“ We came here spontaneously as Boiling Point was having their special BOGO, we were expected to wait 2.5 hours so we decided to opt out that and go to Old Taro instead. We came in and there were only 2 parties inside. Mind you the place is huge, so perfect for bigger parties. The staff were nice and allowed us to sit wherever we liked. The interior design is so cute with their right wall with Super Mario but they named it Super Taro, which is cute. The menu is short and limited, which I love. I'm not hit with a thousand choices. I ordered a minced pork noodle, and my fiance ordered the spicy beef tripe noodle soup. The noodles for the minced pork were chewy and had a nice bounce. It was not bunched up which I liked. The meat was flavorful as well. The noodle soup was delicious as well, with the nice chew from the noodle and the beef and tendon had a nice chew. The soup was sweet and slightly spicy. I would come back here to try their other dishes. ”

“ Quirky. Yeah that's word to describe the ambiance and experience. Super Mario brother inspired picture. Taiwanese Night Market. Cubes as seats. "Old Taro?" Quirky! The menu is broad (with the requisite misspellings) and you order from a QR code. The bento was well portioned. The beef soup was spicy. Upon paying they gave us a very dense moon cake to go. It was curious until we cut it open it was chock full of nuts. ”

“ A hidden Taiwanese gem in Fremont that we found via a popular YouTuber! The interior is a cute, night market themed place with padded stools and lots of old timey decor. Staff mostly speaks Chinese but there was a lady who spoke great English that can help answer questions so fear not! Ordering is done via QR code and THEY DO TAKE CARD! I saw other comments mention it was cash only so they must've changed this recently but it was nice to not have to run to an ATM in the middle of our meal. We ordered the Spicy Beef Stew Noodle soup and the Wonton Noodle Soup. Both were spot on! The beef noodle soup had great flavor with nice, al dente noodles and a deceptively spicy broth that got hotter as you kept eating (or maybe I'm just weak ). The wonton noodle soup was a surprise to us - very tasty with a lot of clean, natural tasting chicken broth (didn't feel like they used coloring or chicken powder to have that artificial taste) and the noodles were a thinner, rounded rice noodle that paired well with the dish to make it taste very clean. Great if you're looking for a lighter, less oily option. We also got their black sesame soy milk and black tea soy milk. Both were very tasty, came in a sealed cup with no ice but still cold. A bit on the sweet side but with a spicy noodle soup - having something more sweet was a relief although we'd probably pass on these next time given how sweet it was. It's also right next to Pineapple King Bakery so great for a two for one pit stop! We'll definitely be back to try more of their appetizers like their fried pork chop or popcorn chicken! ”

“ Spicy beef stew noodle soup, thick noodles - The soup was savory and balanced with a subdued spice from the spicy oil. I really enjoyed the flavor of the soup and it wasn't too salty and I didn't detect msg. Chunks of beef shank were large and tender. Cooked lettuce was the vegetable in this bowl. Thick noodles were nice with the right amount of chew. I am a fan. Black tea soy milk - This tasted neither like black tea nor soy milk. It had a flavor that tasted like extremely watered down soy milk with a bit of sugar and hint of tea floral-ness, but not nearly enough for me to say that it had tea flavor. I would describe the overall flavor of the drink as watered down and muddled. I decided to try this instead of getting a boba milk tea from elsewhere and it was a mistake. Black sesame soy milk - The black sesame flavor was there but the base of the drink was sad. There was no soy flavor in the soy milk. Again, the soy milk tasted completely watered down. I assumed there was a hint of sugar added but I would not consider it a sweet drink. Wouldn't order again. ”

“ Service was standard. Took the waiter 5 minutes or so to bring out water and extra bowls. I wouldn't expect much though! Lots of tables inside and no line when we came on Mother's Day at 1pm for lunch. Fried pork chop: (4.5/5) fried well and has a slight thin crispy exterior. Smaller appetizer but it tastes like a very good popcorn chicken substituted as pork. Thin strips of pork chop, not dry but also not juicy so it's a good in between. Slightly salted. Spicy wonton: (4/5) has a slight peanut butter taste to it and not spicy chili oil like din tai fung. Wontons are fairly small so you can eat them in one bite with ease. Spicy stew beef noodle soup (4.5/5): it has a nice spice. Not overly spicy but it has a kick to it. Broth itself seems fairly clean and not overly oily at all. Came with 4 small palm sized pieces of meat that were soft. You could break them apart with your chopsticks. None of the pieces had chewy tendon in it either. ”

“ Absolutely loved this place! It's a cute spot located in a corner inside a plaza. The inside is decorated very cute! Lots of room for people to sit too. There's a QR menu to order your food. My friends and I ordered our food separately and were able to split the bill. The food here is AMAZING! Everything was flavorful and delicious. The fried XLB was probably favorite. The soup inside was tasty. The dry noodles weren't super sticky but the flavor was perfectly spiced. Those two also paired really well. The service was quick and they didn't rush us out once it was closing time! We'll definitely come back! ”

“ Old Taro is still a solid 4! We've come by to eat here in-person many times since my last 2021 review for their takeout. FOOD // Our go-to's are: + Fried vinasse fish filet with rice bento set (4.5/5): the fried fish is nice and crispy on the outside, and tender and moist on the inside. I like that the rice has minced braised pork on top. The cooked Taiwanese cabbage (or sometimes it's edamame) is a good small side. The braised egg and tofu are okay; one time, the braised egg was quite dry inside and looked like it had been braising for a little too long. + Fried Taiwan-style chicken with rice bento set (3.5/5): the fried chicken cutlet was very lean and a bit dry, but okay. Crispy outside. + Pepper Popcorn Chicken with rice bento set (3.5/5): similar to the other fried chicken cutlet bento, this popcorn chicken was also a bit tough/dry, though the outside was a nice crunch. + Wonton soup (5/5): Grandma and I are fans of this one! Soothing warm clear broth, tasty wontons, and veggies for a healthy light meal. + Braised tofu (4.5/5): this braised tofu has a nice meat-y sauce on it and has more flavor than the one that comes with the bento box. It's a smoother tofu texture as well. Goes well with rice. + Stewed beef noodle soup (5/5): our parents always get one of the beef noodle soups. Nice and comforting broth with good flavor, not too salty. Beef is tender, and there's a good portion. SERVICE + AMBIANCE // Plenty of seating inside, with space for larger groups. I love the decoration on the walls and around the restaurant - one side has a fun Mario-inspired wall decoration, and another side inspires memories of Taiwanese night markets. Service has been very kind every time we've eaten here. ”

“ Spicy beef noodle with tripe - it's not that spicy but enjoyable. The soup is very flavorful and the thick noodle has a bit of texture if you like al dente texture. Tripe and beef is very tender. Noodle with tripe - tender tripe, soup is flavorful, the thin noodle is soft but not soggy. I like the soft noodle even I usually like al dente. Pan fried bun - very crispy, not too oily. Good amount of meat and veggies inside but unlike Shanghainese pan fried bun, it's got no soup inside. Still, taste pretty good. For a bowl of noodle soup, I think this is a great place. ”

“ I really enjoyed the Taiwanese comfort food from Old Taro! I came in with a friend on a weekday for dinner around 6pm and they were not busy at all. We each ordered a bento and shared one of the items from the pastry section of the menu (hu jiao bing). The bentos come with really filling portion sizes; I was hungry enough to finish mine but you could split one for a lighter meal. I love the variety that comes in the bento! The meats, egg, and the braised pork rice were all flavorful. The cabbage balanced the saltier items nicely. Decor/interior is cute and cozy. Service was friendly, and you order by scanning a QR code. There is a slight discount if you pay in cash. ”