Master Kong（SE Hawthorne Blvd) — Restaurant in Portland

really wanted to like this place, especially based on the rave Oregonian review from a few weeks ago. A local, family-run place with affordable delicious dumplings? Sign me up. However, the food was decent for a good price with substantial portions. I don’t want decent dim-sum. I want tasty dim-sum and I don’t think I’d return. The place was pretty busy for a weekend, so many others seemed pretty satisfied with their experience.

You order from a large touch-screen kiosk, you can have free hot tea and water, then seat yourself at a table.

The young female hostess with the glasses was extremely welcoming, accommodating, hard-working and seemed very genuinely invested that her customers have a good experience. I would absolutely give her service 5/5. She was hustling the entire time we were there, busy with tasks and even helping blow up a few balloons for a birthday party. She’s a delight.

We ordered the pan fried dumplings, steamed dumplings, braised beef stew, Chinese broccoli, potstickers, and xiao long bao for two people. It was a lot of food for two people. Too much probably. The steamed dumplings and pan fried dumplings were same. Fluffy and huge with a small meatball in the middle. The meat was small and rather flavorless. The potstickers were flavorful and well-prepared. The Chinese broccoli was perfectly cooked with some oyster sauce. The pan fried dumplings were fluffy, but rather tasteless. The xiao long bao were all served in tiny aluminum boats to prevent sticking to the steaming tray, which was a unique touch to prevent them from tearing. The dough was rather thick, the meat bland, and almost no broth in them. The beef braised soup had some decently flavored north, but was rather salty. It came with a number of baby bok choy and a large scoop of fresh rice. You could almost get a full meal out of that for about $10, which is a great deal in Portland. There wasn’t a ton of meat and it was rather tough/bristly. It was a LOT of food for the money.

But with those drawbacks, I don’t think I would come here. I’d rather spend more money at HK Cafe, Din Thai Fung, or Dough Zone and get really good food. Pure Spice is also good. Ocean City was solid when it was still around.

One of the male servers didn’t really acknowledge us, then dropped the bowls quite noisily into the bins when clearing the table so it was hard to have a conversation. Just a greeting would be nice or some welcome to figure out how to use the kiosk.

Decent food for a good price. We might try again sometime to see if we maybe had an off night....

I adore everything about this place. I was trying to find something open past 9pm, and am so glad this popped up because it's now one of my favorite restaurants in Portland. First off, the ordering system: I LOVE it. Frankly, I think the normal system of table service is really outdated for casual dining. I love the simplicity and ease of the kiosk, especially because at Master Kong it is accompanied by genuine hospitality by the staff, greeting you and offering recommendations. You pay at the kiosk when you order, which I also love and hope becomes the norm. There is no looming check to wait for or stress about while you are eating; you can completely enjoy your meal, be in the moment, and leave whenever you're ready.

Now, the food. You may have lessened expectations of the portion size or quality because of the very affordable prices, but you would be wrong. The food is beautifully made, so fresh, and the portions are LARGE. Everything we ordered was special: the jianbing, beef noodles, congee, and dessert were all lovingly made and the flavors were gorgeous.

Lastly, and this may be the main reason I plan on returning forever: the staff were so kind and happy. It genuinely felt like we were dining in someone's loving home. We felt so welcomed. So many smiles, asking if we were enjoying our food, telling us their favorite items, etc. I really love this.

So. Master Kong. Go, enjoy, and go back again. I...

Tasty but a bit more grease/oil than necessary . I ordered 3 items at the slick "McDonald-like" order station located at the counter of Master Kongs. The order station worked well , easy to use and had descriptive pictures and explanations along with pricing. The food came out in stages quickly and hot. The Mustard pork noodle soup , was served hot and loaded with hand-made noodles and a limited amount of veggies and pork. The Chinese style pot stickers , my personal favorite on this visit were delicious , crispy on the outside , soft and chewy inside. The only negative was that they seemed grilled in an overly greasy wok.. The Jianbing was my least favorite dish primarily because it was just loaded with grease. The flavor was good but the greasiness overpowered the decent flavor. There are 3 types of sauces available--all located on the counter. Water available Handicap doable. Service was great--friendly and attentive. Prices were reasonable--$27.00 dollars for the 3 items. I will be back , honing in on my favorite dish and trying...