Chinatown Express
Ala Moana Shopping Center,1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI, 96814
Chinatown Express Menu
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Address :
Ala Moana Shopping Center,1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI, 96814 - Phone (808) 942-1688
- Website https://www.chinatownexpress-hawaii.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Garage
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : No
Drive-Thru : No
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Iris J.
Plenty noodle and rice selections which is great. Temperature of food should be hotter for the plate to be more appetizing. I like how they offer the side for dim sum options, but prices seem higher than other Chinese place I've been to. I recognized they offer guava/strawberry & ube malasadas which is a good sweet addition. The malasadas were much better than Leonards bakery but not comparable to Kamehameha bakery which is the ultimate best!!!
(3)Shanon I.
Thought I had found someplace that I could eat relatively gluten free by ordering shrimp foo yong with no sauce. They have made me this order several times and I have had no complaints. Until today! Ordered shrimp foo yong again but when we sat down and opened the plate it looked like a shrimp stir fry with maybe one measly egg scrambled in. Like they forgot the EGGS! The husband went back to fix it and they gave him the biggest headache ever trying to convince him that's how it always comes out. They tried to tell him that we have to order egg foo yong with shrimp for it to come out looking correctly. Really?!? What is the difference?!? It's not even like they forgot the eggs...there was some egg in it so they knew it was supposed to have eggs. Well...we are done with them. No more Chinatown express ala moana. I have no problems at windward mall location. Only one star because I have to in order for this review to post.
(1)Carrie G.
Watch out when you come here. 1st time, I paid with a $50 bill, but she gave me change like I paid with a $10. And wasn't overly apologetic when I corrected her. Today, my husband paid for his dim sum and a bubble drink. You have to go to the other counter to pick up your bubble drink, and the guy tried to get him to pay over there... Again!! Beyond the shady accounting, the food isn't great. The pork hash is decent. Manapua is all bread. Bubble drinks are gross. The blended coffee drink was watery.
(1)Brennah L.
Decided to get a snack to share at the mall. We got the vegetable chow mien. The flavor was great plus we tried adding some mustard sauce to them and it's better than I thought it would taste. The mustard really adds a nice layer of flavor. The texture of the noodles was perfect, not too chewy but not too soft. The lady working really filled up that small container and she was really nice. It had a nice mix of carrots, cabbage, and green onion. The almond cookies are really good too.
(5)Frankie R.
Since each time there's water baptism at New Hope Oahu, I figured that I would totally get manapuas to share with everyone. I really appreciate the promotional special that they have. I really like the deal where you buy a dozen manapuas and get a bag free. I'm very glad that I can at least pick up a dozen and be able to share it with everyone so that way they can enjoy the manapuas and have a good time eating. I really like this promotional offer at this restaurant and it is a good deal to offer so that I can get the free bag and enjoy the manapuas. I am very glad that this offer was still there and I remember the last deal that they had was buy 5 and get one free and I wish they can do it again and be able to get at least half of the manapuas so there will not be left overs. Thanks for having this deal
(5)Wesley C.
Terrible manapua & pork hash. Pork hashmust have been sitting for a Long long time, it fell apart when i tried to pick it up. Shrimp dumpling even worse, wrapper separated from filling & shrimp smelled like the Ala wai canal. Do not eat here unless you want food poisoning.
(1)Randall H.
This place is nasty bro. The device is super shitty & they take forever making your orders and getting them out! The iced coffee I had too tasted like ass! This place is a no for me I would never eat again. Plus all the food is leftovers
(2)Jessica B.
I will never eat here again. I got a free malasada with my lunch, there was a roach baked into it. Enough said!
(1)Angelo A.
We usually get our Chinese food from chinatown, but sometimes it isn't always convenient to go there because of parking, time of day, etc. Since Chinatown Express is in the Makai Market food court (Ala Moana shopping center), it makes it a pretty convenient place to get your Chinese food fix. Their menu and offerings are pretty diverse. You can get a quick snack (manapua, dim sum), or dessert (tea cookie, almond cookie, tapioca), or plate lunch or, like we did today, a couple dishes/entrees (roast duck, chow fun, etc.) for a birthday lunch. Prices and flavors are OK.
(3)Jenny F.
50% OFF AFTER 8PM. cash only! (quick faves: ROAST PORK and SHOYU CHICKEN) I can't believe I haven't written a review of this place yet. I've been enjoying the wonders of cheap late night dining for over three years. But after my most recent jaunt to this haunt with a friend, it's time. This Chinese girl loves me some Chinese food for some Chinese cheap prices. 50% off? Two Chinese girls on a budget? See you in line! Their plate lunches are already on the cheaper side (one entrée starts at $7ish, two for $8.50), and you can pick your starch from fried rice, kung pao fried rice, brown rice, white rice, chow fun, and chow mein. You can also get half and half if you're an indecisive person or want to sample their offerings. All relatively bland, but that's what you get with starches, eh? They offer roast meats (duck, roast pork, char siu) and shrimp dishes (honey walnut shrimp) for $1.50 more. Sadly, yes, it is still an extra 1.50 after 8pm. But oh that roast pork! Best roast pork outside of Chinatown, imho. It is puh-ricey per pound, this is true ($11-12) but it's delicious. Crunchy, crispy skin, and the seasoning is spot on. And it's cut frequently since they have the bbq hooks in the back, so it's never just sitting in the hot tray for hours drying out. I've also had their HK fried chicken (yum), chicken with mushrooms (yum), orange chicken (typical), sweet and sour pork (yum), but my favorite so far was their SHOYU CHICKEN. It was moist, juicy, super tasty, and they gave a TON of it. My friend and I even went back afterwards so I could get another plate to take home for the pops. I got a double order ($4.25 thankyouverymuch), and they seriously gave me a half chicken or more. PLUS all the mounds of starch. Can't beat that. f'real.
(4)Amara E.
I keep getting tricked by this place's end-of-the-night prices! 50% off everything! With the outrageous prices at the food court these days, I am always drawn to this place with the hopes I can keep my mediocre meals at a reasonable price. The workers are fast-talking and always in a rush. I want to say it's "Chinese-style," so I honestly don't mind the poor service. Be prepared for their fast pace and their open frustration if you don't pull out your wallet fast enough at the register. The first time I went, I ordered har gao and it was super mushy inside. The shrimp inside was partially pasty. Very, very gross. The second time I went, there was this weird blue netting in my shumai. Perhaps hair netting or netting from whatever was used to hold vegetables? I was so disgusted that I threw my meal out. The third time, there was this nasty yellow goo on my jiaozi and their rice cake had a super sour taste to it. Again, another meal wasted. I don't know why I keep forgetting that this place is horrible and that cheap food isn't cheap at all if you end up throwing most of it away anyway. I think they may be a prime candidate for a DOH inspection, though. Yelpers steer clear!
(1)Tayla J.
Never again! -They have a yellow food placard - I ordered minute chicken cake noodle and waited 15 minutes for it - when it finally came out, it was wet soup noodles with barely cooked chicken on top! I didn't want to chance getting food poisoning and had to throw it away! Wasted 15 minutes and $9.50!! Don't eat here, don't let the prices fool you! It's not worth getting sick over!!
(1)Lynnette S.
Before this place came in it was PATTI'S CHINESE KITCHEN here. Now it's Chinatown Express. The foods ok. They don't give as much as Patties use to. It was overflowing back than! They have free dessert with 2 or 3 choice meal :( :( it's 1 Poi donut from Kam bakery wrapped in plastic wrap!! Probably sitting there all day! with all the desserts around that place I thought for sure I would get one of those. NOT!! ok, & not to mention the service...IT STINKS!! The Girls don't smile, they don't care what the hell you order. They just want you to move on. Friendly...IT don't think so! I don't like this place!!!
(1)Stuart K.
DO NOT EAT HERE! Food violations and unsanitary food prep! Rude service to customers and poor accounting. We witnessed recycling of expired food in the food prep area into a new batch, mixed in and brought out for customers! Food prep area and servers still do not use gloves or practice hygienic food handling. A server sneezed into the fried rice without covering her mouth or sneezing into her shoulder or turning away as required by DoH Regs! Servers did not wash hands after handling money, wiping counters with unsanitary cloths, and returning from breaks, or sneezing! Situation has been reported to DOH for review. Green placard status was present, but needs review of safe handling practices.
(1)Moli Y.
Was a bit disappointed when I was ordering, because I felt the staff was rushing me... mind you there was no line behind me. So my experience started off on the wrong foot. I knew they had gone through renovations, so I figure cleaner kitchen, maybe better meals?? I got the half noodles and fried rice with orange chicken and sweet and sour pork combo. The noodles were dry and unflavorful and the rice was okay. The entrees were very oily and started to taste the same after 3 bites. I guess I am more ranting then reviewing, but then if you think about it, it is Chinese fast food, so I should know better, but I was not expecting a grandeur service, but I was expecting some decent service at least... I didn't even get my fortune cookie :( The best part of a Chinese meal! The upside is the take away dim sum. They carry the popular ones, shu mai, char siu bau and a few others. Did not get to take a good look, but from the previous review, the bau sounds yummy.
(2)Mario D.
Never ate here before, but witness one of the male employees used the bathroom at Ala Moana food court and washed his hands without soap then dried them on his work pants. Disgusting!
(1)Jon R.
It's located in the food court in a mall, what do you expect? The staff are there, but they weren't very helpful. The food here was pretty okay, again, mall food, take your expectations and stow them away somewhere safe. The smoothies here are so disappointing. How to Make a Papaya Smoothie at Chinatown Express: 1/2 cup frozen Papaya 1 cup syrup 2 cups ice Blend thoroughly and serve. Other places use fresh ripe papaya, lime juice, ice, and non-fat yogurt. If you have no standards/expectations, this place will suffice. If you have either, why are you eating in a food court?
(2)Greg P.
I just love the duck here. I just get half duck chopped. A little pricey but worth it .
(5)Darin O.
WHAT HAPPENED!!!!! I went in today and it is closed - under construction!!!!! I think it says that I Love Country is coming and that is why it is under repair - I believe again that they are the same owners / partners but heck - will it be done and repaired before the Chirstmas Rush comes to Ala Moana? Or are they being kind to the other food venders that see less business??? Me Wonders.....
(5)Lei N.
Okay! Wandering around Makai Market Food Court searching for lunch, I'm still craving some Asian cuisine so I looked at majority of the Asian places that they had since I was meeting my friend here. After going around I ended up ordering at Chinatown Express. I usual never order here because I never know how/where to order. I walked up to the workers and asked for the number 1 (won ton mien) and they pointed to the register to take my order. As the cashier was taking my order he asked if I wanted a drink. I said sure. I don't remember what I asked but he said the canned soda and a regular cup were the same except the cup had the free re-fill so I decided on getting that. Even though I never get re-fills, ha ha. The soda machine, self-served in the back of the restaurant and I sipped my drink while waiting for my order to be called. Since my food was "for here", I had to balance it on my tray without spilling the soup as I walked to the table my friend was sitting at. Won Ton Mien... it's hot, you see the steam. I didn't like the taste of won ton. Were there shrimp?! Maybe! I usually enjoy eating my won tons, not today. I'll ask for pork favored or something next time. The meat was easy to chew on. They really should add in extra meat and less won tons (at least for this dish). There wasn't anything special about the noodles and the soup was alright. It helped that it was still hot; I think with the weather I was catching a cold. Overall for $7.99 (plus tax) ...eh, I'll try something else the next time I want to order from here. Forgot to mention, the drink, $1.89 good thing I got the cup instead of the can! That would've been a waste of money, well still is, but you know what I mean. The workers are nice too.
(3)Ram K.
Their gau and purple mochi looking thing both has no taste. Unless you count that waxy taste. There was some confusion while my gf was trying to pay for it. They kept adding the persons stuff ahead of her to her order?!?
(2)Spencer V.
Har gow and siu Mai is great. Large portions and tasteful. This is serving in the food court atmosphere which is surprising. Downside would be its cash only. Otherwise hidden gem for Chinese food. Go go go!!
(4)Lance C.
Tried the chix with crispy noodles for a second time. And again, I got soggy noodles. Msg to owner/cook - use less sauce ( like what your advertised picture shows) and this dish will have the crunch that was so expected. Flavor was great tho.
(3)Regina F.
Who cares that it's located in the most crowded food court...like ever? The steamed red bean buns at Chinatown Express are gigantic clouds of pillowy, naturally sweet white flour stuffed beyond reason with deliciously smooth, surprisingly creamy warm red bean paste. This is the stuff my childhood was made of.
(5)AsianRunningDiva S.
I've only been here for the dim sum, which runs $1.20-1.40/piece. Pricey compared to Chinatown prices, but more convenient than trying to find parking there (although the mall parking is getting crazy too due to construction). The pieces are a little bigger than those in Chinatown, so I guess that's where the price difference is! Overall, tasty and easy to grab and go while shopping!:)
(3)Arleen E.
Gave Chinatown Express a try for a late dinner one night after a long day at North Shore. Located at the back corner of the Makai Market in Ala Moana Mall, we got there an hour before closing time. Everything on the counter was offered at 50% off or buy one-get one free. I ordered the fried rice, ginger chicken and roast pork. The proteins were both good, but the fried rice was dried out. I also had the barbeque pork in steamed buns to go. That was pretty good. They also offered the usual entrees commonly found at fast foods - sweet and sour pork, General Tso's chicken, beef with broccoli, jin deui, custard and dim sum. I love dim sum, but l am wary about dim sum at fast food places since it is steamed longer than it should. All in all, not the best Chinese food out there, but a good deal nontheless.
(3)Brian M.
After walking around the food court my stomach said Chinese Food! I decided to try the Hong Kong Fried Chicken, Mushroom Chicken,Pancit and Spicy Kung Pao Fried Rice. My thoughts: Spicy Kung Pao Fried Rice (They should take off the word spicy,pretty bland in taste) Pancit (Chinese trying to cook a Filipino dish...No Can! ) Mushroom Chicken (Pretty Decent and tasty,Liked the 'Shrooms") Hong Kong Fried Chicken (This was my 'Fave", It tasted like Mochiko Chicken! Where's the Musubi!) Quick Grindz Chinese food I Miss Patti's Chinese Kitchen!
(3)Cathy T.
So I've had an up and down relationship with Chinatown Express. At first I was madly in love because she served beef with sweet and sour cabbage, which is actually authentic Chinese food! I loved having an alternative to fake-y Panda when I wanted me some homeland food. But sadly the love affair fizzled out slowly as I realized the entire "authentic" experience, right down to the angry/impatient Chinese lady taking my order was becoming a total downer. Then we were reunited and it felt so good to be able to grab some dim sum quickly in the mall. But the sub-par quality and outrageous prices quickly ended out happy reunion. (There's better dim sum options in Shirokiya.) Then the other day I noticed that Chinatown Express was singing her siren song of authentic Chinese food again. Their numbered specials include congee (rice soup) of all different kinds, won ton mien, roast duck mien, and zha jian mien! Which is one of my favorite Chinese dishes. I ordered somewhat hesitantly, would she make me love her again, or would this end in disaster and a hit song about a love gone wrong? Turns out it was neither. My zha jian mien was not bad, the sauce (jian) was a little sweet than the one my mom makes, but it was still tasty. (Tip: ask for some vinegar and pour it over your noodles after you've tossed everything together...trust me!) I also got a piece of butter mochi, which was a huge disappointment. Like it was really terrible. I think instead of butter they use margarine or something because the texture was really really off. It was mealy instead of glutinous. Yuck. I know I won't be able to stay away forever between the late night text messages and the random "have how are you we should totally have coffee and catch up" chance meetings I think our relationship is like any ex's. We try to be civil and mature but underneath it all we're both making faces at each other.
(3)Frank D.
Dim sum dumplings are the biggest I've ever seen. Yum.
(4)James C.
I'd never thought I would buy their food from the hot lines, only cuz I don't care much for Chinese food. But today, i got myself fried rice, HK style Fried chicken and Honey-Hoison spareribs. To my surprise, it was pretty damn good! ribs was tasty and soft to chew on. Fried Chicken is crispy and tasty, although I hate it when Chinese serve their chicken all chopped up thru the bones. potential of biting into very tiny bone bits. Overall, it's good. Be sure to LOOK throughly at all the hotlines before ordering; there's another hotline section just before the cashier that isn't easily visible. On the dimsum side, or bakery side, I would stay away of their manapua; it's crappy! But their pork hash and the shrimp-chives dumpling is good!
(3)Nicole M.
$5 credit card minimum ! sounds easy right ? I got a char shu manapua and 2 pork hash ... still not enough. I added one crispy gau gee, surely I'm at $5? Ugh $.10 off. So I got two. It was yummy for just about $5 haha.
(3)Chad Y.
Chinatown Express is simply that...express and be on your way! Is it as good as some of the Chinese food you can find in Chinatown? Probably not. However it fulfills the cravings you might have after a long day of shopping at Ala Moana. While not authentic, it does offer some decent selections at reasonable prices. The mixed plate option including two entrees and rice or noodles is a pretty good value and offers a good selection of items. The chow fun is respectable while the fried rice has typically lacked seasoning in my book. The staples of beef broccoli, orange chicken, char siu and other offerings are typical of such establishments and nothing truly special, yet not disappointing. Extra entrees are available as well. If dim sum is what you might be hankering for, they do offer a decent, but not wow-ing selection of dim sum on the other side of the restaurant. The manapua is steamed and just a little lacking. It seems the bun to meat ratio is just a bit off and you end up with more bun than you do of the filling. Service is quick so have some idea of what you might be interested in so that you can keep the line moving. If not, the staff will certainly do it for you. All in all, its a respectable offering. Would I say it is better than Panda Express? No, probably not. However at the same time I wouldn't say Panda Express is any better either.
(3)Scott H.
Quality has taken a hit.
(1)Lisa C.
Was hungry for Jai and I know they usually have it this time of year. Their version is pretty good but I prefer the version at Chinatown Express in Windward Mall. The food is pretty tasty overall and the price is right. Felt a little rushed at the register since we were eyeballing the gau, rice cake and other goodies. Oh well, rush me to pay and I won't have a chance to grab other stuff. I guess I feel lucky the girl asked if we wanted a drink. Honestly, I really wanted an almond cookie for later...their loss
(3)Gabriel T.
After spending some time at what to eat at the Makai Market Food Court other than Jollibee I decided to go try out Chinatown Express. In addition to the ditto like Panda Express plate lunches that they have they also have several pastries and manapua type of foods available as well towards the end of the area past the cashier and right around the soda dispenser area. When I came up looking at what they have I was immediately asked if I wanted a sample of the orange chicken. It was alright almost the same as Pandas. I got a 2 choice plate to go with brown rice, mushroom chicken, and beef brocolli and they were all just ok. I think they put too much sauce on the entree items that I had which decreased some freshness of the food. They have lot of choices of what you want as your starch from regular fried rice, vegetarian fried rice, chow mein, brown rice, white rice, etc. They also had many other entrees as well very similar to the selection of Panda Express. They gave me a decent amount of servings per entree item. At the time they have a special deal going on with any 2 choice plate and a 22 oz. drink for $8.99. The price is not that bad. It's like paying just a dollar for the drink since the plate lunch itself is $7.99. The staff and customer service is good. The workers are pretty friendly. The cashier woman started talking story with me about Michael Jackson since I had a MJ shirt on. I came in the late afternoon time which wasn't busy at all. If you come here during closing time, they have half off plate lunch deals which is always a winner for anyone still at the mall at the time. It is definitely a good deal to take advantage of if you are looking for dinner before the mall closes at the Makai Market Food Court. 31 Yelps Review Challenge - October 2012, #03/31
(3)Juliene C.
Yummy! This is the type of Chinese fast food that i like! They pile on the food making the price worth it. I ordered a combo that consisted of kung pao fried rice, orange chicken, & honey walnut shrimp. The fried rice was savory and not too spicy. The orange chicken was good too. It was the sampling of the orange chicken that sold me on this place. The honey walnut shrimp however wasn't that great. There was no honey walnut sauce & there was more of the breading than shrimp. But if im at the food court, i'll take break from Panda Express & come here instead.
(4)Honi K.
I adore Chinatown. Holding my hand incredibly tight, my gramma used to take me there and get all her favorites and try to get me to taste new things. It's fun to walk around collecting the must-gets: roast pork, char siu, gau, bok tong go, almond cookies, tea cake and more. Nothing beats the real Chinatown, but it's kind of a full-day field trip to go there, so Chinatown Express is handy. They have most of the treats I mentioned above. But, the food is only fine, not wonderful. Especially disappointing was the roast pork and we paid $1 more for it than the other items. But, for the amount of food I got, it was cheap and you can't expect much from warmed trays in a food court. The food court is crowded, loud and unpleasant -- last resort option.
(2)Doris D.
If nothing else, the wide variety of Chinese food will please you. From Panda Express-style Chinese fast food to dim sum, this is a good place to grab a bite at the Mall for a reasonable price. I'm a sucker for their orange chicken and their dim sum is good and plentiful.
(3)Joe G.
Pretty good, I ordered a mixed plate, got the fried rice with orange chicken and pork spare ribs. Food was okay, a little on the salty side and sweet for the chicken but still enjoyable. Price is average, however given the choice next time with Panda Express being right there, I'd go there. Though they did politely offer me a sampling.
(3)Cheryl E.
The quality of the food has deteriorated to the point of just plain poor. We arrived for lunch at 11:15, the start of normal lunch and the food [we had chosen quite a few different items] were ALL stale and tasted like yesterday's leftovers. This was especially true for the duck sandwiches, which certainly looked nice in their presentation box. However, the bow [bread] was SO stale that it actually crumbled! My daughter's two choices: Kung Pow chicken and Chow Fun were limp, tasteless and definitely not fresh. Sorry - you are really throwing slop at folks if you can manage to screw up Chow Fun. What's more, and alarming, is that within a half hour of eating there my daughter and I were both sick. With all the choices of food in the Ala Moana food court, you can bet your Chow Fun that we won't be eating there again!
(1)Mark M.
Yes, this review is for "that Chinese place by the bathroom" in the Ala Moana food court. I think the food here tastes better than Panda. Yeah, I might be crazy, but they have a wider selection too. Some of it isn't actually Chinese though. Just today I had the peppered Kiawe steak. Yeah, definitely not Chinese. They're pimping a new deal though for Chinese New Year. Your choice of three entree items with starch and a small drink for $7.99 You can't really beat that in the food court. Especially when you team the steak up with orange chicken, furikake chicken, and pancit.
(3)L Z.
I only ordered their dim sum. I ordered the sweet potato sesame ball and their shrimp stuffed dim sum with a rice skin. The sesame ball was tossed. I have had these before at another place but this one was greasy and the inside was completely dry. It looked really gross. The other dim sum was good. I have had better but I did enjoy the lightness of it and actually was craving more at the end of the night. I can't say either dim sum blew me away. Each piece was around 1.00-1.25.
(3)Caryn W.
After walking around the food court, I decided to try Chinatown Express 2-entree plate. Got veggie fried rice, firecracker chicken, and honey walnut shrimp. While I was going to pay for my food, someone who I assumed was a manager looked at my plate and said that I needed more chicken then took my plate to put more on. I thought this was a nice gesture since the chicken ended up being really good. I would pass on the shrimp next time. I've tried their dim sum before and thought it was a good quick fix if you wanted something to go and not too expensive. I was too full to go and get anything this time around.
(4)Chad Y.
Chinese Cheap Eats Chinatown Express is located right in the far right hand corner of the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana Shopping Center. Here you can get your fill of cheap Dim Sum and Chinese Plate Lunch, while getting your shop on! Also you can eat here without spending $10 on your lunch. If I wanted to spend that much I would just go to a restaurant for better ambience. Here you can get a plate lunch filled to the brim with your choice of starch (my fav is the Singapore Noodles!) and two entrees for only $7!!!! And if you are just feeling peckish and want something small you can travel to the other side of the counter to the dim sum and pick your fill of Manapua, Half Moon, Mochi, Shrimp Dumpling ( my fav ), Cookies, Shu Mai, and Gau Gi! The max you are going to spend on an item here is around $2!!!! They do have Roast Duck Rolls, but they are like $5. Still a really good price for something in the mall. I go here to snack on something to get me by until dinner :D
(4)Jonn D.
I will not waste my time writing a regular review for this place, but my only question is...how the heck do you screw up a "Charsi Bow?" Do yourself a favor and avoid this place.
(2)Kevin W.
Their buns with char Sui pork and the one with duck was just ok. Too little meat too much man-to bun. They firesell items towards end of dinner day like dumplings etc And now, drum roll please,,,, time for my 200TH REVIEW!!! To follow...
(3)Tony L.
This place is located in the mall food court, they serve better than typical "food court" food and better than Panda Express Chinese food, but it is still not anywhere close to being restaurant quality food. We ordered some dim sum, soup noodles, and some desserts. I probably had the thickest shrimp dumpling in my life, the skin is thicker than pot stickers... Other dim sum tasted pretty bland and require adding soy sauce. The noodles and dessert both tasted ok. Definitely not a place I would return to even if I have to eat at the food court, but I would always choose this place over Panda Express.
(2)Eric A.
The generic version to the "real" cuisine you can find at the likes of China Town and other restaurants better known for their dim sim. The "Express" says it all for this place. So fast, so greasy and so my kind of comfort food. I can recall when these guys first opened some years back (I think 2007?) at the Ala Mo food court. This right when the legendary Pati's decided to close and pass along their famous food corner to the highest bidder. In fact, I've always liked these guys better. Blasphemy? Perhaps but here's why these guys are probably my (and for a few years now, has been) my personal pick at the AMFC. Personal favorites here: -Char siu: succulent, sweet and a nice juicy squish with each bite. Also, my favorite char siu on the island. -Jai: they have two versions/pans of this dish, but i like the darker one that looks all vegetarian (it's not. you can taste the chicken stock), slimy and full of shitake mushrooms/seaweed. very interesting texture, very good taste. -Roast pork: looks very similar to the filipino style chicharon/pork pata you see at Pinoy eateries but it tastes different. CTX adds an interesting char siu sweetness, which is soon followed by a bite of sea salt, accompanying the crunch of the pork skin. unlike most places like this, the roast pork always being readily available is why I like coming here. (Add $1 to order). -Honey walnut shrimp: which is probably nothing new for most of you Yelpers but is to me. I swear these CTX had this in their entourage before Panda introduced it, but only speculation on my part. Also, the batter on the shrimp is thicker and makes for a bigger and crunchier version to Panda's. My favorite dish here, next to their chair siu. (Add $1 to order). -White rice: yes, you heard it, their white rice! probably because it tastes like they lightly fry it before they put it into the steamer. I've tried all of their fried rice and noodles dishes (interesting combinations btw) but i like their white rice the best. 1 choice food combo starts you at around $6.79 and 2 choices at about $7.50, which is a slight increase from the last time. Regardless, I usually spend $10 a plate whenever I come here. Their side dishes like their rolls, deep fried gau gee and saimin (which is pretty bland) are okay. They also have an array of pork bun and sweets but I have never bothered to try. Their hot pans in front always have me at Hello. Also, when you're filling your cups with fountain soda, don't forget their DIY dipping sauce station at the back table. Chili pepper (but not so hot) vinegar, CTX sweet and sour sauce, shoyu and hot mustard. 3 stars Chinatown Express at the Ala Moana Food Court
(3)Lai T.
I bought two manapuas and some butter mochi. The manapuas were decent, but the butter mochi did not taste like butter mochi at all.
(2)Don D.
I had a light lunch at Chinatown Express at the Ala Moana food court. I decided to try the Mushroom & Veggie Wheat Manapua ($1.60), and the Shrimp Salad roll (2.95). First, the Mushroom & Veggie manapua looked fairly large, which is why I ordered it in the first place. While the bread was good, the size was deceiving. If I had to "portionalize" the manapua in relation to a pizza, id have to say that it was 1 slice of mushroom & veggie, and 7 slices of wheat! That kinda disappointed me because it felt like there was no filling. The Shrimp and Salad roll was actually what I needed. It came with chili garlic and I think it was a peanut sauce. The roll by itself is bland, and the sauce by itself was "ahhh...ok", but when you combine the two, its actually pretty good. The roll is filled with a lot of "noodle". They werent trying to rip you off on that one. But overall, it was a good lunch for less than $5! I'll probably be back for some other menu items, but not for the manapuas.
(3)Alex H.
This review is only for the boba smoothies. I've had two here. The first was a honeydew one. It was alright, but had a weird note in it, almost like a chemical-y tasting syrup or something. Super strange. Good enough, though. A couple of days later, I went back and got an avocado one. The first time I had an avocado boba smoothie was in Lincoln, Nebraska and it was the greatest smoothie I've ever had in my life. I was expecting something better than that because this place is way more authentic than the one I went to in NE, but alas. WORST SMOOTHIE OF MY LIFE! I couldn't even drink it. It tasted SO off. The funky taste from the honeydew one was back, but this time it was much more prevalent and impossible to ignore. It tasted (and sort of looked) like they used a bad avocado. It was disgusting. Blech.
(1)Kenneth K.
Those of us longer in the tooth will remember with fondness the old Patty's Chinese Kitchen in Ala Moana. Not the reincarnated version that involved its expansion and the last gasp at Ala Moana about 6 years ago, but the original from the 70's. Lines out the door for the best fast food Chinese outside of China. Who remembers that flavorful dark, rich fried rice? The shrimp roll which was mostly pork with sweet and sour? Trashy localized Chinese at its best! Then, in its final years, it sputtered and buckled and fizzled out to inedible dissappointment. After several moves within Ala Moana, it remained the final location in the current Makai market in the back corner. Enter Dick Chan of I Love Country Cafe, and then new general manager Scott Hovey. Ressurection! Taking the name Chinatown Express, the goal was to bring back the quality and former glory of Patty's. But the signature styling of food service of Dick Chan brought about Chinatown Express surpassing the old Patty's. Hawaii has never seen a level of quality in local Chinese steam tray service like this! Fresh...I have yet to see wilted veggies, burnt meats or other inedible bits. Everything remains consistent, with delicious regularity that often rivals the best sit down Chinese eateries. General Manager Scott Hovey, a long time friend of Chan, who himself is a professional eater and lifelong resident to the islands. Brought forth the idea of expanded dim sum selections to rival Chinatown, and swinging meats by the pound, and catering to make Chinatown Express the one stop destination for local Chinese tastes! Like all steam tray style places you get a choice of starch: 3 kinds of fried rice, 4 kinds of noodles as well as white rice. Their shrimp vegetable dish has snapping fresh shrimp in a light tasty sauce. Sweet and sour delights of at least 3 varieties. Roast pork and Char siu, beef broccoli where the broccoli is still green. At least 3 daily chicken dishes, seafood dishes that change, and the ressurection of the shrimp roll! Add to this vegetarian choices and the add ons of fried won tons, gau gee, spring rolls. Still want more? Don't forget the dim sum and bakery section. Big fat, fluffy, steaming char siu manapua, the biggest pork hash and delectable half moon and har gau! For the sweet tooth, giant almond cookies, rice cakes and daily desserts that change. One always longs for what once was, and most of the time you can never get it back. Then every once in awhile when someone gets together to keep something alive, a re-birth happens and rarer than that, that re-birth becomes something better. I liken it to where a son betters his father.....Chinatown Express is that great second generation.
(5)Nick L.
Could be a chain which usually doesn't bode well. As dim sum goes, they give you huge pieces which doesn't make it good. It was just ok in fact. Good for a snack.
(4)Derek N.
Okay, this is that place in the corner of the Makai Marketplace (is it still called that?) food court. Since my last review I have been back a bunch. I like the food there for the most part, and sometimes they have specials (especially around Chinese New Year). There is a greater variety of selection than the nearby Panda Express, especially since there are multiple kinds of fried rice and noodles. One of my favorites as of late is the Honey Hoisin Ribs, which are really tasty and make you feel manly biting into them. If spicy is more your thing, then they have firecracker chicken (which, oddly enough, appeared around the same time Panda started making it. Hmm). I also like to go there (rather than Panda) because it's a local small business. Just don't get the canned soda, unless you like paying $1.59 for a 12 oz. can of soda. I miss Thirst Aid Station.
(4)Julie N.
The Food Court at the Ala Moana shopping center must be the mother of all food courts in the world. This place is huge and what a great selection of Asian dishes. I had to walk around 1 1/2 times before deciding what to get. I elected for Chinatown Express with the dim sum. I don't remember the names of the dim sum, but they were selling for $1.00 to $1.50 per piece. It's not the best dim sum, but not bad. The highlight for me was the Taro Mochi which I actually brought back home to L.A. and ate. I wish I bought more because it was real good. I hope the locals know how lucky they are to have this food court.
(3)Tamara P.
My friend and I were looking for a quick lunch the other day so we ended up getting a couple of baked pork manapuas and pork hash from the new chinese restaurant, Chinatown Express, in the Makai Marketplace. I don't call myself an expert when it comes to Chinese food, but I remember liking the baked manapuas and pork hash from both Island Manapua and Chun Wah Kam much tastier. The fillings weren't as good and there were a lot of empty space in the manapuas. They were quite deceiving because they looked fluffy, but really squished down after your first bite. I don't think I'll be returning... Food: ** Service: * Ambiance: * Value: **
(2)Alyssa M.
I usually ONLY get their PORK HASH which is ALWAYS YUMM :) but this time my bf decided to get the fried noodles with some char siu. He bit into his food & it was COLD. He told them that it was cold & asked if he could get it warmed up? The guy was warming up his food in the microwave & told him "we usually serve the char siu cold". then my bf saw a COCKROACH on the SODA MACHINE, my bf told the worker guy & the guy just swatted it WITH HIS HAND!! disgusting. i'll stick to the pork hash side.
(2)Karen T.
To start with, I ordered 1-baked manapua, 2 pork hash, 2 har gow and on my way to the register I grabbed a pre-packaged summer roll. The baked manapua isn't bad, not too much bread in fact the bread/meat ratio was good, it's just the texture of the bread was a little off. Kind of hard in spots. The pork hash was awful. The first one tasted like there was baking soda in the meat or something, the second one had a big clump of hard fat. I didn't finish the 2nd one. Har gow is the dumpling with shrimp filling. The first one tasted a little off and I noticed the texture of the shrimp was weird. Like mushy? Took a bite of the 2nd one and spit it out. I haven't tried the summer roll yet. I was going to have it for dinner but not sure if I want to risk it... I do usually take price into consideration. All this cost me $10 even. $3.50 for the summer roll, the dim sum were $1.60 each.
(2)Claire B.
I ate at Chinatown Express twice last weekend, as I was staying at the Ala Moana Hotel for a convention, and it was very convenient to take this type of food back to the room, or share with the kids. I ordered the Char Siu Manapua with Half Moon, and those tasted very fresh, with the Half Moon being larger for $1.05 and the Manapua $1.50.. I also got a pack of Rice Cake with was fat & yummy, with enough to share for the price! When I went back on Sunday noontime to get a box to bring back to Kona, I ordered the big box of: 3 Baked Char Siu Manapua [this was the softest bun with lots of meat!] 3 Chicken Curry Manapua [ok - had some crunchy bites] 6 Pork Hash [fat & tasty!] 8 Half Moon [plump & you can taste the shrimp.. lots of meat filling!] 5 Regular Char Siu Manapua [i'm going to only order the Baked char siu next time] ..the total came out to something like $30.87 or something so cheap for this heavy box of yum-yumz that the Kona ohana will enjoy! They packed it to ship, and I wished I had asked for one of their pretty brown paper bags.. I saw a lady at the airport with the same box, but she had that pretty brown bag with the red string handles.. made me want one too! What I also liked about Chinatown Express was the turnover of food.. in busy food courts like Ala Moana, you know you are getting fresh food because they are busy, so the food keeps being replenished. I loved the variety of display items that they had as well... all kinds of colors of mochi.. from purple [taro], or yellow [butter], or white [rice cake], or almond cookies.. the whole shopping experience there was very exciting, and funner than ever going to Chinatown to get Manapua for the Neighbor Islands.
(4)Jessica C.
Loved their dim sum. Especially the BBQ buns.
(4)L Y.
Yum! Way better than Panda Express! I got fried veggie noodles, veggie chow fun, and garlic choi sum! It was the best Chinese food I had! I eat Chinese food a lot but this was way better than any other place. Had great flavor and I am kinda obsessed with veggie fried noodles!
(5)Amanda U.
Loving their dim sum area. i love their char siu buns and rice cake. Would be better if the accepted credit cards though. The younger guy that helped me the last time I was there was very pleasant with a great smile. he let me have a sample of their sweet potato dessert thing and it was pretty good, would have gotten on of those too but I didn't have enough cash on me. Its great to know that I can get a convenient snack or meal when craving Chinese while at the mall.
(4)Zhen L.
Similar to Panda Express, but they have more variety of Chinese food. I felt the area was not used to its capacity. Food was okay though, 8.50 for two choice + Side + a 16 oz drink. Not really anything special. Service was fast.
(3)Ed K.
the flounder is my friend! don't eat my friend! in my opinion the eggplant is better @ chinatown express than @ panda because it is spicy as was the firecracker chicken. gave the purple coconut gau a chance and it was sickening. when i openned the plastic, for some reason thought it was mochi and after biting it, and at that point realized mochi is much better. the purple gau had an aftertaste, wasnt mediciney but a bit cloroxy. couldn't believe it so i took another bite to verify.. yea its disgusting.. and then before i threw it away, something came over me and took yet another impulsive bite. in conclusion, avoid purple gau.
(3)Elena H.
This is a review for their porridge. The first time I had the roast duck porridge. It came with peanuts and was pretty good. I thus went back the 2nd time but ordered a beef porridge instead. To my great surprise, the porridge was horribly salty! to a point that I couldn't taste anything at all a few minutes later. I requested hot water to dilute the porridge but unfortunately it didn't help.
(2)Row I.
Kinda pricey but I like their dim sum... There are lots of choices and sometimes it's hard to decide on just one thing. No way I ever walked out from this place with just one or two items. My advice, don't come here when you are starving!!! The foods are attractively presented, you might end up buying everything - then regret it afterwards. The dim sum are small but quite filling so be careful.
(4)Craig F.
My niece wanted to have their dim sum for dinner while we were shopping so we went here. Kind of a mixed review of this place as it wasn't a great experience. First off they have a sign for a 3 choice combo with drink for $7.99 so I pointed to the sign and told the gal that is what I wanted. Long story short I got charged about $9.70 and they couldn't seem to understand what I was getting at, must have been the language barrier. Got my nieces dim sum and we sat down to eat. Here's what was good: Pancit noodles - very good flavor Sweet & sour eggplant - this was the best on my plate Shrimp dumpling - this was a big piece and was very tasty but the wrapping is quite thick the bad: garlic mochiko chicken - I bit in and almost chipped a tooth. I ended up with more bones than actual chicken char siu ,manapua - this was crusty on the outside like it was a day old and the charsiu was mushy. worst manapua I ever tasted I may give them another try but when we were leaving I walked past Lahaina Chicken Company and saw a nice juicy prime rib and the plate would only cost about $10 = that may be my next choice.
(2)julia c.
They have the worse dim sum on the island. I have tried them three times, the food was either to dry or too greasy. never cured my craving for dim sum. Even their rice porridge was bad. the ratio of water and rice was off. So it's like paying $7+ for a big bowl of liquid. Though, the cahier people were very friendly. haven't tried their entree.
(1)Sergio M.
Really? I can't have more than 3 mini sauce cups for my 6 pieces of dim sum?
(2)Kristy G.
I'm not sure if it's just me, but everytime I eat here I end up getting sick! Now I know, I'm definitely not eating here anymore! Has this happened to anyone else?
(1)James S.
Didn't like the people. The sing song voices yelling all over put me off. The jumbled disorganized way of collecting my money was junk. But this place serves the finest, and I do not write this lightly, the very finest and most expensive lemonade in the world. Bar none. It is four bucks for a large which is smaller than coke can and I was pissed. I sat down. Frowned. Sneered back over the shoulder (like they cared) and then took a swig of my hugely over-priced lemonade. Good Christ!!! Back ever day for more, figuring out that the small is only like twenty percent smaller but only two bucks. Deal!!! Order two and then go over the Lahaina Chicken and toss down a ten ounce prime rib in gravy with it. Flight for life takes you to Castle Medical where they'll be ready and waiting....
(5)Kacy L.
Best foodcourt chinese food around. If you cant make it to a real sitdown place they are pretty close here. Made to order noodles are bomb.
(4)Mari N.
I wanted to eat take-out Dim Sum and so I was really excited when I found out about this place so close to my work. I think the sticky rice, and the dumplings are fairly decent. I wish there was more filling in the manapuas, and less bun. I've had better sticky rice and manapuas from 99 Ranch Market.
(2)Shirley Mina Y.
We ordered a whole aluminum tray of vegetarian chow fun noodles for lunch yesterday, and got a side of kung pao, in case anybody wanted any non-char siu meat topping. I probably ate three bowls with a drizzle of spicy Chinese mustard and red garlic chili sauce. Total cost was $20+.
(5)Kristen C.
I came here because they had a coupon for 6 manapuas for $5 and they have a pretty good selection. I got 1 taro, 1 custard, 1 black sugar, 1 chicken, 1 pork hash, and 1 veggie. They were all just, eh. There were even 2 that had a wheat bun so that was some thing new and interesting that you dont find anywhere else. Anyway the bun is really sticky, like the outside so it kind of fell apart really easy, idk if they over steam it or what but its not as good as other places. It's just as Tamara P. says, that the buns "looked fluffy, but really squished down after your first bite." They filling to but ratio is also out of proportion because theres way too much bread. Overall im glad I at least gave them a try, but i think i'll just stick to getting their rice cakes. (btw i never ate them all at a time, they were like my breakfast, lunch or dinner for the following days LoL)
(2)George C.
Decent Chinese food with good selection. The halo-halo is better than Max's on Dillingham.
(3)rice rice m.
it is a okay Chinese take out, but you cannot compare this place to the old Patty's Chinese Kitchen. I would go here for fried rice, ginger chicken, roast pork or duck and maybe the beef brocoli...would skip the other selections...and then wander to Panda's for the sweet sour soup...
(2)Jim M.
Only ate the following items there.....chicken manapua made from ground poorly seasoned chicken....is this fusion with McDonalds? Har gao.....large size (think jumbo), again poorly seasoned with poor texture and no aftertaste..... Fun gor? think mystery mix with no personality..... Sticky rice? ... a mishmash of materiels tossed into overcooked rice....do they not know the difference between sticky and pasty? Again poorly seasoned ....There is no truth to the saying that a large portion will make up for bad food!!!!
(2)Jaedyn C.
Since most of the reviews were of the dim sum part of the place I decided to write about the main entree area. Anyway this place has some pretty good food. But if I have to say the best dishes for me are the Honey Glazed Ribs and the Shoyu Chicken. Both are moist and juicy and enough to satisfy a carnivore like me :D Both the shoyu chicken has enough meet on it and the honey glazed ribs too. Some of the other stuff here are pretty okay like the char siu and the roast duck. Ehhh, not really a big fan of the noodles here. There the same as other places like Panda Express. Overall it's pretty good and affordable here, nothing really over $10. My usual: 2 entree: White rice, shoyu chicken, honey glazed ribs. If it's the Filipino lady in red taking my order I always ask for her to put some extra sauce from the glazed ribs on my rice :D Yummy! I think I know where I'm going for lunch today.... ;) *Edit As for the dim sum part of this place I never really tried anything from this place except a bite of an egg custard from my friend who bought one. It's pretty good I guess, like any other egg custard. Some of the stuff there are pretty over priced like the small mooncake which is like $1.25 and the big one for $3.99
(4)ed k.
The case of the shrinking styrofoam container. Gosh I couldn't believe the size of their serving container. It is definitely not your regular size container which results in smaller portion of everything. Now I know why everyone is at Panda Express.
(1)Molly C.
I've tried Chinatown Express three times so far and each time I wish I had gone somewhere else in the food court. Even Patti's Chinese Kitchen at the end of their run when the food had gone really downhill was better than this place's food. I just ate some of their dim sum and think I could get the same quality at 7-11. Bleah. Does anyone know of a decent takeout dim sum place around the Ala Moana area?
(1)Kevin H.
i didnt want any asian food since we were in hawaii, but my grandpa wanted some asain food, so he just got a platter, and i had a little. i was blown away! who knew that a little fast food restaurant in the corner of a hawaiian mall could be so good? they have tons of entrees, and after 8 pm everything is half off! i would have came back if i could, but that was our last night in hawaii.
(4)