Ordered this to go, but I literately just remembered to take picture when I'm eating the last piece of the fishPickup was really quick and service is good!I love the fish fillet in chili oil here, ordered mild spicy, not quite spicy next time if I get it I might go medium spicy. Not too numbing. Pretty good portion, it comes in three boxes, but I opened only two and shared with my husband.We ordered the wrong eggplant, but this eggplant with basil is not bad at all, it's actually even better cus it's something different! The basil smells so good and tastes good too!
Danielle K.
First time here. Service was very nice and we were waited on in such a nice way throughout our meal. We didn't feel as though the Sichuan dishes had enough flavor and pepper punch. Dishes tasted sweet more than anything else. The meat and tofu didn't not taste as though they'd been simmering in the spices, but just added on top of the dish. We ordered:1. Mapo Tofu: this was okay. My criticism would be: kind of sweet, not too numbing, maybe old Sichuan peppers, and we tasted more of a bean sauce than the complex deep umami flavor you can get from the garlic, ginger, and combinations of peppers one usually enjoys in this cuisine. 2. Beef Slices in Chili Oil: the beef was sinewy and difficult to chew. No flavor in this dish despite looking beautiful. Just under the beef is a huge bowlful of bean spouts. No complex flavors at all. No numbing. 3. Stir Fried Green Beans: best dish by far! Crunchy, flavorful, lots of garlic. Loved it!
Stephanie M.
My husband loves the twice cooked pork. I'm crazy about the stir fried tofu and the veggie noodles. We both enjoy the green beans. Everything has plenty of sauce and flavor. Definitely a new favorite.
Tiffany S.
Half Japanese menu and half Chinese- this place has everything to fit what everyone might be in the mood for.I had their tempura udon- it was okay, I think the broth could be more flavorful, but I really enjoyed the portion of tempura. We also ordered a roll, seared salmon on top - it was good but was too saucy on the bottom for my liking.My partner like their niku oyako don. I like the quiet environment, the soft instrumental music, bright lighting and clean establishment.Open to trying more things on the menu.
Fei X.
This is our go to restaurant for some authentic Chinese/Si Chuan food. My mum is from Si Chuan province in China, so we know that we are getting the real stuff. They also have a few dishes that you can't easily find it in other places. Plus this restaurant has one of the best environment and service in Oakland China Town. Definitely worth giving it a try!
Daniel N.
Last review... of 2022... Chuan Yu! This is the place to go in Oakland Chinatown if you're eating late and indecisive between Chinese / Szechuan or sushi. You can get the best of both worlds!I always get the Spicy Dry Pot as a main. You choose a base flavor (garlic or three levels of spicy), a protein base (e.g., beef, chicken, pork belly), and four additional toppings that include a wide variety of veggies, noodles, or extra protein. I love the flexibility of options and that you can double or triple-stack proteins. Both garlic and spicy flavors are solid. If dining in, they'll bring the dish out over a burner, which keeps the food hot and full of aroma.Another staple is the Shanghai Pan Fried Soup Dumpling, which I have yet to come across elsewhere in Chinatown. I also enjoyed their Chongqing Fish Filet in Chili Oil and Beef Brisket with Bamboo Shoot. Big portions, very well seasoned / spiced, and not too salty. Three entrees should be enough to comfortably feed a party of four. Last food-related note is that the space is a dual restaurant: Chuan Yu is paired with Sakura Bistro, which gives you the amazing ability to order sushi as well.What I also love about Chuan Yu is that it provides a later-night Chinese dine-in option. It's also great for groups as there is always plenty of available seating. Servers are nice and attentive, and food comes out quickly. Anddd that's a wrap! I'll see you in 2023 - both Yelpers and Chuan Yu!
C Squared
We got the spicy beef noodle soup and the soup dumplings and both were absolutely fantastic. The soup was perfect for a cold blustery day. Tasty, spicy, and warming! Would absolutely go here again. Also love that it's a weird restaurant-inside-a-restaurant situation.
Richard H.
The spicy beef brisket noodle soup is to die for! The beef tendon melted in the mouth and the Szechuan pepper broth was just the right amount of spicy. Two of us split it and an order of soup dumplings and it was just the right amount of food for two for dinner. We can't wait to return.The ambiance is a little funny as it's seemingly a restaurant within another restaurant. We had to flip through a massive menu to get to find Chuan Yu's section of the menu.
Wendy C.
Notes: (1) One of the few restaurants open in the area on Saturday night - area doesn't seem safe but the restaurant is located inside an outdoor plaza. (2) Street parking.This is a Japanese/Chinese restaurant with the options of sushi or Szechuan food. We came here on a Saturday night looking for some take out as we were in the area. The place was really big and there was alcohol displayed everywhere. We ordered the Shanghai pan fried soup dumplings as it was popular on yelp. After waiting for over 25 minutes, we found out that it wasn't really a dumpling but more of a bao (bun). The dough was super heavy and it was just so oily inside. The stuffing was good but as mentioned oily and there was no soup since we did take out. Would I venture out to try something else here? Probably if this was the only option around but wouldn't go out of my way to get food.
Grant C.
Gonna say the food was decent, but nothing special. Maybe I need to try the hot pot. We had the fried chicken, which was good but could have used a bit more spice. It was crispy and well salted. The green beans were good, but nothing to speak of. Pan fried soup dumpling also were fine. The restaurant has a Japanese menu and a Chinese menu in one space, though they are technically two different restaurants. Service was fine. It's pretty big inside. Probably wouldn't come back as there's so many good options in Oakland Chinatown. But I guess I should try the hotpot at some point.
Numbs the mouth and mind. Subtle flavors and fragrance did not lend themselves well to a chili-heavy meal. As dining progressed everything started tasting the same, until hardly distinguishable. Despite the undercooked-to-near-raw bamboo shoots, the chicken from two separate dishes ordered were slightly overcooked; the "Chongqing fish fillet" fared much better. These qualities may lend themselves better to the restaurant's Japanese menu.
Yuan J.
It's pretty good!! Really enjoyed the sushi and the steak. Would come here next time!
Whereisviv
All the dishes were tasty, soup dumplings were a little disappointing and there was no julienned ginger in the vinegar dip?We also ordered the dry pot dish (extra spicy, my husband said the spice was not unbearable and just right) which the most memorable! Lots of options to mix and match:) and meat was fresh, as well as well sized piecesThe third dish we chose was the mouth numbing fish fillets, very light in flavors (not very numbing at all)All in all we would come back for the dry pot dish but will try new dishes also! Sushi choices also looked plentiful and fresh??
Brian Babcock
I was scared to come here because of the low reviews but this place was great. The meat was high quality and everything was properly portioned.I now think those poor reviews are fake.
Xuanyi S.
The dry pot & the spicy chicken cartilage are firrrre Also the service is S tier! Highly recommended
Ordered this to go, but I literately just remembered to take picture when I'm eating the last piece of the fishPickup was really quick and service is good!I love the fish fillet in chili oil here, ordered mild spicy, not quite spicy next time if I get it I might go medium spicy. Not too numbing. Pretty good portion, it comes in three boxes, but I opened only two and shared with my husband.We ordered the wrong eggplant, but this eggplant with basil is not bad at all, it's actually even better cus it's something different! The basil smells so good and tastes good too!
First time here. Service was very nice and we were waited on in such a nice way throughout our meal. We didn't feel as though the Sichuan dishes had enough flavor and pepper punch. Dishes tasted sweet more than anything else. The meat and tofu didn't not taste as though they'd been simmering in the spices, but just added on top of the dish. We ordered:1. Mapo Tofu: this was okay. My criticism would be: kind of sweet, not too numbing, maybe old Sichuan peppers, and we tasted more of a bean sauce than the complex deep umami flavor you can get from the garlic, ginger, and combinations of peppers one usually enjoys in this cuisine. 2. Beef Slices in Chili Oil: the beef was sinewy and difficult to chew. No flavor in this dish despite looking beautiful. Just under the beef is a huge bowlful of bean spouts. No complex flavors at all. No numbing. 3. Stir Fried Green Beans: best dish by far! Crunchy, flavorful, lots of garlic. Loved it!
My husband loves the twice cooked pork. I'm crazy about the stir fried tofu and the veggie noodles. We both enjoy the green beans. Everything has plenty of sauce and flavor. Definitely a new favorite.
Half Japanese menu and half Chinese- this place has everything to fit what everyone might be in the mood for.I had their tempura udon- it was okay, I think the broth could be more flavorful, but I really enjoyed the portion of tempura. We also ordered a roll, seared salmon on top - it was good but was too saucy on the bottom for my liking.My partner like their niku oyako don. I like the quiet environment, the soft instrumental music, bright lighting and clean establishment.Open to trying more things on the menu.
This is our go to restaurant for some authentic Chinese/Si Chuan food. My mum is from Si Chuan province in China, so we know that we are getting the real stuff. They also have a few dishes that you can't easily find it in other places. Plus this restaurant has one of the best environment and service in Oakland China Town. Definitely worth giving it a try!
Last review... of 2022... Chuan Yu! This is the place to go in Oakland Chinatown if you're eating late and indecisive between Chinese / Szechuan or sushi. You can get the best of both worlds!I always get the Spicy Dry Pot as a main. You choose a base flavor (garlic or three levels of spicy), a protein base (e.g., beef, chicken, pork belly), and four additional toppings that include a wide variety of veggies, noodles, or extra protein. I love the flexibility of options and that you can double or triple-stack proteins. Both garlic and spicy flavors are solid. If dining in, they'll bring the dish out over a burner, which keeps the food hot and full of aroma.Another staple is the Shanghai Pan Fried Soup Dumpling, which I have yet to come across elsewhere in Chinatown. I also enjoyed their Chongqing Fish Filet in Chili Oil and Beef Brisket with Bamboo Shoot. Big portions, very well seasoned / spiced, and not too salty. Three entrees should be enough to comfortably feed a party of four. Last food-related note is that the space is a dual restaurant: Chuan Yu is paired with Sakura Bistro, which gives you the amazing ability to order sushi as well.What I also love about Chuan Yu is that it provides a later-night Chinese dine-in option. It's also great for groups as there is always plenty of available seating. Servers are nice and attentive, and food comes out quickly. Anddd that's a wrap! I'll see you in 2023 - both Yelpers and Chuan Yu!
We got the spicy beef noodle soup and the soup dumplings and both were absolutely fantastic. The soup was perfect for a cold blustery day. Tasty, spicy, and warming! Would absolutely go here again. Also love that it's a weird restaurant-inside-a-restaurant situation.
The spicy beef brisket noodle soup is to die for! The beef tendon melted in the mouth and the Szechuan pepper broth was just the right amount of spicy. Two of us split it and an order of soup dumplings and it was just the right amount of food for two for dinner. We can't wait to return.The ambiance is a little funny as it's seemingly a restaurant within another restaurant. We had to flip through a massive menu to get to find Chuan Yu's section of the menu.
Notes: (1) One of the few restaurants open in the area on Saturday night - area doesn't seem safe but the restaurant is located inside an outdoor plaza. (2) Street parking.This is a Japanese/Chinese restaurant with the options of sushi or Szechuan food. We came here on a Saturday night looking for some take out as we were in the area. The place was really big and there was alcohol displayed everywhere. We ordered the Shanghai pan fried soup dumplings as it was popular on yelp. After waiting for over 25 minutes, we found out that it wasn't really a dumpling but more of a bao (bun). The dough was super heavy and it was just so oily inside. The stuffing was good but as mentioned oily and there was no soup since we did take out. Would I venture out to try something else here? Probably if this was the only option around but wouldn't go out of my way to get food.
Gonna say the food was decent, but nothing special. Maybe I need to try the hot pot. We had the fried chicken, which was good but could have used a bit more spice. It was crispy and well salted. The green beans were good, but nothing to speak of. Pan fried soup dumpling also were fine. The restaurant has a Japanese menu and a Chinese menu in one space, though they are technically two different restaurants. Service was fine. It's pretty big inside. Probably wouldn't come back as there's so many good options in Oakland Chinatown. But I guess I should try the hotpot at some point.
Restaurantji Recommends
Numbs the mouth and mind. Subtle flavors and fragrance did not lend themselves well to a chili-heavy meal. As dining progressed everything started tasting the same, until hardly distinguishable. Despite the undercooked-to-near-raw bamboo shoots, the chicken from two separate dishes ordered were slightly overcooked; the "Chongqing fish fillet" fared much better. These qualities may lend themselves better to the restaurant's Japanese menu.
It's pretty good!! Really enjoyed the sushi and the steak. Would come here next time!
All the dishes were tasty, soup dumplings were a little disappointing and there was no julienned ginger in the vinegar dip?We also ordered the dry pot dish (extra spicy, my husband said the spice was not unbearable and just right) which the most memorable! Lots of options to mix and match:) and meat was fresh, as well as well sized piecesThe third dish we chose was the mouth numbing fish fillets, very light in flavors (not very numbing at all)All in all we would come back for the dry pot dish but will try new dishes also! Sushi choices also looked plentiful and fresh??
I was scared to come here because of the low reviews but this place was great. The meat was high quality and everything was properly portioned.I now think those poor reviews are fake.
The dry pot & the spicy chicken cartilage are firrrre Also the service is S tier! Highly recommended