if taiwan cafe has 100 fans, i'm one of them. if taiwan cafe has 1 fan, that one fan is me. if taiwan cafe has no fans, i'm either dead or their quality has massively tanked. i grew up eating at this place and was reminded to review it after trying a different taiwanese place while on the brink of graduating college and about to move to a completely different state and the fact that i won't get to eat here anymore makes me so damn sad. the service is nothing special for most people, but my dad has picked up takeout from this place so often that they know him by name and give him cardboard boxes to transport the huge quantities of food (for a family of 3 btw) to his car. the ambiance is that of a typical asian restaurant: not aesthetic at all and very noisy, but it feels like home. the food of course is to die for. 肉圓 (taiwanese meatball) was my absolute favorite growing up. sweet, savory, sticky, and with that qq chewiness that is so famous in taiwanese cuisine. while most people will get the traditional taiwanese night market style 豬血糕 or pork blood sticky rice cake, i opt for the 3 cup style which has a basil soy sauce flavor instead of the usual sweet sauce. and of course, you would simply be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't get what taiwan cafe is most known for: their pork hock rice or 豬腳飯. the pig feet are cooked so perfectly and paired with a bed of braised pork rice (滷肉飯) and pickled bamboo shoots. the oyster omelette or 蚵仔煎 is another classic taiwanese night market food done so right here. definitely try it. and if you like spicy food and aren't adverse to trying pork innards, i was obsessed with the 五更腸旺 (a spicy stew with pork intestine and blood) when i was in high school and still crave it sometimes. this place is so underhyped and needs all the business it can get. please try it i promise you won't regret it -- i'm literally making plans to have their pig feet and 肉圓 shipped to another state because i already know how much i'm gonna crave this place. read more

I was shocked, to say the least, about the quality of this unassuming restaurant in Milpitas. Serving up authentic cuisine for a reasonable price -- this place is a combination of quality comfort food meets affordability. The service is what you'd expect at an Asian restaurant in the Bay -- efficient and no frills -- but gets the job done well. Immediately after the food arrived -- we dug in. Not just because we were famished, but because it was THAT good. (One of those situations where you stop talking and just eat...) I'd wholly recommend the Oyster Pancake (a balance of briny seafood with sweet pancake sauce) and the Specialty Hakka Noodles ("Q," i.e. chewy, in the most perfect sense). Will definitely make a pit stop in Milpitas for Taiwan Cafe next time in Milpitas and highly recommend for anyone who's looking for a taste of some excellent Taiwanese cooking. read more

Finally(!) a place that has legit Taiwanese food! Heads up that they provide a discount if payment is in cash... We ordered three dishes: the Fried Trio, the Oyster Pancake, and the Specialty Hakka Noodles - loved all of them, especially the latter two The Trio comes with various salt and pepper proteins (chicken, pork blood, and green beans). Pork blood was not my favorite because I really did not get much flavor out of it, but overall the breading was well done and it was not overally salty or oily. I loved the oyster pancake - one of the first that I've had in a long while that really matched the texture and flavor of the ones back in Malaysia. Also highly recommend their Specialty stir fried hakka noodles. The texture is SUPER Q, even had some for leftovers and they still maintained a bit of bounce. Super simple seasonings, but overall the noodles really stood out, and made the dish shine. read more

This place is really not bad. As for Taiwanese food, like I always say, I'm not usually a big fan of it -- but this restaurant is truly outstanding read more

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I love going to this homey comfort spot with my parents. My mom is Hakka so she loves coming here to eat some of the traditional dishes. I personally love eating the ban tiao because it's one of the popular dishes in my grandma's hometown. It was flavorful and reminded me a little of the ban tiao I had at my grandma's. There's a dry version too but I prefer the soup one. read more

Taiwan Cafe - () / Ban Tiao (Soup) - Chinese Near Me - Milpitas, California

Food is so so so good here!! This is definitely one of the best Taiwanese restaurants in the area! My most favorites would probably be the oyster pancake, shaved ice, and the noodles. Other times I also order the chicken roll, or their most famous pork dish. Everything is tasty and well done!! Everyone working is super friendly and theyre also quick to bring out anything you might need. They're also quick to pick up any empty plates so the table never got too overwhelming The atmosphere in the store is great, its a very comfy spot and I love the decor around the store. Definitely recommend this place! read more

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Basil Three Delight - A tasty trio of chicken, squid, and intestine stir-fried with basil for that classic aromatic kick. Savory and full of wok flavor! Ground Pork Over Rice - Simple, hearty, and so satisfying. The rich, savory pork paired perfectly with fluffy rice Wan Luan Pork Hock - The soy-based sauce had a deep, rich taste. Tender, flavorful read more

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I wouldn't say it's authentic, but WOW! It's delicious! Oyster Pancake --- tbh. I was really surprised. Not only did the oyster tasted fresh, it was super tasty! I believe there was mochi in the pancake(?). It definitely tasted something out of the ordinary. Salted Fried Tofu --- imo, the fried egg yolk and peanut crumbs is quite flavorful, it's goes great with some rice~ This one is my current #1 favorite! Fried Rice with Sakura Shrimp --- the seasoning felt light, but that works for me because it pairs exceptionally well with the other dishes we had ordered. Pork Hock --- juicy and tender! read more

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Came for lunch on Father's Day with hubby and MIL. Complimentary hot tea. Taiwan Style Oyster Pan Fry - Small oysters in tapioca pancake with gravy on top. It was just OK. A Choy - stir fried with garlic. I felt it was over cooked, would have liked it more crunchy. Squid with Special Sauce - The sauce with onions were flavorful but the squid was bland to me. Pork Hock with Rice - It also came with ground pork, bamboo shoots, pickle veg, cooked spinach, and marinated egg, This was my favorit dish 5% discount for cash payment read more

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Food: pork knuckles pretty yummy. A bit stinky smell though. I eat it for the collagen boost! The veggies that come with it is yummy. The oyster egg is okay. Doesn't taste super fresh but decent. The beef black pepper was ick. The beef was not fresh, not good. Service: fast to take order. Slow to bring dishes. Took like 20+ mins for the beef to arrive. Ambiance: casual. Pretty stuffy. read more

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Uniquely decorated and cozy mom-and-pop vibe restaurant with delicious Taiwanese comfort food! I've been here many times throughout the past decade and it's good to see that the food is continuously great and authentic. For my most recent time, it was almost a full house on a Saturday evening but my party of 4 was seated right away. Menu is extensive and everything was great. Food was served quickly and employees are very friendly and efficient! We shared the ban tiao (soup), mi tai mu (dry), wan luan pork hock, pork chop over rice, sui qua (si gua) with salty eggs, and Hakka delight. For dessert, we got the fried buns with condensed milk and fen guo with brown sugar. My favorites were the wan luan pork hock, pork chop over rice, and sui qua (si gua) with salty eggs. The wan luan pork hock is so tender with both fatty and lean parts, and the garlicky sauce it comes with is so tasty. The pork chop over rice was yummy and a hearty portion for an affordable price. It came with delicious and perfectly marinated pork, rice, assorted vegetables (cabbage & carrots), bamboo shoots, minced pork, and an egg. Sui qua (si gua) with salty eggs had good, strong flavor without being too overbearing. read more

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I mean wow. You walk in and you swear you've been transported back to Taiwan. Everything you want to eat in Taiwan is pretty much here. Huge menu and they are able to accommodate different dietary needs. They also have a vendor in the front selling food to take home. I will def be coming back again. The decor is... interesting. But I'm eating with my mouth not with my eyes. Heehee read more

The food is authentic Taiwanese. We particularly liked the Taiwanese meatball (肉圆) which is like a giant stuffed mochi ball. Their pig feet dishes are famous and I enjoyed them, since they're not greasy and oily. The beef noodle soup is just okay. The price point is excellent as it was $51 for two appetizers and entrees for takeout. Good and fast service as well even though they were super busy. read more

We got beef noodle soup and basil three delight. The flavors were good but a bit sweet for our taste. Basil three delight was a little disappointing because it needed a lot more basil to bring out the flavors. The owner is from Pingtong so that might explain why the cuisine was sweeter. However it's 4 stars because we don't get to have Taiwanese food often from where we live. read more

If you would like to try the authentic Taiwanese food, this is the right place to go. Every time we lie to try and refresh our loving memory of authentic Chinese food. We come here! read more

Authentic Taiwanese and Haka Cruise and homemade foods on weekends. Servicevus efficient. You may order food as check in and get the food within 5 minutes as you sit in at rush hour read more

We met up with some friends and had lunch. We tried some other dishes... Simmered Pig's Ear: Tender slices of simmered pig's ear, garnished with fresh cilantro and a hint of chili for a subtle kick (3/5). Served cold and had that crunch. Taiwanese Napa Cabbage Clay Pot Soup: Napa cabbage and select ingredients simmered in a traditional Taiwanese style, served in a clay pot (4/5). Flavorful and tasty, though a bit oily. Beef Chow Fun: Flat rice noodles stir-fried with beef, onions, and bean sprouts, typically seasoned with soy sauce (3/5). This was just ok. It needed more soy sauce and that wok-hay. read more

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Authentic Taiwanese food in Milpitas with super fair price. The best item is the pork chop noodle soup. A lot of people ordered the pig feet but I personally don't eat that so I didn't try. It takes some time for the items to arrive but they are very fresh. Servers are very friendly. Plenty of seats. Parking may be difficult during weekend. Will for sure return! read more

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- House special mi tai mu: 7/10 - Pork hock: 8/10, dipping sauce was really good - Pig's ear: 8/10: sauce on top was good, pig ear was nice and soft - Water spinach: 7/10 - Bitter melon: 7/10, wasn't bitter - Blood rice cake: 7/10, sauce was good - Shrimp fried rice: 9/10, great wok hei - Combo shaved ice: 7/10, personally not a fan of the taro so would ask for a substitution next time. The ice was a bit more on the crunchy versus "snow" soft as well. Would come back to try more things! read more

I've heard that authentic Taiwanese cuisine is more plentiful in the South Bay but haven't had a chance to try it until now. A friend and I came here for a casual lunch during the weekend and while the restaurant was quite busy, we only had to wait a few minutes for a table. We relied on Yelp to select 3 dishes to try: fried oyster pancake, sautéed green beans, and basil fish. We really enjoyed the green beans and fish and thought the oyster pancake was so-so (but definitely authentic, based on what I've tried in Taiwan). I also got a winter melon drink and it tasted really fresh, not too sweet. Was a good price point as well! The wait staff were friendly though they may assume you speak Mandarin if you're Asian. The menus all have English. I'd come back here to try their pork hock (another highly recommended dish) and their pork rice/beef noodle soups. Overall, a solid spot to try/partake in Taiwanese cuisine! read more

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yk what it is and had to get the pork chop again so so good and i think the best thing is that they switch up the veggies depending on the season and no matter what it tastes so so good. added some other dishes like the taiwanese meatball and just took the whole experience to a whole another level. y'all should really try this spot if you are in the area and get the pork chop. they do do cash for smaller amounts, but you do get a discount if you do cash! read more

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Location: parking lot with decent amount of parking. Looks small from the outside but is actually quite spacious inside. Ambiance: traditional family feel. Lots of wood, but doesn't feel outdated. We went on Sunday for lunch, and it was packed. Service: Friendly, quick, and helpful. Everyone spoke English and helped us pick out some dishes to try based on our preferences. Food: Everything was good, but everyone's favorite was the chicken steak! It looked dry but was juicy and well-seasoned. If you're looking for authentic family style Taiwanese food, you can't go wrong with this spot. read more

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Decent Taiwanese cuisine, good value. Ordered Pig's Feet with rice to go, good portion for the price, it came with a dipping sauce which complemented the dish. Overall taste is good, kinda wish the meat could be more tender. read more

Cute little Taiwanese place in a strip mall. Solid business and good number of people when we visited this restaurant. The seating is not the most comfortable but suits the atmosphere. The service is on par with what you would expect from a Taiwanese lunch/dinner spot like this. Efficiency is paramount and the pleasantries are skipped. Food comes out as it is finished in the kitchen which I appreciate. The food is good solid Taiwanese dishes with nothing stood out as exceptional. There were some very traditional dishes prepared correctly and portions were appropriate for the price. We enjoyed our time at Taiwan Cafe but it was more due to the company than anything else. There are no complaints about this place and I would go again. read more

Food: 3.5/5 Food flavor is good. However, I can feel the strong MSG in it so I have to deduct some stars. The sauce for the pork hock is amazing tho. Service: 5/5 Came on a Sunday lunch at 1:30. Surprised to still see a long line. The service is quick but still polite and friendly. The staff are attentive. Ambiance: 4/5 Typical Chinese restaurant setting. Plenty of parking outside. read more

Taiwan Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Milpitas, California

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Service is usually below average. Certain Taiwanese foods are mostly above average. And the pork hock is excellent! Avoid the satay beef chow mein. Left the whole plate there after tasting it. Decor is interesting yet homey. If u like authentic Taiwanese cuisine, they offer several dishes that are pretty good. read more

This place has a really nice variety of Taiwanese regional food -- lots of great options to explore. The winter melon tea was refreshing and perfectly balanced in sweetness. I also really enjoyed their salted egg dishes, especially the luffa with salted egg -- so flavorful and comforting. The oyster omelette was decent, not the best I've had, but still enjoyable overall. Everything else I ordered was tasty and well-prepared. Definitely a solid spot if you're craving authentic Taiwanese flavors! read more

I've been to Taiwan Cafe once or twice and enjoyed the beef noodles and chow mein bowls, dishes, and plates. For Taiwanese food in Milpitas, this is the one place to be in town. I'm sure there are fancier places near San Jose or Cupertino, but Milpitas is just fine for me since it's close to home. Thank you, Taiwan Cafe! read more

Ordered a variety of dishes during my visit: $15.95 Combo Fried Appetizers (chicken, squid, green beans, blood rice cake) $9.25 Mi Tai Mu (dried) $17.95 Hakka Ginger Duck Soup $5.95 Meatball $15.95 Hakka Delight The Hakka Delight was flavorful and enjoyable. The Hakka Ginger Duck Soup had good flavor, but it was a bit too salty for my taste. I wasn't a fan of the meatball--the meat had a strange aftertaste that didn't sit well with me. The fried appetizer platter was okay, though the salt and pepper seasoning wasn't mixed evenly across the items. Service was decent overall and parking was easy. read more

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Now that Taiwan Cafe in Pleasanton is closed. We have to travel to Milpitas to its sister store. It's all in the family and the matriarch retired. The menu is the same with all the Taiwanese classics. Oyster pancake Ba wan Noodle soups Popcorn chicken Three cups chicken Located in a strip mall on Abel Street. The service is good. Plenty of parking in the shopping center lot. read more

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Really bad service! Avoid! We have a party of 4, there are two customer who were here first. The male server said there is a table telling us to go in, I told him the two customer came here first so he let them in. Fair. The women by the cashier (I think she is the owner) with glasses short curly hair was raining her voice saying put your name down. I said oh the men server already know we were here and have a table for us. She said put your name down (in an even higher tone) so I did. When there is a table open up for four she walked us there and I said there's these two table available why you don't let us sit down. She said how do we do business is not up to you to decide. I'm like ok... when we order food I pointed the menu to her and told her I want this few dishes. She said say it out loud in Chinese or English I don't understand where are you pointing. I said I don't know how to read these words. She rolled her eyes at me and said you were being grumpy the moment you came in. I said there is table avaible and your attitude is bad. When I'm explaining she walked away. Very RuDE! Once we sat down, SHE LET A PARTY OF 4 SIT IN THE LARGE TABLE ( see attached picture) see how bias she is?? The food, we ordered the shrimp fried rice is tasteless I think the chef forgot to put in salt. The portion is super small. I saw other customer posted picture of the exact same fried rice but were given bigger portion compare to ours, so I guess they revenge On us. The braised pork rice is ok, very oily though. And it is COLD. The environment and atmosphere is below average, there is dried food sticking around the wall and table. Pretty dirty I would say. Will not be back! read more

Taiwan Cafe - The owner being bias, let party of 4 sat in a large table but when it was our turn she refused! - Chinese Near Me - Milpitas, California

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Most definitely a great dining establishment with the cultural aspects of Taiwanese atmosphere & cuisine. The customer service is excellent as they make me feel welcomed. Out of all my favorite dishes they serve would be: the fried oysters, the stir-fried "kong-xing cai" with garlic (a vegetable with hollow stems), their hot & sour soup is amazing with or without pork (depending on your dietary restrictions), and the deep fried tofu is superb. If you do not have any dietary restrictions, this is definitely your place to be for authentic Taiwanese food. read more

last time I was here I was sick so I couldn't give a true opinion...this time I wasn't sick ! disclaimer : experience may differ when not speaking in their native tongue - I look relatively young I think? but spoke in Mandarin/Taiwanese Hokkien the whole time fast to get seated - decorations inside are interesting, kinda wish there were more cool tones but somehow all the colours felt clashy lol ANYWAYS 3.5 maybe? will round up I suppose waitress came real early to ask for our order & gave lots of extra time when I said I needed it (my brain is slow in non-english lol) ordering went pretty fast - I ordered in mostly mandarin w some clarification to make sure the oyster omelette was what I was thinking of in Taiwanese pork hock - got this bc yelp said they were known for the soft & juicy pork hock or whatever - 2/10 lukewarm & dry, 100% will skip next time pig ear - cold (good) 4/10 sliced very thickly? was weird and mostly the cartilage part which was strange to me - might be a preference thing but I like Southland flavour cafe / 台南風味 (rip) a lot better oyster omelette - 7/10 oyster was a lil fishy (canned?), wish they gave more sauce, but it was still good pork chop rice - 6/10 (this REALLY made me miss Southland flavour cafe) lots of bone, pork was over fried & kinda crunchy, minced pork came with the sour veggie (?? 酸菜) pre mixed into it which I personally was not a fan of, best part was the cabbage imo beef chow fun - 8/10 a lil too greasy but no complaints otherwise everything was lots greasier than I prefer price came out to about $80 for two - had plenty leftovers though tl;dr: taste is good - quality control might not be read more

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Short Story: A hidden Taiwanese cuisine gem! Long Story: I've been to this restaurant a few times over the years and it's always been excellent food. I especially like their beef noodle soup, pig feet, pork hock, onion pancake, crispy fried chicken, and more! I've both ate there and got it to go. As of the time of this writing they will give you a 5% discount if you pay with cash. They also have frozen items for sale such as dumplings, wontons, and zong zi. The place is a bit small so be sure to arrive early or be willing to wait. Also, the place is in a strip mall with a small parking lot too. Verdict: I'll go back soon read more

Why have we been sleeping on this place? I've passed by Taiwan Cafe so many times over the years after going to the library and didn't think too much of it. We finally tried this place and as I said, clearly people know about this place and have been gate keeping. L O C A T I O N Taiwan Cafe is located in a small plaza along Abel St. north of the Milpitas Library. It's not in smaller plaza with the donut shop, it's a little further up. It's pretty busy in this location as it's near a laundromat so parking can be sparse especially during lunch time. M E N U Taiwan Cafe has a pretty extensive menu. So we focused a bit more on chow fun so we got a beef chow fun and the fried pork chop. It's been a while since we've had a solid chow fun. Recently they've been mushy. This one was great. Good chew in the noodle. Good flavor. The fried pork chop was the star. I think we would come back just for this pork chop. You'd think something as simple as a pork chop could be boring. But no, not this one. This was peppery, crisp in the fatty parts, flavorful, cooked perfectly. Gosh, I want this pork chop again. O V E R A L L We did order to go, so I don't know how the service is inside, but for to-go, everything was packed well and the food was good! I'm looking forward to trying out more of their items and exploring their menu. Clearly, slept on this one. But definitely a great place to get your Taiwanese food. Try them out! Tell me what you like. read more

Taiwan Cafe - / Beef Chow Fun - Chinese Near Me - Milpitas, California

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incredible taiwanese food! i loved everything i got. service is friendly but beware of long waits during peak hours. i ordered takeout since the wait for dining in was much too long. ambiance is loud but comforting, like a typical bustling taiwanese restaurant. the taiwanese meatball and oyster pancake were both so delicious! highly recommend and cant wait to come back! read more

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Very well run operation! Even tough it was packed, the servers were watchfully managing the waitlist and taking orders before we were seated so they perfectly timed our sit-down. Seated, utensils came with water and then food literally was placed in front of us. It was awesome because we were running late to meet friends! Tasty traditional Taiwanese dishes: Fried Crispy Chicken aka Popcorn Chicken was tender and delicious! Taiwanese Style Oyster Pan Fry was tasty too. Brought me back to humid nights sitting on a plastic stool sharing tables with strangers at a Night Market in Taiwan. The Pork Chop Noodle Soup caused them to lose half a star because the pork chop wasn't crispy and came out more sweet than salty. The Ground Pork over Rice was hearty and yummy! Taiwan Sausage over Rice was also well done! Sautéed String Beans on point! Winter melon drink hit the spot!! These ladies had a side business of selling rice cakes, nectarines (the fruit is very random) and fresh bamboo which really made the entire restaurant reek of bamboo. Also the strip mall Taiwan Cafe is located and feels a bit hood and there were homeless and also an overstuffed smelly garbage can right outside their door that was putrid, which added to the pungent aroma read more

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Probably best place I have had Taiwanese food in the Bay Area. It was packed when we arrived but the wait was quick. And one can even order while waiting for a table so your food comes out when you get a table! We loved the variety of choices in the menu. But were intimidated when we saw a lot of organ meat choices! Fried intestines? Other variations of intestines? Hmmmm. The five dishes we chose were perfect for us! The pork hocks were tender and especially good with the side sauce. Loved the salted egg tofu which was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a nice light coating of salted egg. The beef noodle soup was a bit too spicy for me but the beef was so tender. The fried pork chop had a sweet seasoning that reminded me of fried snacks one buys at boba shops -- this was very tasty. It's a little far for me to go on a regular basis but I do want to try more dishes! read more

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It's really hard to find good Taiwanese restaurants. There are too many imposters in the bay. But you got to try this place. Salted egg tofu, Three cup anything, Taiwanese style rice noodle, Pork chop over rice, braised ground pork, Taiwanese meatballs, ... I tried so many dishes here and none of them failed to impress me. The one that I ordered every time was pork hock. It is served deboned so you can fully enjoy the gelatinous skin and the melt in your mouth meat without wrestling it with your chopsticks. It is truly a hole in the wall kind of place. But don't be put off by how it looks. The food is excellent! read more

The food here was either a hit or a miss. I really loved the basil tofu and the sausage fried rice I thought both were delicious! 4.5 out of 5 for both dishes. However the three cup chicken and the oyster pancakes were complete misses for me. They also forgot to input our order, so we were just waiting for 30 minutes until I had asked about our food and they realized and they asked for me to repeat my order to get it into the system. This place is very clearly well loved by the community with lots of people in the restaurant. I would come back to try other dishes and see if my opinion changes! read more

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