Welll.... The service is non existent, you'll get seated and get your drink. Good luck on getting a…read morerefill without asking. Service is not a thing here. The place is reasonably clean for a food establishment I think the only reason a gave this place 3 star is because of the selection of food, everything there is somewhat good. Very mediocre at best. A lot of the food is somewhat dried out, but at best you'll find a few items you may like. I kinda know what to expect at places like these so I don't set myself up for disappointment, I'm not to picky with my food or the service when I go to place like this. If you're not either, then you shouldn't have a problem with this place. When I do my ratings I do them as if I'm a customer who wants an all around good experience and base from there. (I do it for you guys ) haha so take what you want from this, I hope it helps. But be warned haha. Mite be back...

Not sure if some of the warms didn't work properly but some food was cold and the other was to hot…read more Burned my hand with the tongs but the food was cold, makes no sense. Food is greasy and oily. Sushi was sloppy. Rips on furniture with tape covering them. Employees looked miserable. Food wasn't fresh at all. Food department needs to visit for a cold/hot plate.

Small chill spot, friendly faces (especially Mr. Coop!), and the food is delicious! Took the day…read moreoff for a lil family day. Heard about this place from Gareth Eats and Marvelous Muncher, they did not lead me astray! My wife and kid can be pretty picky. For the amount of food we ordered, we would usually have leftover, but we finished the whole thing! * 2 lbs of chicken - so juicy, great taste, especially with that BBQ sauce. My wife usually complains that BBQ is so salty, or too vinegary, not this time. She loved it! * Mac and cheese - Creamy! Cheesy! Good! * Coleslaw - fresh, I think there's a light vinaigrette. I usually like mayo on mine, but I can see how this pairs better with the rest of the food. * Potato Salad - solid, not too salty as well. Just right! * Beans and Rice - I think I should've gone large on this one. So good! * Peach Cobbler - legit. Warm. Peachy. Cobblery. * Sweet Potato Pie - I was surprised, because I usually am not a fan of sweet potato. Tasty, not too sweet! Mr. Coop checked in with us once in a while to make sure we're all good, stopped by and gave me a sample of the bacon. Sweet, real tasty! I'm excited to come back and try the ribs and brisket! Smelled so good coming in!

I finally tried coops barbecue. The brisket rained supreme…read more It is so unbelievably tender, and good. It literally melts in your mouth. I bought a a pound to share. I tried the pork ribs, but I do prefer Phil's pork ribs to these ribs and tender, but Phils falls off the bone. Still very good. Collard greens were delicious as were the rice and beans. Service is efficient and prompt.' Ambience is that of a smoked meat joint.

Friendly staff, cute decorations, easy to order menu. Love taking my family here for breakfast,…read morelunch, or dinner. Usually go for the cart dim sum and peking duck. Tip: order the peking duck right when you sit down because it's made fresh to order. And if you don't see your to-go dim sum dish, just ask and staff will bring it out.

Came on a random Tuesday at 11:30 am and there were only two other ppl in, which was nice…read more Parking lot is huge so no problems there, right next to the north gate marketplace Most authentic dim sum in San Diego, but I guess also not cheap - seems like dim sum is expensive everywhere now - 6 dishes was around $65.

I am a Cali BBQ faithful. Every holiday party, home and work. Cali is always a hit!…read moreEasy to order and pickup and always Tastes great. I recommend the bacon wrapped poppers.

Guys the brisket is to die for so much so I'm dead now love love love their jalapeño cheesy…read morecornbread the pulled pork too omggg it was so tender and juicy yes this isn't the most serious review but ITS THE REALESTTT!!!‍

Multiple trips over the years. All items are bangin!…read more Hot Honey Chili Garlic Bowl is pure fire. Crispy chicken drizzled with hot honey chili and garlic bits taking these flavors on a journey. Pickled onions and Korean cucumbers give you delicious change for your pallette, all on a bed of rice. The GUD Burger was a beefy, cheesy, greasy, tangy ride. I didn't get much from the ube milk bun, but it looked nice. If you eat the fries with it, get ready for a case of that itis.

If you're looking for something different, but with just the slightest twist. Tambayan has done it!…read more The burger was very flavorful and the chicken sando was killer. The banana aioli was great and the swirling fries were hot n crispy. Probably one of my favor style of fries. I wanna try so much more, but I'll have to make another trip out of it. Super sarap!!

Starting with four stars so I can go up after trying more items…read more I got the lunch special with Kung Pao tofu, and fried rice. $8.49 out the door! (I paid cash, I think it's a dollar more with card.) Everything was made fresh when I ordered and was delicious and hot. The service was efficient and friendly too. There is no real seating inside the restaurant to eat inside, though. I also appreciate that the person working made sure to check and see if I had any food allergies! I'll absolutely go back!

There are a lot of Chinese restaurants in America that claim "authentic" Chinese food, but…read morehonestly, I didn't buy it. First Chinese Express is one of the best Chinese food places out there. Many might hate and call it bad, but it's definitely a place you would want to go. It's not bad; it's amazing, and the staff is so nice. It honestly tastes like authentic Chinese food, not like "Americanized" Chinese food. Would definitely recommend it

This is my probably my favorite restaurant in the area, I order from here so much. Their chicken…read moretikka masala comes with an order of rice or naan - it's absolutely delicious and I love that you can choose the spice level! I always recommend this spot to people I know.

I ordered to go so can't rate the dining experience, only the food I ordered. I got the mutter…read morepaneer and veggie samosas which came with rice. My husband got the chicken tikka masala, with garlic naan and a mango lassi. The mutter paneer tasted under seasoned with no distinct flavor, the paneer felt like didn't absorb any seasonings at all. So not bad but not something I would reorder. The samosas were good. I tasted the curry sauce from the chicken tikka masala and that had much better flavor. Both were heavy (butter/heavy cream based). The mango lassi was surprisingly the most balanced I ever had. They are usually over sweet but this one was just right. If I return I would order something different.

We love to get curry from here. The staff is great and the ambiance is fun. We have been going here…read morefor years. Highly recommend.

This spot in La Mesa has always felt like stepping into a quiet temple tucked inside the city. The…read morespace opens up the moment you walk in--wide, dark-lit, and beautiful in that moody, atmospheric way that makes you lower your voice and become a little more present. The yantras on the ceiling? I notice them every time, and they give the whole place this subtle spiritual pulse I appreciate. Now, the curry... listen. It's a journey. Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes it's a little too fiery--like they got a memo from the sun itself. But when they hit the balance, it's magic. What stays consistent, though, is the service. Always quick, always attentive, always on point. It's the kind of place I used to wander into in my La Mesa era, where the food warmed me up and the energy felt familiar, like an old mantra I didn't know I remembered.

Captain's Log -- Stardate 21,596…read more Twenty-one thousand, five hundred and ninety-six rotations around this magnificent sun have I endured -- each one sharpening my palate, steeling my resolve, deepening my reverence for the extraordinary. On this day, the winds of destiny carried my queen and me through the fog-draped canyons of Spring Valley, drawn by whispers ancient and savory, toward a hallowed establishment known simply as Bankhead. Mississippi-style cooking. The very words conjured visions of forgotten kingdoms. Make it so. We materialized within a modest strip mall -- unassuming as an unclaimed planet -- yet the moment those doors parted, I understood with crystalline Vulcan certainty we had not merely entered a restaurant. We had crossed the threshold into living mythology. David and Rose -- not merely owners, not merely cooks -- but keepers of a sacred flame ignited by their extraordinary mother in the 1970s right here in San Diego. Their lineage is not carried in blood alone, but in smoke and seasoning, in cast iron and cornmeal, in a love for craft no warp drive could outrun. I canna' change the laws of physics -- but these descendants have bent them entirely. David approached us with the warmth of a thousand suns -- laughing, storytelling, weaving us into this family as though we always belonged. He is no mere host. He is a Counselor of the highest order, reading the soul of every guest, delivering what the spirit requires. In his presence, one does not feel like a customer. One feels like crew. Then there was Betty, whose presence carried the quiet authority of a seasoned admiral -- dignified, welcoming, the kind of soul that anchors a ship in turbulent seas. And Zai -- that magnificent young warrior -- commanding the register with Starfleet precision while summoning miracles from that kitchen alongside Rose. I watched her and thought: Today is a good day to dine. This crew operates in perfect formation. Resistance to their hospitality? Futile. Now hear me when I tell you of the provisions. I, your Captain, did what any commander worth his commission must do -- I ordered with the fire of a Klingon and the logic of a Vulcan. I explored nearly the entire frontier of that menu, and what I discovered shook the very hull of my expectations. The beef ribs. By the Great Bird of the Galaxy. These were not merely ribs. These were relics. Carved from some ancient and glorious tradition, smoked to a depth that defies measurement, falling from the bone with a reverence that made me set down my fork and simply breathe. Mind-bending. Dimensional. The kind of food that makes a traveler question whether he has ever truly eaten before this moment. They do not simply fill your stomach -- they reprogram your memory. And then -- the Mississippi catfish. Crisp. Golden. Sovereign. Dressed in a crust that crackled like the opening of a long-sealed archive, its flesh within tender as mercy itself. This was not a side dish. This was a declaration. Soul food is not merely cuisine -- it is communication. A language spoken in grease and grace, in heat and heritage. "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations" -- the Vulcan masters understood this truth. Bankhead lives it. Every plate told the same story: a family refused to let their legacy die. They carried it from Mississippi soil, through decades of change, through the shifting tides of a city that rarely sits still, and planted it here in Spring Valley -- like a monument that earns its place not through banners, but through the undeniable power of truth on a plate. You are not merely eating here. You are tasting 1970s San Diego. You are tasting a mother's hands. You are tasting sacrifice and celebration and the stubborn, glorious insistence that some things must not be lost. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Spock spoke those words in cold logic. But here at Bankhead, they take on warmer meaning: every soul who walks through that door is met -- abundantly, joyfully, without reservation. No one leaves hungry. No one leaves unchanged. To those who feel the pull of the unknown, I issue my final command: Set your course for Spring Valley. Find the strip mall. Walk through those doors. Tell them Captain 619 sent you -- and watch as the universe rearranges itself into something that feels, impossibly, like home. To David, Rose, Betty, and Zai -- you have done what the greatest explorers of any age have done. You have taken the vast, echoing mystery of where we come from and made it something a stranger can hold in their hands, taste with their tongue, and carry forever in their chest. There are not five lights. There are not four. There is only one truth in that kitchen -- and it is magnificent. My queen and I depart richer than any treasure map could promise. Live long and prosper. End log -- Captain 619 Voyager. Taster of Worlds. Loyal to the flavors that refuse to be forgotten.

I'll be blunt. The…read morefood is mediocre and "someone" needs an attitude adjustment. But it feels like you're in a little restaurant in the Deep South with true downs home blues playing in the background. Go for the ambiance and their delicious Lemonade Tropical Mix.

Went here for the AYCE sushi…read more We ordered so much for the 1st round that we only went 1 round. Lol. Be forewarned, the rolls are full sized 8-10pcs, and each round is limited 2/person. The only takeaway from this meal was it was just okay, the crunchy flakes were kinda stale &the server kinda forgot a few of our orders. They did charge a little extra for us only eating 2 pieces of the crunchy roll, which is totally valid.

Came to Sushi Factory in El Cajon on a Friday night around 8:10 and put our names on the waitlist…read more We were told the wait would be 10-15 minutes, so we stepped out to grab boba. We're understanding people, so when 15 minutes passed, we decided to give them more time. After 30 minutes, we went back to check, only to be told at 8:40 that they would no longer be serving their AYCE menu. We left immediately, disappointed and frustrated--not only for the wasted 40 minutes but also because we strayed from our usual spot at Little Sakana. They should have informed us before putting us on the waitlist. To make matters worse, we wasted precious, expensive gas getting there. Usually, I don't write reviews, but this experience was extremely disappointing. Will not be returning.