Presentation on Map Reviews Nearby

Garden Cafe in Castro Valley

4.4 (26) 20390 Lake Chabot Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94546, United States

Categories

Chinese restaurant

Location on the map

Castro Valley, Alameda County, California, US

Phone: +1 510-280-8188
Site: http://gardencafecalifornia.com/

Opening hours

Monday:8 AM–11:30 PM
Tuesday:8 AM–11:30 PM
Wednesday:8 AM–11:30 PM
Thursday:8 AM–11:30 PM
Friday:8 AM–11:30 PM
Saturday:8 AM–11:30 PM
Sunday:8 AM–11:30 PM

Edit info

Total reviews rating 4.4

26 Reviews for Garden Cafe 2024:

Review №1

2024-07-02 01:05:57

SF East Bay (Castro Valley). Solid good Chinese food! We got:* baked seafood, white rice and white sauce combo - tasty and except for some of the squid which was overcooked, the fish, shrimp and scallops were perfectly cooked* chefs special beef cheek stew - the beef was melt in your mouth tender and so delicious* eggplant with salted fish clay pot - the salted fish flavor which we like was strong in this dish so we definitely liked this dishThe only con is the timing of the dishes since the beef stew was served 30 minutes after the other two dishes that we just took it home. Otherwise, well be back to try their other menu items.

Review №2

2024-06-17 00:28:02

Very clean and spacious cafe/restaurant, cute blue theme on the interior and with the cups and plates. The staff is very attentive and I think all of them are bilingual as well. The menu is pretty simple, has all the classic snacks and rice dishes. I got the curry fish balls, mongolian beef, and salt and pepper wings and they all tasted good.

Review №3

2024-06-11 06:03:37

We came here for the first time and definitely did not disappoint! For the classic dish baked pork chop with rice, I still think Leisure Cafe in San Leandro is the best. The red sauce at this restaurant is actually quite good! It reminds me the one I had in HK. We also ordered the French toast with peanut butter filling and its really good! Milk tea is also good. The restaurant is quite big and plenty of seats. We went on a weekday for lunch and there was no wait time. Waiters were very friendly too. I will definitely come back!

Review №4

2024-04-20 18:47:35

🌟Just had the most amazing experience at Garden Cafe in Castro Valley! Their new set menu for lunch and tea time is a game-changer. From the first bite to the last sip, every dish and drink was bursting with flavor. Highly recommend checking them out for a cozy and delicious meal.

Review №5

2024-02-22 02:37:09

We love our meal here, and are very grateful for a Hong Kong style cafe in CV!We ordered the fish with white sauce, pork chop with tomato sauce, and salt and pepper chicken. All were very good, but reducing one star because the chicken wasn’t the best.Servers were attentive and kind, we will definitely be back.

Review №6

2024-02-15 08:22:39

I had an excellent experience at Garden Cafe in the first weeks of their soft opening. The restaurant serves Hong Kong Cafe food, which originally developed as a fusion cuisine between Chinese and Western food.I found that specialties like their HK style milk tea and their Baked Pork Chop Rice in tomato sauce to be very authentic to the Hong Kong taste and experience. I highly recommend these dishes, as these fusion dishes are the signature of this type of cuisine.Moreover, I personally loved the atmosphere inside as the spacious interior featured multiple screens playing K-pop music videos. Feels like a place one can enjoy some small bites and sit with friends. While this might be more popular with my own demographic, the food here alone makes it a great choice.For those with discerning tastes for their HK cafe (茶餐厅 Cha Chaan) food, Garden Cafe is one of the best in the East Bay without a doubt. Absolute dream to have one so close to home here in Castro Valley.

Review №7

2024-02-04 00:54:46

I think the food is quite good and the people are very nice. I went to the soft opening (first day) and the next day. If you went on the first day I would recommend to come and try again. There were a few hiccups as expected from a soft opening.I recommend the eggplant in a claypot, string beans with eggplant, salt and pepper chicken, the casserole, and the fried tofu!

Review №8

2024-06-25 06:15:23

Theres not much service here, it takes a long time to order, I ordered fried noodles and fried chicken legs. The fried chicken leg is crunchy on the outside, but its not very flavourful, you know.

Review №9

2024-03-01 16:35:08

I really wanted this place to be good and my go to place for HK style food.... got a hot milk tea with condensed milk and baked pork chop over rice with tomato sauce today at about 11:30; the tea was ok; the sauce on the rice was on point with the right flavors and consistency but not sure why the pork chop was mealy. I couldnt eat more than a couple of bites. After providing my feedback to the owner/manager, he was kind enough to offer a 20% off discount of the bill..........

Review №10

2024-06-23 00:09:58

The interior is very clean and organized. Service is not bad. It could use a bit more improvement by having at least 1 or 2 staff check with customers in the back a bit more often.Now, the to the actual problem I have is with the food I ordered. I had a Baked Porkchop over Rice with Tomato sauce. Being my favorite dish at Hong Kong style cafes since I was very young, I was left very disappointed, which was unexpected.- First, the sauce lacks a lot of tomato flavor and thickness to the sauce. Most of the tomato flavor was from a single tomato slice in the dish.- Second, the rice is just as off-putting, but with the taste and feel of old rice made with too much water? Thats the best I can describe it, at least.- Third, the Porkchop meat cuts are way too thick with a weirdly strong pork taste. This made it very hard to finish the dish, so I tried to eat as much as I could just to be polite...Lastly, the cheese was the one component of the dish I could enjoyFor the rest of my families orders, the rice was the same as mine and more.My fathers curry was much to salty, quote, Like salt over already salty curry.My sibling said his chow mein lacked flavor, and the meat was rough and hard to chew. I also ordered a Hong Kong Milk Tea. The taste was almost there, but there was more tea than milk. I would have excused the fact that black tea was used instead of red tea if there was more milk to tea. It kinda helped wash down the feeling from the baked porkchop for a couple of minutes, so Ill give it that.All in all, I have been left with the feeling of an upset stomach and a slightly forced smile or more of a smirk if anyone looked at my face. I really do hope the menu items can be improved, but I have to disagree with anyone and everyone who says the dishes are authentic.

Review №11

2024-06-04 18:16:32

So happy to have a Hong Kong Cafe in the area! Everything was great. Egg puffs are great.

Review №12

2024-07-01 06:33:06

One of the most painfully below average to average restaurants i’ve been to in castro valley with not much justification as to why their prices are the way they are. why do people up-play this place so much? are they getting massages with their meals?but pricing and quality of the food aside, i wouldn’t give a homeless person a sip of the “drinks” they have available not even on the hottest of days. i’ve tried the fruit punch, mint punch, pineapple (punch?), and thai tea they had and they all have no place on a living person’s tongue.the mint punch was the most diabolical while the thai tea was probably one of the most bland drinks there is on the menu. i’d maybe come back if they decided to rebrand and change everything as a means of improving the quality on their menu.

Review №13

2024-06-23 00:48:04

Best HK style milk tea in the Bay Area! Their egg waffle is exceptional good too. And don’t leave without trying their salt and pepper capelin :)

Review №14

2024-06-08 07:01:56

Im always a sucker for good hk style dishes and wow Im so pumped that theres one right by my place! looking in from the outside you would not expect this place to be as big as it is. the staff is friendly and helpful - and food? very yummy and has great portions. usually when i stop by with a friend or my family we enjoy family style!a couple of dishes id recommend would be beef chow fun with satay sauce - all-time favorite along with salty fish and chicken fried rice. and they also have your typical hk style combo which ive yet to try but its nice as it gives you a variety of food to choose from!tips:- lots of seating available- unisex bathrooms available- many vegetarian/vegan options available- smaller parking lot but lots of street parking- great for friends, kids friendly, and family

Review №15

2024-03-19 17:11:53

I was excited to try this restaurant because Castro Valley doesnt have many good Chinese restaurants. Unfortunetely I was let down by the quality of the food. We ordered crab rangoon, shrimp scrambled egg chow fun, and the steak curry sizzling plate. The crab rangoon was greasy and didnt have any noticeable cream cheese filling, just imitation crab chunks. The shrimp chow fun wasnt bad but it definitely wasnt impressive. It had no vegetables, just thick noodles, some type of savory sauce, egg, and shrimp. Finally the strangest dish we received was the sizzling steak...It was a thin piece piece of beef served with crinkle cut fries, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, a side rice, and a side spicy curry sauce to pour over. Half of the meat was fat and the french fries were just completely out of place. It honestly felt like we were at a cheap steak house vs a Chinese restaurant. Additionally the curry sauce tasted like it wasnt fresh made and was made of curry cubes you can buy at the grocery store, just like S&B golden curry sauce.Id be willing to give this place another shot, but I would have to try other dishes. The service/atmosphere was good and they have a large menu, even milk tea. Parking is limited so youll likely need to park on the street. I hope this place does well, but my first try was most definitely a miss.

Review №16

2024-05-19 19:41:34

Came here with the family for breakfast. Not many HK style places serves breakfast. Very good service and the food was good. Will definitely support. Please keep up the great service.

Review №17

2024-05-13 05:10:16

Authentic Chinese cuisine! Very delicious!

Review №18

2024-04-08 00:04:31

Been there for 5 times within 1 week. God knows how much I like this restaurant!

Review №19

2024-03-27 17:59:51

Cute place with plenty of seating. Food was fresh and delicious! We had the Mongolian beef and sweet and sour chicken with spring rolls as a starter. Must try!

Review №20

2024-03-30 20:47:51

Chinese food here is excellent!!! Great service, takes care of their customers and needs really well. Thank you very much, Rosanna!

Review №21

2024-02-26 00:42:16

Very good food. Glad there is now a HK cafe in CV

Review №22

2024-05-30 02:31:50

Yummy

Review №23

2024-06-25 07:26:32

Finally, a real HK cafe in the area.

Review №24

2024-05-02 18:32:37

Dine-in, Sunday, there are many people, the small parking lot has limited parking spaces, it is recommended to park on the roadside outside. After entering, you have to queue up, write your name and wait. The dry-fried beef river is highly recommended. It is salty and not too oily, but it has enough gas and enough ingredients. However, some customers reported that the meal delivery time was relatively long. It is recommended to order pineapple ice and lemon tea. Lemon honey is relatively bland and may not be honey enough. Recommend the egg waffles which are very eggy and crispy. Recommend the seafood mushroom soup, which is salty and mild yet addictive. Salt crispy chicken is not recommended. Will go back and try others. I heard it is newly opened.

Review №25

2024-02-20 06:00:34

The first time I came here, the parking lot was too small, so I had to find a street parking nearby. The service was excellent. All requests are answered. The decoration is simple. The cooking method of Hainanese chicken is different from that of other restaurants. The skin is dry and not elastic. Chicken skin color is uneven and dull. Cant whet my appetite. Like salted chicken but not salty enough, like cut chicken but not tender enough. I won’t eat chicken next time. Xingzhou fried rice noodles are good. The sprouts retain their crispness and the rice noodles are not greasy. The egg waffles were too bad and the batter was too little. Many of them were not spherical, light in color, not crispy enough, and probably not heated enough.

Review №26

2024-04-26 02:56:16

Treasure restaurant in Castro valley🤩