Shang Cafe Fremont

I ordered online for snakehead fish in green peppers soup but the stuff might packed wrong. I got beef instead. When I called them, they lady who picked the phone was super nice and refunded me right away. I’ve been order from this place for several times. They took longer to get food ready than other places because they are busy all the time. The food is always delicious so it worth it.

Authentic Sichuan Cuisine From the moment I stepped in, the rich aroma of authentic Sichuan spices whetted my appetite instantly! Fresh Ingredients, Genuine Flavors: The duck blood in the *Mao Xue Wang* was tender, the tripe crispy, with layers of numbing-spicy goodness. The **Sichuan Pepper Beef** was exceptionally flavorful—succulent, fragrant, and packed with a mouth-tingling peppercorn punch! You can really taste the freshness of the ingredients. Lightning-Fast Service, No Long Waits.Dishes started arriving within 15 minutes of ordering—a lifesaver for a hungry diner! The *Fu Qi Fei Pian* (Couple's Sliced Beef) deserves special mention—thinly sliced, perfectly spiced, with a hint of sweetness balancing the heat. Attentive Service, Warm Hospitality：The staff was incredibly friendly, checking spice preferences and offering recommendations. They kept our tea refilled and plates changed promptly, all with genuine smiles.

The food is pretty good. Things are pretty spicy compared to the other places around the area. The cellular reception is pretty bad and you have to order through the QR code so I recommend connecting to their WIFI to order. Even with the WIFI ordering was slow though, that was the worst part of the experience.

The food here is truly incredible. Very unique and flavorful dishes with the perfect amount of spice/heat. We were beyond impressed with our meal and it was even takeout! As most should know, quality typically drops when food is prepped to go. However, that was not the case. Everything was exceptional!! We are stoked to have discovered this place, and can’t wait to dine in person. If you’re reading this review, stop reading and just order/go there already. You will not regret it. They must have great chief 😉

Shang Café is a hidden gem in Fremont! The fried rice is super flavorful and perfectly cooked. I loved their Glutinous Rice Cakes with Brown Sugar, it was the perfect way to end my meal!! 10/10

I frequently visit Shang Cafe. From the moment I walked in, the staff greeted me warmly and made me feel welcome. They were incredibly attentive, ensuring that I had everything I needed throughout my visit.The service was prompt and efficient, with my order being taken and delivered quickly. What stood out the most was their genuine friendliness and professionalism. It was evident that the team at Shang Cafe takes pride in their work and values their customers. This level of service is rare and truly makes a difference in the overall experience.I highly recommend Shang Cafe for not only their delicious food and cozy atmosphere but also for their outstanding customer service. I'll definitely be returning soon!

Definitely the most authentic Sichuan restaurant in the Bay Area.

Absolutely amazing Sichuan food! The flavors are bold, authentic, and perfectly balanced between spicy, numbing, and aromatic. The Boiled Fish was tender and flavorful, and the Spicy Chicken was crispy outside, juicy inside — pure perfection. The restaurant is clean, cozy, and the staff are super friendly and attentive. Generous portions at very reasonable prices. If you love real Sichuan cuisine, this place is a must-visit!

Foods are tasty, but a little salty. If you love spicy Chinese dishes, you will not disappoint it. The restaurant is not big, so it may be a wait in the dining time.

Many of my friends recommended this restaurant, so I decided to give it a try after our 9-mile hike at Lake Chabot! We ordered Chicken in Red Oil Sauce, Noodles with pickled Pepper Chicken Gizzards, and Chef’s Special Boiled Fish Fillet in Green Peppers Soup. My favorite dish was the Noodles with Pickled Pepper Chicken Gizzards, which is packed with flavor, the noodles are chewy, and the sauce is spicy! My second favorite dish was the Chef’s Special Boiled Fish Fillet in Green Peppers Soup, which was thinly sliced fish simmered in a broth infused with green Sichuan peppercorns, chilies, and other spices. You will have a numbing sensation aftertaste, but it was not as spicy as the Noodles with Pickled Pepper Chicken Gizzards.

Basic noodle shop with friendly, enthusiastic staff and delicious food. Their chili oil is great, has a complex and lovely flavor. I've only explored the lunches/for 1 menu myself, though I regularly see large parties here ordering table dishes. Very nice spot for solo lunch or a get-together.

Excellent food that have different flavor profiles even when they are all spicy. We typically order to go and this time we were able to dine in and it's so much better! You get the nice presentation with dishes on top of flaming stands for the tofu and fried intestines. It feels like you get more food at the restaurant than to go as well. We came at dinner opening to grab a table and scanned the qr code at the table to start ordering. The waitress will come by to confirm your order and provide extra napkins. A water pitcher is available on the table. It's so hard to pick which dishes we liked best because they are all unique and taste so good. None of the spicy dishes were overpoweringly spicy but you do feel the numbing spicy slowly creep up as you keep eating. We got great contrasting dishes with the fried intestines opposite the intestines in the soup. The maoxuewang has a bunch of other items in it like fish, veggies, beef tripe, quail eggs and more. The mapo Tofu with pig brains has a silky soft and thicker quality than the soup based dish. Highly recommend!

Both food and service are great. Cold noodle is full of flavor, if you are good with the spiciness. Fish in the soup is fresh and tender. Will come again!

Always amazed by the authentic Sichuan/Hunan food in homemade style and friendly waiters every time I go to this cozy restaurant. There are reasons why it’s been there for many years and still so popular.

Probably one of the best chinese places i have been to eat yet! I loved the pork belly!! I saw another table with a spicy chili dish and decided to order that too. It had a really good spice level! If your into spicy food then try that as well!!

A small cozy restaurant for Sichuan cuisine. Hospitable staff and efficient service. We had 夫妻肺片 (Sliced Beef Combination in Spicy Sauce) and 椒麻葱香腰片 (Pig Kidney with Green Onion Pepper Sauce) for appetizers - both were decent. The must-have 藤椒活鱼 (Boiled Live Fish in Green Pepper Soup) lived up to its reputation - super tender and we finished up the black fungus and mushrooms in the soup as well. On the rendering of 手撕包菜 (Stir-Fried Shredded Cabbage) there was also no more to ask for - not greasy, at the same time crispy and soft. And the real wow moment came for the veggie dish (not sure about its name) - the unexpected salted egg yolk elevated the humble dish to a higher realm. That being said, the only thing I’d say to avoid was 蚂蚁上树 (Vermicelli with Spicy Minced Pork). On the whole, a very pleasant gourmet dinner! P.S. We ordered 少盐 ‘less salt’ for all dishes and every one agreed that the touch of salt was just right.

Tina Mai

Foods are tasty, but a little salty. If you love spicy Chinese dishes, you will not disappoint it. The restaurant is not big, so it may be a wait in the dining time.

Alice Hou

Many of my friends recommended this restaurant, so I decided to give it a try after our 9-mile hike at Lake Chabot! We ordered Chicken in Red Oil Sauce, Noodles with pickled Pepper Chicken Gizzards, and Chef’s Special Boiled Fish Fillet in Green Peppers Soup. My favorite dish was the Noodles with Pickled Pepper Chicken Gizzards, which is packed with flavor, the noodles are chewy, and the sauce is spicy! My second favorite dish was the Chef’s Special Boiled Fish Fillet in Green Peppers Soup, which was thinly sliced fish simmered in a broth infused with green Sichuan peppercorns, chilies, and other spices. You will have a numbing sensation aftertaste, but it was not as spicy as the Noodles with Pickled Pepper Chicken Gizzards.

Elliot Kamper

Basic noodle shop with friendly, enthusiastic staff and delicious food. Their chili oil is great, has a complex and lovely flavor. I've only explored the lunches/for 1 menu myself, though I regularly see large parties here ordering table dishes. Very nice spot for solo lunch or a get-together.

Melissa Ng

Excellent food that have different flavor profiles even when they are all spicy. We typically order to go and this time we were able to dine in and it's so much better! You get the nice presentation with dishes on top of flaming stands for the tofu and fried intestines. It feels like you get more food at the restaurant than to go as well. We came at dinner opening to grab a table and scanned the qr code at the table to start ordering. The waitress will come by to confirm your order and provide extra napkins. A water pitcher is available on the table. It's so hard to pick which dishes we liked best because they are all unique and taste so good. None of the spicy dishes were overpoweringly spicy but you do feel the numbing spicy slowly creep up as you keep eating. We got great contrasting dishes with the fried intestines opposite the intestines in the soup. The maoxuewang has a bunch of other items in it like fish, veggies, beef tripe, quail eggs and more. The mapo Tofu with pig brains has a silky soft and thicker quality than the soup based dish. Highly recommend!

Charles Liang

Always amazed by the authentic Sichuan/Hunan food in homemade style and friendly waiters every time I go to this cozy restaurant. There are reasons why it’s been there for many years and still so popular.

J Kou

Both food and service are great. Cold noodle is full of flavor, if you are good with the spiciness. Fish in the soup is fresh and tender. Will come again!

Mitchell Smith

Probably one of the best chinese places i have been to eat yet! I loved the pork belly!! I saw another table with a spicy chili dish and decided to order that too. It had a really good spice level! If your into spicy food then try that as well!!

Jiahui Zhou

A small cozy restaurant for Sichuan cuisine. Hospitable staff and efficient service. We had 夫妻肺片 (Sliced Beef Combination in Spicy Sauce) and 椒麻葱香腰片 (Pig Kidney with Green Onion Pepper Sauce) for appetizers - both were decent. The must-have 藤椒活鱼 (Boiled Live Fish in Green Pepper Soup) lived up to its reputation - super tender and we finished up the black fungus and mushrooms in the soup as well. On the rendering of 手撕包菜 (Stir-Fried Shredded Cabbage) there was also no more to ask for - not greasy, at the same time crispy and soft. And the real wow moment came for the veggie dish (not sure about its name) - the unexpected salted egg yolk elevated the humble dish to a higher realm. That being said, the only thing I’d say to avoid was 蚂蚁上树 (Vermicelli with Spicy Minced Pork). On the whole, a very pleasant gourmet dinner! P.S. We ordered 少盐 ‘less salt’ for all dishes and every one agreed that the touch of salt was just right.

So good! The food was super flavorful and tasted really authentic. Perfect balance of spicy and numbing — exactly what I was craving. The crispy chicken and peppercorn fish were amazing! Service was friendly and quick, and everyone was really nice. Great spot for Sichuan food — will definitely be back!

Great for families! The menu has something for everyone, and the staff was so patient with our kids. ·Impeccable service. The team was knowledgeable, efficient, and genuinely cared about our dining experience.

Ron Lin

Great for families! The menu has something for everyone, and the staff was so patient with our kids. ·Impeccable service. The team was knowledgeable, efficient, and genuinely cared about our dining experience.

JX

Absolutely amazing Sichuan food! The flavors are bold, authentic, and perfectly balanced between spicy, numbing, and aromatic. The Boiled Fish was tender and flavorful, and the Spicy Chicken was crispy outside, juicy inside — pure perfection. The restaurant is clean, cozy, and the staff are super friendly and attentive. Generous portions at very reasonable prices. If you love real Sichuan cuisine, this place is a must-visit!

Sichuan cuisine~ authentic and Chinese approved!

+1

yum! the food here was super delicious and flavorful! i loved the fried rice

We often passed this restaurant and decided to try it on Saturday. We arrived at 11am and promptly seated. It became more crowded at lunch time at noon. We ordered wonton in spicy sauce, dan dan noodle (not spicy version) & spicy noodle. The foos came out pretty fast. Me and hubby love the spicy wonton. It had mala/numbing pepper in the sauce. The noodle was firm round noodle which we like. Me & hubby likes both noodle. I knocked down one star as the price was a bit expensive for the portion we got.

All dishes with Very good presentation. Love all the dishes and you get to ordered on iPad. You can review process before place order. Braised pork with pickled veggies - very tender and thinly sliced. Very nice presentation 5 Stir fry with soya tofu, celery and shredded pork 4 Spicy cold cut eggplant 5 Great portion with great flavor!

I'm by no means a spicy food person, and although the food here is very spicy, it was quite tasty. If you can get past the spiciness of the dishes, you'll find that the food is very appetizing.

The 鲈鱼 is not fresh, considering the $50 price tag I would expect a little higher quality. And I would suggest them to cut their 蹄花 before serving to the customer and maybe decrease the salinity of the soup. Other than these, everything I ordered were delicious and well presented.

As of mid-october 2025, a 15% service charge is already included in the bill. Customers do not have to pay additional tips unless they are particularly happy with certain servers. The food of this restaurant is mainly Sichuan style (spicy), but there are no less non-spicy option. They are generally good. It is getting pricier and pricier, as are other restaurants.

Traditional spicy Chinese food. Tho it's more numbing spicy than straight up hot/spicy. The hot & sour fish fillet and the rice chicken are too numb, they put too much numbing spices it took over the flavour, you can hardly taste the fish or chicken, just numbness. Some people might like it, I find it overwhelming. The fried rice and sliced potato on the other hand, are not spicy and tastes amazing. Service is good, Would definitely recommend.

18% tips fee mandatory charge, good taste tho, hot! Long wait time.

The rice is very round. I’m unsure why I came here, because I don’t eat spice at all. If I liked spices, I image that I would find this experience quite enjoyable. Otherwise, I love how round and perfectly spherical the rice is.

Went there for week day lunch. We’re early so there was no wait. We’re seated and the waiter gave us their paper menu and the e-menu to order. It’s kinda cool because the e-menu has details of the dishes and pictures. Saw couple tables beside us had the huge soup bowl with chilies oil. We thought this must be their popular dish, so we ordered it. Fish soup with noodles on the bottom, black fungus and lot of chilies. We had the fish fillets rather than whole fish as we didn’t want to eat the stomach or fish head. The size is really huge, two of us can’t finished it despite we tried hard to finished the noodles and drank soup. Soup was great, not fishy and flavorful.

Shang Cafe is my go to place for great Sichuan food. There is always a crowd but you can always find a table within 10-20 mins. The menu is shorter than other Sichuan places but food is great and consistent.

Je Vais Partout

As of mid-october 2025, a 15% service charge is already included in the bill. Customers do not have to pay additional tips unless they are particularly happy with certain servers. The food of this restaurant is mainly Sichuan style (spicy), but there are no less non-spicy option. They are generally good. It is getting pricier and pricier, as are other restaurants.

J

18% tips fee mandatory charge, good taste tho, hot! Long wait time.

Andrew

Traditional spicy Chinese food. Tho it's more numbing spicy than straight up hot/spicy. The hot & sour fish fillet and the rice chicken are too numb, they put too much numbing spices it took over the flavour, you can hardly taste the fish or chicken, just numbness. Some people might like it, I find it overwhelming. The fried rice and sliced potato on the other hand, are not spicy and tastes amazing. Service is good, Would definitely recommend.

CH

The rice is very round. I’m unsure why I came here, because I don’t eat spice at all. If I liked spices, I image that I would find this experience quite enjoyable. Otherwise, I love how round and perfectly spherical the rice is.

Choy L Tang

Went there for week day lunch. We’re early so there was no wait. We’re seated and the waiter gave us their paper menu and the e-menu to order. It’s kinda cool because the e-menu has details of the dishes and pictures. Saw couple tables beside us had the huge soup bowl with chilies oil. We thought this must be their popular dish, so we ordered it. Fish soup with noodles on the bottom, black fungus and lot of chilies. We had the fish fillets rather than whole fish as we didn’t want to eat the stomach or fish head. The size is really huge, two of us can’t finished it despite we tried hard to finished the noodles and drank soup. Soup was great, not fishy and flavorful.

Partha Bera

Shang Cafe is my go to place for great Sichuan food. There is always a crowd but you can always find a table within 10-20 mins. The menu is shorter than other Sichuan places but food is great and consistent.

Shang Cafe and its sister restaurants, including Ping’s Bistro and Ping’s Bistro 2, are often regarded as some of the best Sichuan and Hunan restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. In our experience, the food quality and flavors have been consistently strong, which is why these restaurants have long been among our favorites. On this visit, we ordered Pork Ribs with Dry Chili, Pig’s Feet and Kelp Soup, and Poached Beef Combination in Green Pepper Soup. All three dishes were well executed, and the pork ribs in particular stood out. Unfortunately, what diminished an otherwise enjoyable meal was the billing practice. An 18% mandatory service fee was automatically added to the check, and an additional 10.25% tax was charged on top of that service fee. We personally do not support mandatory service charges, as we believe tips should be earned based on service. Because of this policy, we will likely think twice before returning to Shang Cafe or its affiliated restaurants in the future.

H. J.

Shang Cafe and its sister restaurants, including Ping’s Bistro and Ping’s Bistro 2, are often regarded as some of the best Sichuan and Hunan restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. In our experience, the food quality and flavors have been consistently strong, which is why these restaurants have long been among our favorites. On this visit, we ordered Pork Ribs with Dry Chili, Pig’s Feet and Kelp Soup, and Poached Beef Combination in Green Pepper Soup. All three dishes were well executed, and the pork ribs in particular stood out. Unfortunately, what diminished an otherwise enjoyable meal was the billing practice. An 18% mandatory service fee was automatically added to the check, and an additional 10.25% tax was charged on top of that service fee. We personally do not support mandatory service charges, as we believe tips should be earned based on service. Because of this policy, we will likely think twice before returning to Shang Cafe or its affiliated restaurants in the future.

Force 15% service fee without much service, food is not as good as before, nothing to highlight this time

It used to my top 1 restaurant in Bay Area. Disappointed by today' food. Food quality went down significantly. Also the restaurant increases price around 10% recently and automatically added 15% tip.

Beware that they automatically charge an 18% service fee to all orders. I think they up it from 15% base on old reviews. I can understand the reason but the service need to match. After we sat no one came over, we were in a hurry too and had to ask do we need to scan the QR code or order with them. They only came to confirm the order after I placed it, refilled water, and they did point out the 18% fee at check out which you cant do online, you have to call them over. We order via QR code and there were barely any interactions with the servers, no food recommendation we had to figure out base on the menu and switched the menu to English cause it was all Chinese. We did all the work, so why the 18% fee? Food was average. Noodle with mince meat barely had any meat in them, mostly just noodles.

Food is quite pricey and mediocre in taste. The mandatory tip is a nasty surprise and a bit ridiculous especially when applied to groups of any size. So, if you eat by yourself, you'll be charged the same 15% as the larger group beside you. Very unusual and sneaky practice. They need to be more transparent about this.

Mymy Q

Beware that they automatically charge an 18% service fee to all orders. I think they up it from 15% base on old reviews. I can understand the reason but the service need to match. After we sat no one came over, we were in a hurry too and had to ask do we need to scan the QR code or order with them. They only came to confirm the order after I placed it, refilled water, and they did point out the 18% fee at check out which you cant do online, you have to call them over. We order via QR code and there were barely any interactions with the servers, no food recommendation we had to figure out base on the menu and switched the menu to English cause it was all Chinese. We did all the work, so why the 18% fee? Food was average. Noodle with mince meat barely had any meat in them, mostly just noodles.

SY Yang

Food is quite pricey and mediocre in taste. The mandatory tip is a nasty surprise and a bit ridiculous especially when applied to groups of any size. So, if you eat by yourself, you'll be charged the same 15% as the larger group beside you. Very unusual and sneaky practice. They need to be more transparent about this.

Good, but takeout portions are extremely small, compared to dine in. I felt scammed.

This is not a clean restaurant! I would give negative stars if I could. I ordered two rices but gives me one. There is a hair in my noodle. Will report to the Department of Health.

Very little real content in each dish, overly salty and spicy, charges tip automatically even for small group and they also charge tax on top of the tip

We came here for lunch, ordered our food, and while we wait for the food.... "Hey, is that a cockroach running around in the floor?" I asked my wife? She looked, "yes". We told the waiter and they killed it quickly with a napkin and walked away... Now, both my wife and I are nervous. Is this place clean? I mean the food ain't cheap here... "OMG, here's another one!" my wife told me. "Yup, it sure is" I responded to her as it moved between our table and the table next to ours. After a second time, I told the waiter we would like our order cancelled and he said they have been battling this issue for the past month. Wait, what? A MONTH? Shouldn't they close the restaurant and clean this place COMPLETELY? We left as quick as we can. If you do choose to eat here, eat at your own risk....eww.... :( No, I won't be back and neither should you.

Ordered food to go. I requested for slightly spicy, the dish came out way too spicy. If you cannot or don’t want to adjust spicy level according to customer’s preferences, why bother having those options in your menu.

Long Wu

Ordered food to go. I requested for slightly spicy, the dish came out way too spicy. If you cannot or don’t want to adjust spicy level according to customer’s preferences, why bother having those options in your menu.