I love kukui cafe! It's a small hole in the wall and perfect for a quick lunch! Very lively with many of the Chinese community coming in to eat and chat. Food tasted like my childhood and memorable. The host is nice and friendly and easy to chat with! read more

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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 read more

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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 read more

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Solid HK food in Chinese cultural center. Got the wonton min and the look fun soup w fish ball. Both were tasty and came w a ton of veges. Coffee milk tea and ovaltine were good as well. No frills - served in take out containers - but reasonably priced read more

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. read more

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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! read more

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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). read more

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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! read more

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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! read more

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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! read more

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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! read more

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I had a last minute work potluck and I was yelping for a bunch of places the night before to find out which restaurant would open early enough for me to do a phone order and pick up on my way to work. Kukui Cafe was in my top 3 and because they opened at 7 AM and were 10 minutes away from work, it was the perfect match. I haven't been here in over 10 years??? So I was a bit iffy if the flavor was as good as I remembered but I decided to take the chance and call them the next morning. I remember my favorite being the Shredded Pork Crispy Noodles so that was going to be my potluck dish. They made my order in a timely manner and even packed the sauce and noodles separately so my noods would stay crispy! Once it was potluck time, everyone loved the dish! They were just as good as I remembered and definitely brought back some middle school memories. I think I found my go-to "last minute" morning take out. I definitely would like to try out their other menu items like their Red Bean Shaved Icejjj read more

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

First time pretty friendly and food is pretty fire . Real fresh Chinese food here. Menu had a lot of options on here couple pictures on the wall to help. Location pretty easy to find parking not bad at all. read more

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

=== 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. read more

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Always the go-to place on the weekend for us. Simple Hong Kong style cafe food. Which means it's mostly starch like noodles and rice dishes. We love their beef chow funn , Singapore rice noodles, and chicken wings. Chow funn noodles sell out early. And don't forget your CASH!! No credit card. read more

I grown up in Hong Kong and this is my favorite Hong Kong style cafe in Hawaii. Best Hong Kong style milk tea, beef brisket noodles, won ton...basically everything is good. read more

Kukui Cafe - Crispy noodles and lemon tea - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Hidden gem!!! Been here more times than I can count and each and every time it's been amazing!!! Great food and family feeling in the restaurant!!! read more

Kukui Cafe has been my home base for Hong Kong style cafe comfort food. They offer the classics of authentic Hong Kong style cafe dishes. Some of my favorites are: pork chop spaghetti in tomato sauce, beef chow fun, beef with black bean sauce for chow fun, Sze Chuan pickle with pork rice noodles in soup, beef brisket with lok funn in soup, and lemon iced tea. Kukui cafe is my go-to whenever I am craving for some Chinese noodle dishes. The owners are two young men and they are very friendly. I remember one time when I visited and forgot to bring cash with me. They only accept cash payment. The owners were friendly enough to let me pay next time with cash. read more

The OG cha Chaan teng place in Hawaii ! If your Chinese and you lived around the area I can guarantee you eaten here, your parents eaten here, and your grandparents eaten here. With all the new ones popping up in Honolulu and how expensive they are they don't got s on kukui cafe. Only drawback is it gets really busy and they don't have much seating. My go to here is jing wonton , bacon egg sandwich , and hot milk tea or persevered lemon drink (haam ling chut). Runs me about $20. Good wok hey here for wok made stuff. read more

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

Great little cafe with some Hongkong specialities and western style breakfast and lunch items. Greasy spoon, hole in the wall-ish, but the food is good, the service is good and the iced coffee is great and gets you going! They also serve different types of iced drinks like salty lemonade and grass jelly drink.Mostly popular with the local Chinese community, Kukui Café is a little gem worthy to check out for a quick bite. The guys working the counter are very nice and always make my coffee the way I like it! read more

Kukui Cafe - A view from across the street at Kukui & River St. The café is right around that corner. - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

If you're looking for a good Hong Kong Cafe you should definitely try out Kukui Cafe. My family and I used to live within walking distance from here, and we would stop by all the time for a quick meal or a snack. I love their curry fish balls and milk tea. The style of food is quick, simple, and easy to eat. They're usually pretty quick with getting out orders and are friendly as well. For the price you're paying for the food, you're getting a good portion that will definitely fill you up. I've always loved getting the simple sandwiches; it really does remind me of the ones my Popo would make for me when I was younger. read more

Kukui Cafe - milk tea with grass jelly - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Typical HongKong cafe style food. The owner is really nice and the food is always good here. They do have limited seating so I usually order takeout. Had been coming here since High school. Always good price and good food. read more

Hong Kong style cafe with food and drinks. I haven't really tried the food here but heard the milk tea is legit. Ordered their Hong Kong Style Milk tea ($3~). Asked for less sweet. The HK milk tea is really different from the ones you get at other milk tea places here. Their tea aroma is really strong and less milky. I actually like that. It reminds me of HK. I usually don't have boba in my milk tea because it's too chewy for me. read more

Stopped in prior to our departure for the airport. Location is perfect and close to HNL. Street parking was very easy to find. Walked in and it was full house (venue is fairly small probably no more than 6-7 tables total). Luckily there was one table available. Ordered a French toast and a beef rice to share. And HK milk tea and lemon tea. Food tastes were decent and def hit the spot esp for my hubby who needs to get some true Asian taste in his tummy. When the dishes were brought out they were all served on disposable plates and utensils. This is definitely dine and dash venue. Hits the spot! read more

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We've frequented this restaurant from its beginnings but somehow we lost touch. I remember how the tastes of their authentic Hong Kong style dishes would fondly remind me of past stays in Asia and Southeast Asia with my family. I also chuckled whenever my non-Chinese speaking hubby, who worked downtown, would ask me to meet him for lunch there whenever I'd be off from work. I would always tell him to not to be "intimidated"because they'd give him a picture menu to order from...yes, often times, to non-foreign language speaking folks, the lack of command of English speaking skills appears abrupt and somewhat rude. Even mannerisms are different that will seem dismissive to us locals. Sorry, I digress from the quality of food itself. Our favorites have been the won ton mien*, crispy noodles with shredded pork, dry-dried beef chow fun, beef tendon noodles, satay beef with noodles, salt & pepper pork chop or chicken wings. Their beverages are very refreshing and tasty, too. Although the flavors are STILL AS GOOD as I remember, it appears that the portions have decreased a bit and prices increased. Sometimes, they'll forget your complete order and you end up having to flag a waitress down then have to gobble down your forgotten dish. Your food is still served in disposable containers and you "bus" your own table. To me, that's a knock off a star since you could end up paying about $8 plus for your meal but you could have gone to have another Chinese restaurant with wait help and glass dishes. They're good and have "proven" themselves with a regular following...besides, it's a break away from just eating dim sum. *actual price for won ton mien is $6.75. Sorry for mistake on picture. read more

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Great spot for Hong Kong Style cafe foods!! Pork Chop with Macaroni Soup never disappoints especially when paired up with their Hong Kong Milk Tea. read more

The food is good, especially the milk tea, but I have to say "less sugar and less sweet", then it will come out perfect to my taste. I also like their beef tendon rice noodles and the deep-fried chicken wings. The French toast is also good, which is different from regular restaurants which just pan fried toast with egg, but here is deep fried with egg with peanut butter inside two pieces of toast. The bacon and egg sandwich is good, and the egg and minced beef sandwich is also good. However, there's not enough space so it is always crowded. read more

This Hong Kong style Cafe often goes unnoticed, but after one visit you'll be hooked! My favorite is the beef and tomatoes with rice. The tomato sauce is sweet and a bit watery, unlike Italian-based tomato sauce. There's also tons of assorted drinks here that are absolutely refreshing on a hot sunny day. I recommend the honey lemon tea ;) Usually I take my orders to go, but there is ample seating inside! read more

Kukui Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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

Truly genuine Hong Kong Style food! Employees are friendly and nice as always. Food quality is always consistent. Highly recommended! read more

Aw man, I ate here for lunch and it stressed me out big time! Everyone dining there except me was Cantonese and they were all yelling at each other so loudly I kept flinching. I even turned to stare at a woman yelling on one side of the restaurant and I think she was just having a normal conversation and not scolding her table mates but I wasn't sure. The table next to me also had elementary school aged kids and they were bratty and kept yelling and their parents must have been used to it because they didn't do anything. Seriously, I found this place very stressful! I might have been okay with the noisy people around me if the food had been worth it but it wasn't. I had ordered the beef bitter melon because they had an appetizing-looking photo of it next to the cash register. It was tasteless and the bitter melon was soggy. If you want good beef bitter melon, order it nearby at Tai Pan dim sum--theirs is consistently great. I also ordered a milk tea with grass jelly that was so bad I threw it away. I've never thrown away a milk tea before! My office just relocated to this side of Chinatown and I'm trying to support the local businesses in the area but I just can't deal with the yelling (and the bad food) in this place. It seems popular enough that it doesn't need my business though; it was full of working men and families. And I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb jumping into the air whenever somebody yelled in Cantonese! I just didn't need to get away from work for an hour for more stress. read more

It is a cozy place that can seat about 25 persons only, more like a take out restaurant. It is the Hong Kong style food that attract me, especially the Milk Tea. I ordered the Tea, Red Bean Ice which is one of my favorite and Corned Beef egg sandwich. Tea was good, Red Bean Ice was pretty standard, the Sandwuch was not up to my expectation, I think the butter flavor. read more

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Love this place. They have a small menu, but for a guy who missed HK style breakfast, it's the real deal. The workers are friendly and helpful, and the food is authentic. read more

This place is definitely one of my favorite little gems in chinatown. It's a little hole in the wall, but it packs a big punch when it comes to the food and drinks they serve.The foodie in me gets excited every time I head over here to eat. Been dining here for years and the food is still as delicious from the first day they opened. The food and cuisine here is very Hong Kong style which I love (since coming back from Hong Kong on a biz trip, whenever I get sentimental I head over here to satisfy my cravings). They have plate lunch, different types of noodles, and other yummy dishes. My all time fave is their salt and pepper chicken wings which are seriously to die for. The portions are large, I never usually finish my whole plate and almost always have left overs for another meal.. unless I'm super hungry. Some of my usual dishes: Salt and Pepper fried chicken wings Salt and Pepper pork chops with fried rice Singapore Rice Noodle Won Ton Noodles Beef Noodle Soup Black Bean Chicken Fish Ball and Won Ton Noodles Beef Chow Funn The drinks are delicious, and their milk tea is my all time favorite on the island. My family also loves their honey lemon and lemon iced tea as well. Depending on what time you go, it might be busy, so you might have to wait around for a table or you can always take it to go. Park in the Open market lot next door or there's some street parking if you can find. read more

Very friendly staff .. Good place to get take out when I didn't have time tonoodles I like the Szechuan pickle pork rice noodles in soup Very much also make sure adding some chilli oil on it... There are many other choices on the menu but I still going back for that. read more

Don't judge a book by it's cover. I have to admit, the first time my mom took me here I was taken aback by the exterior of this little hole in the wall. It looks grungy on the outside, but this place seems to be quite popular, and when there's a constant line at the register, that's a good sign. Believe it or not, one of the things this place is popular for it's ice teas and lemonade! When I asked my mom why we were here, she replied, "lemonade and ice tea with lemon". I thought, "are you serious mom, I can make that at home!" But I trust my mom, and sure enough, best lemonade with lemon (no, that's not a typo) AND honey I have ever had! The lemonade with lemon and honey seems simple enough but when you take your first sip, there is something completely comforting about it. It's almost like sipping on a cough drop, and though that does not sound appetizing at all, it really is good. The woman behind the counter puts some kind of shave ice on the top, which I'm not sure if it's just plain crushed ice, or if it is flavored, but it sure is refreshing. This place is also known for it's Hong Kong style milk tea. Apparently, it's the best around. There is a long list of different kinds of ice tea and other drinks "with lemon" in it that you can choose from, such as coke and lemon, sprite with lemon, crysanthamum with lemon...you get the idea. All for about $2.85. And don't leave without ordering the beef chow fun! This is Hong Kong style chow fun, which I don't specifically know what the difference is, but this is not your "Panda Express" chow fun. It has a really full flavor with a "fresh out of the wok" taste, and not sopping with oil. The beef is melt in your mouth good. There is metered street parking on River street, or park in the Chinese Cultural Plaza lot and pay a small fee. Just remember, when you get there, don't judge a book by it's cover. You will surely be surprised what comes from within. read more

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Great little place to get your quick Hong Kong style noodle dishes when visiting Chinatown as a tourist.