Top Pan Asian Restaurant in Mountain View
Bonchon Mountain view
260 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041, United States
Who thought Korean and fried chicken was a good idea? If orange chicken still has some Chinese as in American Chinese, I cannot find a shred of Korean in Korean fried chicken. But style or authenticity is not at question. It is the taste that breaks the deal.Looking at the display sheet on the window and the bar-set interior, I already knew that this was a Korean fusion kind of deal, a gen-Y hangout place, i.e., not a family eatery. (With which region this is fusing is unclear.) But my daughter is presently infatuated with everything Korean.It was a bit crowded dinner time, so we settled at the bar. I ordered a salmon avocado ball mainly based on ingredient list. It is a sheet of salmon wrapped over some other ingredients (nothing particularly Korean). The dish looks more baked than fried. The sauce is cheesy and sweet; there is certainly added sugar in the internal materials, too. Overall, the only good thing about the dish is presentation.My daughters fate was worse. She thought her tteokbokki was a traditional dish, as delightfully described on the menu. But the whole thing was so sugary that she didnt finish half of it. Needless to say, this has ruined her hope of getting anything Korean out of this place. (And engrained a fear of Asian fusion for some foreseeable future.)If you want a downtown venue to hang out, drink some rice wine, and not having a meaningful conversation, the place is very clean, seating is more relaxed than in many Asian eateries. But if you want to have a meaningful meal that does not numb your taste buds with sweetness, or want to have any kind of Asian experience - or simply want a good meal, Bonchon is not a bon place.Oh, what is that about not having meaningful conversation? The absolutely absorptionless interior is so loud that you literally have to shout to the waiting staff who leans to within two feet (60 cm) of your mouth.
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JL Produce
311 Moffett Blvd #c, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
Never again. Be careful. 1 star - too high for this one.Maybe I expected too much of 4.4 rated store. But there are several things that made my impression: its not possible to find labels for many products, you cant understand how much particular product costs. Not convenient but OK, possible to put up. Loud music - I understand, I should pay for low prices (they are not too low, some products are cheaper, some are not VS other stores). But the most unpleasant incidents were at cashiers deck. He asked if I need a bag, I said no but he put all my products in the bag. Ok, maybe I didnt say loud enough. But when I went out the store and check the receipt I found one product that I didnt buy. So, he got this product for free and I paid for it (I think it works this way). I came and ask money back for the product I didnt buy and got them.Be careful if you are going to buy anything, check your receipt and dont let someone fool you and steal your money.Update: Now reviewing the receipt Ive found out that the had cashier thrown even 2 (!) FAKE products into it. I wonder how often he does it.
Garden Fresh
1245 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040, United States
I love meat and have often fought with my sister over restaurant options when she was vegetarian. However, Garden Fresh was a place that we could always agree on. The fake meat here is tasty enough to satisfy the carnivore within. Many of the dishes can be hit or miss in terms of flavor but the standouts are anything but bland. Our favorites are Kung Pao Eggplant, Orange Veggie Chicken, Veggie Ham, and Veggie Chicken Curry. Be wary during entree selection. Some of the sauces and fake meats are repeated throughout the menu so you may end up with variations of the same dish. I always like to double check with the waitress to make sure this doesnt happen.Its a very casual place with limited seating. The owner is very friendly and food comes out quickly though they can get overwhelmed when the restaurant is crowded. Parking in the lot is limited. A friend mentioned that this is the sister restaurant of Garden Fresh in downtown Palo Alto. Im not sure if this is true but I heard that the wife operates one location and the husband operates the other.Avoid: Spinach Linguine Salad with Sesame dressing (It used to be a favorite but its become quite bland and they have become stingy with the sesame sauce). The happy family and orange beef were not great when compared to the other dishes.Tip: Dont order soup because they usually give you a complimentary one after you place your order (its happened to me during both lunch and dinner). The default soup is corn and tofu but Ive substituted for the hot and sour on occasion.
Seasons Noodles & Dumplings Garden
702 Villa St, Mountain View, CA 94041, United States
My friend and i were looking for restaurants still open at 8:00pm (a difficult task in the south bay) and decided to try seasons.upon entering, there were a lot of available tables. service was relatively friendly. menu has a variety of noodle soups, noodles, and other meat dishes.unfortunately i was pretty underwhelmed by the quality/flavor of the food itself.// braised beef noodle soup ($) //i was excited to try the niu rou mian as it seems like this is the most popular dish. however, the soup lacked flavor depth for me. it was slightly bland and tasted a bit watered down? i was really looking for that flavorful broth with a bit of kick. the noodles were chewy and good, but the broth was disappointing. it was also lukewarm which did not help.// pork and cabbage pie ($) //the pie came out hot and fresh. it tasted like how i thought it would, but nothing extraordinary. it was also really oily.overall, due to other places in the bay area, i wouldnt come back but im glad i tried it.
Nijiya Market Mountain View Store
143 E El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040, United States
Called at 9 am to see when their restaurant opened. Male employee on the phone said the restaurant opened at 8:30 am. I drove and spent precious gasoline looking for hot food at their restaurant, only to be greeted by a sign that said the restaurant was open at 11 am. I asked the attendant at the restaurant cash register and she said the restaurant was open at 11 am. The cashier said the one who takes the phone calls is the manager. I called again to see why the manager of all people would lie to me about when their restaurant opens. The female manager who received the call not only defended the previous misinformation from their employee, they also did so with a downright shoddy excuse. She said that Nijiya calls the refrigerated ready made bento section the restaurant and the actual restaurant the hot deli. Thats a hot excuse right there. Their own restaurant cashier referred to the place as a restaurant. Who in their right minds would say call and aisle of refrigerated onigiri a restaurant? The blatant lie and general unapologetic attitude of the managers working at Nijiya, who apparently lie to customers for fun, has destroyed my trust for this business. Unfortunately I cannot, in good conscience, buy goods at this place again.
Sushi Tomi
607 W Dana St Unit H, Mountain View, CA 94041, United States
If you are craving raw fish in mountain view area, this is one of the better options with a good turnover.We get takeout here often because it is nearby, and they do a decent job packaging the food. We appreciate that they separate the hot food and cold foods in separate plastic bags.We have tried almost everything on the menu, and recommend the sushi, Nigiri over the cooked food. We usually order California rolls with real crab, some yellowtail, rainbow roll, unagi is a hit or miss sometimes good, sometimes mostly slimy rubbery skin. Rolls often split apart or fall apart but for a quick and easy to-go meal, its okay.We have tried the collars and felt they were not the freshest. The smelts felt like a major rip-off, texture was tough and dry. Reminded us of canned smoked fish that had freezer burn.The pork and chicken tends to feature a lot of gristle. Sometimes there are unexpected broken bone shards, but that just tells you that you are getting real meat, right?If you are desperate for fried chicken the chicken karaage is a generous portion. I have succumbed to its greasy, crunchy, crispy charms, even whilst complaining that the fat wasnt rendered, frying oil smoky and beyond needing a change, and coating was burnt bitter. Because when the left on skin is rendered and fried properly its chicken chicharon!If you are craving crispy fried foods, they definitely fry it to a crisp on the outside.That being said, we always pay for eating the fried food here later, they really need to improve the quality of their frying oil. (In general all the silicon valley restaurants need to).The crispy fried tonkatsu portion is also generous, but not the sauce. They give you two sauce packets (like soy sauce) and its enough to dip at most a quarter of your tonkatsu slices.The ginger slices here tend to be stringy and chewy, not juicy and crisp.Once again, they use the ubiquitous cheapest of the cheap splintery chopsticks!If dining in, there is a waiting list just inside to your right, then you wait outside until your party is called. We didnt know and were waiting to be helped, and the people behind us wrote their name first, and were seated first. And of course we then had to wait awhile for a table!
Ume Tea
220 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041, United States
I think this location is the prettiest ume tea so far in the Bay Area that Ive tried. Ive checked out Fremont, Newark, and Palo Alto locations so far and I think this one has more IG worthy decor that you can take with your drink. Its located in downtown Mountain View, the street was blocked off for pedestrians so find parking a block or so away and walk here.Upon walking in youre greeted with a bunny statue and youll see pretty walk painting to your right, and a pretty Ume light sign to your left. There are no tables/chairs but they have bench type seating against the right wall.I thought the popcorn chicken here tasted better than the other location - so crispy and flavorful! I loved their fried octopus! I actually enjoyed it more than the popcorn chicken, although both were very tasty. The portions were HUGE so I shared them with my family. I got the surprise bunny milk tea with regular milk tea, 30% sweet, light ice, and boba. It wasnt too sweet and it came with a cute bunny plushy! My friend got a cute plushy as well. So if youre looking for cute plushies, check this place out! I also tried a bucket of fresh green fruit tea - wow so good! I loved the real fruits infused in the green tea. I can drink this for days! My husband almost killed the whole bucket himself across two days. Id love to come here again if Im ever in the Mountain View area!
Alexanders Patisserie
209 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041, United States
Alexanders Patisserie in downtown Mountain View is a beautiful spot to relax and catch up on work, with coffee and pastries that are undeniably gorgeous. The craftsmanship is top-notch, and each sweet is a feast for the eyes. However, my overall experience landed at a solid 3 stars.Lets break it down:The Ambiance: Great for chilling. This is a lovely spot to unwind, grab a coffee, and maybe do some work on your laptop.The Pastries: A double-edged sword. Visually stunning, these pastries are like tiny works of art. However, they tend to be on the richer and denser side, which might not be for everyone. While the overall quality is there, the taste itself was just okay. They are also quite expensive, which makes the value proposition a bit questionable.Flavors: Interesting, but imbalanced. I tried the Earl Grey, a chocolate mousse with an orange center. The concept was intriguing, but the orange flavor was muted and didnt quite complement the chocolate as well as Id hoped. The passion fruit and chai chocolates were decent, but again, nothing that stood out.The Verdict: Alexanders Patisserie is a great place to grab a coffee and enjoy a beautiful, Instagram-worthy pastry. However, if youre looking for the most flavorful or budget-friendly option, you might want to explore elsewhere.
Los Portales
430 Moffett Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
So to start this review is my own opinion and I recommend that you try any place once and form your own opinion.Food:I had the three items combo: shredded beef tostada, beef tamale and a chimmy changa. It was fantastic! Everything tastes fantastic and prices are fair.Alcohol: this place has the best darn margarita that I have ever had. Sal knows how to make em really good. They are dangerous and so delicious.Service:Was fantastic. All of the staff are welcoming and warm. They have created an environment that makes you feel like family and you really feel like you are at a friends house getting some authentic food.Atmosphere:It was very warm and welcoming.Overall:I highly recommend this place. Its family run and we can use more of those especially if they have great food and top quality service. Definitely deserve support and more patrons
Mifen101
841 Villa St, Mountain View, CA 94041, United States
Mifen101 Huaxi Wang in Mountain view is my favorite restaurant. The aroma of fragrant beef soup can be smelled in the whole old street of Mountain View. I really struggled for a long time whether to share it because its business is very delicious. I want to share it again. I may have to wait longer next time. But because the waitress is cute, kind and fast, I might as well share it.Huaxi Kings beef/mutton noodle soup has many choices and you can choose meat chunks or slices of meat. The soup tastes better than that of Fu Niu Tang, and the taste is multi-layered. The spicy soup has filtered out spicy residue and spices. The whole bowl contains more vegetables than OX9 Lanzhou There are a lot of ramen, and there are many appetizer options available at this restaurant. You can order Beijing yogurt or purple rice yogurt with beef rice noodles to relieve the spiciness.Today I ordered beef brisket noodles and signature beef noodles (half gluten and half meat). The food was served very quickly and was fragrant, sour and spicy. You can adjust the spiciness when ordering. I originally ordered a cup of yogurt, but the waiter forgot about it. I couldnt wait while I was eating, so I had to stop another waiter who was too busy and said that the yogurt I ordered hadnt come yet. Unexpectedly, after 30 seconds, I ordered a cup of yogurt., the kind-hearted little sister not only brought my yogurt, but also gave us an extra cup to apologize, which is full of sincerity!