Charlie Hong Kong — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

If you're craving a dose of addicting Chinese inspired feed, look no further than Charlie Hong Kong, playa!! This nugget is not just a restaurant; it's a culinary warehouse rave! It'll have your taste buds dancing like they just popped a hit o' puuuuuure molly!! combine your visit here with a show at the Rio Theatre and you're really starting to cook with nitrous!

First, let's talk about the plentiful vegan options: You'll find an array of dishes that are clearly marked. It's like a secret code you give the doorman on your way into that underground party. But this party concentrates on delivering umami to your dome, son!And for those 1/2-steppers who merely dabble in vegetarianism, fear not! Just a single V marks those dishes, making it super easy to navigate the menu without needing a PhD in food hieroglyphics.

Now, onto the flavahs! The olfactory decadence here can not be overstated. From the crispy spring rolls to the savory Kung Pao Tofu, every bite will have you licking your little finger-tutting digits. Order your Dan Dan Noods, with an extra Dan (Yes Dan dan-dan noodles) and your taste-buds will be burning up like the dance floor during a double-drop Steve Aoki set! And let's not forget the Phoenix Tofu -- this dish is extra spicy and comes loaded with gobs of Chinese peppercorns that will numb your mouth into a state of sub-lingual disassociation. It's like ketamine for your taste buds! ‍

The ambience here is casual kind of like the Gobi tent at Coachella. And the staff? They're like your culinary fire spinners, ready to dose you with szechuan so good you'll leave the restaurant and have to head straight to the Zendo Psychedelic support tent

So, if you're itch'n and twrk'n for some top-notch Chinese cuisine, make your way to Charlie Hong Kong. With such mouthwatering flavors you may find yourself rolling without even taking that MDMA!!...and don't forget your sugary fortune cookie at the end. These little biscuits are like an asian kandi-flip.

Now go get your om nom nom noms on! #PLUR Pro tip: You can charge EV if you park down near Diversity Center at these nifty solar powered electric car...

I went here the other night and it just wasn't an good of an experience, but really wasn't terrible either. If you want reasonably priced food, that tastes possible "okay" this might be the place for you. A lot of people really seemed to love it. Awesome for vegetarians, but if you want protein it's not as affordable nor would I say it's worth the price.

Food: I ordered the pad thai and it was the worst pad thai I've ever had. It tasted like vinegar and the vegetables were too bitter. I can eat pretty much any vegetable raw and enjoy it. They might have put uncooked kale in it, but I love cooked kale. That's like the only raw vegetable I have a problem with. I'm usually not a picky eater so that I was displeased was surprising to me, and pretty disappointing. Whatever my boyfriend had ordered was tastier, but still not something I'd pay to eat. I couldn't eat my meal at the time, but when I got hungry enough and it had gone cold it tasted fairly reasonable.... Still wouldn't call it good but I wasn't as displeased. I wouldn't call this an authentic any culture place either.

Price: It wasn't that pricey, but for that price I could have gone someplace tastier that at least had tofu or egg in the meal.

Service: It was pretty quick and the person on the register was friendly enough.

Environment: Loud as all heck. I left the dining area and waited outside. We ordered for there, but it was so loud we could barely have a conversation. I don't think there was any music playing, but since there were so many people there in such a small place it was way too crowded and unbearably loud. It was fairly clean, but the way things were colored were sort of nauseating. Not really a reason to complain though and I didn't think I'd die from eating there.

In conclusion: I'm probably never going to eat here again unless I'm forcibly dragged there by friends because the food wasn't very good and it was way too loud. Other people seemed enjoy it though so maybe it is just not my type of place. I would not recommend any of my friends to come...

Decades of being a Santa Cruz favorite, this place never fails to serve healthy, delicious food, extremely fast! The ingredients are high quality and clean. There's options for vegetarians through carnivores. Everyone except very picky children will find something they love. Picky kids are likely missing digestive enzymes and therefore missing out! As the sauces and seasonings are highly flavorful Asian fusion inspired enhancement.

The menu has changed over the years a bit, allowing for more al a cart options. I do miss the hoisen beef, and hope it's brought back! Amazing to still get the same excellent fast fresh and healthy cuisine this many decades later!

There's a small very casual and social dining area in a covered enclosed patio. Take out ordering is popular. Smaller children may need assistance staying on the picnic bench style seating. There's a standard high chair. Watch out for kids and dogs in the narrow one direction parking lot!

I understand the clashing of laws around dogs now being considered "support" pets, and therefore cancels all the restrictions on animals being near food prep, service and dining... But it's not sanitary nor appropriate as those laws were in place for many decades to protect food sanitation and public health. That said, there's often dogs in the patio or parking lot. Restaurant owners are really being squeezed between a rock...