We have been going to Bacogai regularly for a couple of years. My favorite hot pot is the Lau…read moremushroom while my husband usually orders the oxtail or pork bone marrow. The dipping sauces are a perfect addition to the light broth. We love the Duck Goi-Slaw salad as the appetizer. When we go as a group we enjoy sharing the salmon clay pot or the beef Luc Lac. This is a different type of Vietnamese cuisine that is light and flavorful. The service is excellent and the staff is very welcoming.

We came on a week day for dinner and was seated right away. The restaurant is in the Blanding…read moreShopping Center. Love the modern atmosphere and decor. We ordered the banh hoi with lemon grass tofu and mushrooms and salmon claypot. The banh hoi was tasty and fun to eat with the lettuce and herbs. The salmon claypot was full of flavors and so good with steamed rice. The portions were small, which was perfect for us but a little on the pricy side. Service was excellent. We will definitely be back and try other dishes on their menu.

The location is great, the space is big and the bar tender was awesome. I went for the first time…read moreand I can already tell it won't be my last. My friends said the garlic fries were good and I enjoyed my drink very much. If you want a place that has good drinks and I has nice staff, I'd say Lemondrop is a good place.

I finally made it to Lemon Drop in Alameda a couple of weeks ago, and overall, it was very cute and…read moredefinitely had a vibe! The staff was super friendly and welcoming, which I really appreciated. That said, I was expecting a little more from the concept based on the name "Lemon Drop." I honestly thought there would be a specialty menu featuring different variations of lemon drops, so I was a little thrown off when I saw the actual drink menu. I think having a signature lemon drop menu with creative flavors would really elevate the experience and make the concept stand out. I also think a live DJ would be a great addition. The atmosphere is already cute and vibey, so adding a DJ and specialty lemon drops could really take it to the next level and make it more of a destination spot. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and would definitely go back. I just think there's an opportunity to lean more into the "Lemon Drop" concept because that's what initially caught my attention!

Love this place! The food is so good!…read more A few things to know before going, there's music playing! While its a vibe, but hard to hear from your friends/family within the table. You have to pay ahead of time via QR code or at the counter. There's plenty of seats too. Staff is always available and helpful too.

Maaan, I miss the Piedmont location of Monkey King.. But since it's closed I came to this location…read more2 times to dine in and both of my experiences were mid. I know better now to just order my food to-go if I crave it again. The customer service is never what you expect it to be. They will literally take your order while they are on their phone, and it doesn't feel like they acknowledge you or hear you. They also don't mention that they are ready to help you and just stare at you waiting for you to start ordering. Maybe I am picky and selective, but I usually don't approach after someone's ordering in case they need to quickly step away or finish the task they were working on -- I'm use to being called "next" or being acknowledged. They also don't give you a number or some sort of marker after they take your order, so it is easy for them to mix up orders which happened. Anyway, the food is always good and so I guess that will have to make up for the experience. The garlic noodles with salt and pepper tofu never miss and always hit. It's never too greasy or underflavored. The spicy korean wings are super good and flavorful too. Not too spicy, definitely a mildness to it, so you can handle it if you don't like something too spicy. Overall, I'd come back to pick up a to-go order, but I won't dine in person again.

The wildly popular fast casual movement has found its way to this Japanese fusion 'noodle house'…read moresadly taking the spot of Panera - everybody sheds a tear for that loss in the Alameda food scene. Cafeteria style - pick what you want - and customize with sauces and green onions and tempura flakes. Big signs around the dining room instruct you on how to eat and what to do. Unique drink option from Japan - soda - with glass ball lid - made for a take home souvenir and will be a future vase. Tempura and noodles that are 50' long in length. No kidding. You will get this great big bowl of noodles - but I have this theory there was just one noodle in the bowl. We tried to share and there was no beginning and no end to any given noodle. We were fishing around for this noodle and it reminded me of this scene from Mrs Doubtfire where they were trying to get teeth out of a beverage.... a tricky task indeed. Fresh from scratch - made in house Udon noodles and Tempura foods are the star. Outstanding value and casual dining as a result of cutting out the servers. These days I think we will see more and more of that. Cut the fat. Cut the middleman. A server - or anybody in the service industry should add value with a smile and good manners - ever since the pandemic you don't see that. Typically the servers are rude, bad mannered and simply just there to spread germs. To this day the only people in the service industry I enjoy being around are bar tenders. I suppose they were hired in the first place for personality alone. The one thing I really liked about Panera was how they only hired top tier helpers. They never hired less than the best. The people working here seemed equally as good - they had passion for noodles and all the little details were there. I particularly liked how they warmed the bowls with hot water before adding food in. A great place to eat solo or in big groups. Push some tables together and spend the evening there with your besties or simply by yourself on a lunch break and be in and out in a flash.

Ms squirrel said, "it's totally edible". And it and it was. Nothing was bad, but nothing was super…read moregood either. It was the perfect definition of meritocracy. The pork tomkatau was a bit salty but was totally okay. The eel was decent flavor but riddled with bones. The pork slabs were pretty decent but they were cold. The soba noodles were actually nice but not amazing. The beef and onions were maybe the best of the meal and came in just above okay. The calamari which I usually love was basically sugar water with just enough calamari to have flavor. Watering it down to normal sugar levels meant there was not enough lime flavor. The side of veggies was just boiled veggies. Oh, the pepper powder was actually good! One condiment that is worth decency. I neither hated or liked anything (except maybe the pepper powder). I don't plan to go back though. It was just not good, not bad either but nothing made me excited enough to return (not even the pepper).

Found this place because of Tik Tok! The inside of the restaurant is so cute and comfortable. I was…read moreso glad they have a parking lot behind the building because parking sucks in the area. The food here was also sooo good! My husband and I ordered a bunch of different things. Yellow curry - nice consistency and full of vegetables and chicken. Pad See Ew - noodles had a good chew and it wasn't overly salty. Angel wings - wings were coated in a nice sauce, but still had a good crunch. Salt & pepper fish with fried rice - the literal star of the show; the fish was so flaky and perfectly seasoned; the fried rice was perfectly cooked. The service here was just okay. We had 2 ladies serve us and they were both so nice, but they did forget items for our order a few times and they did forget our drinks. Plus, we had asked for the check and waited maybe 10-15 minutes for it to be brought out, even though we were the only table remaining. Other than that, no notes and we'll come back again.

Quality/Quantity - Finally made it here. Today we got the following:…read moreGarlic Noodle - Combo was $3 more. Phad Si Ew - Pork, consistent with all their competitors. Hard to mess this up. Nam Kao - My daughter ordered this for my wife as we knew it would be her favorite and it was. A very healthy option. Overall the food was good, but nothing special. And each dish is only enough for 1 person and do keep in mind that ALL 3 of us are light eaters. So if you are an average or an above average eater, you will need to also order an appetizer, dessert, drink, etc. Ambiance - I think the 3rd or 4th Thai restaurant here, good luck. Small but a busy shared parking lot in the rear of the building. We were still able to get a space in the very back. Open 6 days a week, see websites or Yelp for specific hours. Closed Thursday. Service - Okay. Price - $51 + tip. $2 cash discount for our order; see picture. Slightly expensive for what we got. The waitress made a mistake when giving my change back, but once I brought it to her attention, it was an easy fix without hesitation. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success since Jan of 2025.

While we stumbled upon this delicious spot by accident, everyone else should just put it in their…read moremaps app and go! We had the most tender flavorful cured pork (tocilog) beautifully plated next to garlic vinegar rice, and the ube waffles and fried chicken - with strawberries and figs! Airy space with big windows and a conscience and friendly service - had to take their fava bean patty burger to go, but we'll be back! And, their drinks (including strawberry orange blossom matcha) rock!

Understory is fantastic!! My favorite part of the experience had to be the ube horchata, which was…read moreSPECTACULAR; cold (perfect for a sunny Oakland afternoon) and sweet and cinnamon-y, a beautiful complementary blend of two incredible things. I also enjoyed my Understory Hash (with lechon/pork belly atop roasted root veggies, brussel sprouts, and a fried egg); it had great flavors. I think next on my list to try would be the tocino rice bowl. Inside were also just amazing vibes, with great decor and signage, and sweet and efficient service. I will say that ordering online comes with some extra fees, so next time I'd just order in person to avoid them and continue supporting this worker-owned, community built establishment!

One of the best restaurants in Alameda. The Tea Leaf or Rainbow salad is a must. I have not had…read moreanything there I didn't like.

Incredible pre-concert dinner, tea leaf salad and Burmese chicken curry with coconut rice were…read moreelite. Lotus root chips were fresh and crunchy. The two of us ordered enough for like 3-4 ppl, portions are HUGE!

Update! You have to experience Roll & Bowl. I did a rating 2 years ago and the place is now…read moreworthy for the upgraded 5 stars. You know that they menu was small but gave us the ability to try everything non-spicy and WOW so great Service is done by the owner herself and runs in the back to cook the meal! Comes back pretty fast for dine in, but call in for to go and won't be disappointed. If you like quaint places here you go! Now the price! So reasonable! Gotta do a lunch or dinner!

Service was fine! The restaurant is a bit tight but it works and there's some outside seating. I…read moreordered the beef bowl and it didn't really seem that flavorful. Frozen corn and peas with a giant base of rice can't justify a $20 bowl. :/ Kinda bummed but sometimes you swing and miss. I'm sure the desert is good.

Food; Magnificent Service; Superb…read moreAmbiance: Pleasant, indoors and outdoors We are so happy to have found this awesome, well thought out place. We eat here frequently and strongly recommend them to you.

Came here for a friend's birthday party. They have a nice outdoor patio which overlooks the river…read morebut the view isn't that great (yet). I wish they had some heat lamps as it can get cool at night. The staff were friendly and the decor was nice. The food was decidable mid for NorCal. Might be more what if have expected in the Midwest. The spices weren't that complex and recipes somewhat plain. With some better recipes and more attention paid to the food, this place could kick.

* Tasty and reliable service for all the classic vietnamese dishes…read more** I've grown dependent on their Banh Mi sandwiches and I don't regret it *** The spot smells and feels like a familiar bustling environment **** I'm biased with the location, but I was blessed to be so close to this spot

I haven't been back in over a decade and it's even better than I remember!…read more Value for sure: - one size for pho $22 for the beef combo, generous portions - definitely like a large, XL - turmeric fish bun - don't see this often and it was fresh! Loved the peanuts on the side so I can control how much I want in my dish - fried squid, great starter, piping hot and not over cooked, still very tender and gf! Great service - checked in with us appropriately. I see why it was filled with patrons before noon on a Saturday! Sat at the communal tables in the middle and quite comfortable! They have alfresco seating in the front and the interior of the restaurant seems to have AC - a must in the warmer months. Glad to see them continuing to thrive!!! On my shortlist for sure.