Oriental Express Cafe

I really dont know how it can be such a great deal, 3 items, rice, soup AND boba for 5 something?! I like how the items aren’t Americanized chinese food. you wont find any kung pao or orange anything here! They have items you’d actually find in a chinese home!!! Great selection of items at least 15? Not only is it cheap and high quality but they give very generous portions. Excuse my language but they will fill that shit up!!! I watched the lady pile a big scoop into the styrofoam box then another then another. Yay! You know its good cause you see old asians in here, who usually dont eat fast food. Their spicy chicken dish was really good, quality of chicken was great, super soft and moist not rubbery and good flavor.
TIP: if you want noodles then that counts an item and you still get the free rice.
CASH ONLY.

Came here for lunch on Sunday because some reviewers said their food is bomb, cheap and clean.
NO WAY those claims are true!
First of all, the quality of the food is HORRIBLE.
Ordered Kung Pau Chicken and Steamed Veggies. The chicken is not fresh, tasted like some leftover chicken. Even the broccoli is not fresh, what the beep!
The free boba (came with the meal) sucks too, try it yourself if you don’t believe me.
Second, two items came out to be $ 4.96. All these reviewers said three items for less than $ 5. Nope!
Lastly, the place is filthy. There is no trash can in the dining area. Everybody just left without cleaning after themselves. Piled of dirty leftover on top of tables, flies galore.
Never coming back here ever again. Done!

This is probably the best Taiwanese takeout joint within a 5 mile radius (basically all of the 626).
These folks are really generous. It’s like as if they want to get rid of as much of their food as possible.
I usually get 3 items, which comes standard with soup, rice, and milk tea. The standard items are all interchangeable. I always swap out the milk tea for another serving of soup. If I want to go low carb, I also swap out the rice for a THIRD serving of soup!
My favorite items are the fried tofu with stewed boiled egg, the curry chicken, and meatball (s).

BEST DEAL ALERT!!! Best boba I’ve ever had in my life, and I’ve practically had every single boba in the entire San Gabriel Valley!!! It has chewy, sweet, but not super sweet boba, with a light authentic tasting milk tea! And its… get this…$ 1!!! No tax, nothing, simply $ 1! And it’s free with your meal! Their food is amazing! I usually get their mapo tofu, chicken (the one in brown sauce), and their fish! So good you won’t regret it! And the meal is so cheap! $ 5 for 3 food items, soup, rice, and boba milk tea! Come on! No better deal than this one!!!

Wow definitely a hole in the wall. You walk in and you’re probably thinking should I eat here? But you build up the courage and say f*** it!!! Less than 5 dollars you can get two sides of your choice! Side of rice, soup! And ! And milk tea with boba! If that’s not a deal then Idk what is! The milk tea is actual tea tasting. Not like other places that’s for sure. Very friendly. Lots of sides to choose from. I recommend this to everyone! Also look into their catering plates! 10 $ for a whole tray! Perfect for parties and if you are on a small budget

Very welcoming people, I got 3 items plus soup and boba for only about 5 dollars. I still had leftovers for later. Was very happy with the price for all of that food, and service was great. This place is great for quick, quality Chinese food at a low price.

I’m a very straightforward kinda person aright, this place is freakin trash, especially there is a female staff, she always rushing me to pick my sh*t, unfortunately Unilocal doesn’t have the half star rate, or I’ll definitely give the half. plus they summoned at least five flies hovering around me, I don’t want flies to protect me okay???

Great value and good food.
$ 5 for 3 item combo with a drink
The crispy chicken is very good

HIDDEN GEM ALERT!
So let me get this straight, you only need to spend 6 dollars and you can have 4 combos, rice, soup, AND boba and it can feed two people? SIGN ME UP. Yes, that is basically the best deal you can get in SGV. The best part is that the food is pretty good!!! You have a lot of choices to choose from. I counted over 36 choices of food to choose from, lots of veggies and meat! The portion size of each are very big so at least 2 people can eat and be full! I think I would bring my own rice next time, if I want some more! What a deal! I’ll be back!!!

This is a super cheap place to get some Chinese food!!! Way better than Kang Kang food court or the scooping ones at Sam Woo.
$ 4.85 for 3 items. Around $ 6 for four. Comes with soup, rice/​noodles, and a boba. I believe they charge a little more if you get the noddles. But I got the 3 item combo and they put the noodles in a separate box, so you get more room for the items. All of this together was under $ 6. Well worth it! and I couldn’t even finish it in one meal. So technically I paid under $ 6 for two meals. Love it!
Definitely worth the bang for your buck.

I needed food and I needed it quick and cheap.
Got a 2 item meal with FREE soup and FREE boba milk tea for under $ 5.
Really can’t beat that deal.

Seriously a hole in the wall.
I judged this place before going in because it looks like Panda Express.
Another lesson to not to judge a book by its cover!
This place cannot get any better.
Rice, soup, fresh milk tea, 3 items for about five bucks!
Where can you eat such home made Taiwanese food for five bucks?!
Whenever I don’t want to cook, I will go here and Togo since I live so close, yay!
Also, I don’t taste much msg here which is another plus!
Yes, this place can be a little dirty in the dining area, but 90% of the people Togo anyway!

Authentic Chinese taiwanese take out.
One item-2.95
Two item-4.10
Three item-4.85
Four item-6.05
What a deal for the three item!
The flavors are good. Free soup and boba milk tea and rice. A killer deal, a killer steal. Trrry it out, you’ll probably come back if it reminds you of your childhood.

I really love Taiwanese food so I always come here.
Their prices are extremely good for a whole meal,
$ 5.50. I always get mapo tofu, chicken wings and grilled chicken. Great combo.
I always throw out the rice and the milk tea boba though. Probably the only part of the meal that’s not so good and just to throw out there for people dining in. Too watered down for the milk tea and the rice is mushy. Overall, my go to place.

A totally different kind of fast food dining unavailable outside of the deep Chinese neighborhoods, this joint appeals to my most Chinese sensibilities… Imagine a panda express that cheaper, dirtier, and serves hardcore authentic home-​styled Chinese dishes, and you’d be about right.
Food: The food is obviously Chinese, and as implied above, it is very authentic, albeit lower-​classed. That means no orange chicken — everything is stuff from the old country but things are pre-​cooked and ready to serve. Picky western-​leaning diners beware, the flavors are different, and there aren’t a lot of meats, and much of the meat options are bony! But for those with more Eastern taste buds, you’ll find dishes here you’ll never see in Panda, or pick-​up sticks, and you’ll get more than 20 dishes to choose from. For someone like me (immigrated at the age of 10, now 30), this was a treasure trove!
Service: It’s over-​the-​counter service like any chinese fast food joints. The servers generally are frriendly, if a bit rushed. Their English varies from fairly fluent, to terrible :) But at the end of the day, you can simply point to what you like and the job gets done.
Price: The highlight of these kind of places — For under $ 5, you get rice, 3 dishes, soup, and a watered-​down boba. That’s enough for 2 meals for most people, and will more than satisfy!
The Rest: No décor to speak of. Place isn’t dirty or messy, just not exactly welcoming… I usually take mine to go to avoid the stark atmosphere.
Conclusion: Super super recommended for the traditionalists or the cheap eaters. If their boba tasted better and if they just touched up the dining room a bit, I’d have given 5 stars.

This place is right next to MTG Deals and reminds me of a panda express that is actually run by chinese people. For less than $ 5 you can get a packed 2 item combo with soup and drink. For $ 6.50, you can get 3 item combo.
The food is tasty, the place has a bunch of people at all different times of the day and it’s well lit. All in all, if you’re hungry and don’t want to spend a lot, come here!
If you want more upscale but less food, I’d go to Nha Trang across the street.

This place is like the panda express for actual asian people. Tons of variety and super cheap. Obviously with cheap, you get snubbed a bit with quality, but it does the job in a pinch.
They probably have around 20+ items for you to choose from. 3 items is about $ 6 and comes with a boba milk tea, soup, and rice. Boba and soup are terribly watered down but the food is decent and they always give me pretty hefty portions.
Nothing has really changed the past 15 years at this place. Just some reliable and cheap chinese food.

From the location, you can’t really tell it’s a Taiwanese fast food joint unless you were specifically looking for this place. Located in the corner of a small strip mall next to the old roller rink. There is basically no parking, so park on the street.
Super cheap Taiwanese combos that comes with soup and boba. What a deal! and I don’t even drink the soup or boba.
$ 4.80 for the 3 item combo and they have like 20 items to choose from.
Cold Chicken, stir fried chicken, eggplant, squid, egg and tomato, bitter melon, etc.
The ladies are super nice and the portions are generous.
Do not compare this place to Panda Express, this place serves legit Taiwanese food.

Legit hole-​in-​the-​wall Taiwanese takeout spot. My mom is from Taiwan and my family and I have been coming here for years. I grew up in San Gabriel and currently live in West LA and pick up a bento box to go almost everytime I’m in the neighborhood, even if I had just eaten (like I did yesterday)! For $ 5 you get 3 dish choices, a box of rice, soup, and a milk tea. I, for the most part, DESPISE TOFU, but I almost always get their Mabo tofu. The flavor and spices used are delicious. I’ve tried it at other places and this is the only spot where I’ll voluntarily order tofu. Some other faves are their pork ribs, some pickled veggies, and this one dish I don’t know the name of that includes soybeans/​edamame. Their boba milk tea is not overly sweetened like most other places and I’ve always experienced good customer service here.
One of my fave eateries in SGV and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for some good Taiwanese food, especially if you’re on a budget!

10+ years ago, there was a period of time my parents took me here almost everyday. Why? It was the best bang-​for-​your-​buck Chinese fast food in that area.
Now I’ve come back here again after one long decade, and you still can’t beat their price. Not only that, I believe they opened up another store in Rowland Height (
).
I had 2 dishes + rice + free boba milk tea + a cup of soup — all for about $ 4.2. You can go to Panda Express, get something similar without boba milk tea, and it will cost about $ 7+. Not only that, there were about 30 different dishes to choose from.
If you order combo:
Adding additional 50 cents — exchange white rice for chow mien.
Adding additional $ 1 — exchange white rice for noodle in chicken soup.
Living on a tight budget? If you can handle average tasting food and not-​so-​elegant dining environment, then definitely give this place a try.