Cafe Dazzling — Restaurant in Tracy

My daughter and I were looking for a place to eat dinner at in Tracy on our way back from the East Bay. We were afraid there wouldn't be too many options as it was almost 9 pm. I wanted ramen, and I used Yelp to find a spot close to our location as we approached Tracy. Cafe Dazzling popped up, and the reviews looked positive. We were surprised by how many people were dining inside. That was our first good sign. They had a varied selection of teas, boba, appetizers, and different soups; including hot soups and ramen. My daughter ordered an iced fruit tea, which was very sweet, refreshing, and filled with fresh fruits dancing around the cup. We ordered the popcorn chicken as an appetizer because it seemed to be a popular item. We also both ordered ramen. I ordered the spicy miso and added extra spice. My daughter went with the original miso and asked for a few items to be omitted, which they happily obliged. The popcorn chicken came out piping hot, and I made the mistake of popping a whole piece in my mouth, OUCH! I guess I never learn 😅 they offered ranch, ketchup, or sweet chili sauce for dipping. The sweet chili sauce went really well with the chicken! My ramen was super flavorful and packed with pork chasu, but not overpowered with cabbage or bamboo shoots like a lot of places tend to do. The spice level was perfect! I was able to eat most of my bowl and finish off most of the broth without getting that chalky consistency at the bottom of the bowl! It is quite loud inside, due to them constantly blending drinks, but that gets drowned out by the sound of families enjoying their meals and their company. Cafe Dazzling is open late, which is great because they were busy the whole time we were there. The servers were super nice and attentive while keeping busy bussing the tables as guests left and checking on the customers that were still dining! I will definitely be back to try one of their hot pot style soups,...

I finally went back to Cafe Dazzling after a third time in my hiatus after half a year of going there — when we had to confront the boss multiple times near closing time if we were able to dine-in close to 9:30 or 10. They said their kitchen was closed at the time, back in September, so it left us with a really bad impression that we would never go back again (the picture screenshotted is taken from another fellow Google Reviewer so credits to him! But that’s the boss who sits there and does nothing pretty much — )

HOWEVER, this time we went back and I was astonished by how quickly they seated us. Last time it nearly took us 10-15 minutes to get seated, and when we had called them beforehand, they said their kitchen was closed early — only doing takeout orders. This time we called and they said they closed at 10:30. Me and my partner were coming from late from Lathrop, we are craving Asian food really really bad, so we decided to give it another try.

Look at all those fries for $4! Enough to feed appetizers for both two people! I also got the Taiwanese Hot Soup base — and I asked them specifically to take out cilantro and all sorts of mushrooms because of preference. It came out in a big wok bigger than expected — which I wasn’t expecting for the price, but HEY, that’s what happens when you get the good service too!

Only thing about atmosphere was that it was a little too tight — and cleanliness of the hallways.

Our waitress was really chill and friendly and constantly checked up on us despite a busy crowd at night. Still a little not sure if we’ll come back again (yet?), but enough to leave us another good impression — so we’ll be sure to check it out...

The restaurant has a store front in a strip mall.

FOOD - The "Malaysian Curry Hot Soup" tasted great! It was literally smoking. Medium spice (the other choice was 'hot') was just the right amount of flavorful heat for my taste buds. The broth contained plenty of proteins and some vegetables, although I do not recall eating corn. Corn is on the list of ingredients. It was kind of light on mushrooms, too.

Not much ATMOSPHERE. Internal layout is more efficient than emotional. The place gives off no vibes. No 'dazzle, aside from the food.

Two ladies and an infant (looked like 3 generations of family) occupied a table. There were no other patrons when I arrived. A couple of people stopped by to pick up Boba tea with little to no food. By the time I left, server Iesly had seated a couple and a family of four, respectively.

SERVICE - Iesly was attentive without being too pushy. I kept the menu and made a comment about the "macarons" pictured on the dessert page. But Iesly brought the check without asking if I wanted dessert. Upselling in the service industry should be second nature. "You want fries with that..?" What can I get you for dessert? Earlier, you mentioned macrons. How many would you like?"

Iesly bagged up my leftovers. I ate a small bowl of soup for dinner and took the rest to work the next day.

I call this food: Asian-Inspired-French-Occupied-Americana!

Mmmm... so good! I...