Little Joe's Express

Little Joe's is the sleeper neighborhood restaurant. A very unassuming sliver of what appears to be your run-of-the-mill greasy Chinese spoon establishment actually turns out some fantastic Cantonese cuisine.

With a 5 year old, our standard test Chinese fare (to see where this particular restaurant falls on our scale) is fairly, well, standard, but they are executed well here.

The house special fried rice comes with diced bbq pork, sections of chicken thigh meat, slices of beef, and 3 or 4 large prawns. The dish isn't too greasy, didn't taste of stale cooking oil, and doesn't leave a pool of oil on the plate, which means the chef is cooking with high heat and a swift hand.

Cashew nut chicken and broccoli beef are our other yardstick dishes, and Little Joe's are served with satisfyingly fresh ingredients. The cashew chicken had evenly cooked vibrant zucchini, celery, and a few button mushroom halves. No old, yellowed celery stems or squishy squash past it's prime, and a very generous scattering of cashews that didn't force us to ration each scoop.

The beef with broccoli had tons of fresh, crisp broccoli (almost too crisp, could have used 30 seconds more cooking time!) And thankfully, slices of tender beef that hadn't been given the usual Cantonese treatment of baking soda to puff it up. I'm not a fan of pillowy puffy beef so they win points for leaving the beef and chicken unadulterated!

The establishment is small and very bare-bones; we ate under a flourescent light with a tv showing a sportsball game so the gemütlichkeit, or ambiance was not supreme, but the food was done very well and we knew what to expect. Take-out seems to be the preferred way of enjoying their food, but don't be dissuaded by their sparse dining room!

If you are hungry for gourmet Chinese food, and you need to feed a family of hungry little monsters on the fly, Little Joe's Express is just the place for you. I was driving kid #1 home from music class when I got a call from mom to pick up dinner ASAP. I pulled over and made an order on the convenient Mealkeyway app, and 10 minutes later I was on my way home with two bags of piping hot food. Conveniently located on Encinal near Franklin Park, the owner is an absolute sweetheart of a man. Food is 10/10 on the delicious meter. Picky eater #2 absolutely loved the wonton soup. Little Joe's is my family's new go-to for Chinese takeout!

Little Joe's Express offers a quick and flavorsome culinary journey, with a diverse menu that caters to various tastes, ensuring a satisfying dining experience.

Best for take out, great food we had Sweet and Sour soup, Spring rolls, pork fried rice, crispy chicken and garlic chow mien noodles.

Fast, friendly & good food. I tried what the server recommended: Prawn in lobster sauce chow fun; it was good!

I had a delicious dishes and wonderful series. Transition Chinese style food. Thanks

My coworkers and I ordered a large amount of food today from this place and it was absolutely delicious. It was so tasty. I ordered fried prawns, chicken fried rice and shrimp chow mein. I can’t stop eating. I highly recommend Little Joe. The owners are very nice. Delivery was seamless. We will be ordering again.

Little Joe's Express serves up delicious, fast, and affordable meals in a cozy and inviting atmosphere.

Wow I’m surprised
My shrimp fried rice was delicious

Mistral Restaurant and Bar offers a top-notch dining experience with impeccable service and delicious food.

I found this place using a Google search. Omg it is amazing. A tiny place but not hard to find, easy parking, everyone is so nice inside, fast service and......the food was fantastic. Soooo good. I will definitely be back.

Great food and great prices. People are very polite and understanding when I came in to pick up my order 5 min before closing (I do apologize for that). This is my go to place for Chinese food in alameda area now.

Small on inside reasonable prices and they have the best sesame chicken soon freakin good. I order here whenever I'm in Alameda area. Only thing is it's takeout only.

Great place to get amazing Chinese food. Real authentic experience and at a great price. This place is by far, hands down, our go to Chinese place. The waitress is amazing and super nice you'll have a hard time not smiling back. What else is there to say?

Delicious, take out only.

My favorite chinese in the east bay! Can't go wrong with the prawns&string beans or the sesame chicken. Everything is always super fresh. Unassuming little hole in the wall with delicious food and great prices.

Shrimp fried rice was delicious. So happy to find a great take out again!

Very good family style chinese cooking. Nothing fancy and prices are reasonable. Dine in or takeout. Friendly family run place. Will give ordering recommendations and suggest dishes you can trust. Street parking. No restrooms.

Cleanest hole in the wall joint. Check out my pic of the silverware. The tables are squeaky clean. Service is super sweet and attentive. My new fave local Chinese food spot!

Great neighborhood Chinese food joint with fantastic service