This place is exactly what greasy, salty, inexpensive, fast Chinese food should be. It also happens to be the only Chinese takeout place that offers free delivery to my area on Eat24 (which constantly has coupon promotions running), so whenever I'm feeling cheap on my student budget (and particularly fat-craving), this is my go-to. My very first experience was horrendous. The delivery came over 50 minutes LATE (taking more than 2 hours total), even though I was checking every 15 minutes after placing the order to make sure it would arrive on time. The restaurant kept telling me "it was on its way" but either they were lying or the driver had serious car issues. However, my experiences afterwards were nearly perfect. I guess I got unlucky the first time because after that, everything was always on time. I love how generous Fortune Cookie is with portion sizes. The food isn't the BEST Chinese I've ever had, but it's full of sodium and MSG and oil and just hits the spot every once in a while. They give you a LOT... one item off the menu lasts me several meals. Check out the lunch specials--you can get an entree with a side of rice (fried or regular... but who wouldn't choose fried rice in this situation?!?) for only $5.25. When I'm feeling particularly guilty for bingeing, I ask them to steam all the meat/veggies and serve the sauce separately, rather than frying everything together. They're always happy to oblige as long as you ask nicely, plus it's a healthier option! ...As if anyone goes to Chinese to be "healthy." I always get something from the lunch combo (shrimp and green beans, shrimp and broccoli, shrimp and snow peas.... see a trend?), but my boyfriend likes to be more adventurous so I've tried a lot on the menu. I've determined everything tastes differently from what you'd expect. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it's not what you would call authentic or even "Americanized," definitely not your standard Panda Express fare. For example, the orange chicken tastes good but it's suuuuper saturated in sauce and is flavored a little different. The ma po tofu (one of my favorite dishes) is tangy, almost like hot & sour soup, rather than meaty and savory. Again, not necessarily bad, but just different! The driver is super adorable and polite. It's the same guy each time, pretty sure he'd recognize me on the street by now lol. Delivery minimum is $15. No delivery fees!
(3)
Tracy C.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. The husband and I ordered this late on a Friday night. We just finished a long day of work, and was just tired. I ordered for us to have: seafood fried rice, General Tso Chicken, Salt & Pepper fish, and the free wonton soup. I did not think I would ever say this, but Panda Express is better. The fried rice was really greasy, and just smothered with tons of soy sauce. The salt and pepper fish tasted like 80% fried batter and 20% fish. The wonton soup tasted like the plastic container it came in. I don't know how the chicken was, but my husband finished it. I'll assume it was decent? Yes, the prices are super cheap and delivery service is fast. I will not order from here again.
(2)
Alfredo G.
Fast delivery service!...food is good with good prices...they offer late night delivery service...my go to Chinese place when i dont have the money or energy to get to panda express...
(4)
Deidre G.
Food was really good.Great for the price can't beat the amount of food for $5.They are busy during lunch so come early.the lunch special goes fast.Great egg rolls
(4)
Lisa L.
Found a flyer from this place on our door last night so decided to give it a try. Called for delivery at 8:00 and was told 40-50 minutes.... 9:00 rolls around so I decided to call and was told "ON THE WAY!". They didn't even ask who I was. 9:30 rolls around and I call again, ring, ring, ring.... I keep trying, no answer! 9:50 the deliver driver calls as he is either lost or outside and we were now getting ready for bed, so we decided to decline the food. Waited nearly 2 hours for delivery, went to bed hungry (by choice after the wait and unresponsiveness)...ruined our night, thank you. Not reliable.
(1)
Larry A.
Be careful ordering from this place they will get your order wrong and over charge you all in the same time.........
(3)
Cristina A.
Never coming here again. I only came here because subways toaster was broken. The food is really low quality I feel like I waisted 10 dollars. I got the pot stickers and after my 3rd one I couldn't eat them anyone. And the chicken in the chow mein was uneatable. It didn't even look like real chicken but something they probably got from a can. The food is really bad.
(1)
Ana R.
Very officiant ! And it said my order would be ready in 10 min so I left my home in 5 got there and the food was ready. Was curious to know if it was fresh or not but in deed it was. My gf loved it and well great service :) in a happy camper
(5)
De V.
I've ordered from this restaurant several times with mixed reviews. My biggest problem is there use of old vegetables even after I specifically requested fresh veggies. You would think my making a special request would be an indicator that they haven't consistently used them in the past. But to use old, discolored broccoli after my request is a clear indication to me that my business is not valued so I will not be returning. Good luck to you.
(2)
Kevin W.
A mediocre review for a mediocre restaurant. Shan Dong is closed on Monday so we chose this out of hat-- I guess it's time to get a new hat. Mongolian beef: Meh. Dry Braised Green Beans: Okay I guess... Honey fried chicken wings: What, you were expecting San Tung? Some tough, some okay, drowned in sauce... The stand out dish was the Bowl full of jello, I mean, Hot & Sour soup. Which was a gelatinous mess. P. only ate one bite. All in All, Not disgusting, but not even presentable enough for a Monday When Shan Dong is closed. Only as a last resort.
(2)
Alison C.
I discovered this place during my never-ending quest to find decent food establishments that actually deliver in my neighborhood (West Oakland). Thank goodness for Fortune Cookie. The food is great for the price and delivery is FAST. I am obsessed with the hot and sour soup. In fact I'm eating it for breakfast right now. Seriously. Oh and if you like a lot of stuff in your soup (bamboo shoots, tofu, fungi, egg) be sure to ask for it. You always get more when you request it. All the beef items I've tried have been great, but I don't care so much for their chicken. They put a lot of pork in their pork rice noodles, and quite a lot of shrimp in the shrimp fried rice. Can't go wrong there. I actually saw their location for the first time the other day. It's a pretty uninspired location - relatively undecorated dining room, unfinished ceiling, etc. I probably won't ever eat there; it's all about the speedy delivery. Oh yeah, and it's a $15 minimum order, cash, Visa or Mastercard. I know this because I have a menu on my fridge and see it everyday :)
(4)
Liz P.
I thought I'd try out another Chinese delivery place since I was starving and Blessed Garden (the only really good Chinese food I've had in the East Bay) was closed. Fortune Cookie's rating didn't seem too bad, so I placed an order for sweet and sour tofu, sesame tofu, vegetarian potstickers, and rice. It arrived within a reasonable amount of time. The containers that they put the tofu in were really flimsy so they had leaked in the bag... not sure why they used those to put sauce-heavy dishes in. The tofu in both of the entrees was extremely bland and not very crispy. The sesame sauce was thin but pretty tasty (and it was spicy, which I haven't experienced with sesame tofu before). The sweet and sour sauce was very strange... I know sweet & sour is usually bright red, but this was a vibrant hot pink color and yet it had almost no flavor whatsoever. I could only stomach 3 or 4 pieces of it. The potstickers were okay... the outside was kind of like chewy cardboard. Again, very bland tasting. The rice was, well, steamed white rice. Overall, we were really disappointed. I've had way better Chinese tofu dishes from places in West Virginia! I never thought there would be a lack of good options in California.
(2)
Gravity S.
I lived close to this place, so I have had several items to judge this by. The food in general, is good. The pork fried rice here is really good (for you traditionalists (and I mean American traditionalists)). You'll notice your food is much saucier here than normal (like the mongolian chicken, or beef). Chow mein, not so much. A major turnoff would be the lack of meat placed in some of the dishes. For instance, the kung pao shrimp had probably only four shrimp in it, the curry chicken very little chicken. A major plus is the variety in the vegetables that come in these dishes! Their orange chicken is extra tangy, as is there sweet and sour pork. The sesame chicken comes with the sauce on the side (I don't know why). The service is very friendly, and quick! The fortune cookies are kind of not so good, however (oh well).
(3)
jen n.
2.5 stars. I cannot believe all the raves on this place. It was a cold and chilly night...neither my roommate or I wanted to get in the car and actually make much of an effort to find food. We wanted something to come to us, but we really only know of a couple places that will actually deliver to our hood. So, I hop on Yelp in hopes that I will be given a good find. "Hey, Fortune Cookie, that little ghetto place that is always empty on 7th got 4 and 5 star reviews" I say to my roommate and her friend. "What? No way. Should we try it?" She says back to me. "Are you feeling adventurous?" I ask. Apparently, the answer was yes. And since we had never been there before, we decided to walk down there with the dogs and try our luck. My food, was mediocre at best. But cheap. I got a shit ton of food (beef broccoli and fried rice plate) for under $6.00. My roommate wasn't too thrilled with what she ordered, which I think was shrimp fried rice and dry fried ribs. Perhaps we just didn't order the right dishes. She swears that she will not go back. But I have a feeling that we might, out of desperation, try it again.
(2)
rori nicole z.
Pretty damn good for delivery- s p i c y- but in a good way. (try the hot and sour soup!) free and fast delivery delivered hot, not warm, hot (and we're in berkeley), and super friendly phone service (they suggested that the mongolian beef might be too spicy so he made something custom for me, with veggies too) it doesn't take all that much to make me feel special, but they did! $27 and we'll be fed for days. I'll def order from them again.
(4)
Mike B.
I always order orange chicken. There are other things that are good. Spicy lo mein (with chunks of jalapenos). Chow fun. Potstickers. I let my girlfriend order that. I'll stick to my orange chicken.
(4)
Jen G.
Four stars for the singapore rice noodles. No stars for anything else, I've learned not to deviate, and I'm never disappointed.
(4)
Danielle H.
when ordering through grubhub, they make you pay a $2 delivery fee PLUS tip. stupid.
(3)
Kenr Z.
One of the reasons I like Chinese food so much is because you can't really make it wrong no matter where you go. Fortune Cookie's is a good example of your typical chinese restaurant making and serving tasty food at reasonable prices.
(5)
David V.
This is one of the few restaurants in this part of West Oakland that I've discovered since living here. The restaurant is very plain as I think it does most of its business in delivery. I ate-in with a friend yesterday though. I wasn't expecting very much and was happily surprised that the food was very tasty. I got the "sesame tofu," it was super good. My friend seemed to enjoy her food too. There is a market with a parking lot across the street for people with cars. One thing I didn't care for was that we were not given water and were told that if we wanted some that we'd have to pay. I'm pretty sure it's the law to serve water free-of-charge in any restaurant. I didn't complain though. They have several vegetarian options. I'll definitely be going back for more!
(4)
Benjamin K.
I've ordered from this place twice since I posted my initial review (below) - there quality is still amazingly great. I still highly recommend. Just walked in for the first time and ordered veg fried rice, general's chicken and egg rolls. excellent quality. everything was fresh, the chicken was great - none of that weird stringy, meshy fatty weirdness. You know what im talking about. The veggies were snappy and fresh and the rice was just right. The guy that took our order was nice, too. He even gave us free rice after we already ordered - because i didn't realize the chicken didn't come with it. The interior is a little run down but the food, im tellin' ya is top notch - and there is plenty of dining, so it'd easily accommodate large groups. We'll definitely go back, maybe even later this week. Will update my review accordingly. Who would of though such a great place would be stuck all the way out at the top of west Oakland -- hey, easy parking.
(5)
Patrice W.
OK, so I happen to find a menu for this place while on my way home just two blocks from my house. How is it they never hit up my block with the menu tuck near the door I'll never know. But it truly must have been fate, because as soon as I picked it up off the ground and took a peek, I knew I was going to place an order the next day. Chinese food places, at least the ones that deliver to the East Bay, can be a hit or a miss. The only one I had found up till Fortune Cookie was ok, but they took almost an hour to deliver, and they pissed me off because they would call me from outside MY apt bldg (totally safe hood actually) and make me come down a flight of steps and thru the door to get my food. Not to mention they were horrible at making my fave dish, Oyster Sauce Beef (yeah it's hood, but its not Broccoli Beef lol). Next day, called up Fortune Cookie. Had to order at least $15.00 worth of stuff for delivery. Fine. Crab Rangoon. Check. Prawn Fried Rice. Check. Oyster beef. Check. Large white rice side. Check. Gave them CC info, be there in 30-45 minutes. Great. That usually means 50-55...right? No. they were at my house in 30 minutes. Nice delivery guy, rang the bell and delivered to my DOOR (yes)...Off to the kitchen too see what I have gotten myself into. Oh..my...wait..is there more than 2 soy sauce packets? And they included a container of Sweet and Sour sauce for the Crab Rangoon automatically? Oh..oh and the food is hot too? But wait..let me check the Oyster Beef. STFU! There is actually BEEF in the Oyster Beef! No loading it with all kinds of filler and snap peas and onions and a heavy sauce to cover up the fact there is no there there. And it tastes great! (Quick check over the menu..ok no MSG so im not being hoodwinked). Oh, and the prawn fried rice? Hmmm.. Actual prawns (cleaned cause you know lazy jenkie hood spots will deliver prawn/shrimp dishes with all kinds of tracks along the sides) included, and again more than 4 in the dish! Since then ( 1/12 month ago) I pretty much order from them at least once a week and each time the quality has been consistent. Walnut prawns are excellent, as well as the soups. Although in honesty I don't care for the pot stickers. The dough used is kinda thick. You also should know: They have value family combos on their menu, so if you have friends over you might wanna check that out to see if you like the dishes. Yes, there is a veggie option as well. There is also a lunch section. They also have rice places. You know, lemon chicken over rice. And they deliver those too. They take credit and cash. They deliver fast. And I don't live near the spot (they are nearby the Oakland Main Post Office aka West Oakland but they deliver to me and i'm in North Oakland, literally a few blocks away from the Berkeley border. So yes, if you are looking for a Chinese rest that actually cooks food that tastes like it came from a Chinese rest and not the frozen food section at the canned food store, not expensive, delivered fast, hot and satisfying, I recommend Fortune Cookie.
(4)
ivona d.
I was so excited to see a chinese delivery menu at my door amongst the piles of pizza flyers. I really wanted to like this place because decent delivery is hard to come by around here in North Oakland but unfortunately the food just kind of sucked. I don't know how this place has gotten such good reviews. on the up side: the delivery was timely and they were very polite. The beef with broccoli was really good, and the prices were reasonable. on the down side: The wonton soup I ordered was completely watered down and had little to no flavor. The egg rolls were stale and kind of hard, they tasted like they were day old AND reheated. I kept finding chicken bone shreds in my chicken chow mein. And overall everything was pretty bland, not much flavor, except for the beef with broccolli which was decent . Even the fortune cookie was flavorless! Next time I think I'll try another place :-(
(2)
matt k.
It's old America chopsuey eggfu dark fried rice that really belongs in Oakdale, CA not Oakland, CA. I tasted mostly salt not much else in terms of flavor. delivery was 15 min. 3336.2
(2)
J T.
Okay after being skeptical with my wife, I finally gave in to her choice. The food came piping hot and delicious. We ordered the combination chowfun and pork with garlic sauce which was good. The order came in less then 30 mins.
(4)
Ismael S.
it was my first time odering some food from here it was nasty...my kids did not like it because the lemon chicken was over cooked...I will never order from here ever
(1)
Pamela K.
Our regular delivery place was closed, so I did an online search and found these great reviews for Fortune Cookie. Our order arrived piping hot and at our door step in less than a 1/2 hour. Oh and tasty too. The kids loved the chicken fried rice.
(5)
Wynny H.
No, no, no. Many better places. This place wasn't cheap enough to warrant the quality of food. The sweet and sour shrimp was dry, dry, dry. As were the potstickers which may have been day-old reheated. Everything was lacking flavor and freshness. Even the fortune cookies were bad!!! At least make sure your namesake is done right! Geez.
(2)
sara j.
quick delivery. inexpensive. great lomein & fried rice. not so great chow fun & spring rolls. **tried it again last weekend...super fast delivery.. i definitely recommend the veggie fried rice (no egg!) =)
(3)
Sophie A.
AH! I used to go here all the time with my parents as a kiddo, back when I still lived in the Bay Area. Haven't been here in years, but I do remember they have really great wonton soup, I can't forget that.
(4)
maryam h.
my boyfriend was so cute and ordered me veggies and tofu for lunch when we first met but i was too shy to eat in front of him. 2 months later and we're about to order it together for the lunch special. this place is soo yummy. and romantic.
(4)
corwin c.
quick, easy, and cheap, my favo place to go to when im working in oaktown. other than that not really a place to take your girlfriend, but a good place to order chinese take-out if it is movie night.
(4)
Raynn M.
so i decided to call in an order for delivery based on all of the great yelp reviews..... and wow! their crab wontons are the 'crab rangoon' that i have been seeking. crab rangoon is an appetizer that is on every chinese menu in the midwest (or at least every place i've been to in the midwest). it's not just crab meat wrapped in a fried shell, it's crab meat and some cream cheese concoction that is absolutely amazing. i have been sadly disappointed to find that it seems to be a 'served in the midwest' dish only... until last night. Hoooray!! I also ordered the mongolian beef and the prawns with candied walnuts. both were great and up to my standards of good chinese food. the delivery was extremely prompt, almost as quick as if i was sitting at a table in their restaurant. i will definitely be calling here again. and this time i actually have a menu to look over, so i can order something other than my usual chinese fare.
(5)
Michael Z.
Best and cheapest Chinese delivery in Oakland, hands down. Delicious, at your door in less than half an hour, 5 dollar rice plates? Fuck yeah. Fuck. Yeah.
(5)
Patrick H.
I love this little place. Order take out from here pretty often as I work just down the street and they deliver with the quickness. I normally go for the lunch specials.. the Pepper Steak w/ onion, orange chicken, and the curry chicken lunch specials are amazing. Comes with a nice mound of fried rice and their daily soup (sweet n sour egg flower normally). I spend about 10 dollars and I'm always happy with my lunch.
(3)
D R.
The order: Egg Rolls, Pot Stickers, Beef Brocolli, Cashew Chicken, Sweet/Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein, Steamed Rice I placed the order and the order taker had said that the food should arrive in 45 minutes, it only took 15-20 minutes to arrive. The Egg Rolls tend to be mostly good and crispy, but a -few- times they were slightly stale. Pot Stickers, overall good, but a few times have a bit of gristle in them, but always seasoned nicely. The Beef Brocolli is usually great, a few times it had less beef than it should, but a few times it had a lot more than usual, so it pretty much evens out and has a good flavor to it. Their Cashew Chicken seems to go through minor recipe tweaks, with some vegetables missing or replaced by others, but mostly stays the same though a few times they had forgotten the cashews (?) The Sweet/Sour Pork is pretty good and doesn't vary much, though once the pork had a tough texture The Chicken Chow Mein is most times good, a few times was greasy, and once was overloaded with noodles but aside from a slight blandness, it is pretty good The Steamed Rice is where the variations majorly occur, most times it is just right, yet a few times, it was so dry I felt I would choke, and another time was a bit too moist, and I know it depends on where they take the rice from, but sometimes the rice has some overcooked crust in it (a lighter hand when scooping would fix that little problem) I just have to make sure that I ask for certain condiments to make sure I get them (Soy Sauce, Hot Oil/Soy Vinegar, Hot Mustard etc.) The prices are pretty inexpensive (especially their rice plates) So Food and Delivery: 5 Stars, Consistancy -1 star
(4)
Amanda S.
I'm gonna give it four stars, but I kinda wanna give it five...cuz for what it is, it's pretty effin incredible! It is cheap and fast chinese food, so don't go here lookin for a gourmet experience or you will be greatly disappointed. I have ordered from them a couple times and have never been disappointed in what I got, except maybe the potstickers...they weren't horrible, they just weren't my fave. I really like their hot and sour soup, it is actually pretty damn spicy...and you can see the pepper flakes in it! I got their chicken chow fun last night and was quite pleased! I have also enjoyed their egg rolls (which I'm pretty sure are vegetarian...the way i like 'em) and chicken and broccoli in the past. Last night I called at 6:15pm for delivery and the guy told me it would be about 45 minutes...ok fine, I'll wait...15 minutes later I get a phone call from the delivery guy: "escu' me, you orda chinee foood? Wheech apatmen' numba you?" Hells yes I ordered Chinese food and how the crap did you get here so quickly?!?! Totally awesome.
(4)
Wooptydoop L.
I've ordered 5 times from them for delivery...3 lunches, 2 dinners. They DO always charge you delivery, unlike what their menu says, and beware of the total amount - a lady promised to refund my credit card for the extra she charged, but never did. The food? Below medium. Orange chicken is dry, I gave up on the pot stickers after 2 bites, and the hot and sour soup is beyond hot (which i like, though). mixed vegetables is really soggy, and the curry chicken is acceptable.
(2)
Manny g.
Awful! food took over an hour and a half to arrive and when it did it was horrible. The egg rolls where more like donut's with a little lettuce in the middle. The sweet and sour pork had so much mushy breading on it I could barley taste the dried out overcooked pork in the middle. Don't waste your time or your money with this place.
(1)
Brad T.
WoW! Every since we moved here 3 months ago we have not found a good chinese or pizza delivery restaurant until tonight! This place rocks! We ordered one of their family dinner combo and man what a ton of food! Awesome crab wantons, amazing wonton soup, the mongolian beef was the perfect spicy! Awesome lemon chicken and all the veggies tasted fresh! I HIGHLY recommend!!!!!!!!!
(5)
Brendan M.
that review by maryam below me is true. shes my gf, but it annoyes me when she goes and smokes in the morning without me. why cant she wait?ever? i dont get it, it all seems kinda rude to me... anybody agree with that one?
(1)
Tim W.
I originally slammed this place because they get busy and just don't answer the phone at times. However, it has become my one and only Chinese delivery place. I've tried others in the North Oakland / South Berkeley area, and nothing (yet) compares. The delivery is quick and the food is delicious and plentiful. I've not had the dine-in experience, but as far as delivery goes...top notch.
(4)
Rafael M.
While it's only a couple of blocks from my job and I love supporting local restaurants in Oakland, I have to base this review on quality of food alone. While I've ordered from Fortune Cookie's in the past, their quality control is horrific. The "Chief special spicy chow mien" is terrible- I had to throw it away because it was flavorless and spicy (Love spicy, but it still has to taste good!) The sesame chicken isn't terrible, but it's a little on the dry side and lacks the range of flavor I'm used to in sesame chicken. I'm also concern that the crappy containers they use (flimsy, I don't think even a dollar store would try to sell them) may mean the same quality in meat- not to mention the soft, dry outside of their pot stickers and rather flavorless, spongy insides. I see this place going out of business, which would be a shame because their delivery time is amazing. I would be happy to wait another hour if the food was a better quality, but I've paid the same prices for food that was FAR superior. One star- and the last time I'll order from here.
(1)
Josh C.
My wife and I are so happy to have FINALLY found a go-to Chinese delivery place in our area. I haven't had a bad dish from them, and we are I think officially addicted to the sesame beef. As some other reviewers have mentioned it may not be authentic, but man it's tasty. Our four year old loves the sweet and sour chicken and rice. We always order via GrubHub and generally the delivery time runs between 30 and 50 minutes. We're also fans of the pot-stickers, wonton puffs (free with a $20 order) and I dig the eggrolls as well. Solid delivery, we do it at least once a month.
(4)
Elisabeth B.
Ordered delivery via grubhub. The delivery was fast and convenient but the food was pretty mediocre. Overall kind of greasy and bland. Not terrible, but I will be looking for better Chinese delivery options in the future.
(2)
Carol W.
Had the House Special Lo Mein which was awesome in flavor and add-ins (shrimp/chicken/beef) but no noodles! But still love my Fortune Cookie.
(4)
Michelle P.
Hungry? Don't feel like cooking? All I'm saying is, I called in our order at 8:52 and it was here at 9:01. Dinner #1 + crab wontons. I'm in West Oakland now but even when we lived around Broadway/Grand it was still only around 20 minutes. Hot, fresh, cheap, tasty enough. Can be a little bland, so just add your own salt & pepper or whatever. If you want hot mustard you should ask for it, they don't automatically send it. No free delivery, think it's 1.50 or 2.00.
(3)
Dorian G.
Definitely hits the spot when you're craving cheap Chinese food. The orange chicken and Mongolian beef are quite good, and I adore the crab rangoons (just because it's so damned hard to find ones made properly). I love that their fried rice is made with char siu (BBQ) pork. It really adds an extra dimension. The hot and sour soup was just weird, though, and the won-ton soup was only a simple broth with a couple of won-tons. I wouldn't say soup is their specialty. Also, the ma-po tofu, although tasty, is not really ma-po tofu. Too much soy and garlic; not enough chili paste and pork. And they're SUPER fast. When they say 40 minutes, they seriously mean 15.
(3)
jason c.
Vile.. stomach turning brown sauce and msg food . Both meat dishes ordered were filled with grade "b or c" quality meat, tasting of chemicals. Both chicken and beef were rubbery and steamed in texture instead of wok-fried. Both dishes tasted exactly the same, although one was suposedly Kung Pao and the other Mongolian. The fried rice was so nasty brown and soggy with no taste other than grease and soy sauce. Yes I was ordering the American Chinese food, and I know that this is supposed to be salty and greasy, but there is a big diff between bad salty and greasy and good salty and greasy...Oh yes the aroma of rancid oil was wafting out of the bag when I was handed the food by the delivery guy I am sorry I was too lazy to go pick up food and decided to order delivery. I wanted to try something other than Shan Dong ( which was closed anyhow on Monday) which in itself is just ok to be honest, but at least that place is edible. My bad for being lazy. I miss the crappy American Chinese food delivery in New York, as this makes that bad food look like 4 star cuisine. Yeah, I actually got a headache from dinner.. One extra half star because they were nice ..
(1)
Sean H.
I work at the Port of Oakland. Food options are extremely limited around the area. It's either walk to one of the roach coaches or make a quick dive into one of the fast food joints. I've driven by Fortune Cookie probably more than a hundred times now, so finally my curiosity got the better of me and I just blindly walked in here during lunch one day. My first thought was "Wow this is cheap". $5 for a huge plate of food? You can't go wrong with those prices, no matter how the food tastes. And thankfully, the food isn't bad at all. I mean, it's not the best quality Chinese food ever. It's greasy and salty, but you get a huge portion of food and you won't be hungry after finishing your meal. Favorites so far have been the Mongolian Beef and General's Chicken. Salty, but pretty tasty. I will say though, that Fortune Cookie has the best Hot & Sour soup I've ever had. I don't even like Hot & Sour soup. I normally just push it away when it's offered as an appetizer at other Chinese restaurants. Here though, I found myself devouring the entire bowl. I don't know what they do differently here, but damn they know what they're doing with their soup. Location alone gives this place a whole star for me. Only about a 2 minute drive from my work, which means I actually have time to eat during my hourly lunch break. Even though it's in the middle of an extremely ghetto neighborhood with Planned Parenthood on one side and a liquor store on the other, the location works perfectly. Service has been pretty nice every time I've come here, which is surprising for the wide variety of customers that I'm sure they get here. I just assume they're glad to not see another problem customer walk in. I'm real glad I actually found a decent place to go for lunch that isn't fast food. Gonna continue to keep on coming here!
(4)
Becca A.
Worst Chinese food ever, and I never write Yelp reviews. I couldn't bear the smell, I had to take it out to the dumpster after just a few bites. Truly disgusting.
(1)
Derrick D.
Just horrible!! I tried it today for the first time and the food tasted really old (broccoli shriveled and dry) and there was barely a selection from thier steam tray!! I was very disappointed and cant believe I paid $5.25 for some rice and onions since that's all that was there (I maybe got 3 pieces of meat in my whole 3 item combo) would not recommend for anyone looking for Chinese food!
(1)
Indy N.
Freaking love this place. Right around the corner so delivery is super quick!! And they hooked it up with some drinks when they accidentally forgot something on my order...
(5)
Linda C.
Lousy food. Bad neighborhood. Lunch specials for $5.25 for 3 item looked old like leftovers from the previous day. The portions were small and greasy. The server was not friendly. This is located from across the street where a driveby took place killing a little boy a couple of years ago. It patronized by drug addicts and lowlife. Dried fried ribs are lousy. Noodles are cold and portions are so small, you feel you are being ripped off. I should have walked out like I started to when he refused to put more food on the plate.
(1)
Tony L.
So my fiance and I decided to eat here for dinner before our event nearby. We didn't really want to, but if we didn't we wouldn't be able to eat for another few hours and we were pretty hungry. Food was OK, not much better than Panda. The food was not my biggest complaint though. I actually saw a woman had a little run in with the cashier lady. The woman had her kids with her and she was required to show her ID for using her credit card. I don't know what happened next, but the cashier lady photo copied the woman's ID for some unknown reason. As far as I could tell, her CC was approved and the transaction went through. They both looked frustrated with each other, but the woman showed restraint as she kept calm and complied. I don't want to bring race into this, but I think its because the woman was black and the cashier lady felt intimidated for some reason. Ive been here before but never seen anyone else that required to show ID or had it photo copied for paying with a credit card. One star for racism.
(1)
Joyous I.
I have ordered delivery from this restaurant 4 times now. The very 1st time was for a bachelorette party that I had no energy to cook for. I ordered a couple of the different dinner specials and when I tell you that there were crumbs remaining after we women devoured the food, it's the truth. The other 3 times I ordered delivery were when I had a craving for Chinese food, but did not want to leave my place. My favorites are the House fried rice with no eggs, vegetable egg rolls, the Sweet & Sour Triple Special with no pork, and the House chow mein. The dry ribs are very yummy and were a favorite with the ladies. This place is always good because if you ask if there is something free that you can get with your order, they are always kind enough to throw something in (especially if your order is $20 or more). The people who answer the phone and deliver are very nice as well. I will continue patronizing this company!
(5)
Ben V.
Some of their stuff is just okay, but the items I list here, are really really amazing and delicious and not to be missed. The hot and sour soup is just that; hot and sour, with plentiful strips of tofu and completely vegetarian (maybe even vegan?) It is great. I recently had a cold and the hot and sour soup from here nursed me back to health. Also, the sesame tofu is fantastic. Sticky sweet gooey sauce with sesame seeds over fried tofu and rice, so simple and so good. Look this is a West Oakland corner Chinese place, your expectations can't be too high. But given these expectations, Fortune Cookie surpassed them with a couple dishes, so, if you find something you like, it more than hits the spot perfectly for that take out craving which sometimes pops up in the middle of the week.
(5)
R J.
I had better fast Chinese food but if it's an emergency, this place is good enough. Just try not to get rob or shot while getting your food here.
(2)
Ro W.
My hubby and I decided to order in since we both got in late from work. We called about 8pm and ordered fried chicken wings, steam rice, and mangolian beef. Food arrived about 30 minutes later and everything was good except for the chicken wings, they tasted old and had a bad taste to them. My husband called and told them about they and all they said was "it fresh". Hubby told the we would no longer patronize their business and for future customers try and be more sympathetic. I'll be DAMNED if I pay for old spoiled food. Oh well another one bites the dust!!
(1)
Mari M.
It's been a while since I've updated the review for this place. Since this is the only place that delivers when I want Chinese food, I'm going to go ahead and say it has improved tremendously. I complained of the over soy-sauced rice. It isn't soy-saucey anymore. Instead, it's a lot greasier than I'm used to. Also, their honey walnut prawns continue to be over battered and over sauced. Crab rangoons. It's really hard to mess this up, and they don't! It's yummy and delicious. =D On the plus side, their delivery is usually within 30 minutes and they have the best fortunes in their fortune cookies.
(4)
Glory M.
I have ordered delivery from this place twice now and I'm done with it. The Beef Chow Fun had almost no beef in it, though the noodles were good. The Salt and Pepper Prawn appetizer arrived soggy and the Lemon Chicken had already been sauced, so it was soggy too. Also, it took and hour and a half for the delivery man to arrive even though I called at 5:30. Avoid this place.
(1)
Brooke B.
I really like this place. The food is good. The delivery is fast. Decent prices. It's one of my faves.
(5)
Jen N.
Oh boy. Contemplating eating here? STOP! I am one to appreciate a good Americanized Chinese food meal but this was ridiculous. Ordered delivery from grubhub.com : 45 min delivery on Sunday evening $28.00 -garlic chicken: couldn't find the garlic, lots of goopy sauce and mushy meat -mushroom beef: again, GOOPY flavorless sauce and strange mushy "beef" that was a very pale color -chicken with broccoli: mushy meat, more bland sauce, broccoli wasn't terrible -vegetarian potstickers: AWFUL! I actually gagged when I tried this. It was very clear that the potstickers were horribly freezer burnt and then deep fried leaving the skin super dry and nasty. We were supposed to receive free crab wontons with our order over $20, but they were not included in our order- turns out we were happy about that- scary to think about what crab from here would taste like. It is very clear that nothing is fresh here and I've never had meat like that before... No flavor and flat out mushy. Gross. The best thing we ate was the steamed rice and fortune cookies. Spare yourself.
(1)
Pam N.
Darn! Why is it so difficult to get a good restaurant in West Oakland!? I ordered from this place as a walk-in. Several things will make me not order food from here ever again... 1. The inside of the restaurant is void of any ambiance and it feels like your in a Bikram Yoga room. The warmers at the counter were completely empty so I couldn't even see what the food looked like. 2. The girl behind the counter looked like this was the last place on earth she wanted to be. 3. The food was void of taste. I ordered the dinner plate of rice and mongolian beef, chow mein, and chicken and fried rice. YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! TO ALL OF IT. The food is not only void of taste, but some of it was greasy, some of it was sticky, and the strangest thing of all was that MY CHOW MEIN SMELLED LIKE URINE!!!!!! Needless to say, I was afraid to even taste it. PEOPLE, TIME AND TIME AGAIN IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT PEOPLE DO NASTY STUFF TO FOOD FOR NO REASON, AND SOME OF THESE RESTAURANTS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO SERVE MEAT NOT QUITE WHAT WE ARE USED TO IN THIS COUNTRY. THE FOOD AND MONEY ARE NOT WORTH THE TRIP, OR THE PHONE CALL. THERE ARE DELICIOUS PLACES TO ORDER FROM IN OAKLAND, THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM!
(1)
Sukari H.
This place is really close to my house. I literally live on top of it. I am a fan of the shrimp fried rice, however it seems over the years their shrimp start to be less and less. I love their dried fried ribs! If you want good no expensive Chinese food this is your place!
(3)
Skyler W.
Not a fan! I would not recommend going to this restaurant. I came here for lunch about a month ago. I live right down the street and if you are a resident of West Oakland, you know that there are not very many restaurants to choose from. So I had to give it a try. I ordered the Mongolian beef because it was the most popular item mentioned on yelp. I also ordered their Chicken Chow Main and Hot&Sour Soup. The chicken chow main was the only item that I actually consumed as for the other items I took a couple bites and decided it belonged in the trash. Gross, the beef was chewy and sitting in a huge puddle of water and sauce filled with MSG. The soup was just weird not very tasty. I will not be returning to this restaurant, i would rather heat up a cup of noodles and eat that.
(2)
Douglas P.
I just ordered to go from this place for the first time thanks to a flier that they had somehow illegally placed in our gated building door to door. The food was awful. I ordered the seafood combination and the dish was terrible, and the fried wontons (12-were simply fried wontons with nothing in them). $4.00 for slices of wonton wrappers? The only positive thing that I can say was that the Asian delivery boy was polite and kinda cute.
(1)
ingrid m.
This place has improved, based, on the older reviews. Their Hot & Sour soup is super delicious!!! Spring rolls are good, not too greasy. General Tsao chicken is yummy but a bit gooey, maybe 3 stars, but String Beans in General Tsao sauce are great. Fast orders. Delivery available.
(4)
Dayna I.
The food is average Chinese delivery (you get what ya pay for), but this place gets 4 stars because the delivery guy (I think his name was John) was on a frakkin' mission to get me my food. My doorbell is broken so I left instructions to call my cell, but it seems something went wonky with my service and I did not get any of the four calls this guy made from my porch. So he waited fifteen minutes and then just started screaming my name! Poor guy. In short, Fortune Cookie does not want me to go hungry, but my phone company does. (I got four voice-mails about ten minutes later, but interestingly no missed call alerts)
(4)
nora b.
Ugh. I don't know what to do about Fortune Cookie. Sometimes we order and it is fabulous. Sometimes we order and it is the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten. Last night I ordered General Tso's Chicken and it had weird crunchy crystals in it. I don't know what it was. I think, however, that it might have been the last straw. Also, they added a $2 delivery fee which isn't mentioned on their website, menu, or anything. Back to trying to find a decent Chinese place that delivers to N. Oakland...
(2)
Steve M.
As I write this, I still can't believe it. ordered dinner at 8:30 at 9:15 I called to see where food was, I was told "on its way" 9:45 no food, so I tried to call...no answer...they are CLOSED. No food ever showed (now it is 10:18PM!! Maybe I am lucky I never ate their food...but REALLY?
(1)
Rafael N.
For the quickie(in a good way) delivery! For the chix wonton soupie For the no msg and low oil request granted For the brown rice option. This place is def a delivery option only. If you actually visit the location you would be bummed out unless you live in the lower bottom(then u already kno the dealio). The ingredients have never disappointed and serving sizes are decent. Price is fair for what you get. A lil extra star for being the fastest noodle in West O.
(4)
M R.
I wanted to try a new Chinese place that delivered in Emeryville. It was ok. I got the black pepper beef, kung pao chicken, and mu shu veggies. They were all pretty good. There weren't many peanuts in the chicken, but there were a lot of mixed veggies in the mu shu. My only problem was with the potstickers....just say no. I don't know if they have a buffet and they were sitting out for hours, but they were pretty bad. I made my own brown rice while I waited for their delivery...a little over 30 minutes. They charge 2 bucks for delivery, and the prices were a bit off from their seemingly newly printed menu. But it was ok. I might order again if I'm too lazy to go out.
(3)
Anthony M.
This place is great for lunch. I'm a fan of the beef and broccoli because they are not skimpy with the beef. The pork fried rice is also excellent. Not really a place I want to dine in but they do deliver if you happen to work or live near by. Like I said, great place for a reasonably priced lunch.
(4)
Hugh H.
I ordered from the place 3 times. The good thing is they deliver immediately. (if not, they would have gotten a 1 instead of 2). That's it. The bad thing is everything is pretty much terrible. Cause the minimum is $15 per order, I've had their Hot and Sour Soup, Buffalo Wings, Crab Wanton, House Special Fried Rice, Shrimp Fried Rice, Mongolian Beef, and War Wonton Soup. Everything has this chemical smell. Either it's bad, old or something. I actually threw away the Buffalo Wings cause I didn't trust the smell, as if the food is bad and shouldn't be eaten. Trust your nose! Living in West Oakland there isn't a place to order any delivery. But after 3 attempts, I rather do the hike to Chinatown Oakland rather than risk getting sick from this place.
(2)
Kristen D.
Fortune Cookie, you'll still be my go-to for Chinese delivery, but I have to say....your mongolian beef was not good. The meat was chewy and gross... So I will not be ordering beef anymore... I'll be sticking to the soup and the potstickers from now on... I'll have to try the chicken and pork next!
(3)
Peter J.
Just ordered from here again on this lonely, rainy, Sunday night. I decided to have some fun today. Order healthier than usual. House fried rice with no soy sauce. Mixed vegetables in black bean sauce. Pork with mushrooms in garlic sauce. Everything should come as expected, the usual delivery guy who always inquires about all the RX-7's in my parking lot and the big big dog. I called back to remind them to put hot sauce in my order 10 minutes later but the driver left already!!!! DAMM FAST SERVICE! That's what I'm talking about! guess the food will be here in under 5 minutes from now. I only live about .9 miles(edited my previous post of 2 miles, I thought good delivery was further away!@) from here so that's to be expected. The past 2-3 years fortune cookie has been saving the day on my lonely Sundays. FOOD I LOVE YOU! 3 Ok after eating...(comming in 1 hr) Just finished my food and let me say! you have to try MIX Veggies with Black Bean Sauce! The beans give the veggies a vegan kick. The pork with mushrooms was decent, the pork tasted like the day befores, dry and chewy, not tender but that's what they do back in china right, don't waste yesterdays pork because it's dry, make a new plate with mixed veggies and smother it in sauce hoping it will add a little moisture back to the pork right? No shame in that., I ordered this plate for the mushrooms anyways, having the pork there to mingle it;s flavors into the veggies is always good. House Fried rice with no Soy Sauce, some might think it is bland but I like to spice it up with white pepper and hot sauce.! FORTUNE COOKIE does it again! Sunday was a little brighter, stomach is happy, now I can fathom sleeping because my stomach is not alone, last after thought, " I feel Healthy already! " (edit.. the fortune cookies " SUPER K" very light and crispy, do they come from NY? I am sure it didn't make it here by boat!" jk)
(4)
Sherri C.
The good news is that if you order spicy food, you will get spicy food. The bad news is that you will spend the evening on the porcelain throne after dinner, as the food is GREASY, GREASY, and in case I forgot to mention it, GREASY. If you are looking for good Chinese food, you won't find it here. If you are looking for a "power cleanse", you have come to the right place.
(1)
Beverly T.
In desperate need for cheap Chinese food and too lazy to leave the house? They deliver. But if it weren't for the delivery, I would NEVER take the time to drive here and eat. The food is so not worth it. Crab wontons: These are super fake Chinese food but I love them! Theirs are especially good. Crispy outside, lots of yummy cream cheesey crabby filling. Ok so it's more on the cream cheese side and less on the crab side but... still good nonetheless. Hot and sour soup: One of the things I always order. $4.25 gets you a BIG portion that comes in a nice little tupperware. I keep these. Yeah... I'm ghetto... Fried rice: Meh... nothing special. Nothing too horrible. Just plain fake fried rice. Not especially flavorful but definitely edible. Beef chow fun: NO flavor. Go to the Crispy Fry in the Emeryville Marketplace and get their chef special chow fun. WAY BETTER. Mongolian beef: Bland. Not spicy at all. Orange chicken: A fake Chinese food classic. Actually pretty good here but too sweet. Mu shu chicken: Pretty damn good. Sometimes they give you the right wrapper and sometimes they give you the raw egg roll wrappers to use. I know you can use them but they just don't taste good at all. Make sure to ask for the actual mu shu wrapper. Generals chicken: Bland. Eggplant with garlic: Way too sweet. Ma po tofu: Lacking in flavor and just overall not good. If you're desperate I guess it's ok. I've been spoiled with bomb ass homemade ma po tofu my whole life though so this just doesn't cut it for me. Sidenote: $4.75 for rice, soup and an entree?! AND they deliver?! Order them for lunch for a BIG and cheap meal. Oh, FYI... they charge for delivery though! I think it's only about $2 or so but they don't mention that any where on their menu!
(3)
Eddie E.
small,salty portions,overpriced. thier carryout menu offers free crab wonton's or a 2 liter of soda. didnt get either one. when somebody drowns something in salt,its my experience that theyre hiding the "age" of something. im a chef,and i promise this is not worth it at all.....i felt like i was eating leftovers....for realz
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Street Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : No
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Regan T.
This place is exactly what greasy, salty, inexpensive, fast Chinese food should be. It also happens to be the only Chinese takeout place that offers free delivery to my area on Eat24 (which constantly has coupon promotions running), so whenever I'm feeling cheap on my student budget (and particularly fat-craving), this is my go-to. My very first experience was horrendous. The delivery came over 50 minutes LATE (taking more than 2 hours total), even though I was checking every 15 minutes after placing the order to make sure it would arrive on time. The restaurant kept telling me "it was on its way" but either they were lying or the driver had serious car issues. However, my experiences afterwards were nearly perfect. I guess I got unlucky the first time because after that, everything was always on time. I love how generous Fortune Cookie is with portion sizes. The food isn't the BEST Chinese I've ever had, but it's full of sodium and MSG and oil and just hits the spot every once in a while. They give you a LOT... one item off the menu lasts me several meals. Check out the lunch specials--you can get an entree with a side of rice (fried or regular... but who wouldn't choose fried rice in this situation?!?) for only $5.25. When I'm feeling particularly guilty for bingeing, I ask them to steam all the meat/veggies and serve the sauce separately, rather than frying everything together. They're always happy to oblige as long as you ask nicely, plus it's a healthier option! ...As if anyone goes to Chinese to be "healthy." I always get something from the lunch combo (shrimp and green beans, shrimp and broccoli, shrimp and snow peas.... see a trend?), but my boyfriend likes to be more adventurous so I've tried a lot on the menu. I've determined everything tastes differently from what you'd expect. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it's not what you would call authentic or even "Americanized," definitely not your standard Panda Express fare. For example, the orange chicken tastes good but it's suuuuper saturated in sauce and is flavored a little different. The ma po tofu (one of my favorite dishes) is tangy, almost like hot & sour soup, rather than meaty and savory. Again, not necessarily bad, but just different! The driver is super adorable and polite. It's the same guy each time, pretty sure he'd recognize me on the street by now lol. Delivery minimum is $15. No delivery fees!
(3)Tracy C.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. The husband and I ordered this late on a Friday night. We just finished a long day of work, and was just tired. I ordered for us to have: seafood fried rice, General Tso Chicken, Salt & Pepper fish, and the free wonton soup. I did not think I would ever say this, but Panda Express is better. The fried rice was really greasy, and just smothered with tons of soy sauce. The salt and pepper fish tasted like 80% fried batter and 20% fish. The wonton soup tasted like the plastic container it came in. I don't know how the chicken was, but my husband finished it. I'll assume it was decent? Yes, the prices are super cheap and delivery service is fast. I will not order from here again.
(2)Alfredo G.
Fast delivery service!...food is good with good prices...they offer late night delivery service...my go to Chinese place when i dont have the money or energy to get to panda express...
(4)Deidre G.
Food was really good.Great for the price can't beat the amount of food for $5.They are busy during lunch so come early.the lunch special goes fast.Great egg rolls
(4)Lisa L.
Found a flyer from this place on our door last night so decided to give it a try. Called for delivery at 8:00 and was told 40-50 minutes.... 9:00 rolls around so I decided to call and was told "ON THE WAY!". They didn't even ask who I was. 9:30 rolls around and I call again, ring, ring, ring.... I keep trying, no answer! 9:50 the deliver driver calls as he is either lost or outside and we were now getting ready for bed, so we decided to decline the food. Waited nearly 2 hours for delivery, went to bed hungry (by choice after the wait and unresponsiveness)...ruined our night, thank you. Not reliable.
(1)Larry A.
Be careful ordering from this place they will get your order wrong and over charge you all in the same time.........
(3)Cristina A.
Never coming here again. I only came here because subways toaster was broken. The food is really low quality I feel like I waisted 10 dollars. I got the pot stickers and after my 3rd one I couldn't eat them anyone. And the chicken in the chow mein was uneatable. It didn't even look like real chicken but something they probably got from a can. The food is really bad.
(1)Ana R.
Very officiant ! And it said my order would be ready in 10 min so I left my home in 5 got there and the food was ready. Was curious to know if it was fresh or not but in deed it was. My gf loved it and well great service :) in a happy camper
(5)De V.
I've ordered from this restaurant several times with mixed reviews. My biggest problem is there use of old vegetables even after I specifically requested fresh veggies. You would think my making a special request would be an indicator that they haven't consistently used them in the past. But to use old, discolored broccoli after my request is a clear indication to me that my business is not valued so I will not be returning. Good luck to you.
(2)Kevin W.
A mediocre review for a mediocre restaurant. Shan Dong is closed on Monday so we chose this out of hat-- I guess it's time to get a new hat. Mongolian beef: Meh. Dry Braised Green Beans: Okay I guess... Honey fried chicken wings: What, you were expecting San Tung? Some tough, some okay, drowned in sauce... The stand out dish was the Bowl full of jello, I mean, Hot & Sour soup. Which was a gelatinous mess. P. only ate one bite. All in All, Not disgusting, but not even presentable enough for a Monday When Shan Dong is closed. Only as a last resort.
(2)Alison C.
I discovered this place during my never-ending quest to find decent food establishments that actually deliver in my neighborhood (West Oakland). Thank goodness for Fortune Cookie. The food is great for the price and delivery is FAST. I am obsessed with the hot and sour soup. In fact I'm eating it for breakfast right now. Seriously. Oh and if you like a lot of stuff in your soup (bamboo shoots, tofu, fungi, egg) be sure to ask for it. You always get more when you request it. All the beef items I've tried have been great, but I don't care so much for their chicken. They put a lot of pork in their pork rice noodles, and quite a lot of shrimp in the shrimp fried rice. Can't go wrong there. I actually saw their location for the first time the other day. It's a pretty uninspired location - relatively undecorated dining room, unfinished ceiling, etc. I probably won't ever eat there; it's all about the speedy delivery. Oh yeah, and it's a $15 minimum order, cash, Visa or Mastercard. I know this because I have a menu on my fridge and see it everyday :)
(4)Liz P.
I thought I'd try out another Chinese delivery place since I was starving and Blessed Garden (the only really good Chinese food I've had in the East Bay) was closed. Fortune Cookie's rating didn't seem too bad, so I placed an order for sweet and sour tofu, sesame tofu, vegetarian potstickers, and rice. It arrived within a reasonable amount of time. The containers that they put the tofu in were really flimsy so they had leaked in the bag... not sure why they used those to put sauce-heavy dishes in. The tofu in both of the entrees was extremely bland and not very crispy. The sesame sauce was thin but pretty tasty (and it was spicy, which I haven't experienced with sesame tofu before). The sweet and sour sauce was very strange... I know sweet & sour is usually bright red, but this was a vibrant hot pink color and yet it had almost no flavor whatsoever. I could only stomach 3 or 4 pieces of it. The potstickers were okay... the outside was kind of like chewy cardboard. Again, very bland tasting. The rice was, well, steamed white rice. Overall, we were really disappointed. I've had way better Chinese tofu dishes from places in West Virginia! I never thought there would be a lack of good options in California.
(2)Gravity S.
I lived close to this place, so I have had several items to judge this by. The food in general, is good. The pork fried rice here is really good (for you traditionalists (and I mean American traditionalists)). You'll notice your food is much saucier here than normal (like the mongolian chicken, or beef). Chow mein, not so much. A major turnoff would be the lack of meat placed in some of the dishes. For instance, the kung pao shrimp had probably only four shrimp in it, the curry chicken very little chicken. A major plus is the variety in the vegetables that come in these dishes! Their orange chicken is extra tangy, as is there sweet and sour pork. The sesame chicken comes with the sauce on the side (I don't know why). The service is very friendly, and quick! The fortune cookies are kind of not so good, however (oh well).
(3)jen n.
2.5 stars. I cannot believe all the raves on this place. It was a cold and chilly night...neither my roommate or I wanted to get in the car and actually make much of an effort to find food. We wanted something to come to us, but we really only know of a couple places that will actually deliver to our hood. So, I hop on Yelp in hopes that I will be given a good find. "Hey, Fortune Cookie, that little ghetto place that is always empty on 7th got 4 and 5 star reviews" I say to my roommate and her friend. "What? No way. Should we try it?" She says back to me. "Are you feeling adventurous?" I ask. Apparently, the answer was yes. And since we had never been there before, we decided to walk down there with the dogs and try our luck. My food, was mediocre at best. But cheap. I got a shit ton of food (beef broccoli and fried rice plate) for under $6.00. My roommate wasn't too thrilled with what she ordered, which I think was shrimp fried rice and dry fried ribs. Perhaps we just didn't order the right dishes. She swears that she will not go back. But I have a feeling that we might, out of desperation, try it again.
(2)rori nicole z.
Pretty damn good for delivery- s p i c y- but in a good way. (try the hot and sour soup!) free and fast delivery delivered hot, not warm, hot (and we're in berkeley), and super friendly phone service (they suggested that the mongolian beef might be too spicy so he made something custom for me, with veggies too) it doesn't take all that much to make me feel special, but they did! $27 and we'll be fed for days. I'll def order from them again.
(4)Mike B.
I always order orange chicken. There are other things that are good. Spicy lo mein (with chunks of jalapenos). Chow fun. Potstickers. I let my girlfriend order that. I'll stick to my orange chicken.
(4)Jen G.
Four stars for the singapore rice noodles. No stars for anything else, I've learned not to deviate, and I'm never disappointed.
(4)Danielle H.
when ordering through grubhub, they make you pay a $2 delivery fee PLUS tip. stupid.
(3)Kenr Z.
One of the reasons I like Chinese food so much is because you can't really make it wrong no matter where you go. Fortune Cookie's is a good example of your typical chinese restaurant making and serving tasty food at reasonable prices.
(5)David V.
This is one of the few restaurants in this part of West Oakland that I've discovered since living here. The restaurant is very plain as I think it does most of its business in delivery. I ate-in with a friend yesterday though. I wasn't expecting very much and was happily surprised that the food was very tasty. I got the "sesame tofu," it was super good. My friend seemed to enjoy her food too. There is a market with a parking lot across the street for people with cars. One thing I didn't care for was that we were not given water and were told that if we wanted some that we'd have to pay. I'm pretty sure it's the law to serve water free-of-charge in any restaurant. I didn't complain though. They have several vegetarian options. I'll definitely be going back for more!
(4)Benjamin K.
I've ordered from this place twice since I posted my initial review (below) - there quality is still amazingly great. I still highly recommend. Just walked in for the first time and ordered veg fried rice, general's chicken and egg rolls. excellent quality. everything was fresh, the chicken was great - none of that weird stringy, meshy fatty weirdness. You know what im talking about. The veggies were snappy and fresh and the rice was just right. The guy that took our order was nice, too. He even gave us free rice after we already ordered - because i didn't realize the chicken didn't come with it. The interior is a little run down but the food, im tellin' ya is top notch - and there is plenty of dining, so it'd easily accommodate large groups. We'll definitely go back, maybe even later this week. Will update my review accordingly. Who would of though such a great place would be stuck all the way out at the top of west Oakland -- hey, easy parking.
(5)Patrice W.
OK, so I happen to find a menu for this place while on my way home just two blocks from my house. How is it they never hit up my block with the menu tuck near the door I'll never know. But it truly must have been fate, because as soon as I picked it up off the ground and took a peek, I knew I was going to place an order the next day. Chinese food places, at least the ones that deliver to the East Bay, can be a hit or a miss. The only one I had found up till Fortune Cookie was ok, but they took almost an hour to deliver, and they pissed me off because they would call me from outside MY apt bldg (totally safe hood actually) and make me come down a flight of steps and thru the door to get my food. Not to mention they were horrible at making my fave dish, Oyster Sauce Beef (yeah it's hood, but its not Broccoli Beef lol). Next day, called up Fortune Cookie. Had to order at least $15.00 worth of stuff for delivery. Fine. Crab Rangoon. Check. Prawn Fried Rice. Check. Oyster beef. Check. Large white rice side. Check. Gave them CC info, be there in 30-45 minutes. Great. That usually means 50-55...right? No. they were at my house in 30 minutes. Nice delivery guy, rang the bell and delivered to my DOOR (yes)...Off to the kitchen too see what I have gotten myself into. Oh..my...wait..is there more than 2 soy sauce packets? And they included a container of Sweet and Sour sauce for the Crab Rangoon automatically? Oh..oh and the food is hot too? But wait..let me check the Oyster Beef. STFU! There is actually BEEF in the Oyster Beef! No loading it with all kinds of filler and snap peas and onions and a heavy sauce to cover up the fact there is no there there. And it tastes great! (Quick check over the menu..ok no MSG so im not being hoodwinked). Oh, and the prawn fried rice? Hmmm.. Actual prawns (cleaned cause you know lazy jenkie hood spots will deliver prawn/shrimp dishes with all kinds of tracks along the sides) included, and again more than 4 in the dish! Since then ( 1/12 month ago) I pretty much order from them at least once a week and each time the quality has been consistent. Walnut prawns are excellent, as well as the soups. Although in honesty I don't care for the pot stickers. The dough used is kinda thick. You also should know: They have value family combos on their menu, so if you have friends over you might wanna check that out to see if you like the dishes. Yes, there is a veggie option as well. There is also a lunch section. They also have rice places. You know, lemon chicken over rice. And they deliver those too. They take credit and cash. They deliver fast. And I don't live near the spot (they are nearby the Oakland Main Post Office aka West Oakland but they deliver to me and i'm in North Oakland, literally a few blocks away from the Berkeley border. So yes, if you are looking for a Chinese rest that actually cooks food that tastes like it came from a Chinese rest and not the frozen food section at the canned food store, not expensive, delivered fast, hot and satisfying, I recommend Fortune Cookie.
(4)ivona d.
I was so excited to see a chinese delivery menu at my door amongst the piles of pizza flyers. I really wanted to like this place because decent delivery is hard to come by around here in North Oakland but unfortunately the food just kind of sucked. I don't know how this place has gotten such good reviews. on the up side: the delivery was timely and they were very polite. The beef with broccoli was really good, and the prices were reasonable. on the down side: The wonton soup I ordered was completely watered down and had little to no flavor. The egg rolls were stale and kind of hard, they tasted like they were day old AND reheated. I kept finding chicken bone shreds in my chicken chow mein. And overall everything was pretty bland, not much flavor, except for the beef with broccolli which was decent . Even the fortune cookie was flavorless! Next time I think I'll try another place :-(
(2)matt k.
It's old America chopsuey eggfu dark fried rice that really belongs in Oakdale, CA not Oakland, CA. I tasted mostly salt not much else in terms of flavor. delivery was 15 min. 3336.2
(2)J T.
Okay after being skeptical with my wife, I finally gave in to her choice. The food came piping hot and delicious. We ordered the combination chowfun and pork with garlic sauce which was good. The order came in less then 30 mins.
(4)Ismael S.
it was my first time odering some food from here it was nasty...my kids did not like it because the lemon chicken was over cooked...I will never order from here ever
(1)Pamela K.
Our regular delivery place was closed, so I did an online search and found these great reviews for Fortune Cookie. Our order arrived piping hot and at our door step in less than a 1/2 hour. Oh and tasty too. The kids loved the chicken fried rice.
(5)Wynny H.
No, no, no. Many better places. This place wasn't cheap enough to warrant the quality of food. The sweet and sour shrimp was dry, dry, dry. As were the potstickers which may have been day-old reheated. Everything was lacking flavor and freshness. Even the fortune cookies were bad!!! At least make sure your namesake is done right! Geez.
(2)sara j.
quick delivery. inexpensive. great lomein & fried rice. not so great chow fun & spring rolls. **tried it again last weekend...super fast delivery.. i definitely recommend the veggie fried rice (no egg!) =)
(3)Sophie A.
AH! I used to go here all the time with my parents as a kiddo, back when I still lived in the Bay Area. Haven't been here in years, but I do remember they have really great wonton soup, I can't forget that.
(4)maryam h.
my boyfriend was so cute and ordered me veggies and tofu for lunch when we first met but i was too shy to eat in front of him. 2 months later and we're about to order it together for the lunch special. this place is soo yummy. and romantic.
(4)corwin c.
quick, easy, and cheap, my favo place to go to when im working in oaktown. other than that not really a place to take your girlfriend, but a good place to order chinese take-out if it is movie night.
(4)Raynn M.
so i decided to call in an order for delivery based on all of the great yelp reviews..... and wow! their crab wontons are the 'crab rangoon' that i have been seeking. crab rangoon is an appetizer that is on every chinese menu in the midwest (or at least every place i've been to in the midwest). it's not just crab meat wrapped in a fried shell, it's crab meat and some cream cheese concoction that is absolutely amazing. i have been sadly disappointed to find that it seems to be a 'served in the midwest' dish only... until last night. Hoooray!! I also ordered the mongolian beef and the prawns with candied walnuts. both were great and up to my standards of good chinese food. the delivery was extremely prompt, almost as quick as if i was sitting at a table in their restaurant. i will definitely be calling here again. and this time i actually have a menu to look over, so i can order something other than my usual chinese fare.
(5)Michael Z.
Best and cheapest Chinese delivery in Oakland, hands down. Delicious, at your door in less than half an hour, 5 dollar rice plates? Fuck yeah. Fuck. Yeah.
(5)Patrick H.
I love this little place. Order take out from here pretty often as I work just down the street and they deliver with the quickness. I normally go for the lunch specials.. the Pepper Steak w/ onion, orange chicken, and the curry chicken lunch specials are amazing. Comes with a nice mound of fried rice and their daily soup (sweet n sour egg flower normally). I spend about 10 dollars and I'm always happy with my lunch.
(3)D R.
The order: Egg Rolls, Pot Stickers, Beef Brocolli, Cashew Chicken, Sweet/Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein, Steamed Rice I placed the order and the order taker had said that the food should arrive in 45 minutes, it only took 15-20 minutes to arrive. The Egg Rolls tend to be mostly good and crispy, but a -few- times they were slightly stale. Pot Stickers, overall good, but a few times have a bit of gristle in them, but always seasoned nicely. The Beef Brocolli is usually great, a few times it had less beef than it should, but a few times it had a lot more than usual, so it pretty much evens out and has a good flavor to it. Their Cashew Chicken seems to go through minor recipe tweaks, with some vegetables missing or replaced by others, but mostly stays the same though a few times they had forgotten the cashews (?) The Sweet/Sour Pork is pretty good and doesn't vary much, though once the pork had a tough texture The Chicken Chow Mein is most times good, a few times was greasy, and once was overloaded with noodles but aside from a slight blandness, it is pretty good The Steamed Rice is where the variations majorly occur, most times it is just right, yet a few times, it was so dry I felt I would choke, and another time was a bit too moist, and I know it depends on where they take the rice from, but sometimes the rice has some overcooked crust in it (a lighter hand when scooping would fix that little problem) I just have to make sure that I ask for certain condiments to make sure I get them (Soy Sauce, Hot Oil/Soy Vinegar, Hot Mustard etc.) The prices are pretty inexpensive (especially their rice plates) So Food and Delivery: 5 Stars, Consistancy -1 star
(4)Amanda S.
I'm gonna give it four stars, but I kinda wanna give it five...cuz for what it is, it's pretty effin incredible! It is cheap and fast chinese food, so don't go here lookin for a gourmet experience or you will be greatly disappointed. I have ordered from them a couple times and have never been disappointed in what I got, except maybe the potstickers...they weren't horrible, they just weren't my fave. I really like their hot and sour soup, it is actually pretty damn spicy...and you can see the pepper flakes in it! I got their chicken chow fun last night and was quite pleased! I have also enjoyed their egg rolls (which I'm pretty sure are vegetarian...the way i like 'em) and chicken and broccoli in the past. Last night I called at 6:15pm for delivery and the guy told me it would be about 45 minutes...ok fine, I'll wait...15 minutes later I get a phone call from the delivery guy: "escu' me, you orda chinee foood? Wheech apatmen' numba you?" Hells yes I ordered Chinese food and how the crap did you get here so quickly?!?! Totally awesome.
(4)Wooptydoop L.
I've ordered 5 times from them for delivery...3 lunches, 2 dinners. They DO always charge you delivery, unlike what their menu says, and beware of the total amount - a lady promised to refund my credit card for the extra she charged, but never did. The food? Below medium. Orange chicken is dry, I gave up on the pot stickers after 2 bites, and the hot and sour soup is beyond hot (which i like, though). mixed vegetables is really soggy, and the curry chicken is acceptable.
(2)Manny g.
Awful! food took over an hour and a half to arrive and when it did it was horrible. The egg rolls where more like donut's with a little lettuce in the middle. The sweet and sour pork had so much mushy breading on it I could barley taste the dried out overcooked pork in the middle. Don't waste your time or your money with this place.
(1)Brad T.
WoW! Every since we moved here 3 months ago we have not found a good chinese or pizza delivery restaurant until tonight! This place rocks! We ordered one of their family dinner combo and man what a ton of food! Awesome crab wantons, amazing wonton soup, the mongolian beef was the perfect spicy! Awesome lemon chicken and all the veggies tasted fresh! I HIGHLY recommend!!!!!!!!!
(5)Brendan M.
that review by maryam below me is true. shes my gf, but it annoyes me when she goes and smokes in the morning without me. why cant she wait?ever? i dont get it, it all seems kinda rude to me... anybody agree with that one?
(1)Tim W.
I originally slammed this place because they get busy and just don't answer the phone at times. However, it has become my one and only Chinese delivery place. I've tried others in the North Oakland / South Berkeley area, and nothing (yet) compares. The delivery is quick and the food is delicious and plentiful. I've not had the dine-in experience, but as far as delivery goes...top notch.
(4)Rafael M.
While it's only a couple of blocks from my job and I love supporting local restaurants in Oakland, I have to base this review on quality of food alone. While I've ordered from Fortune Cookie's in the past, their quality control is horrific. The "Chief special spicy chow mien" is terrible- I had to throw it away because it was flavorless and spicy (Love spicy, but it still has to taste good!) The sesame chicken isn't terrible, but it's a little on the dry side and lacks the range of flavor I'm used to in sesame chicken. I'm also concern that the crappy containers they use (flimsy, I don't think even a dollar store would try to sell them) may mean the same quality in meat- not to mention the soft, dry outside of their pot stickers and rather flavorless, spongy insides. I see this place going out of business, which would be a shame because their delivery time is amazing. I would be happy to wait another hour if the food was a better quality, but I've paid the same prices for food that was FAR superior. One star- and the last time I'll order from here.
(1)Josh C.
My wife and I are so happy to have FINALLY found a go-to Chinese delivery place in our area. I haven't had a bad dish from them, and we are I think officially addicted to the sesame beef. As some other reviewers have mentioned it may not be authentic, but man it's tasty. Our four year old loves the sweet and sour chicken and rice. We always order via GrubHub and generally the delivery time runs between 30 and 50 minutes. We're also fans of the pot-stickers, wonton puffs (free with a $20 order) and I dig the eggrolls as well. Solid delivery, we do it at least once a month.
(4)Elisabeth B.
Ordered delivery via grubhub. The delivery was fast and convenient but the food was pretty mediocre. Overall kind of greasy and bland. Not terrible, but I will be looking for better Chinese delivery options in the future.
(2)Carol W.
Had the House Special Lo Mein which was awesome in flavor and add-ins (shrimp/chicken/beef) but no noodles! But still love my Fortune Cookie.
(4)Michelle P.
Hungry? Don't feel like cooking? All I'm saying is, I called in our order at 8:52 and it was here at 9:01. Dinner #1 + crab wontons. I'm in West Oakland now but even when we lived around Broadway/Grand it was still only around 20 minutes. Hot, fresh, cheap, tasty enough. Can be a little bland, so just add your own salt & pepper or whatever. If you want hot mustard you should ask for it, they don't automatically send it. No free delivery, think it's 1.50 or 2.00.
(3)Dorian G.
Definitely hits the spot when you're craving cheap Chinese food. The orange chicken and Mongolian beef are quite good, and I adore the crab rangoons (just because it's so damned hard to find ones made properly). I love that their fried rice is made with char siu (BBQ) pork. It really adds an extra dimension. The hot and sour soup was just weird, though, and the won-ton soup was only a simple broth with a couple of won-tons. I wouldn't say soup is their specialty. Also, the ma-po tofu, although tasty, is not really ma-po tofu. Too much soy and garlic; not enough chili paste and pork. And they're SUPER fast. When they say 40 minutes, they seriously mean 15.
(3)jason c.
Vile.. stomach turning brown sauce and msg food . Both meat dishes ordered were filled with grade "b or c" quality meat, tasting of chemicals. Both chicken and beef were rubbery and steamed in texture instead of wok-fried. Both dishes tasted exactly the same, although one was suposedly Kung Pao and the other Mongolian. The fried rice was so nasty brown and soggy with no taste other than grease and soy sauce. Yes I was ordering the American Chinese food, and I know that this is supposed to be salty and greasy, but there is a big diff between bad salty and greasy and good salty and greasy...Oh yes the aroma of rancid oil was wafting out of the bag when I was handed the food by the delivery guy I am sorry I was too lazy to go pick up food and decided to order delivery. I wanted to try something other than Shan Dong ( which was closed anyhow on Monday) which in itself is just ok to be honest, but at least that place is edible. My bad for being lazy. I miss the crappy American Chinese food delivery in New York, as this makes that bad food look like 4 star cuisine. Yeah, I actually got a headache from dinner.. One extra half star because they were nice ..
(1)Sean H.
I work at the Port of Oakland. Food options are extremely limited around the area. It's either walk to one of the roach coaches or make a quick dive into one of the fast food joints. I've driven by Fortune Cookie probably more than a hundred times now, so finally my curiosity got the better of me and I just blindly walked in here during lunch one day. My first thought was "Wow this is cheap". $5 for a huge plate of food? You can't go wrong with those prices, no matter how the food tastes. And thankfully, the food isn't bad at all. I mean, it's not the best quality Chinese food ever. It's greasy and salty, but you get a huge portion of food and you won't be hungry after finishing your meal. Favorites so far have been the Mongolian Beef and General's Chicken. Salty, but pretty tasty. I will say though, that Fortune Cookie has the best Hot & Sour soup I've ever had. I don't even like Hot & Sour soup. I normally just push it away when it's offered as an appetizer at other Chinese restaurants. Here though, I found myself devouring the entire bowl. I don't know what they do differently here, but damn they know what they're doing with their soup. Location alone gives this place a whole star for me. Only about a 2 minute drive from my work, which means I actually have time to eat during my hourly lunch break. Even though it's in the middle of an extremely ghetto neighborhood with Planned Parenthood on one side and a liquor store on the other, the location works perfectly. Service has been pretty nice every time I've come here, which is surprising for the wide variety of customers that I'm sure they get here. I just assume they're glad to not see another problem customer walk in. I'm real glad I actually found a decent place to go for lunch that isn't fast food. Gonna continue to keep on coming here!
(4)Becca A.
Worst Chinese food ever, and I never write Yelp reviews. I couldn't bear the smell, I had to take it out to the dumpster after just a few bites. Truly disgusting.
(1)Derrick D.
Just horrible!! I tried it today for the first time and the food tasted really old (broccoli shriveled and dry) and there was barely a selection from thier steam tray!! I was very disappointed and cant believe I paid $5.25 for some rice and onions since that's all that was there (I maybe got 3 pieces of meat in my whole 3 item combo) would not recommend for anyone looking for Chinese food!
(1)Indy N.
Freaking love this place. Right around the corner so delivery is super quick!! And they hooked it up with some drinks when they accidentally forgot something on my order...
(5)Linda C.
Lousy food. Bad neighborhood. Lunch specials for $5.25 for 3 item looked old like leftovers from the previous day. The portions were small and greasy. The server was not friendly. This is located from across the street where a driveby took place killing a little boy a couple of years ago. It patronized by drug addicts and lowlife. Dried fried ribs are lousy. Noodles are cold and portions are so small, you feel you are being ripped off. I should have walked out like I started to when he refused to put more food on the plate.
(1)Tony L.
So my fiance and I decided to eat here for dinner before our event nearby. We didn't really want to, but if we didn't we wouldn't be able to eat for another few hours and we were pretty hungry. Food was OK, not much better than Panda. The food was not my biggest complaint though. I actually saw a woman had a little run in with the cashier lady. The woman had her kids with her and she was required to show her ID for using her credit card. I don't know what happened next, but the cashier lady photo copied the woman's ID for some unknown reason. As far as I could tell, her CC was approved and the transaction went through. They both looked frustrated with each other, but the woman showed restraint as she kept calm and complied. I don't want to bring race into this, but I think its because the woman was black and the cashier lady felt intimidated for some reason. Ive been here before but never seen anyone else that required to show ID or had it photo copied for paying with a credit card. One star for racism.
(1)Joyous I.
I have ordered delivery from this restaurant 4 times now. The very 1st time was for a bachelorette party that I had no energy to cook for. I ordered a couple of the different dinner specials and when I tell you that there were crumbs remaining after we women devoured the food, it's the truth. The other 3 times I ordered delivery were when I had a craving for Chinese food, but did not want to leave my place. My favorites are the House fried rice with no eggs, vegetable egg rolls, the Sweet & Sour Triple Special with no pork, and the House chow mein. The dry ribs are very yummy and were a favorite with the ladies. This place is always good because if you ask if there is something free that you can get with your order, they are always kind enough to throw something in (especially if your order is $20 or more). The people who answer the phone and deliver are very nice as well. I will continue patronizing this company!
(5)Ben V.
Some of their stuff is just okay, but the items I list here, are really really amazing and delicious and not to be missed. The hot and sour soup is just that; hot and sour, with plentiful strips of tofu and completely vegetarian (maybe even vegan?) It is great. I recently had a cold and the hot and sour soup from here nursed me back to health. Also, the sesame tofu is fantastic. Sticky sweet gooey sauce with sesame seeds over fried tofu and rice, so simple and so good. Look this is a West Oakland corner Chinese place, your expectations can't be too high. But given these expectations, Fortune Cookie surpassed them with a couple dishes, so, if you find something you like, it more than hits the spot perfectly for that take out craving which sometimes pops up in the middle of the week.
(5)R J.
I had better fast Chinese food but if it's an emergency, this place is good enough. Just try not to get rob or shot while getting your food here.
(2)Ro W.
My hubby and I decided to order in since we both got in late from work. We called about 8pm and ordered fried chicken wings, steam rice, and mangolian beef. Food arrived about 30 minutes later and everything was good except for the chicken wings, they tasted old and had a bad taste to them. My husband called and told them about they and all they said was "it fresh". Hubby told the we would no longer patronize their business and for future customers try and be more sympathetic. I'll be DAMNED if I pay for old spoiled food. Oh well another one bites the dust!!
(1)Mari M.
It's been a while since I've updated the review for this place. Since this is the only place that delivers when I want Chinese food, I'm going to go ahead and say it has improved tremendously. I complained of the over soy-sauced rice. It isn't soy-saucey anymore. Instead, it's a lot greasier than I'm used to. Also, their honey walnut prawns continue to be over battered and over sauced. Crab rangoons. It's really hard to mess this up, and they don't! It's yummy and delicious. =D On the plus side, their delivery is usually within 30 minutes and they have the best fortunes in their fortune cookies.
(4)Glory M.
I have ordered delivery from this place twice now and I'm done with it. The Beef Chow Fun had almost no beef in it, though the noodles were good. The Salt and Pepper Prawn appetizer arrived soggy and the Lemon Chicken had already been sauced, so it was soggy too. Also, it took and hour and a half for the delivery man to arrive even though I called at 5:30. Avoid this place.
(1)Brooke B.
I really like this place. The food is good. The delivery is fast. Decent prices. It's one of my faves.
(5)Jen N.
Oh boy. Contemplating eating here? STOP! I am one to appreciate a good Americanized Chinese food meal but this was ridiculous. Ordered delivery from grubhub.com : 45 min delivery on Sunday evening $28.00 -garlic chicken: couldn't find the garlic, lots of goopy sauce and mushy meat -mushroom beef: again, GOOPY flavorless sauce and strange mushy "beef" that was a very pale color -chicken with broccoli: mushy meat, more bland sauce, broccoli wasn't terrible -vegetarian potstickers: AWFUL! I actually gagged when I tried this. It was very clear that the potstickers were horribly freezer burnt and then deep fried leaving the skin super dry and nasty. We were supposed to receive free crab wontons with our order over $20, but they were not included in our order- turns out we were happy about that- scary to think about what crab from here would taste like. It is very clear that nothing is fresh here and I've never had meat like that before... No flavor and flat out mushy. Gross. The best thing we ate was the steamed rice and fortune cookies. Spare yourself.
(1)Pam N.
Darn! Why is it so difficult to get a good restaurant in West Oakland!? I ordered from this place as a walk-in. Several things will make me not order food from here ever again... 1. The inside of the restaurant is void of any ambiance and it feels like your in a Bikram Yoga room. The warmers at the counter were completely empty so I couldn't even see what the food looked like. 2. The girl behind the counter looked like this was the last place on earth she wanted to be. 3. The food was void of taste. I ordered the dinner plate of rice and mongolian beef, chow mein, and chicken and fried rice. YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! TO ALL OF IT. The food is not only void of taste, but some of it was greasy, some of it was sticky, and the strangest thing of all was that MY CHOW MEIN SMELLED LIKE URINE!!!!!! Needless to say, I was afraid to even taste it. PEOPLE, TIME AND TIME AGAIN IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT PEOPLE DO NASTY STUFF TO FOOD FOR NO REASON, AND SOME OF THESE RESTAURANTS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO SERVE MEAT NOT QUITE WHAT WE ARE USED TO IN THIS COUNTRY. THE FOOD AND MONEY ARE NOT WORTH THE TRIP, OR THE PHONE CALL. THERE ARE DELICIOUS PLACES TO ORDER FROM IN OAKLAND, THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM!
(1)Sukari H.
This place is really close to my house. I literally live on top of it. I am a fan of the shrimp fried rice, however it seems over the years their shrimp start to be less and less. I love their dried fried ribs! If you want good no expensive Chinese food this is your place!
(3)Skyler W.
Not a fan! I would not recommend going to this restaurant. I came here for lunch about a month ago. I live right down the street and if you are a resident of West Oakland, you know that there are not very many restaurants to choose from. So I had to give it a try. I ordered the Mongolian beef because it was the most popular item mentioned on yelp. I also ordered their Chicken Chow Main and Hot&Sour Soup. The chicken chow main was the only item that I actually consumed as for the other items I took a couple bites and decided it belonged in the trash. Gross, the beef was chewy and sitting in a huge puddle of water and sauce filled with MSG. The soup was just weird not very tasty. I will not be returning to this restaurant, i would rather heat up a cup of noodles and eat that.
(2)Douglas P.
I just ordered to go from this place for the first time thanks to a flier that they had somehow illegally placed in our gated building door to door. The food was awful. I ordered the seafood combination and the dish was terrible, and the fried wontons (12-were simply fried wontons with nothing in them). $4.00 for slices of wonton wrappers? The only positive thing that I can say was that the Asian delivery boy was polite and kinda cute.
(1)ingrid m.
This place has improved, based, on the older reviews. Their Hot & Sour soup is super delicious!!! Spring rolls are good, not too greasy. General Tsao chicken is yummy but a bit gooey, maybe 3 stars, but String Beans in General Tsao sauce are great. Fast orders. Delivery available.
(4)Dayna I.
The food is average Chinese delivery (you get what ya pay for), but this place gets 4 stars because the delivery guy (I think his name was John) was on a frakkin' mission to get me my food. My doorbell is broken so I left instructions to call my cell, but it seems something went wonky with my service and I did not get any of the four calls this guy made from my porch. So he waited fifteen minutes and then just started screaming my name! Poor guy. In short, Fortune Cookie does not want me to go hungry, but my phone company does. (I got four voice-mails about ten minutes later, but interestingly no missed call alerts)
(4)nora b.
Ugh. I don't know what to do about Fortune Cookie. Sometimes we order and it is fabulous. Sometimes we order and it is the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten. Last night I ordered General Tso's Chicken and it had weird crunchy crystals in it. I don't know what it was. I think, however, that it might have been the last straw. Also, they added a $2 delivery fee which isn't mentioned on their website, menu, or anything. Back to trying to find a decent Chinese place that delivers to N. Oakland...
(2)Steve M.
As I write this, I still can't believe it. ordered dinner at 8:30 at 9:15 I called to see where food was, I was told "on its way" 9:45 no food, so I tried to call...no answer...they are CLOSED. No food ever showed (now it is 10:18PM!! Maybe I am lucky I never ate their food...but REALLY?
(1)Rafael N.
For the quickie(in a good way) delivery! For the chix wonton soupie For the no msg and low oil request granted For the brown rice option. This place is def a delivery option only. If you actually visit the location you would be bummed out unless you live in the lower bottom(then u already kno the dealio). The ingredients have never disappointed and serving sizes are decent. Price is fair for what you get. A lil extra star for being the fastest noodle in West O.
(4)M R.
I wanted to try a new Chinese place that delivered in Emeryville. It was ok. I got the black pepper beef, kung pao chicken, and mu shu veggies. They were all pretty good. There weren't many peanuts in the chicken, but there were a lot of mixed veggies in the mu shu. My only problem was with the potstickers....just say no. I don't know if they have a buffet and they were sitting out for hours, but they were pretty bad. I made my own brown rice while I waited for their delivery...a little over 30 minutes. They charge 2 bucks for delivery, and the prices were a bit off from their seemingly newly printed menu. But it was ok. I might order again if I'm too lazy to go out.
(3)Anthony M.
This place is great for lunch. I'm a fan of the beef and broccoli because they are not skimpy with the beef. The pork fried rice is also excellent. Not really a place I want to dine in but they do deliver if you happen to work or live near by. Like I said, great place for a reasonably priced lunch.
(4)Hugh H.
I ordered from the place 3 times. The good thing is they deliver immediately. (if not, they would have gotten a 1 instead of 2). That's it. The bad thing is everything is pretty much terrible. Cause the minimum is $15 per order, I've had their Hot and Sour Soup, Buffalo Wings, Crab Wanton, House Special Fried Rice, Shrimp Fried Rice, Mongolian Beef, and War Wonton Soup. Everything has this chemical smell. Either it's bad, old or something. I actually threw away the Buffalo Wings cause I didn't trust the smell, as if the food is bad and shouldn't be eaten. Trust your nose! Living in West Oakland there isn't a place to order any delivery. But after 3 attempts, I rather do the hike to Chinatown Oakland rather than risk getting sick from this place.
(2)Kristen D.
Fortune Cookie, you'll still be my go-to for Chinese delivery, but I have to say....your mongolian beef was not good. The meat was chewy and gross... So I will not be ordering beef anymore... I'll be sticking to the soup and the potstickers from now on... I'll have to try the chicken and pork next!
(3)Peter J.
Just ordered from here again on this lonely, rainy, Sunday night. I decided to have some fun today. Order healthier than usual. House fried rice with no soy sauce. Mixed vegetables in black bean sauce. Pork with mushrooms in garlic sauce. Everything should come as expected, the usual delivery guy who always inquires about all the RX-7's in my parking lot and the big big dog. I called back to remind them to put hot sauce in my order 10 minutes later but the driver left already!!!! DAMM FAST SERVICE! That's what I'm talking about! guess the food will be here in under 5 minutes from now. I only live about .9 miles(edited my previous post of 2 miles, I thought good delivery was further away!@) from here so that's to be expected. The past 2-3 years fortune cookie has been saving the day on my lonely Sundays. FOOD I LOVE YOU! 3 Ok after eating...(comming in 1 hr) Just finished my food and let me say! you have to try MIX Veggies with Black Bean Sauce! The beans give the veggies a vegan kick. The pork with mushrooms was decent, the pork tasted like the day befores, dry and chewy, not tender but that's what they do back in china right, don't waste yesterdays pork because it's dry, make a new plate with mixed veggies and smother it in sauce hoping it will add a little moisture back to the pork right? No shame in that., I ordered this plate for the mushrooms anyways, having the pork there to mingle it;s flavors into the veggies is always good. House Fried rice with no Soy Sauce, some might think it is bland but I like to spice it up with white pepper and hot sauce.! FORTUNE COOKIE does it again! Sunday was a little brighter, stomach is happy, now I can fathom sleeping because my stomach is not alone, last after thought, " I feel Healthy already! " (edit.. the fortune cookies " SUPER K" very light and crispy, do they come from NY? I am sure it didn't make it here by boat!" jk)
(4)Sherri C.
The good news is that if you order spicy food, you will get spicy food. The bad news is that you will spend the evening on the porcelain throne after dinner, as the food is GREASY, GREASY, and in case I forgot to mention it, GREASY. If you are looking for good Chinese food, you won't find it here. If you are looking for a "power cleanse", you have come to the right place.
(1)Beverly T.
In desperate need for cheap Chinese food and too lazy to leave the house? They deliver. But if it weren't for the delivery, I would NEVER take the time to drive here and eat. The food is so not worth it. Crab wontons: These are super fake Chinese food but I love them! Theirs are especially good. Crispy outside, lots of yummy cream cheesey crabby filling. Ok so it's more on the cream cheese side and less on the crab side but... still good nonetheless. Hot and sour soup: One of the things I always order. $4.25 gets you a BIG portion that comes in a nice little tupperware. I keep these. Yeah... I'm ghetto... Fried rice: Meh... nothing special. Nothing too horrible. Just plain fake fried rice. Not especially flavorful but definitely edible. Beef chow fun: NO flavor. Go to the Crispy Fry in the Emeryville Marketplace and get their chef special chow fun. WAY BETTER. Mongolian beef: Bland. Not spicy at all. Orange chicken: A fake Chinese food classic. Actually pretty good here but too sweet. Mu shu chicken: Pretty damn good. Sometimes they give you the right wrapper and sometimes they give you the raw egg roll wrappers to use. I know you can use them but they just don't taste good at all. Make sure to ask for the actual mu shu wrapper. Generals chicken: Bland. Eggplant with garlic: Way too sweet. Ma po tofu: Lacking in flavor and just overall not good. If you're desperate I guess it's ok. I've been spoiled with bomb ass homemade ma po tofu my whole life though so this just doesn't cut it for me. Sidenote: $4.75 for rice, soup and an entree?! AND they deliver?! Order them for lunch for a BIG and cheap meal. Oh, FYI... they charge for delivery though! I think it's only about $2 or so but they don't mention that any where on their menu!
(3)Eddie E.
small,salty portions,overpriced. thier carryout menu offers free crab wonton's or a 2 liter of soda. didnt get either one. when somebody drowns something in salt,its my experience that theyre hiding the "age" of something. im a chef,and i promise this is not worth it at all.....i felt like i was eating leftovers....for realz
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