This was an amazing Chinese breakfast. Congee/hook with century egg and chow mein side. Service was terrific and it had a totally Chinese family vibe, with lots of mothers with kids and family. We will be back! read more

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This is a small café with amazing food made with love. They are open till midnight, which is great for late night studying or if you work late. They always offering to help you and the staff will remember you as well! They have music videos playing on a TV in front of the seating area kind above the cash register. It's a low-key place but very nice. For Hong Kong style the price is worth it, it is definitely not American style! :) read more

Service is really good, management really listen to your issues and quickly resolve it. When craving for HKG style cafe food, this is the place to go. read more

Ordered 2 items for lunch. F25 Black Pepper Beef Pan Fried Vermicelli. This is a huge order. Enough for 2 people. The subtle crunchiness of pan fried vermicelli covering the black pepper beef and soft vermicelli underneath was just the perfect bite. The black pepper was not over powering and but tasty in this dish. F26 Beef Stew Lo Mein This also came with a bowl of broth too. The beef was cooked to perfection. The seasonings of this dish is delicious. I can taste the subtle hint of 5 spice. Not tough or chewy or undercooked. Service is very prompt and ice water upon request. Their menu is substantial and there are a lot of choices They give you cups of hot tea right away. Everything clean and efficient. This place is in a very unassuming strip mall. Don't let the location scare you but everything is new remodeled inside. A lot of thought putting this restaurant together. Everything new and color coordinated with a beautiful blue celadon theme. The chairs, walls, plates and menu all come together. Limited parking in the small parking lot . There is street parking. We parked on the other side of the liquor store. There are 2 handicap spots in front of the restaurant. This restaurant is right across the street from Eden Medical center and is open almost 24 hours from 8 am to 12 am. read more

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We ordered on Garden Cafe's website and picked up after 15 minutes! The staff that interacted with us for that brief moment was very nice lol. We ordered Baked rice with garlic sauce & chicken as well as Baked spaghetti with red sauce & pork chop. Hong Kong Style baked dishes are just different from other kinds of baked dishes - it's hard to explain but they hit a specific spot. Both were delicious - the portions are huge. They were dinner and also lunch the next day, definitely no complaints there! Will definitely return, highly recommended! read more

Garden Cafe - Baked Chicken Steak Baked Pork Chop - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Food 4 out of 5 Price 5 out of 5 We had a late night food - tomato beef noodles soup and wonton noodles. Tastes really good just how I would expect from HK cafeteria, a bit kid friendly and light meal. Everyone enjoys the noodles. I took out one star because the dish soup smell was way to strong. Especially from the water cups and utensils. Residual dish soaps are toxic irrigant to your gut and health so I hope they wash out the dishes with water more, or use much less soap! read more

Solid place for Cha Chang Teng/HK food. Portions are big and the food is DELICIOUS. Glad that Castro Valley has a good place for this type of food. The only downside is the parking which is absolutely horrible, but not impossible. There's a teeny tiny parking lot right next to a liquor store. Be prepared for street park on a main street with lots of oncoming traffic, or try to park in the lot next to the medical offices. read more

What I love most about Garden Cafe in Castro Valley is that they are open every day from 8 am to 12 midnight. I come here for lunches with family and friends as well as late night dinners and snacks. It's great going to Chabot Theater in Castro Valley for a movie at night and then coming here for a late snack. I've come after 10 pm after an evening in San Francisco. Parking can be an issue as there is very limited parking in the shared lot. Besides Garden Cafe, there is a liquor store, haircut place, and bar. Also, Lake Chabot Road is a busy street with little street parking. Across the street is Eden Hospital. Garden Cafe has an extensive menu to choose from. I've included pictures of the many menus and our dishes. They have their main room which you can see from my photo of the outside. Normally, we're in the main room. However, this is the first time we got seated in the side room so I've included pictures in that room. Their service is usually quick. Most of the time, they provide water refills without asking. I've also done takeout with them. Overall, my family, friends, and I are very satisfied with the service and food. read more

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Love this place. It is was crowded at dinner time. We try to find place for dinner and our friend recommended this. It was a good choice. It serves Hongkong style dishes and street food. The menu is massive for food and drink. We ordered stir fry on choy, baked black pepper porkchop over rice, hainamese chicken rice and seafood pand fry noodle. All are yummy. It is just it takes a while for our order to arrive. One dishes which suppose to be the simplest and quick to prepare cakes the last. Will visit again and try other dishes. Price is reasonable. One negative side is the noise. People sit Two table close to us talked so loud. It is just some customer don't have manner and seems the place doesn't have enough sound suppression. read more

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I love me some garden cafe :p. My boyfriend put me on this food spot. When I come to garden cafe, I usually get their beef chow fun or the lemon chicken - those two are my go to. Recently I went with my boyfriend and a friend, I treated out a friend for his birthday since they both like this spot. My boyfriend and my friend both got the scrambled eggs in gravy with beef while I got the lemon chicken. I suggest people to try this spot if they're ever in castro valley and want some good late night Chinese food. read more

Garden Cafe - Lemon Chicken and Scrambled Eggs in Gravy with Beef - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Weekend wait was about 10 -15 minutes. Brightly lit dining area with a bustling atmosphere. Service wasn't apparent bc they had a full house, but food was good. I would equate Garden Cafe to an American Denny's classic food that satisfies. Orders: Eggplant & String bean-consistent with the last time I ordered this with tender eggplant perfectly cooked & tender string beans. Although this time the string beans were a little over cooked, but flavor in point. Beef Chow Fun w/Satay Sauce- it has a peanut warning but I didn't taste any peanut in this dish. Love the Satay seasoning, but was intrigued w/the pineapple. Next time I would ask to omit the pineapple. A great saucy noodle dish w/tender pieces of beef. Hainan Chinese(Hoy Lam Guy pronounced in Chinese)-it came out a little pink so we asked to cook it a little more, then we had to ask where did our chicken fly off to. This dish included roasted peanuts w.the ginger sauce & but a classic dish. Love this local Hong Kong style restaurant & will try out their weekday 3:15pm specials next time. read more

This is for take out. Service was okay receiving food - it took about 20 minutes for Wontons - ok, crispy and light, not oily. Didn't have much flavor. The cream cheese was sparse and the imitation flavor seemed so prominent. Salt and pepper fish - very light batter and delicious flavor. Perfectly cooked. Broccoli beef - i had to since I have a kid. Veggies cooked well, meat was tender. There was barely any flavor. Stir fried vermicelli noodles combo -quite possibly the most disappointing noodles I've ever ordered. It was flavorless and barely had veggies and shrimp. It was mostly bland noodles. I would not recommend this. Fukkien fried rice - rice was fluffy. The sauce was severely lacking in flavor. They add imitation crab and it is not good at all. It's more sauce and not a lot of meat or vegetable. Don't get it. Total: $156 (with tip) No, I wouldn't recommend this place nor would I order again. For as much as I paid, I'd go somewhere else. read more

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The food here is pretty good. I did hear some mixed reviews before giving this place a try for myself. The salted egg yolk fried shrimp was really good. The club sandwich was alright, I've had better at other places/ wouldn't come back for it. The Hong Kong French toast here is pretty good. Ive also tried a fried rice & Singapore fried noodle here that are pretty good. They have plenty of seating ans the service is your typical hong kong café service. read more

Garden Cafe - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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While I don't feel they have the best cuts of meat in some dishes, their execution is phenomenal. They have attentive service and genuinely well prepared food. I have a soft spot for this place because of their quality. It is not only delicious but it also gives you big post guilt free portions. I had the beef flat noodles today with an order of salt and pepper chicken wings. Their food quality surpasses the quality of even big chain restaurants. I'm not feeling like passing out from discomfort after this delicious meal! read more

I came here with a friend (who is originally from Hong Kong) and she suggested we try this place. We both ordered lunch specials, veggies mixed with fish/ seafood with rice and milk tea. We enjoyed our food. Ate all of it. The service was good. The waitress came by to check on us a few times and didn't rush us out of there after we were done eating even when they were getting busy. The cafe is cute, and has two different eating areas. We love HK cafes, so definitely would come back and try other dishes. read more

I've been looking for a place that does salt and pepper calamari and this place filled my needs! I loved the spices they use here and it's very close to my work so I'll come often especially when the cafeteria is closed. Love how late they're open and how big their menu is so I can always get some mango sago as a midnight snack on a hot night. read more

We pass by this place every time we go to Eden Hospital for appointments and been wanting to try it; and we finally did it! We had a great experience. The place is pretty big and clean. The service is great, the food is pretty delicious. The Mongolian beef and popcorn has a nice kick. The seafood & tofu is delicious, there are variety of seafood in it (calamari, scallop, shrimp, and fish). The rice is great too, just need a little flavor. The chocolate stuffed HK French toast was good as well, we asked for the condensed milk and it merry so well. Their menu is huge so many things to try next time. read more

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I think they are biased towards the chinese customers. I came in when there are plenty of open seats. I was by myself and they told me to wait. Then a Chinese lady came behind me came in and started ordering, her order was taken right away. I am guessing she was take out, ok fine, the kitchen can start cooking her meal first. Then, 2 Chinese guys came in and was seated RIGHT AWAY. Then one of the servers were called out by a Chinese family OUTSIDE who could not find parking and she took THEIR order from their car... all while I am still standing there, waiting to be seated. I just left instead, just disrespectful. read more

Was in the area and found this cha cha teng that was so yummy. We came Lunar New Year day and there were some specials but their regular menu was huge! We ordered the beef brisket soup with was so delicious with generous pieces of beef and tendon. The noodles were perfect. And the salted egg prawns were lightly coated with salted egg and came out piping hot. Sooo good. So many things to try here. Need to return sooner than later. read more

Garden Cafe - Beef Brisket Soup - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Not sure why I haven't written a review for this place yet but I honestly really like Garden Cafe. It's a decent Chinese restaurant and a nice hole-in-the-wall. I get their stir-fried beef wide noodle (gaun chow ngao how) and there HK milk tea. Pretty good price and value too! Service can be a little bit inattentive at times but I think they're pretty nice overall. read more

Hit and miss all the time on service. Food was just average. The shrimps on the ho fun taste funny, at the edge of rotten. Drinks are always good. But wish the hot milk tea is serving hot, not warm. The waffle always has the undercooked doughy taste. There's room to improve on their breakfast menu. After a couple visit, no temptation to go anymore. Parking is a disaster. read more

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My partner first heard about Garden Cafe through a YouTube video - I think it was through an interview. He tried Garden Cafe once prior to today and told me how great it was, so we decided I should give it a try too, haha. They have their own shared lot, but it's pretty small. There's plenty of street parking around though. The inside of Garden Cafe was surprisingly nice. Pretty clean, brightly lit, and spacious. Service was friendly and nice as well. There were multiple times where our tea cups were refilled before we even asked. Between the two of us, we shared: 1) Braised Seafood & Tofu (Chef Special) - Plenty of seafood and tofu to go around. I enjoyed the addition of cabbage and shiitake mushrooms. For these dishes, I like how the veggies just sort of get coated with the sauce. There's a good amount of variety to the dish, including shrimps, baby scallops, slices of squid, and some fish fillets. 2) Stir Fried String Beans - It's hard to go wrong with stir fried string beans and that's why we opted for this as our veggie dish. The portion size is pretty decent for price point. I liked the addition of a bit of spice mixed into the beans. It wasn't too spicy, but it added a nice, mild kick. 3) Dried Scallop & Egg White Fried Rice - My partner wanted to try this rice dish and it turned out good. They're a little stingy on the dried scallop, but the overall dish was nicely flavored. The rice is not clumpy at all, so texture was on-point. 4) Black Sesame Rice Balls - The soup tasted surprisingly very ginger-y. I love it. I think this is the way to go. The soup is just mildly sweet, but the ginger gives it a nice, fragrant kick, and contrasts with the flavor of the sesame balls nicely. The black sesame balls itself were kinda standard - very uniform (I'm guessing it's the typical ones you find at Asian supermarkets), but nonetheless it made for a delicious, sweet treat after dinner. The black sesame filling is melty and warm. Overall, I enjoyed dinner here. I would say Garden Cafe is nicer than some other Chinese restaurants around the area. The price point is a little bit higher, and the portion sizes are a little smaller than the typical Chinese restaurants, but I would say their quality is higher than the typical as well.. so it kind of evens out. I'm curious to see what my parents would say about this place, so I'd definitely bring them around next time. Service here is great as well. read more

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Pretty lowkey dpot in CV for some HK food. A little pricey for the small portions sizes. We got the salt and pepper pork ribs, egg/scallion fried rice, beef chow fun, and seafood tofu tofu clay pot. I'd say everything was on the oilier side, but the flavors were good. Lemon iced tea was the best part. I'd come back to try the desserts. Interior is nice and clean. read more

The restaurant offers affordable prices and specializes in Hong Kong-style cuisine. I highly recommend the mushroom chicken soup and wonton soup. The stir-fried beef rice noodles are also quite good. However, I wouldn't recommend the rice noodle rolls, as their preparation differs from the usual style. Overall, the restaurant stays open late, provides excellent service, and maintains a clean environment. It's a great spot for both small and large groups looking for a late-night meal. The only downside is that the cleanliness of the spoons could be improved. That said, I still highly recommend this place for night owls looking for a satisfying bite. 價格親民，料理偏港式茶餐廳，推薦蘑菇雞廉湯和餛飩湯，另外乾炒牛河也不錯。比較不推薦腸粉，作法跟平常的腸粉不太一樣。 整體來說餐館關店晚，服務也很不錯，環境乾淨，適合兩人也適合多人深夜用餐。唯獨湯匙衛生有改善的空間，我是蠻推薦半夜肚子餓的老饕前來光臨。 read more

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This place is a no frill cafe that is perfect for the casual get together. Their menu is long and everything is decent - not spectacular delicious but definitely comforting. Their congee, cheung fun (rice noodle), and hk style French toast were all spot on for that hk craving. I would definitely come again for that HK fix in the future! read more

Garden Cafe - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Yummy food with big portions and quick service, love to dine in or take out from there read more

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Didn't expect to find a Chinese restaurant in Castro Valley with such good casual food. Their Beef Chow Fun, Tomato Beef Pan Fried Noodles, and Wonton Noodle Soup were all very good! After first hearing about Garden Cafe we went back 3 times in one week! Their Afternoon Tea menu are really good deals. A, must try if you're in the area! read more

Garden Cafe - Tomato Beef Pan Fried Noodles and Wonton Noodle Soup - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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4.5 Stars Came here 2nd day of CNY craving some HK milk tea and other comfort dishes. I called to place order for milk tea, popcorn chicken, preserved egg porridge and egg gravy with shrimp over Ho Fun. Lady sounded friendly over the phone and told me 20 mins, which is perfect, it takes me 20 mins to get to CV. Parking lot is small and all spaces were taken when i arrived. I parked in front of liquor store, it had a signage of 15 mins limit, which is plenty for my pick up although not sure if I was legally allowed to park there. I walked in and food was ready as promised. Again Cashier was friendly also efficient. Inside is clean and larger than it looks from outside. Prices were very reasonable for the portion you receive. Taste authentic! Food wise it was above expectations, my only hold back is probably the parking. It is limited. read more

Garden Cafe - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

This spot in Castro Valley is a solid addition--finally, a Hong Kong-style café in the area! The menu is huge, with tons of classic options, drinks, and desserts. We tried a variety: scrambled egg & prawn noodles, beef chow fun, Portuguese baked coconut chicken rice, and two salted egg yolk dishes (pumpkin and pork ribs). The salted egg yolk items were the standout--flavorful, not too greasy, and so good we ordered more to-go! The HK milk tea was decent, classic style. The jasmine milk tea was way too sweet for me, so I'd ask about sugar levels next time. Parking isn't great (street only), and the vibe is pretty basic--but it's clean, and that's what matters. Service was straightforward and efficient. Overall, not the best HK café if you're willing to drive to SF or South Bay, but for the inland area? It hits the spot. We'll definitely be back. read more

I love trying out new HK Style cafes. To be fair, I have tried their food via take out from family before but have never actually been to the restaurant. I have to say, the location is not the easiest to get to, as it's tucked in a tiny, not well lit plaza, with very minimal parking. That aside, the restaurant itself is very well lit, modern decor and very spacious - definitely ok to accommodate larger families/parties. They offer your typical Hong Kong style food options and drinks. I thought the HK style milk tea was not bad at all, and I had black pepper beef udon which I thought was well made and very tasty, and I also got a sample of the baked spaghetti bolognese (staple order for my family), which was also very good. Their portions are also very generous and price is reasonable. I definitely recommend coming here in you are craving the HK style cafe menu. read more

Garden Cafe - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Increased rating to 4.1 Dining here instead of takeout w food hot and fresh makes a difference. The salt and pepper chicken wings are Yummie. The green beans w shrimp are crisp and tasty as well. We will continue coming back! read more

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My 2nd visit here was a result of not getting into my labs at Quest diagnostic. It is next door. I ordered the wonton soup with thin rice noodles. Service was quick and the rice noodles tender and the pork wontons were good. So if you should try this place out soon. read more

Garden Cafe is located in a tiny plaza right across from Eden Medical Center. Parking is hit or miss here, as the lot is tiny and shared amongst a few other businesses. The exterior may look simple and small, but the interior is bright and has a lot of seating. The service is pretty bad for both dining in and to go. I have dined a handful of times and it was difficult trying to flag down the employees for any questions or service. For to go, I usually order ahead of time because they take almost 20 - 30 minutes for to go orders, as it seems like they prioritize dining in customers first. For to go orders, you have to check in with them multiple times to double check your order because I had a couple times where my order sat on the counter for a good 10-15 minutes because they were too busy eating off to the side of the counter. My go to here is their Macaroni Soup with Ham. The last couple times I have gotten it, it was way too salty like they doused the soup with a lot of salt and they do frequently mix up the ham for spam, which is why I always double check my order, if it is to go before I leave the parking lot. They are usually not very apologetic about their mistakes either, but instead seem a bit peeved to have to fix it. After they fix it, they usually just throw 2 whole slices of ham in the soup, instead of it being cut into strips like it is supposed to be. read more

A good place to have a quick Chinese food when you specifically want HK cafe style. We ordered a baked chicken rice were well baked with the cheese on top. And breakfast combo was great deal, comes with a drink, egg-your-style, butter toast. HK milk tea was tasty. But didn't enjoy the beef chow fun, the beef itself is hard to bite down. Will come back for a quick breakfast or lunch read more

Garden Cafe - Breakfast combo - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

We came here to try them out one evening. We ordered shrimp fried rice and salt & pepper wings. The shrimp fried rice was very good, it tasted so clean & the wings was cool. We'd go back and get the same items again. Waited about 20 minutes & everything was hot & delicious. read more

This place has to have the worst parking. I hate that we have limited parking part reserve to a liquor store, and part for a bar next door, and absolutely limited street parking. The frustration in driving in a circle. The ambiance of the restaurant is basically a Hong Kong Cafe style. There are two areas catering small parties to big parties. The lighting is terrible though, the florescent lighting is just not for me. The food here is pretty good. They have a huge selection. Hayward doesn't have a lot of Asian catering restaurants that are cheap eats. Yeah, they opened a new banquet, but not a lot of fast, cheap foods. 1. Pork Congee with Thousand Year Old Egg - Typically very flavorful. I like to come grab a bowl when I'm not feeling well to cook. 2. Honey Walnut Shrimp - How can you go wrong? Such a western staple. 3. Pork Chow Fun - Large portion, reasonably priced, tasty enough. 4. Salt & Pepper Fish Fillet - Surprisingly one of my favorite things on the menu. Sharable portions, enough for maybe 2-4 people. 5. Salt & Pepper Prawns - Typically I would say standard, but I don't believe I enjoyed the prawns as much. 6. Mongolian Beef - Standard, soft, best with rice. 7. Salt & Pepper Pork Chops - I could live without this. 8. Combo Pan Fried Noodles - I love me a crispy noodle with gravy I can pour over because it leaves a good texture. 9. Chicken Fried Rice - Standard, sharable 10. Beef Brisket Noodle Soup - Tasty, boyfriend's favorite. Hate that adding wonton is literally $1 per piece and it's so tiny. 11. HK Milk Tea - Reasonable, but not very flavorful.. 12. Lemon Tea - Decent, probably our go to drink 13. Assam Milk Tea with Cheese Foam - Not worth it. The service is pretty standard, limited due to language barrier at times. read more

Came here yesterday for Father's Day and this is my second time this restaurant want to give it another try unfortunately the same story has happened in the first time that I got there. My first experience of this place it was completely packed on a Sunday afternoon where my order got lost. The food was decent but a bit overpriced for a plate of chow mein was 18 bucks and the other dishes has ranges from 15 to 25 on average in appetizers or at least $10 each This second chance I've given it on Father's Day unfortunately, the place was not packed at all. It was maybe a third full. So I expect at least decent service and my food to come on time and correct unfortunately. This overpriced Hong Kong style Café food has failed for the second time. The food took forever to come in. The portion was even smaller than the first time I ever had it. Unknown what happened but the portions got smaller the price they have new menus. Everything was an extra dollar on top of the last time I came, which is possibly three or four months ago so unfortunately. I cannot recommend this place at all whatsoever. I guess if you live closer to the area and you don't wanna drive it is somewhat convenient, but ultimately there are better places in San Leandro or Union City for cheaper price and bigger portions and most of all getting your order right and having your food, serve to you on a timely matter. read more

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Great HK comfort food in Castro Valley. Open early and late Personal favorite is the baked chicken chop with rice and curry sauce. Pair it with HK Yin Yang drink read more

Food was solid and authentic and price is very fair. I ordered the satay noodle that had both good flavor and noodles was cooked well. The Hong Kong milk tea also was quite authentic. I would give it 3 stars because the cups had a soapy smell which I believe meant they were not rinsed well when washing. I would come back again for the food read more

Was excited to try this hong kong cafe. While the flavors were there for the dishes we got, we felt that the portions were small and quite pricey. Parking can also be somewhat inconvenient with the small lot in front. But the staff were friendly and the interior was well decorated. read more