Reviews for Taiwan Cafe in Boston, MA
I have ordered take out and dine in at Taiwan Cafe for many years. The beef and tomato rice plate was recommended by a... well-known YouTuber and it was as great as he said it was. The hot and spicy dumplings are good. My issue is Taiwan Cafe nowcharges a mandatory 20% fee for take out if a credit card is used. I don't believe a 20% fee for using a credit card is legal,but instead of reporting this to the authorities, I am just not buying from Taiwan Cafe anymore. The 20% fee makes no sense asthe credit card fees don't exceed 2% for MasterCard or Visa. I paid cash for the takeout to avoid the 20% surcharge. Fordinner, if a customer is dining in, there is a mandatory 18% tip whether you pay with cash or credit. To add to the deception,when the final credit card slip is brought over, the slip lists out recommended tips, so I wrote in a tip, not realizing therestaurant already charged a tip. The service is lacking --- a 2 at best. When I got home, I saw what happened and called mycredit card bank two days later to remove my additional tip, which was done. I don't understand the 20% and 18% fees. Plus,the dining room is a chaotic mess. I went back to the YouTube video and noticed that the guy ordered takeout and ate itoutside, so maybe he was onto something. Read more
One of the best and clean places in Boston Chinatown. Must visit. Chili fish Fried basil chicken Beef and noodle soup Hot and... sour soup Shrimp fried rice Read more
Best stinky tofu here in the States. Hands down. They used to have a sister store in NY but that closed due to rent going too... high. Pork chops are good too but heavy, so get one and enjoy it. Read more
Some interesting reviews on here. We had a good experience if you take into account what to expect (e.g., crowded space, might... have to share a large table with another party, etc.). The food was very good and they had many Taiwanese staples that weresolid. Would recommend and go back for them! Read more
Service was good and food came out fast, but flavors were pretty bland. We had mostly late-night appetizers, but none of them... were outstanding. Dumpling dough had no taste - it seemed entirely lacking in salt or MSG - and the fillings only slightly more.The food was cooked well - that is, to the correct temperature - and the dumplings were wrapped attractively. It was all justadequate and good for drunken snacking (it's one of the few Chinatown places thankfully open very late - until 1AM, which is whywe chose it), but the food is missing something essential. The servers were nice and the place was clean, but honestly, Iprobably would not go back with so many other exciting Chinatown eateries within a stone's throw. Read more
As a Taiwanese I have to say the restaurant is underwhelming and much more pricey than what you get from other Asian... restaurants. The food itself was delicious, we tried some fried tofu, Taiwanese fried chicken, Chinese zucchini stirred fry withgarlic - which was something I haven?t had for ages and I was grateful for it. The service was good but the price we paid didn?treflect the whole dining experience and quality. Read more
The soup dumplings and lunch combo with hot & sour soup and mapo tofu with rice were hearty and delicious. Must try: Their soup... dumplings were steaming hot and tasted great, skin is still thick but thinner than other places. Note: They include gratuity of18% in the bill so don?t be too surprised, it?s fair but it can be unexpected to many. Read more
We loved everything we ordered and are most happy to pay an automatic business to support small, local businesses. The specialty... spicy beef soup is definitely spicy (on par for my Korean palate), scallion sammy unique and shrimp dumplings perfection. Read more