Old Taro

Old Taro is NEW to me and seems like a new player in the Taiwanese food scene in the Little Taipei mall out in south Fremont. But what a great find as the food is authentic in taste and look with only the price being the deterrent for frequent visits.This busy mall has high churn but it is constantly packed no matter the time of the day or day of the week. There are quite a few Asian establishments here that will fit in your errand run on any occasion. Old Taro operates a pretty spacious restaurant with cute little decorations on the wall and comfortable sets of cushioned ottoman-like seats for indoor diners. The place doesn't look like it reaches full capacity often so you should be fine to come in on a whim. Their kitchen isn't small and seems to be well staffed so meals are prepared pretty steadily and fulfilled in decent time. Takeout is a norm here and occasionally, they offer pre-orders for special seasonal items advertised through their Facebook page. Their menu offers a wide selection of Taiwanese favorites often seen in street markets and small family run shops. Beef noodles, pan fried dishes and fried snacks are among the top and we certainly got a good blend in our first visit here.We ordered takeout and got an order of the beef pancakes, stinky tofu, spicy beef noodle soup, and their signature red fish rice. Everything was so delicious fresh and some of the leftovers were still good afterwards.Beef pancake had a thin patty of seasoned beef sandwiched within a doughy exterior similar to chive pancakes. It was pan fried to bring out the flavor and fragrance, and with each bite, the saltiness and umami of the beef interior bursted out.The stinky tofu was by far one of the best I have had in the Bay Area. The flavor and aroma were pungent and paired well with the sauce. A definite must to order!Beef noodle soup is a Taiwanese signature and Old Taro certainly does a great job representing its roots. The meat is so tender and yet the tendons melt in your mouth. The soup has the perfect amount of chili to give you that numb feeling and get your blood heating up. For the noodles, you can opt to have the standard thin noodles or flat noodles. I opted for the wide flat noodles as it soaks up the broth more thoroughly. If you end up ordering this takeout, they pack the noodles and soup separately so that noodles don't get soggy. And it's nice on the go as you just pick up your bite, dunk it in your broth, and gobble it up!The red fish (it's breaded) rice bento was delicious, although, I would have preferred more of a bite and texture with the fish. The dish is hearty and has plenty of food! It includes a tea egg, egg roll, some pickled veggies, the fish, and pork over rice. Definitely shareable!The staff are very welcoming and speak primarily Mandarin Chinese so if you're looking for a place to practice, this is a great spot!Overall, Old Taro may bring back some old memories if you are originally from Taiwan, have visited, or have any connection there, and if not, perhaps it'll open the door for you to plan your next vacation! The food scene in this mall is competitive and Old Taro does a fine job in solidifying its place here with delicious, classic dishes and a nice flair for indoor diners. The prices are a bit high compared to similar places but do know that the value is there - good portions, great quality, and excellent timeliness. With all said and done, Old Taro may be your new spot soon, too!

Why so glum, Mr Old Taro? Every single time we are there we try to smile to the owner. He could care less about our presence at the restaurant. The server ladies are great, though. They're always there to help and serve. The grumpy owner is putting a bad taste in our mouths.

Three stars because omg it hit every Taiwanese craving a person can have. I am Taiwanese. I love Taiwan. I would live in Taiwan in a heart beat if I could. FOOD//- the bento side dishes are so authentic and what you will experience in Taiwan and according to the photos, it seems as if these side dishes sporadically change- pork cutlet bento box: the flavor was on point. Except grainy texture. Hot and crisp. The rice with gravy was soooo good but some in my party thought it was too salty. - beef noodle soup: the base tastes so much like Lao gan ma... the thick noodles (you can pick thin noodles as well) were so tender, al dente and done fantastically. Some of the beef pieces were dry and some were moist. - chive potstickers: THIS IS NOT THE CHIVE POTSTICKER you may think of (glass noodle + massive loads of chives + eggs + dried shrimp). Instead it came out in a hot plate looking as if it was fried in a bin of oil. The skin was hot, crisp and a sweet undertone but the stuffing was super salty and pork heavy with a minuscule chive flavor. - onion pancake: pan fried. Crispy, tender and your basic onion pancake. Wasn't anything special. - Taiwanese dessert: grass jelly + tofu + mini balls. The mini balls are 150% microwaved and very gross. They should be chewy and absolutely delicious; instead, they are soft and have a nasty outer layer that was obviously cooked previously and a chewy inner layer. Only the grass jelly and the mini balls stuffed with sesame paste were edible. Also came with two taro? peanut? mung bean? crushed paw shaped lightly sweetened desserts. - I am so surprised they didn't offer cucumber salad or some sort of pickle as a menu option to cleanse the palate and the oiliness. SERVICE:- one male asks how many are in your party in Mandarin Chinese and points you in the direction of the seating (and you never see this person again)- hahahaha one lady provides the utensils and napkins (and you never see this person ever again)- another lady serves you all the dishes - one male sat there for a very long time hoping that someone will come with the bill but they never came; he had to get up and walk to the cashier to pay his bill- THERE IS A 3.5% transaction charge/service fee if you use a credit/debit card no matter how much you spend- provided you with lukewarm water in tall metal cups in which they never cared to refill AMBIENCE:- I love love love the decor. It's wallpapers of night/day markets in Taiwan and on section has Mario! - love the red lantern lights - love the dimly lit lights- this place reminds me of the massively light filled China restaurant near newpark mall PARKING:- in a plaza with multiple other stores (and Osaka supermarket!)- free- should not have a problem with finding parking (there are also spots behind Osaka if parking becomes a problem)- parking spaces are nicely measured so you don't feel claustrophobic at allWill I come back or recommend this place to others? No.

I visited El Taro for lunch. Decor seems to be a hodge podge of cute decor and a base decor of a night market feel. ORDERSpicy beef noodle soupFried red yeast fish riceStinky tofuBeef pancake STARS (stand out qualities)-Spicy beef noodle soup was very flavorful, and the meat was very tender. One of the better ones I've had in the Bay Area.-Stinky tofu was another stand out dish. One of the yummiest stinky tofu I've had in the Bay. I'm not usually a fan of stinky tofu but this one won me over as tasty.-Red yeast fish was pretty good as well. And beef pastry was pretty good. Nothing that I would go out of my way for, but it was good.STAIRS (areas of growth) -More promotions like discounts or free food for buying something or coming at a certain time TIPS-There is a big parking lot but can get full since there are a lot of stores and vendors in this mall

The menu is traditional bentos and beef noodle soups, casual dining interior and they have QR code menus and quick service for ordering Came for the mochi but ended up scoring some traditional Taiwanese bentos and the beef noodle soups.I was super happy to get the mochi it was warm and large portions here :) just like back in Taiwan. We also got sharing bowls & the interior was a bit larger than we expected there were two sides!

Probably one of the better Taiwanese places in the area. The soup base is flavorful and the noodle has that food chew. The beef is also surprising tender. They don't cheap out on the meats like some other places in the bay. I also like that the soup was pipping hot when it came to us. There's plenty of seating for both large and small parties. We barely had to wait and were seated right away for a weekday lunch. And the food came out super fast too and felt very fresh.

Came on a Saturday night for dinner before 6pm. It was pretty empty but later more people came in.You order with a QR code, and they brought out warm water. The seats like other reviews mentioned are cute little cubes, although maneuvering them may be a little challenging.We ordered the beef noodle soup, combination beef noodle soup, and scallion/green onion pancake. Within 10 minutes the food came out.I can see why plenty of reviews mention the beef noodle soup broth is flavorful, but in my opinion it's because the taste of star anise is evident - even to the point of overwhelming for my husband and I. It overpowered the rest of the stuff inside - the noodles, which are chewy, and the beef, which are nice big chunks but can be a bit fatty. The scallion pancake was also crispy but only around the outside - the inside was doughy and a little undercooked.Overall, we might come back to try other items on the menu. But would probably look elsewhere for beef noodle soup.P.S. The restaurant started playing music 5 minutes after we arrived and it was the same song, super loud and strong bass, for about 10 times lol. After that they finally changed to a playlist but I wouldn't be surprised if they do karaoke here with the strong music system lol!

A hidden Taiwanese gem in Fremont that we found via a popular YouTuber! The interior is a cute, night market themed place with padded stools and lots of old timey decor. Staff mostly speaks Chinese but there was a lady who spoke great English that can help answer questions so fear not!Ordering is done via QR code and THEY DO TAKE CARD! I saw other comments mention it was cash only so they must've changed this recently but it was nice to not have to run to an ATM in the middle of our meal. We ordered the Spicy Beef Stew Noodle soup and the Wonton Noodle Soup. Both were spot on! The beef noodle soup had great flavor with nice, al dente noodles and a deceptively spicy broth that got hotter as you kept eating (or maybe I'm just weak ). The wonton noodle soup was a surprise to us - very tasty with a lot of clean, natural tasting chicken broth (didn't feel like they used coloring or chicken powder to have that artificial taste) and the noodles were a thinner, rounded rice noodle that paired well with the dish to make it taste very clean. Great if you're looking for a lighter, less oily option. We also got their black sesame soy milk and black tea soy milk. Both were very tasty, came in a sealed cup with no ice but still cold. A bit on the sweet side but with a spicy noodle soup - having something more sweet was a relief although we'd probably pass on these next time given how sweet it was. It's also right next to Pineapple King Bakery so great for a two for one pit stop! We'll definitely be back to try more of their appetizers like their fried pork chop or popcorn chicken!

Was craving Taiwanese food and came across this cute restaurant. It's in the same plaza as Pineapple King, so tons of parking! Shared two dishes with a friend and it was enough because the items were pretty large in quantity. We got the dry noodles and spicy won ton dumplings. Both were good but not something that amazed me. It was pretty empty as we came about 40 mins before closing so service was fairly quick.

Old Taro is still a solid 4! We've come by to eat here in-person many times since my last 2021 review for their takeout. FOOD //Our go-to's are:+ Fried vinasse fish filet with rice bento set (4.5/5): the fried fish is nice and crispy on the outside, and tender and moist on the inside. I like that the rice has minced braised pork on top. The cooked Taiwanese cabbage (or sometimes it's edamame) is a good small side. The braised egg and tofu are okay; one time, the braised egg was quite dry inside and looked like it had been braising for a little too long. + Fried Taiwan-style chicken with rice bento set (3.5/5): the fried chicken cutlet was very lean and a bit dry, but okay. Crispy outside. + Pepper Popcorn Chicken with rice bento set (3.5/5): similar to the other fried chicken cutlet bento, this popcorn chicken was also a bit tough/dry, though the outside was a nice crunch. + Wonton soup (5/5): Grandma and I are fans of this one! Soothing warm clear broth, tasty wontons, and veggies for a healthy light meal.+ Braised tofu (4.5/5): this braised tofu has a nice meat-y sauce on it and has more flavor than the one that comes with the bento box. It's a smoother tofu texture as well. Goes well with rice.+ Stewed beef noodle soup (5/5): our parents always get one of the beef noodle soups. Nice and comforting broth with good flavor, not too salty. Beef is tender, and there's a good portion. SERVICE + AMBIANCE //Plenty of seating inside, with space for larger groups. I love the decoration on the walls and around the restaurant - one side has a fun Mario-inspired wall decoration, and another side inspires memories of Taiwanese night markets.Service has been very kind every time we've eaten here.