Zhangliang Malatang offers such a fun and unique dining experience! You get to choose all your own…read moretoppings, protein, and noodles, and they charge by weight--which makes it really enjoyable and easy to customize exactly what you're craving. Being able to build your own hot pot is part of the fun. I especially love their bone broth, and the dry mix noodles are so good--full of flavor and incredibly satisfying. The food is consistently delicious. The staff is always so kind and welcoming, which makes the experience even better every time we visit. This is one of our favorite spots to go when the weather is rainy and cold--it's the perfect comfort food. Highly recommend checking this place out!

Seriously 5 stars? It's good for a quick meal and I like it, but a bit crazy for 5, sorry a 3 for…read moreme, not anything bad but as expected. Malatang is a Chinese staple food, it is like pizza, chicken wings or bbq, you have to try to make it bad. The main differentiating between them is ingredients and broth. The main broth (Tomyum) is pretty tasty, I thought it would be thick and heavy but it is more like a soup (I did drink a bit and it was delicious). Ingredients vice it is just what you eat at buffets that has hot pot or malatang section. I found the lamb to be a bit better quality than buffets, fried egg old and stale (the only disappointment), green veggies quite a surprising delight (I usually don't eat that). Pig intestines, beef tendon are well cooked and seasoned, which were also delightful.

4.5 rounded up due to the surprisingly warm service…read more Had low expectations for this Shanghainese restaurant in Pleasanton/Livermore area but was pleasantly surprised. I picked it for a family lunch after going to the Livermore outlets. The decor and ambience is typical but relatively nice. We ordered a bunch of Shanghainese classics: Soy milk 4/5 - if you order multiple servings it comes in a large bowl meant for sharing. Can order cold or hot with sugar on the side. Xiao long bao 4.5/5 - I'm pretty picky about xlb and I am partial to the Shanghainese style (vs Taiwanese style you get at DTF and other places) and this was surprisingly good. Before this, my fav in the bay area was I-Shanghai Delight and honestly I think this might rival it. Filling and soup were both savory and light and incredibly umami. Maybe the wrapper at I-Shanghai is a bit thinner but honestly not a huge difference to me. Would def recommend if you like this style. Braised minced eel 5/5 - OMG this was the highlight of the meal for me, and I think only ppl who like this eel dish would understand. I honestly have not found good Shanghainese stir fried eel anywhere else in the Bay area. Chef Zhao's version was good once upon a time but then the most recent time we went, it tasted weird and not fresh. I-Shanghai Delight's was also no good (not fresh). This is the one dish that I will keep coming back here for. Razor clams with ginger and scallion 5/5 - This was also a crowd fav. I don't love clams usually but these were big and meaty and tender, and the sauce is what you would expect. Highly recommend Stewed yellow croaker soup with pickles 3/5 - This was ok and could've been better. Flavor of the soup was good but I think the fish tasted a bit overcooked/dry and could've been more tender. Shredded pork with wild rice shoot 4/5 - This was fine and a very traditional Chinese dish. Nicely done but nothing amazing. Red bean pancake 4/5 - This was a good dish, just not what I expected. I like the red bean pancakes where the pancake part is more doughy while this was like VERY crispy. But the flavor was good Lastly, the lady who took care of our table was SO nice and so chatty and so patient, despite the usual chaos and indecision of large family gatherings. She also packed up all the food for us and even gave suggestions for surrounding Chinese supermarkets. All in all, it was a really pleasant experience with good food and I will def be going back for more

We took one of their specials which was a spicy fish dish. We asked for extra spicy and boy, did…read morethey deliver. Holy cow. And the dish was the size of Texas. Great flavor though - they coated the flounder and fried it first, then put all that sauce on along with vegetables. The other dish we got was a stir fry green bean dish that was done well, crisp tender with a flavorful sauce. The restaurant needs a little TLC, the furniture is aging but overall nice ambience. Service was great, reminiscent of the service you would get in China, which is much more polite and hospitable than what you get in the states.

Ordered online. Great egg rolls, beef chow fun, and mushu pork. Fast service, and i bet it has…read moregreat ambience.

Everything on their menu it excellent. You won't leave disappointed or hungry…read moreI personally like their boneless Crispy Chicken b everything on their menu is great. Plus the staff is friendly!

Called to place an order for a specific time and it was ready on time. Garlic eggplant, salt and…read morepepper pork, mongolian beef and shrimp friend rice were all really good. Portion size for all of them was good for three people as well.

The outside may look questionable but go inside and get your fill for a weekend only - carbohydrate…read moreforward Taiwanese brunch. The fan Tuan (rice roll, salty version) is top knotch. The sheng gian bao (fried pork buns) was juicy but a bit too much outside dough. The soy milk (salty version) is on point. The stir fried tofu skin, pork & jalapeños was flavorful. This is the only place w Taiwanese brunch so it's nice to have the option. Wonder if they will consider offering stinking tofu at some point. Service is efficient and attentive. There was what appeared to be a pond/water fountain in the middle of the room - not sure if it actually works.

Like the noodle options here. Tastes good and serves fast! Will come back if coming to Livermore…read moreagain!

The aroma as soon as you walk in is tantalizing! We started off with the soup dumplings , pan fried…read moredumplings, and chow mein . Overall the service was incredibly fast we had our food in a couple minutes of ordering!! 10/10!!

I love Happy Lamb Hot Pot. This was my first time trying Happy Lamb and it was delicious…read more They offer a hot buffet of chow mein, fried rice, spring rolls, fried chicken wings and other items. They also have a cold buffet where raw veggies, noodles, seafood and eggs are available. The sauce station, soft drinks and ice cream are also self-serve. We ordered the premium option and a lamb shank. I personally enjoyed the Angus Beef, Australian Wagu, fried rice, chow mein and spring rolls, it was all amazing. Sunday afternoons are busy but the service was perfect.

AYCE lunch is a crazy deal! $25.99 per adult before 3:00pm on weekdays, unless you opt out of the…read moresauce bar which saves you $6...so you only pay $19.99. Nuts! You have 5 meats to choose from and a variety of broths. The only split pot option is for the original broth and spicy (glad we got less spicy). I personally favor the tomato broth and tom yum broth. Standards are lower since it's $19.99 AYCE, so nothing to complain about for quality of meat. The spicy beef was a popular reorder. They have a huge selection in the raw ingredient bar, and we loved the quail egg, ramen, and spongey tofu. All the veggies were fresh. Top off with soft serve (chocolate, vanilla, mixed) either in a cone or to-go cup and you basically don't even need to eat dinner. Service was speedy, and our server graciously moved us from a booth to a communal table since our party of 5 was a tight squeeze in a booth. We all shared one split pot LOL I've come here for dinner before and still thought the selections were worth their price points (classic is $33.99 and deluxe is $41.99). Your meal is free on your birthday!

My wife and I took a drive and tried this place at the recommendation of my martial arts instructor…read morewho is a foodie. Well, I'm certainly glad to have made the drive from Walnut Creek. I know things are changing in the Tri-Valley but it's really hard to find authentic Cantonese cuisine in the area. Mandarin Delight is the real deal. Tasty food and huge portions at reasonable prices. We met, Bo, the energetic friendly owner who was nice enough to share his personal history in the business. I was born and raised in SF. This place is reminiscent of restaurants I ate at with my buddies during my hey day. The server was very pleasant. We'll be back in spite of the drive.

The mushu pork was good. Not nearly as good as my favorite place. Service is fast. Adequate dining…read morearea. Casual ambiance. Mushu was large portion but cabbage heavy and no egg. Still good for portions and price. Gentle seasoning allows the flavors of the ingredients to come through. Definitely worth supporting this place. $13.00 for large Tsingtao is quite quite expensive though

This place is so underrated. Tucked right beside a McDonald's and gas station you would never think…read moreyou would get authentic noodle soup dishes. But they are delicious. I had the braised beef noodle soup and it was delicious. Parking is usually not an issue and you order via QR code and pay up front. The server is friendly and often plays NBA games. Portion size is also very good. Just note don't order the spicy version unless you REALLY want a kick.

I've been dying to try this place. I kept hearing about the spicy short rib soup. I can totally see…read morewhy people would love this, but this wasnt for me. The broth was oily and it was hard to enjoy the flavors. The short rib was so tender though. And I loved the bok choy. I ordered this online for pick up and I loveeeeed how they packaged the soup. It comes in a huge container but they separate the broth and noodles. Then when you get home you just dump the noddles in the bottom. Extra star for that! I still think this restaurant is worth trying and I plan on going back to try something else.

To whom it may concern,…read more a soul who delights in rich umami flavors, tasty Szechuan has found a place in my heart. As you make your way to your seat the hostess brings you a small bowl of fried peanuts with hot tea, which is super generous. The menu offers traditional yet caters to the native Hayward resident who doesn't know much about the Szechuan region, I'm that resident . The booths and tables remind me of my childhood traditional Chinese restaurant back in Fresno, ca yet with a modern twist, in my opinion portions are generous as well which is inviting for a family feast...well done tasty Szechuan.

So when ppl here say the portions are HUGE, they're really not joking. We ordered the chili fried…read morechicken, fish in hot chili oil, and the eggplant with garlic sauce and took home a full ass meal after we'd finished (over) eating. All dishes came out as we hoped/expected with both the chicken and fish providing the nummy sensation that is unique to Szechuan cuisine. We threw in the eggplant order because we wanted some veggies and something that didn't overtly threaten to numb our palettes and were very happy with that as well. Chicken was fried well and not dry at all which was a lovely experience. Fish was also flavorful and enjoyable to eat, although perhaps the least memorable of the dishes. I wouldn't NOT get any of the dishes again and might elevate the chicken as a must get if you're there for the a Szechuan experience. Well probably come back the next time we get a craving for that nummy feeling.

Toad was Monday . We went to Koi Palace in Dublin for lunch …read more It had a lot of tables cause we arrived early like 11:15 am . We were being seated right the way by the nice big window table. I enjoyed the service there . Without asking , they gave us the serving chop stick , a pot of tea ( we requested Iron Buddha tea leaves) and an extra pot of hot water to keep the tea pot filled . We ordered the soup dumplings with fish mew in high soup . It tasted great . Many restaurants don't have this item or they made it not as good . The high soup is tasty and the ingredients had a lot of seafood and shrimp . Fish mew was good size . I wan impressed when we asked for small ceramic bowl to share the food , they gave us two heated bowls . Just like you wanted beer in the club and they gave you an iced mug . To keep the high soup and soup dumplings in high temperatures, it tasted better . We have the following dim sum : Steamed chicken feet in black bean suave with pork ribs 蒸鳳爪排骨 Pan fried shrimp dumplings with chives牛煎韮菜餃 Stairs fried sticky rice with dried shrimp and Chinese sausage , large size . A dinner menu item 生炒糯米飯。大碟 X O sauce and pan fried daikon cake 煎蘿蔔糕伴XO 醬 Stewed beef belly 牛雜 Steamed bean curb skin roll with black mushroom 齋燒鵝 Red bean coconut cake ( dessert ) 5/5 for all dim sum Nicely made and all tasted excellent. I like this Koi Palace better than the one in Milpitas . It has much better customer services . Before the main dinning hall , it has many more rooms attached to the main dinning area. You can reserve rooms for private events or family gathering . You can also make reservations on line or by phone to reserve your table . So you dominates to wait , just walk up to the check in counter and bring seated . I usually make my reservations 3 days in advance to make sure I can get the large table. Each time father dinning , this Koi Palace give you a coupon ( % of your total price of the meal ) and you have 14 days to use it to pay for the next meal here . What a wonderful idea ! Enjoy and hope that you have fun when you come !

I used to come here all the time from Elk Grove and was always excited to stop by on the way to the…read moreBay Area or for special occasions. Unfortunately, my recent visit was incredibly disappointing. The food quality has gone downhill, the prices have become excessive, and what bothered me most was feeling misled by the billing. A cucumber special was advertised at $5.95, but when the bill arrived, the charge was $14.90. On top of that, an automatic gratuity was added to a table of only three people with one of them being 4 year old. She barely even ate with tea price per person. I don't mind paying premium prices for great food and service, but I do expect transparency. Many of the dim sum items also felt extremely overpriced, $9 for two egg tarts is hard to justify and sadly they weren't worth that. Felt like it was not fresh. It's unfortunate because this used to be a place I genuinely looked forward to visiting. Sadly, I don't see myself returning anytime soon.