The photos look legit. Rating was high and I'm in the mood for some ABC style chow mein (the thick round noodle). The chicken chow mein was not bad. Tons of wok air. I liked the fact that it has lots of vegetables. Decent size noodle. Only thing is, it's a bit too salty and has a little bit of bitter after taste. 澀味. I suspect it's the soy sauce? Could be the salt. Or overcooked soy sauce. Otherwise, it's pretty good. read more

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A little hole in the wall restaurant in Burlingame. This was my first time trying Happy Chef and I was amazed at the amount of food they gave me for my lunch special! I ordered the kung pao chicken lunch special with fried rice and the potsticker appetizer. The potstickers are my favorite. They taste like a traditional steamed potsticker. Delicious ! read more

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Sorry for typos in my previous review! I dreaming of their delish chicken breast chicken chow mein!

Most of the food here is very good, but don't spend your money on the Hot & Sour Soup. I couldn't eat it because it was all very strong vinegar and overly spiced with chili pepper. I have had Hot and Sour soup in several Chinese restaurants in this area and Happy Chef Hot & Sour soup was horrible! I couldn't eat it. Don't waste your money. read more

This is my go to spot for lunch. I was able to order off menu. Don't get me wrong, the salt & pepper chicken wings are on point, but today I got the boneless chicken salt & pepper and it was good!! read more

Happy Chef Restaurant - Boneless salt & pepper chicken - Chinese Near Me - Burlingame, California

Takeout place tucked away on Trousdale drive. Would recommend! Diverse menu with decent prices and very great portions. I called their number and it was ready in 10 min. Will go again when I crave Chinese. read more

There food is so good and reasonable. I even sent my boss there. I told him what I had. You got to try it. They are very friendly. Reasonable prices. It is located on the corner near Trousdale Drive read more

The food is the best in the area. The pancakes were amazing, the portions are large and you never leave hungry. There is a little Something for everyone on the menu. From the time you walk in till you leave they treat you like family. Our orders come out fast and was hot and tasty! It reminds me of when I was young. We'll be back. The decor has the history of the store throughout and reminds me of an older of hotel dinner. read more

I ordered the chicken curry, it was ok but they forgot to add rice! On top of that there is a minimum order for pickup, why? One more, they don't accept American express. i wont be coming back, too many other places to try for my Chinese food fix. read more

This small to-go Chinese restaurant is a neighborhood staple. It's been here forever and always impresses me with every dish. Today, I ordered the Mongolian Beef lunch with vegetable fried rice. The rice is pure and simple. A perfect complement to any entree. The Mongolian Beef is the best I ever had. The beef is the star in this dish. Sliced thin and full of flavor, it had the best texture and chew of a steakhouse. Not the normal squishy texture you normally find on a Chinese menu. With plenty of chili flakes, whole red peppers, garlic, onions and green onion in the stir-fry, it makes me sweat thinking about it... The owner always greets you with a smile. Quick in and out with hot, fresh food and I am looking toward next week when I can go back. read more

Happy Chef Restaurant - Mongolian Beef lunch with vegetable fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Burlingame, California

The portions and price are great! We usually go to Cheung Hing up the street but we noticed the dishes come with barely any meat and they are getting super expensive so we thought we'd try this place. The value is great but I'd say the meat is a little dry and the dish overall could use some more sauce. There was something missing/lacking from the dishes. We ordered mongolian beef, kung pao chicken, and salt and pepper pork ribs. The ribs were pretty good actually but I wouldn't order the other 2 dishes again. read more

Fairly decent food but in my opinion isn't really worth the price. I've tried numerous other Chinese restaurants but the food here isn't very memorable in taste, and if I can be honest the food really doesn't taste like anything! I swear I thought I was going crazy until I had my whole family try the food and they as well agreed there was barely any flavor in the food whatsoever. The portion sizes make up for the lack of flavor in the food and the fried rice is pretty good but make sure you add a generous amount of soy sauce so you can actually taste something other than the vegetables. Service was good, generous people at the front that wish you a good day and say thank you so that's a plus. But overall if you're starving and need to fill that sad hole in your stomach and are in the mood for okay takeout this is your spot. Just bring soy sauce and you should enjoy your meal for the most part. read more

This was our secret gem every time we would visit friends and family at Mills hospital. It's just a five-minute walk from Mills-Peninsula and all their options at this time are take out only due to Covid19 restrictions. But I have loved to sit and eat here in the past. So many Latino construction workers love eating here. Today we ordered the pan-fried noodle combo, Mongolian beef rice plate, and black bean sauce fish rice plate with two coconut water beverages. I have to mention that the food was much better around 2011-2012 or so which is the first time I came to eat here. The food was fresh, vibrant, and tasty. I'm not sure if the chefs have changed or what but the food here now is about mediocre. Regarding the food we ordered, my Mongolian beef was a bit bland and it didn't have the traditional Mongolian beef sauce that I was used to. It was also a bit dry and reddish color instead of the saucy brown. It did contain red chiles so that was a plus. The accompanying fried rice also was a bit bland and rather strewn together. It used to be really good here but I would say that today it is hovering a little bit around average. read more

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Finally good food that isn't covered in MSG!! I ordered the Pork Fried Rice, fried Wonton and Salt and Pepper shrimp. The Rice: not old dry rice that was hastily made but fresh and tasting great! The pork was tender not dry! The Wontons: the noodle is super thick and yummy, I'm a noodle dude and this was awesome!! The Shrimp: ALL the other places I have gone for the same dish have a ton of MSG, I don't think they use any and if they did it was in done in a way that I cannot tell! The batter stayed crisp, the shrimp was not old and the seasoning perfect! It may seem a little dated due to the exterior/interior but the food is better than most sit down restaurants that look like a million bucks! okay with spending just a tad more than Panda for gorgeous food that'll make your tummy happy? Whoop here it is! I am not a first time customer, my Mom works at the hospital across the street and I have tasted a lot of there menu but this is my most recent visit and I'm so happy I wanna share! read more

The portion is pretty generous. However, the food is not the best. I had the garlic chicken with fried rice, and the chicken was dry like it was reheated, and the fried rice was a bit hard. I also ordered the beef chow fun, and it was a sweet plus; when you buy a dish like that, you need a strong wok flavor which it did not have at all. Price is what you get but more on convenience over quality for this place. read more

When I'm in Burlingame Happy Chef is my go to when my family is craving Chinese food. I had their salt & pepper shrimp, chow mein, walnut shrimp, mixed vegetables, & egg plant with Garlic sauce. Everything was delicious and it did not disappoint. The fish was very tasty and crispy. The egg plant was cooked perfectly. Their vegetable deluxe is a must order. The vegetable deluxe is mixed vegetables, they cook it just right...... it's tasty and the veggies still have their crispy texture. If you don't know what to order they have photos of their dishes on the wall. I hope to visit again. My family enjoyed their dinner. read more

We like this little gem - our go to takeout food for years. Family owned and run. Good flavors, a large variety of dishes. Freshly prepared and priced fairly. Our favorites are the human flounder cooked to delicious perfection. Their Mongolian beef and veggie filled chow Mein. We ordered the hot and sour soup and loved every mouth full. Happy to support this establishment in our lovely Burligame. read more

The food is very little And the food taste no good Not flash I pay $30-$50 it looks like appetizer read more

Happy Chef Restaurant - Almost $20 .that little food - Chinese Near Me - Burlingame, California

The prices have gone up quite a bit in the past couple years, due to various cost increases ,however, the food quality is excellent and selection is very good. read more

It was my first time an I was in need of something to eat before work so I figured why not give this place a chance. From the street you can see the pictures on the wall of all the menu items that they have here which is helpful. I was looking to get a lunch special because there was no way that I was going to pay the cost of regular meals. The prices are reasonable for the most part. If you are looking to get multiple items you need to be prepared to spend a little bit more. The selection of menu items are decent. The seafood section would be expanded but that is just a personal preference. If you are looking to dine in then I would suggest coming by yourself or with a small group because there is limited seating inside. The wait for food preparation is not that long either. I waited for approximately 5 to 8 minutes after I placed my order for my food to be ready. As for the meal itself, I ordered the Mongolian Beef lunch combo. I would have preferred more beef in my meal as well as more rice but I guess that isn't the formula for success here. I was full after finishing the meal but I could not help but feel like I got cheated. No fortune cookie or egg rolls came complimentary to my meal. That is extremely DISAPPOINTING! Maybe I am just use to that courtesy when I go to Chinese restaurants. If you like this place and then good for you. I can now say that I visited, I ordered, and I ate. #NeverMore read more

Happy Chef Restaurant - Food on the wall... Not mad about that! - Chinese Near Me - Burlingame, California

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Really small place, but my go to when I am at work nearby. My very favorite is the Shrimp Fried Rice. Big shrimp and a nice medley of veg and not too much soy sauce making it not overly salty. I have seen other dishes and they all look good. Good prices as well. read more

This is a little mom/pop restaurant- not friendly, and not real clean. Our friends ordered take out. We were not impressed. There is not much food for the price (which is still cheaper than the other 2 Chinese restaurants in that shopping mall) and the quality is poor. As for the menu, I'd say it's like a 1970s American Chinese style fried rice, chow mein with not much in it, beef with brocolli, sweet and sour pork, spring rolls. read more

Expensive for what you get. Portions should be bigger for what they charge. Food was mediocre. Will not be returning

Absolutely terrible everything from the shrimp spring roll to vegetable egg rolls to the shrimp Lo mein to the orange chicken which tasted like peeled oranges only the plain white rice was the only thing which was edible flavor wise 3 people spent 60 dollars and ate like three dollars worth noodles tasted like straight dough no flavor crab Rangoon's were burnt hard and cold. Coming from along way so disappointing so in conclusion worst experience I've ever had with this type of food. Never going back read more

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Not good, i ordered Mongolian beef with fried rice. The beef was chewy and tough, the fried rice was chunky and crunchy, as if they used the last batch of rice from the bottom of the pot. A little bit pricey also, and the cook i saw went to their own restroom with the gloves on and went out with the same gloves on. read more

1.Service is ok and food is good! I dined in with a shrimp and white rice dish, was not offered offered water or soup included in lunch specials! Ordered a to go item as well which was quick and price was fair. 2. I ordered food to go 20 mins before they close and arrived tens mins after they closed. I was so happy they stayed open for my pick up order. The spring rolls were great, fried rice was ok could use more soy sauce and the sweet and sour chicken is a item I will not be re-ordering. 3. Ok! Today I was super Happy....I called for delivery which they did indeed...they arrived within the 40 min time she quoted over the phone. Yulin, took our order she advised me to try the Chicken with Basil vs the Garlic Chicken...best dish from here so far. Again I wish the chicken fried rice had more soy sauce and less chunks of white rice...meaning blend it with the sauce and veggies. The spring rolls were hot and crispy. Tired the kung pao shrimp for the first time was good as well. I will be ordering to go again and try some more dishes. Overall service is good, they use white meat for chicken dishes and price is fair. Hidden Gem that delivers. read more

Happy Chef Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Burlingame, California

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Solid Chinese food to go. This place has generous servings and they are fast when you want good Chinese food to go. Easy to call in the order and pick up fast. Green beans are my favorite. read more

good service cashier is nice and friendly. Affordable and good food worth coming back

Happy Chef not a 4 star restaurant! It's a hole in the wall Chinese place that's not clean. The service is mediocre. I ordered the Generals Chicken with rice for the lunch special for $8.00. It looked and tasted like sweet and sour chicken that was slightly spicer. They used both red chilies and jalapeño in huge pieces. The taste was slightly bland and overly sweet. Lots of oil was on my plate after. No water was offered and I was afraid to ask as the place didn't look great. I'm all for mediocre cheap Chinese good, but at least make it good. I get Chinese food at least once a week and every time you get soup and some type of appetizer (one egg roll) included. Go elsewhere for your Chinese meal. read more

OK, This place is the WORSE FOOD I'VE EVER HAD! We just drove a long way and were all very hungry! This place charged $60 for 3 UNSATISFIED meals. Ok, first and final, EVERYTHING WAS DISGUSTING! The man in the kitchen looked like he just woke up, kitchen was dark looking, t he lady gave me 2 packs of sauce for 3 meals! The Orange Chicken was NASTY AS HELL, the Chow Fun was not noodles, it was globs of floor, plus I paid $3.00 to add broccoli and they gave me 2 pieces of broccoli? Ummmmmm, ! The crab rangoon and the egg rolls we're BURNT AND GROSSSSS be and the Sweet and Sour Soup was MOP WATER! This place is NOT GOOD AT ALL! Warning! YOU MAY GET SICK!!!!! read more

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I walked in and ordered, ready within12 minutes. I ordered sweet and sour pork. Smelled good but the meat was tough and dry. Also ordered mongolian beef. Small pieces of beef but also dry and overcooked. I ended up tasting 15% of my order and ended throwing most of it out the next day. This place is take-out only. I will not return, plenty of other better Chinese places nearby. read more

Good Chinese food for a such a little place. Love the rice noodles and the pot stickers are good too. The owners are always very nice and food is ready quickly. read more

I'm going to give 4stars because they have free delivery and food looks nice Food was good some of the coated chicken dishes had a bit of a soft rubbery texture...I prefer cruncher ...maybe I'll get used to it? read more

Happy Chef Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Burlingame, California

Happy Chef is a no-frills, lunch-special-having type Chinese restaurant where you go in to grab quick bites. They are run by Mandarin speaking Chinese folks and they do exactly what they need to do (cook and serve). Food: Honestly... the food is alright. I usually get the black bean sauce bitter melon and fish as my go-to, but I also had the beef chow fun before. Not the most amazing food, but at least they got the lunch special. Ambiance: Typical, low budget Chinese restaurant. Nothing fancy. Has a few tables to dine in, but I think most people buy food to go. read more

I have been to the restaurant a couple of times. The food is fantastic if you put it in context for what it is a fast food Chinese. They don't serve you anything but the food that you order. I wish they would have water out. Today I went for lunch. I ordered the cashew chicken. It was very good. A lot of times when you order cashew chicken the cashews are soggy because they are cooked with the sauce. But this cashew chicken the cashews were put on top. Also a lot of places put to much sauce over the rice is soaked with sauce and then rice is soggy. The only thing that disappointed me was that I didn't get the soup I ordered with my lunch. read more

Happy Chef Restaurant - chicken cashew lunch speacial - Chinese Near Me - Burlingame, California

This is pretty much a take-out place that offers inexpensive Chinese food. It can get busy during lunch because of the hospital and construction workers across the street so phone in your order. I've had most of their takeout lunch dishes as well as chow mein and chow fun. I like that they give you soup with lunch. It's better than a Panda Express but not gourmet Chinese. Then again, price is right! read more

Stopped by last night 1/10/23 for quick order pick up. Lunch hour menu's displayed at site not available into dinner hour so ordering is per each item. Ordered simple sweet & sour pork-$13.95 steamed rice-$2.50 for small container. Also ordered 1 ea. Wor won ton soup-$12.95 that came with small portions of meat and chicken cuts, cabbage, onion, carrots, and won ton noodle wraps. Sweet & sour pork prepped with just pork, onions, and pineapples, found one small portion of green bell pepper. For the $32.23 meal received the soup order was poorly prepped and lacked flavor. This is the second experience ordering wor won ton from this place and found that the contents lacked sea food as I recall other Chinese venues serving sea food cuts in addition to veggies and meat cuts to their wor won ton base. The sweet & sour pork was not as appealing as their display projects in their restaurant & was surprised with the lack of flavor for this particular dish. In addition to the food experience, customers must be aware that you should request in advance for utensils, napkins, and side sauces otherwise, you're eating with fingers, wiping clean on whatever, and no spice, or sauces. Sorry Happy Chef! Disappointed customer here and no longer a patron. Referral? Hell No! read more

Wor won ton soup flavor is weak with a hint of cigarettes. Wouldn't survive in SF downtown.

Everyone so cranky on here about Happy Chef. I've always been happy with my meal. And the no MSG part is like CLUTCH since it seriously messes me up. I've always got the right order and it tasted good. I mean it's cheap Chinese food, if you're looking for a Michelin Star establishment this it is not. But for decent MSG free grub at a reasonable price it's my go to. And personally if you call and want to substitute everything on the menu that's effing annoying so I don't hold that against em for not bending to these demands. read more

The review is for the food. They have just a few tables. I think 4 tables. The fried rice is very good. Great flavor! The chicken dishes such as the chicken with broccoli have a yummy sauce. Great for take out and they are very fast. read more