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Sichuan Fortune House
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 3 pm
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Dave H. said: "Mings is the trifecta of great food (MSG free), professional service and inexpensive prices! In addition, there is always parking and almost never a wait. The last time the family had lunch we all (6 adults and 2 kids) ate our fill…" read more »
310 reviews for Sichuan Fortune House
Review Highlights
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310 reviews in English
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Review from Ms. Cupcake T.
Pittsburg, CA
My love does not, I repeat, DOES NOT like chinese food. But he brought me here on our 6 year anniversary and man oh man!! We cant wait to go back! The food was full of flavor. We were so full but couldnt stop eatting. We had the Green beans, the wontons with spicy sauce, the orange peel chicken, fried rice, and pan fried noodles. The green beans still had a yummy bite and werent mushy like some places. The orange peel chicken was different and SOOOO GOOD!! The orange peel deifinately gave it extra layer of yummy flavor. The only thing that was a bit dissapointing is that the pan fried noodles lacked some flavor. I mean, it had good flavor, but since Ive had it else where, it was missing something. Either way...it was still good and everything else made up for it. I would still order it again. The service was also great. Very nice, always had a smile, and were always around in case you needed something. They didnt bug you like some waiters like to do....but came around just enough times. And my glass of water was always full.
If I had anything negative thing to say is that I WISH IT WASNT SO ADDICTING!! hahahaha Mmmmmm............. -
Review from Mike C.
Walnut Creek, CA
We saw all the four and five star reviews and decided to give this a try since we haven't found a decent Chinese restaurant east of Oakland since we moved out here in 2005. We got six dishes to go: ChongQing style spicy chicken wings, sauteed green pea sprouts, Changsha chicken claypot, hot and sour soup, won ton soup, and Deluxe pan fried noodles.
Where to start... Let's start with the chicken wings. I open the take out box and see that 40% of the box is filled with spicy peppers. That left only 60% chicken. I like peppers but I don't like them used as filler. The first and only memorable taste of the chicken was MSG. Then the heat from the peppers kicked in. It was okay at best but the MSG made me drink water after every other bite. The sauteed pea sprouts were pretty tasty and the best dish that we ordered. Not over salty and cooked enough not to get them wilted. The claypot was uninspired. I barely remember anything about it, except that it was salty. The hot and sour soup and won ton soups were both bland. They should have used some of the salt from the claypot for their soups. Finally, the pan fried noodles were, you guessed it, salty, salty, salty. All in all, a waste of $63 for dinner.
The next day everyone wakes up with swollen hands and faces from all the salt. No offense to anyone but more salt does not equal more flavor. I love salty foods but this was over the top. They must own stock in Morton's or something.
Our search continues for decent (we've given up on great) Chinese food in the 680 corridor. -
Review from Michael F.
Walnut Creek, CA
So this place rocks !!!
Best Chinese food in the upper east bay it does not get better then this - period.
well OK maybe at someones house.
ya I am a white guy - but I am the minority at this place and it's in Pleasant Hill.
go with the tea smoked duck and Walnut prawns,
to be honest everything here is amazing.
. -
Review from Christine M.
Houston, TX
I would have never found this place, but I'm so glad my family did. This place had some really good dishes, the service was pretty good, and they were able to accommodate our large party of 10 on a Friday evening.
We were quickly seated at a large round table with the traditional lazy susan in the middle. On the lazy susan, I noticed two dishes. I spun it my way and saw that one was filled with peanuts and the other looked like pickled vegetables with some jalapenos. I had to try these while we looked over the menu. Since no one else wanted them I pretty much devoured the pickled veggies. They were nice and tart and had the right amount of heat to it, if you really like spicy foods...so beware if you bite into one of the peppers they'll definitely make your mouth a bit hotter. The peanuts were good too, but I wasn't in the mood for peanuts at the moment.
We made our list and it came out to 10 items, so pretty much one item per person. From what I remember we ordered hot and sour soup, clay pot chicken, sizzling beef, pork kidney, tea smoked duck, crispy noodles, a prawn dish, and some other dishes that I can't recall (I wish I had the menu with me!).
The soup came out first and it was delicious. I could have easily eaten more than 1 bowl. It was nice and hot and had the right amount of tartness. One by one the dishes came out and before you know it, we had a feast going on. The dish I was most excited about was the pork kidney. When we placed our order for that dish (basically I was the only one who was really going to try it) the waiter had to make sure we really wanted it. It finally came out and about 5 of us tried it. I liked it, but then again I like the taste of liver, that mineral taste is quite appealing to me for some reason. My sister and uncle took a bite and immediately spit it out. My aunt and mom said it was OK, but definitely not their favorite. The rest f the table simply said no thank you to it. Everything was delicious and there was enough heat to all the dishes.
I can't wait to go back to this place when I'm back home visiting! -
Review from Stephanie E.
Benicia, CA
The food is FANTASTIC. Pork Eggplant cakes and dry cooked green beans show up in my dreams sometimes.
So. Damn. Delicious. -
Review from Brandi W.
Walnut Creek, CA
I really dig it. Those little roasted peanuts they give you at the beginning are so tasty, as well as that pickled vegetable appetizer that looks similar to kimchi. I can't recall what it's called, but it's spicy and delicious. A bit salty, but it's still yummy.
I had the vegetable chow fun. Thick noodles with lots of bean sprouts, broccoli, zucchini, snow peas, etc.
My mom had the wonton soup. There were a TON of dumplings in there.
Free hot tea, great food, and very friendly service. I'm a fan. -
Review from dina s.
Concord, CA
Why this place gets 5 stars: consistently good food, fair prices, convenient location, almost always available parking, hole-in-the-wall totally surviving.
Sichuan Fortune House is one of two places that I have gotten take-out from in the last two year. Yes, it is good enough to bring home when I am too lazy to cook dinner (and that is very rare, so the place has to be good).
I've had the clay pot, I've had appetizers, noodle dishes, soups, it is all delicious.
The wait staff is friendly and give great service.
Just try this place, it is legit! -
Review from Tina Z.
Walnut Creek, CA
After hearing thousand of recommendations, I finally came to Sichuan Fortune House! And was surely not disappointed.
The decoration and ambience is clean and decent for a Chinese restaurant.The waiter is super friendly, polite, and Chinese-speaking. We tried cumin Lamb, chicken clay pot, and egg rolls. Yum! Will definitely come again! -
Review from Mona C.
Berkeley, CA
I don't get it. I went here because of the great reviews. The portions are small and the food is greasy. Maybe that fits the American palate, not mine.
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Review from Flip F.
Lafayette, CA
Since we were in Canada, we have been looking for a Sichuan style Chinese restaurant that can serve many dry-style dishes. We think we found the one we were looking for. They serve a crispy beef dish that is a signature dish for us. THe dry string beans were excellent. Our children loved it - we will be frequenting this place...
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Review from Ben K.
Berkeley, CA
I'm a hugh fan of China Village (CV) in Albany, so wanted to see if this was better. The food is good, but I still prefer China Village. Plus, CV is much closer to my house in Oakland.
We ordered the Lamb (with cumin), the West Style Fish Soup and spicy Boiled Beef. All 3 dishes were delicious! I would definitely try more dishes if I'm ever in the area again. -
Review from Aric W.
Berkeley, CA
I dont have anything negative to say. The waiter was polite and fast. He recommended a great dish. They gave me an appetizer while i waited for my food. The food was great. You can tell when the food is fresh. The mushrooms were firm and the spice as just right. The chicken was tender. There were items on the menu that you don't see on every Chinese food place. Anyway, give it a shot. support local businesses.
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Review from Abbe B.
Berkeley, CA
Meh. I've experienced better
We ordered 3 items and shared between the two of us. (1) $7.95 stir-fried squid lunch special with broccoli, fried rice and hot and sour soup (2) $? Beef cakes (3) $? boiled dumplings in chili sauce
1) $7.95 The squid lunch special was skimpy, bland and had zero wok flavor,it was also cold. The fried rice was soggy and tasted like leftover, but the hot and sour soup was pretty good.
2) The beef cakes were odd and not at all as expected, it had hardly any meat and was basically cut scallions with just a tad of meat sandwiched between 2 flat cracker like concoctions -it should have been stuffed and pan-fried!? OUR BAD for wandering off their lunch special menu at lunch time!
3) The boiled dumplings in chili oil were pretty good but nothing spectacular.
........In short, when you go for lunch, stay with their most common lunch specials (with common meats like beef, chicken or pork, avoid anything exotic like squid) and get the white rice.Our bill came to $27 plus change for the 3 items-kind of pricey. -
Review from David B.
Sunnyvale, CA
I'd had some business off in the further East Bay, so I took the opportunity to try out Sichuan Fortune House in Pleasant Hill for lunch. It's located well within the lunchtime radius of the job I once had in those parts, during which I tried out every Chinese restaurant within driving distance that I could find, but I didn't know about this one then, so perhaps it's newer than that. Yelp reviews recommended the Szechuan boiled fish, so I tried that. Fillets of tender plain fish, plus bits of cabbage, submerged in a bowlful of the most dangerous-looking chili sauce I'd ever seen. I approached it with caution, but though it was spicy, it wasn't that spicy. Have to come back, try the Mongolian lamb next time.
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Review from Charles F.
Berkeley, CA
My car broke down near this place and I was able to push it into their parking lot.
I ordered some egg rolls to go while waiting for the tow truck which somehow arrived before the food. Granted the tow yard was only a few blocks away.
The egg rolls were ok but 4 egg rolls ran me $7 and some change.
That's quite a bit more than I am accustomed to paying in Oakland chinatown. I was a bit shocked.
The fortune cookies had some Chinese lessons printed on the back side of the less than insightful "fortunes".
I learned:
Qi Zi means "wife"
Niu Rou means "beef"
and Bang Bang Tang conveys the meaning of "Lollipop"
The young folks working there were VERY VERY FRIENDLY and GENUINELY NICE people but I doubt I will return to try some entrees. ...unless the lucky numbers on the fortunes help me win the lotto. We shall see, we shall see. -
Review from devon g.
San Francisco, CA
Excellent food. This place is never crowded and the food is great. The prices are cheap and the portions are relatively large. This is a real treat for the burbs! It's hard to find anything that isn't a chain restaurant and that's why I gave this place a try. I have gone back several times and haven't been let down
. -
Review from Jennifer T.
Pleasant Hill, CA
Since my last review, my husband and I have been to Sichuan Fortune House on an almost weekly basis. We love, love, love the food there - I can't stay away from the Tea Smoked Duck...it's so amazing. Other faves I just recently discovered are the boiled spicy fish and the braised tofu.
The staff is so friendly and remembers us every time. They even know what beer I order and they have recognized my tea-smoked duck habit as well.
We recently went to a chinese food place in Chinatown and when we were there, we kept remarking that Sichuan Fortune House is as good or better than the Chinese places we've been to in the city.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/30/2011
Sichuan Fortune House is amazing! After reading all of the positive reviews on Yelp!, my husband… Read more »
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8/30/2011
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Review from Nina M.
Redwood City, CA
Definitely a 5 star place. The food was delicious! We had the Hunan Smoked Pork (incredible), garlic fish (so tasty), and the green beans (yum!). I can't wait to go back and try some of the other dishes. Everything was incredibly flavorful.
For a Chinese restaurant, the decor was very nice as well. Tasteful decorations, fresh paint, and clean bathrooms (!) all added to a great ambiance. Service was just fine too - not too slow and very prompt refills of tea. A must try if you are in the area! -
Review from D S.
San Francisco, CA
Great food. Reasonably priced at lunchtime. I live in the area and dining here isn't consistent like it can be in Berkeley, Albany, Oakland. You have to search to find good places, and this is one. I recommend trying various chef's specials; the spicy beef or the tan-tan noodles (sorry don't remember the names exactly) are great for example. Also can't go wrong with old stand-bys like generals chicken, or chow mein. The noodles here have the perfect consistency. I go back frequently, and they remember me and my family, as it is a family oriented place.
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Review from Jimmy S.
Walnut Creek, CA
Surprisingly authentic Chinese food in this part of the East Bay. I'm a huge fan of spicy and this place NEVER lets me down.
Boiling beef, spicy kidneys, and twice cooked pork are my family's favorites here.
The wait staff is incredibly friendly (the servers used to be really shy but now have come out of their shells!) and do quite a good job - particularly for a Chinese restaurant!!!
Their parking lot has a tendency to be full but there is plenty of street parking available. Great place. Highly recommended. -
Review from Ian L.
Places like Sichuan Fortune House make me want to learn just enough Chinese to be able to order anything (and possibly everything) on the menu.
Pros:
-Food and service were excellent: Most of the servers appear to be starving starving international students from the nearby community college so tip accordingly. No complaints about anything we ordered!
-Parking was easy: The lot was full when we got there so we parked right in front of the entrance where there was no parking curb; we go the OK to park there inside.
-Nice ambiance: Feels very homey and would be a nice location for a date or business meeting.
Cons:
-Seats: No cushions. Just don't plan on sitting here for more than 2 hours unless you have a lot of padding down below if you know what I'm saying.
Definitely give this place a try for some authentic Chinese food! -
Review from joe s.
Lafayette, CA
Awesome. The best Chinese food I have ever had. The service is good too. It can be very busy and very noisy. Also, this is not a place that you go to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere; decor is not a strong point, but the food makes up for it. They deliver within 10 miles.
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Review from Leily P.
Oakland, CA
Overall really good - for two we ordered the fish fillet soup, ma po tofu, mongolian beef, and one of the cold beef dishes as an appetizer. Everything was good except the tofu had a slightly odd flavor. Service was quick and responsive - would definitely return next time we're in the area and try some of the other dishes!
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Review from Michael B.
Pleasant Hill, CA
The food was very good, perfectly spiced with smooth flavor (no funky flavors). However, the service was slow as they seemed to be understaffed. Well worth the wait.
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Review from Richard G.
Walnut Creek, CA
Second visit just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. IT WASN'T.
Boiled pork dumplings in chili garlic sauce? FANTASTIC. General Zhingwingding's Beef? THE BOMB. Clay pot chicken? DIVINE.
Tired of the same old greasy Chinese food? Take a page from the local Chinese community and put this place on your mid-week dining list. Spacious, excellent wait staff, BIG BEERS and reasonable prices. -
Review from Cindy W.
So I rarely ever go out to eat Chinese food at restaurants because I feel like it's all the same old fried rice, chow mein, shrimp that, beef that, pork that. So when my friend took us here, I was a bit hesitant.
Man, where do I begin? The food we had was delicious!! We stayed away from ordering the traditional Chinese food that you can find anywhere (including Panda Express) and got dishes that sounded unique. We ordered four dishes: seafood clay pot (really good flavors and the tofu in it was really really good; any tofu hater would actually like this!), dried fried string beans (perfect crisp to it while having an awesome garlic flavor to it), tea smoked duck (what a unique and delicious flavor! I love duck and the flavor to it was something memorable. p.s. ask for it without bones, easier to eat!) and this fish & broccoli dish (sorry I don't remember the name, but seriously the BEST flavor ever! i wish it came with more!!)
So yeah, go and check this place out. The service was great and the food is seriously the best Chinese food I've ever had at a restaurant. I definitely would love to come back if it was closer to me. Yum! -
Review from Jonar A.
Concord, CA
Homemade pot stickers and wonton... good.
Honey walnut prawns... good.
Stuffed fried eggplant... good.
Noodles... eh. -
Review from Frank B.
Diamond Bar, CA
The food was delicious! Fish soup was tasty! Actually we just want have a quick lunch before heading back to LA on 5hwy. Great surprise.
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Review from Julian V.
Vallejo, CA
The food at this place was on point! I had the Szechuan beef extra spicy and it was amazing. Also had potstickers that were really good. They also gave a free little appetizer. The food here seemed very fresh and it was delicious. Went on a Friday night and only had to wait about 5 minutes. This was my first time but it definitely won't be my last.
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Review from Garst P.
Martinez, CA
My wife and I had the pleasure of eating here and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The service was great and the food was simply the best Sichuan we have ever had. We cannot wait to go back!
Try the Boiling Beef and Beef Pancake. Both are excellent! -
Review from Wes K.
Livermore, CA
4 1/2 stars, the service is lame. The food is PHENOMENAL and worth the hour I waited at the table. I had the spicy tan tan noodles, the wontons, dried green beans, and the seafood claypot. Holy shit people you do not know what you're missing until you eat here, freaking off the charts good.
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Review from Christine C.
Fullerton, CA
My favorite Chinese restaurant!!
I HIGHLY recommend the SPICY boiled fish (or beef, but i prefer fish). Whenever I think of Sichuan food, I think of spicy boiled fish..and this restaurant makes it the best! You can tell them how spicy you want it..we always ask for extra spicy. warning: it's NUMBINGLY spicy :P. We also like taking the sauce home and mixing it with our own noodles for another meal! haha.
I only wish they had a bigger parking lot... -
Review from Nathalie C.
Walnut Creek, CA
My Bf and I had the spicy tan tan noodles and veggie chow fun, both were very good. Clean, nice atmosphere and service was great. The entrees here are always very good.
Note: bathroom is very clean, for a Chinese restaurant. -
Review from Haley S.
Fremont, CA
Woah, this is really good chinese food! We stopped by this place on our way from Napa, the yelp reviews made us pick this place.
The honey walnut shrimp is by far the best I've ever had and I've tried this dish in a lot of places! I also tried the Clay Pot Chicken, which was good and the Tan Tan noodles which was great.
We did take out, so I can't really comment on the service but the service I did get was really good.
Next time we're in the area, we will come back! -
Review from Jules S.
Where's my mom? We came here for Mother's Day but Mom wasn't here. I guess being the uninformative son that I am I failed to inform Mom that her children were taking her out for Mother's Day brunch! Sorry, Ma! The brunch didn't go to waste though. My niece was with us so we decided it was an outing for her mom (my sister). I got a pretty cool 3 year old niece!!!
We love the Combo Fried Rice at Sichuan Fortune House so we ordered that for sure. We also like General Zhangfei's Spicy Beef. We wanted to get the Beijing Duck, but I guess you have to call in for that a day ahead to order it. Bad planning on my part I guess. My brother decided on the Sichuan Tea Smoke Duck which wasn't too bad, but I think the Beijing Duck would have put bigger smiles on the table. Creamy Sweet Corn Soup w/ Chicken and Spicy Tan Tan Noodles were other items that we ordered. Overall, the food was OK with notable fine exceptions.
The owners/managers here are what makes this place. The waiters seemed inexperienced but the people in charge do their very best to make every one in the restaurant feel at home and comfortable. They ended up giving us a small fruit cup each to finish our meal at the end. Not a bad time for a botched Mother's Day brunch. I guess I'll take Mom back here for lunch for some Beijing Duck later on...
Mom did have a Mother's Day dinner though! -
Review from René R.
San Francisco, CA
Quite possibly the tastiest I've had in the area. Genuine, non-dumbed down Chinese cuisine! Even better, it's Sichuan!
Honey glazed walnut prawns: Holy crap, this was so amazing that I almost ate the entire plate myself. The glaze was lick-your-plate-after-you-eat worthy. The prawns were phenomenal - in fluffy flour that complimented the honey and walnuts - so much yum!
Braised bean curd with black mushroom, bok choy and carrots: Some damn tasty tofu came in this. I find that mushrooms are extremely easy to get wrong in restaurants, but this place got it right. A very generous helping of a vegetable dish to compliment (or make) your meal.
Sichuan spicy crispy beef: Yummy! It wasn't very spicy, but my threshold for spicy is quite high. The crunchiness added a nice touch. Beef strips were thin so they were very easy to inhale. Great addition to the meal.
My favorite of the bunch was definitely the prawns - I think it's going to be my staple in all orders from now on!
Service was also surprisingly excellent. Very attentive and courteous.
I'll be back! -
Review from Jimmy H.
Contra Costa, CA
I have been going to this place off and on for the last 3 or so years.
Here's a little back story. My brother and I have been looking for a good chinese restaurant ever since our uncle closed his a few years ago. We've pretty much tried every place there is. Then, here comes Sichuan Fortune house opened right next to Pleasant Hill Park so we decided to try it.
We were Impressed with the food right away. The difference is the quality of food and the quality of cooking. The chef is a REAL chinese chef. We have pretty much sampled everything on the menu and I can say we pretty much like everything.
This little place has turned into our go to chinese food place. I have even gotten to know the owner Allan a little bit.
There are times the restaurant can be very busy and service gets a little slow. Restaurants can get like that.
Here are a few dishes You should try rated by how adventurous you feel.
Mild:
Pot Stickers
Cha cha Mein
Hunan Smoked Pork
Sauteed Green beans and beef
Steamed Fish (Must be ordered 24 hours in advance they buy fresh fish for you)
Somewhat adventureous and a little spicy:
Spicy Fish and tofu
Ma pao Tofu
Dan dan noodles
Sauteed Snow Pea Leaves (not Spicy)
Adventurous and spicy:
Sauteed Bitter Melon and Beef
Fire Charred Kidney
Fish and Blood Pudding Casserole
Jelly Fish Salad
Fish and Pickled Mustard Soup
you guys have got to give them a try!
Food: 5 stars, Great
Service 4 stars, good especially for a chinese restaurant
Atmosphere: Mild can get louder when it's busy
Price: 10-15 dollars per dish. Average for the area. -
Review from Jeff C.
San Francisco, CA
Had a private party here yesterday afternoon. The food was served buffet style. The food was delicious and tasty. Compared to recent places I went to there was no sign of MSG. I was able to get 3 rounds without feeling any sort of overload of sodium (I had that feeling at this last place we were at after the 1st round, never in my life had it before). We had the following items: chinese beef sandwiches w/ oyster sauce, pan fried chow mein, egg plant., steam fish, couple of chicken with vegetables, and many more dishes that I don't know the names of. The size of the place is not too big and not small. Again we had buffet style so i wasnt sure off the service during a normal visit but at least with this visit it was a positive ice breaker.
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Review from Jason C.
Concord, CA
Great Place for Chinese in Contra Costa!!!
On the outside, this place does not look impressive at all, the windows are draped with the blinds and there isn't much of a view from the outside or inside, however, the food here is the real story and the service is also surprisingly efficient.
I just stopped in here recently (not my first time) with a Chinese person and I can tell you that for her and my standards, this place serves very good and authentic chinese food Sichuan or not. We ordered the Beef Pancakes, Changsha Claypot, Dried Spring Beans and Cumin Lamb...just every item was a hit with us! I will definately come back again. In fact, I could not believe Chinese food in Contra Costa could ever get this good!
P.S. My previous visit was with a bunch of tennis buddies who ordered the non-traditional stuff so I had no idea how good the chinese food here really was!!! -
Review from Mike J.
Rodeo, CA
Holy mother of god! You live in San Francisco for a while and you think you know everything about awesome Chinese food... but, a strong man can admit when he's a fool and, oh yeah, I'm one step shy of mentally handicapped.
The best damn Chinese food I've ever had, flat out! Just so good, so unbelievably good!
So, I'm amazed at how a dish of cabbage, only cabbage, could mezmorize and hypnotize me..... dude!
