Hainan Jones (Dekalb Market Hall)

Years passed between my second and third visits, and the improvement was clear. You'll notice the tasteful decorative touches. The menu items were delicious, but what elevates Hainan Jones (Dekalb Market Hall) are its reasonable prices and attentive team. The meal was properly prepared. I find myself craving their food often.

Roasted chicken over rice is fire. Moist chicken coupled with rice that has been cooked in the chicken broth/juices is the ultimate comfort meal. The greens, soup and sauces (dark sweet soy sauce and sambal) create a wonderful symphony of flavors. One of my favorite quick bites in the city.

I normally frequent the Hainan Jones at the Urban Hawker so it's a surprise to have known of one in this area of Brooklyn so I felt the need to try it out. I had the regular staple of Poached Chicken over rice just to compare the quality of this spot compared to the vendor over at Urban Hawker in Midtown Manhattan. Just as good as here as it is over at Manhattan which is a good sign that there will be equal quality of the food if Hainan Jones were to spread out a bit more and I do want this franchise to expand. Service is just as timely as it is over at Manhattan, maybe even more so with a little less traffic over at the Dekalb food market. The area though is kinda lacking, though no fault of Hainan Jones. It's just that the one in Manhattan has a more Southeast Asian vibe over at that area, then again that location is located in a food court that has the vibe of a Singapore Hawker in mind so it's not surprising that this area feels flat but it's a minor grievance not meant to be taken seriously. It's just cool to see more than just one spot here and I do hope Hainan Jones does branch out more in the city because the food is divine.

Really excellent food- this is coming from someone born and raised in Malaysia. I eat their chicken rice at least once a week! The people who work here are also incredibly friendly and are a true part of the neighborhood.

Rock solid poached Hainan chicken spot. Tender, savory, delicious chili sauce to boot. What stood out to me was how delicately the Yu choy was cooked; typically the stalks are tough but not at this joint. Still crunchy. Absolute finesse

Great flavors for the chicken, rice, and yu choy (greens). I got a combo poached and grilled, but preferred the grilled more as the poached had more skin. Would order again!

The chicken itself is mid. The meat is not very tender and the seasoning/sauce is just ok. The side veggie and the rice is decent tho

one of the best vendors at dekalb market. the food is always fresh and consistently good. the staff is friendly and always helpful. the flavors aren’t as out there as some other vendors, but if you’re craving something that feels like comfort food, thats fresh and well prepared this is your spot!

I always walked by this spot on my way to Trader Joe's and thought $17.50 was pretty steep for chicken hanging in the window at a food court stall. At first glance, I assumed it was like most Hainan chicken places where the chicken is served chilled and stored away until ordered. But here the chicken was kept warm, so I was skeptical. Turns out I was about to eat my words. The mixed poached and roasted set at $17.50 is actually a great deal. The portions of chicken are easily double what most places serve, and Hainanese chicken rice usually runs about $12 at spots in Brooklyn. On top of that, each order comes with a big serving of Chinese gai lan drizzled with sesame oil and soy sauce, topped with a heap of fried shallots. This was the first time I'd seen chicken rice come with so many vegetables normally you just get a few slices of cucumber and that's it. Most of the cuts I got were white meat, but they were surprisingly moist, and with all the bones removed! The soup on the side had a mix of both chicken and vegetable flavors since the greens had been blanched in it. That stood out to me, because at most places the broth just tastes like chicken with a little ginger. The rice could have been a bit firmer, though that might just come down to personal preference. I will never judge a food court spot again.

My daughter and I were attending a concert nearby and wanted dinner first. I saw the Dekalb Market Hall on Yelp and knew that was up my alley. I whittled down the search and decided on Hainan Jones. The poached chicken plate was too tempting to pass up. I placed my order and after a brief wait, I received my order. The poached chicken plate was amazing! I was concerned that poaching would deliver the flavor but it certainly did! As a composed plate, it all worked perfectly! Bok choy cooked perfectly, rice seasoned exceptionally, crispy topping on the bok choy, tender chicken, delicious broth, and two dipping sauces including one that was just the right amount of spice. Yes that was rambling and yes that was a perfect plate of food! Even felt healthy afterwards!

I was excited to try this Hainan style chicken when I spotted it in the Dekalb Food Hall! Delicious, but smaller portion than I expected. I got the Signature Poached Chicken plate with dark meat chicken (you can choose between dark and white meat which I appreciated!). The chicken is ultra tender, but not seasoned at all and needs the sauces to bring out the flavor -- a touch of salt during the cooking process would've really taken this to the next level. The broth was great, and the veggies were cut into bite sized pieces which was nice attention to detail. Overall, not bad at all, but for about $20 for a portion, I was expecting to at least be full afterwards :') The box was only half filled.

I normally frequent the Hainan Jones at the Urban Hawker so it's a surprise to have known of one in this area of Brooklyn so I felt the need to try it out. I had the regular staple of Poached Chicken over rice just to compare the quality of this spot compared to the vendor over at Urban Hawker in Midtown Manhattan. Just as good as here as it is over at Manhattan which is a good sign that there will be equal quality of the food if Hainan Jones were to spread out a bit more and I do want this franchise to expand. Service is just as timely as it is over at Manhattan, maybe even more so with a little less traffic over at the Dekalb food market. The area though is kinda lacking, though no fault of Hainan Jones. It's just that the one in Manhattan has a more Southeast Asian vibe over at that area, then again that location is located in a food court that has the vibe of a Singapore Hawker in mind so it's not surprising that this area feels flat but it's a minor grievance not meant to be taken seriously. It's just cool to see more than just one spot here and I do hope Hainan Jones does branch out more in the city because the food is divine.

What a gem! I'm so glad I found this place while exploring the food market. I lived in Singapore and this is quality. I recommend getting half half to try both. I would recommend this place!

Dekalb Market Hall is filled with so many wonderful restaurants and I'm so happy I chose this place! I am always craving a poached chicken and this one was so very good: moist and flavorful and the sides weren't a letdown! The rice had so much flavor I could eat it on its own and the spicy red sauce boosted everything, I really loved the soup it came with as well. Food was prepped really fast and everyone was super friendly as well. If only I lived near here, I would go at least once a week!

Great servings and quick service. Food tasted clean and good! Rice was good well and they gave side sauces that matched well with the chicken and rice.

Got the Laksa shrimp soup today. Wow that is really tasty. It's got a lot of vegetables, shrimp, bean sprouts, a sliced egg. Somehow it all comes together perfectly in which you can't stop eating this soup. It takes about 10 minutes to make and they always run out! So if it's not covered up on the menus for the day, definitely order this.

What a nice surprise to see this establishment in city point. They are first place that I tried roasted chicken and it's amazing. The server dude with glasses was really nice and prefer the soup here for some reason versus their uptown location. But their uptown location portion is more than here. The portion here looks sad, so hope they fix it and be more consistent with it. But really happy it's here, because I do tend to struggle when it comes to which vendor to get here.

During my normal jaunt through Dekalb Market I passed Hainan Jones and recalled seeing an IG post about the food. I decided to try it, I'm so glad I did. I ordered it to go, so by the time I got home it was cold, BUT..... all the flavors were still there. I can just imagine if I ate it fresh. I ordered the Signature Roasted Chicken Rice Set, which includes two types of roasted chicken, rice, soup and some type of greens (looks like Chinese broccoli). Everything was delish.... No complaints about anything! It's is definitely somewhere that will become a regular stop at Dekalb Market. If you like simple but food w/ depth this is a great place to try! You'll thank me later!

I know food are getting expensive. But c'mon now. This portion is just ridiculous not to mention the crazy price at $17 for about 6 small piece of Hainanese chicken with little of rice. This is just highway robbery. Is not like WOW this is good. Just boiled chicken and little fragrant rice. Even the rice is nothing special about it. The portion is for not even half of the bowl, at17. Would never go back again. Not worth it the price.

Randomly came across Hainan Jones and I immediately craved that perfect chicken rice that I grew up with. Then, I saw chicken porridge on the menu and wanted THAT (I usually want everything on a menu at all times; do not go out to eat with me) but since they've very recently opened they didn't have the pot for the porridge but I was recommended the laksa (cuz she could tell I wanted soup). My hubs got pork with the chicken rice which came with some pickled cabbage (I was very jealous). My laksa had the largest shrimp ever and that soup was delicious. Had me sniffling because I'm weak and frail when it comes to spice but I handled it like a champ. For a Sunday afternoon, it wasn't crazy busy. It's food court style so go with a buddy so you can secure a table. If you're the type to bring your own utensils, you'll thrive.

Hainan Jones specializes in poached chicken over rice, a staple Singaporean dish that is deceptively simple yet perfectly executed. Dekalb Market is Hainan's second location, the first being Urban Hawker on 51st St. I really love Urban Hawker, but Hainan Jones is frequently sold out there. So I absolutely jumped to grab a plate at DeKalb once they opened. The menu is short and straightforward, similar to Urban Hawker. Hainan poached chicken, roast chicken, chicken over salad, nonya laksa curry noodle soup, curry chicken, congee/jook/rice porridge, and tea eggs and braised firm tofu. Their signature dish is the Hainan Chicken, which seems like a very ordinary meal of chicken, a bed of rice, some veggies, and a soup. However, Hainan prides itself on its perfect execution and commitment to quality. The chicken is perfectly tender and mild. The hot sauce is fire. The rice is fluffy, salted umami goodness. Yu choy with oyster sauce is perfectly tender but crunchy and not over salted, with crunchy fried shallots. The portion is good and makes a solid lunch or diner that doesn't leave you feeling heavy. I'm sure some one will say if you go over the Manhattan Bridge to Chinatown, you'd get the same dish for $6, but the quality here is so good, its worth the calories and the dollars. Service was good - very friendly, smart about the menu, and straightforward. Note that there was a 25 minute wait for the laksa curry and there is no online ordering option as of 10/17 for the DeKalb location. Since this is in DeKalb Market, the seating is food court style, which is usually plentiful. Please make sure you clean up your space for those behind you!

This is legit Hainan chicken rice! If you want delicious, fast, and affordable, you found the spot.

Hainan Jones saved me from hunger when Han Dynasty never brought out my main dish. We got the deep fried cutlet in curry and were pleasantly surprised. The chicken was crispy and while I expected the curry to be a Japanese curry type flavor, it was more like a Thai curry. I've never had this combo before and wasn't mad at it. If Han Dynasty disappoints anyone else, I recommend here as an alternative.

The chicken congee is very tasty. Service is fast. Lively food hall atmosphere.........

I'm still processing how good that was. Having just settled nearby, this restaurant exceeded expectations. The workers showed proficiency while staying friendly. Ignoring custom touches, their cooking truly excelled. This place creates memorable moments.

Delicious. So far, I've tried the signature poached chicken set and the pork cutlet curry rice. Both were excellent. The signature poached chicken is so tender you almost don't need a knife and is accompanied by a yummy savory rice and greens with oyster sauce. The curry pork cutlet is perfectly fried, crispy with the right amount or breading. And the curry brings some heat to cut the fat. Next up, the shrimp curry. Try this place. You won't be disappointed.

Came across this when I was on my way to get tacos but decided on this instead and I was NOT let down it was delicious and the curry is not very spicy at all. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to handle the spice so she put the curry in a separate bowl for me without my having to ask so excellent service. My 13yo devoured my left overs and he's a picky boy. Definitely would recommend, I'll be going back soon

It was a nice spot to grab a bite. If you can't decide what to eat, you can get a variety of dishes from different stalls.

I tried the Laksa here and I'm sorry to report it's not great. The prawns were not cooked in the broth/ more like cocktail prawns placed on top. The tofu skin was really good, but the broth itself wasn't rich enough and the noodles didn't hold the flavour of them at all- so probably put in right at the end as well. It was a rather sad Laksa. Not terrible, but I was really excited to see it and then truly disappointed. Maybe the other dishes are better?

I am writing this review to highlight poor hygiene practices at the Dekalb outlet. I am a fan of the Manhattan outlet, and visit it approximately once a week. However, laksa is only available at the Dekalb outlet. On 1/4/2025, I ordered laksa at the Dekalb outlet. I noticed that the staff preparing the laksa dropped the container on the ground. She picked up the container and placed it upon the inside of its lid which was on the counter -- so the base of the container and the inside of its lid were both soiled. She then proceeded to scoop the laksa into the soiled container and cap it with the dirty lid. While the staff agreed to prepare a fresh bowl of laksa when I confronted her about the incident, I felt that the appropriate action would have been to automatically replace the soiled container and lid in the first place. I wasn't offered a refund or anything. Overall, the laksa was pretty mediocre without any additional sambal offered. I was offered chicken rice chilli... but it simply wasn't the right spice for the dish. Not worth the trip to Brooklyn and definitely regret placing a tip with my order. I would suggest Native Noodles for better laksa.

Tried it today for lunch the food was good , however the portion was way too small for the price . If management is reading this please increase your portions if you plan on charging $19 for rice and Chicken . Thank you