It's a sunny Saturday and we're on a mission to find a new lunch spot! Got our pedicure appt in town so decided to go Market City Shopping Center since there's lots of good food options!! Hot Pot... Pho... South Asian Fushion?! Let's gooooo! And there's that cute Bear iced tea I want to try! ;) Thanks to our Yelp friends for posting!! This newly renovated cafe took over Anytime Cafe. Clean tables. We were greeted & seated quickly by Yvonne, who was very kind and helpful with the menu. She took our order and mentioned this was Hong Kong Style dishes. I asked if we can do no MSG and she said she can request "no additional MSG" - that's fine. They had 2 types of chicken wings. Fried Chicken Wings with Shrimp Paste or Salted Egg Yolk? Yvonne suggested we try Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings: Presentation is nice, but unusual chicken wings. I took one bite: it's more of a powdery egg flavor since they ground the egg yolk. Reuben liked it, but next time will try the other *Chef Special: Fried Chicken Wings with Shrimp paste. Read a Yelper's Review about the Baked Pork Chop with tomato sauce, cheese, and rice being good so had to try! It also came with green bell peppers and onions. Very good flavors. Pork chop was cooked well. I thought the cheese would be too much, but portions were enough. Beef Chow Funn: very good stir fry noodles with classic soy sauce and some bean spouts! Reuben's fave! HK Style Lemon Tea with Frozen Bear! Adorable presentation with slices of lemon! The Ice cube Bear is made of Tea! Refreshing flavors! Subtle sweet tea and lemon. A must-try! We took home leftovers but it's all best eaten right away! Forgot to take pic of their other Special Menu on the table but it was unique fusion curries and fried rice. Next time! read more

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Service is A1 The food is amazing I had my birthday dinner here and everything we had was so tasty! You must try!! read more

Yi Xin Cafe is a very nice place to get some good Malaysian/Hong Kong/ Singaporean food with friends or family with good service. My Gf and I came here today on a Sunday afternoon after we saw posts about their bear ice cube tea drinks. (pics below) but we did not know that their food was gonna be the best part of the experience we had there. We ordered the rice omelet tonkatsu and the Malaysian fried rice, they give big portions so those two plates were more then enough for the two of us. The fried rice was so good and flavorful and the rice omelet tonkatsu was even better. Now for the reason we came, the bear ice cube teas were great. You can either get a lemon ice tea or a milk ice tea, and they are served in a glass mason jar mug with the ice cube bear on top. These drinks are not just for looks, they tasted awesome too! Overall the experience was good, the service was fast and it wasn't that packed inside. The only down side is trying to find parking out front. But there was plenty of parking in the back! Until next time! read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Milk tea near ice cube, lemon tea bear ice cube - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Kaimuki has discovered Yi Xin Cafe. Its succinct menu features Hongkongese favorites such as seasoned Dungeons crab, stir fry beef spaghetti, and beef omelettes. There was a short wait when we arrived and all the people wanting to try the new restaurant kept every table full through 8 pm. Drinks and food come out in any order they are prepared. The Salted Egg Wings were crispy and brushed in an egg yoke oil. The Hong Kong Beef Curry is full of potatoes and has a mild, coconut curry sauce. The Baked Pork Chop tastes like tomato soup and Mexican cheese blend. The full dinning room vibrates with voices. Service is quick and the owners are very friendly. They are a welcome addition to Market City. read more

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Very solid and classic/authentic Cantonese style dishes. Even the pics of Hong Kong districts in the restaurant makes me think back on my last visit many years ago. The portions are decent and the prices reasonable for today's high inflation. Some highlights: Pork cheek - easily favorite dish. Pork is sliced very thin but yet not dry. The sauce is excellent with a subtle Kaffir lime flavor. Must order. Fried Shrimp - big shrimps and well seasoned... Actually a little on the salty side. Crispy and came out hot... Love the slices of jalapeno peppers black beans. Service is excellent and there is no need to speak Cantonese. The servers will explain everything well. The restaurant is nice and clean and parking is good. The reason why not 5 stars is because the dishes are a tad too salty and not real bargains. read more

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Lunch in Kaimuki, Honolulu, Hawaii... To get to the point, I saw a cute picture of the Frozen Bear on Social Media and I wanted one! The Frozen Bear comes with the HK style Iced Lemon Tea and also the HK style Iced Milk Tea. I ordered the Iced Lemon Tea... And I was so happy! The Hong Kong Style Iced Lemon Tea was served in a Mason Jar mug and included four slices of fresh lemon! It tasted great - not too sweet and not too tart! I maneuvered the bear into the mug from its lounging position on the rim of the mug. If I submerged him, the mug would have overflowed! The bear didn't melt down by the time I was ready to leave (even though I chipped away at it with my straw to make it slushy), so, I asked for a takeout cup. No problem! I also got a Shrimp WonTon Egg Noodles in Soup (wonton min). There were six dumplings - each filled with shrimp and minced (not ground) pork! Interesting! The noodles were slightly softer than usual, but nicely thin and chewy enough. The Choi sum (vegetables) were not mushy nor too crunchy, but just right! Everything was in place for a Five Star Experience: 1. Free shared parking at Market City Shopping Center 2. Convenient restroom 3. Efficient service - the servers checked on me several times 4. Air conditioning 5. Clean, bright environment Other reviews noted that Yi Xin Cafe took the place of Anytime Cafe, next to E.A.R.L. Kaimuki and Cafe Kaila. Another fact is that this establishment is related to Sing Ma Tei at Ala Moana Center. I visited a little after opening time (10:30am) and got a seat right away. Soon after, every seat was filled! I want to return soon and try other dishes. The fragrance of the sizzling platter from the table next to me was delicious!!! read more

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I have had food from Yi Xin Cafe a couple of times and I have not been disappointed!! Love their atmosphere and ppl are friendly. The food! I can't remember all we had but the wi ga! Green beans! Beef omelette and shrimp curry is what I remember and yes!! Try it! Next thing I want to try is the crab!!! I look forward to that! read more

Where anytime cafe used to be is now Yi Xin Cafe! They have a lot of parking and it's very easy to spot. We got lucky last night, and we didn't have to wait! ***What we ordered **Honey Kong Lemon Tea (9/10) ~ Decent flavors from the black tea and lemon. Love that it's not overly sweet, but it was pretty good! **Sizzling beef with black bean sauce (5/10) ~ It was a little tough and there wasn't much flavor from the black bean sauce. Was a little oily, but not too bad. Definitely could be better though. **Beef Omelet on Rice (5/10) ~ Fried rice didn't have much flavor and everything tasted somewhat separate. This was really oily I would not get this again. **Beef Chow Funn (8/10) ~ Had a really good smokeyness from the wok. It added another dimension to the dish. Although it was a little oily, but it was still really good. Overall, I highly suggest the Lemon and beef chow funn! Everything else was eh. Service wasn't really the best too. Not too sure if I'd come again. read more

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Food - Excellent Chinese restaurant in town. Good variety of dish options but not crazy overwhelmingly so. The curry crab was good but quite messy and a bit expensive. The shrimp fried rice with salty egg was fantastic! Also the chicken wings, sizzling beef, and green beans were yum! The beef chow fun and the won ton noodle soup were just alright. Service - The servers were on top of things and the food came out pretty quickly. The customer service was good. Ambiance - It is in a strip mall so parking wasn't too difficult to find. The restaurant itself is pretty new with a medium sized area to eat indoors. We were a group of 7 and they had a space for us immediately, but it was full after that point. The bathrooms were not the cleanest but it was almost closing time, so you get a break there. read more

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Food was pretty good here! We tried a couple dishes among the 6 of us. The menu wasn't big so it wasn't much of a choice dilemma haha. The tastiest things we've tasted was the pork neck, and the egg yolk chicken wings, must order! The wonton noodles could be better. The noodles weren't chewy enough, and the wontons weren't that flavorful with the skin to filling ratio a bit off. The spicy fried rice was very underwhelming. Not spicy enough and not enough flavor or wok hei (charred flavor). Overall great experience. Would like to come back to try their curry crab! read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Delicious pork neck - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Very good food and good service. Very interesting flavor and perfect wit the meat sauce. read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Chef Special Fried Fish Ball with meat sauce. Not available everyday. Only today. - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Yi Xin Cafe takes the spot of Anytime Cafe in Market City, Kapahulu. Food offerings similar in the Chinese offerings; different in that there are now Singaporean and East Indian dishes along with the Cantonese and Hong Kong fare. Have visited two times now and noticed the place always seems to be packed at lunch time. The first time our party of 5 had to wait about 30 minutes for a table. Second time our party of two walked right into a still very busy restaurant. Food was tasty. The chicken wings were a bit on the greasy side yet crispy and delicious. We all enjoyed the salted egg flavored wings more than the shrimp paste flavored ones as we felt they had just a bit more taste. Fried rice was delicious and with a nice balance of ingredients. While the baked spaghetti had that familiar Chinese comfort seasoning, it was a little lacking. And the friend who had the pork cutlet/baked spaghetti combo said the pork was a little on the dry side. Stir fried ong choy and sautéed green beans were both nicely seasoned and delicious. A couple of us ordered the signature lemon iced tea with ice bear and the Hong Kong milk tea with ice bear. Ice was made from the drink base itself so as to maintain the drink integrity. Can't wait to return to try one of their Singaporean or Indian curries or house specialty stir-fried prawns, To always enjoy great company, and of course...to get another milk tea with cute and happy ice bear! read more

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Five stars for the creativity of photo worthy super cute bear ice lemon and milk tea. Service was good and fast, with lots of items to choose from. Food tasted above average for us who's from Cali, but better than most Chinese restaurants we have visited in Hawaii. We had beef chow fun (good), wonton noodle soup (good), Singapore fried vermicelli (too much curry powder mix) and pork cheeks (could be more crunchy). read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Cute Bear Ice Bear - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I was hesitant to share this review because I wanted to keep the secret to myself...it was really that good!! The restaurant is kept nice and clean. The staff are all friendly made sure to regularly check up on us. The overall winner was the food! We had a pretty big group so we decided to try a bunch more of different dishes. We ordered Masala Curry Fries, Thai Style Pork Cheek, Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings, Beef Chow Fun, Shrimp Wonton Egg Noodles In Soup, Fried Green Beans, Malaysian Beef Fried Rice, Sizzling Beef w/ Black Bean Sauce, Hong Kong Style Garlic Stir Fried Prawns, and Beef w/ Bitter Melon. Everything was delicious! My favorites would have to be the Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings and the Garlic Prawns! Packed with so much flavor! We also enjoyed the HK Style Iced Lemon Tea w/ Frozen Bear and the HK Style Milk Tea w/ Frozen Bear. So cute and refreshing. I really enjoyed the lemon tea. I'll definitely be back! read more

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Food had good taste, service was OK, It was a Resturant setting, with well lit, bathroom was clean all around was very clean and professional, read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Beef broccoli crispy noodle - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I've been seeing this on Instagram lately and finally found the time to eat here. My husband and I came last Saturday around 7:00pm, and we only waited 5-7 minutes. It took a bit of time for our waiter to come, and I did notice the couple who got seated after us, they got their menu and water first. But we got them few minutes after they got theirs. I looked ahead on Yelp and it said it's BYOB so we brought our own soju and beer. And we just asked our waiter for a cup of ice. I love how straightforward the menu is. I wanted to get the milk tea with the bear, but a lot of reviews I read, it was cute but not memorable. So we just ordered: * Singapore Cracker Shrimp -- so so crispy! And they were huge pieces, I thought we'd need more but the portion was generous. * Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings -- very crispy too, but I couldn't really taste the salted egg yolk. It was very subtle. Nonetheless, very delicious! * Beef Chow Funn -- this was my favourite! Got a smoky taste, chewy noodles and just absolutely delicious. * Malaysian Beef Fried Rice -- nothing too memorable. It wasn't spicy either. It's just like regular fried rice but it did have lots of beef in it. * Sizzling Beef with Black Bean Sauce -- Beef was tender, and savory. It was good, but not a must order. Plenty of places to park at as well, especially for a Saturday night. I'm glad I got to try this place, not sure if I'll return, though. read more

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Yi Xin Cafe is located in Market City Shopping Center where Anytime Cafe was formally located. If you don't know where that is, they are top level near T-mobile, Cafe Kaila and EARL in the corner. You can't miss them. They are new and I came during their soft opening. Their menu struck my interest so I made plans to come check them out. When you enter, you'll see the main dining room. There is a flat screen hanging from the ceiling in the back, cashier in the front next to a fridge with soda and two rows of tables. The place is clean and modern. Condiments are on the table and they don't have their own sauté sauce or chili oil. I came here when they opened (10:30am) and the place was pretty busy considering it was a weekday. The server was busy when I arrived so I waited to get seated but the customer service here was amazing. Yes, you heard me right, customer service at a Chinese restaurant was exceptional. I ordered their Baked Pork Chop w/Tomato Sauce & Cheese on Rice and a take out of their Singapore Rice Noodles for a client due to a horrible lunch experience previously at another restaurant. My order was delicious! Reminded me of eating in Hong Kong. It really hit the spot and I left full. Only wish that the pork chop was bigger but aside from that, it was legit. 4.5 stars! read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Baked Pork Chop w/Tomato Sauce & Cheese on Rice - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This asian fusion restaurant took over the old Anytime Cafe in market city. Anytime Cafe has a special place in my family's heart so I'm happy that a hardworking family took over the spot. Yi Xin Cafe is owned by the same wonderful people as Singma Tei in the Ala Moana Food Court, and serve up a wide variety of asian fusion dishes (with a focus on Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai). I really enjoyed the Tonkatsu Omelette Rice, Salted Egg Chicken Wings and Beef Chow Fun, and the super cute & instagrammable Teddy Bear Milk & Iced Teas were also amazing with a strong tea in both. read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Yi Xin Cafe was pretty good! We didn't go all out with crab or anything, but we tried the famous salted egg chicken wings, black bean beef (since it's popular), and the curry beef brisket. Everything was solid--good flavors with a bit of a Hong Kong-style fusion twist. Nothing to rave about, but definitely not disappointed. A solid spot worth trying if you're in the area! read more

Good service, good food. No frills and not a touristy place. Hong Kong style cafe. They have sizzling beef, pork cheeks, noodles and the Frozen bear drink is so cute! This is located in a plaza so there is a parking lot. Close to Foodland and right off the freeway. I would totally come back here on our next visit, read more

Yi Xin Cafe - This drink is so cute! - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We tried this new restaurant that we saw on social media. I like to see for myself. I don't get compensation for my reviews. I will also state if I do get free food. The restaurant is trendy, lots of families and friends since it's a pre grand opening. The prices are steep for a cafe, We ordered the Shrimp fried rice with salted preserved fish. The rice was really good with about 6 large shrimp. Some of the rice had wok crispy char which was a nice surprise. $17.95 The Shrimp Won Ton Mein soup was weak, the only vegetables were Bok Choy and Green onions. $14.95. I have had better. We did receive a 10% discount for dining during the soft opening. I probably won't be back to try any more. read more

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Yi Xin Cafe, a new restaurant, opened in Market City Shopping Center. They  feature Hong Kong, Signaporean and Malaysian style foods. We went to their soft opening during dinner time. We made a reservation, which was a good thing because they certainly got very busy and had a waiting list. There is a 10% off total bill during the soft opening. They had a limited menu during the soft opening to tempt their customers' palate. Sadly, their famous salted egg yolk chicken wings were sold out from lunch. No crab because their tank was not set up yet. And they were also out of milk tea frozen bears! Oh my! We were able to order: Thai style pork cheek that came with two pieces of romaine lettuce and a mild spicy sauce. The pork cheeks were tender and moist. The sauce was on the tangy side, so salivating. Sizzling beef with black bean sauce was too salty for my taste. However, the beef was tender, and its cut was not too thick. Beef was cooked with sliced onions and green and red bell peppers. Hong Kong style garlic stir-fried prawns were okay. Although they had a good amount of finely chopped fried garlic, it was not garlicky enough as the title of the dish implies. Baked meat sauce with tonkatsu on spaghetti. I was very curious how the spaghetti would be in texture and taste as I do not recall ordering a spaghetti dish at a Chinese restaurant. I love my pastas, and I was definitely surprised and blown away how good this spaghetti was! Mmm, mmm, mmm! The tonkatsu was perfectly breaded and cooked. Sometimes pork is easily overcooked and thus dry, but this tonkatsu was just right. Malaysian beef fried rice was tasty and soft. This dish had small pieces of chopped beef and lettuce. This rice dish was seasoned so well that I wanted to keep eating it! Hong Kong style curry beef stew. This dish was good. The curry reminded me of the S&B Golden curry mix. Big chunks of beef, potatoes, and bell peppers were served with white rice and a generous amount of vibrant yellow curry sauce. Since there were no frozen milk tea bears, I ordered a Hong Kong style hot milk tea. It was enjoyable, although it is not as strong as compared to Hong Kong's milk tea. Overall, the dishes were delicious. I was impressed. Hats off to the cooks. Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted and led us to our table almost immediately. Our server was very courteous and attentive and explained any questions we had. Dishes were served pretty quickly after ordering. They sell beverage drinks. They have their own restroom inside the restaurant at the back. Parking is ample. On the way out of the restaurant, employees thanked us for coming. The restaurant's atmosphere sure made our visit comfortable, relaxed and very enjoyable! read more

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Love this place! I've always wanted to try different Hong Kong style restaurants since my husband's family is originally from there! We finally paid a visit last April, and I still think of the yummy lunch we had! My first impression: Yi Xin Cafe's customer base was a nice mix of grandparents, Gen Z, and everyone in between! I'm not sure if it's just me, but nowadays, I don't really see many older customers try new restaurants! Hubby and I ordered Singapore rice noodles, fried green beans with minced meat and sambal, Hong Kong style milk tea, and Hong Kong style lemon tea. They had already sold out of the frozen bears, but we loved everything we ordered! On top of the homey and inviting feeling of the restaurant, the restaurant was enticing me every time servers would walk past us, bringing sizzling beef with black bean sauce plates to different tables! Flavorful food and drink, cozy environment, and friendly customer service. What more can you ask for? read more

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Family style restraunt located in Market City. We tried 4 dished and it was great The beef Omelet Was flavored just right not overly saturated and the beef was tender!. The salt and pepper shrimp and black bean beef was perfect! The spicy one Choi was alright. If your in the area stop by and give this place a try. If you lobe bubble tea add a signature ice teddy drink to your meal. read more

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Conveniently located in Market City, Yi Xin Cafe took over the former space of Anytime Cafe. I made reservations for my husband's birthday on Saturday night for a group of 10. Good thing we had reservations because when we got to the restaurant there was a crowd of people waiting outside as well as inside the restaurant on the chairs. The menu has some items that are recommended for family style or sharing type dishes. So it's perfect if you're with a group of people. We ordered the ong choy, shrimp chips, French fries, fried chicken wings with shrimp paste, beef omelette on rice, tonkatsu baked spaghetti, and Thai style pork cheeks. The favorites of the night were the French fries, shrimp chips, chicken wings and pork cheeks. Everything was very tasty and service was fast even though the restaurant was completely full! Unfortunately, they ran out of the frozen bears for the lemon tea (and this was at 6:30) so if you want the bear then go earlier in the day. Overall, the menu is similar to Anytime Cafe but more limited in items offered. However, they have several "chef specialities" along with some unique offerings like the now infamous lemon tea/milk tea with frozen bear! (We heard that a table seated next to us actually left the restaurant after they were told that they ran out of the bear!) I would come back for the appetizers alone since my toddler boys loved the fries and shrimp chips! I love how Yi Xin Cafe is toddler/kid friendly with their kiddie dishes. We had a great experience and look forward to returning again soon! Happy eating! read more

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I ordered the Teddy Bear Milk Tea Perfect amount of sweetness, refreshing, so cute, and delicious! 10 out of 10 would recommend. read more

Yi Xin Cafe - So cute - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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The service was fast and friendly and the frozen bear is so cute, mostly for aesthetic reasons, I bit it and it didn't taste like much. The chicken curry was great though, they give you a huge portion. I just love the overall vibe of the restaurant, casual and cozy. I'd come again read more

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This place was really cute. We came next door from hot pot for their cute teddy bear drinks. Average tasting iced teas and milk teas but they come with the cute iced bears! read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A newly opened cafe that took the spot of Anytime Cafe at Market City Shopping Center. They're located in the corner next to Earl. The same family owns Sing Ma Tei in Ala moana food court, so we've been excited to see what this spot would have since Sing Ma Tei is already a hit. We saw on social media that people were going for the soft opening so we decided to check it out! From now to March 25, 2023 is their soft opening, closed on Mondays. Soft opening hours are 10:30 am to 8:00 pm (last seating) Grand opening is set for Sunday, March 26 celebrate with them at 10:30 am with a lion dance blessing at 11:30 am. Inside is nicely decorated with some local decor and city decor! Restaurant looks clean and new. We tried 3 dishes and all were amazing packed with flavor: Thai style pork cheek Sizzling beef with black bean sauce Singapore style rice noodle with shrimp As it is their soft opening be patient with the new staff, they ran out of the beef chow fun so we tried the Singapore noodles and it was all delicious. The Thai style pork cheek, of course pork cheeks are soft and tender which is always awesome but the Thai sauce that comes with it is amazing! Always love it when restaurants make food you can't replicate at home. The sizzling platter came out hot and sizzling and the taste was spot on! Packed with flavors and a great match to the Singapore noodles. Only down side was that we didn't have more people with us to try different dishes. We will definitely be back to try other dishes, lots of people around were order the rice and pasta dishes, noodle soup, wings. Everything looked great. They also have novelty drinks that come with a frozen bear, we will get that next time! Take a bunch of people then you can try more dishes! read more

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We've been to Yi Xin three or four times this past year and have always left impressed by the food and service. The waiters are "exceptionally" helpful and considerate; they are as far removed from the everyday gruff and grumpy waitresses of countless of chop suey houses across Oahu, as gold is to soil. The waiters at Yi Xin actually take "pride" in what they do and the food they serve. We love the pork cheek, egg friend chicken wings, bitter melon with black beans, ong choi, eggplant dishes, and so much more. Each time we visit Yi Xin, we try a new dish and, are always delighted and surprised. Still, it must be stated and 're-stated,' that way beyond the wonderful food, is the courteousness and genuine pride the waiters take upon themselves to make a really exceptional dining experience. They work as a team, no one trying to be better than others, just an amazing restaurant. Their teddy bear drinks are also awesome and very cute. read more

One of our favorite neighborhood shopping malls is the Market City Shopping Center, as we've often found ourselves eating and marketing here, but usually during the daytime. During our several visits to this mall, we noticed Yi Xin Cafe had replaced our former favorite Chinese diner, Anytime Cafe. After eating at Kamitoku Japanese Hot Pot, we wandered to Yi Xi Cafe to check out the restaurant and menu. My meager and faded Chinese language skills recognized two Chinese characters 茶餐 on the sign and quickly pulled up my Google Translate to confirm 茶餐廳 to mean "Tea Restaurant." Tea restaurants 茶餐廳 or cha chaan teng are commonly found in Hong Kong, Macau, Canada, Australia, the U.K., and the United States and are typically known as Hong Kong diners or Hong Kong-style cafés. Although often referred to as "diners," these tea restaurants are nothing like the American diners, frequently called "greasy spoons." The Tea Restaurants typically serve Hong Kong cuisine and Canto-Western cuisine, and the mention of Cantonese cuisine got my husband's appetite fired up. The other night, while a cold front was hitting our islands, we dipped out for dinner at this café. Because it was so crowded, we put our names on the waiting list and stood outside for about 15 minutes before being called in. The hostess/server greeted us with a smile and led us to a clean table with menus while she mentioned the Specials posted on the blackboard outside. Because we had been standing out in 65°F temperature and wind, we had reviewed the menu, made up our menu decisions, and placed our food orders immediately. Meanwhile, she brought us glasses of iced water, chilling our already cold and hangry bodies as she efficiently serviced the other occupied tables. FOOD: - Thai-style Pork Cheek: as fans of "nose-to-tail" cuisine, we enjoyed the soft-bite or tender and fatty (not oily) pork cheek marinated with Thai seasonings and grilled to perfection. The pink meat marbling combined with the jiggly fat for a tasty start to dinner. It made me want to run to the wineshop downstairs for beers or wine. $14.95 - Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings: My husband's favorite fried chicken part, or wings, had a delicious "treatment" as a Singaporean flavor favorite. My husband's facial expressions told me he was channeling the "finger-lickin' good" mantra while eating the crazy crispy and crackly-crusted fried chicken wings. I had to warn him not to fill himself because more food was coming. $14.95 - Baked Meat Sauce with Tonkatsu on Spaghetti: Our porkaholic leanings were satisfied with this unique Canto-Western dish. The boneless pork chop was in its glory of having a light and crisp breading covering flavorful, tender, and juicy meat. The meat sauce or Bolognese tasted of ground beef and pork and wasn't overly tomatoey or acidic. There was a lot of ooey, gooeyness from the melted cheese, which made this dish not only tasty, comforting, and warming but mouth texturally pleasing. $18.95 - Sizzling Beef with Black Bean Sauce: Speaking of mouthfeel contrasts, the sizzling/stir-fried and aromatic beef dish with black bean sauce hit our palates. Their use of the Chinese fermented black beans didn't overpower the beef and vegetables, nor was the gravy too dark and salty from soy sauce or excess black beans. It was one of the better black bean sauces we've tasted at restaurants. $19.95 - Honey Walnut Shrimp: We opted to get this modern Western-inspired Cantonese dish as our seafood dish. This dish was impressive with its perfectly cooked and tender-crisp shrimp, moderate use of mayonnaise, and lightly sweetened candied walnuts. $20.95 We're sure that our server wanted to laugh at us since we ordered so much food and managed to eat a good portion of the dishes while asking for only one takeout container for leftovers. But, heck, when we're cold, our appetites are ravenous, especially for great-tasting food. You can't liken Yi Xin Cafe to an American diner or "greasy spoon," even though it is a Canto-Western diner. read more

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I brought my boy with me to give this place a try. He's not a fan of most Chinese food, so was upset with me when he first looked at the menu. I asked him the quest I've asked many friends, "do you not like Chinese food or do you dislike the Chinese fold that is most common here?" It really does make a difference! I'm happy to find a new place that specializes in more than just "thin sliced meat in bland sauce" which is so much of what I am served in other restaurants. I ordered a standard Mapo Tofu along with Sichuan green beans, but the Singapore noodles and salt and pepper fish were both made with a focus on perfectly fried foods with a distinct flavor depth. We particularly enjoyed the noodles, as they were not at all greasy. Service was quick and efficient, as there was a wait for the simple tables. We never felt rushed, but our table had new diners before we had stepped foot outside the doors. The space is not huge, but they were able to seat a few dozen people at a time without an issue. I'll just say one thing about the tea bears. They are adorable, but add $2 to the drink just for a quick photo op. I'll stick to ordering just the tea on its own next time, especially as it will help me avoid drinking out of a mason jar- one of my true pet peeves. Please give me an actual glass unless you are a themed restaurant! I also now know that I'd prefer their milk tea served hot, as it was thick and rich and just tasted cozy. Next time! My boy wasn't completely won over, but agreed that it's the best Chinese food he's had here since we lost Little Village Noodle House. I'd promised him that we could stop for a second meal if nothing made him happy. So I take that as very high praise indeed! read more

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Located in the Market city center, in Kapahulu, this is an authentic Hong Kong restaurant! Featuring the live Dungeness crab, served in a variety of styles. I highly recommend their shrimp won tun mein with thin egg noodles. Generous sized won tuns, choy sum and a rich broth! Absolutely loved their salt and pepper shrimp with rice. Fried to a crisp, and flavorful seasoning. Save room for their Hong Kong milk tea with frozen bear (which is made of milk tea)! read more

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Lively ambiance, very loud. Not a problem. Had a wait, said ~30 min but was still not more like 15 which is nice. Ever since seeing videos about the chili crab in Singapore, I've wanted to try it SOOOO bad. So when I found out there's a place here that does a Singaporean chili crab? Need to try. It's $68 for the order, doesn't come with rice or anything. The taste of the sauce was a lot blander than I thought it would be, very underwhelming. Not much spice. Big crab! But the sauce was not complementing. It got Harder to eat near the end because the cornstarch used in the sauce to thicken it was overwhelming my stomach. Also ordered the beef omelette and it looked so bland, like there was barely any seasoning. Not satisfactory in taste. We got the cute bear drinks, the lemon iced tea and the milk tea. Eh. Worth it for the cute bear ice, but the drinks themselves weren't really worth it. Nice service though. If you want to try the chili crab? Don't. It's definitely not worth the $68. read more

Yi Xin Cafe - Singaporean chili crab, D03. Hong Kong Style Iced Lemon Tea, D01. Hong Kong Style iced Milk Tea, R01. Beef Omelette on Rice - Hong Kong Style Cafe Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

LOVE THEIR SHRIMP WONTON NOODLE SOUP !!! I also tried the egg yolk fried chicken wings, the prawn chips and the pork cheeks. Everything was delicious especially the WonTon noodle soup. Very eclectic menu ... traditional with fusion. Interesting mix of different tastes. Hong Kong, Italian, Thai ... Lots of Chinese-speaking kupuna (hint hint) patrons when I was eating there. Service was friendly and efficient. GO CHECK THEM OUT !!! read more

Pork Jowl and bitter melon in black bean sauce on rice - not too oily flavorful and just the right amount of black bean flavor. 10/10 Egg yolk wings - I think you get six wingette pieces. One did not taste very good and was not crispy and just oily and did not taste fresh. But the other pieces omg, they were still on the oily side, but they were crispy and so tasty. 9/10 Green beans - beans were perfectly cooked, tender, yet firm. But this lacked in spice and seasoning. 7/10 Prawns HK style - garlicky and tasty but felt like something was missing. Not properly deveined, every prawn's end quarter of tail portion had very thick black entrails, partly under the shell and partly in the split. Would try HK style again, but not on prawns. 6/10 Was able to get table for 2 as walk-in at 6pm. But by 6:30, restaurant was full and line up put the door. Next time make a reso! read more

Not Taiwanese nor Singaporean. They all speak Cantonese. Don't order a tofu dish here, not homemade. Ordered Singaporean noodles, cheek appetizer, beef curry. All for US$110. Not authentic. Not worth it. read more

My husband was curious about this eatery since he saw a preview of it on YouTube a few months ago. We live in Waipahu, so it's quite a drive... We happen to be doing errands and decided it was a perfect time to try this place out. We ordered the Pork Cheek dish and the green beans. Both were delicious! I never had pork cheeks, but it was VERY YUMMY! I will definitely have that again! read more

Great date night spot! On the top level of Market City, this place is tucked in the corner. Security patrols the parking lot and there were plenty of stalls available on a Saturday night. The music inside was an unexpected and lovely touch - light romantic jazz. When we arrived 3 different staff members asked to take our order. I like how they have pictures of the food on the menu. The food came out quickly and was delicious. The prawns was difficult to eat like a lady, I don't recommend that if you are on a date, but it tasted great. We got the cutest teas with frozen bears on top. They brought us smiles, but I would not order them again for the price. For 2, we ordered 3 entrees and had half of one left to take home. As we ate, the staff members were talking to one another so loud that it was difficult to hear my husband across the table. A little would have been okay, but they were loud the entire time we were there. I was disappointed in what could have been a nice ambiance with the jazz music and clean interior. When we were done eating, we spent about 20 minutes trying to track someone down for our bill and to take our pile of empty plates away. Overall- parking, food, music, and cleanliness was excellent. Staff and prices were not great. I don't think I would come back here again. read more

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Yi Xin Cafe located in the Market City Shopping Center. Just to the right of Earl's Sandwiches Shop. Service is very attentive and accommodating. Reservations are recommended. Small and cozy dining room. Take out is available. Known for Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings and Thai Style Pork Cheeks. We tried both of them plus the Specials of the Day. Chicken and Salted Fish Fried Rice and Eggplant with Ground Pork. Being our first time our server suggested the Ong Choi with Spicy Bean Curd and the Baked Meat Sauce with Spaghetti. The Thai Style Pork Cheeks, Chicken and Salted FishFried Rice, and the Eggplant with Ground Pork were definitely cravable dishes that are a must try. We throughly enjoyed our dining experience and will definitely be back to try their many seafood dishes. read more

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