Sandy's Cafe — Restaurant in Honolulu

It's not unusual for Chinese people to meet and greet each other by asking if they've eaten yet because it's a more casual and common way to ask, "how are you?" So it follows, when food-loving friends and family members get together, discussions about food or the latest food establishment always ensue over a meal. We were celebrating a friend's birthday with friends who we've when the topic of Chinese (Cantonese) cuisine popped up. Three of our friends seated nearby eagerly endorsed Sandy's Cafe, located in Chinatown's Chinese Cultural Plaza. They raved about the tender and perfectly roasted Chinese BBQ (char siu) pork belly at Sandy's Cafe. My husband's interest perked up when they touted the deep-fried chicken wings appetizer. He joined the conversation by asking how many pieces per plate and if the wings were served whole or mixed drumettes and flats/wingettes.

The next day, as we set out to go for a walk, my husband suggested trying Sandy's Café in Chinatown.

Arriving at the crowded restaurant, we managed to be seated at the last available table facing the kitchen and butcher's display case. Service was friendly, and having perused the menu posted in the window, we ordered right away. We chose to order one item that our friends had recommended and two menu choices that no one else had posted. The server brought us glasses of iced water and disposable Western-style soup spoons, and bamboo chopsticks wrapped in plastic sandwich bags. We hope they'll bring out Asian-style soup spoons instead because to us, using a Western-style teaspoon to eat noodles in soup while using chopsticks was frustrating. FOOD: Deep-fried chicken wings: eight crisp fried golden brown chicken wing flats/wingettes came hot from the fryer. The chicken skin was crispy and didn't have breading or a battered crust. Its meat was tender, moist, and flavorful, although I thought it a bit salty (in a good way) as though the chicken had been brined. The wingettes were a hit with my husband, and I let him eat the rest of this appetizer. 8/$14 Roast duck noodles in soup: the server brought my husband a small plate containing about 1/4 duck with a leg. The tasty seasoning and roasting of the duck were excellent, and the dense duck meat was tender and moist. Its mahogany-colored skin was fatty and thicker than fried chicken skin. The server then brought a large bowl of thin Hong Kong-style noodles in an aromatic clear broth. Upon tasting the broth, I could taste dried shrimp, ginger, chicken, salt (maybe soy sauce), and sesame seed oil. The noodles were medium-firm in texture and balanced the tender roasted duck meat. $15 Pigs feet lo mein: okay, I gave into my penchant for pork meat even though I've cut back significantly because I've been working on lowering my cholesterol level. I was excited to see this on the menu because lo mein is dry tossed noodles and usually served with a bowl of steaming hot broth. The braised pig trotter was cut into four pieces. Each tender piece was flavored with star anise, cinnamon, soy sauce, and sugar. The trotter was so tender that I could easily pick out the bones with my chopsticks, and each bite into its fatty skin and moist meat had me smacking my lips because of the rich sticky collagen. Hahaha. I told my husband I felt my skin wrinkles plumped with each collagenous bite. I expected a bowl of broth to be served along with this dish, but none came. However, I looked around the restaurant and noticed others who ordered lo mein, and they weren't served a bowl of broth either. This dish was so full-bodied, I could only eat half portion and took the leftovers home. $16 We'll have to try other dishes in the future, but this first visit was tasty and generously portioned. At first glance, the menu seemed pricey, but we got what we paid for. I dinged them a star because after serving our meals, the server never returned to fill our water glasses or inquire if we needed any additional condiments, or bring us our bill. We had to ask...

Highly recommend this place in China Town

If you want Hong Kong style food, this is the place you need check out.

Sandy's Cafe is very clean and spacious. Everyone wore masks. Tables are evenly spaced out per covid protocol. Utensils are individually wrapped in plastic bags. Validated parking.

Beef Chow Fun was absolutely delicious. Well seasoned, taste and flavor was spot on. Not too oily and not too dry. Perfect amount of beef and veggies to this dish. You can tell it came right out the wok by the steam from the noodles! Veggies are not over cooked so there is a slight crunch with every bite. If you want a little kick to it, ask for their homemade chili oil.

Roast Duck: They make their own Roast Duck and it's super fresh! The softest and tastiest duck ever. Duck is well seasoned and super JUICYYYYYYYYYYY!

Chicken Wings: Hot and fresh out of the fryer. Crispy on the outside and very juicy on the inside. Perfect amount of spice.

Iced Honey Lemon Tea: So refreshing! Perfect amount of sweetness and slight tang from the lemon. All I can say is I had more than just one. Next time I will order the Milk tea since I've noticed a lot of...

I do not support dishonest restaurant businesses. This review is for Sandy's Cafe located in Cultural Plaza. Please do not give them your business. I ordered a whole Roast Duck and took it to my parents house to enjoy. I opened my plate and it was all dark meat and bones without any white meat. They did not give me the whole duck which I paid for. We called to let them know, they told him to drive back. My dad drove down there with the plate to show them. They accused him of taking the peices out. Why would I drive all the way from Pearl city to Chinatown to lie to you, I have better things to do? Then they just yelled at him and threw the duck in the trash with no refund given. Horrible Customer service and bad business practice. I will not support and you should be ashamed to even call...