My brother and his contracting crew ate most of their meals last week at Namiya, the sushi restaurant two doors down. The owner is an ex Benihana chef. They thought the food was great. I ate there Thursday with them and thought it was fine (they're from Southern California, so have lower restaurant standards).
I'll mention there's a Starbucks. I don't care for them, but some people can't live without them. There's a nearby furniture store going out of business and we originally planned to take that spot. This was before the property owner had delusions of grandeur due to Starbuck's agreeing to a stupidly expensive lease a few doors down. They wanted twice what we're paying for the new space.
Of the 18 eating establishments, these seem to stand out:
Shan Shan Low has very good reviews and a generous lunch special. The reviews of this Chinese restaurant are all glowing. They mention how out-of-place it is with the other hack eating establishments in the mall. One of my customers, Max G., gave it a great review on Yelp (I trust his judgment).
Taqueria Los Altos is supposed to be excellent, authentic Mexican food that's not too pricey. It's sandwiched between Subway and Round Table Pizza.
Mimi's Cafe is very good, according to Eileen and 13 reviews on Yelp. It's a chain restaurant, but a pretty good one.
If you've eaten at any of these places or know of a nearby place, please let me know. I'm planning to brown bag my lunch a lot more often.
Hmmm, there was a Chinese restaurant in that strip where I had one of my few negative dining experiences. I don't know for sure if it was Shan Shan Low or not.
ReplyDeleteIt was a few years ago now, so maybe it was a different place.
I think there are a couple of Mexican places, the Taqueria you mentioned being one (they make a really good burrito).
ReplyDeleteThe Mediterranean is also great for Turkish/Lebanese/Greek food. I like them a lot, even with the onions.
Don't forget that there are also all the Todos Santos and in between places within just a couple of blocks (certainly within walking distance).
People at the store for an event have a lot of choices, they could even resort to the "Mickey Dees" and "Burger Thing" in the shopping center.
There's a second Chinese place, but it wasn't reviewed as well.
ReplyDeleteThere's supposed to be a stellar Korean restaurant in the Todos Santos Plaza area.
ReplyDeleteLOL, we've been spreading the word on the Korean Bulgogi House. Good food there!
ReplyDeleteMimi's Sucks... Eileen's taste in food sucks... Pre-assembled, pre-painted, plastic reaper models suck... :D
ReplyDeleteMy taste in food does not suck. Except for the horrific service one time (stupid waitress didn't bother asking if we wanted change; she just assumed the difference was her tip), I think the food at Mimi's is pretty good. However, I think Nama Sushi is better than the one next door to the new place, although this one has more lunch options. We'll lose Wendys and Quiznos (for anyone willing to walk that far for food; I'd be starving by then), there is a new Vietnamese place opening up just a moment's walk from Fry's (the pizza place totally died).
ReplyDeleteShan Shan Low is off my list. I still have heartburn after eating there last night. Good pot stickers, everything else ranged from alright to not very good. When they pre-wrap Moo Shoo Pork and you can't find a real pepper in the Kung Pao Chicken, you've got a problem.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite East Bay Chinese restaurant is probably 168 Restaurant in El Cerrito (Pacific East Mall) or Jade Villa in Oakland.
Diablo Valley seems to be the land of bland.