Saw Garden Cafe on the gram and wanted to check it out. I had the cravings for some HK food. Love that this place opened up in CV so it's closer for me, don't have to go all the way to Shooting Star. Especially love the fact that they stay open late (til midnight). So now I know, when I got the cravings where to go to. The space is pretty big, bigger than expected. However, the parking lot is pretty small. So that part sucks hopefully you're lucky and get a spot, if not there's street parking. Service was good, staff was nice and refilled water pretty quickly. Food took a while to come out, but least I know it's fresh! Portion size was good too, more than I expected. Food quality is fair, again just think Shooting Star type spot. Menu is huge, got everything from breakfast items to lunch, dinner, late night snacks, boba, etc. It has it all! Will definitely be back to try their HK Milk Tea and their baked stuff. read more

Garden Cafe - Chicken Pan Fried Noodle - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Came in for early dinner during the July heatwave. The AC in the dining are was too weak to handle the weather. It really felt like I was eating in Hong Kong during the summer. Such an uncomfortable and sweaty dining experience. Service was decent. One of our noodle dishes came with a hair and it was quickly exchanged no questions asked. Baked Pork Chop and Baked Chicken took about 30 minutes which was way too long to wait given the dining room temperature. The tomato sauce tasted better than garlic sauce. Black pepper sauce was ok. Was it as good as other HK style cafes in LA? No. Will I give them another chance? Yes. read more

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

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Don't skip out on this cha chaan teng. It definitely can't compare to Hong Kong, but it's close--especially if you're feeling nostalgic. I actually love their salt and pepper chicken wings more than Venus Cafe's. Don't come here for the service; they aren't mean or rude, but they don't 'serve' in the traditional sense. For example, it's a bit hard to get their attention, so we had to go to the cashier to ask for things or pay. That was fine with me, though, because I'm paying for great food, and that's typically how it is in Hong Kong cafes anyway. Overall would come back again. read more

Garden Cafe - Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings / 椒鹽雞翼 salted fish tofu clay pot , beef chow fun, choy sum garlic - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Garden Cafe is a new Hong Kong Style cafe located right across from Eden medical center. It shares a shopping center with a liquor store and a laundromat. The interior is divided into two sections with larger tables, booths and TVs playing K-pop videos. The menu has a ton of Chinese / Western items including breakfast and drinks. I met up with black badge Yelper Cheryl M. for lunch and take out. All the dishes served have generous portions. Take out Clams with black bean sauce 5 stars Beef pan fried noodles 4.5 stars Eat in Salt and pepper squid 3 stars Black bean sauce beef chow fun 5 stars Corn and chicken over rice 3 stars Honey stir fried beef 5 stars Drinks Iced lemon tea Service was ok as they got busy hard to flag down the servers. Parking is a premium with parking in front and the side of the shopping center. Street parking on Lake Chabot Blvd are hard to come by. read more

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DELICIOUS!! First timers- placed a phone order for pick up and they had my full name (phone number ID??- weird but good). Was told the order would be ready in 20 min. and it was right on time. All of the food was piping hot and fantastic! Black pepper pan fried vermicelli had a perfectly crunchy top of pan fried noodles over soft noodles beneath filled with beef, peppers and onions in a delicious sauce. The bok choy with garlic also perfectly cooked and seasoned. The honey walnut shrimp equally delicious. Highly recommend! read more

A good neighborhood staple for ease and convenience. Food is comfort and when you don't want to travel far.

Today I have visited the Garden Cafe and ordered the following: satay beef ramen, wonton noodle soup, deep fried chicken leg, lychee flavor slushy for lunch, and then we return for dinner to try other dishes such as XO sauce stirred fry rice noodle, breast, beef, brisket with rice noodle in soup, hot chocolate, cold lemon tea, and mango coconut pudding. All the dishes and drinks are great, but the wonton noodle soup needs some improvement. The shrimp inside the wonton is not fresh and the wonton is tasteless because it didn't have the dried founder powder and the wonton wrappings are torn due to overcooked in hot water. read more

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I come back in second time the food total different I don't understand why. The service is different too and they give me the wrong bill suppose for the different people. read more

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I've been here twice now. Once for brunch and once for dinner. Friends who are from HK appreciate the menu options, and the space inside is huge and accommodates large groups and families. Service is quick and courteous. If you're not familiar with HK food, the items on the menu might feel all over the place, but if you read up on the history of HK, you'll see why that is. One advantage of a menu that has a lot of different items is that there's going to be something for everyone. read more

This place is authentic. Servicing size is the right size for us; if you're a huge eater you might find the size small. Beef chew fun was yummy; the beef cut was a thick cut. Baked Chicken was delicious and highly recommended. Black beans clams were perfect. Go give them a try. Plus they open to midnight if that's of interest. read more

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My friends recommended this new Hong Kong cafe to me. I know I have to take my family there when I am in town. Let just say it was a great additional in the neighborhood. Took my family here on Friday's dinner and then back again on Sunday's lunch before flying back to Vegas. That's how good it was. This will be new go to spot when visiting back home. So far I have tried creamy corn fish filet, string bean with egg plants, seafood clay pot, baked pork chop over rice, sweet and sour pork, baked fish with macaroni over black pepper sauce, Hong Kong style French toast, Singapore rice noodle, curry pork chop, string bean with fish filet, and baked fresh eel over rice. They were all so tasty, but I think my favorite so far would be their baked pork chop over rice, curry pork chop, creamy corn fish filet, and the baked fresh eel. They had cooked the pork chop & fish filet in perfection. Especially the fish filet. melt in your mouth and the pork chops were so tender too. I already know I will be ordering those when I am back. Dining room was a lot bigger than expected. When you walked in you think its quit small but there's a bigger dinning room space in the back. Service was great and attentive. Definitely a plus. Only complaint I have was the parking lot. It's quite small so street parking would be the way to go. Can't wait to come back and try their other entrees. stay tunes read more

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First time trying ... found it on a vid about CV eats. Overall legit Hong Kong style cafe and will come again. It's located in a small strip mall so it was a bit hard to find. Look for liquor hub (which is next door) There's parking lot on 2 sides of the mall as well as street parking. When we arrived on a Sunday afternoon, there were people waiting outside (a good sign & unexpected). Inside was very busy and a bit chaotic. I found the waitlist clip board and put our name down. There were 5 groups ahead of us so we took time to study the extension menu and checked Yelp reviews. we waited about 30 minutes before being seated and the place is quite large bigger than expected. After ordering drinks/food, it took 20 minutes but the drinks were cold and the food piping hot. We ordered - beef chow fun 4/5 - baked pork chop over spaghetti 4/5 - fried chicken wings 5/5 - fujian fried rice 3/5 - HK lemon tea, milk tea 5/5 read more

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Heard about the grand opening of a HK cafe in Castro Valley so my parents and I decided to come for breakfast! We miss going to Chinatown for the set breakfasts so we were excited to try this place. It's located on Chabot Lake Rd and across from the Sutter Hospital. Parking is very limited in their lot but we managed to find one easily. Not sure how the parking status will be during peak hours since they do share the lot with The Doolittle Bar. Street parking is available. We each ordered a noodle soup with a side of toast and an egg with a hot drink. Wished it came with two eggs but that's ok! I ordered the satay beef ramen noodle soup and that was tasty. My parents both likes their noodles as well. Portions could be slightly bigger. Prices are reasonable. Can't wait to come back to try their lunch/dinner plates! read more

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

Ordered fish congee to go. Flavor was delicious and not too thin, decent amount of fish and we would definitely be back to try other items. They're open late, and that's a big bonus if I get the craving for HK style food in our area! read more

Garden Cafe opened in Dino's vacated space. Interior modernized, seating upgraded. Parking lot still very small. Flatscreens in both rooms showing k-pop. Audio was low. Didn't hear music. Offerings: fried noodles, chow fun, pan fried h.k. noodles, lo mein, fried rice, baked rice/noodles, toasts, Charcoal grills, sizzling plates, chef specials, drinks, Sandwiches, soups & salads, appetizers, Greeted upon entering, assigned a table, gave order. Got hot tea. Food came 15ish minutes later. Got one check-in, never saw server again. It soon became apparent the kitchen was understaffed, the waitstaff either same or dysfunctional. Baked Pork Chop with fried rice (15.95) in black pepper sauce. Not typical fried rice, means steam rice baked with pork chops enabling sauce to be mixed with rice. -pork chop semi juicy, slightly dry. Overcooked? Not the usual thin serving size in many h.k. eateries. These were 3/8" thick. Sauce nicely done. Everything mixed well. *my usual bake is tongue which isn't served anymore anywhere...chops were aplenty. Had leftovers. Drink: h.k. Milk tea (4.50) + condensed milk (.50) -actually bold flavor the way i like. Authentic h.k. Style. 4.5 stars: approached person making drinks to get take out box. She only spoke Mandarin. No problem, i'm bi/tri-lingual. Directed to cashier who gave me check. *pricing reasonable, similar to other new h.k. Eateries. Diamond in the ruff. Some kinks need Teaming. Best to go during off hours. read more

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Came with a party of 5 and was seated immediately. Seafood crispy noodles! 10/10 Beef noodles 10/10 I'm so glad this spot opened! This parking is shared with a liquor store and two other stores. It's a small parking lot which tends to get full by the customers at the liquor store. Place is nice with plenty of tables. Love their menu options, can't wait to come back and try other items. It's a great place because there is always an option for everyone even our pickiest kids. read more

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

food was pretty authentic and served very quickly really was happy that there was a good chinese restaurant on this side of castro valley read more

Good is delicious, price is reasonable and portion is good size. The place is clean and bright We will definitely return. read more

Omg What a Gem of a Place!!!!! I love this place and I hope to tell you all about it!!!! I rolled there in my Whip Old Blue and parked in their Parking Lot!!! And walked in like a Boss!!! I went to Sign in and a Server said no need to do that and showed me to a Table. She Proceeded to provide me with a Menu , Tea and a Glass of Water!!!! I perused the Menu and Ordered the Wor Wonton Soup and Salt and Pepper Calamari!!! Tables are Clean !!! Interior is Brightly Lit and Clean!!! Several LCD TVs Playing K-pop Videos !!! My Food Arrived in a Timely Manner Piping Hot!!! The Wor Wonton's were Fresh and Packed full of Flavors!!! Soup Broth was Tasty and Hearty!!! The Salt and Pepper Calamari was Light and Airy and Delicious!!!! My Server was very Attentive and Friendly!!! I felt like a VIP my Server the MvP of Servers !!!! This is A Baller On A Budget Approved Establishment!!!! I'll be Back!!!! read more

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The latest Hong Kong-style cafe that recently opened in the former, Dino's Italian restaurant. Place is 2 weeks new but already bustling so visit with patience as they get into a groove with service. Hong Kong or Cantonese-style Chinese food is simple, homey, light on seasoning but not on flavor. So don't expect bold, a lot of spice, or chili peppers at this spot except the hot sauce/condiments on the table. Items ordered this first visit: :: Beef Chow Fun - nicely prepared noodles with bean sprouts - good flavor but will opt for the fermented black bean next time. Meat is tenderized so has a bouncy texture so generally, not a fan of getting beef at Chinese restaurants :: Fried fish with sweet corn - simply that... cream corn over fried fish - batter wasn't heavy or oily and good - 4/5 stars :: Egg puff - Hong Kong style waffle - crispy exterior and fluffy... slightly sweet, pull apart snack - 5 stars Overall, good portions and hit the spot. If you're familiar with Shooting Star Cafe in Oakland Chinatown, you'll enjoy this spot. Various menu options of snacks, drinks, noodles, rice dishes and specialty items...with K-pop playing on the screens. Service is basic: get seated, place your order, get your dish with limited interaction so you'll have to wave down someone to get their attention. Walk up to pay your tab. Credit card accepted Small parking lot shared with the liquor store so during the weekend it fills up quick but plenty of street parking. Located across from Eden Hospital. read more

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Food is mediocre, portion is small. service is above average compared to other Chinese establishments.

New HK café in Castro Valley! This has long been an underserved area for HK and Chinese cuisine in general, so Garden Café is certainly a welcome addition! The location itself is a bit odd, as it is surrounded by a liquor store, bar, and hair salon with a run down parking lot chock full of potholes, but being on a semi-major thoroughfare right across from Eden Medical Center should help with the visibility. Castro Valley hasn't traditionally been a hotspot for Chinese/Asian cuisine, but it has been blossoming like wildfires in the past few years, and the boom shall only continue. No longer do residents have to trek out to San Leandro, the Tri-Valley or Tri-Cities for decent Chinese fare! I only found out about Garden Café through acquaintances who are residents of Castro Valley, and excited about this new spot. I paid a visit on their third day of operation, and waited to write a review until I returned two weeks later. Visit Details: Date: Sunday lunch in early Feb and Saturday dinner in mid Feb Time: 3 pm and 7pm Guests: 2 and 5 Food: Baked Pork Chop over Rice with Black Pepper Sauce - Since this is a staple dish at HK cafés, it is my measuring stick when I try new places, If they can't make this decently, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the items. Well, let me tell you... Garden Café passes with flying colors! Portions are super ample, juicy, and meaty, with no bones! Best of all, they let you choose your sauce base, from tomato red, white cream, black pepper, teriyaki, garlic, and curry, among others. Most places don't really give you a choice. Fish Fillet in Sweet Corn Sauce - Fresh fish with light batter, and not overdoused in sauce. I liked this one so much on my first visit, I ordered it again the second time. Spicy Eggplant with Garlic & Chili Clay Pot - Flavorful and generously packed without being overly greasy. Many places pour more oil into this than the Exxon Valdez, but thankfully not here! Honey Walnut Prawns - Shrimp is fresh, and sauce is not overpowering. It's not soggy like elsewhere, and shrimp retains crispiness. Singaporean Style Fried Vermicelli - Flavorful, but not excessive with the yellow curry powder. Noodles are light and fluffy, and the amount of meat is quite generous. Hainan Chicken - Honestly, this isn't really all that "Hainan" style, which should be more light colored, with minimal sauce, but this appears a bit darker. Perhaps it is "salt baked" (鹽焗) chicken? In any event, it's not bad at all, with an ideal amount of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. HK Milk Tea - Silky and smooth, but portion is slightly small. The menu is quite extensive, but not excessive, and offers a good blend of HK café style food with normal Cantonese cuisine. Many places typically specialize in either or, with a sprinkling of the other, but it seems to be a 50/50 split here. One drawback is the lack of "afternoon tea" or "latenight snack" menus (similar to "happy hour"), which are commonplace in most HK cafés. If implemented here, it would certainly draw in more business for the slower times of the day, and also for those who don't want to splurge on a full priced meal. Prices are also slightly steep, as being the only game in town, there really isn't any competition. Service: During my first visit, the owner constantly came by to ask for feedback, of which I was happy to provide. Overall, the wait staff is extremely friendly, and also quite fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. They are all attentive, and come by the table frequently. Food also comes out of the kitchen rather quickly. Atmosphere: Don't let the outside fool you. This place is absolutely massive for an HK café! From the exterior, through the big windows, you can see a decent amount of tables, but there is also a back room with more than double the space. Decor is bright and airy, with neon throughout. The beautiful Hong Kong skyline is prominently featured as the theme. Seats are light and comfortable, and there are also booths in the back. Most of the tables are not particularly large though, so bigger groups may not be able to all sit together. Location: I was a bit puzzled when I first located it on the map. This area doesn't seem particularly Chinese/Asian at all. It's not close to any of the other Asian restaurants or businesses in downtown CV, but perhaps that is the point. It's close enough to the populace without being surrounded by it, so residents likely wouldn't mind trekking out in this direction, which isn't that far away anyhow. The main deterrent is the parking. The lot itself is somewhat small, and shared with a liquor store, hair salon, and a bar! Luckily, both times I visited, it was off peak hours, so I was able to secure a spot, but I can imagine it getting quite slammed during prime time. Furthermore, the pavement in the lot could use a little TLC, as potholes are plentiful. There is also a bit of street parking if necessary. Ran out of space! Just come on down to Garden Café! read more

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no clue how this place has good reviews. i've given garden cafe many chances with hopes it'll improve since i love HK cafes, but it's far from authentic. The shrimp fried eggs was way overcooked and the shrimp were micro sized. Any dish with "gravy" came out as soup. chef needs to add more corn starch. read more

My family and I like this new addition to CV. Located in a small parking lot next to the liquor store and haircut spot on Lake Chabot Rd next near Eden. There are actually quite a number of tables inside. It was busy and constant flow of customers coming in on a Saturday night. The Baked Pork Chop - let me tell you I've never had such tender pork at a HK cafe ever! The rice was also fluffy. Tomato beef pan fried noodles - my fault for ordering the same sauce as the baked pork chop (tomato sauce) but this was still good. The beef was not that that great though, tough and inferior to the pork. The Singapore noodles were good. Just the right amount of curry and spice level with shrimp and char siu. Overall, we will be back to try other dishes. They also have an afternoon tea time 3:15-5:30pm (it's a HK cafe thing but pretty much happy hour) that looks very promising! read more

Garden Cafe - Tomato beef pan fried noodles - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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My husband stopped by the soft opening today and scored some awesome to go for a Fri-yay of amazingness! We ordered: - pineapple chicken curry fried rice -lemon chicken - sweet and sour pork - green beans in black bean sauce -honey walnut prawns -shrimp egg chow fun Everything is delicious. My favorite is the rice with a nice blend of sweet and savory. The green beans are perfectly sauced and still slightly crunchy which I enjoy. I'm so glad this new place opened up in our town. They did a great job with the remodel and I look forward to returning! read more

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Never in my life have I ordered a Hong Kong Milk Tea and been up charged for the sweetened condensed milk that is part of what a Hong Kong Milk Tea is. But that's exactly what they do here! I was shocked to see they up charged me, without even telling me. Further, their regular size is tiny, and still cost me $5.51. Also, did I mention their green tea with cheese crema ends up being for $8? So yeah, I wouldn't recommend them for drinks, unless you're a loaded trust fund kid, or a party member. Where to go? Pampas Cafe still has reasonable prices, as does HL Peninsula express. 85C is good to. Really, anywhere that doesn't nickel and dime you. It just really leaves a bad taste in my mouth when a place nickels amd dimes me for small things. read more

New Hong Kong cafe with ample seating and a nice bright lit setting in the former Dino's! We were promptly seated and service was relatively attentive. Dishes were good. The corn fish maw soup as expected! The seafood pan fried noodle decent as well. The fried flounder was a good size and nicely fried. The grilled steak was a little bit lacking in seasoning and texture - came with spaghetti or rice. The HK milk tea - yummy! Overall, a good experience for Castro Valley and a local HK cafe being the first in this small town. We are a fan, and we will be back. Sign says soft opening, so I'm guessing they working through all the small kinks and operational processes especially when they are crowded (from reading other reviews). We didn't notice that going on a weekday, but hopefully those will improve over time! read more

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I'm so happy that HK cafes seem to be making a comeback in the bay area! Ever since their soft opening, Garden Cafe has become one of my favorite restaurants to go to with both my husband's family and mine. We've enjoyed most of the dishes we've tried. Some that we keep coming back to are: stir-fried udon with black pepper beef, eggplant & green beans (with black bean sauce), pumpkin with salted egg yolk, and fried chicken wings. The only dish that no one liked was the sizzling plate with beef short ribs. The flavor was mediocre and the spaghetti that we chose as our base took forever to arrive (although this was back during soft opening). One downside is that the parking lot is pretty small. There's some street parking but if you park across the street, it's not the easiest to cross back because of how busy it can be. Take out can also take a lot longer than their estimated time. Recently, we got take out on a Friday with my sister-in-law and then dined in with a couple more family members the very next day. While we were there, my SIL was even eyeing what to order next time and we joked that she was making plans for the day after. Coincidentally, the table next to us also had a person that was here for the second day in a row. Needless to say, I hope Garden Cafe is around for a long time! read more

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We've ordered takeout about 5 times from GC. Service is always fast and friendly. On this most recent occasion, our usual rice and noodle dishes were as expected and decent portions. The exception was the cold, dry, flavorless chicken breast chunks in the chow mein. The usual Mongolian Beef dish we ordered was disappointing this time around. The beef was flavorful with just the right heat, but for entree's price we found the portion to be unusually small and consisted mainly of onions, with little beef. We'll try CG again; let's hope care is taken to improve the chicken chow mein flavor and serve temperature and offer better value for the portion size on beef entrees, like Mongolian Beef. read more

The lack of HK cafes in the area already earns Garden Cafe a 5 stars in my book. To add to their rightful keep of their stars, they also offer online ordering AND are opened late! Venus Cafe closes by 8/9pm, so times are extremely different. Also, online ordering (same price as in person). Parking here can be a pain, especially if you're coming in the evening when The Doolittle is opened. On the bright side, you can park along the street and parking is plenty. You don't need to trash your tires with the messed up concrete and rocks everywhere. Seating for single, doubles, groups, and more. It has a good amount of space and you'll see a lot of to go orders, as well. HK cafes if you don't know is not just baked spaghetti and other Chinese dishes. They also have a full menu of family style entrees you can order from, so if you're craving Chinese food, Garden is a great addition to the East Bay to get your fix. They even do sweets and desserts, here. Oh the best part, they take credit card with no additional fees and have bathrooms. I don't know how many asian places are cash only, or fee for cards, and the bathrooms are unavailable. Now onto my favorite things to order: Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings (12.95): ALWAYS crispy. Beef Chow Fun (16.95): the wok hay is unmatched. Onions outweighs the beef, but not the noodles and always perfection each time. Bean Sprout Soy Sauce Chow Mein (15.95): I mean, what is more perfect than a traditional dish like this? You don't even need proteins and it just feels like eating endless noodles. Seafood Chow Fun (18.95): there was a gravy seafood chow fun in the beginning when I first started going, but they seem to have taken it off the menu. Dried Scallop & Egg White Fried Rice (17.95): Absolutely delicious, but I wish they would use less cilantro in this. Ying Yang (1/2 HK Milk Tea, 1/2 Coffee) Iced: The name should already tell you this is the best of both worlds. Service is quick and the servers are friendly and can take your order in English. The menu is HUGE and they are always adding different things. Love that they are opened everyday and I can always count on Garden Cafe to get my HK Cafe fix! read more

For Bay Area standard, this Hong Kong style cafe is pretty decent. The only thing they are missing is set menu that include entree, soup, and drink. I hope they will have breakfast and afternoon tea menu later. We ordered 3 entrees, 1 drink and egg waffles come out to be close to a little over $80 for 3 people so definitely not Hong Kong style cafe prices. Food we tried: THE BEST - bake Portuguese chicken rice ALRIGHT - bake spaghetti with meat sauce SO SO - sizzling plate - garlic sauce chicken spaghetti PRETTY GOOD- HK style egg waffle puffs Since Hong Kong milk tea tend to be on the strong side, we only ordered one to try. Rich black tea with milk and we added condensed milk(extra$0.50). Recommended but aware of the high caffeine. Service was great. Waitress was attentive. Parking spaces are very limited shared by 3 other businesses in the lot. Waitress told me that parking in the neighbor parking lot is ok if it's at night. I saw many people come and go to pick up take outs and by 6pm 70% full, so business is definitely up and running. We recommend the business owner to consider changing the bowls as it's extremely small and the fork is a bit too big and heavy. Looking forward to their set menus. It seems to be that Hong Kong style Cafe should always have an all day special. Food should come out quite fast and at a valuable price point. read more

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The food is either salty or bland, and just doesn't hit the spot even though I have tried it 3 times. It can be difficult to find parking in the lot as it is located in a shared commercial complex. Service is fine. The ambiance is no frills. read more

Probably the best HK style cafe I've been to in the bay. It's clean inside. Service is okay. Parking can be hard so you may have to park on the street. We were in a large group and ordered lots :) Wonton noodle soup Beef brisket and rice Fried Fish filet and rice Grilled fish filet, broccoli, and fries Rice rolls with mixed sauce Steamed vegetables Steak dish Noodle dish Club sandwich with fries Eggettes Deep fried chicken leg Pineapple drink Mango drink Lemon tea HK milk tea Probably ordered more but forgot what else. We plan to come back read more

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I got take out here and 1 of the baked pork chops was undercooked. ITS RAW!! The picture is after I microwaved it for 2+ mins.. looking like a medium rare steak. Also, the food is bland and expensive. The pork chops are thick but they need to flatten it out or cook it longer because this is RAW. read more

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

I'm so happy more Asian restaurants are opening up in Castro Valley. Now, I don't need to drive to Oakland, San Leandro or newark for HK style food. Keep in mind that this establishment is in its soft opening phase so be patient with them until they work out all the kinks. I haven't had a chance to dine in yet but will find the time to soon as I live close by. I called in a take out order on a Saturday night about 30 minutes before they close and they were able to accommodate my order. Parking: small parking lot with spots that need to be shared between a liquor store and a barber shop. During peak hours, you might need to park on the street. Decor: simple and clean, looks just like a HK style cafe. Inside is spacious with 2 dining areas. They have TVs mounted in both areas and it was playing k-pop MVs when I went to pick up my order. Food: ordered a dried scallop and egg white fried rice. Huge portion size and tasted delicious. It's cooked just the way this simple dish should be. Service: fast and attentive, we got there about 10 minutes after I called in the order, and we waited for about 5 minutes for them to pack it for us. 2 staff members checked on the order for us to make sure we didn't need to wait too long for it. I know I will be back to try more of their food. read more

Garden Cafe - Dried scallop and egg white fried rice - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Haven't been in the Bay Area for 10 years and was told about this place by relatives. Good quality all around HK cafe. Authentic? Depends on where you come from and what you wanna stick on. I'm from L.A so it tastes pretty authentic and good to me. If I were to compare this to Hong Kong street cafe, then it got better meat and bigger size and more variety of flavor. One thing to note is, the black tea served here is MUCH better than anywhere else. So feel free to get milk tea or other tea stuff here. They have a house special beef noodle. Get that! Garlic pan fried vegetable is fresh and deep fried chicken wings are juicy. Ate here twice in 2 days, pretty consistent. Recommend. Also this is a HK cafe, so I'm pretty sure it helps if you speak loud in Cantonese lol read more

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I love it here! The prices are reasonable, the service is fast, and the portion is large. They have plenty of variety on the menu to pick, and the spicy level is on point. Would definitely come back when Im in East Bay and craving for some authentic Asian dishes. read more

4 star for the super think Hong Kong Style French Toast! Rarely find such think toast even in HK. It is authentic and delicious, and great value! We ordered from the afternoon tea menu (from 3:15 - 5:30pm only). We also ordered the Satay Beef Vermicelli. The vermicelli is not the soft type that I love, so will change to instant noodle next time. Highly recommend this place. read more

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

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Came here off of a friends recommendation and so mad she's been hiding it from me for so long! This was one of the best Chinese places I've been to in the east bay. Been to many in Hayward and it's severely lacking when it comes to quality, so glad I know about this one now! The portions are huge the feel is authentic and didint try the clay pots this time but definitely will next time. Definitely get the special milk teas they have they're awesome. Mongolian beef was my favorite it had such impactful flavor. The combo rice and chow mein were huge and very good. Combo rice had a lot of chicken but was lacking in shrimp and beef. Only 3 shrimps I had in total. I would not get the chicken wings they were very bland and basic. Other than that the service was caring and fast. And nice somewhat chill environment we will be back! read more

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HK Cafe style food is my wife's comfort food so we were excited to see Garden Cafe open up in Castro Valley! Right across the street from Eden Hospital, it can be a bit of a challenge to find parking (the lot is tiny and the restaurant is usually busy!) and it is definitely a no frills, not fancy kind of place. That being said, the menu is pretty extensive and they've got a lot of your HK style classic dishes. We've tried a number of things- baked pork chop rice, chicken pan fried noodles, fish filet in corn sauce, etc and they have all been good. We did come here once with a bigger group and got some of the more "Americanized" dishes and they were so-so. I'd definitely stick with more of the HK style dishes. A little pricey but nice to have a place like this in CV! read more