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

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

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.

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).

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.