Loved their takeout menu. Dine in experience left a lot to be desired. The meal was great but very heavy. 3 out of 4 people had upset stomachs because of it. Things were pretty carb heavy and very rich. Courses seemed a bit disjoint and did not flow together. Dessert tasted very artificial. Sent some notes via email but never heard back from them, hence the review. Will come back once they start doing takeout again.
elaine akamian
If I lived in Oakland I would eat here once a week. Maybe every day? It would be hard not to. The food is SO GOOD. The LGM noodles are the perfect balance of sesame, tangy, crunchy, savory. We also had the fried mushrooms and market greens, but I wish I had one of everything.
Me
Everything is vegan and theyre so great at labeling for gluten free and nut free! Thank you!! I don't usually go for spicy food but this was worth it. I got the Sesame L.G.M. Noodles and the flavors were fantastic. I also had some of the Three Cup Tofu, it was such a great dish and their tofu is seriously worth trying. I was pleasantly surprised by the desserts here, so unique and delicious. For a nice chewy cake you can try the Pandan Butter Nian Gao. The A***** cookies are also highly recommended. There's an interesting Cheese Foam Tea as well and some great peanuts for sale. I'll be coming back ASAP!
Winnie Xu
The Bao filling was really great, but $8 is a little overpriced for a bun. The large chunks of mushroom and veggies enveloped were well seasoned. The Shao Bing was also very crispy and fluffy, and the vegetarian fillings were actually spicy which is so hard to come by in America these days. Pandan nian gao was fragrant but wished the texture was softer. Sesame noodles were alright, the noodle to topping ratio was a bit high so the flavors got old before hitting half way. Looking forward to trying more!
Raul Ramirez
I travel to Singapore often. It's nice to be able to eat some of the same flavors in the US! I love rendang, it's great here. I would like for it to be a little spicier, but you can always add more hot sauce.They also have some great desserts!Vegetarian options: It's a vegan restaurant.
Kim Phan
The rice bowls were very flavorful but very spicy. The tofu was soaked deep with sauce so its filling and the papaya was tasty but lots of chili. The plain rice was saved us from the spice and its cooked perfectly.Vegetarian options: Vegan option
Renée J
Lion Dance Café is a new favorite. We got a few things:- mushroom goreng: great batter & chili sauce, texture was very juicy- jackfruit rendang: super delicious, perfectly spiced, and very meat-like. Glad to have the roasted peanuts for extra protein & crunch :)- kojio e pepe: you need to come on saturdays just for this. So creamy & flavorful!! I wouldn’t have guessed it was vegan. We definitely struggled a little with the spice level but it was worth it.Service was good, we didn’t have to wait in line and they told us about a 25 minute wait but the food was ready in less than 20. Their outdoor seating was full by the time our food was ready, so we went around the corner to Bar 355 to buy drinks and sit in their parklet.I cannot wait to come back and try the sandwiches & nuggets!!
Rohan Harrison
Really good! I passed this place a couple times because I saw they didn’t have meat. One day I finally decided to give it a try, and was absolutely blown away. Was super good, fast, and reasonably priced. Good portion sizes too.I keep getting their lunch special now and love it. Super filling, super tasty, and has all the right textures. One of my favorite local places now.
Janelle Limqueco
I just moved to the area from Singapore and was glad to taste authentic flavors! The dishes are not what you would find in a traditional hawker center, so I was initially skeptical but it ended up exceeding my expectations. The chilli is actually spicy unlike other places with watered down spice levels. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Jensen N.
For $10, I can get super full with a healthy salad that tastes fantastic. I go nuts with all of the sauces. Their falafel balls are the way I like them, not too try and has great flavor. Recommend this place to everyone.
I first had Liba when I moved to the East Bay almost 6 years ago. They had a food truck at the Grand Lake farmer's market that I absolutely loved and ate every Saturday. I was recently able to make it during their limited weekly hours (Mon-Fri for lunch) and was so happy to see that it was even better than I remembered. I got a falafel salad combo with pita chips and beet humus and my boyfriend got the pita wrap and the sweet potato fries. The salad is a sauce/flavor lover's dream- basically they just give you a bowl and then you have free reign for toppings. They have simple things like cukes and pickled onions and feta, but also some amazing eggplants, lentils, apple chutney's, etc. Also a great variety of sauces with chimichurri, tahini and zhong. A little pricey, but absolutely worth every single penny for the quality and amount of ingredients. Can't wait to go back!
Dayton Pickering
This place is a gem! Perfect for a quick lunch, such a great concept and the food is amazing. You pick pita or salad, and there's a bar full of little salads and toppings so you can customize it to your liking! The beet hummus is so good, as were all the toppings. Will be back!
Casey M.
Not sure what it's like at peak lunch hours but for late lunch, this place is pretty quick. Tiny little salad bar packed with flavor for the healthiest and most flavorful falafel salad around. The regular salad bowl is enough to share for two people or split for two meals, so you're looking at around $6 a meal unless you overdo it and devour the whole thing. Still, $12 isn't bad for a meal that nourishes you and keeps you full for hours. My favorite part was the 5-6 sauce/salad dressing offerings. The only downside is the typical parking problems downtown, but I got lucky.
Yossi K.
Walking around the street and this place look really good and energetic Nice people nice vibe Good way to serve food Falafe not so good
Ben Y.
So yummy, colorful, and healthy. I went here for lunch with my sis, expecting it to be pretty good. It exceeded my expectations and I look forward to the next visit.
Loved their takeout menu. Dine in experience left a lot to be desired. The meal was great but very heavy. 3 out of 4 people had upset stomachs because of it. Things were pretty carb heavy and very rich. Courses seemed a bit disjoint and did not flow together. Dessert tasted very artificial. Sent some notes via email but never heard back from them, hence the review. Will come back once they start doing takeout again.
If I lived in Oakland I would eat here once a week. Maybe every day? It would be hard not to. The food is SO GOOD. The LGM noodles are the perfect balance of sesame, tangy, crunchy, savory. We also had the fried mushrooms and market greens, but I wish I had one of everything.
Everything is vegan and theyre so great at labeling for gluten free and nut free! Thank you!! I don't usually go for spicy food but this was worth it. I got the Sesame L.G.M. Noodles and the flavors were fantastic. I also had some of the Three Cup Tofu, it was such a great dish and their tofu is seriously worth trying. I was pleasantly surprised by the desserts here, so unique and delicious. For a nice chewy cake you can try the Pandan Butter Nian Gao. The A***** cookies are also highly recommended. There's an interesting Cheese Foam Tea as well and some great peanuts for sale. I'll be coming back ASAP!
The Bao filling was really great, but $8 is a little overpriced for a bun. The large chunks of mushroom and veggies enveloped were well seasoned. The Shao Bing was also very crispy and fluffy, and the vegetarian fillings were actually spicy which is so hard to come by in America these days. Pandan nian gao was fragrant but wished the texture was softer. Sesame noodles were alright, the noodle to topping ratio was a bit high so the flavors got old before hitting half way. Looking forward to trying more!
I travel to Singapore often. It's nice to be able to eat some of the same flavors in the US! I love rendang, it's great here. I would like for it to be a little spicier, but you can always add more hot sauce.They also have some great desserts!Vegetarian options: It's a vegan restaurant.
The rice bowls were very flavorful but very spicy. The tofu was soaked deep with sauce so its filling and the papaya was tasty but lots of chili. The plain rice was saved us from the spice and its cooked perfectly.Vegetarian options: Vegan option
Lion Dance Café is a new favorite. We got a few things:- mushroom goreng: great batter & chili sauce, texture was very juicy- jackfruit rendang: super delicious, perfectly spiced, and very meat-like. Glad to have the roasted peanuts for extra protein & crunch :)- kojio e pepe: you need to come on saturdays just for this. So creamy & flavorful!! I wouldn’t have guessed it was vegan. We definitely struggled a little with the spice level but it was worth it.Service was good, we didn’t have to wait in line and they told us about a 25 minute wait but the food was ready in less than 20. Their outdoor seating was full by the time our food was ready, so we went around the corner to Bar 355 to buy drinks and sit in their parklet.I cannot wait to come back and try the sandwiches & nuggets!!
Really good! I passed this place a couple times because I saw they didn’t have meat. One day I finally decided to give it a try, and was absolutely blown away. Was super good, fast, and reasonably priced. Good portion sizes too.I keep getting their lunch special now and love it. Super filling, super tasty, and has all the right textures. One of my favorite local places now.
I just moved to the area from Singapore and was glad to taste authentic flavors! The dishes are not what you would find in a traditional hawker center, so I was initially skeptical but it ended up exceeding my expectations. The chilli is actually spicy unlike other places with watered down spice levels. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
For $10, I can get super full with a healthy salad that tastes fantastic. I go nuts with all of the sauces. Their falafel balls are the way I like them, not too try and has great flavor. Recommend this place to everyone.
Restaurantji Recommends
I first had Liba when I moved to the East Bay almost 6 years ago. They had a food truck at the Grand Lake farmer's market that I absolutely loved and ate every Saturday. I was recently able to make it during their limited weekly hours (Mon-Fri for lunch) and was so happy to see that it was even better than I remembered. I got a falafel salad combo with pita chips and beet humus and my boyfriend got the pita wrap and the sweet potato fries. The salad is a sauce/flavor lover's dream- basically they just give you a bowl and then you have free reign for toppings. They have simple things like cukes and pickled onions and feta, but also some amazing eggplants, lentils, apple chutney's, etc. Also a great variety of sauces with chimichurri, tahini and zhong. A little pricey, but absolutely worth every single penny for the quality and amount of ingredients. Can't wait to go back!
This place is a gem! Perfect for a quick lunch, such a great concept and the food is amazing. You pick pita or salad, and there's a bar full of little salads and toppings so you can customize it to your liking! The beet hummus is so good, as were all the toppings. Will be back!
Not sure what it's like at peak lunch hours but for late lunch, this place is pretty quick. Tiny little salad bar packed with flavor for the healthiest and most flavorful falafel salad around. The regular salad bowl is enough to share for two people or split for two meals, so you're looking at around $6 a meal unless you overdo it and devour the whole thing. Still, $12 isn't bad for a meal that nourishes you and keeps you full for hours. My favorite part was the 5-6 sauce/salad dressing offerings. The only downside is the typical parking problems downtown, but I got lucky.
Walking around the street and this place look really good and energetic Nice people nice vibe Good way to serve food Falafe not so good
So yummy, colorful, and healthy. I went here for lunch with my sis, expecting it to be pretty good. It exceeded my expectations and I look forward to the next visit.