Tastee Steam Kitchen

Tastee Steam Kitchen is located at the edge of Chinatown. A bit sketchy to come here at night, but I needed a late night boba and Shooting Star nearby was out of boba for the night. This review is solely for the boba drink I tried, not for the food, which I have not tried yet.Anyway, I ordered a jasmine milk tea with boba with no high expectations. For about $6, I felt like it was pretty good for what I got - the milk tea had a good creaminess to it, which I liked, but it did had a slight bitterness to it, which I did not like. The boba was a bit soggy, but it was right before closing too, so not surprised. Overall - 3.5 stars, but bumped it up to 4 stars.

We went there for happy hour menu. They only 3 items provided which is Lamb Skewer, Chicken Skewer and Garlic Oysters, also 30% off beer. Overall the appearance of restaurant is nicely, with a modern touch. Everything looked clean. Food; The skewers were very cheap and tasty. A bit spicy but overall tasty! The Oysters were just OK, garlic baked oysters, I asked for a side of lemon which enhanced the taste. But overall good food happy hour prices if the above items. The service was just OK we had to ask for menus, the server never introduced himself the place was not busy when we arrived so no real excuse for lack of service.

Tastee Steam Kitchen is a "tastee" one-stop-shop for steamed or cajun-style seafood, hot pot, skewers, dim sum, and sushi. I most often get the mini hot pot or AYCE hot pot and would recommend both. For the mini hot pots, the Szechuan Spicy Pot is my favorite, with plentiful pieces of fish and beef swimming in a spicy soup. The Satay Beef Pot has a garlicky and sweet broth and is good as well, although I don't care for the grainy taro.For AYCE, I would recommend the Hot & Spicy and Herbal Chicken soup bases. They're flavorful enough such that you really don't need a sauce, but I do appreciate their expansive sauce bar. The meat quality is decent, and while I do like the fatty melt-in-your-mouth prime beef, my favorite is the sole fillet with its buttery texture. The skewers here are also good enough to satisfy a craving. The chicken, beef, and lamb skewers were generally well-cooked and juicy, but I left wanting a bit more spice and char flavor. The restaurant's interior is quite large and surprisingly well-decorated, so it makes for a nicer, quieter spot in Chinatown to bring family / guests or even catch a game on their TVs. I do think they are understaffed at times, so you may need to proactively flag down waiters. Finally, be sure to check the signage and menus for their monthly food and drink specials!

We went for the all you can eat hot pot! You are given an expo marker and you can mark down what you want on the laminated menu. We did have to ask for that menu because they forgot. They have steamed dishes too so they had another menu for that. After you mark down what you want, you hand it to the waiter. They give you a blank laminated menu again so you can mark it down when you're ready to order your next round.The ayce hot pot comes with boba milk tea for everyone and we got it without sugar. It was good and the tea had a slight floral taste. It was a huge mug too! We got the coconut broth and they poured the coconut water into the broth for you when they bring the soup over. That was cool. The broth is DELICIOUS. We also got the pork stomach broth and it was good too! The coconut broth was really delicious though!!! We got the more expensive items which was 31.99 per person I believe. Those are the red menu items. We got lamb for meat and it was nice thin cuts! Not too fatty! We got assorted mushrooms. We got noodles and tofu. We also ordered off ha gow and nai wong bao on the small dim sum part of the menu. We got fries too lol. They have a sauce bar you can make your own sauce at. Staff are nice and approachable. There's a bathroom. Parking is metered on the street. Loved it here. Will definitely come back. Other things I'd love to try - steam items and the seafood broil!

A spot you could only find in Oakland. Unique all you can eat serving high quality meats - a great place for special occasions. Excellent food. Service ok and ambiance ok.This is a story of how moms know best. The best soup base here is the mushroom. Yes moms know best - and that is what mom would choose. We had both chicken and mushroom soup base. Mushroom soup base seemed more nutritious less salty. I've always liked the idea of mushrooms - they are one of these miracle foods. Yes, moms will tell you to eat your vegetables and I would have to agree. The strangest thing about this restaurant is if you are on a strange restricted diet this would be the optimum place for you to go. Caveman diet or low carb diet - this is a paradise. I tend to avoid the carbs if I can but it is actually what I enjoy the most. Two types of beef, green bean noodles, fish, crab cakes, sushi California rolls, corn, squash, lamb - I could go on and on with all that we tried. A real feast - something I think suitable for a special occasion or just a night you will remember. Service was ok - you won't get fussed over but it is efficient - and the ambiance is a little off - as its very bright and drafty and cold from all the air vents over the hot pots. Bring a jacket - or somebody to snuggle up with - great date night. My favorites were the wagyu beef and I think a good way to approach the endless options is to try a little of everything at the beginning. Once you finish cooking all your vegetables at the end of the night your soup is done. I think that is the real treat.Moms make the best soups. Of the soups the one made by the mom looked the best in the end. Beautifully created with tons of vegetables and very little fat floating around. A big thanks to my friend for dinner and introducing me to this place.

I ordered lamb and chicken skewers. I have never had skewers will there's no sauce at all.... Lamb skewers at a Chinese restaurant always have at least cumin powder on them. Pretty disappointed. It also took them 30 min to have these ready for pickup. So I had to circle around multiple times around the block since there are no parking spots nearby.

Nestled in the heart of Oakland Chinatown, Tastee Steam Kitchen is a hidden gem that offers the largest and most random selection of Asian offerings I've seen.From seafood boil to sushi, dim sum to steamed seafood, and individual hot pots, there is something for everyone to enjoy. They offer daily deals, for example Mondays you get 10% seafood boil and AYCE hotpot, Tuesday you get 20% off grilled items and beer, etc.They also have an amazing happy hour special, which are offered on weekdays from 2-5 pm, where you can get $1 chicken and lamb skewers as well as $2 grilled garlic oysters.In addition to happy hour, they also offer lunch specials on weekdays 11:30-2:30pm featuring $15-16 mini pots and bento and an amazing deal on seafood boils. I came for a late Tuesday lunch with a friend at 2 pm, right in time to take advantage of their happy hour. As soon as you step inside, you are greeted by a casual ambiance that sets the tone for a relaxed dining experience. It's also much bigger inside than I expected. The restaurant was not crowded at all, and we were seated immediately.We ordered 4 of each happy hour food item and also tried the beef skewer ($5.95) and quail egg with bacon ($6.50). The latter was good, but neither of us liked the beef skewer as the meat was a bit tough to chew. From the skewers, we liked the chicken the best followed by lamb. They don't skimp on the meat either, there's a generous portion for the $1 price. Honestly, the prices were unbeatable for the quality of food served. However, I think our favorite item was actually the grilled garlic oysters. I have no idea where they source these oysters but they're the largest oysters I've ever seen!! I generally prefer to eat oysters raw but the grilled ones were were super meaty and garlicky. I would highly recommend this, especially at the happy hour price!Overall, Tastee Steam Kitchen exceeded my expectations with its delicious and cheap food and inviting ambiance. Whether you're a fan of Chinese cuisine or looking to try something new, this restaurant is a must-visit in Oakland Chinatown.I will be back to try more of their menu!

Deal alert! Tastee Steam Kitchen, whose AYCE hot pot (shabu shabu) is already a good deal, is offering a summer special for the month of August. For parties of 3 or more, one person gets to eat free! For a party of two or more, you get a free seafood platter of snow crab legs, scallops and 2 oysters. See pics for deets, menu and pricing.I've always enjoyed Tastee Steam Kitchen whether it's for their hot pot or steamed menu items. So it wasn't surprising that my go around with the hot pot last night was another winner!I'm for sure going to be back again this August!

My family and I came here a long time ago for hotpot and completely forgot about this place until recently. We've been there twice the past month! The hotpot quality here is amazing! Best hotpot in the east bay! The soup was flavorful and tasty. There's so many sauces to choose from as well. Not only are there lots of hotpot ingredients you can also order a lot of hot foods, dimsum and more on the menu. I highly recommend the AYCE menu. It even comes with a free milk tea! The restaurant is super clean. The workers here are always attentive and friendly. We love it here! I highly recommend this restaurant for hot pot!

Loved our experience here! Went with a large group for hot pot and they were running a special which brought the premium AYCE price down for us. AYCE hot pot includes free boba. The meat was great quality and they had a well stocked sauce bar and fresh vegetables. The space is also much larger than we expected, and not too loud you can't hear your friends. We will absolutely be back!