A Hong-Kong Style Cafe with a Bistro-like menu bordering between Chinese cuisine and International-Western style cuisine. Perhaps best known for their "afternoon tea time / happy hour specials" that offer smaller portions of meals that come with a choice of cold or hot beverage. Potently caffeinated Hong Kong style coffee and milk teas are addictive and a staple with the regulars.
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Reviews
Added Nov 7, 2009 by Bonka of Vancouver (290 Reviews) Value inspired meals
A couple of friends and I dropped by for dinner tonight looking for value conscious grub. There wasn't the usual dinner rush so we were able to be seated promptly.
We went with the dinner combos which choices of meats, namely the rib eye, panko breaded sole filet and chicken cordon bleu sans the breadcrumbs. Uninspiringly flavourless for the most part, especially the steak, which was not finished by any of us, a rarity for us thrifty folk who do not like wasted food. The other items were decent at best. Portions are ample; Honolulu is the only HK cafe I know that includes french fries alongside the usual array of soup, bread and drink. Prices are actually a couple bucks more than a carbon-copy assembled meal elsewhere.
Service is mostly absent but they are friendly enough, just don't expect checkups.
Space is bright but feels dingy. Our sightline from our booth to the little opening from the kitchen is a little unsettling; mostly for sanitary concerns but I digress.
Not exactly rock bottom prices for a meal, but it should fill one up nicely is this is their go. |
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| Added Jun 26, 2009 by Ohmyfish of Vancouver (6 Reviews) good value, bang for $$
solid hong kong style restaurant opens for more than 10 years. late night dinner and afternoon tea is the best value in town. no additional cost for cold drink unlike many other hong kong style restaurant. portion used to be bigger... still enough for an adult. overall the quality is good... however, the richmond one used to be better and the kingways one not so good. |
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| Added Jun 18, 2009 by soupfortwo of richmond (1 Reviews) best bang for your buck in town
im an expert of hong kong style cafes. Ive literally been to every single one in vancouver and richmond. Honolulu or "honos" as i like to call it is definately the best of them all.
Food:
try the curry beef brisket on rice mini set meal (12-6pm) you will 100% chance fall in love. Their chicken steaks and stuff are also pretty good. You can basically look at their menu and randomly point at something and it will be between 60-75% good.
Breakfasts are also good for value 5 bucks for eggs, meat and noodle soup plus drink. All this talk of honos is making me hungry.
Service:
they are quite nice once the servers get to know you. Just wave them down if you need anything dont be shy. This restaurant is not for the shy.
I love to force my girlfriend to come with me to this restaurant. She claims its "dirty" but i have yet to witness any filthiness.
Bon appetit!! |
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| Added Nov 16, 2008 by FoodKING of Vancouver (5 Reviews) Eh.
The service sucks period. Tipicle hong kong chinese cafe service...
But the food is ok and not expensive at all. Its worth what you pay for USUALLY !
But one time i ordered the haianese chicken on rice to go. When i got home. There was only 2-3 pieces on small piece of chicken with a box filled with rice. i mean like wtf...
but i do still go here occasionally. its .. (eh) i guess. |
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| Added Aug 7, 2008 by semipicky of Vancouver (43 Reviews) it's so bad!
i hear about this place all the time still, it's so popular with youngsters, i never understand why! why are cantonese hk style cafes constantly serving gross food. This place is particularly unappealing, the baked rice/spaghetti dishes are bland and nothing special. The chow mein is too starchy and soggy. Ate here for dinner, wasted $60 for party of 5. Hate the atmosphere too. (btw cantonese reviewer) |
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| Added Jul 21, 2007 by okayisay of vancouver (18 Reviews) lousy service...
My friend and I were hungry for good Chinese food along Main Street so we wandered into this restaurant. When we arrived, it was during the lunch hour and we wanted to sit in a booth. There was, three empty booths where no one was sitting at so we asked to sit in one of them. The waitress said, "NO! Someone sit there", and these were her exact words. However, there was no one sitting in any of them and they did not have a reserved sign either. She pointed to a seat that was half a booth, but the other half of the booth was gone and it was a wall. So she expected my friend and I to eat facing a wall. How ridiculous. When I said I would wait for a booth, she said, "NO! Booth ALL taken" and forced my friend and I to sit there. When we did, she failed to bring us the menus and tea until at least ten minutes later. And, within those ten minutes, no one came to occupy the empty booths. The food we ordered tasted okay, nothing special. In fact, it was quite greasy when it is compared to the other HK style cafes available in Vancouver. While we were eating, there were random people who came in and sat in those booths so, as a matter of fact, they were not taken. I will NEVER come here again. It has ridiculously poor service (if there was a zero rating for service, I would give it that), and very greasy food which is poor for your health. |
| Added Feb 15, 2007 by foodisgreat of Surrey (2 Reviews) Great holiday specials
I've always gone to Honolulu but since moving out of the neighbourhood, I realize what a good deal it is. Typical Chinese cafe eatery so don't expect ambience. But I had the Christmas special (yeah I know it's Feb but it's my first review!) and it didn't disappoint. Soup and small salad, lobster and choice of meat combo, dessert and coffee for under $20. I love Dine Out but you can't beat this meal! |
| Added Jan 31, 2007 by breadnbutter of vancouver (6 Reviews) good deal
with this kind of cafe on main , you really can't expect much. With the mini meals + drink, the cheap deal will keep bringing back customers ! I guess it's a restaurant that's more suitable for chinese people because this is for sure not a dining place to have small talks with waiters/waitresses at. with this kind of price, hard to expect much. food's not bad though :) |
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| Added Jan 21, 2007 by marinedr of city hall, vancouver (31 Reviews) Can't say I enjoyed it.
Went with a friend on a Sunday afternoon, just after the lunch rush. We got our menus and had to wait about 25 minutes for our order to be taken. We were the only Causasians in the restaurant and felt ignored. They give you a large portion but it is not very good quality. The Malaysian fried rice just tasted like your standard fried rice; no evidence of any spice. The sauce for the black bean chicken was very bland and heavy and the fried noodles were quite oily. The chicken in this dish was not very pleasant; not a nice cut of chicken and barely cooked. Maybe if you are in the know there are probably some better dishes to order. |
| Added Jan 14, 2007 by vixroar of Vancouver (3 Reviews) a solid choice
I regularly dine at many chinese cafes so I can say without much doubt that Honolulu cafe is about as average as you can get. The food is good and portions are large for the price you pay. I usually like to go at the times they serve mini-set meals because you cant beat the deal. Although its not the most comfortable restaurant, the service there is actually better than most casual western restaurants I have been to. They are friendly, welcoming and service is fast. They even turned the oven back on after they closed just so i could order some take-out after i finished eating. It's not a fancy place, but i'll take it for the service and price any day. |
| Added Jan 13, 2007 by Tachikoma of East Van (9 Reviews) What a NIGHTMARE!
People have been telling me that the food is great. Big portions, cheap price. There's a reason for that.
I live pretty close to the restaurant so decided to try it one day. The service is absolutely atrocious, as is expected of most Chinese restaurants, unfortunately. The menu looked decent, but when the food came with the (I'm sure powered "just add water") sauces, I almost puked. I barely made it through my meal. Ate mostly the vegetables that tasted like it was microwaved in a bowl of water.
It's cheap, yes. The portions are big, yes. But so is Wendy's. I'd choose fast food over this crap ANY DAY. |
| Added Jan 8, 2007 by Kimba of Vancouver (1 Reviews) What a bargain!
Every time I come to Honolulu Cafe, I try something different. Not because it's bad or anything. It's just that everything I order happens to taste good.
And the specials are usually priced around $7.xx including a drink and soup. I usually come here with my wife and not once have I ever paid over $20.
Also, if you have mid night craving, you can buy assorted buns $1 for 2 pcs. What a bargain! |
| Added Dec 8, 2006 by jimsther of Kitsilano, Vancouver (7 Reviews) Great food and value for their Breakfasts
Of all the Chinese cafe-styled restaurants that serve breakfast, Honolulu Cafe has the most selection at a superb price. I go there with my mother for breakfast quite often, and was never disappointed. Your choice of a bowl of noodles in soup, a sandwich or omlette, and an HK styled coffee or milk tea comes out to $4.75 before tax. The food is excellent for that value. =) |
| Added Nov 15, 2006 by goodchow of westend, vancouver (9 Reviews) Delightful Meal
My friends always invite me to eat at Honolulu Cafe @ Main Street but i never had a chance. Until last night where i got so hungry driving along main St. and the first restaurant i saw was Honolulu Cafe. Then i came in. The establishment was full, more of a younger crowd, and kinda hip. I should say people that night were in a jovial festive mood.
The menu looks extensive but i just adventured on a sizzling combo plate. I ordered salmon, steak, potato with corn, chinese clear soup and a choco mousse. They were all good, fish was moist, meat was juicy, potato was soft, choco mousse was not bad. It's only the soup that didn't work for me because it was similar to the free soup being offered at Richmond Public Market where i and my high school classmates eat for quick lunches 5 years ago.
The tab came and it was less than $15. I couldn't believe how cheap the price was considering the variety of foods i ate. To add, service was fast although it was busy. Over-all, i would say this restaurant is a recommendable place for a delightful meal, price-wise. |
| Added Apr 30, 2006 by chasiubow of North Van (673 Reviews) What a meal deal!
Since Hawker's Delight was closed (because it was Sunday) I nipped across the street and headed over to Honolulu. The place didn’t look like much. Also, the restaurant was crowded and there was a gigantic lineup. I was lucky to get in just before the rush really got started. After my meal, I know why people were willing to wait.
They had a sizzling plate for 10 bucks with 2 meat or seafood items, and I went for the steak and eel. My wife had the chicken steak (not sizzling), and my 3 friends had various sizzling plates. Each sizzling plate meal came with soup, garlic bread, veggies, baked potato and a choice of spaghetti or rice. Also included was a piece of strawberry mousse cake. That is a lot of food for the money!
We started with a snack sized (i.e. 6 pieces) chicken wings. They were breaded and deep fried, and not oily. A first-rate appetizer.
The steak was a good size and cooked to a proper medium. It was not over-marinated as is often the case in HK Chinese restaurants. The BBQ eel was juicy and tender. I was disappointed that the borscht was sold out, so I got the seafood cream soup. It was okay, but nothing to write home about. My friends had the prawns which were big and tasty, and salmon which was seared, not dry. As for the chicken steak, it was pan-fried and lightly breaded. The baked potatoes and side veggies were fresh and full of flavor.
We tried the various sauces that come with the sizzling plates, from gravy sauce to garlic to pepper, and all were good. No MSG that I could detect.
The dessert cake was fresh and delicious, and had a mango sauce drizzled on and a dollop of whipped cream. Good presentation! I was so full at that point I had to force myself to eat the dessert.
HK is full of little neighbourhood cafes that serve set dinners, and there are lots of clones here in Vancouver, but this one stands out. I left with a satisfied belly and money in my wallet. How good is that?
Ho Mei! Ho Peng!
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| Added Dec 23, 2005 by latelier of SE Vancouver (69 Reviews) Good Bargains to be had
Folks, if you want your dollar to go a long way, I urge you to visit this little HK-style cafe by Boxing day this holiday season for one of their special "Christmas set dinner". For 16.95, I had:
1) Oxtail-Vegetable soup with Garlic Toast
Fairly tasty broth, with a couple chunks of real oxtail meat with
bone in the soup. Nice Portion too.
2) Prawn and Apple Salad with Mayonnaise: Refreshing green apples in a miracle-whip based dressing...a prawn on top, and a orange-ish coulis dresses the plate. Nicely presented.
3) Steak with "Red wine sauce" and Half Carribbean lobster with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, vegetables, and rice on the side: Lobster meat was not substantive, but for 16.95, what the hey right.
Note: A table complained about the green tamalley present in their lobster - folks, this is the BEST part of the lobster...its a delicacy...try it!!! Steak was actually cooked decently. However, red wine sauce was not rich enough - server offered extra peppercorn sauce on the side.
4) New York Style cheesecake; Very very good...I loved this chinese-style cheesecake. I would totally go for seconds if I wasn't on a thwarting diet.
For the money, I was very pleased with this meal. While I normally do not visit this place for this type of food (heck, they don't even have a liquor license to serve wine), I give them thumbs up for a solid attempt. |
| Added Aug 27, 2005 by gwfung of Vancouver (5 Reviews) value fare for asian fusion
Since I'm from Hong Kong, I favour this type of fusion from Hong Kong. But those who are adventurous and don't mind chinese-style service will find good food for bargain prices. 3-course sets for $14. $6 afternoon and late night mini-sets, which is enough for asian appetites. HK-fusion is one of Vancouver's unique offerings |
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