Best charsiu in town. The amount of fat, grease, flavors that explode once you take bite into it makes it all worthwhile. I just wish they gave larger servings given that you are paying close to 20 dollars for charsiu but oh wells it's all worth it at the end. read more

Great spot for authentic Chinese food. Located in the Chinese Cultural Plaza, there is lots of parking all around. They have various freshly chopped meats, such as roast duck, char siu (BBQ pork), and ginger onion chicken, which can also be served with noodles or rice. The roast duck is very tasty and has a sweet flavor to it. The char siu has similar sweet taste, but is a bit too fatty to my liking. The ginger onion chicken is also delicious. The noodle portion seems to lack consistency, sometimes you get more, sometimes less. read more

See all

Oh, this place is nice!!!! It's just beautiful inside compare to the old Chinese restaurants in the Chinese Cultural Center. Sandy's Cafe is located at the former Spicy Pavilion's location. Along with your tasty Cantonese dishes, they also have duck, cha siu hanging in their kitchen area. Party platters are offer for your big ohana parties. As always, parking is inexpensive in their five level lot. read more

See all

Sandy cafe is a relatively new spot that has many local HK favorite dishes. I had heard about the shrimp won ton and the char siu pork so I wanted to try this place out. It was the weekend before chinese new year 2022 so the place was very busy. We were able to snag a small table along the window overlooking the River mall walkway. Service was fast and we ordered the won ton min, beef balls rice noodles and satay beef soup noodles. The won ton mein came with huge won ton dumplings filled with whole shrimp and pork. The broth was flavorful but not too salty and overwhelming. I really enjoyed the rice noodle which was al dente firm. Most of the diners were having a combo of the roasted meat dishes over rice which looked very appetizing so I know what I am going to try on my next visit. The dining room is bright, clean and modern. One thing that could be improved is their serving utensils for dine in guests. They are using that same pandemic excuse for not providing proper utensils. They give you a disposable wooden chopsticks wrapped in paper and a plastic teaspoon wrapped with two napkins sealed in a small ziploc sandwich bag. It is very difficult to enjoy any of the soup dishes with a teaspoon so I found myself "cave manning" and picking up the whole bowl to slurp the soup. Probably not at my best behavior and a pleasant sight! read more

See all

Coworker raved about their minute chicken over cake noodle. Finally got a chance to try it today. Big chunks of chicken, love that they use a skinny noodle and the sauce is tasty. Probably my new favorite cake noodle dish. Also the chili sauce is ono with this. read more

Sandy's Cafe - Minute chicken over cake noodle - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The authenticity for Hong Kong Street cruise is spot on. Service is attentive and very efficient. Highly recommended. Know they sell out roast ducks and bbq items sometimes by noon. The finer onion chicken are tender and flavorful. Come nearly. They close on Wednesdays though. read more

Sandy's Cafe - Finer onion chicken thigh and Cantonese roast duck - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place is across Revive Cafe, they both sell Hong Kong food lol. Ever since this place open they tryna took all the customer from Revive Cafe to their Cafe. Don't get me wrong I actually enjoy both of them. They have their own specialty and is unique to their cafe. Food- 7/10 The food is not very consistent, some day can be good someday can be worse. The quantity of food they give is kinda up to them because last time I went there and got a borscht soup with bread, they gave me a full loaf of bread but this time they only gave me half of it. Is very confusing to me when I only got half loaf. This time I got the breakfast item. The omelette took about 30min to get to my table. The omelette taste great but I'm not sure if I'll be coming to this place again tho. Customer service 5/10 the people who's working there forget things big time and it takes at least 30min just for a butter toast. I went there first thing they opened on Sunday. It was empty is just me and my family we ordered our food quickly cause we have church after breakfast, it took them so long to get everything out. Overall this place is one of the tradition Hong Kong restaurant there is in hawaii. The staff kinda just stand there and watch out her people eat lol they don't really do anything else low key. I guess if you want to try new restaurant then you can come here. One time experience is enough. read more

See all

This place is legit. The food is super tasty. Dishes such roast duck, beef chow fun, ginger chicken are as good if not better than San Francisco Chinatown. Hong Kong ice milk tea is also good. If you are visiting Honolulu and need a break from poke and other Hawaiian food, you should stop by here. read more

Love this Chinese restaurant! Best minute chicken cake noodle and roast duck in my opinion! Their Char siu is also outstanding

I've dined here once and it was good, but not spectacular to long for.. what gets me is the overuse of ziploc bags to package utensils. It is so weird to me... Occasionally, I order their roast meats for add ons for meals at home. A few times the char siu that we phone order ends up being a cut that is extremely fatty with nonexistent meats. I don't support this type of business practice as I'm essentially tossing what I paid for.... This place is a hit or miss... read more

One of the best Hong Kong style cafes. They have Hong Kong style breakfast combo before 10am. My favorite is their roast duck, egg noodles, hand beaten fish ball, cold Hong Kong style milk tea. Roast duck is best in town. Egg noodles just right texture, not soft like other places. read more

Sandy's Cafe - Roast duck - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

This Hong Kong style cafe is recently opened about 6 months ago. They offer a typical menu of Hong Kong style cafe and roast meats (duck, chicken, and char siu). The good thing about this place is the spacious seating within. Compared to Kukui Cafe, which also offers similar menu of Hong Kong style cafe food, this place has way more comfortable seating and they accept credit cards for payment. I would prefer Sandy's cover Kukui cafe if I am with a larger group. However, I think the flavors of the food at Kukui Cafe is slightly better than Sandy's. If you care more about flavors, I recommend Kukui Cafe. If you care for a place with comfortable seating, Sandy's would be a better option. read more

I do not support dishonest restaurant businesses. This review is for Sandy's Cafe located in Cultural Plaza. I would give this place negative stars but that wasn't an option. Please do not give them your business. I ordered a whole Roast Duck and took it to my parents house to enjoy. I opened my plate and it was all dark meat and bones without any white meat. They did not give me the whole duck which I paid for. We called to let them know, they told him to drive back. My dad drove down there with the plate to show them. They accused him of taking the peices out. Why would I drive all the way from Pearl city to Chinatown to lie to you, I have better things to do? Then they just yelled at him and threw the duck in the trash with no refund given. Horrible Customer service and bad business practice. I will not support and you should be ashamed to even call yourself a business! read more

Try their bake pork chop with rice. Overall is good but too much fat. I need to break it down in two days to finish it. read more

Sandy's Cafe - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Super high quality food, fast service and very clean establishment located in the heart of Chinatown. Will be adding this to my rotation!

This place opened just weeks before COVID hit, when I still had no intention of being back in Hawaii and thought I would be spending 2021 abroad. Already bereft of the lovely Sichuanese place that I frequented on trips back from college, this was a fitting place for my college graduation lunch, which I had immediately after the first shutdown when restaurants could finally have in-house dining. Memories of Hong Kong/Macanese takeout from Southern Brooklyn (cheese porkchop rice and portuguese chicken--which I can't find ANYWHERE in Honolulu--were my weekly Friday splurge lunches), of Cantonese bbq after bus rides to Boston, and of milk tea in taiwan came back to mind as I entered the empty but spotless restaurant wearing a mask and face shield, with waiters in masks and face shields, and lots of confusion about how much hand sanitizer we had to wipe on our hands before and after touching anything. I tried the porkchop rice, now over a year ago, and remember it being a little sweet, with a rich, crunchy and oily piece of pork in a rich tomato sauce on fragrant rice. A dish that, in a parallel universe, could be a mainstay of plate lunch, a dish somewhat reminiscent of a porkchop beef stew mixed plate that got huli-ed. I remember writing a review for this visit but apparently not. More recently I stopped by on hot days just for the drinks. The past few weekends I've been here, it's been packed and I've had to lurk outside strategically waiting for a table to open up. I tried yuenyeung for the first time here, a mainstay of cha chaan teng, or teahouse/diner crossovers in Hong Kong, a mix of "pantyhose tea" and coffee. This has a wonderful taste, with the strong, bitter, and somewhat caramelly flavors of the tea balanced by the smooth and almost floral taste of the coffee. It also has a lot of caffeine and sugar. I also tried the tea on its own which is very strong and very sweet, with the intensity of vietnamese coffee. Almost bitter. Still wonderful on a hot day, but I preferred the mix. I also tried the Hong Kong style toast here, which is basically a deep-fried peanut butter sandwich with maple syrup and butter. The bread is sweet and fluffy, the peanut butter was nutty and almost savory, and the crunchy bits of fried batter went great with the syrup, like a more indulgent version of a waffle. Guaranteed to make you want to nap after. I tried the stir-fried spaghetti with pepper pork as well. This is a fusion dish whose history I have no idea about, but I've made similar dishes at 2 AM in college. It works surprisingly well. The fragrant bits of pepper and green onion, fried in a savory burnt shoyu sauce goes well with the sharp peppery flavor. The noodles are unmistakably spaghetti, with more of an al dente texture than the more chewy egg or wheat noodles you can find at the saimin stop or okazuya down the road. It works though--the spaghetti absorbs the crisp, oily flavors well and have a nice if a bit unfamiliar chewiness. Although the unease of early covid is gone, the crowds have returned to this restaurant and all the others in chinatown cultural plaza. Like the pigeons on the sun yat sen statue outside, and hopefully unlike covid, my memories and cravings forth is spot will remain. read more

Sandy's Cafe - Black pepper pork spaghetti stir-fry - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Went there first time yesterday. Place is not too big and menu is also only one page but I have a feeling everything is ono. They have waiter service. Char su pork was DA BOMB. Probably best char su I've ever had in my life. Even the fat was good. The beef chow fun (dry) was pretty standard for what I'd consider good. I ordered the shredded pork chow fun, which was wet. Normally I'm not a fan of wet noodles but it was good. I'll definitely order something different next time though. My friend's Singapore Noodles looked good. We parked in the structure which cost me $3. Not a bad deal and beats looking for street parking. The ambiance was really mellow with a lot of locals. Will be back for sure. The beef chow fun was $17 which is a lot compared to mainland but it is what it is--the cost of paradise. read more

Oh how I miss Hong Kong! It's been over two years since I ate in a cha chaan teng (Hong Kong style cafe) I miss the simplicity of it and how flavorful/cheap the dishes were. I never thought I would get to experience it again for a long time until my friend told me about Sandy's Cafe. He said it reminded him of Hong Kong and that I had to check it out! I immediately went the week after and was not disappointed. I ordered the lunch special which consisted of their Char Siu + Ginger Sauce Chicken + Drink (up to $3.50 value or pay the difference) I was instantly feeling nostalgic and it made me wish I could fly back already. For their prices, their portions are pretty generous and it's packed with flavor. My favorite would definitely have to be the Char Siu and the Black Bean Chow Funn but what I really loved was their Lemon Iced Tea! It's just how it should be: Stacks of lemon slices with some iced tea and you use your straw to poke through the slices to add more lemon juice when needed. I honestly can't wait to come back and try out their other dishes! read more

See all

My favorite Hong Kong style restaurant on the island. Every time we go the food is legit and the service is on point. Must get the roasted duck and cha sui over rice. I would definitely recommend this spot! read more

Amazing little hidden gem! I love the char sui, roast park, and roast duck on rice dishes. Their won ton soup is also delicious with plenty of noodles and won ton. They do take-out and dine-in. They're fast for take-out. Dine-in can get busy but you know it's delicious. Go for a visit to get authentic Cantonese dishes! They accept cash and credit. Can't really tell you about the parking since I walk from work. The place is a little hard to find since you can't see it while driving. You have to park and then walk around inside the plaza where you get to the bridge. There's a dim sum place next to it. read more

Very reminiscent of HongKong cafe. Ordered takeout, chicken duck on rice, roast pork chicken on rice. Friendly staff, food onolicious, price a bit high like what other restaurants are charging. Definitely order their HK style lemon tea, tasted exactly like ones in Hongkong. They open early at 8am for breakfast, unfortunately you cannot order anything on lunch menu till 10am, also they are closed on Wednesday. read more

The restaurant is clean and with a nice ambiance. Staff are friendly and efficient. Food and drinks are great with a good number of choices on the menu. read more

Omg the food is amazing. Absolutely amazing. Everything we've had taste so good. And they are fast enough so usually we make it in the grace period in the plaza parking I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

First time trying Sandy's Cafe for an early lunch. It was Ok, nothing impressive food wise. Service was friendly and quick. I had the roast duck and ginger chicken combo over rice. It was disappointing as the duck was mostly bones and a bit too salty. The chicken on the other hand was very good, texture and taste wise a plus; ginger sauce was excellent. The chicken is not the typical "boiled white look", it has a nice brownish, shoyu finish, nice! Wife had the won ton min and said the soup broth was bland. Highlight she mentioned was the noodles, thin Hong Kong style and chewy texture. Won ton was good sized and each had shrimp inside, but nothing special. read more

I was craving beef chow fun after watching the sunrise and this was the only place that was open at 8 AM so I decided to give this place a try. The beef was flavorful and tender, however, the noodles were quite oily. I also felt that the noodles could've used more seasoning. Overall, I thought the dish was good and I was glad that they were open so early! read more

Sandy's Cafe - Beef Chow Fun - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Very good Chinese food! My friends and I kept going back for their BBQ pork and soy sauce chicken. Everybody there was friendly. Great job guys! read more

It is time for a review update. Why? This place clearly deserves five stars! I have come to the conclusion that Sandy's Cafe has the very best dry chow fun noodles on the island of Oahu! They include plenty of beef, bean sprouts, and of course, chow fun noodles. They cook the noodles to just the right doneness, not at all mushy like they are at some other places on the island. The char siu is also really good here. There are some places where the chef has no idea how to slice the char siu; here it is expertly done, and not overly fatty either. They make wonderful Hong Kong style milk tea as well...guaranteed to keep you awake all day! The service here is friendly and efficient, too. Sandy, the owner, is a caring, friendly woman, who always makes us feel welcome. Another bonus is that this cafe is immaculately clean! This cafe serves food just like ones you will find in neighborhoods in Hong Kong. My favorite cafe not only in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza, but in all of Honolulu! read more

See all

Located in the Chinese Cultural Plaza (CCP) and has nice variety of Chinese dishes. Sandy, her chefs, and wait help provide excellent customer service. We had the shredded pork with Szechuan cabbage in hot noodle soup. It was a nice change from having the usual Pho or wonton noodle soup! Validated parking provided in the CCP. read more

Looking for AUTHENTIC Hong Kong food? This is the place! Probably the best roast duck and char siu around. This time we had the beef lok fun and pigs feet noodles. It was awesome. You really can't go wrong with anything here. Their drinks are good also. Go for the iced coffee and milk tea read more

Sandy's Cafe - Beef lok fun - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I was not impressed. Food was average. Minute chicken was a bit bland. Pork chops had a nice spicy flavor to it. read more

Sandy's Cafe - Minute chicken with cake noodle. - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

An "okay" place, bbq items (bbq pork aka Cha shui) are fair but stay away from getting any dishes with wonton.... Each wonton was full of pork fat in cubes! Understood traditional wontons are usually made from 50% pork and 50% pork fat but the wontons that we ordered were full of fat in cubes w/ no pork meat in sight... read more

See all

Tasty foods and great service. I really enjoyed my visit and would come back again to try the other dishes.

The food are awesome!! My favorite is the fish balls - not always available. The char siu are the best on the island, flavorful & tender. Great food, as for service - there's a shortage of worker right now, so I won't ding anyone for lack of service. But they do have good service. You can't expect fine-dining service for cheap price - lol. Will come back again read more

Ordered the lunch special (beef balls with soup), the soup was rather bland and watered down. Item is on the pricier side. The milk tea was good but would suggest making some revisions to the soup. read more

Very good HK food in Hawaii would recommend we had the bbq park duck rice and chow fan both taste delicious even on take out, so it should be even better if served in restaurant read more

The Char Siu was hecka delish! This restaurant was very clean and the staff was helpful and courteous. read more

Sandy's Cafe - The Char Siu was hecka delish! This restaurant was very clean and the staff was helpful and courteous. - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We been ordering pig feet rice for awhile ,the rice and pig feet we order this time is totally different this time. Rice is a bit smooshy and the pig feet looked like it had gravy on it which I didn't recall having before. We called to asked why and the lady kept saying "it's all the same everyday". I guess she doesn't care about customers and she showed no remorse. I'm gonna miss the way they made it before. read more

Sandy's Cafe - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We ended up coming back the following day early morning to make sure we didn't miss that Roast Duck and as we thought, it was delicious! Back home now on the mainland and missing everything about Hawaii including Sandy's Cafe haha. Mahalo! read more

Super good Hong King style Chinese food!! The restaurant is clean and the service is good. Definitely new favorite restaurant in Chinatown

We visited Sandy's cafe for the second time today and I must say this is one of my favorite places to eat now! We brought our baby stroller and there was ample room for us. The place is also very clean and the customer service was great. The servers were patient and answered all of our questions regarding. Lastly, the food was delicious. I recommend the Country style rice noodles, beef and black pepper, and the choi sum with osyter. Everything we had was ono. We'll be coming back! read more