YESSSS! I'm rating this spot 5 stars for what it is - a cafeteria style, hot counter American Chinese food spot. For 2026 especially it's cheap eats and generous portions. I went at 3pm and the crispy items were still crispy, soft items tender - it all felt fresh, not like it had been sitting out since lunch time. The lady behind the counter was extra nice and over-stuffed my paper boxes beyond full... so full that I still can't close my fried shrimp lid even after eating a few pieces! I tipped what I consider a regular amount but when she saw that she even threw in a few more fried chicken pieces in my order. Apparently between 7-8pm there's even a closing special (so the food doesn't go to waste.) I believe that was buy 2 combo plates, get 3rd free. What a gem! Admittedly I found some of the items a little too salty for my palate however for the price there's zero complaints, and when I come to a spot like this, I do expect some salty goodness :*) Just a warning in case anyone is sensitive to sodium. read more

My go-to American Chinese food spot! However -- I will always be honest and want to note the flavor can sometimes be a hit or miss. Ex: sometimes the chow mein is flavorful and a 10/10 other times it can be rather bland and a 5/10 but that won't stop me from coming My sons favorite is their chicken teriyaki (I call it grilled chicken because they don't actually put any teriyaki sauce on it and don't have any available on the side which is also stated on their menu board) I personally love their Spicy Orange Chicken and get a double order on my lunch plate everytime I go rather than selecting two different kinds of meat. My husband is a fan of their broccoli beef but that's also a hit or miss -- depending on who's working sometimes you'll get more broccoli, sometimes more beef, never the perfect mix lol They haven't had this item available lately and I've had to order them and wait about 5 minutes for it to be cooked but I highly recommend their Wonton Skins! It's worth the wait and a delicious crunchy pair with some sweet and sour sauce. They have a special the last hour before closing (purchase 2 plates get 1 free) which is appreciated with a family of 4. Their portions are generous & the customer service is great. I've even heard them help guests in Spanish. I highly recommend you at least give it a try! They also have Hawaiian BBQ which I've been tempted to try and will update when I do! I'd be more convinced if they'd be able to source some teriyaki sauce for my bbq beef and white rice! lol read more

I saw that they participate in the Too Good to Go app, so I ordered one surprise bag. They filled up a massive warm boxful of food. Some of the sauce was a bit spicy. There was ample vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, carrot, celery, green beans and fried breaded fish. I appreciated that the fried rice was quite savory. Quite a good deal on Too Good to Go for the quantity of food. read more

Lucky Chef Chen - Too Good to Go surprise bag/meal - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Good steam table options, amazing portions, great value. Best suited for take out, the seating isn't much

The portions are HUGE and soooo GOOD!!! Food tastes fresh and is still hot on delivery.

Nice lady poor food, won't be back, greasy and not good the flavor. Sad but that's what I get for listening to a IG person

Went back for another TGTG. The to-go tray is smaller this time but it's still a good deal. Food is still yummy. Should've mentioned in previous review that the location is kinda sketchy and street parking can be a challenge. Stay safe. read more

Lucky Chef Chen - TGTG Surprise Bag - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

I'm a person who values quality over quantity. While this place offers the quantity, the quality is not offered. The food is under seasoned, and the cleanliness is subpar. However, the service was decent. I honestly would've asked for a refund had I lived in the area. read more

I took the advice of fellow Yelp buddy Elvine and decided to give this unassuming spot a try. HELLLLLLA GOOOOOD! The food was fresh and aplenty! I paid $9 for hella food! I would definitely go back, the food was pretty good for a steam table set up. This place seemed really popular with the locals! Give this place a shot, it won't disappoint! read more

Lucky Chef Chen - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

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I go every week my boy they taste hella good. I went there and it was filled with colorful foods read more

It does the job very well if you're in a hurry. It is Chinese fast food so keep that in mind. Customer service was nice. They explained the menu and even though they were closing we were not rushed at all. They did Had items that were out because of the time of day but it was still fair. They also sell boba milk teas which I opted for the boba and the jelly. Food is tasty and nice. Very good flavour. Some items are greasy and fried. Not the healthiest but can be comfort food for many. For what it is, they execute it well. Felt comfortable, safe, and happy with my food. Fruitvale station is near and AC Transit 1T and 54 are accessible with some city bike docks. read more

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The other day I was in the Fruitvale District of East Oakland, and saw Lucky Chef Chen on International Blvd. I saw that it had 4.5 stars on Yelp. Maybe this place is worth a try. This is Chinese fast food. It's prepared foods that sit in warmers. The place was pretty clean, and the lady behind counter was nice and polite. I ordered a 3-item combo meal of Broccoli Beef, Fried Chicken, and Chicken Chow Mein. I'm going to agree with the Yelp score, this food tastes good and you get big servings. The chow mein is the big ropey egg noodles. I got 4 pieces of crispy fried chicken. The broccoli was cooked tender, and I had 3-4 pieces of beef. But in general, this kind of chinese food isn't too healthy. It's greasy noodles and fried foods. If you want healthy, you might order the broccoli beef with steamed rice. Or order a veggie dish with steamed rice. But if you're in a hurry or just like combo plates, Lucky Chef Chen is worth a try. I didn't see any off street parking, I think it's street parking only. located on International Blvd between 35th and 36th Avenues read more

Lucky Chef Chen - Chow Mein, fried chicken. Broccoli Beef....combo meal - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Very sweet family owned business in Oakland. I haven't been to Oakland in a while. It can be on the rougher side in certain areas. I'm always up for supporting smaller businesses and picked up my TGTG online order here. It was a good amount of food stuffed into a clam shell container. Parking is only street parking and Oakland plus SF is still experiencing alot of smash and grabs from cars. So be cautious. I didn't feel that comfortable in this neighborhood. If you are comfortable in Oakland and want to support a small business, check it out. But again the neighborhood is on the rougher side. It is a little hole in the wall fast food for chinese take out. Just a family owned business trying to make a living. read more

The food is delicious. So far, every surprise bag order has not disappointed. In fact, they've exceeded expectations in amount, flavor and value. A surprise bag is ordered through the TooGoodToGo app. My son moaned the entire time he ate on our first shared meal. That speaks volumes. He's a finicky guy. There's a wide variety to choose from on the steam table buffet. The staff are nice and service is fast. It's your typical fast food Chinese restaurant. There is booth style seating. However, upon my three encounters I've only seen people coming in for to go. Parking can be challenging. The restaurant is located on busy E. 14th aka "International Blvd" in the Fruitvale district. read more

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The place was very dirty, flies everywhere! Fish was very cold and the rest of the food lacked flavor.

HUGE portions and super nice staff. Whilst ordering, the worker said they ran out of the salt and pepper fish (even though the plate had plenty) and started putting extra stuff for free. That action wasn't needed but definitely shows that they do care about their customers. 10/10 will buy from there again! read more

Good Chinese food, very tasty and large portions. I have ordered for lunch at work to share with coworkers and they really pack in the containers. Give them a try, I'm sure you won't be disappointed read more

Food was really good and i ordered off the app too Good to go really affordable pricing!!

Lucky Chef Chen takes over Frannie Express' space. infrastructure, menu looks same. offerings: Chinese fast food/order from menu, Hawaiian BBQ eats: lunch special (4.99) steamed rice with one entree -Broculli Beef was fresh, tasty, not too much sodium. -most proteins were breaded, deep fried so fast. takes out: -Hawaii BBQ available for take out, didn't see it on steam table. -just take out, no dine in or out. read more

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Nasty asf Thai tea not supposed to be brown don't taste nun like it more regular tea idk and if this is milk tea take the sign that yall sell orange Thai tea read more

Lucky Chef Chen - Thai Milk Tea Nasty as hell Thai tea not supposed to be brown bruh - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

This place is definitely a hidden gem in Oakland! Last week I was craving some Chinese so where did I go? Panda Express of course! lol. I haven't been there in ages and boy oh boy the food was so bland. Sorry Panda! What a disappointment. Fast forward to the weekend and I stumbled across Lucky Chef Chen and this place hit the spot! Shared a meal with a friend of mine and everything was surprisingly good. Chow mein, fried rice, sweet and sour pork, broccoli, wow! Staff was very friendly also. Glad this restaurant is a part of the local community serving us delicious food. Support this mom and pop! read more

Food was delicious (orange chicken was bomb) cashier was really nice !!! Def coming back!!! read more

Lucky Chef Chen - Shrimp fried rice (spicy orange chicken) and bbq grill chicken with chow mein!!!! - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Food Is to die for they put a lot of attention to what is served. I love this place. Great value for the price.

I just bit in raw beef I am disgusted never going back ! Don not go hopefully I don't get sick . Completely raw she told me they thought people like medium well abused response . It was completely raw read more

This has to be one of those hole in the wall Chinese spots that if you quickly drove by, you wouldn't have realized it was a gold mine! First off, quality of their food was amazing! After getting back home with our to go box, the fried food was still CRISPY. It was the crispy fish filet that sold us! Wow, batter was amazing, fluffy and did I say... crispy? Let's talk about the service, upon walking in I was immediately greeted with a friendly hello and smile by a younger girl who looked like she was probably helping her family's business, scooping away filing orders and still able to friendly greet me. Ambience was more to go style but they did have some tables and benches you'd be able to enjoy your food at. Parking might also be hard to come by since it's on a main busy street as well. We will be back to support!! read more

I ordered this for my Dad and did not taste the food. But he did let me know that all the entrees were piping hot when he receveid his food. He said everything was very "tasty and hot the spot". read more

Is this authentic Chinese food? No. Is it healthy? Still no. However this was delicious, hot, and MORE than plentiful. Seriously, the container was taped shut because of how full they stuff it. I seriously could not believe how heavy or how much food they give you. As a single woman, one combo for $15.75 will last me three generous meals, or even four. Now, the food. I got the three entree combo with shrimp fried rice, fried chicken, and orange chicken. The shrimp fried rice was tender with little shrimps and veggie throughout. They gave me three fried wings but they might've been the biggest wings I've ever seen in my life. The thick beer batter was still crispy when I got home. The orange chicken was citrusy and savory with a sticky glaze. Its marked as "spicy" on the menu; there is a pinch of red pepper flakes in the glaze. It was a mild spice, not hot at all, just flavorful. I will 100% be back, I want to try everything on the menu. If you really need your meal to lean healthy(ish), you can get steamed rice with nonfried options like broccoli beef or green bean chicken. If it wasn't clear already, this place is a total win if you want yummy, filling, americanized chinese food to last you multiple meals for under $16. You can easily get Too Good To Go if you don't care what food you get to make this even cheaper. Thanks for the value Lucky Chef Chen! read more

simple chinese fast food place, locate in a more ghetto side of Oakland. I almost got ran over by some girl that ran the stop sign on my way here. I hate being in this part of Oakland. I asked for some kind of spicy chicken, and they recommended the kung pao chicken. I got a small order for $4.99. The kung pao chicken wasn't really spicy at all, but the portion is huge, and the quality seem to be good. The vegetables wasn't over cook, flavor was alright, could use some msg and chilli oil. If you're not picky, this is not bad. I also got a small vegetables and shrimp for $4.99, this one was good. The vegetables still have a little crunch and sweet ness in them, like almost aldente. the egg rolls was $1.99 for 3, and turn out to be vegetarian egg roll, I didn't even know until i got home. it was okay. everything were good with white rice. this place have an affordable price for a good portion of food, and I thought that's an interesting thing, because I be seeing everyone else be taking advantage of the pandemic to raise the price of their food anywhere from 30%-50 cost, while reducing the portion, which made me not wanting to buy food from them at all. read more

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Was just getting to the bottom of my food and found this dead fly.. wish I saw it before I ate so much read more

Lucky Chef Chen - Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

I love the fried shrimp and honey chicken great affordable good Chinese food! The milk tea is good too huge cup for a few bucks! I recommend if you're around the fruitvale area looking for a cheap quick and tasty Chinese food! read more

Good portion of Chinese American food.... Huge serving with its cheap cost !!! Lovely and nice cashier working in front....

Nice people and good food. They give large portions so much so they use tape to keep the lid closed.

The food was surprisingly really good even thought it's a place that already has the food ready . If I'm ever near by I would stop by again for sure . The portions were huge I had enough for lunch the next day . read more

Purchased 3 trays of food @ $5.99 each thru TOO GOOD TO GO (APP let's you purchase end of day leftovers to avoid restaurant waste) and each container was filled to the brim. Each order had fried rice as the carb (the chow mein went quickly) plus some veggies (long green beans or mixed greens of cabbage, celery, etc) and a protein (I.e. batter fried fish, fried chicken wings or fried chicken nuggets)--see pics. Some earlier customers were lucky enough to get 3+ marinated boneless whole chicken thighs. WHAT TO EXPECT: Arrived exactly at 7:45 pm for beginning of TOO GOOD TO GO pickups and at least 10+ orders were already completed before I could even find street parking. Area may be on the Ghetto side but it's very busy. In other words, get there early to find nearby street parking and wait at the restaurant's indoor tables for best selection. Be courteous and wear your mask! The ladies behind the counter speak Cantonese with some simple English but they're nice and have an efficient TOO GOOD TO GO fulfillment assembly line. One person dished out the food into containers while the other behind the cash register verified TOO GOOD TO GO order #s, confirmed that patrons have tapped the APP for pickup and bagged the order with soy sauce, chili oil, plastic fork & napkins. (NOTE: Check that chili oil is sealed tight--mine leaked and spilled all over the bag.) Spoke a little Cantonese to the ladies and they gave me some upscale options like the fried fish and chicken wings instead of just the fried chicken nuggets. QUALITY & QUANTITY: Remember this is end of day leftovers so quality of food varies depending on when it was cooked. Don't expect fresh cooked to order takeout. Most of my containers were lukewarm so it's been sitting in the steam warmers for awhile but you can't deny the quantity. My 3 containers filled up a 6+ quart microwave container when I transferred them for reheating. Food was a bit salty but that's to be expected for restaurant takeout. Take a little time and thought to reheat for best result. Microwave the carbs with a little water to steam heat. To crisp the fried items, put them in an air fryer, toaster oven or hot oven to heat and restore crispness. To avoid overcooking the veggies, add them to the carbs at the end and only reheat for 1 min. To enhance your takeout, add your own custom touches like a sprinkle of green onions, a drizzle of sesame seed oil or Sriracha sauce, sprinkle of sesame seeds, chopped peanuts or fried shallots, side of Kim Chee or even top with a sunny side egg and ENJOY! And if you have left overs, you can always add to some scrambled eggs the next morning for a great breakfast omelette. read more

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Good portions! Ordered catering as well and every dish was really good! The customer service was really great as well

Great food in enormous portions for cheap (the $9.37 two item tray is easily two meals, though sometimes I indulge and eat the whole thing in one since it's so good)! The people here are also very friendly. I can't see myself going to Panda Express again now that I know about this place, which is so much better! read more

I was walking back from the library I came across the place that said growing opening. I went in and the food look appetizing. I order a small box of fried shrimp and a small box of fried chicken. The owner offer me to sample their famous BBq spare rib, it was okay. I am not a fan of barbecue sauce so it wasn't my taste. read more

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We did 5 large tray catering for my Daughter's birthday party! It was a big hit. All of the guests gave multiple compliments on the quality of the food. Highly recommend. read more

Found this place off Too Good To Go, and saw good reviews. I stopped by early and let the counter know what I was here for. The person behind the counter prepared a big box full of food for the price. They get quite a bit of walk in's for to go and the food seemed fresh. The food is too salty for me, but aside from that it is fresh. read more

Lucky Chef Chen - Too Good To Go - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

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I found this place on Too Good To Go. Huge portions! Super affordable. The sweet and sour chicken was so crispy. Typically green beans at Chinese restaurants are soggy but Lucky Chef Chen's was crispy! I'm coming back! read more