Sivan’s Cafe

Somewhat limited menu, they could expand their offerings while keeping things simple. Very limited vegetarian choices… why not add a grilled cheese to the menu (they have grilled chicken sand) or even peanut butter and jelly? The Thai milk tea is excellent. The place has good space, parking in back (and very walkable from anywhere downtown. I won’t go out of my way to go here, but if I’m in the neighborhood, then it’s all right.

Food was awesome! Prices were even better. Give yourself some time though. The food took a bit. Maybe it’s cause it’s the weekend, but if you’re here for lunch during the weekday, you need to order ahead. That was the only issue.

This was a delightful surprise. It’s inexpensive for the amount and quality of food you get (you wouldn’t be able to get anything less than $ 13 in SF FiDi). The quality isn’t amazing but it’s not bad either. We got the Tri Tip Steak Salad, Beef Rice Box, Grilled Chicken Garlic Noodles, Takoyaki, and the Black & Red.
The Tri Tip Steak Salad is a regular spring mix with beef on top. You also have the option of adding grilled onions, which is a good choice! And it comes with a choice of salad dressing as well, but if you order the tri tip, you won’t need it because it already has a yummy sauce on it. The beef itself was very tender and they’re pretty big chunks. And it’s actually the same beef used in the Beef Rice Box.
The Beef Rice Box comes with a side of salad and you can also get the grilled onions on this item as well. Personally, I didn’t think there was enough of the sauce for the rice. But there’s just the right amount of beef.
For the garlic noodles, you get to choose a flavor for the chicken: original, teriyaki, and curry. We chose original. Sadly, I didn’t think the garlic noodles were that great. It tasted quite sweet to me, not enough garlic.
And I don’t think I’d do the Takoyaki again. It was way too fried for me.
Oh! And the Black & Red was alright as well. But only because the mix itself is overpowered by the Thai Tea flavor.
And just be prepared for a long wait. I don’t think they expect very many people to come in and sit down to eat because they only have two people working front and back. Your food will take some time.

Garlic Noodles W Chicken= DELICIOUSSSS
The grilled chicken rice plate with fresh salad is really good too. Its nkt alot but the taste is good and it is filling. The jasmine milk tea is flavorfull and they dont put to much pearls so it doesnt overpower the tea.

Tried the prawn garlic noodles and the red and black iced drink and it was hands down great! Would come here again!

It was hard to decide between a 3 or a 4 for this place. I’m not a big fan of Boba and I really don’t understand the hype behind it all. I’ve had it before and it just tasted kinda weird to me. Anyway, this place is much more than that. The ambience is nice and this place has an actual «café» feel to it. The first time I came here I had the prawn garlic noodles and they were good, but not great. They were really oily, but you can definitely taste the garlic.
The second time I came I tried their beef sandwich and it was much better than expected. The beef was very tender and marinated in the usual Vietnamese flavors. The young lady that usually works here is very quiet, but she is very helpful and sincere. Sincere goes a long way in customer service. As a matter of fact, I prefer that over friendliness. I think I will try their Black and Red cold drink and some Takoyaki next time I go.

I’m always down to try local foods. I probably would have never stopped by here if someone had not told me about it. It is easily missed. When I went in, there was nobody there. And it was prime lunch time. The place looked clean and the service was friendly. We got the chicken garlic noodles and the fried chicken lunch special. The chicken garlic noodle was good but nothing memorable. The fried chicken had a very pungent white pepper smell that really threw me off. Every time I would go in for a bite, the overpowering smell would make me want to put it down. I got the milk tea which was perfectly sweetened. This place is OK by my standards.

Pleasantly surprised to have a delicious Boba Café with savory food in Hayward! This is not your typical boba shop. They offer the usual drinks and fried snacks. But one ups Quickly with hearty eats such as Beef Garlic Noodles! The beef was tender & juicy and noodles were hummina-​hummina with garlic! Loved it!
We came during a weekday lunch and service was fabulous.
Prices are excellent and parking is a breeze. There is street parking plus a lot in the back.

I don’t usually write reviews, so when I go out of my way to write one, it means a lot.
I checked this place out for the first time and was greeted with the sweetest and kindest service throughout my stay. The environment is nice (not to mention that the bathroom was also clean EYYY~). I ordered strawberry milk tea and beef garlic noodles, both tasting on point. This place is definitely going to be a keeper.

Finally got to try Sivans Café, I had heard it was a great little spot for coffee.
Outside its a bit hard to see, inside place looks nice and clean and not crowded, only about 4 ppl inside. The cashier answered all my questions and seemed very knowledgable on their menu, i ended up getting the grilled chicken sandwich and a strawberry milk tea with pearls which the girl kindly gave me a discount on. Took a while for me to receive my order but I figure it was all freshly made as you order. The sandwich was delish and very flavorful, chicken was sweet and tender and the best part the French roll which seemed fresh and perfectly toasted. This a little hidden gem in Hayward. Great service and food!

I really like this place! I work close by and have been here several times just to pick up milk tea with boba. That stuff is the real deal and is so strong that it never fails to keep me up at night! I’ve tried the jasmine milk tea as well as the strawberry milk tea, which reminds me of the strawberry Pocky cookies. Yum. Their boba has just the amount of softness and chewiness.
As for the food, I have tried their popcorn chicken which is delicious. It is Asian style popcorn chicken, with huge chunks of chicken. It’s not over fried, where it’s too crunchy and you don’t have to worry about getting a piece that’s all batter and no chicken. Their garlic noodles with grilled chicken is SUPER delicious! It’s a big portion and usually lasts me two days. I love that stuff. It’s really garlicky with a hint of sweetness. My friends have also commented on how they really enjoyed their chicken rice box. I have yet to try their Vietnamese sandwiches which also look good.
I hope this place does well and stays in business for a long time because my coworkers and I need our afternoon milk tea fixes. And the fact that it’s so close to my work means I can get good food without having to go far!

Review for garlic noodles with grilled (dark meat) chicken — option of:
* teriyaki
* curry or
* original which is marinated vietnamese style with fish sauce/​lemongrass
and a side order of popcorn chicken accompanied with a sweet chili sauce
Generous portion of egg noodles and slices of chicken tossed in a wonderful garlic sauce… you can see the pieces of chopped garlic! The popcorn chicken was yummy with a nice crisp… plenty of other fried snack items ala Quickly with fried chicken wings, french fries, lobster balls, calamari rings, takoyaki (japanese octopus balls)
Plenty of options for coffee and sandwiches but the garlic noodles is what left an impression today. Their sign says pastries but didn’t see any… maybe during the weekend (wasn’t busy on a Saturday at lunch) they don’t carry them as all i saw were only 5 cupcakes spread out in the display case
Left with a satisifed, full tummy along with a frequent visitor card. I’ll definitely return… I can see this being a great place if you’re a student to study (have a coffee), eat, study… take a snack break… study. and have dinner.
Credit card accepted

I ordered a grilled teriyaki chicken garlic noodles and Thai milk tea. The garlic noodles are great. :) The pearls are soft and chewy, just like how they’re supposed to be. The drink itself is okay.
Good service. Nice staff. They accept card.

Yummy garlic noodles. What else can I say? Order ahead of time for faster service. Courteous staff. Great new find!
Too bad for my coworkers! HAHAHAAHA

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while now…
Mostly because it seemed like a nice café where I could study and where I can order milk tea for those days that I don’t want coffee…
When I first walked in, I was greeted with smiles. The staff here were very friendly throughout my entire stay, which was a couple of hours. The place and the bathroom are very clean, which is always a positive if you’re there for a while.
Anyway… let’s get to the real business: the food.
— BLACK & RED… which is a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ blend of vietnamese coffee and thai iced tea. This is a really good idea since I can get some of that coffee taste and strength but with a bit of the sweetness from thai iced tea.
— TAKOYAKI… pretty good! (but then again, i’ve yet to try takoyaki that tastes significantly different from another) They put some veggies underneath it, which they dressed… and whatever that dressing was, it was amazing! So i’ll consider trying a salad next time. — Don’t they normally put veggies underneath to just catch the oil? If so then… I applaud them for going above & beyond!
— GARLIC NOODLES… I got them plain because for some reason i’m afraid of trying meat at cafes… but I will definitely reconsider this because it was one of THE BEST garlic noodles i’ve had in a while!
Overall, a really good place to come and try even if you’re just snacking or if you need to study like me. Not sure why it’s not as popular as it should be, but could possibly be because it’s on the outskirts of downtown hayward.
TRY IT OUT, PEOPLE. IT’S GOOD.

Sivan’s been open a few weeks. no sign (outside) what was offered via standing boards, posted menus, placards, or anging banners.
notes:
finally saw a standing boards touting pastries, coffee, bubble tea.
posted menu had other items, forgot what it was.
shelves were empty. not a pastry in sigh. eatery empty save for one patron 2ish.
so i went for the coffee.
brew: coffee (1) featured on standing board.
–very harsh, not sure why, maybe it’s «farmers», «superior» or warehouse coffee.
drips:
–doubt if i will try anything else here.

Time: 8:27pm/62°F partly cloudy
Purpose: Check email to see where I needed to go Friday. Saw milkcow café on list, it was near Milpitas. Never like driving on Friday rush hour just wears me down. Decided to hit up a few to free up my Friday.
Ambiance: Sivan’s replaces Chinese Garden Restaurant as I remember getting a flat tire fix next door while there I went to eat. Structural wise place is the same as before. Only a few conversation done like display case, retractable shades, hand written menu panels. Gone are the roundtable with lazy susan condiment holder. Current table are dark wood rectangular hand painted emblem. Everything else remains the same even flatscreen still in same spot. Inside sits about 16 at most with no sidewalk or terrace sitting. Feels a little dated like early 90s look. Good for small groups not bigger than four people.
Staff: Three girls one could be owner sitting there chatting away on phone. The other two girls high school appearance not well trained. Don’t know their ingredients or where it came from. Runs to back asking each other on how many ounce of boba use for my drink. They even forgot my change assuming I gave them a $ 2.61 tip. Laughing and giggling for no apparent reason. Shoot, may be even about me as I don’t understand Thai language.
Cleanliness: Grade B, looks clean and all, but too much personal belongings strewn around the place. Not a gym environment so jacket and backpack must be put behind counter. Hurts the eye to see good real estate use that way.
Eats/​Drinks: Jasmine tea with boba $ 3.50+taxes. Tea didn’t taste fresh given the fact girl told me brew everyday. Ok, I want to know how many times a day. Couldn’t answer, I assume more than 3hrs pass by. I’m the only one in there during a slow night. How much tea can your brew when its slow? Quit playing games and just tell me. The tea itself didn’t have that real Jasmine taste. Tasted like water down tea bag version with subtle rancid aftertaste. Boba was chalky in center clear sign of undercooked. Exterior was congealed ready to show a coat of white. I like that silky wet looking shiny boba that can be use as spit ball. The drink wasn’t even near average. More like learning how to make a boba drink 101.
Main Features: Tri-​tip salad, garlic noodles, Black & Red.
Products/​Services: Refer to posted menu pictures. No Wi-​Fi, television, takes plastic, menu items changes w/​o notice.
Punch Lines: Family run, undertrained staff, kitschy décor, nothing special, mediocre, quite bland, laid back, light bites, kept its standards, go elsewhere, street parking, nothing on menu over $ 8.95.
Tradeoffs: The grilled chicken sandwich is actually a banh mi. It scare people away if the listing says banh mi $ 5.95. That price will net you two in Chinatown places. Gear towards the masses.
Final Thoughts: If you want a place to sit for an hour or so while grabbing quick bite. You’ve found it here. There’s nothing gourmet about it, and nothing that you can’t find elsewhere. The shop has done its best to please, but it just doesn’t have that alive kick of ambiance. When that doesn’t happen your experience could be right along with it. There’s something definitely missing here yet, I can’t describe it.

It’s alright…
This café took over the old Prince Beef Chinese restaurant so it’s pretty spacious for a café.
Had sandwich and a rice plate (off menu). The shrimp sandwich was nothing spectacular. What you expect from a sandwich, but pricey for what we got. The katsu rice plate came with a side salad and a side of mayo (?!?). It was a little small considering you get a huge plate at any of the Hawaiian fast food places nearby.
We asked about the taro tea and they stated it was from a powder. Sad. But their thai tea is freshly brewed.
All in all, I wouldn’t come back for the food. I may give the freshly brewed milk teas a chance though.
Mommy tip: highchairs

Tri tip steak salad and Thai Tea — MUST TRY
Mango cakes are so good ! Will try others next time.
Sandwich is hot and nice, meats are juicy. Made until ordered.

Very nice new café! They have bubble tea, cakes, coffee, and sandwiches, salad.
They don’t have parking but people can park at Lucky, and just walk cross the traffic light.
The best in Hayward!