4. Restaurants

Ho Ho Choy

1441 E Fletcher Ave,Ste 125, Tampa, FL, 33612
  • (813) 962-2159
  • Store is closed

Ho Ho Choy Menu

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  • Vi P.

    Went here tonight, ordered some dim sum and a noodle platter(pork chow fun). The pork chow fun was tasty made with thicker noodles, portion size was generous. This is because this restaurant is more of a family style restaurant where you share your food, not have a whole plate to yourself. Dim sum was pretty good, decent selection. I got the taro pork buns, pork steam buns, and shrimp paste dumplings. The Taro pork buns were very crispy, it had a creamy filling, tasted similar fried potato balls. It may come out a little hot, so let it sit for a few minutes to cool off. The pork steam buns are flour steam dumplings with a pork filling, the pork filling tasted slightly sweet and salty. The shrimp paste dumpling, is soft on the outside with shrimp filling, covered with a sweet soy sauce, tasty but you might not be able to pick it up with chop sticks! The service was below average, waitress is not really attentive and rushed us to order. Overall I would recommend this place for the food but not the service.

    (3)

  • EliMar G.

    LOVE the staff ! Caring and fast service. Fresh and hot food ! Every time I order here, food is cooked perfectly. No complaints. Love this place !

    (5)

  • Shan W.

    We ordered dim sum. It was food that is sold in the frozen section of most grocery stores. I had the exact same custard buns in my freezer. They didn't even bother to take the wrappers off.

    (1)

  • Elizabeth W.

    BY FAR THE BEST CHINESE FOOD EVER!! I have been eating at Ho Ho Choy since college..so quite some time. We even drive from Brandon to here when wanting some chinese food. The menu is extensive and they even offer dim sum. I always order the orange chicken or the golden chicken. It is always cooked to perfection!! The egg rolls are the best that I have ever had!! and their fried rice is amazing! I have never heard of anyone saying that they had bad food and I always recommend them to anyone looking for good chinese food!

    (5)

  • Ryan A.

    The Chinese food here in Tampa in general in my opinion is awful almost everywhere however Ho Ho Choy's is actually solid and I really enjoy it. I work nearby and get takeout at least once a week. They have great "hot chili pepper oil" which always makes me happy as I usually prefer "the hotter the better". They have very affordable lunch specials for a meal, rice and your choice of soup or spring rolls. My "go to" is the Kung Pao Chicken and Hot & Sour soup...definitely my favorite. I've never dined inside so I can't speak on their service. They're not the warmest and friendliest of people when I pick food up but the food is pretty solid and other than maybe 1 other place, this is my favorite Chinese food in all of Tampa.

    (3)

  • Hwal L.

    I stopped here to snack on sushi, not realising this was a Chinese restaurant that also had sushi, and had the shock of the day when we got our order: Thunder roll. Lots of sauces and rather small serving -$10.95-, but at least it was freshly made. Nothing more or less. If we'd wanted a full blown Chinese meal we would have gone to Yummy House, or Matoi for sushi. Oh well.

    (3)

  • Yu L.

    Worst Dim Sum I have ever eat in the US. Food is not fresh and not well cooked. Definitely won't come back!

    (1)

  • Sandy A.

    I've tried their hot pot and regularly ordered their lemon chicken for takeout. I've brought friends here to try their hot pot and they all loved it! I've had hot pot in other places that I like but what makes this one great is that they give you your own pot and provide a wide variety of things to add a la carte. I wish they could offer an AYCE hot pot likes the ones I've tried up north but that is just me being a fatty. I order the lemon chicken for take out when I am feeling down and it is always crispy and not drenched in oil. The lemon sauce is sweet and not too sour. I know my mother would not approve of me eating this but it's so damn good!

    (4)

  • Laura K.

    I had great hopes of my experience at Ho Ho Choy considering it's a closer alternative for me than Yummy House, but this place doesn't even come close to measuring up to that higher bar. My dim sum never came so I can't rate that part of their menu but nothing that we ordered stood out as anything more than a fast food quality Chinese.

    (3)

  • Charlie G.

    I have been to Ho Ho Choy's several times... and service and food has always been good. I love authentic Sweet and Sour Chicken (not the red Lollipop sauce stuff in most Chinese restaurants... but the kind I make at home when I have to have it.) The Sweet and Sour at Ho Ho Choys is much more authentic than any restaurant I have eaten at. It is delicious... hot, crispy chicken, and a sauce that is thinner, and a bit more sour than most... without the red food coloring. Sesame chicken here is ok... but not a favorite. The Dim Sum is good... and fairly priced. I have not tried the Shabu Shabu yet... and want to do that soon. Recommended!

    (4)

  • Cece C.

    Delicious dim sum and traditional Chinese food, as well as sushi! Per other reviews as well, order the fried dumplings. Just do it. They are delicious, whether with the soy sauce, sweet soy sauce (Chris W.'s favorite!), or the sweet and sour sauce. We also tried the crab rangoon, some kind of veggie dim sum, the Paradise sushi roll, pork fried rice, wonton soup... yeah, we tried it all. And by "we" I mean just two people. It was so worth it, with plenty leftovers to gorge on for the next day or so. I've been here a few times now (it's a great option to walk to when you're having your car serviced at Toyota down the street, Lord knows how long that will take) and I will definitely be back. The decor is nice, the service is quick and friendly, and of course the food is great. Don't be put off by the neighborhood... it's a whole different atmosphere inside. A perfect sit-down Chinese option if you're looking for it, with a more relaxed vibe and more affordable prices than somewhere like Yummy House on Hillsborough. Definitely worth a visit and we will definitely be back.

    (5)

  • Sue M.

    Ho Ho Ho for Ho Ho Choy! Not having any where near me that serves Dim Sum, I was excited to find a restaurant in Tampa that served it. My friend and I shared oh so many different dishes. They were all good and didn't disappoint. Our first server kept telling us that they didn't serve from carts because it's not always served hot if they are from a cart. Of course she was correct. Many different servers kept bringing different plates out to us as they were ready. I liked their system that you do not have one server but rather everyone helps out. If there's a plate that needs to be taken away, then it is. However I do have to give props especially to servers Jin & Crystal as they were doing a fantastic job. Ho Ho Choy's menu is quite extensive and the duck I saw in the holding window looked appetizing. The Dim Sum menu could of been more extensive and there were only limited items that were steamed. I was also disappointed that there was only 1 sticky rice per order. Usually there are 2 or 3. Current health inspection: 4-high priority, 3-intermediate & 23-basic violations.

    (4)

  • Eddo H.

    Very affordable authentic Chinese food. Food is hot and fresh. They have a wide variety of dim sum and lunch specials. It's been a few years since I've been here last. They have really upgraded the interior. This is a great place to eat on a budget.

    (5)

  • Jonathan S.

    Fantastic food whether you like dim sum classics like beef rice paste, fried shrimp balls or fried taro dumplings, or if you like delicious hot pot, China's ancestor of the melting pot type meals where you cook your own food in a boiling cauldron of broth.

    (5)

  • Occy V.

    My BFFS and I have been going here to get together and eat for years. Their pork fried rice is not like the normal strip mall places, its really good. Their pork buns, the baked version is always on point too. Pork, pork pork pork !!!!!

    (4)

  • Matthew T.

    Made it to Ho Ho Choy for a UYE and it was a very yummy day in deed. Love going to dim sum with a good sized group, as it really fits into what I like, I get two or three bites of tons of things. And this outing was that idea to perfection. The veterans of Ho Ho Choy ordered up a great variety of things to try four our group of 15 or so. I had some very good things, nothing bad, and probably some of the best I've had in Florida. The cha siu pork was much more interesting than most places I've had it. Must be they actually use honey instead of the sugar I've had at other places. The pork belly was good, had better but how can you go wrong with pork belly? Probably some of the best thing were the short ribs. These were some of the best dim sum short ribs I've had in a very long time. Flavorful and tender. Usually you get one or the other but here you get both! The stuffed egg plant was a yummy surprise. The water spinach and snow pea tips are worth getting. Duck was nicely done as well. Probably a good thing I don't live around the corner of this place because I would be living there instead. Should have tried the tripe in black bean sauce, but we had so much food, didn't want to order more. If you were going with two or three people, I would say get either the snow peas or water spinach, some pork, and a dumpling or two. Mixing the pork with the greens and some rice was a perfect combo all by itself. But better yet, round up 5 or 8 people, go as a group and enjoy new things. Service was excellent, btw.

    (4)

  • sherrie p.

    My favorite Chinese food in the state of Florida. Their authentic water spinach, duck, and more is amazing!!

    (5)

  • Michelle W.

    I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Tampa had their very own authentic Chinese hot pot spot. You know a place has to be decent to gain a following among the middle-aged Chinese parent / grandparent crowd. You can order by choosing a meat, which ranges from $13 for a single protein (beef, lamb or chicken) to a little under $20 for a seafood platter. Each protein choice comes with a basket of Napa cabbage, spinach, fish ball, enoki mushroom, tofu skin and seaweed knot. The ingredients were fresh and the veggies were washed really clean, and they have additional items that you can order a la carte as well. You then get to choose a soup base, and they have 2 clear broths and 2 spicy ones. The nice thing here is that each person gets their own burner and pot, for all the germaphobes and picky eaters out there. While all the servers are friendly, you do need to call them if you need anything.

    (4)

  • Nick S.

    I can only speak to their shabu shabu and a couple buns.. but I very much enjoyed the experience. Very flavorful. The employees were helpful. Had a great time cooking in my hotpot and mixing sauces. Had a great time with great peeps and would recommend it to others for a special dining experience. :) They also have sushi / rolls, Chinese food dishes and dim sum served up on the regular restaurant side. And you can order off any menu even if you do shabu shabu (swish swish). Tip: the thin meat cooks VERY fast. Take it out right away. ;) Become a sauce mixologist. Try various ones and various combos.. :)

    (4)

  • Boon C.

    Our friend like to try shabu shabu and we pick this restaurant since they have closer one to our Chinese taste. We normally don't do shabu shabu is due to the assembly material can be obtained in any oriental market and cook it yourself. What is shabu shabu. My family celebrating Chinese New Year with this cuisine because it can add anyone anytime by add additional material without involving heavy cooking. The New Year also fall in the winter time and they are cold outside and shabu shabu is the best part. There is a Chinese term for shabu shabu- hot pot. We actually have the charcoal in middle to broil the soup and heat up the pot. Now we have the electric broiler that not required charcoal and easy to control the temperature of the pot. The material is easy. Just but the chicken and pork and remove the meat. The bone of the pork and chicken put into the soup and broil for the broth. This restaurant did not do that. All their soup is come in package of spice and added into the pot. They have the selection of the slice meat, meat or fish ball, dumpling, veggies, type noodles. They are not authentic since their soup is in package. Eating the hot pot is topic the sauce correctly. The right sauce is important to dip on after you have broil your material. The service of the restaurant is slow. But they have each pot for each person. Something I don't understand is why they charge the soup to broil in addition to the material. I would suggest only charge when you want to upgrade the soup.

    (3)

  • Fran D.

    Reasonably priced but run-of-the-mill dim sum. If you haven't been here before, read the reviews first or go with someone who has. Servers assume you've been here before and know what to do. So for someone who has never had shabu shabu, it was kind of confusing as I didn't even know we were in the wrong room. (Shabu-shabu on the left.)

    (4)

  • Grace H.

    We went there to try the Shabu shabu. There's a room specially designated for Shabu because the table top has a cut out hole to fit the pot in and a cooker was hided under the table. There were many different kinds of sauces for guest to mix their own. The shabu menu let you pick the material you would cook and eat. Of course, seafood is the most expensive choice. I was surprised they charge money for the broth, even the basic choice-chicken broth. I thought it better be really good. They turned out just that kind of short cut broth- Water plus some seasoning pack, plus some chili or herb. We had the meat slice, veget, meat ball or fish ball, shrimp, clam, fish meat, noodle etc cooked in the hot pot. Dipped the food in our customed made sauce and consumed. It was fun to do this with friends if one nerve eat Shabu shabu before. The service was Ok. I just felt for the price we paid, it could be a even better meal.

    (3)

  • Joy B.

    I have tried this place several times and they always make a great tasting meal! The tofu ho choy for all the vegan lovers is my favorite! Love the sauce and the fresh vegetables they put in it- bok choy, broccoli, snow peas and mushrooms are just delicious - no starches! Had the siu mei or steamed dumplings and they hit the yummy spot! It had its own distinctive flavor that I can't get enough of it - really good! I love this place because they always have consistent results - just tasty well prepared dishes!

    (5)

  • Rachel M.

    Melony & I came here before karaoke, and wanted to try the shabu shabu. Shabu shabu, translated as swish-swish, is a Japanese hot pot meal of thin slices of meat and vegetables cooked together on your table in a pot of boiling steaming water. Water was so steamy, it was like your own personal sauna. We picked out the two meats chicken and beef, and it came with various veggies like spinach, sesweed, corn on the cob, cabbage, mushrooms, meatball, and tomatoes. The water was boiling hot and everything when put in the boiling water cooked in like 3-5 min max, less than that actually. They have a sauce bar if when the food is cooked, you can dip the food into, but we didn't even need it. We picked the little lamb broth which is apparently more seasoning than regular chicken broth. It was definitely something different that I liked a lot. Glad we could try something new.

    (4)

  • Kari T.

    I love your sushi. They always have a smile on there face, the service is fast and efficient. Thanks for having good food.

    (5)

  • Lisa L.

    My husband and I came down to try some Tampa Dim Sum. This place was worst than the one we went last weekend! It's a dead give away when you know the employees there speak Mandarin you know it can't get too authentic Dim Sum. If you are Cantonese you know what are good authentic Dim Sum. The waitress came over and asked us how everything, do you need a box? We told her their are not good, she gave us a weird look and didn't ask us why or which dish didn't taste good. We left full table of food that we couldn't even take home!

    (1)

  • Nikki L.

    I guess beggars can be choosers. We grew up in NYC so we know good Cantonese Chinese food. This place satisfies the craving but doesn't quite hit the mark on some things for us. Dim sum- This is our new dim sum hot spot. As of today, we like here more than Hong Kong house (recently been using too much MSG) and yummy house (too American for us). The spare ribs tasted fresh here and not frozen, shrimp dumpling, pork/shrimp dumpling (siew mai) was decent too. The shrimp cherng fun was sad but the beef was decent. We liked that they serve soy bean milk too. Hot Pot- Still visiting NYC often, HHC is okay. Like NYC shabu, orders here come with a meat, soup and then a "free" veggie plate with the standard veggies, tofu, fish balls, etc. You can pick your choice of soup for $2+. The sliced beef and extra sides are okay. We did have to send the cabbage back once bc it was old. They changed it for us. The sauces that you make yourself are standard. I wish they fill up your soup when it evaporates away like NY. All in all I'd get shabu here again. Dinner - We likely will not be eating Traditional Cantonese seafood dishes here again. Honey walnut shrimp was all batter and a sliver of shrimp, stir fry crab had the flavor but the crab itself was mushy (likely the crab was frozen), the steamed fish was very very overcooked and we didn't eat the last dish. Maybe we need to order different things. With the few authentic Chinese food options in Tampa, we will still come to HHC for dim sum and hot pot.

    (3)

  • Josiah G.

    Like other reviewers have said, they're not the most loquacious people, but they serve up some pretty good Asian food. I don't know why it's taken me so long to eat here, but as an Asian food freak, I'm glad I finally did. I saw the dim sum menu and it looked really good, but I opted to wait until my Fiance is with me before I delve into that, so I went with my Asian food barometer items: Egg drop soup and beef lo mein. The egg drop soup was killer. Thick and very flavorful. The lo mein was also above average. It had tender, juicy beef and tons of vegetables served with thin, but al dente, noodles. The prices are a bit above average, too, but you pay for what you get in most cases, and this is one of those cases. I'll definitely be back to go nuts on that dim sum menu.

    (4)

  • Ashley R.

    If you speak English, ordering take out is near impossible over the phone. Our order comes out wrong every time, won't be returning.

    (2)

  • Ren C.

    Been coming here for a while but never had the chance to check in and write a review. It's been a long day for us! Left Jax around 11 am and was able to arrive in tampa around 3 pm. And went to grab some dim sum and as always I never get disappointed. The food is always great and it's reasonable prize!

    (5)

  • Lisa W.

    Very good dim sum and BBQ pork. We love coming here. The staff is friendly and the food is tasty. Prices are reasonable. I still haven't tried the Shabu Shabu or the sushi, but plan to. My favorites are the Hong Kong Wonton noodle soup (think noodle), the roasted pork and the shrimp dumplings.

    (5)

  • Annie J.

    Best dimsum in town! Loved to go here as a student for my chinese food cravings! Roast duck, Singapore noodles , shrimp dumplings with chives are awesome! Get some hot tea in the pot to go with that! Go ahead...dip that dumpling in the hot chili oil :) Don't forget to check out the neighborhood chinese eateries.

    (5)

  • Catherine W.

    The 3 stars are mainly for the dim sum/HK cuisine as a person raised Canto. I have yet to try the shabu shabu but I've been here a couple of times for their dim sum and takeout, because sometimes I have a craving for Americanized Chinese food. Their lunch and dinner specials/combos are super reasonably priced, and comes with a lot of food, with high quality tupperware so leaks won't be as much of an issue hehe. Being raised Cantonese, their dim sum was...meh. If you want a dim sum fix, this is a good place to go, but if you want awesome dim sum with the authentic carts experience, Yummy House on Hillsborough does that. I do like how their dim sum selection was fairly extensive, and I saw the apparatus indicative of Hong Kong BBQ set up (although not entirely sure if it's actually used?) so the place seems promising. If you're looking for a truly authentic Canto cuisine experience, this would probably not be it, but the food is good, so don't let this review detract you from trying it out!

    (3)

  • Pranam P.

    YES! A DIM SUM PLACE!!! Yay! It was all very tasty. We all pretty much ordered random stuff off the menu, but was not disappointed. The one thing I do remember having that was phenomenal was the duck! It was cheap too! Give it a taste!

    (5)

  • Windy C.

    The dim sum here is freshly made, tastes great and is inexpensive. What more could you want? We usually make a meal of it. The sushi is good but nothing outstanding. The shabu shabu is excellent too and I don't know of any other Tampa source. The chinese dishes are average except the chalkboard specials are usually better. Each table has several condiments available to enhance the flavors as you see fit.

    (4)

  • Natt A.

    My family and I were NOT IMPRESSED by Ho Ho Choy during our visit to the Tampa Bay area. We saw this place rated pretty well by many, so we figured we would give it a try. I'll break the review down by food, service, and overall experience. We ordered shrimp dumpling (ha gow), sui mei, ha gow with chives, cha siu bao, steamed taro buns, steamed spare ribs, chow fun with seafood, half a duck, crispy pork, and stir-fry gai lan (Chinese broccoli). The crispy pork came out first and it was good -- crispy skin, not too fatty, and the meat was tender. However, the sauce was very grainy and a bit too sweet than the usual sauce. Next came most of the dim sum dishes. FROZEN & REHEATED?! REALLY?! This included the ha gow, sui mei, ha gow w/ chives, cah siu bao, and steamed taro buns. A dead give away would be the wax paper attached underneath the baos -- that means you can see the brand's logo like chi mei paper under the taro buns. The steamed spare ribs were okay, but oily and needed more flavor. The chow fun with seafood was okay but could use more flavoring and spices. Thankfully, the extra star comes from the gai lan, which was actually delicious and a dish we all liked. Oh, I almost forgot about the duck, which apparently the wait staff and kitchen forgot about too. It came out late and was okay but too sweet and oily for how the usual duck is served. The wait staff was not attentive to us. Although it was around 2pm in the afternoon when it was slow, no one came and checked on how we were doing and about our food. The service came when we were ready to leave. I know there's a cultural difference when it comes to East Asian customer service versus American culture, however, it was worse than my experience in China and Asia. This needs to be improved on by training if they want to do better as a restaurant overall. Overall, my family and I were full but not happy with the money we spent thinking we would have quality dim sum instead of frozen. As I glance around at other tables, I noticed many dishes ordered were the Americanized-Chinese dishes that actually look more appeasing than what we ordered. Reading the other reviews, it seems like that's what people are raving about (and possibly the shabu too) and NOT the dim sum.

    (2)

  • Heather M.

    So this is my first review on here but I HAD to comment on the sushi. I have been craving sushi for the last month and I just haven't had the time to go. Well, I found myself over here after dropping my girlfriend off at school and decided to treat myself to a sushi lunch date. This was the best unagi I've had in a long time. Also, the salmon sashimi literally melted in my mouth. I definitely recommend the sushi here. I saw a lot of reviews about their dim sum and hot pot but I feel like their sushi was being looked over.

    (5)

  • Steve E.

    Dim Sum is clearly a Chinese phrase meaning Holy Pillows of Asian Goodness, Batman!!! (or something to that effect) Ho Ho Choy is an outstanding Asian restaurant located along a seedy stretch of Fletcher Avenue in an area east of I-275, and the shopping center contains the former location of the Wooden Nickel (smoke, float, and costumes shop) which was a popular spot for USF students. From the outside it looks like nothing special, but once you walk through the front doors you're warmly greeted by the staff and then asked to choose if you want the traditional Chinese / Dim Sum menu, or the Japanese hot pots-style of eating. Hot pots can best be described as an Asian version of fondue cooking, where your table gets a pot of flavored broth, sitting on a hot plate, and you then cook your food in the broth, one part at a time. That side of the restaurant is known as Shabu Shabu, and it is a popular dinner spot. The Chinese / Dim Sum side of the restaurant has about 20 tables and booths, and they offer the traditional Chinese combinations and lunch specials. These 40 or so luncheon specials all run $10 or less, and come with your choice of Wonton or Egg Drop soup, or an egg roll, and your choice of steamed or fried rice. They also offer Hot 'n Sour soup for a slight up charge. The Dim Sum plates (about 40 choices in all) are $3.25 each, and they come on little appetizer-sized plates or small steamer baskets. Your Dim Sum choices range from rice balls and dumplings up through things which look like dinner rolls that are stuffed with shredded barbecue pork. A word of warning.... dim sum is served as three servings of each variety on a small plate. So if you order Shrimp Dumplings for $3.25, you're going to get three shrimp dumplings -- and each is three to five bites of food. You have a huge variety of dim sum, soups, appetizers, noodle dishes, and traditional Asian entrees to read through on the menu. I would suggest ordering a small plate of something, and nibbling on that as you read through the remainder of the menu to make your final selections. It is much easier to order less food, and then re-order more if you are hungry. The other alternative is to order several different dim sum options and then ask for "to go" boxes to take home all of the extras. *blushes and hides under the table* Thankfully the servers understand that universal gesture of holding your belly and moaning, and they quickly rush over with the To Go containers, saving you from a world of embarrassment. Excellent food, and well worth several return visits. Next time I will bring a small army to help eat all of the leftovers.

    (5)

  • Seamus M.

    Whenever we come here, it's always for their dim sum. There are other dim sum places, but this is the best that I've found in the bay area. We try to go at least once a month since we live about 30 miles away. Service is typical of any Chinese food restaurant, food is really good, and dining area is clean. Would recommend them for their Chinese food. Not sure about the sushi or whatever shabu shabu is.

    (5)

  • Pratigya T.

    Found this place when I was looking for Dim sum. The pork dim sum had a spice in it which I wasn't very fond of. The shrimp dim sum gets a thumb up and also the hong Kong Wonton soup.

    (4)

  • Amanda B.

    1. Awful 2. The Worst 3. Terrible 4. Avoid At All Cost 5. Junk 6. Garbage

    (1)

  • Jason C.

    Decent Chinese food and dim sum for this area. Nothing too amazing but lots of good, well-priced options.

    (3)

  • Zach H.

    I've started to realize that I'm a "slight" Dim Sum snob and my standard for Dim Sum is simply too high for Tampa. I had a lot of quality options growing up in the DC metro area. With that said, I've been to Ho Ho Choy on a few different occasions and it's probably one of the better options for Dim Sum on a scale of "bad" to "just okay". Regarding the Dim Sum, nothing seemed to be fresh. Classic things like the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Ha Gow) were underwhelming because they weren't served at the right temperature. The Fried Taro Puffs are supposed to have a delicate and crispy outer shell filled with a flavorful taro and pork mixture... their version had a hard, crunchy shell with an under-seasoned and borderline dry filling. The turnip cakes were dense and lacking salt. Everything was generally a touch above room temperature which just isn't an enjoyable experience for Dim Sum. Aside from the Dim Sum, I've come in with a few friends for Shabu Shabu, or Hot Pot. Think of it as Korean BBQ, but soup style. You select your broth, then meats and starch, then cook your food in your individual broth. There's also a nice condiments bar that has everything from soy sauce to cilantro to peanut sauce to build your own sauce concoctions to accompany your meat selections. My only criticism is that the broths can sometimes be lacking salt. Otherwise, it's great. Overall, the service is okay and the Dim Sum is below average. But the Hot Pot is the best reason to visit here and probably the only place in Tampa to get it.

    (3)

  • Chris W.

    I absolutely adore this place. Delicious, authentic Chinese food. So refreshing to have a non-buffet place like this to go to. Their pan fried dumplings are the best that I've ever had (tip: ask for the sweet soy sauce for dipping). The wonton soup comes with delicious, small strips of pork in the broth, which is unusual to find around here. I can't think of another shabu shabu place either. I've heard shabu shabu described as "hot pot" and that's an accurate description. When you enter the restaurant you can go left for shabu shabu or right for the regular restaurant. With shabu shabu they heat a vat in front of you and you end up cooking the food in it as it boils. You can order individual items or have a ready made platter brought out with a variety of items. It's fun but I actually prefer just getting regular entrees (because they are so good!). They recently remodeled and got all new tables and chairs for the dining area. The place looks great! I've never been disappointed with a meal here. The owners are as nice as can be as well.

    (5)

  • Da Vman V.

    Service, service , service where out thou Service?? This place was great back on fake Mabry but after they relocated the service & food quality has declined a lot. We kept getting a different person but we always had to flag them down , even thou its late & there was only 1 other table in the dining & it was an oriental family. They seemed to be getting the proper attention & service we were looking for. Shame all I have are the memories from the good old days!

    (2)

  • Julie J.

    My family and I have been going to Ho Ho Choy for years now. We often have our family meals here. I guess you can say we're regulars. Since we have been here so many times, we have determined what dishes are our all-time faves! From their Chinese food menu, we always order their Mapo Tofu, their Beef Chow Fun noodles w/ Black Bean Sauce, or their Mu Shu Pork. Those three dishes right there are very well-seasoned and hard to pass up when it comes to my family. This restaurant also has a great Dim sum menu with all the well-known Dim sum options, pan-fried dumplings and stuffed tofu pickings. They don't serve the Dim sum on the pushing carts for lunch like some Chinese restaurants do, but that's fine with me because at this restaurant you can order the Dim sum from the menu every day, all day, all night!! :) They also have a different section in the restaurant that serves Shabu Shabu. These tables have holes where the hot pot soup is placed (a heater machine is under each hole to cook the soup). Shabu Shabu is hot pot soup in which YOU get to add the ingredients/vegetables and thinly sliced beef (here they have shrimp, chicken or mixed balls options too!) into the soup once it starts to boil. Shabu Shabu is meant to be eaten with featured sauces. We always have fun making our own sauces at their sauce station. I recommend you get the chicken broth instead of the spicy soup option. The chicken broth is kind of bland but it's supposed to be like that because you have sauces (even spices) that you use. When sitting in the Shabu Shabu section, you can also order from their other menus that are served in the non-Shabu Shabu section of the restaurant. So ordering both Shabu Shabu and dishes from their Chinese food menus is a win-win situation! On the Ho Ho Choy website, you can even order food online and pick-up your order at the restaurant, but my family and I love eating IN THE restaurant because the service is very pleasing and the workers pretty much know what we like at this point. We always look forward to eat here!

    (5)

  • Dena P.

    This post is mainly for the shabu shabu. I've wanted to try their shabu out but was afraid to come alone so I gathered some people and had a blast! There are mini individual pots for each seating which makes it fun to create your own concoction. The service was not so nice but they get the job done. They are a bit difficult to understand when they explain what to do when your order your shabu shabu or hot pot but don't you fear it's mainly all the same. I decided to go for the spicy soup and for lamb and beef combo. Great selection! Each combo comes with enough for two light eaters because I shared it with a friend and we had some dim sum. There's the meat portion, some meat balls, veggies, noodles and so on. You can also order more items if you're interested. I loved the concept and being the only one in the area that provides this kind of technique of shabu shabu it's def a place to check out. It's a fun, social and also delicious meal! The only dislike was the service really. There could be more soup flavor option but I'm very happy with my experience here with their shabu shabu.

    (4)

  • Melanie T.

    My family and I have been coming to this restaurant for years and years, long before they were located on dale mabry. I really want to give this place 5 stars since its been a family favorite for so long BUT it has gone down in quality all around. The food is just not the same as it was and the service is even worse.

    (2)

  • Captain D.

    Came in strictly for dim sum this weekend, it was definitely fun but my party and I knew it could be done better. On the bright side, the food was PIPING hot, like so hot that everything tasted at least good. Some of the portions just felt wrong though. Protein was absolutely minimal to earn the title of "shrimp-" or "pork-", to the point where we wanted to learn how to ask "WHERES THE BEEF?!" in Cantonese... It looks sketchy on the outside, but the inside really is comfortable and the wait staff is 100% friendly and professional. A little bit of a language barrier, but not unsurmountable. A pleasant enough place for a low-key lunch with friends, but hardly worth a date night or taking family just in town for the weekend to. Bottom line: I'll be back, but I would think twice before recommending it to a tough-sale friend.

    (3)

  • Nancy S.

    Great spot for dim sum or anything off the menu. Been here a few times and each time definitely did not disappoint. The calamari is a must try and house fried rice is also delicious. If you're in the mood for rice noodle soup, ask for duck soup with chow fun noodles. It's not on the menu but they'll make it for you. Definitely delicious and great hangover cure. Price is reasonable and they give you a ton of food. Plan to pack stuff home :)

    (4)

  • Katy S.

    Came in for a Dim Sum UYE with a bunch of other Yelp peeps. I never even knew this place existed. Boy oh boy am I glad I do now. I live in Seminole Heights, so this place really isn't that far from me and it was soooo good. I can't even really talk about the individual items that we ordered because there was seriously SO. MUCH. FOOD. I liked most everything at the table. The fried pork was so good. The greens were fresh and tasty. The fried eggplant was excellent (that was my pick as I am an eggplant freak). The wait staff promptly refilled our waters as all of the salty Dim Sum was making us parched. Yep - can't wait to come back for dinner!

    (5)

  • Xiao Z.

    Everything we ordered was great! Server was pretty attentive. we each had a Shabu Shabu, and some dim-sum dishes. We will come back when we are in the area again!

    (5)

  • Brian C.

    This review is for the shabu shabu. I've been looking for a shabu shabu place in the area, and I was pleased with Ho Ho Choy. The spicy broth is pretty hot, you will be a ball of sweat and snot at the end of it so if it's a date you're on, get the chicken broth. I love that there's a variety of sauces for you to mix and match as well (although if someone from the establishment is reading this, crushed garlic and ponzu sauce for shabu shabu would be awesome!). The lamb and beef is what I got, thinly sliced meat that cooks in seconds in the boiling broth. Delicious! The veggies, noodles, and accompaniments are also great. Will definitely be back.

    (4)

  • Ming Z.

    With a bit heavy foot on the gas, I am expanding my territories. Thanks for Coty, our Yelper Queen, I crossed the county line again. This time, I arrived at Ho Ho Choy at Tampa for Dim Sum. You will find me very opinionated if I start to tell you how I, a Chinese think about Dim Sum made in USA. So I do you a favor, I will just express my opinion in numbers. There is a white paper menu sheet displays Dim Sum, vegetable, noodle and rice. By what I have tried, here are the numbers I will recommend you to try. 1, 2, 5, 8, 11, 18, 19, 20, 22, 32, 38, 49, 50, 52. It is best to have a group of 4 to eat Dim sum since each dish usually serve 3 to 4 pieces only. If you choose dumpling that is made of meat, just remember the stuffing all taste the same. I will recommend just order one or two and leave the space for other dishes. Staffs are efficient and friendly. Restaurant is clean and well managed. It is worth the trip and I will come back with friends very soon.

    (4)

  • Ed B.

    Been looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Tampa and this is it. The Dim Sum was delicious. We sampled 5 items and all were great. Only negative was they didn't have everything on the menu. Otherwise, this is our go-to Chinese. There are closer take outs to our home, but we will go the extra couple miles for their food.

    (4)

  • Mary E.

    Dim sum here is not dim sum in the carts like I am used to. It worked but pricey ; each dim sum dish was 3.25 minimum. We had the Hong Kong wonton soup with noodles and it was bland . Not worth the 6.95. Also the stuffed eggplant was not what I was used to as it was overly fried with this weird dough over it. Overall decent dim sum but pricey. They have snow pea tips but for a whopping $11.95 .

    (3)

  • Josh W.

    We passed this place on our way to a medical appointment and spontaneously decided to stop and have lunch here on the way back. So glad we did! We haven't had shabu shabu since CA, and that is what caught our attention and drew us in. Upon entry we were seated on the side with normal tables, but were moved to the other side after telling the waitress that we wanted shabu shabu. This side had the holes in the tables and grills underneath where they place the pots to cook. There was also a station with various sauces(hot, sesame, soy, fish just to name a few of the many selections they had), green onions, cilantro, salt, etc. There were 3 menus. One had the dim sum with a variety of dumplings and other dishes at around 3-5 dollars apiece. We had the shrimp dumplings with chives, and they were very good. There was another menu with a number of Chinese food selections that looked good and were reasonably priced. Then there was the shabu shabu menu. For around $12 I had the beef(you could also get lamb or chicken) which came with a basket with veggies(lettuce, spinach, tomato), fish balls, & thin noodles. We paid an additional $6 and got another dish of beef for the wife. I chose the chicken broth(there was also lamb or hot & spicy), which both my wife and I got a separate bowl/pot/container of. She did have the option of choosing a different broth if she wanted it. Because we ordered more meat, we didn't have to pay extra for 2(which isn't the case if you intend to share one pot of soup/broth. Its like $3 more if I recall correctly). In addition to all of this, I also ordered the yakitori(or bbq chicken on a stick), which was two nice sized skewers. Everything we ate was REALLY good. We mixed the sauces and made our own concoctions for dipping our meat. The onions and cilantro were a nice touch, as we enjoyed wrapping this with the spinach and meat. The chicken sticks were well seasoned, not fatty, and plenty. Our total for all this plus 2 soft drinks came to $38 pre tip, which is really cheap for what we ate compared to past like experiences. The place was clean, the service was good, and the staff was friendly. We left here full, but it wasn't the nasty, greasy, stuffed feeling. We will definitely be back here when we have another appointment this way, and she's talked about bringing her crew of Japanese friends here as well for one of their gatherings. I highly recommend this place and encourage you to stop by despite what it looks like on the outside and surrounding area.

    (5)

  • michelle l.

    I tried this place out for lunch. It's better than other Tampa Chinese restaurants that I've tried, but it does not compare to anything in San Francisco or Los Angeles. I use siu mai as my gauge for quality dim sum. Ho Ho Choy's is fine but nothing special. Their turnip cakes are too thin and firm (they should not be hard to cut with the side of a chopstick). The won ton soup was tasty but something was missing. I'm not sure what that was. Happily, I did not get an MSG headache. I was disappointed that I didn't get to try their roast pork. Apparently the BBQ and roasted meats are only available on weekends.

    (3)

  • Derek N.

    I drive from Brandon for your Chinese food. I always get golden chicken and an egg roll. Never disappointed!!!! Have tried way to many other Chinese restaurants to be disappointed. You have a loyal fan here. There are no other hoho's in this area that can come close to the food here.

    (5)

  • Coty S.

    Yelpers are asking me for specific items to order from here... But, what do I know, right? This is only a list of items that I like the most from 1-10, which is just my personal preference. I have never had a bad dish at Ho Ho Choy, to be completely honest. If there is something that I am missing out on or have not tried, feel free to shoot me a message. Items listed in order from top to bottom, with my favorites being at the top: 1. snow pea leaves with garlic (if they do not have this in season, order Ong Choi, aka water spinach) 2. honey roast pork with hoisen dipping sauce (it is the red color pork hanging in the case) 3. har gow (basic shrimp dumplings, this place is my favorite in Tampa for them) 4. rolled rice noodle with beef inside (often called beef rice crepe) 5. fried cruller wrapped with rice noodle (here, they make them fresh- don't knock it till you try it!) 6. hong kong style roast duck (hanging in the case, my mom swears that Ho Ho Choy's is the best) 7. soy sauce noodles (they make them really good here, dry fried egg noodles with tons of ginger) 8. sesame balls 9. spicy eggplant with ground pork 10. pan fried seafood noodles (a nest of crispy fried noodles, covered in seafood and sauce) Ho Ho Choy is my 2nd go-to place in Tampa Bay for dim sum (beaten by Halong Bay on cart service only), and my 3rd go-to place for Chinese food (beaten by China Yuan, then Yummy House Waters Ave. location). A good thing about Ho Ho Choy is that is the food is cooked fresh to order, including the dim sum. Also, I am really starting to like the spicy hotpot room, located next door. Same owners, same staff, different experience.

    (5)

  • Michael X.

    I'm not an pro on this kind of food but I have to say this place is a step above most NY style Chines take out. The food is fresh, veggies are good, meat is clean, and sauces are lite. Nothing is overly greasy or salty or spicy. Is this the most authentic Chinese restaurant around? I have no idea! I don't care! I like the food, the people that work there are friendly and fast. This place does a little bit of it all but I did not try the Sushi yet

    (4)

  • Scott T.

    Ok, finally made it to this place! Used to be one of my friend's Italian restaurants many years ago. I only went for the din sum and I was not disappointed. I was with 4 other people and we shared about 6 plates. True be told - DO NOT look at their health inspection scores or you may not go. They have a very amusing web page! Did not try the Shabu Shabu, but another table order and it looked tasty. Like I said - I would go back to this dive, but just consider their sanitation violations - repeatedly the same violations. I give it 4 stars for the food -- I would rate it 1 star if I just read their sanitation report. Key Facts Edit Total Violations High Priority Violations Intermediate Violations Basic Violations 31 VIOLATIONS 4 CRITICAL (Cross contamination, etc.) 0 27 BASIC Business Name Ho Ho Choy Food Service Type Permanent Food Service Compare Florida Permanent Food Service Restaurant Inspections License Number 3906968 Inspection Results Inspection Completed - No Further Action Inspection Date 03/12/2013 TOTAL VIOLATIONS Ho Ho Choy 31 VIOLATION All Hillsborough County Inspections AVERAGE 6 All Florida Restaurant Inspections AVERAGE 5 Enjoy!

    (4)

  • James R.

    First, I ordered food for pick up & they said I did not order a combo even though I did. The woman at the front desk called me a liar. Then I get home & start eating (because my meal was correct), but my girlfriends is completely something different other than what she ordered. I called & they admitted that they gave me the wrong order, which was more expensive, by the way. They refused to deliver it to my house. I agreed to meet a driver at a neutral location. I gave him most of food from the wrong order & accept the correct order. The driver calls me back from a block number cursing me out. I called the store to speak with a manager & the driver gets on the phone & continue to yell profanities at me. **** Avoid!! The food is ordinary Chinese. The service is horrible! ****

    (1)

  • Duyen-anh N.

    I've been eating here for many years, love dim sum dishes and excited even more when they opened shabu, if you want to eat shabu you just head to the left side when you come in or simply tell one of the waiters you want shabu, they'll seat you to your table. They give you so much food and for 13$ you get a dish pile high of beef or lamb. Friendly staff though with heavy accents but then again when's the last time you went to a Chinese restaurant without encountering one or two people like that?

    (5)

  • Janet S.

    I usually never write reviews about businesses, but this one is really bad that I have to inform the future customers. I want to point it out that the service is terrible. If I could give a negative stars, I would. They don't stop by to clean away plates or ask if we need anything. We had to go to the front desk to ask for extra napkins. The food tasted really bad. Not coming back ever again. Our server sat with another customer to chit chat (totally not care about anyone else, very unprofessional).

    (1)

  • Christina J.

    This is my favorite and my family's favorite Chinese food ever since I was born! Every birthday/celebration we always get Ho Ho's for dinner. We always ordered it to go from the store in Carrollwood but sadly that location shut down. Luckily, they still have this one open and I'm so happy it's open! I don't know what my family or I was going to do without their food. It's the best food ever...try it and you'll see. =) Oh ya! I judge Chinese food restaurants based on their eggrolls, and they have the best ones!!

    (5)

  • Tony Y.

    I love going to places that's always improving and trying to get better. Ho Ho Choy is one of those places. While having lunch, I saw some good display of team work and fellowship. The crew gathered around and hand made close to 500 dumplings within a very short period when things were a little slow since it was early. Good team work makes life work better and it clearly shows for Ho Ho. Restaurant is always very clean, including the bathrooms (which is rare sometimes for a Chinese restaurant). Food is always fresh and quick to serve. For the USFers and people on the go, Ho Ho is perfect since it's fast, clean, WiFi available and priced moderately for the budget conscious. Good work guys, please keep it up.

    (4)

  • Jia Z.

    Stopped in here for their new hot pot section... Pretty good but they only had 2 soup base selection and the meat is a lil thick. But they did have the small individual pots so you don't need to share. I guess for this area, being almost the only hot pot place, I should give them a 4 star.. But I'm giving them a 3.5

    (3)

  • Daniel D.

    I got the Schezuan chicken and it was great. The service was polite, helpful and fast. The ambiance leaves much to be desired, but what can you expect from a seedy looking strip mall? It's priced well, and the menu selection is gigantic. I'll be eating here again.

    (3)

  • Thuy H.

    This is the best dim sum in Tampa. They get an extra star for being around so long and the most recent owner has added more choices to the menu when he came on board. I have been to many dim sum places around the country and this place is on the short list of good dim sum. The crispy pork here is the best I have ever had (except for mine). The pieces are cut to the perfect size. I have been to other dim sum joints around the bay but I keep coming back to this one.

    (4)

  • B C.

    the shabu shabu is pretty great but not their dim sum

    (3)

  • Katherine R.

    I'm a huge fan of Shabu Shabu, but haven't been able to find many restaurants offering it since leaving Boston several years ago. When I saw the sign for this restaurant as I was driving by, I immediately made plans to go the following evening. If you are a fan of Asian cuisine and have never tried Shabu Shabu, you MUST go! It's an incredibly fun and different dining experience. You get to cook your own food at the table (think Asian fondue) and experiment with a bunch of different flavor combinations. When you first come in, make sure you tell the host that you are there for Shabu Shabu as it requires you to sit on the left side of the restaurant (you need a special table with burners built in to heat your broth). **As a side note, you can absolutely do Shabu Shabu and still order off the dim sum menu to complement your meal, but be careful as it is really easy to over order. As for ordering, you have your choice of two different broths. The hot and spicy broth is not a misnomer, but you can easily remove some of the chili peppers from the broth if it is too spicy for you (this also may be a good idea near the end of the meal as the broth boils down and continues to get spicier). Then you choose your protein. There are tons of different seafood and meats to choose from (I love the lamb). There is also an ala carte menu where you can supplement your order with extras of your favorites. Every meal comes with a pot of broth, a generous serving of protein and a basket of raw vegetables (potato slice, greens, cabbage, various mushrooms, tomato etc), chinese sausage, noodles, egg, fishball, and tofu skin. Once the broth is boiling the fun begins! Some items such as the corn on the cob can take upwards of 5 minutes to cook, others like the thinly sliced meat just needs to be swished through the broth for a few seconds. The servers were all very helpful, so if you need advice on what an item is, or how long you should cook it for, just ask! If you pull out a bit of food that isn't quite cooked to your liking, you can easily dump it back in and cook it longer. This is a great restuarant with a friendly and helpful waitstaff and from what I can tell, the only Shabu Shabu place around. I absolutely recommend it for a date night or for anyone who is sick and tired of the same old same old!!

    (4)

  • Jane E.

    They recently started to offer Sushi. It is delicious and fairly inexpensive. For 7.50 for lunch you get two rolls and salad. Their ginger dressing for the salad has a quite an interesting tang. Quick with preparing the order. The interior of the restaurant is really nice and very spacious. Maybe if I am not in a rush, I may sit down one day for lunch or dinner. Have already gone twice in one week, so you know it is a keeper.

    (4)

  • Jake C.

    Great find from Yelp once again! Having read over the reviews here, I decided Ho Ho Choy was worth the drive (45 minutes-ish) to check out. Upon arriving, the place was rather empty on a sunday afternoon. My girlfriend and I snagged a table, and took a gander at the dim sum menu. It was rather large, and had a plethora of dishes I'd never even seen on menus at other chinese restaurants. I had to order a sampling of things that looked good. From the roast duck to dumplings, steamed buns, beef balls, and pork in the rice wrappers. Everything was delicious, though some was a bit out of the ordinary from what I'm used to, texture wise. For dessert we had the sesame balls, with pureed lotus inside. They came out piping hot, almost molten. Again, I wasn't let down. Hot, crunchy, and a little chewy. They had a nutty flavor that was very subtle. The one thing we noticed, about halfway through the meal, the restaurant had FLOODED with asian families. Perhaps next time I'll be adventurous enough to try some dishes like the chicken feet.

    (4)

  • Ed S.

    Coming from Atlanta where dim sum is much better at Royal China and Canton House, I think dim sum at Ho Ho Choy is mediocre, but they are served all day everyday from open until close. We also ordered pan friend noodle, which is my favorite. A little disappointed because it's not very authentic, but a friend who live in Tampa said it's as good Chinese food as you can get in Tampa. The service was super quick and attentive.

    (3)

  • Jenny L.

    Stopped by after a haircut in the same shopping center for a meal with the family and I was pleasantly surprised. We ordered a snow pea dish, chicken dish, and eggplant dish and all were surprisingly good. I have to say that no one makes eggplant better than my mom but this place came pretty close! The food is not completely authentic Chinese but it's the best I've tried in Tampa. Definitely not a fancy place but the food is in large portions and the staff is friendly. Look forward to going back to try the dim sum.

    (4)

  • Luis M.

    This place is awesome. It is consistently the best place I eat at in Tampa, Fl. They have great prices especially if your a student at USF. Their portions are plentiful and service is great. Execellent local choice.

    (5)

  • Mark R.

    Been away for a few years came back to eat at Ho Ho Choy where I spent many a lunch our enjoying the great food. New owners and the food, well, the last time I'll ever eat there.

    (2)

  • J V.

    i've only tried the dim sum here.. it was okay, nothing really extra ordinary or really sucky.. it was just in the middle for me.. service however was nice and friendly.. it seems to have a steady flow of people coming in and out..so probably the other food were good enough..

    (3)

  • Gloria S.

    Very Dim Sum friendly for the beginner, culturally disadvantaged consumer. Menu is colored small photographs of the items for you to identify. (there is an exam at the end of the meal. jk) Once again, thank you Yelpers for helping me find this treasure! Great food, fresh rice flat noodles made daily (no cheap, dry threads here!), think most of items, if not all, are freshly made. Tasty, service was wonderful, authentic Asians cooking and managing. (Sorry to be surprised but I am so use to seeing Mexicans in Chinese kitchens these days) Boy, I sound so racist! You know what I mean, glad to employ them but... they gotta know what they are doing. Free Wi-Fi . Why do I need this? Cause this is located in the main drag of a college area of town. So, def returning when I am nearby, Interstate 75 is only 5 miles from here, not a bad detour, your stomach and taste buds will love you for the quick and well worth pit stop.

    (4)

  • Deke K.

    The restaurant has signs that indicate it is "shabu shabu", "sushi" and "Chinese with one door entrance (though you think 3 Asian restaurants are there). Seating was only available on the Chinese side when we arrived. Service was fairly quick in broken English. FIrst course hot n sour soup. $2 "cup" portion. Generous size, full of chunky things, but the soup had no "hot" and no "sour". Very bland (and gummy). Several varieties of meat and other unidentifiable crunchies in it. It was edible but disappointing. We ordered a "specialty" medium-spicy orange-flavored chicken. It arrived quickly. Sadly there was no orange flavoring and zero heat. The chicken was okay though fatty. No sauce for the steamed rice, just what stuck to the (nonbreaded) meat. Four heads of broccoli (meager). There was something hard burned and black in the dish that we were not familiar with and left behind. It was waaaay over corn-starched gummy and sticky. Almost chokingly so. Probably the same meal they serve as sweet n sour pork....not worth $11 and not worth the title "specialty". I was glad we "split" the dish so didn't go broke on bad food. There were lots of Asians eating here so the ambiance seemed authentic. The sushi list had a long list of dim sum dumplings and other interesting things. They had live lobster in a tank. They also had a crispy duck, side of pork hanging on hooks in a hot glass case for all to see. There are too many Chinese places that are excellent for me to give this place a second chance....I sure was wishing for shabu shabu though. The place does not look clean nor updated, the bathroom is kinda junky (door doesn't lock). Health inspections are sorta scary.....

    (1)

  • Lainey C.

    Ho Ho Choy has a good selection of dim sum. We tried baked pork buns, shu mei, fried dumplings, and roast pork. All of the dishes were very enjoyable. They reminded me of my hometown NYC. I'm looking forward to my next visit. Ho Ho means good good in Chinese and it was.

    (4)

  • Lauren C.

    Ho Ho Awesome. Located in a sketchy strip mall near USF, incidentally also home to a salon called "Boom Hair" (Um..what?) I knew this place had potential, mainly due to other Yelper's reviews. Ho Ho Choy is connected to a Japanese place called Shabu Shabu, where you cook your own hot pots. We showed up for a dim sum lunch (so -- Chinese, of course) and before we knew it, we were seated around a boiling pot, cooking our own lamb, chicken and various other items -- shrimp balls, an uncooked egg, glass noodles, half a corn on the cob, to name a few -- in a spicy broth. The meat came frozen, in little rolls, the type you'd see on a deli platter. A quick glance around the table revealed blank stares and utter confusion. With no formal instruction, we ascertained we were to drop said frozen meat and all the accoutrements into the hot pot and get the party started. At this early stage in the game, we weren't even sure what was going on. But really, don't all the best lunches start out this way? Overall the hot pot was tasty and reminded me of Vietnamese pho. The server said it feeds one but three of us shared it. The fact that these two establishments are randomly combined, yet separately branded, makes it a bit confusing to order, as there are 3 or 4 separate menus to peruse - the hot pot menu, the dim sum menu, the Chinese lunch and dinner menu, the sushi menu.... but don't let that deter you. You order the dim sum by looking at pictures and calling out numbers to the server, so any qualms about not knowing if you're pronouncing "Fun Gor" properly are put to rest. Just say you want "#13." The must-try items in my book: the pork sui mai, the steamed shrimp dumplings, and the sleeper hit for our group, the pork rice crepe. The dim sum piece de resistance, if you will, are the steamed pork buns. As I'm typing this, I realize we somehow steered away from having any form of vegetable on our table whatsoever...but I think there may have been a of bok choy floating in the hot pot. So, we're good. I can't wait to go back to Ho Ho Choy. Thanks to Yelper Coty S. for the great recommendations. prior to this visit.

    (4)

  • Brett N.

    Why 5 stars? Because holy DIM SUM!!! --- --- --- I had only experienced really good dim sum in San Francisco, until today that is. I attended my first Yelp event at Ho Ho Choy, and it probably goes down as one of the top 10 decisions I've made in my life. Wow, that was an awesome array of asian cuisine that I experienced today. The only bad part of the meal was that I have no idea what was ordered, because that part of the process took place before I arrived. (I was a bad, late yelper.) I know there was all kinds of shrimp and pork dumplings/balls. Outside of that, I would need to see pictures to know what I ate! I really enjoyed meeting some Yelpers for the first time, and I look forward to attending more get-togethers in the future. As for Ho Ho Choy, I will DEFINITELY be back to consume much more dim sum in the future.

    (5)

  • Nat W.

    While the restaurant itself is clean including the bathroom, thier interior decoration definitely threw me off. The front has some Asian ornaments and paper lamps. All the sudden, there are different kinds and colors of contemporary pendant lights hanging off the ceiling all over the place. Not to mention they had Chrsitmas tree lights on the window. Wow lol Despite their interior discordination, they know what they are doing when it comes to Chinese food. I ordered the roast pork (S) and sesame balls and my husband ordered Mongolian lunch special with fried rice and wanton soup. Everything was delicious. I liked the sesame balls. I have eaten sesame balls with red bean paste and white bean paste before, but this place has brown paste inside (I'm guessing it was peanuts). Though the sesame balls at China Yuan is my favorite, this one is pretty good too. The wanton soup had a just right amount of seasoning. While a lot of Chinese restaurants drench their food in salt, pepper, oil, MSG, and all different kinds of sauce, this place does not overdo it at all. This place is not the best in Tamoa (Yummy House and China Yuan are the #1s for me), but the best in the USF area for sure.

    (4)

  • Elana L.

    We hit up Ho Ho Choy for some Dim Sum on Sunday around 11:30. I was thinking the place would be bustling like a Chicago Dim Sum Restaurant would be, but boy was I wrong. There were only two people in the entire place when we got there. By the time we left at 12:30, the place was filling up with people. We ordered six different dishes off the Dim Sum menu. (they don't have carts rolling around with it already made, so you have to order) We really liked the egg rolls, BBQ pork buns, and a noodle dish with pork. We were not so thrilled about the deep fried turnip cakes (they shouldn't be deep fried), pork stuffed egg plant (just weird), or Taro dish. Even though we didn't love each dish, we did leave feeling full and the prices of the dishes were very reasonable.

    (3)

  • Erika B.

    Love the Shabu Shabu here. It's fairly inexpensive for a lot of food but quality. My family comes here every once in a while and it's a big hit with everyone. definitely recommend trying it!

    (4)

  • Amanda G.

    I had the walnut shrimp although it is very delicious the price is through the roof! But I would totally pay for it again. I found some "coupons" that they offer online... We bought over $25 worth of take out so they gave us a free order or crab rangoons which were also very delicious...be wary of their orange chicken very very spicy. I will definitely order again from here when I save enough $$ to do so.

    (4)

  • David H.

    Heard the the dim sum was good here so I came with good expectations, but we left unsatisfied. All our dishes were bland, I can't think of a single dish that moved my taste buds. The chicken feet were bland and not cooked enough and the beef tripe was bland. Two stars for dim sum cause I've had better..way better. I might try again for their hotpot.. but I would probably rather just do hotpot at home.

    (2)

  • Michael C.

    UYE at Ho Ho Choy? Get to try new food, hang out with new people and leave almost passing out at the table? Sounds like a great event! So my initial thought was that we were going Dim Sum crazy, as Coty has raved about it being the best Dim Sum in Tampa. As it turns out, I was the one going crazy: ordered deep fried mixed meat balls, turnip cake, shrimp dumplings, beef crepes & shrimp crepes, a few other things and then because I've always been curious - the beef tripe (for the record it wasn't bad, but like chicken feet I probably wouldn't order it again). Oh, and everything was excellent and the portions were huge. So that was me going crazy. Then we ordered from the hanging station a whole duck, barbecue pork (rib meat) and crispy pork (fat back). I enjoyed the duck, but there was contention that one half tasted better than the other half. Whatever, we had two types of pork on the table. The barbecue pork was great by itself but what blew me away was the crispy pork - crispy skin, chewy fat and tasty meat all in one bite. Then the secret I never knew about - special hoisin sauce (regular hoisin sauce mixed with the fat drippings - out of this world). But all wasn't delicious pork and I know that was good enough however we did get veggies (after all we did have a vegetarian at the table). And you know what - the veggies were all fantastic. Watercress, uh, other Chinese veggies. Whatever it was healthy AND tasty. We didn't even finish everything. I got leftovers and had to struggle not to pass out on the table. And how could things get even better after gorging yourself with a lazy susan and hanging out with other Yelpers? The bill, including tip, was less than $18 per person. I would return in a heartbeat.

    (5)

  • Maria Christina V.

    Went here for the Shabu Shabu on a Friday Evening Date Night. In short: This is a great hole in the wall! Definitely would go here again. Food was great! I have had Shabu Shabu before in Japan town in LA. When we walked in we were immediately seated (the place was virtually empty) and asked for our drink order. The menu is easy to understand. Basically, what you do is pick your broth, chicken or spicy and then pick your meat, lamb, fish, etc. I orderd the lamb plate and my husband ordered the fish and blue crab plate. They first bring out your pot of broth which they heat up at the table. Then they bring out a basket with lots of 'condiments' to put in your broth including: an egg, water cress, mushrooms, cabbage, fish/beef ball, and vermicelli noodles. There is also a cart at the back of the restaurant where you can get extra sauces and stuff to put in your broth or dip your meat in. Once we got our broth boiling we put some of the stuff from our basket in the broth to cook. At that point the waitress brought out our plate of meats. My lamb was perfect. Thinly sliced enough that it only needs to spend a minute or so in the hot broth to cook. Dipping it in the sauces made it taste like heaven! My husband loved his fish but said the crab, because it was fairly small, was hard to eat and had very little meat. But WOW, the food is delicious! With all the sauces, meat and extras to put in, this was a great meal! We really enjoyed it and left happy and full. Its a very relaxing and slow paced way to eat. We were never rushed by our waitress and she was kind enough to even help us identify what was in our basket and tell us what to do and how to use our hot pot. We ended up spending like $30 between two people. I would definitely go here again and take friends here in the future!

    (4)

  • Melinda F.

    Ho Ho Choy is a decent restaurant Chinese in a sketchy looking plaza. It caters to both authentic and Americanized Chinese food (you can see on the walls strips of paper with Chinese characters written - those are specials, and that's a very traditional way of displaying the specials). It definitely earns props for having both varieties. Shabu shabu/hot pot (****): this is a recent addition to the restaurant. I thought it was pretty good - it is like a broth based fondue except with Chinese seasoning with thinly sliced meats, veggies, noodles, and a variety of sauces to choose from. It's pretty exciting and fun - good for special occasions or for cold weather (broth ^_^). Dim sum (***): the dim sum is okay - not bad but definitely not the best. And it is somewhat hit or miss. I don't care for their fried shrimp balls - there's a lot of starchy filler; and *one* time the rice noodle roll was kind of rubbery, but other times it has been pretty good. Tips: - Baked salted tofu/crispy tofu (*****)- this dish is amazing...it's little cubes of tofu with a crispy outer coating, and is super garlic-y. Not as good if you take it to-go because it might get soggy in transit from steam build up (though they usually slit the lid so that the steam escapes) - but best when fresh. This dish is sooo good. I've converted a fair number of non-tofu-eaters into tofu eaters with this dish... -A nice deal for 2 people eating alone is their 3-for$20 deal (limited menu) - the portions are smaller than ordering the dishes individually, but at least you get more variety. They don't usually offer this menu straight up, so ask for it. (P.S. the baked salted tofu is on this menu...). - 10% off for USF students - bring your ID :D

    (4)

  • Gina M.

    The service was absolutely terrible here. They didn't even speak English to understand my order and brought out food I didn't even order, I walked out before my main course was even served.

    (1)

  • Carlos H.

    Tried their Special Orange Chicken for $9.75 (a steep price for that entree), but of course portions are huge since you're supposed to share. It was crunchy and had some flavor to it, not too greasy like the Orange Chicken you might have at the food court. I'd say it is better then Panda Express, but doesn't have a unique taste like Yummy House's Orange Chicken. I'd probably rather just take the grease and pay $5.00 instead at the University Mall food court for some Orange Chicken. The waitress was decent, but still not that helpful or pleasant. There is a USF discount so make sure you inquire about it if you're a student.

    (3)

  • Ryan S.

    I had a lot of fun here with a BIG group of Yelpers. I had no idea what 75% of what I ate was, but I can tell you 99.9% of it was delicious! Thankfully we had a food guide who was well versed in dim sum and asian food in general..... Cody T. did not lead us astray! I can forsee this place becoming my go to choice for dim sum and Chinese food in the future.

    (4)

  • Jay S.

    We found this location by accident..there was another dimsum place next door and they were close so we tried Ho Ho Choy. My daughter being a student residing near the university, we needed to have a peaceful yet good food. Foods with good company taste much better...and then we had the best waitress that coached us through out which dim sum to try...we are hook! We tried, the noodles, tripes, dumpling, ribs..ordered fried rice. this place is awesome. It is now part of our stomping ground when in Tampa.

    (5)

  • Hanh N.

    I wouldn't even this give one star. Horrible dim sum. Probably the worst I've had. I wouldn't recommend this place at all!

    (1)

  • Ning A.

    I was really in the mood for dim sum. I had read the reviews and decided that this was the best in town. Not very impressed. Beef tripe was done in the normal steamed style. Crispy pork was salty salty and then some salty more. Skin was crispy but the lean part was just hard. Shrimp dumpling was average and Shao Mai was tough in texture. Everything else including eggplants to Zhang Feng ranged for average to good. On the whole I would give this place 2.5 stars.

    (2)

  • Alphachef G.

    Food was very salty but otherwise bland. Hot & sour soup was over the top with white pepper. Fried rice was too salty to eat Service was undistinguished. OK to stop if you're passing by but not a worthy destination

    (2)

  • Peter C.

    Great baked pork buns and good quality food all around...

    (4)

  • Sally M.

    Thank you Coty! So glad to have found this place. I still miss cheap, good, cart dim sum that you can find just about anywhere in California, but if I have to pick between overpriced fancy (but super tasty) dim sum at TC Choy & cheaper casual (& very tasty) dim sum at Ho Ho Choy, I think I'll lean towards Ho Ho Choy. Clearly it'd been a while since I last did a-la-carte dim sum ordering, because we ordered probably 3 dishes too many. So beware! Each dish may only come with a few pieces, but those delicious little morsels fill you up FAST. (If you forget yourself & end up ordering too much, be heartened by the fact that they will provide you with takeout boxes so you don't have to feel like you wasted money or food. Especially delicious food like this.) Ho Ho Choy's shrim har gow are a little too squishy for me, but their bbq pork buns were perfect. The shrimp dumplings & the pork shu mai were delicious, the chow fun tasted just like the stuff at Taiwan Restaurant in Berkeley (which is apparently what my sweetie holds as his standard) & the sesame balls were just right. Service was great & very prompt; I'll definitely be back again sometime.

    (4)

  • Jay Y.

    Chinese food...but not what you're thinking. If you want fried, freezer burned general Tso's chicken, this isn't your place. If you want fresh made legit Chinese food--both traditional, Americanized and dim sum then this is your place. The Dim Sum is absolutely delicious. Bring a group and just order whatever you want for the whole table. Noodles, Chinese Broccoli, Shrimp dumplings(fried and steamed), Rice Paste, Crab Rangoon and more. You can't go wrong on price because most of them are around $2.96 a plate. Some Chili oil and sweet dumpling sauce and you'll be a happy camper. Oh, and they've got Siracha(just ask). As far as their meals go, this place is incredible. Chili stir-fried dungenous crab, Hot Pot chicken, Chow Fun noodles, are all incredible. Bursting with flavor, veggies and meat. My personal favorite is the Imperial Chicken. It's half a bone-in chicken steamed...that's right...steamed! They chop it up and cover it with a delicious mix of green onion, garlic, ginger and oil... Served with a side of white rice and garlic oil this is by far the best in Tampa. USF Students get 15% discount. But you won't go for that--you'll go for the food. Stop by Kalasia tea after dinner for a delicious Loose Leaf tea.

    (5)

  • Vince T.

    Great dimsum! Truly enjoyed everything we ordered. We also sampled their crispy roast pork and roast duck. Both didn't disappoint as well. We went back to hoho choy a few days later to try their shabu shabu dinner. It was a bit confusing to order but food turned out to be really good. We ended ordering too much food. Great sauce selections too for the shabu shabu which included my favorite satay sauce. I hope to return to hoho choy the next time I visit Tampa.

    (4)

  • Aviva D.

    Awesome food awesome experience. Nice servers. We had a great experience and will make it a point to eat there once a week. Shabu shabu heaven!

    (5)

  • M H.

    I've been a regular since 2005. This is one of the very few Chinese restaurants in Tampa that serves dim sum. There may be other hole-in-the-wall dim sum joints around, but Ho Ho Choy is very quick to serve orders even when it's jam packed on weekends. Food is good. Don't compare it to big city authentic Chinese food like NYC, Houston, or the eastern hometown. For the location, price, and atmosphere, it's definitely kept me returning for years. Whenever I have family in town, this is the lunch spot. Food could be less greasy, but the taste is still pretty good. Hey, nothing is perfect. Just have to be good enough to make me want to eat there again =) Dim sum variety is what you'd expect minus a few specialty items. A la carte, but not pushcart style. Served all day long. Order using a typical dim sum sheet where you pencil in the quantity of each item you want. I usually order the following favorites: Steam Shrimp & Chive Dumplings (dim sum) Sticky Rice (dim sum) Shrimp Rice Paste (dim sum) Fried Shrimp Balls (dim sum) Beef Tripe (dim sum) Pork Taro (dim sum) Steamed Spare Ribs (dim sum) Turnip Pudding (dim sum) Baked & Salted Squid (entrée) Chinese Broccoli with Garlic (entrée) Chicken Fried Rice (entrée) Mapo Tofu (entrée) Beef Chow Fun in Black Bean Sauce (entrée) Bathrooms and dining area are clean. They also recently remodeled. There's a couple of tanks where they keep live seafood. An extended menu of specialty items are written in Chinese on neon pink poster paper near the front entrance for the serious eater.

    (4)

  • Edward C.

    I stopped at this place yesterday (approx 6:30) because my wife and I had no dinner plans and we were both in the mood for Chinese. The inside was decorated nicely with lot's of tables for guests, sadly there was no one sitting. I've lived in Tampa for almost 20 years and one of the biggest disappointments since I've moved from Michigan is that I have yet to find a decent Chinese place (with the exception of Liang's Bistro on Bruce B Downs) I ordered sweet and sour chicken for my wife and beef chop suey for myself along with egg rolls. A side note is that 2 people came in after me and ordered and received their food before me. No big deal, I was hungry for some Chinese and ready for it. When I got home (almost $20 later), I anxiously started serving. The sweet and sour sauce was a little on the thin side for me but the flavor was good. The chicken was all white meat which was a positive. I was also expecting some pineapple or red peppers in the sauce like I have gotten at other places. (again in Michigan) My biggest disappointment was the beef chop suey. Beef, bean sprouts & carrots. The gravy was extremely thin, almost like colored water. Absolutely no flavor at all. The carrots were way too big. The beef was good but the rest of the meal kind of brought that down. The egg rolls were probably some of the worst I have ever had although my wife found them more tolerable than I did. In all fairness, they do have a HUGE menu and perhaps I picked 2 items that were not the best choices. Sadly, I will not be returning to Ho Ho's. My quest for decent Chinese in Tampa continues........

    (2)

  • Christine C.

    We were really craving some dim sum on a Sunday afternoon so we decided to give this place a try. The dim sum was all pretty good. Some of the plates were not so great, but some definitely made me want to return. We all really enjoyed the BBQ Pork Buns, Dumplings, and the Sesame Balls. The prices are great and I left completely satisfied.

    (3)

  • Kent W.

    5* for this being in Tampa! If you go here stick to the dim sum menu. Get the dumplings with shrimp and cilantro, shu mai, pan fried! Killer! I love the beef noodle paste ones too but a lot of my friends aren't into it. I really like the crispy pork and the duck here too. Sometimes the duck is better than other times. Try something new and enjoy. I don't recommend the chicken feet here tho. They don't make a nice sauce for them or anything. I've had much better. Great place to go if you were drinking the night before :] Some entrees are good like the blue crab with ginger or some of the noodle dishes (seafood or crispy). But if you're looking for great Chinese entrées, I would go to Yummy House on Waters. They don't come around with the carts, so you don't get that experience but I think it's better. In tampa not many people eat dim sum, so with the cart system the food can get cold and you don't get the variety since the food isn't changed as often. Also you can order dim sum any time of day not just brunch! You get it hot and fresh and just what you want every time. This place is just as good if not better than TC Choy's and way cheaper -like half. My gf and I used to go here about once a week before we moved out of state. I recommend going with as many people as possible - they have big round tables with a lazy susan in the middle. That way you get to try more things. Usually around $10/person.

    (5)

  • Sarah K.

    Best chinese food in the area.

    (4)

  • Yu L.

    Worst Dim Sum I have ever eat in the US. Food is not fresh and not well cooked. Definitely won't come back!

    (1)

  • Ren C.

    Been coming here for a while but never had the chance to check in and write a review. It's been a long day for us! Left Jax around 11 am and was able to arrive in tampa around 3 pm. And went to grab some dim sum and as always I never get disappointed. The food is always great and it's reasonable prize!

    (5)

  • Lisa W.

    Very good dim sum and BBQ pork. We love coming here. The staff is friendly and the food is tasty. Prices are reasonable. I still haven't tried the Shabu Shabu or the sushi, but plan to. My favorites are the Hong Kong Wonton noodle soup (think noodle), the roasted pork and the shrimp dumplings.

    (5)

  • Annie J.

    Best dimsum in town! Loved to go here as a student for my chinese food cravings! Roast duck, Singapore noodles , shrimp dumplings with chives are awesome! Get some hot tea in the pot to go with that! Go ahead...dip that dumpling in the hot chili oil :) Don't forget to check out the neighborhood chinese eateries.

    (5)

  • Catherine W.

    The 3 stars are mainly for the dim sum/HK cuisine as a person raised Canto. I have yet to try the shabu shabu but I've been here a couple of times for their dim sum and takeout, because sometimes I have a craving for Americanized Chinese food. Their lunch and dinner specials/combos are super reasonably priced, and comes with a lot of food, with high quality tupperware so leaks won't be as much of an issue hehe. Being raised Cantonese, their dim sum was...meh. If you want a dim sum fix, this is a good place to go, but if you want awesome dim sum with the authentic carts experience, Yummy House on Hillsborough does that. I do like how their dim sum selection was fairly extensive, and I saw the apparatus indicative of Hong Kong BBQ set up (although not entirely sure if it's actually used?) so the place seems promising. If you're looking for a truly authentic Canto cuisine experience, this would probably not be it, but the food is good, so don't let this review detract you from trying it out!

    (3)

  • Pranam P.

    YES! A DIM SUM PLACE!!! Yay! It was all very tasty. We all pretty much ordered random stuff off the menu, but was not disappointed. The one thing I do remember having that was phenomenal was the duck! It was cheap too! Give it a taste!

    (5)

  • Michelle W.

    I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Tampa had their very own authentic Chinese hot pot spot. You know a place has to be decent to gain a following among the middle-aged Chinese parent / grandparent crowd. You can order by choosing a meat, which ranges from $13 for a single protein (beef, lamb or chicken) to a little under $20 for a seafood platter. Each protein choice comes with a basket of Napa cabbage, spinach, fish ball, enoki mushroom, tofu skin and seaweed knot. The ingredients were fresh and the veggies were washed really clean, and they have additional items that you can order a la carte as well. You then get to choose a soup base, and they have 2 clear broths and 2 spicy ones. The nice thing here is that each person gets their own burner and pot, for all the germaphobes and picky eaters out there. While all the servers are friendly, you do need to call them if you need anything.

    (4)

  • Hanh N.

    I wouldn't even this give one star. Horrible dim sum. Probably the worst I've had. I wouldn't recommend this place at all!

    (1)

  • Ning A.

    I was really in the mood for dim sum. I had read the reviews and decided that this was the best in town. Not very impressed. Beef tripe was done in the normal steamed style. Crispy pork was salty salty and then some salty more. Skin was crispy but the lean part was just hard. Shrimp dumpling was average and Shao Mai was tough in texture. Everything else including eggplants to Zhang Feng ranged for average to good. On the whole I would give this place 2.5 stars.

    (2)

  • Nick S.

    I can only speak to their shabu shabu and a couple buns.. but I very much enjoyed the experience. Very flavorful. The employees were helpful. Had a great time cooking in my hotpot and mixing sauces. Had a great time with great peeps and would recommend it to others for a special dining experience. :) They also have sushi / rolls, Chinese food dishes and dim sum served up on the regular restaurant side. And you can order off any menu even if you do shabu shabu (swish swish). Tip: the thin meat cooks VERY fast. Take it out right away. ;) Become a sauce mixologist. Try various ones and various combos.. :)

    (4)

  • Vi P.

    Went here tonight, ordered some dim sum and a noodle platter(pork chow fun). The pork chow fun was tasty made with thicker noodles, portion size was generous. This is because this restaurant is more of a family style restaurant where you share your food, not have a whole plate to yourself. Dim sum was pretty good, decent selection. I got the taro pork buns, pork steam buns, and shrimp paste dumplings. The Taro pork buns were very crispy, it had a creamy filling, tasted similar fried potato balls. It may come out a little hot, so let it sit for a few minutes to cool off. The pork steam buns are flour steam dumplings with a pork filling, the pork filling tasted slightly sweet and salty. The shrimp paste dumpling, is soft on the outside with shrimp filling, covered with a sweet soy sauce, tasty but you might not be able to pick it up with chop sticks! The service was below average, waitress is not really attentive and rushed us to order. Overall I would recommend this place for the food but not the service.

    (3)

  • EliMar G.

    LOVE the staff ! Caring and fast service. Fresh and hot food ! Every time I order here, food is cooked perfectly. No complaints. Love this place !

    (5)

  • Shan W.

    We ordered dim sum. It was food that is sold in the frozen section of most grocery stores. I had the exact same custard buns in my freezer. They didn't even bother to take the wrappers off.

    (1)

  • Elizabeth W.

    BY FAR THE BEST CHINESE FOOD EVER!! I have been eating at Ho Ho Choy since college..so quite some time. We even drive from Brandon to here when wanting some chinese food. The menu is extensive and they even offer dim sum. I always order the orange chicken or the golden chicken. It is always cooked to perfection!! The egg rolls are the best that I have ever had!! and their fried rice is amazing! I have never heard of anyone saying that they had bad food and I always recommend them to anyone looking for good chinese food!

    (5)

  • Ryan A.

    The Chinese food here in Tampa in general in my opinion is awful almost everywhere however Ho Ho Choy's is actually solid and I really enjoy it. I work nearby and get takeout at least once a week. They have great "hot chili pepper oil" which always makes me happy as I usually prefer "the hotter the better". They have very affordable lunch specials for a meal, rice and your choice of soup or spring rolls. My "go to" is the Kung Pao Chicken and Hot & Sour soup...definitely my favorite. I've never dined inside so I can't speak on their service. They're not the warmest and friendliest of people when I pick food up but the food is pretty solid and other than maybe 1 other place, this is my favorite Chinese food in all of Tampa.

    (3)

  • Hwal L.

    I stopped here to snack on sushi, not realising this was a Chinese restaurant that also had sushi, and had the shock of the day when we got our order: Thunder roll. Lots of sauces and rather small serving -$10.95-, but at least it was freshly made. Nothing more or less. If we'd wanted a full blown Chinese meal we would have gone to Yummy House, or Matoi for sushi. Oh well.

    (3)

  • Heather M.

    So this is my first review on here but I HAD to comment on the sushi. I have been craving sushi for the last month and I just haven't had the time to go. Well, I found myself over here after dropping my girlfriend off at school and decided to treat myself to a sushi lunch date. This was the best unagi I've had in a long time. Also, the salmon sashimi literally melted in my mouth. I definitely recommend the sushi here. I saw a lot of reviews about their dim sum and hot pot but I feel like their sushi was being looked over.

    (5)

  • Sandy A.

    I've tried their hot pot and regularly ordered their lemon chicken for takeout. I've brought friends here to try their hot pot and they all loved it! I've had hot pot in other places that I like but what makes this one great is that they give you your own pot and provide a wide variety of things to add a la carte. I wish they could offer an AYCE hot pot likes the ones I've tried up north but that is just me being a fatty. I order the lemon chicken for take out when I am feeling down and it is always crispy and not drenched in oil. The lemon sauce is sweet and not too sour. I know my mother would not approve of me eating this but it's so damn good!

    (4)

  • Laura K.

    I had great hopes of my experience at Ho Ho Choy considering it's a closer alternative for me than Yummy House, but this place doesn't even come close to measuring up to that higher bar. My dim sum never came so I can't rate that part of their menu but nothing that we ordered stood out as anything more than a fast food quality Chinese.

    (3)

  • Charlie G.

    I have been to Ho Ho Choy's several times... and service and food has always been good. I love authentic Sweet and Sour Chicken (not the red Lollipop sauce stuff in most Chinese restaurants... but the kind I make at home when I have to have it.) The Sweet and Sour at Ho Ho Choys is much more authentic than any restaurant I have eaten at. It is delicious... hot, crispy chicken, and a sauce that is thinner, and a bit more sour than most... without the red food coloring. Sesame chicken here is ok... but not a favorite. The Dim Sum is good... and fairly priced. I have not tried the Shabu Shabu yet... and want to do that soon. Recommended!

    (4)

  • Cece C.

    Delicious dim sum and traditional Chinese food, as well as sushi! Per other reviews as well, order the fried dumplings. Just do it. They are delicious, whether with the soy sauce, sweet soy sauce (Chris W.'s favorite!), or the sweet and sour sauce. We also tried the crab rangoon, some kind of veggie dim sum, the Paradise sushi roll, pork fried rice, wonton soup... yeah, we tried it all. And by "we" I mean just two people. It was so worth it, with plenty leftovers to gorge on for the next day or so. I've been here a few times now (it's a great option to walk to when you're having your car serviced at Toyota down the street, Lord knows how long that will take) and I will definitely be back. The decor is nice, the service is quick and friendly, and of course the food is great. Don't be put off by the neighborhood... it's a whole different atmosphere inside. A perfect sit-down Chinese option if you're looking for it, with a more relaxed vibe and more affordable prices than somewhere like Yummy House on Hillsborough. Definitely worth a visit and we will definitely be back.

    (5)

  • Sue M.

    Ho Ho Ho for Ho Ho Choy! Not having any where near me that serves Dim Sum, I was excited to find a restaurant in Tampa that served it. My friend and I shared oh so many different dishes. They were all good and didn't disappoint. Our first server kept telling us that they didn't serve from carts because it's not always served hot if they are from a cart. Of course she was correct. Many different servers kept bringing different plates out to us as they were ready. I liked their system that you do not have one server but rather everyone helps out. If there's a plate that needs to be taken away, then it is. However I do have to give props especially to servers Jin & Crystal as they were doing a fantastic job. Ho Ho Choy's menu is quite extensive and the duck I saw in the holding window looked appetizing. The Dim Sum menu could of been more extensive and there were only limited items that were steamed. I was also disappointed that there was only 1 sticky rice per order. Usually there are 2 or 3. Current health inspection: 4-high priority, 3-intermediate & 23-basic violations.

    (4)

  • Chris W.

    I absolutely adore this place. Delicious, authentic Chinese food. So refreshing to have a non-buffet place like this to go to. Their pan fried dumplings are the best that I've ever had (tip: ask for the sweet soy sauce for dipping). The wonton soup comes with delicious, small strips of pork in the broth, which is unusual to find around here. I can't think of another shabu shabu place either. I've heard shabu shabu described as "hot pot" and that's an accurate description. When you enter the restaurant you can go left for shabu shabu or right for the regular restaurant. With shabu shabu they heat a vat in front of you and you end up cooking the food in it as it boils. You can order individual items or have a ready made platter brought out with a variety of items. It's fun but I actually prefer just getting regular entrees (because they are so good!). They recently remodeled and got all new tables and chairs for the dining area. The place looks great! I've never been disappointed with a meal here. The owners are as nice as can be as well.

    (5)

  • Da Vman V.

    Service, service , service where out thou Service?? This place was great back on fake Mabry but after they relocated the service & food quality has declined a lot. We kept getting a different person but we always had to flag them down , even thou its late & there was only 1 other table in the dining & it was an oriental family. They seemed to be getting the proper attention & service we were looking for. Shame all I have are the memories from the good old days!

    (2)

  • Julie J.

    My family and I have been going to Ho Ho Choy for years now. We often have our family meals here. I guess you can say we're regulars. Since we have been here so many times, we have determined what dishes are our all-time faves! From their Chinese food menu, we always order their Mapo Tofu, their Beef Chow Fun noodles w/ Black Bean Sauce, or their Mu Shu Pork. Those three dishes right there are very well-seasoned and hard to pass up when it comes to my family. This restaurant also has a great Dim sum menu with all the well-known Dim sum options, pan-fried dumplings and stuffed tofu pickings. They don't serve the Dim sum on the pushing carts for lunch like some Chinese restaurants do, but that's fine with me because at this restaurant you can order the Dim sum from the menu every day, all day, all night!! :) They also have a different section in the restaurant that serves Shabu Shabu. These tables have holes where the hot pot soup is placed (a heater machine is under each hole to cook the soup). Shabu Shabu is hot pot soup in which YOU get to add the ingredients/vegetables and thinly sliced beef (here they have shrimp, chicken or mixed balls options too!) into the soup once it starts to boil. Shabu Shabu is meant to be eaten with featured sauces. We always have fun making our own sauces at their sauce station. I recommend you get the chicken broth instead of the spicy soup option. The chicken broth is kind of bland but it's supposed to be like that because you have sauces (even spices) that you use. When sitting in the Shabu Shabu section, you can also order from their other menus that are served in the non-Shabu Shabu section of the restaurant. So ordering both Shabu Shabu and dishes from their Chinese food menus is a win-win situation! On the Ho Ho Choy website, you can even order food online and pick-up your order at the restaurant, but my family and I love eating IN THE restaurant because the service is very pleasing and the workers pretty much know what we like at this point. We always look forward to eat here!

    (5)

  • Brian C.

    This review is for the shabu shabu. I've been looking for a shabu shabu place in the area, and I was pleased with Ho Ho Choy. The spicy broth is pretty hot, you will be a ball of sweat and snot at the end of it so if it's a date you're on, get the chicken broth. I love that there's a variety of sauces for you to mix and match as well (although if someone from the establishment is reading this, crushed garlic and ponzu sauce for shabu shabu would be awesome!). The lamb and beef is what I got, thinly sliced meat that cooks in seconds in the boiling broth. Delicious! The veggies, noodles, and accompaniments are also great. Will definitely be back.

    (4)

  • Ming Z.

    With a bit heavy foot on the gas, I am expanding my territories. Thanks for Coty, our Yelper Queen, I crossed the county line again. This time, I arrived at Ho Ho Choy at Tampa for Dim Sum. You will find me very opinionated if I start to tell you how I, a Chinese think about Dim Sum made in USA. So I do you a favor, I will just express my opinion in numbers. There is a white paper menu sheet displays Dim Sum, vegetable, noodle and rice. By what I have tried, here are the numbers I will recommend you to try. 1, 2, 5, 8, 11, 18, 19, 20, 22, 32, 38, 49, 50, 52. It is best to have a group of 4 to eat Dim sum since each dish usually serve 3 to 4 pieces only. If you choose dumpling that is made of meat, just remember the stuffing all taste the same. I will recommend just order one or two and leave the space for other dishes. Staffs are efficient and friendly. Restaurant is clean and well managed. It is worth the trip and I will come back with friends very soon.

    (4)

  • Ed B.

    Been looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Tampa and this is it. The Dim Sum was delicious. We sampled 5 items and all were great. Only negative was they didn't have everything on the menu. Otherwise, this is our go-to Chinese. There are closer take outs to our home, but we will go the extra couple miles for their food.

    (4)

  • Mary E.

    Dim sum here is not dim sum in the carts like I am used to. It worked but pricey ; each dim sum dish was 3.25 minimum. We had the Hong Kong wonton soup with noodles and it was bland . Not worth the 6.95. Also the stuffed eggplant was not what I was used to as it was overly fried with this weird dough over it. Overall decent dim sum but pricey. They have snow pea tips but for a whopping $11.95 .

    (3)

  • Daniel D.

    I got the Schezuan chicken and it was great. The service was polite, helpful and fast. The ambiance leaves much to be desired, but what can you expect from a seedy looking strip mall? It's priced well, and the menu selection is gigantic. I'll be eating here again.

    (3)

  • Katy S.

    Came in for a Dim Sum UYE with a bunch of other Yelp peeps. I never even knew this place existed. Boy oh boy am I glad I do now. I live in Seminole Heights, so this place really isn't that far from me and it was soooo good. I can't even really talk about the individual items that we ordered because there was seriously SO. MUCH. FOOD. I liked most everything at the table. The fried pork was so good. The greens were fresh and tasty. The fried eggplant was excellent (that was my pick as I am an eggplant freak). The wait staff promptly refilled our waters as all of the salty Dim Sum was making us parched. Yep - can't wait to come back for dinner!

    (5)

  • Xiao Z.

    Everything we ordered was great! Server was pretty attentive. we each had a Shabu Shabu, and some dim-sum dishes. We will come back when we are in the area again!

    (5)

  • Josh W.

    We passed this place on our way to a medical appointment and spontaneously decided to stop and have lunch here on the way back. So glad we did! We haven't had shabu shabu since CA, and that is what caught our attention and drew us in. Upon entry we were seated on the side with normal tables, but were moved to the other side after telling the waitress that we wanted shabu shabu. This side had the holes in the tables and grills underneath where they place the pots to cook. There was also a station with various sauces(hot, sesame, soy, fish just to name a few of the many selections they had), green onions, cilantro, salt, etc. There were 3 menus. One had the dim sum with a variety of dumplings and other dishes at around 3-5 dollars apiece. We had the shrimp dumplings with chives, and they were very good. There was another menu with a number of Chinese food selections that looked good and were reasonably priced. Then there was the shabu shabu menu. For around $12 I had the beef(you could also get lamb or chicken) which came with a basket with veggies(lettuce, spinach, tomato), fish balls, & thin noodles. We paid an additional $6 and got another dish of beef for the wife. I chose the chicken broth(there was also lamb or hot & spicy), which both my wife and I got a separate bowl/pot/container of. She did have the option of choosing a different broth if she wanted it. Because we ordered more meat, we didn't have to pay extra for 2(which isn't the case if you intend to share one pot of soup/broth. Its like $3 more if I recall correctly). In addition to all of this, I also ordered the yakitori(or bbq chicken on a stick), which was two nice sized skewers. Everything we ate was REALLY good. We mixed the sauces and made our own concoctions for dipping our meat. The onions and cilantro were a nice touch, as we enjoyed wrapping this with the spinach and meat. The chicken sticks were well seasoned, not fatty, and plenty. Our total for all this plus 2 soft drinks came to $38 pre tip, which is really cheap for what we ate compared to past like experiences. The place was clean, the service was good, and the staff was friendly. We left here full, but it wasn't the nasty, greasy, stuffed feeling. We will definitely be back here when we have another appointment this way, and she's talked about bringing her crew of Japanese friends here as well for one of their gatherings. I highly recommend this place and encourage you to stop by despite what it looks like on the outside and surrounding area.

    (5)

  • Deke K.

    The restaurant has signs that indicate it is "shabu shabu", "sushi" and "Chinese with one door entrance (though you think 3 Asian restaurants are there). Seating was only available on the Chinese side when we arrived. Service was fairly quick in broken English. FIrst course hot n sour soup. $2 "cup" portion. Generous size, full of chunky things, but the soup had no "hot" and no "sour". Very bland (and gummy). Several varieties of meat and other unidentifiable crunchies in it. It was edible but disappointing. We ordered a "specialty" medium-spicy orange-flavored chicken. It arrived quickly. Sadly there was no orange flavoring and zero heat. The chicken was okay though fatty. No sauce for the steamed rice, just what stuck to the (nonbreaded) meat. Four heads of broccoli (meager). There was something hard burned and black in the dish that we were not familiar with and left behind. It was waaaay over corn-starched gummy and sticky. Almost chokingly so. Probably the same meal they serve as sweet n sour pork....not worth $11 and not worth the title "specialty". I was glad we "split" the dish so didn't go broke on bad food. There were lots of Asians eating here so the ambiance seemed authentic. The sushi list had a long list of dim sum dumplings and other interesting things. They had live lobster in a tank. They also had a crispy duck, side of pork hanging on hooks in a hot glass case for all to see. There are too many Chinese places that are excellent for me to give this place a second chance....I sure was wishing for shabu shabu though. The place does not look clean nor updated, the bathroom is kinda junky (door doesn't lock). Health inspections are sorta scary.....

    (1)

  • Lainey C.

    Ho Ho Choy has a good selection of dim sum. We tried baked pork buns, shu mei, fried dumplings, and roast pork. All of the dishes were very enjoyable. They reminded me of my hometown NYC. I'm looking forward to my next visit. Ho Ho means good good in Chinese and it was.

    (4)

  • Amanda G.

    I had the walnut shrimp although it is very delicious the price is through the roof! But I would totally pay for it again. I found some "coupons" that they offer online... We bought over $25 worth of take out so they gave us a free order or crab rangoons which were also very delicious...be wary of their orange chicken very very spicy. I will definitely order again from here when I save enough $$ to do so.

    (4)

  • Nat W.

    While the restaurant itself is clean including the bathroom, thier interior decoration definitely threw me off. The front has some Asian ornaments and paper lamps. All the sudden, there are different kinds and colors of contemporary pendant lights hanging off the ceiling all over the place. Not to mention they had Chrsitmas tree lights on the window. Wow lol Despite their interior discordination, they know what they are doing when it comes to Chinese food. I ordered the roast pork (S) and sesame balls and my husband ordered Mongolian lunch special with fried rice and wanton soup. Everything was delicious. I liked the sesame balls. I have eaten sesame balls with red bean paste and white bean paste before, but this place has brown paste inside (I'm guessing it was peanuts). Though the sesame balls at China Yuan is my favorite, this one is pretty good too. The wanton soup had a just right amount of seasoning. While a lot of Chinese restaurants drench their food in salt, pepper, oil, MSG, and all different kinds of sauce, this place does not overdo it at all. This place is not the best in Tamoa (Yummy House and China Yuan are the #1s for me), but the best in the USF area for sure.

    (4)

  • Elana L.

    We hit up Ho Ho Choy for some Dim Sum on Sunday around 11:30. I was thinking the place would be bustling like a Chicago Dim Sum Restaurant would be, but boy was I wrong. There were only two people in the entire place when we got there. By the time we left at 12:30, the place was filling up with people. We ordered six different dishes off the Dim Sum menu. (they don't have carts rolling around with it already made, so you have to order) We really liked the egg rolls, BBQ pork buns, and a noodle dish with pork. We were not so thrilled about the deep fried turnip cakes (they shouldn't be deep fried), pork stuffed egg plant (just weird), or Taro dish. Even though we didn't love each dish, we did leave feeling full and the prices of the dishes were very reasonable.

    (3)

  • Erika B.

    Love the Shabu Shabu here. It's fairly inexpensive for a lot of food but quality. My family comes here every once in a while and it's a big hit with everyone. definitely recommend trying it!

    (4)

  • Michael C.

    UYE at Ho Ho Choy? Get to try new food, hang out with new people and leave almost passing out at the table? Sounds like a great event! So my initial thought was that we were going Dim Sum crazy, as Coty has raved about it being the best Dim Sum in Tampa. As it turns out, I was the one going crazy: ordered deep fried mixed meat balls, turnip cake, shrimp dumplings, beef crepes & shrimp crepes, a few other things and then because I've always been curious - the beef tripe (for the record it wasn't bad, but like chicken feet I probably wouldn't order it again). Oh, and everything was excellent and the portions were huge. So that was me going crazy. Then we ordered from the hanging station a whole duck, barbecue pork (rib meat) and crispy pork (fat back). I enjoyed the duck, but there was contention that one half tasted better than the other half. Whatever, we had two types of pork on the table. The barbecue pork was great by itself but what blew me away was the crispy pork - crispy skin, chewy fat and tasty meat all in one bite. Then the secret I never knew about - special hoisin sauce (regular hoisin sauce mixed with the fat drippings - out of this world). But all wasn't delicious pork and I know that was good enough however we did get veggies (after all we did have a vegetarian at the table). And you know what - the veggies were all fantastic. Watercress, uh, other Chinese veggies. Whatever it was healthy AND tasty. We didn't even finish everything. I got leftovers and had to struggle not to pass out on the table. And how could things get even better after gorging yourself with a lazy susan and hanging out with other Yelpers? The bill, including tip, was less than $18 per person. I would return in a heartbeat.

    (5)

  • Brett N.

    Why 5 stars? Because holy DIM SUM!!! --- --- --- I had only experienced really good dim sum in San Francisco, until today that is. I attended my first Yelp event at Ho Ho Choy, and it probably goes down as one of the top 10 decisions I've made in my life. Wow, that was an awesome array of asian cuisine that I experienced today. The only bad part of the meal was that I have no idea what was ordered, because that part of the process took place before I arrived. (I was a bad, late yelper.) I know there was all kinds of shrimp and pork dumplings/balls. Outside of that, I would need to see pictures to know what I ate! I really enjoyed meeting some Yelpers for the first time, and I look forward to attending more get-togethers in the future. As for Ho Ho Choy, I will DEFINITELY be back to consume much more dim sum in the future.

    (5)

  • Melinda F.

    Ho Ho Choy is a decent restaurant Chinese in a sketchy looking plaza. It caters to both authentic and Americanized Chinese food (you can see on the walls strips of paper with Chinese characters written - those are specials, and that's a very traditional way of displaying the specials). It definitely earns props for having both varieties. Shabu shabu/hot pot (****): this is a recent addition to the restaurant. I thought it was pretty good - it is like a broth based fondue except with Chinese seasoning with thinly sliced meats, veggies, noodles, and a variety of sauces to choose from. It's pretty exciting and fun - good for special occasions or for cold weather (broth ^_^). Dim sum (***): the dim sum is okay - not bad but definitely not the best. And it is somewhat hit or miss. I don't care for their fried shrimp balls - there's a lot of starchy filler; and *one* time the rice noodle roll was kind of rubbery, but other times it has been pretty good. Tips: - Baked salted tofu/crispy tofu (*****)- this dish is amazing...it's little cubes of tofu with a crispy outer coating, and is super garlic-y. Not as good if you take it to-go because it might get soggy in transit from steam build up (though they usually slit the lid so that the steam escapes) - but best when fresh. This dish is sooo good. I've converted a fair number of non-tofu-eaters into tofu eaters with this dish... -A nice deal for 2 people eating alone is their 3-for$20 deal (limited menu) - the portions are smaller than ordering the dishes individually, but at least you get more variety. They don't usually offer this menu straight up, so ask for it. (P.S. the baked salted tofu is on this menu...). - 10% off for USF students - bring your ID :D

    (4)

  • Gina M.

    The service was absolutely terrible here. They didn't even speak English to understand my order and brought out food I didn't even order, I walked out before my main course was even served.

    (1)

  • Carlos H.

    Tried their Special Orange Chicken for $9.75 (a steep price for that entree), but of course portions are huge since you're supposed to share. It was crunchy and had some flavor to it, not too greasy like the Orange Chicken you might have at the food court. I'd say it is better then Panda Express, but doesn't have a unique taste like Yummy House's Orange Chicken. I'd probably rather just take the grease and pay $5.00 instead at the University Mall food court for some Orange Chicken. The waitress was decent, but still not that helpful or pleasant. There is a USF discount so make sure you inquire about it if you're a student.

    (3)

  • Josiah G.

    Like other reviewers have said, they're not the most loquacious people, but they serve up some pretty good Asian food. I don't know why it's taken me so long to eat here, but as an Asian food freak, I'm glad I finally did. I saw the dim sum menu and it looked really good, but I opted to wait until my Fiance is with me before I delve into that, so I went with my Asian food barometer items: Egg drop soup and beef lo mein. The egg drop soup was killer. Thick and very flavorful. The lo mein was also above average. It had tender, juicy beef and tons of vegetables served with thin, but al dente, noodles. The prices are a bit above average, too, but you pay for what you get in most cases, and this is one of those cases. I'll definitely be back to go nuts on that dim sum menu.

    (4)

  • Ashley R.

    If you speak English, ordering take out is near impossible over the phone. Our order comes out wrong every time, won't be returning.

    (2)

  • Joy B.

    I have tried this place several times and they always make a great tasting meal! The tofu ho choy for all the vegan lovers is my favorite! Love the sauce and the fresh vegetables they put in it- bok choy, broccoli, snow peas and mushrooms are just delicious - no starches! Had the siu mei or steamed dumplings and they hit the yummy spot! It had its own distinctive flavor that I can't get enough of it - really good! I love this place because they always have consistent results - just tasty well prepared dishes!

    (5)

  • sherrie p.

    My favorite Chinese food in the state of Florida. Their authentic water spinach, duck, and more is amazing!!

    (5)

  • Boon C.

    Our friend like to try shabu shabu and we pick this restaurant since they have closer one to our Chinese taste. We normally don't do shabu shabu is due to the assembly material can be obtained in any oriental market and cook it yourself. What is shabu shabu. My family celebrating Chinese New Year with this cuisine because it can add anyone anytime by add additional material without involving heavy cooking. The New Year also fall in the winter time and they are cold outside and shabu shabu is the best part. There is a Chinese term for shabu shabu- hot pot. We actually have the charcoal in middle to broil the soup and heat up the pot. Now we have the electric broiler that not required charcoal and easy to control the temperature of the pot. The material is easy. Just but the chicken and pork and remove the meat. The bone of the pork and chicken put into the soup and broil for the broth. This restaurant did not do that. All their soup is come in package of spice and added into the pot. They have the selection of the slice meat, meat or fish ball, dumpling, veggies, type noodles. They are not authentic since their soup is in package. Eating the hot pot is topic the sauce correctly. The right sauce is important to dip on after you have broil your material. The service of the restaurant is slow. But they have each pot for each person. Something I don't understand is why they charge the soup to broil in addition to the material. I would suggest only charge when you want to upgrade the soup.

    (3)

  • Fran D.

    Reasonably priced but run-of-the-mill dim sum. If you haven't been here before, read the reviews first or go with someone who has. Servers assume you've been here before and know what to do. So for someone who has never had shabu shabu, it was kind of confusing as I didn't even know we were in the wrong room. (Shabu-shabu on the left.)

    (4)

  • Rachel M.

    Melony & I came here before karaoke, and wanted to try the shabu shabu. Shabu shabu, translated as swish-swish, is a Japanese hot pot meal of thin slices of meat and vegetables cooked together on your table in a pot of boiling steaming water. Water was so steamy, it was like your own personal sauna. We picked out the two meats chicken and beef, and it came with various veggies like spinach, sesweed, corn on the cob, cabbage, mushrooms, meatball, and tomatoes. The water was boiling hot and everything when put in the boiling water cooked in like 3-5 min max, less than that actually. They have a sauce bar if when the food is cooked, you can dip the food into, but we didn't even need it. We picked the little lamb broth which is apparently more seasoning than regular chicken broth. It was definitely something different that I liked a lot. Glad we could try something new.

    (4)

  • Kari T.

    I love your sushi. They always have a smile on there face, the service is fast and efficient. Thanks for having good food.

    (5)

  • Lisa L.

    My husband and I came down to try some Tampa Dim Sum. This place was worst than the one we went last weekend! It's a dead give away when you know the employees there speak Mandarin you know it can't get too authentic Dim Sum. If you are Cantonese you know what are good authentic Dim Sum. The waitress came over and asked us how everything, do you need a box? We told her their are not good, she gave us a weird look and didn't ask us why or which dish didn't taste good. We left full table of food that we couldn't even take home!

    (1)

  • Nikki L.

    I guess beggars can be choosers. We grew up in NYC so we know good Cantonese Chinese food. This place satisfies the craving but doesn't quite hit the mark on some things for us. Dim sum- This is our new dim sum hot spot. As of today, we like here more than Hong Kong house (recently been using too much MSG) and yummy house (too American for us). The spare ribs tasted fresh here and not frozen, shrimp dumpling, pork/shrimp dumpling (siew mai) was decent too. The shrimp cherng fun was sad but the beef was decent. We liked that they serve soy bean milk too. Hot Pot- Still visiting NYC often, HHC is okay. Like NYC shabu, orders here come with a meat, soup and then a "free" veggie plate with the standard veggies, tofu, fish balls, etc. You can pick your choice of soup for $2+. The sliced beef and extra sides are okay. We did have to send the cabbage back once bc it was old. They changed it for us. The sauces that you make yourself are standard. I wish they fill up your soup when it evaporates away like NY. All in all I'd get shabu here again. Dinner - We likely will not be eating Traditional Cantonese seafood dishes here again. Honey walnut shrimp was all batter and a sliver of shrimp, stir fry crab had the flavor but the crab itself was mushy (likely the crab was frozen), the steamed fish was very very overcooked and we didn't eat the last dish. Maybe we need to order different things. With the few authentic Chinese food options in Tampa, we will still come to HHC for dim sum and hot pot.

    (3)

  • Grace H.

    We went there to try the Shabu shabu. There's a room specially designated for Shabu because the table top has a cut out hole to fit the pot in and a cooker was hided under the table. There were many different kinds of sauces for guest to mix their own. The shabu menu let you pick the material you would cook and eat. Of course, seafood is the most expensive choice. I was surprised they charge money for the broth, even the basic choice-chicken broth. I thought it better be really good. They turned out just that kind of short cut broth- Water plus some seasoning pack, plus some chili or herb. We had the meat slice, veget, meat ball or fish ball, shrimp, clam, fish meat, noodle etc cooked in the hot pot. Dipped the food in our customed made sauce and consumed. It was fun to do this with friends if one nerve eat Shabu shabu before. The service was Ok. I just felt for the price we paid, it could be a even better meal.

    (3)

  • Eddo H.

    Very affordable authentic Chinese food. Food is hot and fresh. They have a wide variety of dim sum and lunch specials. It's been a few years since I've been here last. They have really upgraded the interior. This is a great place to eat on a budget.

    (5)

  • Jonathan S.

    Fantastic food whether you like dim sum classics like beef rice paste, fried shrimp balls or fried taro dumplings, or if you like delicious hot pot, China's ancestor of the melting pot type meals where you cook your own food in a boiling cauldron of broth.

    (5)

  • Occy V.

    My BFFS and I have been going here to get together and eat for years. Their pork fried rice is not like the normal strip mall places, its really good. Their pork buns, the baked version is always on point too. Pork, pork pork pork !!!!!

    (4)

  • Matthew T.

    Made it to Ho Ho Choy for a UYE and it was a very yummy day in deed. Love going to dim sum with a good sized group, as it really fits into what I like, I get two or three bites of tons of things. And this outing was that idea to perfection. The veterans of Ho Ho Choy ordered up a great variety of things to try four our group of 15 or so. I had some very good things, nothing bad, and probably some of the best I've had in Florida. The cha siu pork was much more interesting than most places I've had it. Must be they actually use honey instead of the sugar I've had at other places. The pork belly was good, had better but how can you go wrong with pork belly? Probably some of the best thing were the short ribs. These were some of the best dim sum short ribs I've had in a very long time. Flavorful and tender. Usually you get one or the other but here you get both! The stuffed egg plant was a yummy surprise. The water spinach and snow pea tips are worth getting. Duck was nicely done as well. Probably a good thing I don't live around the corner of this place because I would be living there instead. Should have tried the tripe in black bean sauce, but we had so much food, didn't want to order more. If you were going with two or three people, I would say get either the snow peas or water spinach, some pork, and a dumpling or two. Mixing the pork with the greens and some rice was a perfect combo all by itself. But better yet, round up 5 or 8 people, go as a group and enjoy new things. Service was excellent, btw.

    (4)

  • Windy C.

    The dim sum here is freshly made, tastes great and is inexpensive. What more could you want? We usually make a meal of it. The sushi is good but nothing outstanding. The shabu shabu is excellent too and I don't know of any other Tampa source. The chinese dishes are average except the chalkboard specials are usually better. Each table has several condiments available to enhance the flavors as you see fit.

    (4)

  • Steve E.

    Dim Sum is clearly a Chinese phrase meaning Holy Pillows of Asian Goodness, Batman!!! (or something to that effect) Ho Ho Choy is an outstanding Asian restaurant located along a seedy stretch of Fletcher Avenue in an area east of I-275, and the shopping center contains the former location of the Wooden Nickel (smoke, float, and costumes shop) which was a popular spot for USF students. From the outside it looks like nothing special, but once you walk through the front doors you're warmly greeted by the staff and then asked to choose if you want the traditional Chinese / Dim Sum menu, or the Japanese hot pots-style of eating. Hot pots can best be described as an Asian version of fondue cooking, where your table gets a pot of flavored broth, sitting on a hot plate, and you then cook your food in the broth, one part at a time. That side of the restaurant is known as Shabu Shabu, and it is a popular dinner spot. The Chinese / Dim Sum side of the restaurant has about 20 tables and booths, and they offer the traditional Chinese combinations and lunch specials. These 40 or so luncheon specials all run $10 or less, and come with your choice of Wonton or Egg Drop soup, or an egg roll, and your choice of steamed or fried rice. They also offer Hot 'n Sour soup for a slight up charge. The Dim Sum plates (about 40 choices in all) are $3.25 each, and they come on little appetizer-sized plates or small steamer baskets. Your Dim Sum choices range from rice balls and dumplings up through things which look like dinner rolls that are stuffed with shredded barbecue pork. A word of warning.... dim sum is served as three servings of each variety on a small plate. So if you order Shrimp Dumplings for $3.25, you're going to get three shrimp dumplings -- and each is three to five bites of food. You have a huge variety of dim sum, soups, appetizers, noodle dishes, and traditional Asian entrees to read through on the menu. I would suggest ordering a small plate of something, and nibbling on that as you read through the remainder of the menu to make your final selections. It is much easier to order less food, and then re-order more if you are hungry. The other alternative is to order several different dim sum options and then ask for "to go" boxes to take home all of the extras. *blushes and hides under the table* Thankfully the servers understand that universal gesture of holding your belly and moaning, and they quickly rush over with the To Go containers, saving you from a world of embarrassment. Excellent food, and well worth several return visits. Next time I will bring a small army to help eat all of the leftovers.

    (5)

  • Natt A.

    My family and I were NOT IMPRESSED by Ho Ho Choy during our visit to the Tampa Bay area. We saw this place rated pretty well by many, so we figured we would give it a try. I'll break the review down by food, service, and overall experience. We ordered shrimp dumpling (ha gow), sui mei, ha gow with chives, cha siu bao, steamed taro buns, steamed spare ribs, chow fun with seafood, half a duck, crispy pork, and stir-fry gai lan (Chinese broccoli). The crispy pork came out first and it was good -- crispy skin, not too fatty, and the meat was tender. However, the sauce was very grainy and a bit too sweet than the usual sauce. Next came most of the dim sum dishes. FROZEN & REHEATED?! REALLY?! This included the ha gow, sui mei, ha gow w/ chives, cah siu bao, and steamed taro buns. A dead give away would be the wax paper attached underneath the baos -- that means you can see the brand's logo like chi mei paper under the taro buns. The steamed spare ribs were okay, but oily and needed more flavor. The chow fun with seafood was okay but could use more flavoring and spices. Thankfully, the extra star comes from the gai lan, which was actually delicious and a dish we all liked. Oh, I almost forgot about the duck, which apparently the wait staff and kitchen forgot about too. It came out late and was okay but too sweet and oily for how the usual duck is served. The wait staff was not attentive to us. Although it was around 2pm in the afternoon when it was slow, no one came and checked on how we were doing and about our food. The service came when we were ready to leave. I know there's a cultural difference when it comes to East Asian customer service versus American culture, however, it was worse than my experience in China and Asia. This needs to be improved on by training if they want to do better as a restaurant overall. Overall, my family and I were full but not happy with the money we spent thinking we would have quality dim sum instead of frozen. As I glance around at other tables, I noticed many dishes ordered were the Americanized-Chinese dishes that actually look more appeasing than what we ordered. Reading the other reviews, it seems like that's what people are raving about (and possibly the shabu too) and NOT the dim sum.

    (2)

  • Seamus M.

    Whenever we come here, it's always for their dim sum. There are other dim sum places, but this is the best that I've found in the bay area. We try to go at least once a month since we live about 30 miles away. Service is typical of any Chinese food restaurant, food is really good, and dining area is clean. Would recommend them for their Chinese food. Not sure about the sushi or whatever shabu shabu is.

    (5)

  • Pratigya T.

    Found this place when I was looking for Dim sum. The pork dim sum had a spice in it which I wasn't very fond of. The shrimp dim sum gets a thumb up and also the hong Kong Wonton soup.

    (4)

  • Dena P.

    This post is mainly for the shabu shabu. I've wanted to try their shabu out but was afraid to come alone so I gathered some people and had a blast! There are mini individual pots for each seating which makes it fun to create your own concoction. The service was not so nice but they get the job done. They are a bit difficult to understand when they explain what to do when your order your shabu shabu or hot pot but don't you fear it's mainly all the same. I decided to go for the spicy soup and for lamb and beef combo. Great selection! Each combo comes with enough for two light eaters because I shared it with a friend and we had some dim sum. There's the meat portion, some meat balls, veggies, noodles and so on. You can also order more items if you're interested. I loved the concept and being the only one in the area that provides this kind of technique of shabu shabu it's def a place to check out. It's a fun, social and also delicious meal! The only dislike was the service really. There could be more soup flavor option but I'm very happy with my experience here with their shabu shabu.

    (4)

  • Amanda B.

    1. Awful 2. The Worst 3. Terrible 4. Avoid At All Cost 5. Junk 6. Garbage

    (1)

  • michelle l.

    I tried this place out for lunch. It's better than other Tampa Chinese restaurants that I've tried, but it does not compare to anything in San Francisco or Los Angeles. I use siu mai as my gauge for quality dim sum. Ho Ho Choy's is fine but nothing special. Their turnip cakes are too thin and firm (they should not be hard to cut with the side of a chopstick). The won ton soup was tasty but something was missing. I'm not sure what that was. Happily, I did not get an MSG headache. I was disappointed that I didn't get to try their roast pork. Apparently the BBQ and roasted meats are only available on weekends.

    (3)

  • Zach H.

    I've started to realize that I'm a "slight" Dim Sum snob and my standard for Dim Sum is simply too high for Tampa. I had a lot of quality options growing up in the DC metro area. With that said, I've been to Ho Ho Choy on a few different occasions and it's probably one of the better options for Dim Sum on a scale of "bad" to "just okay". Regarding the Dim Sum, nothing seemed to be fresh. Classic things like the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Ha Gow) were underwhelming because they weren't served at the right temperature. The Fried Taro Puffs are supposed to have a delicate and crispy outer shell filled with a flavorful taro and pork mixture... their version had a hard, crunchy shell with an under-seasoned and borderline dry filling. The turnip cakes were dense and lacking salt. Everything was generally a touch above room temperature which just isn't an enjoyable experience for Dim Sum. Aside from the Dim Sum, I've come in with a few friends for Shabu Shabu, or Hot Pot. Think of it as Korean BBQ, but soup style. You select your broth, then meats and starch, then cook your food in your individual broth. There's also a nice condiments bar that has everything from soy sauce to cilantro to peanut sauce to build your own sauce concoctions to accompany your meat selections. My only criticism is that the broths can sometimes be lacking salt. Otherwise, it's great. Overall, the service is okay and the Dim Sum is below average. But the Hot Pot is the best reason to visit here and probably the only place in Tampa to get it.

    (3)

  • Captain D.

    Came in strictly for dim sum this weekend, it was definitely fun but my party and I knew it could be done better. On the bright side, the food was PIPING hot, like so hot that everything tasted at least good. Some of the portions just felt wrong though. Protein was absolutely minimal to earn the title of "shrimp-" or "pork-", to the point where we wanted to learn how to ask "WHERES THE BEEF?!" in Cantonese... It looks sketchy on the outside, but the inside really is comfortable and the wait staff is 100% friendly and professional. A little bit of a language barrier, but not unsurmountable. A pleasant enough place for a low-key lunch with friends, but hardly worth a date night or taking family just in town for the weekend to. Bottom line: I'll be back, but I would think twice before recommending it to a tough-sale friend.

    (3)

  • Nancy S.

    Great spot for dim sum or anything off the menu. Been here a few times and each time definitely did not disappoint. The calamari is a must try and house fried rice is also delicious. If you're in the mood for rice noodle soup, ask for duck soup with chow fun noodles. It's not on the menu but they'll make it for you. Definitely delicious and great hangover cure. Price is reasonable and they give you a ton of food. Plan to pack stuff home :)

    (4)

  • Melanie T.

    My family and I have been coming to this restaurant for years and years, long before they were located on dale mabry. I really want to give this place 5 stars since its been a family favorite for so long BUT it has gone down in quality all around. The food is just not the same as it was and the service is even worse.

    (2)

  • Scott T.

    Ok, finally made it to this place! Used to be one of my friend's Italian restaurants many years ago. I only went for the din sum and I was not disappointed. I was with 4 other people and we shared about 6 plates. True be told - DO NOT look at their health inspection scores or you may not go. They have a very amusing web page! Did not try the Shabu Shabu, but another table order and it looked tasty. Like I said - I would go back to this dive, but just consider their sanitation violations - repeatedly the same violations. I give it 4 stars for the food -- I would rate it 1 star if I just read their sanitation report. Key Facts Edit Total Violations High Priority Violations Intermediate Violations Basic Violations 31 VIOLATIONS 4 CRITICAL (Cross contamination, etc.) 0 27 BASIC Business Name Ho Ho Choy Food Service Type Permanent Food Service Compare Florida Permanent Food Service Restaurant Inspections License Number 3906968 Inspection Results Inspection Completed - No Further Action Inspection Date 03/12/2013 TOTAL VIOLATIONS Ho Ho Choy 31 VIOLATION All Hillsborough County Inspections AVERAGE 6 All Florida Restaurant Inspections AVERAGE 5 Enjoy!

    (4)

  • James R.

    First, I ordered food for pick up & they said I did not order a combo even though I did. The woman at the front desk called me a liar. Then I get home & start eating (because my meal was correct), but my girlfriends is completely something different other than what she ordered. I called & they admitted that they gave me the wrong order, which was more expensive, by the way. They refused to deliver it to my house. I agreed to meet a driver at a neutral location. I gave him most of food from the wrong order & accept the correct order. The driver calls me back from a block number cursing me out. I called the store to speak with a manager & the driver gets on the phone & continue to yell profanities at me. **** Avoid!! The food is ordinary Chinese. The service is horrible! ****

    (1)

  • Derek N.

    I drive from Brandon for your Chinese food. I always get golden chicken and an egg roll. Never disappointed!!!! Have tried way to many other Chinese restaurants to be disappointed. You have a loyal fan here. There are no other hoho's in this area that can come close to the food here.

    (5)

  • Jason C.

    Decent Chinese food and dim sum for this area. Nothing too amazing but lots of good, well-priced options.

    (3)

  • Duyen-anh N.

    I've been eating here for many years, love dim sum dishes and excited even more when they opened shabu, if you want to eat shabu you just head to the left side when you come in or simply tell one of the waiters you want shabu, they'll seat you to your table. They give you so much food and for 13$ you get a dish pile high of beef or lamb. Friendly staff though with heavy accents but then again when's the last time you went to a Chinese restaurant without encountering one or two people like that?

    (5)

  • Janet S.

    I usually never write reviews about businesses, but this one is really bad that I have to inform the future customers. I want to point it out that the service is terrible. If I could give a negative stars, I would. They don't stop by to clean away plates or ask if we need anything. We had to go to the front desk to ask for extra napkins. The food tasted really bad. Not coming back ever again. Our server sat with another customer to chit chat (totally not care about anyone else, very unprofessional).

    (1)

  • Gloria S.

    Very Dim Sum friendly for the beginner, culturally disadvantaged consumer. Menu is colored small photographs of the items for you to identify. (there is an exam at the end of the meal. jk) Once again, thank you Yelpers for helping me find this treasure! Great food, fresh rice flat noodles made daily (no cheap, dry threads here!), think most of items, if not all, are freshly made. Tasty, service was wonderful, authentic Asians cooking and managing. (Sorry to be surprised but I am so use to seeing Mexicans in Chinese kitchens these days) Boy, I sound so racist! You know what I mean, glad to employ them but... they gotta know what they are doing. Free Wi-Fi . Why do I need this? Cause this is located in the main drag of a college area of town. So, def returning when I am nearby, Interstate 75 is only 5 miles from here, not a bad detour, your stomach and taste buds will love you for the quick and well worth pit stop.

    (4)

  • David H.

    Heard the the dim sum was good here so I came with good expectations, but we left unsatisfied. All our dishes were bland, I can't think of a single dish that moved my taste buds. The chicken feet were bland and not cooked enough and the beef tripe was bland. Two stars for dim sum cause I've had better..way better. I might try again for their hotpot.. but I would probably rather just do hotpot at home.

    (2)

  • Lauren C.

    Ho Ho Awesome. Located in a sketchy strip mall near USF, incidentally also home to a salon called "Boom Hair" (Um..what?) I knew this place had potential, mainly due to other Yelper's reviews. Ho Ho Choy is connected to a Japanese place called Shabu Shabu, where you cook your own hot pots. We showed up for a dim sum lunch (so -- Chinese, of course) and before we knew it, we were seated around a boiling pot, cooking our own lamb, chicken and various other items -- shrimp balls, an uncooked egg, glass noodles, half a corn on the cob, to name a few -- in a spicy broth. The meat came frozen, in little rolls, the type you'd see on a deli platter. A quick glance around the table revealed blank stares and utter confusion. With no formal instruction, we ascertained we were to drop said frozen meat and all the accoutrements into the hot pot and get the party started. At this early stage in the game, we weren't even sure what was going on. But really, don't all the best lunches start out this way? Overall the hot pot was tasty and reminded me of Vietnamese pho. The server said it feeds one but three of us shared it. The fact that these two establishments are randomly combined, yet separately branded, makes it a bit confusing to order, as there are 3 or 4 separate menus to peruse - the hot pot menu, the dim sum menu, the Chinese lunch and dinner menu, the sushi menu.... but don't let that deter you. You order the dim sum by looking at pictures and calling out numbers to the server, so any qualms about not knowing if you're pronouncing "Fun Gor" properly are put to rest. Just say you want "#13." The must-try items in my book: the pork sui mai, the steamed shrimp dumplings, and the sleeper hit for our group, the pork rice crepe. The dim sum piece de resistance, if you will, are the steamed pork buns. As I'm typing this, I realize we somehow steered away from having any form of vegetable on our table whatsoever...but I think there may have been a of bok choy floating in the hot pot. So, we're good. I can't wait to go back to Ho Ho Choy. Thanks to Yelper Coty S. for the great recommendations. prior to this visit.

    (4)

  • Maria Christina V.

    Went here for the Shabu Shabu on a Friday Evening Date Night. In short: This is a great hole in the wall! Definitely would go here again. Food was great! I have had Shabu Shabu before in Japan town in LA. When we walked in we were immediately seated (the place was virtually empty) and asked for our drink order. The menu is easy to understand. Basically, what you do is pick your broth, chicken or spicy and then pick your meat, lamb, fish, etc. I orderd the lamb plate and my husband ordered the fish and blue crab plate. They first bring out your pot of broth which they heat up at the table. Then they bring out a basket with lots of 'condiments' to put in your broth including: an egg, water cress, mushrooms, cabbage, fish/beef ball, and vermicelli noodles. There is also a cart at the back of the restaurant where you can get extra sauces and stuff to put in your broth or dip your meat in. Once we got our broth boiling we put some of the stuff from our basket in the broth to cook. At that point the waitress brought out our plate of meats. My lamb was perfect. Thinly sliced enough that it only needs to spend a minute or so in the hot broth to cook. Dipping it in the sauces made it taste like heaven! My husband loved his fish but said the crab, because it was fairly small, was hard to eat and had very little meat. But WOW, the food is delicious! With all the sauces, meat and extras to put in, this was a great meal! We really enjoyed it and left happy and full. Its a very relaxing and slow paced way to eat. We were never rushed by our waitress and she was kind enough to even help us identify what was in our basket and tell us what to do and how to use our hot pot. We ended up spending like $30 between two people. I would definitely go here again and take friends here in the future!

    (4)

  • Coty S.

    Yelpers are asking me for specific items to order from here... But, what do I know, right? This is only a list of items that I like the most from 1-10, which is just my personal preference. I have never had a bad dish at Ho Ho Choy, to be completely honest. If there is something that I am missing out on or have not tried, feel free to shoot me a message. Items listed in order from top to bottom, with my favorites being at the top: 1. snow pea leaves with garlic (if they do not have this in season, order Ong Choi, aka water spinach) 2. honey roast pork with hoisen dipping sauce (it is the red color pork hanging in the case) 3. har gow (basic shrimp dumplings, this place is my favorite in Tampa for them) 4. rolled rice noodle with beef inside (often called beef rice crepe) 5. fried cruller wrapped with rice noodle (here, they make them fresh- don't knock it till you try it!) 6. hong kong style roast duck (hanging in the case, my mom swears that Ho Ho Choy's is the best) 7. soy sauce noodles (they make them really good here, dry fried egg noodles with tons of ginger) 8. sesame balls 9. spicy eggplant with ground pork 10. pan fried seafood noodles (a nest of crispy fried noodles, covered in seafood and sauce) Ho Ho Choy is my 2nd go-to place in Tampa Bay for dim sum (beaten by Halong Bay on cart service only), and my 3rd go-to place for Chinese food (beaten by China Yuan, then Yummy House Waters Ave. location). A good thing about Ho Ho Choy is that is the food is cooked fresh to order, including the dim sum. Also, I am really starting to like the spicy hotpot room, located next door. Same owners, same staff, different experience.

    (5)

  • Michael X.

    I'm not an pro on this kind of food but I have to say this place is a step above most NY style Chines take out. The food is fresh, veggies are good, meat is clean, and sauces are lite. Nothing is overly greasy or salty or spicy. Is this the most authentic Chinese restaurant around? I have no idea! I don't care! I like the food, the people that work there are friendly and fast. This place does a little bit of it all but I did not try the Sushi yet

    (4)

  • Jay S.

    We found this location by accident..there was another dimsum place next door and they were close so we tried Ho Ho Choy. My daughter being a student residing near the university, we needed to have a peaceful yet good food. Foods with good company taste much better...and then we had the best waitress that coached us through out which dim sum to try...we are hook! We tried, the noodles, tripes, dumpling, ribs..ordered fried rice. this place is awesome. It is now part of our stomping ground when in Tampa.

    (5)

  • Peter C.

    Great baked pork buns and good quality food all around...

    (4)

  • Ryan S.

    I had a lot of fun here with a BIG group of Yelpers. I had no idea what 75% of what I ate was, but I can tell you 99.9% of it was delicious! Thankfully we had a food guide who was well versed in dim sum and asian food in general..... Cody T. did not lead us astray! I can forsee this place becoming my go to choice for dim sum and Chinese food in the future.

    (4)

  • Alphachef G.

    Food was very salty but otherwise bland. Hot & sour soup was over the top with white pepper. Fried rice was too salty to eat Service was undistinguished. OK to stop if you're passing by but not a worthy destination

    (2)

  • Sally M.

    Thank you Coty! So glad to have found this place. I still miss cheap, good, cart dim sum that you can find just about anywhere in California, but if I have to pick between overpriced fancy (but super tasty) dim sum at TC Choy & cheaper casual (& very tasty) dim sum at Ho Ho Choy, I think I'll lean towards Ho Ho Choy. Clearly it'd been a while since I last did a-la-carte dim sum ordering, because we ordered probably 3 dishes too many. So beware! Each dish may only come with a few pieces, but those delicious little morsels fill you up FAST. (If you forget yourself & end up ordering too much, be heartened by the fact that they will provide you with takeout boxes so you don't have to feel like you wasted money or food. Especially delicious food like this.) Ho Ho Choy's shrim har gow are a little too squishy for me, but their bbq pork buns were perfect. The shrimp dumplings & the pork shu mai were delicious, the chow fun tasted just like the stuff at Taiwan Restaurant in Berkeley (which is apparently what my sweetie holds as his standard) & the sesame balls were just right. Service was great & very prompt; I'll definitely be back again sometime.

    (4)

  • Jay Y.

    Chinese food...but not what you're thinking. If you want fried, freezer burned general Tso's chicken, this isn't your place. If you want fresh made legit Chinese food--both traditional, Americanized and dim sum then this is your place. The Dim Sum is absolutely delicious. Bring a group and just order whatever you want for the whole table. Noodles, Chinese Broccoli, Shrimp dumplings(fried and steamed), Rice Paste, Crab Rangoon and more. You can't go wrong on price because most of them are around $2.96 a plate. Some Chili oil and sweet dumpling sauce and you'll be a happy camper. Oh, and they've got Siracha(just ask). As far as their meals go, this place is incredible. Chili stir-fried dungenous crab, Hot Pot chicken, Chow Fun noodles, are all incredible. Bursting with flavor, veggies and meat. My personal favorite is the Imperial Chicken. It's half a bone-in chicken steamed...that's right...steamed! They chop it up and cover it with a delicious mix of green onion, garlic, ginger and oil... Served with a side of white rice and garlic oil this is by far the best in Tampa. USF Students get 15% discount. But you won't go for that--you'll go for the food. Stop by Kalasia tea after dinner for a delicious Loose Leaf tea.

    (5)

  • Vince T.

    Great dimsum! Truly enjoyed everything we ordered. We also sampled their crispy roast pork and roast duck. Both didn't disappoint as well. We went back to hoho choy a few days later to try their shabu shabu dinner. It was a bit confusing to order but food turned out to be really good. We ended ordering too much food. Great sauce selections too for the shabu shabu which included my favorite satay sauce. I hope to return to hoho choy the next time I visit Tampa.

    (4)

  • Aviva D.

    Awesome food awesome experience. Nice servers. We had a great experience and will make it a point to eat there once a week. Shabu shabu heaven!

    (5)

  • M H.

    I've been a regular since 2005. This is one of the very few Chinese restaurants in Tampa that serves dim sum. There may be other hole-in-the-wall dim sum joints around, but Ho Ho Choy is very quick to serve orders even when it's jam packed on weekends. Food is good. Don't compare it to big city authentic Chinese food like NYC, Houston, or the eastern hometown. For the location, price, and atmosphere, it's definitely kept me returning for years. Whenever I have family in town, this is the lunch spot. Food could be less greasy, but the taste is still pretty good. Hey, nothing is perfect. Just have to be good enough to make me want to eat there again =) Dim sum variety is what you'd expect minus a few specialty items. A la carte, but not pushcart style. Served all day long. Order using a typical dim sum sheet where you pencil in the quantity of each item you want. I usually order the following favorites: Steam Shrimp & Chive Dumplings (dim sum) Sticky Rice (dim sum) Shrimp Rice Paste (dim sum) Fried Shrimp Balls (dim sum) Beef Tripe (dim sum) Pork Taro (dim sum) Steamed Spare Ribs (dim sum) Turnip Pudding (dim sum) Baked & Salted Squid (entrée) Chinese Broccoli with Garlic (entrée) Chicken Fried Rice (entrée) Mapo Tofu (entrée) Beef Chow Fun in Black Bean Sauce (entrée) Bathrooms and dining area are clean. They also recently remodeled. There's a couple of tanks where they keep live seafood. An extended menu of specialty items are written in Chinese on neon pink poster paper near the front entrance for the serious eater.

    (4)

  • Katherine R.

    I'm a huge fan of Shabu Shabu, but haven't been able to find many restaurants offering it since leaving Boston several years ago. When I saw the sign for this restaurant as I was driving by, I immediately made plans to go the following evening. If you are a fan of Asian cuisine and have never tried Shabu Shabu, you MUST go! It's an incredibly fun and different dining experience. You get to cook your own food at the table (think Asian fondue) and experiment with a bunch of different flavor combinations. When you first come in, make sure you tell the host that you are there for Shabu Shabu as it requires you to sit on the left side of the restaurant (you need a special table with burners built in to heat your broth). **As a side note, you can absolutely do Shabu Shabu and still order off the dim sum menu to complement your meal, but be careful as it is really easy to over order. As for ordering, you have your choice of two different broths. The hot and spicy broth is not a misnomer, but you can easily remove some of the chili peppers from the broth if it is too spicy for you (this also may be a good idea near the end of the meal as the broth boils down and continues to get spicier). Then you choose your protein. There are tons of different seafood and meats to choose from (I love the lamb). There is also an ala carte menu where you can supplement your order with extras of your favorites. Every meal comes with a pot of broth, a generous serving of protein and a basket of raw vegetables (potato slice, greens, cabbage, various mushrooms, tomato etc), chinese sausage, noodles, egg, fishball, and tofu skin. Once the broth is boiling the fun begins! Some items such as the corn on the cob can take upwards of 5 minutes to cook, others like the thinly sliced meat just needs to be swished through the broth for a few seconds. The servers were all very helpful, so if you need advice on what an item is, or how long you should cook it for, just ask! If you pull out a bit of food that isn't quite cooked to your liking, you can easily dump it back in and cook it longer. This is a great restuarant with a friendly and helpful waitstaff and from what I can tell, the only Shabu Shabu place around. I absolutely recommend it for a date night or for anyone who is sick and tired of the same old same old!!

    (4)

  • Jane E.

    They recently started to offer Sushi. It is delicious and fairly inexpensive. For 7.50 for lunch you get two rolls and salad. Their ginger dressing for the salad has a quite an interesting tang. Quick with preparing the order. The interior of the restaurant is really nice and very spacious. Maybe if I am not in a rush, I may sit down one day for lunch or dinner. Have already gone twice in one week, so you know it is a keeper.

    (4)

  • Jake C.

    Great find from Yelp once again! Having read over the reviews here, I decided Ho Ho Choy was worth the drive (45 minutes-ish) to check out. Upon arriving, the place was rather empty on a sunday afternoon. My girlfriend and I snagged a table, and took a gander at the dim sum menu. It was rather large, and had a plethora of dishes I'd never even seen on menus at other chinese restaurants. I had to order a sampling of things that looked good. From the roast duck to dumplings, steamed buns, beef balls, and pork in the rice wrappers. Everything was delicious, though some was a bit out of the ordinary from what I'm used to, texture wise. For dessert we had the sesame balls, with pureed lotus inside. They came out piping hot, almost molten. Again, I wasn't let down. Hot, crunchy, and a little chewy. They had a nutty flavor that was very subtle. The one thing we noticed, about halfway through the meal, the restaurant had FLOODED with asian families. Perhaps next time I'll be adventurous enough to try some dishes like the chicken feet.

    (4)

  • Ed S.

    Coming from Atlanta where dim sum is much better at Royal China and Canton House, I think dim sum at Ho Ho Choy is mediocre, but they are served all day everyday from open until close. We also ordered pan friend noodle, which is my favorite. A little disappointed because it's not very authentic, but a friend who live in Tampa said it's as good Chinese food as you can get in Tampa. The service was super quick and attentive.

    (3)

  • Jenny L.

    Stopped by after a haircut in the same shopping center for a meal with the family and I was pleasantly surprised. We ordered a snow pea dish, chicken dish, and eggplant dish and all were surprisingly good. I have to say that no one makes eggplant better than my mom but this place came pretty close! The food is not completely authentic Chinese but it's the best I've tried in Tampa. Definitely not a fancy place but the food is in large portions and the staff is friendly. Look forward to going back to try the dim sum.

    (4)

  • Luis M.

    This place is awesome. It is consistently the best place I eat at in Tampa, Fl. They have great prices especially if your a student at USF. Their portions are plentiful and service is great. Execellent local choice.

    (5)

  • Mark R.

    Been away for a few years came back to eat at Ho Ho Choy where I spent many a lunch our enjoying the great food. New owners and the food, well, the last time I'll ever eat there.

    (2)

  • J V.

    i've only tried the dim sum here.. it was okay, nothing really extra ordinary or really sucky.. it was just in the middle for me.. service however was nice and friendly.. it seems to have a steady flow of people coming in and out..so probably the other food were good enough..

    (3)

  • Thuy H.

    This is the best dim sum in Tampa. They get an extra star for being around so long and the most recent owner has added more choices to the menu when he came on board. I have been to many dim sum places around the country and this place is on the short list of good dim sum. The crispy pork here is the best I have ever had (except for mine). The pieces are cut to the perfect size. I have been to other dim sum joints around the bay but I keep coming back to this one.

    (4)

  • B C.

    the shabu shabu is pretty great but not their dim sum

    (3)

  • Edward C.

    I stopped at this place yesterday (approx 6:30) because my wife and I had no dinner plans and we were both in the mood for Chinese. The inside was decorated nicely with lot's of tables for guests, sadly there was no one sitting. I've lived in Tampa for almost 20 years and one of the biggest disappointments since I've moved from Michigan is that I have yet to find a decent Chinese place (with the exception of Liang's Bistro on Bruce B Downs) I ordered sweet and sour chicken for my wife and beef chop suey for myself along with egg rolls. A side note is that 2 people came in after me and ordered and received their food before me. No big deal, I was hungry for some Chinese and ready for it. When I got home (almost $20 later), I anxiously started serving. The sweet and sour sauce was a little on the thin side for me but the flavor was good. The chicken was all white meat which was a positive. I was also expecting some pineapple or red peppers in the sauce like I have gotten at other places. (again in Michigan) My biggest disappointment was the beef chop suey. Beef, bean sprouts & carrots. The gravy was extremely thin, almost like colored water. Absolutely no flavor at all. The carrots were way too big. The beef was good but the rest of the meal kind of brought that down. The egg rolls were probably some of the worst I have ever had although my wife found them more tolerable than I did. In all fairness, they do have a HUGE menu and perhaps I picked 2 items that were not the best choices. Sadly, I will not be returning to Ho Ho's. My quest for decent Chinese in Tampa continues........

    (2)

  • Christine C.

    We were really craving some dim sum on a Sunday afternoon so we decided to give this place a try. The dim sum was all pretty good. Some of the plates were not so great, but some definitely made me want to return. We all really enjoyed the BBQ Pork Buns, Dumplings, and the Sesame Balls. The prices are great and I left completely satisfied.

    (3)

  • Kent W.

    5* for this being in Tampa! If you go here stick to the dim sum menu. Get the dumplings with shrimp and cilantro, shu mai, pan fried! Killer! I love the beef noodle paste ones too but a lot of my friends aren't into it. I really like the crispy pork and the duck here too. Sometimes the duck is better than other times. Try something new and enjoy. I don't recommend the chicken feet here tho. They don't make a nice sauce for them or anything. I've had much better. Great place to go if you were drinking the night before :] Some entrees are good like the blue crab with ginger or some of the noodle dishes (seafood or crispy). But if you're looking for great Chinese entrées, I would go to Yummy House on Waters. They don't come around with the carts, so you don't get that experience but I think it's better. In tampa not many people eat dim sum, so with the cart system the food can get cold and you don't get the variety since the food isn't changed as often. Also you can order dim sum any time of day not just brunch! You get it hot and fresh and just what you want every time. This place is just as good if not better than TC Choy's and way cheaper -like half. My gf and I used to go here about once a week before we moved out of state. I recommend going with as many people as possible - they have big round tables with a lazy susan in the middle. That way you get to try more things. Usually around $10/person.

    (5)

  • Sarah K.

    Best chinese food in the area.

    (4)

  • Christina J.

    This is my favorite and my family's favorite Chinese food ever since I was born! Every birthday/celebration we always get Ho Ho's for dinner. We always ordered it to go from the store in Carrollwood but sadly that location shut down. Luckily, they still have this one open and I'm so happy it's open! I don't know what my family or I was going to do without their food. It's the best food ever...try it and you'll see. =) Oh ya! I judge Chinese food restaurants based on their eggrolls, and they have the best ones!!

    (5)

  • Tony Y.

    I love going to places that's always improving and trying to get better. Ho Ho Choy is one of those places. While having lunch, I saw some good display of team work and fellowship. The crew gathered around and hand made close to 500 dumplings within a very short period when things were a little slow since it was early. Good team work makes life work better and it clearly shows for Ho Ho. Restaurant is always very clean, including the bathrooms (which is rare sometimes for a Chinese restaurant). Food is always fresh and quick to serve. For the USFers and people on the go, Ho Ho is perfect since it's fast, clean, WiFi available and priced moderately for the budget conscious. Good work guys, please keep it up.

    (4)

  • Jia Z.

    Stopped in here for their new hot pot section... Pretty good but they only had 2 soup base selection and the meat is a lil thick. But they did have the small individual pots so you don't need to share. I guess for this area, being almost the only hot pot place, I should give them a 4 star.. But I'm giving them a 3.5

    (3)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :10:30 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Ho Ho Choy

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