Elephant Trunk Hill Guilin Rice Noodle

The fresh chili peppers and the chili pepper oil being in jars on the table set this place up for success.The noodles were a bit soft. Pork has good flavor and a nice crispy texture. The small bits of pickled green beans are fantastic and for me added what was needed. I would have liked more of them and the green onions and peanuts. The noodles are a little plain, but very good. Once you add the peppers on the table it wakes it up. Almost forgot. The egg is so good! It's hard boiled so don't think ramen type egg. Got a lot of spice/flavor to it. Quite tasty. The server didn't speak much English, still she was great and by either pointing or using A2/A5 we got it handled. She was refilling all the fresh pepper jars on each table when we came in. Filling inexpensive meal. Will be back.

I'm no expert on Chinese cuisine, like at all, but even a culinary luddite like me has noticed the relatively recent emergence of Guilin-style rice noodle houses in the Bay Area. Now I have never been to Guilin, a city of five million in southern China, but I have tried Guilin Rice Noodles House on the busy corner of Taraval and 19th Avenue.in the Sunset (review: https://yelp.to/owIuQQTdOC). That's something, right?On a leisurely Saturday afternoon, Jamie W and I dropped by this newish place in Oakland Chinatown which wasn't crowded and minimally decorated. The bowls pictured in the menu appeared to be closer to the traditional bowls found in Guilin. Not only was there plenty of thick rice noodles but it was chock full of ingredients - green onions. pickled green beans, peanuts, and a soy sauce egg.Jamie ordered the $12.95 bowl with slices of Marinated Beef (photo: https://yelp.to/8J0iP7X4Dw), while I went for the same priced bowl with both Marinated Beef and Golden Crispy Pork (photo: https://yelp.to/7dsPgTc0C2). Both versions did the trick and satiated hearty appetites. They came with a cup of beef broth which I erroneously assumed I should pour over the noodles. The owner managed to prevent me from a major faux pas.FOOD - 4 stars...hearty rice noodle bowls with plenty of pot roasted meatAMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...pretty sparse in hereSERVICE - 4 stars...the owner was very conscientiousTOTAL - 4 stars...Guilin comes closer to home RELATED - Exploring Oakland? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2ObVcpQ

417 7th St Oakland, CA 94607"Elephant Trunk Hill Guilin Rice Noodle" has only been open for about a month. On a Saturday, I saw this restaurant appear on my Yelp feed, so I decided to try it for lunch. The place has a rather large dining area, with three rows of tables. I just grabbed a table, and the server brought over a menu and a cup of hot tea. I ordered: - A3: Guilin Rice Noodles w/ Beef Tripe and Crispy Pork, $12.95- D2: House Special Pork Trotters (Pig Feet), $8.99 That was a very good bowl of noodles! The noodles were hardy, but a bit slippery to eat with chopsticks. The thinly sliced crispy pork just melted in my mouth. The beef tripe was tender. Also, there were peanuts, scallions (or green onions), and diced green beans. You get extra broth on the side. Okay, FYI....if I'm in a Chinese restaurant and they have pig feet on the menu, I will order it at least once. Those were large pieces of pork trotters with meat on them! Service was as expected for a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. If you have a problem ordering, just point at what you want on the menu.Overall, a satisfying meal. I will return to try other noodle dishes! Street parking, near AC Bus stop.

Such a solid addition to oakland Chinatown! My friend and I both got the A1 and it was super yummy. It came with crispy pork, marinated beef, and tripe. Definitely super generous in portion and prices were insanely affordable.The noodle also came with a side of soup, I think it's seaweed and dried shrimp. I also loved the chili crisp they have on the table that you can use to spice up your noodles if you'd like. Overall I'd totally come back! The owners were also super sweet and given that they're not located in a super popular part of town please give them the love they deserve

This place specializes in Guilin rice noodles, one of the most famous styles in China. This is also the region my family is from so I've been eating this since I was a child. My standards are high so I was very skeptical to try Elephant Trunk Hill.One bite and it got me missing home. The pork is tender and the skin crispy, the broth is flavorful, and the noodles are cooked perfectly. Overall everything tasted very authentic. All my skepticism melted away and I'm now going to be a regular. The service is quick but the ambiance is kind of lacking. Exactly how it's like in China and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope more people find this place. It's certainly worth a trip if you're in the area.

Saw this new restaurant in Oakland Chinatown pop up on my Yelp feed and decided to check it out! I'm so glad I did.I came for Friday lunch around noon and it wasn't too busy. It's a big space with plenty of seating, much bigger than I was expecting.The menu is fairly straightforward and focuses on Guilin mifen (rice noodles) with various combinations of meat. Most of the options are dry noodles, but they offer some noodle soup options as well. They also offer some side dishes and appetizers such as pork trotters and steamed pork belly with taro.I got the A2 Guilin rice noodle with marinated beef and crispy pork for $12.95. In addition to the meat, it comes with an egg, peanuts, and picked veggies (I asked for no green onions) as well as a delicious sauce.I'm no expert on Guilin food, but I really loved my bowl of noodles after mixing everything up. The noodles were super smooth and silky and paired well with all of the toppings. The only thing I didn't enjoy as much was the marinated beef, which tasted a bit dry. Next time I will stick with the crispy pork only, which was AMAZING. It was super flavorful and somehow both soft and crispy on top at the same time! The bowl doesn't look that big when it first comes out, but it's a lot of food. I struggled with the last couple bites, and my friend only managed to finish half and packed the other half to go. The noodles also come with a bowl of complimentary soup on the side. Nothing special but it was decent.I highly recommend trying out this new Guilin rice noodle spot in Oakland Chinatown!

This is the best Guilin noodles in the Bay Area. The "soy sauce" is real. The have home made spicy sauce. Everything is clean and nice. Also, I think they have 20% off for grand opening.

Delicious noodles! Simple but with a great flavor. I especially loved the crispy pork. Good prices and welcoming staff. We were the only ones there so I'm hoping they get more business as word spreads. A lot of great options in Chinatown, but don't over look this place!

I honestly really really rarely write reviews but this restaurant deserves a five star. It's at the edge of Oakland Chinatown with street parking right outside the shop. We went for dinner and didn't feel uncomfortable in this neighborhood. I grew up in China so it's pretty hard to whoa me with Chinese food. But their rice noodle is honestly arguably one of the best bowl of noodle I've had in the Bay. The crispy pork, pickles and peanuts just go so well together and even the free soup was so delicious. Owners are really nice and friendly too. I genuinely hope they can get more attention and stay around for longer! Also, they have a card for you to collect points - 10 visits give you a free bowl.

We found this in our kid's bowl!! So scary and gross. Hopefully we didn't eat some of those already! After we told them, they even didn't want to exchange another bowl or refund us. Very upset! Will not be returning. :(