This place is EXTRA delicious. Like... "why didn't I come here sooner?" delicious. It's tucked into a small strip mall in San Lorenzo -- small location, BIG flavor. Don't expect tons of seating, and it might not be ideal for a huge group, but there's plenty of parking and the service is excellent. Friendly, quick, and on point. Now let's talk food. Popcorn Chicken - Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and perfectly salty. Dangerous in the best way. I could've ordered a second round and called it a day. Won Ton Soup - Different from the usual won ton soup I've had. The broth had a slightly creamy vibe, and it was loaded with dumplings and chicken. Not my favorite dish of the night, but still solid. Hawaiian Platter (three meats + mac salad) - The meats were tender and flavorful, and that mac salad? Delish. Simple, comforting, done right. Kimchi Beef Sizzling Rice Plate (with fried egg + garlic butter) - Ohhhhh the garlic butter!!! This was the MVP. Came out sizzling hot, smelled amazing, and absolutely popped with flavor. Hearty, bold, and just flat-out delicious. Total home run. Bottom line: Great service. Sizzling plates. Full belly. Happy customer. Do yourself a favor -- swing by and support this local spot. You won't leave hungry. read more

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Quick food. Definitely tasted fresh. I got the kim chi beef and added garlic butter. I regret not seasoning the beef before it cooked but overall it was a savory meal that hit the spot. Before drinks, food came out to $39. After ordering a soju, bill was $53 before we tipped. Service and food was quick. There's only one person up front and it's more order up front, casual, rather than sit down. You order on your phone. My mom got the chicken and it was very moist and well seasoned. Just note you do still have to also cook the chicken. I would recommend this place for great pricing, freshness and experience. read more

Tao's Fresh - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

This place has everything I love all in one place without having to go to different places to get them. 1. Boba 2. Snacks 3. Actual food to eat. The food tasted great, service was good. Plenty of parking. Would be coming back for sure. read more

Tao's Fresh - Calamari - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

Been in the area for 15 years and just found this place since it closes early and not open on Sundays. Just tried their boba which was excellent but didn't ask for ice and sugar levels. Too much ice but sugar level isn't too sweet and acceptable. Would have preferred no sugar though. read more

Been here two times but it's my first time reviewing it. There is a QR code on the table. We got the beef with rice, beef with kimchi and rice, and beef with udon & they were all good! I personally like the udon more than the rice. Food came out within less than 5 minutes. There's also teriyaki sauce, hot sauce, and garlic soy sauce if you wanted to add that in too. This time, we also got the taro smoothie with less ice and sweetness and it was good. I got the popcorn chicken last time and it was okay! After when you're done eating, you go up to the front and pay. It's a small restaurant with about 6 tables. There's a parking lot outside connected to other restaurants. I would come back here again! It was quick service & good food! read more

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The service was fast/ quick. The QR code on the corner of each table is helpful, but you va also order at the counter. The spam musubi was great! And the macaroni salad was good also. Parking all around the front and side of building. Plenty parking in shopping center. And they have a restroom for customers only. read more

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Easy to miss spot near Arroyo High School. Tao's Fresh is located next to R&D Cafe on the corner of Grant Ave and Channel St. I came here for a lunch with my siblings and we were able to be seated right away with water cups. You can order items off the menu using the QR code at the table and pay your bill through the link as well. Service is fast and I was impressed by how tasty the food here was. My niece loves getting the strawberry latte and spam musubi here. As for me, I got the golden eel sizzling plate and seasoned calamari. You can customize the toppings on your sizzling plate using the website and they leave sauce options on the table for more customization. The plate was well balanced with meat and rice and the seasoned calamari was really tasty! Overall great choice for lunch or dinner. read more

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This Tao's Fresh location is in the Arroyo Center. Small lot with shared parking, but usually there is available spaces to park. Stop by here from time to time when I am having sizzling plate cravings, but do not want to drive too far. Not much friendly service and food takes a bit longer than usually recently, so those factors could improve. The usual is either their Beef Rice / Udon, Salmon Beef Rice, or Salmon Rice / Udon. The usual sizzling spots do not have a beef and salmon combo, so I do like the fact they do here. I usually add an egg to my order as well. Quality is decent, but quantity could be better at their current updated price. read more

Such a great find while traveling for work. Food was very good. I had the chicken with butter garlic. It came on a hot plate and was scorching but I really liked that it continued to caramelize as I ate it (first time with this kind of dish). The flavor was great. read more

Tao's Fresh - Butter Chicken Garlic Butter Rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

Came in around 4pm on a weekday and it was not that busy! Tao's Fresh has a small interior but there is a lot of parking. It is located near a school so some students were hanging around and eating but they were not that loud. You order your meal through your phone by QR code and you pay at the register (you can split the bill if needed later). The entrees came out first with the drinks and the appetizer came out a little while later (I had forgotten we had ordered one by the time it arrived). I ordered the curry cheese beef udon and it smelled really good when it came to the table. I mixed everything around so it would cook evenly - I thought that it wouldn't need anything extra for the taste but I felt like it wasn't flavorful enough still so I added some of the sauces that is provided on your table and it became really good. The seasoned calamari was okay, the exterior was crispy and the inside was a bit rough and chewy. I wish it came with a dipping sauce but my friend that I went with said it was fine without one and that she really enjoyed it so I guess it's up to personal preference! I also got the strawberry salted cheese smoothie and enjoyed every bit of it. Overall, I think this restaurant is solid when you're craving a sizzling plate but I don't think anything about this place is different from other similar restaurants except maybe their drinks based on the meal I had. read more

Tao's Fresh - Seasoned Calamari - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

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My cousin and I came here for lunch on a Tuesday, just before noon. This restaurant is on the smaller side, but luckily it wasn't very busy when we arrived. Each table has a QR code for ordering. We both got sizzling plates. My cousin ordered the Curry Cheese Beef Udon, and I ordered the Chicken Egg Noodles. Our food came out pretty quickly after placing our order. I really enjoyed the Chicken Egg Noodles. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. The Curry Cheese Beef Udon was also good, but my cousin and I both liked the chicken sizzling plate more. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but the flavor of the curry beef udon just wasn't 100% there for me. Maybe I would've liked it better with rice? There's a high school across the street. At around noon, a wave of students came in and filled the restaurant. Something to keep in mind if you plan on coming here on a weekday! read more

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Very good! Stepped in for lunch while on a bike ride at the shore nearby. Delicious! I had salmon teriyaki and he had a beef sizzling platter. We can't eat rice so had them remove the carbs but portions were plentiful and fresh. The salmon was cooked perfectly. The meat was really flavorful. We got a ton of veggies. Really nice lunch! read more

What a Cool little hole in the wall Eatery!!!! Hidden in a Sleepy old Strip Mall!!! Plenty of Parking!!! Minimum Charge of $10 for Credit Card Usage !!!! Taos Fresh!!!! I parked right in front like a Boss !!! Then I rolled in and Grabbed a Table right away!!! A Server Greeted me and Brought me a Menu , Utensils and Cold Water!!! I perused the menu and Ordered a Beef Udon Sizzling Plate and Popcorn Chicken for an Appetizer!!! I also ordered a Strawberry Matcha Latte and a Strawberry Smoothie for Dessert!!! Both were Delicious and Refreshing!!!! My Beef Udon and Popcorn Chicken- Both Items were Delicious and Well Made Portions are Good!!! Service is Friendly and Efficient!!! I would definitely recommend them and return. This is a Baller On A Budget Approved Establishment!!! read more

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My friends and I love this place! We visit about once, sometimes twice, a month. They have all our favorites--sizzling plates, boba, and Hawaiian plates! The service is top-notch, too. The staff is always so kind and friendly. Definitely one of our go-to spots when we're in the mood to eat out! Such a San Lorenzo gem. read more

Great service, great customers, delicious food. Can't go wrong with that. Strongly recommend this place to anybody.

Great place to go for hot plate sizzling food! We came on a weekday night and they were pretty crowded at around 6 pm. You order on QR code, and they bring the food out to you. I highly recommend you to not wear something that is hard to wash because the smell will permeate into your clothing. I ordered the curry rice with beef and added kimchi on top. We also ordered the calamari to share, the calamari took awhile to come out, about 15 min, they make it fresh! I really enjoyed my dish! It came with a good portion of meat and rice. read more

Came here on a weekday at 6pm and had to wait about 30 mins for a table. Popular little hidden spot in SLZ. Food here was pretty good, just not wowed. Our table ordered: Curry beef cheese udon: looked good, not my fav curry flavor. Udon was a little mush as it cooked in the hot plate. Beef rice cheese: good flavor, like the cheesy pull. Wished the plate was hotter to sear the rice and meat a bit more. Beef udon: next time I should add the teriyaki and soy before mixing the plate. Beef needed some flavor. And garlic butter needed a bit more garlic. Udon became super soft by the end of dinner. Popcorn chicken: yum! Good crunch w 5 spice powder. Tempura shrimp: skip! Tiny shrimp w a lot of batter. Lots of parking here, cozy restaurants with not much seating. Service was ok. read more

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Food was great & super fresh. Friendly service & the food came out fast. Would order again! read more

Tao's Fresh - Kimchi Beef Rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

It was really simple. I just ordered the basil popcorn chicken because I was in the area. The place is really small and intimate, but it's nice. My total for just the Chicken was $11.03. The young lady at the register was really nice. The popcorn chicken was good, but if I'm being honest, I have had better. Now, if I had never had it before, it would probably be a 10 out of 10. But I would give it about a 7.3 out of 10. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the chicken ‍ , but I will add a picture of the current menu. read more

Tao's Fresh - Menu - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

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For the tenth time in a row I have read this as "Taco's Fresh" and have been confused and a little disappointed when I saw the picture. Don't get me wrong, the restaurant is really good and if I happen to be in the area, I would totally jump on it again, but it's just... tacos, ya know? Yeah, of course you freaking know!! What other food has its own day?! Sure, you can probably make up a bunch of garbage in your head right now, but it is universally agreed upon - Taco Tuesday!! And guess what day it is TUESDAY?! Yooouuuu guessed it! It's Tacoday!!! read more

Tao's Fresh - #5. Beef with Udon Plate (14,50$)! Plus Egg (1$)!! Plus Veggies (2$)! - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

This plaza is underrated. There's a few good places to eat and a big parking lot with plenty of parking. Tao's Fresh is a tiny place located in the corner of the plaza. When you're seated, there's a QR code that's on the edge of all 4 corners of the table and they all share the same tab, no matter which corner of the table you scan your code (I thought that was really cool). So if I added something on the menu, my friends can see it and vise versa on their phones. You can also split the bill or pay altogether. The servers were incredible. Everything came out quickly and they were really nice about it. The meal all came out in togo boxes, except for the sizzling plate meals. Those came out on a sizzling plate, of course. Onto the food itself: This place sells boba and popcorn chicken like any other boba places. I saw their mango smoothie and had to get it. If you're only stopping by for snacks, their popcorn chicken was crunchy and flavorful while their fried fries, while it was a bit bland in flavor, was very crunchy and made up for the blandness. There's salt and pepper on the table where you can add more seasonings to it. Their mango smoothie was deliciously refreshing and creamy until the end. That was my fault since I didn't mix it enough so the end just tasted like creamy ice. Tao's fresh is Asian Fusion so they have Hawaiian bbq as well. The only part of this menu I got was honey walnut shrimp which came as a pretty big portion compare to other places nowadays that sell this same dish and for a more expensive price. I'll come back and try other things such as their bbq plates and spam masubi. The sizzling plates were delicious. I got the Beef with Udon and added an egg and garlic butter. My gf got their kimchi rice with beef plate. You can't go wrong if you're not sure what to order. My plate came with 2 eggs which I really appreciated. I ended up adding garlic soy sauce, a bit of teriyaki and hot sauce on my plate (the three sauces are offered on the table). The kimchi rice was great without any of the extra add ons but the beef got a little dry without it. So the garlic soy sauce was really to keep the beef juicy. It was a great experience dining here with their excellent and quick service. I'll be back to try their Hawaiian bbq dishes. Come check this place out, even if you only want a quick snack and some boba. Their menu is worth looking at. Although, I would never recommend getting a sizzling plate to go, other things travel really well too if you're not interested in a sit down lunch or dinner. read more

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Pepper lunch is supposedly Japanese, but seeing kimchi and soju on the menu made me think this was a Korean place. That's okay, as long as the food is good, I don't care what kind of place it is. Met up with a friend here to catch up and try something new. I am not familiar with San Lorenzo, but this part of town seems okay. A plaza with plenty of parking so I was relieved that I didn't have to look for street parking. When I got to the restaurant, I was even more confused. It's selling milk tea. Then I heard the server speaking in Mandarin. Okay, maybe this place is owned by Chinese. Oh well, perhaps this place has an identity crisis. Lol. I ordered curry beef rice with cheese. It came out sizzling and I had to quickly cook and move the beef slices before they were overcooked. I throughly enjoyed the beef slices. I wish they added more cheese so that the plate was more gooey. Perhaps I was spoiled and ruined by Daeho's gooey and cheesy Kalbijim, but I digress. This place did a decent job of making pepper lunch dishes. I would go back and maybe next time I would even order their milk tea. read more

Tao's Fresh - Poster menu - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

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This is a hidden gem in San Lorenzo. In the shopping center but Arroyo High School. The hot iron dishes are my favorite. They come out still sizzling and continue cooking at your table. They also have Hawaiian BBQ offerings as well. read more

We came to Tao's as soon as they opened as a group of 4. I love eating sizzling plates so I needed to try this one out. I got the classic beef and rice while friends did variations of beef with cheese and noodles. The food came quickly and the restaurant was full within half an hour. Taste and freshness are there ~ Would have loved bigger quantities as I felt it was small. Overall good and will need to come again read more

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Do get the fried chicken, it comes out hot, fresh and crispy. The garlic shrimp was a little tough and although covered in garlic sauce it needed salt. It came on a bed of steamed cabbage that was tasty with the garlic shrimp sauce, white rice and Mac salad. Which lacked the taste of authentic Hawaiian / Islander Mac Salad, that you look for in Mac salad. The sizzling plates are their Specialty at Tao's Fresh, it's probably best to go in that direction. The waitress provided sincerely excellent service. read more

I was looking for a good place to have snacks and drinks with a friend and this was perfect. Parking was easy and there was plenty of seating. It seems popular with the kids because school was letting out while we were there. We ordered some small dishes to share: eel musubi, chicken potstickers, and popcorn chicken. I had a mango matcha latte and my friend had a milk tea with boba. Our favorite dish was the popcorn chicken. It wasn't super salty but it was flavorful. There was soy sauce, teriyaki, and hot sauce at our table and the potstickers came with vinegar chili sauce. The menu is easy to order from by a QR code and they have a variety of entrees and add ons as well. Definitely a nice neighborhood spot and I'll have to try their hawaiian bbq next time. read more

Great food! Love sizzling plates and frozen matcha drinks, yum Would definitely be back...whenever I'm in San Lorenzo area. read more

This is my go-to place whenever I've craving for sizzling rice plates. To order, there's a QR code that's on the table that you scan to access the menu and order directly through there. You can also choose to pay through there or in person at the counter. I usually get the beef rice plate. You get a good amount of beef to rice ratio and the rice is topped with corn, green onion and butter. For sauces, you can choose to add hot sauce, teriyaki, and garlic soy sauce, which is self-serve at table side. The seasoned calamari was surprisingly good, it had a really nice flavour to it and hot and the coating was crispy and the calamari itself was not too chewy. read more

Tao's Fresh - 1. Beef with Rice Plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

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Apparently south Bay is all about the sizzling hot plate meals because these things are all over. We've been trying all of them out and so far....Tao Fresh is well at the top of the rankings! We ordered multiple dishes but mine was the curry cheese beef plate and it's definitely the most flavorful. I didn't even need to add the sauces in the mix, but when I added it on individual spoonfuls, the teriyaki sauce was BOMB. Service was there but nothing special. And the ambiance is very clean and open flooring Ugh 10/10 so far best sizzle food in east/south bay read more

Tao's Fresh - Curry cheese beef plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

Located in a strip mall with plenty of parking. This is one of two locations in the Bay Area. Tao's Fresh serves Asian fusion/comfort food. They have Hawaiian BBQ rice plates, boba tea, and interesting appetizers, but their signature foods are the sizzling lunch plates. The food sits on a hot plate, and if you order beef, the sliced meats are raw when the dish is served to you, but it is cooked on the hot plate as you mix the ingredients (scoop of seasoned rice in the middle and vegis spread around). We ordered the fried calamari which was pretty good. The calamari was meaty and they fried it to perfection. However, they don't give you any lemon or dipping sauces so it is not as good as it could be. We also had the beef with rice, beef with egg noodles, golden eel(unagi) rice, and teriyaki salmon. My daughter thought the beef with egg noodles didn't have much taste. I think that with the sizzling plates lunches they couldn't add any sauces directly to the dish. Instead they provided bottles of different sauces (ie. teriyaki, chili sauce, etc) on the table and I guess you have to add them to the dishes as the ingredients are cooked on the hot plate to enhance the taste. Overall we thought the food was fun but tasted just OK. Service was good. Ordering was through a QR code. read more

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Little gem tucked into San Lorenzo. Great food and friendly staff, and very welcoming.

We were craving crab Rangoon's so we decided to give this place a try because of their crab puffs. We only ordered appetizers. Crabs, shrimp, tempura, and popcorn. Chicken were all delicious 10 out of 10. We walked in and ordered to go but decided to eat in because it was such a cute little place and nobody was there. Eventually, people came in and ordered the sizzling plates which smelled really good. We will definitely be back to try more. read more

Tao's Fresh - Crab puff - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

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My husband and I came here to meet my friend and his fiancé. The staff here is very nice and friendly. We ordered the food through the barcode. So it's very convenient. I had golden eel sizzling and curry beef with cheese rice sizzling. Both are really delicious and flavorful. They have extra sauces on the table if you don't feel enough flavor. The rice can be very crispy, which is so nice! The appetizer for crab puff is also crisp and not oily. The brown sugar boba milk tea tastes okay to us. We like the food more than the drink. The plaza here has plenty of parking and is close to the Asian market. read more

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Pretty good for a 'Sizzling Lunch' plate of sizzling beef and rice. I'd give the leg up to Sizzling Lunch due to the quality of the meat and the sauces (garlic shoyu is my jam) but I'd go back here since its convientnly located. If Sizzling Lunch is a solid 8.5 out of 10, this beef rice plate is a 7.5 out of 10. It's rather small inside, and across from a school so there are tons of kids having lunch or drinks here so seating can get limited on weekdays. read more

Ambiance: 8/10 Super casual Temperature: 8/10 Comfortable Seating arrangements: 8/10 Small spot, but still a lot of seating that can accomodate large and small groups Parking: 8/10 Easy parking right in front, or in the parking lot Price: 9/10 Super affordable Food: 9/10 SO GOOD. I always order the curry beef sizzling plate - you get way more meat slices than some other sizzling plate spots! How quickly food comes out: 8/10 Good timing! Servers are efficient and friendly! read more

Tao's Fresh - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

One of my favorite places to go if I'm craving a simple rice plate! Service is quick and staff are friendly. Food is always yummy here! read more

Tao's Fresh - Curry Beef Cheese Rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

I remember when this place used to be the 88 restaurant and it was nice to walk in to see all the changes they've made to Tao Fresh. It looks very much remodeled and is a cute little restaurant with minimal seating but very quick service so there's not usually a line to sit. I feel a lot of people order take out as well! The food here reminded me so much of what I used to be able to get back when I lived in sj. I'm so happy Tao Fresh exist in our East Bay community! I ordered the curry udon and my friend got the beef with rice. I really enjoyed the sauces and felt really full after my meal! Both plates were great but I highly recommend the curry and udon! Service was okay. To be honest, the only time I interacted with anyone was when they brought the plates to us. You order on your phone and put anything you need in the notes when checking out. I find this very convenient! Still 5/5 for the yummy food and quick service! read more

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I think Tao's Fresh is such a gem for San Lorenzo. I have always shied away from this place, and it was mostly because I was a loyalist to other places. That was MY bad! I really like their potstickers. The sauce they provide has this mixture of vinegar and IDK what else was in it, but I WAS A FAN. I also tried the eel musubi and it's really good if you like that teriyaki flavor and something sweet-ish? Maybe this is a thing and I don't know it, but I didn't see on the menu that you had the option of ordering one flavor each. I think it currently stands that if I order a spam musubi, then I get 2 of that same flavor. If I choose eel, then I only get two of those flavors. I cannot handle 4 musubi's so having the option to mix and match would be great. I was also so impressed with how quickly they were able to handle the teenage lunch rush. The young lady was prompt and efficient! read more

My brothers and I came here for our first time (place was recommended to is by my little sister and cousin in law) First impression: The place was very basic Asian spot. Also, realized it closes earlier than most restaurants we've been to (7:30pm) on a Wednesday night. It wasn't very busy and we sat ourselves. Food and drinks: Our server gave our table a pitcher of water and 3 plastic cups. Then directed us to the QR code on the table (I do enjoy ordering on my phone btw. I don't feel rushed and all three of us are pretty introverted). We all ordered on one phone. Started with shrimp tempura and popcorn chicken. I did enjoy the popcorn chicken more than the shrimp tempura. Then we were served our entrees curry beef udon noodles hot plate, beef hot plate and a salmon and beef hot plate with kimchi and rice. We also ordered boba. A matcha, crème brûlée and a strawberry latte. The boba was just okay. The crème brûlée tasted more like brown sugar boba than crème brûlée. The hot plates came sizzling. I wished it stayed hot longer to cook my beef as I have a weak stomach and like all my meat well cooked. My brothers didn't have that problem and enjoyed every bit of it. We checked out on our phone the same way we ordered and walked out without having to talk to anyone. (Introvert friendly for sure). It was a very chill dinner for sure and I will be coming back to try their Hawaiian plates. read more

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Great quick lunch spot, but due to the sizzling, be prepared to have the small lingers. Very satisifed with the beef udon- simple, yet delicious when add sauces in, especially the hot sauce (sriracha). Jasmine Green Tea is the same Tasty Pot's and very enjoyable. Service is OK! read more

Tao's Fresh - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Lorenzo, California

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