Taste Of Alameda

I accidentally landed here after running out of my usual options. I’m glad I came in, good food at a good price. Clean environment & happy customer service. A small gem on Park Street.

Really fresh and flavorful, and really inexpensive for what you get! We ordered the Vietnamese sandwiches, rolls and a salad. The vegetables and salad were all really fresh and looked like they had just come from a farmer’s market. Its really hard to find that anywhere! I am not a Vietnamese sandwich expert and can’t say how authentic these are, but they tasted great! Again, really fresh, nice sauces and flavor. This food was way more original and fun than the majority of places you can eat on Park street. And the price! A giant Vietnamese sandwich with fresh ingredients for less than 5 dollars is crazy good!

It feels like a Vietnamese American fusion. Trying to attract both parties in Alameda. Not very authentic or traditional Vietnamese food, but decent. I feel the portions are just right. I ordered the lemongrass chicken and shrimp which was good. I give it a ³⁄₅ for taste, ³⁄₅ for plate presentation, ⁴⁄₅ for environment and location. I got a Vietnamese coffee so that was decent too, not as strong as I wanted to be. Customer service was nice. The workers pick up the plates after us, serve nicely. Super clean. I would go here once in a while but not my two go spot.

Food was okay, but it couldn’t overcome the slowness of service. And the employees working there seemed very uninterested in food service overall. Asked about the waffles, which were pretty good, they couldn’t tell us anything about them. If you go, bring something to do while you wait, like monopoly.

I was on park street and looking for something quick to bring home for dinner. I dropped in taste of alameda, not knowing what to expect because of the mixed reviews on Unilocal.I ordered the grilled chicken bahn mi and lemongrass pork vermicelli noodles. They were ready in less than 10 minutes. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised because the food was actually quite good, and it was really inexpensive. I will definitely go back to grab another weeknight meal!

Don’t waste your time… but if you got time to waste… they get props for having dippin dots… but far from friendly, approachable or knowledgeable esspecially in what they serve which is kind of sad being that it’s a new place first impressions shouldn’t be «our packaged I’ve cream has more personality then us“I hope the foods better then staff the latter prevents me from getting that far… in alameda you can get good food a lot of places don’t give the public more reasons for it not be you

Came here this past Saturday when I was around park street. Didn’t really know what to eat and realized that this place was finally open. For some reason when the sign was up before opening, I assumed this place was some sort of BBQ place. We got inside and realized the menu was filled with Vietnamese dishes/​sandwiches and burgers/​fries. In addition, they had some desserts.
When we entered, we were not greeted. I was confused to where to place my order because the cash register was in the back. The guy took our order and wrote it down. But then a few minutes later asked again as if he forgot to take our order.
We got our receipt and sat down. Forgot to get our cup for our drink. The guy handed us an empty cup and didn’t explain anything. I looked at my boyfriend confused to why he just gave us an empty cup. Turns out we were supposed to get our own toppings before handing it back and getting it filled with Thai iced tea.
We sat at our table patiently waiting for our food. Until we heard the guy carrying out of food and trying to give it to another table before realizing that it was for us. We ordered the chicken and egg rice plate. He then brought out an order of popcorn chicken and tried giving it to us but we had to telling him that we didn’t order it. Then he asked if we were missing anything else. We were missing our tiny little green waffles.
Thai iced tea– the tea was good, the boba that we got in it was really mushy on the outside and hard on the inside… Old boba. We ended up getting a smaller straw and just drinking the tea.
Rice plate– I was really disappointed when I first saw it. The portions were really small for $ 7.99. It just wasn’t great.
Pandan waffles– we had to order it because they were mini! These were the only good thing I could say I got from this place.
Overall, the service wasn’t good, the food portion was great, but the pandan waffles were good! I don’t think I’ll be coming back here anytime soon.

Really good. Really good value. $ 7.95 for lemongrass pork on vermincelli, with two egg rolls! And very friendly folks. Quick service. Eat there or take-​away.

Food was excellent, we’re had a vermicelli chicken bowl, grilled lemongrass chicken rice plate and fresh spring rolls.
Everything tasted delicious and we’ll will definitely be ba k. The sizes were generous especially for the price

Always searching for a good banh mi… Did not find it here. I ordered the traditional ham banh mi. It did not have the traditional ham meat and there was no pâté — so definitely not my perfect banh mi. Price for the sandwich already increased since the restaurant opened. Service was quick and friendly. Gave a 3^rd star for dippin’ dots which I love. Will keep searching…

Friendly service and cheap food but subpar. Lemongrass pork Banh Mi was overly salty that I couldn’t eat the other half. Shrimp/​pork spring roll had a mealy taste, which I think was the pork. The sauce was more like a gravy and not appetizing. Interior is very clean but then again, it’s only been open a month. Great place for students with low food expectations.

Our original intent was to go to Teazzert because I really needed to use the bathroom and so we could grab some dessert. But as my girlfriends and I were walking, we saw this place and it looked inviting enough that we stepped in to see what they had. And lo and behold, they carry Dippin Dots. How awesome is that? I normally don’t get to eat them unless I’m at a Warriors game. So I was super stoked. I ordered the mint chocolate dippin dots and it was just as good as I remembered it being. I originally thought they would have the dippin dots already there so that they would give it to you in cups but they only carried the ones in the presealed bags. Upon looking at the menu after being seated, Taste of Alameda seems to be a lil Vietnamese café that serves banh mi and spring rolls. The menu is limited but I think it’s meant to be that way so that it’s quick and on the go. It was pretty empty in here other than my friends and I. I see potential but they’re going to have to do better to attract customers.

Convenient Vietnamese sandwich/​fastfood shop located right in the middle of the Park Street shopping area. Everything (food, décor, prices) are pretty average. Considering that it’s a Vietnamese fast food joint, the choices are quite limited. What I like about it is the cleanliness, good customer service and convenience. If I didn’t live in the area, I wouldn’t bother driving here to order food from them. The stir-​fry, spring rolls and Banh Mi are just average. I think the owners mainly cater to the Alameda High school students who go for lunch. This place will probably stay in business for a while because the prices are reasonable and there’s a lot of hungry students. Overall, this is a good addition to the area.

Time: 2:31/81°F sunny
Purpose: Couple of months ago building management told me about TOA coming late summer. Been following it ever since then just no time till today.
Ambiance: TOA is a 22 seater inside with two sidewalk tables. Inside brick-​wall structure 4 tables, two high tables, indoor ATM, flatscreen TV, and stand alone beverage fridge. For decorations place has a drawing of the Bay Bridge and couple of wrapped red foil grand opening plants. Counter area with napkin dispenser, iPad, tip jar, boxes of spring roll, sneeze guard, self help utensil/​condiment section. Further end counter dippin dot section with a table top pastry box. Behind counter five panel menu board with shaved ice machine. It’s a nice place with high ceiling and spacious.
Staff: One girl about late 30s doesn’t greet people till patrons says hi to her first. Should be the other way around. Wasn’t too engaging or wanting to serve people. First girl place my order and another rung me up, and a guy from kitchen handed it to me. Good indication of things haven’t been work out yet.
Cleanliness: Grade A, immaculate throughout the place. Everything clean nice and tidy. All functions in compliance to city code regulations.
Eats/​Drinks: Banh mi lemon grass pork $ 3.95 and spring roll w/​shrimp 3pcs $ 5.25. Sando not as great never had such a light weight banh mi in a long time. The reason? Bread wasn’t the type that gets deliver daily in a brown bag. Instead its the kind that you grab at Ranch 99 in plastic bag 5 – 6 baguette per bag. Here’s what my experience reveals. The inside top half of bread wasn’t pluck out. The reason for this is simple. More veggie and less pork given to make it appear like a larger sando. Cucumbers were dice cut almost every bite a piece lands on parchment paper. Why can’t it be in wedge cut quarter form? Carrots, cilantro, and leafy green were plenty. Chicken pieces were small about three chunks lining bread. Very poor execution in making this sando. Spring roll were just the usual rice paper mint, leaves, bean sprouts, half shrimp, vermicelli noodle comes with fish and peanut sauce. Can’t go wrong with the rolls at least, but didn’t seems fresh as rice didn’t stick.
Main Features: Vermicelli noodle meals, shaved ice, and dippin’ dots.
Products/​Services: Hot food of 1 – 3 item combo, vermicelli noodle, American/​Vietnamese sandwiches, burgers, fries, chicken strips, eggroll, salads, spring rolls, lettuce wraps, dippin’ dots, shaved ice, milk tea, Vietnamese coffee, thai iced tea. Follow them on Instagram, FB, Twitter. Vegetarian friendly, takes plastic.
Punch Lines: Newly established, Vietnamese/​American offering, décor leaves something to desired, modest cost, easy night out, budget-​watchers, laid back, kitschy décor, light bites, more than average wait time, nothing out of the ordinary, itty-​bitty, pretentious.
Tradeoffs: Dippin’ dots and television couldn’t attract budget-​watcher crowd like Chinatown. Place gear toward non Asian crowd with little or no knowledge of whats what.
Final Thought: When I was first told TOA was replacing Happy Feet with a food truck like emporium offering. I was ecstatic thinking food of Filipino, Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Italian, Greek all source in one place. Fast forward after opening, I was disappointed that its just another banh mi shop with other eats thrown in for good measure. TOA sounds like offering from the island is being introduced, but its not. In short, when it open couple of my Unilocal friends had already experience it with mix feelings. So, I’m left wondering yes or no? Yes, when I’m in the area. Thinking back there was a banh mi shop a block up and it close up without warning. At least here they kept it under $ 4 for a banh mi sando. Alameda is not the only city that sells Vietnamese food.

Tried some of their food tonight. I tried their spicy chicken sandwich under the American sandwich menu. Their sandwich took about 15 mins to make which for that time I assumed it was going to be some amazing sandwich. When I got to opening it, it honestly looked like a Jack in the Box sandwich, tasted like it, and even had the same ingredients in it. The only reason I’m giving it three stars is because they have Dippin dots and who doesn’t like Dippin’ dots. I do hope the rest of their food is better because if that is what I’m getting I rather go to Jack in the Box they’d be faster too. I don’t think this is a Taste of Alameda, other restaurants will show you a better taste of Alameda.

Had the stir fry rice noodle with beef and thai ice tea.
Thai ice tea has good balance of milky and sweetness plus choice of tapioca balls or jellies.
Stir fry noodle wuth beef was freshly cooked and gently seasoned, so its not too salty nor sweet. For more spiciness, I asked for some chili/​cayenne powder and Sriracha.
Interior shop space is modern and clean.
Overall a simple and pleasant experience.

Taste Of Alameda has food for fast foodies and food prepped to order for more patient patrons.
menu: banh mi (vietanamest & american versions), vermicellli noodles, chow mein/​fun, combo plates, shaved ice, dipping dots ice cream. etc.
eats: shrimp spring roll (5.25)
–3 fresh rolls with sliced shrimp, lettuce, vermicilli noodles inside
–peanut sauce dip was fab!
–no msg tasted
take outs:
–no steam table offerings in the afternoon.
–banh mi maybe best offering for value here.
–seating available.

EDIT: I went back for a second try today and the food was a lot more fresh and flavorful. I got the teriyaki chicken banh mi and it’s a good and flavorful sandwich with a nice pepper & cilantro kick. The price to quantity ratio is pretty good too, I paid less than $ 5 for the full sized sandwich and it’s pretty filling.
Original:
I went in on opening day and they clearly put a lot of effort and money into appearance, so I wanted the food to be good, but unfortunately it was not. I ordered the lemongrass chicken with noodles and egg roll. The girl told me someone in the back was making the chicken fresh, but what I got was room temperature, tough, and had clearly been sitting in a warmer all day. The noodles were topped with wilting vegetables and with no sauce or flavoring of any kind. It was the most plain dinner I’ve eaten in a long time. I ended up dumping the egg roll dipping sauce over the noodles hoping to get some flavor out of it but that didn’t help. The egg rolls were cold and stale.
overall the meal was very bland and flavorless. I think it was due to opening day turbulence though.

I wanted to try to sneak into my normal sushi spot, but unfortunately they were closed.
So I decided to walk up the street to Monkey King for some food and booze.
As I walked passed, I saw that this place was open So I decided to pop in .
Im going to keep this review neutral for now since they were only open for hours as I walked in. I do not hold anything against this place.
I almost passed on the food as it did not look too fresh sitting in that steam table. but since I wanted to be one of the first to review, I ordered some food.
I had the Eggrolls, Chow fun and Chicken.
Unfortunately, the eggrolls were cold = (, But it was definitely very tasty, will reheat when home.
Chow fun and chicken was very tasty, the only issue was that it wasn’t as fresh and hot as to my liking. (maybe steam table did not reached the right temp) who knows?
However this experience will not hinder me from returning to try other things on the menu as the food was very delicious.
Service was as expected with any soft opening. (training mode and learning and ironing out the kinks). Hey at least the server was easy on the eyes and smiled .
I will return to try other things on the menu and update my review after a few more visits.
Good luck guys!!!

Date: 9÷1÷2015. Time: 7:30 PM 70°. Partly cloudy
I received a message from a Unilocaler friend of mine that Teazzert had closed. Thus, early this evening I decided to take a stroll on Park Street to check to see if indeed that was true. On my way to said business, I noticed that Taste of Alameda was officially opened for business. I went in to ask for a paper menu. None was available. Eventually, one will be available in due time.
Ambiance: Double glass door entrance. To the left are several white tables and black/​white chairs against brick wall. Brick wall has a large mural photo of the Golden Gate Bridge and background is a San Francisco skylight. To the left and right by the front door are a wooden table and three black/​white chairs. Maximum seating capacity: possibly 15 to 20 people, give or take. Outdoor seating for 4 people. Natural sunlight from outside plus 15 lights in the interior of the restaurant. Back wall is white with flat screen TV mounted on wall. ATM machine also against the back wall. Gray tile floor. To the right is a refrigerated beverage case along with a wooden high chair. Straight ahead on the right side is the order counter and steam tables holding the entrees, egg rolls and strips of different flavor jello, which are on behind the display window. The counter also has stacks of Vietnamese egg rolls in black and clear plastic containers with a container of fish sauce.
Staff: One gentleman in his 40’s and a young lady in her late 20’s. They were friendly and helpful. I told the young lady I will return to order a vermicelli noodle meal.
Cleanliness: It’s new, their first day in business. Pristine for the time being.
Specialties: Hot foods consisting of combo plates and vermicelli noodle meals, banh mi and American style sandwiches, salads/​sides, shave ice/​drinks and dippin dots ice cream. Prices are reasonable. Based on what I have seen in their steam tables, the entrees looked fresh to me and the egg rolls didn’t seem greasy and oily.
Eats: Vermicelli rice noodle with lemongrass pork, egg rolls and extra containers of fish sauce. It would have been nice if there was a tad more slices of pork. Food was fresh and the egg rolls were lukewarm. I enjoyed what I have eaten. I will return for their dippin’ dot ice cream and shaved ice.
Finally, welcome to Park Street, Taste of Alameda.