Venus Cafe - San Jose

Me: "Hi, you made a mistake with my takeout order. I ordered one Stir Fried Pork & Chicken w/ Maggi Sauce Rice Plate and one Vietnamese Style Stir Fried Beef Rice Plate, but you gave me fried rice instead of the beef plate." Boss: "Okay, I'll cook another one for you." Me: "Great, I'll come and get it now." After getting home: ..... (Another Stir Fried Pork & Chicken Rice Plate +1) 😂

Made a visit to this chain store. There are 3 in the bay area. Among all 3, this is considered the best one in my opinion. There is no breakfast option and they open at 11am for their lunch service. There is a lunch menu set and that was what I got. Lots of options but the price is a bit steep for a typical Chinese cafe set lunch. $18.99 and comes with a hot drink. Cold drink upgrade add in $1. I got the baked Portuguese chicken over fried rice w/ ice milk tea. The dish was very good and flavorful. However, the chicken pieces are a bit over season and tends to be salty for my taste. Overall, not bad and fulfilling. The decor and astomohere is nice and cozy like a cafe. It was bit chilling for me at my table as they had turned up the AC. The only I have to say, this is pretty expensive for a lunch special. Aside from that, the food is great and I would recommend to try this place out in San Jose.

Ordered this dish from the menu. The real dish was missing squid. I told the waiter, and he took it back and returned with the added squid. The dish was very different from the picture and description from the menu. There was no XO sauce nor green beans. The service was also off today. Overall I felt the waiters and cooks were having a bad day.

This restaurant has been here for a long time, I've been there maybe 3 times, but this will probably be my last time. It's very narrow inside, and the tables are right next to the tables next to them. I ordered Lemonade, but it came with a cup of sugar water + lemon slices for $5.95 (see picture ), the fried instant noodles were OK, but the pork chop was very thin $17.95 . The seafood puff soup not only took a long time to wait, but the soup inside was canned + two pcs shrimps, two pieces of squid $ 14.75 .

My goto Hong Kong style cafe. They offer a five set menu made up of an entree and a drink. We always find something we like. We also like the Hainan chicken rice in the menu. During these inflationary times, we come here two or more times a month for good food at a reasonable price. It is our cafe. You ?

This establishment is a Hong Kong-style café, reminiscent of similar venues found in Los Angeles. It features a menu that offers a fusion of traditional Chinese and Western-style dishes, typical of the Hong Kong dining experience. While exploring the menu, I faced the challenge of choosing from a wide array of appealing dishes. Ultimately, I opted for the baked pork chop, which closely resembled my previous experiences and was quite enjoyable. Additionally, we ordered the Hainan chicken rice, a dish where the quality of the rice is crucial. While it was satisfactory, it didn't quite meet the standard of what I had previously tasted in LA. Another noodle dish we tried was also quite good. As I currently reside outside of the West Coast, I may not have the opportunity to return. However, for those who live in the area and are seeking authentic Hong Kong café cuisine, this restaurant is worth a visit.

Solid HK comfort food spot with great portions--one item often fits two meals for me. Lunch special comes with a drink. Love their baked spaghetti pork chop items, very filling and served piping hot. Service is friendly and quick.

I had a pleasure dining at Venus Cafe. It’s an authentic Hong Kong cuisine place. Not a fancy place, more homey. It’s an amazing combination of Asian flavors with an European twist. We ordered pork and chicken and both were great. Def coming back to try other menus.

We came for Happy Hour and all the baked dishes were very delicious. I also especially loved the chicken wings. Service was friendly, quick and accurate. Ambiance was casual, clean and comfy.

Saturday lunch this place is 90% full! Soda seating, TV showing Chinese entertainment shows, this HK style cafe attracts mostly Chinese customers, not necessarily Cantonese speakers. What shocked me is the prices! Almost $20 for a typical baked pork chop rice dish! Most items are $18 or above! The same dish in Cupertino's Local Cafe is only 16! Anyhow, service was courteous but in our case they lost our order! 20 minutes into seating post ordering I had to question them if they lost our orders and they checked and admitted it. Our order was inserted back to the queue's top spot and we got our food 10 mins later. Food tasted fine, portions are good for our small stomachs. And there's one tea refill at the end of the meal. Overall, food and service are not bad, but prices are otherwise.

We met up with some friends for a Sunday lunch, which was crowded. *Big Brother: Pork cutlet, chicken wing, fried egg with red and white sauce on rice and noodles (3/5). A typical Hong Kongese dish. *Hainan Chicken (half a chicken, 4/5) - fully cooked and flavorful served with ginger sauce, roasted peanuts and pickled carrots & daikon. *Beef Chow Fun (3.5/5) - a good classic cantonese dish. The service is always pretty attentive and friendly.

Went with my friends as they were craving a specific dish. This was my first time trying hong kong style western style chicken and ham bowl with white sauce. It was delicious and huge portion sizing. Definitely 1 order is enough to feed for 2 people. Definitely coming back whenever I am in the area for it. The strawberry icy was good too, tasted like strawberry yogurt. Service is your standard asian service, fast and short.

I've been here twice so far and both times were good experiences. During our latest visit, my boyfriend and I were immediately seated and served tea. We flipped through the menu, which I'm glad had pictures of the various dishes they offer, and were ready to order. I got my typical Hong Kong style cafe order - a baked pork chop with spaghetti. I love this dish not only because it was my favorite growing up, but also because of how saucy it is. The dish is smothered in a thick tomato sauce with melted cheese on top which might sound weird at first.. pork chop, spaghetti, tomato sauce, and cheese? But trust me, it's the best thing ever. Pictures also don't do it justice so you'll just have to take my word on this. The portion size is also really good for the price! I had enough to pack for lunch the next day (depends how hungry you are though). My boyfriend got the big brother and also packed the rest for lunch. Parking was a little bit difficult since it's located in a plaza. Service was really good as our servers were attentive to us the whole time. Not really date vibes but for sure a casual hangout or for a quick/hearty meal. I was recommended to try Venus Cafe by my friend and I'd gladly recommend this restaurant to my friends and family from now on.

Finally gave this place a try after years of walking past it. It reminds me a lot of Shooting Star in Oakland thanks to the similarly extensive menu. For our group of 4, we ordered: - french fries: 3/5 - too lightly fried, I wish they were a bit crispier - beef chow fun: 4/5 - surprisingly good, but the noodle-to-beef ratio was off, barely any beef - broccoli & sweet beef: 3.5/5 - beef leaned on the sweeter side, but the broccoli was nicely cooked al dente - chicken & mushroom in white sauce: 4/5 - flavorful & very hearty; def on the heavier side - sweet & sour soup: 3.5/5 - good consistency, but a little too sour for my taste - pickled cabbage & pork vermicelli noodle soup: 4/5 - full of flavor, enjoyable overall, though the cabbage tasted more salty than pickled

I was craving some salted fish and chicken fried rice. I ordered a dish of it online at this place. Food was made very quickly and let me tell you, they know how to make it. Alot of places don't put enough of the salted fish, but this place checked all the right boxes. Would definitely return!

My middle school friend was visiting. We are both Cantonese and from SF and craving for some Cantonese food. Our two families came here for lunch on a weekend. Located in a large strip mall with plenty of parking. The restaurant is modern and has plenty of seating. Our party of 7 easily found a table there. They gave us both tea and water which was nice. Large selection. We all ordered hot milk tea which is a must if you are visiting a hk cafe. The food was good and satisfying. Two unisex bathrooms in the back - spacious and surprisingly clean... It is a bit far for us but definitely see myself coming here a lot if we lived closer.

Came on a Friday night around 9:30pm! So nice to have places that open late . There was a few occupied tables and lots of open tables to be picked! We ordered the House combo, spam instant noodle, beef brisket wonton noodle (which was not on the menu but I asked if they have it and they said yes), also a HK French toast. The French toast came out first as well as the HK milk tea that was part of the House combo. The milk tea was ok, not hot at all. The French toast was not too crispy but soggy on the outside. Maybe I had it after my entree. I wish they would bring that out after our entrees. All the entrees tasted not bad. We all enjoyed our meal.

Here's my review of Venus Cafe. Day of Chinese New Year, Year of the Snake which is "me". I've always had a love inside for Hong Kong style cooking. It isn't about what they got on the menu. It's the sauce, portions, service and being in the comfort of your people. Saying it loud and proud. Big Brother you are so fine and tasty, I can eat you over and over and just flip them wings. There is so much packed inside, you don't know what to do with it. Didn't try it though but I will next time. bae and my son had it. Youngest had beef and broccoli. Which is fine, you can never go wrong with your typical Chinese dish. I had the half and half and it was plentiful. I mean a few bites, the portion feels like as if I was eating for 3. The tomato sauce just reminds me of VIP in SF Chinatown but I think Venus hit it right out of the park. The pork cutlet is so generous I could not even finish it. Half rice Half spaghetti. Guess what, it's my lunch for tomorrow. I'm excited to be able to enjoy such a meal.

I've visited plenty of Chinese restaurants, but I'm not sure if I've ever been to a Hong Kong Style Café. And if I have, I had no idea. I wasn't even aware that such places existed. Restaurant front - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ&select=E5varI-CH_TtzIl30_IwVg Q: What is a Hong Kong Style Café?** A: A Cha Chaan Teng (Chinese: 茶餐廳; Cantonese Yale: chàhchāantēng; lit. 'tea restaurant'), often referred to as a Hong Kong-style café or diner, is a type of restaurant that originated in Hong Kong. Similar to a greasy spoon cafe or an American diner, these cafés are known for their eclectic and affordable menus featuring both Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style Western dishes. They have a casual setting, often revolving around coffee and tea, much like Western cafés. Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha_chaan_teng) After some research, it seems that Hong Kong Style Cafés/Diners are becoming a rising trend. The first thing I noticed was the eclectic menu--tomato soup, SPAM, BLT sandwich, pork belly with jalapeño, hot & spicy fries, wor wonton soup, and more. Hot Chili Oil - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ&select=sv9JRWxJSuqRy3hCv6C-gw While in the SF Bay Area, I met up with my good friend, HM, who's a San Jose local, and I let him pick the restaurant. It was fairly busy, and the service was typical of a straightforward, no-nonsense Chinese restaurant--strictly business. HM arrived before me and was seated at a booth near the front window. Shortly after I sat down, I was served a cup of hot tea in a plastic cup. As our meal was coming to an end and our cups were nearly empty, the waitress came by to refill them without us having to ask. - "Cheers!" Hot Tea - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ&select=h8Jlokcv4JSk8qR5jJtW_w We were then served a small bowl of complimentary soup. When I asked HM what kind of soup it was, he simply said, "Tomato." This was a first for me--tomato soup at a Chinese restaurant. It was surprisingly good! Tomato Soup - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ&select=cYEV1TVVjwAlC2UbJwpMEg HM ordered his usual, the Shanghai Shredded Pork Thick Noodle Soup. (He lives about 15 minutes from the restaurant.) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ&select=ZQTVHgGCfX7WiuYW263_5A I was considering the lunch specials, but after seeing HM order the thick noodle soup, I decided to follow suit and try it too. I went with the Braised Beef Brisket Thick Noodle Soup. It was very good. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ&select=bi3PYHGDC4DIYpOMa8tnkA The food was good, with decent portions, attentive service, and fair value. I'm not sure when I'll be back in the San Jose area, but I'd definitely return to try some of the other tempting dishes on the menu. Overall rating: 3 Stars Food: 4 Ambiance: 3 Service: 3+ Value: 3

Great place to get your fix on quality food. There's something for everyone on the menu, and the service is really attentive. I like that there is a TV to watch and the windows are really clean. It's inviting from the outside!

came here two weekends in row. i think base on reviews alone, i prolly would have never come here - i mean granted i didnt even know about this place until last weekend. but its a nice little "canto westerner" style diner place. have i had better? absolutely but this place was better than expected! i usually love the baked cheese anything and i jus wish their baked cheese was more cheesy with actual layer of cheese on top. i had curry last week n it was good but big brothers today was mid - i did feel like it was a bit heavy. probably overall a 3.75 stars.

Came here for lunch for 2 people. We were seated fast around 12:30pm on a Thursday, were welcomed with a cup of hot tea and a soup of the day (hot & sour soup) pretty quick. The lunch menu was pretty worth it. It included one dish, one soup, and one hot coffee or milk tea for $17.75, with the option to change to cold milk tea for an additional $1. After we ordered, we got the milk teas pretty fast, but then it took half an hour for our food to come. The Baked Chicken w/ Portuguese Sauce was different because it was not a chicken cutlet. This one was cooked more like a curry style, with lots of veggies. The Baked Chicken Bolognese came with 2 cutlets and eggplants and tomatoes. This was a lot more flavorful than the Portuguese sauce, but the chicken cutlet was quite salty, making this dish a little overwhelming for people not used to big flavor. The eggplants were really good though, perfect texture. My one gripe with this place is their French Toast for a whopping $9.50. This was made with three thin slices of toast, sandwiched with two layers of peanut butter. It was really heavy and doesn't taste like actual Hong Kong French Toast, the peanut butter also was a different flavor. Overall, I would say food and Hong Kong milk tea is good, but service is slow. I would come back on another day when I'm not in a hurry to try their other baked items, but would definitely skip the French toast.

Great food as always at this cozy hongkong style diner. Many locals come and it's always a hit with their unique rice dishes with flavorful sauces. The hainanese chicken and scallion sauce is always delish. The red sauce goes good with everything, but I don't think I'd order it with spaghetti this time. Do sauce lo mein was delishious and greasy. Venus cafe is always a hit

This is a great spot for Hong Kong style food. The beef chow fun and the beef brisket lo mein are my favorites. The chili oil is pretty good as well and adds some nice heat. Service was friendly and the waiters constantly stopped to refill our tea. The salt and pepper chicken wings were also tasty, with a good crunch and flavor but it had more of a spicy flavor than salt and pepper. While it doesn't quite match up to the options in SoCal, it's still a great Hong Kong style cafe and I'm glad to have found this place.

My mom got the baked seafood in white sauce, which was too rich and not very flavorful even though it had calamari and fish. I enjoyed the hainan chicken, the picked veggies were delicious and the peanuts were very crunchy. The udon has a strong seaweed flavor since it had a lot of seaweed in it, but I liked the added veggies. The noodles were breaking a bit as well.

Venus Cafe is a cozy, restaurant with very filling food. The service was nice, but nothing special. The atmosphere of the place was also pretty casual, and the wait times to get a table and food are not that long.The best thing about the food is that you get a lot of bang for your buck. A lot of the meals you can either split into 2 different meals or you can share with another person. I ended up getting the Big Brother with rice. It contains pork cutlet, red sauce on one side and white sauce on the other, a chicken wing, and a fried egg. The chicken was crispy, juicy, but not too flaky. The white sauce is more a thick creamy texture with a sweet taste to it. The red sauce is not as thick, and it has a tomato taste to it, with vegetables inside for flavor. The pork itself is tender and not too much breading. The egg was pretty standard.

Tried the baked pork chop and it was seriously so good -- crispy, tender, and super flavorful. Portion was generous and hit all the right comfort food vibes. Service was quick and the menu has a lot of solid HK-style café options. Will definitely be back for more!

Love me some good affordable HK style food in the Bay Area! Their "Big Brother" plate is a constant favorite for us as are many of their other baked dishes. Salty fish chicken fried rice is also another staple for us. Takeout is super convenient for grab and go with the whole family in tow.

HK style cafe done right! I've tried a few HK style cafe in the Bay area, NYC and LA and this one does it right! The food, portions, drinks, service etc is great! I ordered the tomato baked chicken and pork chop cheese rice which came as a set for lunch and includes russian borscht and my choice of drink. Before we even ordered anything they bought out the soup already which I was impressed given that we were crunch on time. The flavor was great, had some vegetables and it was hot. The rice dish was hot and the portions were big and it was slightly sweet and savory just like how it should be done! The milk tea was delicious and has condensed milk on the bottom. I am definitely coming back here to try more of their menu items.

My go to order whenever I visit Venus cafe is their beef cube with egg tofu + sweet and sour chicken. It's always been consistent and very delicious to eat. Egg tofu is so soft and beef cubes are tender. Sweet and sour chicken is always crispy and battered nicely. This time I decided to try their salt and pepper wing & seafood chow fun. The wings are crispy and juicy. The chow fun flavor is good but noodle is a bit too soft and breaks off too easily. This is one of a local staple restaurants that I always like to visit. Recommend~~

We were actually looking for another restaurant but stumbled into this one. We were seated right away. Service was prompt. They even refilled our tea without asking. Ordered beef chow fun, combo crispy noodles and baked seafood rice. The chow fun was done right. It tastes good. The crispy noodle was ok. I did not like the chunks of meat in there. The best was the baked rice. You can't find this in a lot of places so if you encounter this item, definitely get it. The rice is real comfort food. Portions are good enough. The rice looked small but that dish was deep. They also didn't skimp on the seafood. Restaurant was clean. So were the bathrooms. Would definitely come back

We stopped by NFC champ evening and it was pretty empty. It was about half full. There was no wait for a table of two. Also, we were craving to have some baked pork chop with rice. In addition, we haven't been here for a while. Therefore, we decided to stop by. We ordered the big brother with rice and also the black pepper chicken with spaghetti. It was a lot a food so we were able to make another meal out of it when we got home. We also got a "free" milk tea with the meal. The black pepper chicken was a bit on the salty side and you'll need to eat it with rice or noodle. But they certainly gave a lot of chicken. There are also some hidden treasures of tiny fries @ the bottom. The big brother itself tastes pretty good but might be a little on the sweeter side but I still loved it. The price also isn't too bad because we get about 1.5 meals out each dish. If we happen to be around the area, we would come back again. If you haven't already, I do recommend you trying this @ least once! Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do!

There's a QR code on the table where you can scan the menu, or they will provide you with a physical menu. If you are dining in, you will order through the staff. It's a casual cha chaan teng style with plenty of options such as baked rice, fried noodles, macaroni, and porridge. It's on the pricier side but definitely worth it for the food quality. Note that they have a daily special, which is usually more affordable than ordering a rice/noodle dish from their menu (check out the QR code; you will see the "Daily special" icon). It comes with a complimentary hot drink (or +$1 for a cold drink), which is a bargain. There are 5 options to choose from on the daily special, and it could be different every day. *Daily Special: Baked spareribs with fried egg on rice w/ white sauce. DELICIOUS! The spare ribs are deep-fried and coated with black pepper sauce. It's the best part of pork, and you can taste the fattiness from the meat. Well-seasoned and cooked to perfection (not over-fried, etc.). The white sauce is mixed with cheese and coated on top of the fried rice. Plus, mixing the runny sunny-side-up egg is just a wonderful flavor bomb! If you prefer something lighter, you could ask them to change it to plain rice. *Stir-fried beef & spaghetti w/black pepper sauce on a sizzling platter: Everything on a sizzling platter just tastes so much better because it adds an extra flavor from the hot sizzling plate and keeps your food warm. The dish has "wok hei" (aka the flavor from the wok). The beef is tender, peppery, and stir-fried with onions, bean sprouts, adding some crunchy elements to the dish. Hot milk tea: It's quite sweet..you might want to ask them not to add extra sugar if you prefer more bitterness. Also, they have an afternoon happy hour menu, which starts after 2:30 pm! It looks like they have many classic appetizers to choose from. I will come back next time and try it out.

Classic HK-style cafe with solid comfort food! Venus Cafe has a wide variety of Hong Kong diner staples--milk tea, baked rice dishes, and noodle soups. The food came out fast and hot, and the portions were generous. It's casual, reliable, and perfect for a satisfying meal. The ambiance is simple but cozy. Definitely recommend for anyone craving HK café vibes!

Food is good, can't go wrong with the baked dishes. They have a $25 minimum to use credit card which isn't a problem if you order at least two dishes because it ain't cheap. However, they don't have a merchant code as restaurant but rather "convenience store/specialty market" so don't expect to get the proper credit card points for dining. Kind of annoying to me and it changed semi recently. Used to post as Venus Cafe but now it's "KCT Food Service".

This place is one of my go to spots to each for lunch or dinner. I always order the baked dishes, specifically the Big Brother dish, and it does not disappoint. A close second would be their seafood combo baked dish also! I typically order it with noodles instead of rice since the rice tends to be very dry. It comes with juicy pork chop pieces and a piece of chicken on top, baked in red and white sauce. It's very satisfying and is a comfort meal to me. I brought some food for my friends and they loved their beef chow mein and baked dish as well. The service is also very kind and quick when they made a mistake on my order. Although I haven't gotten the chance to actually dine-in, I highly recommend trying them out for comfort food!

Made another visit to this Hong Kong style cafe for a late night dinner because my partner was in the mood for comfort food. We got a few dish for us to share family style. Signature baked pork chop w/fried rice (5/5): This was definitely my favorite dish of the night. The baked pork is over a bed of rice and drench in sweet spaghetti sauce. I really enjoyed the tenderness of the pork chop and the comfort of the rice. Wonton noodle soup (5/5): This was a very standard and delicious wonton noodle soup. The wonton was very plump and the broth was very savory. Congee w/ thousand year egg (4/5: The congee part was very comforting, but lacked seasoning. I was not the biggest fan of the thousandth year egg, but that's just my preference.

Very disappointed ! Order 牛腩撈麵；只有瘦肉和肥肉塊； 完全沒有牛筋和牛膜。 Feel like that I was given leftover. 非常懷念香港的九記牛腩。

Super filling HK style comfort food that gets you full and feeling ready for a big ol' nap after! Portions are pretty big and can be shareable (their rice dishes), but the price is on a bit of the higher side. Food is flavorful and hits the spot for when I'm looking for something carb heavy and something to get lost in the sauce with. I preferred the white sauce over their red sauce, though, for the pork chop and felt that it was a bit more "put together." The service we received was personable and nice, and we were checked in frequently with hot tea refills and water refills. It does get busy during dinner time but it wasn't super loud where you can't hear each other talk.

Very yummy. Love this place. Will be coming back. Got the Hainan Chicken rice plate. Go good

This is a really good Hong Kong comfort food cafe. Hong Kong cafe style cuisine combines a few cuisines together from Hong Kong, British, Portuguese, and maybe a few others, which came from Hong Kong being a port city and having being influenced by the ships that docked and stopped by. You'll see more western-style dishes like toast, macaroni soup, spaghetti, baked casseroles, etc. Portions are pretty big, can be a little more on the pricier side, but nothing we haven't seen this inflationary period. I recommend either the Big Brother plate if you want a fried chicken wing and egg, or the Baked Chicken Steak & Pork Chop. Both come with half and half red sauce and cream sauce, for those like me who can't decide which one, or thinks they both taste great. One caveat is that hot milk tea is usually complimentary from the few HK cafes I've visited in the past, but they charge for it here. It's not too big of a deal though, but wanted to clarify. I got major food coma after, so don't eat this if you're expected to be productive afterwards.

Its quick and easy. Its open late. Parking it busy but plentiful. Tons of chargers for your EV. The food is good. The menu feels extensive. I have been coming g here for years. Very casual.

Revisit this restaurant for lunch , and noticed almost no one inside . I was kind of wondering and now I know why . Seems like the quality of the food made that Ordered wanton noodle , which would be the most easiest signature food for Hong Kong style restaurant . However , it came to be extremely disappointed .The soup base , was totally no flavor at all , felt like hot water with a spoon of fish powder. The noodle was made way too soft . All right , this restaurant will be removed from list

I've ordered from here via doordash a handful of times and the food always arrives very hot and fresh. The servings of the baked portions are very large and are usually two meals for me! The other day my hubs and I decided to chance going in person. Nobody greets you when you walk in - you generally just make eye contact with someone and they'll gesture to where you can sit. It seemed to be the Sunday lunch rush because we didn't get water or tea or menus, but that's ok because the menu was on our phones via QR code. We ordered the baked half and half, and then the Portuguese bake with fried rice. Both arrived promptly and then eventually we got some tea which was hot and comforting. The food was good as usual - my hubs demolished his entire plate and I ate maybe 1/3 of mine. I highly recommend the Portuguese fried rice. It's so creamy and good. It is loaded with carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, and pieces of sausage with a generous serving of pork chop with no bone. Overall, good food and OK service - just very chaotic and busy during lunch.

My favorite place to meet up with friends! We ordered lunch special on the menu and they all come with Hong Kong style milk tea and tomato soup. Excellent customer service as we would like more vegetables on the order. The restaurant needs some update but overall it is clean.

Venus Cafe is the typical, unassuming-looking Chinese food place. To me, it's definitely the prototypical HK comfort food. I often need to come here with my spouse to appease her nostalgic palate. We had: - Pork & Century Egg Porridge (read: congee with thousand-year egg.. it's not a hundred or a thousand years old, it's just preserved so adds good flavor when you eat it with the rice porridge) - "Chinese Donut" - AKA "you-tiao" (phonetically: yo-tee-yow).. for dipping in the porridge and getting that extra crunch-y texture combo (oh, wow, makes me drool thinking about this..) - Braised Beef Brisket Thick Noodle Soup - has to be one of my favorites to eat up.. just the kind of comfort food I can appreciate.. plus bok choy, so I have some vegetables in my diet (yay!) - Big Brother - pork cutlet, chicken wing, and fried egg. Usually, this comes with both red and white sauce, but we asked for "red sauce only" (my spouse likes that one better) - Milk Tea - obligatory HK cafe reminiscing with milk tea.. you don't always have to get it with boba, people :) Did I say this is one of my spouse's favorite places in the Bay Area? It is for HK food, or at least, so she tells me. We need this to combat her memories of youth from down in Los Angeles Chinese food. I'd actually rate this 5 stars, but I think by downgrading a star, it might actually be better. For Non-Asians at least, come with lower expectations and prepare to fill up on yummy goodness... Plus, a friend of mine remarked that "the best Chinese places often get 2.5 stars..." There is some truth to that, as we want inexpensive but authentic Chinese food, and expectations have to be aligned... Enjoy!

Food: Quite legit for HK food. Totally help with the craving. Service was fast, same as the actual HK pace. Everyone speaks Cantonese. Ambiance: The shop gets pretty busy for a weekday. All the tables are full!

Haven't been here in years and sadly, the quality is even worse than what I remembered. Came here with family on a weekday evening and the place was nearly empty. Fam was craving their lobster noodle special, but for some reason they were out. Not off to a great start. Ended up getting pan fried noodle with pork and bean sprouts, a Big Brother, and a baked chicken with Portuguese sauce. The pan fried noodle arrived first... without the bean sprouts. Had to send it back for them to remake it. The baked pork chops came cut up and super dry. The baked chicken was meh and not flavorful. To cap off the evening, they charged the wrong amount on the card (extra $10) so we had to sort that out before leaving.

Located in a plaza with Ranch99, Teaspoon, Paris Baguette, and other shops/restaurants! Big lot for parking, but can get crowded on weekends although I've never had trouble finding parking after circling the lot once. The service was very good so I want to stress that this is a decent place for a meal at a reasonable price. Unfortunately every meal I've had here was very mediocre. I wouldn't say it was bad in any way, just not necessarily good. The plus side is that the menu is very extensive! You can get all sorts of dishes and comfort foods here! Unfortunately it seems like a very quantity over quality approach. The place is reasonably comfortable and clean. I really wanted to give this place a higher review and have actually been here three times this year to try different options, but every meal I've had was just all right. Still, a convenient place to eat if you're craving something on their menu that's hard to find elsewhere!

Good comfort Hong Kong food. Came here with a friend on a rainy night, and we really enjoyed sharing the Taiwanese popcorn chicken. I also ordered a hot plate of seafood udon, which I enjoyed very much. It doesn't quite stand out compared to other Hong Kong Cafes that I have been to, but it was satisfying.

My friend took me to Venus cafe in north san Jose. It was the first time I have been there but it was a pleasant surprise. I am not eat Asian but I do enjoy Chinese hong kong style cafe and I like to eat there cuisine from time to time. My friend recommended the chinese steam chinese with yellow rice and it was delicious! I will definitely come back. The service is okay but the staff kind of speak broken english.

First time at a HK style cafe, and I enjoyed the meal quite a bit! Was able to walk in at around 9p on a Saturday night. Got myself a Curry Fish Balls, a Lemon Coke, and a plate of the Stewed Ham/Chicken/Tomato. The fish balls were terrific. It came with squid, radish and the soupy gravy was exquisite. It's oily, flavorful and a tad spicy. The Entree was on the sweeter side, but I don't mind such flavors, and relished the dish. There's chicken and spam sauteed in a tomato-ey gravy, served with fried rice. It's a gateway dish to English Hong Kong-ese dishes, so there's that. The service was quick and the waitstaff was helpful. I liked the chill vibe at this place and would recommend checking this place out. 8/10 would go back again!

I haven't been here for at least 3 years, quality of food and service are not as good as before. We are a group of 6 people, I ordered daily specials set B, while others ordered set C. I remembered Beef Stew was pretty good here before so I thought that is a safe choice. The beef stew itself is very tender however the soup is way too salty. My friends said set C is ok nothing special. The iced lemon tea with regular sweetness is good, very hk taste. I give 2 stars because the service is pretty bad, the server is pretty rude. Food is not as good as before.

Everything we tried wasn't bad but pretty mediocre. The good thing about this eatery is that it has an extensive menu. The menu is not limited to HK cafe food only but has other Chinese food like spicy northern Chinese dishes and noodles. Big Brother Baked Fried Rice - consisted of pork cutlets, chicken wings in red and white sauce. It's pretty nice that you could get both red and white sauces in a single dish but the sauces tasted just ok. The pork cutlets and chicken wings were pretty average so the dish overall was just so-so. Hainan Chicken Rice - pretty big portion. Both the chicken and rice tasted nice and savory but the chicken could be more moist. HK Milk Tea - strong and pretty authentic. The experience was ok overall but I have had better food at other HK style cafes.

I tried their hainan chicken rice, however all they gave me were chicken breast, I saw other people who ordered this had chicken leg and thighs, but how come mine didn't come with any? The chicken tastes like the chicken selling in 99 ranch which is just next door, I would just buy from 99 ranch market next time for a better value. Disappointing for what they gave me

There's not too many HK cafes in the South Bay so I'm glad we have a Venus Cafe here! I've ordered so many things over the years and you really can't go wrong with anything here! Some of my favorites are the beef chow fun with gravy and Singapore noodles! If you're looking for a soup, the creamy chicken and corn soup is hella bomb! Mongolian beef and Hainanese chicken are also really good! I could really keep the list going but order what your heart desires! Service is always friendly here and food comes out pretty quick. Same plaza as ranch 99 so there's plenty of parking.

Excellent Service and food. Worth every price. Go for the salt and pepper chicken wings and pork chop, rice red and white gravy with chicken wing. so tasty