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    Kukui Cafe

    4.2 (63 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Kukui Cafe Photos

    KUKUI CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Kukui Cafe

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    Menu (1/2022)
    Andy F.

    You know you're in the right place when there's people queueing outside and a majority of people eating are speaking Cantonese! It's been a very long time since I last dined in at Kukui Cafe, and wow, the food is even more amazing compared to takeout and everything is ultra efficient. Classic Hong Kong Style Cafe. Inside was clean and bright. It's a small place with about 8 tables, but can accommodate a table of 10 as I witnessed. Servers don't really understand Mandarin that well, so I told my wife, "I got this!" Ngau Laam Hor Funn, Fu Gwaa Ngau Yuk Faan, Yeet Naai Cha. Beef Stew with Lok Funn in Soup was excellent. The broth was spot on--clean, savory, clear broth with Shanghai Bok Choy and a scoop of tender and flavorful braised beef brisket and tendon. The meat and sauce were just right. Hearty and tasty with the familiar hints of star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, etc. The Funn was very good. Thin cut with the right amount of chew. Beef with Bittermelon was very good. Solid wok heat. Spot on flavors of black bean and oyster sauce. Tender beef slices and well prepared and well handled Bittermelon that was cooked just enough to maintain its freshness and remove some of the bitterness. Hot Milk Tea was good! Definitely the best one I've had recently. Perfect tea to milk ratio that was overly steeped in tea and not sweet. The Crystal Sugar with White Fungus was really good. I recommend it, especially for this hot and sticky weather. White fungus supposed help your body cool down too! The drink was cool, flavorful, and perfectly sweetened. It maintained its taste even with the ice melting. Overall, I'm a fan of Kukui Cafe. I wish I came here more often when I was growing up instead of every dim sum restaurant in Chinatown lol. Food was spot on. Excellent service. The food came out quite fast, but cooked thoroughly, properly handled, and had wok heat. I like the fact everything is served in disposable containers, so if you need to take it home, just ask for the lid! If you're finished, just throw it in the trash can outside! Easy and effici

    Bitter-melon Chicken with Black Bean Sauce: 5/5
    Huiya Z.

    Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Kukui cafe has been a stable location throughout my childhood. I've grown up eating at Kukui cafe at least once a week. A chill sit down cafe and hidden gem. Beef Brisket Noodles: 5/5 Beef Brisket is slow cooked and very flavorful. Broth is perfect! Bittermelon Chicken with Black Bean Sauce: 5/5 Might be an acquired taste. I love this dish. It hits the spot every time. Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings: 5/5 I order the salt & pepper chicken wings every time I go to Kukui cafe. DELICIOUS. Honey Lemon: 3/5 Little too sweet to my liking

    Facing Kukui St. right next to the Nuuanu River
    Gerald P.

    Hole in the wall, Cafe next to the Nuuanu River on Kukui St, behind the Chinese Cultural Center. Went to visit , based on their good reviews, on their Hong Kong style noodles & dishes.Had to wait for a table, as the dining room is very small. Maybe 6 tables seating 12 -15 people. They serve breakfast from 8am from the pics on the wall. American fare. Have a good variety of Hong Kong style noodles, soups & drinks. Friendly female server, male behind the counter& well trained Chinese chefs in the Kitchen.The won ton noodle soap was very tasty with a lot of homemade won tons, Bok choy & noodles. Their salt & pepper chicken wing had a unique taste, well seasoned ,3 scoops of rice & shredded cabbage to make a bed for the wings. All food served in disposable bowls & containers & plastic containers. Ice water served in paper cups. Condiments stored on a self service station. No frills, delicious food! Total came to : Cash only $ 35.00 We'll go back again when in the Chinatown area.

    Singapore Rice Noodle (co-worker's lunch)
    Donna O.

    Kukui Cafe is one of my Coworker's go to spot when she doesn't have any home lunch. She goes there often and can speak Cantonese so she able to help me with my order when I request for no bean sprouts, eggs or add ons. She said their food reminded her of back home in Hong Kong. This little place is busy with local Chinese regulars. There may be a wait to get a table. One time with Yelp friends, we did get a table right away as a family left. It was the first time having the shredded pork with Szechuan pickled noodles in soup (no bean sprouts) and it was so delicious and it always better having it right there at the restaurant! The noodles came out piping hot and the pork was so tender! Really tender that some places don't compare. Another favorite of mines was the shredded pork over crispy noodles. There's a lot of pork and shiitake mushrooms! I love crispy noodles and it's kept separate when doing a take out! I used to love Singapore noodles until I couldn't have shrimps but recently I was craving for it and my coworker was able to request no shrimp but sub for chicken and no egg . It had ham inside too and it was delicious with onions! Theirs was a bit spicier than others places, but it was spicy good although I couldn't bring home to share with mom since she can't have spicy foods. I ordered the Hong Kong style French toast for a friend and that looked good. Crispy chicken with salt and pepper is not bad and tasty. The pork sandwich was good and you can get a combo with a drink. I love their hot or iced Honey lemon tea. The cup was filled with lemon slices! Refreshing and I love lemons in my drink! So this restaurant is on River St in the back of the Chinatown Cultural Plaza. If you know where Royal kitchen is, it's two doors away and next to Kevin's drive inn! I wouldn't have tried this place if it wasn't for my coworker! Whenever she offered to pick up, I always jumped in to order from here especially now I have some favorites!

    Rebecca T.

    Very popular spot among the local Chinese here! It serves some decent Hong Kong café style (Cantonese) food in this small shop. Got to try the preserved veggie shredded pork rice noodle soup. It's got some good flavors and aroma albeit its small size. As this is a popular spot and small space, there's a little wait even on a weekday morning! Lots of noodles dishes to choose from in the menu. Great spot to come to if you like Hong Kong café style food (a lot of noodle dishes with a mixed of Asianized western items).

    Menu
    Nadine C.

    Lunch in Honolulu, Hawaii... Because metered street parking is free on Sundays, my friends and I went to Kukui Cafe in Chinatown this past Sunday. Located at the end of Cultural Plaza, on the corner of Kukui Street and the Waolani Stream (also known as "the canal"), I've passed by Kukui Cafe so many times, but have never gone inside. Donna said her friend really likes the Hong Kong Style cuisine at this cozy hole-in-the-wall. Angel said her parents dine here a lot. Must be good, right? When we got there, every table was taken. We waited for a family to leave and took their spot. Service was quick and Angel helped by speaking Cantonese to our server. She asked for the Red Vinegar condiment for all of us. I ordered #40: Sze Chuan Pickle with pork Rice Noodles in soup. It was perfect for an overcast, drizzly day. The pork was tender and the pickles added a nice flavored texture. Red vinegar was a plus on the noodles! I kept looking at Angel's wonton min. That's one of my favorite dishes. So - I went back a few days later to get it! Yum! There was a shrimp in each dumpling! The noodles were nice and chewy! The broth was still steaming when I finished my meal! Bonus: I was able to ask for the Red vinegar in English. I failed when they told me my check amount in Cantonese. I should have known that number! Anyway, I sure would return for more Hong Kong cuisine!

    cafe sign
    Angel H.

    My parents used to frequent this place before the pandemic. My dad loves the milk tea. I personally have never been here until this past week. Auntie Nadine suggested we come here after stopping by Lemon Supply. Irene and Donna also came along. Thanks Auntie for taking us here. It's a hole in the wall take out place. They do have a few tables, but it's small. Mostly everyone that came in spoke Cantonese. If you're looking for authentic Chinese food this place is it. They're known for their drinks, especially the milk tea. Since we just came from Lemon Supply, we didn't get any. I ended up getting the wonton mein. The wontons were really good. They were big and filled with pork and a piece of shrimp. I was a little disappointed that they didn't use the HK type of skinny noodles. It was the regular Sun noodles that everyone serves. I ate it with red vinegar and it was perfect. They serve it with bok choy, but I prefer choy sum. They only accept cash, so bring money!

    Outside
    Irene M.

    Brunch with my besties is always a fun adventure! Here we go to Kukui Cafe...!? It's at the farthest corner end of Chinatown Cultural Plaza as it doesn't even seem it's part of that building which I've probably passed before but haven't noticed it as the signage is quite small and faded but those who know knows it's the place to go. I believe it was Donna who had suggested here so along with Angel and Nadine I happily tagged along for the adventure as I've never been here before but was so excited to see what they have to offer. This is quite small because as we got there we were lucky enough that some folks were leaving but had to wait outside in order for them to have room to leave, and this cozy place has about five tables that aren't socially distanced for those that may hope for but we all sat and didn't mind that at all. Let me tell you it's definitely different in an interesting way...first of all they do offer the traditional local breakfast of rice, eggs and meat..."Sandwiches" like Butter Toast, BLT, Deep Fried French Toast along with traditional dishes using Rice Noodles, Funn, Macaroni, Mein or Spaghetti. Hong Kong style dishes is very new to me and was just fascinated with the familiar items with a slight twist is fun. Ladies ordered the Sze churn Pickle with Pork Rice Noodles in Soup which look like a stir fry noodle soup, loaded with veggies this hearty dish looked so yummy! Also Won Ton Mein in Soup was in my radar but thanks to Angel my translator savior asked an sadly has shrimp in them so here I go to plan B. I really wanted to try something different but kept it familiar so I got the Beef with Vegetable Chow Funn which usually comes with Choi Sum which they were out of and offered Bok Choy instead...not a problem as it was still perfectly yummy! The gravy was not salty just the right amount of flavor though food coma was approaching me fast! This adorable little nook keeps this corner of Chinatown Cultural Plaza quite busy but I'm so impressed with the friendliest staff food came out hot and fast and we enjoyed our Sunday among besties is the something I look forward to as we do have "Brunches" of fun! Thank you!

    Spam & Egg Sandwich
    Scott H.

    Best HK style cafe in the US! This place has some of the most authentic food you can find outside of Hong Kong for casual fare. The go to dish for me is the Szechuan Pickle with Pork Rice Noodles in Soup. Add some chili sauce and some white pepper and it's perfect; this dish transports me back to being a kid visiting HK. If you're dining in, there is table service. It's friendly, quick, and efficient!

    Szechuan Pickle with Pork Rice Noodles in Soup ($9.25): authentic and delightful!
    Jack W.

    === 1. VERDICT/VALUE A mini Hong Kong-style cafe located on the edge of Chinatown: it's not quite a full-fledged HK-style cafe (the breadth of the menu is smaller and there are no combos with soup and buns accompanying the dishes), but it's got some of the right bones dish-wise. The authentic tastes are worth checking out! === 2. FOOD Szechuan Pickle with Pork Rice Noodles in Soup ($9.25): those looking for authenticity (e.g. if you grew up in Hong Kong or another Asian locale) will enjoy this dish: the flavors are spot on and the ingredients right for pork, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and pickles on noodles. Pork Chop with Tomato Sauce on Rice ($9.50): normally served with spaghetti, like many Chinese places, it's readily subituted with anything else, in my case: rice. The thin pork chop was served tender covered in a non-salty tomato sauce with chopped peppers, onions, and the occaisional pineapple chunk. Lemon Tea with Grape ($4): I think it's Ribena acting as the drink; regardless, it's a refreshing drink overall unless you're a lemon tea purist! Milk Tea with Grass Jelly ($5): Not quite the sock tea some would recall from the alleys of Hong Kong, but pretty good! === 3. SERVICE & ATMOSPHERE Close your eyes, pretend you're at a small HK-style cafe in Hong Kong and when you reopen your eyes, you'll be right at home, ordering in Cantonese (though English works too), seeing the single cook quickly prep your dish, and having your dish served relatively quickly with minimal interaction. Like many other places during this pandemic, there is no dine-in option; however, it looks like there is typically a number of tables that would accommodate small groups. Wheelchairs and strollers may struggle initially given the stairs nearby and close quarters, but they could get in here. A number of folks stop illeagally on the street, but you're best served parking is one of the Chinese Cultural Center lots.

    Crispy noodles and lemon tea

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    1 year ago

    Why are they temporarily closed? I loved their fried rice and the owner is really friendly.

    Business owner information

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    2 years ago

    Good delicious food, awesome service. Wonderful people, great energy food is delicious.

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    2 years ago

    Good food. Fair prices. And I enjoy the drinks too. It also helps that it's close by.

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    4 years ago

    It was so good . Best wings and fried rice and I get the hot noodle soup with stew beef and choy sum! Friendly workers.

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    Ask the Community - Kukui Cafe

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    Yi Xin Cafe - Teddy bear iced milk tea

    Yi Xin Cafe

    4.4(470 reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$
    Takes reservations
    Catering service

    Still one of our favorite restaurants! Located in market city next to Cafe Kaila and Earls…read moreSanwiches. They've gotten busier too so if you want to guarantee a spot call ahead to make reservations! Some of our favorite dishes.. beef chow fun, eggplant long beans, shrimp crackers appetizer, pork cheeks appetizer, sizzling beef black bean platter, all of the curries and rice, shrimp dishes.... So many favorites! We have so many favorites it's hard to try new things here. We recently tried the honey walnut shrimp and it was good big shrimps fried perfectly with honey sauce and it's on top of potato chips so you get a little bonus of honey chips too! That was definitely a nice surprise and something different from any other restaurant. Service here is always great! We ordered and not even 5 minutes later our food was already coming out. They always come by to fill your water and check on you, They have their own men and women's bathroom located in the back which is clean. Their ac is nice and strong so nice on a hot day to enjoy good food and escape from the heat.

    Second time, and service and food was no better than my first visit…read more This time I had the shrimp won ton noodle soup. Noodles and soup were average, but the wonton tasted like they low quality frozen items that were well past their expiration date. Very pasty, seems partially deteriorated, and very bland tasting. Elected not to eat any of them after one bite. What a lousy meal for nearly $18! You would think that they would hand make their wontons like other local Chinese restaurants. I will not come here ever again.

    Photos
    Yi Xin Cafe
    Yi Xin Cafe - Szechun spicy JJ chicken pot

    Szechun spicy JJ chicken pot

    Yi Xin Cafe - Impressive presentation that served with sizzling sound, but the beef was too well done & on the tough side.

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    Impressive presentation that served with sizzling sound, but the beef was too well done & on the tough side.

    Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant - Stuffed bittermelon

    Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant

    3.8(550 reviews)
    2.7 miMo'ili'ili
    $$

    Time for an update as I realized my last review of Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant dates back to…read more2014. I used to come here all the time with my coworkers for lunch, as Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant was just a hop, skip, & jump away from my office. Through the years, the business & location hasn't changed, but if I'm correct, I owners of the business have changed hands several times. I remembered the last time I came here was during Covid-19 where Golden Eagle Chinese was just doing "take-out" and no dining inside was available. Since the pandemic has passed us, everything is back to normal with the exception of different owners. This past Sunday I decided to drop by the Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant to buy some steamed fish filet for my dad. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I must say not much has changed as far as the decor of the restaurant. What I did get from Golden Eagle was fast and friendly service, and a wonderfully made dish of steamed fish filet with ginger & onion (dad approved)! If you're Jonesing for Chinese food, give Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant a try!

    This is an old school Chinese restaurant that locals know about. Janey told me to meet her here…read moreand I had never been and she was surprised. It's quaint inside, but again, old school, so you'll see some boxes stacked in the corner. Janey got there first and said the man working was kinda unfriendly. But I think it was more about not knowing who we were, and like I said, lots of locals that frequent. The woman working was really nice! I just let Janey order. We started with some delicious hot n sour soup. The fried rice was really good! Loved the crispy skin duck! The gau gee mein had a great assortment of vegetables! And the sauteed choy sum(?) was good! Overall, really good local Chinese food! Though the interior is nice, it was a little warm even with the AC. The setting sun was just hitting the windows and even with the filter, it was warm. Other than that, great place to come to! Mahalo Golden Eagle!

    Photos
    Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant - Seating area

    Seating area

    Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant - Sweet and Sour spareribs

    Sweet and Sour spareribs

    Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant - Soft gau gee mein

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    Soft gau gee mein

    Lam's Kitchen - Beef Chow Fun

    Lam's Kitchen

    4.4(659 reviews)
    0.2 miChinatown
    $$

    Living on Maui, one of my favorite noodle dishes is chow fun…read more The child phone beef dish here made Maui chow look like dog poop. My girlfriend ordered the Singapore bitter melon doodle dish, and it was crazy fantastic. The melon was bitter...It was an odd flavor... But new to my pallete. Once I added hoisin sauce, it took it to the next level. I don't think I could go here every week, because the flavors would probably blend together... But once a month, 100% I am hitting this place. If you're in the area, you need to make it a point to come here. Service was on point.

    FIRST time customer - Growing up only 2 blocks away from this location 70 years ago I vividly…read morerecall walking with my POPO and mother headed into Chinatown to spend the morning shopping at the open MARKET and after to have LUNCH at either Char Hun Sut and or Tin Tin - Our favorite order was soup'n noodles , a steaming HOT bowl of "Won Ton Mein" and or "Wor Won Ton Mein" - Mmmmm - After the KAPOLEI Chinese restaurant in KAPOLEI "closed" so abruptly and PERMANENTLY I was shocked and extremely UPSET since very few "old school" Chinese restaurants here on Oahu still cook the type of dishes that my CANTONESE pallet craves and savors - Still reeling from this loss and desperate to satisfy my hunger for just a DELICIOUS bowl of "Won Ton Mein" - So desperate for this specific cuisine I went on line searching "YELP" to search for a recommendation and came across this restaurant "Lam's Kitchen" - I drove from my home in EWA Beach (West Loch Fairways Townhomes) into Chinatown in the old RIVER STREET neighborhood hoping that this restaurant would have something that would satisfy my desperate craving for a great bowl of "Won Ton Mein". I arrived at noon and was very lucky to find a metered parking spot across from the restaurant on the very first try - As I entered I noticed that the room was very crowded and that here was only ONE open table so I sat down immediately and ordered the "Won Ton Mein" as the waitress approached me with a menu - I have to note that although this restaurant was located inside of a very old building the interior was a very sharp contrast - Everything appeared fresh and modern with very basic hand built picnic type bench seating and dining tables constructed of varnished raw wood (very spartan but practical and comfortable) - The bowl of soup was of average size and appeared very sparse with not much color - There was "NO" Pork Char Sui slices, only steaming hot clear chicken broth, a clump of thin Vermicelli white opaque noodles accompanied with a few small pieces of both chopped Mustard, Napa Cabbages and slivers of Green Onions - Extremely simple and basic. There were exactly "4" individual Won Ton that were filled with a tiny chunk of SHRIMP mixed into minced PORK HASH and regular spices (basic Soy sauce and Sesame Oil) - The "won ton PI" was very thin and light and the saimin noodles were made of the same Rice Flour mixture also - The broth was hot and savory but nothing special only because it was so "bland" to the taste. Although the restaurant was crowded to its Maximum Capacity within 15 minutes of my arrival it had practically "emptied itself out" with only myself a one other table of 6-dinners getting their food too. I will probably return to eat at this restaurant if and when I get another pressing urge to satisfy one of my insatiable cravings to drive all across Oahu from EWA Beach to Chinatown in the city of Honolulu . The "PLUS" about this visit is that it was clean and the service was average but not disappointingly "long" despite how busy and crowded the entire restaurant was when I first arrived

    Photos
    Lam's Kitchen - So clean and spacious

    So clean and spacious

    Lam's Kitchen - Beef Chow Fun

    Beef Chow Fun

    Lam's Kitchen

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    Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant - Dim sum menu

    Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant

    4.1(544 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    Lunch in Honolulu, Hawaii…read more.. I asked my sister what she wanted to eat for her birthday: Dimsum! I suggested that we go to this new location of Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant. She agreed! The covered parking lot is free! Just follow the signs and park in the designated numbered stalls. Inside, it was crowded and noisy! I wrote our name on the list and got called quickly! My sister wrote our order on the menu: shrimp dumplings, seaweed roll, deep fried taro puffs, shrimp and chive dumplings, mochi rice, pork-filled deep fried mochi, and custard tarts. Later, we added on an order of house noodles... they were thin, crisp, and tasty! Everything was delicious and beautifully presented! Service was efficient! There were different people delivering baskets and plates to our table. They just crossed off menu items on the printed list as they arrived. My sister and her husband were really happy with this meal! I was, too! Note: i even took home the leftover noodles! Yay!

    We had been to Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant several times at its old location across from Ala Moana…read moreMall, and it used to be a five-star place for us. The new location is only about a block away, with a much nicer, newer interior. Unfortunately, the food seems to have changed much more than the address We ordered four dishes: mochi rice, pork buns, siu mai, and chicken feet. Almost everything arrived cooler than it should have. The chicken feet and siu mai were warm rather than hot, while the pork buns were closer to cold. More importantly, it wasn't just a temperature problem. The chicken feet in particular tasted noticeably worse than before, lacking the flavors and spices we remembered. The mochi rice was the most normal of the four, but even that felt fairly unremarkable There was a table next to us that came in excited to have dimsum. And watching their reaction, they came to the same conclusion as us -- food was cold, and flavors were off. We went on a weekday, so it's possible the kitchen was different that day, but the drop in quality was hard to ignore. The restaurant wasn't busy, service was good, and prices seemed unchanged from our previous visits. The new space is a clear improvement, but based on this meal, the food unfortunately went in the opposite direction. We likely won't be coming back

    Photos
    Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant - Dim sum menu

    Dim sum menu

    Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant - Beijing (Peking) duck, yum

    Beijing (Peking) duck, yum

    Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant - Restaurant vibe

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    Restaurant vibe

    Kukui Cafe - chinese - Updated September 2026

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