Manna Café

If you take a meal from here on a boat, and then drop it over the side, is that «Manna Overboard?»
Edit: I just found out this place is closed down. So there go my plans to come back here and try different items off their HK menu. The following review was written before I knew they were closed, but maybe with a little luck they will return someday. If anyone knows why they closed down, let me know.
I came here with someone that adores French Toast, and we shared an order of French Toast (surprisingly). The Unilocal reviews led us to believe it would be the best French Toast we ever tried. We both agreed that it was good, but not amazing. It also wasn’t awful, so I won’t give it the 3-​stars that mediocre-​to-​awful family-​owned places get. But 5 stars has to taste really good (even from me) so I can’t give it that.
Also they told us 10 mins on the phone, but we waited a good 10 mins more once we got there, I think perhaps for some reason they hadn’t started the order yet. But no big deal. I thought perhaps Asian French Toast might be significantly different to American versions, but I found it to be fairly similar… hyper sweet, and nothing to write home about. Not that you’d write home about French Toast anyway, but if you did, it probably wouldn’t be this one you’d write concerning.
But if you grew up with this food, then I suppose you are «to the Manna born.»
Unfortunately, they don’t sell Italian food here, though, which is a missed marketing opportunity if you think about it. If they did, they could sell «Manna-​cotti.»

A small place off of main street. I love this café. A recent discovery from a friend, I now come here to eat lunch and breakfast! It’s called Yee Mei Fong Bakery, but I still call it Manna Café. The décor is hie, and there’s a pretty big menu full of HK style dishes. I tried the Hong Kong Style Milk Tea and boy was it strong! There’s usually a few customers, which makes it perfect because I like eating in a quiet setting. I will come back again!
Tip: The Baked Chicken Portuguese style is very filling!

Really cute interior, and they have a lot of variety on the menu. My friend got a baked chicken spaghetti dish. He wanted it on rice, but they were out. Lolz. but it looked more of like a ketchupy Asian spaghetti sauce. It was good, but didn’t look or taste very «baked».
I got the fried rice noodles (chee chung fun) with peanut, hoisin, and soy sauce for $ 3.5 which was really good!
Good place overall, but pretty average I’d say!

Manna Café is my favorite Hong Kong style diner in all of New York, so far.
There is something at Manna that I cannot even put into words. Maybe it is the sunny corner street location, or the neon light vibe inside, expansive menu, great service, complimentary milk tea, feeling of authenticity, or just plain delicious food… when I come to Manna, I just feel like it is an oasis.
I have had some eye-​opening experiences at Manna, trying foods that I have only seen in some of my favorite Hong Kong movies. Food served in the same manner, as if I was actually there eating rice rolls, macaroni noodles, and spam sandwiches in HK.
The hours are Unilocal are not correct, they open at 9:00 in the morning on the weekends, perfect for some of the best breakfast you will get in Flushing.
The complimentary HK milk tea was free refills, too.

I believe this place got renovated. It got smaller and less tables I believe. I like their old decoration btw LOL. Anyway I came back to this place with my sis and since it was weekday it aint that busy as weekend, but yeaah. I believe there are no more sushi bars or make your own noodle as well. The food is pretty cheap for what you get cause the portion is a lot, when I mean a lot I mean like it will get you full mad fast that you would have leftovers. This chubby guy waitress is the best lmao, he is really respectful and well mannered which is hard to find nowadays. I got the baked pork chop fried rice and it was delicious and my sis got the bacon & egg and she liked her as well. I will definitely come back again hehe

When we lived for 2 years in HK a couple of years ago, I became addicted to HK style milk tea.
It has been really hard to find anything close to what I used to drink in HK back in the US. Manna Café, I am glad to say, offers a version that is pretty good, easily the the best we have had since we moved from HK. We came back twice here over the weekend of 2014-​04-​05 when we were up visiting NYC!
*** If anyone knows of a better HK style milk tea place, lemme know. ***
Their food is probably pretty good too. Since we had already eaten elsewhere (at Fu Run, nearby), I ordered 2 dishes to go, which I ate at work over the next 2 days. (My current home in Baltimore has almost no good Chinese; its a hardship post…) I liked the food as leftovers, and imagine it is much better fresh.

The only good thing about this place is the large variety of food selection. This place would be good for groups with different craving. Their menu have things like instant noodle, chinese food, sushi, korean, etc. The food here arent that bad however i find them rather bland, and its just not the best when compared to other places. I know alot of people who loves the baked good here, however it is lacking compared to Cha Chan Tang in Chinatown.

My friends wanted to come here so I just went with them.
I had the udon noodle soup with pork chop. My food was very good. However my friends didn’t seem to enjoy their orders as much. They even switched my friends’ noodles with each other.
On the plus side, the waitress was very attentive. She refilled our tea a lot.
So overall, fair rating for them.

I don’t understand the rave with this place among Flushing people. there are much better places, given the scope of cafes in the area.
C– and D-​rated restaurants all line up in conjunction on 40^th Rd., which is why I don’t eat there and this place is a great example of why I avoid them. There’s nothing quite special about the food here; you can toss up most of the stuff on their menu with your eyes closed, even if you’re not a great cook. I came on a Saturday night and it was quite empty for a Saturday night. The waitresses were so anxious to get our orders, even though we were like one of the 3 tables.
I didn’t want to get anything large so I got the Cream of Corn Soup and Garlic Bread. Both were mediocre and some of the worst foods I’ve had in Flushing. The soup was very runny and watery and it had a really weird taste. It was almost like I was drinking milk, mixed with some other stuff and packaged corn niblets. The garlic bread was not any better. It was basically half a hero, sliced in half with lots of butter and garlic powder and it was so bad, I only had one piece and gave the rest to my friends.
Maybe it’s a great place for breakfast but certainly not dinner or lunch (if they serve the same menu.) I don’t expect it to be much better regardless because their menu is full of items that are simple and too easy to make. Inexpensive but you pretty much get what you paid for… or less.

The hk milk tea tasted pretty on point, I really liked the bitter taste. The Swiss sweet wings were quite tasty. Place is so and so, not amazing but not terrible. It’s an hk style café

I felt like a fly that is attracted to their semi neon/​bright color lights everywhere. Luring me in to this spot. They have practically food porn pictures on almost every wall. To make you want to order everything in sight. As we finally got the menu. It has a very (X.O.) type of feel. Variety from HK, to Japanese, to western American choices. As we finally ordered. I had great expectations (due to that I was hungry and I can probably devour a small village) As the food came. It looked HUGE! but as cunning as they are. The plates were shallow and the portion was not as I expected. As for the food. It doesn’t par to any Asian fusion places I’ve been. It had no flavor. Sure it was colorful. But, I’ve tasted better at street vendors compare to their cornstarch gravy. Maybe I’m being a little harsh. But the truth must be out! Oh, and forget about finding parking here. It’s a compact street!

Yeah… so maybe I don’t know how to order at this HK style café, but i did NOT think the food was that good. We came here and i ordered the Ox tail stew, with soup and tiramisu.
Well the soup the Russain soup tasted like campbels tomato soup with some veggies mixed in with salt added. The Ox Tail Stew was a little sweet, with carrots and some other stuff — but also was very salty and i didn’t enjoy. Mixed with the rice which cuts the salt, it wasn’t any better.
Lastly the tiramisu — was whipped cream and coffee powder and some cookie thing on the bottom. The flavor was there, lightly sweet, but the cream was very very heavy.
I didn’t expect much when i was coming here but i was looking for at least a decent meal. Couldn’t get that here…

I love lobster! I mean who doesn’t.
Every year we don’t make a big deal out of celebrating our anniversary and this year I didn’t really feel like cooking and wanted to do something low key. I came here for the Lobster pan fried noodle and because I heard they serve breakfast type items and ice cream which I have been bugging my Mister about but there was no time like the present to get this special lobster pan fried noodle. They also have hong kong style milk tea. This is like a hong kong style café, the type that has been popping up all over Flushing and Chinatown.
I really like this place it looks like a good place to hang out and eat with some friends. Not too expensive. A lot of cantonese style dishes like chow fun and fried rice and café dishes like french toast and they have a make your own noodle bar. A pretty extensive menu. A little bit of everything here. They were also showing the Food Network when I was here which I thought was smart and pretty funny at the same time. They also decorate the restaurant with pictures of all of their dishes. It’s like they know that looking at food videos and pictures make people hungry. The décor is kind of funky but cute even though the lighting is a little weird.
I got the Lobster pan fried noodle of course and the garlic fried chicken wings that came with french fries which was a perfect meal for us. We usually like seafood pan fried noodle because we like the crunchy texture of the noodles, which sop up the sauce nicely. The lobster was prepared cantonese style with ginger and scallion. There is no real way to eat the lobster with chopsticks or a fork. You must use your hands. It will get messy. Perfect messy bonding food just like a scene from Lady and the Tramp. We both reach for the lobster, our eyes meet and then we make magic memories (insert cheesy grin here). And since we were using our hands already the garlic fried chicken wings and french fries were perfect finger foods. Everything crisp and crunchy and deep fried and good. Beware though because these wings were pretty hot from the oil. I had take out and it was so hot that it burned some of the plastic from the take out container. They gave me ketchup packets which is a nice touch because what are french fries without ketchup. The fries were like shoe string fries but a little mealy like steak fries. Like crinkle cut without the crinkle. They do take credit cards if you are that one doofus who forgot to bring enough cash and don’t try to mess with them because they keep a bat behind the counter for unruly guests. Either that or they have problems with the locals. Who knows.
I have yet to try the desserts and tea and some other items but I will definitely be back to make more magic memories here.

Get the Daily Special! It’s $ 10.99 for a soup, entrée (choose from 6 options), and a dessert. I got the cream of mushroom soup, salmon filet dish with the mushroom rice, and the tiramisu. All were really satisfying and yummy, and I really really loved the mushroom rice!
We came on a Friday night and it was surprisingly empty so the service was prompt. They were constantly refilling our tea and taking away plates without us asking. Beware though, for Mandarin speaking folks, some of them speak in Canto at times so I was left in the dark until my Canto friend translated. But it depends on the waiter, some of them speak perfect English. In fact, for our group of 6, all of us except for one had ordered dessert, and the waitress offered to give him a free dessert on the house! ⁵⁄₅ for service (which is basically unheard of in Flushing)!
I would love to come back here more often if I lived around the area. $ 20 minimum for credit card use. There’s also free 1 hour parking right outside. This place is kind of easy to miss as it near the end of the street.

Revisited after almost 2 years.
Finally got a chance to really explore the menu. I fell right in love with their…
~Hong Kong Style MILKTEA
Strong, rich, BITTER. I love it. Simply the best here because the milktea has all 3 of the characteristics.
~Hong Kong Style French Toast with Peanut Butter Filling
This is the closest french toast taste compared to the one I had in Hong Kong! I am for real. So far from all of the places I’ve had french toast, only this place has a french toast with actual warm melted peanut butter filling! I just love French Toasts, especially ones in Hong Kong style!
~Stir Fried Udon with black pepper beef/​chicken
Stir fried beautifully. Good combination of ingridients and spicys. The smell of the food is great and the taste is even better!
~Fried Pig Intestine
I normally do not eat pig intestine but this one was to die for after one bite! Extra cripsy and tasty. Again, I’ve had it in Hong Kong and this dish is also comparable to the pig intestine I’ve had in Hong Kong.
~Garlic Fried Chicken Wings
Delicious. Crispy and crunchy chicken skin on the outside and tender meat in the inside. Note: I was kindly reminded by the waitress that this dish comes with some fries.
~Shark Fin Soup
Excellent and flavorful. Add some red vinegar and you have an amazing soup. Drink it before your entrée, during your entrée, or after your entrée. YUM!
Thanks Manna Café! Dining here leaves me with a satisfied tummy and a rhetorical question. Am I back in Hong Kong? This is now my new go-​to place for Hong Kong Style food in Queens. Oh how I miss Hong Kong dearly!

it was a great dining experience. Food were satisfied and cheap, service was good and fast, environment was clean, nice and quiet.
tried:
1. Pan Fried Turnip/​Radish Cake ($ 3.50): it was listed under appetizer but portion was big, 4 big and thick turnip cakes. crispy outside and soft inside. was just cooked right!
2. Club Sandwich ($ 4.95): For something under $ 5, I didn’t expect that the portion was that big and came with side fries. The fries was surprisingly yummy, crispy and well-​seasoned, but the sandwich itself was just ok.
3. Hot HK Style Milk Tea ($ 1.50): yummy!
The only thing I was confused is that there were Sushi ads everywhere in the store. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to get sushi in a HK café. They looked a bit cheesy…
But anyways, my waitress was very friendly and attentive. The table and floor were very clean, not like some Chinese restaurants, greasy everywhere. I had a nice afternoon there. I’ll definitely go back!

i love this place!
If you’re in flushing, you have to stop by! The food is really good and the portions are rather generous for the price. I always feel like the waiters/​waitresses are attentive and helpful. The service is quick and overall the atmosphere is always pretty relaxed.
Don’t judge (ha. who are we kidding here? lol) but my favorite dish is the mac soup with ham. It’s a very simple yet delightful dish –on a cold day it definitely hits the spot for me and it’s only $ 4! It really reminds me of my visits to Hong Kong as a kid and that’s exactly the type of warm fuzzies you want when experiencing food you know? Not a lot of places do it for me, but this definitely does.
Not interested in mac soup? That’s fine! There are plenty of other really good HK style dishes for you to choose from with a variety available in the lunch specials. The portuguese style chicken over rice is pretty good too! They also have a variety of appetizers — fried chicken wings, fish balls, and breakfast foods too. Sushi is also served although I don’t plan on trying it from this place any time soon. This is HK style food not a japanese restaurant! oh! if you’re trying to decide on drinks, i recommend trying the peach fizz! love!
If you’re looking for a chill place to grab a bite with some friends this is definitely the place to go. Lunch is usually more quiet and very low key. Dinner time it gets more crowded but you never feel rushed to leave or anything like that. Manna is still one of my fav. places to eat in Flushing so I highly recommend it!
~chow ;D

This place reminds me of HK Tea and Sushi in Brooklyn, but not as good. I like the modern set up and the casualness of this place. Food is cheap and quality is much better than expected for the price.
They have a choose your own soup noodle type of thing going on where you fill out a paper and check off items you want and the noodles you want with it. The baked fish filet cream sauce is pretty good but the portions are kinda small. It looks big when you get it but that’s becuase the plate is wide but the depth is almost nonexistent!

Asian Fusion — I suppose there is no other way to describe this type of cuisine. It’s HK café style cuisine. What does that mean? I’ll explain so I can lure you into trying it. It’s HK chef’s take on American cuisine. Why would you eat this when you can get American cuisine anywhere else? Because it’s good & cheap and it’s also slightly different becuase they use Chinese ingredients w/​cheap everyday American ingredients such as hot dogs, spam, macaroni, spaghetti, cream sauces, and etc to make the food!
I used to eat this type of cuisine at a Restaurant in Brooklyn on 86^th St in Bay Ridge. But the place burned down and never reopened so I crave for it every so often. A search on Unilocal in Flushing helped me find this place. Why it’s only got 14 great reviews and less than ½ full on a Saturday night is beyond me. The place is clean and brightly lit. Maybe because of it’s location on 40^th Rd is keeping it hidden. They also got an A on their recent inspection. There are pics posted along the walls of some of their menu items.
I had the curry fish balls for an appetizer and my BF got their Daily prix fixe special ($ 10.99) which came with a Shark fin soup. The shark fin probably isn’t real but I liked the fact that it had tons of mushrooms and my fave enoki Japanese white mushrooms in it.
As my main course I was craving for a creamy noodle dish so I ordered the chicken & ham with spaghetti. It’s the HK version or their take on fettuccine style pasta. There was regular spaghetti noodles w/​tender chicken strips & ham strips, some corn & green beans mixed in a creamy white sauce. My BF tried their Braised Oxtail Stew w/​seasoned vegetables. I think they meant seasonal vegetables such as potatoes & tomatoes. It was a tomato based Oxtail and came with carrots & broccoli, and rice on the side.
Then for dessert he had the coconut w/​Tapioca pudding (similar to the coconut/​almond flavored jello you get at Dim sum) and I wanted to try the Glutinous sesame & peanut covered rice balls becuase it looked so good from the pics.
I also recommend trying their HK style tea w/​milk. It’s a very strong black tea with evaporated milk. It’s slightly bitter but the evaporated milk helps sweeten it a bit. If you’re not into this they offer plenty of options for drinks such as the bubble tea and Ginger Honey tea or how about Lemon w/​Coke. That’s boiled coca cola w/​lemon wedges in it. Supposedly if you’re coughing and sick, this helps soothe your throat.
The food brought back memories for my BF. The dinner came out to a mere $ 30 and of course I have leftovers for lunch the next day.
In LA there tons of these types of restaurants that are open thru the wee mornings. Some classic HK style Café foods they also offer here are; sandwiches & toasts, tong shui (sweet dessert type soups), macaroni noodle soups, and baked chicken/​pork in Portuguese sauce.
The use & spelling on their menu was cracking me up (ENGRISH). Things like Salmon filet Meuniere.
They also offer sushi here which I’m kind of iffy about trying. Not sure how fresh that is but it’s $ 1 a piece.
If you just want a snack or a place to wait for friends this is the place. If you get a drink or a snack, you can loiter here just as I saw a group of HK style teenagers doing. Don’t mind their weird hair styles or clothing.
PS — They’re closed on Tuesdays. And if you’re looking for a Sweet n Tart, this is NOT the place! That is a totally different type of HK cuisine.

I came here for dinner with a group of 7, they have the special lobster dinner set for 6 people but the lady gave us a special price for 7 people, that was very helpful. This is the second restaurant I’ve found that have special lobster dinner and comes with so much food.
The lobsters weren’t huge but it was very good. We had one steamed with garlic (meat taste good and lightly flavor with some sort of garlic oil) and the other stir fry (the stir fry was good too, I do recommend them steam but it’s your preference). The set came with soup, we had the initiated shark fin soup, they made it well, delicious garlic bread, spaghetti, fried rice, tea, and dessert.