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    Happy Garden

    3.9 (210 reviews)
    InexpensiveChinese
    Open 11:00 am - 8:15 pm

    Order Happy Garden Takeout or Delivery

    Happy Garden Photos

    HAPPY GARDEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Happy Garden

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    Reviews With Photos

    BBQ Pork Fried Rice, dam good!!
    Nicole C.

    Delicious BBQ pork fried rice! Can't wait to try salt and pepper crab soon. This place didn't disappoint me 1 bit. I could tell by Yelp photos it'd be good. The chili oil they have is amazing. Honestly this is probably the best I've had in years, plus the lady was sweet! Can't wait to see her next time:)

    Laurel Neighborhood of Oakland
    Steve D.

    4112 MacArthur Blvd Oakland, CA 94619 Happy Garden Chinese Restaurant is located in Oakland's Laurel District. I was here on a Saturday evening around 5pm. As I walked in the door, I noticed the dining room was blocked off. The lady said I have to call ahead if I wanted to eat there. After a brief discussion, I got a table up front. Okay, originally I was just going to have a nice bowl of Wor Won Ton Soup. But then I saw something interesting on the menu.....claypots. I ordered "Braised Rock Cod Filet With Tofu" claypot, Eggrolls, and small steamed rice. I ordered the eggrolls, so I had something to munch on while my claypot was cooling off. You see, the claypot is a "fire to table" dish. They cook the food in the claypot, and bring it to your table bubbling hot. I usually stir it up to even out the temperature. The claypot had nice pieces of breaded fish filet and large pieces of tofu all soaked in a rich gravy. Dried tofu sheets lined the bottom of the pot. I ate it with chopsticks and a bowl of rice. When you eat in a chinese restaurant, you eat chinese style. The lady who served me was very chatty. We talked about growing up in the bay area, and how the Chinatown has changed. I told her it was odd that they didn't offer a small dinner soup like other chinese restaurants. So she offered me "house soup" of dried bok choy and meat in a light broth. Total bill was less than $30 before tip. I will return and try the other claypots. Maybe I'll call ahead and reserve a table.

    Fried won ton soup
    Sammi L.

    Happy Garden is our go-to spot for Chinese in Oakland. We go so often that staff recognize and welcome us like family. We always enjoyed sitting inside before they moved to take-out. The women are so friendly there - we return for the service. The food is great for take-out and dine-in (before). We get our regular dishes like green beans, salt pepper pork, beef scramble, fish tofu clay pot - but we always enjoy trying new dishes. We always look forward to the next time we'll be greeted by staff like family and pick our favorite orders.

    General Chicken Deluxe Lunch Special

    Discovered this place about a month ago. If you're craving American Chinese, this place nailed it with their General Tso's and Fried Rice. I've also had the combination Fried Rice which was phenomenal. Service is fantastic with Sally, who was attentive through the whole lunch. Sweet lady really checks in throughout at just the right times. While this is no a fancy sitting place, it holds true to a solid Chinese restaurant you'd expect to make your standard watering hole. Absolutely happy with it.

    Norma L.

    I was going to order lunch from another place, but they were closed, and then remembered seeing this while at my Tailor who is two doors down and was on my mental list to try. I thought I'd have a quiet sit down to decompress, but they still don't have dine option. That's ok. The woman is super friendly and when I told her it was my first time said to take time no rush. I ordered something not usually on the menu. Combination Chow Fun w/o gravy. And since my stomach was talking, ordered hot and sour soup. It took all of 10 mins. Got back to office and dug in. Soup was so good. Usually its just got bamboo shoots, eggs, and I think they are earwood mushrooms. But this had that plus slivers of chicken, beef and a couple shrimp. The chow fun was not chewy and the meats were cooked perfect. The amount of food was enough for two sittings.

    Hung Tao Yee Fu wonton

    It's really hard to find a place that still does the old style Cantonese dishes like Yee Fu wonton. The one here is excellent and satisfies my craving for wonton that I remembered when I was growing up in Oakland

    Wonton Noodle Soup Fried Rice Sweet & Sour Pork
    Chris B.

    Solid classic Chinese offerings. Not a destination restaurant, but as the closest Chinese option to me it more than hits the spot when the craving strikes.

    Jan. 9th, an assortment of food & beverages
    John D.

    We live & eat in The Laurel... Happy Garden became our go to restaurant years ago when the one that we went to in Chinatown was sold & the new owners went for cheap ingredients and poor service. Happy Garden is a family owned business that has always done very good food & service. They even stayed open during the Pandemic and made sure that everyone could get a fresh meal from them! Many neighbors of various cultural backgrounds came to eat here and continue to do so now. Their pot stickers are fresh & tasty.. Their salt n pepper prawns are outstanding! During Chinese New Year's they stock lots of fresh crab & fish in the tanks. They do King Do ribs & have many rice, noodle & veggie dishes. Sallie, the co owner & hostess, will go out of her way to accommodate food ingredient issues-like vegetarian, vegan & allergies. Her husband, the chef, makes sure that they have a well stocked pantry.. And did I mention Peking Duck with all the trimmings? We highly recommend them and appreciate their dedication and community support!

    Beef chow fun
    Steve G.

    I'm always on the hunt for Hung Tao Yee Won Ton. If ya know, ya know... Happy Garden has it so had to try it. Also some Chinese favorites like beef chow fun, salt and pepper pork chops, fried chicken wings, and mushroom chicken. The HTYFWT was OK. Lacked some flavor and the won tons not as firm as I like. The beef chow fun, mushroom chicken and pork chops portions were all quite large. Chicken wings were very good as well. Prices are reasonable. A good, solid restaurant for Chinese comfort food. 4+*. We'll be back.

    BBQ pork fried rice

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    9 months ago

    Great food authentic Chinese dishes to discover in their menu good location, great service just a cozy place

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    1 year ago

    Excellent shrimp, fried rice, and prawns comparable to what I eat out here in Washington state in the Seattle area and it was better

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    2 years ago

    Food was delicious as always, we just didn't care much about the general chicken, but we love it here.

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    好好味,always quick, fresh and yummy ... my always go to Chinese food when I am in Oakland ...

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    Page 1 of 6

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    Shandong - Spicy Combination Soup Noodles (Hand Pulled)

    Shandong

    4.2(4k reviews)
    4.1 miOakland Chinatown
    $$

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

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

    Photos
    Shandong - Dinning area

    Dinning area

    Shandong - Shan Dong Chicken

    Shan Dong Chicken

    Shandong - Wonton with Spicy Sauce

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    Wonton with Spicy Sauce

    Gum Kuo Restaurant - Egg White Dry Scallop Fried Rice

    Gum Kuo Restaurant

    3.9(1.2k reviews)
    4.2 miOakland Chinatown
    $$

    I grew up eating this as a kid and still love it to this day. Gum Kuo has my favorite salted pork…read moreand preserved egg jook in the whole wide world! Whenever I'm feeling sick or just feeling something comforting, I'm always craving their jook with a you tiao from here. Their jook is so thick and flavorful. It's really unmatched by other places which are more watery. They have a huge menu including roast meats that you can see them chopping but I always go back to my jook order. Service here is no-frills and the restaurant probably hasn't been renovated since it opened (outside of new tables and chairs). Typical Chinatown restaurant service and it can get quite loud.

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

    Photos
    Gum Kuo Restaurant - Inside full crowd

    Inside full crowd

    Gum Kuo Restaurant - Beef Chow Fun

    Beef Chow Fun

    Gum Kuo Restaurant - Rice Noodle Wrap with Chinese Doughnut

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    Rice Noodle Wrap with Chinese Doughnut

    Yu Yu Za Zang - Chicken and broccoli

    Yu Yu Za Zang

    4.3(380 reviews)
    4.8 miTemescal, North Oakland
    $$

    This place has been around for a while!!! and they remodeled it…read more Came here yesterday after a bad experience at another place to have our lunch/now dinner. We were greeted and seated right away with the choice of any opened table. The server offered a booster for the baby and we told him it wasn't necessary. We order jajangmyeon, gan jajangmyeon, tangsuyuk, yangjangpi, and jjampong. Still as delicious as I remember. While we were eating my niece (the baby) was giggling and we saw that the server was playing with her. He was attentive and provided us everything we needed...thank you for showing us what really customer service is!!!!

    So, I asked people on the Internet what are places in the Town that I need to visit because my…read moreparents never took my siblings and I there as kids. One place people brought up is Yu Yu Za Zang. Yu Yu Za Zang is a Chinese-Korean spot on the Oakland Temescal intersection of Telegraph and 49th. The noteworthy part about the place is its jajangmyun. There are other dishes like tangsuyuk and the not as common kanjangmyun. The good parts of the place? What I remember is the guy serving me being friendly, taking my order and also running the register along with the phone. The place has an old school look, and this is kind of like an Oakland Chinese-Korean version of Shiki's if you southern Bay Area residents remember the place. I can type that this is the best jajangmyun in the East Bay even though I had maybe two others, and I don't remember the prior experiences that well. Some people type that Paik's jajangmyun is better, but for me, while Paik's has the better technique, Yu Yu's is more homey obviously. (Neither can beat this one place in Los Angeles I forgot though.) I also like how the place has the Pororo drinks because I so can't drink soju if I'm doing a solo drive. The value's actually good as well, and I wish I got the tangsuyuk. The flaws of the place? The parking's tricky. The scenario though is that a star's deducted more so because of the basic service. Yu Yu Za Zang's a good place. While it does have it's there service, its food and drinks make up for the bother. Bay Area folks and non-Bay Area folks, go here for some really good jajangmyun! +/Yu Yu Za Zang makes me think internally "Yay, the place is in the zone!" because of the friendly guy being a one man wrecking crew up front and a batch of really good food and drinks overall. -/The basic service turns its opportunity for a perfect score to ash.

    Photos
    Yu Yu Za Zang - Left side seating arrangement

    Left side seating arrangement

    Yu Yu Za Zang - Zazang Myun (Black Bean Noodles) /

    Zazang Myun (Black Bean Noodles) /

    Yu Yu Za Zang - 8. Szechuan Prawns

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    8. Szechuan Prawns

    Ming's Tasty Restaurant - Happy Lunar New Year

    Ming's Tasty Restaurant

    4.3(715 reviews)
    4.1 miOakland Chinatown
    $$

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

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

    Photos
    Ming's Tasty Restaurant
    Ming's Tasty Restaurant - Snowy Baked BBQ Pork Bun

    Snowy Baked BBQ Pork Bun

    Ming's Tasty Restaurant - Interior Glimpse

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    Interior Glimpse

    Happy Garden - chinese - Updated September 2026

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