Lana’s Chinese Food Express

I hadn’t been HERE in years, and now I know why! The buffet items are cold, the chow mein noodles or gummy and not serving a lot of veggies nor meat in the items.
Quality food is starting not to exist in most of these restaurants. I am very disappointed even though I paid only $ 6.00. I guess the saying is true, you get what you pay for… NEVER AGAIN!

Maybe it was just because I came in late, but I was depressingly underwhelmed. The beef in the beef and broccoli tasted like cardboard. The Shanghai noodles were okay, but lacked any of the advertised chicken. The egg rolls basically lettuce…
One thing I want to try again when they are fresh: the potstickers… the one I had was clearly a little old (that could mean only a couple of hours)
Definitely fast and very convenient if you work or live near it.

Good place to go before getting a colonoscopy. Has the same effect on your body as that awful liquid you have to drink beforehand, if you know what i mean. Blechhhh… it hit me about 90 minutes after the won ton soup and was not a good experience

Food is cheap and it’s OK. Convenient fast spot, in my opinion it needs to be deep cleaned. Been here two times but will it be retuning. The last time I went, the food tastes funny like the oil they used was old or something. Not sure exactly but food was subpar.

Big Portions, Small Prices, Good Food. A very good combination! I see the same people coming at least 2 – 3 times per week. Lemon Chicken, Spare Ribs, Garlic Chicken, Chow Fun are my go to items.

Lana’s… A perfect, reasonably priced and quick bite. It’s nothing super special and yet it provides exactly what they promise: a solid, no-​frills lunch on a budget.
My advice, go for the wonton soup. Solid wontons, good broth and a great deal.
People, don’t rate a place like you’re expecting some culinary magic delivered with flare. This is mom and pop feeding you a nice humble meal!

Their Singapore noodles are delicious. Steamed veges are delicious also. They’re pricing is reasonable…

If you’re broke, and hungry, this place is a great cheap alternative. Not too good, not too bad…. it’s A-​ok.

Food is pre made and average for quick bite but would rather find a better quick snack next time. I would not recommend this place

Lana’s has a limited menu. most offerings are premade, assembled on the steam table. 2 person taking & dispensing orders makes line move fast.
eats: 2 items (4.25)
–dry fried ribs soggy, obviously
sitting on steam table for awhile
–curry chicken
weak curry taste, semicooked potato chucks
–chicken cooked by sections (wing, drumstick, etc.) not deboned
not so flavorful.
food 2.5 stars
notes:
wouldn’t order here again unless food is freshly made…

Methinks not indeed! I ordered the lemon chicken and didn’t even get my lemon sauce. The chicken itself was breaded in something terribly sweet… I’d liken it to pancake batter. Terrible to be honest. Not going back.

I’ve been looking for another steam tray type place near me for the longest time. I never knew this place existed. I’ve never been to this little hole in the wall before, but somehow I always suspected a Chinese Take Out place lurked here. It just has that look. Sure enough, across inside the bank building, this tiny place sits.
I didn’t really look over the menu because really all I wanted was a 3 item combo. The offerings aren’t abundant, but they were very pleasing to the eye. I got the chow mein and cow fun, which looked a little oily hald/​half .
For my 3 items, I chose the Broccoli Beef and Mushroom Chicken, chicken on a stick. The Orange Chicken and Chicken with String Beans looked really good, too. The portions were decent sized which is always a plus. The Combo ran $ 5.83 with tax. I didn’t want the tax, but what can you do.
The food was pretty good. The noodles were okay, nothing too special, but it did satisfy. The broccoli was very crisp and had good color. The Mushroom Chicken just looked and tasted fresh.

My co-​worker and I go here at least once a week! It is cheap with good portions of food and a friendly staff. Everything is freshly made and they have a menu that changes with each day. This is our usual go to place for food and the people know us so well that they start cooking my co-worker’s Veggie chow mein right as she is walking through the doors. This place may not look all that pretty but this hole in the wall is good! YUM!

Super fast… super lotta food… super cheap… super nice family that runs the restaurant.
Limited items in the steam table offerings but it changes everyday. Or you can order from their main menu at max price of $ 7.95 each dish.
Can’t beat 3 (rice or noodle + 2 dishes) items for $ 4.95. They give you tons of starch so ask for ½ rice and ½ noodle to mix it up.
Most people do take out but there’s plenty of seating inside for a sit down meal.

Cheap, yummy, quick, and no MSG. This is my go-​to budget Chinese food place during the work week. They make really great meatloaf and pork chops, too. They’re also very nice and friendly. Thumbs up!

So. My Office in Oakland is 3 blocks from this place-​which is pretty much the «Oakland version» of Panda Express.
1 Star for the Woman rockin’ the I hella love Oakland T-​shirt.
1 Star for the delicious Oriental Chicken Salad.
2 Stars for it being so convenient & yet-​so hood.
AND, THE WHISTLES GO WOOO WOOO !!! –Bubba Rubb.

The food at Lana’s is decent for a Chinese steam table operation. They have a small shop, with not too many choices, but that means that they will have to replenish the dishes quicker. Cost is quite inexpensive and portions are large. One should note that when they say it’s a 3-​item combo ($ 4.95), that includes fried rice or chow mein. The fried rice looks overly sauced, so I went with the chow fun and it was really good. The green beans with chicken was also nicely cooked.
Bottom Line: You can’t go wrong with choosing a dish that has just been added to the steam table.

I walked into this place on a Saturday, and I immediately got confused. What food do they serve, exactly? I looked at a board to my right, and there was a list. I asked about sweet & sour chicken.
«We have soup,» she told me.
«Yes, but I don’t want soup. Just sweet & sour chicken with steamed rice And maybe a couple of pot stickers?» Pot stickers were on the list.
«Sorry, those are 15 – 20 minutes.» So no pot stickers. Fine.
So I pay, sit down, and a few minutes later, she tells me that it would be another 10 minutes for steamed rice, and is chow mein ok. I said ok. (No steamed rice in a Chinese restaurant? What?)
The food came, and I took a bite of the chicken and got this extremely odd aftertaste. A decidedly unchicken aftertaste. I thought perhaps I was making it up because the chicken in the chow mein was ok. But after a few more bites, it hadn’t gone away. This food was gross.
So I got bad food and couldn’t get steamed rice at a Chinese place. Avoid please.

You don’t expect much from the outside, and walking in around 3 today they were about to close up and could only offer me the pre-​made stuff that nobody wanted. So I ended up with meat loaf, noodles, fried rice, and vegetables. Well lemme tell you people, this was the best meat loaf I’ve had in a long, long time. Fried rice was a little bland, but tasted healthy.
Lana was friendly as heck, although I couldn’t understand a word she said.
I’ll have to check it out again when I can sample the A-​list items.

If you want a quick and wholesome lunch, try Lana’s Chinese Food Express.
I work in downtown Oakland, and Lana’s has been in the same location for many years. The food is fresh, hot delicious, and quick. Lana and her family were always there and you could get a consistently good meal. During peak lunch hours, lines were out the door onto 19^th Street. About a year ago, Lana and her family were no longer there. I think she ended up selling the business to another family without any notice to her customers. When you change so abruptly, it isn’t really fair to the new owners, cooks, or customers. I must say that I was disappointed in the quality of the food when the change was made. I heard elevator chatter about how it wasn’t the same. That was over a year ago. Since then, the new owners have developed the menu and cooking habits of Lana’s from the past.
The food is prepared in the kitchen, just behind the steam table where the servers take your orders. (It is always nice to see a clean kitchen where your food is prepared.) You can see the cooks working very hard, replenishing the food on the steam table. You can order items To-​Go, or eat in the small, dining room where you often share tables with other business people. Today at lunch, the line was out the door.
You can order two items for $ 3.95, three items for $ 4.95 or four items for $ 5.95. The portions are large and made with fresh ingredients. I usually order the lemon chicken with chow fun and stir fry vegetables. ( Unilocal tip: Order the two item and ask for one item half/​half. That way you can try three things and not have leftovers.) Lana’s has a weekly rotational menu with varied items and the regulars. Regulars are Chow fun, Chow Mein, Lemon Chicken, Vegetables, Fried Rice, and varied items are Dry Fried Ribs, Chicken Wings, Garlic Pork Chops, Cashew Shrimp, etc. On cold days, I recommend the Soups which they put together for you based on your order (Won Ton, Noodle, War Won Ton, etc.)
My coworkers order items to bring with them to potluck dinners or after-​work events. Lana’s also offers catering. Today, a woman in the elevator asked what I was bringing back to my office for lunch. I told her Lana’s and she said «ooooh, today is Wednesday, and they have Chicken Wings.»
It is nice to see that the new owners are doing well and I went to review them on Unilocal,but couldn’t find them. Lana’s is worth trying out. Forget the transition time, the new owners and cooks are doing it right again. Lana’s is quick, fresh, delicious, wholesome, and consistently good. I think I’ll try the Chicken Wings next Wednesday!