After a near-decade hiatus, my family and I made our return to Gum Kuo in Oakland Chinatown on…read more01/03/2026. It was quiet when we walked in at 6pm. We were immediately greeted by one of the servers, and she seated us at a table near the back. Hot tea and menus were brought to us soon after. I didn't notice any changes to the interior since our last visit. We decided to order two sets of their 3-dish dinner special ($38.95 per set). Free house soup came with the meal. Here's the breakdown on all the dishes: Curry Beef Stew - The meat was tender but on the fatty side. Tasted like it's been sitting around all day. Ginger and Onion Beef - Good flavor. The meat was tender and flavorful. Fish Fillet with Tofu - Light and surprisingly delightful. The fish fillet was tasty and so was the soft tofu. Salt and Pepper Spareribs - Taste was on point. Meatiness was decent. Szechuan Chicken - The sauce tasted a lot like the sauce in Cantonese style beef steak (a concoction of ketchup, HP sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a few other things). Interesting, and definitely not Szechuan (or Sichuan). Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp and Yellow Chives - Pretty tasty. They only used egg yolks for the dish. Portions were moderate. Service was alright. The staff were friendly, and they refilled our tea without us asking. The total, with tax and tip, was about $107 (rice was $2.50 a bowl). Overall, A slightly above average Cantonese food experience. 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 just because they are in Chinatown.

I ordered Salted chicken rice plate and roasted duck…read more Definitely one of the spots I've grown up going to get my chinese bbq fix. Salted chicken rice plate 4.5/5 It's a simple clean meal. Definitely very filling. Chicken is very tender and juicy. Don't be afraid of the pink or red in the bone, it's myoglobin and still safe to eat. Roast Duck 4.5/5 It's nicely roasted, tender and juicy. The sauce is very flavorful and tasty. Ambience 4/5 Very quick and casual small dining area. It does get loud when packed but that is just the nature of chinatown. Also means the food is very good. Staff 4/5 Very friendly but because they are hustling around too much it's a little hard to get their attention.

Ming's seems like an establishment for dim sum in Oakland, and I am glad I finally got to try it…read moreout. The building itself is so unassuming, you'd never expect a great dim sum place to be here! Came on a Saturday mid-afternoon, and fortunately, did not wait too long for a table. My partner and I definitely ordered TOO much for just us two, but we wanted to try an assortment of things! The standouts were their rice noodle roll w/ crispy shrimp, siumai, and hargow. Their siumai and hargow were so plump and juicy! Usually they're tiny at dim sum spots. Everything else was good as well! We even took some home to our families. My parents really enjoyed their chicken feet too! Service was amazing and fast. They are so kind! I get why Ming's is people's fave.

Terrible place to go if you are a vegetarian. Non starter. The only options are plain noodles,…read moreplain rice, or plain veggies. I had to make do because I was with a group. I asked them to show me what was vegetarian and took special care to note that I cannot eat shellfish. They circled things in CHINESE, not in English, so I ended up ordering something that had shrimp in it!!! And then I told the guy and he would not refund it because he "told us in advance" even though he circled in Chinese and still allowed me to order it after I just told him I couldn't eat that. So annoying. How do you have that level of incompetence at a restaurant?

One of my favorite local spots to bring friends and family from out of town to experience. This…read moreplace does not disappoint. My favorites are the Shandong chicken and their signature hand-pulled noodles, so delicious! They are a popular spot so depending on when you go, can be a bit of a wait to get seated. It's not that big and can be a little tight inside. However, there's a reason why they stay busy, because their food is worth the wait! This place is a must when in Oakland and looking for some really tasty Chinese food.

Shandong Restaurant features authentic Northern Chinese dumplings and handmade noodles in a rowdy…read moreenvironment with absolutely horrendous service. And yet, the crowds keep on lining up to dine here. One of their highlight dishes was the Sesame Paste Noodles, made of super chewy noodles mixed with spinach and a deliciously creamy, slightly sweet sesame paste. Another must-try dish was the Special Shan Dong Dumplings, a thick-skinned dumpling filled with minced pork and vegetables. We also tried the House Special Pancake Stuffed with Leeks, a set of three pan-fried pies with a filling of chives, vermicelli, egg, and woodear mushrooms; the Dry Braised Green Beans, stir-fried with black beans and preserved vegetables; the Sautéed On-Choy; and Sliced Fish with zucchini, woodear mushrooms, peas, and carrots in a mild sauce. Overall, the dishes here came in generous portions at decent prices and made for a delicious, balanced meal. The vibe might be loud and the service rude, but the food was worth a visit!

Went to the farmers' market in Oakland Chinatown with three friends and stopped by C & M Bistro for…read morelunch afterwards. It is located in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza. There was a long queue waiting to get take out BBQ meats or lunch boxes. Dining in was very busy also; we managed to get probably the last available table. Decor is pretty typical of a Hong Kong style cafe. Menu is huge. The four of us shared the three-item special. We ordered Braised Tofu with Seafood Toppings, Peking Style Pork Chop, and Sizzling Beef with Mixed Mushrooms. It also came with their Daily Special Soup which was a Carrot Soup with pork bones and soy beans. Food was served fairly quickly and was very good. Sizzling Beef with Mixed Mushrooms was really tasty and full of wok aroma. The Braised Tofu dish came with big pieces of tofu that were fried on the outside and topped with fish fillet, shrimps, squid, and baby scallops. The Peking Style Pork Chops were still a little crispy even though they were covered with a sweet and sour sauce that was very flavorful. This pork chop dish was huge. Service was okay, pretty typical of a Hong Kong style cafe where servers are always running around because of under-staffing. At least our tea was refilled rather quickly upon request. Servers were friendly. The three items for $40.95 were a great value. The four of us were full and went home with leftovers.

C & M Bistro, Oakland's Chinatown…read more This place gets busy fast. Their deals are pretty good. There's street parking and garage parking. Would come back whenever I'm in the area.

This has been my fav go to for nutritional soup whenever I'm in Oakland. Love their wide variety of…read moreherbal soups and how they make it easy for patrons to choose by grouping the soups by : body detox, beauty care, healthy liver, nourish lungs/kidney etc. We had the Chicken with Morel mushroom & herbs soup (羊肚菌石斛炖雞) along with the traditional silkie chicken with dried scallop & herb soup. For main dishes couldn't resist their delicious wonton noodle soup as well as Their steamed rice with dried shrimp/fish minced pork served on lotus leaf wrap which added nice touch of lotus leaf fragrance to the steamed rice. And ended with another nutritious dessert - steamed chick pea & peach gum with dried rose. 玫瑰花冰糖炖雪蓮子桃. Love how it's not too sweet with nice rose taste to it.

We ordered the pork belly in the lotus leaf and a beef rice noodle roll plate. The lotus leaf was…read moredelicious, but wish there were more veggies in it. All of the other lotus leaf dishes that passed by our tabled looked great also -- seems like you cant go wrong with any of them! Its a casual spot in the middle of Chinatown, and its very reasonably priced! A great weekend lunch.

Always nice to have dim sum when you have a large group. East Ocean has been a long time favorite…read moreon the East Bay. We arrived shortly before opening at 10.30am on a Sunday. One of the benefits of getting there early is getting a window seat to enjoy the bay views. By 11.15am the restaurant was pretty full. We checked off our dim-sum items on a paper menu at our table and handed it to the staff. Food arrived promptly and served hot. We ordered our regular favorite dim sum and the hi lights were the taro pudding dessert, the crispy vermicelli with pork ( must request vinegar) and the chicken paws. In general the dim Sum were a good size and tasted as expected. But the chicken and fish maw was dry and lacked flavor. The chicken were irregular in size and just did not look appetizing. It did come with a mushroom and fake crabmeat. Definitely had better elsewhere. Overall, a huge restaurant, with great views and ample variety of dim-sum to choose from. Staff were quick and efficient. They also have their own lot, so parking was easy.

Came here on a Sunday for lunch and had a good experience. We pulled up and it was really busy…read morewith people waiting outside to be seated. We were lucky to find a parking spot right away but there seems to be ample parking since there are several lots in front but we did overhear someone did have to park "far away" which led them to have a long walk to meet their party. Waited about 30 minutes for a table for 6 and once seated, was given menus to mark what we'd like to order, was kind of disappointed to not see roaming carts with the exception of 2 serving Tofu Fa (a plus!) and some baked pork buns. With that said, since we have to put in menu orders with waiters, it does add to a little more lag time from the food getting delivered to the table and eating. If you end up ordering some of the fried stuff, there can be extended wait times as a lot of the stuff seems cook to order. Ended up order siu mai, har gow, shrimp rice noodle, and house special (Hong Kong style) pan fried noodle which were good and flavorful. HK noodle was above average and hit the spot; not the best, but is mine and my daughter's favorite dish when going for dim sum. Overall a solid dim sum place in the East Bay if you don't wanna make the trek to the City or Chinatown in Oakland. Food quality is good. Service was above average, our waiter would actually check in periodically and chatted with us. I've been to other places where the food was good but it impossible to ask for stuff and always seemed like a bother if you ask them for anything. They also give you pitchers of water for refills (smart) so you don't have to keep bothering them for refills.

I haven't visited the Shooting Star Cafe in years. Glad I stopped by to check them out again for…read moreCantonese/HK casual foods/meal plates. Legit place for convenience and good casual Cantonese foods/beverages/desserts. Yes, there are breakfast/lunch/dinner/happy hour deals here depending on promotions. Worth taking your time to review the long menus. Credit cards accepted. Good menu. Huge selections. It is definitely cheaper eating here than in or around South Bay Area for similar foods. I ordered a lot of stuff, but only took photos of a few since I showed up hungry. Hainan chicken rice plate, egg and shrimp rice meal, extras chicken, plain porridge, veggies/yu choy greens, etc. Normally, I would go for beverages and baked cheese meat rice dishes. Breakfast looks pretty simple too. It's actually considered affordable in today's economic environment. Everything was legit and good. Only thing I didn't like were waitresses who seem to bus and rush customers with placing orders, but it's understandable during lunch hours and prime time. They will help if you wave them down in busy settings. Afterall, it's about time and money in Oakland Chinatown, but food is done right good. There's plenty of places to sit inside. Worth convenient stops and it definitely adds value to locals visiting Chinatown. I still like Shooting Star Cafe.

I ordered online. I was craving Asian cuisine and found them in the Downtown Oakland area via…read moreGoogle. The pickup was straightforward. I showed them my online receipt and gave them my name, they were able to give me the food promptly. Fried Chicken wings & popcorn chicken - These were delicious. Hot & crispy skin, juicy interior, it was hard not to take big bites. They even give you a spice cup for extra flavor. Braised Oxtail in Red Wine - I paired this with their steamed rice to act as a sponge for the gravy/broth. This was my first time having oxtails different from the soul food style that I'm accustomed to from my own culture. At first, I was a bit Apprehensive, but it was actually good. It had a rich, earthy taste. It really had a melt in your mouth-like texture. Roasted Duck 1/2 - It was tender with a nice combination of savoriness and sweetness. Nice earthy, gamey, savory taste from the meat that contrasts well with the duck marinade.

*Great ambiance, feels like a great mix of walking into a corner food stop in China or visiting an…read moreold friends house ** Service is attentive with great recs and an adorable robot **** So easily accessible and price range is so good compared to the portion size ***** One of my favorite Chinese joints in Oakland now 谢谢

Love the robot food delivery! We ordered the seafood soup…read moreand the street noodle soup -- the seafood was bland except for the pieces of fried fish. The street noodle soup was delicious. Handmade noodles were delicious. The broth -- mine was supposed to be spicy - wasn't. And the medium spicy which was the seafood soup was bland.

A perfect late-night nosh! If you are out partying in downtown Oakland and want a good place to…read moreeat, this it. Noodle dishes, lamb curry, and lots of other delicious and inexpensive stuff. Try it!

I walked by for lunch today and was surprised it was closed. Checking Yelp, it is confirmed. What a…read morebummer - one of the few authentic, old school Chinese restaurants is gone. Thank you for the great food, feeding me at least twice a week post-COVID almost every single week.

A 5:30 dinner on a Tuesday evening. Hong Kong Cafe appears to be the better restaurant for a…read morereasonably priced family meal. We took advantage of one of the set menus. Last time, we got the $88 dinner and added three dishes. This time, I ordered the $168 dinner. I found out after I placed the order that instead of picking from the left side for the less expensive menu and the right side for the more expensive menu, we can select from either side for either menu! We also added one dish because my wife insisted that we needed more veg! Our server presented us with a bowl of House Soup. It was a great way to get our stomachs ready for the deluge of dinner about to happen! Whole Roast Duck - 3 - We had dinner the previous night at another Chinese restaurant and had a Peking Duck. It was odd that the Peking Duck was more moist than our Roast Duck. Yes, the fatty parts were fatty but the non-fatty parts were dry. Braised Beef Stew - 4 - Lots of beef. Excellent sauce. Missing Tendons and Daikon. Honey Walnut Shrimp - 3 - Even under the flavor of the sauce, I could tell that some of the shrimp weren't as fresh as they should be. No one else said anything so I let it go. Peking Rib - 5 - If I drank beer, this would be an excellent dish to nosh on while doing so. Crispy Fried Flounder - 4 - The flounder was okay, but the fins and tail didn't get super crispy so we could enjoy them as chips. The other thing that may have made it better for us might be a sweet and sour sauce. Chicken with Mixed Mushrooms - 4 - Yep, I'm a mushroom freak. I could care less about the chicken, but mushrooms? I'm there. Stir-fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce - 4 - These were okay. My wife said she got a bunch of empty shells. That happens sometimes. No idea what other people got. Chicken Chow Mein - 5 - got the skinny noodles fried soy sauce chow mein style. Yummy! Snap Pea Beef - 4 - Beef was tender. Could have used more snap peas. Overall, a decent dish. I also included pictures of the two "set" menus. Note that $88 comes with a 1/2 Royal Chicken while $168 comes with a whole Roast Duck. Service was okay. Food came in spurts. Soup. Wait. Two dishes. Wait. Wait. Wait. Most everything else. Wait. Last three dishes.

Usually love it, but bad experience today. 2:30 pm, 9/4/25. Not very busy. Service was very slow…read more Coconut chicken soup was just ok. Chicken was not flavorful. Found two hairs inside. Come on, HK, you can do better.