Tao Yuen Pastry

I was super excited to try their food because of the reviews and the line. When I got my food, it tasted extremely dry and bland. I got two different chicken, entrées, and chow mein. The portion for Chicken was very small even though I got a bigger size. Chicken was extremely dry. I also got dim sum, which was just OK and the most disappointing was the bbq bao. It was actually the main reason but very disappointing. Very plain, a lot of bread and not much filling. The filling itself lacked a lot of flavor.

I love this place, and these are some of the best dumplings in Oakland. It has gone up in price, and they stopped selling the best potstickers I’ve ever eaten, but I still come here when I’m craving Chinese food or dumplings. They chow fun is excellent, so is their salt and pepper chicken, and so is their dim sum. I love the no nonsense attitude of the women who work there, I’ve never had a bad experience here and I’ve been coming for over a decade. Do yourself a favor and check them out!!! You won’t be sorry!

Local Chinese food market vibe. Great service. And VERY delicious and affordable pastries. Strongly recommend. I loved the Taro pineapple bun and cant believe they sell 5 small pine apple buns for less than $4!!! We got 7 pastries for less than $10!

Every trip coming to Oakland, this is a stop I have to make. The food is delicious, the amount of food you get for the price is huge! It goes by weight but so totally worth it. They have a bunch of different Asian treats/pastry. Love love love the food. You’ll just have to see the pictures. This is located in China town, the only thing I don’t like is whenever I go here is always homeless people begging for money and food and the smell outside is not pretty.

Really good and cheap dim sum! Go early as the items get sold fast

Great bang for your buck on solid food. They fill up the containers to the max!. Great variety of noodles. We love the fried chicken. Lines can be a little long. This place 100% take out

thanks for existing. spent $11 on a huge shrimp cheung fen, 2 taro餃, 2 ha gao, and a lor mai ball. today im grateful that HK dimsum prices can exist in california 🥰🥰 these mfs were HUGE. thicker dough but i rock with it!!!!!

Everything is fresh. The prices are just right for the pastries. They serve hot as well. All of the food is for take out only. Parking is really tight, and it would be better to have someone drive while you go in.

Delicious food all around! My friends and I decided to come here AGAIN to order. Emphasis on again because we love the food here and wanted more! WARNING CASH AND TAKE OUT ONLY! We easily spent $100 total for the three of us. Not only is the food amazing but they are also generous with the portions! What else can you ask for especially in this economy! There's a lot of dishes to chose from, but my favorite is the fried shrimp! Can't go wrong with any of the other dishes tho!

Tiny hole in the wall with sometimes grouchy, sometimes friendly staff. I like everything they have, even the enormous shu mei, which I am usually not a fan of. Generally, their dim sum are massive! And the prices totally fine. Last time I went, I got 5 pieces of fried chicken, 6 assorted dim sum pieces, a small box of flat noodles and two sesame balls for around $20. Easily enough for 4 people. Parking is a nightmare, but IO like to walk through Chinatown, so I usually park three or four blocks away.

Sesame balls. Just order at least 6 or you'll be sad once you've left Chinatown. Toasted sesame coating thin mochi like texture with not too sweet bean filling. Are they a little oily? Yes. Savor it. Boneless fried chicken was my other favorite. Portions are very generous here. "Small" would be a large container at a typical food chain. The line can get long but it moves quick. They are patient with questions and have multiple people handling orders.

Still alive, guys. That's what Tao Yuen's got going for it. They're still trucking along, making some dank dim sum stuff. As one of the last bastions of takeout dim sum left in the Oakland area, they're really keeping the fires lit. I love the lotus sticky rice, and the siu mais they've got. Prices are still reasonable, but understandably, they've had to raise them (~$4-5). Still, willing to pay more to keep this place available.

816 Franklin St Oakland, CA 94607 In the heart of Oakland Chinatown, the popular Tao Yuen maintains its reputation of serving up takeout chinese favorites at fair prices. I was there on a hot July 4th day, around 5pm. I wasn't in the mood to cook dinner, so where can I get some favorite foods? I go inside Tao Yuen and I see: - a mountain of chow mein - big prawns - boneless fried chicken - har gow, siu mai , sesame balls! - pork buns....cheung fun Everything I like to eat.....in one place. I don't speak Chinese, so I use the point method and hold up fingers to denote quantity. Smile alot and laugh. I asked for: - Medium order of mixed chow mein ( regular and thin noodles) - 1-lb fried chicken (boneless) - 2 sesame balls Total $23. OMG, what a generous serving of chow mein! Nothing skimpy here. Tao Yuen, the Chinatown version of fast food! On Franklin St between 8th and 9th St.

Really enjoyed the fresh food. I just wish they had the sweet soy sauce for the rice rolls.

As an SF native, my dad is pretty picky when it comes to dim sum. Tao Yuen is his go-to since moving to Oakland, and it's always a treat when they bring TY home (which is often). We regularly order their Chinese-stle boneless friend chicken for parties and family events - so salty, crispy, juicy and delicious. Our relatives always ask us to bring it whenever we get together. Our favorite dim sum items are the shrimp dumplings, rice balls, beef balls, siu mai and "shark fin" dumplings. As with any Chinatown, parking is a clusterf***, so get someone to drive and drop ypu off to pick up, or park further and walk in. Lines/wait times vary, so we always order ahead for larger orders. And cash only!

NOTE: CASH ONLY Tao Yuen Pastry in Oakland Chinatown is a go-to spot for Chinese fast food, perfect for a quick and convenient meal on the go. However, I found the food meh and on the pricy side. I recently stopped by around 3:30 on a Thursday and there was only a short wait. Despite the late afternoon hour, there was still a decent selection of food available. I decided to go for a noodle and 2 meat combo, opting for chow fun (rice noodles) with fried chicken and shrimp. However, I was taken aback by the steep prices - $18 something for a carb + two meats - so I scaled it down to just the fried chicken. That still cost $16. It was the most expensive box of hot bar Chinese food I've ever purchased, and unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to the cost. The chow fun was bland and clumped together, while the batter on the fried chicken was too thick for my liking. I won't get their noodles and meats again, but I'd come back to give their dumplings and fresh steamed rice noodle rolls a try.

GENERAL: Been coming here for years. Beat time to come is early morning. There are times when the waiting line is out the door...it moves quickly. Oh, this is NOT a sit down restaurant...to go and cash only FOOD: my fav is the skinny chow mein noodles. Don't expect lots of meat which is good by me. The shrimp cheung fun and the chew cheung fun are our FAVS. SERVICE: The ladies behind the counter are quick and the lines moves quickly. Remember, this is Cash only

This place gets a lot of lunch business. You see a long line of ppl just waiting to order. This place is cheap, no doubt about that. You can get a full lunch combo with~ $11 that's enough food for days. However, the quality of food is not really there. With the lunch boxes, options are quite limited. You have ~3 carb options, and ~ 3 meat options and 1 vegetarian option. It's not a whole lot to choose from. You can also choose their dim sum. Yet, their dim sum selection not very big either. If you're feeling dim sum, there are better places a couple street down. I guess this place does offer dim sum and lunch box options if you want that variety.

I'm honestly a bit surprised by the high ratings of this spot, I thought the food was just okay and a bit expensive for what it is. The food didn't taste very fresh as it wasn't hot and just was a bit lacking in flavor. I've tried some of the dumplings and the chow mein so maybe the other dishes are better? I think the dim sum spots in the city are much better to be honest!

Remember, cash only. Good dim sum. Dim sum prices have sky rocketed, but they are still delicious here. The fried rice and small noodle chow mein also have really nice seasoning. Some times the line and wait can be a bit long, but I'm just impatient.

this is your average counter dimsum chinese store everything was what it was nothing more although the chicken even soaked in the sauce was still very crispy! would definitely come here more if i lived in the area but other than that it was okay

Cash only takeout spot that usually has a line outside. We got a few things to take home including char siu bao, chow mein, and salt and pepper spare ribs. Food was good, and I would come back to try other things. They have a ton of items including dim sum, baked goods, and more. Prices are decent. Only street parking and usually difficult to get a spot. People are sometimes double parking to quickly get food. Service is quick so have your order ready.

This is an absolute must visit for Chinatown Oakland. They serve their popular Char siu Lo mein, large Shrimp Siu Mai, fried salt pepper fish and other deli items. BRING CASH. They serve food by the box size and or weight. Great price and taste.

I wanted to try this place because I love a good dim sum/dumpling and wanted a quick bite. Came across this place when I was in the area and decided to try them. They only take Cash, so that would have sucked if I only had Apple Pay or my cards. I ordered the Shu Mai Dumplings, shrimp rice rolls, fried rice, and shrimp dumpling. They have good prices but food was not pleasing. The fried rice had a certain taste, just not a flavor or taste I am used to. The shrimp dumplings didn't really have much shrimp in them but they were the best ones out of what I got. The shu mai tastes very undercooked and not good quality. The rice roll was okay. The service was fast but the food was just not my favorite.

A cash only, take out spot in Oakland that had a line out the door. Luckily, when we got here around noon on a Saturday, there were only about 5 people ahead of us. They have a selection of ready to eat dishes and some baked/fried appetizers and dimsum varieties as well. The patrons were mostly speaking in Mandarin with the staff, giving this an authentic Chinese food place vibe . I got a combination of 2 dishes - thin noodles with some veggies and random pieces of meat, and a stir fried veggie dish in a small sized box and another small box with fried tofu with green chilies. Loved the flavors of all the dishes. I couldn't tell what the items were priced at, but my total was $11. Be ready with your order, because the line moves quickly. Don't be worried about the dishes mixing with each other since the food does drop into other containers as they pack the boxes! The flavors will have me coming back to this place for more!

Very popular place. There's always a short line. Their Har Gao and Sui Mai are just okay -- skin is too thick. Their fried chicken strips are tasty. Their chow mein and chow fun have very little meat.

Delicious and very tasty. No question asked I will return. It is worth thy wait. Blessings

Awesome big bao. Big ball of ingredients inside fluffy fresh bao. Good prices. My kids live this place.

This is my favorite take out spot in Chinatown Oakland. Their food on display always looks so shiny and appealing to me. Everything I tried from here has been delicious and simple. I got these my most recent trip- Fried rice and chow mein: Really flavorful, not dry. They also are not shady with their portions. Green beans: That snap right when you take a bite! They are so addicting. They have 2 different kinds to choose from, I think one had tofu and the other had pork. Salt & pepper prawns: I already want to go back and get some more. They were huge! Crunchy outside and juicy inside. It was $12.50/pound. I ordered half and asked for extra jalapenos. Shiu mai and har gao: Superrr plump! They are worth $1.40 each, in my opinion. I actually first discovered this spot because there was a line out the door one rainy mid-afternoon (in between lunch and dinner). That to me is a good sign. CASH ONLY

This place is a classic and definitely affordable. Cash only. The fried chicken is my go to and thankfully they were open on thanksgiving day. I ordered a small tray of fried chicken and did a large tray of half chow fun and fried rice and they had it ready for me right then and there, I didn't have to wait long at all.

The dumplings were humongous which wouldn't have been a bad thing if they taste right. The shrimp dumplings were disgusting, but the actual shrimp in the dumpling taste how it was supposed to taste. When you buy into the shrimp dumpling, it was more filling and dough only one maybe two shrimp inside. The pork & beef Shi mi nasty. it wasn't the traditional type of pork that's made in it. And they're humongous so you get more meat. I mean them being humongous would be great if they actually taste great and we're cooked well.

Amazing fried chicken I'm grateful to have found this place. I've had it a few times and every time it's delicious Thank you!!!

Prices have gone up but still great selection of food and good value for the area. Chow fun was short on meat but noodles are super wide and chewy in a good way. Ambiance is take out counter. No tables. Long lines during peak lunch time.

We bought a bunch of dim sum in December. Every item was bad. The har gow had VERY thick cover. The shu mai was filled with gristle and tasteless. The egg roll was pathetic. Please keep in mind that we have enjoyed dim sum/noodles from Tao Yuen for MANY years, even now when we have to travel quite a bit to shop there. I have no idea what is going on at Tao Yuen, but they have to pay attention to their customers or lose them.

This is my favorite dim sum place in Oakland Chinatown. The food is always hot and delicious. The aunties serving the food are always quick, nice, and give good portions. The price is amazing. I once got 10 people $100 worth of food ($10 per person) with a bunch of left overs.

Dim Sum at this place is seriously expensive. They tasted ok but I won't be back again.

So far, I'm very disappointed. And, if it makes sense, disappointed to be disappointed; I had high hopes I'm single, love dim sum, but everything in 3s and 4s isn't really conducive to a solo who loves variety, wants one of everything. I asked around, including online, and several people recommended Tao Yuen. Took a 25-minute drive after commute time. No traffic. Found parking, no problem. Very short line. Off to a good start. I'd studied the menu. "Sorry, we don't have that," was the reply to many requests. I went home with two long rice noodle rolls. The 15" long shrimp roll had five or six tiny salad sized shrimp. The other just seemed to have vegetables in the dough, no filling. The fried shrimp dumpling was burnt and tasted of cooking oil that should have been changed last week. The Chow Fun had vegetables and is super oily; the menu offers beef or chicken or shrimp Chong Fun. I asked; they looked at me like they didn't understand. The pumpkin filled dumpling was very good. The crispy fried shrimp (like salt & pepper) was mushy inside. I still haven't eaten the pork bun or sticky rice; I'm hoping they're better. One Chinese guy online told me it's "cheap dim sum for the poors": big pieces, starchy, to fill you up. Not high quality. When he brought it to a family gathering, his Aunties said, "You sweet, summer child," It even occurred to me that there were other factors at play, discouraging my patronage. Seriously, I've had better food at 99Ranch. I dont expect to return. Edit/update: I've now tasted everything I bought. My opinion on what I wrote previously hasn't changed. But perhaps it was premature, and it's better to label the place inconsistent. I'm a little bewildered. I tried a long rice noodle roll with shrimp, typically 5-6" in a restaurant, my Tao Yuen experience with minimal tiny shrimp described above Yet I've now had Har gow, and the individual dumplings have good-sized shrimp inside, more than I've seen in many other places. The baked pastry BBQ pork bun was fine, about average. The sticky rice was the best I've had, filled with a generous amount of protein, compared to the tiny 1-2 TBs many restaurants stuff in the middle. I still don't think I'd make a return trip. But if I found myself in Chinatown, I might go in for some sticky rice, see if they perhaps have items I couldn't get on my first trip.

I grew up bringing the sesame balls and pork on roadtrips with my family and they are still as good as they were then. Quick and efficient service, parking could be hard if you want front and center parking, but there's plenty around the area if you enjoy strolls. The place itself is tiny in the ordering area, so you will have to do a little shuffle around people, but it's worth it :)

While visiting Alameda, I had a craving for dim sum and we found this place through Yelp! Lesson learned to not order anything other than dim sum. The noodles didn't taste like anything and were greasy. This review is definitely for the dim sum! A bit undercooked because the wrap wasn't cooked all the way through, however, just a bit longer in my steamer at home and it was fine! The meat & veggies for the inside filling was delicious and I love how the flavors all mixed together. +charged by piece +favorites were steamed spinach & shallots! & scallop dim sum! I highly recommend these two!

I don't know what the cost of everything actually was. Here is what I got and how much I paid. 2 small chow neon (thin noodles) 1 small chow fun 2 pieces of shu mai 2 pieces har gas 2 pieces sesame ball $27 including tax. I can't attest to how everything tastes yet, but I can attest to it being expensive compared to what I remember. With 1 small container being $5. Wanted something fast, and hopefully it's tasty as it will be my moms dinner for work later. &mine as well.

Every trip coming to Oakland, this is a stop I have to make. The food is delicious, the amount of food you get for the price is huge! It goes by weight but so totally worth it. They have a bunch of different Asian treats/pastry. Love love love the food. You'll just have to see the pictures. This is located in China town, the only thing I don't like is whenever I go here is always homeless people begging for money and food and the smell outside is not pretty.

As an original location that is my to go place is usually closed in the afternoon. But my father is the one that knows the area a little too well, recommended me other locations for buns (my mouth is craving just by thinking about'em). I came down to two options almost right next to each other but the other one had a long queue and Tao Yuen was it. It's a bit cumbersome to go in and out but you'll find your way. I alway get a dozen of the buns. This location had only pork buns ( I prefer the ones with chicken). These were okay and it seemed like slices of ham were used. The sauce is delicious as it's my favourite part. In general I've tasted better but this is a fast and quick option. Service is straightforward. There's a plethora of other options, which is inviting.

If you are ever walking around Oakland Chinatown you will instantly notice the one place that always seems to have a crowd in front of their store, and that place is Tao Yuen Pastry. Highlighted by their logo of two small longevity peach steamed buns pasted on their window, Tao Yuen Pastry is one of the few remaining places in Oakland's Chinatown neighborhood where one can find a variety of quality takeout dim sum dishes. Located on Franklin Street, Tao Yuen Pastry has literally been around for decades serving up their signature Barbecue Baked Pork Buns by the pink box load, as the constant lines outside would indicate. I have previously been in the past, both driving and managing to find a parking space and taking the local Bart subway, and ordering a dozen Barbecue Pork Buns for either colleagues or a special gift to a group of people of whom I wanted to treat to some of the nicest and most affordable savory buns around. My most recent trip to Tao Yuen Pastry involved a recent trip to Chinatown to run some errands on a weekday afternoon and I thought to myself, why don't I take it upon myself to walk a few more blocks to Franklin Street between 8th and 9th Streets to see how large the crowd was on this particular afternoon and to see what food items they had left. As it turns out the line outside was brisk and moving rather fast, and there was plenty of delectable dishes fully loaded in their steam tables ready to be served. After waiting in line for a couple minutes I let one of their three servers that I wanted six Barbecue Baked Pork Buns and after looking at all of the food they had, I opted to order three of their Beef Siu Mai, which is can be considered a rarity especially in Chinese takeout cuisine, as Siu Mai tend to be made of pork. With all of this food, I was ready to go and my total bill was less than 10 dollars, which was super affordable. I went home and really enjoyed my pork buns, as all they needed was a quick reheating the microwave, although I sometimes prefer to use a toaster to give the sugary exterior that extra crunch. Either way the best thing about the pork buns sold at Tao Yuen Pastry is that they are filled to the brim with bits of barbecue pork which makes them some of the largest Barbecue Pork Buns that I have ever bought, and for only $1.50 a bun, you can't go wrong. Plus with six buns I had enough for lunch and many more breakfasts to come. When I was hosting some family friends during the last holiday season, they told me that one of their favorite things about visiting the Bay Area was the Barbecue Pork Buns. So as a treat, I decided to take Bart to the 12th Street station and walk to Tao Yuen Pastry's location on a Thursday afternoon and order six more pork buns to go, and since I was there and it was lunch time, I opted to order a small serving of their Chow Fun Noodles. This time my bill was $16.54 and it was still rather reasonable as I received a lot of food with my order. This time we liked but necessarily love our Pork Buns, perhaps our batch wasn't as nicely baked this time around, but the surprise was the Chow Fun noodles, as they weren't filled with a lot of extras like beef and bean sprouts but there were hearty and tasted quite good, and that's all you can hope for. Obviously Tao Yuen Pastry will always be my go-to place for to-go dim sum cuisine. As they are quick, affordable and their portions are hearty. It's an old school business, so I advise you to bring cash because you want to get in and out at Tao Yuen Pastry because the fast the line goes the faster you'll be out of there to enjoy your deep fried and steamed dim sum bites, and honestly what is better than a little greasy morsel of goodness now and then?

Amazing little to go place. Very small and usually a line The ladies running the counter have service down to a tee, so wait is never really long unless the people in front of you have a big order or are new to the place. Pork and chive dumplings are my favorite but we all come for the amazing chicken!!!! We take it into the Giants games with us and it still tastes delicious Anytime were in the Bay this is a must stop for us

Worst dumplings I have had. They were filled with chopped little pieces of shrimp and a majority of the dumpling had a creamy mystery filling that tasted like either chicken or pork. I am pescatarian so I don't eat any chicken or pork, I asked the lady up front if the dumplings had any other meat and she said no, while rudely rushing us. It definitely didn't tasted like only shrimp in those dumplings. Highly disappointing, will stick to my OG dumpling place in SF that is much better. Was in the Berkeley area so thought I would try a new place. Will not be coming back to this place, I would avoid at all costs. There are plenty of other dumpling places that are a much better spend of your money.

There seems to always be a few people lining out the door because there are fewer places now to get take out dim sum in Oakland Chinatown. Two other similar places in the vicinity has closed down so this seems to be one of the few places left that is strictly take out. It's cash only and they charge by the piece. Their prices has gone up over the last few months so it's now up to $1.40 each for most basic items such as siu mi, rice cakes, etc. Add 10.25 % tax and it adds up. I do the math whenever I buy something here and keep thinking they are overcharging me when in reality, it's because they keep increasing their prices. (Just earlier this year it was $1.30 each.) I am also spoiled by the dim sum in San Francisco Chinatown with their quality and prices. It's better and cheaper in San Francisco Chinatown. Granted Tao Yuen's siu mi are large, but I paid $12.13 for a small tub of regular chow mein, 3 pork siu mi and 1 rice cake. I come here if I'm desperate as it's usually fast even though there's a line and I don't want to go all the way into San Francisco Chinatown. See tub of chow mein - note there is no meat in it - just sprouts, sliced cabbage and sliced carrots (maye some onions(. Small tub is $5.50 + tax = $5.95 purchased on another day

Good Chinese bakery in Oakland. Got sponge cake, egg custard tart, char siu bao; all were made really well. Prices are good, competitive. Parking is street, always challenging. Best to go with buddy so one can double park while one goes into buy.

Heard from several people that this is the "go to" spot for large take-out orders of chow mein noodles. Taste tested the BBQ Pork noodles ahead of time and found them quite delicious. The staff was able to provide guidance as to when to pick up our order so that the food would still be warm when ready to serve. We were a little nervous about safety and finding parking in the downtown Oakland area, but many people were double parked outside the small business, so we did the same. A police car was parked across the street and didn't seem to mind. We picked up four double orders of good quality noodles (wanted to feed 150 people) at a reasonable price. We will keep this in mind for future large gatherings.

Review for their dim sum only. I'm from SF and am blessed to have access to high quality dim sum on a regular basis. I also came here about 10 years ago and never came back after a sour box of chow fun. However I thought I'd give them another try since more ppl have mentioned they enjoyed it lately. Having said that. I ordered the ha gow, and chive and pork dumpling. The dim sum here is still below average quality. My 2 main critiques: 1) Skin/ Dumpling wrapper: Skin is way too thick, bumpy, and mushy. Dim sum skin is meant to be thin, springy, and smooth on the outside. The skin here is thick, bumpy, and mushy. I suspect their rice flour to tapioca flour ratio is heavy on the rice flavor, given their mushiness. Skin being bumpy likely due to not kneading enough to smooth out the lumps or bubbles. And thickness is just lazy. Didn't roll it out enough when they shaped. 2) Ha gow had dry and limited number of identifiable shrimps inside. Otherwise there was a yellow mush w black pepper flakes inside. Likely pork all mixed in. 3) The chive and pork had too high of a ratio of pork to chive. If you order this anywhere else, there is significantly more chives (chives is the first character in the name for a reason) w small amount of pork AND shrimp mixed in to allow the fresh chive flavor to shine 4) Last nit picky critique. Their folding skills are not there. Ha gow is lopsided and loose. Pleats are too big and basically indistinguishable. Chive and pork- I've never seen this shape before. It's acceptable but not the norm. There's a certain art and skill required to make quality dim sum, similar to sushi or French pastries, and this is not it. Don't recommend. Save your $12 for elsewhere.

The food here is really good. I had the fried rice and chow mein. Lots of serving and the taste is authentic. I love their orange chicken as well as their fried chicken. The line was long but they serve fast here. It's only take out since the place is really small. I would definitely come back and buy here again! Also, their baked pork buns are delicious and huge portions! They are my favorite so far!

Back again for our now annual New years Eve tradition. What better tradition than THE BEST Dim Sum in the Bay Area!! Stood in line with others who were also repeat NYE diners. This place rocks!! Sui Mai, Taro Root cake, rice Noodles were again the star of the show. Beef Chow Fun. Oh what fun!! See you next year!!

Did a sampler and asked for one of each dumpling. Almost all of them were disappointing. The skins too thick on most of them. All very weak in taste. The decent one was the the chive/pork dumpling.

So far in the Bay Area, I've only had dim sum in SF until now! Finally got a chance to try some from Oakland Chinatown. We got some of the staples: chive dumpling, siu mai, and BBQ pork buns (steamed and baked). Overall, I prefer the ones in SF, but these are still fairly cheap and could probably satisfy a dim sum craving if needed. Siu Mai: I enjoyed these and thought they were super filling. My boyfriend thought they left a sour aftertaste in his mouth, which I only noticed after he pointed it out. Chive dumplings: The ratio of skin to filling was off for me -- there was way too much skin. The filling tasted good though, which I why I wanted more of it! BBQ pork buns: I still prefer baked to steamed because the ratio of dough to filling always seems more balanced to me. The pork filling was a bit too slimy for me compared to ones I've had from other places.

If you're looking for the best dim sum you've ever had in your entire life, this place probably won't be it. However, that shouldn't detract from how good Tao Yuen is overall. The food is served in large portions, tastes pretty decent, and is very VERY cheap. My group of four came here to to celebrate a birthday, and we were all pretty ravenous since it was about brunch time. After ordering, the bill came out to be only 35 bucks!! Do keep in mind that they only accept cash though. Anyways, after indulging in a little over half the spread, we were all stuffed and had plenty of leftovers. I'd say 35 can probably feed around 5 people give or take, which is an uber great deal for Bay Area residents. Now onto what we agreed was the best: -Eggplant Tofu -Cheong Fun -Sesame Balls (A MUST GET) -Next time we might stick to more hot food / lunch items than the dim sum options because they all looked SO. GOOD. What you should definitely skip: -Char Siu Bao (it's loaded with red food dye and aired on the sweeter end) -Custard Bun (the bun was extremely dry and the custard had congealed which made it more of a paste than a liquid-esque consistency) Everything else was o k a y, but you really can't beat these prices. Oakland's Chinatown almost never misses.

DIRTY!! HEALTH RISK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DENTAL FLOSS WAS FOUND WRAPPED INSIDE OUR DRIED SHRIMP RICE ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only disgusting, this is a major HEALTH RISK!! Also, if you're used to eating these common variety of Cantonese breakfast dim sum and pastry, you know their food DOES NOT taste good. Idk about before, but as of June 2023, it is our visit here, and it will be the last.

Old and worn, they serve over the counter dimsum and lunch items. I love the faded sign out front and the small almost claustrophobic interior that they've made work. It's the local spot and I saw a pretty diverse crowd; security guards, sweet old ladies, young cool people, grabbing either classic chinese dimsum for breakfast or full on triple-combo meals for lunch later. The reason for the crowd being menu items like Chow Fun, Fried chicken wings, and chow mein ready at 8 am. Dim sum, not that great. Skin a bit thick on the har gow and the meat really dense on the shu mai which is an odd complaint. The bamboo wrapped sticky rice also lacking in fillings. Would come back but definitely would not order those things again.

What I like to get: Eggplant and tofu - eggplant isn't too mushy, good flavor. String beans with chicken- so good and fun to eat, easy way to get some greens in. Fried tofu- Nice flavor and so simple