chinese food stall at Berkeley BART?

February 9, 2008 2:50 PM

Can anyone confirm or deny the current existence of that Chinese food stall that used to be parked outside the Downtown Berkeley BART station - it was green and red/pink at one point, earlier than that pink and red - which serves these amazing, incredible dumplings (pork, shrimp or chicken)? Is it still there?
posted by luriete to food & drink (12 comments total)

20 years ago it was there every day; 10 years ago it was there pretty regularly; I haven't been back to check in awhile.
posted by luriete at 2:51 PM on February 9, 2008

I haven't seen it in years. I went there occasionally when I was in school from '95–'99 (B-High represent!). I don't have any good info on when it disappeared, though I seem to remember it there through at least '99.
posted by wemayfreeze at 2:54 PM on February 9, 2008

Oh how I loved those dumplings. I always called it the Chinese Fire Department because it was painted red and the O's were missing on the "CHINESE F D" sign.
posted by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:22 PM on February 9, 2008

I'm downtown most weekdays, and there are no food vendors by the BART station (and haven't been for years and years.)
posted by Zed_Lopez at 5:07 PM on February 9, 2008

Seconding Zed: I've lived in Berkeley for three years now and haven't seen any non-storefront food vendors outside of BART.
posted by samthemander at 5:29 PM on February 9, 2008

The last time I saw it it was up by Sather Gate - but that was back in 1995. Haven't seen it since.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 6:24 PM on February 9, 2008

Attended Berkeley from 97-01, never saw/heard of it.

There WERE always cart vendors outside of Sather Gate -- Chinese, Smoothie, Falalfel -- and I just realized I'm not even sure they're there any more.

Maybe they left with Eddie the Drummer.
posted by fishfucker at 7:16 PM on February 9, 2008

Yeah, it's not there any more. Just to add a little extra information: my favorite East Bay dumplings are at Jade Villa in Oakland, so if you want your dim sum fix, you might give them a try. Not the same, I know.
posted by L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg at 7:26 PM on February 9, 2008

Last time I saw it was '96.
posted by humannaire at 8:05 PM on February 9, 2008

Not in at least 15 years (I am 28).
posted by parmanparman at 1:39 AM on February 10, 2008

Went there from 2003-2006 and just came back from visiting there this weekend, never saw any cart vendors in front of BART.
posted by vocpanda at 7:36 PM on February 10, 2008

I heard that Jade VIlla closed. My wife suffered bad cramps there once, fell down and was hospitalized at Alta Bates for 5 days before having a chunk of her pancreas and her gallbladder removed (something about rancid grease). I used to love the dim sum there when I was a kid, but haven't been back since her experience and heard that it closed about 6 months ago.

Too bad. I grew up in the area and moved away to go to college in 1989. It was there for several years after when I went back to visit my folks and I'd stop from time to time.

I used to stop by maybe 3x a week and get 3 pork dumplings, after about 2 years of that the lady knew me well enough to greet me and know what I wanted and she'd have em in a greasy little paper bag before I even had my wallet out. Went back in 1992 or 93 and she still remembered me and asked why I hadn't been back in so long.

Thanks everybody!
posted by luriete at 6:25 PM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]