Top Chinese Restaurant in Saratoga
Hongs Gourmet
14510 Big Basin Wy #9, Saratoga, CA 95070, United States
After a disastrous experience with their service, my wife and I decided to give Hongs Gourmet another chance. We're glad we did! The food was just as good as last time and the service was considerably better.We sat inside for lunch. The spacious and colorful interior is a work of art, with soaring ceilings, flowers, and interesting architectural details. There were only a few customers, and we were all seated in a cozy side room with a nice view of the street.We decided to forego the lunch specials so that we could share my wife's favorite classic Cantonese dish Moo Goo Gai Pan. The thinly sliced, tender chicken breast was poached and then sautéed with mushrooms, snow peas, and carrots. I prefer spicy Sichuan dishes but I thoroughly enjoyed this. The generous portion was more than enough for two.We added the dinner combination with steamed white rice and chicken salad. The salad had iceberg and romaine lettuce and small pieces of shredded chicken breast mixed with nuts, sesame seeds, and vermicelli and tossed with olive oil. It was a nice take on a typical Chinese chicken salad and easily shareable.We started with a serving of four veggie spring rolls, which were served with three different sauces (mild, hot mustard, and chili pepper). They were crisp on the outside without being greasy.We wanted to try their Wor Won Ton Soup so we took home a large order. Wor means “everything” so the soup had shrimp, BBQ pork slices, and veggies in addition to the ground pork dumplings. The chicken broth was flavorful, the ingredients were tasty, and the soup was a meal in itself.This family owned restaurant will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2023. Based on our latest experience, I'm raising my rating from three to four stars. We'll definitely go back.ORIGINAL REVIEW (8/11/2021)Delicious food. Terrible service.My wife and I had dinner at Hongs Gourmet restaurant last week for the first time since the pandemic began. Their food was as tasty as always but we never experienced such awful service.Hongs is the only local Chinese restaurant where my wife can find her favorite classic Cantonese dish Moo Goo Gai Pan, and it was as good as she remembered. I enjoyed their flavorful and tender Mongolian Beef, spiced just right. Overall, the ingredients are high quality, the meals are skillfully prepared, and the portions are generous. The spring rolls and battered prawns on the combination appetizer plate were good, but would have been much better had they not been delivered lukewarm.Service was a complete disaster. Our server was poorly trained, totally inexperienced, and absolutely clueless about standard restaurant protocol. She couldn't figure out what we wanted when we asked for “a glass of ice”. After multiple requests, she eventually brought an ice bucket. Dirty dishes were left on the table when we ordered dessert and were still there when it was delivered. Our pot of hot tea never arrived “because someone else took it.” That's unacceptable.We'll probably return for takeout just to get their excellent food, but we can't recommend Hongs Gourmet for restaurant dining.
May Flower Restaurant
1080 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
I have been here many times before the pandemic. I went with my mother for lunch yesterday, Sunday 3/7. In the old days it had two waitresses, but now it has only one. We arrived at around 11:30 and were the only dine-in. There were many take outs. The food is still pretty good. Portion is large. Service is like 90% of the Chinese restaurants. Want water, you ask. Want another napkin, you ask. Chinese restaurants waiters/waitresses seldom come around and ask you how everything is or if you need anything. The price definitely went up. But overall, I will return here for meals.
Fu Niu Tang Noodle Talk
711 Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94087, United States
This place has great noodles but unfortunately the price doesnt make up for the quantity of the noodles given. Maybe Im spoiled and have gotten used to the quantity of noodles given at local Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants but I was really disappointed with the portions here. As for the quality of the noodles, they were really good! Good broth too. Ill have to come back to explore more of the menu.
Homey Skewer
489 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
Homey skewer is indeed a homey place with only 5-6 tables. The prices are reasonable; I wasnt afraid to order a little more and the bill ended up being less than any other skewer place I went to in the last 2 years.You know how some skewer places seem to flavor their skewers with one overpowering spice? Not here! The skewers are well-seasoned; sweet, spicy, and savory. Relative to other places, the beef tendon and chicken skin are standouts. And I dont even like tendon that much but the one here is particularly palatable.There was only one server wearing a Stussy shirt when we went. He was very friendly and asked us if we needed any introduction of the menu, named each skewer as he brought them over (they are not always so clear), refilled our waters, and checked in on us during our meal.
Oriental Gourmet Chinese Restaurant
Saratoga Plaza Shopping Center, 1646 S De Anza Blvd, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
Definitely a hole in the wall Shanghai restaurant. Nothing fancy about the place. 6-8 tables with little decor. Just so good, so inexpensive, so yummy. Besides, all the 3 dishes (total $19.50+T) we had are not as greasy as the ones at most Chinese restaurants.Unlike some cheap restaurants, the Oriental Gourmet accept major credit cards, incl. Amex.It also looks quite clean and parking is pretty easy.
Panda Express
1320 El Paseo de Saratoga, San Jose, CA 95130, United States
American style Chinese food is not my preference, but my son likes their orange chicken, so I occasionally indulge him. This review is not about the food, however, because it is what it is. The one star is because they are not practicing good sanitation! When I came in, my order was not ready, despite my being 15 minutes later than the scheduled time, so the young woman, who I had just watched ring up several customers, started plating my order, without washing her hands first. The state and federal requirements are that you wash hands before preparing food, if you did anything else before that task. I stopped her and told her she needed to wash her hands first. The rice that she started scooping, with those unwashed hands, went back into the big pot of rice. Yuck! Someone who was working on the food line assembled our order, and right as I was about to receive it, I watched another young female employee go from her dinner break (eating at a nearby table), to cleaning a couple of things from the tables and counters, then straight to the food line and start to grab a box to assemble an order. I stopped her as well, and told her she needs to wash her hands too.I am a professional chef, and have helped teach sanitation classes in the past, so this is a subject I know very well. Washing your hands between tasks is a minimum sanitation requirement!! There were other small issues, such as visibly dirty towels on counters in the kitchen area, but the lack of hand washing, and the fact that they did not even seem aware of the need to do so, is a serious concern. Don’t believe me that this is a big deal? Familiar with Chipotle’s multiple food poisoning outbreaks? (Chipotle has since cleaned up their act) I will be filing a complaint with the county health department, as well as Panda’s corporate office. I question whether any of their employees have the required food handlers cards, and I was told there is no manager at that location. If that is the case, then who holds the manager’s sanitation certificate?! Shame, shame, shame. Your first responsibility as a restaurant it to provide safe food, for anyone one who might eat there, including young children, seniors, and the immune compromised.My advice? Do not eat here, or reheat your food to 165+ before you eat it to kill anything that might be lurking.
Taiwan Taste
12172 Saratoga Sunnyvale Rd, Saratoga, CA 95070, United States
Discover this Chinese restaurant on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd.Chicken with broccoli lunch box.Originally taste, nothing special.
575 Miishien
840 El Paseo de Saratoga, San Jose, CA 95130, United States
I only thought of rating it after eating it so many times. It is truly the most authentic Yunnan rice noodle I have ever tasted! Their chicken is especially delicious, but you have to go early, otherwise sometimes its sold out and you cant eat. T T The restaurant can be a bit crowded during peak hours, but the boss is very nice and the service is great most of the time. Definitely my go-to Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area!
Sogo Tofu
Saratoga Plaza Shopping Center, 1610 S De Anza Blvd, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
Poor service:1. I took two things to the counter but I was still hesitating to add something. When I checked out, the person didn't ask me if it was that everything. He hurriedly said please check out. The point is that there was only one other customer in the store. Brother, who are you? What are you anxious about?2. I used the amex card to pay. When he saw it later, he immediately reached out his hand and tried to stop the card from being swiped through. After swiping the card, he let out a big sigh and then told me very unhappily, please don't use the American Express card to pay next time. When I asked him why, he said, “Because the handling fee is very expensive and not worth it, don't swipe. Thank you for your cooperation.” Then why don't you disable it, brother? This option of American Express is good, but you still want to stop me from using it? What does it have to do with me if the handling fee is expensive? You have opened a store for 20 years and still care about these few cents. I am really convinced. This attitude is so disgusting.The food tastes bad:The rice balls are just like that, not as delicious as the Xiaoman rice balls.Don't sell the bowl cakes. I've never tasted them so bad. They're even a little watery. The spicy sauce is also bad. Was it made with Sriracha?If you want to do business, be sincere, okay?
Tai Pan Dim Sum Bakery
477 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
A good variety of Cantonese dimsum. Quality is average. Cannot compare to ones in Chinese restaurants where the dimsum would be steaming hot when served. The prices used to be good a few years ago. The current higher prices are much less attractive. The service is literally hit or miss. One staff is very nice. The other not as gentle. It is a matter of luck whether you will be treated like a customer or not.