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Categories: Thai, Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: East OaklandMon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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We were silently cursing the choice of the restaurant whilst getting stuck in a typical-Saturday-night horrendous traffic in 80E / 101N junction. Why would she - a friend - choose this place for her going-away dinner and have everybody drive from the other side of the bay?
The traffic situation was so dire that we briefly considered catching a BART to Oakland and then realized it would take us more than an hour to get there using a combination of bus / BART / bus. The curse then got shifted to the pathetic state of Bay Area public transit facility (we were peeved and whenever we are peeved, ANYTHING goes).
Anyway. We got out of the parking lot that is the 80E/101N junction, took the local street and re-joined 80E as far north as we could and from there it was smooth sailing (relatively speaking). 15 minutes later, we arrived at Champa Garden, this little local joint in a residential area of Oakland (at this point we understand why it would've taken us an hour using public transport).
But all the pain and suffering that we went through crossing the disastrous Bay Bridge (with the infamous S-curve) didn't matter. What mattered was the huge platter of "Champa Sampler" (fried spring rolls, fresh rice noodles and sausages), noodle soup in semi-thick and tasty chicken broth (kaow paik) and pad si ew (which bears very little resemblance to the Thai version, by the way).
Then out came the delicious red beef curry and the accompaniment that was even better than steamed white jasmine rice itself: sticky rice served in soft bamboo-woven containers. Last time I had Laotian food where they served sticky rice was in a little Laotian restaurant situated in the crime and drug capital of Sydney, during my previous life. So it has been a while - and I realized I missed it.
Takeaway for the night: note to self to look up Laotian food closer to home.
(Warning: I took this straight out of my blog, so it's a bit wordy =P)
Champa Garden is a living example of how Yelp! has helped small businesses grow. Living just a few blocks away from this gem, I have seen restaurant after restaurant fail at this location. When Champa first opened, I simply wondered how long it would be before it became a donut shop again. So, imagine my surprise when I hear all the buzz about Champa on Yelp! Still, despite the positive feedback, my skepticism kept me at bay. It actually took me another year before I finally decided to give the place a try. Trust me, its predecessors did give me more than enough reasons to stay away.
To be honest, it took a Restaurant[dot]com coupon to give me that final push to go, and I'm so glad that it did. I purchased a $25 gift certificate for only $2 - tip: look out for sales at the end of the month, just Google "restaurant,com coupon codes". The restriction for this coupon is that you have to go during dinner and have to have a minimum of $35, including alcohol. A 18% tip will also be added to your check.
As I walked into the restaurant, the overall environment definitely exceeded my expectations. While the restaurant had no more than 15 tables, its was decor was simple yet perfect for the space. Dim lights helped set the mood: first-date material or perfect to unwind after a long day. Now, on to the good part: the food! My overall impression of Champa is that while everything on the menu was a hit or miss for me, the few stars of the menu will keep you coming back for more.
Champa Sampler (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
This was definitely the highlight of the entire meal as the highly recommended "Fried Rice Ball Salad" stole the show. This sampler also included Laos Sausages, Fried Spring Rolls, Vermicelli Noodles served with a side of red lettuce, mint, cilantro and a garlicy sweet fish sauce. The addition of the lettuce made this whole appetizer quite refreshing and surprisingly filling. The Fried Rice Ball Salad, despite the name, is not actually balls, but contains crispy fried rice and pork. The Laos Sausage had a unique lemongrass flavor, unlike any other sausage I've tried before. My friend thought it was a tad on the spicy side though, I believe it's due to the massive amount of white pepper that is added into the mix. The Fried Spring Rolls were actually wrapped in rice paper, which made it more distinct than the usual egg roll. This sampler is a MUST.
Shrimp Spring Rolls (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Typical Spring Rolls you would find at any Vietnamese restaurant, except served with the same garlicy sweet fish sauce from the sampler. If you love fresh spring rolls, then this is perfectly made. For me, it was nothing spectacular and I wouldn't order it again.
Champa's Fried Rice (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
As a self proclaimed Tom Yum lover, this fried rice really left me hanging. Described on the menu as "Shrimp fried rice cooked in tom yum sauce and onions," I was really hoping that this dish would provide more of the lemongrass flavor that I was hoping to find. Instead, this dish was a bit on the bland side, but it did come with a good amount of large shrimp. I don't think I would order this dish again as well.
Mango Sticky Rice (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Like any good Thai restaurant, Champa served Mango Sticky Rice as a dessert. Unfortunately, their sugar glaze was quite overpowering and as you can see, didn't make the dessert too visually appealing. Pass.
Fried Banana with Coconut Ice Cream (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
After a few disappointed dishes, Champa ended things with a bang with this dessert. You can't tell from the photo, but there was actually a generous amount of fried bananas that came with the dish. The dessert was so delicious, that my friend and I actually devoured most it before I stopped to realize that I didn't even take a picture yet. The bananas were lightly fried, to a crispy perfection and the coconut ice cream was a perfect complement. This is definitely another MUST for me.
As I drive by Champa pretty much every day, I see that the restaurant is always busy, so be prepared to wait for a few minutes. It is also in a "ghetto" Oakland residential area, so don't expect to take a stroll around the area after dinner. On the other hand, rest assured, I have not heard of any incidents occurring in the vicinity of the restaurant.
If you're ever in the area, I would definitely say come give Champa Garden a try, and please order the Sampler and Fried Banana dessert. You can thank me later.
ONE IMPORTANT NOTE: Door to this place - You PULL to get out. Isn't that against some fire safety codes in case of an emergency that people need to PUSH to exit? Hope the owner look into fixing that!
I have to say food in this place looks better than taste. My friend read up about this place on Yelp before she decides to have her birthday dinner here... I wasn't too impressed afterward, so I'm a little surprise why this place deserves 4 stars average on Yelp. Maybe it's because the price for the dishes.
Food was alright, nothing too impressive compares to other Thai food places I've been too. Here are the dishes we had and my two cents on them...
#12 Lao Sausages - Saigock ($5.95) - Made with pork, lemongrass, herbs, and peppers. Decent price; pretty tasty. This was my husband's favorite out of all the dishes we had.
#16 Papaya Salad ($5.95) - This dish come either Thai or Laos Style, and we chose Thai. Thai style comes with mixed papaya salad with lime juice, garlic, dried shrimp, chili pepper, long bean, and tomato with peanuts. I personally don't think this dish make much sense. I guess I'm not use to seeing my salad sits on top of a bowl of spicy broth. I'm use to seeing salad with less wet dressing, hehe... The broth got a nice kick to it, but other than the spicy kick to it, not much taste otherwise.
#14 Champa Sampler ($9.95) - Lao Sausages, fried rice ball salad, and fried spring rolls. This is probably my favorite out of all the dishes we tried. It has the sausages and the fried rice ball is nice. It has a chewy texture to it, which I like.
#33 Tom Yum ($5.95 M, $7.95 L) - Thai's hot and sour soup. Good as always.
#36 Pad Thai w/ Chicken ($5.95) - Pan fried pad Thai noodles with bean sprouts, eggs, and peanuts. This dish does not look right. The noodles were too orange, and the noodles were too dry and chewy. Not the same as all the pad Thai I've tasted elsewhere. I was disappointed.
#48 Pad Nho Mai w/ Beef ($6.45) - Pan fried bamboo dish with onions, kaffir leaves, and bell pepper. I didn't like it at all. Chinese stir-fried is a much better choice.
#56 Red Sea Salmon ($9.95) - Grilled salmon topped with a mild kaffir curry sauce and coconut. Sloppy presentation. The fish was very moist and my friends like it, but it was just alright with me. "Grilled" salmon, I expected just little bit of the curry on top, but we got two pieces of fish soaked in a pool of curry.
* Veggie Duck Curry - It was one of the special for the day. This dish should be called "Vegetarian Duck Curry", because we expected curry duck with vegetables, and we got fake duck meat with some veggies.
* Deep Fried Tilapia - It was one of the special for the day also. Honestly, why deep fried a thick fish? I don't see any logic in this. By the time the inside gets cooked, the outter layer of meat is over cooked. Also, the meat in the middle was cooked but no taste because it was not seasoned before frying. It came with a spicy broth for dipping, but what do you get out of it if you can't eat spicy?
I might come back to this place again if my friends want to. Price was good for Thai food, but taste was not...
Who would have guessed this hole in the wall can create such a stir in the neighborhood?? I watched this location go from Chinese restaurant to Chinese restaurant to Chinese restaurant to Champa Garden. Truly amazing how word of mouth can bring so many people to a quiet ghetto residential area.
Food:
Food is definitely good especially considering you're in an area where there is no other restaurants around (half mile radius). I can't say it's the best I've had though. The menu is decent sized but they have way too many curries. It's pretty weird to order multiple curries because they taste different yet of the same element. I drool to order the appetizers! The angel wings are delicious though I think I can improve it. Will consider dropping by once a month to just drink beer and order fried food MmmMmm.
Service:
Bunch of young teens serving. Reminds me of me when I was young growing up in a restaurant, but its strange to see this in such a successful restaurant. Having said that the service is lacking a bit, but give them props for working so hard.
IE: When I ask for a recommendation I don't expect a puzzled look in the waitress.
Environment:
Great place for a first date. Nice friendly neighborhood restaurant.
I love the diversity. You have young asian kids in one corner, old white couple on the other corner, a few black guys in a mid table, a white guy with asian girl (overheard conversation met on http://match.com), and a mexican family of 4 in the opposite end. I see that at least 50% of the people in here come by foot.
Price:
It's decently priced. You can go on http://restaurant.com to get a gift card for this place if you're feeling cheap.
Food: 2
Service: 3
Environment: 4
Price: 2
So yummy. My friend and I came here one evening when we were tired and needed something wonderful and warm to eat. I live 4 blocks away and I remembered that I'd seen Yelp reviews of this place so we went.
We had Tom Kha Gai soup (which was a little on the sweet side but still quite tasty) to share, and she had eggplants with duck (so good!) and I had Mus Sa Mun curry with beef. Very salty but very very tasty. I don't eat out much but if I did, I would go here all the time.
I'd heard so much praise about this little Laotian hole-in-the-wall and its magical fried rice ball appetizer, we reserved Sunday night for the pilgrimage and bounded in ready to take on something by the teeth.
Champa appeared out of nowhere in the midst of a residential area; the only surrounding business, a convenience store well-stocked with Pall Malls and lotto tickets across the street. Needless to say, it didn't look like much from the outside. Indoors, a mini-tiki bar greeted us, warm colors splashed the walls, and in every available space, people hovered with anticipation.
We joined the hungry mob, and were pleased to find ourselves seated, $2 Beerlao in hand, ten minutes later. Aforementioned appetizer made its appearance piled high with freshly-rinsed lettuce, mint and cilantro. We opted for the chicken instead of pork, the soft ground meat complementing the satisfying crispiness of the rice and peanuts, topped with fried chilis adding a nice kick. Things were looking good.
It was a tough act to follow. The catfish with eggplant, basil and peppers had a distinctly herby taste, though the fish was deep-fried and coated in a harsh packaged seasoning. Our last dish, the pumpkin red curry with shrimp was thick and strangely orangey. It had little aroma and the squash was overly firm. I didn't expect many crustaceans, but these shrimps were curled and small.
When you're shelling out $5.95 for a plate of noodles and when nothing's priced more than $10.95, it's understandable that some quality's going to be sacrificed. But combine that with lackluster high school service... let's just say the two buck beer, no matter how good a dark lager, won't get me back in the door.
Stopped by here tonight on the way home from a hike at Joaquin Miller (another Yelp find, thank you!). We came a little early, and it was a smart move--this place was crowded! There was a huge birthday party going on, and by the time we left, the line was out the door.
We ordered the avocado fresh rolls (in the special menu section) to start. My first bite was soso--but I think that's because I needed to work my way down to the avocado. But, once I found it--AMAZING! For dinner we ordered two different curries. Both were flavorful and delicious.
The best part about this place--besides the tasty food--is the price. Both curries were $7!!!!
I've never had Laotian food before, but if this is what Laotian food taste like, I need to get my butt to Laos...or hmm, maybe start by finding more Laotian restaurants...
Anyway, we got here before 7pm. Make sure you get here before 7pm people!!! It gets pack around/ after 7pm. (I'm not sure if they take reservation). Since it's a family restaurant, the servers are all family, I assume kids of the owners (teenagers) and there are only a few of them and so service can be slow when the restaurant is crowded.
We ordered the Champa sampler, the duck curry, Lao's vermicelli (substitute with silver noodles) and we each had the thai ice tea. The thai ice tea was too sweet for my liking- I had to add water to balance the sweetness. The Champa sampler is my ABSOLUTE favorite!!! It's the bomb. Hecka delicious!! I didn't touch the noodle that came with it, but I liked the sausage, the fried rice ball salad (don't mistake this as a meat ball), and the veggie rolls. You can put the salad in the lettuce and add the sausage and the sauce that comes with it. Wrap it. Eat it. SO GOOD. Or...you can eat them all separately.
I wasn't a huge fan of the duck curry. The sauce was too thick and kind of on the sweet side. My friend said the duck is usually cut into little pieces (ours still had bones and was therefore hard to eat) Maybe cuz they were busy. The vermicelli noodle were tasty but kinda oily. The broth reminds me of Laksa (Singaporean noodle).
All in all, I really enjoyed my meal at Champa Garden. Very tasty, generous portion, and reasonably priced (cheaper than most Thai restaurants). I will definitely come back to try their other dishes & get more Champa sampler! Also, this place is in a residential neighborhood...don't miss it.
Champa busted it out for us tonite. Everything was prompt and delicious. I'm so impressed and thus, a change is totally in order. Thanks Champa Gardens!
Slow and RUDE! Ruddy rude rude! They took 40 minutes to get us our appetizer! And the people seated… Read more »
champa garden is a converted house amidst a sea of residential housing.. a fleeting glance revealed a cozy, tight, intimate environment fof eating in. iinterior nicely furnised .
sampling:(take out)
-pad thai with chicken (6.95) strips of fried tofu with chucks of white chicken meat and raw bean sprouts, this dish was very sweet tasting.
-tom yum soup (7.95) with chicken lots of mushrooms in this slightly sour soup .
-ma so mun curry(6.95) with chewy beef, jerkylike. beef tuff and hard to chew. came with lots of large chucks of potatoes cubes and large carrot slices. (big carrots-juices, cheaper). sauce was very sweet..
takeouts:
-fresh ingredients used, only beef objectionable.(new chewable)
-some vegetables cut too large..
-flavors too sweet. unsure if this a lao or americanized version.
-street parking.
-seafood options sonewhat pricier.
-a probable return.
-friendly, competent service by teenagers.
Red Chili in Hayward is muuuch better.
Will NOT return.
Got the rice balls as suggested by other reviewers--just to clarify, its a rice lettuce wrap, not rice ball. The PadSeeEew turned out to be rice noodles drowned in oyster sauce--gross--I coulda made that; beef that was in it was overcooked by hours. Thai fried rice was bland and boring; chicken in it was overcooked. Tomyum soup was watery, not spicy enough, not sour enough. Only decent thing is the Panang curry (ooo and the steamed rice was decent too). Most dishes $6-$8.
All in all, not authentic enough for asians...then realized that we were the only asians at the restaurant...oops
I'm very hesitant to yelp this place because I hate to see this place even more crowded. Champa's is awesome! Never knew Laos cuisine can be that good! Their silver soup noodle was so tasty and garlicky. Their Lao's sausage sanitizer was also outstanding. There prices are also surprisingly low for the quality of the food. Great experience! Just get there early to avoid the long wait.
Had the sampler and curry coconut soup - was OK, but I think I need to go with a million people and try a bunch of different things. I feel like their dishes were under represented with just 2 of us eating. The rice stuff was great, liek everyone says, but is more of an appetizer thing. Ill go afain with my south east asian food loving posse and re-do this.
long stressful day at work coupled with some traffic over the bridge made for a big pick me up. i met up with michelle l. at about 740p and waited for about 10 minutes before a table of two freed up. the restaurant was quite busy on a thursday night.
michelle l. had a restaurant coupon which required a minimum of $35 to be used. FIELD DAY! we both were pretty set on the sampler, as we were both had it before and fell in love with it. as for the rest of our selections:
spring rolls: almost like the traditional vietnamese style spring rolls, but with a slightly diff sauce. it's the same sauce as the one in the sampler. it was pretty average--lettuce, vermicelli, and shrimp (rec'd by our waitress). the wrap and noodles were fresh, which was a plus.
tom yum fried rice (?): a bit on the bland side, but there was a large helping of it for $7. large chunks of shrimp, tomato and cucumber. of course, i avoid all that stuff, so i thought the dish was mediocre.
mango sticky rice dessert: not a fan of mango, but michelle l. thought it was good!
deep fried banana with coconut ice cream: SO. ----. GOOD. i dont normally get desserts, but i may start now at champa. the dish came out with about 10 peices of deep fried banana--all crispy on the outside and warm on the inside. each piece was glazed with some sugar. in the middle was a bowl with three scoops of coconut flavored ice cream. the coconut flavor was very much present in the first few bites, but after a few more, it becomes more faint and tasted more like vanilla ice cream, which i have no problems with.
it was too bad we were already so full from the sampler, with a take out box full of fried rice left and half of the mango sticky rice to finish the last piece of banana and scoop of ice cream. i will be back for you, and the sampler.
The restaurant sits in the backyard of my neighborhood, but being the lone restaurant in the area,… Read more »
Yes! This is one of the gems of my hood- and I do mean hood, cause the area is pretty, Uh, Oakland? In the ways people sometimes don't like; for example the HUGE sign on the Liquor store across the street warning people not to loiter. OK, I think we get it! But just for emphasis while we were standing outside we got to watch a cop pull over and 'have a chat' with a young teen driver. Sigh.
Besides being in an out of the way spot which lends itself to feeling more authentic and sorta home-y, it's family run and very casual. One of the teenage girl servers broke a glass on the floor right as I was being seated and she took about 12 seconds to realize what had happened, it was kind of funny and cute.
Packed for a weeknight around 8:30, (they close at 9) we were seated next to an older Chinese couple who had the sampler, so we decided to copy them- it had Lao Sausage which I've been hearing a lot about lately (!), sticky rice, and these other delicious roll thingy's. A superior 'ethnic sampler'. Also if you order food 'hot' here, they do not mess around, even the medium spicy was on the too spicy side for my white ass!
I would say that rather than classifying this restaurant as 'Thai and Asian Fusion', it should be Thai/Lao. Or maybe Lao/Thai? Because the house beer, a light and dark version, IS Beer Lao, so doesn't that tell you something about their emphasis?
I've enjoyed the little Quail they have, one of the curries, and the papaya salad. Needless to say, I am a repeat customer and really love this place. Y-U-M spells Yum!!
Why I have never written a review for Champa is beyond me, considering I've been here numerous times and the food has always been consistently good.
Two dishes here that are not to be missed are:
- Fried Rice Ball Salad - refreshingly light yet satisfying, the mixture is eaten w/ lettuce, cilantro and mint if desired.
- Lao's Vermicelli (either w/ chicken or fish) try substituting it with glass noodles instead of the vermicelli - the broth is ridiculously flavorful made w/ lemongrass, leek, and coconut.
Generous portions, amazingly affordable, full of flavors, a true gem in the residential part of East Oakland! Only down side is service may be slow at times, and it gets *real* busy during dinner time so I wouldn't recommend bringing a party of 8 or more to this place unless you're prepared to wait. :)
ive been here for a long time. but as champa garden gets more business they start to lack on flavor and service i mean sometimes i order togo and they give me so much additude like hello can you give better customer service and wen i do eat there i swear they always get my order wrong they arent attentive to anyone. thats why there isnt much business there because they suck on customer service the last time i went there i order ka piet however you spell it and that shit was cold how do you serve food like that i juss paid the bill and left and never came back now i go to vientian cafe much better
Champa Garden has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants, I have lunch here almost every week!!! I have a special place in my heart for family run businesses and they have put together a wonderful menu!
Once I find something I love it's rrrrrrreeeeeeallly hard to try something else so I love love love love and always start with the fried rice balls salad. I took some left overs once to my dad and the next day he called me "where did you get this rice from? I dont know what I'm eating but it is really good!" The crunchy-ness of the rice and flavors of the meat mixed with the fresh-ness of the of lettuce, mint, and cilantro can't be topped!
For dinner I usually stick to another fave which is Pad Thai with chicken (I know so original) but I hear the soups always hit the spot!
I'm tempted to give this place 4 stars since their overall is 4 stars but I only like 1 dish the most out of 4 dishes that we got...so 3 stars indeed. I didn't get the chance to read the review so I automatically thought this was a fancy restaurant. I was surprised when we got there because it looks just like a house in the neighborhood...! It's not that fancy in the inside but overall good decoration. Their restroom is not that clean but ehh. Their service was just okie, not that friendly.
The first dish came out and that was the sampler. When I heard of "sampler" I thought there would be couple things on it but it's just a dish with vermicelli, sausages, and special peanuts? I think we all like this dish the most! It was very tasty esp with the sauce. I think it would've been easier if they gave us wrapping papers because it was so hard wrapping it with lettuce.
The second dish was Chicken Thai...Lorf or something along that line. I don't like that dish at all! It's another dish where you have to wrap it up with lettuce also. The shredded chicken taste so salty...and spicy. Third dish that we got was Pineapple Shrimps Clay Pot. It's a curry dish so make sure to ask rice on the side. I thought it was okie, nothing to die for. Our last dish was the pad sew-ew...It was just decent, can't be compared to the one in SOCAL.
I like this place!
I work nearby and have eaten here quite a few times. Their food has always been delicious and consistent. My 4-year-old son, who is a die hard fan of another place nearby, also loves their rice noodle in chicken broth.
A couple of times when I called before leaving work for lunch, they would accommodate and get my food ready (for eat-in) so I don't have to rush so much, they don't even know me! That is a very nice gesture.
Great food, reasonable prices, good service. I highly recommend this place.
When my friend told me about this place serving Laotian food, I was excited to return back to my roots. Whenever I have such dishes, it's during family reunions and big events and hearing my sister's loud mouth ramble.
When we arrived the restaurant was full, the line was long. But we only waited 8 minutes till we got seated. When we sat down, I noticed the earthy wall paint, and traditional painting of Laos, and simple decor. Plus they a great variety of table sauces which I love.
We ordered so much food, but it didn't stop me from eating everything off my plate and my husbands'. Let me tell you what I miss about eating the Lao Papaya Salad. When I lived in Stockton, after school my sister and I, used to go to a neighborhood park and buy from a Lao woman who grew in popularity making this dish. If you never had Lao papaya salad, it is definitely a more intense sauce and smell, but it's good every once in a while.
You should also try the Lao sampler plate, which includes the Lao sausage and egg rolls. If you go to Thai and Vietnamese restaurants often, try to order more of the Laotian dishes. It will be an enlightening experience for you.
Ya know, I would've given this place 5 stars before all the glamour and fame blasted upon them from the publish of a simple newspaper. When they first started out, I was BLOWN AWAY. The place looked horrid, crappy paint job, old chairs, wooden shaky table, etc, but past the physical appearance, the food was delicious!
Since their article on East Bay Express, they hit the booming business and reality of a "excellent restaurant" and took it to another level. Remodeled with a small "tiki" bar, glass topped tables, dim lighting and a new paint job, they were ready to handle the crowd that waited in the crevices of Oakland. BUT, they've been exploited to a point where they can no longer keep the same quality of their food, and i've been sadly, sadly, disappointed. I've given them several chances, hoping that it was just so busy that the hands of the cooks who used to prepare these foods with time and no pressure, were not sweating with exhaustion and scurrying for the last piece of basil. Yet, it seems it continues to go downhill.
I ordered:
Eggplant, Spicy catfish, Tom Yum Goong, Egg Rolls, Green Curry, Massuman, Panang, Seafood Talay, and Pad Khee Mao, Pad Thai, Pad See Ew..
The noodles had the same consistancy, but over looking another table, the Pad Thai just looked way too "instant", straight out of the package... but I didn't order it tonight, so I can't say it wasn't good.
The green curry was so paste-y that if you mixed it, it was close to the texture of clay, before you start to knead it solid. I swear, it was not close to a liquid form. Although, it still tasted like green curry. [The texture was close to a Wasabi texture]
The Tom Yum Goong soup was horrible! I barely tasted anything sour or hot, rather salty & alot of chicken broth with mushrooms and shrimp. Extremely disappointing! [ Since I was craving this]
Service: What do you expect?
Well, I just hope this places manages to go back to it's original flavor and taste even with the booming business of customers. I'm glad this restaurant has managed to fight it's way onto the mainstream because prior to Champa Garden was another Thai / Laos restaurant that closed down. (Before that = donut shop) Sadly, I might just have to cross this off my list..
One thing has managed to stay the same;
Sticky rice, all appetizers, & dessert.
I'd say if you want to resort back to the orignal Thai / Lao's food in the typical Bay Area "style" [ huge portion, little $, okay decor] try Chai Thai Noodles.
Ok, so my neighbor has taken at least 45 other friends or out of town guests to Champa since I lived here, but never me. So today my mother and I went to pick up some takeout.
The cafe is small, clean, and the food is amazing.
We had our big order in about 15 minutes.
Salmon with green curry, mango, broccoli, baby corn and noodles, Chicken green curry with carrots, Satays, Spring Rolls. Everything was delicious.
My mother, who is usually limited in her adventures regarding food, had an enjoyable meal and said "I will go there any time".
Now that's praise from an 88 1/2 year old meat and potatoes girl!!
Go Mom!
All hype hype hype hype.
I was so excited to go here, but each step of the way, I was only more and more disappointed. The place wasn't so hard for us to find, it stuck out like a sore thumb in the residential area. My first impression was that the exterior and interior really contrasted. You'll see what I mean when you go there XD.
We ordered the appetizer sampler upon Yelp's suggestion. I was upset because upon taking my first bite of the fried rice ball salad, I went, "Oh shiz, there's peanuts in here." NOWHERE on the menu did it warn me that there were peanuts/peanut oil used in this dish! I'm allergic, and thankfully all that one bite did was irritate my throat and lips for 20 minutes.
Was I bitter? Yeah, but I decided that it was mostly my fault for not checking with the waitress (who was very sullen and quiet btw), so I just enjoyed the Lao sausages (really crispy casing!) and fried spring rolls.
We had another server, who was much more polite, but also on the quiet side. When he refilled my water, HE thanked ME. That's pretty cool.
I also had pad see ew, and I do have to admit, in terms of price, it's the cheapest, but nowhere near the best.
After finishing my plate, I went to the bathroom and was terribly creeped-out, yet amused, because it reminded me so much of the bathroom from the Saw movies :P.
After that, we asked for, "fried ice cream please," but was shocked when we received the fried banana and ice cream dish instead. We didn't want to bother wasting time and asking for a redo, so we just ate it. It was not as good as Phnom Penh House's version. After reading Christine D.'s review, I now realize that they stopped serving fried ice cream, but the waitress made no attempt to tell us this and just assumed we wanted the fried bananas.
Overall, the food is decent but the service and cleanliness are a bit sketchy. The price is definitely right for a hole-in-the-wall, but I don't see what everyone is raving about.
2 stars for food and setting. I only come here for the basil fried rice and curries, and sometimes, something off the appetizers list. Everything else is all right. The utensils didnt seem very sanitary. Make sure your chopsticks are clean before using! I found this yellow liquid and a veggie leaf at the bottom of the chopstick holder. And im assuming they use msg in their food! I asked the girl if they added it to their food, she said no. I got my check and they charged $1.35 for "no msg"
I found that ridiculous... I wonder why i even left a tip that time.
Be sure to try the fried rice ball salad. It's a tasty experience I've never had before! Especially wrapped in lettuce with cilantro and mint.
Their angel wings, pad se-ew, and pad prik khing were all excellent. And did I mention cheap??? These four items split three ways about ten bucks. And we were stuffed with leftovers.
The service was a little slow, but wasn't a huge deal. It also seems to fill up quickly (small space) so there might be a wait.
The service is a little slow, but it's a small place,
I was not impressed.
Maybe it was because I was sick that everything tasted bland or maybe the food was just straight up blehhh.
The two of us ordered around 5 dishes mainly because my cousin had a http://restaurant.com gift certificate for $25 so we had to order up to $50 worth.
For appetizers, we had the chicken satay, which was probably my favorite and most memorable dish. The chicken was tender and the sauces made it that much better.
For soup, we had the Tom Yum..or rather it was only me that had it. My cousin told me she didn't like it and I wished she gave me the heads up beforehand because it was a letdown. It's supposed to be hot & sour but it ended up leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
The dish I thought was fairly decent was the larp salad. Minced chicken, cilantro, tofu in a lettuce wrap.
I've had their Mango Fried Rice before but something went wrong this time. It wasn't bad, it was just mediocre. The flavors were missing. It looked good but unfortunately my taste buds said otherwise.
I'm willing to give this place another try though since I live so close and regularly drive by this place. Parking can be a pain though.
Boy, if looks could deceive. This place looked like a corner minimart. I met a couple friends there and they asked me aloud before we walked in, "Remind me, why are we coming here? What is this place?!"
Turns out, the food is not too bad. Service is alright, and the food is moderate to good. It's not super duper. I'm a little disappointed because I thought I'd be blown away given the reviews and all my other friends who were pointing me to this place.
These were some of the dishes we got and what I thought of them:
* Shrimp Ball Rice: yummy appetizer type thing. People liked it. Fresh, and w/ cilantro over lettuce. Nice touch.
* Tendon Soup: light broth, felt clean, although just a bit of a gamy aftertaste. The tripe, meat, and tendons were yummy.
* Mango Fried Rice: I've never been a fruit fried rice kind of guy, so this was alright. People like it though. It felt a little like rice clumps. Not very thrilling.
* Pad Thai: different taste and texture. Much smoother and a little more liquid'y. I liked it. Maybe a bit too strong on the ketchup. But recommended.
* Ginger Fish: too much ginger and little garlic pieces. But it's tasty, portions too small.
Not sure if I'll go back. But I'd give it a 3.5 stars on a Wednesday afternoon. Had some funky music... a Linkin Park / Evanescence type Thai music. That was certainly a strange mixture flavoring our conversation.
Every time I go visit the Bay area I make it point to eat at this place. Not only is the service excellent and prices more than reasonable, the food is excellent.
My favorite dish is the catfish with spicy red curry. The sauce has a good amount of heat and nice sized pieces of fish with bell peppers, onions and green beans.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the fried rice ball salad is just addicting.
Did I mention that they have Beer Lao for only 2 BUCKS! Yes, you heard me correctly...2 buckaroos! And if you haven't tried it, Beer Lao is one tasty adult beverage.
I don't get what all the fuss is about with the rice ball salad. Way too salty.
Everything else was alright. We had the egg rolls, pad thai, and noodle soup.
Reasonable prices, but there are other restaurants that are comparable in both price and quality.
There is nothing more charming than your neighborhood restaurant being wonderful. The food was rock solid but the service and beverage choices could be better. Consider reservations, they are always busy. In the middle of an eclectic neighborhood, if you are interested in food more than prestige, this may be the best deal in town.
Thanks Yelpers for another good suggestion. My parents were trying out different restaurants to bring a family friend -of -a -friend to dinner. I think Mom was using it as a convenient excuse to get my Dad to take her out to lunch. Then I get called to tag along, sweet. On occasion, there is a free lunch....
The neighborhood is gritty, the food is not. An excellent vegetarian spring roll that was very tasty, followed by a bowl of pho that was not nearly so. On the plus side the fried pieces of garlic, green onion and cilnatro were served on the side, so you could flavor it up as much or little as you desired. Which I desired a lot. The folks got the steamed shrimp in some type of curry sauce, which was kinda muddled but the shrimp were perfectly steamed.
The service was excellent and the prices were OK.
Wow I wouldn't have even known that this place existed if my friend hadn't taken me here for dinner one night. This place is smack dab in the middle of a residential area and it doesn't look like much on the outside but is pretty nice on the inside.
I didn't really have problems with service as some other Yelpers did. I thought the servers (yes they're kids!) were attentive and very helpful, they came by with numerous refills on water.
We decided to eat family style and so we each picked one dish (there were three of us). We had the garlic eggplant with beef, the yellow curry with chicken and a glass noodle with veggies dish. We also opted for the sticky rice instead of normal steamed rice. The sticky rice is just plain glutinous rice - not sweet. It also comes in these cute bamboo containers too! I'd have to say that the beef in the eggplant dish was my favorite of the meal - I only ate the beef, not a big eggplant fan.
Overall I'd say the food was good. I'm not really sure how Laotian food differs from Thai food because everything I ate tasted like Thai food.....
Will I be back? I guess if i'm in the 'hood... although I never am.
P.S. This place takes http://restaurant.com certificates =D
On my 3rd visit, I got DYSENTERY from the Lao's Noodle Soup and had to go to the emergency room.. Eden Hospital in Castro Valley took a stool sample and diagnosed the bacterial infection as dysentery, which comes from unclean foods (http://en.wikipedia.or...).
As this was my only meal that day before feeling sick, and one other reviewer had EXACT same symptoms (bloody stool, severe stomach pain), I am positive it came from this restaurant. Never going back again and I'm scarred from ever having southeast Asian food.
Am I bitter? Yes. After spending ~$20 for the meal, $100 for ER visit, $20 for antibiotics, and now I have to buy culturelle (~$40) to help my stomach to produce healthy bacteria b/c I've had trouble eating after this incident, for a grand total of ~$180, not to mention excruciating pain and fear suffered (you betcha having a lot of blood come out a certain hole scared me)... yes I'm a BIT bitter.
Because I don't want anyone to think I'm making this up, this is what I found from the Alameda Food Safety website (http://www.acgov.org/a...):
"Last Inspection Findings
CHAMPA GARDEN
2102 8TH AVE
OAKLAND CA 94606
Inspection Date: 08/08/2008
Activity Date Violation Description Service Description
08/08/2008 Handwashing soap and towels or drying device shall be provided in dispensers dispensers shall be maintained in good repair. (113953.2) Adequate facilities shall be provided for hand washing, food preparation and the washing of utensils and equipment. (113953, 113953.1, 114067(f)) ROUTINE INSPECTION
08/08/2008 Each food facility shall be kept free of vermin: rodents (rats, mice), cockroaches, flies.( 114259.1, 114259.4, 114259.5) ROUTINE INSPECTION"
These were written in red, which means they are critical violations. These were dated 8/8/08.... I'm curious to see what the 2009 inspection will find....
Order appetizers. Angel wings. Fried Rice Ball Salad - Nam Kaow. I've been here few times because of friend's recommendation and we didn't order any entrees and it was sooo gooood. I actually think it's kind of more exciting, not ordering the entrees. After all you can get Pad Thai almost everywhere. But the fried rice ball salad? Hmm, not so many place.
Oh, and idk how but my friend got this gift certificate online so we paid hecka cheap for our dinner.
The only thing is that my friend ordered this fish thing (larp?) and it FAILED us. omgomgomgomg. do NOT order it. then since none of us would eat it after the first bite my friend had to bother the cute waitress but she immediately ok-d us to return the fish-larp thing and order another thing. Yeah. Just like that. No question asked.
Anyways.
Will definitely go back again and again.
Yelp, are you effin' kidding me? This place has four stars as of writing, and I do not get what you people see in this place. Maybe it's because I worked in restaurants for a decade and can spot poor service people and a sketchy kitchen in two seconds flat. Sirens went off in my noggin upon entering but my date was eager to try the much touted rice balls, so we stayed.
The avocado spring rolls were recommended by many a Yelper, yet when we ordered them we received the brown, wilted lettuce rolls with one gram of avocado. His rice ball salad featured uncooked hunks of meat and my veggie clay pot had potential as compost. I had a nice view of the kitchen whilst we ate - while I appreciate the cooking matron wearing a face mask, I'd like to see a hairnet and some gloves on those hands when she goes rifling through someone's salad to pick out an ingredient.
Also, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to have thirteen year olds wait tables.
it feels like this place is in the middle of nowhere, but what a gem this must be for the neighbors living nearby! champa garden serves up some seriously delicious food, most of which is thai with a lao twist. my entire family came here last night and had:
- champa platter: had fried spring roll, a spicy sausage, and a side of the fried rice ball salad with lots of dried peppers, served with a plate of lettuce, mint and cilantro for making your own lettuce wraps... delicious!
- a second order of fried rice ball salad
- papaya salad lao style with a dark and delicious dressing... yum!
- chicken satay with peanut sauce and a pickle sauce
- larb chicken -- we always get this wherever we go
- pad prik king with pork - tasty!
- raht na -- for the 'rents
- mango fried rice -- very different and delish!
- eggplant with chicken - tasty as well
- pumpkin curry with shrimp was sooo good!
- mango sticky rice - HUGE half mango on perfectly steamed sticky rice with a coconut juice sauce (not super milky style but so yummy)
all this for about $100 including tax and tip... VERY REASONABLE! the restaurant is small and always seems to be crowded with diners and take-out picker-uppers, but they do take reservations (which we had, luckily!). yum yum yum.
Champa is in my neighborhood and has a large menu. I have eaten here a few times and had a decent experience.
Of course the time i take a couple friends the worst possible thing happens!
A black bug the size of a pumpkin seed was found in the soup!
Baby roach perhaps? I don't want to think about it.
I will never eat there again.
One of my very first loves, Champa Garden is still a great restaurant. And just what I am looking for in a great family run ethnic place- the REAL DEAL. Champa does a lot very well. The Rice Ball Salad and Avocado rolls will start you on a fresh and tasty ride into great Lao and Thai noodles, soups and salads. Real down home cooking. Often many exciting condiments and dips are served with each dish. Phuoc is your host and he has Beerlao, the great Lao lager, and Navarro Wines. Destination place in an upcoming San Antonio area off Park.
The location is in the middle of nowhere, but easy to find, and there's street parking. This place was recommended to me as the "best thai spot in Oakland" by 2 diff people. I had high expectations. The place was pretty packed for a Monday at 630pm.
I ordered the Angel Wings which were supposedly amazing, but ended up being fried chicken wings with egg roll filling inside. It wasn't horrible at all, but was not amazing. Average if I'd say so.
The papaya Thai style salad was pretty tasty. A bit too many veggies, and not enough noodles or papaya, but still had a good flavor.
The pad kee mao (drunken noodle) was only average as well. Nothing special at all. Maybe I ordered the wrong things, but I wasn't amazed, nor did I dislike it any way. The prices were very reasonable as well, actually quite cheap for thai food (bout $7 an entree). I'd slightly recommend this place if you're in Oakland and need a Thai place on the cheap.
Neighborhood: East Oakland
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: East Oakland
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Oakland Chinatown
Category: Cambodian
Neighborhood: Lower Hills
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Thai
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