Top Chinese Noodle Restaurant in Palo Alto
HE&C Tea Pot
544 Emerson St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
I heard about this place from a friend calling this an internet sensation so I had to try it. Wow, its expensive. And wow its expensive. Let me explain. First of all, its one of those personal hot pot places that originally were popularized by Taiwanese shabu shabu places such as Boiling Point from SoCal and later Tasty Pot in the Bay Area. I dont think the owner of this place is from Taiwan but honestly its not that hard so I dont really care whether it has Chinese or Taiwanese origin. The food portion is tiny as you can see from the photos. The lamb is cut a little thick but so few pieces. The noodle portion also is tiny. There is no additional portion of rice given. The food by itself is at minimum around $25 for basic beef or lamb pot (way more for wagyu beef). And if you add a tea thats $5 more and if you add up tax and tip it would be at least $35 -40 per person for a personal hot pot. Yes its in Palo Alto so you can decide whether its worth it. Its not bad but Ive never had bad shabu shabu as its one of those least difficult to operate as the restaurant goes. The pot itself is fancy but not flavorful enough to be authentic Beijing style hot pot. Also the pot takes awhile to come to boil. Overall its cool to try once and I personally would drive to other similar but more mainstream places.
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Rara
201 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
We were in Palo Alto for a day and came across Rara, a Nepalese restaurant with amazing reviews and so we had to try it and it certainly did not disappoint.We were greeted by Supriya who took our order and explained everything we asked about thoroughly and patiently. Even when she had to go in the kitchen to clarify a few items for us, she kept a smile on her face throughout.We went for almost everything she recommended which were the cauli 8848 and akbare chicken wings for appetisers. They were a little spicy, nothing we couldn't handle, but caution for people who do not take spice well. Overall to us, it was well balanced and we could not stop raving about the flavors.Then came the Momo which we had read in another yelp review claiming that it was the best in the Bay Area, and though I have not tried many, I must say, this was delicious. There were so many types of momo styles to choose from, but we chose the tomato sesame soup in lieu of the cold weather and it felt like a nice warm hug.To keep the experience super authentic, we ordered the dal bhat khana with meat set which we were told is what the locals would usually eat. It is basically a rice platter that comes with dal (lentil soup), meat curry (we chose fish), spinach, fried okra, pickled radishes, tomato chutney and papad (lentil chips). The flavour combinations were interesting and you definitely get some umami out of this. I would say it's value for money because you get one spiced tea or buttermilk drink to try and a dessert at the end.It was paired with shikarni which is a creamy, rich, and decadent dessert made up of hung yoghurt, pistachios, sugar and spices. I believe traditional shikarni does not contain cream cheese from what I've read, but this one did and it totally elevated the dish.We even had the chance to speak to the restaurant manager, Ishav, who shared that this restaurant is only 3 months old but we were surprised to see operations run so smoothly and food tasting like perfection like as if they'd been open for a long time. There is a sense of synergy between everyone who works there, because they come from the same community, everyone is either family or is treated like family in the team and it definitely translates into their food & service.Their mission is to share their cuisine with others and the large, beautiful pictures of Rara lake & mountains is put up in order to invoke curiosity and interest in Nepal as a tourist destination. With that said, the calm music and ambient lighting could mentally transport one to such a place.I would totally come back here again for more! Thank you for the warm hospitality Supriya, Anis, Ishav, and chefs!
Ramen Nagi
541 Bryant St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Dropped in for a quick dinner five minutes after they opened. Can see why they always have long lines.Looking fwd to going again soon, and trying more things. Service was great, very helpful. When finding it was our first time, a staff member did a run through of the menu and gave us some recs, including telling us about their chicken karaage which isnt listed on the menu.My husband had the original with normal thin noodles, and would try a softer texture next time. I like spicy, and gave their spicy one a try, with firm thin noodles. It delivered on spice and al dente.As a staff member promised, the smoothest pork broth, no unpleasant odors or aftertaste whatsoever.It is very customizable. As someone who usually fishes out all the meat and fishcakes in ramen, I loved that you can just get a plain bowl with green onion (next time will also ask for no mushrooms).We ordered the chicken karaage, which was fried crisp crunchy with lots of nooks and crannies. The toasted sesame oil drizzled on top was aromatic, one piece looked like it got dunked in it, but other pieces had a nice drizzle. The dipping sauce was mayo with chopped hard boiled egg, and some cherry tomatoes on the side were a nice touch.Water pitcher and box of tissues at every table ensures you will not run out of either one.If you need anything else though, rest assured service is attentive, and they check on you to make sure you are doing well. They come by with your check at some point during your meal, and you pay at the entrance on your way out.Update with good to know:as with anywhere, mistakes can be made with ramen order, so for example if you absolutely dont want salt or oil, make sure to double check. One time, despite checking boxes for none, my regular ramen had oil and salt added and I just ate it anyway, it was edible, but I was bloated and chugging water all night.Veggie ramen broth has dairy listed in details, something you might not expect.Also, veggie ramen comes with spinach and mushroom, and because of this, they charge you extra $1.50 for selecting green onion/cabbage as it counts as extra. This is not the case for other ramens so we greatly appreciate the server letting us know (with other non veggie ramens we ordered, unless you check extra, selecting the regular box of green onion/cabbage does not lead to an extra $1.50)We think fried foods could be better.Chicken karaage and gyoza both fill that need for something crispy but chicken can be overwhelmingly oily drenched in toasted sesame oil and mixing with pool of olive oil. We would try to remember to ask for zero added oils next time.Gyoza is super tiny (not the circumference as a whole, but the individual gyoza is tinier than a small Korean mulmandu), the tiniest we have ever seen in any Japanese ramen place, and always burnt black on one side of the circle and white underdone on the other. Wish they would master even golden browning. Also very very greasy, sitting in pools of oil from fryer.The two deep fried potato hash browns that came with veggie ramen tasted stale, like they had been fried much earlier and too long, and were sitting there for awhile. So plenty of greasy crunch, but no hash brown texture or potato flavor. If you like crunchy potato stick potato chips, this could be your jam.
Taste
423 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Delicious! Try all the specialties; Ive been impressed! Also, dont worry about the spice level as they have a lot of great non-spicy options and the spiciness of the spicy dishes varies (mapo tofu is hot of course, but the sizzling cumin lamb is not very spicy).Caveat: Ive only ordered delivery twice so I cant speak to the dining experience here. Also, am a bit surprised that people complained about portion sizes. Maybe its related to the portions for the Shanghai dumplings and the regular dumplings? Admittedly its a little sad to get only four Shanghai dumplings in an order, but theyre good and its Palo Alto (University Ave no less!) so I dont mind. The portion sizes for things like sizzling cumin lamb and other dishes were pretty standard or a bit on the generous side in my opinion.Im a bit shocked that I never noticed this place. I thought Id tried all of the authentic Chinese restaurants in the Palo Alto/Mountain View area. With my second delivery order, they gave me an order of rice instead of one of my orders of scallion pancakes, but to be fair I ordered a lot of stuff (including another 2 orders of rice) so its pretty understandable. Everything else was correct and more importantly delicious. My first order was not quite as large and was correct and also delicious.Standouts:- Sizzling Cumin Lamb: My dad and I both loved it; tender and flavorful and not too spicy.- Beijing style Shredded Pork with Pea Sprouts: tender and flavorful. Its the rare restaurant that doesnt overcook pork at least a little. They do an impressive job here.- Sautéed Pumpkin (with egg coating): I first had a similar dish in Tianjin but this version is excellent with savory egg surrounding tasty pumpkin. My toddler is a big fan too.- Cucumber Salad: the right amount of saltiness with a generous amount of garlic. Tasty and refreshing!- Shanghai dumplings: I’d say they edge out Dumpling Garden near San Antonio. A little pricy at 4/$8 but they deliver and they’re way closer than Din Tai Fung.Good:- Mapo Tofu - tasty with the numbing green Szechuan peppercorns. Next time I’ll stir fry some ground pork and mix it in because we like meat and it will tone down the spiciness a little.- Dumplings: enjoyed the Chives and Shrimp - properly flavorful with the chives coming through. - Scallion pancakes: not quite as much scallion flavor or as salty as I would like, but am very impressed by the flaky texture they manage to achieve. (I still prefer the flavor of the scallion pancakes at Queen House in Mountain View but the chef there doesnt like cooking them when the restaurant is busy.)- Woodear stir fried with Chinese Yam: I love Chinese yam and mountain yam but not that many restaurants serve it. This dish was good.- Fresh lily bulb was tastyFor context, my favorite restaurants are R&G Lounge, Harborview Restaurant, and Dragon Beau in SF, and Dragon Taste and Baby Cafe in Oakland, plus Din Tai Fung. Locally I like Kirin and Dumpling Garden in Mountain View and Chef Zhao Kitchen in Palo Alto. My recent favorites are Taste in Palo Alto and Noodle King in downtown Mountain View.
Dumpling City
3487 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
My gosh, this place has the best frozen dumplings. Ive been around south bay area, searching for best frozen dumplings and this might be the place. Everytime I go, I try to buy as many as I can, as much as my freezer at home may allow me. Someday, I might have to get another freezer so I can get more dumplings from here!Only down side is that, I wish they had a pork and mushroom flavor. I thought its a pretty common flavor so was surprised it isnt available. Im sure that would be a hit with many customers.Other than that, pork and cabbage is a must. Three treasure is great too even though Im not a huge fan of chives. Chicken and corn is great. The corn is very fresh and juicy! Pork and cilantro is awesome too, but its not always available, unfortunately Also just tried pork with dill which is great too. It reminds me the taste of dill pickle, but not that sour.Another great must try: their beef pancake. Its like a savory pancake with meat filling. Its a large pancake, so pan fry it and split into multiple pieces to share.Overall, a sure go to place for dumplings! You cant go wrong with any dumpling flavor. Just hope theres more flavors (pork and mushroom) (*Hint hint* to the owner of this place, who I believe does read feedback!)
Imperial treasure
United States, California, Palo Alto, California Ave, 邮政编码: 94306
Our group came here on Tuesday night after they rescheduled us three times for the reservation. We were so excited to try this place out since the food photos look so tasty, but we were kind of disappointed of the service and food quality after all.FOOD QUALITY: 1/5One of our friends found out a curl hair that is about one inch long (human hair, not from the duck) mixed with the duck meat while she was wrapping the duck with the sides.She showed that to the server and the server said probably the chef dropped it while he was cutting the duck. He said he can offer us a discount. Our friend said ok since there was nothing else they could do and they couldnt replace another one for us. We checked the bill at the end and found out they gave us $7 off.The whole duck were two full plants but only came with one set of sides and the portion were tiny, so we asked for more wrap and one more sauce for the duck. The extra wrap is $7 and the hoisin sauce is $2. I guess if you want to get one more set it will be at least $17 if all the tiny side are $2.After they cut the duck, they asked if we want to use the duck bone for soup, salt and pepper, or spicy. We picked salt and pepper and we ordered 4 more other dishes which are beef honeycomb tripe(招牌金錢肚), Hand Shredded Cabbage(乾鍋手撕包菜), Duck Blood, Beef Tripe, Pork Intestines, & Spam in Sichuan Chili Oil(重慶毛血旺), and Braised Sliced Pork Belly(梅菜扣肉). We think all of the dishes were kind of lack of taste except the duck( since we put the sauce ourself) and cabbage.SERVICE: 2/5We sat at the big table that is next to the door and the cashier. It was very hard to get the attention from the servers. They didnt came back to check on us, fill water for us and asked if we were doing ok. The funny thing is one of the servers acted like he didnt see us while me and my friends were raising our hands tried to get his attention even though he was facing us and made eyes contact with us. We waited so long to get the attention from another server so we can ask for more water. The reason is 2/5 because one of the server is nice. For their tips suggestion is starting from 20%, 25%, and 28% after tax. Base on this service and we found the hair in the food, All of our group felt like its just too high. We just gave them 15% before tax.ATMOSPHERE: 4/5The restaurant is in chinese style which is nice but the men restroom smells bad.
Piazzas Fine Foods
3922 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303, United States
I absolutely cannot contain my excitement as I wholeheartedly recommend Piazzas grocery store! Folks, let me tell you, this place is an absolute gem, and Im about to spill the beans on why you should drop everything and make a beeline for this incredible store.First and foremost, Piazzas is a fantastic grocery store, and I cannot emphasize that enough. From the moment you step through the doors, youre in for a treat. What sets Piazzas apart is the incredible cultural diversity in their food selection. Its like taking a culinary trip around the world without ever leaving the store! Whether youre craving exotic spices, international sauces, or unique snacks, they have it all. Trust me, your taste buds are in for a wild ride.Lets talk about their fruit selection; its an absolute paradise for fruit enthusiasts like me. The freshness and variety they offer are unparalleled. From the juiciest, ripest peaches to the crunchiest apples, Piazzas has it all. Your daily dose of vitamins just got a whole lot more exciting!Now, lets get to the sweet stuff - their fantastic cake assortment. If youve got a sweet tooth, youre in for a real treat. The cakes here are nothing short of divine. Moist, flavorful, and beautifully crafted, these cakes are perfect for any occasion or just a sweet indulgence to brighten your day.But thats not all! Brace yourself for their burritos – theyre literally to die for. Bursting with flavor and packed with all the right ingredients, these burritos are a culinary masterpiece. I cant even begin to describe how delicious they are; youll have to try them for yourself.Now, one thing to note – dont be deceived by the stores size. Piazzas may look small from the outside, but its much bigger than it appears, and they have a LOT of great stuff to choose from. Its like a treasure trove of gastronomic delights waiting to be discovered.So there you have it, folks, my enthusiastic endorsement of Piazzas grocery store. The cultural diversity, the amazing fruit selection, the mouthwatering cakes, and the unforgettable burritos make this place a must-visit. Go ahead, treat your taste buds to an adventure they wont forget!
Ethels Fancy
550 Waverley St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Lets start with the atmosphere. Its very calm and open. A lot of earthy tones with perfect soft lighting. The staff made me feel at home and even the owner/head chef even had time to have a chat.Im ashamed to tell you that none of the dishes can be compared to others which makes them hard to explain. Its like trying to explain Cirque to Soleil to someone, Its circus, but its not. All the flavors and textures were dynamic. Each dish can be hinted to another, but not necessarily associated with it. Im sure you get the drift by now.[Morsels]We started with some Toasted Coconut Fritters which were pieces of soft and creamy wagyu beef atop crusty coconut beads that gave a salty and sweet taste.It was shortly followed by Point Reyes Miyagi Oysters which was another interesting twist. The chilled oysters were topped with a custardy consistency which had a hint of a bloody Mary, but not quite--delicious nonetheless.[Shareables]We then had Duck & Crystallized Ginger Dumplings which are gyoza with a seaweed garnish. It had none of the gamey taste and the flavors were so rich, they took me straight to flavortown.Next, we ordered Crispy pork belly which was another perfect blend of sweet and savory. It was tender and juicy which drooled all over a mozzarella to calm those flavors down. It was so good, we had to have an encore.To help town it down further, we had some fresh Cured Local Halibut which is a pleasant surprise because Ive never had halibut sashimi before. It was topped with some tomatinas drizzled with a light sauce I cant explain, yet it was still yummy.I dont remember ordering it, but Corn & Shisito Pepper Tempura which are crunch corn tempura topped with bay shrimp in a cream sauce. The creamy and the crunchy textures were definitely at play with my tongue here.[Considerables]For the main dishes, we started with a Slab of Pork Ribs. It was an exhibition of culinary art. It was so pretty, I didnt want to eat it, but looked to good to neglect. Of course, I opted for the latter. To explain, the ribs were elegantly intertwined and surrounded by beautifully presented fresh crudité greens. The ribs themselves were lightly crusted by the Japanese curry. It was odd because I usually get that taste from a soupy texture rather than something baked on.If you ask me, the Dry Aged Ribeye was the star of the show. The perfectly cooked ribeye was accompanied by this raisin chutney which is a marriage made from the heavens. Again, the savor of the meat juices melded together to with the raisin chutney like gestalt.[Desserts]This isnt your regular soft serve--its Chinese Almond Cookie Soft Serve. It had these sweet chewy peach mochi pieces and crumbles which played well with the soft serve.We finished off the whole ensemble with a Kinako Coconut Pop Tart. This brought the kid out of my mature body. This pastry is swimming in cajeta (carmelized goats milk) with whipped coconut cream. Each has their own sweet earthy flavors that compliment each other consummately. It has tiny coconut pieces baked on top that create a unity and consistency of coconut flavor.As you can tell, every second and mouthful of this experience was pleasant and beautifully unique as the chef can make it, and intend to return soon with some of my co-workers and friends.Ive also posted some images of the dishes in Google Maps (formerly Google My Business). Keep in mind the menu is subject to change given the season.If you like a unique culinary experience, make an effort to visit Ethels Fancy. Youll thank yourself for it.
Howies Artisan Pizza
855 El Camino Real #60, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Wow. I am still shaking by the incredibly horrible experience I just had with the female manager of this restaurant (she has a British accent, or something similar). I placed a large order over the phone, and apparently was given incorrect pricing. I was told that the plain pizza price included 3 toppings, and each additional topping was $2. I said, really? and he said, quite clearly, yes. so i ordered three toppings, and said again, so those three are included in the price? and he said, yes they are. I said, wow, thats great!Fast forward to me, driving home after picking them up. I started going over the total in my head and realized, that place is expensive but theres no way it could have cost that much. So, I phone Howies, explained what had happened to the guy who answered, and he found my order and understood the mistake. He just said, thats not actually how much the pizza costs, and I said that I was told that. He tried to just get me to drop it, but then offered to put the manager on. She must have told him to get rid of me, because he came back on the line after a minute and just repeated that the price info was incorrect. I said, wait, I thought you were getting the manager?Then the awful manager came on. I asked her if he had told her the situation, and she said yes, that was not the correct pricing. I repeated the entire conversation that I had had when ordering. She actually told me I trained all of my staff and theres no way any one of them could have told you this. I was speechless for a moment, maybe sputtered What?, at which point she said I dont believe you are telling the truth, theres no way one of my staff would have said that. At that point, I got upset, asking her what happened to customer service, and why would I make something like that up. (it was a matter of around $6). I wish I had never called--ignorance is bliss--since at this point she told me I wasnt welcome in their restaurant.Do not give this place your money! Seriously, I would have been happy with an admission of a mistake. What harm would that have done them? Crazy people out there.