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    Happy Cafe BBQ

    4.2 (83 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Happy Cafe BBQ Takeout or Delivery

    Happy Cafe BBQ Photos

    HAPPY CAFE BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Happy Cafe BBQ

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    Melanie T.

    Quality isn't very consistent which was crazy because we were the only ones here. But our dishes weren't the best. First off, the yellow noodle seafood sauce is usually crunchy noodles. But today, it tasted like Lo mein meaning just regular noodles drenched in sauce. The walnut shrimp was coated in flour and batter to make the shrimp seem huge but when you bite into it, it was just flour. The scallion pancake did not have any scallion. It was just flour. Things that are consistently good: - beef chow Mein - the greens - soup - the pork deep fried ribs - and the black bean clams

    Adam Y.

    One of the Chinese restaurants I would not hesitate to bring out of town friends to is Happy Cafe on South Federal. Besides being one of the most frequented Cantonese restaurants by locals, it is also often complimented for its variety and authenticity. At the corner of South Federal and Ford with limited parking spaces, the restaurant may look uninspiring and ordinary, the food here is anything but. Here are its beef with hot chili sauce, shredded salty chicken, boiled fish fillet with pickled vegetable, eggplant with garlic sauce and Maggie duck chin.

    Yum
    Deborah M.

    I was craving Taiwanese beef noodle soup and saw a good pick on Yelp! We came here for lunch and were the last 2 person table top. Busy but not too busy! Ordered the fry bun that are perfectly crispy on the outside and like a fluffy cloud on the inside-perfection. I got the beef noodle soup and the flavor of the broth was well developed, however, the beef could have been much more tender- I'm used to the melt in your mouth texture. Overall a delightful satisfying meal!

    Delicious Sauce RiceNoodle

    The food from my order that I included photos and descriptions of were delicious but the delivery through the yelp app was horrible. The driver brought our bag dripping wet and set it on our door step and didn't knock when we picked up our order off the porch it made a huge mess from front door to kitchen on our new carpet. Go into the restaurant because delivery was awful. Only subpar food item was The crab cheese wontons as they were cold and under filled.

    腊肠炒蔬菜
    Joy Q.

    One of the best Chinese restaurants in Denver Came here after a hike. Greeted by friendly service and large portion of food. So fresh and yummy!! They have a big menu too, and I can't wait to come back next time

    Small restaurant. No frills ambiance. Iced water served. Christmas lunch and one server who did a phenomenon job. Salt and pepper fish fillet: very tender and tender. Perfectly done. Good sized pieces and good quantity. Sichuan Beef brisket clay pot: mushrooms, glass noodles, Napa cabbage, wood ear fungi, dried bean curd in a flavorful broth. Left my lips and tongue tingling! Great flavor but too spicy for someone who can't tolerate spicy. Thankfully served with steamed rice to temper the heat. Beef chow fun and Singapore noodles: both very flavorful. Would come back for sure!

    Eggplant
    Cindy C.

    Authentic Chinese food, nice variety of dishes. The clay pot dishes are very popular. Highly recommend the fried eggplant - crispy outside, creamy inside, garnished with some jalapenos.

    Top: eggplant pot Bottom: Fried pumpkin with salted egg yolks
    Lily S.

    This is my new go to place for wok-fired Cantonese dishes. Most of them are pretty authentic. I've been here several times now and have enjoyed Beef Chow Fun, String Beans with Minced Meat and Preserved Olive Vegetables, Clay Pot Rice, steamed soup and more. All are recommended. The only 2 things that we've tried and were less than ideal was one of the Clay Pot Chicken dishes - it would be much better if they used dark meat instead of white. Also the Salted Duck Egg Yolk Coated Acorn Squash would be phenomenal if they didn't cover the squash slices in thick batter. Regret that I still haven't had a chance to try their famous Fried Milk Curd (permission to call it "dessert entree"?!) The picture looks so enticing but they're always out when I visited. More reasons to try it, I guess!

    Crystal Noodles with Chili Sauce

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    2 months ago

    I thought this place closed and is now Harbor Dim Sum in Alameda shopping center with Business Costco.

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    2 years ago

    The food is great I love the garlic ribs. The service is spot on and great location.

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    5 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Everything is good. Can't go wrong. Service is very friendly and feels like home. Yummy

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    3 years ago

    4 words: deep fried garlic spareribs. One of my most fave dishes in all of Denver. Do not sleep on this dish!!!!

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    2 years ago

    We go the boiling beef and fish. It was so good we ate all the bean sprouts and cabbage in it.

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    2 years ago

    Food was tasty, service was fast and great! Will be coming back! Even my picky Cantonese husband and mother in law agree.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Happy Cafe BBQ

    Are there any gluten-free dishes, or can they be made gf?

    Yes

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    Chopstickers

    Chopstickers

    4.2
    (275 reviews)
    3.6 mi
    $$
    Vegetarian friendly
    Vegan friendly

    This is a little hole in the wall spot & it does not disappoint. It's located near the Convention…read moreCenter (maybe a 10-minute walk) & they have vegan options! Yes, options, plural, as in more than one! I had their vegan bao & their spicy vegan Dandan noodles. Both were delicious. Our food took a while to come out because the line to order food was super long, but the food was worth the wait.

    Chopstickers is a classic 'hole in the wall' spot located about a block and a half from the…read moreConvention Center. I visited there during a break from a convention I was attending and was glad to find it open. Service was brusque but reasonably fast. I ordered the Pork Water-Fried Bao and the Spicy Ground Pork over rice. Both looked great; but alas, both dishes were unaccountably bland. I'm not a 'five alarm fire is a great flavor' kind of guy but when a dish says 'Spicy Ground Pork', it better have more zip than communion wafers. Average it out, and this place scores a 3 out of 5 on the 'CTJ Scale', as noted below. 5 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Jesus good. Would be OK passing away after finishing a plate here. 4 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Mary good. Would be OK having a nosh here with Mother Mary. 3 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Joseph good. Would be OK having a beer here with Jesus' Dad. 2 out of 5 stars: Come-to-the-Apostles good. Meh. Wouldn't have my last supper here. 1 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Nobody good. I wouldn't have my penultimate supper here, either.

    Photos
    Competitive pricing in Denver downtown
    Competitive pricing in Denver downtown
    Slowly pan fried potstickers
    Slowly pan fried potstickers
    Freshly steamed soup dumplings

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    Freshly steamed soup dumplings
    Wok Spicy

    Wok Spicy

    4.6
    (98 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    Came in on a pretty busy Friday night around 6:00pm. Street or lot parking! Seated quickly, service…read morewas great, and always clean. I am so glad that they are so consistent and have not changed recipes or adjusted seasonings. Ordered our two favorites - pickled pepper beef and mapo tofu. Then the string beans and a new dish - sauerkraut fish filet. The sauerkraut fish filet reminded me of the Vietnamese catfish soup but no sweetness added. Very good dish and will def order again. Also love that they have quality rice here.

    Decided to come here because I was craving Chinese food and heard good things about this place…read more Figured I'd give it a try. We ordered the fried tofu (with peppers and onions), orange chicken, fried fish fillet, and veggie delight (mixed veggies). The fried fish fillet was definitely the standout. Perfectly crispy on the outside with a light, tangy layer of sauce that added flavor without making it soggy. Easily my favorite dish of the meal. The fried tofu was also really solid and flavorful with just the right amount of spice. The peppers and onions complemented it well without overpowering the tofu itself. The orange chicken was okay. I tend to compare orange chicken to Panda Express (probably unfair, but it's my benchmark), and this one didn't quite hit that same balance of crispiness and sauce. I think if it had a bit more meat within each piece, would be better. The mixed vegetables were decent but not something I'd order again. They felt a bit drenched in sauce and didn't have much depth in flavor. One of the highlights of the visit was meeting an elderly woman who helps out when it gets busy. She mentioned she was the former owner. She was incredibly kind, and we ended up having a really nice conversation in Mandarin. That personal touch made the experience even more memorable. Otherwise, really nice venue with lots of space and tables. Waiters always refilled my water, which is a good plus. Also gave me fresh rice when I took the leftovers to go. Overall, a solid meal with a couple standout dishes. I'd definitely come back for the fried fish fillet and tofu. Will be back to try their other dishes.

    Photos
    Wok Spicy
    Chongqing Chili Chicken
    Chongqing Chili Chicken
    Wok Spicy

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    ChoLon Modern Asian - Downtown

    ChoLon Modern Asian - Downtown

    4.1
    (1.5k reviews)
    3.8 mi
    $$$

    While visiting Denver, my coworkers and I went to ChoLon downtown. It was restaurant week in Denver…read moreso the menu was limited but we still found a lot of items to try out. The chicken soup dumplings, pork potstickers, and the ice cream was all very good! I wasn't such a huge fan of the tufu pork belly noodles. I'm not really a fan of tofu but I didn't really like the noodle dish in general. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful and well designed. The wait staff was also very friendly. I would like to come back here and try more items from their regular menu.

    I was really hoping, no -expecting,to like this because EVERYONE would rant and rave about how…read moredelicious this place was... Honestly, it was pretty mid at best. I was intrigued by the dumplings, but definitely did not try them seemed a bit to modern. Malaysian noodles were decent with bit of flavor, but overwhelmingly, egg & bean sprouts with very little noodle & overcooked pork belly. It was so rough... I was really expecting some being that would basically melt in my mouth and that was not at all the experience. it made me miss San Francisco Asian food so much... as a treat myself kind of meal, it was fine, but I'm glad I went by myself rather than a date night with my husband cause I think we both would've regretted it on the plus side if there is one is that the staff we're remarkably friendly even for the lunch crowd. It was pretty slow.

    Photos
    Dining room
    Dining room
    Wok-Tossed Baby Bok Choy (~$8)
    Wok-Tossed Baby Bok Choy (~$8)
    Malaysian Noodles w Chicken (~$28)

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    Malaysian Noodles w Chicken (~$28)
    Q House

    Q House

    4.4
    (285 reviews)
    5.0 mi
    $$

    Wow. I was so impressed with this place! I had just finished reading a book about Chinese cuisine,…read moreand so was feeling inspired for our most recent date night. I haven't been very impressed with Chinese food in Denver, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but we were blown awayyyy!! We got several things to share, and I loved it all! The chicken shrimp wontons were so savory & a little bit spicy- the sauce was perfect. We next split the asparagus and green beans, which was the dish I was least excited about, but I'm pretty sure it ended up being my favorite. Crunchy, fresh, and a little spicy- delicious! Next we had the smoked wagyu brisket lo mein- wowwww this was so good. The smokiness wasn't overpowering, and once again the sauce was the best part. Noodles cooked to perfection. We ended with the Chong Qing chicken- this dish wasn't really up my alley, but my husband loved it! Salty & crunchy with sichuan peppers! Our server was really helpful & suggested all these dishes to us. To top it off, service was speedy! We were out of there in an hour with full happy bellies :)

    Went for a last hurrah before they close Oct 4! I've gotten take out here before and liked it, but…read morehadn't had the full sit-down experience until the 11th hour. I loved the high fashion cocktail! Interesting tea flavors, well-balanced, and not too sweet. And I'm sad it's going away. The food was also quite delicious. The dried scallop and bacon fried rice was game-changing! I'd have never thought to put those two things in fried rice, but it's so delicious! And the bacon just takes it up a whole other level. The short rib noodles were also yummy. I thought the cold chicken dish was interesting, like Taiwanese cold noodles but without the noodles. The fried Chinese eggplant was also a highlight. Sad this place has to close :(

    Photos
    Q House
    Q House
    Q House

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    Happy Cafe BBQ - chinese - Updated August 2026

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