Far East Cafe — Restaurant in Sacramento

I am now 58 years old. I grew up in San Francisco, Oakland, and later in the Peninsula. I grew up with great Cantonese food. In my 40’s I moved to Sonoma County and then 3 years ago, to Sacramento. For those next 13 years or so, I had given up trying to find the type of food I had experienced in the previous 40 years. I am speaking about original solid Cantonese food. It seems like everywhere you turn, restaurants are trying to reinvent the wheel with fusion fancy expensive and underwhelming food. I am therefore thankful that I have discovered Far East Cafe in Sacramento. A no-frills restaurant that serves the dishes I grew up with and does so consistently and incredibly delicious. You will find a lot of dishes which are like home cooking here, as they have dishes with parts of the animals or seafood which are not offered in most other places. I don’t eat meat, but it brings back memories seeing Pork knuckles, oxtails, or clay pots with fish heads. They have bitter melon or tofu skins for those who don’t eat meat. Service is attentive and food is prepared quickly. My memory dish and my barometer for a Chinese restaurant is Shrimp and tofu over rice. As soon as I tasted it, it brought back memories of eating this dish at Kam Lok on Washington Street, downstairs in San Francisco. The dish here is probably better than Kam Lok. They also serve it the old fashioned way, the food on top of a full plate of rice. None of the all too common now, rice plate with half a plate of rice and a small portion of the dish on the side. Today at lunch they even gave me a complimentary dessert which brought back memories of Sunday family dinners. The grass jelly jello dessert which I used to eat from cans, except they make it here in house. I am so grateful that places like Far East Cafe are still around. Solid , delicious, traditional Chinese food served without pretension for reasonable prices. Go here, you...

07/27/2024 at 05:25 PM

Server: Group Effort

FOOD & DRINKS I love the BBQ Pork appetizer, they do their BBQ port just right!

Had the Salt and Pepper Shrimp (Without head and shell). Delicious! I wish there were more peppers, I like the spice. For those who like the shrimp whole, that is the default. Without the head and shell the shrimp are breaded, with the head and shell the shrimp are not breaded.

Lastly I ordered the Beef Chop Suey. I used to have chop suey as a kid and have recently rediscovered it and currently prefer it over chow mein. Most Chinese restaurants don't have it listed on their menu. Luckily for me, Far East Cafe does!

SERVICE As always, fantastic! They don't waste any time in helping with drinks and order selections.

DECOR Clean and tidy with items one would expect to find in a Chinese restaurant that is well established (been here for many years). It is affordable, delicious and is always busy.

CLEANLINESS Very clean, never had an issue.

LOCATION Near Land Park in a very clean and accessible location.

PRICE Dishes range in price from $10.95 to $22.95. There is only one dish at that higher price. Most of the entree dishes are between $11.50 to $15.95. They offer some group meals that include a variety of items and are priced for one, two, three and four or more. For each person added after the fourth it would add $15.95 per person. As the number of people are added the number and variety of dishes increases too.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE If you are looking for a great Chinese meal that is affordable and delicious in a clean environment, the Far East Cafe is for you! Bonus, they are open seven...

Far East is the type of restaurant that is a family go-to for generations. It's been mine for 40+ years. Tonight I went in as a party of five - 4 adults & 1 very messy, very cute one year old (who is demanding to eat on his own & we are soooo sorry for the mess he made 😬) Everything about the restaurant, including the staff, is authentic, nothing fancy, always just right. We ordered: 2 appetizers & 4 dishes to share. The bill, including tip, was right around $100. Our waiter was great. I didn't get his name, but he was friendly & efficient. He brought the kiddo his own small ice water and toddler sectioned type plate which I don't think I've ever experienced in a restaurant. It just felt special. We didn't wait long after we ordered before the food arrived. As always, it was hot, the portions were generous & there were no complaints.

A Few Recommended Dishes: *Ginger Beef *Steamed Pork w/Salted Fish (Hom Yee Yook) *Chicken Broccoli *Tofu w/Bok Choy...