Hong Kong Chef

They’re still closed! It will turn into many other things as time goes by. I wonder if they’ll ever replace that old roof on the complex?

Anyone know why they closed?
This was an institution in University City! I used to get their almond chicken or a lunch special. The woman always said, «Be ready in ten minute!»
Disappointed to see a for lease sign on the door.

Got home after a month away and went to Sprout’s, with a glance over at this neighborhood institution and a hankering for their Chinese American food and their reliable smiles. It’s closed!!! Both a loss of food choice for me, after 25 years of a reliable dinner option AND a sadness that I wasn’t able to say «Goodbye and best wishes and thank you!» to the nice family my own little family grew up with.

Closed!
Sorry to say my favorite «10 minute» chinese is now gone after 20+ years or maybe more? Food was never ¹⁰⁄₁₀ but always a reliable 7. Decent value and close here in UC. The last year or two a little decline in food quality so I had been ordering it less. So perhaps I should not be surprised it is gone.

Well, I just grabbed the phone to call in my usual lunch special when a strange thing happened. The call didn’t go through. Perplexed, I dialed again. Same thing, and then again. By now the alarm signals are really going off and I’m thinking the worst thought I could possibly be thinking…“You don’t suppose they retired their restaurant, do you?” But they’ve been here for at least 20 years, a wonderful family run restaurant that you could always count on being there when the mood strikes. A U.C. landmark. Gone! Just like that. I felt totally abandoned. Now grief is starting to set in as I am considering the possibility that I may never dine in one of my favorite restaurants again. I’m hoping of course, that they are just closed temporarily for remodeling and will be right back up before you know it but a little voice inside of me says that more likely after 20 some years of absolute dedication to our community and serving us wonderful meals, you’ve gotten tired and now its time to rest. Kathy, if you and your family are reading this I want you to know that we love your family, we loved your food, we will miss you terribly, and their will always be a place in our hearts for Hong Kong Chef.
Billie, Judy and Teresa

CLOSED. Sign removed, menu not displayed, padlock on door :-((((((

Was the best but unfortunately they’re closed!!!

Hong Kong Chef bills itself as «Mandarin cuisine.» I’ve said it before, but let me say it again: there is no such thing as Mandarin cuisine. Mandarin is a language not a region or ethnic group. Even if it did describe food, the food almost certainly would not be found in Hong Kong where Cantonese is the native language and there is some degree of mistrust of Mandarin speakers from the mainland. /​rant
Not surprisingly, the food here isn’t terribly authentic. The kung pao chicken was very, very Americanized; it’s flavor was just off somehow if not outright bad. The sweet and sour pork tasted better although the fried batter again seemed more American than Chinese. And, truth be told, neither dish should have green pepper.
Smaller annoyances: no spicy mustard (a staple at pretty much every other Americanized Chinese place) for the complimentary fried wontons, and the egg rolls were exceedingly tiny.
Summary: If you want Mandarin food, you’re better off going to Mandaria I guess.

This place is the best for lunch!!!
Try the Honey Walnut Shrimp, it’s very tasty :)

This place was awful for takeout! We got the orange chicken and lemon chicken and in both dishes the chicken was beyond dry (it hurt my jaw trying to eat it). Even the «fried rice» was dry… and PS rice temporarily browned in a pan with some egg should NOT be allowed to pass for fried rice.
Maybe it’s better in the restaurant but do not get your Chinese takeout from here.

I went for a cheap lunch not expecting much and was still grossly disappointed!
The shrimp low mein tasted and looked like it had been burned to the bottom of the pan then scraped off. There was no flavor and no veggies in the fried rice and the egg roll was undercooked.
There is some pretty bad Chinese food in SD but this is one of the worst !

After reading everyone revies, i ordered the almond chicken, lo mein noodle and and pork fried rice, and it was AMAZING!!! I highly recommend this store, they are courteous and their food is on time and delicious… SO GOOD

My husband and I got take out while shopping at the sprouts next door. We ordered the crispy beef, cashew chicken and the bbq pork fried rice. The cashew chicken was VERY good. I will definitely get that again because it had a good balance of veggies, chicken and cashes and the sauce was perfect. The crispy beef was just too crispy and lacked sauce, so maybe we will try the Mongolian beef next time. The fried rice was amazing — can’t go wrong with delicious bbq pork!
The décor inside definitely needs an update and they could get more patrons if they make their presence known a little more. There were only two other families dining in there when we went it. Definitely a neighborhood hidden gem though. Will go back soon.

My roomie and I decided to try this place out last Friday as we were craving Chinese and decided to try something new, and close. We always do takeout and read the reviews were pretty good for that option.
I expected the food to be average Chinese but I have to admit that it was pretty darn fantastic. I was impressed. I ordered the sweet and sour chicken, and the egg rolls I wanted to play it safe. The sweet and sour chicken wasn’t overly sauced, the flavor was fantastic, the breading was very crunchy and it wasn’t soggy. The egg rolls were very crunchy, had tons of flavor, and you can tell everything was fresh.
The only negative I will say is that we ordered two entrees and two appetizers and they gave us one small side of white rice which wasn’t enough for two people.

OMG! It has taken me 2 years, since we moved to San Diego to try this restaurant.
Best Asian food ever. Definately coming back again. Mongolian Beef, Chicken and Broccoli and Chicken Lo Mien were absolutely delicious. Flower Egg Drop Soup was the best ever and the Spring Rolls were light, delicious and crispy.

The food is average, but it’s an awesome place for lunch if you’re really hungry — huge lunch specials :)

Yeadude… our neighborhood Chinese take out.
Hot, quick and tasty.
Getcha Some, Getcha Some!!!

I recently had lunch here. I ordered the sesame chicken, what I received was a deep fried chicken breast, sliced with a little sesame sauce on top. Very disappointing. The chicken was over done, the sauce was too salty. The fried rice was bland.
Food was average priced but I was charged $ 3.00 for my small soda.
Won’t be coming back.

Hong Kong Chef has been in UC since I was a kid, and yet I rarely go there. Maybe my parents weren’t impressed with their food 30 years ago, so it never was really on my radar, and despite living within walking distance of the restaurant, I’ve been there maybe only twice in the past ten years.
Tonight I was feeling lazy, and stopped by on my way home and ordered some ma-​pa tofu to go. For 7 PM on a weeknight, the place was mostly empty — maybe 3 tables with diners, and another lonely soul waiting for her takeout. By the time I came back to pick up my food (walked over to Henry’s to get some groceries), there was only one table with any diners. For some reason, waiting on the bench near the register made me nostalgic and depressed for my grandma’s old house. Something about noticing the detail of the worn-​over painted-​over-​painted surfaces.
Anyway, I got my ma-​pa tofu home and served it. It really hit the spot — good tofu and a nice pork sauce, with a little bit of spice. The dinner portion, with a tiny amount of rice was enough to feed me and have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Good food, quiet atmosphere for dinner. I hope the place is more lively for the lunch crowd (they have lunch specials). Prices are about average. According to the stickers, they take Visa and Mastercard.
Fun fact: I remember coming in as a kid and seeing an abacus used at the cash register.

I’ve gone here a few times while on shopping excursions to Henry’s. Their Hong Kong Special Noodles are awesome, as well as their BBQ pork fried rice. Their egg rolls, however, while certainly crispy also are veggie filled, so you may be out of luck if you’re looking for chicken or beef-​filled ones. Additionally, if you’re looking for fish, move along stranger; their seafood is mostly shrimp, scallops, and imitation crab.
The service is FAST — within 5 – 10 minutes of ordering, my friend and I got our orders. The wait staff is also friendly and prompt with checking if everthing’s okay, or if you need a drink refill. But, as other Unilocalers have noted, the place is too quiet for my liking. It’s kinda weird when you’re dining in and you’re literally the only person in the restaurant (and with no ambient music or anything to boot). Perhaps take-out’s a better option next time.
I will be back, however, to try their sweet and sour pork and kung pao chicken, as I haven’t tried those yet. (I’ll just order them through takeout!)