- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Broadway Bistro
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 7:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 7:30 am - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
196 reviews for Broadway Bistro
Review Highlights
"I recommend going if you enjoy HK-style cooking."
(in 41 reviews)
"baked pork chop dishes are also a specialty here."
(in 15 reviews)
"...it most here, i also order a cold milk tea on the side."
(in 29 reviews)
Loading...
196 reviews in English
-
Review from jacky k c.
Fremont, CA
12/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
something useful: look on the board for specials.
bottom line: good, hk style food such as the baked ox tongue rice (super tender meat), the hk style milk tea is just average; the service is so so. -
Review from Jun W.
Daly City, CA
1/21/2012
This place has one of the worst Chinese food I have ever tried. And it is surprising how such a restaurant with this kind of food could have survived so far. Chinese is as bad as one could imagine. But comparing its Chinese food to sandwich, which looks like the kind of sandwich I used to make in college dorm, you start questioning your own sense of judgment.
One visit in a life time is more than enough! -
Review from Kenneth Y.
San Francisco, CA
11/28/2011
This place is in the hot spot of Broadway Street in Millbrae, CA. This place is like the typical HK style restaurants. They offer HK style specialty drinks from hot to cold; lemon, milk teas. This place is for dine in or to GO's. Sometimes it can get busy here too during weekends and lunch time.
I have mostly ordered food to go and I usually order the baked pork chop over fried rice. Delicious pork chop fried with egg fried rice underneath on topping it off with this dark orange gravy sauce that's sweet and a little tangy. Typically it comes with two small pork chops battered and fried. The sauce that tops over it makes it special and it comes with a good amount of rice to go along with the pork chop; I can never finish one of these.
Many HK style places offer the baked pork chop with fried rice. It is a common dish and very popular orders.
This place also caters to an airline company that fly's out of SFO airport for lunch meal on the plane. I've seen the place load trays of individual wrapped meals loaded on to a truck in front of the restaurant and seen the truck inside the airport when I worked at SFO.
This is not bad mediocre if your craving for HK style food, give it a try, but you don't take my word for it.
*Parking*
It is usually available on the street and its meter parking, carry loose change and you get a lot of minutes for a quarter.
This place takes cash and credit, since is a small business they probably like cash better! -
Review from Bebe W.
San Mateo, CA
1/29/2012
The big plus is the amount of variety on their menu - definitely something for everyone on the menu. I usually just do take out. I don't really like the interior - something about it is unappetizing to me so I just order to go. I've had the fish porridge, the roti prata and the ye mien noodles. I would recommend going to a malaysian restaurant for the roti prata as the sauce wasn't as good. The fish porridge was a little on the salty side, but it was tasty. if I diluted with homemade porridge or something it would be perfect. I would order to go again here. Also, the prices are fairly reasonable.
-
Review from M. N.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/12/2012
This place is terrible. I came one for lunch and ordered a sandwich. The portion is SUPER small, bland, expensive (5 bucks for two pieces of extra small wonder bread). Not to mention their service isn't that great. Not recommend and will not come back.
-
Review from Jo L.
South San Francisco, CA
10/26/2011
This place used to be the "go-to" place around the peninsula for Chinese, HK food. It was sort of pricey compared to a lot of asian places but used to be good like 3-4 stars.
I came here couple months ago and it's so so so so terrible. My NY steak which cost $16 or $17 which I asked for rare (30%) came well done, and it was so so thin that I cannot believe that's called a NY steak. It was chewy and dry. Normally I might complain but since everyone else' dishes were sort of disappointing too... we just decided not to come anymore. We also ordered 2 appetizers (chicken wings) with our entrees and they did not come until maybe 45 mins later (after all our entrees are here) and most of us have already finished dinner. For the price that I paid, I expect more that a piece of beef-like thingy.
Anyways, we are never coming back. -
Review from Erica S.
9/15/2011
Came here late night with the in-laws after picking them up from SFO. Didn't realize that this was the same one as the one in Cupertino that I've been to before. Great place for cheap HK comfort food.
Service was extremely slow since it was after 9PM. It took about 15 minutes for them to come take our order. I had their Shrimp Dumpling Wonton Rice Noodle Soup. Pretty good. They give free drinks with your meal. I had the hot lemon tea, but it wasn't very good. All I kept tasting was the bitter lemon rinds. -
Review from Christina G.
Los Angeles, CA
So, HK style food. I ordered the roast duck wonton noodle soup, a pretty safe pick... the broth was well-seasoned and not as thin as other places. And the shrimp wontons were very flavorful. Egg noodles, good. Duck pieces are difficult to chew... but, the service here was really great. I had the rest packed to go, and the server packed a separate bowl full of (fresh from the kitchen!) broth, so I could put the noodles separately. Very nice touch. My grandpa used to love coming here, and I can see why. Fast, easy, pleasant service, and for $10 (including tip) I was able to enjoy a hot meal. Very relaxing.
-
Review from Magnetic D.
Millbrae, CA
1/21/2012
I love this place. It's not your authentic chinese place, but i usually get some form of chow fun each time and it is OFFFF the chain! I go there quite a bit. It is your premier spot on broadway.
-
Review from Steven W.
San Francisco, CA
12/14/2011
I remember several years ago, I didn't even have a cup of water when I finished my meal and stepped out of the restaurant!.
The price on the website is out of date. the $ is at least $1.25 less than their current menu...
Taste of the food is ok. -
Review from Brian C.
San Francisco, CA
12/8/2011
In Millbrae, I would usually recommend Lai Lai (which is across the street) for Chinese food. I don't live in the Peninsula, but, so far, Broadway Bistro & Lai Lai are the only Asian restaurants I've found that I enjoy. Fast, easy, pleasant service, and reasonably priced.
-
Review from Ray C.
South San Francisco, CA
8/12/2011
I have been this restaurant a few times and many times I have question on the charges. I really think they are not being honest on the bill.
They charge 18% tips with a group of six or more...ridiculous!!!
They charge tips after tax....more ridiculous!!!
They charge both on carryout order when sitting with the group...no separate bill...most ridiculous!!!!
Not to mention their service...worse than most chinese restaurant...
I have stopped going to this one and told all my friends too...
SO WATCH OUT your bill when it comes -
Review from Fiona F.
Daly City, CA
7/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Poor quality of food, unclean kitchen area, I personally have a sensitive stomach as I cant tolerate unclean food, got terrible stomachaches the night after eating in there, Will never spend another penny on them.
It is a place for people who can tolerate unclean food and who have low expectation in food quality plus horrible service!!!!!
One more thing, BE WELL PREPARE that one of the server will serve your plate of food with his thumb stuck into your food!!!!!!!!!
I personally can't take things like that! Plus it can happens when those takeaway container they gave you always have dirty stains on them!
URGGGGGKKKKKK!!!! -
Review from Juju F.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2011
Really nice servers and the food is very good too. This is a place for simple comfort food: porridge, chow mein, wonton noodle soup. This stuff is all really good. My favorite is the shrimp wonton noodle soup. The wontons are delicious and reminds me of the ones I grew up with at my fav noodle place in SF's chinatown - Tong Kee. That longer exists and I've been searching for a place that makes it as good as they did. I'm so happy I found it here. Big wontons with shrimp and a bit of peppery taste. YUM!
-
Review from Sandra L.
San Francisco, CA
8/22/2011
Went here for brunch and ordered the Fried Pork Cutlet, along with Shrimp with Yolk (under the Chef's Special) and also this toast thing with peanut butter, but we had condensed milk and syrup on the side.
the fried pork cutlet is on the first page, and I strongly recommend getting stuff on that page because I'm convinced that nothing else on that menu is good.
definitely don't venture off into the chef's special page, the noodle options could be good (like the pasta with clam sauce) but everything else is questionable. the shrimp could have been good if we didn't order it at lunch because maybe the chef working the dinner shift could make it better.
but the toast thing, I didn't enjoy it because I could make somethign better at home. It was literally two pieces of toast with peanut butter in between, the toast was fried and there was syrup/condensed milk. I'm not complaining that it was something simple or blah blah, it just didn't taste good. the crust/ bread texture was nasty.
however, I still enjoyed it because the atmosphere is very casual and the menu matched the simple ambiance, it's not noisy, I came with my mom and we had a nice meal. -
Review from Jennifer Y.
San Francisco, CA
Broadway Bistro has SOME yummy Chinese food. if you don't know what to order though, you'll probably be irritated at what you've been served. Also, their food does tend to be a bit more on the saltier side.
The service can be a bit lacking, I really don't know where all the waiters run off to sometimes, but their Kitchen is really small and often understaffed. i used to know someone who worked here so first hand account. A couple of the servers have better English skills than the others so just bare with them. ** If you do know some Chinese though, you're better off using whatever Chinese skills you have.
Their breakfast combos are pretty decent. Tastes better than some other Chinese Cafes I've been too. My favorite items to order though has to be their Porridge or Noodles.
* Preserved Egg with Dried Oyster Jook - If you've ever had jook with pork & preserved egg and/or dried oysters in any chinese dish and liked it.. imagine those flavors combined. I actually crave this from time to time and Broadway Bistro is the best place I've tried it.
* They have a wide selection of soup noodles. Their WonTon Noodles with Beef Brisket, Shredded Pork with Snow Cabbage noodles and Singapore Style Rice Noodles are pretty tasty.
* Hong Kong Milk Tea !
To be honest, they used to be better in quality but it's not horrible. i'd still drop by here on occasion for a quick bite. They also have a bakery section for to-go buns and Chinese pastries.
- JennListed in: SouthCityy, Chinese Cuisine
-
Review from Eric C.
Millbrae, CA
12/23/2011
Great for take-out--huge portions for the price and very fresh seafood.
-
Review from Jenn D.
Daly City, CA
3/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm not gonna lie, this place is not amazing but I do crave for more every now and then. Their rude service and non-English speaking staff don't seem to stop me from coming back. I often come by for the Jook, but there's a lot of other East-Asian style food on the menu.
Thumbs down for not have snow dessert drinks. And when I asked for the lychee dessert, they were all out and were rather screaming at me than informing me that they were all out of lychee.
By the way, food = heavily loaded with oil. So don't eat TOO much. -
Review from Austin L.
San Francisco, CA
10/1/2011
As you enter the restaurant the first thing you will notice is that you have to go through a little room filled with storage boxes and a storage room with a sign that screams EMPLOYEES ONLY.
The second thing you may notice in (first in the actual dining area) is the funny green display of leaves and wires near the ceiling, promising Christmas in September.
Maybe we picked the wrong day to dine here (since there was a party in the back area and waiters were carrying around big metal pans full of caterer-style food), but the service was slow. Really, really slow. Ungodly slow. If trees suddenly discovered how to mate via coitus they'd still be faster.
We got tea, which is expected for HK cafe-type places, and it arrived in cute metal cups. Unfortunately the tea was not like HK cafe tea. Due to either the cups or an industrial factory accident the tea tasted like watered-down mercury. The sensory impairment was quick and provided a clever touch to prepare us for what was to come.
The first thing to arrive was tomato beef with spaghetti. The spaghetti was about half the size of regular spaghetti, which later led to a lawsuit being threatened. The tomatoes were plentiful, like the rain. They also tasted like the rain. The sauce was likely a multiple-brand chimaera developed during a disaster period. This was still the best part of the meal, and we finished it before anything else arrived, even the lemon tea.
Approximately four-and-a-half geologic periods later, the baked pork chop rice arrived. It was only lukewarm, meaning that someone took it out of the oven and left it in open air for some time. That's just terrible form.
The sauce was very similar to the spaghetti's. The porkchop was decently flavored, if a bit dry. Cheese made sporadic appearances like tar pits, but we didn't find any dinosaurs inside. And underneath was a mantle of rice with something just off about it. It's possible that it was pre-digested by microbes or something as it lay waiting to be delivered to us.
Last was the curry beef stew rice. Entire galaxies were born and extinguished before this arrived. I got the idea to order this after seeing it at least three times on other tables. After this arrived I got the idea that either I or the other customers had the approximate IQ of a yam.
This was the saddest curry I ever had. God conjured a second great flood, and left it in the kitchen of the Broadway Bistro. As the waiter placed the dish on my table, the bowl of curry tilted and left a quick, sad little puddle on the plate. As I went to taste it I was not disappointed; the only flavor left was a hint of spiciness. The curry flavor had staged a war on distilled water and the water won. If it weren't for the beef and the fact that I wasn't colorblind then I would have no way of distinguishing this from MSG salt soup with a hint of pepper. On top of that, the background radiation kept it only at lukewarm temperature.
The restaurant was clean but after eating the food your soul will be dirty. Forget being hungry an hour later, I finished the curry, its rice, and had some of the other dishes, and immediately become more hungry.
2 stars because it's very possible we ordered the wrong things (I used to have stuff from the special menu but didn't in a fit of stinginess/stupidity), the spaghetti was edible, and the restaurant honestly used to be better. Though the last time I went here was probably 7-8 years ago. -
Review from Maggie T.
San Francisco, CA
4/4/2011
Don't come here expecting attentive service or extraordinary dining experience. This is a casual place where you can sit for hours without anyone giving you a dirty look.
Wide variety menu - typical HK baked rice dishes, porridge, noodles and more. You will always find something you like. Average price is $8 per dish and portion is generous.
I don't recommend their HK BBQ style dishes but everything else is very good.
Again, don't bring your date or anyone you need to impress here. But if you need to catch up with an old friend or if you are with a large group of people, this is the place to be. -
Review from Sally Y.
San Francisco, CA
11/9/2010
Omg I don't care if the rest of their food is good or bot but five star for thier pineapple buns.
I work three blocks away so getting one of these in the morning is BOMB O LIOUS!!!! Nice an hot and crunchy.
If ur passing by millbrae in the morning this is a perfect small handheld breakfast.
So please bring $1 to get ur pineapple bun
Oh and not to mention whenever I bring it back to work, my coworker can smell it in my bag. -
Review from Peter C.
South San Francisco, CA
9/12/2011
I've been here many times in the past and it would have gotten 3 to 4 stars from me.
I came back with my family and could not believe how horrible everything was. How should I start? I guess from the beginning of the meal.
I got soup that tasted so vinegary that it burns my tongue when i drink it.
The bun was microwaved and shrank in front of me.
The honey chicken wings which were my favorite came RARE!!!! Center was still raw and so much blood dripping out.
My girlfriend's NY Steak which was ordered rare was super thin and cooked fully and dry.
My Garlic Lamb chops which I ordered rare came well done.
Red bean show drink had really hard red beans and wasn't sweet.
The broccoli that came with the meal was so old and brown that I bet health inspectors would close them down for serving it.
I almost wanted to take a picture and ask the owner would he want me to post in on the web and put his restaurant's name with it? I can't believe how bad this dinner was.
This place is huge and used to be filled with customers. I saw 2 tables with people that night. I think something happened (new chefs, new owners?) and everyone stopped coming.
I will NEVER EVER go back. The memory of this meal will haunt me forever!!!! -
Review from Lawrence L.
Millbrae, CA
9/18/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Great spot to get your Chinese comfort food cravings taken care of... We come here a lot for take out, and eat here out of convenience since it is in our stomping grounds.
We usually go for the Hong Kong Style Beef Chow Fun, and Singapore Rice Noodles here... Both are great choices. I've also had their beef with bittermelon (one of my fav comfort dishes). This time around we also ordered their pork with preserved egg porridge (ok - my daughters fav), and the sauteed string beans (yummy with the pickled radish and chicken bits). They also serve all the different tapioca drinks (not that great).
Pretty large place, and service is fairly accessible (you kind of have to get their attention). Food comes out pretty fast, and is consistent in quality. Yes, I am a fan of this spot.... -
Review from Lawrence L.
San Bruno, CA
7/14/2011
This has to be one of the worst restaurants I've ever been to. WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!! In all honesty though, the food is average. It's something you'd expect from any other Chinese restaurant. Their prices are a bit pricey for the portions they give. So with average food, and over priced food, does this restaurant really deserve one star? Yes, it does. Let me tell you about my experience.
I came to this restaurant on a slow day with my dad and brother. There was only two other tables, and the kitchen was fully staffed. I know because I saw it as I went to the restroom. Anyways, we sat down, ordered our food, all was good. We ordered simple Chinese food (fried rice, chow fun, and a rice plate). Each order should only take 10 minutes max, especially since it was a very slow day. 10 minutes later, my dad's fried rice came, as expected. He started to eat because my brother and I told him not to wait. 25 minutes passes after that initial 10 minutes. My brother and I start getting restless as we were starving. We politely asked the waiter to check on our food. He nodded and went into the kitchen. 15 minutes later, my dad already finished his food (and he was eating VERY SLOWLY). We asked for both of our foods, and then my brother's chow fun comes out. We were very irritated at that point. He starts eating, and I eat some. More than 20 minutes later, still nothing... Where was my rice plate?!? My brother already finished his food, and we've been at this restaurant for more than an hour, what was going on. We just canceled the order, paid, and left for another restaurant. We were furious and did not leave tip.
Trust me, do not ever come to this restaurant. I had the misfortune of coming here again with my friends and had the same bad service. Come on Broadway Bistro, does it really take more than an hour to make a simple rice plate that I can make at home in less than 20 minutes?!?
All in all, do not come here. -
Review from Linda C.
Elmont, NY
4/2/2011
The menu is confusing and very mixed between Chineese food and Italian food. Strange combination! I have eaten there twice and have been disappointed both times. My husband did enjoy their lunch soups which are quite large.
The waiters are hard to understand and never seem to be around. It is as if they just disappear at some points. -
Review from jenn c.
San Francisco, CA
10/19/2010
Hong Kong milk tea. It warms the soul and energizes the mind.
Let's talk about warming of the soul. It doesn't happen when that cup of tea is lukewarm. It has so much potential. The texture is good and the intensity of the tea is right. At the wrong temperature, it just didn't come together.
The food is even worse. I've been there twice and there's probably not a third time. Both times, the meat that came with the dishes seemed to be on the verge of going bad. It feels like meat that's been marinating in the fridge for too long, the texture is becoming a little mushy.
I will have to continue my search for a good HK cafe elsewhere. -
Review from Nina P.
Manchester, NH
8/22/2010
This place is okay. I used to like it better, but now it's just... eh. I'll eat it. Some of their dishes are better than others. It's sort of weird that they serve "American" food like pasta and spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, but I've never dared to try it. The wait staff aren't that polite. The hostess rarely smiles. Everyone sort of looks pissed, but I don't know if it is because they hate serving lunch.
My parents and I come here every once in a while for a quick meal. This time, we got some sort of fried fish. It was served with some sort of ketchup sauce. Pretty good and fresh at a pretty good price. It was a special. And it was written in Chinese. So only my parents knew about it and I had no idea where they got that dish from. I love rice noodle soup. Theirs is not half-bad. But overall, this place is totally average.
They used to do fresh fruit boba slushes here. I'm not sure if they do it anymore. Back in the day, it was already $4. I haven't had it there lately, so I have no idear how it has changed.
Oh. And my dad loves ordering the Portugese chicken dish here. The end. -
Review from Adrienne Y.
Sunnyvale, CA
6/18/2010
If you want to be yelled at for asking for some vinegar, this is the place for you.
If you want the Chinese lady owner aka old maid and/or grumple stinkltzken to not-so-discreetly tell her employee to "get her out of here," referring to me (for asking for the above mentioned vinegar), this is the place for you.
This place used to be good, oh I say about 14 years ago. This place needs to be shut down: NOW. It's taking up valuable space in my neighborhood and quite frankly I'm tired of it.
Your best bet is CAFE SALINA right down the street from this mess - take a walk, you won't be sorry. -
Review from Ken L.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 8/27/2011
Avoid this place!
Dishes are Triple overpriced and the FOOD IS EXTREMELY BAD. I ordrered a noodle dish with shrimp and they only gave me one bland shrimp and the noodle was tasteless and old. Also will take 30 mins for food to be delivered to your table.
They think they can charge extremely high prices for their food just because it's located in a great neighborhood, Millbrae.
this place needs to be shut down, avoid at all costs!1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/16/2011
Place is way overpriced and food is bad. Why do people come here?? I got a noodle plate with… Read more »
-
-
Review from Hyman W.
San Lorenzo, CA
8/5/2011
went there for lunch. Order the "e Noodle". It is like $8.90 for a small plate, and the worst is .... it seemed like it was re-heated by a microwave.
The decor is outdated and old and NOT clean. Will never go back again. -
Review from Wilhelm Y.
San Francisco, CA
3/26/2010 2 photos
It's nice to know my friends have a sense of humor. I just wished they didn't make me the sucker when they decided to show it.
While discussing possible places for Chinese comfort foods in Millbrae one afternoon, a couple of my friends (Randy G and Hilary Q, please stand and take a bow.) suggested Broadway Bistro. I immediately consulted with Yelp and pointed out to my friends the trend of more bad reviews lately. So with their best poker faces they both sat there and Randy told me, "When they're busy the service is crap, but you will love their food." Hilary added, "Their food is so under-rated!" I had no reason to doubt either of them since they've often steered me towards good eats along the Peninsula in the past.
I went there on a weeknight. It was slow at work so I took off early and made plans to meet some friends later that night in Millbrae. I figured I'd grab some dinner first since we were only planning to go catch a movie somewhere. The restaurant was pretty quiet. I recall it was shortly after 5:00 PM. I was greeted by a very friendly gentleman who walked me over to one of the booths along the wall. It was my understanding that many of the foods here are served Hong Kong style, but since I've never been to Hong Kong I was basically looking for foods that sounded somewhat familiar. The menu was not very helpful as it gave no descriptions of any of the food selections so I blindly selected the Beef Satay Chow Fun and a Hong Kong style drink, the Iced Grapefruit with Honey.
The drink wasn't what I had imagined. The Iced Grapefruit with Honey (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) was basically a Chinese style lemonade. I had to keep stirring the drink with my straw to bring the bitter pieces of citrus up and to keep the drink icy cold. That is until a seed got stuck in the middle of the straw rendering it useless. The simple syrup used did not resemble honey at all, but the drink was cold and refreshing.
Friends who know me well know that I despise gravy laden chow funs so imagine the look on my face when I got the Beef Satay Chow Fun (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) all drowned in brown gravy. Why in hell it is described as beef satay boggles my mind because nothing in that dish resembled beef satay. The beef was tenderized ( I hate slimy tenderized beef!), but it was still ultra chewy. Visible in the thick goopy sauce were red and green bell peppers, white onion and a surprise ingredient, canned pineapple all cooked up in a sauce that wreaked of pepper. I picked through it and oddly enough acquired a taste for the dish.
That is until I noticed a speck of gray matter on the top of one of the pieces of rice noodle. I stared at it closely. It looked like a miniature rolled up grain of paste. I won't go anymore into detail because you've probably come to the same conclusion as I did. Needless to say I suddenly lost my appetite.
I was willing to let the bad experience go until Hilary apologized recently for purposely telling me a lie and admitting to me that the food she sampled there was only mediocre. I really wanted to hit her, but I love my friends and Randy was nowhere in sight for me to go after and punch out.
Too bad for what I found on my noodle too. The restaurant had friendly service and huge, clean restrooms of which I luckily didn't choose to use to induce vomiting. Never again, Broadway Bistro!!Listed in: My Asian Noodle Fix, Picky Chinese Eater, It Sucks To Be You!
-
Review from Ramon E.
Berkeley, CA
Updated - 3/20/2010
Sigh. I don't know why, but this place has really gone downhill. We've been here 3 times in the past 2 weeks, and it just keeps getting worse and worse. The service is surly and bad--they have trouble with orders even when it's not very busy. Today, for example, this waiter was walking from table to table with a dish asking everyone, "Were you the ones who ordered the beef chow fun?"
The chicken porridge made my husband sick. Also, the fried wontons were tiny--only 5 of them on a bed of wilted cabbage for $5.95. So not worth it.
The baby oyster porridge and youtiao are pretty good, but they alone are not reason enough to keep coming here.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
2/15/2009
Authentic HK-style breakfast sets and such, which is fine but means basically no vegan options.… Read more »
-
-
Review from Eric Y.
Updated - 3/30/2010
complete TRASH. JUNK. HORRIBLE restaurant. I will stand behind all the words that i say about this place.
if i cantonese cafe can screw up a basic plate of Scramble Eggs w/ Beef over rice, they deserve to close down. there was like half a cup of salt in my dinner entree that it was barely edible. it was salty and just pure nasty.
also ordered a Satay Beef Noodle that was price @ special $7.50. The order came and it looked like curry beef. upon first taste, it was a mixture of Curry + Satay. what the hell is that? i've never tasted satay that had 2 taste. It was yellow and brown at the same time. somebody please explain what the chef was thinking.
oh btw, price on the check was $9. we confronted the FAMOUS Ugly faced lady and she looked even uglier than before. the smirk on the face gave me the impression of "oh damn, they found out i over charged them." I felt like they try to cheat me on the price.
kiss my ass and i hope your restaurant close2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
9/24/2008
i accidentally found out a secret.
this restaurant is the local restaurant that prepares food for… Read more »
-
-
Review from Jowin C.
7/31/2010
4-stars solely for their beef and won-ton noodle soup! Their noodles are impeccable--it's, wait, not soggy?
Totally random, but they have roti here as appetizer. I haven't tried it but it did look delicious. For $6.00, it looked like a generous piece of roti but I think it's a little overpriced.
They have specials Monday to Friday, but too bad I can't read Chinese. The menu didn't have descriptions in English either, so you have to base everything off your imagination. -
Review from Daniel L.
12/16/2009 8 photos
Can the ideal ever be the real deal? I love Hong Kong cafes, but maybe because I've bought into the theoretical underpinnings of these concepts that I might be aiming too high. Prior to coming here I was informed that this place was the antithesis of other dingy cafes with an upscale dining arrangement through its spacious ambiance, clean décor, and culinary delight. The crowded atmosphere certainly painted such illusions with families and youngsters bursting everywhere. Intrigued, hopeful, yet skeptical, fellow Yelper David N and I decided to stop by for dinner, and we ordered a few dishes to try:
Honey baked chicken wings ($6.00): This eight piece chicken wings were juicy but desperately needed salt or some other savory seasonings. The taste and value were lacking when compared to the twelve piece finger licking wings at Capital Restaurant.
XO beef with braised noodles ($7.50): Lo mein texture was perfect, but the heavy xo sauce was overwhelming with overbearing green onions outnumbering the amount of beef that was there. The soup that came on the side was way too salty. There was no love or care invested in the making of this dish.
House special fried sweet rice ($7.50): This was one dish that I got really excited about because not too many restaurants serve fried sticky rice. The concept calls for sticky rice stir fried with loads of shitake, tiny dry shrimps, and robust bbq pork. It's a dish that my grandma used to make during the holiday season. For a dish this rare, I thought it was okay but too greasy for comfort.
Even though their food was less than desirable, they sure know how to make their desserts. Too bad they no longer carry this item, but my bowl of hot sesame paste ($4) was thick, smooth and creamy with loads of toasted sesame flavor. They helped me to add a truck load of boba to this dessert and it was the ideal one-two punch with a sweet jab that almost knocked my palates silly. It was bell ringing delicious. David had their watermelon boba and said it was top notch was well.
To me, this place is more appropriate for dessert than it is for fine dining. Service was inattentive and no better or worse than other HK cafes I've been to. 2.5 stars for the overall experience. Since there are so many good looking restaurants nearby, I don't think I'll be coming back.Listed in: Sweets, Treats & Eats, Asian Noodles, Chew on Chinese, Bobalicious, Sticky Rice
-
Review from Ken K.
Updated - 6/29/2008
Nothing much has changed with regards to some things that are rather mediocre or average in house, but today I stumbled upon a nice lil' discovery of one item that warrants a four star award.
It may not fill you up, so consider it an appetizer, or a fill-in for other items. Runs around $6 + tax for a bowl, and while it looks big, it will probably make you hungry for other things.
SIU NGAP TONG HOR FUN
(sometimes shortened to SIU NGAP HOR)
\~~~~Quacktastic pieces of muscular Roast Duck &~~~~~/
\ ~~~ succulent toothsome ho fun noodles that was~~~ /
\~~~cut into thinner strips than most places and this~~ /
\~~ made it easier to soak in the broth and juices~~~ /
\~~including the roast duck juice and gravy that sunk/
\~into the base ho fun soup broth, giving you a mix~/
\~of savory, soy sauce, roasty toasty, quacklicious /
\on top of the meat bone, dried fish base broth~~/
\~ and why the F**K did Broadway Bistro give~~/
\~me this large piece of Iceberg Lettuce??!?!~/
\ Damn cheap mofo's! Do they know that pet /
\owners don't feed iceberg to guinea pigs /
\because it gives them gas?! Throw me /
\some nicer greens will ya? Doh........... /
\ This is some good shit otherwise! /
------------------------------------------------
AKA, roast duck with ho run rice noodles (flat cut sheets) in soup.
Oh yeah you shouldn't use your hands.
There are utensils next to the bowl for that.
=============
=============
\ \
\ \
\ \
\ ---------
\______|
One ironic suggestion.... instead of iceberg lettuce, BB could throw in a few strands of A-choy (A tsai or A-cai in mandarin). It's a fairly tasty crispy light long green veg. The reason for the irony? A-choy used to be plentiful and nobody ate it long time ago (farmers used it to feed.....DUCKS). But now people know better, as this shizzle is actually quite tasty and a fun favorite at Taiwanese restaurants.
And the rumor mill is that "A" in the Taiwanese dialect referred to the webbed foot quacksters too....1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/25/2007
Still a very inconsistent place that hovers around the 2.5 star mark, but I'd like to note that… Read more »
-
-
Review from Wei H.
San Mateo, CA
5/30/2008
Wow, I been living in San Mateo for quite some time now and I have just newly uncovered this authentic Hong Kong style quick eat in Millbrae! Much like Sunny Shanghai, the food here precedes its insipid out look and decor, and I am once again, impressed by the insider's insight of my friends from Shanghai. They are the same group of friends who taught me what to order in most Shanghai cuisine.
I like to think of these Hong Kong style food is like fast food (or comfort food by Randy) to Chinese. Everything here is tasty, huge portion, and served fast. Best of all, the place is open until late. The quality of food here is definitely on the same level with the enormously popular Garden Cafe chain from Los Angeles. Like Randy F has pointed out, L.A. and Vancouver are both the mecca of Chinese cuisine, so this place is really as good as it gets in bay area.
I recommend skipping the usual wanton noodle fare here and stick with the more "Western" style entrees. Like Sizzling noodles with seafood, Pork Chop or Chicken over rice, and my all time favorite, Minced Beef over rice with a raw egg. Ahh.. I am so hungry now! Everything I've tried here consistently tastes scrumptious, I haven't been let down, or msg poisoned even once... yet..
Pure bliss, such is Broadway Bistro. 4 star food, extra star for its handy location!! -
Review from Kuankii N.
Foster City, CA
1/13/2011
I have been coming here on a regular basis since they first opened. No matter how many new Hong Kong cafes opened around the peninsula I still come back here regularly. Also even though their prices is slightly higher than their competitors I still go to them because I feel that couple of their waiters always have good service. The also have a huge parking lot at the back which makes it convenient.
However recently I notice that food quality has dropped significantly. I like to order their Rice noodle stir fried with duck or their Bake Pork chop over rice but recently it does not taste as good as before. The noodle was lack of taste and also lack of meat and mostly noodle. The Bake pork chop over rice was way too salty. Their milk tea is either too sweet or I dont taste the tea in it anymore.
I will still come here once in a while however I will rotate between other Hong Kong cafes around the area. -
Review from Jennifer C.
Millbrae, CA
4/7/2009
This place has a good variety of chinese food for a decent price. It has a nice clean, open area with a separate section in the back for parties or just extra room. They have a range of drinks- varying from boba, to teas, to fruit drinks. Must get: the hot or cold lemon honey water. VERY GOOD.
The food is good and the portion, I believe, is just right. That is very subjective. My family and I come here often and we order some of the same things each time.
Some dishes I've tried: 1) the pan friend bread with curry sauce: this dish is really popular here and is quite good 2) all the noodle dishes are pretty legit 3) the jooks aka porridges are not bad 4) baked porkchop over spaghetti is pretty good
Our usuals: 1) homemade dumplings with noodles: they give you 5 dumplings if you order without noodles and 4 if you get noodles. the dumplings are good, however, due to economy the size shrank =(
2) sweet and sour beef noodles: i really like this because it's sweet and sour. they give you a good amount of beef, including onions/real tomatoes/bell peppers 3) chinese broccoli with some fish sauce/onions: DELICIOUS 4) my mom really likes the chicken with rice/soup dish (don't know how to spell in english) and they give you a good amount of chicken and you can pick either white or dark meat
Lots of variety so you can try something different each time. my parents are friends with one of the workers, so if you want to go here, i'll give you his name as well as my parents names and maybe you can be HOOKED UP with a drink or something =) -
Review from Carina N.
San Francisco, CA
8/11/2009 1 Check-in Here
Yuk, yuk, yuk!! Nasty and pricey. Stay away from it and go to Cafe Salina instead. I've given this place too many chance, and always end up disappointed.
a $30 dinner include: $18.5 set dinner = Black bean sauce spare ribs in clay pot rice, garlic broccoli, 2 soups, and 2 ice-cream scoops for dessert. Watermelon juice is another $3.5
The clay pot rice is SO fake. They dumped the already cooked rice into the pot and served it with the poorly marinated (and overly salty) cheap meat on top. YUK! The garlic broccoli is also way salty. Then they told us the dessert that was included in this set dinner is an ice-cream scoop. I took a bite and that was it. They gave us the cheapest chocolate ice-cream you can find. Gross.
$5.5 for a freaking instant noodle with spam, and an extra $1 for a fried egg? HUH?! You've gotta be kidding me. Broadway Bistro is the antithesis of the real HK style cuisine. No way.
