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    Inshou Cafe

    3.2 (387 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Order Inshou Cafe Takeout or Delivery

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    INSHOU CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Happy hour specials
    Good for kids

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    Fish ball soup
    William T.

    Inshou Cafe brings true Hong Kong comfort food to Austin, and it's as legit as it gets. We stopped in on a chilly day and ordered the fish ball noodle soup -- the broth was warm and flavorful, and the noodles were exactly what you want in a bowl like that. Simple, satisfying, and done right. We also tried the dim sum sampler, which was perfect for a little variety: two har gow, two shumai, and one BBQ pork bao. Each item tasted fresh and traditional -- exactly the kind of dim sum you hope for when you're craving the classics. To round things out, we had hot milk teas, and they were spot on. Rich, warm, and nostalgic. The service was quick and the location was easy to find in the strip mall. Nothing fancy, nothing overworked -- just solid Hong Kong café staples that hit the mark. We'll definitely be back.

    Pineapple bun
    Grace M.

    After reading other reviews we must've just missed the mark in terms of ordering food. Therefore giving 2 stars, as we are the choosers of our own destiny. We tried the pork ribs, pineapple bun with ice butter, and the wonton noodle soup. The pineapple bun was tasty and they give plenty of butter but the entrees both tasted "off". The wonton soup, smelled like bad water or something and ultimately gave me a really bad stomach ache. I took the leftovers home but ended up trashing them again after smelling the container. Hard to explain the smell but it was "old." I will not be returning

    outside
    Amy Y.

    Inshou Cafe is a quiet Cantonese cafe in a quiet Asian plaza. I came here mainly for their happy hour menu, available between 2:30-6pm (extra charge if you take out), which isn't too much of a significant cost saving to be honest. They also have a breakfast menu and a dim sum menu that they don't advertise really well. I do like that their drinks are cheaper while being tasty. - Fish Paste Noodle Soup Plain vermicelli in a simple subtle wonton soup with fish tofu. Make this yourself from 99 Ranch. It won't make you full, but the amount of vermicelli is above average. - Pork & Preserved Egg Porridge On the bland side but that's okay since I like to add chili oil (theirs is pretty flavorful and garlicky). The porridge is comforting and comes in a big bowl, so I would get this again from the happy hour menu. It had a good amount of pork and preserved egg pieces, though I wish the egg pieces were bigger. It was more watery than thick. - Spicy Salt & Pepper Tofu Freshly fried small pieces of tofu tossed with salt, pepper, jalapeno pieces, and garlic. Inside was hot and soft, and exterior was softly crunchy with a little chew, so pretty good with a lot of pieces. - Spicy Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings They had a good hard crunch, were hot and juicy, but in the end they're kind of expensive chicken wings! I like that they came with extra garlic crunchy bits. - Milk Tea Delicious milky HK tea, not too strong or sweet but it was amazing for $2. - Lemon Tea I really liked this! The tea and lemon flavor were strong, and it's another good pick for $2 from the happy hour menu. It comes with a couple slices of muddled fresh lemon! I love how the ice came in crunchy small bits - I think it helped these drinks a lot. For Hong Kong/Cantonese cuisine, it's a bit expensive and nowhere near the caliber of food from Chinatown, but the service was kind, it was quaint and quiet, and the interior was pretty clean.

    Curry Beef
    Tim G.

    This is a to star restaurant. They serve authentic Hong Kong style Chinese food. They put lots of effort into the food. If you really taste and look at the food in details, they were never oily. Everything we have order has always come out the way they are supposed to. Porridge was smooth with the rice completely melted. Milk tea was brewed correctly and traditionally. The ribs were clean and tasty, not full of sauce or oil. Just nice and clean food. You cannot go wrong eating here and I highly recommend anyone to try this place if you're in the bay area.

    Teresa N.

    I have had this dish, hk style baked pork chop rice from different places for like a hundred times in my life. Their tomato sauce tastes way off, it's like half tomato sauce and half pepper sauce, on top of that they put a lot celery in the sauce. Very weird flavor. Other than that the pork chop is good. 3 stars for that.

    Pan Fried Rice Sheet Roll with Dried Shrimp
    Elayna N.

    Solid Hong Kong style cafe! We came on a random week night and made it in time for happy hour. There was no wait and got seated right away. We ordered a bunch of different things. Poore and preserved egg porridge 4/5 Delicious and tasty porridge. They also give you a lot considering it was happy hour. Took the other half home. Pan fried rice noodles 4/5 Perfectly pan fried and tasty. Went well with the sauces. Wish I had asked for more hoisin sauce. It is kind of expensive for what you get though. Chicken wings 4/5 Chicken wings are juicy and fried perfectly. Has a nice crunch. They also season these well so you don't need the sauce that I did not really like. French fries 3/5 Standard fries. I drowned them in ketchup. Mini crispy chicken over rice 3.5/5 This was pretty tasty and the sauce wasn't super over powering. Perfect amount for a meal. Wouldn't say it's the cheapest thing on the happy hour menu though. We also got the happy hour milk tea and lemon tea. Both were good and they let us take home the extra. Overall, I'm excited to come back and try more things here. I especially want to try the breakfast specials. If you are craving Hong Kong cafe food, you need to stop by!

    Pork ribs in black bean sauce over rice
    Elaine Y.

    YES! Finally a place that makes the porridge I grew up with in San Francisco!! Got to try this place with the kids and I'm so glad we got to try it - it's HK style - a bit of comfort food for those of us who miss Cantonese food! We started with the pork and preserved egg porridge and I was SO HAPPY - the pork was tender and there WAS pork... but the big plus for me was the preserved egg. So many other places give so little and the yolk melts into the porridge so you don't get much of the preserved egg. This place provides CHUNKS so everyone gets it with their serving. And the consistency was the way I like it. Everyone has a preference - I like mine a little thicker - not soupy which this place served it that way. This is definitely our go to for rice porridge!! And we added the chinese donut - a bit decadent but totally worth it! :) We got the pan fried rice sheet roll - it came with a sesame and hoisin sauce. It was tasty - especially with the sauce - and you get quite a bit. Crunchy on the outside - chewy on the inside. Flavor was mild so you definitely needed the dipping sauce. I'm used to it at dim sum places where the rice sheet roll is flavored so it was a nice change. We also go the Fish Combo Rice Noodle soup - I have to say - it was okay - not something I would order again but I'm glad I tried it. There was definitely chunks of white fish but flavor was lacking a bit. They give you something you can add on top - but it was spicy as heck. And the Rice Noodles were a bit overcooked so too mushy for me... A hit with everyone was the pork ribs in black bean sauce over rice! MEATY and flavorful pork ribs in a mild black bean sauce! Demolished this dish - and brought back so many memories. But the pork was huge and meaty which was nice. Not like the kind you get at dim sum - definitely dinner worthy dish. Am definitely coming back to try more dishes! Nice to have a HK style cafe that serves dishes I grew up with!

    Pork Chop Cutlet Plate Shumai with Pork and Shrimp and HK Cold Milk Tea
    Monica C.

    3.5 Yelp Stars *** My colleagues and I tried Inshou Cafe's dim sum many times because our patient was a regular here and would bring us take out every few weeks. The patient ordered lots of siu mai, shrimp dumplings, xiao loong bao, bbq pork buns, and rice noodles. Their siu mai was my favorite! Finally took my family here a few weeks ago! I wanted their siu mai since it was tasty, so I thought the other cafe food here would be just as good. I ordered the pork chop with meat sauce that many people talked about on Yelp! I expected the orange tomato paste meat sauce, but it was more similar to a salty pepper meat sauce. Not what I wanted. Same goes for their spaghetti. My husband and I prefer the tomato paste instead. Siu mai was good but it cost slightly more than regular dim sum restaurants in SF or DC since it only came with three pieces. 15 minutes for all dim sum orders as they were made after placing the order. Inshou Cafe had a happy hour menu where the regular entrees were mini plates for a few bucks cheaper, and HK milk tea and iced lemon tea was cheaper too! The HK milk tea was authentic and very good. Iced lemon tea was decent but not the best. They charge more for to-go drinks. The service was pretty quick! We went on a weekday in the middle of the week. It was not crowded and plenty of tables. They also play HK pop songs so it did remind me of some cafes in HK. This restaurant was situated inside a plaza that was not too busy with lots of parking in the lot. Not my favorite HK cafe. I would rather stick to my usual ones in SF.

    U can't get more HONG KONG then this
    Moni.live To Eat L.

    Amazing quality and friendly price ! Try their happy hour and order 10 dishes. Try them all

    Christopher T.

    This is my 4X here in 2 yrs in a row. I only came up here during Thanksgiving for family visit. And was craving for good dim sum, wonton noodle, congee, dumplings and soy milk w/ Chinese donut. This place got it all and at really reasonable prices. They also have beers and sake too. If I don't have to visit my family, I would be there for breakfast (congee, dim sum, soy milk w/ donuts), lunch (everything else w/ milk tea or beers), dinner wonton noodle soup, dumplings and sake). Service is better than I expected and fast too. I ordered and within 10mins, our foods came out. The places is in a strip mall so minimum decor but simple & clean cut. I would definitely come back again and again whenever I'm in the areas or within 30mins drives. Yeah I like the place more than I can say.

    Rou Bing, youtiao, red bean mochi ball

    Very very yummy and authentic. We had to catch a flight right after and the worker super fast to get us serviced once hear it. The staff are also very helpful

    Pork skillet with gravy.

    Not impressed. I ordered pork and preserved egg congee and the pork bits tasted old. Then I ordered the skillet pork chop to take home and attached is what a $22.00 pork chop plate with gravy looks like - not worth it.

    Wonton soup

    This was close to our hotel so we thought we give it a try. It is a casual place with great service. The waitress let us know that if we wanted to dimsum to order it first because it could take 20 mins so that was nice. We ordered the soup dumplings, hargow, wonton soup and the beef brisket noodle off their set menu and they were able to substitute the rice noodle for egg noodles. The ice milk tea was a nice presentation. Overall we enjoyed the food. We came on Saturday when it just opened but when we left the place was busy.

    Best service ever!

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    Food was acceptable when you crave Hong Hong style 'cha chaan teng' dishes. They offer enough options of most popular items.

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    Inshou Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

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    Dynasty BBQ

    Dynasty BBQ

    4.5
    (370 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    Parking is limited and difficult to find. There are some lots but a block or so away. Noise level…read morewas average loud. It also does get pretty busy so definitely look to call or get on that waitlist ahead of time. Food was served pretty quickly and thoroughly cooked. So yummy. Everything was flavorful and juicy and tender. Good attention to detail for the skewers. They had designators to differentiate the different items. Tap to pay isn't accepted. Overall, Dynasty BBQ has some delicious food.

    Craving protein? This spot has got you covered for seasoned skewers over a warmed plate…read more I came here on a Saturday evening and there was no wait! I came with a friend and got seated immediately. In terms of service, there wasn't too much interaction with the staff since you order via QR code, but they will come over and put your receipt on the surface of the table and check off your items as they bring them out. Initially, my friend and I thought they grilled the skewers on the plate at the table; however, it comes pre-cooked and grilled, and the plate itself is there to keep your food warm. I looked under, and it's "powered" by a bunch of tea candles. Between both of us, we ordered some skewers of enoki mushrooms (which was my favorite, super tender and flavorful), some beef skewers, a beef skewer with lychee (super unique), beef tongue (a bit tough for my liking), and chicken skin (extremely crispy, somewhat hard to pull off the skewer). I want to call out again the beef with lychee since this was an item I do not see often. It was interesting because the beef was seasoned well and when combined with the lychee, it added a refreshing note; however, the lychee's textural profile was similar to fatty beef, which personally threw me off a bit as someone who tends not to like fatty cuts (if you are a fan though, you'll like this). Overall, this spot is an okay place to check out if you're in the area. Parking in this area of San Mateo is limited, but the restaurant itself has a lot of tables, so it can be good for bigger parties.

    Photos
    Tables
    Tables
    Garlic skewer
    Garlic skewer
    Enoki skewer

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    Enoki skewer
    Cheung Hing

    Cheung Hing

    3.2
    (427 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Hands down the best Cheung Hing around. Dining here is good because the location is a fair size,…read moreclean and bright. Service is always consistent and the servers are friendly. Recently I stopped to pick-up dinner with the plan to have leftovers. I called my order in and was quoted 40 minutes for my order to be ready. My order consisted of salted fish and chicken fried rice (this location has the best around SF and the peninsula), bitter melon beef, chicken chow mein, Thai style fried vermicelli (my favorite dish here), salt and pepper chicken wings. We also received a complimentary bbq pork fried rice. Everything was fantastic and we had plenty of leftovers for a few days.

    San Mateo location, my usual favorite Chinese food…read more Won ton soup - might've been the first time I've ordered it here. Felt like having won ton soup to help a cold and cough. Big won ton filled w pork and shrimp. Bok choy Broth not much flavor, in a separate container since this was a take-home order. Curry Beef Stew I've never had Curry beef stew before, prefer chicken, curry, but for some odd reason, I decided to order this dish. It was underwhelming and I won't order it again. The Curry sauce itself was OK but the big long pieces of beef were somewhat gross, lots of fat. They added plenty of slices to onions and a few pieces of green pepper and Julienned carrots, but that's about it for being called a stew. So I learned my lesson by not sticking to my usual order, and won't order wonton soup or curry beef stew again.

    Photos
    The large dining room with ample capacity.
    The large dining room with ample capacity.
    Pineapple bun
    Pineapple bun
    Cheung Hing

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    Ox 9 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles

    Ox 9 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles

    4.3
    (712 reviews)
    2.7 mi
    $$
    Established in 2012
    Family-owned & operated

    Needed a lunch spot that wasn't a three hour wait (lol Whisper) - and this place seemed to call to…read moreus. Upon entering, I noticed that it is a sister restaurant to the Lazhou Noodles but before we could change our minds, the hostess sat us (lol). I went with the main beef noodle soup, and we also tried the dry noodles with spicy beef. I was expecting the food to be very similar to their sister restaurant - BUT the food here was so much better I was SO surprised. The broth tasted better, the noodles were higher quality, and the beef was also much more tender and had less gristle. it made me wonder if it was a fluke or if this location was just that much better as this restaurant was also much more crowded versus the other locations. I can't wait to come back and bring friends, and though San Mateo is parking is not as friendly, the food experience definitely makes up for it!

    Met my BIL for lunch on an early Friday afternoon. He had recommended this place for a while and I…read morewas finally able to slip out of work to meet up with him. This was a style of Chinese that I had not tried...and I like it. I had the Spicy Ground Pork Dry Noodles and it was fantastic. Very spicy and very delicious. The Bok Choy really complemented the ground pork and noodles. I was quite impressed. I've eaten Cantonese, Mandarin, Hakka and Hong Kong style, but this was different. I am definitely going back some a bowl of hellfire. Now, for your viewing pleasure, the pics.

    Photos
    Features on SF Chronicle- the best bay ever in San Mateo!
    Features on SF Chronicle- the best bay ever in San Mateo!
    Proud to be featured on EATER SF in April 2023, the 25 must try essential restaurants in South Bay!
    Proud to be featured on EATER SF in April 2023, the 25 must try essential restaurants in South Bay!
    Chili Oil w/ Wide Noodles

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    Chili Oil w/ Wide Noodles
    Little Shanghai Restaurant

    Little Shanghai Restaurant

    3.6
    (748 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    If you are looking for a spot that carries the "Shanghai native" approved restaurant, this is one…read moreof it. I've visited many times, and the consistency of the authentic flavors keeps me coming back. The menu is a deep dive into Shanghainese classics. My personal recommendations: ​The Staples: You can't go wrong with the Xiao Long Bao, Stir-Fry Rice Cakes, and the Sweet Spare Ribs. The Spicy Pickled Stomach and the Small Shrimp are favorites of mine. Their Cold Noodles and Yellow Croaker are excellent representations of the cuisine. ​If you visit during the week, check out their lunch specials. ​Service & Timing The kitchen is generally quite efficient. While a few specific items might take a bit longer to prep, most dishes arrive at the table surprisingly fast. Just be prepared for a crowd--it gets very busy during the lunch rush! ​There is a small, limited parking lot behind the restaurant, but it fills up fast. ​If there is an event at the San Mateo Event Center, street parking becomes very challenging. Plan to arrive a few minutes early or visit on a non-event day to save yourself the headache. Whether you're a fan of traditional Shanghai comfort food or just looking for a solid Chinese lunch, this place is a must-visit. It's officially approved by my friends from Shanghai, which is the highest praise a restaurant can get!

    Prices have definitely gone up, but portions are still solid and the food was tasty overall…read more However, the service felt very rushed and a bit stressful. We were approached almost immediately after sitting down, and even after asking for a few minutes to look at the menu, the waiter kept coming back quickly, which made the experience feel pressured. We ordered pan fried buns and stir fried string beans, plus complimentary peanuts that were a nice touch. The waiter also recommended a "Chinese broccoli with beef" that wasn't on the menu, which felt a bit unusual. The restaurant was quite crowded with very close seating, so the ambience felt lively but cramped. Overall, good food, but the rushed service and tight seating affected the experience. :(

    Photos
    Take out portions
    Take out portions
    Pig's ear with five spice
    Pig's ear with five spice
    Pork Knuckles In Soy Sauce (eaten)

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    Pork Knuckles In Soy Sauce (eaten)

    Inshou Cafe - chinese - Updated July 2026

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