I like their lunch special here, any meat plus chow main or fried rice, both are better than average and it has the flavor that makes you go 'yes'! There might be a hint of MSG, just not sure but you can't get so much flavor without something to enhance it. Certainly the cheapest way to accomplish that and to those who doesn't have any reaction to it, you are in for a treat! My favorite happens to be either the general taos chicken or the beef asparagus that has the IT factor. Nothing like going back to work with a silly smile after eating here for a reasonable price. The service is adequate, in and out within an hour. This place and another Asian restaurant close by has what it takes the satisfy the locals who knows a thing or two about how it should be done! read more

A terrible claim of being Chinese food. If people think this place is good, they haven't had good Chinese food. The black bean sauce chicken was runny and flavorless with broccoli so over-cooked it was pulp. Orange chicken consisted of deep fried bricks with no flavor at all. The potstickers were undercooked, the fried rice was 3 days old, hard, lumpy and tasted like fish (and no, it was NOT supposed to taste like old fish - it was "plain" fried rice, not with shrimp.) Honestly, if you think this is Chinese food, save yourself some money and eat out of a dumpster, you'll have the same culinary experience. Do not try Dragon Cafe unless you have money to waste and no tastebuds. read more

Good place for take out, they do not deliver, and i dont think you'd want to eat there. It's pretty small inside and the furniture encourages you to leave. The chairs are wobbly and the tables broken in for sure. The food is good, regular, American-Chinese, and not too greasy. I'd avoid their hot and sour soup, its a scary gelatinous mess without flavor. But i did eat it anyway.... read more

Best Chinese in Marin. Crab Rangoon is the best I've ever had.

Celery in Kung pao chicken ? I wasn't looking forward to that ! I had the lunch special of the aforementioned dish with a side of fried-rice and noodles (a negligible amount if I may say so) and I must admit that my expectations were a little too over-sized for this tiny joint. The sauce was passable though not as hot as I am used to with those that shares the same nomenclature served up by other restaurants. Would I go there again? Probably if for nothing other than a change due to menu fatigue. But it's not something I'd recommend outside of a working day lunch. read more

Some people will see a small, hole in the wall-esk chinese place and skip it. I recommend you DO NOT SKIP this place! Always good and the owners are always friendly...they even have my favorite Mexican Coke bottles! Things I get that I couldn't live without... -Pork Buns (get them if available!) -General Chicken -Broccoli Beef -Chow Mein -Crab Rangoon (one of my favorites, so bad for you yet SOOO good!) And contrary to other reviews...they do (when not busy) deliver!!! and free of charge! Great spot, good food and service!...a winner in my book! read more

Decided to try the little Dragon Cafe one night and LOVED it! My daughter and I have gone back several times. Lunch is a big serving too. Staff are friendly and seems there are many regulars that go here, or that they treat everyone as friends/family. read more

What a great find thanks to Yelp! The vegetables were perfect, just as promised. We had green beans, sautéed baby bok choy, mu shu, broccoli w mushrooms, and a mild version of the spicy garlic eggplant. All the vegetables were amazingly fresh & cooked just right. Looks like they do mainly take out but as we live elsewhere we ate in the clean, simple & quiet dining area. Very pleasant service & the cook was singing in the kitchen! Also want to say that the other table (4 older folks who seemed to be first timers as well) had questions about the menu that were answered with grace & cheerfulness despite the pick up rush going on via phone, in the kitchen, and the door. read more

We've lived in Novato over 13 years and have seen this place driving around time town. Decided to try it out because of yelp review. Don't judge book by its cover. This place is legit. Great service-food is authentic. Family owned restaurant. read more

Dragon Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

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Easy in and out.. Good friendly family service. Reasonable priced.. Mostly set up for take-out.. But with tables and chairs...Quick and easy and good... read more

Small corner location in the plaza. There are a few tables but not suitable for a BIG party. I've only ordered take-out and they're pretty fast. Decent portion ~$10. read more

I've had some inconsistencies here, some visits very satisfactory and some leaving things to be desired. For the prices I think they should go a little heavier on the meats rather than fillers, but their vegetables are fresh and certain sauces really make the dish. I like their curried chicken over rice, the flavor of the curry is realllly nice, but I would prefer more chicken- it's a ratio of 1:2 with chicken vs veggies but I'd like more like 1:1. They have fluffy pork buns too, but those are a bit heavy on the starch rather than filling as well. Good, fresh food just a tiny bit off with portioning. Try the broccoli beef, it's juicy. I recently got the crispy chicken wings for my fiancé and had expected them to be tossed in a sauce of some kind but they were just plain, no sauce. I'm big on sauces can you tell?! Lol. However, my fiancé tried them first and said wow these are good so I did as well, and they were tasty, but I did whip out a leftover Popeyes Sweet Heat packet and created a masterpiece! Highly recommended I'd say find your staples on the menu here, and you'll be satisfied. read more

Dragon Cafe - Crispy chicken wings- yummy, fresh, but no sauce whatsoever - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

When I first moved here I wouldnt go to another Chinese restaruant the food was great and I really like the owner. The ladies doing the waiting were perfect and very pleasant. I just recently visited again Lu asked about me to my kids and so I had to drop by. The food was excellent as was the service From now even if it's out of my way Dragon cafe will always have my business read more

Outstanding service, quick/hot/tasty food, and super affordable, this place is exactly what you want it to be! The staff here is always super friendly, the food is great, and I don't think I've been disappointed by a meal at the Dragon. Don't sleep on the chicken and corn soup! read more

Wonderful food with excellent service. The chef/owner is super nice : ) Highly recommended! read more

Had dinner tonight 12/5/18 it was ok. But China Palace is a lot better. The waitress missed a dish we ordered and no personality. read more

This place is delicious and a great value, especially their lunch specials. It's a great choice for times when I don't bring my own lunch and want something quick, flavorful and easy on the wallet. Lunch specials include both fried rice And chow mein as a side to your entree which is awesome. You can also ask for steamed white rice instead at no additional fee. Service is also great! read more

Move on by...worst Chinese I've ever tried...If you think this is good food?....Raise your standards!!!

Chinese food! Oh my God. This place is awesome! Chicken, chow mein, broccoli beef & complementary soup! Tastes fresh and the portions are perfect! Makes me full throughout my lunch time till I need my snacks again :) Must try is their shrimp chow mein! It's huge and it tastes soooo good! Overall, you bet I'm coming back for lunch! read more

The best seasoned shrimp chow mein I've had. I have ate all over America and,no where has served chow. Me in as great as theirs. Definitely my new favorite read more

We really enjoyed our late lunch here. This is a hidden gem in Novato! Check out the pictures I posted. read more

Dragon Cafe - All veggie dishes - Chinese Near Me - Novato, California

This is your no drill Chinese food joint. Friendly service and very tasty. Can't go wrong. Mu shu pork and beef chow fun is a keeper

Driving southbound on 101 I stopped at this place called Dragon Café to find Chinese cuisine, very very good vegetable fried rice I liked it very much best Chinese food I've had all month, I give it five stars total. If you like Chinese food try this place out Dragon Café. read more

Hmmm. Of the numerous lousy Chinese restaurants in Novato, this may be the least fresh or authentic. Just don't.

Ate here a lot when I was getting the house ready for sale. When you have to eat out a lot you really begin to crave vegetables. Five stars for the great vegetables in many of the dishes. I am not an expert on Chinese food, but I know when I am being served a variety of freshly cooked vegetables that maintain their own flavor in the mix. Different orders yielded different combinations of vegetables, so not just the same melange each time. I kept going back because everything I tried had it's own blend of flavors and vegetables. I should add that the fried things I tried didn't have the same quantity or variety of vegetables for some reason, but they were well cooked. The dumplings and noodle soup I tried were not quite up to the same standard as the stir fry. The vegetables in the soup were fine, but the broth was bland. The dumplings were pretty much pork nodules. Seems like they could have used some more onions, garlic, cabbage, something . . . Did I mention the vegetables? Some of the best I have ever had at a restaurant. read more

Love this place. We went here when our local favorite, Ping's, started to go downhill. It's a tiny, family place, but the service was good and the food very fresh and authentic. Definitely going to be back many times. read more

Don't judge a book by its cover. I would have not given this place a chance if it weren't for someone who recommended this place to me. Located in a small strip mall, this hole in the wall has the best Chinese food in Novato. There are not many chinese restaurants in this town but this place has very fresh food. The food is not buried in sauce which hides the true flavor of the food and disguises true freshness. The owner even uses vegetables from his own garden. How fresh is that? The price is a bit higher than what most chinese restaurant would charge for their food, but in Novato, there has to be more restaurants to keep the prices competitive. read more

Fair prices great food! I always come by for lunch when I'm around the area. The waiter/waitress is always super friendly. My favorite dish there is the fish fillet with black bean sauce! It comes with mixed veggies broccoli,asparagus, green beans, sweet onion and bell peppers. very tasty for the price try it out! :) read more

This place has the best Chinese in Novato. That's coming from someone from the East Bay. They have a small staff but they are always fast.

Excellent food, I was very pleased with my order. Will become my local go to Chinese place!

The dumplings are DIVINE. Best dumplings I've had in Marin. Cashew chicken, won ton soup & general chicken are also reliably fresh & what you would expect from those dishes. Atmosphere is a bit hole in the wall but the owners are very sweet & friendly. read more

Glad I stumbled onto this place! I order Hot & Sour Soup from almost every Chinese restaurant I visit, and Dragon Café's is as good as any I've had. Too many restaurants add heat to compensate for lack of flavor; this restaurant adds flavor by adding...flavor. Some nice complexity to it. I definitely would be a regular here if I lived in the area. Highly recommended. read more

Great food at a great price. I went in and ordered to go. They made a mistake on one of my orders. The son brought me the correct order to my house. Now that is service!! Mistakes happen - numerous times it was too bad got me. This place took the higher road for customer service. read more

Dragon Cafe is my new go-to Chinese! Not only do they have a great selection but I have never been disappointed by any entree. They staff is attentive and very friendly and the service is fast. read more

Very good Chinese. It's hard to find a place that doesn't use to much grease in their cooking, and Dragon has done a good job of that. Good won tons, and their Cashew chicken was very tasty. I will definitely eat there again. read more

Went on a whim and the food was pretty good and highlighted by really good pot stickers and mu-shu pork. The rating would be higher if not for the so-so location. read more

Best Chinese food in Novato. The owners are really nice and friendly. Food is delicious and well priced.

Who cares about the furniture??? This is by far the best Chinese food I have ever had, and I have had alot! The cook/owner does "Small Wok Cooking" which is awfully rare nowadays, and it really shows in his food. The pot-stickers are to die for, and his chowmein is always al dente which is a small wok trademark. Don't even get me started on his snow pea beef! Just absolute heaven! When I am literally scarffing down his incredible food, no thoughts of furniture enter my mind! That is downright ridiculous! Whoever wrote that review, you should be remarking on the food, not the fact that they have chairs you don't like! read more

Simply the best menu with variety and flavor. This is a hidden gem folks! Listen up. You will be amazed at the quality and service provided by this mostly take-out and major catering business. Today I had the Hunan Beef with an extra order of string beans and rice. The best flavors. Drink lots of water before eating so you don't "over eat". They have ten tables so you can go there and eat but don't wait, this place is mostly undiscovered. I've been going here for quite a few years and live a few miles away. Chuck read more

Came here for lunch today as we were heading North on the 101. Really enjoyed our food. Had the lunch special and the portions were very generous! Chicken with vegetables was delicious. We will be back!! read more