We went on a Saturday at 2pm and the place was not too busy. We ordered the baked chicken portuguese rice, imitation shark fin soup and the beef cheon fan (乾炒牛腸粉). The baked chicken portuguese was pretty good, it had big chunks of potatoes that were well baked. The imitation soup was one of the best ones I have had in a while. The beef cheon fan had a lot of wok hei (aka smokiness from the wok) but we felt like it needed a little bit of more salt/soy sauce. We would like to go back and try other dishes. Btw this place is cash only so make sure you have some on hand! read more

Nothing much was opened early in the morning around 7am. And it was a rainy day. So we dined in. Simple layout with tables and chairs. Service was not too great, it seems like she didn't want us to be there. Now the food... Fish and clam congee was bad. There were barely any clams. The fish was overly salty and too soft. I didn't enjoy the texture at all. The cilantro was so big and since this is a herb, it shouldn't be stalks of it. Fried dough steamed rice rolls was not good either. The fried dough was obviously not fresh and it was refried. The rice roll was fine, but the soy sauce was too sweet; almost like a dessert. Satay breakfast combo with mac was weird. The satay sauce on the beef was very peanuty and not enjoyable. I had fond memories of this place and coming back was definitely disappointing. read more

See all

Traditional HK style breakfast food. Brings back memories. Milk tea was good. I got the pork congee and steam rice noodles. My sister got the eggs and toast and coffee. Service was OK, not the same as other restaurants but typically HK style service which is not much but they were there for us. Don't particularly like the paper cups, bowls and plates though. However, whenever the chance comes up, I would go. Love HK style food. read more

See all

Came here to meet up with some friends -- the service was typical for Chinatown diners. Most of the dishes were good when thinking of the standard Cantonese diner. I thought the congee and the beef noodles were okay, but I enjoyed the rice rolls and the baked rice. Nothing super stand out, but it does the trick! read more

M Star Cafe - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

M Star Cafe is a local joint serving typical HK breakfast foods. If you don't expect too much from this hole in a wall like service, you will enjoy it. Prices are very cheap here. I got the classic HK steamed rice rolls doused in sauce - the sauce was really good but personally I found the rice rolls to be too dense. I also go a milk tea/coffee which was really warming and good on a frigid day. Don't expect great service - expect authentic HK food at the price of a less friendly service. One day I would love to come back and try the other breakfast items like the classic toasts. read more

M Star Cafe - Menu (2/2024) - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

This is one of those places that are so good in the city that you don't want to share it but I didn't feel right keeping this from you. They make the best beef rice rolls in the city. Hands down and yes I realize what a big statement that is, but here's the thing, their dough is perfect, the filling is perfect, and so is the portion. They only serve it until 2:45pm and Ryan is awesome. That's all I have to write. Oh and I'm sorry I don't have pics of it. I keep eating it too quickly. I'll do better. read more

My experience of M Star was mediocre. I went with a group of friends (they had suggested this particular restaurant). The storefront is very hole in the wall as others have noted, but I found the food lackluster. The service was good. I tried a few things: The beef rice crepe, the shrimp rice crepe, the beef stew noodle soup with rice noodles, the tea egg, and the preserved egg + pork congee. I also tried the beef stew with rice dish and the herbal jelly. I enjoyed the shrimp rice crepe, the tea egg, and the preserved pork egg congee. They had good flavors and textures. I also enjoyed the beef stew rice noodles. The beef stew rice dish was just okay. It had a lot of fatty parts that weren't enjoyable to eat and the sauce to rice ratio was a bit overwhelming for my personal taste. The beef rice crepe had an unusual texture -- the texture of the ground meat was more like what I would expect from a meat loaf (kind of crumbly) as opposed to a patty. No one in our group particularly enjoyed this one. I would not recommend the herbal jelly. It did not taste like traditional guilinggao in any way, or have the same texture. It tasted a bit like tap water. I would probably not return again -- if I wanted this type of food I would look elsewhere. Although the food is really cheap, I know I could have a more enjoyable meal elsewhere with the same price, especially in Chinatown. read more

See all

Nothing fancy just authentic Hong Kong style "Cha Chang Tang". It's kinda like an Asian diner where you can get a variety of food for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The food is decent but this kind of cafe is not meant to serve fancy food but more comfort food. Milk tea is good and authentic. Service is pretty good for a chinese establishment. Check this place out if you are up for some authentic Asian styled quick bites. read more

See all

Good Hong Kong goodies consistent with all the favorites including congee I enjoy the breakfast specials

I liked this place, but the service left something to be desired. We walked in and it was not busy. There was a miscommunication from the onset, but that wasn't really a huge issue as we figure dit out. We sat down and reviewed the menu, ordered the headliners that I had heard so much about. peanut rice noodles, HK tea, egg sandwhich and the toast with condensed milk. The last item is where the issue really came up. We placed the order for toast with both PB and condensed milk, with the PB put on the side as our family member can not eat PB. When the order came out, it was not done this way so we kindly asked, but the waiter was upset, he grabbed the plate back and took it back to the kitchen. When he brought it back to us, he pointed to the new one with both, but touched it with his finger, after he had just finished collecting dirty dishes from another table. eeK!!! In an age when we are all trying to be so careful, this was hard. We decided to ignore it in the moment because every other item was delicious. However, I think this place could be fabulous if only they paid more attention to customer service. Also, we are open to trying it again and will go back, but this time we will try to be more clear so there are no food hygiene issues. FOOD- GREAT, WILL ORDER AGAIN. PRICE-lower than expected, but average for the area read more

Great Hong Kong style cafe. Prices are very inexpensive and you get great value for the money. Staff are friendly and i believe family owned and operated. Cash only read more

Food was meh and served to you on plasticware. But the worst part was after we paid including a 15% tip, they started complaining that we didn't tip enough. Completely shocked us and were left speechless. They demanded more money. We thought 15% was more than fair considering the service was below par to put it mildly. Only checking reviews afterwards, it seems this happens somewhat regularly. I generally avoid giving 1 star reviews to mom and pop type places as I know it can really affect business but I've never had this happen before. read more

Had the C breakfast; elements were basic but everything came out quickly and they tasted good. Note it is cash only. read more

M Star Cafe - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

Congee was quite mid. Got the preserved egg with pork, but might as well have called it preserved egg congee because there was basically no pork. The cart noodle was quite odd- the satay beef flavor wise wasn't what I'm used to, and the beef stew was ‍. Rice roll texture was also way too thick. Milk tea was decent though. read more

M Star Cafe - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

I'm on the hunt for a new cheese baked place in Chinatown. I came across this place after several Yelp searches. I order for pick up and it was ready within 15 minutes. I was able to quickly go in and leave. The inside was pretty crowded with customers eating in during lunch time. I got the Baked Pork Chops Rice with Egg. It was pretty good, but not as cheesy as I liked. This is one of many cheese bake places on my list and I'm super excited to keep trying more cheese bakes! There was a little too much tomato sauce than I liked, but overall it was pretty good. read more

M Star Cafe - Baked Pork Chops Rice with Egg - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

Ever since I moved to New York 7-8 years ago, this has stayed one of my favorite restaurants in Chinatown for Cantonese food. If it's your first time, got to get the rice rolls with peanut sauce and soy. This is my must-order every time I step into this joint. Also, their HK milk tea always hits the spot. Other HK classics like beef flat noodle and congee are all solid here. Prices are ridiculously cheap. One of the big pros of this place is that it opens super early in the morning (7am). One of my favorite memories when I moved to the city was finishing a night shift and walking straight to M Star after work for a delicious breakfast. read more

M Star Cafe - Steamed rice noodle with peanut sauce - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

Came here a few Sunday ago with my cousin after our monthly facial. It was crowded with a small wait as we wanted a bigger table than the small table in the corner they originally seated us- we knew we would order alot and need more table space. We saw a table leaving and waited to have that table cleaned. Overall we enjoyed everything. Each dish came out hot and fresh. Everything is serve on plastic containers for Covid Safety. Wasn't expecting the fried egg on the Portuguese Chicken but it was good. Ordered: Noodles with peanut hoisin mix sauce Butter & condense milk toast Curry fishballs Borscht soup (the Hong Kong version not the beet version) M Star special Steak with Black Pepper sauce over spaghetti Baked Portuguese Chicken style over rice read more

See all

When you walk in and you're greeted by HK's biggest stars like Andy Lau, you know the food is buss'n buss'n (sorry for that). It's a typical Hong Kong style cafe. It's off the beaten path of mainstream tourist Chinatown so only locals or lucky wanderers know what's up. We ordered rice rolls, Portuguese chicken over rice, curry seafood noodle, tea leaf egg, beef chow fun, congee, Russian soup, "shark fin" soup, and several drinks. Btw the server didn't have to write down the order, pro. Even after all this food, I didn't feel sluggish but still extremely satisfied. Put it this way, the cheeseburger I had yesterday somewhere else was smaller in portion but I felt gross. Fast service, authentic food, and wonderful prices has converted me. I'm now a returning customer. read more

M Star Cafe - Rice roll - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Best, cheap and quick authentic Hong Kong style eats in the heart of Chinatown. They do offer dine in service however most patrons order takeout. I often drive 15 miles there from Queens early weekend morning just to pick up their steamed Rice Rolls (Cheung Fen). read more

M Star Cafe - H.k . Style Steamed Rice Noodle - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Pretty terrible place to be honest. There are several other choices in NY so I highly recommend you take your business elsewhere. The service is indeed bad but sure you can say thats the cha chan tang mentality / nyc toughness or whatever but nope. The woman who brought out the food was extremely rude and made a point to say to leave a tip on the table before leaving. Beyond that the food just isnt good. The milk tea doesnt have that true HK milk tea taste. First and last time for me. read more

No frills little shop to stop by for some authentic Hong Kong breakfast. I always try to come here early in the morning to get their breakfast set specials. I have tried their congee, cheurng fun, ramen, and fried dough sticks. Always come here for their hong kong milk tea and cheurng fun. The cheurng fun is a rice roll which is so silky smooth. Service is quite quick and the locals are always eating here. One thing to be conscientious about is that everything they use is disposable, which is not exactly the most eco friendly. I assume it is cheaper for them to buy single use than to hire someone to do the dishes, since they do keep their food prices pretty low. As with all restaurants right now, vaccine cards are needed to eat here. read more

See all

$6.75 for their breakfast special is the best deal in town. 2 eggs, toast, bacon, potatoes, and coffee it tea. They also have other options like congee w rice rolls or noodles, ramen, oatmeal, macaroni and ham. Love this HK cha cha tang. read more

See all

Got the shrimp and beef rice noodles. They were average/just okay and will hit the spot if you have a craving or are in a rush, but you can probably get better quality elsewhere. The rolls are a bit too thick here. They have really good HK milk tea though. They use the Black & White brand of evaporated milk, which gives it an ultra smooth and creamy taste. It's also the brand that is frequently used in HK to make milk tea, so props for that. However, I ordered a large size (hot) but got a small size. It was too late to alert them to the mistake as were leaving Chinatown by the time I checked the bag (ordered takeout on our way out of the city). read more

I came here for lunch on a Friday afternoon. This is definitely a no frills style HK cafe in the old school part of Chinatown. Service is not the best but the food is cheap. We ordered the HK style toast with butter and condensed milk, the chicken wings, and the baked spaghetti with short rib and egg. I also ordered a red bean ice drink. The best dish was the baked spaghetti with short rib and egg. The sauce was a bit bland but there was a lot of short rib and the egg was runny. The chicken wings were dry and the HK style toast wasn't really toasted that well at all. The red bean ice drink had a lot of red bean which was great. It was a decent place but I admit I would rather pay more and go to a better HK cafe nearby. read more

Possibly the worst dim sum and congee I've had. I was in Chinatown one day (during the pandemic, when everything was starting to re-open). We were craving some dim sum since we hadn't had any throughout all of quarantine. A lot of places were still closed and that's when I stumbled upon M Star Cafe and decided to give it a try, despite its 3.5 star rating. We ordered a beef churng fun, a shrimp churng fun, chicken sticky rice, and thousand year egg/lean pork congee (total came out to $18). The churng fun itself had a weird consistency, like it was not freshly made - and the filling inside was bland. The chicken sticky rice was not any better. The ingredients inside just did not taste good. The congee was probably the worst. It was watery and had a soapy taste to it, and very little thousand year egg or pork. We had to reheat it and add our own ingredients to make it palatable. Maybe dim sum/congee is not their strong suit and their HK cafe items are better? Either way, I don't think I want to find out. read more

M Star Cafe - Congee, Shrimp Steamed Rice Noodle, Beef Steamed Rice Noodle - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

This is my morning go to cafe for breakfast when I am visiting Chinatown from Florida! It's affordable and delicious. The rice rolls with peanut butter sauce is my favorite dish. It looks like there's only one server but she is fast catering to everyone. Authentic Hong Kong Ambiance. This is a must try place when you're in Chinatown area! read more

I'm currently craving their Breakfast Special set(s) right now because their selection and pricing has a good mix of nostalgia and fair pricing amidst the pandemic. We ordered Breakfast Special C (Macaroni with ham, butter toast, egg) and Breakfast Special E (Preserved egg & lean pork congee, HK Styled rice noodle/cheung fun with peanut butter and soy sauce). It's definitely a no frills Chinese cafe where it's cash only, service equates to food being brought to the table, and drinks and food are served in disposables, but these are also the reasons why I would come back. Although it's probably not healthy to eat this everyday, it's a pretty cost efficient breakfast before starting the day! read more

M Star Cafe - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

A hidden gem in chinatown for cheap eats. Extremely cheap and fast service. The servers are very friendly, can't expect to be treated like a king when the restaurant is about fast turnover. Everything came out to 16 and we left a 4 dollar tip. Please tip the servers well as you are already exploited this place for their cheap price. The food is okay, nothing out of the ordinary. However, my coffee is filled to the top. Was expecting one stick of youtiao but got two. Egg sandwich was fat and stuffed to the max. read more

If you are seeking some very affordable and very authentic Hong Kong style eats, I would definitely recommend this place - but only specifically for a handful of items! Although this place doesn't disappoint with the quantity, I wouldn't praise everything here to be the best tasting dishes, BUT the items that ARE in fact quite delicious, I would say are a MUST eat. Let's begin with the most authentic hong kong rice noodles that are typically served with peanut sauce, soy sauce and some oyster sauce. This place with the very heavy pour for the peanut sauce is phenomenal!! I always love this dish and typically get it in the street carts of NYC, but the peanut sauce is typically watery....here that is not the case the rice noodles and sauce are absolutely AMAZING!!! you can order the regular one or the pan fried version, which honestly BOTH are amazing!! The iced coffee/tea are also super authentic and delicious, there isn't a case where there is too much milk/cream vs. tea/coffee, this place has genuinely perfected the combination!! Definitely order this even just for a take out! The Portuguese chicken over rice is baked and wow oh wow, I don't know how they got the chicken to be so juicy but it is seriously delicious. I wasn't a big fan of the tomato sauce, but I don't like tomatoes but all my friends loved it! So would definitely recommend giving this a shot!! The dim sum, are all classics and quite yummy - again definitely something that is worthwhile!!! Everything is extremely reasonably priced, but this is CASH only place so come prepared. We tried some of the other dishes which were just okay, like the cart noodles - where you can pick a handful of items with what ever noodle - it was okay. It is more a street food that is just good, I wouldn't write home about that but in a pinch with only a few bucks in your pocket, it is nice! The curried squid or the fish balls, were okay - nothing super flavorful or surprising. Singapore rice noodles - were massive portions but I can't say that it was absolutely a must order. Still worth a shot for those huge huge portions!! Overall, great hong kong street food place! read more

See all

I'm always a bit nervous about hole in the wall places in Chinatown just because they don't always look the most sanitary. The 3.5 stars on the review didn't exactly win me over either, but my friend assured me that this place was good. When I actually arrived, I had to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is old, but it looks clean (and it was well air-conditioned too!). We went a little crazy with ordering because everything looked so good and it was also just so cheap. For the three of us, we ordered the following: 1) H.K. Style Steamed Rice Noodle: 3.5/5 - This dish is a rice noodle roll that is covered in a sweet soy sauce and peanut sauce. It's not as soft as your typical steamed rice noodle roll, but it's still good. However, since one of our party is allergic to peanuts, the sheer quantity to split between two made it easy to lose its appeal amongst all the other good food that we had too. 2) Shrimp Steamed Rice Noodle: 5/5 - I have a soft spot for this dish, and this was so good. For only $3.50, the portion almost seems bigger than what you'd get at your traditional dim sum restaurant. The sauce was very good and the shrimp very tender. 3) Fried Dough: 2.5/5 - This dish was just okay. We had originally intended to eat this with our congee, but the congee came first and we sort of forgot about it. It was a bit more oily than I would have liked but not too bad. It's only $1.50, so what more can you expect? 4) Preserved Egg & Lean Pork Congee: 4.5/5 - It's been a while since I've had a good bowl of this congee (the last place I ordered it from was so gross so I was worried I was going to get something similar). However, it was actually really flavorful. Highly recommend! 5) Pork Chop with Instant Noodle: 5/5 - I never thought I would come to a restaurant to eat instant noodles but this was so good. There was actually a good number of pork chops in the noodles and the noodles themselves were cooked to just the right consistency. It does make me think though that I can probably learn to make this myself at home, but nonetheless, it was nice to learn that it isn't always a bad idea to order instant noodles at a restaurant. 6) H.K. Style Milk Tea: 5/5 - Perfect for the very hot day that we were eating on. The sweetness was not overwhelming and it was overall very refreshing. 7) Pan-Fried Dumplings: 3/5 - It wasn't bad, but compared to all the other dishes, it failed to shine. I think it was also just so heavy and with how much food we already consumed, it wasn't super appealing anymore to have to finish a plate of dumplings. There are definitely better dumplings in the Chinatown area. Service is on the slower side, but they were very nice and got us everything that we needed. Overall, I'm definitely down to go back and try some of the other things on their menu! read more

See all

M Star Cafe is a classic Hong Kong-Style Cafe where the inside is old-fashioned. Since I entered at 3:30 pm, the place was empty and the servers and waiters were idling. After ordering a hash brown and a sampan congee which the restaurant calls it house special congee. The items took a few minutes to be ready. While waiting, another customer entered and ordered takeout. The hash brown is better than the ones I had during my elementary school days. The house special congee had pig skin and peanuts. read more

Great food. Great price and classic service. The expected experience for the cafe setting , food and price. The prefect amount of friendly service to slightly rudeness really brings the experience in a hongkong Cha Chan Ting of quick breakfast Chinese food. read more

See all

Gourmet food it's not, but if you are craving spam, eggs, and macaroni soup, or egg and corned beef sandwiches, or ramen fried with spam, or any of those delicious Hong Kong mash ups, this is the place to go. I especially recommend the rice rolls with oyster sauce and peanut butter. Trust me. read more