Canaan Restaurant

Lunch specials are just the right amount to not have extra leftovers. Dine in includes a side of soup and steamed rice. Not available for takeout orders.I wanted lobster Yee mein but the tank was empty when I arrived.Got a few items that are uncommon for our family but completely delicious:Scrambled egg with shrimp - I love this simple combo and how the egg comes out soft scramble with very tender peeled shrimp.Seafood and tofu in clay pot has a bottom layer of clear noodles and vegetables (mostly Napa cabbage) - the tofu soaks up all the flavor and is equally delicious. Shrimp, squid and scallop in the mix.Our server suggested the milk tea with boba - I try to not consume too much of this type of drinks because they can be sugar bombs, their version is not overly sweet.We tend to order a lot of food because of dietary reasons. So I requested to be moved to a larger table. The staff was very accommodating, cleaning up the previously used table and moving us immediately. I am always impressed by how quickly delicious food comes out from what seems to be a smallish kitchen.Lunch specials are billed as served only till 250 pm, probably to avoid the 3 pm lunch stragglers. Check the front door for the hours, one weekday (Tuesday?) they are closed for an hour or two right after lunch service.

I was so sad to recently find out that they no longer serve Taiwanese Breakfast anymore. It's quite saddening to hear since I don't know of any other spot besides 99 Ranch in the area that serves Taiwanese Breakfast. There's already not many Taiwanese restaurants in the area, so one night, my dad decided to give them a try for their non-breakfast items. While I can't say it's the best Taiwanese food I've had, it's decent considering there's not that many taiwanese options in the area. There is one dish that was overly salty (see below) that I'll have to come back another day to see if it's always that salty. That may change my review.We came in on a Tuesday night with no reservations around 5:30pm. The restaurant wasn't too packed but you could tell people were starting to roll in. While we were looking at the menu, the waitress kindly reminded us that if we wanted to get our food orders in before the large party who had reserved a spot at 6pm, we needed to get it in ASAP. I thought that was kind of her to be mindful about that. What we ordered:Lobster Chow Mein $35 - The price for this is quite worth it, but please note that it's a small lobster. Ideally, it's prob enough for 1-2 people if this is all you're ordering, but since we ordered a couple of other dishes, it was not bad to split it amongst 4 people. If you prefer Yi Mian, it's just $5 more (total $40). Flavor on this was pretty on par with other chinese seafood restaurants that serve this dish.Spicy Intestine in Hot Pot $20 - One of my family's go to order because it pairs so well with rice. I really liked the flavor and how they packed it with a decent amount of intestines, but as I kept eating it, I realized I became so thirsty. I couldn't tell if it was because it was overly salty or overly spicy/numbing but drinking cold water made it worst. My dad also felt and tasted the salt (or msg?). I don't know if this was just a mistake on the chef's part, or if this is truly how salty they make it, but I think I will have to stop by another day to give them another chance with this dish. Beef with Scallions $18 - I like how loaded this dish was with beef. When you order this dish, you can easily tell if a restaurant is being cheap by giving you more scallions than beef. This was not the case here. The dish here tasted a little bit more on the sweeter side. Pairs very well with rice.Pork Hock in Brown Sauce $20 - The portions are super generous. You could probably order this with rice and have meals for days. So much meat. Flavor is okay and nothing special, but if you're here to just get bang for your buck, this dish is it.Taiwanese Stinky Tofu $13 - Not the stinkiest taiwanese stinky tofu but probably for a reason so that other patrons in the restaurant won't complain. We don't like driving all the way to 626 to get it so as a family, we accept this mediocre taiwanese stinky tofu.Salt & Pepper Pork Chop $17 - Fried to crispiness. I like how they used pork chops that didn't have a lot of bone or fat. I think the salt & pepper flavor could be better incorporated with the fried pork chop, but it's not bad!

Funny story how we came to check out this restaurant! My friend told me she picked up food to go from Canaan for us because she said I told her that Cerritos has a lot of delicious Taiwanese food. I was incredibly confused because I could not, at the time, list even a single Taiwanese restaurant in Cerritos. What I think I might have said is that there are tons of Asian options in Cerritos! In any case, we clearly loved the take out and made a point to check it out in person! We decided to take my in-laws and grandma. We come to find out that grandma has ALSO been a bunch of times before (with other aunts and uncles) and she also really likes this place! We're just coming late to the party! My in-laws, as well as my husband and I, just LOVED this restaurant. The size of the restaurant and the food they serve really just remind me of smaller Chinese restaurants my parents frequented in San Gabriel growing up. It's got the small mom and pop feel (not your hustling and bustling Capital Seafoods) delicious food with quick and prompt service! Here's what we had in the order it came out (don't judge, we really went ALL out!)Crab Meat & Fish Maw Soup $16 - standard fare; no negative marks, we enjoyed with dashes of red vinegar and white pepper; the bowl was large enough for 5 individual bowls for us, easily; I think we had enough for 2 more individual bowls (so 7 total).Mao Braised Pork Belly $18 - we are still on the hunt for our favorite braised pork belly; this was a solid contender, but still not our favorite; I think I'm realizing I don't care for the red colored braising; will need to do some further research. Pork was tender, if not a little bit on the dry side. The sauce is yummy. Shredded Pork with Dried Bean Curd $16 - such a humble dish, but it was so, so well executed. Make sure you order this! The pork was deliciously flavored and just had this bite/texture to it that it seemed like it was almost fried separately before being sautéed with the bean curd; there is just a slight touch of sweetness to balance. Steamed Whole Striped Bass $MP/P - this fish was one of my favorites of the night. I could have probably eaten the whole darn thing by myself! The fish was so light and flakey, and done classically with soy sauce, ginger and scallion. Ugh, just writing this is making me salivate. Sautéed Water Spinach $MP/P - I don't really know why water spinach is charged at market price (not just here, but at other restaurants too); if you know, message me! But regardless, I'm more than happy to pay; at home, my burners just don't get hot enough to get this "touched by fire" taste, where the veggies are cooked but still got a bit of bite. This was not oily, and just had a hint of garlic, so its natural flavors really showed through. Eggplant & Tofu in Clay Pot $18 - another dish full of nostalgia for me; the bamboo was so tender, and the eggplant not mushy (being as I like to play around in the kitchen, I know they fry it, but I'm just going to pretend :) I don't know)Salt & Pepper Squid $18 - another solid on this; nothing particularly memorable for me (in a good way). The squid was crispy and not chewy, but probably could have been a bit more seasoned.

We were looking for something light like dim sum but ended up ordering 4 dishes and left with zero leftovers!I've been seeing Canaan on my restaurants options for years now but we always already had a restaurant in mind before going to Cerritos. This time we decided to give it a try and it didn't disappoint. We arrived just as they opened and they already had a couple of tables occupied. We ordered shumai, string beans with bean curd, salted fish fried rice and Canaan special fish fillet. The food was DELICIOUS. We ordered jasmine tea and it was so fragrant as well. First time we ordered a lot and didn't leave with leftovers. We were extremely satisfied. Can't wait to go back and try their other dishes.By the way, you know it is a good Chinese restaurant when majority of their patrons are Chinese and are all 60+ years old. Service was fast, nice place to dine with family and friends.

Been coming to Canaan restaurant for years and the food is always on point. Sue is the best! She gives great service and always greets us with a smile. We live out in Yorba Linda and certainly don't mind the drive to grab food here. If you like authentic Taiwanese food, go try Canaan.

I ordered takeout honey, walnut shrimp. Honestly, they gave me such a small portion. This is ridiculous. I regret this.

WOW so glad I found this spot ! Work around the area had a longer lunch break so naturally looked for a lunch special found this spot tucked away in a plaza amongst other businesses and restaurants . This restaurant faces the street, there's plenty of parking but it seems to get packed.Walked in got seated right away , there was a couple people already seated but it was not to packed . Decided to get the kungpoa beef that comes with rice , broccoli, and a drink . YUM my gosh the kung pao beef was so good , the beef was perfect , meat quality on point , sauce was perfect and they do not shy away from the peanuts ! Broccoli was very flavor ! The lady was so sweet as well , came back a second time same food quality so definitely will be coming here to try other dishes & their dumplings !

We come here pretty regularly for dinner. Decor is traditional with a lobster tank. It's usually fairly empty but will sometimes be packed on the weekends. My kids (3yrs and 7yrs) love the salt and pepper fish so that's a guaranteed every visit. I like the pork chop with salt and pepper and my husband likes the Mongolian beef but we'll change it up and order something different. So far it's been a hit. Beef with scallions might be even better than Mongolian beef, and the mao's pork belly on the special menu is sooo tender (even if the flavor is chasiu/bbq).

The French beef filet was melt in your mouth amazing. We also loved the hot and sour soup. The reasons we will return is for the customer service. Big smiles.

I've been coming here frequently for over a decade. They make good comfort food at reasonable prices. I order family meals to take out almost weekly, everything on that menu is good. Service is warm and friendly.