Ark Chinese Restaurant

Delicious food with lots of variety and good portions. They're not the most attentive during crowded restaurant times but the staff's friendly. Recommend their string beans, Mongolian beef and egg tofu. Their stews are good and the noodles definitely taste fresh and have a satisfying bite. Chow meins are good for that reason. Sometimes they'll give you fruit as dessert instead of Fortune cookies. Prices are good and ambiance is pretty typical of a casual Chinese restaurant. Good for groups but can be crowded some nights.

Must tries / particularly good here: - Dry fried chicken wings - Egg braised tofu My other favorite items to order: - Green onion pancake (very crispy and fried) - Cumin Lamb - Chicken chow mein (not hand pulled, just the normal version) - Dry Fried String beans Menu is quite extensive so I’m sure there are other hidden gems we haven’t discovered from here!

For delicious Shanghai Dumplings, this is your spot for miles around. Also, the hand-pulled noodles are worth the trip. Other favorites are the crispy chicken wings in special sauce and the lamb with herbs served on the bone. Nice people, too.

This place serves a hot and sour noodle soup (different from the hot and sour soup) that can not be beat. I don't like an eggy gelatinous soup base, and Ark's soup base is thin, yet extremely flavorful. The firm tofu they put in this soup is also amazing and I am not normally a fan of tofu.

Garlic Noodles, chicken wings with sweet sauce, shrimp fried rice, and crispy egg rolls all were delicious! Best in the East Bay for sure. Very busy with steady customers.

When we visit Alameda we dine here at least once. We love the Hand Pulled noodles, Egg tofu, Salt & Pepper pork chops and Xiao Long Bao dumplings.The dishes have great flavor. The service is good too!

The food is always excellent here. I don't mind driving down to Alameda to have those very tasty Garlic noodles which are made in house. I highly recommend this place to pick up your meal especially during down times. Support the communities.

really good spot. I love their lunch specials and mock chicken. Super sweet staff always treats me really well even if I am just ordering one thing and eating there.

Found this place using Google. Tried our three favs, hot and sour soup, mapo tofu and pan fried pork dumplings (like potstickers). All three were fabulous. The dumplings were delicate, handmade and juicy. The soup was flavorful and not gloppy with thickening. The mapo was aromatic and had a good amount of lean meat, mushrooms and veggies. We can't wait to go back!

The service was great, hostess/waitresses were super nice, friendly and accomadating. The food was also superb, there were so many options I'll definitely be back! The Xiao Long Baos were amazing and so was their Szchuan Chicken and plain rice. Overall great experience food and service wise. The restaurant itself doesn't look the fanciest but the food and service trumped the looks :) looking forward to going back and trying different items.

I had lunch there today. Such a nice place. Clean and quiet. Food and service are excellent prices are very reasonable. Noodles are hand made.

Simple, fresh, and tasty dishes in a modest reastaurant where the emphasis is on the food. Well prepared and good service. Two dishes were the tiniest bit on the salty side but were still delicious. Reasonable pricing also a bonus. We would definitely visit again.

Fried chicken IS SO CRUNCHY, somehow they increased crunchy by 3x over other fried chicken. A++++++ ate many and will again

Naifeng Liu

I had lunch there today. Such a nice place. Clean and quiet. Food and service are excellent prices are very reasonable. Noodles are hand made.

Richard H

Simple, fresh, and tasty dishes in a modest reastaurant where the emphasis is on the food. Well prepared and good service. Two dishes were the tiniest bit on the salty side but were still delicious. Reasonable pricing also a bonus. We would definitely visit again.

Ben Livengood

Fried chicken IS SO CRUNCHY, somehow they increased crunchy by 3x over other fried chicken. A++++++ ate many and will again

Hand pulled noodles are delicious. All of the dumplings are delicious. Process is reasonable, but the place is very small. So best to be prepared to wait (especially during dinner hours) or have a plan B if the wait is too long.

Excellent food and very generous portions. Their signature dish is their hand-pulled noodles, which you can actually watch being made if you show up early at either 1130am or 5pm. There is a glass-enclosed segment of the kitchen that is visible from the dining area which allows you to see the noodles being made by hand in the traditional Chinese style.

This food tastes fresh and I see the noodles made fresh in-house, during my meal. My favorite dish is their noodle soups. A small restaurant but one that is not easily duplicated or replaced. Customer service is cheerful and they seem to enjoy what they do. An enjoyable place to eat with my family.

SO GOOD We had: juicy pork dumplings, garlic noodles and chicken wings. The chicken wings must have been my favorite. They were fried perfectly and the sauce was amazing. The skin is slightly crispy and the inside is juicy. The dumplings' skin were a bit on the thicker side, compared to other ones I've had. Still, they were pretty good. The garlic noodles were delicious as well. They are a little sweet and and very fresh tasting. You can see the cook hand-making the noodles in the kitchen :) and speaking of the cook... he came out to the dining area and started carving a watermelon into a flower for a group of people. He was really quick and it was fun to watch. Can't wait go to again!

Always great food and good service! We love Ark!

The best hot and sour soup I've ever had, made even better by the addition of hand pulled noodles. I've been all over the Bay looking for the best dumplings and the XLB at Ark is my favorite. Their chow mein is also fabulous. Ark is definitely a hidden gem.

Lex Band

The best hot and sour soup I've ever had, made even better by the addition of hand pulled noodles. I've been all over the Bay looking for the best dumplings and the XLB at Ark is my favorite. Their chow mein is also fabulous. Ark is definitely a hidden gem.

Kai Chang

Excellent food and very generous portions. Their signature dish is their hand-pulled noodles, which you can actually watch being made if you show up early at either 1130am or 5pm. There is a glass-enclosed segment of the kitchen that is visible from the dining area which allows you to see the noodles being made by hand in the traditional Chinese style.

Sean Davidson

Hand pulled noodles are delicious. All of the dumplings are delicious. Process is reasonable, but the place is very small. So best to be prepared to wait (especially during dinner hours) or have a plan B if the wait is too long.

Brendan Ochoa

This food tastes fresh and I see the noodles made fresh in-house, during my meal. My favorite dish is their noodle soups. A small restaurant but one that is not easily duplicated or replaced. Customer service is cheerful and they seem to enjoy what they do. An enjoyable place to eat with my family.

Muy S

SO GOOD We had: juicy pork dumplings, garlic noodles and chicken wings. The chicken wings must have been my favorite. They were fried perfectly and the sauce was amazing. The skin is slightly crispy and the inside is juicy. The dumplings' skin were a bit on the thicker side, compared to other ones I've had. Still, they were pretty good. The garlic noodles were delicious as well. They are a little sweet and and very fresh tasting. You can see the cook hand-making the noodles in the kitchen :) and speaking of the cook... he came out to the dining area and started carving a watermelon into a flower for a group of people. He was really quick and it was fun to watch. Can't wait go to again!

You gotta try the chicken wings with the special sauce! Mm!! That sauce is magical. What's even more remarkable is how, whether you order take-out or delivery, the chicken wings always stay crispy. Kudos for that recipe!

They are closed from 3pm to 5pm. Ordered the ark braised tofu and shrimp fried rice. Both were very good. Was super thirsty afterwards though. Prices are ok for the area.

Their xiao long bao and hand pulled noodles are good.

Great selection of soups with hand pulled noodles, plus rice porridges. The menu at the restaurant offers a lot more options than what they list on the website.

Grab a friend and share one of their GIANT noodle soups. The food was great, but the location seems dated. Would definitely go again for the noodles.

best soup dumplings in the east bay. noodles are homemade and the wonton soup is solid. most chinese food around Alameda blows, but this place represents

Excellent seafood noodle soup with fresh, made to order, hand pulled noodles. Good price. Restaurant however is very dirty looking an the fish tank has green water. Can't imagine why they don't take pride in the appearance of their restaurant and just give it a deep clean. *shrug*

Hand pulled noodles and delicious Chinese food. Very good for the price. I highly recommend their specialty "egg tofu". Their cumin beef or lamb is amazing too. This is a must try if you are craving for soup or noodles and in town. Street parking might be hard to find but you can park in the movie theatre garage behind it. Cheap and free after 6pm.

Reasonably priced tasty dinner of Shanghai Soup Dumplings, Sweet fried chicken wings, and beef stew noodle soup. Delicate XLB and juicy. Wings were crunchy, meaty, and lightly battered and fried. It’s one of our “go to places” for Chinese food in Alameda. Small local neighborhood place with nice service.

Judging by its name you can't really tell what kind of Chinese food Ark Chinese restaurant offers. I think it was probably a noodle restaurant focusing on items from northern China. However it seems that the new owners have hired a cook that can also make Cantonese dishes. As a result the menu is more extensive and there are quite a few selections to choose from. We ordered the pan fried green onion pancake, hand pulled beef noodle soup, tomato beef chow mein, beef stew noodles and sweet sour ribs. All were fairly good but I should note that the flavors were quite intense...as in too much salt or too much sugar. If you do pay a visit, keep that in mind. You may want to tell them to cut back on the salt and spices. More importantly the prices are quite reasonable for a restaurant on Park Street in Alameda. Entrees, dinner items, generally run around 15 dollars or so. The decor is ho-hum but the dining room is certainly quiet....perhaps too quiet , or maybe we were there too early. They could use some flowers or some paintings to liven up the place. Maybe play some K pop or something. The wait staff are friendly and helpful though. if you're looking for an inexpensive place to eat before you see a movie or just in the area, give Ark Chinese restaurant a try. The food might assault your taste buds but the prices won't assault your wallet.

The three dishes we tried were pretty good. The dumplings' skin were not too thick and the hand pulled noodles were really good! I love congee/porridge and theirs were made exactly to my liking.

Great spot on Park Street. The hand pulled noodles are fantastic as well as the sweet and spicy chicken wings. Other highlights include the beef noodle soup which is great on a cold night and the xiao long bao. There are so many Chinese restaurants in Alameda but, the noodles and wings make Ark standout amongst the rest.

Love this place. The best juicy pork dumplings, moo shu pork and seafood sizzling rice soup around. Seating is a little tight here but the food makes it worth it.

The hand pulled noodles are really good. Often a sleepy little place to get food during the day but it picks up at night.

E Lee

Reasonably priced tasty dinner of Shanghai Soup Dumplings, Sweet fried chicken wings, and beef stew noodle soup. Delicate XLB and juicy. Wings were crunchy, meaty, and lightly battered and fried. It’s one of our “go to places” for Chinese food in Alameda. Small local neighborhood place with nice service.

East Bay Area Resident

Judging by its name you can't really tell what kind of Chinese food Ark Chinese restaurant offers. I think it was probably a noodle restaurant focusing on items from northern China. However it seems that the new owners have hired a cook that can also make Cantonese dishes. As a result the menu is more extensive and there are quite a few selections to choose from. We ordered the pan fried green onion pancake, hand pulled beef noodle soup, tomato beef chow mein, beef stew noodles and sweet sour ribs. All were fairly good but I should note that the flavors were quite intense...as in too much salt or too much sugar. If you do pay a visit, keep that in mind. You may want to tell them to cut back on the salt and spices. More importantly the prices are quite reasonable for a restaurant on Park Street in Alameda. Entrees, dinner items, generally run around 15 dollars or so. The decor is ho-hum but the dining room is certainly quiet....perhaps too quiet , or maybe we were there too early. They could use some flowers or some paintings to liven up the place. Maybe play some K pop or something. The wait staff are friendly and helpful though. if you're looking for an inexpensive place to eat before you see a movie or just in the area, give Ark Chinese restaurant a try. The food might assault your taste buds but the prices won't assault your wallet.

Linda Grigorik

The three dishes we tried were pretty good. The dumplings' skin were not too thick and the hand pulled noodles were really good! I love congee/porridge and theirs were made exactly to my liking.

John

Great spot on Park Street. The hand pulled noodles are fantastic as well as the sweet and spicy chicken wings. Other highlights include the beef noodle soup which is great on a cold night and the xiao long bao. There are so many Chinese restaurants in Alameda but, the noodles and wings make Ark standout amongst the rest.

Richard T

Love this place. The best juicy pork dumplings, moo shu pork and seafood sizzling rice soup around. Seating is a little tight here but the food makes it worth it.

Damon Tighe

The hand pulled noodles are really good. Often a sleepy little place to get food during the day but it picks up at night.

One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area. However like everyone else they are struggling. On days that they are really busy, please be patient as they only have one chef and one cook in the back and as items are individually made to order your first portion of the order may be slightly cold. I highly recommend coming here on slower days. However they still have one of the best handpull noodles.

I don't know why I haven't tried this local restaurant before. The food was really good! It's reminiscent of the mom & pop Chinese cafe comfort food of yesteryear. It's a bit greasy like it too. The customer service was awesome. Very friendly. They do have more vegan options than other Chinese restaurants. The prices are relatively cheap compared to other restaurants. I'll be going back for more!

Pete Y

I don't know why I haven't tried this local restaurant before. The food was really good! It's reminiscent of the mom & pop Chinese cafe comfort food of yesteryear. It's a bit greasy like it too. The customer service was awesome. Very friendly. They do have more vegan options than other Chinese restaurants. The prices are relatively cheap compared to other restaurants. I'll be going back for more!

KJ

One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area. However like everyone else they are struggling. On days that they are really busy, please be patient as they only have one chef and one cook in the back and as items are individually made to order your first portion of the order may be slightly cold. I highly recommend coming here on slower days. However they still have one of the best handpull noodles.

Joselyn Perez

Excellent seafood noodle soup with fresh, made to order, hand pulled noodles. Good price. Restaurant however is very dirty looking an the fish tank has green water. Can't imagine why they don't take pride in the appearance of their restaurant and just give it a deep clean. *shrug*

This place was so busy the wait staff had a challenge keeping up with demand, but kept smiling as they performed all their duties, great attitude in the face of difficulty, kudos! Unfortunately, my 牛肉拉面 (pulled noodle soup with beef) did not taste like fresh noodles. Maybe it was an off day or a rushed bowl, it's understandable. The hard part to get past is why did my beef tend to taste like hand soap? I'm appreciative hands are being washed behind that service curtain, but it was a little hard to swallow. I typically finish a big bowl ($13, yikes) down to the last drop, but I just couldn't this time. I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt, but I won't be back any time soon as I live in San Diego and came to Alameda specifically for this establishments pulled noodles. To be fair, in my mind, pulled noodles anywhere have to live up to my experience of living in Beijing, where I could daily get a large bowl for 7元 RMB (~$1 or more) and they were made with such expertise and care I can only describe the magic as 功夫 (Kung Fu).

My go-to spot in Alameda for beef noodle soup! I also highly recommend the egg tofu. This place is consistently good, except the last time I went, the food came out only warm, which was a bit disappointing.

Jason Lau

My go-to spot in Alameda for beef noodle soup! I also highly recommend the egg tofu. This place is consistently good, except the last time I went, the food came out only warm, which was a bit disappointing.

Juicy dumplings were great. Deep fryer must have been up too high most pieces were a bit dark and you could taste the oil. Walls need to be scrubbed. They are spotted with food. Garlic noodles smelled amazing from another table.

Ian Smith

Juicy dumplings were great. Deep fryer must have been up too high most pieces were a bit dark and you could taste the oil. Walls need to be scrubbed. They are spotted with food. Garlic noodles smelled amazing from another table.

I used to like this place but went back and was very disappointed. The hand pulled noodles lacked the al dente chewiness and had a very bland and greasy flavor that was so poor I had to add a touch of soy just to enjoy them. The xlb was also not so great. In the past the broth of their beef noodle soup was good and very similar to Pho but I don't think I'll be coming back again to try it.

Ordered broccoli beef with extra protein,. When I got my food it was cold and didn't have the extra protein.

Geo Fucile

Ordered broccoli beef with extra protein,. When I got my food it was cold and didn't have the extra protein.