I came here for stinky tofu! Easy parking. Nice and quick service. Will be back soon. read more

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I had high hopes, as the Chinese bane of this restaurant is of the famous night market of my home town. I was not expecting great service as soon as we walked in. It was a bit unorganized and people walking around but not sure where to seat us. We finally got seated and had to wait a while and waved down people a few times to get out orders in. It is okay, I am here for the good, not the service after all. Right? I was disappointed. The oyster pancake was extremely fishy. The rice cake (well not really a cake but inverted sticky rice cup) was cold and where is the pork floss? The chicken rolls were decent, the best dish. I didn't try the fried intestines but was told there were okay. The stinky tofu not really stinky. I think it is because we are in the US and many restaurants stopped selling this due to complaints. I can take that but the dipping sauce was lacking with no garlic flavor. The other items were nothing to write home about. We were waiting for our stir fried seafood noodles and finally waved down someone only to find out it is out, but no one told us. So we ordered pork chop bento as we saw the next table had one and the portion was amazing. Well, someone must have eaten our order in the kitchen as ours was half of the size as what we saw from the other table. The decor was very simple and as with most Asian restaurant it was noisy. But I was there for the food so no problem. But the food didn't deliver. read more

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I came for my fiance's dad's birthday. Normally this place is packed, and we were lucky that at 12, there was no wait on a saturday. It's a small store with 6 ish tables. a nice asian auntie visits you to take your order. It used to be cash only but now it's card also, so that's nice. We ordered these items: - jumbo beef - pork intestine - beef over rice - hakka stir fry tofu The jumbo beef was very tender! very soft, very flavorful. The intestine was crispy and yet soft simultaneously. Best dish. The rice was depressing- I don't like sweet dishes and its not my favorite. The stir fry was pretty good, but lacking in squid flavor (it said it had it...so) Overall it's a pretty good place, but consistency was too low to give it that 5*. Still would recommend! read more

Chef Cho - Taiwanese Near Me - Newark, California

My family and I came here when we saw they were selling stinky tofu. It's hard to come across a stinky tofu spot in the Bay Area now so we were very excited. The stinky tofu was good, definitely on the pricier side when comparing it to Taiwan night markets but it did hit the spot. The oyster pancake was good as well and it was one of the better ones I've had in the Bay Area. When we went the service was great and the server was very attentive. The restaurant itself has a very typical Asian restaurant vibe and it's great when you're craving some authentic Taiwanese food! read more

We enjoy good Taiwanese food even if we need to drive a little farther. We haven't been able to find good stinky tofu in the South Bay for many years. We are so happy they have really good stinky tofu here! It's not for everyone, but almost every table orders this. We ordered two orders for 3 people. I would be back just for this dish. read more

Chef Cho - It's a Taiwanese fried dish, it was okay - Taiwanese Near Me - Newark, California

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Food is very good. But...make sure you go there the "right time". They are terribly understaffed that during prime hours, customers stand there waiting for over 10 minutes with no one present. Half of the tables left dirty with no one to bus. Phone rings with no one to answer and if you are ready to pay, you pretty much have to walk into the back to look for help. Basically everything is a chaos. To me this completely offsets the great foods. read more

A solid taiwanese spot with plenty of authentic taiwanese dishes. We ordered stinky tofu, oyster pancake, salted egg and bitter melon, sauteed clam with basil, and hsinchu duck noodle. I loved the stinky tofu, very crispy and flavorful. Oyster pancake was fine. Clam was not bad but theres more shell than meat lol (not really a fulfilling dish). Duck noodle was also decent. The melon was on the crispy / raw side which I don't particularly like, but it's personal taste. Overall a solid 4 star. The place was rather empty when we arrived on a sunday night. High chair available. read more

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Great Taiwanese place! Probably the best stinky tofu and oyster omelette I had in the US! Hubby's beef noodles soup was excellent! Broth was flavorful! Popcorn chicken was all dark meat! So soft and juicy! read more

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I first visited this spot a few years ago, and passing through Newark again reminded me to come back. The name "Liuhe Night Market" might make people think of the famous market in Kaohsiung--known for smoky grilled meats and stir-fried eel, with the sweeter profile of Southern Taiwan. But make no mistake: the cooking here is pure Northern Taiwanese style--savory, balanced, and generous, without that heavy sweetness. The dish that truly impressed me was the fried fish soup. The fish chunks were perfectly fried--crispy outside, tender inside--but what makes this bowl extraordinary is the addition of dried flatfish/sole in the broth. In Taiwan, dried flatfish is the soul of a proper geng soup: without it, it's never authentic. Finding that here in California was a moving surprise. Even better, the flavor is balanced in the Northern style. Pro tip: ask for white pepper and black vinegar--that's when it tastes exactly like the real deal. The oyster omelet was also outstanding: crispy edges, lots of large oysters, and a sauce that's unmistakably Northern Taiwanese. The braised beef noodle soup--brisket, wide noodles, and house-made pickled mustard greens--sits firmly in the red-braised tradition. It reminded me of the long-gone Zhengzhou Street Beef Noodle Row in Taipei: an old-school flavor that's hard to find now, yet here it feels alive again. Round it out with Taiwanese sausage with garlic (ask for extra slices) and stinky tofu that's unapologetically pungent, balanced by lightly sweet Taiwanese-style pickled cabbage. Generous portions, deeply authentic flavors, and a chef who clearly sweats the details. It's not Kaohsiung's Liuhe--think of it as a Northern Taiwan version--and it's a gem. -- Dr. C Only writing for what truly earns the stars. read more

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Like walking into your grandmother's home! The sweetest little mom and pop shop with comforting and authentic Taiwanese food, although dishes run on the saltier side. Definitely have to eat everything with rice! Food is also really affordable and well-portioned. Would be back when I'm craving some fresh and authentic taiwanese food. We were greeted upon entrance and the nice old lady took our order and gave recommendations. The place itself has tons of seating and a bit out of date (they still haven't taken down the sushi pictures from the previous restaurant). Very casual vibes and great for takeout as well. read more

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I ordered a pork belly bento and small sausage in big sausage. The pork belly bento was very homestyle, with several large slices of red-braised pork belly, rice topped with small bits of pork belly and soy sauce, and side dishes of cabbage and carrots as well as tomatoes and eggs. Small sausage in big sausage is a night market specialty which is very hard to find in the US, so I'm glad they're one of the few Bay Area restaurants that have it. Unlike the original version, they decided to put their own refined twist on it by cutting it into sections, adding a slice of garlic to each section, and garnishing it with a sprig of cilantro. They also added peanuts to the glutinous rice sausage, and the whole item is about twice the size of the night market version. read more

Chef Cho - Pork Belly Bento - Taiwanese Near Me - Newark, California

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Being Taiwanese, I'm always thrilled to patronize Taiwanese restaurants, which are few and far between in the Bay Area. My family and I had dinner at Chef Cho's on Saturday night. When we arrived at 6:30pm, the restaurant was mostly empty, which had us second guessing our decision to eat there, but by 7pm, it had completely filled up. I could tell many of the other patrons were Taiwanese, which was a good sign the food would be authentic. Another good sign was that everyone working in the restaurant looked like a Taiwanese Auntie or Grandma. I had trouble with ordering as I know my favorite dishes by name, but I can't read Chinese and the English on the menu was minimally descriptive. Thankfully, the auntie/waiter patiently answered my questions and guided us on how many dishes to order. Would Definitely Order Again 1) Stinky tofu: Crunchy and pungent. Probably the best stinky tofu I've had in the Bay Area. If I'm being nitpicky, the pickled cabbage on the side needed more crunch and tartness. 2) Small sausage in big sausage: This was so yummy even my pickier child liked it. (Note: Make sure to pair each bite with a raw garlic slice - it completes the dish.) 3) Sauteed clam and basil: Delicious. The clams were fat and fresh and paired perfectly with the aromatic basil. Might Order Again 4) Chitterling Rice Noodle Soup: There were so many tasty dishes on the table that this was under-appreciated during dinner. We enjoyed it much more as leftovers, particularly the soft chitlins. 5) Sha-cha beef: Good flavor and the veggies were spot on. My husband and I thought the beef was overly tenderized, but the kids didn't mind. 6) Beef fried rice: The beef was again overly tenderized, but everyone loved the fried rice itself. I'd prob order it with a different protein next time. Would Not Order Again 7) Steamed meatball (ba wan): My daughter liked it. I thought it was just ok - I missed the reddish-orange garlic chili sauce the dish is supposed to come with. It wasn't bad by any means, but there are so many other delicious things on the menu that this is unlikely to make the cut next time. 8) Ground pork noodle soup: This was meh. It was bland in the restaurant and bland as leftovers. Overall, we really enjoyed the food. The dishes that we liked, we really really liked, and my kids are already asking when we are going to go eat there again. It'll probably be pretty soon. read more

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As a Taiwanese American, I'm always looking for food that reminds me of childhood trips back to Taiwan. My mother grew up in the southern tip of Taiwan and her old home had a stinky tofu vendor behind their house, so the smells of the fermented bean curd always bring me back to visiting the house my mom grew up in. This is truly authentic genuine Taiwanese eats; I also know this because my very Taiwanese mom began to chat it up with the owner's wife and they reminisced about all things Taiwan. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu and the staff are friendly and chatty. If you're needing a Taiwanese stinky tofu fix, here's your local spot! read more

I would typically rate this place a 2 star because of the slow service (or lack of), mediocre food and its cleaniness. But since there was only one older lady serving the entire restaurant, I figured she was doing her best. The stinky tofu was decent (could deep fry a couple more minutes) and since not a lot of places serve this dish, I really appreciated it. I took my oyster pancake home because I didn't want to get sick eating raw oysters. The ground chicken onion roll was the worst. It was mushy, overly sweet and mixed with too much flour, making it tasted doughy/powdery. At the end of the day, I shouldn't really complain because the price was very reasonable. read more

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5 years later, Chef Cho's is still one of the best Taiwanese restaurants in the bay. Apparently, there are folks petitioning to stop them from selling stinky tofu, so they have a poster you can sign when you walk in to support their stinky tofu. Support the stinky tofu! It's delicious and there aren't many restaurants left that sells authentic Taiwanese stinky tofu in the area. Get their Taiwanese street snacks, you can't really go wrong. My favorites are, of course, #1: stinky tofu. But their taiwanese hamburgers (gua bao) are delicious. Taiwanese sausage, deep fried ground chicken onion roll, rice cake cooked in a barrel, etc. are all good as well. Homey, authentic flavors - like your grandma made them. They do get packed on the weekends! read more

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A cute and friendly family business! This is my first time having oyster omelette in the Bay Area and it did not disappoint! They give a good amount of sauce. The Lu Rou Fan was also not bad! I wish the portion size was bigger though. read more

Chef Cho - 4. Oyster Pancake - Taiwanese Near Me - Newark, California

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The food was good, though not amazing. This is an authentic Taiwanese restaurant, and my friend who is Taiwanese said it's quite good. I personally found the food a bit oily, and while the stinky tofu was flavorful, it was very stinky -- true to its name! The service was okay. There weren't many staff members, so they couldn't attend to everyone promptly, but they were friendly and polite. The restaurant was quite crowded and a bit loud, which made the atmosphere feel a little overwhelming. read more

If you're looking for an authentic mom and pop taiwanese restaurant. This is the place. Very cozy vibes. Most customers are regular who is craving for true taiwanese food. The aunty is very friendly and talkative. Very attentive and kept asking if we need anything else. The uncle sometimes came out and check the customer. Ordered Oyster Omelette. Truly yummy. Goey in the inside, enough Oyster with some greens and Crispy on the outside. The red sauce hit the spot. Even mixed the red sauce with my fried rice. The only thing like somebody mentioned, you can smell some of the oyster, rather fishy. At least I didn't get anything. I have sensitive stomach. Sausage fried rice is on wok hei. Felt the burn. Not enough seasoning. Wish they only used 1 type of chinese sausage. They used 2. Will come back for other local taiwanese cuisine. read more

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Truly authentic Taiwanese food The flavor is really fantastic, as if you go back to Taiwan. read more

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Really good Taiwanese fruity desserts and drinks. Our go to dishes include stinky tofu, shrimp omelette, seafood chow mien, and pickled cabbage and beef over rice. I ordered my first ginger duck hot pot. Really good. A Taiwanese friend mentioned that the pot has a lot of duck and full of ingredients. read more

A Vietnamese American coworker came over from Florida for a conference, and the first thing he asked me was "Do you know a good stinky tofu place?" According to him, the stinky tofu places he's tried in the U.S. have all been "not stinky enough, and need more stinky!". Even Milk & Honey Cafe didn't cut it. So we came to Chef Cho's and that turned out to be the ticket. My coworker was a happy camper and declared this place to have the best stinky tofu he's ever had in the U.S. The lady serving us was considerate. We told her some of us were vegetarian, so she offered to use mushrooms with the mapo tofu without us needing to ask, and made sure to assure us whether each dish was vegetarian as she served it. Everything was absolutely delicious. My white Floridian coworker who were also with us became a mapo tofu fan. Afterwards, I chatted with the lady in Mandarin and she said that she used to marinate the stinky tofu for 8 days to achieve its pungency, but then received complaints from neighbors about the smell, so she had to halve the marinate time to 4 days. She hopes to gradually increase the marinate time to 5 days this month. Even with the decreased marinate time, the tofu was still pleasurably pungent; the Vietnamese coworker loved this place and happily signed the petition for them to keep serving stinky tofu. I really liked it too and will bring my family here to eat again. read more

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Terrible food. Stinky tofu was overfried and hard, and the dipping sauce was pretty much flavorless. The Sautéed Clams & Basil arrived with half the clams still closed. The server/owner, an older woman, took the dish back irritably and irrationally said I shouldn't expect fresh clams like we would in Taiwan. The Steam Meatball was old and flavorless as if it sat out for too long for several days. read more

The food was extremely salty. There was a disgusting stench in the restaurant and the kitchen. The boss had a very bad attitude. The boss spoke very loudly when talking to people and was impatient. The boss shouted loudly when settling the bill, urging the customers to pay quickly. The boss said he was the boss and that she could speak like that because she was the boss, so don't even think about complaining to her. read more

Been here over many years and I always try to come here when I am in the Bay. This is strictly for Taiwanese people and those who are willing to try variety of authentic Taiwanese cuisine with open mind. Also definitely be ready for the smell of stinky tofu. I prefer to call it pungent tofu so maybe it's more appetizing? I had it today after 39 years being Taiwanese and I don't get it. Can't say I didn't give it a try! They offer a vast array of Taiwanese food that I grew up with and the boss lady is also as authentically Taiwanese as can be. I spoke to her before candidly and she said their goal with the restaurant was to provide the community with Taiwanese cuisine that is losing its footing in the community and I truly appreciate the vast selection to bring me back to memories of my childhood in Taiwan. For those that came to visit in the Bay Area and otherwise live in Taiwan majority of the time, the food is considered mediocre... according to my father. To me and my mother who are permanent residents and haven't been back to Taiwan for over a decade, everything is amazing. While some food flavor is perhaps missing, the aroma of "pungent tofu", the sea of Taiwanese customers and the sass of the boss lady speaking Taiwanese and cracking jokes, there is no other experience like this I know of. I think this place is a great starting point to learning Taiwanese foods before actually traveling to Taiwan so you can have the initial exposure to it. read more

We came here for dinner on a Friday and was quickly seated. We got the stinky tofu, oyster pancake, fried chicken cutlet, and the water spinach. The stinky tofu was actually a little stinky! Our favorite dish was the chicken, although all of the dishes were great! The people working here are super nice. I would give a 4.5 star if I could. read more

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No service. The food was not good. Oysters in the oyster omelette were not fresh. Used leftover fried pork ribs in soup. The food were too sweet. Not recommended read more

Authentic taste. Quality lunchbox. And convenient parking! I ordered silk squash with clams, eel bento with cabbage, tomato eggs, and rice, butter melon salty egg, smoked duck lunchbox, cherry shrimp fried rice, meat ball with bamboo and pork, and stew beef bento. The eel bento was memorable. Plenty of eel, and yummy side dishes that are also flavorful. The squash and clam dish was light and un expected. I also enjoyed the bamboo in the meatball. Because of our large order, our Togo items were well-packed with care in a box, which we appreciated. The restaurant was housed in a mall with plenty of parking spots, always a win! read more

I love the oyster pancake and the beef noodles here! So delicious! The chicken chop was good too. The pig intestine rice noodles was ok. But there aren't many places with that so can't be too picky. The owner is friendly and nice, she comes by personally to check how you're doing. Make sure you try the oyster pancake, it's crispy on the edges and they splurge on the sauce so it's drowned in the yummy tangy sauce! Yum! read more

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The food was perfectly seasoned and the service was excellent. We had a wonder experience.

One of the few authentic Taiwanese restaurants left in the bay area is Chef Cho. We are even willing to make the 40 minute drive every time from South San Jose. They offer the most stinkiest fried tofu dish, along with an authentic oyster pancake which is loaded with oysters and has the correct greens . The prices are very very fair compared to every where else. We will definitely be back. Enjoy the pictures!! read more

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You park in the parking lot and find this place with posters of food plastered all over. You walk in and immediately are welcomed by the smell of...smelly tofu! OMG that is really strong smell. Luckily I do love smell tofu and it tasted great here. This is a very traditional, homey Taiwanese restaurant with ladies who serve you who are definitely Taiwanese. Overall if you can actually bear the smell of the tofu in the whole restaurant, the food is actually delicious! Everything we ordered tasted great. read more

There are barely any Taiwanese restaurants in this part of the east bay so I was very excited to try out Chef Cho. We came on a Saturday evening and there was no wait. It's located in the same plaza as Ranch 99 so there is plenty of parking spots. The restaurant is pretty big and all the tables are evenly spaced out. It's a good place to have a casual lunch or dinner with friends or family but it's probably not the best place to bring a date. After quickly seating us, the waiter gave us water and hot tea. It's our first time here so we wanted to try a good amount of food on the menu. We ordered oyster pancake, house special (3 cups) chicken, seafood chow mein, stir fried veggies and the Hsinchu duck noodle. Our #1 favorite was the house special chicken, it was tender and flavorful, you can taste the soy sauce, rice wine and there's also a kick to it. The basil added that extra touch to the dish. Portion size was good and cost was very affordable for Bay Area living standards. The portion size was adequate for the other dishes and the price was reasonable but they didn't stand out to us in terms of taste compared to the house special chicken. Our least favorite was the Hsinchu duck noodle. Service was very attentive and the waiter who helped us was very comical. The food is a solid 3 stars but the good service alone deserves an extra star. If you happen to be in the area, this is a restaurant worth getting your Taiwanese food craving satisfied. read more

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**this is just for my incident. unpopular opinion i know... not for food but service on this date. i actually preferred when the guy that speaks multiple languages was working there before (he is a mandarin speaker but can speak cantonese too). That server i remember was friendly with everyone and tried to build rapport with everyone... and tells his life story like where he's from with people NOT JUST taiwanese people he tries to be friendly with. ---------------------------------------------- (y'all give this place 4 to 5 stars). but i agree .. the 臭豆腐 stink tofu is good. i like it more than the less stink at cupertino southland (closed) or tw cafe milpitas... or even 段純貞 duanchenzhen. But stink is not as good as TOFU KING (Rowland Heights) 臭豆腐大王 in socal!! ---------------------------------------------- 4.27.25 around 125pm. this is just for the service for the Taiwanese speaking server with grey hair in ponytail. So it's very busy today. A party of like 3 tables already eating. A group of 10 comes in so she needs to put the tables together. Before this the staff were speaking really nicely chatting about stuff with my friend in Taiwanese. Ignores me coz I dont speak it. That's fine. But I go to ask for a hot tea she says ok. Then she comes out with a tray of tea for the table of 10. Ok ... So too busy to remember that the one girl asked for tea? Coz the table of 10 is more urgent? They may be just busy but for sure they understand and can speak English. I personally think they favor chatting up Taiwanese customers. Of course they probably service everyone equally but I'm just saying if you speaking Taiwanese (the dialect not Mandarin) they will share their life story like how many grandkids they have (at least a 2or 3 year old for sure they have) and their hobbies. read more

Chef Cho - Taiwanese Near Me - Newark, California

It's so hard to find Taiwanese food here that I actually like - when I do find them, it's usually just Taiwanese "snacks" or set bentos rather than full on restaurant-style meal. This place offers Taiwanese street food as well as regular entree and a la carte dishes. We ordered their one of the special soup - 土托魚羹. "Spanish Markeral Soup" is the name on the receipt. The Chinese translation is actually supposed to be "Soilfish" according to google though. I'm not sure, but it tasted great. For the snacks/appetizers we got their stinky tofu and small sausage in big sausage. - The stinky tofu had the perfect texture. Crispy and crunchy on the outside, but easy to chew. It's flavored enough for me, especially with the hot sauce (you have to ask for it). The Taiwanese kimchi it came with was very very minimal though. It wasn't enough to combine with the tofu. I believe they also sell individual plates of the Taiwanese kimchi as appetizers though. - The small sausage in big sausage was also pretty good. It had all the basic stuff - I personally prefer the ones with lots of condiments and toppings, but this version will do in satisfying my cravings while in the States. For the a la carte dish, we ordered the stinky tofu intestine stew - which they called "wugeng stinky tofu" 五更臭豆腐 on their menu. The spice was amazingggg in this. Highly recommend if you're okay with intestines and pork blood. Taste so satisfying with a bowl of white rice. read more

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We have tried this restaurant for three time and we like their food which is pretty tasty just wish the white rice was a bit softer. read more

Chef Cho - Taiwanese 7. Stinky Tofu - Taiwanese Near Me - Newark, California

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Chef Cho opened where a Japanese eatery once was. infrastructure similar, less cluttered than before. the market section has been removed. tables have more spacing. was quickly seated, got menu, ordered. got food within 10 minutes. not too busy post lunch. offerings (Taiwanese): snacks, soups, pan frieds, specials, fried rice & noodles, bentos, vegetarian. eats: oyster pancake (9.75) -fried glutinuous rice flour? pancake with cilantro, fresh baby oysters, covered with lite brown gravy -haven't ate this in years. vaguely tastes the same. yummy! stinky tofu (9.50) -fermented tofu squares deep with crispy, crunchy exterior. -dipping sauce had pungent smell/taste. -tasted authentic. haven't ate in decades 4.5 stars only ordered items not usually found in Taiwanese eatery. food a good value. leftovers: -only Chinese signage posted on top. small English sign next to left door. -lots of parking somewhere in parking lot. -service not a problem since I was one of 3 tables. several orders were to go. -some Taiwanese ex-pats also dining, they raved about the food. -server speaks Mandarin Chinese and English.. read more

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Best stinky tofu in town. This is a family business. They are know for their authentic Taiwanese food. We often come here for stinky tofu, Sakura shrimp fried rice, Taiwanese sausage (i.e. intestines). read more

We were a few hours behind schedule so I ran out of time to cook dinner. After watching so many Taiwan food videos on YouTube, I was craving braised pork over rice. I ordered 2 braised pork over rice and the Taiwanese hamburger. I thought the Taiwanese hamburger was good. The bun was soft. The crushed peanuts and pickled greens complimented the fatty pork belly quite well. The peanuts gave it sweetness and texture while the pickled greens made the pork less greasy. The braised pork over rice was okay. The rice was too soft after being soaked with sauce and the pork was slightly bland. However, I did enjoy the cucumber and the pork floss that came with this dish. read more

Chef Cho - 2 braised pork over rice & Taiwanese hamburger - Taiwanese Near Me - Newark, California

Such a comforting Taiwanese street food place! Expect the wafts of stinky tofu as soon as you walk in--that's a featured dish and must-get here! All of the street food here is so good, and although I haven't been to Taiwan, my partner's family who is Taiwanese approve of the food and think it's some of the best they've had in the states. I'd definitely get the popcorn chicken, oyster dishes, stinky tofu, and beef noodles again. It's definitely a no frills place to have a satisfying meal. The owner is also funny and chatty, making you feel at home. read more

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If you have needs to eat stinky tofu... this is the place.... food is good... stinky tofu has the spunk.... I love it...