Chef Cho

Been here over many years and I always try to come here when I am in the Bay. This is strictly for Taiwanese people and those who are willing to try variety of authentic Taiwanese cuisine with open mind. Also definitely be ready for the smell of stinky tofu. I prefer to call it pungent tofu so maybe it's more appetizing? I had it today after 39 years being Taiwanese and I don't get it. Can't say I didn't give it a try! They offer a vast array of Taiwanese food that I grew up with and the boss lady is also as authentically Taiwanese as can be. I spoke to her before candidly and she said their goal with the restaurant was to provide the community with Taiwanese cuisine that is losing its footing in the community and I truly appreciate the vast selection to bring me back to memories of my childhood in Taiwan. For those that came to visit in the Bay Area and otherwise live in Taiwan majority of the time, the food is considered mediocre... according to my father. To me and my mother who are permanent residents and haven't been back to Taiwan for over a decade, everything is amazing. While some food flavor is perhaps missing, the aroma of "pungent tofu", the sea of Taiwanese customers and the sass of the boss lady speaking Taiwanese and cracking jokes, there is no other experience like this I know of. I think this place is a great starting point to learning Taiwanese foods before actually traveling to Taiwan so you can have the initial exposure to it.

I would typically rate this place a 2 star because of the slow service (or lack of), mediocre food and its cleaniness. But since there was only one older lady serving the entire restaurant, I figured she was doing her best. The stinky tofu was decent (could deep fry a couple more minutes) and since not a lot of places serve this dish, I really appreciated it. I took my oyster pancake home because I didn't want to get sick eating raw oysters. The ground chicken onion roll was the worst. It was mushy, overly sweet and mixed with too much flour, making it tasted doughy/powdery.At the end of the day, I shouldn't really complain because the price was very reasonable.

Chef Cho offers a decent takeout experience with some hits and misses. The food itself was fine, with flavors and textures that were satisfying but not particularly memorable. The portions, however, were on the smaller side, which might leave you wanting a bit more for the price.The staff was friendly and welcoming, and the extensive menu is definitely a highlight--it's packed with a variety of options that cater to different tastes. While my takeout experience was average, the lively atmosphere in the dining area, filled with large groups enjoying themselves, suggests it could be a great spot for group dining. I'd consider returning with friends to explore more of the menu and soak in the upbeat vibe.

5 years later, Chef Cho's is still one of the best Taiwanese restaurants in the bay. Apparently, there are folks petitioning to stop them from selling stinky tofu, so they have a poster you can sign when you walk in to support their stinky tofu. Support the stinky tofu! It's delicious and there aren't many restaurants left that sells authentic Taiwanese stinky tofu in the area. Get their Taiwanese street snacks, you can't really go wrong. My favorites are, of course, #1: stinky tofu. But their taiwanese hamburgers (gua bao) are delicious. Taiwanese sausage, deep fried ground chicken onion roll, rice cake cooked in a barrel, etc. are all good as well. Homey, authentic flavors - like your grandma made them. They do get packed on the weekends!

If you're looking for an authentic mom and pop taiwanese restaurant. This is the place. Very cozy vibes. Most customers are regular who is craving for true taiwanese food. The aunty is very friendly and talkative. Very attentive and kept asking if we need anything else. The uncle sometimes came out and check the customer. Ordered Oyster Omelette. Truly yummy. Goey in the inside, enough Oyster with some greens and Crispy on the outside. The red sauce hit the spot. Even mixed the red sauce with my fried rice. The only thing like somebody mentioned, you can smell some of the oyster, rather fishy. At least I didn't get anything. I have sensitive stomach. Sausage fried rice is on wok hei. Felt the burn. Not enough seasoning. Wish they only used 1 type of chinese sausage. They used 2. Will come back for other local taiwanese cuisine.

Went on 2 separately occasions. First with friends for dim sum, good experience overall but customer service was not so great. Second time around with family for a dinner event, not very good experience on the customer service side. The food is good. Customers service is not very attentive. They will just leave you alone until you need something. Though, you will have to wait for a while to get something done.

You park in the parking lot and find this place with posters of food plastered all over. You walk in and immediately are welcomed by the smell of...smelly tofu! OMG that is really strong smell. Luckily I do love smell tofu and it tasted great here. This is a very traditional, homey Taiwanese restaurant with ladies who serve you who are definitely Taiwanese. Overall if you can actually bear the smell of the tofu in the whole restaurant, the food is actually delicious! Everything we ordered tasted great.

Authentic taste. Quality lunchbox. And convenient parking!I ordered silk squash with clams, eel bento with cabbage, tomato eggs, and rice, butter melon salty egg, smoked duck lunchbox, cherry shrimp fried rice, meat ball with bamboo and pork, and stew beef bento. The eel bento was memorable. Plenty of eel, and yummy side dishes that are also flavorful. The squash and clam dish was light and un expected. I also enjoyed the bamboo in the meatball. Because of our large order, our Togo items were well-packed with care in a box, which we appreciated. The restaurant was housed in a mall with plenty of parking spots, always a win!

We came here for dinner on a Friday and was quickly seated.We got the stinky tofu, oyster pancake, fried chicken cutlet, and the water spinach.The stinky tofu was actually a little stinky! Our favorite dish was the chicken, although all of the dishes were great!The people working here are super nice.I would give a 4.5 star if I could.

I love the oyster pancake and the beef noodles here! So delicious! The chicken chop was good too. The pig intestine rice noodles was ok. But there aren't many places with that so can't be too picky. The owner is friendly and nice, she comes by personally to check how you're doing. Make sure you try the oyster pancake, it's crispy on the edges and they splurge on the sauce so it's drowned in the yummy tangy sauce! Yum!