Classic Gullin Rice Noodles

Raeven

Great place to go get takeout to bring back to Oakland museum of California and have in the lawn. I opted to do this instead of ordering the museums’s cafe food and it was a great decision! Delicious! Friendly staff also, no communication problems at all.

Alice Hou

*3/7/2024 I had their Ultimate Spicy Beef Rice Noodle Soup—it's packed with round noodles, tender beef, egg, spicy bamboo shoots, fermented soybean, chili, tomato, green veggies, and snail soup. It's really spicy, flavorful, and satisfying. The noodles have a perfect chew, the beef is tender, and the fresh tomato adds a nice touch. The broth is tasty too, making the whole meal enjoyable. This time, they also offer a side dish tray with extra spicy bamboo shoots, fermented soybean, and more, so you can add even more flavor to your soup! 2/5/2024 I had their Ultimate Spicy Beef Rice Noodle Soup, and it was loaded with round noodles, beef, egg, spicy sour bamboo shoots, fermented soybean, chili, tomato, green veggies, and snail soup. It's delightfully spicy, full of flavor, and really satisfying. The round noodles have the perfect chewiness, the beef is tender, and the fresh tomato adds even more deliciousness. The broth is equally flavorful, making the whole experience well-rounded and enjoyable. This time, they also provide a side dishes tray with spicy sour bamboo shoots, fermented soybean, and more, so you can customize your noodle soup for an extra burst of flavor! 2/1/2024 I had their Ultimate Spicy Beef Rice Noodle Soup. Served with round noodles, the bowl is packed with beef, egg, spicy sour bamboo shoots, fermented soybean, chili, tomato, green veggies, and snail soup. It's spicy, flavorful, and satisfying. The round noodles have the perfect chewiness, the beef is tender, and the addition of fresh tomato enhances the deliciousness. The broth is equally flavorful, making it a well-rounded and enjoyable experience. 9/21/2023 My visit to Fen Classic Guilin Rice Noodles once again! This time, I tried the Ultimate Spicy Beef Rice Noodle Soup. The beef was tender, and the soup base was incredibly flavorful. I requested extra spiciness, and it was so good that it made me break a little sweat! I even had some soup leftover to take home, where I added noodles, eggs, and some protein to enjoy later. 7/28/2023 This was my first time trying their Ultimate Spicy Beef Tripe Rice Noodle Soup, and I opted for a take-out order with regular-sized round noodles, extra spiciness, and a side dish of crispy pork. The highlight of the dish was undoubtedly the flavorful broth. The level of spiciness was perfect for my taste buds, leaving me with a running nose, which complemented the tasty noodles and other ingredients. The crispy pork side dish was a great addition, but I wish it had been a bit crispier. Additionally, a larger portion would have been appreciated. Despite this, the overall experience was fantastic, with efficient take-out service. 7/7/2023 Fen Classic in Oakland is a culinary gem, offering the delightful Five Blessings Guilin Rice Noodle. Packed with beef brisket, BBQ pork, braised beef, beef tripe, and golden crispy pork, this dish is accompanied by a small bowl of plain soup, resulting in an unforgettable flavor experience. While the prices at Fen Classic may be slightly higher, the outstanding taste and quality of their Guilin Rice Noodles justify the cost. The combination of rich and savory meats in the Five Blessings variation is a true feast for the senses, making it an ideal choice for those with a strong craving for Guilin rice noodle. It's important to plan your visit to Fen Classic accordingly, as they are closed on Mondays. However, when they are open, you can expect a truly delightful dining experience that will leave a lasting impression.

Grace Turner

I had the dry Guilin rice noodle with beef brisket and it was really tasty and refreshing. You can also upsize for $1 and take the remaining home. Great quality rice noodles and staff were friendly and spoke great English. They take credit card as well. Definitely a cool small local spot to try out!!

Noel Konagai

I’ve searched for authentic Guilin noodles in other places but this is by far the most authentic dish I’ve had. The picked green beans, bamboo, and crispy pork taste just like in Guilin. I’d come back for more!

Alexander Boulgakov

Hole in the wall with good noodle soup, at very reasonable price. Guilin def has a distinct regional flavor and I myself like it alot. You would be amiss not to try it out. I'm not sure why this place is rated so low. The only downside are their hours. Can't get it for dinner after work!

Dei Garcia

My mom and It's favorite noodle spot of all time ever. My body feels like new when I have one of their classic bowls. Food really is medicine 🙏🙏. Please try it out. Their laiyou stuff is also delicious if you want a little kick

Very recommended, great food and authentic Guilin Rice noodles. Suggested with the classic with two meet , pork belly and beef brisket. Owner is very nice and great hospitality!

Very yummy! The employee helped us pick what to eat and gave great recommendations and variety.

Super glad I went here. No notes, everything was excellent. They don't hold back on flavour and the price was very reasonable. Try the snail soup (no there are not snails in it). Chinatown has lots of excellent food but I'd still go back here.

Delicious! The server was knowledgeable about the soups and helped us pick choices that would allow us to all taste the different broths. The condiments were also interesting and tasty!

Amelia ho

Very recommended, great food and authentic Guilin Rice noodles. Suggested with the classic with two meet , pork belly and beef brisket. Owner is very nice and great hospitality!

Jame S

Very yummy! The employee helped us pick what to eat and gave great recommendations and variety.

Jacob Howard

Super glad I went here. No notes, everything was excellent. They don't hold back on flavour and the price was very reasonable. Try the snail soup (no there are not snails in it). Chinatown has lots of excellent food but I'd still go back here.

rikki moreno

Delicious! The server was knowledgeable about the soups and helped us pick choices that would allow us to all taste the different broths. The condiments were also interesting and tasty!

The Food I am not sure how noodles differ in different regions of China. But when I walked by Classic Guilin Rice Noodles, it seemed like an interesting place to try. My friend and I ordered their Beef Brisket and Crispy Pork Guilin Rice Noodle (牛腩，脆皮桂林米粉) along with Special Small Bowl Rice Noodle (合味特色一口粉). The Special Small Bowl Rice Noodle came with a sampler of different noodles. These "Bite Rice Noodle" give a chance to try different noodle dishes. I enjoy both the Beef Brisket and Crispy Pork as well as Special Small Bowl noodles. I like these styles of noodles, and the flavors, though similar, are pretty good. They of course have a variety of other dishes besides noodles, so will need to return and try them. The Miscellaneous The restaurant itself is decent sized with a good amount of seating. The interior is clean with interesting decor, giving the typical Chinese restaurant vibe. The service and staff were nice and sincere. They took our order when ready, and the wait time for the food was pretty quick. Their menu has other selections besides noodles such as stew, hot pot and rice plate. The prices are not unreasonable so it is worth a try if you are in the area.

Would give a 7/10 for authenticity. Price is reasonable. pretty good option when you miss the Guilin rice noodles.

Pretty solid. Loving the new cut rice noodle stir fry. Luizhou noodle soup was good, but the rice noodles were a little over done.

Yan Kuang

The Food I am not sure how noodles differ in different regions of China. But when I walked by Classic Guilin Rice Noodles, it seemed like an interesting place to try. My friend and I ordered their Beef Brisket and Crispy Pork Guilin Rice Noodle (牛腩，脆皮桂林米粉) along with Special Small Bowl Rice Noodle (合味特色一口粉). The Special Small Bowl Rice Noodle came with a sampler of different noodles. These "Bite Rice Noodle" give a chance to try different noodle dishes. I enjoy both the Beef Brisket and Crispy Pork as well as Special Small Bowl noodles. I like these styles of noodles, and the flavors, though similar, are pretty good. They of course have a variety of other dishes besides noodles, so will need to return and try them. The Miscellaneous The restaurant itself is decent sized with a good amount of seating. The interior is clean with interesting decor, giving the typical Chinese restaurant vibe. The service and staff were nice and sincere. They took our order when ready, and the wait time for the food was pretty quick. Their menu has other selections besides noodles such as stew, hot pot and rice plate. The prices are not unreasonable so it is worth a try if you are in the area.

Mingming Gui

Would give a 7/10 for authenticity. Price is reasonable. pretty good option when you miss the Guilin rice noodles.

Hugh Geiger

Pretty solid. Loving the new cut rice noodle stir fry. Luizhou noodle soup was good, but the rice noodles were a little over done.

It has great service. The meat is very well flavored. I personally like the noodles being fresh and have great texture. The free side dishes made the noodles much better.

Had to try a bowl of their namesake classic. Pleasantly surprised they serve the broth on the side. I was in the mood for dry noodle and enjoyed the broth separately. First, just really clean broth, very well done. The noodles were fantastic texture and well dressed with peanut and some vegetable bits. I would have been happy with that. I added crispy pork, somewhat similar to bacon but the crispy edge was fantastic. I will return to explore more of their menu. Service was great too, very nice and helpful with their menu. Great job Fen!

Kara Chan

It has great service. The meat is very well flavored. I personally like the noodles being fresh and have great texture. The free side dishes made the noodles much better.

Joe Riley

Had to try a bowl of their namesake classic. Pleasantly surprised they serve the broth on the side. I was in the mood for dry noodle and enjoyed the broth separately. First, just really clean broth, very well done. The noodles were fantastic texture and well dressed with peanut and some vegetable bits. I would have been happy with that. I added crispy pork, somewhat similar to bacon but the crispy edge was fantastic. I will return to explore more of their menu. Service was great too, very nice and helpful with their menu. Great job Fen!

This place was decent. It had good flavor, wasn't too heavy or light. I had a beef noodle bowl and it wasn't anything that would put me in a food coma for the rest of my afternoon. It was reasonably priced for the volume. The next time I come, I'll try a rice dish. The service was a tad slow considering it wasn't too packed. My bowl came out about 5 minutes before my mom's and the lunch rush hadn't started yet.

I found Classic Guilin Rice Noodles on Yelp when searching of places that were open after 9 pm in Oakland. It caught my attention as its cuisine was not from the common Sichuan, Hong Kong or Shanghainese cuisine that dominates the non-Panda Express landscape within the US. A quick google search showed that the Guilin is a city from the Guangxi province in the southern part of China which is famous for its beautiful scenery and its rice noodles which are known throughout China. It is located on 10th & Alice which I wouldn’t call as the heart of Oakland Chinatown but surely within it. At around 9:15 pm the restaurant was completely empty which I did not take as a good sign. I approached the counter and asked for a menu from the server/hostess who was definitely surprised to see me. Anyway, the menu mentions that their signature dish is the noodle sampler bowl which has five small bowls of dry rice noodles with different toppings and a central bowl with a thick white dipping broth. As this dish is not convenient for take out I kept looking at the extensive menu with a gazillion combinations and settled on getting the Beef brisket & marinated beef Guilin Rice Noodles ($10.57) large to-go. I was charged another dollar for the to-go containers (there is a tiny sign on the counter that proclaims this) and even though they do take cards I think I did not hit the minimum and had to pay cash. After ordering it was a small 10-minute wait and I was on my way. I got two containers one for the broth and the other for the noodles which was a good start. The noodles were cooked correctly but the beef toppings were of very poor quality. The broth was clean and not overly salty but is was not like the thick white broth that I saw in the pictures of the sampler noodle dish on the menu. Overall it was average. Price wise it was definitely more expensive when you compare with what you will pay for a bowl of noodles in other Chinese restaurants in Oakland Chinatown but I’ll let that pass as this is specialized cuisine which will have a much smaller draw as compared to more mainstream Chinese restaurants. I think it would be better to dine-in at this restaurant rather than to get something to-go. I guess I’ll stop by when I get a chance and update my review at that point. For now I’m constrained to go with an A-OK grade.

Dave C

This place was decent. It had good flavor, wasn't too heavy or light. I had a beef noodle bowl and it wasn't anything that would put me in a food coma for the rest of my afternoon. It was reasonably priced for the volume. The next time I come, I'll try a rice dish. The service was a tad slow considering it wasn't too packed. My bowl came out about 5 minutes before my mom's and the lunch rush hadn't started yet.

Ahmad Jetha

I found Classic Guilin Rice Noodles on Yelp when searching of places that were open after 9 pm in Oakland. It caught my attention as its cuisine was not from the common Sichuan, Hong Kong or Shanghainese cuisine that dominates the non-Panda Express landscape within the US. A quick google search showed that the Guilin is a city from the Guangxi province in the southern part of China which is famous for its beautiful scenery and its rice noodles which are known throughout China. It is located on 10th & Alice which I wouldn’t call as the heart of Oakland Chinatown but surely within it. At around 9:15 pm the restaurant was completely empty which I did not take as a good sign. I approached the counter and asked for a menu from the server/hostess who was definitely surprised to see me. Anyway, the menu mentions that their signature dish is the noodle sampler bowl which has five small bowls of dry rice noodles with different toppings and a central bowl with a thick white dipping broth. As this dish is not convenient for take out I kept looking at the extensive menu with a gazillion combinations and settled on getting the Beef brisket & marinated beef Guilin Rice Noodles ($10.57) large to-go. I was charged another dollar for the to-go containers (there is a tiny sign on the counter that proclaims this) and even though they do take cards I think I did not hit the minimum and had to pay cash. After ordering it was a small 10-minute wait and I was on my way. I got two containers one for the broth and the other for the noodles which was a good start. The noodles were cooked correctly but the beef toppings were of very poor quality. The broth was clean and not overly salty but is was not like the thick white broth that I saw in the pictures of the sampler noodle dish on the menu. Overall it was average. Price wise it was definitely more expensive when you compare with what you will pay for a bowl of noodles in other Chinese restaurants in Oakland Chinatown but I’ll let that pass as this is specialized cuisine which will have a much smaller draw as compared to more mainstream Chinese restaurants. I think it would be better to dine-in at this restaurant rather than to get something to-go. I guess I’ll stop by when I get a chance and update my review at that point. For now I’m constrained to go with an A-OK grade.

Hmmm...Not sure if i'm more disappointed about the let down of this place that I had chosen or because I made my husband have his first terrible meal for the past 3 months. The answer will haunt me for life!!! First things first, this place didn't have the best rating, BUT, as a good person I thought to myself - what's the point of trying only highly rated places? What about the other guys who are trying to get out there and make their restaurants known? Yea, that theory just died today! Not only this place didn't have the highest ratings but also didn't have a big amount of reviews - yea, I know, I should have known better. I learned my lesson though. The ambience was too modern for my Asian taste. The service was quick and friendly. They served complimentary tea which we both took one sip and didn't touch it (yuck). Surprisingly there were only locals eating here which made me feel - hey this place doesn't look like it will deliver but everything else says it will so let's keep our fingers crossed. That ship sailed and drowned immediately as our food arrived - hubby ordered nr 4 the beef and crunchy pork noodles with the broth on the side and I ordered nr 21 the spicy beef noodle soup. The flavors in nr 4 were pretty good, the noodles weren't bad but the meat quality was the worst we have had in a very long time. My dish was pretty bland and on the contrary to nr 4, nr.21 didn't even have flavor, the noodles were pretty sad and the meat was blah. Sadly, won't return to this place. It was a good budget meal but it just wasn't tasty.

Heliana Mano

Hmmm...Not sure if i'm more disappointed about the let down of this place that I had chosen or because I made my husband have his first terrible meal for the past 3 months. The answer will haunt me for life!!! First things first, this place didn't have the best rating, BUT, as a good person I thought to myself - what's the point of trying only highly rated places? What about the other guys who are trying to get out there and make their restaurants known? Yea, that theory just died today! Not only this place didn't have the highest ratings but also didn't have a big amount of reviews - yea, I know, I should have known better. I learned my lesson though. The ambience was too modern for my Asian taste. The service was quick and friendly. They served complimentary tea which we both took one sip and didn't touch it (yuck). Surprisingly there were only locals eating here which made me feel - hey this place doesn't look like it will deliver but everything else says it will so let's keep our fingers crossed. That ship sailed and drowned immediately as our food arrived - hubby ordered nr 4 the beef and crunchy pork noodles with the broth on the side and I ordered nr 21 the spicy beef noodle soup. The flavors in nr 4 were pretty good, the noodles weren't bad but the meat quality was the worst we have had in a very long time. My dish was pretty bland and on the contrary to nr 4, nr.21 didn't even have flavor, the noodles were pretty sad and the meat was blah. Sadly, won't return to this place. It was a good budget meal but it just wasn't tasty.