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Shooting Star Cafe
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Food Desserts Restaurants Asian Fusion Coffee & Tea, Desserts, Asian Fusion
1068 Webster St(between 11th St & 10th St)
Oakland, CA 94607
Neighborhood: Oakland Chinatown
(510) 251-9882
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 7 am - 12:30 am
Fri-Sat 7 am - 1:30 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dessert, Late Night
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
327 reviews for Shooting Star Cafe
Review Highlights
"Crispy egg puffs that are light and fluffy."
(in 64 reviews)
"Delicious Hong Kong-style desserts."
(in 19 reviews)
"Mixed Fruit with Ice Cream Crepe."
(in 4 reviews)
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327 reviews in English
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Review from Stefi C.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2012
Baked seafood rice is my favorite dish at Shooting Star...so warm and gooey, I could have this every day!
Prices are reasonable and portions are decent enough to share between two if you're not super hungry. Last time I went we paid $13 for the baked seafood rice and some mango drink...not bad! They have a minimum for credit cards...$15 or $20 I believe.
Open late and solid HK food...love it! Just gotta ignore the cheesy decor :) -
Review from Lori L.
Alameda, CA
1/23/2012
Lots of seating, variety of items. Got the Beef with egg clay-pot rice. It takes about 20 mins to cook so I ordered the garlic french fries which were so good!
If you plan on ordering the clay-pot, order it immediately while everyone else is deciding what they want. That way you won't be waiting for the extra 10-mins or so. Otherwise, order an appetizer while you wait.
Service was ok. The staff were stretched pretty thin. I think they need more waiters. Kitchen forgot my egg, but our waitress was responsive and took it in right away. Must have my egg with my rice!
Gotta come back for late night! I hear their milk tea is legit too. -
Review from Emily M.
Alameda, CA
1/5/2012
I usually frequent Yummy Guide over Shooting Star but their happy hour menu bought me over.
I've been coming here a lot more than usual and have eaten here for breakfast, lunch/happy hour, and dinner.
Breakfast is definitely worth the money. I always leave here with a more than satisfied stomach and would still be stuffed when lunch time came. My usual is the beef stew with lai fun. The portion is generous and it also comes with a fried egg and toast. I can never have room for the toast since I tend to leave it for last. Then again, the toast isn't really a "toast." The bread is soft and you can tell that they just smeared butter on top.
Usually my lunch visits are during their happy hour hours because I find it to be more worth it during that time. Avocado shake for $2, various noodle soups for $3-$4, and etc. Again, I tend to go for the noodle soup but I sometimes share the baked rice with my friends. The baked rice/spaghetti dish would cost around $5+ and it comes with a soup of the day and salad. Their sweet potato fries, as an appetizer, are addicting!
Dinner here costs a bit more. The prices range in the $5 and above. During this time, I would definitely share with my friends since their rice dish portions are huge! To satisfy a stomach at a fair point, I would suggest to share it with one other person. The baked chicken rice/spaghetti plate is a bit too cheesy for my taste but if you're a fan of cheese, I would say go for it. The baked pork chop rice is more suited for my taste and the baked seafood spaghetti is good too. It's cheesy like the chicken one but it fares well with the pasta. For dessert, the usual choice is the crepes. It is definitely worth the money since it's pretty big.
The service is a hit or miss. During rush hour, be aware that you're going to have to wait for about 20-30mins for your food. Other than that, I don't mind since my friends and I would spend quite a while in the place anyways. I haven't ran into a server with a nasty attitude yet... unlike the other places in Chinatown so I guess I'm a happy customer. -
Review from Emily L.
San Francisco, CA
2/8/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Boothang and his friends brought me out here for the first time. Love their food! Big variety too. I believe their friend works there, since we always have her as our waitress. And their tea is good!
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Review from Kevin Z.
Concord, CA
2/8/2012
Okay I've never had food so fresh.. Truly authentic chinese food available with incredible drinks, smoothies, slushies, crepes, and waffle desserts. My new favorite.
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Review from Christina L.
Berkeley, CA
12/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was the LAST ONE to get my drink after everyone's came out. It was so close to when we were about to leave, that I had to down the drink and still pay for it. I think my friends even stayed later to allow me a decent amount of time to finish my drink.
The place forgot about my order or LOST it, but yet every other table was served. I was quite disappointed.
When the drink came, I had ordered a Leo. It was a $4 drink, but really only had simple syrup + ice + star jellies. I could have made this for myself, but faster.
+1 because this place is open late and it's a decent place to hang out late at night. -
Review from Diana L.
Fremont, CA
12/26/2011 2 photos
Finally! I have found a place with Hong Kong desserts in the bay area! I LOVEEEE the dessert selection here; they have many things I haven't had since my last trip to Asia! My favorites are the liquid ones that come in a bowl...like the mango ones and coconut and.. yeah I forget the name, but there's pictures and the desserts are in a bowl, you can figure it out lol! They are better than the ones in Creations Dessert House in SF too. I would take my parents (who also love desserts like these) here everyday if only we lived closer!
But man, the location is so scary! I came around 8/9pm at night in a separate car from my friends and power-walked so quick to this place with my alert on high... except I lost my sense of direction so I ended up walking 3x more than I had to and by the time I finally found the place I was definitely a bit shaken lol. But I would still drive really far to come eat this dessert again...I REALLY like this stuff.
[I think the only reason this place is rated not so high is because hong kong food is not very popular for some reason so rarely do I see a hong kong food place rated well, but I really do recommend to give the dessert a try!] -
Review from Mary C.
This is a typical hk style chinese cafe that specializes in asian desserts... which mostly means sago, fruits, shaved ice and slapping on coconut milk or condensed milk for the package. It's good stuff.
However....
if you really think about it.. these desserts probably cost less than a dollar to make but it's on the pricier side for this frugal chinese girl. 7 bucks for shaved ice? ouch, 5 dollar slushies? i'd rather go to quickly's or tap. I have no complaints about the tastes though and the environment is crackin for late nights.
I recommend the mango coconut milk sago drank. The greentea cold noodles look nothing like the picture. We thought it was gonna look more like pudding but it's really just green tea with gelatin.
Foodwise, I'm always a skank for eggnuggets everywhere. Their fruity eggnuggets are less cripsy but only because they put real pieces of fruit in it (well. probably canned) so it's kinda cool.
Also, all their curry noodles are a safe bet. Best for lunches or after workk-out grubs.
Overall for cheaper options, go across the street to yummy guide for food and 8th st cafe (even thought they have a smaller dessert menu option) -
Review from Stephanie N.
San Pablo, CA
I went here for the first time to have lunch wtih my aunt and i was disgusted by this place! We found a long hair in our noodle dish and a bug in our veggie dish. I ordered clam chowder and it was so plain! Not satisfying at ALL!
CUSTOMER SERVICE HERE SUCKS! THE FEMALES ARE SO RUDE! -
Review from Leily P.
Oakland, CA
12/14/2011
If you're looking for a cheap meal, come here. I've been here on a couple occasions during lunch and dinner, where they have a pretty wide selection of food, which isn't bad.
However one Saturday morning I decide to come here for breakfast - their "American" breakfasts are TERRIBLE - the only positive is that we only spent $11 for two. -
Review from Phuong V.
Alameda, CA
12/16/2011
The food is not so great... don't get any entrees. It is so bland and I have tried better cheap Chinese food. I wanted to give this place another star for the dessert...since egg puffs and crepes are decent, but overall: Food not good, not so cheap, no parking deducts all the stars.
Better luck next time! -
Review from Ada C.
Oakland, CA
12/24/2011
The menu is HUGE, so much variety.
At one point in my life, I was eating here a week straight. NOT HEALTHY. I wanted to try so much stuff!
Food is not good, not my style. The only food I enjoy are the ones on the Happy Hour menu, like the fish balls and calamari. Everything else has NO FLAVOR.
SERVICE IS HORRIBLE! Prepare to wait super long for an acknowledgment from the staff and get your food.
I only come here for dessert. I absolutely love crepes and waffles. The special drinks are bomb.
Nonetheless, it's open late. Not the best food, but a great place to just chill with your friends while splitting some dessert. -
Review from Alvin D.
Oakland, CA
1/15/2012 4 Check-ins Here
3/5 oh you know haha.
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Review from Ham N.
San Jose, CA
12/5/2011
I wish yelp would introduce a 1/2 star system because I'd give this place 3.5 stars. But since it's open late, cheap, decent food, includes salad and soup, I'll give it 4 stars instead of 3. I'm a slut for cheap Chinese food. Don't expect great service or clean floors but if you're starving and are craving Hainan chicken rice and bubble tea at 12AM....they're open for ya.
Overall: A great place to talk can chill over some food and dessert on a budget. -
Review from Winnie G.
San Leandro, CA
I come here mainly for their desserts. For a cafe, it's got an amazing quanity and quality of desserts. It ranges from special drinks, to your typical hong kong milk tea and lemon tea, then comes the variety of ice cream, crepes, waffles and egg puffs. The dessert list is endless and pretty damn delicious!
The prices range about an average entrees but the portions are suffice and generous. I love their nutella mixed fruit crepe! It's wrapped with a freshly made crepe, drizzled with nutella sauce and a mixed variety of fresh fruits: watermelon balls, honeydew balls, pineapple, different melons, (changes up with depending on fruit season) two giant scoops of ice cream. Nommmmm, simply genius. I found out that crepes aren't finger food, but that never stops me.
They have a lunch special that comes with a drink and entree that fills you up pretty good. Each order is about 6-8 dollars and it ends at 3pm. I'm not much of a fan for their snacks nor their cooked food.
The interior is always dim inside. Very noisy. There are bathrooms, flat screen tvs for Asian movie watching, free wifi ( PW: their phone number area code first-on menu) street parking, opens late. Customer service is pretty terrible. You cant get any when you need, so be prepared to wait for somebodys attention, not to mention that it takes about 20 mins for them to make any sort of food.
But do come here for their desserts, it's one of the best places for some genuine asian desserts and drinks. That they got it down pretty damn perfect. -
Review from Ee vonn Y.
Milpitas, CA
We ordered the fried tofu, Hainanese chicken rice, and the tomato beef pan fried noodles. The only thing that was worth mentioning here was the tomato beef pan fried noodles that came out hot and fresh and steaming. They gave plenty of beef so don't worry about the restaurant gimping you out on the most important part.
I didn't try any of the Hainanese chicken rice because it looked bad to me. According to my parents, they agreed too because it was apparently cold and the rice wasn't even good. I don't know about any restaurant with bad rice,so this was a first. The fried tofu was just like any other restaurant except that they mixed the peanut sauce with hoisin sauce. That may work for some people but I don't like peanut sauce.
The place is small and cramped but it makes a cute little restaurant tucked in Oakland's Chinatown. I don't think I'd want to come back here again because the food was average at best. -
Review from Emily W.
Berkeley, CA
I only go to this place when I crave for HK Cafe food. It's awesome because it opens till the early AMs.
[Food]
I have nothing much to say. It's standard bad HK food and overpriced.
[Service]
It's pretty slow and the waiters are not attentive at all.
[Why a 1-star]
During my most recent visit, a Chinese man came in asking for a wonton soup in Mandarin (with a Northern Chinese accent).
A waitress approached him and apologized that she did not understand what he said and left to find someone else for help. Although I was not certain whether she could speak Chinese, she appeared to be the very Americanized and the English-only type. I mean, AT LEAST she apologized politely.
She went to another waiter for help. This waiter speaks Cantonese, but strangely he failed to recognize "wonton soup" in Mandarin. HK people are almost the only Cantonese speakers that cannot speak Mandarin well, but most (especially young ones after HK was returned to China) do at least a bit. But really? You couldn't understand "wonton soup"? I do admit that even as a pretty fluent Mandarin speaker myself, I am horrible with Northern Chinese accents but I even understood that the first time, not to mention that the man said "wonton soup" 10+ times and pointed at the picture. [I did want to just "translate" but it was a little out of control for me to jump in]
Assuming the waiter really did not understand what the man asked for, he had the worst attitude and basically instead of trying to understand him from the menu, he just simply refused to try and repeated harshly "What do you want!" in English.
WOW. Really? -
Review from Winnie H.
Alameda, CA
1/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here with a bit of high expectation due to good reviews from other yelpers. We ordered two lunch specials which included soups, salads and drinks. Overall experience was that both entrees were not hot when they were brought out to us. Both were just barely warm. The cod with corn cream sauce was super salty. Also, the waitress made a mistake of our orders. We ordered baked chicken rice but she got us baked pork chop rice instead. The soup was super salty and thick. Like a can of tomato sauce rather than soup. I would not come back since for a little cheaper price you can get better service and food at Cafe 88 across the street.
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Review from May L.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 10/14/2011
Again this place is the bomb-diggity when youre hungry at midnight. Service is great and love the food! Sometimes it gets really crowded and you just have to wait for a little bit. But other than that, it's worth it!
BAKED CHICKEN is officially my fav with a glass of Lemon Ice Tea! YUM!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/6/2010
This is a pretty good small place if you're looking for a late snack or bite to eat. My friend and I… Read more »
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Review from feisty c.
Oakland, CA
11/13/2011 3 Check-ins Here
They are soooo freaking slow here! They need to hire more workers or maybe buy more waffle machines and crepe machines since they always take forever just to make a crepe or waffle!
My cousin, sister & i ordered beef chow fun, roast duck noodle soup and potstickers for an appetizer. 25 minutes later, after placing our order, the roast duck noodle soup came out, then another 25 minutes later, the beef chow fun comes out and 10 minutes later, the potstickers comes out. Seriously, aint the potstickers suppose to come out first!!?? OMG, most places make the beef chow fun within 10 minutes and it taste BOMB but this place didn't even hit the spot!! -
Review from Courtney C.
Berkeley, CA
10/21/2011
With a name like "Shooting Star Cafe," I didn't know what to expect. A overly-cutesy HK style dessert spot? A cover for shady crime operations? The establishment's name actually turned out to be very fitting of the actual restaurant - something I learned upon walking into a cafe decorated with shooting star wall hangings.
In the three or so times I've been, I admit that I only ordered the dessert drinks and egg puffs. The dessert drinks are pretty good but nothing special. The menu has a horoscope chart with different ice-jelly drinks assigned to each sign. Because I wasn't a fan of the Gemini drink description, I opted to be a poser and try the Aries (strawberry rose) drink. It was good but I feel like I'd rather spend the $4+ tip on another type of dessert. The egg puffs are hit and miss. The first time I went they were delicious and firm but the second time, the puffs were sadly not all that puffy...and a bit soggy, to be honest. Also be aware that it takes them 15-20 minutes to serve you the dish after you order.
The service is...curt but quick. But, what can you expect from Oakland Chinatown?
All in all, not a bad option for late night Asian desserts. -
Review from Alex L.
Came here for the after-dinner dessert and we were fortunate enough to score a table in this busy busy joint without having to wait. Looking thru the Cheesecake Factory-sized menu made me regret not having dinner here instead. It's very reminiscent of a HK cafe right down to the scent of the egg puffs so how could I not resist ordering one? I'm not into piling on huge fruits on a perfect concoction of waffleness so I ordered it plain. We also ordered crepe and boba to wash all that sugar down.
Everything was great until I had to take a piss and then it was all downhill from there. The bathroom was so wet with urine that I had to tread lightly and careful not to splash my way back to the sink. When we bit into our fruit infested crepe, there was a sour taste which was identified to be the watermelon which went bad. Ever have sour watermelon? It's gross. So that coupled with barebone service (1 girl serving the entire restaurant) makes it 4 stars. I still wanna come back another day to try all the other stuff that looked and smelled so good. I'll just remember to pull over at the nearby gas station first to pee so I wont get grossed out by SSC's wetroom, I mean restroom. -
Review from Benjamin C.
Oakland, CA
10/23/2011 16 Check-ins Here
The service here is alright . I would give it a four. There's only a couple of nice servers and they are all girls. This place gets packed at the oddest hours and be warned, this is when their service lacks.
Despite their services, they make one of the best deserts in the area (Chinatown). We always order the waffles with condense milk, and crepe when we go. Its amazing. I like it a lot. Some of my favorite dishes here are ow lam won ton mien (beef stew and won ton noodle soup), Beef teriyaki noodle soup, Portuguese Rice, sup chow ow ho ( a sausy style of beef chow ho ) and that is all I can think of on the top of my head. I love their mango ice scream soda.
This place is pretty pricey. Service is okay. Food is above average. Bring a date and try out this place. If it's not for you don't come back but this is by far one of the better places to grub at in Oakland Chinatown.Listed in: Milk Tea
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Review from Lulu W.
Albany, CA
I've been coming to Shooting Star Cafe quite frequently over the past 5 months. I guess my friend got me hooked for their Hong Kong style dishes.
Whenever I come here late at night, this place is always buzzing with families, groups of friends, police officers, and locals from the area. My favorite waiter is Ivan. He is extremely friendly and always remembers my order.
The Beef Stew Vermicelli Noodle Soup is DELICIOUS! My friend always orders the Pig Feet Vermicelli Noodle Soup. The flavors of both soup is nicely seasoned. The other dishes such as the Beef Chow Fun Dry Style, Chicken with Salty Fish Fried Rice or the Black Pepper Beef Spaghetti are all Yummy! I personally do not like the items with cheese on top of Asian food, so I normally steer clear of those items.
The desserts here are Awesome. I love the crepes, sago with fruit and the hot desserts. I haven't been disappointed yet! I'll definitely be back so that I could keep my reign as Duchess!! =) -
Review from Tiff C.
11/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good spot, nice, friendly, awesome servers, good food and drinks.. place gets super packed at night so be prepared for that. I came in on a downtime so it wasn't that busy yet.
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Review from Erin G.
Berkeley, CA
10/2/2011
What I ate: Mango egg puff, fish fillet with rice noodle soup
Visit date: October 1, 2011
First time? No. It makes me happy.
Something about this place is addicting. It could be their hours -- open late so they satisfy my late night cravings. It could be their variety -- pages of Hong Kong style snacks and beverages. It could be their egg puffs -- MMM!!!
This time I had the fish fillet with rice noodle soup. It could use more broth, but the flavors are inviting and there is a good amount of bok choy and fish in it. The mango egg puff is something I always get. Note: it's best warm; eat it right when they serve it to you.
As for service: it's so-so. Sometimes the waiter forgets about you (ie for refills). Just make eye contact and flag them down. -
Review from A J.
San Francisco, CA
12/25/2011
I went to meet a friend here at 10pm on Christmas Eve because it was nearby her and she knew it was open. The first words anyone said to me as I was getting off BART were, "Did you see the guy who got shot over there last night?" As I walked by a bunch of businesses that were closed and started to note that the ones that were open seemed a little dingy (even by my standards) I began to question how well I knew my friend and what the words, "It's a nice place" meant to her.
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a clean, well lit cafe packed with tables filled with mostly twenty to thirty somethings. Every table was full and as I squinted to try to find my friend's table, the staff immediately came up and led me to her. (I'm not sure if it was just because they'd mentally noted that she was waiting for someone or if it might have helped that she was the only white girl and I was the only Mexican in there at that moment.) Either way, the highlight of this place is probably the staff. They're friendly and unobtrusive. They let her and I talk a long time a drink a few cups of complimentary tea without getting in our hair about ordering until we actually opened the menus at which point they were there ready and waiting for us to order. However, I was still busy reading the book that's the menu. There's just about anything an American like me could think to order at a Hong Kong style cafe (and then some). A bit overwhelmed by the number of choices and just wanting noodles, I ordered Vegetable Chow Mein even though I hadn't actually seen it on the menu. She ordered the fruit crêpe.
Her crêpe came out first and as she'd eaten and I hadn't she let me pick at it while we waited for my food. It wasn't bad but probably the most remarkable thing about it was that it was probably the most unremarkable crepe I've had in my life (and fruit crêpes were a sort of a quick standby food for me as a kid). Also, I think it looked better on the plate than it tasted. I know crêpes are supposed to be thin but it was much more like a chip than a crêpe. If it had a taste, it wasn't remarkable enough to remember as I write this the next day. The fruit in it was mostly canned fruit. That said, it's still better than I expected just before midnight on Christmas Eve.
There was probably a decent lag between getting my food and hers but the place was packed and the conversation was good so I didn't really notice much. (From a glance, the issue looked to be with kitchen's planning skills and the crowd.) It probably helped that the staff kept inconspicuously our cups of tea and I tend to measure time by how many glasses I drink in a setting. The place was really noisy so and we both have hearing loss so we found ourselves unwittingly close to yelling about BDSM in a crowded restaurant. When my food finally came it was good... very typical... it was a bit oily for my taste but not doused in oil. The veggies were fresh and not overcooked. I offered my friend some noodles and the remainder of her crêpe sat neglected from that point forward.
We took a while (okay, hours) to converse more and then pay the bill. The portions were large and it was under $20 for both of us including ~20% tip. The staff let us linger there, still promptly refilling our tea, and smiling long after we'd paid our bill. (And no, it wasn't in that passive "GET OUT OF HERE WAY"... they seemed to genuinely be cool with us staying and taking up the table.) Overall, the wait staff was by far the highlight of this place. The noise level was probably the biggest drawback. The food was good enough but it's quite literally forgettable (it took me while to remember what she ordered). Really, it's a 3 star place but I'm giving it another star for the wait staff. This place worked well for our purposes: hanging out for hours on end on a holiday and grabbing a cheap bite to eat. -
Review from Perry N.
Oakland, CA
Though most of the food is mediocre,their desserts are very good. You can't go wrong with their selection of waffles or crepes. However if you go there past their happy hour or lunch time, it gets to be a bit pricey.
It is a good place to go for desserts!
3/5! -
Review from Ray W.
Alameda, CA
7/28/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Shooting star has grown on me. It used to be just a spot my friends and I would end up at, because it was one of the few places still opened late at night. Now, it's a place I actually would choose to go to, because their desserts are so good.
They have a very ambitious menu: Crepes, waffles, sago, onion rings, chicken wings, elaborate drinks, and other asian type goodies. I love the mango gigi here. Don't ask me what a "gigi" is. I feel embarrassed just ordering it, but it's really good. Let me try to explain it, so you don't think I'm fooling you into telling the waitress you want her gigi.
"No not your gigi, that gigi"
....awkward.
It's like this mixture of fresh mango and grapefruit with tapioca in a blended mango smoothie with some kinda creamy milky mango sauce. It's so asian and hard to explain! You can't go wrong with it though.
What you -can- go wrong with, is the Seaworld drink, which tasted like carbonated Listerine. But instead of cleaning your teeth and giving you fresh breath, it rots away your enamel and gives you cavities, all with that fresh minty mouthwash flavor. -
Review from Sherilyn T.
Oakland, CA
11/27/2011 26 Check-ins Here
i like this place, and by no means because of the great food or service. i like it because it has become the late night, after dinner, go to spot for my gfs and i to catch up, laugh, and just have great conversations and bonding moments. we come here, order like 2 desserts and sit for hours talking. the staff never tries to rush us out or show any type of disdain for the fact that 4 to 5 of us are usually sharing like 2 desserts.
the things we normally order are: the egg puffs (as does everyone else). we've recently discovered the fruit filled ones, which aren't bad but just mushier than the plain ones. when we're feeling really bad, we get either the waffle with peanut butter or the white crepe with ice cream. none of these are particularly spectacular, they're just decent and fun to eat while having great conversations with great friends. -
Review from Jeanette Y.
Oakland, CA
6/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Shooting Star, you would've gotten 3 stars from me for the food. It's not bad, but its not the best either. BUT what knocks you down to a 2 is the service. Can you say TURTLE-SPEED? Because your service is just THAT slow. It took about 10 minutes before menus were brought to us, THEN another 15 minutes or so to take our orders, THEN 10 minutes to bring us change.
Waiter man, you know that really just kicks down the amount of tip you get right? SLOW SERVICE is irritating. BLEH. Next time, I'm going to sweet booth for lychee ice cream instead to curb my sweet tooth! -
Review from Grace C.
8/16/2011
Delicious Hong Kong-style desserts. I'd like to come back to try their savory food for lunch or dinner.
The crepes are pretty huge, definitely enough for 2 people to share. The crepe itself is thin and crispy, and you can choose what fruit(s) and flavors of ice cream you want in the crepe. Nutella is $1 extra.
The egg puffs (original flavor) are crispy and tasty, not like the too-doughy ones you get at Quickly. Try them! They also have fruit-flavored egg puffs (including strawberry, mango, pineapple), but I didn't try those. -
Review from Nick C.
Hayward, CA
6/25/2011
Besides giving people a place to go later in the evening, I can't see what else it has worth offering. First of all, the service is slow, and just about every time I've come here, they've managed to mix up our orders. Not to mention how overpriced some items seem (over $4 for some lack-luster red bean soup?!).
I was quite surprised to see the overall rating for this place is 3.5 stars, because I'd say my dining experience here has been truly disappointing practically every time I've come.
If you want better, cheaper food then go to Yummy's cafe down the block. -
Review from Master C.
Oakland, CA
9/15/2011
No beer, kind of weak.
The frog with rice bowl was quite good, while the ox tongue baked rice was not so much.
Open late, but there are better late night options. -
Review from Brian S.
Vacaville, CA
9/17/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Late-night caffeine needs drive me to Shooting Star Cafe in Oakland's Chinatown. WHAT a place. WHAT a menu. I have NO IDEA what I am doing. 8-)
The menu is 22 pages long and has more kinds of drinks and desserts than I knew existed. The wait staff is friendly and helpful and the drinks are good. I can't wait to try their food. Ice cream and/or mixed-fruit waffles sound too good to pass up. -
Review from Chia L.
Berkeley, CA
9/4/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I really like their eel fried rice and Singapore stir-fry vermicelli.
This isn't the place you go to for cheap food or amazing food, but at 11pm, when most other places are closed, this is a good place for hanging out, with food and snacks on the side.
Wait usually isn't too bad. Though the food takes longer to be served that I would normally expect. In my opinion this place is a bit pricier than I would expect of it. It appears as a cheap HK-type dessert/food place, but it... just actually wasn't all that cheap or all that amazing. Acceptable, but that's about it. -
Review from Ngoc L.
I love this place for two reasons... It's CHEAP and GOOD. So I came here to meet up my friend, Hieu, on my way back to Davis after running errands in San Jose. I came here at 3PM... Perfect timing cause that's when their happy hour starts. So we ordered:
Iced lemon tea: Totally loved it... It woke me up from driving around all day. I actually got another one before leaving to keep me refresh during my drive back.
Iced Milk tea: This is not the typical milk tea you would get at tapex or quickly. It's actually the hong kong style milk tea which I've had before at other cafes. It was pretty good.. I think the lemon tea was a better choice though.
Iced lemonade: Hieu's nephew got this... It was really tasteless...well according to him cause I did not try it.
Pig feet noodle soup: I know, some might be thrown off by the name.. But it was DELICIOUS! The broth was very flavorful and the meat was actually good. You should definitely try it here. During happy hour it's only $3.99!
Wonton noodle soup: This was good also.. The broth is not as rich and flavorful as the pig feet noodle but it's not bad. They gave you like 5-6 Wonton along with the noodle too. All for $2.99 during happy hour!
Fried chicken wings and fries: I think they were also $2.99 each. The chicken wings was good.. They gave you 6 pieces I believe.. Pretty crispy and good. Not much to say about the fries... Just typical.
Peanut and condense milk waffle: I LOVE this! The waffle mix was really good... One of the best waffle I've had!
Mango egg puff: This was just okay.. I regretted not getting the original one. The mango was kinda sour and soggy so that's why I didn't like it. This was the most expensive part of the meal.. It was $4.50.
Overall, I am a fan of this place! I would be a regular here if I live close to here but too bad I don't. They have a very huge menu here...alot of snacks and dessert that I would like to try. Another positive thing about this place is that they open late... Until 12:30AM. There was 4 of us and the total came out to be $28 before tip. We all left this place satisfied... Our wallet and stomach :) -
Review from Jey L.
San Jose, CA
Okay... ive gave more than second chances and you still disappoint me! I use to like this place, but wow! seriously, im done.
My girl friend and i came in during a moderately busy hour, and waited to be helped. we were COMPLETELY ignored! So we approached the cashier counter to make a take-out drink order. Still ignored by all the staffs!
and the waiter goes and sits the couple that came in much later than us?!?!!? There is no way you could have NOT seen me at the entrance! -
Review from Lily N.
San Leandro, CA
11/27/2011
Food is ok. Great for a late night meal. Great for desserts. Everything else is below average. DO NOT GET THE CREAMY/CHOWDER SOUPS! Stick with the appetizers and the Asian foods then you're fine.
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Review from Karma B.
Richmond, CA
8/20/2011
I came here with a friend, who had been here before.
He warned me the place was just cheap chinese food and that's what I got.
The food was nothing great, I ordered cheese baked chicken, and it was simply a bowl of rice with chicken, then baked with cheese and a cream sauce. Not really what I figured, but I ate it.
The service was poor. The guy only brought us spoons, despite us both having large chunks of meat and needed forks/knives.
Overall, I don't think I'd come back here. It as cheap, but it's Oakland ChinaTown, there are tons of cheap chinese places, most with better food for the same price.
