I happen to be in San Jose and someone back home happend to want salt and pepper calamari. Being a good person I went to pick some up before I headed back to town. I've always had their calamari but have never been to the spot to go get it. It was probably half past 8 and I made it on time. The place was fairly empty with about 3 impatient ass people waiting to order and one even started ordering while another was STILL ordering (hella rude) also there was only one person taking order... Anyway... the place looks fairly old, not too really any decor. You can take a look at the menu or simply stare up at the pictures of the food on their menu although their combo plates don't say what it is, it's just a picture. You can always get large party trays of dishes. Ordering is fairly slow since it's only one person taking orders in person as well as phone orders. Next thing I knew there were about 10 of us waiting for orders. Things got somewhat backed up from taking orders, phone calls, locking up and I simply seen my order ready to go on the counter, being patient waiting and being understanding of this lady that has so many things to do. After about 10 minutes of her super multitasking she says to me what did you order? I tell her and she replies oh how come you didn't come get it, my thought "dude I'm not going to go behind the counter and grab some food." lol despite the very rude and impatient costumers that were there I don't mind the wait. I got my food on time and the calamari is super crunchy and quite addicting. service is ehhh food is good Tips: If you plan on doing take out call in the order. -The lady has a really deep accent you might not even think she's speaking english but she is. read more

Chef P's - salt & pepper calamari - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

The food is great. You gotta try the salt n pepper ribs. They also have party platters for larger groups. The cashier was very friendly and helpful. My first time here and he help me with the popular items. He also introduced me to a few regulars that come in twice a week. Cool place read more

Chef P's - Front counter. - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

I really don't understand why people love this place so much!!!?? I mean they're so many other great Chinese restaurant that would serve a lot better and better customer service. I hate places that deals with customers and yet they are rude and disrespectful to their PAYING customer!!! First of all the food is not all that great! If anything it's too damn greasy! Second, customer service sucks ass! I remember my first time coming here I asked the elderly lady behind the counter what their special was and she simply shooed me away. Then on top of that I asked her if she can add a drink item to my order and she tells me it's too late!! Who does that at a restaurant!? It's simply laziness!!! Lastly, they do not know how to work any type of time management! I only ordered one item and it took them 45 mins to hand me my order. Who knows, it could of been longer because I stopped looking at the time after I fell asleep for a bit. The worst part is the food had a funky odor, like it was old!! A complete waste of time!!! I will never, ever go back to this place. I'm better off in KING EGG ROLL or WINGS! read more

I'm doing this review as soon as I finished eating the take-out I got from here. I'll get the good stuff out of the way and say that I ordered a combo plate (#5) which consisted of Chicken Fried Rice, Beef Broccoli, and a Chicken Wing. The chicken fried rice was surprisingly good. The beef broccoli was ok. However, I noticed that I didn't get a chicken wing, unless the eggroll that they gave me was the replacement. The major gripe I have with this place is the customer service. Let me list what I observed in the entire 15 minute period that I was there. I walked in and stood in front of the register for about five minutes before someone came and took my order. While I was sitting down waiting on my food, I noticed what other users have mentioned about this lady that works there. I do agree that she is a bit rude. One person was arguing about how the squid was too crunchy and the lady was basically saying how others liked it crunchy, which seemed to totally exasperate the other person. This same lady appeared to botch the order from this Hispanic individual and he came back in to get his order fixed within a minute before he went on his way. The very same lady ignored this Filipino lady that wanted to order Fried Rice. She seemed to preoccupied to pay attention to the Filipino lady for about a minute or two. When that lady asked if they accepted credit, she pointed to this sign that was posted about a minimum amount needed to use a credit card. She could have easily said the amount necesary to this lady. When I got my food and walked home, I didn't realize that the container wasn't fully closed and that the rice was all over the inside of the bag. WTF?!!? Despite the food being good, I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon, if ever. The customer service needs a serious overhaul and it has to be at the very least decent for me to go back. Although, it does state that they do take out, it's more of a traditional sit-down restaurant that does take-out on the side. It's pricier than say a King Eggroll and much slower. If I was forced to give this place a recommendation, I probably wouldn't. read more

*sigh* To yelp or not to yelp, that is the question. I have such mixed opinions of this place that its hard to say where I stand, so lets try a pros and cons list. Pros: - Good food: seems fresh, never cold, decent presentation, super crispy (when appropriate) - Never packed (might be a bad sign) - Conveniently located near a bus stop and off 680 - I have never gotten sick from here. Cons: - It smells horrible. Not like a fish market or any other asian resturant I have been too, it just smells bad, and the bathroom is even worse. - The place is kinda dirty, tables are either greasy or sticky. However, they are always tidy. -The woman who takes the orders is never consistent: she is either rude, unprofessional, and she can sometimes be nice. I remember inquiring about the "Help Wanted" sign she had posted and she told me that she only wanted illegals. She said that americans ask to many questions and want too much money. She explained that she just wanted somebody to do the work. Overall, its good food. I wouldn't trust it to be sanitary and I wouldn't go here willingly either. It was a free meal so I accepted but I worry for your safety. read more

I drove across town just cause I was craving Chinese food and this place had great reviews. Well..the food was just okay. their signature dish of Salt and Pepper Squid was...not that great. The squid was very chewy and just did not have a good texture to it. Their mongolian beef was pretty good. but really greasy. The woman who helped me was...rude at best. Not only to me, but to those who called to place an order, as well as those people straggling in to place to go orders. I did not like her one bit. When asked about the prices by another customer, rather than provide them with the menu, she said "They are all different prices"...yeah, thats really helpful thanks. read more

Be really careful of the old lady owner as she will collect tax from you but she won't write you up a receipt. Happened twice already as she didn't want to give me a receipt. In both instances the machines were apparently down. I had already reported this restaurant to the BBB. It's unfair to charge loyal customers tax and not claiming it. read more

Gosh by gosh! Hahaha I can't stop laughing... this past Friday afternoon I attempted to get some food from a place called Chef's P. Also not realizing that the woman who didn't take my phone order was the same woman that so many yelpers had spoken so gingerly about. A friend of mine ordered from here the day before and as I recall the food smelled ooh so good. I had a master plan that could not fail or so I thought?... As I'm driving once I'm 15 minutes away I'll give them a ring... that way even if I should have to wait once I arrive it shouldn't be for very long.... right! Wrong....I make the call and a lady picks up... I couldn't understand 2 words she said almost as if she was pretending to be confusing but then I heard the letter "P" akaay it's the right number, I ask for a number 7 which is Pork Fried Rice with Peking Ribs 1 pc Chicken Wing but please substitute Salt n Pepper Ribs for the Peking Ribs. That's it!!! Easy But noooo dice! And before I could say Howdy Doody she then says she cannot understand me?... Even after repeating 3 times now I'm only 1/2 mile away and getting weaker. Not eating all day didn't help me, I make a right turn onto Jackson and I'll be danged there must have been 100 cars going in the same direction, did I say it was Friday?.... Yes which is why I called ahead of time. To save friggin time?&%$#@? And to add insult to injury those 100 cars in front of me weren't moving... the agony "growl" Silence o Stomach o Mine! Daddy's gonna find you some food, maybe? Now I'm looking for my Fast n Furious DVD since I'm just a sittin here car not movin maybe the DVD can help me figure out how to maneuver oops I mean manure's sh*t drive thru this traffic... all I could find wuz Starsky n' Hutch any hows I arrives late and had to park in an apartment complex space next door... I sure hope my car don't get towed I ran inside like Gazelle in heat behind a bush, then wamo blammo must be a cloud hanging over my head today.....there were no less than 12 people in here! Not a problem! They were all seated staring at the floor! Not a problem! They ain't got their food yet ... now we got a problem! I walks up to the counter and about that time a lady walks over and say's "can I help you"?. I recognized her voice this is the lady I talked to on the phone so I shows her one of the restaurant menus and points to the number 7 that's 4+1+2=7 I tell her don't give me the Peking Ribs still pointing gimme the Salt n Pepper Ribs listed under the word "Pork" instead....Whew! Now she understands me. With my tummy still making growling sounds I ask her the main question of the day! That being "how long will it take"? She blurts out! 3 minutes! I did say there were 12 people ahead of me without food! She say's again 3 minutes you special...Now I'm thinking to myself I've never stepped foot in here before...at the same time I look at the unsmiling faces staring into the air nothingness away yes away from the counter as if they all know to sit and be silent till their order was ready. Nobody told me the house rules... never got a wink wink nod nod nada nuthin honey! That's when my stomach asks me to ask the people,so I did. So now I ask 4 different people... are you waiting for your food.. yes,yes,yes,yes! I decided not to ask the remaining 8 people. In a slow motion move i turned from the unsmiling faces back to the boss lady @ the counter and says "how can you possibly make my order in 3 minutes when there are so many people ahead of me. She repeats again you different you special! What in de wurl?? I turn to a guy who was sitting about 2 feet away looking for a sign any sign?$#? Should I stay, or should I go go? One of the patrons then whispers in a very low tone of voice and say's when she say's 3 minutes she really means 45 minutes thas when I whipped out my calculator 45 minutes plus 30 to get here? Ain't no way I'm waiting 45 more minutes so I politely say to her no thank you , she say 3 minutes, I say that's ok I don't want to place an order, she say you special, but now I have to go so I left! End of story right????? WRONG I'm backing out of the apartment complex slash Restaurant parking lot gonna leave the same way I came in just like on Star Trek I put the car in drive and before I could make it to the street, here she comes again!! She ran out into the parking lot to stop me from leaving saying we make it now, you special! Now the only thing running through my mind is where in the hell is my Rambo DVD so I can figure out how to get the hell outta here. I made sure my windows were rolled up and slowly pulled out into the street making a right turn away from the 100 cars to my left... back from which I came .... Which was hungry and leaving on empty...Will I ever go back? Maybe if the Circus ever comes to town and I go disguised as a Circus Clown I might! My luck she would still know it was me... Two stars for the food smelling good. read more

The food is great. Hands down. No denying that. They have great: fried rice, salt & pepper calamari, and Chinese chicken salad, etc. But, service sucks. Hands down. No denying that either. Don't bother calling ahead and putting in an order for a party tray, especially on a known busy party weekend, because more than likely your order WILL NOT be ready at the specified time, and you're going have to end up waiting anyways. I have ordered from this location multiple times and I have noticed that I will only get my order on time if it's not busy, like on a weekday or non-busy Sunday. But any other time... good luck. The lady who takes your order and is at the counter most of the time is okay. She has her moments where she's nice and can be a bit funny. The other girls that help her out on busy nights are always high strung, probably from the stress of all the customers. They definitely need a better system to handle their massive amount of togo orders. I personally have decided to boycott this location because of their lack of good service and their inability to control their orders in a timely and organized manner. There is a location in Milpitas, that is a lot further away from my home and is out of the way, but has such better service then this location that I don't mind going all the way there. TIP: It's CASH ONLY read more

Really good house chow mein! Quality noodles and well seasoned. Will come back for sure

As a long time customer i have to defend the lady . She's old school CHINESE... deal with it. If she comes off rude it's because she's taking your orders at the counter, over the phone, barking out orders to the cooks and serving the people in the restaurant at the same time. She actually owns the restaurant and runs it with her family. Try saying hi once in a while, she's actually really nice. I don't even know her name. I just call her the "Whatcha Order" lady...:) Those that phone in their orders know what I'm talking about. Now to the restaurant itself. it's being remodeled so you're going to see some improvement and shouldn't look like a hole in the wall and with less insects ( I personally haven't seen any). The food is what it is some people will like it and others won't, as you can see from the comments regarding their Salt N Pepper Calamari. it's not MSG in there, they sprinkle crack or something, because it's so damn good and addictive. Try any of the Salt N Pepper dishes and you won't be disappointed. The Walnut Shrimp isn't bad either. Give this place and the old lady a chance and you'll definitely won't regret it. read more

I happen to live right down the street from this place. Been in there once or twice before. Wanted to find the menu tonight and found this review so I thought I'd mine. Yes, they are remodeling the place and it looks like its gonna be pretty nice inside. And yes, the lady isn't always the nicest person. But she took my order, and even said how glad she was the night was over. I think she works hard and people should just relax and realize that. I can't imagine taking orders all day long. I got the walnut shrimp, and the orange chicken. The walnut shrimp was just amazing, it disappeared in no time flat. Yes its fried and terrible health wise I'm sure. Otherwise it was outstanding! The orange chicken had some hard pieces in it, but otherwise was equally as delicious. Since its right down the street from me, and the food is good I'll keep going back. I've never seen roaches inside or out of the place. The only insects I know of are the two legged ones that roam around near the Carl's Jr next door. read more

I would give this 5 stars to offset some of the very negative reviews, but I am being honest with my visit in that the service was good, the food was good, the parking was good but nothing was exceptional. But some of the 1 star ratings...this is a 3 star (being A-OK) and for the value, it's also great. The service was good, it was very clean, and the serving sizes very large in portion for price paid. Ingredients fresh and taste was good. I would not say it's exceptional, but good if you want easy to go take out. And definitely NOT greasy, which is a plus! Just know it's CASH ONLY which is fine. read more

Chef P's - Chicken Chow Mein - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

I don't see why everyone complains about the service. ((The owner--the lady)) I like her! She's allwaaaysss super nice to me :) Love the walnut shrimp, && calamari. ALWAYS super crunchy, the way I like it. :} I'mma fan for life. :D read more

Make sure to double check the sales tax they charge you! I figured they charge more than what San Jose's current sales tax is. They don't accept credit cards and yet they are charging on tax even more. I had asked them about it, the girl said the owners daughter had set-up their calculator to add up the tax and so she doesnt know how much. But she said, they know the San Jose's sales tax went up a little. When I checked it was still the same! They are cheaters!!! I used to come a lot here, but will never again! Booooo They should be reported to Business Bureau! read more

Great food and excellent customer service. The calamari is to die for. Goes well With vinegar. I usually come in on a Thursday and I'm greeted by a few handsome gentleman with great attitudes. I love this place. Thank you Chef P and staff. read more

Chef P!! Thank you so much for serving a large party tray of calamari and other asian dishes (suggest to try their shrimp with walnuts or peking style ribs). My family always enjoys their fried calamari here at every party that is held. When their place was located in a small little shack off of Alum Rock...it was always a hassle to drive to their location because it was off a busy street. Now they moved up a little to a much more convenient place. Prices for their catering service for all party trays are reasonable. You could never go wrong with anything on their menu. Plus, they try very hard to accommodate all of your orders because they're always busy so don't be surprised that they aren't as quick and attentive to you when you come there to order. Trust me, it's worth the wait to get their calamari. I suggest to order over the phone for your party trays. I sense that people have found out about this little "San Jose gem" because of their well-known calamari, but I assure you that it's the best! read more

I've been coming to Chef P's for ages. And I do agree with everyones up and downs about the place. The owner Jenny does come off rude, but I guess that's how she is. She hasn't changed. The food basically tops her attitude. I love their fried rice, calamari and Peking spareribs. My daughter doesn't do much vegetables and Jenny always makes our fried rice without vegetables. I will continue to come here regardless of Jenny's attitude. For many years her running this place back and front I'm not surprised by her rudness. ****A**** read more

Love the chicken egg rolls & the fried calamari. I used to love spicy garlic shrimp until recently. There was barely any shrimps. I still go back for calamari. read more

I came early to pick up the food my mom ordered for my brother and they made me feel very welcome and accommodated the time change !

For what this place is and accomplishes i I give it 5 stars. This place IS a takeout, fastfood, greasy hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant that offers some of the best deep fried calimari you will ever eat. Once you try the calimari, your initial reaction may be that it's too salty, or that it's too greasy or even too crunchy. This is exactly why people who eat it cannot get enough of it. Every filipino person I know has had this on their party tray list at least one time, I even heard from someone that their uncle shipped a tray to their relatives via Fed-Ex all the way to Fresno, lol. Something about this dish picking at it at a party with a cold Corona I can't get tired of. Other than the calimari, they manage to make everything else pretty good too and fill you up at a reasonable price. You don't really appreciate this place until you've gone to another Chinese restaurant in a nicer area with more upscale service only to pay $2-3 more for a nasty skimp lunch special... true story. If you've been having trouble sleeping at night, visit Chef P and order one of their lunch specials, shit will knock you out with severe food coma, foreals! Oh and lastly, the mamasan who takes your order is actually very nice and friendly. Don't be fooled by the evil stare and loud heavily Chinese accented voice, she's coo, trust me. read more

Big fan of the salt and pepper calamari. Reminded me of chicarone and I really wanted a beer and some spicy vinegar to dip it in. Also good was their honey walnut prawns and their house chow mein. I've been living in Texas for about five years and it was really comforting to have some really good reasonably priced Chinese food. It's a good mom n pops restaurant that's got above average food. read more

We walked in to a dirty room with a spill on the floor. The caution sign was hidden behind the chairs, so that defeats the purpose of the sign. The tables looked really sticky. Lady did not welcome us, but her attitude did. My mom and I asked her what was good there. She gave my mom a menu and rudely said "here, look at the menu". My mom was about to pay with her card because she didn't have cash when the lady said "no card, cash only! why do you come here with no cash?". After I paid for it, my mom and I sat down and noticed there was a damn ATM machine in the corner... Why couldn't she tell us that in the first place? Well, the customer service sucked, but the food was good. We had the fried calamari. It was reallly crunchy and delicious. I brought the big portion back home and it was gone in a couple minutes because everyone kept snacking on them while they watched TV. I only had a few.... I'll definitely come back for some other menu items and party trays. It's better to take out, just to avoid grumpy people. Won't even think about eating in. read more

Pretty disgusting... 3/5 of the dishes I ordered for take out were not cooked all the way The meat in the princess prawns was pink. The beef in the beef n mushroom was half red. The beef in the sesame beef was pink inside. Ive never had a place under cook so much food. I will be reporting them to the BBB and whoever whatever agency handles undercooked food and foodborn illnesses read more

I went to chef p tonight for dinner. I ordered the calamari, which I thought was supposed to be hot lightly battered and crispy. However when I got the calamari it was cold dark in color and overcooked. When I took it back the chef said that they fry it then bake it in the oven. I thought that was fine except for the fact that it was cold and tasted like dried out non consumable crap. I will never go back. What a waste of time and money. Also when we arrived it smells like a porta potty and dead fish mixed together outside the store. read more

Chef P's - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

I like the food here... well, used to. Seems the quality of food has gotten worse. Their other restaurant in Milpitas is really clean and has better service so I would rather travel and go there. This one, has bad service... of course the rude Chinese lady that works at the front is still same after all these years. "what you want? uh huh..... uh huh......." yeah.... Their battered food has A LOT of batter. Barely any meat so I suggest order something that doesnt have to be fried. (sorry, thats almost everything on the menu) BTW, they're CASH ONLY read more

Oh my goodness. Their calamari is to die for, but don't expect some basic breaded and fried calamari strips. That is not the case here. Chef P's calamari is battered and fried at high temp, resulting it to come out soooo crispy. Imagine extra crunchy squid snacks that will no doubt cause a mess of crumbs on your lap. They're like addicting chips that you can't put down. Last time, I got their fried rice and chow fun too, both delicious! read more

the lady here is hilarious and a bit rude... but nvm that because the food is delish!! My mom and I always come here for the salt and perrper fish and calamari and the orange chicken. YUMMM!! the orange chicken is soo different from the orange chicken you would get anywhere else. the sauce comes separate and the chicken is so soft and crispy. the calamari and fish on the other hand, is to-die-for! read more

Great Chinese fast food/takeout mom n pop store. Quick friendly service, food big portions and quality food. Best I've found in SJ so far.

Not only is everyone right about the lady being rude, but she needs serious ESL classes!! I ordered anyhow and it was much more than I had expected to pay. I then asked how much a CAN of sprite was. She put it on my tab and it raised $1.45. I can buy a Liter of sprite at the shop down the street at 2/$3. Not happening. I took my food home and tried it. I was surprised at the wonderful flavor of the orange chicken until i bit down. It was overdone and chewy. I moved onto the chicken chow mein. It had no flavor at all. No cabbage, no bean sprouts, no nothing. Four pieces of chicken (yes, I counted) that also had no flavor were the only things in it other than the noodles. The egg roll that came with it was overdone. Burnt on the outside but otherwise tasty (if it had come with the sweet and sour sauce I asked for instead of the chilly stuff she gave me I'm sure it would have been better) I also got the war wonton soup. It was surprisingly very good after adding soy sauce. I don't think there is much you can do to mess up this soup, however. It is fairly simple and a personal favorite sense I was a very young girl. I grew up for the most part helping out in a Chinese restaurant so I view this place as a sham. Their tables were sticky, the service was bad and so was the food. I would not go here again no matter how many times I pass it walking to the bus in the morning. read more

Food was made as great as you can ask for. Very quick service. The people who worked there were really nice. I think they should look into a remodel if thats an option. read more

My mom knows they lady who owns this place, we've been going since they were at their other location. I don't get to go as often as I'd like because it's so far out of my way, but whenever I'm craving salt & pepper calamari it's worth the drive. The calamari is definitely my favorite item. Their house chow mein is also really good. The staff can be a bit rude but I usually just swing by for some to-go calamari and head home. read more

The salt and pepper calamari and shrimp is BOMB!! Massive portions Like King Eggroll, you better call in advance for a pick up cause the wait times are LONG. read more

Love their Calamari...a must when you're in SanJose area.. Prices are affordable...bring Cash though

Ordered catering for a party. Great prices, taste great and the lady who took my order was super helpful. I ordered last minute. Day before the party and they were able to take my large order. Would def come back for more party trays! read more

This is my favorite place to eat. The food they make is so delicious. Super fat portions. The best chili paste, steamed vegetables, and noodles. The best in San Jose. read more

It's a hit or miss with this place in terms of food quality. Learned about it from a friend who's considered a regular at Chef P's. Went here a few times and noticed that they have a lot of regulars which can make for a comforting, "neighborhood' feel. There's a lot of rave about their salt and pepper calamari and walnut shrimp. Ordered the salt and pepper calamari on five different occasions. Twice the calamari was hard, greasy, and burnt. The prices are reasonable and the serving portions are big. Service isn't always with a smile, the food can fluctuate in its "good eats" factor, and I haven't been there since. read more

Decided to order delivery from this place with grubhub And honestly it was a disappointment .. i ordered the fried rice, lemon chicken, kung pao , chow mein , and honey walnut shrimp and the only good thing was the rice and the shrimp. Everything else really wasnt good. It tastes so bland with no flavor im really upset because i paid over 60$ read more

It's hard not to visit Chef P's since it's right down the block from one of my good friend's crib. The food is cheap and way too yummy for your own good. The quality is better than King Egg Roll, so the prices aren't going to be as cheap. Also, the food is made to order... so you might have to wait a few minutes for your combo plates or about 20 minutes for your party trays. If you're looking for something on-the-spot... hit up King Egg Roll or Panda Express. TIPS: My favorite thing about Chef P's is that they have pretty decently priced party platters. I bought a small size of their house chow mein and a small size of their steamed rice for less than $25 and it fed about 15 people. Stop by here if you're looking to feed a small mob of hungry homo sapiens. read more

Not a fan at all from this place. Food is too greasy and I always get headaches when I eat their food. Also their place is filthy dirty. Everything in the dinning room area looks and feels horrible. As I walked in and was waiting in line to order I see a big red cockroach just crawling by and heading into the kitchen like its no ones business. As I got closer passing the register I see a more roaches. That's super nasty!!!! And to think my company orders from this place at least twice a month!!!!! I will never eat here again. read more