Chuan Yu

Chinese restaurant · Chinatown

Chuan Yu

Chinese restaurant · Chinatown

3

388 9th St #268, Oakland, CA 94607

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Chuan Yu by null
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Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
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Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
Chuan Yu by null
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Highlights

Authentic Sichuan & Hunan cuisine, known for dry pot & fish  

Featured on Michelin
Featured in Eater

388 9th St #268, Oakland, CA 94607 Get directions

chuanyuca.com

$$ · Menu

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Static Map

388 9th St #268, Oakland, CA 94607 Get directions

+1 510 891 1781
chuanyuca.com

$$ · Menu

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Last updated

Aug 18, 2025

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@michelinguide

"This Pacific Renaissance Plaza spot is a restaurant within a restaurant. Set on the second floor, it shares acreage with Sakura as well as the patio that overlooks downtown Oakland. The room is simple, with a host stand greeting diners. A long bar resides on the left; white booth seating on the right; and black tables run down the middle. A striking wall display of bottles puts diners in the mood for a sip before they sup.Service can be spotty, but all is forgiven when the Sichuan menu, complete with the classics, is presented. Portions are hefty, so bring a buddy and indulge in such refreshing starters as a lotus root salad with ginger and garlic sauce. This may be tailed by the likes of fiery mapo tofu or chongqing chicken for a tongue-numbing finish." - Michelin Inspector

https://guide.michelin.com/en/california/oakland/restaurant/chuan-yu
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@eater

Best Restaurants in Oakland Chinatown Open for Takeout and Delivery | Eater SF

"Chuan Yu opened during the pandemic and immediately built up a following for its traditional, and appropriately fiery, Sichuan and Hunan dishes — everything from classic water-boiled fish to harder-to-find specialties like a chile-laden plate of stir-fried chicken cartilage. This is the place to go to if you want Sichuan malatang or dry pot, both variants on a numbingly spicy hot pot meal." - Luke Tsai

https://sf.eater.com/maps/oakland-chinatown-restaurants-takeout-delivery
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@eater

The Bay Area’s Most Exciting Restaurant Openings - Eater SF

"Chuan Yu, a Szechuan and Hunan spot from the folks behind SF’s popular General Tso Kitchen, has opened inside the same space that houses Sakura Bistro, Berkeleyside reports." - Eve Batey

https://sf.eater.com/2020/8/31/21408896/fall-winter-restaurant-bar-openings-takeout-delivery-san-francisco-2020
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Jessica Sun

Google
What a sleeper hit! This place has amazing pan fried pork buns and soup dumplings. Dare I say, even better than the world reknown Din Tai Fung! But my favorite has got to be their Sichuan spicy dry pot which is not to be missed. Since discovering this place, I've gone multiple times and the quality has consistently been top notch. And they're apparently on the Michelin list to boot!

Jennifer Darconte

Google
Absolutely fantastic! We had Shanghai Dumplings, combination rice, edamame. The service was wonderful. Very friendly and quick. The atmosphere is nice.

Jackie F

Google
Disgusting! The mala xiangguo tasted awful – the tofu skin in it was rock-hard and stuck in my throat. The rice was also unpleasantly hard and difficult to swallow. Charging over $60 for a mala xiangguo this badly made? Unbelievable. 太难吃 麻辣香锅味道不好,里的腐竹硬的卡嗓子。 米饭也硬的难以下咽。 一个麻辣香锅六十几块钱,做的还这么难吃。我真是服了。
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Samantha G.

Yelp
Ordered this to go, but I literately just remembered to take picture when I'm eating the last piece of the fish Pickup 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!
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Danielle K.

Yelp
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!
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Daniel N.

Yelp
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!
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Tiffany S.

Yelp
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.
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Fatty A.

Yelp
This use to be my go to spot for spicy dry hot pot. Unfortunately I will no longer be ordering food from here because they are unable to fulfill an order correctly. I got 6 mouths feed. If one goes hungry then child protective services will be knocking on my door.
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Wendy C.

Yelp
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.
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Jane M.

Yelp
I'm sorry to say: terrible. Instead of fried rice they gave us beef with noodles, which had overly-chewy beef and seriously under-cooked noodles (really hard). Numbing fish fillets turned out to be in soup, and so they weren't numbing at all. Dried bean curd strips (yuba) with celery were not soaked enough -- also hard as rocks. So bad we couldn't help but wonder if some other restaurant had cooked the meal and was in such a terrible hurry they did everything wrong. Sad.
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Richard H.

Yelp
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.
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Kay D.

Yelp
WHEN: Saturday @ 6:30pm DINE IN SERVICE Not wait at all!! It was a quiet Saturday evening, only 3-4 tables of customers. Chuan Yu and Sakura requires a proof of vaccination card in order to dine in. Be ready when they ask. Our server was very nice. She was attentive to our needs, and checked up on us during our meal. It's a great date night restaurant if you want to dine in. The restaurant ambiance is quiet, casual, they have a drink menu. It's definitely not your typically Chinese restaurant vibe, it's more romantic and quiet than that. WHAT WE ORDERED E6 chili Szechuan fish $16 It doesn't have that Szechuan spicy numbness kick to it. I'm not a fan of spicy food but I was able to eat the fish and the chili oil. Eggplants with basils $15 This veggie dish surprised me with how delicious and tasty it was. I'm unsure what sauce it is, it goes with the eggplants so we'll. I couldn't stop eating it, it was the perfect pairing to the chili Szechuan fish. 2 white rice Each entree doesn't come with white rice. You'll have to order separately. I ordered their beef with bean curd and celery before. It was the main photo on their Yelp, apparently they took off that menu item :(. Chuan Yu should remove the menu item photos that are no longer serving. VALUE The entree dishes are between $11-20 each. It's relatively decent price for Bay Area Chinese food. They're known for their Szechuan dry pot and Szechuan fish. Next time I'd go again with more people and try the dry pot.
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Jeff C.

Yelp
I am Taiwanese and this spot is definitely an authentic Szechuan spot. I only ordered the chili dumplings and they were good but lacked the slight sweetness that most chili dumplings I've tried before had. They were still yummy. This spot also has a Japanese menu that goes under a different name as well. I came after normal lunch hrs and the service was quick and friendly
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Regina C.

Yelp
Enjoyed coming here for takeout and dining in person. The numbing fish fillet dish is my go to and it's a very enjoyable numbing (not from a ton of chili oil) and it's broth is also seasoned just right and not too salty. Of note from a recent visit is the host, Alim, who made sure to really welcome and make sure two young sisters had a memorable birthday experience. They enjoyed chatting with him and he made for a very family friendly visit! He went above and beyond to get to know the table.
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Dave E.

Yelp
The Szechuan food here was excellent, in particular the cucumber salad, fried green beans and mapo tofu! We also had the preserved eggs with chili's, which were also surprisingly good! Highly recommend this spot.
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Scott W.

Yelp
Tired following a long hike in the Redwood Regional Park and unwilling to make the long schlep from our base in Oakland to San Francisco for the Chinese meal we sorely craved, my bride + I did the next best thing- Found the best reviewed Chinese restaurant in Oakland's underrated Chinatown. Note: Chuan Yu is NOT easy to find! Our Google Maps navigator had us walking aimlessly up + down Franklin & 9th streets searching in vain 'til we ventured upstairs to the second floor of the mall where Chuan Yu is nestled inside the Sakura Sushi House. This was five star Szechuan cuisine let down by minor pitfalls on the service side. Examples include having to take our vegetable spring rolls to go because the server forgot to key them in w/ the balance of our order or how she misunderstood my request for the vegan chow mein to be served with chicken; conversely, she brought us two orders of chow mein (one vegan + one chicken). My wife and daughter are both lifelong Sushi lovers and she proclaimed her Sake Salmon Sushi, beautifully arrayed in a foil boat, the finest such delicacy she's ever sampled. Our Kung Pao Chicken was truly a revelation. The chefs here caramelize their coated chicken w/ liberal use of minced ginger along with the use of kung pao staples like wok-seared onions, bell peppers, white+1 meat chicken + toasted peanuts. The resulting flavor is a kick of twang on the back of your bite. Very different from the forty other versions of this dish that we've tried + a real stone cold stunner!! Developmentally the bathrooms were clean but the men's side smelled bad enough to make a maggot gag! Chuan Yu Mgmt: Pls consider burning some candles in there! In sum, Leti & I are overjoyed that we discovered this GEM of Oakland's Chinatown. This is savory, stick to your ribs Szechuan cuisine that's reasonably priced and you don't hafta foray into San Francisco to eat it!!
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Kristin Q.

Yelp
Food: 7/10 Service: 7/10 Portion size: 9/10 Value: 9/10 Wait time: no wait for Sunday at lunch The restaurant serves both the Chuan Yu Bistro and the Sakura Bistro menus at one location! Just want to say that upfront because I was confused on where Chuan Yu was. My group of four, got the dry pot with pork belly, bamboo shoots, intestine and noodle with medium spice. I like how you are able to pick your meat and 3 sides as well to personalize it! It had a lot of flavor and was spicy. Also cool because I'm never had dry pot before. It comes out on a wok with fire underneath to keep it hot! For our other entree we tried the schezwan fish in chili oil. It was delicious! Spicer than the dry pot so be careful since you cannot choose the spice level. The fish fillets were tender and melted in my mouth. There was also a lot of big pieces of fish. The numbing spice was amazing! Also comes with so veggies. I ordered a side of rice to help balance the flavor/spice. For sides we got the green beans, green onion pancake, and spicy wontons. I would say get the green beans but I could do without the other two. The onion pancake was dry and lacked flavor. The wontons just seemed like regular wontons with a simple hot sauce, nothing spectacular. Definitely good value! We had 4 people and 2 main dishes and 3 sides with leftovers! Service was okay, not too personal and would occasionally forget to check in or update us when we asked if there were any peanut ingredients for a food allergy. But other than that they were responsive. Maybe there was also a language barrier.

J S.

Yelp
Just finished eating here for the first time. Very good service. The food is a little pricey but the portions are good. I actually came here to try their pan fried soup dumplings - which were not bad. They could be more soupy inside but considering how hard it is to find a restaurant who has soup dumplings on the menu these were tasty. I also ordered their hotpot in a medium spicy broth with 6 items. Flavorful, decent spice, and good portions. We came around 2pm on Sunday and the restaurant was empty. It's on the upper floor (right next to Peony seafood restaurant) so there is limited foot traffic. I highly recommend coming here and giving them a chance.

Bearies Z.

Yelp
I ordered spicy dry pot with additional beef slices, corn, instant noodles, quail eggs, pork belly, and pork intestine that were charged for extra money. But the portion was super small; it was so funny that I paid $2.68 for a little slice of corn. It was totally not worth it!
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Grant C.

Yelp
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.
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Jie L.

Yelp
Wanted to try this Szechuan place since the only other option in the neighborhood is Spicies 3 and I found their food to be a bit too salty, so I got very excited when Chuan Yu popped up. I ordered for take out (because safety first !) I ordered 4 dishes: Chicken in Hot Chili Sauce, Beef and Beef Tendon in Chili Oil, Spicy Squid Whiskers, and Chongqing Fish Fillet in Chili Oil. The chicken in hot chilil sauce aka saliva chicken was the best dish, it tastes a bit different than the traditional style, but it was good enough. The spicy Squid was my next favorite, but because of the take out box they used to carry it, the squid was no longer crunchy by the time I ate it. Beef & tendon in chili oil was a bit sad and the fish in chili oil came in two quarts. I would say their entrees was good value, lots of food, but the appetizers was a bit pricey in comparison. The food does get more salty the more you eat it tho, which is kinda funny, because the first bite, it's not salty enough.
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Victor G.

Yelp
Chuan Yu Is General Tso transplanted from S.F. they share kitchen & dining space with Sakura Bistro. just a banner on the left side of door showing Chuan Yu's prescene. take out and dining in front or back available. offerings: Sichuan & Hunan cuisine. (large list) eats: Kung Po Chicken (9.95) -big portion of fresh tasting unbreaded chicken pieces with crunchy slices of red/green bell peppers & celery. -ma la oil not used but the chili pieces definitely hot, got a piece into my throat, was coughing & sneezing like mad... -i avoided sauce on bottom of tray, unknown how spicy it might be.

Arthur W.

Yelp
Incredibly decadent sashimi-- no joke, that shit was like butter and tasted like what I imagine "velvet" would taste like if it were a taste instead of a texture. Oishi roll is Oin-point! The Lamb chops were succulent and savory, cooked very well. Teriyaki Short Ribs where juicy, tasty, and with a good amount of fat. Great find in Oakland Chinatown. And, albeit 4th of July, I pay homage to American exceptionalism by celebrating our melting pot of a nation and eating sushi. They got cheap Sake, too! #merica
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Tiffany F.

Yelp
4 stars for food 5 stars for price/portions Ordered the flaming lotus root pot, chongqing spicy chicken, and beef with bean curd. All were overall delicious- but the chicken and beef could've tasted slightly better compared to the other Chinese places I've been to. However their prices/portions are unbeatable and these three dishes were still very good. Will definitely come back again and support the local business!
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Amanda C.

Yelp
Wow. This place is a hidden gem! Oakland Chinatown gets pretty quiet at night. This place is on the top floor of the Pacific Renaissance Center (富興中心) and it's the only one open in the area. It shares a place with a Japanese restaurant. They also have patio seating in the back. Our family loves Sichuan food and this place meets our standard in terms of authenticity and spicy level (our comparable would be Z&Y restaurant in SF Chinatown). A lot of time, Sichuan recipe is not as spicy anymore or it's been more tone-down to appeal to a broader audience but I really appreciate this place trying to make it real! We got their boiled fish with cabbage (nice kick of numbing spice from their green peppercorns and sourness of the preserved cabbage), fish fillet in chili oil, Chongqing spicy chicken (imagine popcorn chicken with chili spices), Sichuan pepper chicken (spicy oil cooked chicken), and some veggies. Everything was delicious and numbingly spicy! Hospitality was also on point. They kept coming out to check on us and refilling hot tea (since patio seating can be bit chilly). Comped us with miso soups and their chefs marinated spicy beef jerky. LASTLY, their price was unbeatable. For the price and quality of the meal, along with the attentiveness of our servers, I'd def be back and would recommend y'all to try them out if you want some spicy food during a cold winter night!
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Serena J.

Yelp
Quarantine review: We were looking for a place to do outdoor dining and saw there were a few tables in the front. After wandering in, we were led to a much more spacious outdoor dining area in the back with six tables. The location confusingly shares a space with Sakura bistro. I was excited to eat Szechuan food with a side of sushi (two of my favorite cuisines!), but the boyfriend vetoed that because "they don't go well together" *eyeroll*. We ordered the stir fried beef with cumin and the lotus root with ginger sauce. Rice costs extra, tea is free. The dishes were really affordable, yet still authentic and tasty. Service was excellent, but maybe that's because we were the only customers there for Saturday lunch. Spread the news! It's a nice setup, and there's not much other outdoor dining in Chinatown.
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David Y.

Yelp
Incredible Szechuan food, I really thought this had good value and awesome service. Portions were huge. Everything we had was stellar, would definitely return to this place.
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Jason P.

Yelp
This place is located in inside Sakura Bistro right next door to Peony Seafood on the second level of the Bank of America Financial Center. Like everyone else has mentioned, it can be confusing as it seems that there are 2 restaurants operating out of 1 location, which is really the case. I had ordered pickup thru DoorDash, but the interesting thing I discovered was that their prices on DD were exactly the same as thru their regular menu! Where other places typically up-charge to keep up with DD's outrageous fees to restaurants, Chuan Yu has managed to give zero effs. However, I think need to increase their prices on DD's platform, at least so they don't lose out on their profits. In any case, I like it when restaurant prices are somehow able to match DD's. This tactic gets my business every time. It makes me feel like I'm saving money (but at the restaurants cost.) Sorry, Chuan Yu. At least you were able to get my business (and my review). On to the food... I ordered Sautéed Bullfrog in Chili Oil and Griddle Cooked Lotus Root. The flavors were awesome because I love that spicy northern Chinese cuisine. The bullfrog was as frog legs should be: the taste of chicken with the tenderness of fish. My only wish was that the frog wasn't so chopped up as it was a little difficult to navigate around the bones. Lotus root was cooked perfectly. Overall, I have no other complaints, and I cannot wait to try more dishes from here!

Zev C.

Yelp
This is the worst Sichuan restaurant I've ever been to. We ordered the Chongqing spicy chicken and the spicy boiled fish, two classic Sichuan dishes, and both were soggy and devoid of flavor. I don't know how or why this got onto the Michelin guide, but you'd be better served going to Spices 3 a couple blocks away.
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Fei X.

Yelp
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!
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Michelle L.

Yelp
I love dry pot so when I saw one finally open in the East Bay I was super excited! The only other good restaurants that serve dry pot are all the way in the South Bay which is almost an hour drive for me so i'm rarely able to get it. This restaurant is significantly closer so when I found it on yelp I knew i had to come try it. It's located in Oakland Chinatown on the second floor of a plaza, next to the old Peony Restaurant. The restaurant is special because it's combined with Sakura Bistro Tapas and Sake Bar which is a Japanese sushi restaurant, so their menu has both Szechuan cuisine and Japanese cuisine.Their Japanese sushi menu has a great happy hour with cheap drinks, appetizers and sushi rolls and their Szechuan menu has dry pot and mala hot pot where you get to pick and choose your ingredients. They also have typical Szechuan chinese cuisine on their menu, which I didn't try but looked pretty authentic when I saw other tables eating it. We ordered from both menus so we ordered a caterpillar roll and also a dry pot with frog as the main protein. The ingredients compared to other dry pot places was definitely lacking in quantity and the flavor was a bit off but overall it was good considering this restaurant isn't 100% Szechuan chinese food. I wish the portions were a bit larger but for the price it was worth it. Definitely worth a try if you're craving Szechuan styled food in the area - especially dry pot or anything mala flavored!
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Claudia W.

Yelp
First time at this restaurant since it has high Yelp rating, it was a total disappointment, nothing tasted what it should be as described on the menu, mediocre service and the bill was $130 + tip for 5 was a bit too expensive for lunch. Shanghai steam dumplings, skin was too thick, hardly any taste. It was our first experience and definitely our last. We won't be back
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Eva L.

Yelp
Great spot for delicious Sichuan style malatang and dry pot! Located on the 2nd floor of Pacific Renaissance Plaza and next to Peony Seafood Restaurant, Chuan Yu is actually located alongside Sakura Bistro - they operate jointly in the same location. I've had their food delivered before and was impressed by their dishes (esp since it was a 30 min drive for delivery). The things to get are their malatang (they call it hot spicy dips $19.88) and dry pot ($23.88)! When you dine in make sure you ask for a marker to check off the ingredients you want if you're ordering any of these 2 dishes. The menu is easy to read and self explanatory with customization available. The flavors are good and balanced - I order medium spicy and it's perfect for me. Portion is just right, the flavors are there and they use quality ingredients! Great place to check out while in Chinatown!
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Danny W.

Yelp
This is my new favorite Szechuan place in Oakland's Chinatown. I've been here a few times prior and it's always delicious! I knew it's a favorite when tonight I went out of my way to grab dinner. Authentic consistently good!
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Stacy K.

Yelp
Folks, there is "Chinese" food, and there is Chinese food - this is definitely the latter. I absolutely enjoyed everything I ordered and have them bookmarked for the future. If you are looking for crab Rangoon, this may not be for you. I ordered the garlic lettuce (so flavorful and fresh), preserved eggs with fried green peppers (if you love the eggs in ramen, you have found nirvana in this dish - you're welcome), wonton soup with such a light and flavorful broth, and the combo fried rice. Literally everything was delicious. The preserved eggs were in my dreams last night... and my stomach. It was worth it!
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Angel Z.

Yelp
Honestly, I am debating whether to give this place 3 or 4 stars. While the food is excellent and tastes authentic, my experience with takeout/delivery was underwhelming. To start off, I am a huge fan of Sichuan food and the Mala taste that they incorporate into their dishes. I peeped Yelp and noticed that there was a new place that opened up recently. After being super indecisive of whether or not to put a hole in my wallet, I finally decided to pull the trigger and ordered the Combo for 2 (that includes an appetizer, two free bowls of rice, and three dishes for 10% off), along with the Shrimp With Celery since my boyfriend cannot handle spicy food. Pros: - food was packed nicely, though I'm not sure why the receipt had "Sakura Bistro" on it - food came piping hot where you could still see the steam - generous portions, excellent value for the dishes - appetizer of Spicy and Sour Crispy Cucumber Salad is tasty, has perfect amount of spice and refreshing crunch, didn't really taste the sourness though - Fish Fillet in Chili Oil was soft and melted in my mouth, had plenty of spice (though they could do without so many peppercorns; made dish a little bitter) - Mapo Tofu was extremely tender - Mapo Tofu was also lathered in chili oil and peppercorns, had numbing taste that I love - Mapo Tofu sauce was abundant and went well with the side of rice - overall items tasted authentic and what I would typically expect from Sichuan/Hunan cooking Cons: - rice was a bit chewy and not as soft as I how I prefer it -we asked for Stir-Fried Green Beans in the Combo for 2, they gave us Stir Fried Beef with Celery and Bean Curd instead; replacement of the beef was disappointing because I try to avoid beef - item (Celery with Shrimp) was missing from our order UPDATE: the restaurant and Jerry reached out and clarified things! It was an honest rare mistake by the waitress. Will have to take them on their offer of 20% off and free items by visiting in person next time! Thank you for going beyond to try to make things right!
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Kristina C.

Yelp
We had never experienced Chinatown in Oakland and decided to walk around and get some food. A lot of places are shut down or takeout only, this restaurant is luckily large enough for dining in! Very clean and safe, friendly staff too. We enjoyed our food!
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Stephanie M.

Yelp
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.
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Ken S.

Yelp
A very good Chinese restaurant sharing a space with the Japanese Restaurant Sakura ,but it's all good. Based on a bib gourmand recommendation, I went over on a rainy Sunday and even though no one was there ,the food was excellent

Dengke W.

Yelp
One of the best restaurant I've tried in Oakland Chinatown! I'm a frequent visitor

Ro R.

Yelp
Chicken corn soup, eggplant basil, veggie egg rolls were all bland and under seasoned. The chicken in the soup was barely edible - all the parts you'd typically get rid of. I went in person and ordered takeout and the host seemed really annoyed that I interrupted his lunch. I wouldn't recommend it based on the lack of flavor alone. Not worth the price.
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Dallas T.

Yelp
I love sichuan food, and after living in China for 11 years I came back to Oakland and found this yummy restaurant run by and mother daughter team. They had nice simple outdoor seating. I took a friend from Taiwan and her mom so we did most of the dishes lightly spicy. I will go back and get super Sichuan spicy next time. There were a lot of young people speaking Chinese, which is always a good sign. They only had Japanese beers but I won't take a star away for that. I am about to be a regular here soon. I kept forgetting to take photos but here are three:) I also think spicy lovers and non spicy lovers can both find what they want here.
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Jazzie A.

Yelp
Last night my roommate and I ordered take out from Chuan Yu. We ordered over the phone and then went over about 20 minutes later to pick it up. Since we were mainly going off of the street address, we were a little confused when we saw that the address corresponded to Sakura Bistro Tapas & Sake Bar. It turns out that these two restaurants are operating out of the same space. We ordered CC1 家乡风味生炒土鸡 Stir-fried Chicken with Pepper, CA10 水煮鱼 Fish Fillet in Chili Oil, and CD3 Stir-fried Green Beans. Upon arriving we were notified that they had run out of CD3 Stir-fried Green Beans, so we ended up canceling the order and might try it next time. CA10 水煮鱼 Fish Fillet in Chili Oil came in two plastic containers. The fish was tender and had just the flavor I was looking forward to. The dish also included a lot of mung beans, which I enjoyed. The Chicken was also tasty and required a little more effort to dig into as there were a lot of bones. I would not recommend this dish for people that don't like to deal with a lot of bones. Overall we thought the meal was pretty tasty.
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Ankush R.

Yelp
The meat is high quality which is the main difference I see between other options for delivery Chinese in Oakland. Portion sizes were large and appreciated. Ordered through DoorDash.

Yuan J.

Yelp
It's pretty good!! Really enjoyed the sushi and the steak. Would come here next time!
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R M.

Yelp
I enjoyed their mapo tofu, Kung pao chicken lunch box (Bento E) a couple weeks ago. Today I wanted to order from them and they bumped up the price by $3!!! For a lunch box! I will not be ordering from them for now. Sad since I thought I found a new Chinese place to order delivery from.

Daniel S.

Yelp
Nestled inside a Japanese restaurant, this Sichuan spot is surprisingly excellent. We got the dry pot and the chongqing fish in oil - both were super tasty. Seasoning was just right, and prices were reasonable. Would recommend over Spices 3, which is too intense on the salt and oil for my tastes. Definitely will be back!
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Sam L.

Yelp
Having been to many Sichuan restaurants and had a roommate from Sichuan before, I got a pretty good sense on what authentic Sichuan food taste like. Well, Chuan Yu seemed pretty authentic based on the three dishes I had. It was one of the best cheap meals I've ever had in the Bay Area. I got the boiled fish fillet with pickled cabbage, Kung-Pao chicken and garlic lettuce (A-choy).

Xuanyi S.

Yelp
The dry pot & the spicy chicken cartilage are firrrre Also the service is S tier! Highly recommended

Mary G.

Yelp
Spicy Dry pot is soo yummy!!! The beef slices are sooo good!!! Definitely recommend it!!
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J S.

Yelp
They cook well from a technical standpoint. The mouthwatering chicken 口水鸡 was cooked well. However the 辣油 spicy oil and the 麻 numbing peppers are poor quality. This is sichuan food dumbed down in flavor and spice. Wish people would stop using shitty tilapia for their fish dishes like peppercorn chicken, 水煮鱼 If the peppers and sichuan pepper quality were better this would be a better restaurant

Angela C.

Yelp
Had the string beans for lunch. Super good! This place is the same restaurant as Sakura Bistro, both on the second floor.

Rick W.

Yelp
They have great service and comfort food. Definitely would come back again with friends and family! They are not overpriced at all!