Chef Ming

When I first walked into Chef Ming, the scent of heavily salted Chinese food struck me like a powderkeg. One glance at the steam counter, the clean but cheap and slightly tacky furniture, the photos of various Chinese dishes blown up in giant pictures above the counter, told me everything I needed to know.
This was going to be average Chinese food sold at a decent price.
On that note, I cannot complain. However, as a vegetarian, my options are inevitably limited. Mounds of chicken and beef dishes loomed up at me from the counter. Even the rice has either chicken or shrimp, forcing my hand to request the flavorless (albeit probably a little healthier) steamed white rice. The mixed vegetables with tofu, being my only option, is actually pretty tasty. And considering that the rice plus vegetables came out to a dime less than $ 4, I really have no room to complain.
Three stars for limited vegetarian/​healthy options and unoriginal food quality.

They should rename themselves Panda Express Minus. Huge portions of tasteless food served in an ambiance free zone.

So this was my first time at this fast food Chinese restaurant. And it was decent not the best, but definitely not bad and I would have to come again if I’m in a rush. I came with my dad because he had been telling me that it was really good, great portions and low prices. He got two out of the three right; large portions and great prices. The food wasn’t as good as he claimed but still passed the test.
I got the half and half shrimp fry rice, vegetarian chow main, mushroom chicken and Mongolian chicken. Out of all four the vest was the Mongolian chicken, that I could see my self eating often.
My dad had the half and half chicken fry rice and vegetarian chow main, mushroom chicken and the fried chicken wings. He said that the chicken wings were very salty so he didn’t eat the skin.
For under $ 20 we had a big meal and both had drinks so if you’re in the area definitely check it out. Plenty of seating and very clean inside.

When I worked in the Financial District in San Francisco, lunch was often an inexpensive meal from one of several nearby Chinese fast food joints.
Now we have Chef Ming, a bona fide Chinese fast food spot in San Leandro (too clean and well-​lit to be a «joint»). The steam table entrees provide good-​size portions of above-​average food … but the real joy is their regular order menu. Great sesame beef, chow fun, kung pao… freshly-​prepared while you wait, and a great value for the money.
Not the same as a full-​service, sit-​down Chinese restaurant, but the prices are great, and the food seems much healthier and less salty than a Panda Express, for example.
Friendly service, fast and efficient. Cheap chow!

Came here for the first time today with my family. We all ordered 2 item plates to go. I had the sesame chicken with fried rice, my hubby and son ordered the special chicken with chow mein and fried rice. Food was bland, but things went from bad to worse when we found a black hair in my husband’s food… GROSS! Probably wouldn’t have been a big deal, but my husband is BALD, obviously not his hair. Needless to say, we won’t be going back.

This place is really good. They have a to go menu and a menu if u want it cooked fresh to order. The lady even gave me a spring roll while I waited.

Hungry and have no time to cook? This might be a good place for you. This is your typical Chinese fast food and take-​out place, but you can sit inside and eat in too. The place is clean and they have a lot of tables inside, so it’s not a bad place to stop and eat for a few minutes. It’s probably best to come here during their busier times, so you don’t get food that’s been sitting on the steam tray for a while. They have a number of choices – fried rice, really thick, fat chow mein noodles, sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork, broccoli beef and other chicken dishes. You can also order items from a more extensive a la carte menu, in small, medium and large portions. You can call ahead for that or wait for it at the restaurant.
I ordered a 3 item plate from the steam table for less than $ 7 and an order of their garlic chicken wings ($ 1.79). I chose the fried rice, sweet and sour pork and chicken with green beans. It was a lot of food. It was good enough for two people, so my husband and I shared it when I got home. The food was okay for that price. If we’re pressed for time and need something right away to assuage that hunger, we will get take out here again. It’s less than a mile from our house so it’s very convenient.

Decent steam table take-​out joint. Set your expectations accordingly, and you won’t be disappointed. I’d rather support a Mom & Pop place than a big corporate enterprise so Ming’s fits the bill. Great for inexpensive quick Chinese you can grab on the way home when you’re too tired (or lazy) to cook. Standard fare at decent prices and the staff are capable enough. You want a gourmet experience with 5 star service? Go somewhere else. I give ‘em 4 stars because they’re not trying to be anything other than a quick steam table take-​out joint and they’re honest about it.

this place is pretty tasty! different than most Chinese places i been to. its cheap & they have great choices. The best part is they usually fill up your plate! My current favorite Chinese place :)

It’s pretty clear (or should be) to anyone looking to try this place that this is no Ming Tasty or Daimo. It’s a pseudo Panda Express where you order either a two or three item plate from a steam table and seat yourself. In fact, a good comparison is that it’s somewhat of a hybrid of Panda Express and Asia Delight, though unfortunately not as good as the former.
But to be completely fair, I didn’t think Chef Ming was horrible, or even disappointing. Maybe it’s because I didn’t go in expecting the caliber of food I’ve eaten at other Chinese places, but I thought it was good for what it is. I’d much rather come here and give Chef Ming my business over Asia Delight, where you don’t need to speak Cantonese to know the women behind the counter are all talking shit and don’t say thank you, hello, good bye, or ever stop their gossiping to interact with you.
The women here were extremely nice, and since there was no one in line when I stopped in for lunch I got my food in an instant. There aren’t a whole lot of entrees to choose from at the steam table, but what was there looked pretty good. I got the three item plate and ordered steamed rice, chow mein, and kung pao chicken, and for $ 6.25 they really packed my plate. The restaurant itself is very bright and open, and the ladies were cleaning the entire time I was eating — again, another detail that makes this place way more appealing than going to Asia Delight.
The chow mein wasn’t the best I’ve ever had but I was happy that it wasn’t greasy or heavy; the kung pao chicken was spicy and the vegetables weren’t overcooked, retaining just a bit of their crunch. I left satisfied, which was enough for me, and thought everything I ate was good. Again, not the greatest Chinese food I’ve ever had but it’s really not supposed to be, and it served its purpose of being at least tasty and satisfying. I’d come back, and honestly wish it was closer to my job in downtown San Leandro so I could stop by for lunch. At least it’s down the street from home.

They’re ok, just don’t get anything from the warming table AKA soggy table. Get what they have as a special because they cook it fresh and then your going to have a great meal, there soups are great too and made fresh but my favorite place is Panda at Bayfair Mall.

My husband and I haven’t been back for a while and don’t really intend to go back. As I mentioned in my last review, front of the house staff are terrible. The food really isn’t that good. There are plenty of other Chinese spots in San Leandro with much better quality food with better prices.
Hopefully the owner is paying attention, because this place won’t last long with good spots like Delight and Ming Tasty in competition. Honestly, I’d rather go to Panda Express. That’s kinda sad.

Chef Ming is a fast-​food style restaurant and, in that low-​expectations category, I feel my experience deserves four stars. We’ve ordered twice from the steam table (both take out and dining in) and the entrees were fresh and well-​flavored. We enjoyed the chicken and the shrimp stir-​fried rice, garlic chicken, green bean chicken, broccoli beef, egg rolls and a couple of other chicken dishes. The service couldn’t be friendlier and both times I was invited to order from their menu, which we will try next time. Décor is so-​so and I wish they would remove the photos of food in the windows as, they not only make the restaurant look cheap, when you’re sitting inside at a table you cannot enjoy looking out the windows. Parking is good in a lot behind the building and I’m glad they replanted the planters outside. The interior is newly remodeled, clean and simple.

I am only giving this place 2 stars because of the graphics on the windows. I live in the Estidillo Estates neighborhood and was excited about this place opening up. Now I am wondering how long they will last. I only had a sample and did not make it past that. I was also disappointed that the fried rice counted as one item in a two item combo. Most steam counter joints offer rice or chow mein and two items, My daughter and I decided that driving to Oakland to our old GREAT stand by Jade Palace was worth the drive.

Was happy to see something opening in the old Cornerstone spot. Tried it with disappointing results.
Walking in, was surprised to see it was a steam table place. I had imagined a sit down Chinese restaurant. The food on the steam table looked exactly like the food at every other Chinese steam table place. Not an encouraging first impression.
The man behind the counter was very friendly. I really wanted to like the place because this guy was so nice and obviously wanted to please his customers. He said we could also order fresh from the menu, and handed us paper menus, and we took that option. We tried our usual General Tsao chicken and dry fried green beans, which is how we baseline every new Chinese place. Added an order of pork egg fu yung.
The General’s chicken did not pass the test. The sauce wasn’t hot or sweet, both of which are required for this dish. It was just boring. I would not get it again. I should at least mention that the portion was huge, overflowing the box. But if it’s not that good, what’s the point?
The egg fu yung was really weird. Usually you get a pancake with bean sprouts and meat, held together with scrambled eggs. This order came with three large globe-​shaped things that were just the bean sprouts and eggs. The meat came on top with the gravy. The meat was great — delicious large pieces of roast pork (char siu.) But the weird bowling ball «patties» put me off. I did not like this egg fu yung and wouldn’t get it again, even with the generous char siu on top.
Fortunately the green beans were good — nice and fresh and well seasoned. However on the menu it said dry fried green beans with dried shrimp, but there was no evidence of that — just beans, onions, and sauce. I was looking forward to the salty dried shrimps, but they weren’t there. We all agreed that the beans were the best dish.
I think this place could be better if they had a better cook who understood how to make the dishes properly. Unfortunately the food didn’t match the customer service. I will go back in a month or so to see if this is just «growing pains.» For now, Chiang’s remains the General’s Chicken champion — best in town!

We tried a single combo plate. Apparently what they consider to be a three item plate — fried rice, broccoli beef, and green bean chicken. You have to get a starch as one of the items. It wasn’t awful but not much beef in the broccoli beef, and the green beans were overcooked in the green bean chicken. The fried rice was pretty decent but way more carbs than I needed.
Definitely not as good as Panda Express let alone any of the places in the area that will make it up fresh.
This is their first day open, so maybe they’ll improve, but they do have other locations so maybe not.

Chef Ming opens where a soul food eatery, a breakfast eatery, and? used to be.
they offer scoop from the counter, or order from the menu.
menu: typical «cantonese/​mandarin»
–lunch special (3.29), combination: 3 items combo (6.59), 2 item combo (4.59)
–scoops from counter-​entrees (s:2.49), (m:3.99), (L7.69)
noodles/​fried rice
(s:1.79), (m:2.99), (L.5.39)
eats: daily special: green beans with white rice (4.99)
–green beans fresh and crunchy
–not a lot of beans, lots of freshly cooked rice
–nice sauce, a bit salty, some msg tasted
3.5 stars
notes:
–dining in possible
–some parking available
–food better than average, pricing reasonable, portion average
–food had aftertaste. 3 stars, value 4 stars
–owner comped my order, wouldn’t take my money, said he recognized me
from his other store (s).