Great food and reasonable prices. Wonderful that the father-and-son restaurant has carried on. The mother who sang while she worked had a lovely soprano voice. She was badly injured when she was hit by a delivery truck about a decade ago. The son stepped up to keep the restaurant open. Always order the fried chicken on the day it is offered. Vegetables are always fresh and cooked al dente. Great lunch spot. read more

Ask for Peter's special. Salt and pepper wings, with two fried eggs on top of fried rice. $18 but the portion size is pretty good. It'll fill you right up. Their fried rice is simple, but mix in the eggs and special chili sauce... so fire. Be warned though, the sauce is pretty spicy. read more

Ben's - Peter's special - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

First timer to Ben's walked passed this place many times, and finally decided to try it. We ordered a beef chow fun, and sweet and sour pork. prices are a few bucks more than the photos on Yelp. We ordered take out, the beef chow fun was ok, you can get house chili on the side to make it spicy. The sweet and sour pork was unexpected. First, it's just a slab of pork chop stir fried with a bunch of veggies. While it was not bad, the pork was really dry and it was mostly veggies. This is a son and pop store, very lean. It's clear that they have their regular locals. I'm normally a biggg fan of hole in the wall places, but this has not been my favorite. Like others said, cash only type of place. read more

First and foremost... this place is FILTHY!!! I still ate at Ben's as per the great reviews as many times those dive-type places serve the best food. The table I sat at had food smeared over the table yet the owner/server just handed me a menu but did not clean the table. I ordered the Mongolian Beef over rice. There was a lot of rice and not so much beef. Lots of onions and peppers. Food was okay but for a $15 lunch, there are much better Chinese restaurants in Oakland that don't have dirty windows and sticky floors. read more

First time here, jury out but we where welcomed in. Photos of menu with current prices. Older photos are have a $3.00 difference. Inflation. Place is small and Cash Only sign on counter. Beverages and some beer in the ice cooler. Tables needed to be cleaned off and floors too but I don't mind maybe they had a lunch rush. Food smell decent enough read more

Ben's - Menu as of 01/04/2024 - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Been going here since 2015, this is the definition of a hole in the wall. Chinese parents and the son run the place so you know it's guna be authentic as hell, which it is every single time. Pops is whippin it up in the kitchen killin it. Every dish is fire. You will not regret it, I PROMISE YOU. My personal favorites is the "chicken and chops" dish which is fried chicken wings, with 2 pieces or pork chops and fried rice, and while it sounds unlike a traditional Chineese dish, Holy moly just take my word for it and you will never forget this review, you'll forever remember that guy on yelp that referred you and you tried his recommendation and now your hooked. The black bean sauce chicken with fried rice is also to die for here. I've been to many Chinese spots and they really can't compare (not with quality or price!) read more

Chicken special is lit! Only on Wednesdays! Love the family and staff. Super nice and delicious dishes!

Great food if you know what to order...I order the same thing always. My vo worker wasn't happy with her order tho.

Good food good value and quick service. The best value for your dollars and the taste always up to my expectations.

made the fried rice amazingly fast and it taster better! service was super nice and he let me take my time to pay. the ambiance was also super nice, clean chairs, clean tables and an old style american chinese feeling which i loved read more

Ben's - bens fried rice with bbq pork, chicken, shrimp, and the basics of fried rice. - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

I had the Mongolian Chicken, It was really good and taste fresh, the plate was a good amount for one person.

Food on point like I grew up with that all have closed or moved. The place gets busy at 11:30 am if you want lunch. Parking on the street is easy. Now 7 am to 10 am is high time! Oakland Produce Terminal is open! They get the BEST PRODUCE! Great selection of American Chinese Food! There is only ONE menu for the restaurant. DO NOT TAKE IT HOME. If you get it to go it's awesome. We ate there in one of the 3 tables of 4. Hot tea on point. David who took our order was on top of it. And his dad the master chef (the only chef) fired up the wok and out came, beef chow, mapo tofu, and seafood delight. OMG better than Oakland Chinatown. And they make a home made pepper sauce oil to die for! We also got another beef chow fun and bbq pork tofu! The best! The holy grail of hole in the wall Chinese. Price point better than some places we been to! Great Monday to Friday restaurant! read more

This is a small, local family restaurant. The food is delicious, generous portion sizes and food cooked to order. I highly recommend and encourage you to get the homemade chili sauce read more

For lunch on Wednesday I arrived for the day's special - crispy garlic chicken. The chicken had an appropriate amount of crispiness without being oily or dry. The accompanying cucumbers, while simple, seemed quite fresh. Quite notably, the table had black bean sauce that carried such a complex flavor of umami from anchovies that it must have been homemade. No mass-produced black bean sauce would be more ingredient than sauce and that fragrant. The experience of going to Ben's merits mention. Even at 11:45 AM on Wednesday, 15 minutes after opening, Ben's was already full. A quick rapport with David, manning the cashier and front counter, gave me an hour's estimate for the wait. which proved quite accurate. As I waited outside and grabbing some Tsingtaos from the fridge, David, despite the rush, made conversation multiple times (aside from suggesting the beers) and talked about what orders had been lined up and I could piggyback off/change to get my order more quickly. He also discussed what times of the day have off-peak hours and that Wednesday was extra busy w/the daily special. Despite the long wait, I had an enjoyable time, which offsets my normal annoyance. The meal, simple yet fresh and satisfying, accompanied with the homemade black bean sauce, cements Ben's as an indispensable place to me. For those looking for a quick lunch, this most certainly is not the venue for you. However, I quite enjoyed what I consider the epitome of the mom-and-pop experience. read more

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Cash only with pretty straight forward menu. Shared the shrimp and chicken fried rice. I don't even like shrimp much but this was really clean, fresh flavors. The chili sauce was also special. Will try again. read more

Great little spot Kinda has a weird smell like fermented vegetables Its in the produce market area Food and prices are great! read more

Love this hole-in-the-wall place for lunch. Ben's the dad working the stove, Dave's the son who takes the orders. Tiny little greasy spoon (make sure you keep your jacket on if you're wearing something special b/c the space is small and the cooking smells will stick on ya). Americanized-Chinese but in a way that is old-school traditional. I order the same thing every time and I think that's pretty much how it is with all the regulars. Seriously yummy chili sauce. My entire lunch situation is about balancing the ratio of chili sauce with rice so I get the perfect mix. I try to avoid eating too much rice but these carbs are worth it with the sauce. read more

A very nice family run resto . David and Ben man the small place in the heart of Oakland`s produce market . I got the Wednesday Fried Chicken special . I think it was $11.00 . I got a diet Pepsi and it wass $ 14.00 total . The chicken was white breast meat , 5 thick 4 inch tenders served with white rice and the most fresh brocoli florettes I have ever had . The Chicken tenders came with a delicious spicy sauce for dipping ( Kung Pao possibly ) was great . Tiny pace , odd hours ( if you work late nights ... this place opens 7 am - 10 am then break 11 am till 2 pm close . I love a family resto . Support Ben and David , so worthy read more

Fast, easy, friendly, yummy. Make sure to bring cash, Ben will spot you if you forget, just get him back!

I assume a small family owned business. Workers know their customers well. Food & service is aways great!

This place is the diamond in the rough I have been searching for! Everything is so overpriced these days BUT NOT HERE. The quality is 5 stars. (the food was cooked perfectly, not overcooked nor undercooked, nothing burnt. Looks fresh and smells tasty!) The amount is 5 stars. (they give plentiful!) The taste is 5 stars. (spicy like it's supposed to be! used with the correct ingredients) The customer service is 5 stars. (great attitude) The wait time is 5 stars. (speedy cook) They have the sweetest guard dog which is a chow chow who tolerated my pom pom lol read more

Ben's - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

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this was my spot on Wednesdays for the garlic chicken special, unfortunately the quality of food has gone downhill and the portions are a lot smaller with a higher price tag. The chicken tasted weird, it wasn't crispy it was soggy drenched in oil. read more

Ben's - Garlic chicken Wednesday special - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Ben's is ,without a doubt, no frills but always good. Limited menu but whatever you choose is always good. Portions are trencherman sized! There are a few tables. Best to get to go. Bring cash. read more

Ben's gets review No. 250. I was thinking, I should write about something really special, because 250 is like some crazy auspicious number and it should be my take on something I find really amazing that knocked my socks off then I got hungry and thought of Ben's and love washed over me. Ben's actually is that special. Ben's looks like the kind of place I'd head to straight after my weekly at the methadone clinic. Appearances can be deceiving. For some reason from time to time I forget Ben's exists, all quietly tucked in the Produce Market without real signage hidden unless you're looking for it. I get sucked into my other JL lunchtime favorites. Yesterday they were worn out and I was all "think, Pooh, think" and the dim bulb illuminated for a second and I remembered Ben's. Yesterday I had the chicken with black bean sauce and it took me an hour of causally nibbling at my desk to finish it. Oh mylanta (which I didn't need) was it so good! In a sec I'm going back over for something porky. It makes me happy just thinking about it. Michael says it best: Ben the two of us need look no more We both found what we were looking for With a friend to call my own I'll never be alone And you my friend will see you've got a friend in me (you've got a friend in me) Ben you're always running here and there (here and there) You feel you're not wanted anywhere (anywhere) If you ever look behind and don't like what you find There's something you should know you've got a place to go (you've got a place to go) I used to say "I and me" Now it's us now it's we (I used to say "I is me") (now it's us now it's we) Ben most people would turn you away (turn you away) I don't listen to a word they say (a word they say) They don't see you as I do I wish they would try to I'm sure they'd think again if they had a friend like Ben Like Ben Lunchtime! read more

Ben's - I'm captioning with my mouth full. OMG. So good. - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Famous for the Wednesday Special Fried Chicken. No, not the kind Sergio Garcia is serving at his house (Get'em Tiger!) but Garlic Fried Chicken over rice. Discovered this place walking around, yelping the area, Ben's is a Chinese to-go type eatery that basically caters to those working in the Waterfront Warehouse & Produce District. Obviously for the fact that they close at 2pm. The menu has all the normal beloved American Chinese food that we love. Heavy gravy, savory, large portioned lunches for the working folks for a reasonable price averaging around $6 to $8. But I only tried two items: Wednesday Special Garlic Fried Chicken: I thought this was a good sized portion, visually it's good looking, but I found it to be a little too over battered. And just a little too bland and plain for my tastes. Didn't make me think to myself, that I couldn't wait till next Wednesday to have some more. Mongolian Beef over rice: this was a nice amount of beef with heavy gravy. Really good dish. Heavy on onions but it seems like all restaurants do heavy onions in Mongolian beef these days. I'd order this over the chicken for sure. The couple who owns Ben's are friendly and because I called it in prior it was ready when we got there. A nice neighborhood spot for a quick lunch. read more

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This place is so good. Couldn't recommend it enough. The prices are so reasonable for this city and the food is top notch.

Sadly Ben's have changed since the pandemic. The food is still as good as before but prices are about 30% more AND the worse part is the portions are now about 50% less than before. The take out containers are also now a very soft paper think shallow box. I still love their food but Yelpers be forewarned ..... read more

Outstanding bang for your buck! No matter the plate, meat, noodle, or vegetable, Ben can make anything tasty. He and his son are top notch. A place like this is a true "hole in the wall". Can't miss is the bowl of chile that is a mox of black bean, jalapeño, cabbage, chiles in oil and more. Put it on your noodle dish and it's game over. Great food and better people here. read more

Ben's - Special of the Day Noodle plate - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

My boo is a huge fan of the food here and has brought home takeout from Ben's a few times before I was dispatched to pick up an order for lunch one day. You can't go wrong with their Wednesday special, which is fried chicken with a garlicky dipping sauce, and a generous portion of fried rice and veggies which can be upgraded to noodles for an additional $1.50. Today I was greeted at the door with a smile and an elbow bump, and the food came to me right out of the wok. I hear there's a skeleton crew working the shift, but we want to support our local businesses in this economy and we'll definitely be coming back for the awesome food and distance-appropriate friendly faces! read more

Amazing. Great food, great service, great people. Highly recommend. Only complaint is they aren't open longer.

It's a real hole in the wall, tiny place, old, and not updated, yet, regulars come to get the home style Chinese dishes, a few American-nized Chinese food. Tasty and affordable greasy spoon. Well worth your time and money to go and try it. A favorite is the fried chicken once' per week special but I preferred the rice plates. read more

This father-son duo is the BEES KNEES. So good that I will make a special trip out to JLS and bring cash for it. Pretty much every dish comes loaded with fresh veggies so you don't even feel that bad about eating a bunch of carbs. That logic checks out, right? And I don't even need to talk about the delectable, life-changing black bean hot sauce they make because everyone has already raved about it. Yum. read more

Ben's - Shrimp vermicelli - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

I ordered chicken with broccoli over rice. I liked that the broccoli was cooked al dente.

So good! This is the only place I order Chinese food from. Veggies are fresh and stove where food is prepared is right up front. I've had the fried rice and the vermicelli noodles (chicken, shrimp, and veggie). So much food. The hot sauce that comes on the side is also delicious. Definitely call ahead, if you don't order as soon as they open, your order can take up to an hour because it gets so busy! read more

Came here for lunch with a couple of friends on a Wednesday around noon. There was a bit of a wait to get our food, but we were told ahead of time a reasonable estimate and decided to wait it out. It was a smaller space, but we managed to grab one of the four tables inside. I had the fish with veggies over rice, and my friends had the salt and pepper pork and the chicken with black beans over rice. Each dish came with a healthy portion of protein, veggies, and rice. It was a hearty meal and very delicious. The fish was very tender and very tasty. Each table has a container of homemade sauce, which was also a nice add on to any dish. At the end of the meal I wasn't able to finish everything and they gladly provided me with a to-go container for my leftovers. Very friendly folks here and would recommend for anyone looking for a warm bite to eat. They are cash only, so make sure to bring some cash with you read more

As a regular in Oakland Chinatown I will venture into Jack London to Ben's for a classic "old school" cantonese style lunch plate. David and his father is one of the last old Chinese greasy spoon hole in the wall style restaurants around. One day I happened to come by for lunch on a Wednesday and noticed they have a Wednesday special of "crispy garlic chicken". A good portion of nicely battered fried chicken pieces with rice and vegetables. What set this apart was the two sauces provided which included a homemade black bean sauce and tangy sweet sauce. So if you are ever in Oakland Chinatown/Jack London and want to go back in time give this place a try! read more

Is that really Ben behind the line? N- e-way who ever it is, is the last of the legends. Cooks fresh and tasty. Mongolian Beef

yum, yum, yum. A work favorite. Scrambled egg and prawns, Ginger Beef so good. Cash only. read more

This place is BOMB! There plates are delicious. The family is friendly and David is always attentive. My favorite plate is the jalapeño onions chicken wings with steamed rice. The homemade spicy sauce is on point. The restaurant is small but decent. read more

Great value in Jack London Square. A hole in the wall (family-run operation) with an upstairs area for more seating options. Portions are big and delicious. My go to is the Mapo tofu. Fried chicken on Wednesday's is a favorite. read more

Ben's - All gone. I'm full! - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California