fried marinated chicken cutlet, with vegetables-of-the-day and white rice). It tasted like a mother's healthy light cooking. Loved it! 2nd visit I ordered Dan Dan Noodle (dry noodle with minced pork and pickled raddish). It tasted just nice, nothing is over-seasoned. Loved it! 3rd visit I ordered Minced Pork Rice. It's kinda similar to Dan Dan Noodle, but with white rice. Again, everything is just nice, like home cook. Loved it! 4th visit (this visit) I ordered Minced Pork Noodle Soup with Salted Vegetable. It's freshly cooked, boiling hot, taste just right. It's the best so far!!! It's perfect! It must have taste like a hometown food of somewhere! Love love love it!!! I vowed to try all the menu the aunty (the owner) has here every time I visit Charlottesville. My next menu would be the fried fish cutlet lunch box, and beef noodle soup for my hubby. Thanks for the amazing home cook Cafe-88-aunty! Keep it up with the fresh ingredients! Til our next visit. read more

I FINALLY tried this place after seeing it the reviews and I'm hooked. I haven't found great Asian food in Charlottesville besides Thai so I'm really excited about cafe 88. Everything was so delicious even though I meant to order two different things! I wanted to get the pork chop with peppers and scallion, but the dish I got was also perfectly delicious too; next time. The star of the box though was the eggplant. Growing up, I HATED Chinese eggplant, but the BBQ and sweetness here was so tasty. After seeing photos on yelp, I thought that the shrimp and chive dumplings would be pan fried as per usual at dim sum places, but they were steamed. Although I wanted to try the pan fried ones, it was still really good and very fresh. My only complaint is that I find that 7 dollars for dumplings is a little unreasonable as my huge portion of rice and sides was 10. Seating is limited although there weren't too many people. Other than that though, the food is authentic and made to order (I could see the chef making my food in the back). Those who I assume were the owners seemed to be very humble, hardworking people and I love how much the food reminds me of home despite not being Chinese. So happy I found this place. read more

Cafe 88 - Pork chop over rice, veggies, and BBQ Chinese eggplant - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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One of my favorite Chinese places in Charlottesville. If you want a good ole hearty and delicious meal, this is the place. I've had their beef noodle soup which they don't always have but its really big and so delicious. You also can't go wrong with the wonderful chicken or amazing chicken bento boxes. The name describes it perfectly. It's small but one of the few authentic Chinese restaurants in cville. read more

Amazing little find off Preston Ave. This lady is really friendly and knows how to cook. Food is always super fresh and super delicious. The Bento Boxes are worth every penny. If you have some self-discipline and are not ravenously hungry, you could easily make two meals out of them. I have gotten the same dish (Vegetarian Chicken Fillet) every time I visited, but was always so good, when I lived in Cville I went once a week. Go on Mondays/Wednesdays for the schezuaneggplant on the side! read more