Chuan Yu

We've been here a few times now and every time has been great. We've ordered from both the Japanese and the Chinese menus, which makes for a fun, delicious, and varied dinner. All the rolls we've had have been tasty. The best dish we've ordered is the dry pot-- it's so flavorful and comes in a very large portion. I think next time the dry pot and a roll will be our perfect amount of food (for two).The service has also always been great. Very friendly and attentive servers.

Date: 11/12/2024. Time: 7:50 PM. 56°. CoolI'm at the Pacific Renaissance Center, OACC, for a band rehearsal. Okay, I'm hungry and the closest restaurant is Chuan You, which is housed in Sakura Bistro. Gum Kuo and C & M Bistro are closed. Sobo Ramen would have been nice, but they are on the first level. Since I am on the second level, I decided to stop in for take out order of seaweed salad (wakame) and vegetables tempura. It is one of those nights that they are not busy. There is hardly any restaurant customers at the time. Service is quick and I did not have to wait long.I chose not to order a bento box. All I want is mentioned above. Besides the wakame and veggies tempura are my go to items regardless the restaurant.Both items are on point and delicious. Cost including tax and tip is about $27. Yep, it is a tad pricy. Price is what it is. I would not doubt that the location and the ambiance are part of the factor in their menu prices.Specialties: appetizers, ramen noodles, donburi, bento box lunch/dinner, teriyaki, an excellent selection of sushi rolls. Employee is helpful and approachable. Location of garage is in the basement level of this building.Return visit? Depending on my mood and what I want, I might return. If Gum Kuo does not close at 7:00 PM, I would hitting that place for the chicken and double mushroom congee (jook) with the Chinese donut strip.

Fabulous food. Great service. Chill ambiance. Highly recommend and will be back regularly. You get both traditional Szechuan and Japanese food in one! And both are done well.

The dumplings are excellent. Truly authentic and service was attentive. I recommend for a quick lunch or snack

I ordered ma po tofu from here for delivery. For a price of $20 for ma po, I expected to have white rice with the order; I paid less for more. The tofu was okay, and could have been firmer.

Ordered this to go, but I literately just remembered to take picture when I'm eating the last piece of the fishPickup was really quick and service is good!I love the fish fillet in chili oil here, ordered mild spicy, not quite spicy next time if I get it I might go medium spicy. Not too numbing. Pretty good portion, it comes in three boxes, but I opened only two and shared with my husband.We ordered the wrong eggplant, but this eggplant with basil is not bad at all, it's actually even better cus it's something different! The basil smells so good and tastes good too!

Last review... of 2022... Chuan Yu! This is the place to go in Oakland Chinatown if you're eating late and indecisive between Chinese / Szechuan or sushi. You can get the best of both worlds!I always get the Spicy Dry Pot as a main. You choose a base flavor (garlic or three levels of spicy), a protein base (e.g., beef, chicken, pork belly), and four additional toppings that include a wide variety of veggies, noodles, or extra protein. I love the flexibility of options and that you can double or triple-stack proteins. Both garlic and spicy flavors are solid. If dining in, they'll bring the dish out over a burner, which keeps the food hot and full of aroma.Another staple is the Shanghai Pan Fried Soup Dumpling, which I have yet to come across elsewhere in Chinatown. I also enjoyed their Chongqing Fish Filet in Chili Oil and Beef Brisket with Bamboo Shoot. Big portions, very well seasoned / spiced, and not too salty. Three entrees should be enough to comfortably feed a party of four. Last food-related note is that the space is a dual restaurant: Chuan Yu is paired with Sakura Bistro, which gives you the amazing ability to order sushi as well.What I also love about Chuan Yu is that it provides a later-night Chinese dine-in option. It's also great for groups as there is always plenty of available seating. Servers are nice and attentive, and food comes out quickly. Anddd that's a wrap! I'll see you in 2023 - both Yelpers and Chuan Yu!

First time here. Service was very nice and we were waited on in such a nice way throughout our meal. We didn't feel as though the Sichuan dishes had enough flavor and pepper punch. Dishes tasted sweet more than anything else. The meat and tofu didn't not taste as though they'd been simmering in the spices, but just added on top of the dish. We ordered:1. Mapo Tofu: this was okay. My criticism would be: kind of sweet, not too numbing, maybe old Sichuan peppers, and we tasted more of a bean sauce than the complex deep umami flavor you can get from the garlic, ginger, and combinations of peppers one usually enjoys in this cuisine. 2. Beef Slices in Chili Oil: the beef was sinewy and difficult to chew. No flavor in this dish despite looking beautiful. Just under the beef is a huge bowlful of bean spouts. No complex flavors at all. No numbing. 3. Stir Fried Green Beans: best dish by far! Crunchy, flavorful, lots of garlic. Loved it!

Half Japanese menu and half Chinese- this place has everything to fit what everyone might be in the mood for.I had their tempura udon- it was okay, I think the broth could be more flavorful, but I really enjoyed the portion of tempura. We also ordered a roll, seared salmon on top - it was good but was too saucy on the bottom for my liking.My partner like their niku oyako don. I like the quiet environment, the soft instrumental music, bright lighting and clean establishment.Open to trying more things on the menu.

Notes: (1) One of the few restaurants open in the area on Saturday night - area doesn't seem safe but the restaurant is located inside an outdoor plaza. (2) Street parking.This is a Japanese/Chinese restaurant with the options of sushi or Szechuan food. We came here on a Saturday night looking for some take out as we were in the area. The place was really big and there was alcohol displayed everywhere. We ordered the Shanghai pan fried soup dumplings as it was popular on yelp. After waiting for over 25 minutes, we found out that it wasn't really a dumpling but more of a bao (bun). The dough was super heavy and it was just so oily inside. The stuffing was good but as mentioned oily and there was no soup since we did take out. Would I venture out to try something else here? Probably if this was the only option around but wouldn't go out of my way to get food.