Yummy Guide

I just called the number and found out they changed ownership and the menu. I ordered my to go. :)

Although this place is closed, I still want to give a positive review to this place to show my support to the owner. I hope she will see it. It used to be my to go place during my college time. It had always been a comfortable restaurant for some good HK snacks. About someone’s review regarding shark fin soup, «shark fin soup» is a literary translated name of a Cantonese soup. «Shark fin» in the soup; however, is not necessarily to be the real shark fin. It can be substitutes that made by plant or fish skin. I hope people can do more research, ask more reasonable questions, and find out the truth before they criticize others and things. I will always miss this place.

Regarding Lisa R’s comment on shark fin soup. I have eaten their shark fin soup. You should do some researches about the shark fin soup, before you open your mouth.
First of all, it is NOT the really thing. It’s what you call fake shark fin. I have ordered their fake shark fin myself, and also made it myself. You can get the fake ones in Chinatown.
Nature Vegetarian Restaurant in Chinatown also sells the fake shark fin soup. They also call it «shark fin soup».
No one sells shark fin soup so cheap. They are very expensive. Hole in the wall restaurants cannot afford that.
You have taken their livelihood away from them, just because you have a personal problem with them.
you are not the only one that gets mistreated. Happenes to me too, but, I don’t take them personal. I let them know right there and then. They have apoligized. Sometimes, people don’t realize til someone tells them.
Their food is really good, not the best, but, consistently good.
I’ve noticed you altered your original review about the waitress bad treatment toward you. Well. get over it, most of your Chinese Restaurants are like that.
Don’t patronize Chinese Restaurants if you can’t handle it. They don’t need people like you there stirring things up. They are peaceful low profile people.

Because the last reviewer Lisa R. posted a unreasonable negative review, Yummy Guide is now officially closed, which is sad.
This place was the most reasonable/​affordable priced chinese café in the whole Oakland.
All the negative reviews here are by people who doesn’t quite understand how to operate a small business especially in Oakland.
Thanks Lisa R.

I was appalled to see that this place serves shark fin soup as noted on the photo taken of the menu. Shark fin is ILLEGAL in the state of California and many other states in the US. Do not patronize this restaurant. I left the restaurant and not eat here, please do not patronize this restaurant.
«West’s Ann.Cal.Fish & G. Code §§ 2021, 2021.5
Under these California statutes, it is unlawful to possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, or distribute a shark fin. In addition, people and restaurants who have a shark fin as of January 1, 2012 may possess it until January 1, 2013.»

Yummy Guide is your typical HK Café eatery located in the Easy Bay, Oakland Chinatown. While most restaurants in the Bay Area has steadily increased their prices in vain of the cost of livin, rent n high wages. But Y G has maintain their low value prices n good quality standards without costin u an arm or a kidney. Y G is one of the few eateries in the Bay Area that barely existed with such cheap value! Hope they will continue to sucessfully operatin. Cause rent is high in the Bay Area. Even Oakland is not immune to the plight of high cost of food prices n rent!

This place is at it again. I ordered the black pepper gravy chicken with rice for $ 5.95 + $ 0.50 lemon tea with tax for $ 7.06 over the phone, and when I got there, the bill came out to be $ 8.16. I will complain to BBB again. Do not get overcharged by them, it’s been a very common practice that they’re doing.

Like many said, Yummy Guide is basically the cheaper and less crowded version of Shooting Star. This is definitely the spot to go to for a late night snack. Yummy Guide gets 4 stars for the quality and amount of food that you get, GIVEN the low prices. However, if I were to just judge food quality, it would be 3.5 stars.
As I was browsing through the pages of the menu I was shocked at how cheap everything was, most entrees were priced at $ 6 tops. I don’t think a single item was more expensive than $ 12 here. It was my first time here, so I was tempted to order everything, but my friends (who come here often) told me to not swerve away from their recommendations.
Basically their tips were:
— order the beef stew
— all appetizers are good
— soup noodles are bland
— desserts are good
I’m actually not a huge fan of beef stews so these were the items I ordered:
— shrimp and egg scramble chow fun (3.5÷5)
Delicious! This is on par with other egg scramble chow funs that I have had in other Chinese restaurants which are known for this dish. The best part is, it is definitely 40%-50% cheaper than these other restaurants. The serving size is fairly large as well so you can probably share this dish with a friend.
— salt and pepper fried wings (⁴⁄₅)
For those who never had Chinese fried chicken, you are missing out. The chicken is lightly battered, fried to perfection, and tossed in garlic, pepper, salt, and sugar to give it that distinct flavor. The chicken wings here were crispy, yet tender inside. Highly recommended!
— Horlick (⁴⁄₅)
Horlick is a sweet creamy malt drink. This is one of my childhood favorites, and yummy guide made it perfectly.
— coconut milk with sago dessert (²⁄₅)
So this is the dessert that we got for free for checking in and ordering over $ 20 of food. It wasn’t anything too special, but good for being free. However, it isn’t something i would pay for in the future.
Overall, I was very pleased with this experience. The servers were nice and the food was good given the price. Something to note is how fast the food comes out. Chances are that the food is premade and has to be reheated. Either way, everything still tastes really good and I do expect to return again very soon.

Since this IS Chinatown, of course the service is gonna be mehhhhhh. And it’s obviously not the cleanest looking place lol. But hey, it must be sort of sanitary if it’s been around this long.
F O O D
Egg Puffs (⁵⁄₅ stars)
This dessert is not super sweet nor is it super bland. It’s just right. I love it. It’s freshly made them and there for you and served hot. It is made perfectly.
Baked Pork Chops and Spaghetti (³⁄₅)
Honestly, it USED to be WAAAYYY better than it was today. The pork chops is Really good, not gonna lie. However, there just wasn’t enough sauce for all that spaghetti noodles that it comes with.

Cheaper than that other place nearby and service is better but just more overwhelming lol. The food tasted very authentic but the menu was very long and communicating my order was kinda hard. I did like that you can get free dessert with a $ 20 purchase though :)
Tip: Go here for the cheaper food then grab dessert at Lucky Star

GOT the :
1)Noodle w/​pork chili sauce — this stuff has kick to it! I liked it. kinda like sweet and spicy pork noodle sauce. served w/​egg noodle but i’m sure you could change the noodle
2)Pumpkin pork rib rice, — actually haven’t tasted it yet, the pork chili dish made me full, but it looks legit and will eat this in a couple of hours.
ALL FOR ~10.40 $ w/​2 delicious milk teas!
Their happy hour is very legit. I ordered it to go… and their milk tea is pretty freaking good, not sure what the other dude is talking about in terms of it’s too sweet.
Ordered their 11−6pm special… very legit stuff. I’ve had other happy hr /​tea time specials and this one gives you a good healthy portion, while other tea time specials I can usually eat in 2 – 3 bites.
The bad… well it just wasn’t that clean, the tables were a tad bit on the grimy side, but nothing that a little wipe couldn’t fix
I’ll update the review if I get diarrhea, but I’m a fan.

VERY CHEAP, I’m not saying this is the greatest place to eat but if you’re low on money and want a meal instead of going to mcdonalds come here. You get what you pay for. I recommend their fried rice and fried noodles, so much oil and msg but after a night out with friends– this place is a lifesaver. DO NOT expect amazing customer service, just order what you want and take it. Also it’s cash only.
AGAIN not a great Chinese place to take your family or to go on a date. Rating it 5 stars just for the people that work late, go drinking, partying, clubs, etc

This place is pretty solid for the following reasons:
1. The food is pretty good. I’ve been here at least 5 times and each time I get The combination chow mien. It’s is hot, flavorful and made to order. This last time, I was asked if I wanted it dry or saucy… Not really sure what that meant so I said medium. My friend ordered the eel and got a tiny portion. It was also $ 6 and came with two over easy eggs and a heaping pile of steamed rice.
2. They are open until 1am on most days, which is pretty gangsta considering they are in downtown Oakland and they are a cash only establishment. Respect.
3. The ladies are really nice. I am always met with a smile. I’ve gone to a few places in china town and the servers are usually hesitant to greet or seat me until they realize I am not lost.

Food: I like the noodle dishes. I’ve tried the wonton noodle soup and Shanghai stir-​fried noodles. The ingredients are kind of spread thin, like when Marge from the Simpsons uses sawdust to enlarge the meatloaves (not to say that actually happens here).
Environment: It’s like an aging Chinese restaurant, and borders on having a Chinese-​fast-​food-​restaurant vibe (not the actual food). The customers are like the regulars that have been going to the same diner for 20 years.
Cost: Quite cheap for the Bay Area
tl;dr regular service, regular crowds, real regular restaurant.

Think Shooting Star but less crowded, a bit dingy, and a lot cheaper.
Food is decent, especially considering what you’re paying for it. Their noodle bowls are just a few dollars. I like their macaroni bowls here and they offer many options for what to put into the bowl. I wish they wouldn’t put so many bean sprouts in there though. But for half the cost of what you pay elsewhere for the same, you can’t complain much.
One item I wouldn’t recommend, however, would be their pineapple buns with butter. They’re cheap, but they overcook them so they come out burnt and the butter melts within a matter of seconds. And they fall apart pretty easily.
They speak pretty good English here because they’re on the outer edge of Chinatown so they get a lot of non-​Chinese customers. Their daytime customers are a mix of Chinese senior citizens and EBMUD employees. I haven’t been here at night because I usually just go to Shooting Star if I’m in the area that late but that’s when people come here for their dessert items.

My food came out really fast… almost scary fast.
We went during happy hour and got popcorn chicken and some milk tea! The milk tea was good, but it’s hard to mess that up.
The popcorn chicken on the other hand looked like deep fried octopus because there were so many random tendrils. There was also BARELY any chicken in there — mostly just deep fried breading. It was actually kind of gross.

HONESTLY,
When people come to asian restaurants and expect service to be like people catering to your every needs and making awkward conversation… why?
Servers come when you need them to and that’s that. No need for much contact, which I don’t mind. This place is cheap and can fill a college student up. Honestly, I wish we had one of these near every college campus.
Their hong kong milk tea looks like it’s served in a homeless person mug begging for money LOL. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT WASN’T GOOD. I wanted to take another cup to go home it was so perfect!
If you get a sandwich, the ingredients will just be whats on the name. Say ham and egg, it will literally just be 2 pieces of white bread with the crusts cut off, one egg and one slice of ham LOL.
I get the picked vegetables and pork in soup though, it’s really cheap, really filly, and really good.

Yummy Guide is the place to go if you are looking for cheap, but filling food.
During this visit, I ordered fried chicken wings and fries, plus egg puffs to share with my friend. For $ 3.50, the basket of fried chicken wings and fries were filling. I wish the wings and fries came with more flavor though! I was sprinkling salt & pepper throughout the meal. Also, I wish their egg puffs would be sent out at the end of the meal, as dessert. It was cold by the time we finished our entrees. Boo!
Service isn’t attentive at all, but what would you expect at a cheap, Chinese restaurant? Street parking is available, though scarce since Yummy Guide is located within Oakland Chinatown. I will only be back when I need a quick, cheap, and filling meal.

Food: The food here is pretty good… and SO cheap. It’ll probably cost you around $ 5-​$ 6 for a meal and you’ll most likely be full. I’ve only been here once because we wanted to try something new and heard that this place was similar to Shooting Star Café. To be honest, the food is really similar but much cheaper, so if you’re just looking for a bite then this is a great place to go!
Service: We came in at 12 am and the place was completely empty, which was strange because of how high their reviews were but it could have just been because it was a Sunday night. The one server was pretty nice! had somewhat broken English but was courteous and responsive.
Environment: The biggest difference to Shooting Star besides the price would definitely be the environment. Shooting Star has a hip club-​like atmosphere thats really fun to bring your friends to. But Yummy Guide is like your average Chinese restaurant with some random specials listed on the walls and nothing much else. Being completely empty when I went, the overall experience was very… quiet, and very different from what I expected seeing all the comparisons to Shooting Star, but the prices here will definitely keep me coming back!

If I was a magazine owner, editor and obtaining permission from the owner of this Asian restaurant, I would call the magazine «Yummy Guide». «Does anybody still buy or subscribe to magazines anymore?»
If early enough and after selective Warrior’s home game, I get hungry and crave for «Curry». Therefore I go to Oakland’s Chinatown to regain my energy. A couple of spots I usually go are crowded, mainly Warrior’s fans that have the same idea as I do.
Thus I found this place that offer many dishes and beverages at Happy Hour Prices. From the lengthy menu, I ordered the «Curry» Beef stew over rice. For an affordable $ 5.50 +tax, I get lean beef stew pieces, cut up green peppers and potatoes in a thick yellow and spicy curry sauce with a side of white rice. With my dish, I also get a glass of Iced Hong Kong-​style Iced tea. I know the coin-​phrase, «I get what I paid for.» But this dish is just as good as any Chinese Restaurant, plus the dish was cheap. My dish:
As I was enjoying my meal, there are many kids dining there. And they were continuously playing Miley Cyrus’ «Wrecking ball» when I was there. «Shit, I wanted to strangle their necks for continously playing that annoying tune!»
If you check in with your device and you spend $ 20.00 or more, you get a free dessert. I will definitely be back and try the affordable Happy hour dishes, blended beverages and desserts.
The divey café has great late night hours closing every night at 1 am.
There is also a Unilocal Sticker and favorite of the Golden State Warriors too. «All right, enough with the (Stephen) Curry-​talk»! The front: