Taiwan Restaurant

Today I dined at Taiwan Restaurant on Lincoln Ave in San Jose, CA, and unfortunately, it was not a pleasant experience. The tea cups were extremely dirty, and we had to clean them ourselves before using them. The plates and utensils were also grimy, which was very off-putting. When we ordered tea, no stirring utensils were provided. Although the serving sizes were plentiful, the quality of the food was subpar. We had some vegetables that were covered in the typical dirt you’d see when you first purchase produce which requires thorough washing. Overall, it was a disappointing visit, and I hope they improve their cleanliness and service standards.

From the moment we walked in, the service was slow and staff seemed uninterested. We ordered hot tea that never came, plus spicy chicken, honey walnut prawns, steamed vegetables, and chicken fried rice—all completely bland with no flavor. The worst part: when we poured our Sprites into glasses of ice, we found black bugs floating in both. Totally disgusted we stop eating and ask for the bill we paid and tried to leave. But server started arguing about the tip instead of apologizing and talking about the issue. Horrible food, poor customer service, and zero cleanliness. I’d never recommend this restaurant to anyone.

We’ve been going to this Chinese restaurant for years. We ordered take-out tonight, Sweet&Sour Pork and Broccoli & Beef. Very disappointed, the pork was way too fatty and the beef lacked tenderness. At 19+ per entree I expect a much better experience. I think they may be resting on the laurel a little too much and getting lazy.. C’mon guys, you’re better than this!

The salad we received with our lunch special was underwhelming. I ordered hot and sour soup and received wonton soup which was flavorless, and very oily. The twice-cooked pork and cod with garlic sauce was decent. The dumplings with peanut sauce was forgettable. Honestly they weren't even dumplings. Staff inside were very nice. Place was clean. Restaurant is located in a very nice neighborhood.

The food here is amazing! My husband used to travel often to China & Taiwan. He says this is the best Chinese food he's ever had. I agree!

This is my favorite Chinese food restaurant. I found by mistake. You should go between 11-2pm for the lunch special. My favorite is the broccoli prawns, chowmein, and wonton soup. They also give you a small chicken salad that's really good. The food is so good. I've taken my sister, friend, and family there. Love it

Honestly not the best Asian food I've had. The lunch specials come with a soup and salad, both were mediocre. The wonton soup had a layer of oil floating on top, 2 pieces of wontons, and a flavorless broth. I'm not sure why they call the dumplings "dumplings" when they're really just slightly bigger wontons. The entrees weren't bad. The portion and flavors were pretty good, and they came out very quickly. Too bad the service wasn't great. We won't be back.

Highly recommend this restaurant. The food is very delicious and tasty. The service is good. There is not plenty of parking around this area but this place is very good.

Taiwan Restaurant is a great local staple in the Willow Glen community, my family have been coming here for years. We had a small gathering in July and I was not in the mood to cook anything major. I had great customer service when ordering the small party platters and appreciated the suggestions for how much to order. The egg rolls were a big hit with both adults and children. I highly recommend!

My family and I have enjoyed coming to Taiwan Restaurant for over ten years. We made a reservation for Saturday night and when we arrived, we were greeted and promptly seated. Our server was very friendly and helpful with assisting with allergies. We ordered the honey walnut chicken and needed it made without cornstarch. She suggested to have the chicken sautéed. This ended up being super yummy and fresh! We also got Mongolian prawns, pineapple fried rice, wor wonton soup, and Mushu pork. The Mushu Pork is so fresh and the vegetables are delicious- they don't get lost in the sauce. Love that they have family dinner options available. Lots of choices! The restaurant is very clean and the tables are all nicely set. I would recommend for a date, a family meal, or for takeout. It's an awesome choice! Can't wait to go back next time we are in the Bay.

Dinner tonight was Chinese takeout from Taiwan Restaurant in Willow Glen. I've eaten there a handful of times over the years and thought the food was okay, but it never particularly stood out to me. Until tonight! I had pork egg foo young and beef with snow peas and it was WOW. So good. Fresh and hot with lots of flavor. I will be eating there much more often from now on.

We had their food catered. I would say it was average. Pretty bland. I would recommend Hong's in Saratoga.

The food is absolutely excellent. My wife had their chicken. I had their pork and it was unbelievable. Yummy I would recommend this as we will be back.

My boyfriend's family has been coming here for decades. This is the staple Chinese food restaurant in WG! The chow mein here is the best thing on the menu. The broccoli and beef was kinda greasy. Price is ehh, we paid 74 for 3 things via DoorDash including delivery costs. They never mess up the order which is great and they're always quick. There's actually quite a busy group inside the restaurant too if you want to sit down. Will keep coming back.

Excellent flavors. Friendly staff. I did pickup both times. They thoughtfully called to check when I was late to pick up the food.

While our food was good, it took a long time just to put in our drink order and we were the only ones in the restaurant for dinner at the time. In addition, the owner sat in the dining room at one of the tables and talked super loudly in the phone with the speaker on. This was very distracting and not a good atmosphere for dining. There were several tables occupied at the time and he still continued to sit there and talk.

Food was yummy! The fried rice was presented in a unique way and our server was lovely.

The food is terrific, my mom and I come here often for lunch. The restaurant has a very large, leather-bound binder that has hundreds of dishes on its many pages. There's a size limit on photos here, but there some dishes here for everyone, the dishes are classified by type of meats, vegetables, etc. The restaurant is very nicely decorated, it's a place to bring friends and family for a meal. Parking is free, located behind the restaurant, drive past the front and go down an alley behind a shed marked with an arrow for Taiwan Restaurant parking.

The food was incredible would definitely come again for that. But the service was extremely lacking and I'm very disappointed in the waitress and owner here. She didn't check on us at all besides bringing the food. We even flagged her down and asked for utensils and she never returned. On top of that the owner was behind us buttering up the customers behind us and even pulled the lady away from clearing our table to introduce herself to the table beside us. How disappointing and rude, what kind of service is that? Being kind and attentive to other customers and intentionally leaving your table unhelped. She even forgot to bring us our last dish! We had to ask somebody else to go check!! The only redeeming factor of the service was the help we received by the bussing staff. It's not even their job to help check our food or bring us stuff but he was very kind and quick. Besides that the food was very good, didn't taste greasy or oversalted.

Great food, feels very relaxing eating here. And the service is good. My favorite meal Kung Pao Beef & Broccoli ( Not on the menu but they are nice enough to make it) Walnut Shrimp/Chicken Shrimp Chow Mein

If i was able to give 0 stars I would 100% From the moment we walked in, we were given menus that were sticky and dirty. The plate and fork that is sitting on the tables was dusty. My partner and I ordered the calamari but it was extremely chewy ( felt like i was chewing bubble gum ). The severs did not check up on us until it was time to give us the bill. Food was just drowned in sauce and tasted like if it was made days ago and reheated in the microwave. The broccoli beef was very chewy too and broccoli tasted old. We ordered fried rice as well and it took 20 minutes for us to receive it and it was cold. It was not a lot of people at the restaurant but our food took forever to arrive. At the end when we got our bill, I decided not to tip because food and service was really bad. When the host saw we didn't tip she said " you not going to tip?" and then said "no because service was bad" and i said "thank you" and walked away and she said "thank you for what ". I regret spending my money on this place.

Food is always tremendous and service is beyond. Very friendly staff and quick service . If you want real orange chicken this is the place . Owner himself is always so kind and inviting!!

They are celebrating 42 years in business! And you don't get to stick around for 42 years without consistent quality and great service. This restaurant is a neighborhood favorite!

Service was friendly. But the food was very mediocre at best Got some noodles, can't remember which, but they had no flavor Too bad I really wanted to like this place but I don't recommend it

Worst meal I have eaten in memory. I am not kidding. You get the idea when the mushu pork is served with tortillas. Seriously. 5 people. $200+ Awful. And a disclaimer. I grew up going there often. Loved it ( prior ownership). They should start over or close.

Is Taiwan authentic Taiwanese food or Chinese food? Arguably not. But is it good food? Absolutely. We've been coming to Taiwan for over 20 years. Different owners, certainly; but there's something extremely comforting about its continuity in offering up excellent food quality and service over that time. Hopefully it will continue for the foreseeable future. Don't miss the simple but delish mushu, Wok seared scallion beef, and tofu with leeks in a black bean sauce. The decor has changed a little over the years but remains to be better than most neighborhood Chinese restaurants.

Our family's favorite Chinese restaurant, been coming here since the early 80's. None of us live near anymore so we make it a point to come here when we are in town. Favorites: General's Chicken Honey Walnut Prawns Spicy Chili Prawns Pork dumplings in Peanut Sauce Crispy Eggplant with Garlic Sauce Mongolian Beef Wok Seared Beef with Scallions Always great friendly service and delicious food.

Possibly the worst dinner service I have ever experienced. We had reservations at 6:15pm, and from the time we sat down to the time we got our food was nearly 2 hours. The staff was just not ready to handle the christmas eve rush. We didn't get all our glasses of water filled as someone was not rotating with water. We also sat down before a table of 6, and the waiter took their order before ours. One star, was for the food. The food was pretty decent! Most likely won't be coming back :(

First time back in over 10 years. Hot and sour soup, was more sour than spicy hot. Definitely needed some white pepper or something. The Asian chicken salad was pretty sad. Yikes. Don't order the Mongolian beef. It's beef w zucchini. Tastes nothing like any other restaurants Mongolian beef. Wish I looked up pictures before I ordered, so I'd have known to order something else. Too much tenderizer used on the beef. It had a soft chicken feel rather than a more firm beef texture. And you can see it's way too wet / saucy. The kung pao chicken was ok. Not sure I'll be coming back to try again. FYI. Seems like most of the lunch specials are close to $15.95 before tax and tip.

We have been coming here for years and lately, the quality and the consistency has been lacking. To be fair, we order takeout and can't check until we get home. We have ordered in person a few times and found the food, service and quality to be very good. It just seems like their takeout service needs a lot of work.

Came here with my dad for a third time since it's his favorite Asian restaurant and we were craving warm comfort food on a cold rainy night, and it was another pleasant experience. Our server Eduardo was amazing as usual and the food was delicious as always.

Such great service and the food is really some of the best Asian food I've had! They had a special of salt and pepper pork chops which were so awesome! The Mongolian beef was so tender and flavorful, the walnut shrimp outstanding, lemon chicken was so yummy, chicken salad not to be missed and all was wonderful with their fried rice. I love going there when I visit my Aunt and Uncle in Willow Glen! It's definitely worth the drive from Pacific Grove.

If you live in or close to Willow Glen. If you were raised here. You know. Taiwan Restaurant is the BEST FOOD EVER. I have been coming here since I was a child. If anyone says anything bad about this place all any one needs to know is This restaurants food is the best in California, if not the whole world. The salad and hot and sour soup are personal favorites and I will pay to know the ingredients to the salad dressing.

IMHO My friend told me to pick the Willow Glen restaurant of my choice for my birthday lunch. I had a hankering for Chinese and remembered the yummy lunch special I enjoyed a while ago at Taiwan Restaurant. I ordered the same special I had last time; sweet and sour pork, won ton soup, and Chinese chicken salad, $13.95. I loved that I had a choice of either won ton soup or hot & sour soup. I much prefer the won ton. I just wish I had one extra won ton instead of the two. The soup broth was very good except it was served lukewarm. I like my soups to be hot. I absolutely love the Chinese chicken salad, and so glad it is part of the lunch special meal. The sweet and sour pork was hot, pungent, and delicious! My friend ordered the sauteed chicken w/garlic and zucchini lunch special, $15.95. She loved her meal (and she usually doesn't like Chinese food.) Portions were generous and allowed us to bring home leftovers. Service was friendly and accommodating. Of course, we will return!

I love their pineapple fried rice. They have some gluten free options which is great because I didn't think that would be possible. The service was very attentive. We were sat right away and it was quiet until more people came in. The bathrooms were very large and clean.

This past Sunday was no meat consumption day. I follow the lunar calendar, religious driven. That basically means Gavin and I will omit meat from our intake that day. We both love tofu. The challenge was.. it was raining and we had a dog from the Humane Society of Silicon Valley so following it was a challenge. I first called Straw Hat in Milpitas. I called Red Robin. I called Eureka. I even drove by a food truck (we can do cheese quesadilla) but due to the weather, outdoor patio wasn't open so we agreed to eat normal and eat no meat the next day (Monday 2/6). I pick Gavin up from school. I have walked by and driven by this restaurant countless times. I have also heard great things about it but never went. I was in a bind so decided to try it out. My original plan was to go to Dong Phuong to buy tofu. Walked in and see scattered groups. People eat lunch around 2PM?! I was tended to right away. The gentleman that took my order was friendly and made me feel very welcome. The tofu chow fun isn't on the menu so I was very happy when he said they can accommodate my request. He asked if I wanted soft tofu or fried. I waited barely 7 minutes. Ordered 2 tofu chow fun. Comes in meal prep containers. The chow fun was delicious. The rice wide noodles are delicate however, none were broken. The fried tofu was tender w/ a super light rubbery texture. It kept in the dark and light soy sauce used to make this dish. Not really greasy. Very comforting meal. Gavin and I enjoyed it!

We went for lunch at this place and got a major stomach upset. Low quality ingredients / questionable sanitation. Unless you want to get food poisoning, safe yourself the hassle and do not go here

My family and I have been coming here for years. It's our favorite Chinese restaurant in San Jose. We came here to celebrate my birthday and had a great experience. The owner was there and he's always very pleasant and kind. He made sure we had a great time celebrating my birthday. The food was delicious. There are items we order regularly and it is always same good quality and same taste each time. Favorites are hot sour soup, egg rolls, garlic eggplant, fresh cod garlic sauce, any chicken item.

Tried Taiwan Restaurant for dinner and overall had a good experience. The fried rice was flavorful and not too greasy, and the dumplings were crisp and fresh. The decor gives off a nice traditional vibe, which adds to the atmosphere. Service was polite, although a bit slow when it got busy. Will likely come back to try more dishes!

I went with my daughter and we loved it. While I do appreciate reviews but I like checking it out for myself and honestly the service was wonderful. My daughter got the crab special and I got the champagne brunch, the salad, and appetizers along with my main dish the garlic cod was so delicious. I'm honestly ready to come back with the rest of our family.

Solid Chinese food, but nothing to separate it from anywhere else. Good in a pinch if you need it.

We've been coming here for years for their outstanding service and delicious food. During the COVID days we ordered food to go regularly to make sure they keep their door open. I'm ecstatic to see the restaurant is packed again! Our favorite time to go is during their Sunday Champagne Brunch. You get 1. a choice of either wonton or hot and sour soup, 2. usually Chinese chicken salad (my favorite) or appetizer like egg rolls, 3. an entrée, and rice (can upgrade to fried rice or noodles for added cost) plus a glass of champagne or soft drink all included at a very reasonable price.

poor customer service food was too greasy they rushed us by cleaning up while we ate i asked for a water refill and they gave everyone else at my table water but mine when I mentioned it again he looked at me and walked away they tipped themselves using my card I'm definitely going to be disputing with my bank i understand tipping which I have no problem doing but they wrote it on my receipt once i put my card to pay they didn't even give me a chance to put it myself they argued with my fiance when he asked why they wrote the amount and said they didn't charge but when I double checked my receipt, they did charge it and it was how much they wanted not what we planned on will never be returning again Be careful and make sure to everything before paying

They didn't pay attention to when my wife asked for more water just walked passed us while refilling water at our table they also tipped themselves without letting us fill in that potion of the check

Pretty good place for reasonable prices. It's in busy Willow glen shopping area so parking might be rough. We were helped with Jane she was great throughout the service and always kept us updated on the food being prepared. Food was great we ordered ( chicken fried rice, orange chicken with the sauce on the side, pot stickers and salt pepper egg plant. First time here and would definitely come back

Unfortunately, we found the food bland. And they charge extra for fried rice on the lunch menu. Disappointing as I had been here before and enjoyed it. Has there been a change of owners?

Bad service and food not good for the price only have water once never again and we spent over 400 on food

I really wanted to like this restaurant. It was my first time trying it and we ordered * Chow Mein * Chow Fun * Fried Rice * Orange Chicken * Honey Walnut Prawns Service: The staff were very nice when I arrived and I got my to go order in no time. Food: The only thing that I enjoyed were the Honey Walnut Prawns, they were delicious and cooked to perfection. However, the rest of the items just missed the mark for me and my partner. For the price they charge, we didn't find the food worth it.

My little family was having lunch at one of Willow Glen's downtown eateries and unfortunately for us, our 22 month old was not a fan of the food. With the weather being so nice out we went on a trekking adventure to find something she would enjoy. We came across cute little boutiques, a few crafty businesses, but nothing our picky eater would like. Just as I was about to give up, we run into Taiwan Restaurant. Thank you to the employees who allowed for us to make a quick order for take-out even though they were closing in 10 minutes. The kid's menu seen on Yelp was not an option- not sure if it was because they were closing or if Taiwan Restaurant omitted that department altogether. We placed our order for chicken chow mein, paid, and waited. For $11 the dish came in huge portions and was piping hot. Food was packed neatly and even involved 2 fortune cookies which my kid devoured. The food came out in a reasonable time but was on the slightly mushy side. I get that we arrived at an unconventional time so I won't hold that against them too much. 4 stars.

What happened to my fave Chinese restaurant? This was my 2nd visit since the change of ownership in 2015. The 1st one a few years ago was disappointing. I thought they were just having an off night. But after tonight's meal ... it was not an off night. I ordered sesame chicken. It arrived sans sesame. Whut ? The green beans were just that - green beans. Not the usual deelish string beans that are usually served. Whut ... #2? Jasmine rice was good. Honey walnut prawns contained large perfectly cooked prawns and plenty of crunchy walnuts. But in a thick, gummy sauce. Overall, for $80, forget it! Not going back.

Delicious food. Great service and ambiance. The portions are large. You can also pick up food. They pack it up great. No saggy cartons..

First of all, there is not one Taiwanese dish there. The food is Americanized. We were given forks and spoons. I had to get up to get the chopsticks. Second, they're kinda racist. All the other tables were given refills of water. We were the only table that had to go to servicing station ourselves to get water and chopsticks I ordered the pineapple fried rice before two other tables of white diners. Their dishes were served first and with the pineapple as a serving dish. I asked why my fried rice was served in a regular dish. I was told they ran out. I wouldn't have ordered it if they ran out of pineapple. Would have ordered something else if I was given the opportunity. They were expecting Asians not to complain. Like I said kinda racist. Third the other two dishes were inedible. Chow fun was so salty and the noodles were so gross. Couldn't eat it even when I didn't eat all day The other dish vegetable was spinach and mushrooms. I don't know how they messed that up. It was so salty. Ever eat canned spinach? Visit Taiwan restaurant. Felt sick to my stomach. I think you'd have better food at panda express.

This is a long-time neighborhood favorite. We were celebrating and placed a large order. I would love to review each dish, I was one of the last people to eat, and there was little left. My bad! All I can say is that the twice-cooked pork was phenomenal, the garlic beef was great, we all loved the pineapple rice, and I was able to sample a smidgen of a crumb of prawn. This is by far one of THE best places for Chinese food.

I got the walnut and prawns this little nuggets been here for a while, it's my favorite place to go to since the 1990s. I know I'm dating myself. I got to talk to the shop owner and she's so proud of her restaurant. It has expanded a little bit over the years. Tonight was a very festive night. It looks like they were going to be all booked up in the evening. I got there a bit early before the crowds. Large crowds Really reserved spots and you could tell they know the local staff and they know exactly what they're going to order. I have to say it's great to have a neighborhood place with such good Chinese food, that's just been a mainstay of Willow, Glenn, and part of the community. You do hear a lot of laughter between the staff And the patrons and it has a great field to it. This place has great memories as they took my mom here over the years and has good feels even though she's gone it's great to know a place like this is back to bring back this so many good memories I had while I lived in the areahad many times to treat my mom here. It's four stars ambience Food, the staff a wide selection and also family style menu options. This is a crowd pleaser in a welcome place to call home.

The parking at this place is such a pain, but the lunch special is such a good deal! The best thing is that they even have the special available on Saturdays. This is my first time coming and I'm impressed. I ordered take out and it was ready to go in ~10ish minutes. So I appreciated that it was pretty quick! The lunch special comes with a side salad and choice of either hot and sour soup or wonton soup. I thought that the salad and entrees were both good, but the hot and sour soup was on the blander side and could've been more flavorful. The honey walnut prawns meal was $14.95 and I really enjoyed it! Surprisingly, I liked the mushroom chicken even more and it's definitely a steal at $11.95. I typically don't order chicken because I'm worried about it being dry, but the chicken here is extremely tender and juicy. The sauce is also delicious and reminds me of a savory version of hot and sour soup (if that makes sense). Come here during the lunch special hours and you won't be disappointed!

Amazing good,...I come all the way from Hayward to eat here! The atmosphere and the area are tremendous

Good customer service but you can tell they cut corners. The crab Rangoon I got cost $12.95 for 4 small pieces. The taste was bland and it was also just made with imitation crab. Not worth it.