Ok, I love dining in at Yan Flower! I have had their food in the past from take out and been less impressed, but eating in was a great experience. The ambiance, vibe, and quick service made it a really fun date spot. They have probably the cheapest beers in town with a $3.50 modelo. I got the crab rangoon, and the salt and chili pepper tofu, and loved it! Excited to come back. read more

Yan Flower - Crab rangoon - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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I was going to give the place 4 stars because it is exactly what it is, no pretense. The tables are chipped, the place looks like it hasn't been updated since the 1980s. The people are nice and the food is inexpensive. But the quality of the cooking is plebian at best. I had the Hunan chicken lunch. The rice was mushy and the chicken was cooked to the point that it was tough to chew. The veg on the plate was plain steamed broccoli. It reminded me of the kind of place I loved in college, cheap 'Jewish style' Chinese food. I might go back for the funky ambience and nice, hardworking people, but I won't expect much from the food. read more

Beware of your bill. Our server added a $112 tip to a $179 bill for a table of 11, bringing the total to $291 without clear explanation. At the time, the amount seemed high, but we didn't question it immediately. When I went to pay, another staff member initially charged us the correct total of $179. Shortly after, the original server intervened, argued with the other employee, and the charge was changed back to $291. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances--we were grieving the loss of our uncle--we didn't ask for an itemized receipt in the moment. Looking back, it feels like we were taken advantage of during a very vulnerable time. I'm sharing this so others can be more cautious. Based on this experience, the food and service were not worth a $300 bill. read more

AMAZING FOOD at very low prices! I highly recommend. I would absolutely come here again! read more

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Stopped in with a larger party, food was inexpensive with large portions. The service was great and quick! Things that were supposed to be crispy were crispy, rice was cooked well. Super good read more

soggy :/ordered Hunan beef combination plate, chow mein noodles soggy eggroll soggy hunan beef. I told them extra crispy. It tasted like flour. I've been here in Santa Cruz since 1986 never ate here. I think I'm gonna keep it that way. read more

Yan Flower excels at serving good Cantonese-American food with the freshest ingredients at an affordable price. Take it from me - I lived across the street for years. read more

Yan Flower - Pitsticker Pot Stickers, Meat Or Vegetable - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

With the mindset of "cheap eats" in the city, I think Yan Flower meets the criteria for great prices, decent dishes, excellent portions, good service, and good location (easy to get to, plenty of parking). I went during their generous time period of 11am to 4pm "lunch specials". This was nice because most restaurants have a narrow window of time for specials, and they also don't have them on weekends, but we went on a Saturday! My group and I all ordered plates ranging from $8 to $9, and they came with a bowl of rice and a fried spring roll. We ate EVERYTHING! We splurged (haha) and ordered a fried sesame ball appetizer for $6, which looked tiny, but they were hot and freshly fried, so they were 100% worth it. The ambiance isn't much to be desired and some of the dishes are served on paper plates, just like what previous reviewers mentioned, but I didn't mind that at all. You don't come to a Cheap Eats place and expect gourmet dining. Eating out of paper plates to me means they are looking out for the customers' best interest by not contaminating dishes with germs, oils, etc. I'm guessing this started with Covid, and they just kept it. An example of why I'm giving Yan Flower 4 stars: they surprised us with the little customer service details, like asking what we'd like in our water glasses. "Do you want ice or no ice? Lemon or no lemon?" We just wanted tap water, so.... How ever that comes is fine with us. This was as nice surprise. The lady who served us was so sweet. Again, this is a spacious, well serviced, casual restaurant with good food, large portions, and great prices. I heard about Yan through college students... and now I know why they all come here! read more

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This is a heritage restaurant that has been there for over 70 years. I had given up on Chinese restaurants in Santa Cruz, but the food was surprisingly good, servings large, requests for soft tofu and low oil no problem, all at an affordable price. read more

Great price for the lunch special 10 dollars Can't get better than that. Fast and easy lunch Thank you read more

Yan Flower - Kung Pao Tofu lunch special - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

How did people give 4+ stars. The food has no taste except the egg plants. The price on the review showed very affordable price but the real menu was all double digits, very pricy for Chinese food has no taste. We walked in around 6 pm. There were a few customers sitting in some areas. No waitress upfront. 5 minutes after, here came an elderly server. You know, she spoke Cantonese but she refused to response but replied to you in English with a heavy accent. Food came fast, but they were all the same vegetable, hardly found any chicken, maybe the beef dish had more meat. Anyway, we wrapped up $70+ with 3 dishes. I thought that's a little too much especially when all dishes had no taste or same taste. Well, we also overheard the waitress yelled back to a customer wanted to order lunch to go, saying that "it was after 4 pm, No lunch specials. Want lunch special, come before 4 pm". Its really not my business, but I thought she did not need to yell at that guy, like that guy not able to afford for their bland food. Anyway, Not going back. This chinese restaurant is probably the worst Chinese restaurant I ever had. read more

The hot and sour soup is my favorite. A bowl and a side of rice costs less than $5. Great meal and hits every time. read more

Yan Flower - Hot and sour soup - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I've been coming here for years since the early 70s like everything on their menu. It's very consistent no MSG very fresh. Their potstickers are made in the house. I always get two orders of the meat potstickers. Everything else is fantastic. I've tried everything at least once if not, three or four times definitely your most if you like authentic Chinese food the owner is the chef. read more

I'm a big fan. Good food, low prices, friendly service. Everything a good chinese food joint should be!

Terrific menu, preparation and the owners and staff are the best!! The ingredients are always fresh and well prepared with reliable quality. read more

I'm a regular at Yan Flower, and I've never had a bad experience there :) Just 10/10 food and service and vibes across the board!

Crazy portions, so delicious with the nicest staff best Chinese food in Santa Cruz. S

Okay keep in mind this place uses No MSG in their food, which is like a enhancer. anyways so the egg flower soup is not good. tasted very watery almost like sink water and it wasn't yellow, the orange chicken was crispy and the meat seemed to be light meat aka chicken breast. NOT dark meat like how some places try to skimp you out on. The chow mein was relatively good and on the thicker noodles side which i like. and the sesame seed balls we're fresh, warm, and overall good ! The service was quick and efficient. Also patient. The place was cute with its little decor, spacious seating and overall vibes were good. read more

Yan Flower - Sesame Balls - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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High quality food for an incredibly low price. This was one of my favorite places when I lived in Santa Cruz. I was addicted to their hot and hour soup (one of the best). Their lunch specials prices are hard to beat, I haven't seen prices like that anywhere else in years. The food is also delicious in general and the lady who works there is amazing. Would highly recommend! read more

Yan Flower - Hot and Sour Soup - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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We stayed a couple nights in town and tried this restaurant, since it was close to where we were staying, by the Wharf. There were ample, traditional choices that fit our interests. We had ginger beef, shrimp egg foo yung, chow fun chicken, sweet and sour chicken, shrimp walnut, pork fried rice, potstickers and egg rolls. It was all good. Nice crunchy chicken in the sweet and sour, perfectly done shrimp in the shrimp walnut with lots of sweetened walnuts, noodles were perfect and loads of chicken. Good size portions for a family meal. The fried rice could have used some oyster sauce or more meat and veg, but the rice itself was tasty. Overall, a good and satisfying meal, and we would come back if in the area. Almost forgot, here are a few pictures after my teens started to dig in! read more

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This is a wonderful, low-key Chinese place I visited with a dear friend for the first time this past spring (she's behind on her Yelp reviews!). I had one of the best kung pao chickens I've ever had -- and I've had this dish all around the US. As others have commented, food is served on paper plates/in containers. Great! If you're expecting a high-brow dining experience with probably mediocre food, definitely go elsewhere. If, however, you want excellent Chinese food, go to Yan Flower. Be patient -- it has limited staff, and so if it takes a little longer to get your dishes, especially during peak hours, know that it will be worth the wait! read more

Yan Flower - Kung pao chicken. EXCELLENT! - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This is your average Chinese restaurant. Food is okay. Service was fine. Ambience is average. Menu is simple. Food was served in paper plates. The only time we got really dishes was for soup. The serving bowl was real and so were the little bowls and soup spoons. The fork was metal. Otherwise, everything was disposable including the water cups. Thank goodness they used paper. The Wor Wonton soup was a little bland but the wonton and meat had a lot of flavor. Loved the amount of veggies in the soup. The salt and pepper tofu was good but slightly over fried. My favorite dish of the night though. We ordered the orange chicken with the sauce on the side. That was sad looking but it was okay. Nothing fancy. I'm wondering if this entree would've looked better plated on a dish. The egg foo yung was a little flat. Reminded me more of Korean veggie pancakes. The beef chow fun was decent. Overall it hit the spot for our Chinese food craving. read more

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Affordable, quick, and delicious. I recommend the general chicken, garlic string beans, and vegetable chow mein! Portions are large!

this was my first time ordering from here and i must say that i am so very pleased. picture this... it wasn't raining when i stepped into the costco, but it was pouring when i came out. i had loaded up and there was so much stuff i had to put in my car. i was SOAKED. and i wanted some chinese food. i had recently heard about this place and was relatively close. i was out and about anyway. so i made an order online. when i got there, i was dripping wet and did not want to mess up their restaurant. but they treated me with such kindness despite my being such a mess. honestly, they were so darn sweet and warm. i absolutely CANNOT express in human words how much better i felt. i had never even heard of peking pork chops before. after eating them, however, i have only this to say GO GET SOME. sooo good! the food is amazing so my tummy is happy. the goddesses who greeted me when i arrived are simply beautiful in every way, so my soul is happy. the restaurant itself is not overly decorated leaving it to feel homey and inviting without charging an arm and a leg, so my pocketbook is happy. i'm so in love with this place. read more

AMAZING food! I love the family who runs this place they remembered me and my friend which was lovely! Their orange chicken is the best I've had in Santa Cruz! It's super crispy, juicy and saucy. 12/10 read more

Absolute disappointment. Flavorless Chinese food that all tasted the same bland taste. Many soggy bell peppers added, I guess they are a filler? Chicken fried rice was white rice with frozen peas and carrots added-no fried, no flavor. Nope, don't do it. read more

Yan Flower - Fried rice. Shrimp in Lobster sauce- - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Ok, so I lived in Santa Cruz for ten years taking care of my mom. We began to make Yan Flower a go-to weekly day out. She and I, a chef from St. Clare's Retreat House in the mountains absolutely loved coming here and were at times joined by my brother. I will always remember this restaurant as the food was always very well done and portions were fabulous. I always brought home some for a late night snack. That made it even more special to me. The cost was in fact well appreciated in the entire community of Santa Cruz. You really must visit. The folks taking care of us were always a joy to visit with and both inside and out were kept pretty darn clean! read more

I was skeptical that reviews may be fake being they were all in the last month. I ordered the sizzling rice soup, beef and broccoli, beef chow mein, shrimp fried rice, and orange chicken. All dishes were very delicious. Service was great. I will be returning next time I'm in town and craving Chinese food read more

So, I will start by saying we went on Christmas day and it was packed. It was a little hard to figure out if we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait, so I decided to wait in the line to talk to the lady at the front who was dealing with to go orders. She was super sweet and immediately cleared a table for us. It was super busy and there were only two servers (one of which was also doing takeout orders) so we did have to wait a few minutes to have our order taken but I didn't mind because no one was slacking, they were working very hard. The music was very relaxing and the decor was sweet. I ordered the veggie potstickers and the veggie chow mein, my friend had the sesame balls and seaweed chicken soup. Everything was delicious! The prices are more than reasonable and everything was made fresh with fresh ingredients. I am excited to try to go on a day that isn't Christmas day and try their lunch specials. This is definitely my new favorite Chinese food restaurant. read more

the server was so sweet and attentive, totally exceeded the customer service of anywhere else. the prices are great and the portions are huge. food was delicious. i wasn't the biggest fan of the chow mien, but everything else was incredible. read more

The food tasted amazing they got the crispness of the orange chicken and the veggie roll perfect. I would really recomend the B1 platter and the pork buns. They are amazing with how soft and tasty they are. The service was pretty good. They were quick and nice about their service. The interior was clean and nice. Except the bathroom but what do you except it is a public bathroom read more

There's no other restaurant in Santa Cruz like Yan Flower: committed to serving delicious food at easy-to-swallow prices. An asset to the community - this place is. read more

I tried this place for the first time today and it was incredible! The food was so delicious I honestly forgot to take a picture before I started eating because it was that good. I got the B1 combo plate and it was amazing, so flavorful and perfect! I got some of their buns as well (bbq pork bao and fried buns) and both were perfect as well. The vibe is very welcoming and we were served so quickly as soon as we came in. For the price, the portion size is HUGE so I'll definitely be coming by again. read more

Yan Flower - Combination B1 - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

It's not often that my friends and I get the opportunity to meet up for a meal, but today we had the chance to have a real girls date at the beach. I know most of you don't GAF but we wanted the perfect SC dinner since we had made it all the way out here! After a thorough analysis of the local Asian cuisines yelp reviews, we determined we would put our eggs in the "yan flower" basket. Inspired by the passionate reviews that lead us to choose this restaurant for our special evening, here is my honest take: The sesame balls were BUSSIN and really threatened to push me down the cliff of gluttony.. the rest of the food (sizzling rice soup, orange chicken, chow mein) was good in texture but I didn't like the flavor and aftertaste so much. My girls and I guzzled up the broccoli beef and fried rice, however! To address the previous reviews, disregard all the yap about paper plates because everything was served in and supplied of nice proper dishes.. no chopsticks provided though. We must admit that many of the harsher reviews had us nervous but to describe the dishes as inedible seems dramatic even if the flavors weren't for you.. and my friends and I have still yet to buckle over from internal distress as warned, but even if that was our fate, the bathroom was in decent condition, stocked, and clean! Additionally, the staff were nice, the atmosphere was cute, parking was great, and the experience was a perfect conclusion for our day! read more

Yanflower is an amazing value. The food is quite good and the family that runs it is friendly and kind. They don't use a lot of msg but let the natural flavors come through. This is the only good restaurant in Santa Cruz that is still reasonably priced. read more

I used to come here in college cause their lunch specials were $3.75 to $6! It's very nostalgic to come back again. Their food has improved a lot but they still have the same owners. I guess they got better quality ingredients to make up for their higher prices (still way better than other places). It's very casual too. Just what you expect the interior would look. We got their A1 dinner. We weren't very hungry so we shared. Their sweet and sour pork is a lot different than I remember. It's a lot crunchier and the meat isn't as hard. It's very good 4/5. Their chow mein is exactly as I remember and it's 3/5. Their fried rice is very good but also one of the most subjective dishes in Chinese food. 5/5 for me. I've tried almost all their food over the years. Their war won ton soup is one of the best. Their beef dishes are always good too. Their service is also always very very good. If you want a quick bite if you're headed to the boardwalk or Santa Cruz wharf I've highly recommend this place. It's right on the way there. It's perfect to take it to the beach or eat in the car before you move on with your plans. Don't expect the best Chinese food you've ever had but this is far worth the price and their portions are huge. Oh and there's always PLENTY of parking. read more

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I recently did a few lunch catering orders from Yan Flower since their prices cannot be beat. For $7 - $9 a lunch box, you get a main dish, fried egg roll, and white rice in a large to-go box container. The amount of food can't be beat. Food wise - very average: honestly could be better but you can't expect much when it comes to batch ordering Chinese-American takeout. We ordered boxes of their Broccoli Chicken and Vegetable Mix, and there was maybe a few shreds of chicken and two pieces of tofu respectively. Flavors were pretty bland so our group definitely used the sauces provided. Fortunately, we also ordered some Hunan Tofu and that was lightyears better than the other two. Despite the food being average at best, I can't deny that their service and dedication to our catering order was top notch. I appreciated them working with me and putting together so many lunch specials, itemizing a receipt for my company for expense reporting, and delivery. They even included sesame balls as a treat for our group which was very much appreciated. Their staff works hard and I appreciate them enough for working with us on this order. In the future, I'd likely order something more robust like a noodle dish for the meat eaters, and stick with the Hunan Tofu for the plant-based folks like myself. read more

Yan Flower - Vegetable Mix Lunch Special - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Every time we visit Santa Cruz, we make it a point to try a new restaurant, and this time we went with Yan Flower. The food was great and came out quickly, which we appreciated. The staff was super nice but also had a sassy edge, which we actually found really entertaining! When our order was ready, the server started yelling, "Lady! Lady!"-- we just laughed and rushed over to grab our food. The restaurant itself is nice, with plenty of parking, which is always a plus, especially in Santa Cruz. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the paper plates they use for serving. I'm sure there's a reason for it, but I personally prefer regular plates. That small detail aside, we had a great experience and would definitely come back! read more

Food was great! Portion is generous and very filling. My mom loved it so much she ordered take out so that my brother's could try it. Great seating options, the booth is the best! Server was very attentive and friendly read more

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Ordered sesame chicken but idk wtf they gave me. It's more like honey mustard. It is really nasty, no clue as what they actually gave me. Also it doesn't not come with rice, had to add my own. read more

Yan Flower - "Sesame Chicken" more like honey mustard - Chinese Near Me - Santa Cruz, California