COVID19 really turning everything we took for granted upsidedown. There are way too many articles that everyone is writing about there, but here I’ll just focus on a few restaurants that I’ve liked that are still open for takeout. It’s a mix of “treat yourself” and supporting smaller businesses - a win win.

Also, most of these photos are just taken with my phone without much regard to lighting so…they generally look nicer than whatever I’ve shot here hahaha.

A good practice to follow is to call ahead to order when possible so that restaurants don’t get charged service fees. This also confirms that they’re actually open - it’s not uncommon for shops to close earlier or open later given how things are right now. If you can’t do pickup, then fall back to third-party delivery services.

If you don’t live near these restaurants, consider exploring options closer to you instead! A good rule of thumb is to not go further than maybe a 10-ish mile radius from where you live.

Fremont, California

Suburbs for dayyyys.

Food

Beyond Thai
Thai, generally open 11 to 15, 17 to 20 every day but closed Tuesdays
Probably my family’s go-to place for Thai food. Small and cozy, good portions with a fiery kick if desired, and takeout portions taste as good as dining in.
Mom’s Tofu
Korean, open 11:30 to 19:30 every day
Another family go-to for Korean tofu soup and other classics like seafood pancakes. Our friend group came here now and then for group dinners before the pandemic as well! Staff is warm and friendly, and the food is, unsurprisingly, quite good. Not as spicy as SGD tofu though if that’s what you’re looking for.
General Pot
Sichuan, generally open 11 to 15, 17 to 20 every day
It’s dry pot, which means you get a huuuuge portion. One order can be split into multiple servings though, so while the upfront cost seems high it comes out to be pretty reasonable.

Desserts / Snacks

GoGo Dessert
Fruity asian desserts, generally open 12 to 20(?) every day
Right next door to Beyond Thai, but they have a good selection of mango desserts (hello mango sago). They’re a little more expensive than similar dessert places, but it’s not that much more.

Milpitas, California

Even more suburbs for dayyyys, except a bit warmer and a bit flatter

Food

Kokoro Ramen
Japanese ramen, generally open 11 to 14, 17 to 20 every day
Wow, they have surprisingly good broth and noodles! The chashu also has a pleasant smokey flavor to it…it’s not often to have something like that! They separate the soup from the noodles for takeout as well, so you can get a decent consistency when you bring it home (a small faux-pas for ramen since ideally you eat it once you get it). They also have a good abura (soupless) ramen, and if you want to feel pain, extra-spicy is the way to go. My personal favorite is the black-garlic tonkotsu ramen!
SGD Tofu House
Korean, open 11 to 14, 17 to 20 every day
My family and I used to go here before Mom’s Tofu opened, but my friends / coworkers and I still visit SGD tofu now and then as well! Personally I actually like the taste of the tofu soup here a bit more than Mom’s tofu, but maybe that’s because it tends to be spicier.
Chef ChengDu
Sichuan, generally open 11 to 14:30, 17 to 21 every day
I find this place pretty decent, and if anything, really fast from order to pickup. The portions are generous, and while, honestly, I don’t have that much more to say about it, it’s good enough for me to go back to order from them again.
Stuft Pizza
Pizza, generally open 9(?) to 20:30 every day
Me, picking up the phone “Hello I would like to order all the meats and all the veggies on the pizza”. Them: “You got it.” (Not really, but gosh I am a sucker for their Cornucopia pizza).
Poke Xpress
Poke, generally open 11:30 to 20 Mondays to Fridays
It’s not hard to make poke, conceptually, but they’ve consistently had pretty good fresh fish and good rice. They don’t have the largest selection of toppings, but you do get crab salad and avocados for free. Did I mention, free avocados.
Shimofuri Yakiniku
Japanese BBQ, generally open 11:30 to 14:30, 17 to 19:30 every day
Technically not yakiniku and more like dons, but hey, the orders are pretty tasty. They tend to be a little pricier for what you get, but the meat quality is good! They also opened not a month before the whole shelter-in-place happened, unfortunately.

Desserts / Snacks

TeaTop
PMT, generally open 11:30 to 18 every day
My favorite pmt shop in terms of good tea and good pearls. Nothing much more to say than that.

MandRo Teahouse
Desserts and drinks, generally open 12 to 20 Thursdays to Sundays
Who knew mango sago could taste so good?? They also have some rocking bingsoo, but getting that as takeout seems a little risky. (Their other drinks are…just okay. Just go for the sago.)
Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea
PMT, generally open 12 to 20 every day, order online
fruit tea fruit tea fruit tea. okay, well, their milk tea is good too, but also, fruit tea.

San Jose / Santa Clara, California

Too large of an area, so there’s just a few I want to specifically call out!

Demiya
Japanese, order online from 11:30 to 12:30, 17:30 to 18:30 for pickup. Closed Mondays (both locations), Tuesday lunches (Saratoga location), and Wednesday dinners (both locations)
I wouldn’t be Moshi if I didn’t put this on the list. Japanese curry makes everything better. The nice thing for ordering online is there is no line to wait. You could also order extra sauce to split the meal into two, wow!
Chicken Meets Rice
Hainanese chicken, generally open 11 to 20 every day
It can’t compare to Singapore’s markets, but it’s pretty dang close. It’s already perfecty sized for takeout, so…just get it takeout.

Afuri Ramen + Dumpling
Japanese, generally open 11:30 to 20 every day
Yuzu ramen? Yuzu ramen. Portions are smaller, but surprisingly filling. This is more of the “refreshing” kind of ramen that’s perfect for the summer. They also have tsukemen too!
Hi Pot
Sichuan, generally open 11 to 13:45, 17 to 19 every day
Dry pot, but in smaller, more individual portions than General Pot above. They also have a good mix of other dishes other than dry pot, but of those I’ve only had the beef noodle soup (which is decent! but nothing too special.) Their “變態” spicy will make you regret it twice.

1 Oz Coffee
Coffee, generally open 8 to 17, every day
I spend too much of my money here getting coffee, oh no

There’s obviously a lot more restaurants out there that I frequent that are not on this list, but it’s just a few that I’ve liked a lot! No matter what you choose, please take care and stay safe.