This location is much smaller than the Clairemont location but it's opened on Tuesdays while the Clairemont one isn't. It also seemed like the menu here has a couple less options, but it's still great nonetheless. We got the hainanese chicken which was better at this location than the other. The chicken was not as thick and dry and it was pretty flavorful. I do wish that it was warm instead of cold tho. The spicy wontons were prob my favorite, I loveddd the spicy sauce! The green beans were solid too :) I LOVE HONG KONG CAFES read more

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I absolutely love this place. It's hard to get this quality of Hong Kong style food anywhere in California. This is a well run, super professional, and authentic restaurant. I had the combo with roasted duck and char siu (Bbq Pork), nearly as good as we had in Hong Kong last year. Do yourself a favor, saddle up and drive on over. You won't regret it. read more

This is a Hong Kong fusion restaurant. There are two locations and we went to the Mira Mesa one. Parking can get busy at peak times, but you should be able to find a spot since it's in a shared lot. It's not a huge place so it's kind of limited seating. We were a group of 4 but we were able to get a table. We ordered bbq rice, black pepper sirloin, the combo (you can use 2 out of 3 meats), and garlic water spinach. Service was okay but we got the food fast. Prices were reasonable since the portions were generous. This is a solid 4 out of 5. -bbq rice 5 - it comes with honey bbq pork and roast duck, an egg, veggies, and rice. Can be shared with 3-4 people. The meat was perfectly cooked and rice was soft. -black pepper sirloin 5 - the sirloin was tender and there was a good mix of veggies. I was surprised by how much meat they gave us. -combo with crispy roast duck and Hainanese chicken 4 - they were tasty but I wished the Hainanese chicken came with the rice. I didn't see a lot of bones for the crispy roast duck. -garlic water spinach 5 - veggies are good for you! Everything taste good with garlic. read more

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Good food and nice service. Enjoyed Hainanese chicken and the duck combo was delicious. Clean and bright dining area is also welcoming. Plan to come back with friends to try other dishes. read more

Delicious food with a menu filled with traditional and hard-to-find Cantonese-style Chinese dishes. The parking is somewhat difficult as it's in a small shopping center. One entering, you are welcomed by a bright interior decorated with nods to the HK street signs. You can order with the waiter or conveniently through a QR code. I liked all the food I tried and was impressed with the breadth of their menu that included fried milk and stewed meats. The pricing is similar to other Chinese restaurants although the quality is on point. I would definitely come back to try new items. We ordered beef flat noodle, beef with white radish, fried rice with pineapple, lava custard dim sum, and beef with Chinese broccoli. The lava buns were amazing and filled with salted egg. They are impressive! I also had the roast duck and pork. They were both good. read more

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I was craving authentic HK cooking and was in SD; came across Mom Kitchen so wanted to give this place a try. They are busy, so placing a takeout order took 45 min. Would definitely recommend calling it in. **Food review** BBQ combination rice (4/5): Char siu pork was juicy and tender, better than the duck which was savory but on the skinnier side. Hainanese chicken & rice (4/5): I thought it was done well but my partner felt other establishments did it better. Black gold lava bun (5/5): I love liquid custard buns. Don't let the color scare you away! Mom Kitchen was an authentic HK restaurant. Would definitely love to return in the future. read more

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Extremely delicious dishes that hit the spot. My husband and I had visited already twice and each time was wonderful. Seating and serving was fast (probably because we went off lunch/dinner hours because shortly after there was a lot of people waiting to get seated so expect a long wait if you arrive peak hours) The area itself was a small cafe but they did their best to accommodate the number of customers. Very clean and attentive. Their hong kong milk tea was especially good and I hope to try their lemon tea next since I've noticed a lot of customers order that. read more

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Delightfully surprised by this restaurant! The interior is cute and modern and the food is good! Beef chow fun: very delicious chow fun, lots of good flavors, strong flavors specifically and the beef was tender Water spinach: solid stir fried vegetable, not too oily Pork cutlet with curry: this was ok nothing too notable, I probably won't get it again Roast duck: really nice crispy skin and juicy duck, however there was too much bones and barely any lean meat in our tray, not really worth it Bear iced tea: the iced tea was good but the bear "ice" cube isn't worth it, as it's super bitter tasting and doesn't do much for your drink. I think they probably just freeze leftover tea in a bear mold and call it a day. I would come back here and try their other dishes for sure. read more

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Came here on a Wednesday with a party of 5 for dinner. We had to put our name down on a list but the wait didn't take very long. Parking is always available in the plaza as well. We ordered a lot to share family style: salt and pepper chicken wings, sticky rice and sausage, hainanese chicken, spicy wontons, crispy roast duck, and garlic water spinach. The sticky rice and sausage was one of my favorites, I couldn't stop eating it. The honey glazed bbq was also so tasty and tender. The duck was juicy and flavorful. The chicken wings were average and the garlic spinach was pretty good. The wontons were probably my least favorite. It wasn't very flavorful. For dessert we ordered the fried milk, which was actually pretty good. Service was good, the food came out in a timely manner. Overall, a pretty good first experience. I would definitely come back here again. read more

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Stopped in for dinner with friends on a Saturday night. Parking can be tricky as there are a lot of popular businesses in the shopping center. The shop was busy so we had a small wait, However tables were turned over quickly and we were seated within 20 minutes of adding our name to the wait list. Once seated we were quickly brought menus and water to the table. We ordered and food was brought out quickly! All of the food was delicious. Thr mix roast platter was a great choice to give you different options for dinner and you can never pass up the green beans. We ordered a variety to try and opted for a dessert of fried milk to top off an already delicious dinner. Highly recommend to come try if you're looking for a variety of Hong Kong style food. read more

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I went here recently and the service was nice. The server who served us was really nice and helpful. The stir fried vegetables stuff were good and the ambiance was nice overall, I liked the lights. The only thing I would say as the xiao long bao and other desserts like the lava buns and pineapple bun were not as good as the other dishes but they were okay. They had new jeans playing as well which is one kf my favorite groups. Overall, this place is nice but could improve their table size and store size since it is kinda cramped. I think this place is an okay stop for lunch. read more

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Fun hong kong cafe style restaurant. You can order on the QR code on the table or through the server. The lava buns were my favorite! Service is relatively speedy. Ask for chili oil if you like it! They don't keep it on every table read more

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This restaurant is in my neighbor and I've been wanting to come here for a while. They seem to always have a long line out the door. I figured it must be really good for there to always be a line. My daughter and I finally made it here and the wait wasn't too bad, only 20 minutes on a Thursday evening. We ordered the following to share: spicy wonton, beef noodle soup, and beef stir fried noodles. Neither of us were particularly impressed with the food. The spicy wontons weren't remotely spicy, maybe a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10. It had a bit too much vinegar and not nearly enough chili. I was surprised to see peanuts in this dish, definitely not for those who have a peanut allergy! The beef noodle soup was just ok. I liked how the broth wasn't greasy, but it wasn't very flavorful either. What turned me off with this dish was the daikon were very bitter. Daikon is typically not bitter, unless they're old. These were extremely bitter, which tells me they were not fresh at all. They tasted a bit wilted. I did like the beef, which were very tender. The noodles were overcooked, a bit too soggy for my taste. I was looking for the bouncy chewy texture. The beef stir fry was ok. Again, the noodles were too soft, overcooked. It was a flavorful dish that would've been really good with different noodles. Service was average. We ordered with our phone using the QR code and a server came by to verify our order. The food came out pretty quickly. The restaurant was clean. I've had worse Chinese food, but then again, I've had better as well, so I wouldn't go out of my way to come back anytime soon. I was expecting higher quality, something that would make me feel as if I ate at in my own mom's kitchen. Maybe because the name Mom Kitchen, I was looking for something along the line of what my mom made...I didn't get that here.... read more

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Long wait, but didn't disappoint! First time having Hong Kong food, and gotta say, it was pretty good. Menu was simple but all the options looked solid. Got the beef chow fun. Delicious Food came quick and I will say that the combination platters my friends got looked really good. So many solid spots in Mira Mesa. Will definitely be taking my family here! read more

Mom Kitchen - Beef Chow Fun - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

Yum! We ordered the haianese chicken plate.. the chicken oil rice was yummy! Don't downplay haianese chicken, it looks simple and maybe odd -- but it's top notch (if you're into ginger)! Garlic green beans were a hit and so crunchy. Spicy wontons had a perfect hit of spice combined with sweetness. Clean, cute decor. Will definitely be back. read more

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I'm disappointed to downgrade my rating. I had a good experience there the first time, but this second time it was such a struggle to get served. We ordered off the QR code, but when they brought our food they never removed the menus. They also didn't bring us the rice we ordered, so we had to ask for it and it was difficult to get someone's attention. Worst of all, I'm a pescatarian and ordered two items with shrimp and there wasn't any other mention of meat, but one of the dishes came with meat (probably bacon) in it. I confirmed with the server that it was meat but there was a bit of a language barrier to get to that point, so I'm not certain if it was bacon but my friend thought it definitely was and it looks like it. They never came by to check on us or refill our water. In fact, it was hard to even get someone to bring us the check so we could pay. We did get it eventually, and we put a card down but gave up and just went and paid at the counter (even though the table next to us had earlier paid at their table so I don't think paying at the counter was the expectation). read more

Mom Kitchen - Shrimps In Xo Sauce--includes meat in it (you can see some on the shrimp) which is not described on the menu. - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Gotta say - the service was fast, and the whole place was super clean. It was open on July 4th so I'm giving it 5 stars for it being open. The food was delicious, and the whole place got pretty full around lunch time. The duck is delicious! read more

Mom Kitchen - Duck - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

I really wanted to like this place, I really do... My family is from Hong Kong and we love the cuisine and food so much, but the experience and food we got from here was less than sub-par. I got the char-siu platter and the Hainanese chicken combo. I ordered takeout and noticed they didn't offer the char-siu and duck combo. No biggie, I'll just order the char-siu, and eat it with rice. But the char-siu we got was real, real dry. Like it's been dry for days old. It's a shame cause the flavor seemed kinda good, but just really old. Hainanese chicken was okay, but wasn't good enough that I'll come back for it again. Since it was a take-out order, I feel like their take-out orders are of abysmal quality vs dining in. Such a shame cause for the price point, it was really expensive for what it's worth. The only thing I really enjoyed was the Iced HK milk tea. I was really disappointed. I recommend heading down to Convoy for the more authentic HK cuisine instead. read more

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Mom Kitchen is busy in the evenings for a reason. Their portions are worth the price, service is quick and consistent, and bear ice molds are so cute. The interior is cozy but elegant, with one ADA table by the entrance and various 2-4 top tables. Food is cooked to order and brought out one at a time, so it may take a few extra minutes if they are busy. Their menu has variety - we enjoy their dim sum and stir fry items, as well as beef and duck options. read more

Mom Kitchen - Black Pepper Sirloin and Bbq Pork Egg Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

Mom Kitchen definitely named themselves well because the food truly makes me feel like I'm at home with my family. The food is authentic, portioned generously, with all the right flavors! The restaurant is small but very cute and welcoming for anyone trying authentic Hong Kong style food for the first time. It's gets pretty during dinner time so expect to flag the servers down if you need anything after they bring your food, but they come right away! Din tai fung who??? read more

Mom Kitchen - Bbq combination rice with roast duck, bbq cha siu, and sunny side up egg! Super loaded and overly satisfying - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Came on a random week day around 6 pm, there was a short wait of about 10 minutes. Here's what we got: Hainanese chicken plate: the full plate doesn't come with the rice. The meat itself was well cooked, they took out most of the bones so that was a nice touch. Ginger sauce was delicious but not proportionate to the platter, wish they included more. Malay water spinach: not a fan of this dish. It tasted a bit slimy and fishy. Unfortunately we couldn't eat much of it due to the texture/taste. Bbq platter: comes with roast duck, bbq chicken, one sunny side up egg and rice. I loved how the rice was semi covered in duck sauce (but again not enough, it only seeped through the top layer of the rice). The duck and bbq pork were so tender and perfectly flavored as well. Cons: it takes a while for each dish to come out. The water spinach came out first but it took maybe 20 minutes for each new dish to come out so we couldn't enjoy them together. Overall most of the food is fresh and flavorful, the waitress was attentive and nice, would come back to try the others! read more

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I was pleasantly surprised with my experience here at Mom Kitchen! Very limited seating area so expect a wait if you come on the weekend. They mainly have 2 seaters so anything more will be long. I tried the BBQ combination with had duck, bbq pork, rice, fried egg, and bokchoy and it was insanely good!!! That big portion all for $19! Definitely recommend. Service was quick but the servers also do that so you can leave quicker for the next guests to be seated. read more

Mom Kitchen - Bbq combination - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Wanted to eat here specifically for the peanut butter toast and damn that was sooooo good!!! I do order this to go occasionally- 5 stars for this dish alone The Hainanese chicken was bleh, I wouldn't order that again. The mixed bbq pork and duck rice bowl was good. I want to try other dishes but not sure I would want to sit down to eat. For one, sooo close to the other table and 2, when they clean anything they spray on the table next to you to clean , will also be sprayed on you, or your food. So that is why the 3 stars but do give them a try for yourself, esp the toast read more

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Our group of 5 came for lunch on a Sunday afternoon around 1pm. We lucked out since there was no wait for a table. Parking is easy and a shared lot with other popular businesses (same shopping center as Best Pizza). We were greeting by the lovely staff where most wore masks. It was hard to understand what they were saying with the mask and it was somewhat loud in this small restaurant. The tables are close together so literally you are sitting next to your neighbors. Note: For parties 5 or more, there is an automatic 18% gratuity included on your bill. We ordered the following: -2 XLB (6pcs) $12ea -Crispy Roast Duck (half order) $25 -Beef Chow Fun $17 -Honey Glazed Pork BBQ $16 -Garlic Water Spinach $16 -Beef Fried Noodles $16 -Black Pepper Sirloin $17 -Black Gold Lava Bun (3pcs) $8 Everything we had was amazing! The portions are small but we ordered enough to be full. Our favorites were the duck, pork bbq, and the beef chow fun. A couple of us ordered the fruit teas and they enjoyed the drinks. The ice shaped as a bear was really cute. It was $200 well spent for us and we would come back or order take out next time! Keep in mind their business hours as they close in between lunch and dinner for the staff to break and have their linner. read more

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The beef chow fun was delicious but so overpriced for the portion we got. We also got the shrimp fried rice, duck over rice and a few desserts but I felt like for the price and portion, it didn't match. The ambiance was fine, just a little cramped in the restaurant. The bathroom was super clean!! read more

Wow, this is apparently the place to be. Arrived right when they opened on a Saturday and it didn't take long for the whole place to be packed. We had a bit of a large group so took up a corner of the restaurant. Because the restaurant filled up so quickly, it took them a little while to get around to take our order. The food also trickled in but they did end up forgetting one of our items. We got the curry fish balls as an appetizer. The flavor was good and it came with some chili oil which made it even better. I also ordered the curry pork chop rice but what came out wasn't quite what I expected. I didn't expect the pork chop to be fried / this seemed more like a katsu. Overall, the dish was pretty plain. We also ordered the Chinese sausage with sticky rice. Unfortunately, the sticky rice wasn't quite sticky. It wasn't cooked like how you would normally cook sticky rice. Overall, the dish lacked seasoning and the amount of shiitake was overpowering. For our drink the ying yeung was really good. Half hong kong milk tea and half coffee. To my delight, it even had a coffee/tea ice cube which is awesome and prevents a diluted drink. Our friends got the string beans which was fried perfectly and had excellent flavor. Unfortunately, they forgot the kids peanut butter toast and it took awhile for them to make it. The prices felt high for the food. The food was a mix of good and just ok. Nice to have a canto place in Mira Mesa though. read more

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Bomb bomb bomb! Mom's is so so good. We came in on a Sunday around 1pm, and our party of five slipped in without having to wait. Much better than trying to go to some of the other hotspots on this shopping center! We ordered it all. Meats, noodles, dim sum, bear teas... nothing let us down. All excellent. The standouts are the Duck and pork. So flavorful and perfectly cooked. Really impressed with the food all around & look forward to returning. Service was fast & efficient too. Heads up they close between lunch and dinner, so budget time accordingly! read more

Mom Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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4.25 stars Very willing to bump up my rating to a 5, but I wanted to address some inconsistencies with the food. On my first visit, I ordered the Hainanese Chicken Rice and the Beef Noodle Soup. I was was a bit disappointed with the chicken rice because it came with plain white rice instead of the flavorful, garlicky rice I was expecting. However, on my second visit, our friends ordered the same dish, and theirs came with the proper chicken rice! There wasn't any mention of a substitution when I had ordered it, so I'm curious if it was an oversight the first time. If the rice issue is addressed, I'd be more than happy to up my rating. Food Ratings: Hainese Chicken Rice - 3.5/5 Again, totally down to up my rating if the rice is addressed. A huge part of what makes a good chicken rice is the RICE! Also wish the ginger sauce was a ginger scallion sauce. Beef Noodle Soup - 4/5 I thought it was decent, with a lot of radish in it (I love radish), but I thought the flavor of the broth was lacking a bit. BBQ Combination Rice - 4.5/5! Surprisingly VERY good! I really enjoyed both the BBQ cha siu and the roast duck. Thought the rice was a little hard (slightly undercooked?). But I would order this very thing next time I come back! The interior is absolutely gorgeous, the decor and dinnerware all match, and overall the service is really friendly! read more

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This used to be where Valerio's used to be. Service is not as great. Had to ask for water refill. Foodwise, it's pretty decent. The chicken wings were the star of the dinner. It was very good. The mix roast platter was delicious. The duck was cooked perfectly. The curry pork chop rice was not bad. Would I go here again? Yes. I would love to try other dishes read more

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I tried this place recently and honestly the food was kind of mid. The green beans were pretty salty, and the chicken wasn't that great either. It was definitely lacking flavor, which was disappointing because I was expecting more based on the hype. The best part of the whole experience was actually the drink--it came with a cute little bear in it, which was adorable and made it fun. Overall, the food didn't really stand out to me. It wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't something I'd go out of my way to get again. The bear drink was definitely the highlight though! Service was great! read more

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Was excited to finally see a Hong Kong style cafe open up nearby! The food is really tasty, the roast duck in particular was a standout. Portions are on the smaller side for the price, so keep that in mind. The restaurant itself is pretty small too, so you can expect a wait if you come during peak dinner hours. Still, it's nice to have a spot like this close by, and I'll definitely be back when I'm craving that HK cafe comfort food. read more

Mom Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

I loved this spot a ton! My friend suggested it to me, said it was a really good home cooked feel, and I agree!! It really hit the spot on a cold night and I definitely recommend this to anyone craving a good Chinese meal. Located in Mira Mesa, it has a decent parking lot, but there's a couple of other popular spots in that center so you may fight for parking depending on what time you go. You check in outside and wait until they call you. Seating is there, but it's not the biggest spot, so you most likely will be waiting for a bit, but I thought the wait went by fast! The place itself is really clean! Service was pretty good. The way they have their system set up, it's pretty minimal contact with the staff but that's okay. You order off the QR code on the table from your phone. The staff will bring the food to you. There's constantly staff on the floor refilling water and making sure you're okay, so that's good! Food was really, homey. I had the pork curry rice, and it was so good! I like that the curry was light. What I really liked that the pork wasn't thick, oily and the breading was just right. The chow fun was really good too! Not too oily and the flavors were really good! I will definitely be back! There's so much more on the menu that I wanted to try. I highly highly suggest this spot! Their prices are really good too! I'll definitely be back! read more

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If you've ever wondered what "aged to perfection" shouldn't smell like, come try the shumai here. The meat had that special stench that makes you question all your life choices. When I brought it up, the waitress confidently informed me it was because of "soda powder." Ah, yes -- the secret ingredient of fine rot. The seafood tofu was an adventure in blandness -- imagine someone boiling despair until it's technically edible. And the barbecue pork? Apparently sourced from the part of the pig that holds everything together, because it was 80% dryness, 20% tissue and 0% flavor. As for the service -- after daring to mention the smell, I was treated to the "silent punishment special." No eye contact, no takeout box, just pure attitude. Truly Michelin-level pettiness. Overall, if you're into culinary thrill-seeking and enjoy the aroma of regret, this might be your spot. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and eat literally anywhere else. read more

Mom Kitchen - Stinky Shumai - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Food was good, BUT the service was so bad. Excitedly brought my family here but the serious was super slow. Tables that came after us got their food faster, the waiter never checked in on us or refilled our water, the vegetable we ordered didn't come out until 20min after the entree came out. Had to ask 3-4 times for a take out box & even then they were really rude & were giving us a hard time. read more

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Located in a medium size complex with several other restaurants, there are plenty of parking. It is a small restaurant but very clean and pretty busy for a Friday lunch around 1pm. We were promptly seated and given water and a physical menu. The online QR menu has photos and you will order directly using the phone so the physical menu was not really necessary. Also, I noticed that the price for the sirloin & radish (listed as beef and radish on the physical menu) were priced differently. On the physical menu it was $18 while online it was $16. They did charge it as $16 so there wasn't a problem but just in case, go with the price listed on the online menu. Food came out really fast; within 5 minutes of ordering. The sirloin and radish dish does not come with rice so be sure to order rice ($1.50) if you are not ordering another rice or noodles dish. The beef was super tender and the sauce (which was no overly salty) went amazingly well with the Jasmine rice we ordered on the side. The radish felt a little undercooked (slightly hard and has not soaked in the sauce yet) but was still delicious. Their pork from the BBQ combination dish was good but their roast duck was amazing. The skin was super crunchy and the meat was juicy! The kumquat iced tea was really refreshing and had the perfect sweetness. The bear was an added fun. It does give you that extra amount of tea you could take home so I think the $1 was worth it. There were two staff working the hall and about 4 working in the kitchen which is why the food probably came out so quickly. The hall staff were super attentive and noticed when we needed help (one of our cup was leaking). They will bring the bill to the table and you could take it up to the counter when you are ready to pay. read more

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Small Chinese restaurant in Mira Mesa! Delicious Chinese food but very overpriced. Portion is small too. Service was mediocre. read more

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Wow this place was packed for dinner on a Friday night. But service was still awesome & all the food came out very quickly once you submit your order online with the QR code. The tables are very close together, but thankfully we got a spot in the corner so we didn't have to sit too close next to anyone. We ordered a bunch of things & thought everything was delicious. My favorites to least was: Mix roast platter: both the crispy duck & honey glaze bbq was delicious. The duck skin crispy, and the glaze on the pork addicting. Mom special fried rice: loved the flavors in this. Simple, but flavorful & delicious. I enjoyed the sesame & seaweed flavors. Peanut butter toast: my hubby & I loved the light buttered toast with condensed milk & peanut butter. So good. Mango pomelo sago: I've seen many reviews complaining it barely had fruit and sago, but thankfully ours had a lot. Not too sweet. Sweet dumplings: I was expecting this to be sweeter. But it really wasn't that sweet at all. But I still enjoyed it a ton. Salt & pepper wings: it was very crispy & yummy. But the seasonings were very light & they only give you 6 extremely tiny wings. Hainanese chicken: very moist & perfectly cooked boneless chicken We loved the ginger sauce, & the spicy sauce has a nice mild kick. Not the best I've tried. The best Hainanese chicken I tried was in downtown China town in Boston, Massachusetts. The one in Boston had a yummy soy brown sauce that complimented the ginger dipping oil. Overall a great experience & we'll be back to crave the mix platter, mom fried rice, & peanut butter toast. read more

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I've been twice in one week specifically for their boneless Hainan chicken. The location feels new, clean, and well staffed. It's not a huge place so tables are close together and gets busy during peak hours. You order from a QR code but they also have a laminated menu (no food pics). I actually ran into my sis and cousin who sat down at the table next to me! So we shared a huge lunch which made for more pics to post for this review :) We tried: Hainan half chicken: - this was the a la carte and a good portion with no bones. The skin and meat of the chicken are divine. The ginger scallion sauce is flavorful, oily, and heaven. Crispy roast duck: - my sis is obsessed with this dish. The duck is juicy and not dried out. Crispy Cucumber salad: - soggy Garlic green beans: - SO good. Dare I say Din Tai Fung quality-good. The beans tasted fresh and not stringy. Beef Chow Fun $18: - we hoped for a bigger portion for the price. Noodles were woked well . BBQ Rice combo $18: - we got the roast pork and roast duck. Rice was topped with a beautiful fried egg and some steamed bok choy. I didn't like the roast pork but just preferred the duck and Hainan chicken Sticky rice & sausage $18: - pass as this dish didn't taste like sticky rice at all. There wasn't very much sausage. It was mostly packed fried rice. Pan fried pork dumplings $14: - pork filling wasn't very good. The dumpling skins were pan fried nicely but we wouldn't order this again Xiao long bao $12 - bad. Pork filling was mediocre and the soup wasn't savory or plentiful. The XLB dough was too thick. Black gold lava bun $8: - freshly steamed and delicious! The buns were fluffy with a nice pull . The wonderfully runny yolk filling was scrumptious and addicting. Service has always been amazing on each visit. They are glad to help you order and give you their opinions about certain dishes. Waters and hot tea are constantly refilled and no one rushes your meal. read more

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3-star review is based on the most recent visit: Service was terrible today. It seems like they probably hired a summer intern? He (wearing black mask) really didn't know what he was doing. In the background, you can also hear both of the other employees scolding him. Why not give him proper training first or have him shadow before putting him out in the field. Or maybe they did do that and he is just not good. We didn't have a good time while dining in and we were waiting on a to-go order at the end. Upon checkout, that employee immediately selected the 18% tip option. My mom was a little surprised that he was the one that selected the tip. Since usually, the customer selects the tip or if we had a bigger party a tip would be added in automatically. This was the first time I see an employee select the tip himself. Keep in mind, we had takeout as one of our items and that is usually tipped at a lower rate. Typically, we don't mind and usually tip 18 to 25% (for good service), but the service was terrible that my mom selected the 15%. This is still standard since the total included the price of the takeout as well. But talk about tipflation! What made me even more speechless was, while were waiting for take out, that employee came up to us and was wondering why we were still sitting there, even though we paid already (kind of asking us to leave).... We said that we are waiting on the salt and pepper chicken takeout order that should be out soon. He said he didn't see it on our receipt. We were then very confused because we clearly saw it on our receipt when we paid earlier. Then the nicer employee came out with that to-go order and apologized about his behavior. When we first arrived, he also gave us water. One of the cups had gunk on it, so we kindly asked for a different cup. We also got fried rice, and there was a bug on top of it. We didn't make a big deal out of it and removed it ourselves. This server also wasn't very skilled at placing dishes on the tables without touching other things with his (not so clean) gloves. I literally saw him touch the trash with his gloves then use the same gloves to serve us our food. I lost my appetite. We got the beef and radish stew for the first time. Very different than what was pictured. It was extremely salty and the quality of the beef was terrible. I'm most shocked by the price because of the quality. The price does not justify the quality at all. It was mostly fat and surprisingly very difficult to chew. It was so bad that we had to ask for it togo since we feel bad throwing away meat. Will do something about it at home. Would I come here again? Not in the near future. I'm writing this review also to remind myself. I would also not recommend this place to other people anymore. 3-stars is already very generous. They only show exceptional service based off of the reviews you give them. I'm not asking for exceptional. I'll settle for average, but this is just below average. ------------------------ This was 5-star visit: My favorite dish here is still the malay water spinach. From my last review, they adjusted quickly and really took in the feedback. Water is filled ~80% now. The service was really sincere and chef Mao even came out a few times to check in on us and to explain what happened on our previous visit about the buns. Bathroom was clean. I would come here again. Service is nice. Food is good. Made fresh they said. read more

Mom Kitchen - Cold Lava Buns They reheated it for me since it came cold - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

While a tad pricey, we loved everything we ordered!! Finally, the perfect, homey, Chinese place has opened up in Mira Mesa. The food came out quickly, hot and fresh. The space is quaint and might be hard to host large parties/ gatherings. We brought our baby with us and they had a high chair which was great!! Tip: ask for extra hainan chicken sauce. The ginger sauce is excellent!!' read more

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