Great Chinese food at a reasonable price. The food is consistently good with a great selection of dishes to suit anyone. The staff are always friendly and accommodating and the place is always busy. Standout dishes for me are the Silver Thread Loaf, Crispy Beef and Garlic Butter Pork Chop. read more

East Taste Cafe - Menu at East Taste v - Chinese Near Me - Adelaide, SA

This is the perfect place to go if you are hungry, hangry, hungover or a little hoppy happy. My party of 6 arrived at 7pm for dinner just as my hanger did and luckily we had BYO'd a bottle of sparkling red to subdue the stomach rumbling. It's cheap to BYO but they also have a pretty good range of wine on the menu for the same price as buying booze at the bottlo next door. Food and service was incredibly quick and friendly and they staff were happy to bring out our order in stages as we all tried to decide what we were going to eat. Shallot cakes were the highlight (as usual), as was the prawn and veggie dish and BBC. We also ordered a pretty simple asian broccoli (a bit watery for my liking), tofu with chicken hot pot and smoked tea duck dish (well flavoured and another highlight for the non-vegos who come here). It was good value and if you are vego I think you would easily fall in love with this place because of the huge range of vego dishes on the menu. Maybe we didn't order the right things, or enough food, or I wasn't drink enough, but it was still a pleasant 3.5 for our night out. read more

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My vego friend and I had dinner here on a Saturday night and despite the fact that it was a weekend at 7.30pm and the place was jumping we were immediately seated with menus in front of us ready to be perused. A waitress was with us minutes after we were seated and took our orders; we ordered a carafe of wine, some honey chicken for my omnivore appetite and a plate or greens and salt and pepper egg plant for my herbivore buddy. 3 minutes later we were served our wine (flavoursome without being too strong on taste) and some water and 5 minutes after that our food arrived - super efficient service for such a busy and clearly popular place. The servings are quite large and certainly pack a punch with taste. The honey chicken was delicious but the meal that made me put East Taste down as a place to return was my friends Salt and Pepper Eggplant. The flavours went so well together and the egg plant was not stodgy or dry but perfectly cooked. The rice came in a metal pot to keep it warm and we were provided with separate bowls to scoop it into. My friend and I had mastered the use of chopsticks that they provide on the table when you arrive but they also subtly provide you with western cutlery with your meal which I thought was a nice touch. The prices are super reasonable and you leave the cafe with a very happy and full belly. Definitely returning! read more

East Taste Cafe - Honey Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Adelaide, SA

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Cheap eats on Gouger nom nom nom. I think they've lifted their game since I was here a few months back with a noticeable improvement in the quality. The veggie dishes are delicious, you've gotta try the shallot cake and the salt and pepper eggplant (plus everyone I know who has been here raves about it). Cost: Dinner for two with entree $42! read more

East Taste Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Adelaide, SA

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Great food let down by shrinking sized mains. We've been to East Taste many times and enjoyed great tasting meals. Unfortunately the past two times have been a disappointment due to the meals sizes. Tonight (Chinese New Year 2019) was such a disappointment the meal size was so much smaller. So much so we told them - sorry we are not staying. We paid for drinks and entrees and left. The food is tasty but the sizes are smaller and not acceptable for the price. Hopefully this will change and the sizes improve. read more

East Taste Cafe is never my first choice when I'm in the mood for Chinese food. But it's the next best thing, and a worthy alternative when I'm not feeling my usual places. It's always really hard writing about places that are neither brilliant, nor horrible. I suppose that's a good thing in this case, as there's nothing to complain about. The food is delicious, and the service is excellent. It's just not a restaurant I'd rave to my friends about. It can get really busy on weekends, but if you don't mind sitting a few inches from the next table in the outdoor dining area, then you shouldn't encounter any problems. I must say though, Chloe's description of the Sizzling Peppercorn Kangaroo has me second-guessing myself, and I'm considering going back purely to try that dish. East Taste is also apparently vegan friendly. I've got a friend that swears by this place, and whilst I myself could never have the courage to take on being a vegan, I like the fact that I could come here with non-meat eaters and please everybody. read more

East Taste Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Adelaide, SA

If it's a cheap and cheerful meal you're looking for, East Taste Cafe is a solid choice for quick and easy Chinese food. I came here with a group and we purchased some wine next door for BYO, but then discovered that the same bottle was on the menu for only $2 more, so unless you have something special to open I would just wing it and choose off the menu. The much-raved about shallot cakes were definitely a winner. Which was a relief, because their dumplings are absolutely terrible. Possibly the worst dumplings I've ever had and they were served with soy, not dumpling vinegar. If I were to ever come back, I'd skip the dumplings and go straight for the shallot cakes. Another dish that compensated for the shoddy dumplings was the mapo tofu - really tasty. It's served with chicken not pork surprisingly, but we all enjoyed it. All in all, a tad hit and miss but I want to give it just a bit more than 3 stars because if it's Chinatown style food you're after, you're unlikely to be disappointed. read more

Shallot cake, BBC (broad bean curd), salt and pepper eggplant and rice. Last meal material. ++++ VEGAN FRIENDLINESS -- Plenty of options. There is a whole "vegetable" section on the menu. Just ask them to not use oyster sauce on some of the things. If in doubt, take my recommendation and go the three dishes above (^^^). read more

Love coming to East Taste. Always get great service and the food is amazing. Would recommend everyone tries the shallot cakes at least once, they are my favorite dish there read more

I have eaten here dozens of time, and every time I love the food. My favourite dish is the black pepper beef and sizzling venison. There special fried rice is amazing and doesn't have the frozen vegetables like some other Chinese restaurants, it contains nice pieces and prawn, you could almost have this as a main it is so good. All dishes are in sensible proportions, not too big or too small, they are served quickly and without fuss. Don't expect everything to come out in order and at the same time as they are cooked fresh. Service is very good and they have never made any mistakes, really quick and attentive. If you are in the mood for great Chinese, this is the place a great price. read more

Last time I had food from east taste it was takeaway and it was nothing to sing about even though a friend of mine was obsessed with the place...but after eating in there I'm singing away! I found out this place is open tip 2am on Friday and Saturday nights! Nice!!! Prices are a bit more than the cheaper places, but the food is a bit better in terms of freshness and presentation. The place is clean and the outdoor area is nice! Check it out if you have never been!!! read more

A friend and I had decided to dine at the East Taste restaurant. Upon arrival we were lucky enough there was a table for us that wasn't reserve and was available. When we were taken to our table the restaurant was full and there were no tables available for the next customer that came after us, they either had to wait or go to another restaurant. I also had a hard time trying to talking to my friend because the restaurant was loud and busy. After about 10 minutes of going through the menu, we decided to order our meals. My friend decided to order the vinegar dry pork ribs and I order the sizzling black pepper beef. To our surprise both dishes arrive under 5 minutes after ordering. The pork dish was my favour, it was well marinated and cooked well and the vinegar sauce was juices. The beef dish was presented on a hot plate, when it arrives to our table we get the see the beef sizzling on the plate. Upon finishing my dish the staffs started cleaning my side of the table while my friend was still eating his dish, but that was understandable as it is a very popular restaurant and the staff want to quickly move us a long for the next customer. Overall, the food was good, the staffs were friendly and attentive, but the atmosphere was very noise. read more

Today we had the pleasure of dining at East Taste Cafe which was first established in 2003 on Gouger st, the heart of Adelaide's China Town. It was relatively empty when we walked in but it was still very early but most of the tables had "reserved" signs on them. In fact, by the time we were leaving every table was full and there was a lot of good eating being had! The dining room was definitely very clean and that normally gives me confidence in the food that's going to come out of the kitchen. Our waiter was just so adorable he could have sold us anything! He was happy to engage in a bit of non intrusive small talk and we just thought he was so cute we had a photo with him. Such a lovely man and definitely an asset to this place. We decided to order a few different things from the menu and share. We started with a serve each of the Shallot Cake. All I can say is "wow"! They were seemingly so simple, yet so full of flavour. The outer pastry was crunchy and light while the inside was gooey and full of the gorgeous shallot taste. I'm so glad we opted for a serve each! Just looking at that picture is making me wish I was eating them again. Not too sure about the carrot and cabbage on the side. I just think it's better to have nothing than to have something that can only work as a "filler". There was no dressing on it, just a bit of colour on the side. That's a very minor criticism though! This was really a great way to start our meal. We chose three items to share, Coriander Chicken, Sizzling Black Pepper Beef and Vegetarian Fried Rice. I must confess, I had to stop myself from gobbling it all up myself instead of sharing. Every dish was just so full of flavour and made you want to eat more and more. First the chicken... I know some people don't like Coriander. I don't get it, but I know it. This was very heavy on the coriander which just lifted this dish. The chicken was tender and everything else on this plate just married so nicely together. My favourite of the night though was definitely the sizzling beef. Our waiter brought it to our table and did the final preparations before placing it down, sizzling heavily, on our table. It smelt so divine!!! And honestly, I don't know how they get their beef to be so tender! It was just a pleasure to eat. It was definitely a different flavour combination to the chicken, yet was equally, if not more flavoursome in its own way. I could have had double this serve on my own but had to show restraint! The mushrooms were definitely a stand out. Finally the fried rice was again, just perfect fried rice. Again I tried to think of what they could have done to improve it and really, there was nothing! It was not too full of ingredients and there was a slight smokiness to it all. I could have had a full serve of this to myself too!! We were really in raptures over everything and as mentioned, by the time we left, the place was full and buzzing! I'm glad we'd got there early, enabling us to have a bit of a chat with our waiter. The fact that he was passionate about the food they produce was evident. I really can't wait to go back again! read more

We discovered ETC following an aborted trip to T-Chow. Boy, did we get lucky. Have been regulars ever since. The service has always been excellent, the ambiance is, well, it IS a cafe-type restaurant (though has had a face-lift recently). What sings is the food. Can't claim to have tried the whole menu, and being a creature of habit I stick to what I like, so I can heartily endorse those things: crispy beek Peking style; salt and pepper beef; salt and pepper chicken (not on the menu, so ask for it); honey chicken; salt and pepper bean curd; and the chicken sweet corn soup is yum-o. Don't get me going on the shallot cakes.... read more

East Taste... what can I say except THANKYOU! You guys are the best. As the saviour of many a late night worker, East Taste have always been a shining light at the end of the tunnel (or should I say 10 hour shift). Delicious, hot and quickly served food, service is friendly (ESPECIALLY considering its normally after midnight) and these guys usually stay open a bit later than the other late night Chinese restaurant Ying Chow, which is just across the road so also super handy. SO many dishes are available here, with our group regularly digging into large piles of shallot cakes for starters and drinking wine if it was a bad day or lemon lime bitters if it was a good day. Then for main course there is something for everybody as the menu has so many options and variations! Too many to mention, but I have enjoyed everything I have had here. This place isn't the newest or trendiest restaurant, or have eclectic hipster decor, but it does provide a consistent service of good food, drinks and staff not throwing things at us when we turn up at 1 am. Well done guys, well done. read more

A staple of the 'night out in town/need a feed/gouger street is close' life in Adelaide. East taste does great food at very reasonable prices with friendly and attentive service. Being a Friday night, the place was full inside, but they had a spare table out the front which, while seemingly risky on a winter's night was fine - an overhead heater kept us warm enough the whole time. The menu is easy to read, the BYO corkage is only $9 and there is a bottle shop right next door. We had a bottle of Tim Adams 2010 Aberfeldy shiraz from the bottle shop. The jasmine tea was refreshing and our entrees were a great way to start a meal. Spring rolls, Dim sims and shallot pancakes. Om nom nom! The mains came out in perfect sync to the entrees. Just in time when a slight hunger desire started to come over me! Crispy beef, salt and pepper eggplant, BBC (Broad bean, bean curd and chilli) and honey chicken. Entrees, mains, corkage and tea totalled $25 per person for four people. That is what I call value for money!! read more

Two words E-Shan Beef. Our table of six was in quite a flutter about this dish last night. We had six dishes going around as well as two plates of fried rice and even though we were enjoying everything on the table there was a bit of a chopsticks battle when the E Shan started running low. We theorised that the delicious crunchy things are sweet potato but it remains unclear: all I know is, that beef dish was amazing. The staff at East Taste are unpredictable: sometimes lovely and sometimes not happy to see you at all. I went up to order some drinks last night and the waitress was unimpressed that I didn't wait for her to come to us (it was busy, and we needed drinks fast. We're from the South.) They are impressively organised, even calling people on the night of their booking to confirm, and they handle the insane weekend traffic with impressive calm. I have never had a bad dish here and I've never even heard of one in this cafe: I once saw a person furtively lick their bowl in this restaurant. And that person was an adult. But it wasn't me. read more

I dined here on a Saturday night with 2 friends. Bookings are essential here as there is limited seating. They are however, very accommodating and never try and push patrons out to seat others. The menu is easy to read and has spice indicators which I found great as I'm not a fan of anything too spicy. My friends and I shared dishes and they were all delicious. My personal favourite; salt and pepper eggplant. Doesn't sound all that appealing but you've gotta try it! Absolutely delicious! Great place to dine on a Saturday night before heading out :) read more

A simple place with very good service. Always smiling and happy to assist. The food around me looked very good and a decent crowd was there on Thursday evening around 8pm. This place is also very close Adelaide Market and Hilton Hotel. My soup - dumpling soup was very good in clear broth and served nice and hot outside. Tasty and very flavorful. The entree - chicken in XO sauce was prepared well and was a bit spice as noted on the menu. I did not enjoy it - but it was a bit low on gravy/curry, so but on a dry side especially with rice. But good food. Tried couple of glasses of the regional Shiraz. Over all, good place for casual dining with friends or date. $$ in prices - my tab was around $40 Australian with soup, wine and entree Enjoy ! read more

A little chinese place on Gouger, a great place for dinner. The food is delicious, it's not overly oily like some chinese food can be, and the meat (such as chicken) is top quality. The service is great too, the waiters are attentive and friendly, though when it's busy they are obviously run off their feet, but they still try to make you feel well looked after. Also, when it's busy you can have trouble hearing over the noise. I love the beef with oyster sauce, and the chicken satay, and of course, fried rice. read more

East Taste is - dare I say it - better than Ying Chow. Ok, maybe it's just me. Every time I've been to Ying Chow it's been too crowded, they've been rude, they've lost my booking and the wine has seemed even more rubbish than the usual carafe of horror. And the food isn't any better than East Taste's. East Taste is just across the road, has a very similar menu and much better service. I've had so many good times here - dinner with colleagues, late night drunk meals with friends. Of course it does all the classics - shallot pancake, BBC, and salt and pepper squid. Although I prefer their salt and pepper eggplant. There is a honied kid of eggplant too, which I'm pretty into when I'm drunk. One of the surprise favourites is the Sizzling Peppercorn Kangaroo. I want to get drunk and eat it, right now. The meat is leaner than beef and tastier - never overcooked because the sizzling plate does it - and the slightly creamy peppercorn sauce suits it perfectly. read more

This isn't my normal chinese place. My normal chinese place is a good eight hundred kilometres away, but I was hungry, I was in Adelaide, and this place looked like a winner. Pretty decent place for chinese. There's a lot on the menu that I hadn't often seen before at other chinese restaurants, but there's a good number of the classics too. I played it safe and had a beef and blackbean, just because I think that's a pretty safe bet in an unfamiliar restaurant, but next time I'll be a bit more adventurous. The service was certainly acceptable, and it wasn't long before my food came out to me. The waiters were helpful and patient when it took me a little while to decide what I wanted. read more

New to Adelaide? This is a must visit restaurant to go to while you're in town. This place has been a weekly regular of mine for years. When my partner and I discovered this place we decided to eat our way through the menu, and I can say it was all delicious, of course we have a favs. Like others, the shallot cake and salt and pepper eggplant are right up there! Two thumbs up from me. read more

I'm sorry, but HOW have I not reviewed this place yet? It is, hands down, my most favourite restaurant in Adelaide. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect, the prices have gone up since they fancied up the decor and sometimes there can be a very long wait but I have some great memories here and the food is goddamn tasty. My partner and I first visited East Taste with our high school History teacher, who had travelled the world, spent a lot of time in China, LOVED food, and still considered East Taste to be one of the best places he'd eaten. Thank you Mr Clark, for sharing that kind of awkward meal with two 17 year olds who had never eaten eggplant or soft shell crab before, and to opening up my eyes to the joys of Gouger St. A typical night at East Taste: Arrive for a fashionably late dinner at 8pm when Gouger St is in full swing and the place is bursting. (Usually) get hustled to a table straight away, or else sit out the front of the bar next door for a drink and ask the waiter to come grab us when our table is ready. Pretend to peruse the menu but already know what you're planning to order. Order shallot cakes and spicy bbq pork for entree and some Coopers Sparkling Ales because they're cheap here and everyone likes to be a little drunk when they're eating Chinese food. Decide on salt & pepper eggplant immediately, because obviously you'll be getting it, no need to discuss that one. Argue about whether or not to try something new. Decide you'll do that next time instead, and order the BBC, the sizzling black pepper chicken (they'll do this instead of beef if you ask), the crispy beef peking style, BBC, something with E-Shand and steamed rice for two. Yes... for two. Your food arrives very quickly, which is good because the table next to your ordered the sizzling garlic prawns and they smell amazing and you're about to ask them if they don't mind slipping a few in to your little bowl. Eat until you can eat no more. Maybe get a takeaway container if you weren't able to finish everything. Waddle outside and abandon any plans to maybe go dancing that night in favour of heading home, lying on the couch, and groaning. (PLEASE NOTE: Scenario may differ if you are making a 1am post night out stop, in which case there will definitely not be a wait for the table, but everything will taste 3 times as good). read more

I don't like this restaurant compare to others Chinese food on geoger st. Firstly, I'm not satisfy with the service from the manager's attitude, she or he is not nice. We ordered the lemon chicken which looks good but just too sour; the veg pot is full of the root parts. The sweet eggplant taste good; the ice cream pancake is just like something from the supermarket fridge:( read more

First visit to Adelaide, so we asked a passerby where she liked to eat. She walked us to East Taste to make sure we found it, and it did not disappoint! The staff did a great job of squeezing 7 of us in on a busy night. Started with seaweed and rice vermicelli soup, then had salt and pepper king prawns with jasmine rice - everything was very tasty. Other favorites were the spicy seafood soup and the spicy chili chicken. An excellent choice! read more

Vegan mates love it, but really loud and crowded a bit hard to talk to your mates.

My friends have been singing the praises for this place for years. I finally decided to go check it out after volunteering at the Adelaide Fringe Opening Night Parade. We arrived at 11pm and the food and service was excellent. We were seated immediately and I don't think we waited for longer than 15mins for our food after serving. The food quality is FANTASTIC and has ruined me for other Chinese Restaurants in the CBD. If you are in the city late at night and looking for a good meal, go to East Taste! read more

There were alota people,being it new year and all, so it was a tight squeeze to get tru our table but it was expected. Our group was sitting outside and we were served fairly quickly actually, the staffs were excellent evetho it was soooo busy, no dramas and attitude from them. We did'nt wait for our food long altho I was a bit disappointd with the serving of dishes, they were in the small size. The dishes were ok but not at all anything special (sorry "). The honey chicken and long bean were good tho! It was a great dinner with friends, good priced meal so I can say I'd go back to this place and maybe try some other dishes next time. And maybe i just might eat my words! read more

So, this is one of those places to which we should apply the ol' "don't judge a book by its cover" cliche. Yeah, it looks a little daggy, but you will SO get over that as soon as you get but a mere waft of the tasty, tasty Chinese food. Somehow they manage the greasiness factor so you get all the deliciousness of deep fried food, but without that icky feeling in your stomach after. The menu is pretty extensive and covers all the favourites - Peking beef is arguably the best, but hit up the pickled jellyfish if you're feeling a little adventurous. Just be prepared to eat quickly (this just comes naturally to moi), cause they are aaaalways busy and pretty keen to turn the tables over quicksmart. To summarise for Gouger street fiends: not as good as Ky Chow but better than T Chow. read more

The food here is so good! Great staff, cheap and really fast service. I always tell the staff to choose for my food, and I've never been disappointed. And the best thing is that is open until 1 or 2am depending on the day, that is a plus! read more

NEVER EAT at EAST TASTE, Gouger St ! We did and were food poisoned last week. All of us who ate at East Taste last weekend felt lousy a while after the meal, but that was nothing compared to the next day. I went back to inform the owner soon after, and he took NO responsibility for the food poisoning. He accused our lunch, or food we supposedly ate before the meal , and even food we supposedly ate after, but not his own food. He offered nothing in compensation, no refund , not even a replacement meal, much less an apology. The Health Inspectors need to close this kitchen and investigate. The owner needs a dose of reality. read more

Wish I could give no stars. Food was strange, crispy chicken was more slimy than anything else. Service was quick but that was only because there was about seven waiters and the place is so small. The waiters were wearing dirty sneakers and creased uniforms that were all different. They all walked around idling as if on pilot mode, the environment was loud and overall uncomfortable. One waiter took my food while my fork was still on it about to finish eating, another offered to get us the bill but when I turned around she was changing table cloths. Confusing experience, food was medicore and not worth the money - in short will never be back. Wanted to warn the people coming in to run in the other direction. read more

Walked all of Gouger St looking for a place to eat and eventually settled on East Taste. Staff were really helpful and accommodating finding us a table as we were just walk-ins and a party of 5. Prices were reasonable and a great selection of dishes too. Ordered 'Salt & Pepper Tentacles' as my daughter loves them but it was just calamari tubes. Still delicious though. Had the 'Lemongrass Clay Pot' and fried rice and couldn't fault it. Place filled extremely fast after about 6.30 local time and I could see why bookings are essential. Would visit again. read more

Loved their spicy fried chicken with red chillies which was a weekend special. Went back twice for the same dish. Their fried rice was good too. read more