I have an affinity for tiny restaurants -- Sabrina's, Moon Garden, Ethel's, Saigon Deli -- and after my most recent visit I added Dew Drop Inn to my list. The room is homey and quiet, and usually run only by one kindly, elderly lady. You could be as loud as in a "normal-sized" Chinese restaurant, but your voice would bounce back to you so rapidly it would interfere with your next thought. That said, use your library voice (since you never use it at the library anyway) and start with some chicken-chive dumplings, reminiscent of mandoo, served with a zingy fresh ginger-vinegar sauce. I'm definitely getting them potsticker-style next time for more of a gyoza-like crunch, but even steamed they are as addicting as Dylan's Candy Bars. Though the stir-fried beef with green onion failed to impress, beef with snow peas was delicious, with pieces of broccoli and water chestnuts. Dew Drop's orange chicken changed my mind about the usually repulsive goop they serve at Panda, or anywhere else I have dared to try it (Wah Kung, Golden Lion) - they're morsels of fatty-ass chicken (how else are they supposed to make 'em so damn crunchy??) tossed in a sauce that manages balance of sweet, tangy and savory. I will retry the pan-fried noodles with vegetables when I dine in; it's supposedly delicious fresh from the kitchen, but everything was kept separate in the takeout container, leaving the thick udon-like noodles much too chewy and inedible. The veg and sauce were tasty, but the dish overall fell short. I will also return to try the chicken with shao bing (sesame pockets), which looked amazing on another table, as well as the Mongolian beef. read more

Maybe my expectations for this place were way too high... maybe it's that I wanted it to justify the difficult parking... I'm not sure but I thought Dew Drop Inn was lackluster. The food is not bad, it's just.... ok. Completely forgettable. I couldn't tell you a single thing I had here that I would come back for, including their popular buns. Maybe we ordered the wrong things? Regardless my experience was just ok here. Service is good but the food was really just meh read more

Found this little place today and glad I did. I met the owner and wife and they were great kind, friendly people. I have to say the food was awesome and super tasty. I had the house fried rice and sweet and sour shrimp. I will be back for this delicious Chinese food. I would highly recommend this place. read more

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My family has been going to Dew Drop almost from the very start where she had but a couple of undecorated tables. It's deserving that this place has grown to be a nice comfort spot and a lot more popular now. Let me give you the straight dope. Like any other spot, this restaurant has stuff they make that is very ono, and other stuff that is plain bad. Good: -- potstickers -- there's a tofu dish with some shrimp thing on it that is great -- we always substitute rice for that northern chinese bread thing they make which is fantastic. It's crunchy on the outside, but soft and threaded like soft noodles inside. But ask for this first because otherwise you get this late into your meal. -- sesame pockets stuffed with beef or other things is tastey Bad/Horrible/Stay away -- hot sour soup -- fried rice -- dumpling w/ soup The owner is really nice. Service gets a little sporadic when the place is full. Just have to be patient. read more

I love jeannine s.'s description of this place having a 'big bright soul'- so true. Small, cozy place for northern chinese food conveniently located down the street from the Honolulu Academy of Arts- a great place for before or after-theater dinner. I've come here about 4 times, every time great service and always get to try something new thanks to the table next to us (which is like a foot away) eating something crazy delicious looking and i tell the waitress/chef/owner 'I want THAT". Smoked duck, chinese noodle with ground meat (jia jia mien), and shao bing sesame pockets are my favorites here. Maybe I'm prejudiced because this was one of the first places I ate at in honolulu and I've had some great meals with friends here, but that's spanned over 5 years and the great service and quality are consistent! read more

It is only appropriate to critique about food however I must commend this place for the comfort and ambiance that provides a more enjoyable dining experience. I was afraid of limited seating for the 7 of us so I called and reserved a table in the small restaurant that holds probably between 25-30 customers at one time. Nicely decorated table cloths, art with wall photos, mini and big ceramic pieces, and relaxing music. We ordered 9 dishes family style: -Choy sum with veges stuffed in tofu (curd) skin -String beans with ground pork -Green onion pancake -Steamed xiao long bun (order takes 20 minutes) -Potstickers -Orange chicken -Sechuan spicy chicken -Mongolian beef -Shanghai rice noodles All tasted flavorful yet not drowning in gravy, sauce, or sodium. I'm usually accustomed to cantonese flavors so the northern cuisine taste and spices were vastly different yet enjoyable. Another added "star" to the Dew Drop Inn is that they allow customers to BYOB. The total and gratuity split amongst the 7 of us came out to $16 each. read more

Last night, Dew Drop Inn was the location for our pre WICKED Musical play dinner. Our dinner reservation was for 6:30pm and the joint was hopping! As crowded as it was, the food came out fairly quick after ordering, so to make the 8pm show was no problem. The food here is the closest I can find to authentic Northern Chinese cuisine which I learned to love while living on the mainland. For some reason, Mandarin and Szechuan food isn't bastardized on the mainland like the Cantonese fare that I grew up with. Probably because the sauces and flavorings are so distinctive, that to alter them in any way would be disastrous, unlike the mild flavors of Cantonese cooking which when altered can still be consumed with nary a blink ( except by me and every other person of Chinese ancestry!) Best Hot and Sour soup on the Island! Mushu Pork, to die for! Pan fried noodles with beef broccoli, tasty. Szechuan eggplant, yummy! Szechuan beef, a bit too done. Roast duck with buns and plum sauce, good! (Though if you are going to serve it like that, please debone!) For a one woman front room show, pretty impressive. And so pleasant! I have yet to visit a Northern Chinese joint and have the usual throw the chopsticks and plates down at you while simultaneously asking, "What you lie?" Like at a Cantonese restaurant. I highly recommend this establishment! read more

Get here early! Everything is great. The sesame pockets, the pan friend pau, even the shrimp in lobster sauce. They have a picture menu which I always find entertaining. Fellow New Yorkers, if you miss the quirky little places in Chinatown this is definitely the place to go. Most of the Chinese places here in Honolulu have identical menus i.e, Meisum, Village Noodle and so on. read more

I came to try because I've seen the awards for Dew Drop Inn as a Top Chinese Restaurant. Overall, Dew Drop is alright; if anything, it provides something unique because its a Northern Chinese restaurant. But like most Chinese restaurants, there's large portions, and a bunch of starch. One of the house specialities is the sesame pockets. Essentially a sesame pita, nice, crunchy, and doughy, and you stuff whatever meat you want into it... beef, duck, chicken, whatevers. Its ok. As for some of the other dishes, fried rice, beef cake noodle, chow mein, yea, I didn't find anything compelling to make this a recommendation. I'll probably be back due to its proximity to work, so we'll see how my mind changes after I return. read more

Having spent some time in Taiwan, I can gladly say that the food here is pretty authentic, at least as close as one would expect to get an ocean away in Hawaii. They have many of the good foods you'd want to order at a typical Taiwanese restaurant including pan fried noodles, sesame flat bread (燒餅), and beef noodle soup. They also have xiao long bao here, but last time I had them, I felt they could use a little more work to be memorable. Other than that, almost everything I've ordered here has been pretty good. If you're in the mood for some good Chinese food and are willing to brave the tough parking situation here, Dew Drop Inn is a delicious, hidden treasure. read more

Dew Drop Inn - Black bean chicken noodles - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Really good mom and pop styled restaurant if you're looking for northern Chinese food. Loved the bean curd with choy sum, the fried fish fillet, and the orange chicken (which is obviously so much better than panda's). The workers were super nice, the portion sizes are big, and the atmosphere was great. read more

I was turned onto this place about 5 years ago. I'm a total foodie but Chinese food is not my favorite so for someone like myself to say this place is ono, you best believe it! I had passed this hole-in-the-wall a million times but never thought to go in, but I am glad I finally did! Inside, it is a cozy little, almost romantic place--as romantic as a Chinese restaurant can get! Their menu is extensive...and THEY HAVE PICTURES...which is great if you wanna see what you're gonna get! I don't remember specifically what I ordered over the course of the years but you definitely cannot go wrong with most of their veggie items...I didn't come out of the place feeling all yucky from oily or greasy grub. And their dishes are steaming hot coming out, always! read more

Excellent Northern Chinese cuisine! Our spread in our own description: Sesame pocket bread with ground pork, Bean curds stuffed with long rice noodles, bamboo shoots & mushroom, Soup dumplings, & Mapo tofu. Yes it does take a little longer for the food to get to you, but soooo worth it, and all were served piping hot. I also like it that there's no MSG in the food, so you don't feel awful afterwards. Be sure to use the red vinegar & chopped ginger that's brought to the table. It really compliments the food. Parking lot is tiny & shared with other businesses. read more

Dew Drop Inn - Vegetable bean curd - very good! - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I should give this place a 4 star for the amount of times we come here, but I think its more that we're so close to it, than thinking all the food is bomb. Mind you my family always orders the same things from Chinese restaurants so we've pretty much eaten the same things at different places. So this review is just on the items we ate. I'm sure there are other things that really good, but my Filipino family is stuck in our ways so we're not gonna be too adventurous with Chinese food we've never seen before/eaten. If someone orders it for us then we're down, but on our own? Uh, we stick with what we know. That being said, Dew Drop got their fried dishes right! Salt and pepper EVERYTHING is really good here. I really like the salt and pepper fish. Not just salt and pepper per se, but they get that Asiany taste going on. MSG? Perhaps, but me likes! =) Their seafood dishes are good here too, particularly the walnut shrimp. I'm not a huge fan of their hot and sour soup as its kinda of bland. The soup is sour...and hot...but it's missing the flavor. If you add some soy sauce to it, then it's good to me. And I'm not a fan of their cake noodle. The gravy part is good but the actual noodle is a really big fat noodle, fried so it's like a crispy, chewy plate. Yeah, didn't like the consistency of it though the actual taste of it wasn't bad. But I know I'll be back here, maybe we'll actually eat inside and order something different that way. We alway get our food to go. read more

The best Chinese food I've had in Honolulu so far. Cute location off of Beretania and Pensacola, but it's small so don't miss it - right across from Goodwill. Their food seems to be on the healthier side, with no MSG and less oily than other Chinese places. I go here weekly. BYOB and no corkage fees. It's pretty reasonable overall. Yum!! read more

Dew Drop Inn - Signage - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

It's a real shame because it looks like it was going to be tasty! Made a reservation and showed up on time for my reservation! I was told because other people were late to their reservation I had to wait. After being told to wait an Asian pair behind me got seated immediately. About 20 minutes went by and I was still not sat even after being on time and waiting. At that point I just left in disappointment. read more

Real authentic Chinese food. Brings back some memories. Wait was a bit long (it was Christmas Eve) but worth it.

Very small place and the wait can be long, but the food is amazing. Their buns are like thin-skinned manapuas but they're prepared potsticker style (seared on one side). So good. read more

Dew Drop Inn - Vegetarian buns - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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My family has been coming here for years and it's a favorite with our out of town family/guests too. I, begrudgingly, went with them last week Thursday. Parking is the pits with only four parking spaces to the left of the restaurant (which it shares with an apartment complex). The good news is that after 6 PM, you can park on the street right after the restaurant. My dad and I went early and scored the last space in the lot. They take reservations which is good for our party of 11. They took our orders quickly but the food took about 20 to 30 minutes to come. To get a glass of water took multiple inquiries and when we asked for napkins, the waiter motioned to the place where the napkins are held (we had to get our own). Combine that with my preference for anything not Chinese [food], I was not pleased. The food is good though and they seem to be known for their orange chicken in addition to their potstickers. I did enjoy the green bean with pork and greens with garlic (YUM!). I had two cutey patootie cousins (5 and 8) and they gave Hello Panda to them at the end in addition to some chocolate wafers. It pays to have really cute cousins, even though they didn't share the Hello Panda with me. read more

I really don't understand why this place has good reviews. Ever since moving from the Bay Area two years ago I have been searching for good food for a decent price on Oahu, I have been greatly disappointed. Let me start by saying the positive things about this place. I called in an order to go and they were very helpful and polite. When we arrived 15 minutes later the food was ready and the customer service was good. Now the bad. The place is a hole in the wall that looks filthy from the outside. Very little parking in a dark alley. The food was so ridiculously BLAND. I had one plate and was finished. It was 4 items for $50 which isn't too expensive but not cheap either. Honestly I wish I could give a better rating but I'm tired of searching places on yelp out here seeing great ratings and being very disappointed. I have been to several Chinese restaurants out here that had high ratings and they aren't anything over 3 stars. Hate to say it but PF Changs is still the best quality I've had out here which is funny, because that place was so overrated back in Cali. Pick up your food game Oahu! read more

Its my third time here. Small home restaurant. Popular. We came here at 5pm exactly and there are people waiting already. They have a extensive menu. Good for vegetarians too. We ordered the hot sour soup and which is my favorite and half crispy duck, pork buns. The pork buns is a must-have here, it's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Duck was well seasoned and cooked to perfection. It has smoky skin and tender when you bite in. Def will come back to try more. read more

Cute hole in the wall type place across the street from Auntie Pastas. They have quite an extensive menu to choose from, many dishes that I had not heard of before. In addition to the regular menu they also have a photo album on each table with photos of most of the dishes with the names in English and Chinese. An amusing and useful touch. We had a sweet roll for an appetizer. Any sweeter and it would have made a great desert. Very good. I don't remember the name of my dish but it came with sesame seed pockets and ground pork and was nicely tasty. I asked for it to be made spicy and it had flavor to it but not really much spice. Guess thats what I get for asking for ordering something that isn't traditionally spicy. This dish was 11.95 and the portion was large. The menu seems to be very reasonably priced. The various half duck dishes are 15. Nice atmosphere. Good for a date or a small gathering. They did seem reluctant to bring us water but I think that may be because they don't have an ice machine? A pot of hot Chinese tea is brought to you as you are seated. read more

Wasn't great, wasn't horrible. I like the fact there's no MSG in the food, but just didn't think it deserved all the hype. Ordered the pork Pot Stickers, Mu Shu Pork, and a pan fried noodle dish. All the dishes were ok but not outstanding in any way. Small dining room and limited parking detract from a higher rating also. Don't think I'll be dropping back inn. read more

Dew Drop Inn - Small dining room, limited parking. - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

That old peeling painted facade with the dangling sign in the breeze magnetically attracts you. It's curious partly because pretty much everyone that drives by here sees this sign and the small parking lot always seems full. It's one of those old places that gets your hopes up that, there really are some good longtime establishments still prospering in a congested city. Sometimes though, things just don't feel "right." They feel... ...Different. That's the best way I can describe Dew Drop Inn from other Chinese establishments. You'll start with their photo book. We ordered some deep fried noodles and they were like udon sized puffy noodles, a bit on the chewy side. I liked it. It was different. Many of the dishes had massive amounts of garlic speckled throughout them. Again, many of the traditional dishes you order here will be different from what you normally would expect.I thought the portion size to be quite small and in relation to the price, it was a bit on the pricey side. It's small and cozy on the inside. I'd think that a group of four would probably be the max you would want to visit here to get a table fairly quickly. Again, parking is subject to limited space. read more

Dew Drop Inn has been a Honolulu fixture for some time. It's a cozy restaurant with just nine or 10 tables with a big bright soul. The menu comes two ways in a tiny album filled with snapshots of appetizers, entrees and desserts. It also comes in a standard booklet format for those who don't want to window shop the menu. The restaurant features Northern Chinese cuisine, which is more sublime than the Cantonese dishes, which are more common in most local restaurants. For example, when you think of roasted duck normally it's Peking style with the orange crispy skin. At Dew Drop Inn, the serve a Roasted Tea Duck on steamed buns. The duck is not crispy like the Peking version, but the meat is very smoky and heavily infused with the flavor of tea. It pairs nicely with the plum sauce and scallions on a steamed bun. The Beef Broccoli Cake Noodle is a little different, too. The noodle is thick and round more like udon, but fried just like the thin crispy noodles to which I'm more accustomed. You can BYOB here. Safeway on Beretania is nearly kitty corner from the restaurant in case you need to run a quick errand for refereshments. read more

Had all the things I was supposed to have - hot and sour soup, shao bing / sesame pockets with pork and tofu, tea duck. Nothing stood out, plus service was... forgetful. No reason to come back. read more

Had some doubts after reading a few reviews. It was the day after Chinese New Year. Had reservations for 6:45 party of six. Got there at 6:35. The place was packed. Got sat at 7:05. We were served tea immediately. I took a tour of the kitchen and was delightfully surprised by their extremely clean restroom. The server was pleasant and helpful. She recommended the chicken dumplings. They melted in your mouth. The Tofu & Corn Egg Drop Soup was hearty and sweet. The Pepper Salted Lamb was unique, quality cuts of lamb, and the Braised Butterfish was fresh and tasty. Topped off the meal with Mango Sorbet and KONA Coffee ice cream. I have to give Dew Drop Inn all five stars for exceeding my expectations. I'm certain I'll return to this quaint Mom & Pop gig because of the personal service and the exquisite menu. I recommend Dew Drop Inn to anyone who is looking for authentic Northern Chinese food. Make reservations and be prepared to wait. If you are in a hurry check out Aunty Pasto's. read more

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First Cash only. You can bring your own drinks with no charge. I really like Chinese food here!!! It's a small inside but you can call to book a table. It's not super clean but I was impressed I enjoyed all food !! read more

Great Taiwanese food at a hidden location. Cute cozy restaurant that serves authentic Taiwanese food. I especially love the pork with pita buns and spicy beef noodle soup. Other dishes like dumplings and fried rice were great as well. read more

I'd like to say that I've tried all kinds of dishes here, but I can't ever get away from my favorite chicken dumplings and the mochi noodles!! I love this place. The food is light and so flavorful. It's always busy but I haven't noticed any slow service. Plus, they have this really yummy hard guava candy that they bring w/your bill :) Go check it out - it's different from other Chinese restaurants in Honolulu...BETTER! read more

Excellent food. Always good. It is the true definition of what a "hole in the wall" is. Great traditional Taiwanese style food. Small amazing oasis in a sea of shops and big box restaurants. read more

Great atmosphere & food. Had the bean curd wrap and spicy eggplant dishes. Both were very good. Highly recommended!! read more

Dew Drop Inn - Bean curd and spicy eggplant. - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Northern chinese, lots of funky breads, buns and noodles. By far the best Chinese restaurant in Honolulu. No MSG is used, not super oily, and very original. Must-try list: onion pancake, vegetarian ball, shao bing bread, more. A Honolulu landmark since the mid eighties. Our classic meal for two is: kungpao tofu, orange chicken, onion pancake. Brown rice available. Their don't go too spicy, so feel free to order it hot. read more

Ahhhh, what can I say...this place never seems to fail me! Bean skin balls and sesame chicken pockets are my fav, along with some veggies on the side choi sum...LOVEEEE! The food is always the same and never once did we not like a dish. cute little hole in the wall restaurant....so good! You have to try to this place. They also take in-advance calls for dishes that you know will take 20 mins to freshly prep! So make sure you Dew Drop Inn for some good ono' food!! yum. EDITED my review: forgot to mention its BYOB with no corkage fee, AWESOME!!! read more

First time eating here last night. I've avoided it a bit cause it's so small and from the outside looks crowded. Last night, we were seated at a small table very quickly and while the tables are close together, somehow it didn't feel crowded. The service was excellent and the lighting and music we conducive to good food and good conversation. We had the crispy duck which was delicious. Really crispy and meaty and tender. Immmmmm. The shrimp and mixed vegetable was delicious and the egg foo young was divine. They have lot's of choices and I look forward to coming back and discovering other flavors. read more

Very tasty food. Best northern cuisine on the island. The shao bing with dried tofu and pork is our favorite. Five stars for the food. Service is negative point ! We only ordered three things but waited 40 minutes for the potstickers. it turned out that the kitchen forgot our order. The japanese tourists next to us had the same experience. One of the dishes that they ordered did not come. If service is important to you, this is not the place for you. read more

Dew Drop Inn - Shao bing - Chinese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

It is a quaint little place. There is limited parking on the side of the restaurant and street parking on Beretania St. There is only a few tables. I recommend parties of 4 or less. Otherwise it may take awhile to get seated. The food is excellent. Everything we ate was delicious. I would definitely go back there soon. For anyone looking for a good Chinese restaurant, this is IT!!! read more

I may update the rating eventually. The first visit was positive. I am so impressed but I do not know enough to say this place is the best place ever. It may be. Their Northern menu is comforting to me. I know my way around it better. The Hong Kong style restaurants in Hawaii do not match my taste buds as readily. We had Cashew Chicken and Mu Shu Chicken. The pancakes were amazing. The sauce on the Cashew Chicken? Perfect. Mu Shu? Reeeealy good. I rarely review a place after one visit. I want to give it five stars, but I can't. We were too limited with our choices. We will be back. This may become my new favorite place. read more

Best chinese anywhere! Super friendly service too! Love this place & all the dishes are fantastic with mo msg! So ono! read more

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Best boiled dumplings in downtown Honolulu, perhaps even all of Oahu... My brother Jimmy and I walked here from our place on Queen street. It was a interesting walk, as part of the way we had to dodge homeless people in the park by Thomas Square. Actually, they have a Goodwill store off Beretania were most of the homeless congregate. So it was kind of like a scene out of the Michael Jackson video Thriller, as they started slowly walking, some dragging their feet toward us. And, scary enough, the restaurant is off Beretania. But several hundred feet past the Goodwill store. Anyway, for whatever reason, once they get about one hundred feet past the store, they stop and turn around. Whew, I was glad, as my fat feet are not that fast, but at least faster than the homeless hoard. Something I will not get into in this food add, but will mention that as a society we need to help these folks more than what we are already doing. Just don't know what the answer is, I leave that to you psychiatrist Yelpers out there. So regarding the food, the dumpling were terrific, but they did not have dark vinegar on the table, so I had to request it special from them. Crazy huh? If they have it in the kitchen fine, but perhaps just to be safe, bring your own. Dumplings were expensive but so tasty, and it would be difficult for you to find elsewhere. Other food was traditional Chinese and good. Please, please stay away from General Tsao's chicken, crab rangoon, sweet and sour chop suey, and anything else you have eaten at American "Chinese" restaurants. Place can get crowded and is not usually good for kids. Make a reservation in advance. Owners, their son and soon to be daughter in law, hint hint, a good people, treat them with respect and you will be returned with love and kindness, making its way into the food. Ask the owners for some traditional dishes, ok! Stay hungry my friends. Leonard "Lil Pip" Pipkins read more