Taiwanese food is still a niche in the Bay Area, and Old Taro is a good place to be introduced. The vibe here is homey Taiwanese, with cartoon graphics on the wall and playful banners and ceiling hangings. We started with stinky tofu for appetizers. The version here is atypical in that the dipping sauce was not the garlicky sweet soy sauce but lighter with no visible garlic. The dipping sauce was also poured on top of the tofu rather than on the side. It was enjoyable nevertheless. The tofu was perfectly fried on the outside and moist on the inside. With a generous heaping of chili sauce and outstanding pickled cabbage, this dish was a good reinterpretation of the Taiwanese classic. We tried various tasty bento boxes- fried pork chops, Taiwanese sausage, popcorn chicken. Each bento boxes came with side servings of steamed vegetables, stewed egg with bean curd sheet or mini spring rolls. We also had the pork knuckles over rice, which had very tender stewed pork knuckles over rice with meat sauce, bamboo shoots and a stewed egg. Beef noodle soup is an iconic dish in Taiwanese cuisine, and at Old Taro I gave it high marks. The broth was very aromatic and mildly spicy which was perfect for me. You can specify the noodles and I requested the thick flat noodles which really soaked up the broth. The bowl was a good size and filled with prodigious amounts of tender beef chunks, tripes and soft tissues. The meat was tender so it went down without getting between my teeth. Taiwanese desserts are a must, and here you can choose from a selection of shave ice, tofu puddings, regular as well as fried mochis. We had the cute little bathtub filled with taro shave ice, grass jelly, colorful sweet rice dumplings and a panda shaped mango sorbet. A second dessert was soft tofu puddings covered with the colorful sweet dumplings. This came with a side dish of two incredibly flavorful taro cookies. So many dishes we wanted to try. Guess we have to come back! read more

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The menu is traditional bentos and beef noodle soups, casual dining interior and they have QR code menus and quick service for ordering Came for the mochi but ended up scoring some traditional Taiwanese bentos and the beef noodle soups. I was super happy to get the mochi it was warm and large portions here :) just like back in Taiwan. We also got sharing bowls & the interior was a bit larger than we expected there were two sides! read more

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I visited El Taro for lunch. Decor seems to be a hodge podge of cute decor and a base decor of a night market feel. ORDER Spicy beef noodle soup Fried red yeast fish rice Stinky tofu Beef pancake STARS (stand out qualities) -Spicy beef noodle soup was very flavorful, and the meat was very tender. One of the better ones I've had in the Bay Area. -Stinky tofu was another stand out dish. One of the yummiest stinky tofu I've had in the Bay. I'm not usually a fan of stinky tofu but this one won me over as tasty. -Red yeast fish was pretty good as well. And beef pastry was pretty good. Nothing that I would go out of my way for, but it was good. STAIRS (areas of growth) -More promotions like discounts or free food for buying something or coming at a certain time TIPS -There is a big parking lot but can get full since there are a lot of stores and vendors in this mall read more

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Old Taro is NEW to me and seems like a new player in the Taiwanese food scene in the Little Taipei mall out in south Fremont. But what a great find as the food is authentic in taste and look with only the price being the deterrent for frequent visits. This busy mall has high churn but it is constantly packed no matter the time of the day or day of the week. There are quite a few Asian establishments here that will fit in your errand run on any occasion. Old Taro operates a pretty spacious restaurant with cute little decorations on the wall and comfortable sets of cushioned ottoman-like seats for indoor diners. The place doesn't look like it reaches full capacity often so you should be fine to come in on a whim. Their kitchen isn't small and seems to be well staffed so meals are prepared pretty steadily and fulfilled in decent time. Takeout is a norm here and occasionally, they offer pre-orders for special seasonal items advertised through their Facebook page. Their menu offers a wide selection of Taiwanese favorites often seen in street markets and small family run shops. Beef noodles, pan fried dishes and fried snacks are among the top and we certainly got a good blend in our first visit here. We ordered takeout and got an order of the beef pancakes, stinky tofu, spicy beef noodle soup, and their signature red fish rice. Everything was so delicious fresh and some of the leftovers were still good afterwards. Beef pancake had a thin patty of seasoned beef sandwiched within a doughy exterior similar to chive pancakes. It was pan fried to bring out the flavor and fragrance, and with each bite, the saltiness and umami of the beef interior bursted out. The stinky tofu was by far one of the best I have had in the Bay Area. The flavor and aroma were pungent and paired well with the sauce. A definite must to order! Beef noodle soup is a Taiwanese signature and Old Taro certainly does a great job representing its roots. The meat is so tender and yet the tendons melt in your mouth. The soup has the perfect amount of chili to give you that numb feeling and get your blood heating up. For the noodles, you can opt to have the standard thin noodles or flat noodles. I opted for the wide flat noodles as it soaks up the broth more thoroughly. If you end up ordering this takeout, they pack the noodles and soup separately so that noodles don't get soggy. And it's nice on the go as you just pick up your bite, dunk it in your broth, and gobble it up! The red fish (it's breaded) rice bento was delicious, although, I would have preferred more of a bite and texture with the fish. The dish is hearty and has plenty of food! It includes a tea egg, egg roll, some pickled veggies, the fish, and pork over rice. Definitely shareable! The staff are very welcoming and speak primarily Mandarin Chinese so if you're looking for a place to practice, this is a great spot! Overall, Old Taro may bring back some old memories if you are originally from Taiwan, have visited, or have any connection there, and if not, perhaps it'll open the door for you to plan your next vacation! The food scene in this mall is competitive and Old Taro does a fine job in solidifying its place here with delicious, classic dishes and a nice flair for indoor diners. The prices are a bit high compared to similar places but do know that the value is there - good portions, great quality, and excellent timeliness. With all said and done, Old Taro may be your new spot soon, too! read more

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Probably one of the better Taiwanese places in the area. The soup base is flavorful and the noodle has that food chew. The beef is also surprising tender. They don't cheap out on the meats like some other places in the bay. I also like that the soup was pipping hot when it came to us. There's plenty of seating for both large and small parties. We barely had to wait and were seated right away for a weekday lunch. And the food came out super fast too and felt very fresh. read more

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A hidden Taiwanese gem in Fremont that we found via a popular YouTuber! The interior is a cute, night market themed place with padded stools and lots of old timey decor. Staff mostly speaks Chinese but there was a lady who spoke great English that can help answer questions so fear not! Ordering is done via QR code and THEY DO TAKE CARD! I saw other comments mention it was cash only so they must've changed this recently but it was nice to not have to run to an ATM in the middle of our meal. We ordered the Spicy Beef Stew Noodle soup and the Wonton Noodle Soup. Both were spot on! The beef noodle soup had great flavor with nice, al dente noodles and a deceptively spicy broth that got hotter as you kept eating (or maybe I'm just weak ). The wonton noodle soup was a surprise to us - very tasty with a lot of clean, natural tasting chicken broth (didn't feel like they used coloring or chicken powder to have that artificial taste) and the noodles were a thinner, rounded rice noodle that paired well with the dish to make it taste very clean. Great if you're looking for a lighter, less oily option. We also got their black sesame soy milk and black tea soy milk. Both were very tasty, came in a sealed cup with no ice but still cold. A bit on the sweet side but with a spicy noodle soup - having something more sweet was a relief although we'd probably pass on these next time given how sweet it was. It's also right next to Pineapple King Bakery so great for a two for one pit stop! We'll definitely be back to try more of their appetizers like their fried pork chop or popcorn chicken! read more

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Old Taro is still a solid 4! We've come by to eat here in-person many times since my last 2021 review for their takeout. FOOD // Our go-to's are: + Fried vinasse fish filet with rice bento set (4.5/5): the fried fish is nice and crispy on the outside, and tender and moist on the inside. I like that the rice has minced braised pork on top. The cooked Taiwanese cabbage (or sometimes it's edamame) is a good small side. The braised egg and tofu are okay; one time, the braised egg was quite dry inside and looked like it had been braising for a little too long. + Fried Taiwan-style chicken with rice bento set (3.5/5): the fried chicken cutlet was very lean and a bit dry, but okay. Crispy outside. + Pepper Popcorn Chicken with rice bento set (3.5/5): similar to the other fried chicken cutlet bento, this popcorn chicken was also a bit tough/dry, though the outside was a nice crunch. + Wonton soup (5/5): Grandma and I are fans of this one! Soothing warm clear broth, tasty wontons, and veggies for a healthy light meal. + Braised tofu (4.5/5): this braised tofu has a nice meat-y sauce on it and has more flavor than the one that comes with the bento box. It's a smoother tofu texture as well. Goes well with rice. + Stewed beef noodle soup (5/5): our parents always get one of the beef noodle soups. Nice and comforting broth with good flavor, not too salty. Beef is tender, and there's a good portion. SERVICE + AMBIANCE // Plenty of seating inside, with space for larger groups. I love the decoration on the walls and around the restaurant - one side has a fun Mario-inspired wall decoration, and another side inspires memories of Taiwanese night markets. Service has been very kind every time we've eaten here. read more

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Was craving Taiwanese food and came across this cute restaurant. It's in the same plaza as Pineapple King, so tons of parking! Shared two dishes with a friend and it was enough because the items were pretty large in quantity. We got the dry noodles and spicy won ton dumplings. Both were good but not something that amazed me. It was pretty empty as we came about 40 mins before closing so service was fairly quick. read more

Old Taro - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

Absolutely loved this place! It's a cute spot located in a corner inside a plaza. The inside is decorated very cute! Lots of room for people to sit too. There's a QR menu to order your food. My friends and I ordered our food separately and were able to split the bill. The food here is AMAZING! Everything was flavorful and delicious. The fried XLB was probably favorite. The soup inside was tasty. The dry noodles weren't super sticky but the flavor was perfectly spiced. Those two also paired really well. The service was quick and they didn't rush us out once it was closing time! We'll definitely come back! read more

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Service was standard. Took the waiter 5 minutes or so to bring out water and extra bowls. I wouldn't expect much though! Lots of tables inside and no line when we came on Mother's Day at 1pm for lunch. Fried pork chop: (4.5/5) fried well and has a slight thin crispy exterior. Smaller appetizer but it tastes like a very good popcorn chicken substituted as pork. Thin strips of pork chop, not dry but also not juicy so it's a good in between. Slightly salted. Spicy wonton: (4/5) has a slight peanut butter taste to it and not spicy chili oil like din tai fung. Wontons are fairly small so you can eat them in one bite with ease. Spicy stew beef noodle soup (4.5/5): it has a nice spice. Not overly spicy but it has a kick to it. Broth itself seems fairly clean and not overly oily at all. Came with 4 small palm sized pieces of meat that were soft. You could break them apart with your chopsticks. None of the pieces had chewy tendon in it either. read more

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Why so glum, Mr Old Taro? Every single time we are there we try to smile to the owner. He could care less about our presence at the restaurant. The server ladies are great, though. They're always there to help and serve. The grumpy owner is putting a bad taste in our mouths. read more

Old Taro - Super tasty Taiwanese beef noodle soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

Came on a Saturday night for dinner before 6pm. It was pretty empty but later more people came in. You order with a QR code, and they brought out warm water. The seats like other reviews mentioned are cute little cubes, although maneuvering them may be a little challenging. We ordered the beef noodle soup, combination beef noodle soup, and scallion/green onion pancake. Within 10 minutes the food came out. I can see why plenty of reviews mention the beef noodle soup broth is flavorful, but in my opinion it's because the taste of star anise is evident - even to the point of overwhelming for my husband and I. It overpowered the rest of the stuff inside - the noodles, which are chewy, and the beef, which are nice big chunks but can be a bit fatty. The scallion pancake was also crispy but only around the outside - the inside was doughy and a little undercooked. Overall, we might come back to try other items on the menu. But would probably look elsewhere for beef noodle soup. P.S. The restaurant started playing music 5 minutes after we arrived and it was the same song, super loud and strong bass, for about 10 times lol. After that they finally changed to a playlist but I wouldn't be surprised if they do karaoke here with the strong music system lol! read more

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Honestly very disappointed in Old Taro. I remember going to their other locations previously, so was excited to try this one out. Got seated right away as there were not that many people in the store. - Taiwanese "Pickles" (Napa Cabbage) - The naming conventions of this palce is something else. Either way, felt like the typical garlic flavor didn't seep through the cabbage which was a bit disappointing. - Fried Pork Chop - Was not a huge fan of this as the pork wasn't super tender and the flavors didn't seep through. Also at first I was a little worried that we didn't order rice with this, but it turned out to be okay because the pork chop didn't have a lot of flavor anyways. - Stew Beef Combo Noodle Soup - I appreciate the different kinds of beef cuts they put in here including the beef itself, tendon, and stomach lining. The broth didn't particularly stand out to me. I should've ordered the spicy version of this instead, maybe that will have more flavor. Honestly, pretty disappointed with Old Taro - not sure if I will come back again. I think the biggest thing is the overall lack in flavor but ordering three dishes was very filling for two people as the portion sizes were all quite large which is a plus. read more

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Spicy beef noodle with tripe - it's not that spicy but enjoyable. The soup is very flavorful and the thick noodle has a bit of texture if you like al dente texture. Tripe and beef is very tender. Noodle with tripe - tender tripe, soup is flavorful, the thin noodle is soft but not soggy. I like the soft noodle even I usually like al dente. Pan fried bun - very crispy, not too oily. Good amount of meat and veggies inside but unlike Shanghainese pan fried bun, it's got no soup inside. Still, taste pretty good. For a bowl of noodle soup, I think this is a great place. read more

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I really enjoyed the Taiwanese comfort food from Old Taro! I came in with a friend on a weekday for dinner around 6pm and they were not busy at all. We each ordered a bento and shared one of the items from the pastry section of the menu (hu jiao bing). The bentos come with really filling portion sizes; I was hungry enough to finish mine but you could split one for a lighter meal. I love the variety that comes in the bento! The meats, egg, and the braised pork rice were all flavorful. The cabbage balanced the saltier items nicely. Decor/interior is cute and cozy. Service was friendly, and you order by scanning a QR code. There is a slight discount if you pay in cash. read more

Old Taro - Fried Pork Chop Bento, Taiwanese Sausage Bento, Hu Jiao Bing - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

This is a new favorite beef noodle soup spot for me. It has the perfect amount of spice. I'd come back again! read more

Old Taro - Beef noodle soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

I'm not in fremont area frequently, but when I am, I always wanna try new places. There arent a lot of taiwainese cuisine in my area so it was nice to stumble upon this place for beef stew noodles and fried pork chops! Parking is kind of hard to find cuz it's in a really busy plaza! My friend ordered the Spicy Beef Stew with tripe and its her go to order. It has the perfect amount of seasoning and comfort from the mixture of flavors in a bowl. For $15.95, its one of the more affordable side of noodle soups! For $14.95 I got kind of a bento plate: Fried pork chops, steamed cabbage, braised tofu, braised egg and mince pork rice. This was soooo filling that it can definitely be shared between two people! The fried pork chop was a little dry so im taking away a star for that. Definitely check out this place for comfort food. read more

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Quirky. Yeah that's word to describe the ambiance and experience. Super Mario brother inspired picture. Taiwanese Night Market. Cubes as seats. "Old Taro?" Quirky! The menu is broad (with the requisite misspellings) and you order from a QR code. The bento was well portioned. The beef soup was spicy. Upon paying they gave us a very dense moon cake to go. It was curious until we cut it open it was chock full of nuts. read more

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*LOCATION* This restaurant is located in a big plaza, currently anchored by Osaka Japanese market (previously Ranch 99 and Lion). There is plenty of free parking in the lot but weekends can be busy. *WAIT TIME* Our most recent visit was on a Saturday around 12:30pm. There was no wait for a party of 2. If dining indoors, you can order via the QR code on the table. If getting take-out, you order up front at the register. *FOOD* -Spicy beef noodle soup: comes with several choices of noodles, the thick ones are my fav, 4/5 spicy, beef cubes are melt-in-your-mouth tender *chef's kiss* -Sausage with rice bento: can never go wrong with this choice, delicious! -Fried pork chop with rice bento: pork chops were perfectly crispy, yum! replacing edamame with cabbage may seem more authentic imo?? -Sesame with green onion pancake: so happy to have found a place that makes these! pancake was perfectly thick and chewy, would be even better with more green onion though -Green onion pancake: good but nothing special -Hu jiao bing: oops... ate this too fast before I took a picture, love how peppery it tasted but felt that the filling was too little and the outer skin too crumbly/powdery, maybe I'm biased because I love my mom's version (LOL) *SERVICE* We were quickly given glasses of cold water shortly after sitting down... but the waters had VERY strong lemon tastes that we weren't too fond of. The waitresses were friendly and we didn't have to wait too long for our food. We were surprised that our sesame with green onion pancake came out last, after the main entrees! Of note, the bill has a cash price and a credit card price (additional ~3% service charge). *AMBIENCE* This place reminds me so much of Taiwan, from the food to the wall art to the decor by the front door. I'll definitely be coming to this place often and trying more things on the menu. Highly recommend stopping by if you're ever craving a piece of Taiwan! read more

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Three stars because omg it hit every Taiwanese craving a person can have. I am Taiwanese. I love Taiwan. I would live in Taiwan in a heart beat if I could. FOOD// - the bento side dishes are so authentic and what you will experience in Taiwan and according to the photos, it seems as if these side dishes sporadically change - pork cutlet bento box: the flavor was on point. Except grainy texture. Hot and crisp. The rice with gravy was soooo good but some in my party thought it was too salty. - beef noodle soup: the base tastes so much like Lao gan ma... the thick noodles (you can pick thin noodles as well) were so tender, al dente and done fantastically. Some of the beef pieces were dry and some were moist. - chive potstickers: THIS IS NOT THE CHIVE POTSTICKER you may think of (glass noodle + massive loads of chives + eggs + dried shrimp). Instead it came out in a hot plate looking as if it was fried in a bin of oil. The skin was hot, crisp and a sweet undertone but the stuffing was super salty and pork heavy with a minuscule chive flavor. - onion pancake: pan fried. Crispy, tender and your basic onion pancake. Wasn't anything special. - Taiwanese dessert: grass jelly + tofu + mini balls. The mini balls are 150% microwaved and very gross. They should be chewy and absolutely delicious; instead, they are soft and have a nasty outer layer that was obviously cooked previously and a chewy inner layer. Only the grass jelly and the mini balls stuffed with sesame paste were edible. Also came with two taro? peanut? mung bean? crushed paw shaped lightly sweetened desserts. - I am so surprised they didn't offer cucumber salad or some sort of pickle as a menu option to cleanse the palate and the oiliness. SERVICE: - one male asks how many are in your party in Mandarin Chinese and points you in the direction of the seating (and you never see this person again) - hahahaha one lady provides the utensils and napkins (and you never see this person ever again) - another lady serves you all the dishes - one male sat there for a very long time hoping that someone will come with the bill but they never came; he had to get up and walk to the cashier to pay his bill - THERE IS A 3.5% transaction charge/service fee if you use a credit/debit card no matter how much you spend - provided you with lukewarm water in tall metal cups in which they never cared to refill AMBIENCE: - I love love love the decor. It's wallpapers of night/day markets in Taiwan and on section has Mario! - love the red lantern lights - love the dimly lit lights - this place reminds me of the massively light filled China restaurant near newpark mall PARKING: - in a plaza with multiple other stores (and Osaka supermarket!) - free - should not have a problem with finding parking (there are also spots behind Osaka if parking becomes a problem) - parking spaces are nicely measured so you don't feel claustrophobic at all Will I come back or recommend this place to others? No. read more

Their spicy beef noodle soup is to die for. I've gone here three times and every time it is amazing. No long lines and the service is good too read more

They have amazing spicy beef noodle soup with tripe. The flavor of the broth is almost nostalgic for me that I want to cry when I sip it. The meat is always so tender and cooked so perfectly. They have different noodles to choose from but I prefer thin noodles. The service is friendly and quick. There is plenty of seating inside. It's a very popular place and you order by using the posted QR code. I recently tried their version of mochi but it didn't impress me much. I prefer a more chewy texture but perhaps they don't use glutinous rice? I think it's just plain rice flour. It's worth it to just come for the spicy beef noodle soup! read more

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Spicy beef stew noodle soup, thick noodles - The soup was savory and balanced with a subdued spice from the spicy oil. I really enjoyed the flavor of the soup and it wasn't too salty and I didn't detect msg. Chunks of beef shank were large and tender. Cooked lettuce was the vegetable in this bowl. Thick noodles were nice with the right amount of chew. I am a fan. Black tea soy milk - This tasted neither like black tea nor soy milk. It had a flavor that tasted like extremely watered down soy milk with a bit of sugar and hint of tea floral-ness, but not nearly enough for me to say that it had tea flavor. I would describe the overall flavor of the drink as watered down and muddled. I decided to try this instead of getting a boba milk tea from elsewhere and it was a mistake. Black sesame soy milk - The black sesame flavor was there but the base of the drink was sad. There was no soy flavor in the soy milk. Again, the soy milk tasted completely watered down. I assumed there was a hint of sugar added but I would not consider it a sweet drink. Wouldn't order again. read more

I'm not sure what changed about this place now that they're at the new location. Now I loooooooove the food here! We literally come here every Sunday because my daughter loves their beef noodles - the beef is so tender it melts in your mouth and they have different varieties of it for folks who don't want spicy or tendon. My fav dish there is the Mifen, reminds me so much of Taiwan. The fried xlb is good too, juicy on the inside. The owner is always friendly and gives us our special seaT in the Mario brothers corners Will be back again next Sunday! read more

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I came in knowing EXACTLY what I was about to order, HOWEVER, as soon as I walked in, I noticed the menu on the table had the Black Sesame Mochi crossed out. We ignored that and continued to order from the waitress with no issue. Black Sesame and Peanut Mochi - Made to order, I suggest mixing the flavors together! Ground Pork Black Pepper Pancake - Juicy and packed with flavor Anyways, I defintely recommend y'all stop by and try out their Asian street snacks! read more

Came here for dinner with a friend who kindly treated me here. Since we're both Taiwanese and love beef noodle soup, I just got what he ordered, and we also shared popcorn chicken, and pig ears with peanuts and dougan. It was very delicious and very filling. The beef was thick, tender, and plentiful, and the noodles had that great Q texture that is unique to Taiwanese palate. I finished it all. The friend chicken was also VERY hot, and super fresh! I took the pig ears home in a takeout box. Customer service was great. The lady who served us was super sweet. Certainly helped that my friend was a regular and spoke in Chinese the entire time. The walls were super cute, and painted with super cute images of night market stalls from Taiwan. I would definitely come back here and bring my parents here. read more

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We came here spontaneously as Boiling Point was having their special BOGO, we were expected to wait 2.5 hours so we decided to opt out that and go to Old Taro instead. We came in and there were only 2 parties inside. Mind you the place is huge, so perfect for bigger parties. The staff were nice and allowed us to sit wherever we liked. The interior design is so cute with their right wall with Super Mario but they named it Super Taro, which is cute. The menu is short and limited, which I love. I'm not hit with a thousand choices. I ordered a minced pork noodle, and my fiance ordered the spicy beef tripe noodle soup. The noodles for the minced pork were chewy and had a nice bounce. It was not bunched up which I liked. The meat was flavorful as well. The noodle soup was delicious as well, with the nice chew from the noodle and the beef and tendon had a nice chew. The soup was sweet and slightly spicy. I would come back here to try their other dishes. read more

Old Taro - Spicy Tripe Noodle Soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

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Came here to have quick lunch before shopping groceries at Osaka Market. I like trying new Taiwanese eateries. Ordered beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken, and black pepper pastry. Wanted to try their sticky rice roll but they discontinued it.... They noodles were pretty good and soup had deep beef flavor. I also liked the pastry as it was light and flaky. The popcorn chicken was a bit dry and quite average. Overall pretty good. Would come again to try other dishes. read more

Old Taro - Beef noodle soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

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This place came highly recommended by a friend. I had to try it myself. Got several items and shared with friends. Noodles 2/5 - Got 2 noodles dishes: beef noodle soup and sesame paste noodle. Unfortunately, the noodles were not quite acceptable. For the beef noodle soup, the broth flavor was lacking and a tomato taste was dominant. The meats were big, but when lacking flavor, they were a bit too much to chew. The sesame paste noodle did not have much flavor either. Rice plates 3.5/5 - The crispy chicken with rice & minced pork rice were the saving grace. I wouldn't say they were exceptional, but at least passable. At $11.75, this was a good price for bento boxes. Rice balls 3/5 - The rice balls were okay. With rice, Chinese donuts and ingredients inside, it's hard to really screw up this item. One more thing that bothered me. There was a "cash only" sign up. Right next to it in Chinese, it had a sign that said 4% processing fee for credit cards. So if I didn't read Chinese, I would have thought it was cash only? I really wanted to like and support a Taiwanese food place. Perhaps takeout was a different experience? But that should not have affected the taste too much. Unfortunate, but I don't plan to visit again. read more

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This is my go to spot for fan tuan: sticky rice balls filled with crisp Chinese donut and other condiments. My favorite is the taro and salted egg, and my mom says the spicy beancurd one tastes like the ones she had as a teen in Taiwan. I have yet to find a place that serves Taiwanese breakfast that makes them as good as they do here. The first time I got them a few months back I waited an hour after pre ordering, but I think the newness has thankfully died down a little bit. Most recently went on Saturday morning around 1140 and was the third customer in line. Ordered and waited about 15ish minutes and got my warm fan Tuan in an insulated bag. I also got a pepper bun that was super yum. I have also tried the beef noodles and thought they were pretty good. They do take credit card but 4% extra surcharge so bring cash. Also be prepared to hang out around the door to hear your number get called. Apparently they offer the purple rice with their fan tuan so might try that next time. read more

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The skinny: Excellent fresh "hot" mochi Soup lacking flavor Noodles very good The lengthy: We went for a birthday celebration, 2 adults, 2 kids. The place was deserted on a Wednesday at 1130 (highly recommend the time!). The decor has a Super Mario Bros feel to it, mixed with a homey group dining setup. The tables are a bit lower and the main seating area is just rows of tables, rather than individual tables. Good use of space and a chance to make new friends! The hostess was very kind and allowed us to sit wherever, and made sure that the kids had what they needed (water and less fragile utensils). We ordered fish ball soup, beef tendon soup, and black beans sesame noodles, and hot mochi - both peanut and sesame powders - as dessert. Fish ball soup: fish balls tasted good, soup was ok Beef tendon noodle soup: noodles were chewy and the small portion meat that was provided was also good. Soup was lacking in flavor and overall portion felt small. Noodles with fried bean sauce (Zhajiangmian): this was the best entree by far- flavorful and somewhat filling Hot mochi: superb texture and flavor, might be a little sweet for some The bill was a bit steep for what we got, around $70 for everything - tax and tip included. We were full at the end and I do want to go back to try other dishes... read more

Update Owner is RUDE. See message. Horrible food and horrible service. This business won't last long. Stay away. This is the worst excuse for a restaurant. I was looking for a new Taiwanese restaurant to try in the area. I think the picture speaks for itself. $9 for the sad small box of Taiwanese sausage. Mochi was flat and didn't even bother cutting. $12. With tax is $26. What a rip off. Never coming back. Waste of money. Ended up throwing all of it away. read more

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We loved the food. It was so yummy we want to go there 100 times. The food came pretty fast. We loved the bento boxes and the noodles were pretty good, but not quite what I remember from Asia. We also got the pepper bun, which was a nice inexpensive bonus dish. The restaurant had a cool Mario decoration on the wall. The wall near us was pretty and looked like a night market with cute characters. (Review dictated by 5 and 6 year old children, edited for clarity by their father) read more

Old Taro - Taiwan Sausage bento (some fried pork from our other bento) - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

Food was ok I guess. The young waitress was very nice. Everything else was just bad. You can tell the owner is dirt cheap given below facts: 1. It was so dark inside but all lights were turned off. 2. Each guest is only provided with ONE thick napkin, if you need more, you need to get it yourself, and those were not the good quality ones. 3. Restroom has no paper towel, this is ok if they are going "green", but I doubt that was the reason. 4. We ordered large beef ribs and couldn't finish it, the to-go box given to us was too small so we asked for a larger one. Guess what, NO LARGE BOX was allowed to give to us, we were offered a clear plastic bag to put the ribs... even dog food is packaged better than that... I understand the waitress was just following owner's instruction to not give out large boxes. But we feel like we were treated like dogs(love dogs btw), who has to pay and tip... woof woof! Again, no fault on the waitress, it is the owner that is dirt cheap, overall bad dining experience. Oh and no outside food is allowed, in case anyone wonders. read more

4.3/5 Dinging some points because I think the price point for the portion size is a little steep. Despite that, service was decent given how busy this place got during weekend lunch. This place is pretty Taiwanese, and I think the quality of the dishes is on point. The beef noodle was nice in that the noodles were hand pulled, and they gave ginormous pieces of beef. I did wish the beef was a little softer though. Pork cutlet lunch special had great flavors. The pork ear was marinated really nicely; they use a special type of spice. I'd be back again :) read more

Old Taro - Beef stew noodle spicy (but not that spicy really), fried pork cutlet lunch special, braised pork ear - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

it was my first time here and i need to come here again. i only got the fried sesame mochi, black tea soy milk and black sesame soy milk. the fried mochi was really good, crispy on the outside and chewy/soft on the inside. (you'll want to eat it right away when its still crispy). the black tea soy milk was good but i wish it was just a little sweeter. but the black sesame soy milk was the server that helped us only spoke mandarin so there was definitely a language barrier but otherwise it was good. read more

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This is my review on my take out order today, April 21, 2024: 1) Crispy Chicken Over Rice: - The chicken was not crispy at all. It felt like taking a hard bite out of jerky chicken to me. Super dry, had an old feeling because you can literally feel the thread of meat with every bite and the fork could not even poke thru the chicken. Very disappointed! 2) Braised Beef and Tendon Noodle Soup: - It was okay. The soup was still flavorful, and the beef and tendon were very soft. Easy to chew. Did they change the ownership? I don't remember the food being this bad compared to the last time I had during the middle of the pandemic. read more

So good. The service is fast, the lunch boxes looked great and the soups and pulled noodles looked amazing. I ordered the spicy beef and tendon noodle soup and let me tell you it was out of this world. The broth was flavorful, the meat was so tender and was falling apart, the noodles were hand pulled and were chewy and bouncy. Everything was delicious. read more

Old Taro - Spicy beef and tendon noodle soup. - Taiwanese Near Me - Fremont, California

This is a solid spot that brings lots of nostalgia and local feel of the Taiwanese culture. While I can't comment on the other dishes. The lamb hotpot is excellent for 3-4 people. Broth is extremely well prepared and comes with glass noodles, Taiwanese style cabbage, tofu, and the lamb meat. If you check out the murals there are a lot of cool details of the Taiwanese "snack" experience: the orange tables, striped plastic bags (old school), scooters, and the styles of the stands. Excited to come back again and try the other Taiwanese items. read more

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No longer offering fan tuan / rice rolls due to increasing cost of ingredients and hard to adjust for fluctuating inventory costs. Being a small business is not easy, you can see a lot more stories on their fb page (albeit in Chinese, and a loooooong post on the legitimacy of 4% CC charge). Service is 5 stars, very attentive and quick. Went last weekend for early dinner and wanted to take away for brekkie next day but was a bit disappointed as this is what they were partially known for in the East Bay area. DM if you know an alternative place please... Authentic Taiwanese food in the EB tri-city area but like many others say, their costs are a bit high. Ahem, by comparison *** Porridge is looking to be a clo$e competitor if you want more variety too. Bring same day receipt to next door Gong Cha for complimentary size upgrade. read more