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Mei Mei Chinese BBQ

4.5 (113 reviews)
InexpensiveBarbeque, Chinese
Closed 7:30 am - 3:30 pm

Mei Mei Chinese BBQ Photos

MEI MEI CHINESE BBQ ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Moist and crunchy pork
Bryan G.

Today had the most moist roast pork this morning. This is about 1.5 lb ,chopped perfectly . They also gave excellent duck,shoyu chicken and other items. Try their plate lunch 8 to 15 dollars. With rice and choy sum.

Roast pork
Anna B.

Our usual spot was closed early so we decided to follow the lines and try something new, and boy I'm glad we did. Got a half pound of roast pork and half of a Peking duck and we demolished it outside on chairs like animals. The five spice infused shoyu sauce is fire as well, really good blend of sweet and salty. Maybe my favorite new Chinese style BBQ on island!

Lunch Plate: Roast Chicken and Char Siu over rice (sometimes fried, mostly plain white)
Gerry L.

A group of co-workers and I trek up to Maunakea Marketplace when we want to buy seafood and pick up lunch from one of the spots there. One of our favorite places is Mei Mei, where I always get noodles with char siu and roast pork and sometimes a lunch plate to take home for dinner. A couple run the place; the husband usually cuts the meats while the wife preps each plate with rice or noodles. The char siu and roast pork are consistently good. The ginger chicken is fine and the duck can be great or okay, depending on how much meat you get (and which part of the duck is in your order). I like the roast chicken that comes in the lunch plate. It used to be "the deal" at $5, I think it's now $8.

Roast ducks & roast chickens
Jo Y.

Let's get to the chase...where do I purchase Hong Kong style Chinese roast duck, char siu, char siu ribs, roast pork, and shoyu chicken? Mei Mei Chinese Bbq, of course! The Chinese translation for "mei mei" is little sister. But in this case, Mei Mei is the name of the wife of the husband-and-wife team that owns this nondescript small vendor space in the Maunakea Marketplace Food Court in the heart of Chinatown. Owner Guan Qiang Ruan and his wife Mei Mei emigrated to HI from China in 1993 with his brother, Ju Wei Ruan. They worked as chefs at Panda Cuisine on Keeaumoku Street for more than two decades before taking over Hung Won Chinese Restaurant in Kaimuki. Ju Wei Ruan is presently a chef at Asian Mix, while Guan Qiang Ruan and his wife, Mei Mei, elected to open Mei Mei Chinee Bbq around 2020. Mei Mei Chinese Bbq specializes in offering ready-to-eat roasted meats - roast duck, char siu, ribs, roast pork, and shoyu chicken. In addition to these roasted meats, they also prepare cold ginger chicken, honeycomb tripe, braised beef shanks, and duck noodle soup. Mei Mei was my go-to if I had a craving for roast duck, char siu, ribs, roast pork, or shoyu chicken. They also have cold ginger chicken, tripe, pig stomach/ear/tongue, and chicken feet. Then, whenever we went to Maui to babysit our granddaughter, my daughter would always request one of the roasted bbq meats to be brought up to Maui because they lack good Chinese restaurants in Maui. Yes, Mei Mei to the rescue for my Maui daughter! In recent years, Mei Mei BBQ saw the popularity of offering plate lunches with a mix-and-match of their various meats and adding a starch of rice or egg noodles and parboiled choy sum. Plus, plate lunches were discounted with lower cuts or end cuts of roasted meats. Roasted meats and veggies over the starch were nicely lined up on the plate, making its savory presentation so mouth-watering to customers. You could order mini plates, or regular plates of 1, 2 or 3 choices with so many different combos. Mei Mei and her husband speak and understand some English and are the nicest people to deal with. Both are very friendly, with Mei Mei taking your orders and payment, as well as arranging the meats in the containers, while her husband does the chopping of the meats. Mei Mei will try to accommodate your requests, as she will ask if you want a little fat in your meats or lean meat. I tend to request a little fat so that the meat is tender and juicy. If the roast pork slab they have in front is not what you want, Mei Mei will go in the back to get another slab. Then she'll ask if you want sauce for the char siu. When I noted that the meats would be going to Maui, she reinforced the takeout boxes by lining them with foil. When Nam Fong, a major roast meat vendor fronting Maunakea St closed a few years ago, I asked Mei Mei if they wanted to move to that high traffic spot with lots of visible frontage to the public. Nope, they were satisfied where they were, knowing that they would not be able to handle the additional workload. They know what their limitations are. Hours of operation are daily 7:30a to 3:30p. Early bird gets the worm here if you want a big duck/chicken or choice cut of meat. Once the better cuts are sold, you're left with what's left. Located on the Diamondhead side of the food court across from Papa's Café take-out booth, Mei Mei is the corner stall. One cannot see the food court from the street. Municipal parking lots nearby or metered street parking is available. Or, if the driver can drop you off and wait on the side, which is even better. The vendor space is very small, as most of the space is used to display hanging roasted meats or shoyu chicken lined up or char siu piled high on front shelf space. Paper products take up a lot of the space, as well as an oven housed in the back to roast their meats. They have adequate signage and price list of their food offerings. Yes, Mei Mei Chinese Bbq for my craving of roasted meats or when wanting to gift someone with delicious savory meats! Wishing Mei Mei and her husband many more years with their successful Chinese bbq meat business!

1lbs Char Siu
Craig T.

Update on Mei Mei Chinese since today is Father's Day decided to buy some roast duck and Char Siu . I purchased 1 pound Roast Duck and 1 pound Char Siu . Surprisingly Chinatown wasn't as crowded as I thought around 12:30pm . I guess all the Fathers is BBQ at the beach already or at home . Happy Fathers Day all you Fathers out there .

Fresh Goodness! For all your Chinese BBQ  Cravings!
Gerald P.

. Was in China town to get some sundries& happen to go into the food court in Maunakea Market Place.We parked in the private parking lot on Maunakea St. Meter takes only credit card & cost is $5.17 per 1 hour.Read on yelp the good reviews Mei Mei Chinese BBQ had for their BBQ meats. The husband & wife team speak limited english, but understand what you are ordering, The husband cut me a slab of pork char sui from the stack of meat in the display case. Roast Duck & pork looked so good! The sauce put on the Char sui was so good. This place is legit, since Nam Fong closed.Support them for you Chinese BBQ cravings! They have shared tables in the food court to dine in.

Roast duck and pork belly plate $15
Gregg R.

Had the Roast Duck and Pork Belly plate. Great flavor and huge portion for $15. The Duck was super flavorful and the Pork Belly was delicious and had a great crunch for the skin. Served on a bed of rice, we felt that this was an outstanding value and really prepared wonderfully.

Russ L.

Dont miss out on Me Mei Chinese BBQ. Located in the Maunakea Marketplace in Downtown Chinatown. It is always on my list when I'm in town. Today, I picked up the Holy Trinity of Chinese BBQfrom Mei Mei Chinese Bbq located in Maunakea Marketplace. Roast Pork, Roast Duck and Char Siu served on a bed of Jasmine Rice with sautéed Gai Lan. Generous portion, enough to share for two people.

Megan C.

Was craving a roast duck plate and this place satisfied that for me! It's located in the Maunakea marketplace with other food stalls. The prices here are so reasonable and you can also get their lunch special plate for just $8! The lunch special included some duck and char siu. I was a big fan of their ginger scallion chicken as well. There are plenty of seats inside and other yummy places to try too so it's a great place to go with friends or family!

Chinese style bbq
Chris Y.

Tasty Chinese bbq Stop here at Mei Mei Chinese BBQ in the Maunakea Marketplace for great Chinese bbq. Learned of Mei Mei from Paul C, the unofficial mayor of Chinatown. You can order one-, two-, or three-choice plate, with rice or soft noodle, and side of choy sum. There are $8 plates available for a great bargain. Soup noodles (duck, char siu) are also available. We ordered the roast duck, char siu, roast pork, and char siu ribs on two-choice plates with soft noodle: all were very tasty and totally satisfying! A great value for $17! Definitely returning for more bbq!! Tables are available inside or outside in the courtyard. Today there was live entertainment in the courtyard. Give Mei Mei BBQ a try - you'll be glad you did!

Irene M.

The deals are here... Located in the food court area of Maunakea Marketplace there's so many varieties of food vendors and Mei Mei Chinese BBQ has been on my mind with all the post from Paul it just looks so yummy! Always a crowd at this corner of the market I arrived early as my was being serviced I spent the day with Nadine C as we checked out a place to have some breakfast and I instantly noticed through the plexi a couple of plates with lunch special price of $7...sold! Those plates weren't display obviously as I made my choice she grabs it and chops more shoyu chicken and add it to the plate along with a sauce which also came with some roast pork and fried rice it all was nice and can't really complain for the price though if I had to it I'm not about to say it as it was more than enough to fill my happy belly. Thank you!

Menu by the pound 11/2024
Melanie C.

Still on the search for a good roast duck place since Nam Fong closed a while ago. Decided to give this place a try after work in the morning. I saw a $7 lunch plate with one choice of protein, what a deal! I got the $14 roast duck and roast pork combo plate since I wanted to try both. Comes with rice & choy sum. The roast pork was good! Crispy skin but some of the cuts had a little bit too much fat for me. Other cuts had a good balance of meat and fat. Very good flavor; not too salty and such a rice thief! The duck was also good! I wish I got a whole duck though because I got mostly bones with not much meaty pieces. The sauce and duck had slightly too much star anise flavor but still good! Love that they drizzle sauce on the duck so that it seeps into the generous portion of rice. Also comes with choy sum that is cooked well and still crunchy. Service is fast; someone takes the order while the other is chopping and plating. They do accept card, probably over $10 purchase but I see most people pay with cash. Next time I'll probably get a pound of roast pork & a whole duck to see if there's any difference than getting a plate.

Judy C.

I am a true fan of Mei Mei Chinese BBQ, I usually stick to my favorite places out west side but after visits to Mei Mei, this is my new addiction. Thank you to Paul C. ( mayor of Chinatown) hehe. His social media post and reviews made curious to try and now LOVED the meats @ Mei Mei so much! Since location is out of the way for me, I try to make a stop here every time I am in the area, or if I am off for an appointment for my roasted meats fixed. They also close at 3 pm and sell out at certain times. Few times I was too late and they are out roast pork/duck & even the lunch specials, I have to remember to call ahead to place my order next time. Not only the lunch meats are OMG, super good, the prices! Wow, way cheaper than at my usual places that I go to. Lets talk about the $7. lunch special, that is a super great deal, comes with either fried rice or white rice, choy sum, shoyu chicken and either roast pork or char siu. Can't beat that! The roasted meat lunch plates ( one choice) @$10. mini, $14.00 for regular. I recommend getting the regular plate for just $4. more. I picked up the lunch special and treated my coworkers during the school break and they really enjoyed it. One of my coworker mentioned it is such a treat, since she normally doesn't get to eat this type of food. I recently brought a roast pork plate for my brother and he text me, asking about the roast pork, " The roast pork was delicious, where you get it?" The very first time my husband tried the roasted meat plates I brought for our dinner, shoyu chicken, roast duck, and roast pork. He even asked where is this from, its really good! Wow. I love all the compliments and brownie points! hehe. Lets talk about the roast pork, when I first took a bite of that roast pork, I fell in love. WOW. It was the perfect roast pork, crispiness, fat to meat racial and the right amount of salt. I really need rice, along with my chili pepper and pickled veggies. Perfect combination! The duck is nice and juicy, but I just don't like their duck sauce. The char siu is tender and I love that it is not too sweet, bonus if I get the burnt ends. I love when there are leftovers roasted meats, I cook jook with it or freeze them to cook later. Mei Mei is a Gem here at Maunakea Marketplace, it is tucked behind the shops in front, look for the hanging ducks and the long line. Junk part is having to find parking but trust me it is so worth it! Kudos to the husband and wife team, who works works very hard! I totally recommend this hole in the wall. five stars! Recommend. I can't wait for my next roast meat fix which will be next week!

$7 lunch plate

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2 months ago

The taste of their roast meat is just like taste of the meats I ate as a child. Over 50 years ago. I just love the seasoning!

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10 months ago

The roast duck is sooo good! Rice is also cooked just right. Ate here twice. Portions are generous and service is friendly & quick.

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3 years ago

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5 months ago

Made daily... real deal Chinese bbq... juicy & delicious... we love the char siu.. crispy skin duck & roast pork

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Yi Xin Cafe

Yi Xin Cafe

4.4
(451 reviews)
3.5 mi
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Takes reservations
Catering service

You can't eat here and not get any crab I just love the curry crab I tried chili crab even in…read moreSingapore but but when I tried the curry crab here I never order anything else ; I just love this curry crab dish omg it is lick your fingers delicious! You wear plastic gloves when you eat this and I still lick my fingers Lol I know the crab seems expensive but you really cannot not order it when you come! The curry crab comes with 4 pieces of naan bread sometimes we order extra naan but we do eat it with rice The salted egg chicken wings is another item we get here I love bringing friends from out of town here; we come as often as we can even though we live on the west side Heart emoji! :o)

Would come back over and over again! 4 stars for some dishes being a bit expensive for what it is,…read moreand don't expect the cuisine to be authentic in any way, it's a fuse between Chinese/HK/Thai/Hawaii. However, every dish I've had was always delicious. + Food: Crab Curry is their most popular. Love their curry sauce (tastes similar to Thai yellow curry), but the crab doesn't have a lot of meat for a $80 dish. They didn't have a shell cracker so eating was tricky. Sambal veggies, Salt pepper fish, fried rice, curry fries were all delicious and well-flavored. + Ambience: Medium sized restaurant with good amount of tables. Usually no wait but can't say for peak dinner time. Good service + Location: in the Foodland plaza with plenty of parking spots

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Yi Xin Cafe
Szechun spicy JJ chicken pot
Szechun spicy JJ chicken pot
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.
Wuwei Chong Qing Cuisine

Wuwei Chong Qing Cuisine

4.3
(211 reviews)
2.2 mi
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Authentic Chong Qing style noodles - really worth to give it a try. Some hopefully helpful tips:…read more1. The noodles only have one size but it's pretty large. Depending on your appetite, two ladies could possibly share. We ordered 2 and it was enough for 3 people to share. 2. Since we do not eat anything spicy, we asked for non-spicy from the get-go at ordering. The owner was able to accommodate. 3. Parking is street parking only but readily available fronting the restaurant. 4. The restaurant space is rather small, so it gets busy during meal time. We often take out by ordering ahead of time.

stand alone restaurant - with limited seating insides…read more freshmade noodle for sure noted with quality. Do recommended getting chewy noodle vs flat noddle. The texture is more enjoyable when eating. Flat noddle - would have prefer to be more wide in size. Had the beef noodle classic -flavor in broth was decent, but could use with additional pickle vegetables to bring some sour and cut the richness of the broth. beef itself was very tender and came in separate bowl. Breakdown easily. not spicy at all though. next dish tried - was the pickle fish noodle - first time trying to dish anywhere. Surprisingly preferred this over the beef noodle. a little bit of sour, but just the right amount with the creamy broth mix. This with the chewy noodle was bomb. Highly recommended* price - reasonable for quality - but could have more noodle for quantity*

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Unique cr code menu
Unique cr code menu
泡椒鸭爪米线(Duck Feet Rice Noodle)Added Duck Blood (good!! Nice numbing and spicy)
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Pork with green peppers and fried egg
Lam's Kitchen

Lam's Kitchen

4.4
(653 reviews)
0.0 mi
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Amazing Chinese noodles restaurant in Chinatown known for their beef noodles!…read more We had the beef mein, beef chow fun, and side order of look fun. Everything was great but the beef in the soup was the highlight, it was soft but not too soft and full of flavor. It paired perfectly with the noodles and soup. We went on a Sunday for lunch and they were pretty busy but we only had to wait maybe 10 - 15 min. Service was very speedy. Cute Chinatown shop vibes.

Located in Chinatown, Lam's Kitchen is on a corner on Maunakea Street. The building is brick and…read morethe restaurant has red doors, which we read had been newly renovated. Inside, the space feels busy with tables and people moving around. There are benches inside for those waiting for a table. We had to wait a bit before we were seated but they seemed efficient in ushering people in and out of the restaurant. The middle had smaller tables, which seemed most suitable for two people. The sides had larger tables for larger parties. The tables felt pretty close together but we enjoyed the stool/bench chairs we sat on. They were different than what we are used to in restaurants. Our order was taken quickly. We decided to get the beef chow fun, yang chow fried rice, and cheong fun. The cheong fun was good, especially after adding hoisin sauce. The texture was soft and the portion was quite decent. The chow fun was also yummy. It was tasty without being overbearing. The fried rice was our favorite. It was flavorful and included a variety of ingredients. The prices were not bad either, considering the portion sizes. We hope to be back one day to try more of what they have!

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So clean and spacious
So clean and spacious
Beef Chow Fun
Beef Chow Fun
Lam's Kitchen

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Mei Mei Chinese BBQ - bbq - Updated June 2026

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