The food is tasty ? better than the ? spot. I split a plate with my hubby , 3 items with rice, and chow mein.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Joshua B.
Best Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area! I have tried Chinese food all over the bay and this one takes first place. I am obsessed with the chow mien and the dumplings. Would 100% recommend. The restaurant is calm and the ambience is very pleasant. I will be back.
Anthony B.
Very good food for the price. The fish from the steam table is great. Also get the chow fun
George C.
Good food, quality is fine, portions and prices however,,, not fine. For the first time ever I ordered chinese food and had zero leftovers. When I first opened the boxes the first thing I noticed was the lack of food. Boxes are usually overflowing with rice and noodles, this time the noodles barely fed a family of four (two kids under 5) the rice was the only thing minimally leftover. If your going to raise rates fine, but it shouldn't be for less food!
Wenjie Wu
I got two to go dishes chicken and broccoli and house fried riceChicken and broccoli was 1/10 the chicken was soggy no texture I felt I was eating raw chicken nuggets from McDonald's. The dish was also too salty.House fried rice 6/10 plain no seasoning or flavor even though the look was good you could just salt it yourself.I probably won't be coming back recommend King Chuan from San Carlos instead
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Dexter D.
Whenever we arrive home from vacation, we like to have dinner with our family. I asked them to choose the restaurant as I knew that we would be extremely tired after an 11-hour flight and would not want to make important decisions such as where to eat. After they picked us up a the airport, we went to Toa Yuen. A small family operated restaurant. I think that there are ten or eleven tables in the restaurant and two tables were pushed together to accommodate our group of nine. We ordered a variety of dishes. I wasn't in the mood to take pictures, so I didn't. Tired makes me grumpy and grumpy makes me lazy! What'd we have? Lol. What didn't we have? This list is in order of the receipt and not the order of service. Shrimp with Lobster Sauce - 3 - Nice plump shrimp, well cooked. Eggy. Sweet & Sour Pork - 4 - Lightly fried Pork. Plenty of Bell Peppers, Onions and Pineapple. Chinese Chicken Salad - 3 - Overly dressed. Lettuce, Chicken, missing a secondary crunch such as sesame seeds or deep fried bean threads. Salted Pepper Chicken - 4 - On the cusp of being over salted. What saved the dish were the fried onions that were simply delicious. Tomato Beef - 4 - Chunky Tomatoes with well tenderized Beef. I wish that I had be conscious enough to order a couple eggs cooked into the dish. Asparagus with Black Mushrooms - 4 - Plenty of nice Asparagus and some nice fat Shitaki Mushrooms. Beef Fried Rice - 3 - Nothing spectacular. Not a dish that I would order. Chicken Chow Mein - No Score - I barely got a taste. Pot Stickers - 3 - Skin too thick. Not sure if they were Vegetarian or Chicken. Sauteed Eggplant - 4 - Simple and delicious. Braised Tofu with Black Mushrooms - 3 - Salty. Fish Fillet with Mixed Vegetables - 5 - Nice fish with real vegetables not frozen mixed. My favorite dish of the evening. Chicken with Creamed Corn Soup - 4 - It was good because it was warm and filling. When I make this dish, it's a bit thinner. We still liked it enough to get a double order to start and then another bowl at the end of the meal. All in all, a decent restaurant run by hard working people. If we were to return, I would request less salt. I felt that the dark sauces were generally too salty. 3.5 Stars is an appropriate score but since we can't do that, 3 will have to do.
Taylor Brodine
Great food and good service. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Margaret S.
This place is a big ripoff. They overcharge for their food. Ordered tomatoe beef Hong Kong style and was charged $13.95 but the menu price was $11.35. Didn't notice it until I got home and later went back and confronted the owner about it. Her answer was, everyone is doing the same thing. What does that mean ? She's saying all restaurants are being dishonest and cheating people. Beware!!! Don't go there and have her cheat you for her satisfaction.
Lisa R.
Always good food and great value! Chicken in black bean sauce is the best! Very convenient, too.
Jimmy Cheng
I ordered the chicken chow fun last night from this restaurant. All the instructions were followed except that I found out that they used precooked chicken ( probably use for teriyaki chicken). I have never eaten a chicken chow fun made with premade teriyaki chicken before. I remember now that I ordered a chicken fry vermicelli was the same.
Ordered here a few times and catered a family event from here. The staff and owners are friendly take care of their customers. A local restaurant we will continue to frequent.
Jonathan L.
DON'T GO HERE. UNFRIENDLY. CHEF USES BARE HANDS WHEN HANDLING YOUR FOOD. Being a business owner myself, I like to support the mom & pop shops. But the mom & pop here are NOT customer friendly... I've been here around 7-8 times mainly just to get a quick bite. I usually get a scoop of fried rice to go just to fill my stomach up really fast. Although the fried rice doesn't carry much flavor, I didn't mind and added soy sauce/ chili oil. Today, I went in to get their combo #2 for the first time. I got fried rice, sesame chicken, and green bean chicken. Immediately, I knew the fried rice would have no flavor (I solve that witch soy sauce and chili oil), but the sesame chicken.....Nothing but bread and sugar. I tried to just close my eyes and hold my breath as I ate it, because I hate being the customer that gives a hard time. But it made my stomach turn as I swallowed because I knew I was just eating fried bread with sugar dressing on it. I eventually broke apart the chicken pieces to verify that it was indeed....just bread with sugar and maybe 1% chicken. I went it very kindly to address this and ask for a refund because money is tight and I would like to spend my money elsewhere. I noticed immediately from the register, looking into the kitchen, that the chef was using his BARE hands while handling raw food. The woman (owner) laughed at me and looked at her employee as if I wasn't there when I addressed my issue. She continued to laugh as if she has a line out of her door of people coming in to eat their food. Eventually I was given HALF of what I paid and got laughed at as I left their restaurant. This place is not clean, their food sits in hot plates for LORD KNOWS HOW LONG. And from what I can see, they do not use gloves while handling any type of food. This place is not only unfriendly but dangerous for your health. Anyone can get a bacterial infection here, it is just a matter of time.
Adam P
Pretty awful food. Do not by any means order the seafood. They overcook it until it's hard as a rock.
Steve D.
"Toa Yuen" is a small Chinese restaurant located in the Laurelwood Shopping Center in San Mateo, near Hwy 92 & West Hillsdale. This was my first time ordering food here! It was near 7pm, and the place was empty. This is one of those small restaurants with a menu of 100's of dishes and items. A little overwhelming for a first time customer. A nice lady came out to take my order, and she offered me several combo meals. I ordered: Kung Pao Prawns over White Rice, and Fried Chicken Wings (6). Guess what? I like the food here! - Kung Pao Prawns Over Rice was delicious! Seven plump and juicy prawns, with zucchini, onions, and red chili peppers. Stir-fried with gravy and poured over white rice. Not too salty, just good food for $10.95. - Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken Wings (6): Hot, fresh and juicy chicken wings! Crispy batter! $9.50 Good food at affordable prices! Located in the Laurelwood Shopping Center, West side of Campus Dr behind the Shell gas station.
Murillo Pontual
I had lunch at the Toa Yuen restaurant at San Mateo. I ordered the plate with three options. I selected the orange chicken, fried rice and the green vegetables. The restaurant was clean, the staff is polite, and there are plenty of parking available. The food was just so so, the Choctaw’s not bad, but the rice and vegetables were bland. For a fast lunch was not bad, but could be better.
The food is tasty ? better than the ? spot. I split a plate with my hubby , 3 items with rice, and chow mein.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Best Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area! I have tried Chinese food all over the bay and this one takes first place. I am obsessed with the chow mien and the dumplings. Would 100% recommend. The restaurant is calm and the ambience is very pleasant. I will be back.
Very good food for the price. The fish from the steam table is great. Also get the chow fun
Good food, quality is fine, portions and prices however,,, not fine. For the first time ever I ordered chinese food and had zero leftovers. When I first opened the boxes the first thing I noticed was the lack of food. Boxes are usually overflowing with rice and noodles, this time the noodles barely fed a family of four (two kids under 5) the rice was the only thing minimally leftover. If your going to raise rates fine, but it shouldn't be for less food!
I got two to go dishes chicken and broccoli and house fried riceChicken and broccoli was 1/10 the chicken was soggy no texture I felt I was eating raw chicken nuggets from McDonald's. The dish was also too salty.House fried rice 6/10 plain no seasoning or flavor even though the look was good you could just salt it yourself.I probably won't be coming back recommend King Chuan from San Carlos instead
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Whenever we arrive home from vacation, we like to have dinner with our family. I asked them to choose the restaurant as I knew that we would be extremely tired after an 11-hour flight and would not want to make important decisions such as where to eat. After they picked us up a the airport, we went to Toa Yuen. A small family operated restaurant. I think that there are ten or eleven tables in the restaurant and two tables were pushed together to accommodate our group of nine. We ordered a variety of dishes. I wasn't in the mood to take pictures, so I didn't. Tired makes me grumpy and grumpy makes me lazy! What'd we have? Lol. What didn't we have? This list is in order of the receipt and not the order of service. Shrimp with Lobster Sauce - 3 - Nice plump shrimp, well cooked. Eggy. Sweet & Sour Pork - 4 - Lightly fried Pork. Plenty of Bell Peppers, Onions and Pineapple. Chinese Chicken Salad - 3 - Overly dressed. Lettuce, Chicken, missing a secondary crunch such as sesame seeds or deep fried bean threads. Salted Pepper Chicken - 4 - On the cusp of being over salted. What saved the dish were the fried onions that were simply delicious. Tomato Beef - 4 - Chunky Tomatoes with well tenderized Beef. I wish that I had be conscious enough to order a couple eggs cooked into the dish. Asparagus with Black Mushrooms - 4 - Plenty of nice Asparagus and some nice fat Shitaki Mushrooms. Beef Fried Rice - 3 - Nothing spectacular. Not a dish that I would order. Chicken Chow Mein - No Score - I barely got a taste. Pot Stickers - 3 - Skin too thick. Not sure if they were Vegetarian or Chicken. Sauteed Eggplant - 4 - Simple and delicious. Braised Tofu with Black Mushrooms - 3 - Salty. Fish Fillet with Mixed Vegetables - 5 - Nice fish with real vegetables not frozen mixed. My favorite dish of the evening. Chicken with Creamed Corn Soup - 4 - It was good because it was warm and filling. When I make this dish, it's a bit thinner. We still liked it enough to get a double order to start and then another bowl at the end of the meal. All in all, a decent restaurant run by hard working people. If we were to return, I would request less salt. I felt that the dark sauces were generally too salty. 3.5 Stars is an appropriate score but since we can't do that, 3 will have to do.
Great food and good service. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is a big ripoff. They overcharge for their food. Ordered tomatoe beef Hong Kong style and was charged $13.95 but the menu price was $11.35. Didn't notice it until I got home and later went back and confronted the owner about it. Her answer was, everyone is doing the same thing. What does that mean ? She's saying all restaurants are being dishonest and cheating people. Beware!!! Don't go there and have her cheat you for her satisfaction.
Always good food and great value! Chicken in black bean sauce is the best! Very convenient, too.
I ordered the chicken chow fun last night from this restaurant. All the instructions were followed except that I found out that they used precooked chicken ( probably use for teriyaki chicken). I have never eaten a chicken chow fun made with premade teriyaki chicken before. I remember now that I ordered a chicken fry vermicelli was the same.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Ordered here a few times and catered a family event from here. The staff and owners are friendly take care of their customers. A local restaurant we will continue to frequent.
DON'T GO HERE. UNFRIENDLY. CHEF USES BARE HANDS WHEN HANDLING YOUR FOOD. Being a business owner myself, I like to support the mom & pop shops. But the mom & pop here are NOT customer friendly... I've been here around 7-8 times mainly just to get a quick bite. I usually get a scoop of fried rice to go just to fill my stomach up really fast. Although the fried rice doesn't carry much flavor, I didn't mind and added soy sauce/ chili oil. Today, I went in to get their combo #2 for the first time. I got fried rice, sesame chicken, and green bean chicken. Immediately, I knew the fried rice would have no flavor (I solve that witch soy sauce and chili oil), but the sesame chicken.....Nothing but bread and sugar. I tried to just close my eyes and hold my breath as I ate it, because I hate being the customer that gives a hard time. But it made my stomach turn as I swallowed because I knew I was just eating fried bread with sugar dressing on it. I eventually broke apart the chicken pieces to verify that it was indeed....just bread with sugar and maybe 1% chicken. I went it very kindly to address this and ask for a refund because money is tight and I would like to spend my money elsewhere. I noticed immediately from the register, looking into the kitchen, that the chef was using his BARE hands while handling raw food. The woman (owner) laughed at me and looked at her employee as if I wasn't there when I addressed my issue. She continued to laugh as if she has a line out of her door of people coming in to eat their food. Eventually I was given HALF of what I paid and got laughed at as I left their restaurant. This place is not clean, their food sits in hot plates for LORD KNOWS HOW LONG. And from what I can see, they do not use gloves while handling any type of food. This place is not only unfriendly but dangerous for your health. Anyone can get a bacterial infection here, it is just a matter of time.
Pretty awful food. Do not by any means order the seafood. They overcook it until it's hard as a rock.
"Toa Yuen" is a small Chinese restaurant located in the Laurelwood Shopping Center in San Mateo, near Hwy 92 & West Hillsdale. This was my first time ordering food here! It was near 7pm, and the place was empty. This is one of those small restaurants with a menu of 100's of dishes and items. A little overwhelming for a first time customer. A nice lady came out to take my order, and she offered me several combo meals. I ordered: Kung Pao Prawns over White Rice, and Fried Chicken Wings (6). Guess what? I like the food here! - Kung Pao Prawns Over Rice was delicious! Seven plump and juicy prawns, with zucchini, onions, and red chili peppers. Stir-fried with gravy and poured over white rice. Not too salty, just good food for $10.95. - Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken Wings (6): Hot, fresh and juicy chicken wings! Crispy batter! $9.50 Good food at affordable prices! Located in the Laurelwood Shopping Center, West side of Campus Dr behind the Shell gas station.
I had lunch at the Toa Yuen restaurant at San Mateo. I ordered the plate with three options. I selected the orange chicken, fried rice and the green vegetables. The restaurant was clean, the staff is polite, and there are plenty of parking available. The food was just so so, the Choctaw’s not bad, but the rice and vegetables were bland. For a fast lunch was not bad, but could be better.