Food was generally good. No complaints. $8 popcorn chicken, small in size, taste good.

If you're looking for an authentic Taiwanese food experience, this is it. Chef learned from Taiwanese chef in Taiwan, the foods amazing and brings a lot of nostalgia. Definitely get their beef noodle soup read more

Flaming Ox - Taiwanese Near Me - San Jose, California

I was so excited for a new Taiwanese restaurant to be opened in the neighborhood. But what a disappointed visit! The service was great- very attentive and fell welcomed! The food is a bit disappointed, small portion and overpriced for its quality. I got the minced pork belly rice- it is unlike the one in Taiwan. The pork belly is more like minced beef, doesn't seems to have fats in the meat. The rice is so soggy, and portion are small for its price point. My friend got the popcorn chicken with rice- the chicken was dried. We also got the cucumber for appetizer, it is small dish as well.... After the meal, I feel like there is a heavy msg added. I don't think I will be back. Definitely not the type of authentic Taiwan restaurant I was hoping for. read more

This is hands down the best beef noodle soup in all of bay area! After trying almost all of the Taiwanese restaurants in the bay area, Flaming Ox is in a league of its own. We got the mala beef noodle soup, pork belly rice, century egg with tofu, and the pork chop rice plate. Everything tasted phenomenal and it felt like I was in Taiwan having a meal. There was a long line, but it moves fast! Service is great and we got our food promptly after ordering. Flaming Ox is a great addition to the San Jose food scene, and I will definitely be coming back read more

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Nice little Taiwanese joint in north San Jose. The food here is pretty good. I have had the Scallion Pancakes, and it is a must have. I also enjoyed their pork chop appetizer, which is quite delicious. The beef noodle soup is also quite good. Beef is nice and soft. Noodles are chewy and delicious. The broth is not too salty. I would definitely come back to try the other menu items... or just eat the exact same things again Oh, the service is excellent as well read more

Great flavors! Pork chop was not as crispy, but very juicy and savory. The beef was sooo soft and loved the thick noodles in the soup. read more

Flaming Ox - Fried Pork Chops - Taiwanese Near Me - San Jose, California

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The staff was friendly and helpful. She let us know how to order. We could use the QR code or they could give us menus and order traditionally with the waitress as well. Ordering through the phone was easy and there are a lot of customizable options. We tried the lu rou fan, bone broth noodle soup and the popcorn chicken plate. They were all good. The rice plates come with pickled cabbage and greens. It helps with texture and also the acidity helps cut the fattyness of the chicken and pork. A good well rounded bite. The wait staff saw I had kids and even asked if I needed scissors to cut the noodles. That was appreciated. read more

Love the spicy mala bowl. Huge, tender portions of beef, fantastic chili oil, great broth... you can't go wrong with this San Jose gem. I don't have to drive all the way far for some great Taiwanese food. They also have Taiwanese sodas. read more

TLDR: Get the Mala beef noodle soup with tendon and chilled eggplant!! My family and I have been looking for a good beef noodle soup spot for a while now. We saw the soft opening sign and had to stop by. After trying almost their entire menu, I can confidentially say we've found our go-to spot. We started off by ordering a bunch of appetizers. Everything was so good but I highly recommend the popcorn chicken, cucumber salad, and chilled eggplant. The slightly sour and sweet cucumber pairs really well with the meaty broth! The things that set this place apart from other beef noodle soup places is their Mala broth and extremely tender tendon. The meat and tendon are so soft, you barely have to chew. Fair warning though... it is pretty spicy and piping hot but thats exactly how I like my noodle soups. If you cant handle heat, the bone broth is just as good. You would assume its not as flavorful but it slaps just almost as hard. Needless to say, I'll definitely be back soon. read more

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Overall: 3.9/5 Food: 7.8/10 - Bone Broth Beef Noodle Soup: 7.8/10, the pictures looked like it would be a lighter color and not much flavor to it, but it was very flavorful and had a slight kick to it - Mala Beef Noodle Soup: 7.6/10, if you're on the fence with this because typically Szechuan is very numbing and spicy, this specific noodle dish is not crazy numbing spicy and also has a good amount of flavor! It was nice to swap in between the two bowls. Service 8/10: There was only one worker but she did really well managing everyone, water came out fairly quickly without us asking as well. The food took roughly 25 minutes to come out for us, but the table that came after us took around 10 minutes, I assume ours was slower since there was a rush during that time. Ambiance 9/10: Clean restaurant and modern design. Nice lamp choices as well. read more

Small menu, big flavors. The 牛肉面 here is really good - not overly salty, not overly herbal in terms of the taste, and the beef is just the right kind of tenderness. I tried their popcorn chicken and 葱油饼, along with 皮蛋豆腐 - everything is pretty good individually, though I wouldn't go here specifically for their side dishes. Their noodles are what really hits the spot. Definitely a great candidate for when you need a Taiwanese-style hangover noodle soup with no extra frills. read more

Great food, great service, great prices. I tried the minced pork rice, chicken filet, and beef noodle soup, both really good. They give out comment cards so you can tell they really care about what their customers think and are trying their best to improve, highly recommend this place read more

Man finally a legit and modern Taiwanese place here in North San Jose! Gf and I went to Taiwan last year and we're still reminiscing about the amazing food there, so when we saw Flaming Ox we had to give em a try. We had the beef noodle traditional style w/thin noodles, fried pork rice bowl, sautéed veggies, pickled cucumber and green onion pancakes. That beef broth hits the spot! Instant Taiwan vibes came rushing back with each sip. That braised beef was oh so tender and a balanced mix of meat and tendon. Melt in your mouth with just the right amount of chew. Loved the crispy bok choy and pickled cabbage to complement the rest of the soup, and the housemade crispy, sweet chili oil. I think we should've went with the thick noodles just for more doughiness, but we had no regrets with the thinnies. Mm mouth is still salivating.. The pork rice bowl was great as well. Learned that there are 2 different types of Taiwanese crispy pork - one with crispy batter and the other with minimal batter and mainly just the frying the meat. This style is the latter. As long as you know this, it delivers on the flavor and texture. With the braised pork over rice and crispy chili oil, all you can do is *chef's kiss* Sautéed spinach was awesome, perfectly cooked and seasoned with garlic and sauce. I prefer the long cut baby cucumber with sweeter, garlic sauce, but this tangier cucumber gives a nice refreshing pickled flavor break from the rest of the items. Green onion pancakes were fried crispy and paired nicely with their sweet savory sauce. Service was prompt and friendly, and our server came to check in on us twice. Owner said they may be bottling their crispy chili oil soon and introducing dessert, so we'll be back for that fosho. If you love Taiwanese food or have never tried, this is a must go place. read more

I came around opening at 11:30 on Friday, and I got seated right away. The restaurant is pretty small so the tables got filled up pretty fast. You order through the QR code so it was super quick and easy. I got the traditional beef noodle soup, and wow it was soo yummy! It had so much flavor, the broth kind of reminded me of pho broth. The chili oil really topped it off, it added a bit more saltiness but it wasn't spicy at all so I wish it had more of a kick to it. I got the thick noodles, and the texture was perfectly chewy. The meat literally melts in your mouth! I do wish it came with more meat considering the bowl costs $17. Overall, I really enjoyed this dish and I would come back here again! read more

Flaming Ox - Taiwanese Near Me - San Jose, California

We got the traditional beef noodle, mala beef noodle, and the JJM with the tofu and century egg as an appetizer. The JJM was really good! Super flavorful for a vegan dish. The tofu and century egg was fine, but the traditional beef noodle was a little bland and lacked the deep beef flavor I was expecting and the mala was super salty. read more

Flaming Ox is my most visited restaurant of 2025 so far! The noodles and soup are delicious, but the meat is what sets them apart from the other hand cut noodle restaurants. It's soo tender and totally worth paying to get extra. I love the mala noodle soup and can definitely say this place deserves all the hype! read more

Came to Flaming Ox with my gf as she was part of the Yelp experience event. When we arrived the restaurant was a bit busy but we were able to go get seated fairly quickly! The menu is on a QR code you can scan and the server was friendly and attentive. We had ordered the tofu and century egg appetizer which was quite refreshing! I had ordered the traditional beef noodle soup with thick noodles and my gf had the mala with thin noodles. Both soups were very good and my gf said the mala is spicy but not so much it overpowers the flavors of the dish. We both preferred the thick noodles over the thin. The beef was great and extremely tender as it melted in my mouth. The inside is quite nice and even has a really big cute mural on one of the walls! Parking is quite easy as it is a plaza with a huge lot. read more

Flaming Ox - Sorry I had already mixed the noodles! C1. Traditional Beef Noodle Soup Mild Spicy with thick noodles - Taiwanese Near Me - San Jose, California

I came here and ordered the spicy mala soup to go. There were barely 2 pieces of meat.....TWO. The flavor was good but a bowl of plain noodles for $20 is NOT worth it. Noodles are cheap, hardly had any meat. Super overpriced. Don't recommend. read more

Came in for a tuesday date night dinner and we ordered the Traditional Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup with thick noodles, Minced Pork Belly Rice, and the Crispy green onion pancake! I absolutely loved how tender the pork & beef were in both the main dishes - it just melts in your mouth! We also had the pickled cucumber which was a good balance of tangy and savory. Will definitely be coming back for the pork belly rice and want to try some of their other dishes too. read more

Flaming Ox - Traditional Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, Minced Pork Belly Rice and Pickled Cucumbers - Taiwanese Near Me - San Jose, California

Drove all the way from the Peninsula to try this place and got the beef noodle soup and pork chop rice. Both were fire and will definitely be coming back! read more

Unremarkable. Tiny portions; soup had no depth; and expensive. Almost $20/item. There are better places for Beef noodle soup and simple foods like this - check out Taiwan Cafe on Abel St in Milpitas. read more

The food was incredibly delicious! The service was so quick and the staff SUPER friendly! :) definitely recommend! read more

Flaming Ox - Traditional beef noodle soup - Taiwanese Near Me - San Jose, California

Really wanted to try the vegan Zha Jiang mien because the reviews were amazing but texture of the vegan meat did not go too well with the dish. The flat noodles were good but a little too firm while the topping was too soft that it does not stand out. I was also hoping for a little more spice and flavor. read more

Flaming Ox - D1. Zha Jiang Mien VEGAN, C1. Traditional Beef Noodle Soup Mild Spicy - Taiwanese Near Me - San Jose, California

Nice new spot to get our Taiwanese food fix. It's hard to find good places that serve Taiwanese food so this spot is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The strip mall has a lot of parking and it's a busy area around rush hour time frame so we normally go early The noodles were our favorite read more

New Taiwanese noodle soup spot. We ordered: - Popcorn Chicken - Traditional beef noodle soup with regular noodles - Mala beef noodle soup with thick noodles The popcorn chicken is good. Big tender pieces. The noodle soups are delicious. The broth tastes clean without sacrificing any flavor. They are also generous with their noodle and meat portions. The inside is clean and modern. They offer traditional drinks like Taiwanese beer and canned tea, as well as "trendy" drinks like Poppi. Highly recommend! read more

Should preface by saying this isn't 100% authentic tasting Taiwanese beef noodle soup. It kind of tastes like the more diluted, healthier American version of the real thing. But as a stand alone "modern" take, I think it was good. The beef was tender and the noodles had a good chew. The broth although tasting like it was diluted was tasty enough. I found it odd they only included the stems of the bok choy though- I wonder where the rest of it went. Popcorn chicken was only alright. Again not really fried the Taiwanese way of using sweet potato starch. Will come again if I'm craving something warm on a cold day. read more

The rice dishes were just ok. Pork belly meat sauce was a bit bland and wasn't up to my taste bud. The beef noodles were not bad. Chilly sauce was very good! Popcorn chicken wasn't enough seasoning or crispy. read more

The service was good. The food is so so. Good: Onion Pancake Popcorn chicken The braised beef in the noodle soup. Pork Belly rice Bad: Porkchop oily and soggy. Medium: Noodles in the noodle soup much chewier in other places. read more

Very authentic Taiwanese noodle soups. It does get a little pricey when you order multiple plates. The service was efficient and they didn't pressure guests to leave even though there was a line outside. I would say the beef shanks could be more chewy, they were a little bit too soft. read more

Did not like the beef in the soup? Won't purchase from there again. Ended up throwing the soup out.

Such a great addition to this area! My party and I got the mala beef noodle soup, braised pork belly rice, and popcorn chicken and they did not disappoint! Every dish was so packed with flavor. Popcorn chicken was so crispy and juicy inside, the braised pork belly is one of the best I've ever had, and the beef noodle soup was so delicious! We got the thick noodles for the soup and it was the perfect texture of chewiness and the broth was so aromatic with the perfect amount of spice. Got here on a Sunday around noon and it was always almost a full house, and more and more customers were lining up after we were seated. Love that there is also a lot of parking in this plaza. Would definitely come back again!! read more

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Food is perfect! Broth is flavorful, but not too heavy, bok choy and picked mustard greens have a nice crunch, and the beef had the perfect chew and amount of fat. Keep up the good work! read more

YOYOYOYO! WE BACK AT AGAIN. 2024 AND I DROP A REVIEW SINCE MY HIATUS. I walk in and it's amazingly clean and modern. Quite a small space but it's overall an optimal use of space. We had the A3. Chilled Cucumber 小黃瓜, B1. Popcorn Chicken w/ Basil 鹽酥雞, B3. Green Onion Pancake 蔥油餅, C2. Mala Beef Noodle Soup, D1. Zha Jiang Mien 素醬麵 [VEGAN], E1. Minced Pork Belly Rice Plate 滷肉飯. All were really solid. The notable dishes I thought that green onion pancake, the mala beef noodle, and the minced pork belly rice plate. Overall, all the dishes were above average and it was very good with the ratio to price and quality. This place is really good and low-key a sleeper! Check it out. P.S Our server Dora was amazing , I'm putting on honey on you goat! read more

Great Taiwanese food. Ive been to taiwan a few times and this place is just legit. I had the pork over

The best pork chop rice ever!!!!! Beef noodle soup was also bomb, not oily and SO TASTY! There were also delicious options for hot weather - chilled summer noodle and chilled eggplant salad. Also loved the decor in the restaurant! Definitely recommend checking this place out! read more

There were plus and minuses with this place so I'm not sure it's worth coming back. The restaurant is small, tables are close together and very cramped. It's very noisy. The hard bench seating is very uncomfortable. We ordered the pork chop rice plate and added the pork belly; for $1.50 extra, you get 1 tsp of meat sauce over white rice, it was a bit offensive tbh. The pork chop was fine, not bad but not stellar. The popcorn chicken was really dry, wasn't great. Beef noodle soup was decent: flavorful broth, chewy noodles, tender meat. There is a Yelp waitlist; even though we were #1 on the list, they seated 2 other parties before us. Once we sat down; the waitress was very nice and friendly but there's only 1 waitress for the whole restaurant so I felt bad for her. read more

I love a good beef noodle soup and the traditional broth really hit the spot for me here! The broth - A+ flavor, complex, bold. The beef - falls apart in your mouth, super juicy, tender, and hearty. The thicc noodles - the perfect amount of chewy. The chili crisp sauce - perfect pairing and flavor. 10/10 bowl! My friend ordered the mala which was also SUPER yummy and flavorful! If I didn't have terrible spice tolerance I would have ordered it, but for now i'll have to settle for stealing spoonfuls of broth off my friends. We also shared some apps, my favorite was the refreshing cucumber salad and the popcorn chicken! Can't wait to come here again~ read more

I was excited when I heard about this new BNS opening up! If you've been in the bay as long as I have, you've probably tried the sad excuses for beef noodle soup in the area and been disappointed. The three types of beef noodle soup here each showcases something different/unique, there is something for everyone. I recommend the traditional beef noodle soup for an initial try. The broth is balanced and beef is super tender! I prefer the thin noodles. My husband likes the bone broth BNS. Honestly I wasn't expecting much from the color of the soup but it was full of flavor! Definitely unique. If you order this expecting it to be 清燉 flavor, this might not be it. I've tried the mala as well and that one is also good (But proceed with caution)! I would honestly order all 3 again depending on my mood. I appreciate the Taiwanese food with a modern twist! For appetizers you can't really go wrong with the pickled cabbage or cucumber. Other honorable mention would be the pork chop rice and the house made chili oil. Yum! I'll be back for sure. read more

Glad to have tried Flaming Ox because the dishes are delicious! I tried the mala noodle soup, traditional noodle soup, cucumbers, popcorn chicken and eggplant. The cucumber and eggplant side dishes were refreshing and I really liked the sauce on the eggplant. The popcorn chicken was seasoned well and fried well too. It was still crispy by the end of the meal. Both beef noodle soup dishes were really good. The mala was a nice kind of spicy where I could still enjoy it. The traditional was one of the best beef noodle soup broths I've had (even ones I tried in Taiwan weren't as good as this one). I got thick noodles for both. There was so much food in the end that I had to take home leftovers. The restaurant ambiance is also nice. Very modern and clean. The service was also good! I'd def return and try more dishes. read more

I work nearby and noticed they were having their soft opening so I decided to check it out. I came around opening at 530pm and was greeted by a very friendly waitress. The restaurant is very modern and spacious with an open kitchen. It was a chilly night so we all opted for the Mala Spicy Beef Noodle Soup and shared the popcorn chicken and green onion pancake as appetizers. Usually beef noodle soup is not spicy enough or flavorful enough for me. But I loved the soup here!! It was legitimately spicy with amazing flavor. The noodles were cooked well and not too soft. The meat portion was very generous and super tender!! It wasn't the usual thin chewy beef slices you see at other places. They braise the meat here so it was so tender. Popcorn chicken and green onion pancake were also both tasty. I really liked the sauce for the pancake. Ask for the chilli oil on the side if you like some extra spice/crunch! I will definitely come back to try their rice dishes next time! Great addition to this plaza and would be a great spot for lunch or dinner if you're craving Taiwanese food. read more

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