Food is flavorful, the lady in the front was super helpful, friendly and funny food was ready real quick! I took my food to-go but the place has a lot of seating. read more

Pagoda House - Chow main with chicken broccoli - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

I work nearby and was excited to try this restaurant because it's closer to my job than King Egg Rolls. I thought it would be a convenient place to grab lunch without worrying about being late returning to work. Unfortunately, my experience was extremely disappointing. When I looked at the menu, I was already questioning the food options and how the meals were presented. I asked about chicken with sweet-and-sour sauce, fried rice, and chicken with broccoli. The woman serving me responded in a rude, argumentative tone and repeatedly told me that everything had to be purchased separately. Her attitude made me feel uncomfortable, as though I was being scolded for simply asking questions about the menu. Another person working there also explained the ordering process, but the customer service was already off-putting. I eventually decided to order egg rolls, only to learn that I had to purchase four. When I went to pay, I was told there was a $20 minimum for card payments. I understand that restaurants have policies, but the way these things were communicated made the entire experience unpleasant. Unfortunately, the food was just as disappointing as the service. The egg rolls were tiny, nothing like the larger egg rolls I'm used to getting elsewhere. Overall, I was not impressed with the food or the value for the money. I also noticed the lady kept making mean faces at me. Felt uncomfortable. . I wanted to support a local restaurant and find a convenient lunch spot near my workplace, but I left disappointed. Good food and respectful customer service are both important. Based on my experience, I would not recommend this restaurant, and I will not be returning. The food and customer service both need significant improvement. read more

I've eaten here a few times since it's close to my work. I've tried the Mongolian beef, chow mein, bbq spareribs, and combination noodle soup. All were good and they have decent prices. I really like their chili oil they make, very onion-y and spicy and flavorful. Nothing crazy but this place satisfies a Chinese food craving :) read more

Main dishes were bland and just had a bunch of those 99 cent crushed chilies from a plastic bag on it. The fried rice and appetizer shrimp were good. I ordered Mongolian beef and Chicken curry, was disappointed with both, they also had a taste of fish. Can't cover up bad food with an excessive amount of crushed chilies. Would give 2 stars for the rice and shrimp but the meat plates were way too bad. The plates were already overpriced, so it was a slap in the face when you remember how much you paid for it. Got the food delivered so can't so anything to that. But the other reviews don't look great for service. But don't mind service or ambiance, just quality of food. There was none here. read more

You know how those hole-in-the wall Chinese food places can be simply AMAZING? Yeah...this place, pretty sure the hole in the wall here is actually a Sahuaguin glory hole based on the taste of the food. The service was actually damned good, despite asking for cash in preference. The food was ready when I asked it to be, and the couple running the place appeared and spoke Chinese to each other and English to me. What could go wrong? Well, i order the same 3 items at every Chinese food place in the bay area. 1) Cashew Chicken: The chicken was the leftover cuttings from the Costco thighs pack. It was heavily sauced in....fish broth it tastes like. There were 4 cashews in the entire dish, cooked to flavorlessness. The vegetables were all carrots, and one lonely shred of celery. Not good at all. 2) Beef Chow Fun: No chow fun, only chow mein. The cow this meat came from was raised on a diet of raw catfish from birth to its death of old age. I might as well have ordered 2-day old sun-warmed tuna rolls put on the chow mein, which is also heavily sauced with fish broth or something. 3) Steamed Rice: It was ok I guess. Nothing special, except it ALSO tasted vaguely of fish, even after rinsing my mouth out with water, then with a swish of vodka just in case. TLDR: Service ok, all food tastes and smells of old fish. Yucky. Spent $37 on a takeout order, had to literally throw 2 of the 3 dishes away due to the rotten fish smell, because when I offered a complete still-hot full Chinese meal to the homeless man on my block, he smelled it and said "no thanks". +1 star for service -4 stars for all dishes being old fish. read more

We found this spot via DoorDash. They only had one pic on DoorDash so I went to Yelp to see if they had more pix to get a vibe if it would be worth the gamble. Y'all!!! Take the leap! It was delicious and my sister and I were so glad we gave them a shot. We are moving out of the Bay Area and were starving after packing all day. It met the comfort food and full belly craving!! Bitter sweet that we are finding this spot with less than a month in our current location but sure did appreciate the delicious and affordable dinner. The only item we didn't care for was the hot and sour soup. I cannot be 100% but for people wondering it was definitely vegetarian (if not vegan). No shrimp or chicken in it. It's a bit different than I'm used to. More gelatinous, not enough white pepper or vinegar to my preference. But everything else was fresh and perfectly cooked. I kept it low carb with kung pow chicken. Got string beans and chicken to share. Sister got a chicken combo plate (lemon chicken/chowmein) + app egg roll order. We figured leftovers!! Again, all delicious (minus the soup). read more

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Great service and food was good. Very friendly and attentive. Great small business to support. May not be the best as far as location but the service is outstanding ! read more

My friends and I decided to get Chinese for NYE and one of my friends recommended this spot. We placed an order online and they said they'd stay open to 6:30 complete our order. We rushed over but when we got there other people were waiting for their food as well and we ended up waiting 30mins which wasn't too much of an issue except we thought the order would be ready since we called it in 40mins before. Thinking the wait meant the food was great I figured it would be really really good. I feel bad saying I didn't enjoy everything. The vegetable rice wasn't vegetable fried rice, maybe we missed the mark when ordering it? It seemed like steamed white rice with vegetables. The orange chicken was mushy, they should put the sauce separately like their sweet and sour pork. The kung pao chicken and mongolian beef were spicy and really good. And their egg rolls were good too Overall some of their items were a hit for me and others missed the mark, in my opinion. I say it's still worth a shot trying them as everyone has their own preference, but not sure I'll be returning soon. I'm only knocking off one star because the people who work here are nice and their food is good but it just wasnt an overall favorite of mine. read more

Pagoda House - Kung pao chicken, vegetable chow mein, vegetable rice, sweet and sour pork, egg roll, Mongolian beef. - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

Hole in the wall heaven! I came here cuz I was craving hot and sour soup. The soup was good but the star of the show was my beef broccoli and fried rice lunch special. For just $12 I got one of the tastiest lunch dishes I've ever had. Everything was piping hot and made fresh. The woman who worked there was also really nice. Don't judge a book by its cover, this place is amazing !!! read more

Pagoda House - a bowl of soup on a table - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

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Last I ate there was on the 11th of this month (August). I've been going there for the last few months. I liked their spicy noodle soup. But for no reason at all, the last time I was there the shrimp n beef was rotten. I took a bite of it n I spited it out onto a napkin. I did drink the broth cuz it seemed ok. I paid n left. Whatever the reason was for that seemed personal. I didn't do anything to them. They tried to get me sick for days. Not right! Hope they realize that they are week. I think they got paid by a source of some sort to do that. read more

Definitely a hole in the wall that you'll want to try. Service was pretty good. Our food was cooked right away. Fried rice and chow mein is fire. Mongolian beef is flavorful. Def come check it out. read more

Pagoda House - Chow mein & Mongolian beef and Fried Rice and Sweet & Sour Pork. - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

Good and cheap Chinese food, amiable and friendly service. I went there quite a few times while working the elections recently, and the food always comes fast, hot, and ready. read more

Wanted to like this place as I love hole in the wall Chinese food. Just didn't do it for me. Tried the chicken which wasn't very flavorful and check tasted meh. They fried was was also just okay. It was rice, soy sauce, and meat tossed together. No veggies like carrots or onions and not much flavor either. read more

Serious attitude problem. Bad service, rolls eyes, sighs, and credit card terminal doesn't work.

I ordered their shrimp wonton soup. Quality food at a reasonable price. Cannot ask for more.

I ordered honey walnut shrimp from here on the phone! I had a very large craving for the dish, so I was excited to find this place nearby to my home. I called over the phone and the woman who helped me asked lots of questions and repeated everything I said. When I picked up the food, that same woman (I assume it was her becuase she had the same tone of voice) was all by herself surprisingly! The restaurant wasn't too busy at the time, so I'm sure she could manage. I was just surprised to see how hard working she was juggling the small line of to-go orders and the tables dining in. Overall, I had a good meal and my craving for honey walnut shrimp was more than satisfying. I will definitely come by again when I need my fix. read more

Great costumer service! The food was very good. Kung pao chicken is spicy and yummy. Chow mein was good too. Our go to for Chinese food. read more

Pagoda House - Kung pao chicken - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

I love Chinese chicken salad and every restaurant has their spin and version of this Chinese classic. I don't know who was cooking on Sunday April 30 but for the first time in my life I finally found a place where I did not like the chicken salad. Because of Pagoda House, I can no longer tell my friends that "I never had a Chinese chicken salad that I didn't like". Amazing. The sweet and sour pork, BBQ pork fried rice and broccoli beef, salt and pepper spareribs was just as bad. If you are looking for that hole in the wall gem, keep looking and thank me later. We will never, ever go back to this place! read more

I really like their Mangolian beef and kung pao chicken and even better I can call ahead and have it ready by the time I get there

The food here is amazing, so I am giving it 5 stars. But don't expect grand customer service. The employees won't even say hi or smile. Lol

My auto shop(Pete's stop tire) is a less than a mile away and I usually order the beef and broccoli on rice. Always fresh vegetables and beef. Huge portions. Usually have to save half for next day . Sweet and sour pork is also excellent read more

Cute, no frills, Chinese food. I came here 2 days in a row because the lunch specials were great and the food was DELICIOUS. The first day I got the salt and pepper spare ribs lunch special. The meat was perfectly fried and there was a good amount of heat. Again, if you want an overly complicated version of some Americanized Chinese food, don't come here! The second day, I got the garlic chicken lunch special. Lunch specials come with soup (either egg drop or hot and sour). I had both and they were both yummy. The garlic chicken was also very well done. Crispy chicken, great tasting sauce, not too saucy. The service is quick and friendly and the restaurant is clean. In fact, I liked it so much, I will probably be back tomorrow. read more

A friend recommended this place, and though I was dubious due to location, we went for lunch. Wanting to try it out, we ordered 8 dishes for the 2 of us, and it was all terrific. Highlights included pork in black bean sauce, garlic wings, salt and pepper ribs, and garlic chicken. Savory, fresh, huge portions, and extremely good service. They packaged up our leftovers with care, and we left very happy. Excellent prices too. Will definitely be back! read more

Pagoda House - Enough for 2? ;) - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

Pagoda House is a family-owned Chinese restaurant that's had its ups and downs in the time I've been going there. The family that owned it when I started going there left has apparently gone to a new place called Yen Ching off of Capitol Expressway. When the new family took over the food wasn't nearly as good, and the staff seemed really timid and stiff. Since then things have been improved a great deal, and I've become a regular again. It's still a little more expensive than it used to be though, and outside of the set meals you can expect to pay $10-12 per person for a typical family style meal. For getting a good price, their individual meals and lunch specials are the way to go. You can get a pretty good meal for $6.50 or so that way, though keep in mind these usually consist of an entree, chow mein, and fried rice, so it'll be pretty carb-heavy. For taste, their best dishes tend to be ones that step away from the cliche Chinese food served in America. The garlic chicken wings are great for example, and they have good noodle soup dishes too. The chicken salad, while not exactly authentically Chinese (I have a Chinese-American friend who insists that Chinese cuisine does not use uncooked vegetables) is really good as well. For tea, both hot and iced, they serve jasmine green tea, which is quite good if you're not allergic to jasmine like I am. They also have soda, including the Mexican Jarritos, and a few kinds of beer. The ambiance is about what you'd expect from a family-owned Chinese restaurant, decorated with a modicum of the kind of Chinese kitsch you can get in pretty much anywhere in Chinatown. They have a TV going most of the time, and sometimes I'll see their kid hanging around the restaurant killing time or whatever. read more

Great food and service! Highly recommend the Mongolian beef with fried rice. It's so delicious .

I had the Salt & Pepper Fish lunch special with Chow Mein, an a Pepsi for just under 10 bucks. If you eat your meal there you get a Egg Flower or Hot & Sour soup. Both are pretty good. Not much for Ambience that's for sure. Does it count as a "hole in the wall" ? If not its on the borderline. Would I travel to get the food here? Naw, but if you are at the DMV or a friends house close by then yes. Service was pretty fast I thought too. Lunch crowd seems to be a steady slow pace in an out type of deal read more

Food is just ok but their menu online prices and what they even have in store is outdated! After they ring you up, and you ask them why so high, they show you their real prices ! $16 for chicken item. Too damn expensive for this location, and interior. read more

This is my goto for chinese food at least once a week since it's on my drive home from work. i recommend the mongolian beef lunch special for $9.50 with white rice (they serve the "lunch special" all day until closing." The portions are decent and the quality of their beef is good. read more

I've been going here since I was 14yrs old. I'm 26 now, and I absolutely love and enjoy the food here. I love the customer service, and this place is my go to whenever I need to satisfy a craving. I'm obsessed and I just want to say thanks for all the memories and great food read more

So so so sad, truly... we were so hopeful with the reviews that maybe we could find an affordable, AND delicious Chinese takeout place. We finally tried out pagoda, but we're unfortunately so disappointed. We ordered Mongolian beef (which was more like Mongolian onions due to the lack of actual meat) and general tsao's chicken (so soggy) and egg rolls... the portion was...sad. Came in a takeout box which was 3/4 full of giant piles of rice and only 1/4 of actual entree. Fried rice was bland and flavorless. The egg rolls had a weird taste, not even sure what was inside of them. Sad to say, this didn't cut it for us. read more

We bought shrimp chowmain yesterday and the shrimp was rotten or they re used them from an old dish. lately there food quality is low. Before it was more pleasant. Know these place for many years. But I don't think I'll be buying again. read more

Oh my god they give you a lot of food here! I was in the mood for chinese food today, and I didnt want to drive far to get it, so I decided to check this place out. Its not too far from Downtown, down the street from the infamous Wendy's where the lady pulled the Finger in the Chili bit. I was pressed for time so I ordered my food to go. I ordered the chinese Chicken Salad which they stuffed into a clam shell to go container, it was really good. Lots of crispy fried chicken and fried wonton skins. I also ordered a combination lunch plate consisting of Pork chow mein, pork fried rice, and Mongolian beef. Again I got a to go containter piled high with food. the chow mein and fried rice were not any more or less special than any other chinese places around. The Mongolian beef was spiced very nicely, with lots of green onion. All around it was a very enjoyable lunch, I couldnt finish it all because they pile it high. The place isnt in the best of location...kind of in the hood, and its next to a liquor store. But the food is tasty enough, and they give you lots of it. read more

Been going here every few months for about 5 years. Food is always consistently good. Prices are decent. Wait time for a to-go order is about 15 mins. Just call it in...and by the time you get there...it's ready for pick-up. Everyone that works there is very nice. It might look to be a hole in the wall...but you will be surprised as to how good the food is. read more

One of the best places to eat in this whole cityI love this place I'm 36 been eatin here for over 20-25 years. That's how long they been there don't believe me then look em' up. I don't care what you order you can't go wrong, good service too. Fucc wit em' u won't be sorry read more

So far we only had the chowfun combination and just by that meal we know that this place is the spot! Can't wait to order more!

So i used to be a HUGE FAN of this place. Like another reviewer mentioned this place has come under new management. And due to the change the entire place has just gone down hill. Nancy the previous owner remembered me by name and recognized my voice when i called in orders to go. She even remembered how i like my dish as im picky and they make me a special plate. I truely miss the original owners. And i would go out of my way to recommend this place to people not just because the food was good but the owner and atmosphere. There are definetely better places to go for Chinese food. read more

Went to go have dinner with my family, and literally the food is just so delicious ! For the price you pay u definitely get your money's worth ! I am coming back very soon:) read more

Hidden little spot with great service, friendly people and authentic chinese food. I got the honey walnut prawns with fried rice, was delicious and I would def go again. read more

Pagoda House - Honey walnut prawns and fried rice! $8.50 - Chinese Near Me - San Jose, California

The decor is from the 90s, the food style is mix of American and old school Chinese. Depending on what you order, but it has a bit of something for each preference. Go during their hours and you will find a great complete meal for under $8. read more

I wanted to like this place but it was nothing near as good as the reviews made it seem. My normal go to spot is on the east side and I just didn't want to drive all the way over there so I found the spot literally blocks from my house and seen the positive reviews so I ordered fried rice, chicken chow mein, sweet-and-sour pork, Kung pow chicken, and egg roll. The rice had zero flavor I should've just got white rice. The chow mein was the same had zero flavor. The only positive were the main entrées they were tasty well let me clarify we couldn't really taste or try the sweet-and-sour because when we open the container there was a bug in there. So our dinner went in the garbage and we ended up eating sandwiches and soup because we didn't know if the rest of the food had bugs in it. I will be sticking with my normal spot when craving Chinese food read more