The fried rice. Could keep this review at those three words and leave it at that but out of passion for the perfection of their fried rice, I feel compelled to provide further explanation. It was served HOT and fresh. Still steaming hot even after driving home and opening the container about 30-40 mins after picking it up. My husband chose the char siu fried rice and I ordered the shrimp fried rice. ABSOLUTELY worth the $ upgrade. The egg was plentiful but not overpowering, the rice was chewy with some crispy pieces, it was greasy in just the right way, the flavor was just what you anticipate. It was incredible. I really loved my spicy eggplant chicken, and my husband thought the orange chicken was delicious. We had such a hard time deciding on our orders because they have so many options. We can't wait to come back and try more of their food (but still some fried rice of course)! read more

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I'm not sure why some people's fried ginger chicken plate looks packed but this is my plate sans the sauce. Fried chicken ok but fried rice was delicious. I recommend the fried rice upgrade. Restaurant is clean and staff is friendly. Food I would say is so so. I would eat here if I'm in the area. read more

Aloha Manapua - Fried chicken with fried rice - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Heard that Aloha Manapua is home of the original ginger fried chicken, so since we were already in town we made a visit there! I know there are a lot of other places that are starting to make this now, but I wanted to try here first. We ordered the ginger fried chicken, garlic shrimp with fried rice, pork hash, half moon, and white rice cake. The ginger fried chicken was good but the sauce needs a little more oil and salt. I did like that the rice was perfect though, not mushy like some places nowadays. The half moon was great and so was the rice cake. Both were very soft and tasted fresh! My boyfriend said that the garlic shrimp plate was good. The fried rice could have used a little more flavor but otherwise great for the price. The sign outside says "Island Manapua" but inside says Aloha Manapua. They're located in the Manoa Marketplace by the crackseed store. We were lucky and didn't have to wait too long like some people said. We called in order and it was ready in about 20 minutes. Lots of parking so it's easy to get to. read more

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I was finally able to try the Ginger Fried Chicken from Aloha Manapua in Manoa Marketplace.   After seeing several IG posts and drooling every time I saw it, I decided "today is the day!!!"    Located in the Manoa Marketplace, there's plenty of parking and if you have kids, they can also play on the playground that was recently installed.  The inside of Aloha Manapua looks like they renovated from the last time I went.  (Was this called Island Managua before?)  The stacks of 'stuff' were no longer there and the area looked white and clean with a lot more open space.   They also moved the checkout to the back and installed cabinets to store things.  This was a big improvement to their appearance. Okay....now the Ginger Fried Chicken review!   I've always been a BIG fan of the green onion, ginger sauce -- I can eat it with just rice and be perfectly happy!   I sometimes order cold ginger chicken for the sauce as I really don't care for cold chicken with the blood showing by the bone (okay,,,I'm a wuss).   Now this chicken combines the best of both worlds ---- FRIED chicken (anything fried is a BFF of mine) and my favorite green onion/ginger sauce.   I think the only bit of advice would be to put a little more salt.   I ate the first half as is then added little bit shoyu on the 2nd half and it was P-E-R-F-E-C-T!   Just a note - they fried it fresh which is a great thing.   Because of this, I needed to wait 10-15 minutes for my chicken.   It's worth the wait!  Since I was there, I bought char siu bao, pork hash, and jin dui -- these are my regulars for snacking on. Can't go wrong with dim sum. I almost forgot to mention prices - char siu bao ($3.00), jin dui ($2.95), pork hash ($1.85), and the yummy Ginger Fried Chicken ($15.95). I actually ate the chicken over 2 meals so it was a great deal! Totally recommend the Ginger Fried Chicken -- the IG posts didn't lie! Can't wait to go again (maybe even ask for extra green onion/ginger sauce next time). read more

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Came here for a snack after our tour and walk around university of Hawaii Manoa campus. It was a little drizzly, but that's Manoa. We saw the Aloha Manapua wanted to stop in for a snack. Got the baked barbecue pork Manapua, they had both baked and steamed, and the chicken Manapua. OK flavors are all right. Service was really friendly and fine. It's a quick grab and go type restaurant. I think my sister's Char Sui bao with the pork was more ground pork than meaty char sui. She said was OK. It was not good. My chicken bowl was fine. It was OK shredded chicken flavor is OK. It's very casual. Everything is OK. nothing over the top. read more

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Nostalgia keeps me coming back no matter the name. We only come here for manapuas and pork hash, so disregard any of my reviews on this place if you are looking at the plate lunch stuff... Update: just in case you're wondering, still delicious AND they packaged it up all so nicely this time around! They will always keep me coming back for more! read more

Aloha Manapua - 2 steamed manapua, 2 baked manapuas, gau her, and pork hash - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I actually came here specifically to try the famous fried ginger chicken, but unfortunately the fryer was down when I arrived around 8 a.m. Since I was already here, I decided to try the steamed Char Siu Manapua and the classic pork hash instead. The rice cake was also unavailable. The Char Siu Manapua had the flavor of char siu, but the filling had more of a ground pork texture rather than actual chunks of char siu. The pork hash was also a little disappointing--it was falling apart and lacked the flavor I was hoping for. It wasn't the experience I came for, so I don't think I got to judge this place at its best. I'll still be back to give their fried ginger chicken a fair shot because that's what originally brought me here. Hopefully next time I'll get to try what they're known for. read more

Aloha Manapua - Char Siu Moanalua & Pork Hash - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I am so glad places still make vegetarian stuff, but my advice to anyone looking to eat a Veggie Manapua from here - DON'T. It was mostly breading and I don't even know what the veggies were inside, it was kind of scary to open it up to see dried peas and flakes of carrots and smudges of something I can't make out?? I know what you're thinking - it looks like p***!!! Don't Say IT!!!! I took a few bites but it tasted so bad I couldn't eat it. Threw away both of them. The char siu bao and pork hash I purchased for my family were OK, they said. Prices - forgot, think the prices were about on the average side. Nothing really sticks out about this place. Other than that, stay away from the vegetarian stuff here. read more

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Ordered cold ginger chicken with sauce on the side and i got this! WTF is this? Called and asked if I got the wrong chicken, She said they make it with shoyu chicken.. WAIT.. WHAT!! Damn!! read more

Aloha Manapua - Its supposed to be cold ginger chicken - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I remember not caring to come here as the pre-heated food didn't look appetizing sitting in the warmer containers. I don't know if it changed owners or maybe they redid their layout and got rid of the premade food like when you go to Panda's and everything is made to order which is a good and bad thing. Good in that everything is made fresh but bad if there is a long line in front of you as you have to wait. They have both a variety of steamed and baked manapuas. They seem to have more filling than when I used to come previously which is a good thing. We like getting their pork belly bao, look funn and now my favorite and is the reason I started coming back here is their ginger onion fried chicken. Yeah you know the ginger onion sauce that usually comes with the cold chicken? Yeah that one but on top of the fried chicken. You can also ask for them to put the sauce on the side but I like it all over the top of the chicken. They also have the rubber rice aka rice cake (white and the one with the brown top), pork hash, jian dui, as well as a bunch of lunch plates. So if you find yourself in Manoa, stop by the Manoa Market Place and get your dim sum or try their ginger onion fried chicken, your tastebuds will thank you. read more

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I grew up coming here so it's very nostalgic to me. Classic options for dimsum ready and hot. More recently I'd say the food is hit or miss. And they run out pretty quickly. A couple weeks ago; We arrived around 10:30/11am and they were already sold out of most of their manapuas, (Id say they usually always have the classic char siu) and some dim sum. They didn't offer us to wait while they made more so I'm assuming that was it for the day (they close at 8pm) I usually get dim sum but since there wasn't much I decided to get a plate lunch as well. I ordered the salt and pepper pork chops and subbed the white rice with chow fun. The pork chops were seasoned well but were very tough and thin, not like other Chinese restaurants. The chow fun was barely seasoned maybe with just salt and pepper. Pork has was a little dry but overall good. We were already far at home so we just accepted it and called it a day. We came again today to grab a quick lunch we arrived at 1pm and they close at 4/5pm. A few hours till closing and they were already done. They had a couple manapuas and a few dimsum. No pork hash baked manapuas. We tried to order a plate lunch but they said everything would take at least 30 minutes. Unfortunately we just left since we were on a time crunch. Service is pretty good, they're patient Wish they'd carry hot sauce besides mustard but that's just my preference. Would come again only if it's early. read more

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Bought the chicken curry baked manapua and the meat was sour and smelled. The Kalua pig baked was also dry and not tasty. Threw both manapua away. Tried calling them but get a message saying voice mail not set up. I wouldn't recommend anyone to eat there. read more

Today I got to try the Roast Duck/Charsiu with Rice and they gave a lot and it was tasty. Also, the service was very friendly and helpful. read more

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I was in the Manoa area and decided to drop by Island Manapua for nostalgic reasons even though I know things have changed a lot since it used to be go-to fav for fast dim sum take out 30+ years ago. The store looks much the same so you know you're in the right place, but it's cleaned up and a lot less cluttered. The lady who served me was delightfully friendly, energetic and helpful. I ordered a plate of spicy eggplant tofu with veggie chow fun in place of rice, 1 har gow, and 2 pieces of steamed white rice cake. My plate had to be cooked to order and was going to take 15 minutes (which I didn't mind as I could easily waste time shopping Long's). The best item of the haul was the white rice cake: fresh, soft, sweet and slippery. In my opinion, they make the best rice cake in town. The har gow did not satisfy my craving; the filling was a couple of small stiff salty lumps inside of a nice looking but overly thick wrapper. I'm glad I only bought one. The plate lunch was hefty, loaded, and piping hot. There was a lot of chow fun and just a single scoop of eggplant tofu. The chow fun was plain tossed sparingly with thin strips of carrot and celery. The eggplant tofu was unseasoned except for a coating of a plain beige sauce that tasted like a chicken broth cornstarch slurry but not much else. On the plus side, the dish wasn't overcooked or oily or salty, so probably quite a bit healthier than if prepared in the traditional Chinese fashion. Also, because of the large portion, I'll have enough to eat for a couple more days, which I will do and season to my liking with ingredients I have at home. read more

Aloha Manapua - Eggplant tofu with veggie chow fun - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I have not been here in ages. The food is exactly how I remembered it, average. They no longer do it Panda Express style for plate lunches, where they just scoop the entree that you want. It's all made to order or reheated in the kitchen. I got the roast duck and ginger onion chicken with rice $16.95. I also got two pork hash $1.85 each and a red bean jin dui $2.50. First of all, the ginger onion chicken wasn't ginger onion chicken. It was shoyu chicken with the ginger onion sauce top. Did they not know that I could tell the difference? I must really not look Chinese. While it wasn't bad, it was just a weird combo. The ginger onion sauce was tasty, but it's hard to mess that up. The pork hash was alright. Pass on the jin dui. It was one of the worst that I've had on the island. It was burnt, thick, chewy and hard. It was not crispy at all. read more

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I really wanted to love this place after seeing Instagram reels of their famous ginger fried chicken with ginger scallion over fried rice. The girls in those videos were eating it like it was the best thing ever, and I was honestly salivating. I had to try it. So I went, took my first bite of the chicken, then another with the ginger scallion. My first thought? Something's off. It was... bland. Then I tried the fried rice, and it was bland too. I actually had to add soy sauce just to give it some flavor. The way those reels hyped it up, I was expecting an explosion of flavor. Instead, it tasted way too clean and healthy for my liking. Give me a little MSG! The ginger scallion I'm used to from Big Wong in New York City is absolutely addictive. This version just felt flat. I kept wondering, where's the salt? Where's the flavor? For me, it's a 2 out of 5 stars. Definitely not worth all the hype. read more

First time visiting this place, and I regretted it the moment I walked in. The place was dirty and run-down -- more fitting for Kalihi than Manoa. I'm very particular about cleanliness, and this spot definitely missed the mark. On a positive note, the counter person was friendly and took the time to explain what was available. I picked up a few items to try: the pork belly bao was just okay -- the skin was chewy instead of crispy; the pork hash was hot and fresh; and the manapua was soft, though the filling lacked flavor and seasoning. I tried the char sui, Kailua pork and duck. I'll stick to Chinatown. read more

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The choices... Manapua is like the musubi in the asian world and though I'm not a huge bread person this is where you just can't go wrong. Located in Manoa Marketplace this little gem is one of several local biz that just knows how to make us happy with all our favorite items that we've grown up and enjoyed. The name says Manapua but it certainly doesn't end there as when I saw the special menu outside that just cracks the surface of the that they prepare as there's a whole giant selection on the menu inside and the vibe of this tiny place is so nice. Sadly I came a couple hours before closing though it was still dinner time many of the items are sold and cleaned out as the same for their manapuas...baked or steamed, I'm for team steam and it was the classic pork and think that's all they had so I got two but as all the warmers was turned off so was the manapua as it was cold :( They have all sorts of dim sum as well and I'd like to return and grab a plate lunch with the selections they have it had my mouth watering and would've walked away with enough to start a party though love this classic locally loved place that supports us in so many ways. Thank you! read more

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I have been patronizing this location for years as there aren't many dim sum places in town that are take out with free, private lot. Located in Manoa Marketplace. The chowfunn has been good most of the time. What I go there for more than anything else. The flavor, the noodles, the portion size, keep me coming back. In 2024, the business was sold. Since then, I have been here only a couple of times. No real changes except for the half moon which was almost 100% woodear mushrooms. Today I was pleasantly surprised to learn IM has merged with Honolulu Kitchen, home of the deep fried manapua! I've only had their manapua when someone brings it to the office. Through the month of June, they will be promoting the fried manapua. Go get your samples! read more

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I didn't really need a snack...but I also had to use the restroom and needed the bathroom code...LOL! My go to are baked manapua and pork hash. I do compare them to my favorite Sing Cheong, and these did not disappoint. Although they are smaller, they did hit the spot! The man working behind the counter was kind and friendly! I do wish he had some help though since we were standing in a small line. Mahalo Island Manapua! read more

Aloha Manapua - I wish I was hungrier because that jook sounded delicious! - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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A great little "hole-in-the-wall" take out spot that has an amazing variety of standard, and specialty Chinese food plate lunches and manapua. Some things are pre-made and available from the counter, but most things are made to order, so be prepared to wait. Usually, there's a line of people at the counter, both waiting to order and pick up orders. They also take phone orders and do catering pans. If you're in a hurry, or have a large order, I'd definitely suggest you call in ahead of time. There were actually a couple of people that walked out before ordering because the wait was too long for them. The House specialty plates are great; we ordered a couple of the boneless Peking duck with cake noodles and a variety of manapua. The lunch prices are very reasonable, although the manapua prices are slightly higher than average. Overall though, it's a great spot that I hadn't been to in years, and will be back again. read more

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Ginger fried chicken so good!! Always order it & girl cashier so nice. I'll for sure be back. They are so quick as well.

Not as good as my go to place but it hits the spot and the dim sum is still good. Was really popular when i came in and it was pouring rain. The people were so welcoming and accommodating. Would come back again!! Remember when it was called Island manapua factory read more

They are now ALOHA Manapua, since at least early 2025. Food typical fast-foody Chinese. I like their pork hash. Little salty, but nothing wrong with salty. Bao buns are sometimes dry, but I like the Roast Pork Baos. Pretty good. Only thing now is they are kinda slow. I guess it's not totally pre-made (reheated?) so if you don't pre-order, be prepared to wait about 10 minutes. I called my order for 12 pork hash, 1 tray each of the roast pork and duck bao buns. Apparently the guy thought it was 20, even if they woman read me back my order 3 times. So he ran to pack my pork hash...I said, oh not ready yet, and he said, "yah we like to give to you fresh"...realized that was a load of crap since I saw him my baos out of the other bag that had a box of i'm guessing 20 pork hash and put into new one. It was amusing he thought I was stupid. I wasn't about that and not just owning up to an error, but at least I didn't end up with 20 pork hash. read more

Not sure if this location in Manoa is same owner as the Kalihi location. But, prices seem to be on the high side. Location in Manoa Marketplace, between CVS and Safeway, near Brugs. Purchased 3 Jin Dui, with Char siu filling. $2.50/each. Not much filling. Two had filling. One the filling was missing, no filling. Also, 2 rice cake. $2.95/each. Wasn't really a big piece. This is the highest I have ever paid. I contacted the business about the problem with the Jin Dui. I went back to get my money back. Free parking in shared parking lot. Parking lot is busy, sometimes hard to get a stall during peak time. read more

Aloha Manapua - Peking duck baked manapua. $3/each - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

FYI We went to the original Island Manapua on Gulick St. and found out that the Manoa location was sold. So this review is NOT island Manapua Factory but another restaurant using the Usland Manapua sign. read more

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Hadn't been here in a while but stopped in after my hair cut. The owner of Honolulu kitchen has bought this spot so he was there. They have the fried manapua that Honolulu Kitchen is known for but today I opted for Baked manapuas. The owner was amazing and super friendly he even threw in the rice cake as a "sample" the manapuas were decently stuffed and the buns/ bao were deliciously fluffy and sweet. The sweetness went well with the traditional Char Siu and also the honey garlic chicken although I did like the curry as well it wasnt nearly as tasty as the other two. The gaugee was awesome but id also like to preface and say I asked him for the extra crispy ones because I like mines burnt basically. The rice cake was tasty im interested to go back and taste the other sweets he has. He also gave me a sample of the pork hash which was delicious and the shumai which was tasty but to me those always taste the same every where I go. Overall the shop is small and what you see is what you get they also have plate lunches but what it comes down to for me is the service which was awesome and the taste which tbh im definitely going back for Honey Garlic chicken manapuas. read more

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It's been years since I last visited this establishment. I lived in the area and would frequently purchase manapua to bring as omiyage on my interisland travels. The line was quite long and several people took longer than usual to place an order. I was on a time crunch so I wasn't able to purchase anything this time around. I'll be back! Here's a quick pic on the sweet and savory mini manapua options for September 2025. read more

Aloha Manapua - September 2025 - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

FYI, wanted to try their viral fried chicken with ginger scallion sauce today Sunday at 1:30p. They were sold out. They are open 830-430. So you should call before driving all the way there like we did. Sad. read more

I wanted a snack and passed by the place and decided to try the manapua here. Hubby and I got the baked hot dog manapua. It would have been good if it was hot. I thought it was warm but it was cold. Service was good. There are no place to sit inside but they do have tables outside, read more

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This is my first time writing a review on Yelp, so I apologize if it's lacking in information, but this place is really worth a visit. I walked in to a very quaint waiting room for people ordering manapua or other quick snacks. There were a couple of seats for people whose orders were taking longer, so I do recommend to come in when there's not a line in case you want quick service. It wasn't too crowded or hot, which was nice after a long run for me. I decided to get the mapo tofu plate since I've been craving mapo tofu for a long time, and it was super tasty! The sauce used wasn't too sweet and a good amount of spicy, the pork was very tender as well. A good amount of meat and tofu with some delicious warm rice. The portions were really filling for only $15, it seems like all of their plate options are well sized. I tipped extra since I felt bad for coming in right when it got busy, and the kind lady working at the counter gave me an extra bun and some fried pork. I was touched and it went along nicely with my meal. Hot mustard is a must for fried food. I plan to come to this plate a lot more often. I hope that more people are willing to try out their tasty food and treat their staff kindly. read more

Aloha Manapua - Mapo tofu pork plate (Side dishes were given for free) - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Cake noodle duck plate ferda win. But the real mvp is the fried ginger chicken. Ginger chicken sauce always slap, add it into fried boneless chicken almost Katsu style and you got a party. Speaking of which, katsu cold ginger chicken sounds pretty mayj. read more

Island Manapua is a long time business in Hawaii. My first time to this location in Manoa Market Place shopping mall. This is a take out only shop. Although there are a few umbrella tables in the mall. Inside there was two chairs available, while you wait. Service was friendly , with a "thank you uncle " and a smile. I ordered Chow funn with char sui. Also Peking Duck Bao. Thbags. is prepacked in a container of four baos. This was very good. The chow funn was just average in taste.I did like that the portion noodles. Enjoy read more

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7/2/25 4 Stars for the gentlemen who served me Very friendly n welcoming He gave me a Shrimp Har Gow to try 3 Stars for food Pork Hash was a little dry just ok taste wise I like the juicy kind Har Gow had moist n plump pcs of shrimp but other filling was mushy I'll stick w the Baked Manapua it's much better! read more

Aloha Manapua - 7/2/25 Pork Hash n Har Gow - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

New owners! The service was friendly and the food is way better! The steamed charsiu manapua is heavier and full of meat. The pork hash, shrimp dumplings, and half moon are also heavier.. Usually I don't like the half moon and hargow at other places because the wrappers are always dry, breaks, and the dumpling falls apart. But not here, they're moist, i like the texture, and it holds together. Other than that I tried the minute chicken with cake noodle.. it was a bit light on the minute chicken and the cake noodle wasn't as crispy as I'd liked.. but the cake noodle had good flavor. to be honest I'd probably order it again. .. sorry no pictures, I was too hungry read more

We were tired and hungry tourists when we stumbled on this place. The service was impeccable and the food was really delicious! Portion size was huge! We sat at the outdoor table and enjoyed our meal. The prices were very fair too. Highly recommend! read more

Aloha Manapua - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Ginger chicken plate was disappointing. It would probably be better over chicken katsu and the ginger topping had almost no flavor. I don't see what the rave is about. The manapua wasn't the greatest either. Not sure if I'd go back. This is just my honest review. read more

Customer service was not up to par as usual. I stopped by to get a manupua. The customer before me bought two of random stuff; while there were 3 people behind the counter, they could not help the lady. One took the order, second one putting it together kept asking the first one what she ordered and the third one tried to collect money and clashed with the first person at cashier. They could be much better coordinated if they would work independently. Sorry I ran out of appetite and just gave away the manapua after I got it. read more

Aloha Manapua - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My brother and I just got done measuring window screens and felt hungry, so we headed here. I ordered the Mushroom Chicken for the second time, it's so delicious and healthy! It's packed with mushrooms and vegetables in great portions. I also had to have it with their fried rice... $2 more but it went well together. The young lady at the counter was very kind and friendly, but also really took the time to repeat what was ordered. This kind of service to me gives peace of mind to customers especially when there is a massive menu like this place, lol. Right outside is a little eating area that we used and it was nice and comfortable. read more

Aloha Manapua - Mushroom Chicken Plate with added Fried Rice - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I waited to try fried chicken ginger plate and came back 2x cause they didn't have . Today I tried it and what a disappointment ! No ginger in the sauce only onion n green onion. Chicken not crunchy , soggy. Yuck. Dont waste your money read more