This is a small Chinese cafe. Not a lot of seating, but enough. The menu has a small selection of items. There is a Chinese menu which I recommend for those wanting to try authentic Chinese food. The owner is a mildly aged woman. She doesn't explain the food selections with great depth, possibly either do to her lack of culinary vocabulary or she doesn't want to scare you off. I wanted something on the Chinese menu because this is my first time here and I want to real deal. After going back and forth with the dishes, my wants weren't aligned with her recommendations, we decided to do a hot and sour soup and a beef with sauce over white rice. She said I had to pay upfront, which kind of discourages me. Once I pay, I lose the option to tip more or less based off the quality of the food or service. Nonetheles, I placed my order and she went to the kitchen to cook my meal. I wouldn't recommend this place if you need something fast due to lack of employees and also, she really cooks everything fresh. So the food stuff: the food. The food was probably the best home cooked Chinese food I've ever had. The hot and sour soup was the freshest hot and sour soup I've ever had. The beef with sauce over rice was excellent. It came with an egg, which looked like either it came from a game bird based off its dark color or it was marinated much like you would find in a Raman dish. The sauce was sweet , but not as sweet and duck sauce. There was a lot of black pepper in the dish so it had a kick, but not over powered. All in all, food was a 10, customer service was a 7. I don't want to be too critical in her service, she was just looking out for me. I would highly recommend. read more

Cafe 88 - Delicious - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This place has really good beef noodle soup and chicken ... but it has the worst service I have ever encountered in my entire life. The manager is the worst human being I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. When you inquire about the menu, she yells at you that she doesn't have enough of some items. When people tried to get a take out container, she blew up at them and yelled at them in front of the entire store. She is so inconsiderate and such a terrible person, and it is an absolutely unpleasant experience to eat here. read more

Don't let the simple menu or simple interior fool you, this place is one of the best eastern restaurants in Charlottesville. The owner is a sweet Taiwanese woman who has a fantastic ability to prepare meats that are crispy without being oily and every one of the dishes has been tender. I've eaten here about 5 times in 2 weeks and tried a a variety of dishes and they are all great. The best things I've eaten here are the crispy chicken, hot and sour soup (perhaps the best I've ever experienced) and the side eggplant dish in the bento box. Stop by for a quick meal under 10 bucks that will leave you smiling. read more

I stopped in for some crispy chicken, and it was delicious! Fried to perfection, and the chicken was very juicy. It was listed under dim sum and snacks, yet it was quite filling. A very good lunch today (and cheap!). The only downside was the amount of time I had to wait. Very minor though considering that they made it fresh when I ordered it and it was worth the wait. The owner is very friendly, and I will definitely return to try more from the menu! read more

Average food. Terrible customer service. When I placed my order she very rudely said,'to go, right?' As if she didn't want me to stay in her store. Seems like she only wants certain type of people there. read more

I came here several times when it first opened, and was very happy with the bento boxes. The dim sum is on the expensive side for tiny servings. However, the 3rd and final time there, I got bad food poisoning after eating the fish bento box and shrimp dumplings. I don't know if it was a one time contamination thing, but I'm not risking it again. read more

This is in my top 2 for Chinese restaurants in the 'ville. Everything is slightly more family-style Chinese food than the traditional western-chinese that you get everywhere else. Everything here is lovingly cooked to perfection - the Amazing Chicken is amazing, the Wonderful Chicken is wonderful! Although the menu is limited (only about 12 items altogether), half of it is vegetarian. Occasionally, the food does come out pretty greasy, but no more than one would expect from this type of food. read more

I love this place. The owner used to own Ming Dynasty, and would get all of the vegetables from the farmers market. I'm so glad to see this quality continue at Cafe 88. The bento, dim-sum and scallion pancake are incredible. I'll be stopping by every time I go back to Charlottesville read more

This is one of the places I go when I really crave some comfort food! Her egg drop soup is out of this world, and it tastes fresh and brothy, unlike mainstream Chinese restaurants. Depending on the weather, I either get the egg drop soup or a crispy tofu appetizer. The basil really makes the tofu extra delicious. And my favorite entree is the amazing chicken. It really is amazing. When I call to order takeout, the owner usually knows who I am by my order alone! read more

So pleased we came. Everything very fresh and tasty. We had the chicken, pineapple rice, and noodles with scallions and ground pork. All of it to die for. Highly recommend!!!!!! read more

Cafe 88 - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Yelpers never let me down. We swung thru Charlottesville on the way home from the mountains and desperately needed something other than fast food. Thanks to the reviews my husband had the best beef soup and said he would drive back to Charlottesville (3 hours away) just for it. Warning: They only have the beef noodle soup on weekends. We also got a spring roll that was fresh and delicious. They were out of misogyny soup, (huge disappointment after seeing the beef noodle I am assuming the miso would be amazing). Since it was too late to make the tofu with veggies soup I settled on crispy tofu. It was bland. Nothing special. It needed some other flavor than hot pepper sauce and soy sauce. The meal was just under $20, the specialty soup was $12. Totally worth it. I highly recommend this place and next time I will take the Yelpers advice and get the veggie chicken. read more

This is the strangest Chinese restaurant. The menu is tiny, and certainly not your regular menu. It was difficult to figure out what to eat. Two of the things that we wanted to order they didn't have. What we did have to eat was all fried. It was pretty gross. Previous reviews complained about the service, which couldn't have been better. read more

One of my top 3 restaurants in Charlottesville! Not your typical Chinese takeout joint, Cafe 88 serves up homey, Taiwanese-style cuisine made with fresh ingredients. The owner, a middle-aged Chinese lady, has a brusque manner (keep in mind only she & one other cook run the place), but is pleasant and friendly when you take the chance to hold a conversation with her. If you want to grab something quickly, call ahead and order a bento box. They come with different vegetable sides depending on the day; I particularly enjoy the Wonderful Chicken. At about $8, the bento boxes are more expensive than lunch orders from other Chinese places, but comparable to dinner prices and include just as much food. The Dim Sum & Snacks menu is especially nice if you're looking for something less filling. I love the scallion pancakes, and the spring rolls put egg rolls from anywhere else in town to shame. The true standout of Cafe 88, though, isn't on the English menu: Made of tender chunks of beef stewed in broth, thick Chinese noodles, bok choy, scallion, and enough spice to clear your sinuses, the beef noodle soup is only available Fridays and Saturdays. A bowl will set you back about $11, but it's easily large enough to split with a friend, if you can stand to share it. Another non-English menu item well worth trying is the braised pork belly. read more

My wife just brought home two bento boxes from Cafe 88 and I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of fans who love this place. What delicious food! The Amazing Chicken really is amazing, and the fried tofu was excellent too. So were the super fresh sides. Sauces here are very flavorful but nuanced, not aggressive. Looking forward to trying the entire menu here -- starting with the beef and noodle soup which, according to my wife, must be consumed on the premises! read more

You won't spend a better $7.88 in CVille than for a Cafe 88 bento box. Take-out or dine-in only probably deters many from ever experiencing this gem. read more

Maybe my experience might not be everyone's since the rating is so high. But my food came directly from microwave oven and some veggie are cold. I also see a hair in my dish. I found the place based on Yelp rating but I am quite disappointed. The price is overpriced. The noodles are 11 box and I think I can get one at a decent place with the same price. read more

solid. went there for the first time tonight - the owner is very friendly and the food is good. definitely taiwanese - i had the pork chop, which was very good and a generous portion (definitely enugh leftovers to make a second meal). will be back again to try some of the other offerings. in the fridge there are some traditional taiwanese cold dishes - sticky rice, soy sauce eggs and tofu, etc. legit read more

The Wonderful Chicken Bento Box and Hot and Sour Soup were really good. Lightyears better than the offerings of your typical American Chinese restaurant. Color me impressed. read more

The lady was very rude to us today. When we asked if we could order 3 beef noodle soup, she said we could only order 1 for all 3 of us, we had to order 2 other dishes, though she had enough beef noodle soup...and the way she talked to us was really RUDE! read more

Food was ok. Not something I would go to again. The beef noodle soup looked pretty good but I didn't get that and wasn't impressed with my meal or the service. read more

Shockingly fresh Asian takeout. Didn't love shrimp dumplings but scallion pancakes, hot and sour soup, spring rolls, crispy chicken, wonderful chicken all amazing and good price read more

Awesome place to have some Taiwanese food in Cville. I'd recommend their Beef Noodle Soup. It's the best in town.

Bubble tea and to go lunches advertised but never anything in the refrigerated section to go each time I have been there. I ordered from the menu and thought it was kind of expensive. It was supposed to be tasty chicken with sauce and it was fried chicken breast on a mound of rice. It looked like something I would have ordered from KFC. I told the lady the chicken was not as described as there was no sauce and it was fried and I could not eat fried food. Then she told me I should have told her I could not eat fried food like it was my fault . And when I asked her about where the sauce was she said it was under the fried chicken crust? I asked if she could substitute the fried chicken with a different non-fried meat. She said no, that I could just eat the vegetables. I explained that I could not eat fried food but she would not give me a substitute so I asked for my money back as I had not touched the food. After arguing with her for about 5 minutes, she finally gave me my money back after I took the food back to her counter and said I was not going to eat it. The lady behind the counter needs to learn how our restaurants work in this country instead of arguing with the customers. I have no idea whether or not the food is any good but I am not going to go back to find out. This would make a good skit for Saturday Night Live though... read more

I usually eat once a week at this amazing place. EVERYTHING is good. The food is super authentic and homey, and the owner is very nice. She takes orders and cooks everything herself, so service might be a little slow on weekends, but it's worth it. I would recommend the any one of the bento boxes on a weekday and the beef noodle soup on Friday and Saturdays. read more

Delicious. I love the bento boxes. They have Bubble Tea as well!!

We go here quite a bit. My kids love the pineapple fried rice and the wonderful chicken (seriously, that is what it is called). The bento boxes are big enough the give you leftovers and the side veggies are really good. Everything is made fresh when you order it. It is like having your own Chinese grandmother cooking for you. read more

Amazing food. I'm not Asian, nor do I speak or read Chinese, so I insisted that the owner--an efficient lady who takes your order, cooks, and serves--tell me what was posted on the Chinese menu. Twice she's been skeptical of me when I ordered from the Chinese menu, warning me that I might not like the pork belly since "it has fermented vegetables!" and hesitating when I requested the beef noodle soup, cautioning me that "it's spicy." (Both dishes are excellent: the flavorful pork belly is balanced by the briny preserved greens; the perfectly tender beef swims in a spicy broth on top of an ample serving of chewy noodles.) If you have an adventurous palette, don't let her talk you out of ordering this homemade, authentic Chinese food. The food from the regular English menu is great, too. read more

The food is ok nothing to write home about. It is a one woman show which I give tons of credit to, but half the food on the menu was not available and neither was the advertised bubble tea. Bummer all in just ok. Oh and the lady really hates kids so huge turn off when she is barking at them. I can parent my own child without the person who is taking my order. read more

Best chicken poppers I've ever had in my life. (Though called crispy chicken here). Not too bready, nice herbs and flavor. Also the beef noodles are legit. read more

Man I really don't get it. It's all homemade style yes but there's nothing here that's amazing. The prices are good though and it's a nice lunch. read more

The portions are good, the owner is nice, the food is delicious. The hot and sour soup is AMAZING -- It's huge and packed with tofu and vegetables and it's maybe $2. read more

Cafe 88!!! It is so good every time. Mostly we get the crispy tofu bento box (the veggie sides are always delicious, no matter what they are) AND scallion pancakes and now Pineapple Fried Rice sometimes too. We always leave happy and have leftovers for home later. And the lady that owns it is the nicest Chinese mom that you never had. My only wish is that they had more hands in the back so that the food would come faster BUT the wait is worth it. read more

Wonderfull pork noodle soup! All time favorite. The pineapple fried rice was also yummy. Hard working friendly people. Love this place

Fresh, delicious and healthy - I highly recommend the Wonderful Chicken or Fish Bento Box. You don't get to choose your sides but all of the ones she serves are excellent especially the eggplant or potatoes. read more

Beef noodle soup here was authentic, delicious and worth coming back for. Service was very friendly.

went here today. it was really good. for $8 you cant go wrong. I ordered the vegetarian chicken, I would get it again! The owner was there working and was really nice and made sure we liked everything. great place! read more

Everytime I comes to this place it seems like the owner does not want my business . I'm always searching for her in the kitchen . She'll either tell me that she's closing early, that I cant take the noodle soup to go , or that I have to finish everything in 30 mins since I can't take the soup to go and I won't have enough time to eat. Everytime I get the beef noodle soup I ask her if I can get hot sauce she always tells me that she already added spicy sauce to the soup or one other time she came to grab the bottle shortly after she gave it to me so I didn't have a chance to use it. I've asked her a couple times about her bubble tea, and she'll say pretty rudely that she doesn't have any. Even though she has a huge poster on the wall and a sign still up on her wall w/ the price listed. The soup is good I'll give it a 4/5 which is why I use to go so much when I was sick from allergies this summer. The customer service ruins the whole experience so I don't go as much . read more