M & S Kitchen

Awesome gem. Nothing fancy. Simple, cheap, and good.

Don’t be fooled by its hole in the wall appearance.
They don’t need to be all fancy to serve good, affordable food.
The service is always so kind and I like that my money goes to a family.
This is takeout only and they get the food out in a reasonable amount of time.
There are chairs to wait or a little store on the corner.
I just park in the lot across the street real quick.

The prices are really awesome. Food is good. Take out is usually quick. The gentleman who works there is friendly.

I do enjoy the food, the delivery has been pretty long at times and I have been hung up on twice, I hope by accident.
I think this place looses one star because I think there is a better spot I rather order from right down the street.

This is kind of a funky spot, very small and you order through a small plexiglass window in a wall between the kitchen and waiting area which makes you feel like you should be wearing a Kevlar vest. Sign says under 24 hour video surveillance but if there is a camera I couldn’t spot it. Might be kind of like getting an ADT sign for your lawn and not paying for the actual system. I’ve seen people pause and look in the window, then wander off likely due to that atmosphere, but I didn’t let it deter me.
Any way the fellow that does the cooking is a wiz at getting multiple orders out quickly and the prices are low even by Chinese restaurant standard. Is the food great? No. Is it decent and not greasy? Yes. Is the owner friendly and pleasant? Yes. I’ve been here multiple times when I need a quick bite to take home and don’t want part with a lot of cash. So hence the three stars.
Street parking, take-​out only, cash only, open 11 – 9:30 daily 7 days a week except sometimes when he doesn’t feel like it on Sundays. His words, so call ahead on Sundays.

I work in Oakland and live in Berkeley. I pass by this restaurant almost every work day on my way back home. On the outside, it looks a little scary – dilapidated and old. It’s in a run down part of Shattuck on the Oakland/​Berkeley border next to a liquor store and across from a building that used to be a Pizza Hut that closed over a year ago.
So one day I decided to look up the reviews on Unilocal and to my surprise, they were pretty good. So I decided to give it a try.
I’ve only tried one dish so far, an all day lunch special – Beef Broccoli over rice for $ 4.50. The pic I posted looks like it’s blurred but my cell phone was right over the dish and the steam coming off caused that effect.
This is strictly a take-​out joint. No place to sit to eat your food. Just four plastic patio chairs to sit while you wait for your take-​out. The chef is an elderly Chinese man and he’s gated behind a wall and there’s a plexiglass cutout where you can order, pay and he passes the food to you. It’s not a professional job, just a do it yourself barricade.
After he took my money, he went into the kitchen and I could hear the stir fry. Such a familiar sound. I decided to sit down in the waiting area. Be forewarned, it doesn’t look like it’s been cleaned in awhile. Since I can’t see the kitchen, I don’t know what shape it’s in but I’m optimistic and I’ll let the food speak for itself.
When I got my dish, it was pretty good. Lots of broccoli florets and it was al dente and not overcooked. Since beef is the most expensive ingredient, I was expecting the worst but it was marinated and flavorful but not too salty and they were in whole even slices, not chopped or chipped beef. Rice was whole kernels and not mushy or broken up. It’s the way my mother taught me to make steamed rice. The sauce was a basic oyster sauce, not fancy but tasty.
Looking forward to trying other dishes like the fried chicken wing and chow mein.

Good prices fast delivery and thee best fried chicken wangz I don’t know what they season it with but lord have mercy!

I loved this place. The prices were low for the good quality of food. The cook was welcoming and was attentive from the moment I walked in the door. Their daily lunch special runs all day and works well with any budget.

I love this mom & pop shop! This is a great choice for meat eaters and vegetarians, the owner/​cook is happy to make adjustments to all of his dishes to accommodate nutritional needs. It feels good to support good people with great food, and they deliver!

WARNING: The guy who handles the food also handles the money (with scars on all his fingers). Hope I don’t get sick. The veg egg rolls had a few clear noodles and a minor amount of cabbage… that’s all. The pork fried rice had no flavor… just green onion and grease. Now I know why the place is always empty. Low price means nothing if the food is low quality.

Good food, good people, good price. Takes 15 to 20 mins to get food ready. I like theirs dried fry ribs, chicken chowmein, fry rice, wonton soup etc.

This place is horrible. The food is just yukkkkk. I would have been better off starving because I just threw it away. Smh good price horrible taste. Idk why its still open. Dontwaste your time or money.

Cheap and tasty out of a hole in the wall, literally. Why not when you can get a full meal for 5 $ and it tastes good!

if u want fine dining, cuisine of the world type of experience, this isn’t the place for u. but if u want really good and fast chinese food for a more-​than-​reasonable price, then u’ve got to come here. the neighborhood’s not the best, so it’s understandable the front is small and meant for taking out only, and that they’ve got the bars on the window.
the five stars is all for the quality of the food, the speed u get it, and the price u pay for it. the dry fried ribs are awesome and the crab puffs (i mite have the wrong name) are so delicious it makes me want to drool just thinkin’ about it. honestly, if u’re talking about fast chinese food, for the quality and price, u jut can’t get better than this.

This place is not very good… Chen’s Garden is right down Alcatraz and although its not fine dining, it’s a better «Cheap Chinese Food» option in my opinion

I have eaten at this restaurant since they first opened and have yet to be disappointed. Their food is fresh and is cooked when you order so you know that your food will be served hot. I have gotten take out and delivery and they are fast. Price is good can’t complain about that. I don’t know what the other reviewer are talking about when they say that the food isn’t fresh and tastes nasty. I can understand why they have gated windows its the neighborhood. The hole in the wall restaurants are always the best with food and price. I tell all my friends and family to come here to eat and they all say the same thing their food is the best. They are family owned by a very nice husband and wife. Support your local business and eat here you won’t regret it.

Food is edible. That’s it. I live very close so I ordered out a few times. Quickly learned better. To be exact, 3 times. First time I was extremely desperate for food so I was just happy to eat. Second time was worse. The 3^rd, I felt sick from the smothering of MSG and nasty unidentifiable goop that is supposed to be sauce. The meat is fried to the point of no return and it tastes like… nothing, rubber at best.
No seats — pick up only, gated windows and small counter with one ‘chef’ — whose attire tells me there is no real cooking that goes on in the back — that pops in and out while watching his chinese drama. Food comes out in 5 minutes, which means it’s refried and microwaved. No real smell of cooking either, just a nose full of that nasty sauce they pour in everything. It’s food, but only eat it if you’re desperate.
At least it’s cheap — and convenient for me. Not really for parking, no real parking space, though you could park outside in no parking zone since food only takes 5 mins.

If you go in with the right expectations you’ll do fine with this place. Reminds me of shops in NYC with the funky homemade bulletproof glass divider between the single cook/​order-​taker/​cashier.
«Lunch» specials (served anytime) are a bargain and perfect for feeding workers and late-​night drunken partyers. You are also likely to have a nice discussion with the local prostitutes and winos as you wait for your meal on a plastic chair.

I live nearby and frequent this take-​out retaurant about once a week on average. I love this place. It’s old-​fashioned and run by a lovely family. This one older gentleman does all the cooking and he is superb. His food is fresh, clean, non-​greasy and delicious. I always get take out from here when friends drop by unexpectedly. I have never had bad dish, and rarely is his cooking «off». Please, please help support small business like this They need and deserve our patronage.
My favorite dishes are:
Pot Stickers
Dry– Fried Ribs
Green Beans
Vegetable Fried Rice

The super cheap office manager at my job many years ago would get food for work functions delivered from here. I always made sure to bring my own food on those days. It didn’t look or smell appealing. Other less discerning people ate it so I’m sure it was edible.