Restaurant Chu

Service is excellent!!! Love their pudong rice, Kirin beef, green beans, steak salad, and potstickers! Those are my faves! It’s a great place for a nice dinner date. Go there during happy hour and take a minute to sip on my all time favorite cocktails, lychee martini and apple martini!

This is our fav place to go! Fantastic service and delish food!
Great Happy Hour!

G-​R-​E-​A-​T PLACE. Your crazy if you haven’t tried this gem. Everyone so friendly and everything impeccable. Ana, the manager, was super cool and has built an amazing wine list (and probably the most reasonable wine prices in this area). I have nothing but God things to say. If you happen to come on a Friday night, you’ll likely see me there because I’m will be a regular after tonight, my first visit to this establishment.

Dude. If you haven’t eaten here yet, then you need to go now.
The happy hour is fantastic. I mean, who doesn’t love a place that has happy hour until 7? That’s just weird if you don’t appreciate being able to have decently priced drinks in the Bay Area at an establishment until seven.
I also had the distinct pleasure of meeting them owner, Diana. What a gem!
So food: I went with two friends and we split the garlic noodles and lettuce cups. Oh. Em. Gee. Super delicious! They also offer gluten free soy sauce for all my celiacs (and crossfitters) out thurrrrr! But the garlic noodles were straight up heaven in my mouth. I had no shame in ordering more to go because: food.
So don’t skip over this spot any more. Go. Eat some bomb food. And then be far and happy as you enjoy a food coma.

Food is good, but the service was REALLY weak. Our party of three arrived at Chu at 6PM on a Saturday evening. It was nearly 8:30 when we left. We were kept waiting a very L-​O-​N-​G time. No problem with the appetizers, but it took forever for waitstaff to come and take our order for main courses, then even longer for the food to arrive. We were starving. Another extended wait for the check, which we took up to the bar to pay. We complained to a waiter about the slow service. He told us that they had two new staff, but didn’t offer to make any adjustments to our bill (such as comp drinks to make up for our long wait time). We might go back on a weeknight, but would definitely hesitate about going on a weekend.

I’ve been here several times for happy hour. The staff is always very nice and friendly but the wait time for our the last time we were here was extra SLOW when there wasn’t even a lot of people there. We walked back to the bar TWICE to find out what was going on and found our drinks sitting there and our orders still weren’t complete after over 15 minutes of waiting. Then they served the same drinks in different size glasses so it seemed like we were getting gipped on our 2^nd and 3^rd rounds. A Lychee Martini in a wine glass? Weird, right?
Their happy hour appetizers are always on point and I don’t think there’s anything we don’t like.

I had reservations here for my friend’s surprise birthday. The last time I was here for a surprise birthday, they sat us all upstairs, but when I went recently, they sat us on the right side of the stairs. It wasn’t very busy when I arrived at 8pm. I ordered the minced chicken lettuce cups and steak skewers, and I shared the sizzling rice soup and steamed spinach and mushroom dumplings with my sister. The minced chicken lettuce cups were good. It was fulfilling without being too heavy, which was really great since I got really full from the appetizers. The steak skewers were ok. They had a very strong black pepper taste to them, the individual pieces were very chewy, and some pieces were a tad bit saltier than others. The spinach and mushroom dumplings were ok. I couldn’t really taste the mushroom in it. And the sizzling rice soup was really good. I don’t think you could go wrong with sizzling rice soup unless you make the broth too salty, which it wasn’t. It was just right for me. I also tried the calamari. It was good but the pieces at the bottom of the bowl were really oily, though I did like that they had tentacles in there. Lastly, their fried banana with ice cream was ok. The bananas weren’t fully ripe so it didn’t taste as sweet as it should, but the coconut ice cream that came with it was pretty bomb. Overall, decent dinner. Certain items were better than others. I’d most likely come back for happy hour for a slightly cheaper bill and smaller portions.

Went there on a Sunday the resturant was calm customer service is absolutely good, the food was very delicious and they have variety of food on their menu, highly recommended

Chu has 3 kinds of dumplings. We prefer the shrimp and pork dumpling, 2^nd place to the crab-​pork dumpling. Dead last is the shrimp-​chive, whose dough is too thick for our taste. Nice yuzu dipping sauce is provided.
Honey-​Glazed Steak in Bird’s Nest. Not everyone will like this. The ‘steak’ was very tough beef, like a flap or brisket. Treated with baking soda to tenderize it, which got it to the chewy stage, similar to jerky. Then it was marinated in sugar, chile, and soya, and deep-​fried. Chewy, but very tasty. It’s served in the molded bowl of deep-​fried chow mein noodles that is the ‘bird’s nest’, although this is a free-​form creation, not the artistic looped-​and-​swirled perfect bowl that upscale restaurants used to create. Being Asian we have no problem with chewy beef; not everything needs to be baby-​food tender. But most Americans wouldn’t accept this kind of dish, expecting «steak» to be a filet or rib-​eye. You are forewarned.
Pork-​stuffed eggplant in black bean sauce. I asked the kitchen to hold back the salt; they tend to make this dish a bit oversalty for our tastes (even with rice). They were happy to comply — Chu’s customer svc is always excellent — and we gave this high marks. Lovely dish, delicious black bean (dow see) sauce.
Chu does a modified fusion: traditional dishes with better quality ingredients and less greasiness. It costs more, but the food is way above those roach-​ridden greasy spoon Chinatown dives.

Happened upon this place by accident and found it to be excellent. Great menu with creative and appealing dishes. Well executed and very tasty. Recommended.

You can’t help but be surprised the magnificent interior. Order the oxtail dumplings appetizer. Simply the best dumpling and the best oxtail I’ve ever had! Additionally, my wife and were «bowled over» by the chicken salad. The only disappointment in the whole meal was the black pepper beef. Although the bird nest was an amazing use of ramen noodles, the meat was too spicy and too tough for either of us. Chu is far from your ordinary Chinese food restaurant and I look forward to returning to this showpiece restaurant!

We were an hour early for our dinner reservation elsewhere, and needed a spot to kill time, have a drink, and some food to hold us off until dinner. And by the end of our happy hour sips and bites here at Chu, we were wishing we could have dinner here instead.
The restaurant is beautifully decorated and there is even an upstairs area for private parties. The bar area is really tiny, but we just sat at a table and it was fine. The service is great, we wete greeted as soon as we walked in, and our orders were taken promptly.
I ordered a greyhound, and other drinks at the table included a margarita and a beer. Their happy hour menu is pretty extensive and really affordable! They not only have a ton of drink options but also tapas and small bites for anyone’s tastebuds. We ordered the fried calamari and the steamed spinach and mushroom dumplings. I didn’t have any of the calamari but my parents seemed to like them as the bowl was cleared in a matter of a few minutes. The steamed dumplings on the other hand, were magical. We were talking about them until the next morning! We honestly didn’t know what to expect while ordering them, but restaurant dumplings usually come out with a really thick doughy exterior and the stuffing is usually made up of a lot of fillers like noodles and cabbage. But these were little soft clouds stuffed with tons of spinach and little bits of mushroom. And the ginger sauce that came with the dumplings is another story on its own. I could drink that stuff from the little bottle or put it on everything I’ll ever eat in the future.
All in all, we had a great time here and look forward to coming back. Plans for a proper dinner in the near future!

really great food, great service – incredibly fast. We come here a lot and have never been disappointed. Plus the décor is upscale enough that you feel you’re going somewhere special. You can just go the two of you for a quiet dinner, or you can take a group and have fun. The food is consistently great. Oh, and we had a friend come who was gluten-​free a few weeks ago, and they totally revamped the menu on the fly to accommodate her needs. Really nice and helpful.
Love this place.

Only a one visit review here but I liked it enough to plan another in the near future. Sleek interior with dark walls, seating along the walls, stair case leading to a second level up that I did not explore. Decent selection of cocktails to choose from for your apéritif, and a nice assortment of Asian fusion items on the main menu.
First up was the flash fried calamari, which was piping hot, super crispy and tender without a hint of excess oil, complimented with a tangy sweet vial of very flavorful dressing that was dripped over the food. Smoked duck leg with scallions, buns and hoisin sauce as very good, although the meat was served bone-​in which made the bun thing not super practical. Final choices as the Mu Shu shrimp which again was very flavorful, light, and delicious.
The martini list was well represented by the one I choose, icy cold with extra long spiraling lemon peel and a decent kick.

This past Saturday we celebrated our Dad’s 85^th birthday party at Restaurant Chu. We were looking for a nice Chinese restaurant with a semi-​private area for his party. We had 28 guests; therefore, it wasn’t a huge group so Restaurant Chu was perfect for us. They have absolutely delicious Asian fusion cuisine with a comfortable, elegant, artsy, Asian-​inspired ambience. Dad would have been fine with the typical Chinese restaurant, but it was a surprise party and my brother and I wanted something a bit more upscale and special. Our party had the 2^nd floor which is above the main restaurant dining area. It is not walled off, but you definitely have enough privacy. We wanted enough privacy to do a slideshow of Dad’s life and be able to have guests get up and mingle without disturbing other guests. We brought our own projector and did a slideshow which everyone loved. They have beautiful restrooms upstairs for your guests so they don’t have to run downstairs to the main restrooms. There was also enough room in the rear so that the kids could talk and play games.
So a little bit about their food … they have absolutely delicious Asian fusion cuisine. I loved the Shaoxing prawns, and Sugar peas with white crab mushrooms in garlic and wine sauce. One of my favorites was the Kirin short ribs (I could have eaten the entire dish myself) and the Peking duck dish that comes with thin pancakes and hoisin sauce. another winner!
So consider Restaurant Chu if you have a special event and are looking for something special, beyond your standard Chinese food and ambience. Philip and Dana Chu own both Kirin Restaurant in Berkeley, and Restaurant Chu, on College Avenue in Oakland. Dana managed all of the details of our party and was unbelievably gracious and accommodating with everything that we needed. Ahem, planning a special event is already stressful, so having someone to come alongside you and be a «help» and not a «hindrance» is more than one can ask for. She accommodated all of our many requests (less MSG, to making a couple of dishes not as spicy, etc.). With our many dishes (12 dinner dishes), the servers were superb and very adept at moving dishes on and off the table, were perfect with the requested timing of when to serve appetizers, dinner, and then having cake. They cut and served the cake for us so we could relax and enjoy our guests.
It was an absolutely memorable evening for Dad and all our guests. Thank you Restaurant Chu!

Love the ‘Happy Hour’. Yummy Happy Hour Specials and Happy Hour Drinks.

Bad experience getting take-​out. Had a great meal previously dining in, but this time the quality really suffered when we ordered take-​out. It will be hard to get me to return.
Yo Yo

We walked over for lunch with coworkers. The service was mediocre but the food was pretty reasonably priced, portioned, and flavored.
I would go back for their lunch special again.

Come here at least every other week. My favorite happy hour in Rockridge. You can get $ 3 beers, $ 5 wine or well drinks, and amazing appetizers for under $ 10.
Their edamame sautéed in garlic is food-​crack.
My fiancé and I choose this as our #1 Chinese place. We love the upscale décor, but the amazing prices. We know the staff by name and they take great care of us. Miguel is by far the best waiter there and you are lucky to get him.

Restaurant Chu is the younger sleeker sibling of Kirin Restaurant on Solano.
I was surprised to see in the SF Bay Area Michelin rankings that Restaurant Chu is a «Bib Gourmand» selection. The category represents good food at good value (2 courses + wine or dessert for under $ 40). The restaurant is modern and sleek with dark furniture
I had the lunch Zha Jiang Mian ($ 10 San Dong style black bean, onion, minced beef) which has their housemade noodles.
First came a cup of hot & sour soup (
). Flavorful and just mildly spicy. Chock full of wood ear mushrooms and tofu.
The ZJM comes in two bowls with the noodles separate from the sauce and the waiter combined and mixed before I could snap a picture (
). It’s a large portion with zucchini and cucumber in addition to what’s listed on the menu (
)
The noodles had a nice chew to them and the sauce was surprisingly tasty despite being pretty thin and soupy (
).
The waiter said the dish used to be more Beijing style (thicker, saltier sauce ala QQ Noodle), but shifted to this style after requests from customers.