Shihlin Taiwanese Street Snacks

Jason Matsumoto

Grabbed takeout for lunch from here after having it recommended by the front desk person at my hotel. Got the popcorn chicken box with extra veggies and braised chicken. Arrived at designated pickup time, but order took another 5 mins, which was no big deal, as the gentleman at the window (maybe the owner?) was quite nice and warm in his communication. After a few mins, my name was called and my order handed to me nicely bagged up. Got back to the hotel and every single thing was correct and the food was piping hot and absolutely delicious. I could not finish it all in one meal, either. The fried chicken was really good, the steamed veggies were also great, and the tofu was excellent. The marinated eggs were not as good as the rest of the food (a little overcooked for my taste), but still good enough to make the overall experience a legit 5 stars. I'll be back soon.

S Lee

I often find myself hard pressed to find authentic Taiwanese cuisine, even here in the Bay Area. I can't tell you how ecstatic I was to discover Shihlin! This little restaurant located McCarthy Ranch truly delivers in the quality of their Taiwanese selections. While I've dined there prior to the Shelter-In-Place (SIP) order, this review will primarily focus on their food and the measures they've taken to ensure the safety of both their employees and customers. Understandably, the SIP order has thrown a wrench in our lives; however, Shihlin has adapted well to the current climate. I highly recommend using their website to place your order in advance. You can choose to customize your order with add-ons or even remove unwanted toppings like cilantro or hot sauce. In my opinion, this is a huge plus! Once your food is ready, you'll receive a text- no waiting in long lines or out in the cold! Once you get that text, you can head over to the pick-up window- easy as that! I found the online system very easy to navigate, and had my food in hand in about 15-20 minutes after I placed my order. Now for the food. I've always been a tried and true fan of their food, and I'm pleased to say that the SIP order hasn't affected their quality! My favorite go-tos are definitely the popcorn chicken and Grandma Braised Chicken Rice (both pictured). The Grandma Braised Chicken Rice is a lighter take on the traditional Taiwanese minced pork rice. While it can't ever replace minced pork rice in my heart, I do find that the substitution of chicken makes the dish a little lighter- which isn't bad for a change! And if you're feeling a bit parched, they have a solid selection of drinks. My go-to here is their wintermelon tea. Their selection of beverages is quite small, but as I've been saying- what they do, they do very, very well! If you're looking for Taiwanese food in the Bay Area, I hope you try Shihlin and enjoy it as much as I do!

tony tran

Love this place I consider this my happy place because it reminds me of my trip to Taiwan. Taste just like the street food in Taiwan. Fried chicken is amazing and the fried mushrooms as well overall service is great. Wait time isn't that long and they also have outside seating.

Cecilia Chung

Great value! Came craving for the lvroufan (rice bowl with ground meet). They have grandma style and grandpa, and we chose grandma because it came with tofu~ it was delicious, and a bit bigger than we expected for a snack and $6. They also have really good looking fried chicken, similar to the one they sell at the shilin night market of Taipei. Will want to try that next time! Limited seating and small menu, but everything looks delicious! Edit 2019 march: They dont have the grandpa style meat rice anymore but they still sell the grandma style for $7.99, and also the fried chicken for $8.99. We got mild and that's spicy enough for me, but they have a lot more levels of spiciness. They also have a cool system to order from a tablet, and if you pay with credit card you get $1 off any drink, so we got a boba milk tea for $3.49 Taste of everything is still great, a bit pricier but still cheaper than sit-down restaurants :)

Vinny Wang

Been almost a decade since I went back to Taiwan and I've been craving some really good Taiwanese food. This place has that. It's small and not much seating inside but there are more right outside. It's located in a plaza surrounded by many other Asian restaurants and a grocery as well. As for the food itself, portions were just right, not too much, not too little. Price was decent. The food is so good. So so so good. Drinks were enjoyable as well.

Tom Chao

I really miss Taiwanese bento. If I get off work early, I’ll definitely come by — I highly recommend the Treasure Ricebox and the Jiayi Chicken Rice!

Brenda Liu

Small selection of authentic Taiwanese street food! Tried the oyster noodles and popcorn chicken, both are excellent. Can get crowded at lunch time, and food takes some time to come out. But overall worth the wait! Also, not a lot of sitting room, so most people take it to go.

SJ I

Got the Treasure Rice Box for the first time and was not disappointed! Good portion size, moist chicken and solid side dishes. Just make sure to eat the chicken right away because the batter can get soggy pretty quick.

I haven't had the food from Shihlin Taiwan street snacks for years because its food weren't really good and it is pricy. As I didn't know what's for lunch and I just happened to be at Milpitas Ranch 99 square, I thought of having a take-out from this restaurant for the reason quick and easy (not for tasty). I had oyster noodles. It amazed me this time. The taste definitely improved. It is more Taiwanese like now, but a bit salty...but still fine to enjoy😋😋 Its staff was friendly. No others customers, so I got my order quick. What's even nicer... its rewards is able to convert to $$ to deduct on the order! It is great!👍

Decent place for traditional Taiwanese street snacks that are difficult to find, such as oyster noodles and oyster omelette. The popcorn chicken was also good. Please note that this is a take-out only location, so plan to eat the food elsewhere. Large free parking lot.

Fun stop for fried foods. We wanted a different lunch experience so Taiwanese street food. We can order via tablet and pay and our food gets to us within 10-15 min. It was about 11:45 am on a Monday. We ordered oysters with egg noodle, kind of gravy-ish broth. Popcorn chicken, crunchy and not dry, mild (but can choose spicy) and a sweet potato fries. All tasty and great texture. Next time we can probably ask if there is a dipping sauce. There are other items we will try but the serving was pretty generous.

I’ve been seeing this establishment in malls and other shopping centers. I see that the food looks good based on what I saw on the menu and so, I decided to try here. I wanted to get the Grandma Braised Chicken Rice since it’s much affordable costing only around $11. It’s a lot of ground meat and hearty ingredients filled in a bowl. It’s a very small place, which isn’t really good to dine-in in my opinion. I was quite shocked with how quick the service is. I was expecting it to be a little longer though since prepping a meal like this seems to take long.

This is a takeout only place, but there are 2 tables on the side that you could sit down to eat there. You could order using your smartphone and their QR code, and they put up an ordering station out front. We ordered their Treasure Rice Box (招牌便當 $15) which is crispy fried chicken. It tasted pretty good and it’s not dry. Portion size is generous. The Fried Tofu (炸豆腐 $8) is also good. Both customizable for spiciness.

Crispy chicken with leg & thigh and salt pepper mushrooms are popular. Hope their food quality can be consistent cuz I found eggshell from oyster omelette.

Small Taiwan Snack Store. Due to pandemic, no indoor seating. Only two table outdoor. Do order food online so that you could skip the wait. The food is decent. The popcorn chicken is tender, love that.

Got the fried mushrooms and oyster mee sua. When offered the spicy level for the fried mushrooms, I said light spicy and it ended up being no salted enough. So I might recommend getting at least medium spicy. Oyster mee sua(noodles) was actually pretty good. Would come again.

Dude, this place is far out man! Excellent customer service! They’re very enthusiastic & are very kind! Kudos! The salt & pepper mushrooms are my go to. I learned about this place because my cousin brought some to a family gathering one time. I get them medium or spicy. These remind me so much of popcorn chicken (am a veggie here) so the nostalgia is real. So if you’re on the same boat, get these, you won’t regret it! Their Lemon Ai Yu Jelly (with lemon) is really good! I just got it because I was thirsty, but I really enjoyed the flavor & jelly! It was sweet & tart; so you get the best of both worlds ahaha. They also have a deal that if you purchase $10 or more in food items you can get any drink for $2. The only reason why I am giving 4 stars is because the place is a bit cramped & small. So if you go during a rush period, chances are you’ll probably be packed in like sardines. But again, this place is amazing! Cheers!

Mei-Ling Chen

I haven't had the food from Shihlin Taiwan street snacks for years because its food weren't really good and it is pricy. As I didn't know what's for lunch and I just happened to be at Milpitas Ranch 99 square, I thought of having a take-out from this restaurant for the reason quick and easy (not for tasty). I had oyster noodles. It amazed me this time. The taste definitely improved. It is more Taiwanese like now, but a bit salty...but still fine to enjoy😋😋 Its staff was friendly. No others customers, so I got my order quick. What's even nicer... its rewards is able to convert to $$ to deduct on the order! It is great!👍

Wei-Ai Tai

Decent place for traditional Taiwanese street snacks that are difficult to find, such as oyster noodles and oyster omelette. The popcorn chicken was also good. Please note that this is a take-out only location, so plan to eat the food elsewhere. Large free parking lot.

Ivan Baradi

I’ve been seeing this establishment in malls and other shopping centers. I see that the food looks good based on what I saw on the menu and so, I decided to try here. I wanted to get the Grandma Braised Chicken Rice since it’s much affordable costing only around $11. It’s a lot of ground meat and hearty ingredients filled in a bowl. It’s a very small place, which isn’t really good to dine-in in my opinion. I was quite shocked with how quick the service is. I was expecting it to be a little longer though since prepping a meal like this seems to take long.

Chelle T

Fun stop for fried foods. We wanted a different lunch experience so Taiwanese street food. We can order via tablet and pay and our food gets to us within 10-15 min. It was about 11:45 am on a Monday. We ordered oysters with egg noodle, kind of gravy-ish broth. Popcorn chicken, crunchy and not dry, mild (but can choose spicy) and a sweet potato fries. All tasty and great texture. Next time we can probably ask if there is a dipping sauce. There are other items we will try but the serving was pretty generous.

Vincent L

This is a takeout only place, but there are 2 tables on the side that you could sit down to eat there. You could order using your smartphone and their QR code, and they put up an ordering station out front. We ordered their Treasure Rice Box (招牌便當 $15) which is crispy fried chicken. It tasted pretty good and it’s not dry. Portion size is generous. The Fried Tofu (炸豆腐 $8) is also good. Both customizable for spiciness.

Tie Rong (Iron)

Crispy chicken with leg & thigh and salt pepper mushrooms are popular. Hope their food quality can be consistent cuz I found eggshell from oyster omelette.

Kailiang Huang

Small Taiwan Snack Store. Due to pandemic, no indoor seating. Only two table outdoor. Do order food online so that you could skip the wait. The food is decent. The popcorn chicken is tender, love that.

Choy L Tang

Got the fried mushrooms and oyster mee sua. When offered the spicy level for the fried mushrooms, I said light spicy and it ended up being no salted enough. So I might recommend getting at least medium spicy. Oyster mee sua(noodles) was actually pretty good. Would come again.

Frank Valencia

Dude, this place is far out man! Excellent customer service! They’re very enthusiastic & are very kind! Kudos! The salt & pepper mushrooms are my go to. I learned about this place because my cousin brought some to a family gathering one time. I get them medium or spicy. These remind me so much of popcorn chicken (am a veggie here) so the nostalgia is real. So if you’re on the same boat, get these, you won’t regret it! Their Lemon Ai Yu Jelly (with lemon) is really good! I just got it because I was thirsty, but I really enjoyed the flavor & jelly! It was sweet & tart; so you get the best of both worlds ahaha. They also have a deal that if you purchase $10 or more in food items you can get any drink for $2. The only reason why I am giving 4 stars is because the place is a bit cramped & small. So if you go during a rush period, chances are you’ll probably be packed in like sardines. But again, this place is amazing! Cheers!

Tried their famous XXL Crispy Chicken and Fish Balls. I chose the highest spice level, but the chicken was still pretty punchless. Crispiness was average. Taste was average too. Fish balls were good but again only mildly crispy. First and last visit.

Abhi Kumar

Tried their famous XXL Crispy Chicken and Fish Balls. I chose the highest spice level, but the chicken was still pretty punchless. Crispiness was average. Taste was average too. Fish balls were good but again only mildly crispy. First and last visit.

Having grown up in Taiwan and loving the night markets, I was super excited to try this shop which wanted to honor and bring the same taste of ShihLin Night Market Food/Taste/Flavor: 2/5 - XXL Chicken Thigh with mild spiciness, original flavor, fully cut, and default seasoning. There wasn't much flavoring but just mostly allowing spiciness to determine the flavor. Also, they didn't allow it to rest before serving so the chicken was pretty oily with parts of the fried coating falling off. There was a puddle of oil at the bottom of the bag with all the leftover skin as well. The Crispy Mushroom with default seasoning and hot spiciness was also super oily. Unfortunately, it just tasted of oil with just an undertone of mushroom that we finished less than half the bag. There were a lot of pieces that were just fried coating rather than actual mushroom as well Ambience: N/A - to go orders only as it's a tiny shop. However, they do have 2 large tables and one small one to sit out just to the side of the shop Service: N/A- you order online or on the device provided in front of the shop. They'll call your number once it's ready Value for price: 1/5 - for the price, I was expecting better flavor and cooking. I had to convince my SO that this can't compare to Taiwan and not to set this as the standard :((

sbbcampervan

Having grown up in Taiwan and loving the night markets, I was super excited to try this shop which wanted to honor and bring the same taste of ShihLin Night Market Food/Taste/Flavor: 2/5 - XXL Chicken Thigh with mild spiciness, original flavor, fully cut, and default seasoning. There wasn't much flavoring but just mostly allowing spiciness to determine the flavor. Also, they didn't allow it to rest before serving so the chicken was pretty oily with parts of the fried coating falling off. There was a puddle of oil at the bottom of the bag with all the leftover skin as well. The Crispy Mushroom with default seasoning and hot spiciness was also super oily. Unfortunately, it just tasted of oil with just an undertone of mushroom that we finished less than half the bag. There were a lot of pieces that were just fried coating rather than actual mushroom as well Ambience: N/A - to go orders only as it's a tiny shop. However, they do have 2 large tables and one small one to sit out just to the side of the shop Service: N/A- you order online or on the device provided in front of the shop. They'll call your number once it's ready Value for price: 1/5 - for the price, I was expecting better flavor and cooking. I had to convince my SO that this can't compare to Taiwan and not to set this as the standard :((