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    Gim's Chinese Kitchen Express

    3.7 (29 reviews)
    ModerateChinese, Noodles
    Open 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Gim's Chinese Kitchen Express Takeout or Delivery

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    GIM'S CHINESE KITCHEN EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

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    Signage at left of entrance.
    Victor G.

    Gim's Chinese Kitchen Express opened 5 months ago in Gim's Chinese Kitchen's space. Same take out routine. Added items. Waiting area refreshed. Bill & Jimmy were 2 previous owners. Greeted & ordered at counter. Food came in 5ish minutes. Offerings (Chinese America): dim sum, party trays, fried rice, chow mein/fun, seafood, vegetables, beef, pork, tofu Bites: Mapo Tofu (14.95) stir fried tofu mini cubes. -container too hot to handle so carried container in plastic bag using hand hold cutouts. -found cover on container not secured tightly, contains leaked out into bag. -lotsa moist tofu mini cubes. Slightly spicy with chili pods. Had lots of liquid leftover. Peas & carrots, green onions & jalepeno slices. Ok taste. *Uncle Roger (you tube) says authentic mapo tofu uses Sichuan peppercorns for numbing sensation . Nor numbing sensation present. **Had Sichuan chef guest who mixed in corn starch 3 times, not once, to have gravy-like thickness. 4 stars: defective tray, mapo Tofu ok not great. May is Asian American Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

    House pan fried noodles combination
    Doris G.

    First here since new ownership. This has food to go only. No dining in. I had the war won ton soup which had a variety of protein and mushrooms, bok choy and the won ton were delicious. Soup was good, not too salty. The next dish was pan fried Hong Kong style thin egg noodles chow mein. Noodles very crispy. Could have used more wok hay. Nice to have another go to place for Chinese food.

    Shrimp fried rice
    Kendra F.

    I've seen some fellow elites leaving reviews, and frequenting the library as much as I do I wanted to stop in. It's a quick walk in place, but the food is meant to be devoured at home. What I mean is, it was so good I'd want to eat it in the privacy of my home without being judged. I ordered something pretty common - shrimp fried rice and orange chicken. The shrimp fried rice was full of flavor and just right. Prior to this I'd go to Yang Chow in Oakland, but with this right here in this area, I'll save myself the distance. It was bomb. The orange chicken was how I expected it. Tasted like oranges were actually used in it and it wasn't too sweet at all... unlike that one chain restaurant but hey, no judgement. I'm just saying. I think they used Cara Cara oranges to make the sauce just based on the slices that were in my box. I'd go again, and I'm scanning other reviews for recommendations on what to get next. Ambience - 10/10. Guy at the front was chill, welcoming, and I think until 2/1 they are having 10% off of entire orders as their welcome offer.

    New Storefront
    Steve D.

    "Gim's Kitchen Express" takes over the old Gim's Chinese Kitchen location, and is under new ownership. They just opened on Jan 3, 2026, and I decided to drop by on a Sunday and try their food. This place is clean and modernized. It has electronic ordering and QR menus. However, they have no paper takeout menus. So if you don't have a smartphone, that's a problem. This place has no dining room, everything is takeout or delivery. Also, if it's cold outside, it will be cold inside. When I was there, that lobby was freezing. Staff was very nice and helpful. They are offering free eggrolls and a discount with a grand opening coupon. They offered me a sample of their Egg Flower Soup to-go. After flipping thru the ordering kiosk, I decided to order: -Shu Mai -Tomato Beef Chow Mein -Mongolian Beef The Shu Mai, Tomato Beef Chow Mein, and Egg Flower Soup were very good. I would get them again. The Mongolian Beef was a bit chewy, and I won't order it again. The Eggrolls were mushy, suggesting they were frozen and not fresh. The sweet & sour sauce that came with them was ice cold. I might return to try the Wor Won Ton Soup. Street Parking. The parking lot next door is the library lot. Overall 4-stars. But the place looks nice, I know it took a lot of work to clean up after a 60+ year old restaurant. Support Local Business..... Welcome to Alameda, The Island City!

    Broccoli beef (average quality would not order again!) Chow mein was good.
    Nicole C.

    Shrimp chow mein way too much noodles not enough shrimp. This place is ridiculously OVER PRICED, I won't be back! I knew better than to bother a 2nd time.

    Garlic noodles
    Jim B.

    I've had other dishes here that didn't disappoint, unfortunately today was a bit off. Ordered the salt & pepper chicken wings with a side of garlic noodles for lunch. The chicken was ok, however, the noodles were surprisingly sad. They lacked garlic flavor and were very overcooked & soggy. So soggy that when you picked them up with chopsticks, they would just fall apart. The mouthfeel was very pasty as you would expect any overcooked noodle to be. As you can see, the noodles were just clumped together. I hope this gets some attention because the staff here is wonderful, and I hope they stay around.

    Chicken wings and fried chicken
    Lena N.

    Gim's restaurant is under a new management and it looks much better than before. It's take out only, but the space feels bright and inviting. The menu has a good selection of dishes. They had a special for lobster noodles when I visited and it was really good, especially for the price. The ho fun was also very tasty. Recently I had a group of friends over at my house and ordered a tray of chicken wings since I had tried them before they would be easy to share. Everyone really liked them. We also had fried chicken = good I'm definitely looking forward to ordering more takeout from here on those days when I'm too lazy to cook

    SnP wings $17
    Delicios O.

    Definitely not the original Gim's. I try to support local businesses but man, $17 for 9 chicken wings? Never again. They're not even whole! They're party wings. Fill it up and charge $20 That'd be a better deal. Previously tried the SnP Pork too. Its flavor was not traditional to me. Tasted brined. Not bad, just not the standard SnP Pork I was expecting. It was tender though. Store front is nice. They painted and have a tv. The guy in front is cool. Glad they kept the friendly face to welcome people in. Pricey, but so is everything else. However, you gotta have some perk to being a long-time local favorite establishment; good food, big portions, or cheap prices.

    Paolo M.

    Glad to see this key Alameda island establishment's legacy carried forward by new owners. I miss the unique and quirky charm of the old space, but the new ambience is still an inviting fresh look. The food choices are great with some nice weekly specials, like lobster with noodle. We need a solid Chinese food take out option on this part of the island, and Gim's 2.0 offers that with a wide range of food choices. They are also open to modifying dishes depending on preference and dietary restrictions. Very nice and accommodating staff. They're still starting out so there's room for improvement, such as a more transparent menu that should include lunch specials. I recently ordered the salt and pepper fish w/ fried rice lunch special. The food was tasty enough, but the rice could have used some egg or more of it if it was in there, and less soy sauce. The fish was slightly soggy, but totally fine. The portions were just enough for lunch. At a little over $20 before tip and drinks (not included with specials), it probably tracks with pricing of other new takeout joints in SF. You'll probably want to order more items if you have a larger appetite. After purchasing a fantastic sesame matcha latte from their in-store pop-up collaborator, Aisuni cafe, this lunch break ended up probably being more of a splurge than I intended at $32 before tip. But I'm happy to support this local business and will eventually return.

    Crispy rice noodles
    Shirley D.

    I stop in for their crab special and was pleasantly surprised. Sometime food tastes different when you get take out versus eating in. This is a good take out place! I order salt & pepper crab and ginger scallion crab. The ginger scallion crab had great flavor. The salt and pepper crab is fried and was still crispy when I took it home to devour. So good, you have e to try for yourself! I also had the crispy rice noodle and beef stir fry with gai lan (Chinese veggies). All had great flavor, veggies still had a crunch and not soggy (I hate soggy veggies). The pan fried noodle stayed crispy when I got home. I'm glad this place reopen with new owner. It's nice and renovated, clean and modern. So next time you're at the library, stop by and give them a try. That was how I discovered them.

    Salt and pepper fish
    Donisha W.

    Came back for the coffee pop up Aisuni, they're here on weekends with various coffees and matcha craft drinks. I decided on the Vietnamese with cookie butter cold foam which was delicious. Very creamy with a strong kick of caffeine to get me through the day. A must try if you're in the area!

    Special Crab fried rice
    AL S.

    Was looking forward to salt and pepper crabs but no luck, so I settle for fried rice instead, I guess wrong timing

    Tofu Chop Suey

    Ate here 5x since the new ownership changed. I have to said the foods are much better than before and especially if you like chop suey, solid good taste and great huge portion!

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    Ask the Community - Gim's Chinese Kitchen Express

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    Chong Qing Noodles House

    Chong Qing Noodles House

    4.3
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    Wooooow I'm literally blown away! Happen to be in alameda and was craving dried noodles. Looked…read morethrough Yelp and ofcourse there's tons of options. Ended up going to Chong Qing noodle house and it was a smart decision. We walked over and immediately greeted by the very nice lady. We said to go so we grabbed a menu and sat down. The lady approached us and asked if we needed reccomendation. I said I wanted dried noodles so she recommended the Zha Jiang noodles. She also recommended the wonton and some cucumbers but we ended up just getting the wonton in addition to the noodles. They prepared our foood quickly and we had it to go We took our food to the alameda brewery and as soon as open the noodles - it already smelled so good. Those noodles were amazing!!!! It was so flavorful, bouncy noodles, tender meat and together it was perfect. I did wish it comes w fried eggs. The wontons are also tasty - great taste and the chili oil is perfect I would def comeback to this place and try their other dish! And I recommend you check them out

    This was an interesting experience. My niece and I were in Alameda and she wanted to try this…read moreplace. The location is convenient, plenty of neighborhood parking. The spot is cute. About 15 seconds after we got our menus, that one of the servers was hovering over us. We were trying to make our decision but she would just not leave us alone, and kept pointing out options. It felt more like pressure than anything. Once we ordered the food came fairly quickly. The wings were incredibly flavorful, I'd order again in a heartbeat. The dumplings were delicious. My biggest complaint was how pushy the server was. I wanted to leave but I thought my niece wanted to stay so I didn't say anything. While we were leaving my niece said she was very uncomfortable there, but didn't want to say anything. The food was delicious, but we both agreed we'd probably order delivery next time. Our in person experience was just too unpleasant.

    Photos
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    Menu
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    Dining area
    Beef noodle soup

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    Wild Ginger

    Wild Ginger

    4.3
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    Finally went to Wild Ginger! It took me a while because I was worried that it would be beyond my…read morespice tolerance but I thought I should try and find out. Long story short, the food was so delicious! We got two items that seemed a bit less spicy, but overall it had the tingling spice and heat. We started with the cold noodle and then ended with the Dan Dan noodles and loved it all. We got lots of water, frequent check-ins with the staff, and it's a cozy but small space, so if you see a spot come on in! Will certainly be back!

    I wish I could give this place more than 5 stars because everything here was delicious and my…read moreexperience every time coming here has been so great. I've been here a few times and one time the owner or cook came up to our table to recommend some items and talk about the type of food he serves. They're very nice people and very generous, especially when I came by on a slow Wednesday for a solo dinner and I was pretty hungry so I ordered a few new dishes I haven't tried before. I ordered the spicy tingly beef noodle soup, the lamb in sauce dumplings, and the ruo jia mo stewed pork slider and I was also offered a bit of their liang pi cold noodle on the house which I commend on them for going beyond their service and hospitality. The noodle soup was presented so well and the dumplings sauce was so good that I poured some into my broth for extra flavor. The slider was so moist and fresh, juice was literally dripping off each bite and the cucumbers in it gave it a good crunchy texture. In the end I would come back anytime and order the same and perhaps try their malatang!

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    Bhan Mae Vane

    Bhan Mae Vane

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    For my birthday dinner, I requested Bhan Mae Vane. I had heard wonderful things, and as a fan of…read moreLaotian food, I wanted to come with my family to see the hype. We came on a weekday evening, and it was packed! The sound travels here so that it can get really loud and busy. The inside is super casual with seating for large or smaller groups. The service by the staff was good. Our food came out quickly, and everyone was friendly and checked in on us. We ordered the Tom Kha, Nam Khao, Fried Clear Rice Paper Roll Wraps, Pineapple Khao Pad, and Geng Ka Ree. Everything was fabulous! Lots of great flavors and spices. The portion sizes were spot on. My favorite was the Nam Khao and the Fried Clear Rice Paper Roll Wraps. I love the bite-sized and sharing family-style. My companion and family also enjoyed it. If you like Laotian food, Bhan Mae Vane is a must-try in the East Bay! Find them off Webster Street with street and neighborhood parking. I look forward to going back!

    Do you like the funk?…read more Our server explained to us the Lao version is more funky and fermented, while the Thai version is more mellow. We went with the Lao version. The Thai iced coffee was delicious and strong! As it should be. It did give me the jitters though because I'm a weak sauce. We were a party of ten and I was able to make rezzies via phone for a Friday evening at 6:30pm no problem about a week beforehand. The kiddos ordered à la carte, and five of us adults had the following: - BMV ultimate papaya platter with Lao sausage, angel wings and crispy pork. Crispy pork was legit, papaya salad definitely had that extra funk. The angel wings were crispy and meaty and my friends loved the Lao sausage. One even said "it's like tom yum soup in a sausage". It was very lemongrass forward which is not my thing, but that's my problem. I feel we could have ordered à la carte and that would have been a better deal than $75 for the platter. Some of it was fluff like the cabbage, rice and pork rinds. - Khao soy soup: Fiancé thought it would be creamy and coconut-y like the Thai version but it wasn't. I did enjoy the flat noodles but they were all stuck together. - Pia pla ka pow (fish with basil): Good one. The fish was moist and flavorful. The veggies were al dente and delicious too. - Sakoo: Unique! I enjoyed the chewy mochi exterior and the savory ground pork filling. It needed a sauce. I just used the chili sauce that was on the party platter. - Laab Gai: This fell flat for me. I'm not a huge fan of organs though. - Nam khao fried rice: One of our favorites! The crispy pieces really made this dish. Would definitely order this again. - Mango sticky rice: Served warm. Very sweet mango! - Purple rice with egg custard: Also served warm. This was ok. - Side of rice: HUGE serving! Unfortunately it was clumpy and hard, which means old. Street parking only. Get the nam khao and mango sticky rice!

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    More decor
    Seen Lod (Lao Sausage) $20 | Spicy herb pork sausage served w Laotian tomato sauce.
    Seen Lod (Lao Sausage) $20 | Spicy herb pork sausage served w Laotian tomato sauce.
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    Mango and Mint

    Mango and Mint

    4.6
    (198 reviews)
    2.0 mi
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    Banh mi is a little pricey but it was very good. What attracted me here was the smoothies. At home…read moremy mom would make similar smoothies using parsley and mint, so I was drawn to that homey aspect. I don't like my smoothies sweet and prefer them grassy or even sour/ bitter. I spoke in Vietnamese to the ladies and workers and they were very sweet; she let me know which smoothie was sweet and which was bitter when I picked it up. The banh mi here is probably one of the best in Alameda. I'm a little sad that I hadn't tried it sooner, as I am let down by most of the banh mi shops in the area. Great place to try and visit. Seating is limited here. Pickup and eat elsewhere is mostly advised.

    This place is hella good! There's a reason why my Vietnamese recommended this spot to me, he claims…read moreits the closest to Saigon banh mi you can find in the bay. We came here on a Saturday late afternoon and there were a handful of folks here ordering/dining in. It's a small spot with limited seating, so its mostly for takeout imo. We got 2 banh mi: one cold cut combo and another for lemongrass chicken. We also got a smoothie to go. The banh mi's are legit, I would order extra pate next time. Love how the banh mi are super thick with tons of meat, veggies, and good amount of pate. The bread is fresh and the portions are generous. Would love to come back here again and try more items and include extra pate per my friend's suggestion. There are only street parking available here. We had no issues finding one close to the spot on a Saturday afternoon.

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    So full of meat and pate. Yummy!
    So full of meat and pate. Yummy!
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    Gim's Chinese Kitchen Express - chinese - Updated July 2026

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