Tai Shan Café

Food is very good. Go from 3−6pm for the happy hour special prices!

Service? What service? In a busy day (which is almost everyday), don’t expect much. However, once we set that expectation, we can enjoy the food. Today, we ordered bitter melon with spare ribs in black bean sauce, dry bean curds with beef brisket, scallions ginger beef, and lobster noodle (usually, the foods were too salty, so we asked for less salt today. And, it turned out good). We enjoyed our food today. The only thumbs down was the complimentary soup. It was just broth with a few pieces of veggies.

Dirty Disgusting Restaurant! Over-​Priced and the quality of service and food is way below average. Try Shooting Star Café or New Gold Medal Restaurant. This place serve mediocre food, that’s why the price is low.

Cant beat the portion of food they give for such low price! The food is very good as well. Go for the happy hour, its def worth it. I been coming here for years.

This place is so dirty, I couldn’t even sit and eat comfortably, but my parents wanted to eat here since the price is cheap and wanted a small snack. Customer service is rude and didn’t even know what they’re talking about. Too bad the watermelon juice is seasonal! Instead, they have papaya juice. I asked how much it was and the waitress didn’t even know. I told her to tell me the price before I will actually order it. 5 minutes later she gave me the papaya juice without even telling me the price. $ 2.50 when there’s a sign for watermelon juice saying it’s $ 1.70, that doesn’t make sense.
We ordered the spaghetti with bolognese sauce and the singapore rice noodle.
Rice noodle was dry and tasteless. Too much noodles and not enough of the chicken, bell peppers, bean sprouts and other items. Spaghetti with the sauce was way better than I expected, although there was so many peas. The bolognese sauce did taste kinda odd, not the usual ketchup taste, but it’s just ok.

Very average, very meh. Decent option when you’re out of ideas, its late and really– theres no where else to go.
Service is aite, décor is average, and cleanliness is iffy sometimes.
Tables looked like they are wiped down each time we sit, but there’s a bit of oil residue left. I’ve actually received a cup of tea where it looked oily because the cup didn’t seem properly degreased and washed.
Servers don’t care too much, nor do they make an effort to tend to your needs but thats just the Chinatown/​Asian diner way. :P They take orders promptly, they don’t check and refill teas unless you bug them several times and they don’t care to make conversation.
Food is pretty good though! Typical chinese café style food and at a great price! They have happy hour after 10 sometimes and the food is made even more affordable! My favorite drink is usually the honey lemon tea (though it can be inconsistent at times. Like today, I got my tea is it was way way way too sweet.) and I enjoy the egg omlette with drink and rice. I also dig the salt and pepper chicken wings. If you feel adventurous also try the duck gizzard! Its a cold and spicey dish but pretty tasty with rice. (:
Pro tip: bring friends so you can share dishes and don’t forget the cash! Cards not accepted here.

Hole in the wall. Ordered Kung pao chicken, honey walnut prawns, wonton soup, and more! Service was average, food was pretty great! Food came out within 15 minutes. Love this authentic Chinese spot.

Cheap eats at a good price for «happy hour». The place is a dive and the waitresses don’t speak much English. Point, wait, and you can get out of there with 4 entrees for around $ 20. Good salty fish fried rice and chicken wings. Generous portions.

I was here for dinner on Saturday night. The shop has lots of sitting, and tables are pretty widespread. I ordered 2 of their porridge, and a Singapore style vermicelli. Portions are big and its a pretty good deal for that price. its cash only. However, the chairs are pretty worn out and that bothers me quite a bit. Recommended place for a quite meal, nothing fancy thou! I also had their watermelon juice boba. It cost $ 1.75. The juice was nothing special. But the boba was tasteless. However, the boba was al dente and was pretty good!

Solid and definitely at the right price.

We love the happy hour menu but the 3 items for 20.99 included house soup, a big bowl of rice, salt and pepper spare ribs, Chinese broccoli, and salt and pepper chicken. We also enjoyed the ginseng and honey tea. this place gives you more than enough, great service and food is delicious!!!

Bad customer service. We waited for half an hour and then we tried to follow up w our order and found out that they didn’t enter our order to the system. Never again will we go back.

There are 2 lines at the entrance: one for dine in and the other for take out.
We didn’t have much of a wait for Monday lunch.
Ordered shrimp scrambled eggs: delicious! Eggs were not rubbery but moist and soft, shrimp was fresh.
Tomato beef: delicious. Has chunks of tomato, onion and green peppers. We added some gravy to the eggs and this turned out to be a great combination.
Braised cod with tofu: very salty. Comes with bok choy, mushrooms and BBQ strips.
Cod was battered but soggy and chewy.
Will order the first two.
All dishes served with steamed white rice.
Soup to start (included): bitter melon and beef soup bones. Don’t care for bitter melon. This seemed quite unusual to be used in a soup.
Drinks: hot Chinese tea.
Ordered hot milk tea: nice and strong. Would have liked condensed milk but sugar also does the trick.

I have come here to imitate Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods.
8^th St Café has some of the weirder foods in the United States, but of course that is not at all pertinent to the world. Sometimes, people just need to eat what’s next to them in order to survive.
Here you can have pork blood, pork intestine, beef tendon, duck gizzard and quail.
They served me relatively quickly, though it was once difficult for them to tally up and remember my purchases. The prices were somewhat high, but maybe perhaps okay by Bay Area standards.
The intestines were fairly good and crunchy. The chefs have some noticeable talent, but it would show better if this place weren’t a dive. But a chef is supposed to make something seemingly unappetizing into something delicious. There are lots of beverages and a huge menu. You will not see Western fare that much, but you will have over a hundred meals to choose from.
8^th St Café for all it’s faults, brings a cultural experience that used to mean one had to go to China. Now they can have it here. Unfortunately, for the typical Bay Area resident this place likely isn’t where they would want to hover around daily.

For a late night snack, this is the place since there aren’t too many places in Oakland that open til 1 AM. Just park close to the restaurant when it is late at night. We had just gotten back from a trip and were hungry so this place fit the bill and we always order out when we want a late night snack. We ordered the crispy house special chow mein, shrimp and scrambled egg chow fun, wonton ho fun, chicken with bean sprouts chow fun and macaroni soup. It’s comfort food at reasonable prices. They have late night specials starting at 10 PM as well.

Best price in town especially during their afternoon and late night special hours. Their hainanese chicken rice plus the red bean coconut drink combo for $ 6.25 is my favorite. I also like their fesh squeezed water melon, crispy chicken wing, prawn/​scrambled egg chow fun and more.

Reviewing this as a cheap eats chinese restaurant to go. It’s pretty good. I can vouch for the red bean ice drink, fried salt and pepper tofu (favorite plate here), the beef wonton noodle soup’s awe-​ite, the pigs blood and pork skin is verrrry good.
The juk is excellent too. Pretty decent quality here for cheap eats. It’s also available late at night for pickup at reduced prices.

It was not my choice to go to this place. The quality of the food was subpar. We had this beef stew broad noodle, but you can count the number of pieces the size of sugar cubes. Not sure what compelled me to order the baked oyster in butter and garlic, but it was a mistake in retrospect. The sauce was nothing like the garlic butter I’ve come to know and love. I could not detect any hint of the aromatic garlic flavor in the thick white sauce, as described on the menu. It was the blandest thing I’ve ever had. We also had steamed chicken. By happenstance, I had to select the one piece with a short strand of hair laying on top of the chicken skin. Gross!
The service was rude. We had a big party so we sort of over-​ordered. We were chastised and charged $ 0.50 for a container to take home our leftover soup. The red-​haired waitress said, with a scowl, we were expected to finish the food at the restaurant and not to be taken home. That’s preposterous! I noticed in a tip tray, from another dine, r was only a dollar and some change. I don’t blame them one bit. I wouldn’t have given them a penny.

Likes: warm bowl of beef stew with the thin egg noodles for $ 3.75, lunch special is a good deal (milk tea is $ 1.25)
Dislikes: finding parking during busy hours and slightly slow service

I am rather conflicted about this place.
I’m a very non picky individual and have gone to these kinds of cafes on the regular. However, there’s something off about this place that I cannot put my finger on. First and foremost, I came into this restaurant with the expectation that the service will be non-​existent (which was pretty close to true). Secondly, I knew what kind of food I was going to get. So, that’s pretty straight forward.
As I went into the restaurant, I followed exactly what the sign said and waited at the area to be seated. However, nobody came to seat me. Another individual came in and stood at the to go line, and he got seated first. Huh? So I had to ask about being seated. It’s okay, my expectations were met on this end.
As I got a seat at a big table with other people who did not end up with their own table, I looked at the menu and decided. It took a good 10 minutes for them to take my order (once again, expectations met).
I ordered the Black Peppered Beef with Spaghetti and to my surprise, the dish was better than I expected. The milk tea is pretty straight standard. I got out paying $ 12 bucks with tip. Not too bad.
Honestly, if you prepare for the worse before you come here, you’ll be fine. However, if you’re coming here with the expectation of GREAT service and food, you’re obviously dreaming.
I don’t blame this restaurant for being what it is. Sometimes, things are the way they are for various reasons.

TIP: Come during tea time!!!
3:00 — 5:00 PM and then after 10:00 — close.
You can have a lot of food on the cheap!
The food is pretty good. Not drenched in salt or MSG and their rice porridge is pretty traditional in it’s consistency. It’s not too watery or thick: just right. I suggest ordering a little more «to-​go» so you have lunch the next day.
The service isn’t the best, but for what it is (and the price you pay), it’s on par. I hate places that pretend to be high-​class, charge high-​class prices, but deliver no service. At least here, you get what you pay for. Just know what you want when you come in and don’t expect to strike up a friendly conversation here. Come here, order what you want, eat it and enjoy the company you’re with.
Again, come during tea time if you get a chance, it’s totally worth it!
Also, cheapest drinks in Chinatown (HK Milk Tea or Watermelon Slush w/​Tapioca), both for less than $ 2.50!

This place is delicious but the service is pretty bad.
I come here a lot because the food is good and the portion sizes are good to feed the family. Most of the time when I come here, the waiters are hard to get a hold of. The waiters mostly only speak Chinese and can’t understand us very well when we order. My sister likes eating the fried squid here so we always get it, plus I like the salt and pepper tofu which is really good. The place kind of looks gross and sometimes the table is sticky and nasty but it’s still a good place to eat.

Their food is good but their service is horrible! So 3 stars it is…
I always eat here with my family. Their food is good and it’s cheap during happy hour. But their service is pretty slow and they don’t speak English so it’s really difficult to ask for some things.
Today, we got the salt and pepper fried squid, salt and pepper fried fish, & Chinese beef broccoli. It comes with rice and soup as well. The soup is kind of bland but can’t complain much because it’s free. Overall, the entire meal was pretty good.

I rolled my Hoop-​tie there last night after work to grab a midnight snack. I was able to park right out in front. I rolled in and grabbed a table. I was brought a Hot Tea and a Menu. I perused the Menu and ordered Beef Chow fun and Vegetables with Gravy and Salt and Pepper Fried Chicken Wings.
Fifteen minutes later I had my food the Chow fun was good and the Wings hit the spot .
$ 10 dollars with Tip Cash Only and I was out of there. Happy Hour Pricing in effect.
One of the Cheapest Places in Town. Definitely a Budget Special.

Ommmgggg this place is horrendous. Mediocre food and terrible service.
I came here with my family on Father’s Day and realized this was probably not good enough for celebrating Father’s Day… but we got seated before we could decide on another place to go so we stuck with it.
After being seated, they gave us only four cups of tea (for seven people). They also didn’t give us enough spoons, plates, or chopsticks. We asked our waitress for more utensils and she pointed at the rack of clean utensils and bowls and said, «Oh they’re over there. Can you get them yourself?» O_​O! We were all like, «Did she really just tell us to get them ourselves?!» We all felt like we were eating at a cafeteria…
The food arrived pretty quickly. I don’t know all of the items my family ordered but a few stuck out. We got one of our favorites, honey walnut prawns, and they were okay. Nothing special. Also ordered drunken chicken, which everyone said was probably the best dish. Another dish was the combination tofu clay pot… which didn’t come in a clay pot. But it was good, a little too salty. None of the dishes were good enough to make us come back though.
The two drinks we got were almond milk tea and green tea milk tea. I didn’t taste the almond one but my uncle didn’t like it. I tasted the green tea one and it tasted interesting… but not in a good way :(
The only good thing was the price. We ordered six dishes and two drinks and the total was only $ 50 and this fed seven people. Definitely not worth the bad service and food though. Never coming back!