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Came here for a quick bite on a Friday as my sister had a salon appointment in the same strip mall. It was crowded at noon time when we arrived so we opted to sit outside to eat. Glad we did as it was more peaceful outside, even though it was 80 degree weather. We ordered hot tea, iced coffee, beef brisket with cabbage, spaghetti with rock cod and Hainanese chicken with rice all to share and we enjoyed every morsel! Hopefully, next time we'll be able to get a table inside.
Cousin Cafe has been here for a couple of decades. Not much decor. Soft music, flatscreen in front. Tables set closed together. Couple tables outside. Lotsa parking in big lot. Service slow on Father's Day. Place packed. Waiting list. Opted to sit outside when name called. Hong Kong style food isn't considered Chinese food as it was created when it was a British colony from 1842-1997. *U.K. Didn't like their forbidden opium dumped into the sea by the Qing Dynasty. A treaty after the Opium War allowed UK to possess H.K. Another war later allowed UK to take over Kowloon.. "free trade" Western style. Offerings (H.K.): usual categories + lunch, breakfast & chef's specials. Bites: Baked pork chop & rock cod fillets with sweet corn sauce (19.95) choose rice over spaghetti. Came in 15ish minutes -baked perfecto. Thin crunchy crust, juicy moist proteins within. Creamy corn sauce added fluidity. Rice added body. Sips: Hong Kong Milk Tea. Comped. Didn't see where it was listed ... -brewed with strong black tea with condensed milk on bottom. Forgot to stir so it tasted bitter initially. -H.K. Drinks are an acquired taste. Predates boba tea. Has an earthier taste profile. 4.5 stars worthy:YMMV. Quality-very good quantity-ok for me. Busier times have higher prices...
Typical Hong Kong cafe to fix your Hong Kong diner craving. Quick service if you are in a rush. Note that they close the register between shift so they would require you to pay before their shift end if you are paying with credit card. This doesn't affect those who pay with cash. Portion size is worth it for the price.
My kids stable who grew up eating at Cousin Now back in town with the family and nothing has changed. Food is still consistently delicious. The chicken baked rice is difficult to match from other places filled with different tangy red sauce and creamy white sauce. The beef chow fun is stirred dried with excellent aromatic wok. Great combination and will definitely return for more.
A solid Hong Kong cafe with affordable dishes! We've been here numerous times over the last decade or so, and they're pretty consistent with delivering good comfort food. My family is from HK and their black bean spare ribs over rice is pretty special and took my dad back to his childhood, though the most recent trip he said it tasted slightly different, but still good. The combination fried noodles have lots of seafood and the chow fun was huge! My only wish is that it had a little more seasoning--the wok hei was there but it was ever so slightly bland still. All in all though, great value and a no frills kind of place--don't go for amazing service, go for the comfort food.
Our usual lunch spot... but that day, we came for breakfast or brunch at 10 ish am. Probably the only decent hk style breakfast sets in the sf South Bay. Ordered the porridge & rice noodles set and also the waffle bacon and 2 fry eyes with complimentary hk milk tea. Excellent prices. The servers are friendly and know our names. No non-sense decor with wood tables & somewhat comfortable chairs. I
every item we ordered was delicious and good value ($25pp)! we ordered family style and got - hainan chicken porridge - youtiao (chinese donut) - salt and pepper chicken wings - black pepper beef crispy rice - baked seafood fried rice - hot and iced hk milk teas, lemon iced tea our server spoke english mandarin and cantonese and sat us at the outdoor table that got more draft wind on a warm day would return esp since not that many hk cafes in the south bay (that i know of??)
Missing Cha Chaan Teng food so I had to stop by here. This is a childhood spot of mine and it was very nostalgic eating here. We ordered HK milk tea, garlic chicken wings, pineapple shrimp fried rice, and the scrambled egg & shrimp chow fun. Love the garlic chicken wings here.
I like the food at Cousin Cafe. They have my favorite Hong Kong-style Chinese dishes. I can only try a few items this time. I'm sure I will come back soon to try more of their yummy dishes. I love their fried rice The dining room is not the best, but it is comparable to most restaurants in Hong Kong. It is not very big but clean, and the service is very fast.
Pro Tip: Bring cash for a discount, and don't underestimate the size of that barrel (rice)! - - - - - - As the advice goes, a 3.5 for a Chinese restaurant means it's authentic, good - and this holds true, too, for Cousin Cafe. On a Sunday afternoon, the wait was no more than a few minutes for a table for two, and of course, I was more than tempted to get the chicken and mushroom barrel rice. We also shared a fish filet porridge, and of course, it was too much food for two people! The lemon iced tea (light sweet) was the perfect level of sweetness - and I wouldn't recommend it any other way. The fish filet porridge was pure as porridge should be, and there was a light hint of fish taste as well. With a few specks of white pepper, this was yummy yummy. The chicken and mushroom barrel rice was nostalgic of my childhood days at dim sum, except the glass bowl was replaced with a barrel. Aside from aesthetics and the deception of size, this was a great dish. From top, it looks quite small, but the barrel holds quite a bit of rice, so don't underestimate how much there is! The rice itself was fairly bland, so soy sauce is recommended to add a little flavor. At the end, we only but made a dent on the fish filet porridge, and there is a small fee for takeout containers. However, they also offer a discount if paying in cash, so cash is recommended over card here. All in all, service is as you'd expect at an authentic Chinese restaurant: efficient, tasty - and at times absent.
Busy and quick service. I came at 10:30 and the place was 2/3 packed. Pretty casual restaurant. Food came out quick. They do offer hot tea and do not charge but it doesn't taste that good. 4 stars so my preserved eggs and fish porridge. Plenty of protein. Liked the green onions and shredded ginger pieces. The rolled rice sheet was good too. It came with a peanut buttery sauce and hoisin. Interesting combo.
1 year ago
9 months ago
3 years ago
Clean and lots of seating available. There's a sign that says cash only but they do accept card. We ordered the chef's special that includes drinks, we got the HK milk tea and grass jelly, they taste just like what they're supposed to. I was really craving for some grass jelly drink, so I was fully satisfied with it. Serving size for the food is generous, had enough to pack for tomorrow's lunch. HK cafe food has become a comfort food for me and Cousin cafe did not disappoint. read more
Day 1 of dine in reopening, it has been over 1 year since last visit. Hours have changed to 9a - 9p. Got the breakfast combo with congee (pork & preserved egg) + soy sauce stir fry egg noodle. Their noodle was solid: uniformly golden brown & still a little crispy, indicative of good wok hei. It's a little oily, you can't make specific requests since it is already premade in batches. Pan fried shrimp rice sheet roll (aka baby shrimp changfeng) was fantastic: crispy charred exterior indicative of searing from high heat; loved that dipping sauce (mix of peanut & hoisin?). The fried dough (油条）was piping hot, crunchy & airy. Its definitely advantagious showing up early for breakfast. Credit card accepted for transactions of $10 or more. This used to be one of my weekly BF spots, I am glad it's back. read more
1 year ago
Cousins Cafe serves good Hong Kong cafe food. The beef chow fun is quiet good, but I'd say for the Baked Pork Chop Rice, the pork chop and the red sauce could have been better. If we are in the area again, I wouldn't complain about coming again. However, I wouldn't make a trip out to have it specifically (like we did today). We also had the HK milk tea, both hot and cold, and it was well sweetened and tasty. read more
I've been going to cousin cafe for years now and the food is always good! But the thing that keeps me coming back is really the roti with curry LOL idk how to describe theirs but it's so gooood. I wasn't trying to eat too much food today so I just got the cousin sampler and it hit the spot! The chicken wings were actually really crunchy and fresh, the roti was bomb as usual, the tofu was soft and crunchy. I also loved the addition of fish balls to the curry. I did not leave a single crumb. read more
This place has delicious congee and other classic Hong Kong cafe items. It's fairly cheap and a good option for a simple brunch or breakfast. I've been here quite a few times now and my go- to item is their preserved egg w/ pork porridge. They have tasty chicken wings as well. I had their noodle soup before but it's honestly not worth trying. It was basically instant noodles with a couple slices of spam--you could just make it at home. Today I got some steamed vermicelli rolls and they're good with the sauce. No flavor eating it alone. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, but it's a little cramped inside. read more
2 years ago
i was really looking forward to dine here because it's so hard to find a good HK style cafe restaurant. The pictures through yelp looked promising so decided to come here for dinner (they do have outdoor seating). my staple "cha chan teng" food is the baked pork chop over rice. It was disappointing. the taste was very different - it was horrible, but it just wasn't the same as typical baked pork chop dish. And they could give more sauce to mix in with the rice. felt a bit dry. we also ordered a mixed sizzling platter which came with a hot dog, a few pieces of beef (sliced), a chicken steak, and a small pork chop. This plate comes with your choice of sauce and a choice of carb (rice, pasta or fries) and lastly in comes with a drink (tea or coffee). Good deal, i must say but nothing spectacular. The onion sauce was not very good, the pasta was just okay -- it needed more flavor. we wanted to order beef chow fun but they ran out all chow fun! so we ordered a wonton noodle soup instead. comes with 6 wontons with lots of noodles. This seemed like a never ending bowl but i enjoyed the broth except the wonton.. if only the shrimp were fresher, i think it would have tasted great. their drinks a strong though! the HK lemon ice tea was great! same with the milk tea! gosh i miss SoCal where we would get free refills. not here in the bay area. and the size of the drinks are smaller too! overall not a very good experience. My hunt for a good HK style cafe continues. read more
3 years ago
This reataurant is one of my family's go-to's when we are craving cha chaan teng. Service is great with friendly servers, and the place is always packed. Their fukien fried rice is one of the best I've had, and their baked rice dishes are always delicious. Wish that they took card too instead of just cash, but the place is already great as is. The food here always hits the spot and makes you feel cozy inside. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Fried Rice is good here and Wings. A good place to eat at when visiting the supermarket in this plaza. read more
1 year ago
My mom and I come here probably 2-4 times a month as a go-to for a food break when we're out all day running errands together. DISCLAIMER: This place is a HK style cafe that pays homage to the cheap HK cafe style food they serve in Hong Kong (think macaroni and sausage soup, iced lemon tea, happy hour deals on fried chicken wings, etc.) DISCLAIMER 2: If you are not a fan of this type of food, (or as my less PC homies would say, "If you're a white person looking for fancy food and good service") DO NOT COME HERE, because you are coming with unrealistic expectations. It's a HK style cafe, which means you will get HK CAFE STYLE SERVICE! I feel bad for these cash only Asian places in the Bay Area that are similar to this, because their ratings on Yelp don't reflect the true quality of what you're getting (and how authentic the experience is) - Yelp is an awesome gauge when it comes to judging more upscale restaurants, or American restaurants for that matter, because people who use Yelp (I'm describing myself here...) are usually Yuppies, Foodies, etc. No Asian grandmas are on Yelp rating restaurants like this! So give it a chance pls. My mom and I love the happy hour menu between 3-6pm. Our usual order will include some of the following: - Roti with curry sauce - spaghetti with meat sauce - "Yin Yang fried rice" - it's the fried rice that's half white half red - pork and century egg porridge - fried chicken wings - iced lemon tea Pros: - The food is actually really good - like cafe style food. During happy hour is the only time I come because I think it's actually kind of pricey when it's not happy hour - BUT WHEN IT'S HAPPY HOUR, IT'S TOTALLY WORTH!, good portions for what you pay - During happy hour I think drinks are BOGO (which is the only time I think they're worth it - I really like their iced lemon tea here - but it's $4.50 - so make sure you come with a friend and cash in on this BOGO deal) - Easy parking lot out front - Large menu, a little something for everyone - Fairly empty during happy hour, which is the ideal time to come if you're an introvert like me Cons: - Can get really crowded on Saturday/Sunday during brunch time - all the Asian fams be out on the town - Service is okay (but you shouldn't expect more) - Sometimes the place will smell really Clorox, but at least you know everything's clean? - CASH ONLY*** Will probably keep coming here with my mom until I die read more
4 years ago
My first time trying Hong Kong style food- had friends show this place to me! My favorite was their version of the spaghetti! read more
4 years ago
I came here and waited outside for the service. No one came and asked. My friend needed to come inside to ask, and my dog was follow her. The service raise the attitude and ask us to stay outside (I stay outside on purpose because most restaurant don't allow pet inside). After a while waiting, they bring out the food with an unfriendly attitude. The food were terrible. Food same as taking out from microwave, old, and smell really bad. We couldn't finish the meal and left. Do not recommend this place especially when you come with your little pet. read more
2 years ago
I really like the previous review.. she summed it all up! This is a HK style Cafe, so unless you're familiar with HK Cafes, I don't think this is for you. I brought someone to this type of cafe once and he compared it to Denny's. I almost fell off my chair! LOL How can you compare this to Denny's?? Even being Asian, he clearly had no taste for HK cuisine as he never travelled outside of the US before. So, yes, only come if you are into HK Cafes. I also love their Happy Hour menu as it's such a good deal!! Otherwise, their regular menu is a bit pricey. All their dishes are good.. very good abd authentic! read more
8 years ago
Still the best spot in the area to satisfy my cravings for Hong Kong cafe-style food! It's been a while since my last review; I no longer recognize all of the staff, and the service is pretty typical for a Chinese restaurant (read: very efficient; it can be abrupt at times but never to the point that it's bothered me). But M and I still love this place and often come here to eat. A few favorites keep me coming back again and again: + Baked rock cod with Lisbon sauce & fried rice + Baked pork chop & egg on fried rice + Singapore fried rice noodles + Fried rice noodle rolls aka cheong fun (so good when dipped in the savory and sweet oyster sauce and peanut sauce!) + Their fried rice and fried noodles are generally all pretty good + Drinks: HK milk tea, lemon tea, and red bean ice/milk are my favorites to get. The HK milk tea is on the stronger side (or rather, all of the other places just make it too weak) Breakfast Specials and Happy Hour Specials are not really worth the price anymore (considerably higher-priced than they used to be) - but sometimes I'll still get them if I'm really craving them. Sometimes I just really want macaroni noodles with spam at the moment. Hope they stay open for many more years with the same delicious food! read more
2 years ago
Originally wanted to get the baked pork over rice, but they got our order wrong and ended up getting their curry with pork over rice. But it was still very yummy as the curry was very flavorful, thick, and had a slight kick with a bit of spiciness. It also had a generous amount of potatoes, carrots, and broccoli! We also got curry fish balls which was also delicious. I wasn't sure if this curry was the same one as the curry with pork as they tasted pretty similar. Regardless it was yummy! On the side, we got Gao Li Cai with beef and it was sooo good! I highly recommend getting this veggie dish from here. I definitely want to come back here and try their baked pork over rice and also chicken wings (heard it's really good!) read more
3 years ago
I walked in at lunch and I was seated right away. Ordered the Singaporean noodles and a side of crispy tofu. The noodles at first was underwhelming. But I still couldn't stop eating for some reason. The tofu is always good -- super crispy on the outside, and super soft and silky on the inside. The tofu was served with sweet and sour sauce. Overall a positive experience.. read more
2 years ago
8 years ago
3 years ago
This place has changed so much in regards to the quality of food. Came here for dinner on a weekend around 6PM and they were just getting crowded. Ordered three items: garlic chicken wings, pork chop baked rice with egg, and pan fried beef noodles. Of the three dishes, the baked dish came out first. UHHH WHAT?! Shouldn't that take longer than the other ones since it's baked? Anyways, we dived in to to find minimal sauce over the rice. The rice was barely coated and overly cooked. We had to ask for more rice. The garlic chicken wings were very small. The flavor was there and is best enjoyed hot. Definitely a good pick to be paired with a drink. Loved the pan fried beef noodles. Not overly salty and the noodles were crispy on the edges and soft over the sauce. Can't say I'll be making my way back here anytime soon. Their baked items has made me very disappointed. read more
Cousin Cafe is among the most popular Hong Kong style cafe in the Fremont area and is quite busy on the weekends. We stopped by the strip mall location on the weekend and not only was there a short queue out the door and a 15 minute wait but the Shanghainese restaurant and rice noodle restaurant next door were similar. Cousin Cafe has an extensive menu featuring rice dishes, pasta dishes, grilled sizzling platters, congee, soup noodles and much more. We stuck with the set meals (that include a drink and soup). Our order: Hainan Chicken with Yellow Rice - $16.50. Included lettuce with beef brisket sauce (a nice veggie addition), a lemon iced tea (solid) and Russian Borscht Soup (also solid). The Hainan Chicken is poached with a decent mix of white and dark meat. The ginger scallion sauce is freshly made and excellent. I also liked the yellow rice. Baked Pork Chop with Twin Sauces - $9.50. It took awhile to arrive but the wait is worth it. It came out nice and hot and the pork chop was nicely grilled and flavorful. The two sauces were also quite good with the red sauce mixed with onions and the white cream sauce nicely caramelized from the baking. Overall very good. Russian Borscht Soup - complimentary with set meal. Not overly sweet like A+ Cafe. Largely clear with good vegetables portion. Solid. Lemon Ice Tea - complimentary with set meal. Solid. Overall, Cousin Cafe is among the better Hong Kong style cafes in Fremont but also the Bay Area. The completion is largely lackluster but I'd come again and try more dishes even with the drive. Cousin Cafe says they accept cash only but they accepted credit card for our bill. read more
2 years ago
5 years ago
A photo tells everything. It claims this is a butter and condensed milk brick toast. It costs about $6..... I didn't take anything away, there is nothing but a samll size toast like this and it costs $6 (no drinks included)？ and it doesn't taste amazing.... I was so disappointing Overall, nothing is above standard. Food, drinks, service.... but the price. It was not the first time I came here, but it will definitely the last time. read more
More info about Cousin Cafe
39193 Cedar Blvd
Newark, CA 94560
Directions
(510) 713-9806
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http://www.cousincafe.com/
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Ask the Community - Cousin Cafe
Do they have outdoor seating on weekends?
Yes, but there are only 3-4 tables with seats for 4 each.
Are they open? No one's picking up and ends up with the fax. Update: and today is Wednesday. How is…
Yes, they are open. They are only off at Thursday.
Are you reopen for indoor dining?
They will be reopen for indoor dining at July 16th.
So we've trying for weeks to call. Anyone else getting a constant ring and then a fax number sound at the end?
We have no problems calling. I think they close on Thursdays during covid.
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