JouJou is a classic French restaurant from the folks behind Lazy Bear. We like Chef David Barzelay and his 2* spot and gave them a month to get dialed in before we dined. Rated 4.1 on Yelp, 4.3 on Google. Beautiful restaurant with multiple dining areas and large bar. We came on a busy Tuesday, when an AI conference was in town. Most of the food was not up to standards we’d expected, nor was the service. At over $100 per person, it was not a great experience. We hope they dial in their cooking. We went to Arquet 1 month after it opened and it was superb. For good French try Chapeau or Routier. Safety Pluses – Online menu. Food Review: Roseraie NA Cocktail ($18) is the same price as regular ones. Nicely done, not overly sweet. 8.5/10 THE FANCY ($185) Seafood tower with 1 dz oysters, 2 spot prawns, 4 crab legs, 1/2 uni, 6 gulf shrimp, 1/2 maine lobster is not cheap but everything served was fresh and spot on. Not cheap but best thing of the night. 9/10 BUTTER LETTUCE ($17) fines herbes, meyer lemon vinaigrette was overdressed and a bit sour. 7.5/10 PRIME RIB OF […]

This post originally from Jou Jou Review, San Francisco

Hodel’s Country Dining is a home style old school buffet that opened in 1967 and still packs locals in. We were passing through Bakersfield and had this on our bookmark list. The decor doesn’t look like it has changed much nor has the carpet or upholstery. They have several private rooms for Banquets and weekly meetings, which look very popular. Rated 4.4 on Google, 3.8 on Yelp. Pricing Even the prices are retro cheap. A Tuesday-Thursday midweek 11am-4pm lunch buffet only costs $15.80, less than Chipotle! Breakfast is cheaper at $14.30 and has standard breakfast items, omlets, waffles, biscuits and gravy and their “World Famous Cinnamon Rolls”. Dinner Tu-Th $16.55 Special Menu: Tuesday is Taco Tuesday | Wednesday is Chicken Fried Steak and Fried Porkchops | Thursday is Chinese Food. Fri-Sat $17.65 tri-tip roast, brisket, and ribs, Sunday Brunch $18.40 include more food. Children’s discount. Higher prices on Holidays like Mother’s Day Brunch. Drinks are extra. Compare this to one of the best buffets we’ve been to! Food Review Downsides: The food was average at best. Most items are pretty old style, seems like the menu hasn’t changed in decades. Selection is not immense, mostly classic American dishes like fried […]

This post originally from Hodel’s Country Dining Buffet, Bakersfield

Gnocchi and Salmon to die for. Stella formerly known as Stella Alpina Osteria is a small Italian restaurant located a block from the main Burlingame Avenue shopping area. Located below ground level, most people would never know it was here. The restaurant opened in May 2005, and was featured on PBS’ Check Please TV show. They moved to Burlingame Avenue into a much larger location. Our last visit was in Summer 2026. Stella, which serves Northern Italian cuisine from the Alps, is on the basement level of a commercial building and has some patio seating for warmer nights. They specialize in braised meats, risottos, pastas and ragus. Decor, Vibe – Stella is has nice paintings on the walls. Not too fancy compared to restaurant in the City. Mostly older folks in their 40’s and beyond were dining. Stella Menu is pretty wide ranging with the usual Italian restaurant menu containing many Antipasti, Secondi, pasta, entrees, and other dishes. The menu had not changed a lot except for prices! Signature Dishes – Veal Osso Buco over Mascarpone Polenta, Gnocchi, Salmon Services was friendly and solid but the waiter was overloaded and never refilled us and had to be flagged down. Food Review […]

This post originally from Stella, Burlingame

Joy, aka Joy’s Taiwan or 5 Joy Restaurant is a small restaurant in the Beach Park plaza strip mall bordering the San Francisco Bay in Foster City, just south of the Highway 92 San Mateo Bridge.  A hidden gem in the middle of no where. The Thai restaurant in the same complex is also solid. Be sure to check out Top 10 Chinese Restaurants in San Francisco They serve Taiwanese style Chinese food along with some Shanghainese Cuisine and Shanxi items. Food from Taiwan can be significantly different than other Chinese regions.  A recent Anthony Bourdain Layover Episode sheds light on this. Joy has been in existence for over 10 years and moved to this new larger location in 2008.  The restaurant is a lot nicer now though the bathroom could still use work! This review encompasses experiences made over many visits, the last of which was in early 2026. Decor, Vibe – Joy is small, unremarkable, noisy but popular for get family and friend get togethers. Not a place for a quiet date. The seating outside is good for warmer summer days.  Deep fried Stinky tofu anyone?  This place serves up tons of it and wrecks of it when […]

This post originally from Joy Restaurant Review, Foster City

Last Update: 2026 Foodnut travels, eats, and tells!  We’re based in San Francisco but have flown all over. We love Chinese food and find some of the best in Hong Kong. We recently finished up our latest culinary tour in 2026. Other reviews farther down are from previous trips. Hong Kong is a world class city full of great food. Most of the Chinese food was superior to that in the San Francisco Bay Area. The service is on another level here. Here are some quick mini reviews of places we ate at, so you can understand how Hong Kong food compares, and so you select the best places on your visit. We have full reviews for places we deemed important enough. Sunday Brunch Buffets: (Some of the best in the world) The Market Buffet Verandah Hong Kong Conrad Nicolini’s Sunday Brunch Buffet Harbourside Buffet JW Marriott Hong Kong Tiffen Buffet Grand Hyatt Hong Kong In Depth Hong Kong Restaurant Reviews: Lai Ching Heen Lung King Heen Bo Innovation Chuen Kee Seafood,Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao Fook Lam Moon Lei Garden Ming Court Sai Kung Seafood Market Sun Tung Lok Yung Kee If a restaurant does not have […]

This post originally from Hong Kong Restaurant Reviews

Great choice for reasonably priced, solid dim sum in San Francisco. Hong Kong Lounge is a popular Chinese Restaurant located in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond district that opened in late 2008. They serve dim sum at lunch time and are quite busy. Last meal was Summer 2026. There was once an unaffiliated Hong Kong Lounge II that burned down and is now known as HK Bistro in the South of Market area. We found HK Bistro expensive and inferior in quality in early 2023. Hong Kong Lounge’s sister restaurant is Lai Hong Lounge at 1416 Powell St near Broadway, San Francisco and Hong Kong Palace at 300 El Camino Real in Millbrae. Each has their own chef. Be sure to read: Foodnut’s Beginners Introduction to Chinese Dim Sum Best Chinese in San Francisco Be sure to read our article How to order in authentic Chinese dinner Decor, Vibe – Hong Kong Lounge consists of 2 medium sized rooms stuffed full of tables. Clean but simple decor with large mirrors on the walls to make the place look bigger. Hong Kong Lounge was packed with locals, both Asians and some other folks. The restaurant gets busy during the weekends, so come […]

This post originally from Hong Kong Lounge, San Francisco