Taiwan Porridge - Fremont

Unlimited porridge/congee or rice?! Sign me up!Taiwanese dishes ordered a la carte to pair with your rice or porridge makes for a hearty meal perfect for sharing with a small party. Most of their cold and hot foods are prepared beforehand, but there are a few select items that are made to order. Whether you're coming to dine in (for the unlimited carbs) or looking to takeout and enjoy at home, you'll find something you'll enjoy among the many menu items available.We came in for lunch on a weekend and decided to dine in. Taiwan Porridge has been on my bookmarks for the longest time and I was happy to be able to try it, finally. Parking is easy as the lot near the supermarket is abundant and only a short walk away. When we came around 11, it wasn't too busy and there were plenty of tables to choose from but as we finished, the shop got busy for the lunch rush. Despite that, there were still a few small tables available. As we entered the restaurant, the staff greeted us and oriented us on the process. We were asked about our preference for dine in and the carb we wanted to go with our meal, porridge (congee) or steamed white rice. As a group, we were divided so decided to order half and half. You do pay a small fee for each head that will be eating, although children do get a discount.Afterwards, we approached the warmers and proceeded to select the dishes we wanted. From cold cuts like the sliced beef, lotus root, and pig ears to hot dishes like braised pork, Taiwanese sausage, and eggplant, we selected our favorites as we walked down the line. Occasionally, we would look up at the hanging flyers for their made-to-order dishes and since we were craving some tofu and most of the hot tofu dishes were infused with spice, we eventually settled on an order of their fried tofu without the spiciness so the kids could enjoy it.Unbeknownst to me, as we were having fun building our meal up front, another staff member was preparing our table by bringing the utensils (they had kid friendly bowls for the kids), tea, and pots of the porridge and rice. We took our seats after placing our orders and the staff promptly served the dishes we selected in presentable plates.There was no delay as we dug right into our food and not before long, we were ready for a refill of our porridge. The staff was quick to notice as we flagged them down and they promptly refilled our pot with a fresh batch of their porridge which was loaded with delicious cuts of sweet potatoes. I think we ended up eating through three refills!I really enjoyed the dishes with the porridge and rice - it felt like a home cooked meal without going through the trouble of painstakingly prepping each item. The food was filling, fresh and affordable. Due to the vast offerings, we will need to come back to try their other items, but from our first impression, I have no doubts that the other dishes are just as good.Overall, Taiwan Porridge does a great job in serving hot and cold comfort food that pair well with their house made porridge (congee) and rice. They have a few locations all around the bay and this one in Fremont is a neighborhood favorite. The staff mostly speak Mandarin Chinese so if you're looking to practice, you're at the right place! With affordable prices relative to the amount and quality of food you get and excellent service, it doesn't take much to convince me to come back!

ORDER1. Half porridge and half rice for party of four 2. Lotus root salad3. Cold pig ear salad 4. Eggplant with brown sauce 5. Deep fried tofu 6. Taiwanese sausage STARS (stand out qualities)-All dishes we tried were tasty!-Porridge - watery texture which works for me and sweet potato added -Lotus salad - crunchy and nice ginger flavor -Pig ear salad - crunchy and flavorful Eggplant - very braised and flavorful -Fried tofu - perfectly crispy and has a nice sauce with it -We let the staff know it's our first time and they gave us a nice orientation of how it works and also they asked us if we wanted to refill our porridge -Free refill on porridge since we dined in (not sure if it applied to rice)-Clean bathroom - I am so impressed!-Clean dining space despite having carpet STAIRS (areas of growth) -Wish they offered soy milk and Chinese donuts and rice rolls (fan tuan)-More consistent bilingual signage in both English and Chinese. Some signs are only Chinese TIPS-Lookup what you want to order ahead of time -Staff seem to speak mainly Mandarin but you can probably get by if you know what you want ahead of time -Keep in mind that tip is calculated based on total with tax (not subtotal) -Cash or credit card accepted. For dine in customers, you pay after you eat

This place is amazing. The food tastes great and the price is very reasonable especially if you get their specials. Unlimited porridge if you dine in. To order, just go to the front and pick out what you want along the line then find a seat and they'll bring the food out to you. Pay after you finish.Great for quick casual dinners whether for takeout or dine in.

Aaaah Taiwan Porridge is like coming home to eat grandma's cooking. The restaurant gives a homey and cozy vibe. It's cafeteria style in the sense that all the food is made for you to pick and choose. I always go for the soft ginger fish, beef slices, squid, and the cold tofu skin. I will say tho, they have increased their prices and each dish is roughly $10ish. For the portion size, I find it pricey for a to-go spot.

I'm glad they opened a branch in Fremont--our favorite spot for porridge, especially in winter. Weekday lunch is now $14. We tried the fish fillet, spicy fried chicken, lotus root, minced pork with pickled cucumber, black fungus, and braised pork ribs. Everything was delicious except the ribs, which were too tough, and the porridge, which was too watery.

So happy with Taiwan Porridge! I haven't been back for so long and trying again for the first time after a while and it's way better than I'd remembered. We arrived for a late dinner at 8:15 PM and we're super happy to find that they have a happy hour free evening from 8 to 9 PM where everything is 20% off! Super Yay!! Between the 2 of us, we ordered the: 1) Jook - we opted for the rice porridge instead of rice and it hits the spot! Simple and healthy. The jook was cooked just right with bits of yam and perfect texture. very good. 2) Cucumber - was just absolutely delicious! It was perfectly marinated with a perfect crunch! We could not stop eating it!3) Eggplant - very yummy eggplant that was cooked just right! They did not spare on the garlic and you can taste a heavy garlic taste stirfried with the eggplant - very good 4) Julien / shredded potato - this is probably my favorite shredded potato dish in the Bay area. It is colt just right; the potato has a very slight crunch to it. It is also perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of vinegar and salt. Space don't be fooled by its "plain" look... . It is delicious.! overall, we had a great meal at Taiwan porridge and cannot wait to be back !!

Very interesting system here. You get a base congee with no flavoring, just the rice porridge, and that is pretty much all you can eat. Then you go through the line and choose different items to put into the porridge. It is a self service style restaurant with seating. We like it, but the porridge is more like loose rice in water than other congees, and it not having any flavor like ginger and garlic wasn't like other congees that we like, such as the Hong Kong style. In short, very much a Tiawan congee experience. We will be back!

Haven't really tried much here yet besides the cold dishes, (they also have wonton soup + other hot dishes too!) but I'm neither here nor there about this place! During lunch time you can get a plate with little bits of each cold dish and during dinner you must get a full small plate of each of them (I believe they all have their own prices ranging from 8.99 - 11.99?). There is plenty of seating on the inside as well. They also have a deal from 8-9 pm where you can get 20% off your order! (Funny enough, we came a bit too early and saw other people waiting in their car waiting to take advantage of the deal too!) One thing to be mindful of is there is a little bit of a language barrier because I think a lot of the workers speak limited English (thankfully I had my mom there to help translate the Chinese tags on the cold menu part! otherwise I would have ended up ordering something I don't like... hehe I'm picky). Definitely know what you want to order before going in!!

I passed by Taiwan Porridge today while picking up drinks next door and decided to pick up some food for lunch take out. Weekends they don't have lunch combo boxes but supposedly on weekdays they do until 2pm. All the dishes are cooked and laid out cafeteria style and you would need to order each dish a la carte. Cold cuts are $6-$10 per dish and the other entrees range from $12-$16. The restaurant is very casual and spacious. There are plenty of tables for seating. It's self seating and you would order at the counter. Most of the dishes are cooked and displayed at the counter so you can just point and choose what you want. There is a a separate selection of items that are not shown where you can order and the items are listed above the counter hanging on the eaves. I ordered three dishes: 1. Large meatball with napa cabbage2. Green onion sauce Chicken3. Marinated short ribs The two first ones are not on display but the last item is. I loved all three dishes. The meatballs were ones of the softest and fluffiest light Chinese meatballs I've ever had. The chicken was very soft and tender and juicy. The green onion sauce garlic is a bit strong but not overpowering and goes well if you mix it with the chicken and some rice. Lastly the short ribs were tasty and very flavorful with just a hint of spice. All were very satisfying and delicious! really glad we found this place . Hoping we can stop by more often and try other dishes too!

Clean and organized. Wide selection of side dishes with unlimited refills of Taiwanese style congee with sweet potatoes. Good service and delicious food . They have lunch specials on weekdays . 2 items for $14 or 3 items for $17 . The side dishes portion is large. We couldn't finish and asked for to go containers . Friends said this is a better restaurant than the old one in Milpitas . We would love to come again !