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A friend recommended this place for authentic Cantonese cuisine, and it absolutely delivered. Every dish felt true to tradition--it genuinely gave us that "back in Hong Kong" experience. The staff were warm and welcoming, and the space itself was impressively clean and more spacious than expected. Most importantly, the food was outstanding. I'd definitely recommend checking it out--just stay aware of your surroundings when walking around the neighborhood, as you would in most busy Chinatown areas.
SANDY'S famous for their Chinese barbecue products。We parked at the Cultural Center and paid $4 for two hours。 Hubs wanted roast duck+bbq pork over rice $21--pork has half fat/half lean meat which is superbly done, melts in your mouth! I had the Baked pork chop in tomato sauce over fried rice-- differently done, fresh tomatoes were used instead of tomato paste and the chops are simply pan fried instead of deep fried with crumbs; the fried rice even has wok flavour and it's a generous amount, $23 We even bought bbq pork for take out。$18 Restaurant was full, a lot of take outs, a lil noisy of course⋯⋯service was surprisingly good with the wait staff filling up your complimentary water/tea。 Do drop by Sandy's if you are in the vicinity, recommend!
Fast service and a family friendly restaurant. Many grand with their grandchildren enjoying a family Sunday meal. Take-out is a great option. A local favorite as almost everyone is speaking Cantonese. The deli for cooked roast pork and char siu is legit. Everything is freshly made.
If you don't know where to go to lunch, just follow the crowd and you won't be lead wrong. Funny, but that is how I first discovered Sandy's Cafe years ago. You'll see the various meats hanging in the butcher's corner. They are known for their roast duck. The duck and char siu are juicy and full of flavor. I have dined on serval occasions here and they were out of duck.....so sad. Service is typical of a Chinese restaurant. If you want something, use your voice.
Despite the location Sandy's Cafe is an oasis with clean interior, friendly staff and delicious food. We came at 10 minutes before their 2pm closing. Waitress welcomed us in and gave us menus explaining they were sold out of the rice dishes with the char sui and duck. Bummers! But they had the noodle dishes. We ordered the beef chow fun and the gau gee noodles with the milk teas. While we waited we noticed the bright clean interior and the layout of the tables that's great for meeting with friends. Food came out quickly piping out. The gau gee noodle had crispy noodles and 4 huge gau gee with a side of mustard. The beef chow fun had that wonderful wok heat and essence. Everything was delicious. Love the crunchy noodles in the gau gee noodle with the brown gravy. Love the thick noodles with veggies in the beef chow fun. The milk teas were like the Hong Kong milk teas perfectly milky and sweet...so refreshing and nice dessert option too. Will definitely return to try rice dishes! Yummy!
Shucks, they were out of duck :( Although we arrived at a time that they were sold out of this prized entree, it wasn't a total loss because I had another dish that totally fulfilled my other craving! Let me describe their Minute Chicken Cake Noodles :) To me, the most important part of this dish is the cake noodles. Having been on the mainland for four years and not having access to cake noodles was torture. The cake noodles at Sandy's was spot on, perfect! This totally met my needs LOL * Top and bottom of each cake noodle, there's an excellent golden crispness which comes from the perfect combination of heat, oil, and cookware....Check! * Inside each cake noodle, there's an excellent texture and chewiness from properly cooking and draining the noodles before frying it. Their noodles aren't too thick or too thin....Check! * Flavor from their sauce over the cake noodles was tasty and not too salty. I am sensitive to MSG and this dish was quite enjoyable. I knew this was prepared fresh, made to order because the cake noodles were not at all soggy, great job.....Check! Last but certainly not least, their Minute Chicken was so yummy! Boneless, skinless, tender morsels of tasty chicken was so ono! Again, this part of the dish wasn't too salty. Thank you for a memorable dining experience. Will certainly return another time for their duck!
Finally got to eat at Sandy's. A fellow Elite told me the win tonight won tonight mein was really good. He was right! Serviced was great, restaurants was very clean... won ton was spot on! Broth tasty, noodles were nice and firm and won tons were full of tasty pork and shrimp. We also share the roast duck/ char siu on rice. It was good. I just prefer the duck from Mei Mei bbq. People very nice and they have a take out menu
If you are looking for authentic Hong Kong food, this is a place you can put it the "to go" list. It's conveniently located in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza, so you don't have to worry about parking. This place is very clean, which is a very big plus. Food review: -wonton soup: 5/5 Very homey taste; in fact, this is what an authentic Hong Kong wonton taste like! The favor of the wonton is not salty and they are very generous in the meat portion. The wonton is pretty big compared to other places. This is my always go to dish to get. -beef chow fun: 5/5 I have to say this is one of the best beef chow fun in island. Each of the chow fun is coated evenly with the sauce. I usually don't like to order beef chow fun because it can taste very oily and heavy, but this one not at all. The chow fun is very tasty! Highly recommended! -beef spaghetti w/ tomato sauce: 3.5/5 This is not the usual spaghetti where you get at an Italian restaurant. It's an Asian/hong Kong style spaghetti that have a different flavor compared to the traditional Italian pasta. The portion it's actually pretty big. It's pretty average, nothing special. If you want to try a non-Italian version spaghetti, can give it a try.
So happy to finally try Sandy's Cafe. They are located in the Chinese Cultural Plaza on the first level by the water. My husband raves about their roast duck and since he's working from home today, I picked up lunch for us. I called in the order and it was ready when I got there. I was in and out in 15 minutes so parking was free. It was so easy! My husband got the roast duck/ginger chicken combo on rice and I love minute chicken cake noodle so I had to get that. They separate the sauce so the noodles do not get soggy. The minute chicken and the cake noodles were really good! The noodles are skinnier than other places but it was very tasty and the portion is very generous. My husband ate his whole plate so it must've been good. 10/10 I would go back again to Sandy's Cafe. I can see why they are so busy and some days they run out of the roast duck.
Not quite 5 stars because it's a little pricey compared to peers but willing to give the benefit of doubt because of the fantastic char siu. Yes the char siu is by far the best in town. Moist well seasoned and marinated all the way thru. Had some burnt ends not too sweet or salty. But it's much more than Mei Mei. The ung choy is excellent. Fried in a high heat wok with generous garlic... The perfect compliment to any other fish. Lo mein is ok... Slightly overcooked and too soft. The shrimp roe flavor is good however. Fried fish is ok too.. not too oily or aggressively seasoned. Overall recommend this place but be aware of the slightly higher prices. Portions are on the smaller side. Service is excellent and don't feel you have to know Cantonese to order or get help.
omg this is one of my most favorite restaurants ever. i've been coming here for about three years now and it's so so good. i always get the roast duck lo mein with extra duck sauce and chili oil - it's so good. the duck is so juicy and the noodles are perfect, not dry and not soggy from the sauce. in singapore, duck noodles were probably my favorite dish and sandy's makes it exactly the same. staff are friendly, they know my order!! restaurant is very clean. park in the chinatown cultural plaza lot, or you can find plenty street parking too.
Located in the Chinese Cultural Plaza in Chinatown. With Hong Kong Cafe vibes you'll find it loud, full of Chinese patrons (always a good sign for a Chinese food establishment). The roast duck and char siu over rice should always be a go to. Today, they said pork belly was used to make their char siu. Never had that before but it was delicious. Not too fat as I had worried. We lucked out and got the dark meat pieces of the duck with our order. Normally it is a $1 extra per request. I saw others eating it and was curious so got their baked porkchop over egg fried rice with tomato sauce and cheese. It took a long time because it's made to order and is scalding hot so be careful. It was alright. I dunno I would get it again. Love their HK cold milk tea. Super strong.
Clean busy Hong Kong style eatery featuring duck, noodle and rice dishes. Located on the river side of The Chinese Curtiral Plaza. Generous portions made it fun for our party of 7 to share dishes family style. I got the wonton mein which came with thin egg noodles. It was pretty good with decent sized shrimp , but I enjoyed some of the other dishes more, except for the shredded pork chow funn. I really like my aunt's crispy cake noodles which were soft on the inside. She got it with crispy gau chee (I'm not a fan) so I would order it with minute chicken instead. Mom got mushroom and duck feet lo mein, a new dish for us which we liked! The beef with black pepper sauce on rice was tender and the roast duck was juicy and moist with crispy skin. The place was busy with lots of Chinese speaking diners which is always a good sign! You can also take out chicken and duck which are hanging.
3 years ago
Thank you Paul C and Daniel C for yelping this place about their roast duck and their char siu. Yes it's very good also the ginger chicken on rice per Peter Y yelp review too. And I can't forget our auntie Nadine C for she has gone over here too also yelping this place also. Service was fast and brought everything to us without waiting a long time. Located close to my apt but I still drive there and walk the short distance. Lol.. if you like good char siu and roast duck this is the place to go. I know they're other places to go but thanks to these yelpers who went there also. read more
Hands down, BEST char siu and duck I've had in Hawaii and I've been trying to find the holy grail for the last 20 years. The roasted meat is moist, tender, and served in the drippings. I've been here like 6x, always on the weekend when it's hopping but we never had a wait more than 10 minutes for a table - turnover is quick since it's a simple Chinese diner. The wonton min is great too, so is the french toast. read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
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2 years ago
Location inside the cultural Plaza in Chinatown, Sandy's offer Hong Kong style dishes. The service is really good, everyone is friendly and attentive. However, I feel that the food can be hit andmiss. For example, we ordered the roast duck and char siu today, the char siu is very very fatty. The roasted duck is very skinny and not much meat on it. Some days are good. Some days are not good. We like look fun, but their look fun is not the best. Lam's kitchen has better look fun. We also like their Hong Kong style milk tea. We order that every time we visited. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Can't get more HK style than this! I ordered the chicken rice plate, and it did not disappoint. The meat was so juicy and tender, and went great with the ginger scallion oil dipping sauce. read more
1 year ago
Great place with delicious char siu! Was in the mood for char siu and went on Yelp and up came Sandy's! Drove down and order quite a bit of items. No complaints from the coworkers! Now is it the best I've had? No, is it my new go to, nope. Is it good for the area and the price? Yes! read more
Been here before for breakfast. I love Hong Kong set breakfast. This time we came for lunch. The noodles are very good. The broth was flavorful. I did not get swollen or thirsty after the meal. The house made chili oil had a good spice level. I was able to handle it. The milk tea is close to what I get in Hong Kong. read more
2 years ago
I read that they have good roast duck but a friend of our said it's a hit or miss. The roast duck was ok. I got the brisket and tendon noodle soup with some chinese cabbage. Maybe if it was served with choy sum it would have been better. Chinese cabbage in a soup throws me off for some reason. It was ok tasting. Service was good though. It's located inside the Chinese Cultural Plaza. No parking validation. I paid $2. read more
We are visiting from San diego and are deprived of cantonese food. Someone on fb recommended Sandy's. And we were totally blown Away! We lived in SF Bay Area for years and we have yet encountered such great quality of cantonese food. And we r picky with cantonese food. Prices aren't cheap to be honest but well worth it! Also, the menu don't have a lot of choices. The servers were very warm and talkative. I had a feeling they knew all the regular customers. It surely felt nice to talk to someone who spoke our language. It can be hard to find as the GPS directed us to a lobster roll place. Sandy's is actually inside the chinese cultural center. Whether you are visiting or live in Honolulu, u gotta check this place out! read more
I've been wanting to dine at Sandy's Cafe for awhile now. Mink didn't want to come here because she always wants dimsum if we're in Chinatown Cultural Plaza so I never get the chance to go. I see Yelp friends check in here and read their reviews which made me want to come even more. Their posts on social media really lit the fire under my butt to make it a point to go. I was going to go by myself one day but a lunch special popped up on IG prior to heading there. Since Mink likes this specific menu item, I mentioned it to her. She quickly replied that she wanted me to pick it up for her so I ended up not going again. A few days later I was going with Lunch Buddy for a test drive so I asked if it was ok to have lunch at Sandy's Cafe after and she said yes! Allen N was also able to join so we met up at the restaurant. It was also Allen's first time there. We didn't take long to decide. Lunch Buddy ordered Won Ton Noodles in Soup, Allen ordered Minute Chicken Cake Noodle and I ordered Ginger Sauce Chicken & Roast Duck on Rice. Being the fatty that I am, I also ordered a side of Char Siu for us to share. It was just by chance the server told me they only serve fatty char siu. Fatty char siu for a fatty like me lol. Paul C said it was legit so I had to order it. Thanks for the recommendation Paul! Food came out quickly so that was nice since they were busy as the restaurant was full. There were people standing by the door waiting for a table! Lunch Buddy gave me a won ton and I ate that with red vinegar and chili sauce/oil. It was good and satisfied a craving of mine. Allen shared some of his order and it was tasty. The chicken was on the sweeter side but still good. My dish was very filling! The roast duck was mostly meaty and the chicken was moist. It was like a shoyu chicken that you add ginger sauce to it. Odd pairing so I put chili sauce/oil on it instead. The char siu flavor was great but the char siu was super fatty and it turns out I'm not a fan of so much fat. Wish they had 1/2 lean and 1/2 fatty then it would be a lot better. Sandy's Cafe lived up to my expectations and I can't wait to go back! read more
Note: This is a takeaway review. The restaurant offers dine in. Me: "Can I get one order charsiu and a whole duck?" Restaurant worker (with a thick Chinese accent): "whole duck?" Me: "Yes". Restaurant worker: "You like two half duck or whole duck?" Me: "Huh?" Followed by a long pause. Restaurant worker: "Hello?" Me: "Yes?" Restaurant worker: "Two half duck?" Me: "That's a whole duck right?" Restaurant worker: "What? Two half duck, whole duck?" Me (totally confused): "OK" Restaurant worker: "Huh? (pause). You come 15 minutes". Looking at the check when I arrive there are three items: - 1 order char siu - $13.00 - 1 half duck - $18.00 - 1 half duck - $18.00 JIC you're wondering, a whole duck is $34.00. SMH. But wow, what a roast duck. This is the largest, meatiest roast duck offered in Chinatown today. Larger, more mature birds with thick breast, large meaty drums, even meat on the back. A roast duck from yesteryear making it one of the best in Chinatown. Seasoning isn't as perfect as a certain place in Maunakea Marketplace, but the fat is extremely well rendered (eating the skin on the back is plenty juicy without creating an oil slick in your mouth) and the tell tale smokiness from castoff fat burning in the oven is there. The charsiu is juicy, gently sweet, deeply flavored right to its succulent core. Hints of fermented tofu goodness for umami balance. One of the best. Note: Charsiu is available from 10:00 daily. Many noodles offered. None sampled. Definitely worth struggling with the language barrier for Chinese BBQ this good. read more
After seeing a few of my Yelp buddies check into this cafe called - "Sandy's Cafe" in Chinatown, I quickly bookmarked this joint to give it a try with one of my foodie friends. Located at the Chinese Cultural Center in Chinatown, you can find Sandy's Cafe just a few doors down from the famous Legends Seafood Restaurant, or if you know where Fook Lam Chinese Restaurant is, Sandy's is just next door. What can I say about Sandy's Cafe? I must say the restaurant did an excellent job with keeping the restaurant clean, and the service we received here was EXCELLENT! I came here on a Saturday morning for breakfast, and the restaurant offered a breakfast menu, as well as an everyday menu. While looking over the menu, I passed on the breakfast menu, as I found it not appealing to my taste, and went straight to the everyday menu instead. My friend & I ordered the following grub - 1. Deep Fried Chicken Wings ($14.00) - you're not surprised, right? Lol! You basically get (8) "flats" that was perfectly deep fried. The wings had good taste & texture! Upon biting into that wing, it was crunchy on the outside, but juicy on the inside. Nicely done! 2. I ended up ordering the Minute Chicken Cake Noodles ($15.00) for my breakfast. How did I like the grub??? Honestly, I had some mixed feelings about this dish..........the cake noodles was excellent, as the noodles came out crispy, and the restaurant did not drown the dish in gravy making the cake noodle soggy. Here's the part that totally turned me off..........the minute chicken was cooked with some kinda sauce that was on the sweet side. It's not a bad thing, but for me, it's just not my bag baby! 3. My friend ordered the Shredded Pork with Preserved Cabbage Rice Noodles in Soup ($12.00), this was a hit for my friend, as she enjoyed the dish. When they brought out the dish to our table, I could smell the delicious aroma, and only wished I was eating pork again! Lol! Overall, a pleasant dining experience! The restaurant was clean, the staff was attentive and provided excellent service! I guess the next time I come back here, I'll have to try out the Roast Duck. Ummmmmmmmmmm! read more
***4.75 STARS*** After the initial visit with foodie friends, as promised I dragged my family to Sandy's Café (SC) for brunch. Not only once but TWICE in 3 weeks. That's how much we like SC. My BIL is originally from Hong Kong and the 2 kiddies do enjoy their Chinese food, too. When I advised them how authentic SC is, they were all on board to come here. Favorite nephew by default had to be at work at the mall from 11am, so we agreed to meet here at 9am. They had some patrons when we arrived but we all noticed they were primarily Cantonese speaking Chinese. A good sign. I like to dine with family because I get to order a storm and try many dishes of interest. But after a disappointing experience with their roast duck, I asked the staff prior to ordering if the duck was worthy or not. When explaining my previous disappointment, the staff checked with the chef and got thumbs up. As a redemption, the roast duck was very good this time. Skin was crispy, duck was meaty and flavorful. We were lucky that day because usually char siu is offered from 10am but it was already available when we arrived. ALL members of my family were impressed of the char siu - - so flavorful and juicy. Another notable dish is their minute chicken with cake noodles. This dish is executed so well - - crispy noodles with flavorful and large chunks of chicken. The only setback is their gravy as we all find this on the sweeter side. My BIL just raves over the won tons here. They are Hong Kong style with coarsely chopped pork and each dumpling has plump shrimp inside and they swim in a very flavorful broth. Don't get me wrong - - the won tons are notable but they don't shine as much as my winners here. On a recent visit, I took a chance and ordered their preserved vegetable with pork served with vermicelli noodles in soup. This dish is packed with flavor with great texture and flavor contrasts. Of course, I added red wine vinegar and their house made chili oil to elevate the dish. We also recommend their beef chow fun (dry style) as it's executed quite well. If you order before 10am, you can take advantage of their breakfast menu as some offerings come with a drink. Their iced Hong Kong style milk tea is excellent here. I've had this twice now and because it's such a refreshing and tasty drink, for sure I will be ordering it again. So why not 5-stars? Customer service. After a spectacular visit of amazing food and service, I rewarded our waiter with over 20% tip. By pure coincidence, we had him again but this time was cold and seemed to be preoccupied disinfecting and cleaning tables rather than give us hot tea, iced water and small dishes. We clearly each ordered our own dish plus a whole bunch of other plates to share. We literally had to ask him to bring it to us when we finally got his attention. I don't think we're being too judgmental as the restaurant was about 50% capacity. Overall, SC is worthy of an update and a bump in ratings from me. The food is so good that I want to go back again and soon, that is. NOTE: I had left my credit card in my jeans from the previous day so I didn't physically have it with me and luckily SC accepts Apple Pay. read more
They open early so we decided to come here for breakfast at 9am. I ordered the roast duck noodle soup and added wonton. $20 The food is pretty good. The duck is juicy. Service is good here. Food came out pretty fast. Parking at the culture center and get validation. read more
Lunch in Honolulu's Chinatown... Since it was a holiday (and street parking is free), my friends decided to meet for lunch (because they are usually working far away from each other). Sandy's Cafe at the Cultural Plaza was chosen because some of our Yelp friends had written great reviews and the photos looked delicious! Service was okay. My friends stated that we seemed to have to ask for everything: water, condiments, soup spoons, etc. I don't need much, so, I didn't really notice. I ordered wonton min because I like dumplings (symbolizing money bags) and noodles (for long life). I was really happy because the food was Hong Kong style: thin, firm noodles and shrimp (and pork) in each wonton! Yummy! Paul C. shared his side of Cha siu (BBQ pork) and it was delicious! The seasoning and moist, tender meat was excellent! I want to return and try other things on the menu like cake noodles and duck! read more
Hong Kong style diner located in Cultural Plaza. This place definitely reminds me of a modern HK diner. They have very interesting types of dishes. I ordered the Singaporean chow mien and bf ordered the baked pork chop fried rice. Chow mien a little bit spicy due to curry powder mixed into it. I like the thin noodles mixed with the veggies and meat. This dish is on the drier side. The baked pork chop tasted tomatoe-y. Rice was a bit soft since it was under the sauce. It was pretty good. Never had something like this before. Milk tea wasn't bad. Pricing was decent over here. I would probably come here often for their food. read more
Honestly, the BEST roast duck and ginger chicken we've had so far. We're always on the hunt for roast duck that has perfectly seasoned, juicy meat with a light, crispy skin, and this delivers. We usually order the plate that has both the roast duck and ginger chicken (both DELICIOUS) and one other dish to try (we like to be adventurous, too). Everything's been good so far, but the roast duck dish always memorable. The parking garage always has stalls, and it's cheap, so that's a plus, too. Oh, I almost forgot! Sandy's also has really, really great milk tea. It's perfectly sweetened without it being sickeningly so, and the black tea flavor really comes through, which is important for me. I highly recommend Sandy's for some solid, comfort food. You won't be disappointed. read more
This cafe has been one of my favorite places to get authentic Hong Kong style food. Their roast duck was juicy and skin was extra crispy. The char siu is tender, but a little too fatty sometimes. I always have to get theo Hồng style milk tea with my meal . Absolutely delicious pairing for lunch. Prices are a bit on the higher end. They don't skimp out on portions though. read more
Who would have thought a generic name like Sandy's Café is actually an authentic Hong Kong Café by Hong Kong standards? Yup, a typical Hong Kong Café, also known as che chan teng, evolved during 18th century British colonial rule. The typical menu includes western fusion food done Hong Kong style, with breakfast in the morning and includes classic dishes such as ham macaroni soup with toast and meats; condensed milk toast; and French toast with frilly, lacy egg crust with a peanut butter center. Lunch includes tomato cheese baked spaghetti, baked pork chop with tomato sauce and cheese, and noodle dishes; and roast meats. Hong Kong cafes are also known for milk teas and honey lemon teas that are served hot or cold. Opened as Sandy's Café in March 2020 at the start of the COVID pandemic at the former Spicy Pavilion and Hifumi, Sandy surely has a following, as her café is consistently filled with diners. Prior to opening, she operated Ginger House Chinese Restaurant in Mililani, with its extensive menu of regular Chinese food and was not a Hong Kong style café. While I'm not into Hong Kong style breakfast foods, so I never had the inclination to dine here. As I had a craving for Hong Kong noodles with roast duck in soup, hubby and I had planned to visit a small family noodle shop a few feet away in the Chinese Cultural Center in Chinatown. As we started driving to it, I happen to see Terrance Y.' s check-in and review for Sandy's Café. Hey, they had noodles with roast duck in soup, which was just what I had wanted and took a last-minute detour to Sandy's Café to try them out. At 11a on a Sunday, the restaurant was packed, many with Chinese immigrants, either finishing their breakfast or starting to have lunch. That's a good sign that it's authentic! We enjoyed the food offerings via dine-in so much that we went back again the next day for take-out. We ordered the following: · Roast Duck Noodles in Soup. This is a misnomer as there was a large platter of duck on the side and no way would it all fit into the soup. The restaurant roasts their own ducks, which are absolutely delicious with its crisp skin, tender, juicy, and flavorful with 5 spices and a tasty sauce. · Beef Brisket & Tendon Noodles in Soup (they were out of look funn). The beef brisket was very tender and delicious, with the full-bodied steaming broth made this a very tasty dish! · Char Siu. This char siu is one of the best that I've tasted, as it was so tender and flavorful, glazed with honey, charred at the ends, and with an outstanding sauce! The restaurant used belly pork for its char siu, so it has a little fat, which enhances the juiciness, tenderness, and flavor of the char siu (I normally request some fat for this reason). · Dry Beef Chow Funn. Stir fried with beef, onions, bean sprouts and green onion, this chow fun dish was very tasty! One could taste the smokiness as a result of the skilled wok hei from the cooks, who are from Hong Kong. Perfectly stir-fried, as the bean sprouts were still crunchy. Note that while the restaurant is open for breakfast, the restaurant makes its own roasted meats, and they are not ready until about 10am. Their ginger sauce chicken, pork chops, chicken wings, won tons, and various noodle dishes are also supposed to be good. They offer roasted meats ala carte, meats with starch, breakfast combo meals, and sandwiches. Their condiments include shoyu, mustard, and homemade chili oil. The restaurant interior is clean and spacious. COVID requirements are in place: masks are required, vaccination cards and ID required for dine-in, hand sanitizer available, disposable utensils and napkins are given in a Ziploc bag, and tables are disinfected by staff after diners leave. Service was adequate, as staff is friendly and attentive to your needs. Orders were taken promptly, food dishes came out within a reasonable time, water glasses refilled periodically, and payment processed accordingly. Although staff spoke English as a second language, we did not have any problems in communicating. Hours of operation are: Mon, Tues, Thurs to Sat 8a to 4p; Sun 8a to 3p; and Wed closed. Credit cards are accepted. Validated parking in the Chinese Cultural Plaza parking structure or metered street parking available. We definitely look forward in returning to have their delicious roast duck, char siu, and dry beef chow fun again and try other dishes on the menu, as well as their honey lemon tea. And we find ourselves longing for these various comfort foods in this Hong Kong style café, Sandy's Café! read more
After the first visit, I was immediately sold on Sandy's Cafe. Everything just tasted spot on and right, authentic, and my grandpas' cooking. Service and staff are still great. Very friendly and attentive. I've tried a good portion of the menu now. Each visit is always something different. The Roast Duck. Wow. Crispy skin, and most importantly, tender and juicy meat! The skin was rendered beautifully with almost none of the fat, so it didn't feel heavy. The accompanying sauce was tasty. The Char Siu. Wow again! The meat was tender and juicy. The taste is the sweeter style, which is how it's supposed to be. You can choose lean or fatty. I chose lean, which you'd normally think it'll be dry, but this wasn't at all. Satay Beef with Rice Noodle in Soup: oh my goodness, the Satay Beef was SO GOOD! Excellent wok heat, excellent flavors, excellent taste, very aromatic. The beef was very tender and tasty. Broth was flavorful. Rice noodles were prepared well. The Salt and Pepper Pork Chop on rice was very, very good. I've never had salt and pepper pork chops be this tender and crispy. The cut was not too thick or thin. Seasoned very well, and you get the wok heat aroma with the scallions and chili peppers. Incredible! The Yang Chow Fried Rice here is not the same elsewhere. It's much better. There's larger than normal shrimp, bits of their amazing char siu, and nicely whisked eggs. That's it! So simple, but skillfully prepared with nice wok heat, each rice separated without using a lot of oil, and well seasoned. The Roast Duck Noodles in Soup is awesome! Because roast duck is more awesome! I can't stress enough at how incredibly tasty and tender the meat is, and extra juicy with the sauce. The skin had a nice crisp while also soaking in the flavorful sauce. The rice noodle and broth itself is already good. Spot on flavors. Sliding the roast duck into the noodles put it way over the top. The portion of roast duck was very generous. I honestly thought you'll just get a few pieces already placed in the soup, but it's a whole side dish! Amazing! Minute Chicken Cake Noodle is something I haven't had in an incredibly long time. I used to have it quite a bit as a kid, and my grandfathers could both make this dish. After the first bite, wow, a flood of memories came back. The taste and flavors were so familiar. The cake noodles were very crispy. The chicken was tender and crispy as well. Everything was very well seasoned with the right amount of sauce. I won't wait a long time to order this again! Beef with Black Pepper Sauce on Rice. Oh my word. The wok HEAT was just Wow. The black pepper sauce was very tasty, spot on, and flavorful. The beef was so tender. The onions and bell peppers were so aromatic. The amazing sauce plus rice was a perfect match. Wonton Noodles in Soup was very spot on. Authentic taste, authentic preparation. The clear broth was hearty with a touch of shrimp flavor. The noodles were cooked just right with a slight bite. The wontons had pork and shrimp that were tender and fresh. Well seasoned and well prepared. Lastly, Pig Feet Lo Mein. The taste and flavor brought back memories of how my grandfathers prepared pig's feet. The feet were soft and tender, and fell off the bone with ease. I just wished there was more sauce to Lo the Mein. For everything I had, nothing was heavy, salty, strong tasting, or bland. Everything was prepared and seasoned skillfully. I think I'm almost finished with the menu. Just a couple to go! Oh, and the mixed coffee and milk tea was very good too. Made fresh! read more
3 years ago
Food was great, pricing was a bit high but if you're looking for flavorful Chinese food this place hits the spot. read more
5 years ago
Hidden in culture plaza is a small Hong Kong-style cafe that just opened up recently called Sandy's Cafe. I normally don't eat Chinese food, but this place isn't too bad! ***What I ordered ~ **Honey Lemon Iced Tea (10/10) ~ Super refreshing and sweet. If you like the taste of Arizona iced tea, it tastes similar to that l. I love how they add so many lemon slices to cut the sweetness, and if you muddle it more, it brings out a zesty flavor. **Charsiu Rice (8/10) ~ I've never had Charsiu like this before! It's so tender and fatty, and it melts in your mouth! It's just a little oily but delicious! **Beef Chow Fun (8/10) I like the beef chow fun is not over seasoned, but it's a little oily. My favorite part about the dish is that all the noodles were soft and firm! They weren't dry at all, and the bean sprouts add a lovely crunch texture to it! Overall, If I crave Chinese food again I wouldn't mind coming back! I know for sure that I will definitely be getting the Honey Lemon tea again! read more
Sandy's Cafe @ the Chinatown Cultural Plaza deserves 5 stars! The first time I dined here I was very pleasantly surprised - more excited because the name doesn't really tell you what kind of food they serve. They primarily serve Chinese food and are frequented by many local Chinese patrons. That is the true sign of whether the food is good! I have ordered all the dishes in the pictures I've provided more than 3 times and the gau gee I order EVERY TIME I visit! The food is always seasoned to perfection, deliciously prepared, and very fresh. The atmosphere, as you can imagine, is a bit chaotic at lunchtime however, let's remember, you are choosing a restaurant that makes excellent food, and thus they are busy during prime hours. If you are visiting the Chinatown area, make sure to stop stop by Sandy's because you won't be disappointed! read more
2 years ago
Gotta try the char siu if you come here!! It's packed w/ flavor & super unique/different than the other char sius I've had! It can be fatty (they let you know to make sure you're okay with that). read more
1 year ago
It was our first time. We did take out. Located along the river at Chinese cultural plaza. The noodle soup dishes looked so good as I watched people eat dining in. The food was good but had to minus stars because the duck had hairs on them. I would try again read more
11 months ago
This was by far the best discover of July! Sandy's Cafe is your typical Hong Kong style cafe, but they truly should rebrand and focus primarily on the char siu and roast duck. The char sui is on the fatty side, compared to other places, but the basting sauce and seasoning is honestly so delicious; definitely the best I've had. If you're not into that, they also have your typical won ton noodles, beef chow fun, brisket and other baked rice dishes. Parking is easy, since it's located inside of Cultural Plaza. Tables are socially distanced and the staff is very kind. read more
I came here on a Thursday afternoon on my last trip to Hawaii. Sandy's Cafe is located in China Town, my friend's mom was raving about this place and wanted to take us... I am glad she did! The staff were friendly and we were seated immediately. I ordered the Salt & Pepper Pork Chop on Rice with a Honey Lemon Tea. The pork chops were so flavorful and fried to perfection. I hate when pork chops are really fatty, but not these! The scallions and salt and pepper seasoning were so simple, yet it tasted so delicious. The portions here are HUGE, I couldn't even finish my meal! The Honey Lemon Tea was sweet and refreshing, perfect sweet taste to my savory meal. I am surprised this spot wasn't more packed! I assume the word hasn't gotten out yet about their food yet as this seemed to be a relatively new spot. I would highly recommend Sandy's Cafe if you are craving Hong Kong style food :) read more
5 years ago
Ok so I went back a few times to Sandy's Cafe after writing my first review. I've tried different items on the menu and man none disappointed me. All the dishes exceeded my expectations. Ok here a few dishes we've tried: Chicken and char siu rice: they make their own char siu, chicken and roast duck so they are very fresh. This dish is usually not available in the morning. One time I came at 9:30am they said they're still making it. But get it if it's available. Both chicken and char siu are very tender. And they usually tell the customers the chau siu is very fatty not the lean chau siu. Don't be fooled they are what we call "half fatty half lean", which is just perfect! Deep fried chicken wings/ Salt and pepper pork chop: they have similar flavor profiles and both were delicious! I like how they were deep fried yet feel very light. The wings were crispy without the thick layer of flour or coating on the outside. And you could tell they were seasoned well before going into that big pot of oil. Baked pork chop rice: it's one of the signature HK dishes and one of my favorite too besides beef chow fun. I like how the fried rice at the bottom were all separated from each other and all coated with eggs. The pork had a little bit fat and so was very tender. They put just the right amount of cheese and so didn't overpower the taste of ingredients. And in case you want to know how they handle reopening. They do provide hand sanitizer and practice social distancing. They put all the utensils and napkins in individual ziploc bags, not the most environmental friendly practice but definitely give their customers the peace of mind. read more
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The restaurant is currently closed and will be reopened on Thursday, 04/02/2026.
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Sandy's Cafe - cantonese - Updated August 2026
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