Old Country Cafe

This is my go to spot for tw food since papa walk is no longer in business. Love the minced pork, seaweed, tofu, pig blood cake, tempura. Staff is not very friendly except the owner. Others look like they dont wanna b there. 4 star for food, 2 star for staff.

Mehhhhhh. This place was in between 2 – 3 stars. I’ll give it 3 because service was so efficient. My GF was craving Taiwanese food so we came here. The plaza is pretty small and the parking sucks. The spaces are pretty tiny and you will mostly likely need to park underground. I recommend just parking in the neighborhood and walking to the plaza to avoid major hassle and possibly a car accident with the amazing drivers in the 626.
We got there and the restaurant was pretty busy. We sat at the bar. Ordered the Braised Pork Knuckle and the Fried Pork Chop. The Braised Pork Knuckle was rather disappointing — cold, chewy and old tasting. The veggies were bland but the minced meat underneath the pork knuckle was tasty. The Fried Pork Chop was aite. The breading was not crispy and it fell of the pork, but the flavor was okay. At least it wasn’t cold. We also got a side order of Stinky Tofu which wasn’t stinky at all.
Average food here. Service was quick. Cash Only.

This place is TINY!!! We were at Huge Tree Bakery for breakfast in Wednesday but promised my 10 year old stinky tofu… so we came by here and while I was here, noticed the Shaved Ice Machine and… they have blood cake!!! Omg! So we will totally have to come back with the 10 year old and my mom and aunt to try again…
I had the boba tea with passion fruit and took home two orders of stinky tofu. which I ate one day later!!! Omg omg!!! They were great! I wish that they had pickled the veggies a bit longer or made the tofu a bit stickier (more intense flavors)…but they were great… wish they gave a bit more sauce…
Thanks old country café!!!

CASH ONLY
Got the pork chop rice and stinky tofu.
–Pork chop rice was fantastic. Pork was juicy and tender, with a lightly fried coating. I always worry about pork chop being too dry, but this place did not disappoint.
–Stinky tofu was only okay. Tofu wasn’t fried enough for my liking.
Authentic Taiwanese style food. Will come back again.

I’ve heard about this place and finally got to try it. If you are looking for cheap Taiwanese food, come to Old Country Café! I tried their pork chop rice and stinky tofu. Pork chop rice was served with minced pork rice, veggies and rice. The pork was really greasy but I would not mind. I mean you got what you paid for, with $ 6 I was pretty satisfied. The stinky tofu wasn’t that stinky and it came with pickled cabbage. Growing up in Taiwan I’ve tried stinkiest tofu you could imagine so for you all stinky tofu haters, the stinky tofu here was not stinky at all and worth the try! Cabbage was pretty refreshing. It is cash only and parking is in the back of the plaza. I definitely will come back here for other Taiwanese food!

Parking is pretty easy to find in the plaza. More in the garage. Cash only. 2 rooms to dine in: 1 with only bar tables and stools. The other room looks like a cross between a bookstore (shelves filled w asian comic books to read) and a dining room w large and small dining tables and couches. This room was perfect for our friends w a table. Service was pretty quick though. Our waitress spoke only some English. Mandarin is preferable.
The fried pork chop and fried chicken (no bone) were both really good. If u order them w noodles, you will get a bowl of bland soup noodles w minced meat.
Stinky tofu-​good if you don’t like it too stinky but still tastes fermented.
Drinks– passionfruit green tea was good.
The jelly in our other drink was tasteless.
They will honor your request for half sugar but may not mix it well.

I feel nothing but nostalgia when eating Taiwanese food, especially minced beef on rice. Not only did I grow up eating it but it’s also gotten me through those sad, broke college days. For that, I will always have a sweet place in my heart for that minced beef.
Minced Meat Rice — Typical prices range from $ 3-​$ 5 for a bowl of minced ground beef over red. It’s made with a lot of onions, soy sauce and sugar. At Old Country Café, you also get a soy sauce hard boiled egg and a couple slices of pickled radish. The beef isn’t overly salty but it compliments the rice very well.
Make sure to get tea to go with your meal because their tea brewing skills are on point. You won’t get anything watered down here.
Don’t forget to bring cash because that’s all they accept.

Lower than mediocre food. Dingy restaurant with weird un-​restaurant-​like furniture. They have a side room with larger 6-​person tables and a few booths. This side room has walls of Chinese books and magazines, and a set of old couches.
Food – though other Unilocalers said was really good (eg, best pork chops) – was so disappointing. Minced meat was just ok, pork chops were soggy with oil (though some portions were decent and crispy). Portion sizes are good, but you can get better portion sizes and tastier food at mostly every other restaurant in the area.
Pass!

Old Country Café is one of my favorite restaurants of all time. And that’s not Unilocal hyperbole, or me gushing right after having an amazing meal. If I were to make a list of my favorite restaurants of all time, Old Country Café would be in the top ten. I love having a fancy meal as much as the next guy, but there’s something to be said for the simplicity of a perfectly executed xiang chang fan (Taiwanese sausage rice) from an unassuming hole in the wall. And this is me saying it.
I don’t have a clear memory of my first time at Old Country Café. I know I was introduced to it by a girl I was dating ages ago, sometime in late summer or early fall of that year, but everything else is sort of like a lo res video with no audio… scenes from a restaurant tucked into an awkward strip mall at a busy Alhambra intersection, connected to a largely unused manga-​filled wing that looks like a place where Asian kids would get tutored after school.
What I do remember is the joy of discovering Old Country Café’s xiang chang fan, and to a slightly lesser extent, their paigu fan (pork chop rice, the dish they’re more famous for). It’s one thing to go someplace you know is supposed to be great and confirm that, yes, everyone was right, Chef so-​and-​so is my spirit animal. But it’s something completely different to feel like you’ve made a potentially life-​altering discovery for yourself, looking around in disbelief that the restaurant isn’t full of foodies and hipsters, but is instead populated by about three people: you and the middle-​aged couple staring up through their glasses at the Taiwanese variety show on the TV as they chew through their late lunch.
The xiang chang fan is different here than at any other place I’ve tried in the SGV. It’s heavier and greasier than the mala (numbing spicy) version at Liang Mama, and more complete than at SinBala, whose version feels a little like café snack food to me. The xiang chang is sliced and stir-​fried with roughly chopped garlic and heaped over rice, along with minced pork and stir-​fried cabbage, suan cai (preserved vegetables) and half a lu dan (soy sauce-​braised egg)… and always, inexplicably, a tiny square of tofu.
These last two touches always make me think of something a parent or uncle would include if they were cooking for a loved one. And yes, I realize the man returning from his break and ducking into the kitchen when my order goes up isn’t my uncle, but it sort of feels like he is, especially when, several minutes later, the xiang chang fan abruptly appears, breathtakingly warm. This isn’t something the cook went to school for. It wasn’t «plated» unless you count being tossed onto a long, blue, plastic dish. And the girl in the apron whose biggest concern is trying to make it through her remaining years of community college so she can change her mind and go back to Taipei only «served» it in the sense that she turned around and set it in front of you on the counter. But it is glorious.
It is glorious because despite it not being edgy or new or fancy, the construction of the flavors is perfect. Dishes with this sausage were honed by men in worn-​out tanktops for late-​night diners and housewives on a tropical island under the constant buzz of cicadas, year after year, for crying sons and little uniformed girls walking to a Japanese-​occupied elementary school, and some dude (or his mom) brought this particular sausage recipe across the Pacific when they had no other idea except to start a little restaurant in Alhambra. It is not a mash-​up of anything trending. It never had a «moment» in our culinary zeitgeist. But the components of it are cooked just right, and they go just right together.
So when I think of my favorite restaurants, I rarely think of anything with lots of stars or dollar signs. Those are great and have their place, too. But personally, what I think of is this: lazy, unseasonably hot Sunday afternoons, chipped formica and the flow of traffic on Garfield Ave outside a glass window, and the fragrance of soft steamed rice after the sweet, unrendered fat of Taiwanese sausage has soaked through it. And that for about $ 6, I can enjoy one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

** Cash only!!! **
3 words: Taiwanese comfort food. Good place to grab a quick bite, although parking is a bit of a pain; I recommend parking on the nearby streets and walking to the plaza.
I highly recommend the Fried Taiwanese Sausage with Rice. The rice is topped with minced meat and plenty of sausage, and is accommodated with three types of veggies and raw garlic. Fill your spoon with a bit of each and it’s a nice burst of flavor in your mouth!
I also really like getting the Fish Ball Soup. Simple and clear broth is accentuated with white pepper, mmm. The Spinach with Minced Meat is a nice side for some extra veggies if you feel inclined to be a bit healthier: P
Don’t expect good service if you come here. It’s definitely no frills. Prices are reasonable. Can be warm so dress accordingly. I’m already planning my next visit to try the Fried Pork with Rice!

I haven’t been here in a long while and a recent article on Eater LA sparked my desire to return.
I know they’re famous for their fried pork chop but since I’m not a fan of pork, I opted to order something else. My friend said their fried chicken is good — but I didn’t want something fried, so I decided to order squid stew. But, they’re out of that dish, today. Booooooo!
So I settled with Fu Chow meatballs with clear noodles. It’s tasty alright, but I’m used to Fu Chow meatballs being larger than all other balls, and theirs are tiny in comparison, otherwise just regular sized.
Of all the times I’ve been there, although infrequent, I’ve never sat in the not-​main dining room. It’s cooler in there than the main dining room; and for some very odd reason there were many gnats in there. I found that unusual and very annoying.
They give you free refill of your drink ONCE, but is without any toppings.
Don’t count on good service.

Unfortunately I was very disappointed at the food here. I ordered the beef noodle soup and it tastes like water. I had to ask them for hot sauce to try to add some kind of flavor in the soup base. It didn’t help it. Their free refill with drinks is just a cup of ice with your watered down drink.
It was really hot and musty feeling inside the resturant and it was such a dirty resturant. I am actually surprise Unilocalers don’t talk about how dirty this place is lol. Parking is horrible, and they have the weirdest parking lot. There is only way one to get into this parking lot, due to all the double solids on the streets. By the time you get inside this 10 car parking lot, you have to turn out because there isn’t parking!
I am very surprised Unilocaler give such great reviews. I have nothing good to say about this place.

Air conditioner not working … One of the girls face looks so mad (she get off at 6 o’clock
So disappointing

Pork chop rice!!!
Reasonably priced.
Lot’s of parking but you might have to walk through the lot a bit. The strip mall is busy.
Minced meat side and boiled egg… YUMMMMMM.
Need I say more???

Really nice ladies work here. Ordered the 2 orders of pork knuckle, marinated rice and chitterlings to go and the food was ready for pickup within 10 minutes. Total was about $ 20.
CASH ONLY

I wrote a review for another Old Country Café (in Temple City) and left it on this Unilocal page for years… no one noticed lol are they owned by the same people? bahahaaaaaaa oops. Anyway now that I know. there are TWO Old Country Cafes. This one is a little different looking… dinkier and comes with a «library» lolol.
SOooooooo I ordered the fried chicken rice, and it was quite good. I still prefer Sinbala for that but overall not bad. Their style of food is a little more rustic. Flavor is there though.
Also… ordered a fresh veggie & fruit juice! How very unexpected from a small little Taiwanese restaurant like this lol. But yanno what, it was good! Maybe too much ice lol but it’s like half the price of most fresh pressed juices anywhere. And it was fresh yo.
Ok that’s about it haha I don’t have much to say. It was good and cheap! That’s all anyone could ever want!

Usually I’m not a café person or don’t go often enough like other people. But I’m glad I got to try this out. I’d actually come back for it too. It’s a tiny café with very few tables. Their restaurant is kinda like diner style which I did not see that coming from an Asian restaurant. It’s in the plaza right across from Yogurtland. Parking sucks though.
The menu is very simple but has good amount of options to choose from. I love how fast the food came out. I guess we did order their main dishes. And their service was great that day! Very friendly server.
|Taiwanese Fried Sausage| $ 7.20
I heard this was the best dish so I had to try and did like it. It comes with minced meat on top of the rice, half of an egg and some veggies. I haven’t had sausages in a long time so it also satisfied my craving I guess. I know Simbala serves similar food but I’m not a fan of that place for some reason. The sausage was soft and sweet.
|Fried Pork Chop/​Chicken| $ 7.20
This is is similar to the one above except it’s pork chop and chicken. I did enjoy this dish as well because the batter was crispy and not too dry. I think it would taste better with some kinda sweet & sour sauce though. It also has veggies & half an egg just like other rice plate.

I started coming to Old Country Café years ago! This is still one of my favorite go-​to places when I am craving fried chicken or pork chop. They also have a very good thick stew soup with either squid or pork — some type of Taiwanese specialty. Service is very good — they are friendly and also give refills on their milk tea series drinks.
What I’ve Tried.
Pork chop rice ($ 7.20) — The pork chop rice portions are great for one person. It is served with their vegetable of the day (usually mustard greens or cabbage), tea egg, preserved vegetables, and meat sauce over rice. I would not recommend taking this item to go though because the breading on the pork chop will get soggy and not be nice and crispy.
Fried chicken steak with rice ($ 7.20) — Another one of my favorites. If you’re craving chicken over pork, I would recommend this dish. I actually prefer it over the pork chop because it has more flavor IMO. It has the same sides as the pork chop.
Pork/​Squid thick stew soup ($ 5.95) — If you’re Taiwanese or you have tried this — you know exactly what it is. It is a very hearty soup. It has house made pork strips, bamboo shoots, thin sliced carrots, and some type of mushroom. You have a choice of rice noodle or glass noodle (bean noodle). I prefer the bean noodle over the rice noodle but that’s just my preference. If you’re feeling soupy or you need some type of soup in your life — this is it!
Green Milk Tea ($ 3.25) — Cheap green milk tea with unlimited refills. They don’t even care if you share but please don’t be greedy and ruin it for everyone else!
Service.
Always consistently friendly service here. I always get the green milk tea and they never hesitate to offer refills on their drinks — they even ask sometimes whether or not you want ice in it!
Parking. Can be tough sometimes because there’s a tiny parking lot shared with other businesses. I usually can find parking though — if not just park on the street.

*** Public Service Announcement — Cash Only ***
Old Country Café doesn’t have the most exciting service, but this place definitely serves one of the more authentic Taiwanese food in the whole Southern California area (just a notch below my No.1 Taiwanese restaurant, SinBala Restaurant).
I recently came back here for a pretty casual dinner and our group quickly grabbed counter seats. There was a flat screen TV that only played Taiwanese programs (e.g. news) and the staff only did the basics — took our orders, delivered food, and issued a receipt.
Taiwanese fried sausage — noodle soup ($ 7.20): You have the option of picking rice, noodle soup, flour rice noodle, or glass noodle. Nothing too fancy with noodle soup, but the TASTE (broth) definitely hit the spot. Sliced sausages weren’t as good as SinBala’s sausage, but it wasn’t disappointed at all — sausages had a sweet savory and the dish actually came with garlic (Taiwanese sausage and garlic go hand in hand)! The only downside? That was a pretty small portion for sausages …
If you can overlook lackluster service, then this is an excellent spot to satisfy craving for Taiwanese food. My No.1 choice at Old Country Café would still be its pork chop rice.

STINKY TOFU ATTACK
This is a great place to hangout: cheap foods (large portion) and refillable drinks with comic books area.
They also don’t rush you to leave the place after meals.
The best to order here: pork chop rice and chrysanthemum tea.
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Long time ago, a group of us came here for dinner.
We ordered our regular meals and drinks, also adding the notorious stinky tofu (Chinese name: chou dou fu) which made of regular beancurd that’s fermented in brine. We love to eat this although some people couldn’t stand the smell.
Fried stinky tofu tasted the best when drizzled with tangy garlic sauce. The deep fried outer skin of tofu and texture are pretty good. Inside is moist and warm. The smell is OK if already cooked, in my opinion.
That night, the cook came to the comic books room; where we were laughing hard, joking around after meals while reading some comics. He was then opened the freezer door.
The smells of dog excrement/​sweaty gym socks/​rotten fish were erupted into the room…
At first, we thought one of our friends were farting (WHAT A STRONG SMELL!!! DAMN YOU!!). But NOONE farted!!! x_​x
We figured it must be that frozen stinky tofu smells.
We opened the side door next to our table in desperate attempt BUT the smells didn’t go away.
Feeling dizzy and suffocated, we hurriedly left the establishment. On the way to the exit door, I saw the cook was cooking slowly without knowing the disaster he brought to our group.
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Everytime I come here, I still remember vividly of this stinky tofu attack night.
STINKY TOFU: LOVE IT or HATE IT!