Thanks, Paul C. for putting this place on my radar. It is quite a hole in the wall. Service is friendly but slooooooooooow. Like I had to spend 2 hours for lunch slow. But with their grand opening discount, we got 5 dishes for under $30 (say what?)! I liked the variety in the menu and got excited when I saw salted fish fried rice. I wish that they had put in my salted fish, but hey it is on the menu...a good first step. We also ordered the house duck (which they ran out of so we got a mixture of that and the char siu). The duck was tender and juicy. The char siu was eh. The kitchen connects the dine-in shop with the food court at the market on Maunakea. I'm not sure if they'd let you order off the restaurant menu on the food court side. read more

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Came here because of the deal. The entrance is on hotel street and not maunakea, got a little lost. The service was friendly. We got watermelon smoothie, milk tea, braised duck on rice and minute chicken cake noodle. So... Watermelon Smoothie: a bit light. We love watermelon juice, so it didn't turn out to be what we were expecting. Milk Tea: Hong Kong style. They offer different sweetness. Was pretty yum! Braised Duck on rice: duck and rice both came out lukewarm :(. The gravy was just ok. Not so "signature" as I hoped. Minute Chicken Cake Noodle: steamy hot and TO DIE FOR!! This alone scores 10 stars and should be their signature dish! I've never had better minute chicken ever. Overall it's a nice little place to eat. I would be back if I happen to be in the same area. read more

Papa's Cafe - Duck on Rice - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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3 stars for the food. 2 stars for the service. ts too bad that the food is great but the customer service from the older short haired lady is horrible. Waited almost 10mins for someome to ask what we wanted, 2nd in line mind you, & the couple Imin front got 2 drinks... older woman finally asks us what we wanted, we ask her if they have bittermellon & spareribs... mumbles something like she's not sure & points to the back. Disappears to the back, comes back, looks at us, skips us & asks the people behind us if they want to order/pickup. I'm sorry is my order not good enough? Do you NOT have any spareribs? Communicate with me so I don't feel like you wanted to help everyone but me. read more

Hidden in the heart of Chinatown, Papa Cafe serves up delicious Hong Kong Cafe food! My favorite is this egg sauce dish with fish fillet. My boyfriend enjoys their laksa, minute chicken noodle cake & fried rice dishes! Along with their many delicious dishes, they have cheap all fruit smoothies, juices, fruit teas & Hong Kong milk tea! Trying to eat healthy? They have yummy veggie dishes you can swap the carbs out. There is something for everyone here, even for the most picky eater like me. read more

Papa's Cafe - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Tried Papa's cafe today 6/20/21. Lasksa is no longer $11.95 now it's $13.95& tax.Portions size is good,could use more seafood for the price. Taste is ok more concentrated better.Noodles are good match.Would try again.Miss Singapore and their laksa however this is nice. read more

Went here for lunch to try laksa for the first time. My friend and I both got the beef laksa and split an order of the cream cheese wonton appetizer. The portions of the laksa were good for the price. A big bowl of noodle soup in a red curry-ish broth with big meat hunks (a bit fatty, but that comes with the cut) for less than $10 is a good deal downtown. The wontons were pretty good for the price, too, and came with a bright red sweet dipping sauce. As a first time laksa eater, I don't consider myself an expert. However, I thought the flavors were kind of underwhelming, but not delicately varied like pho or robust like tantan men. The noodles' thickness is somewhere between udon and pho: thinner than udon, more substantial than pho, cylindrical and slippery. The wontons indeed had cream cheese inside, but also had mystery red pieces that neither I nor my friend could identify. The decor is very bare bones but homey and clean looking. We talked with another diner who is from Singapore and said she always comes to Papa's for laksa, and that the owners of Papa's also own Domo across the street. I probably won't go back, but it was fun to try something new that's hard to find in Honolulu. read more

Horrible! It takes 40 mins for my beef fried rice to arrive. Do not eat during lunch time. The lettuce is raw. The food is so mediocre. Very bad. read more

Papa's Cafe - Thai milk tea mix with hong kong milk tea. Not taste good. Is powder. Do not get it - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We totally scored a great deal during their opening. 30% off for entire bill in November. Born and raised in that area, I'm really picky in chinese food. Here's my experience: Service: In the beginning, you guys were awesome. However, I saw one of you licking the spoon and tasting the drink right in front of the customers. That was a no no. When you handed us our drink and touched our straw with fingers that just touched the money...you shouldn't have. Sanitation might need improvement. Food: Beef chow fun and chicken noodles - omg! It was watered down too much. It was soooo bland. Does that mean no msg? Hmm...might be a good thing. Milk tea: Green tea smoothie and avocado smoothie - you weren't too bad. However, I did asked for less sugar, why did it feel like a sugar rush. read more

Some of you are having a difficult time finding this place, but The Bus (#2 or #13 from Waikiki) darn near drops you off right at the front door on North Hotel St. You can also enter from the Maunakea food court. Service was very friendly in the small cafe, but if you come at the right time, you can score a table, otherwise just take your food out to the food court tables or outside patio. We had the minute chicken with cake noodles, bbq pork wonton noodles and some bok choy with oyster sauce, all were very good. read more

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Brisket and wonton look fun soup. Overall, it was satisfactory. The broth was the highlight, however, the Look Fun wasn't smiling! They just lacked a smoothness usually befitting this type of noodle which detracted from the soup. Not meaning to be evil or sarcastic, when you slurped them up, they were a little rough, like wood shavings, not slippey. read more

Tried it for dinner. It is crowded for lunch so we thought to give it a try. We had two dishes the eggplant and the house chicken with rice. The food came out quickly and the ice coffee was good. The other smoothies people ordered looked good. People were eating soup noodle dishes. We tried to order other dishes but they ran out of ingredients since they were busy earlier in the day. Food was tasty and the price was reasonable. We will have to go back another time. The service was good and the place was clean. read more

It is hidden treasures in Chinatown . I tried their laksa, was soo soo delicious. I highly recommend. Also , I like their Hong Kong Milk tea. I will be be be back. read more

Papa's Cafe - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Ordered this for take out. The laksa with wonton and beef with ramen noodles are to die for. The beef is so tender and the wonton is full of shrimp flavor. The soup is the perfect spice level and the noodles just make everything so filling. I loved the tofu in the soup as well! It's my addiction. read more

This place is new. Clean!!!! 100% fruit juice and yummy food!! Great customer services.... Got sousop smoothie read more

Papa's Cafe - Duck on soft noodle - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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My favorite place to go when I get off the bus for work! They are open early and makes food at a quick speed! I personally go here just for the Hong Kong Milk Tea with boba and it's not the best I've had (I'm a huge boba milk tea addict), but it's good! The only drawback is that sometimes they have not finished brewing the tea at the time I get off the bus (bummer!) I recently was hungry and wanted actual food so I decided to get the char siu with rice and it was great! They give you a good portion for the price and I was happy with it. I get hungry easily but I get full fast, with their portions, I get two meals! The lady that is usually in the front remembers me now that I come in so often and is always super friendly! I also am grateful for the kitchen staff as well because 1) they are very quick! and 2) if they notice you waiting outside, they try their best to let you know that they know you're there and try to get the cashier to come out to help you, even though their English is not the best, I appreciate their efforts. It was also very cute to see their relief when they realize I actually understand Chinese haha! Thank you again! read more

I was looking a place where to eat Laksa and Papa's Cafe was the first resto that pop up. The address was bit misleading so I got lost looking for the place. The laksa I ordered was delicious. The taste is somewhat the same as the laksa I ate in Singapore. The server was friendly and accomodating. The place was a bit small though. read more

Papa's Cafe - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The food I ordered here is always consistent . My favorite is the Xiamen noodle . It taste good and portion is big so I can never finish a whole plate for one meal . Today tried the egg drop soup is good as well , not too salty . Hi read more

Entrance is located on N. Hotel! I spent a good ten minutes looking for it because the yelp address was inaccurate. I came here the other day because I heard great things about the Laksa. It's been a while since I've had this dish but it was better than what I remember. There are two main types of Laksa available; there is beef and seafood. I opted for the seafood. It has shrimp, squid, fish, a boiled egg, chewy noodles, and crisp bean sprouts. The broth was delicious! I'm weak when it comes to eating spicy foods. I can usually only tolerate a certain degree of spice in my food and I've had experiences where it became an unpleasant experience because I could not enjoy the food. However, the level of spice in Papas Laksa was perfect! I could still enjoy the creamy and sweet flavor of the broth with the perfect amount of spice. I will definitely be coming back for more Laksa and am curious about their other menu items. read more

This is a really nice Hong Kong style restaurant. Food are so yummy and I will definitely order again. The customer service is vernice too. read more

Papa's Cafe - Shrimp fried rice - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Laksa craving satisfied!! Based on other reviews of this place, it's obvious that they're know for their Laksa. My mom and I love Laksa and sadly there just aren't any other places that make legit Laksa like Papa's (sorry, not sorry Panya). The Laksa flavor is amazing, portions were good (no skimpy seafood or beef tendon toppings), and prices are reasonable (seafood Laksa goes for ~$12). My dad isn't as into the coconut-y-ness of the soup so he ordered some other standard Cantonese dishes, which were up to his high standards (he's a native of Hong Kong). I really have no complaints about the service either. The only thing I didn't like about Papa's is their location. They're right on Hotel Street in the heart of Chinatown so expect to hear the buses whiz by while you dine. Dining area was also quite small and hot once the spicy soup got me warmed up. read more

Papa's Cafe - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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If you happen to see this comment, please stop and have a look. I want to tell you that this restaurant-Papa's cafe,Personally I think it's okay for Papa's Cafe to rank in the top few places in Chinatown. the food tastes very good, and their service quality is also very good. I have rarely seen a Chinese restaurant with such good service. You really need to try their dishes, their service. read more

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Probably the best Chinese food in Hawaii. The location isn't ideal as there are homeless people out in the front. But the food is damn good and damn cheap. Every dish I order there is a winner. Haven't found a bad one yet. They have bubble tea there too. That's darn good too. read more

This place is not a bad place the food is decent burgers are a little weird after taste sent and not exactly clean but makes up with great employees nice management if you like see food than you mite like this place read more

They have one of the best won ton mein on island. The broth is flavorful and the wontons have pieces of shrimp that is big enough to bite into! I have been craving a good won ton mein and it doesn't disappoint. I got the Char sui won ton mein and it was delicious. read more

Papa's Cafe - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Papa's Café has the best laksa in town! Wins hands down. Beats Panya. There are three varieties of laksa, wth wonton, beef brisket or seafood. Ordered the seafood and asked for it to be extra spicy. The curry broth is way more fragrant and richer than Panya. Had me sweating! So delicious. There are other yummy dishes too and bubble tea but my focus was the laksa. Come early. It's a small place with a lot of walk ins (it's by a bus stop) and a lot of people in the neighborhood order take out. read more

Papa's Cafe - The seafood laksa! - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I had really high expectations of this place because of the awesome reviews. Perhaps, it's because I chose the wrong dishes but the food here was really underwhelming. We ordered take out and they said it would take 20 minutes. I got there within 30 minutes but I still had to wait another 15 minutes upon arrival. Here are the items that we ordered: Chicken chow mein - Large portion but very bland. They also use a thinner noodle that I don't usually see in chow mein. Shrimp chow fun - I had high hopes for this dish because the shrimp looked fresh and plump in the pictures. Unfortunately, the shrimp I got was over shrunken and over cooked. The chow fun was ok but there wasn't any wok flavor and needed an extra good dose of soy sauce. Clams with black bean sauce - This dish was OK and the portions were good but I wouldn't come back just for this. I will however, come back to try their laksa! read more

Not bad! Servers were very attentive! Portions are quite large, between 2 ppl, we only finished one plate! We got the minute chicken cake noodle (chicken was a bit different than most places... still yummy, cake noodle wasn't as hot as I would have liked), the salted fish fried rice (tasty but I'm not a big fan of the cabbage), and a milk tea (very creamy, in a good way!) I'll definitely be back... at least to grab the milk tea when I'm in the area :) read more

I have a weakness for simple eateries serving Chinese food. There are thousands of them in Hong Kong(I'm serious) and its those places were locals from the neighborhood come and have a quick meal. In Hawaii, we mostly get chop-sueys and while they are close, they're not the same thing. Papa's Cafe is what I call a simple Chinese eatery, not the Americanized chop-suey. And this is why I like Papa's Cafe so much. It reminds me of my childhood, sitting and eating a won ton mein with my parents on a weekend afternoon. I really liked the beef brisket won ton mein I ordered. The broth was almost exactly like how it is in Hong Kong but the won ton lacked a little bit of flavor. It was the closest I've tried to the real deal, but just not enough. Cheesecake is a must get here and runs out quick. Great price for what you can find. Now, if they could only serve jook. read more

We were shopping in the area n came upon this place..we were very thirsty n saw that they make fresh fruit juices n smoothies..i wanted to try their fresh juices n chose the apple-carrot juice...my bf got the watermelon-honeydew juice..we saw the clerk cut up fresh fruit n carrots for my juice only n put into juicer so we know it was freshly made..one size cup but it was a very large cup..after filling cup she also added some crushed ice so it was nice n cold..both of our juices were absolutely delicious! Sweet n refreshing..friendly service...we will be back to try other flavors! read more

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Nice, friendly little mom & pop cafe. The laksa was good and ingredients were generous. We ordered it with look funn noodles, which were not fresh. Good idea to ask if it's fresh or opt for the other noodle choices instead. Just wish the air conditioner was colder, too ... enjoying the hot, spicy soup really works up a sweat! The minute chicken cake noodle was also good and generous in portion but a bit on the salty side ... the gravy looked and tasted like oyster sauce. About an hour later, we got so thirsty from all the MSG. This cafe has a lot of potential ... I will probably ask for less MSG and salt next time and update this review. read more

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The food is very, very good!!! I like the signature black milk tea. I will bring more family member to come. I love this place\ Now I love their laksa read more

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I got the Minute Chicken Cake Noodle. Sad to say one side of the cake noodle was overcooked, burnt. Love their Eggplant.

Wow***** The Laksa is very very delicious. I can not believe that I can find this dish in Chinatown. I went panya and the price is over $18. But papa cafe only sell at below $12. I will be back . And milk tea is my favorite. Love it and enjoy it . read more

I saw a sign promoting laksa on the window and I had to check it out. For those who don't know laksa is a spicy noodle soup often with curry, coconut milk, sambal and some kind of protein. Really popular in countries like Malaysia and Singapore which I've been lucky enough to visit so I had to try it. I ordered the wonton laksa and a iced French coffee. The laksa had wontons, tofu, a hard boiled egg and scallions. Overall impressions: not the same as what I remember in Malaysia BUT pretty close and definitely tasty. Good portion of wontons and the broth was nice and spicy. Tried it out on a whim and it was pretty good. One piece of advice though, credit card charge only valid for $10 or more. read more

Great little hole in the wall. I had the minute chicken cake noodle. Chicken was good, stir-fried and hot. BF had the Singapore noodles and those were good too. Got a boba drink to sip as we wondered around Chinatown. A nice afternoon. Tip - they have two sides to the shop - one in the Maunakea Marketplace food court and a store front shop on the other side of the kitchen, the second one feels a little nicer. read more

This is my first time eat at the papa's cafe. The food and the service is awesome. I very love the laksa and milk tea . I high recommend. The manager Gaven is very professional. Will be back read more

Papa's Cafe - Laksa - Cantonese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I came here for one thing: the lai funn noodle soup. Growing up, my dad always made that every Tuesday lunch. That is until one day my parents heard through "legit sources" aka other Chinese people, that it causes cancer or global warming or something of the sort. Since then we weren't able to find it anywhere. Until now! I'm so glad I got to try it again. If the rumors are true, it may have taken 20 years off my life and I might start sprouting horns or whatever but it's something I'm willing to risk for that nostalgic taste. Other food: Gau gee: passable Chicken and salted fish fried rice: pretty darn good, not overly salty and had enough wok hei Mapo tofu: YES. Huge chunks of tofu in a delicious sauce. Could've been spicier but the taste was there. Perfect with the fried rice. read more

Cute place! Clean...very clean! The menu has a vas selection of entree's to choose from. The green milk tea was good, but I honestly could have made it myself at home. I suggest take out, I didn't fancy that the bus stop was in front of the restaurant. To eat your food and see beggars outside, not a fan! But, again its chinatown. Portions sizes are large. The service is really spot on and they people are extremely nice! Papa's Cafe is an simple Chinese eatery, nothing too fancy! Def, going back! I love seeing pop restaurants like this and I hope their here for the long hall! :) read more

My order did not look anything like the picture. The portions were much, much smaller. It wasn't bad but nothing special either. They should focus more on their bubble teas and other drinks. The entrance is in front of the bus stop on Hotel Street. It is pretty far down from Mauna Kea Street. read more

The brisket laksa was soooo good. I've had laksa many times while living in Malaysia & honestly this one may have been even better than the ones I've had in Malaysia. The brisket on top was super tender! I also had the braised duck & rice on the lunch menu. I like that they offer lunch meals. It was reasonably priced. The duck was amazing. I ate all of it plus the big bowl of laksa too. This place isn't anything "fancy" but I didn't care at all. The food is so good I will be taking friends here definitely. read more