Besides Dublin/Pleasanton, San Leandro is one of our favorite destinations for Chinese food. Yao Yao is located in the same shopping plaza as Fusion Delight, and is a brightly lit casual restaurant with funky teal color and robot servers. The food is order by touchpad, and is a combination of Chinese BBQ meats, Sichuan-style entrees, and a limited selection of steamed dim sum. We ordered a little but if everything for lunch. Overall, excellent restaurant with only a few minor dings. 1. For BBQ meats, definitely prioritize the BBQ pork (Char Siu) - super soft and succulent and great balance of sweet and savory. The chicken however, is of the Yellow Feather Breed, famous for thick skin, extra subcutaneous fat, but really lean and thin meat. I prefer meatier chicken but not so much skin and fat. For that, the Peking Duck may be better (also on the menu!). 2. My son and bro-in-law enjoyed the stewed beef brisket over rice, also super soft and juicy. 3. From the Sichuan menu, the pickled fish in soup is excellent, and comes with lotus roots and rice noodles. Its a really interesting flavor profile, and I liked the semi-firm texture of the fish filets. Its great with the Chinese Gai Lan as a veggie side dish. 4. For Dim Sum, highly recommend the Malaysian Sponge Cake - warm, melt-in-your mouth, brown sugar goodness. Not too rubbery and really fun to eat since each piece is like a giant sponge. Service is a bit hectic and you'll need to ask extra for extra plates and utensil, or to order more stuff. Otherwise, it's an excellent restaurant and we look forward to coming back. read more

See all

My favorite dishes here are mapo tofu and spicy and sour fish soup. They keep me coming back every time. They would get 5 stars except that when they clean their tables, they splash dirty food on me and I'm not happy with that. read more

Food is good here! Everything we ordered tasted good and the workers here are so friendly. The bbq meat is yummy and the sour fish too! read more

Yao Yao Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

Authentic Chinese food featuring signature Suan Cau Yu (pickled fish) and surprisingly good BBQ pork. Their picked fish is a must try. I love the broth and the vermicelli noodles that soaks it all up. Everything we tried was delicious. Fusion delights serves the same BBQ meats. Glad we didn't have to wait for a table here. Lots of high chairs available for kids so that's a plus. read more

Yao Yao Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

This dining experience really made me angry. After placing my order, I had to sit there hungry and wait for nearly 40 minutes. It's not as if I didn't ask--I followed up several times, but the food still didn't arrive. What made me most frustrated wasn't simply that the service was slow; it was that I had no idea how much longer I would have to wait. All I could do was continue sitting there and wasting my time. Honestly, I was so frustrated at one point that I wanted to leave. I came to the restaurant to have a meal, not to experience an "endless wait." Just because a customer places an order doesn't mean their time can be wasted without consideration. If the kitchen was busy and the restaurant had a large number of orders, and the food really would take 40 minutes, I could have understood that. But the restaurant should have told me clearly from the beginning: "The food will take about 40 minutes today." Then I could have decided whether I wanted to wait. The worst part was being hungry, repeatedly asking about my order, repeatedly waiting, and watching all that time slip away. I ultimately stayed and ate the meal, but honestly, by the time the food arrived, my mood and appetite had already been almost completely ruined. I'm not demanding that every dish be served within ten minutes, but basic communication, reasonable time management, and respect for customers' time should be the bare minimum, shouldn't they? This experience was extremely disappointing. If the restaurant continues to handle orders and communicate with customers this way, I won't be coming back, and I won't recommend it to my friends. read more

This is a great spot for Sichuan-style food - exceeded expectations. The location is a bit sus since it's in a run down strip mall area but the interior is pretty nice. Went with their signature Yao Yao Suan Cai Yu (pickled fish) and it was great; flavorful with just the right amount of heat. The Soy Sauce Chicken was solid, too. Food came out super fast, which is always a plus. read more

See all

This was my fifth visit here, and I came for lunch on a Tuesday with two friends. We ordered the live fish in spicy broth, and it was definitely the highlight of the meal--the fish was fresh, tender, and very flavorful. The BBQ platter was a little on the salty side for our taste, but still good overall. Service was just average, but I'd come back again for the live fish. read more

See all

I came here a couple times and I am in love with their Pickled Fish soup! There is plenty of seating around 5pm but gets full around 6-7pm. They don't have a lot of staff working so if you go when it's packed, the staff won't be as attentive. My family I ordered the Golden Soup Pickled Fish, Sweet and Sour Pork, Half Roast Duck, Potato Shoots, Rice and Chengdu Ice Jelly. Everything was delicious! The fish is so soft and the soup is very flavorful! It paired nicely with rice. I've gotten the fresh noodles before but I prefer rice more because you can taste the soup more. The sweet and sour pork was crispy and appetizing. The roast duck was meaty and had a nice layer of skin. The potato shoots were aromatic and cooked to perfection. Lastly, you cannot forget the Chengdu Ice Jelly! It's very refreshing and I love the coconut milk and all the toppings in this dessert. Not only does their food look aesthetically pleasing, they taste really good! They have a wide variety of items to choose from. Next time, I'd like to try their clay pots! read more

See all

Talk about restaurants with identity crisis... There are 2 restaurants connected offering totally different types of food... the blue side specializes in spicy Sichuan cuisine while the yellow side offers Cantonese grill and BBQ items. But you can sit at either side and order from both. You do get more options but for first-timers it can be a bit confusing. Food wise, they tasted pretty good. When you get to have 2 types of cuisines in one place you mix and match. From the Sichuan side we ordered the speciality spicy sauerkraut fish, string beans, and spicy shrimps. None of the items were really spicy, but flavorful. The shrimp dish came with fries... I am very certain fries are not part of Chinese cuisine, but I can't lie the fries tasted good with the shrimps. From the Cantonese side we got the Blackgold Char siew, the soy sauce chicken, the vegan chow fan, and clay pot rice with sausages. Again the food tasted good and the best part was the burnt rice from the clay pot. YUM! We got another order of the blackgold char siew as we do have a growing teen boy in the party that day. The place was buzzing and happening. And not surprisingly a bit noisy. I would have given them 4 stars if not for the service. The speed was a bit slow we got the char siew/chicken platter about 10 minutes after submitting the order through the tablet provided. We finished the platter and waited another 10-15 minutes for the next item. The rest came up more quickly but there was this very awkward period of staring at an empty plate... It took a while to get all the dishes, but they were rushing us and kept asking if we want boxes... no we are still eating. I understand there were many people waiting but let me enjoy my food in peace please. For that I downgraded to 3 stars. The food alone definitely warrants return trips. read more

See all

Updating this review to 4.5/5! We went back and their service was top notch! Food came out quick and the staff was attentive and friendly even though they were quite busy. Food was just as good as previous visits. read more

See all

Food cravings will be satisfied 100% ! All the bbq, roast pork, roast duck, roast chicken soy chicken and many many more all authentic and the place is clean :).. Anyway you want they can serve it ! They take cards and tip is included ! So many photos already so no need for us to add. Dine in or take-out plus read more

Yao Yao Restaurant - Roast pork and BBQ pork combo rice plate - Chinese Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

Haven't been here for a while. Today we came, a group of 6, so we got to try more dishes. We requested less salt less oil, it turned out great. Their food sometimes tends to be on the salty side. The dessert we used to love was not as good as before, perhaps because it is close to its closed time. Will try the dessert again. Highly recommend. read more

See all

This was my first time eating here and I really enjoyed it. The food was full of flavor. I ordered the duck dish, and it was delicious, but I'd love to come back and try their other dishes. The place has a cute, colorful ambiance that's very inviting. They even had a robot server, which made the experience fun and unique! read more

Yao Yao Restaurant - Duck dish - Chinese Near Me - San Leandro, California

I was impressed: - nice bright clean ambiance - easy iPad ordering - no extra fees for hot tea and it's tropical! - loved the shrimp chive dim sum, it's made to order so be prepared to wait a bit - all shrimp and chives with a thin rice wrapper - excellent service - very warm and hospitable - um super rare and unexpected, felt almost other worldly - portions are average Pig ears are spiced nicely with some of the numbing mala. Could be sliced thinner but it seems that the Liang Village standard is NOT the standard. Lots of raw garlic - perfect for this immune boosting season. Pea sprouts could have been trimmed better - especially at $20 for a smaller portion. All in all, I would come back for the delicate MTO dim sum - I heard the siu mai is great! read more

See all

Great food all around at Yao Yao. Their fish soup is amazing and full of flavor, definitely a standout dish. The fish is fresh, and the bbq pork and roast pork are both really well done and satisfying. Everything tasted comforting and thoughtfully prepared. This is a spot I would happily come back to and recommend to anyone looking for a solid meal. Highly recommended. read more

See all

Our friends like coming here all the time and we came with them since it's been awhile. Very little options for a vegetarian and all the dishes seem extremely oily. Service is good though and my son really likes the fried fish. I also think the style of food is very Cantonese and only Si-Chuan in name. read more

Food is good until they hand you the check. The check shows itemized dishes total cost plus tax. Then they have suggested tipping options for 18, 23, and 25% option for you to choose based on total dish cost PLUS TAX! I think people should pay TIP ON TAX! I wouldn't go there again. read more

Terrible service!! Fat cha siu ( BBQ Pork) is 90% fat. Never come back again. ( May be that's what the waitress wanted.

Absolutely love this place. The food was delicious. We had 5 people and ordered 6 dishes. The most memorable ones were: Beef Chow Fun- Absolutely can't miss with this. The flavor was excellent. Beef was tender. There was plenty of wok hay flavor, the flavor you get when you cook with an extremely high heat. Delicious. Stir fried pork spicy pork belly - Delicious. I would be able to eat heaping amounts of rice with this. It had numbing spice to it and an incredible amount of flavor. Umami bursts were going off on my palate. Preserved meat clay pot rice - Delicious and oh so plenty. I love that the rice was cooked really well and the preserved meat added a ton of flavor to the rice. The only thing that was a tiny bit off with this dish was how salty it is. BUT it didn't takeaway how good the rice was overall as a whole. read more

Yao Yao Restaurant - Dinner Spread - Chinese Near Me - San Leandro, California

I love the duck here. Food was great. Everything I ordered was delicious .The waitress was very attentive.

Came here to try the fish filet with peppercorn and pickled mustard greens and YaoYao did not disappoint! My friend and I ordered the two flavors, the pickled mustard greens vers and the sichuan pepper version. Both, paired with rice, is like a warm hug from your Chinese grandma. The twice cooked pork with wood ear mushrooms was also flavorful; thinly sliced and not too fatty, which is the perfect balance. We also ordered the cucumber salad for some crunch and refreshing bite. The all-aqua theme of the restaurant is cute and fun. Lots of large tables for big groups, and the service was friendly and attentive as well. read more

See all

I enjoyed the golden soup pickle fish. Good for two people to share. It's a little spicy for non-spicy eater like my husband. And can be heavy on MSG if u r very sensitive. I like it hotter if I go with my girlfriend that enjoy spicy food like I do。we went there for lunch on Chinese New Year's Eve. Line was crazy for pick up/ to go. Lots of folks went for their BBQ sections. read more

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!! Not only was our server rude, he was running around the restaurant like a chicken with its head cut off. We had questions about the menu and his tone made us sound like idiots. He threw the iPad on the table and said to just order from there. We wouldn't be asking questions if we knew the answer to them. My mom had to physically go find another worker to get our order sorted out! We ended up ordering their popular soy sauce chicken and fish with pickled cabbage. The food was decent but not the service (see pictures). As a paying customer, I will NOT be dining here ever again! read more

See all

We ordered the yaoyao 2 with tomato fish. The soup was so yummy I ended up just eating it with rice. I didn't even go after the other food we ordered. Another plus, there were no bones in my fish. The lot is pretty big so we had no trouble finding parking even though it was Valentine's Day. The workers mostly speak Chinese: mandarin and Cantonese. The menu is in English and Chinese so ordering shouldn't be too difficult read more

See all

Small portion but delicious food! The Jelly with nuts is a must have dessert! Will come again next time ! read more

See all

I had the spicy fish soup. It comes with lotus root, vermicelli noodle, pieces of fish, pickled vegetables and chili peppers. It is very spicy! Service was quick and efficient. Ambiance is nice and clean. read more

Good sour soup fish I can say ... service is an 4 food is an 4 area is an 4... would come back for food again ... where else to eat at the Bay Area read more

I went with friends, food was not bad, service was not bad. Plenty of seating available.

Came here during dinner and there was no wait for a Friday evening. We ordered half spicy beef and half mild fish soup, combo meat, stir fried cauliflower with fried pork belly, cold chili sauce chicken and steamed coconut pudding. Everything was so good except the cold chicken. Very salty for my liking. Not a fan of the spicy beef soup also but my brother in law enjoyed it. read more

See all

Spicy sour fish - fairly consistent, fish soft and fresh, veggies are good, soup good sour and spicy level. Pig ear old style - can buy without garlic and sauce. More natural flavor, softer. Fried lamb - ok not crunchy, meat soft but some tendon and fat, flavors good, lots of celery cilantro. read more

Enjoyed the grassy jelly last time as dine- in . Today ordered it to-go. I watched the kitchen staff make my to-go order along with 3 other dine-ins. I could tell mine had much less stuff as the to- go container is much smaller than the Noel the use for fine-in. When I got home I transferred the congers to a Noel, and I wax tight/ it's about half as much. Never again . read more

The lamb dish was excellent. The spicy fish soup was delicious. You gotta try their chengdu ice jelly dessert. Milk custard was good also. Basically, everything I ordered above was delicious goodness! What a pleasant surprise trying out this new restaurant! read more

See all

The place is great! Yao Yao specializes in Szechuan cuisine. The food is really good and the entire space was kept pretty clean. It has a somewhat cute, modern Chinese cafe aesthetic. Yao Yao shares a location with Jin Gege, best known for their Cantonese bbq deli. You're able to order from both restaurants at the same time. There's the option to order for take out, as well as to dine in. I dined in on a Saturday at around 6, and had to wait roughly half an hour for a table for 5 people. Service was decent. You're able to scan the code on the table to order. But my family is on the older end, so the waitress gave us a tablet, which is helpful because the tablet is definitely easier to view than a phone screen. There's also a robot that delivers food. I know Szechuan cuisine is known to be spicy. We ordered an item that even I, as someone who doesn't have a high spice tolerance, still enjoyed. But I feel that some of their items can be really sliced, great for you spice lovers. The AC was quite strong, I was a bit chilly, but I think it's great for people who are sweating from eating all that spice lol. read more

Yao Yao Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

The fish fillet here is amazing! Pretty much the dish they are famous for, the fish fillet sour veggie dish is spot on. The fish is fresh, not frozen. The fish tastes soft and is steamed, kind of like the typical steam whole fish you order at chinese seafood restaurants. But somehow, the fish fillets have no bones--I assume they steam the whole fish and then cut out the belly pieces that are prime spots with no bones, in order to make this dish. Which is why it is so tasty! They also serve other things like congee and soy sauce chicken. Those are great as well. The spicy boil fish fillet is also pretty good, even though the sour veggie version is hands down the best. The staff are ok friendly. Wait time is ok, depends on what time of day you get there. Portions are ok, price is ok. Interior is pretty clean. Overall, a good place to go for the fish dish! read more

See all

This place is combined with the restaurant next door, so they serve a lot of dishes. Aside from 酸菜魚, I also got 四季豆 which didn't disappoint. It wasn't too stellar, but I would come here again for an easy and palatable meal. read more

Yao Yao Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - San Leandro, California

Service: I came here on Labor Day and the service remained excellent as it got progressively busy. We did have to flag the waiters down but they replied with a quick turnaround. When the bill came, they mentioned gratuity was not included. Food: We got milk tea, fried rice, tong choy, and fish filets (half tomato, half peppercorn/Sichuan pepper). The fish tasted fresh and wished there was more. The fish to soup/ filling (noodles, mushrooms) was off so it seemed pretty pricy for what it's worth. The fried rice was flavorful and the shrimp was bigger than expected. Tong choy is as you expect. Overall we appreciated how quickly the food arrived and the quality of the ingredients. Ambiance: The color scheme really brought the place together. Good lighting and made the food look picturesque. Highly recommend for large groups, with plenty of space to accommodate. read more

See all

Had the Yao Yao tomato fish fillet ($38). The flavor was good, but the dish was rich in oil, I removed a bowl of the oil from the dish and there was still quite a bit left in the dish. Rice isn't included and costs about $2.50 per bowl. Waited about half an hour for the food to come out after placing the order. The restaurant was spacious and bright, with a pleasant atmosphere. Overall I would come back but you just need to spend some time separating out the oil if that matters to you. read more

Yao Yao Restaurant - Yao Yao tomato fish fillet ($38). The flavor was good, but the dish was rich in oil, I removed a bowl of it. - Chinese Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

Finished work in the area and had lunch with my project team, first time here, not bad at all! Food are in good size portion, and everything tasted good besides the duck was on slightly salty side. I will come back again next time if i be around. Execellent service as well! read more

See all

This turned out to be an unexpectedly pricey Father's Day lunch. 1 star for the food - they share the location with Jin Gege which is where we intended to eat from. They seated us on the Yao Yao side, but we did order from their kitchen as well. You can't go wrong with the meats from Jin Gege - go with the soy sauce chicken, roast duck, and BBQ pork (AKA char siu). They've got some dim sum options too, but nothing exciting and $8 for har gow and BBQ pork buns is typical these days. Steer away from the pea sprouts with garlic sauce, not due to taste but due to cost. Throw in a second star for the staff who tried to be efficient with the limited number of bodies they had. Unfortunately, our whole meal took about an hour to be served. After we finished the first dish, we debated leaving and finding the rest of our lunch elsewhere. The items that we expected to come out first came out last and the order made no sense (ie. Meat without any rice or noodles to pair with). When the bill came, we were floored. 15% service charge for a party of 3?! I've heard of this for 6 people or more, but when it's only 3 of us and we had to wait 1+ hour for the food - it just didn't feel right. Dining in doesn't seem appealing anymore and the whole vibe was meh from start to finish. The next time I'm in the mood for their meats, I'll take it to go and skip those fees and slow service. read more

*It's always great to find tasty authentic Szechuan in the area. Normally I would have to drive down to San Jose area for this cuisine but this might be my new go-to spot! *The Fish Fillet & Spicy Beef combo was perfect. Amazing Szechuan flavor. We also had the string beans which were also great. Their Soy Sauce Chicken/Salt Chicken/BBQ Pork combo was a bit overwhelmingly salty for me. *Service was alright. Nothing spectacular but also not terrible. *The restaurant itself is very bright and turquoise. read more

See all