Love this place! Last Saturday night was our first time there and I was pretty impressed. My husband and I shared the fish but I did get to taste most of the appetizers and other entrees that members of our party ordered. We also tried their shaved ice, which, according to my 7-year-old, is "the bomb." My 2-yr old scarfed down the garlic bread and her cousin's seaweed soup. Planning to try the steak tomorrow! Service was great, considering the language barrier and the amount of food they had to bring out and the price is unbeatable. For our party of 12 adults and 4 roudy kids our bill including appetizers and dessert came out to about $160. Will update my review after tomorrow. I'm already salivating thinking about it... Tempted to change my review to 3.5 stars because we didn't get our hot tea or any kind of drink (not even a complementary glass of water) with our meal except for the strawberry slushie that my son ordered. I don't think it would've sufficed if somebody at our table had ended up choking. Also, the tenderloin we ordered was tough on the outside. Despite that, I decided to stay at 4 shinies because their corn soup and shaved ice are just absolutely yummy! Plus the inside part of the steak turned out true to its name -- "tender". Furthermore, the appetizers were out of this world especially the fried tofu with its unique and delectable garlicky-gingery sauce. Mmmm mmm mmm... Overall, my final verdict is: this one's a keeper! read more

The food was ok but the server's customer service was terrible. He was texting with his friend and never paid attention to the customer. I might give another shot next time hoping that I get a better customer service. read more

If you are from Taiwan, this is restaurant will remind you the night market food, the taste almost same as Taiwan favorite. read more

Formosan Restaurant - Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Artesia, California

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I love this place. Although the old owner used to be very close with my family, the food remained equally delicious and I'll always love it.

Taiwanese Steak. You really don't need any more description then that. And if you are asking "but i'm not taiwanese, i dont know what taiwanese steak is? Your review sucks" Then i say this to you; Go and try some of this deliciousness and you soon will be saying "it's taiwanese steak. 'nough said." However, just for my fellow taiwnanese/chinese yelpers if you've tried the squid version of this in taiwan and loved it (like me). It is NOT the same at this restaurant. They do NOT give you a whole squid cut into rings. It's more like small frozen squid on a sizzling plate (disappoint) Come here and order stake, if not don't complain read more

I've only been here a couple times. I was introduced here by my boyfriend's parents. Reeeaaaaalllyyy good! The lightly breaded deep fried tofu burnt my tongue since I couldn't wait to eat it knowing that it just came out. Hahaha. I got the sauteed tenderloin steak in black pepper sauce with pasta instead of rice. Very delicious! :) The sizzling plate combo also came with a small bowl of salad with homemade thousand island dressing (reminds me of my mom's very own), a small bowl of soup and a couple pieces of garlic bread for the pasta. Everything was delicious! Service was good too since mom&dad are regulars there. ;) I'm looking forward to trying other things on the menu. I'm salivating just thinking about it. Hehe. read more

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I love learning new things, trying new things. So, when T2 offered to take me to a "Taiwanese place that serves sizzling meat," I knew I had to try it. And how could you not love a restaurant called "Formosan," no, not Formosa, but "Formosan Restaurant." Ah, gotta love the fobs. For $12, I got iceberg lettuce with Thousand Island dressing, toast with butter and garlic powder (too bad I didn't try it when it was hot), a plate of sizzling short rib and pepper sauce, accompanied by a fried egg and mixed veggies. It was quite yummy. I ordered the rice, T2 ordered spaghetti noodles with his seafood combo. I will probably order that next time (if there is a next time b/c I don't know when I will be in Cerritos next?) b/c the shrimp was tasty - salty, but not overly salty. Generous portions of lobster were also served with the combo. Even though we arrived at 9:30, the waitress was still very friendly and helpful, which is always a PLUS for me when I go to Asian restaurants. She didn't look at us funny when I made T2 ask, "Is this how they do it in Taiwan? the sizzling plate?" She looked at us, a little unsure of the question, but kindly responded back, "yes, this is how they do, yes yes, in Taiwan." I'm sure she got a good laugh b/c of it later on. Oh well. You never know unless you ask, right? Damn, just thinking about this experience is making me hungry again. 22 mins to go until lunch is served. Yippee. read more

Tenderloin Steak w/pepper sauce, salad, soup, garlic bread and spaghetti or rice= $8.65 tax included. Taiwanese sausage, sauteed gourd, sauteed string beans, tea flavored boiled egg and rice = $6 tax included. Formosan = Priceless This has got to be the best deal in town. This is not just cheap food but good food at a very affordable price. I will definitely be coming back. read more

I can't believe I haven't written a review for Formosan yet. This place is seriously a hidden gem. It's hard to see from the street, but find your way into the plaza and you're in for a treat. They're known for the "sizzling" plates which are a must. Choose a protein and a side and it's served on a hot "sizzling" plate. You're entree also comes with a salad, soup, and garlic bread. Personally not a fan of their garlic bread here, but honestly you don't want to fill up on those or else you won't have enough room for your actual meal. I usually order the chicken with mushroom sauce and spaghetti plate. Sometimes the sauce can be a bit too creamy for me, but it's still super delish along with my chicken. MMM~MMM~GOOD!! Price is super reasonable for the amount of food you get. If you're super hungry and in the area Formosan is definitely a must. read more

I have been craving good Taiwanese food (home town flavor). So when my husband needed to be in the neighborhood for an appointment, the whole family went. My 7 year old was excited because I told her all about what I grew up eating especially shaved ice. We went to the restaurant for an early dinner on Saturday. We walked in and they had Chinese karaoke playing. It felt like home. But it was downhill from there. The waitress told us no shave ice. In fact no drinks at all except black tea. My 7 year old's face dropped. Well, we are already there so we decided to try their specialty, sizzling steak, the oyster pancake and the popcorn chicken. Oyster pancake flavor was good but very little oyster. Sizzling steak was bland and chewy so the kids couldn't eat it. Pasta that came with it was just enough for my 7 year old who is a light eater. Service was poor. They gave us 1 set of plastic utensils when we have 2 kids. So I was trying to cut the steak with the knife and chopstick. We tried to get the waitress' attention but she was busy with something and never looked up. My husband had to say excuse me really loudly. Overall, poor flavors and poor service. I know a lot of places had to cut back on their food offerings because of COVID but the poor quality food in their signature dish and poor service is not acceptable. I am all for supporting my fellow Taiwanese owned mom and pop shop but this is not the friendly service that I'm used to. Please hear this and improve. read more

One of my colleagues at work says that this is a great place for a sizzling steak lunch. For about $14 (includes tax and tip), you get a steak cooked and served on a sizzling platter with your choice of sauce (peppercorn, mushroom, or both), your choice of spaghetti or rice (pick the spaghetti), carrots and peas, fried egg, garlic bread, salad, and a corn soup. The meal is so big that you'll need a nap afterwards. It claimed that the protein was tenderloin, but mine had chunks of fat...and we all know that tenderloin does not have chunks of fat. However, it was cooked perfect to a medium-rare. The mixed sauce I got was more of a canned gravy than anything else, but the spaghetti swimming in it was quite pleasant. The fried egg made the sauce more rich. The salad was more iceberg lettuce with Thousand Island. The corn soup was bland and thick with canned corn...made better with lots of pepper and a few splashes of Tabasco. It was fun to get out of the office and have lunch with folks. Service was fairly good, but I'm not sure I would go back for this dish. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, I thought it rather odd. read more

Not bad (don't expect 5 star meal but it's a great value and large portions). Been here a few times for a weeknight dinner. It's a nice casual place to get a hot skillet meal.... and I mean a MEAL! Complimentary bread as app, meal is accompanied by salad and soup (asian type of cream soup of course or borscht i believe?). First time I ordered the most inexpensive steak.... Too much FAT and chewy!!! =( So the next time I ordered the beef filet and it was much better!!!! So basically you get what you pay for. I recommend upgrading and getting the better cut of meat. Large portions, served on a hotplate... with veggies and an over-easy egg/ sunnyside up egg. Choice of mushroom or black pepper sauce. though the mixed veggies are covered in a different sauce as well. Agree with others: reminds me more of HK style. read more

The picture of the food looked mouth watering and they got so many 5 stars, good reviews and I lived close by, I had to go try this place. I have to say I did not enjoy it at all. Maybe I don't have the taste buds for it but i have to give it one star, because I won't be coming back. I got the steak and squid. The black pepper sauce on the steak was ok but i don't think it went very well with the steak. The spaghetti with the the gravy was blah. The squid also just ok. Is there something wrong with me? read more

Came here mainly for the snow shaved ice. Decided to eat a little something first. The food here is great! Great prices. Relatively authentic Taiwanese taste. Sufficient portion size. What else could you ask for? And they're cream corn soup is delish!! Snow shaved ice is also great. I thought it'd be a bit cheaper out here, but eh. $6, standard price I guess. Definitely large size. 3 of us shared one and were stuffed, but then again we did eat an actual meal beforehand too. Definitely would come back here. Give it a try. It's good stuff! read more

Local mom and pop shop, so the restaurant is fairly small. Perhaps only a max capacity of 30 people. Service was slow on a Sunday night at approximately 7pm, but it's true that their food is legitimate Taiwanese food as you can tell by all the old Chinese people who dine here with their families. Definitely not a bad thing. Their sizzling dish is decent. I had the land and sea combo with some fish filet and chicken. You can't really screw up fish, but the chicken was too dry for my liking. Flip the egg when your food comes out if you don't want your eggs sunny side up. We also had the popcorn chicken rice which came with what we call "Giam chai", which is salty/pickled veggies, and bamboo. Love those side dishes as it complemented the popcorn chicken very well. There's a bunch of other dishes I want to try, especially their extensive flavored tea and milk tea drinks and shaved snow! read more

I went here with friends a couple days ago. Got a Steak with mixed sauce and pasta. Food was ok. Salad was iceberg lettuce with a small dollop of thousand island dressing. Soup was a bit bland, but you can spice it up with lots of black pepper. The actual dish was alright, but the spaghetti comes in a ball and the inside of it is still cold, so you have to detangle everything and submerge it into the sauce/ onto the plate to heat it up. I ordered the steak medium rare, it came out medium. Service could have been better. They forgot that I wanted my sauce on the side, and they completely forgot to bring me my Milk Green Tea. My friend was given the wrong sauce (he wanted black pepper, got the mushroom instead). My other friend got the fried tofu appetizer and when she asked for more sauce, they forgot. They also forgot to bring us our waters when we wanted water. The food was only Ok. Nothing to write home about. The service was meh. It was easy to flag the waitress down, but she forgot so much... maybe she was new? Regardless, I wouldn't come back here given a choice. read more

I used to go here pretty frequently. After a long break, I went back and was a little disappointed. The food was just okay..kinda bland. I still like that I can get a steak and rice somewhere though...I hope it gets better. (Fried tofu was still great!) read more

Not having to drive all the way to San Gabriel make this place nice. I had the Sea Land combo A with steak and garlic shrimp and black pepper sauce. I reminds me of the late night cafes. It definitely is Taiwanese specialty cafe food. read more

It was a hit with most of my friends here.. for some reason they equated it to like super Hungry Man's food.. haha I never had Hungry Man so not sure what that means. The concept of the gravylike sauce over your food is pretty flavorful. You can choose from the sweeter mushroom sauce or black-pepper. We were happy with the black pepper. I pretty much like the idea that it comes out onto a SIZZLING plate. You're not looking at glamour food here, it's a small casual place for casual friends, casual families, casual eats. It's SORT of like.. a casual version of Salisbury or Hamburg style, sauce-wise. We initially came here for the shave snow. O.yes. For first timers, the menu might be confusing but the waiter was great at explaining out options. Pretty much choose from 1 of their popular preset combinations which they have pictured... or you can build your own with the toppings they list below. The service was cool, because the guy was very accommodating, helpful, and friendly. read more

So much food for a decent price! The entrees came on a sizzling plate and so you need to be careful! I've missed good Taiwanese food and so I was extremely happy to come home and eat at such a place. The steak is great and the sauce just adds to the food. The soup that came with the meal was a bit bland but that was the only down side. The shaved ice we had for dessert (we had the strawberry kiwi and the red bean green tea ones) were to die for. I could eat that all day every day. Take a stab at this restaurant if you get the chance! read more

Love the black pepper steak, cook medium, no funky sauce. Best i had in CA so far. Cuttle fish ball is okie.... what it supposed to be but nothing to go crazy for. The meal came with a small salad,2 pieces of garlic bread and corn cowder. All for $9.50, cuttle fish ball is $3.95. Can't complaint. read more

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This is our go-to place for genuine Taiwanese cuisine. Their sizzling platters are the best. We also love popcorn chicken and pork chops. Reasonable price and great quality. read more

This review was basically just a quick lunch I had. I ordered their beef stew risotto. It was basically just a bowl of rice dumped on a starchy beef stew. Not exactly what I understand a risotto to be. The dish overall is not bad, the 2* isn't because of the food, i'd probably give it a 3. It's because this starchy soup wouldn't cool down and the waiter didn't give me any water and was late with the papaya smoothie I ordered. It made eating this dish very painful. Service was awful, but it felt like I was sort of singled out. I saw 3 other taiwanese families there that received good amount of attention, but here I am waving my hands and asking for water and where is my drink to be ignored. The waiters wouldn't look me in the eye, so I'm left wondering are they treating me this way because I don't look Taiwanese (I'm actually taiwanese)? read more

#D2 is the way to go! Tenderloin steak is only $9.25 after tax and the meal is also including soup, salad, garlic breads, rice or noodle, egg. I'm not a food critic or anything but have eaten quite many steaks :D, but this is better than that of many other restaurants! This place is not number 1 restaurants in the town, but if you are local, you should try it! read more

Came here with friends the other day and it was the first time I even heard of this place. Food was mediocre, I ordered the pork chops with mushroom sauce. The sauce was a bit on the sweet side however the pork was cooked perfectly and was tender. The meal came with an iceberg lettuce salad, creamy corn soup, and garlic bread. I can see why people like this place because you get a lot of food for the price you pay. Their portion size is definitely shareable between two people. Had the service been better I actually would have given this place 4 stars. Our server, although very courteous, got our orders wrong and forgot everything we asked her to bring us. The restaurant itself wasn't very busy, considering it was a Saturday night, so I don't see why the service was below par. read more

Came here for lunch and I ordered take out; the portions were big and I love how authentic the tastes of the food was! I'll definitely come back again :)) Oh and the best part...they cut the meat in pieces for you if you order take our, SUPER thoughtful!! read more

Fried tofu, Steak wid Sauce on da side and Rice to be substituted for spaghetti. I like da pork feet too. People dat work here are pretty cool. Quiet but real nice. not a place to visit much but once in a leap year kinda thing. read more

I've been to this place many times, and they never let me down! The food is awesome!! I would give it a 10 star if I could!! Definitely try their Filet Mignon and Shrimp! The steak is very tender, and the shrimp, I don't know how they make it, but it totally brings out the natural flavor of a shrimp. The price is also very decent, where else can you find a place that serves a 12 to 14 oz steak in that price range!? I have recommended many of my friends to this restaurant and so far every single one of them love this place!! Seriously worth coming!! read more

This is my third time here. I usually order the tenderloin steak and the sauce is really yummy. The actual meat was ok, not bad but definitely isnt high quality. But all the food with salad, soup, and bread for that price made this meal really worth it. But my review is mostly for their service and the drink. Staffs are quite rude. After my meal, I ordered a green bean slushy to go. I specifically asked the waitor whether they use the actual green bean or just the powder. When I got my drink, it was really disgusting. The entire drink tasted like sugar syrup and is powdery. I even asked for half amount of sugar too. I asked the waitress if I could get another drink instead. She said no. And I tried to explain to her that I don't drink any drink made of powder; well she basically treated me like "oh too bad". Sigh... very disappointed. She finally confirmed my request with another waitor and after rolling her eyes, she remade it, this time without any powder. Just to show how cheap they are... the drink now tasted like blended ice cubes. I guess they truly had to rely on the cheap powder to make it a good drink. I won't be back. read more

This is actually a 3.5 star. Wanted to give this a higher rating especially since this place has been around for some time and was one of the original Taiwanese restaurants in the area. Arrived for a late dinner and quickly ordered the Ny York and Filet Mignon sizzling platter. The food came out quickly and was pipping hot as expected since it is a sizzling platter. The quality of meat was not exceptional but you are paying a discount. The service was attentive and nice. Could have done without the salad and soup personally. Bottom line: for the price you can't complain. read more

Good price, good quality and generous portion. The only thing that prevents a 5 stars from me is the service. The waitress is a bit on the slow side, otherwise I highly recommend. read more

I usually order the stewed pork rice with fried pork chops on the side. Both really delicious. And friendly staff.

I love their grilled fish rice bento with side dishes! Reasonable price, friendly staffs:)