Happy Cafe Chinese Restaurant

I ordered salt pepper calamari (left) and black pepper steaks (right). Both were really good and reasonably priced for the portion. Tasted like home too. Definitely recommend!

Absolutely loved the food and portions. Tastes were fabulous. The Cream cheese rangoons..YUMMY!! Then we had the scallion pancakes with a delicious dipping sauce. Loved the fried tofu and sauce. Lo Mein, great taste and preparation. Tables are very close to one another. Background music would be nice. There should be something covering the entrance in/out of kitchen. Will definitely go back again. You can order, "TO-GO" and then not worry about the lack of atmosphere or smallness!!

I’m glad that I discovered another treasure Chinese restaurant. Their Sichuan style dishes are really satisfying. The boiled beef and fish tastes spicy but not prohibiting at all. The fried tofu is crispy outside while tender inside. Cumin lamb was slightly dry but still easy to chew. I’m more impressed by the slogans on the wall. Stay positive and wise!

Happy Cafe is an authentic spot for Cantonese and their newer Sichuan menu items. Some highlights include the Chinese steamed egg, hot spicy chicken, braised string beans, spicy twice cooked pork, and Chongqing style pot. All of the food items were delicious and our group had tons of leftovers for our next meal.

We enjoyed some superb, authentic food at Happy Cafe. Can't wait to come back and try more of their menu! The salt & pepper tofu is perfection--delicate, crispy crust and impossibly tender inside. Also loved the meatballs, which were carefully formed so that the meat didn't get tough, with a delicious sauce. Clean and welcoming atmosphere, kind staff. Thank you for serving such awesome food to our community!

We were pleasantly surprised with this inconspicuous little Chinese cafe! Everything we ordered was so delicious and satisfying, I’m already looking forward to coming back and trying more dishes. Service was friendly and fast, portions were generous at very reasonable prices! Highly recommend all the dishes we got- lemon pepper chicken, jinsha crispy tofu, beef chow fun, & Chinese broccoli with preserved pork. We left with full and happy bellies and this spot has easily been added to our favorites! :)

We are on the hunt for the best Wonton soup and theirs was quite tasty. The broth was flavorful and it has plenty of veggies. I wish there were more wontons in the soup though, my bowl had only two.

Have been a fan of Happy Cafe for years, they've always been consistently good but we went to try the new Sichuan menu (with their new Sichuan chef)! The new menu is a fresh new highlight! Really yummy! Best of the night: Twice cooked pork (thin but fatty strips of pork belly) in a perfectly mala stir fry. Everyone loved this one, it was so addicting! Intestines on hot plate: Really yummy!! If you're not a fan of intestines this one is really approachable. They cook in in a savory sauce, and braise it so it has a squid-like texture profile. Jushan tofu: crispy!! light!! with a silky hot tofu interior!! XO rice rolls: Crispy, soft, full of that flavorful XO umami Definitely want to go back and try the rest of their new menu, everything sounded very good!!

One of the Chinese restaurants I would not hesitate to bring out of town friends to is Happy Cafe on South Federal. Besides being one of the most frequented Cantonese restaurants by locals, it is also often complimented for its variety and authenticity. At the corner of South Federal and Ford with limited parking spaces, the restaurant may look uninspiring and ordinary, the food here is anything but. Here are its beef with hot chili sauce, shredded salty chicken, boiled fish fillet with pickled vegetable, eggplant with garlic sauce and Maggie duck chin.

It is about 4.5 stars. The happy cafe may be the best small Chinese authentic cuisine. There carry many good menu dish. It include braise pigeons, scallions dungeon crab, and more. We start with stir fry spicy chitterlings. The chitterlings is nice and soft. Pleasant to eat. The second dish is salt and pepper quails. Three quails total that chop in 4 pieces each quail. Scallions was in the stir fry. The quail is good to go with wine. The third dish is the squid in soy sauce. This dish is the whole squid. The tentacles is crispy and also the ear of the squid. Overall is good food. Service is good also. Definitely recommend to visit in the future. Don't forget to try other items in the menu.

I came here when we were in Denver for seven days straight during a gem show! The food was mostly good, and the service was friendly!

Quality isn't very consistent which was crazy because we were the only ones here. But our dishes weren't the best. First off, the yellow noodle seafood sauce is usually crunchy noodles. But today, it tasted like Lo mein meaning just regular noodles drenched in sauce. The walnut shrimp was coated in flour and batter to make the shrimp seem huge but when you bite into it, it was just flour. The scallion pancake did not have any scallion. It was just flour. Things that are consistently good: - beef chow Mein - the greens - soup - the pork deep fried ribs - and the black bean clams

I was craving Taiwanese beef noodle soup and saw a good pick on Yelp! We came here for lunch and were the last 2 person table top. Busy but not too busy! Ordered the fry bun that are perfectly crispy on the outside and like a fluffy cloud on the inside-perfection. I got the beef noodle soup and the flavor of the broth was well developed, however, the beef could have been much more tender- I'm used to the melt in your mouth texture. Overall a delightful satisfying meal!

Just received a delivery order from Happy Cafe and it was top notch! Super fresh veggies and fried up pieces with the sweet & sour sauce in a separate container. So thoughtful and amazing!

Small restaurant. No frills ambiance. Iced water served. Christmas lunch and one server who did a phenomenon job. Salt and pepper fish fillet: very tender and tender. Perfectly done. Good sized pieces and good quantity. Sichuan Beef brisket clay pot: mushrooms, glass noodles, Napa cabbage, wood ear fungi, dried bean curd in a flavorful broth. Left my lips and tongue tingling! Great flavor but too spicy for someone who can't tolerate spicy. Thankfully served with steamed rice to temper the heat. Beef chow fun and Singapore noodles: both very flavorful. Would come back for sure!

The food is great I love the garlic ribs. The service is spot on and great location.

I've lived in Denver for 4 years and haven't found a Chinese place that I would be willing to get takeout from until I went to Happy Cafe. Most places in Colorado have primarily dumplings or noodle dishes, but not many places do Chinese entrees. Happy Cafe does that and they did not disappoint. I loved their deep fried spare ribs, green beans, and beef chow fun. You know I'll be going back when I'm too lazy to cook!

One of the best Chinese restaurants in Denver Came here after a hike. Greeted by friendly service and large portion of food. So fresh and yummy!! They have a big menu too, and I can't wait to come back next time

Great authentic tasting Chinese food in Denver. If you are a foodie and like to try new Chinese food, this is a place to check out. Unique flavors! Family dining ambiance with speedy service

One of my Happy places (pun intended)! We have gone here a handful of times and the owners and servers are always pleasant. We truly enjoy the authentic dishes. We always get the garlic fried spare ribs, shrimp with salt and pepper, and their chow fun is pretty good too. If you're looking for a unique dessert, definitely order their fried milk. I only get to order it here and it's so good! It is a big order, so sharing is recommended because eating it fresh is the best. I also recommend trying their honey lemon tea (sort of reminds me of a fresh version of Brisk ice tea), or Hong Kong milk tea. This is one of our family go-to places to have a meal together. It's not overly packed and they have great food.

found a cockroach in my food. they didn't take it seriously and kind of brushed it off.

We go the boiling beef and fish. It was so good we ate all the bean sprouts and cabbage in it.

Authentic Chinese food, nice variety of dishes. The clay pot dishes are very popular. Highly recommend the fried eggplant - crispy outside, creamy inside, garnished with some jalapenos.

4 words: deep fried garlic spareribs. One of my most fave dishes in all of Denver. Do not sleep on this dish!!!!

I need to update my review. The moo shu is still great but everything else seems to be hit or miss. Scallion pancake was great the first couple times and since has been a little off... can't quite put my finger on why. The sesame double lucky has decent chicken and good shrimp but the sauce is almost dessert like, too sweet and thin. We ordered egg rolls this last time and didn't receive them. I didn't call to let them know... yes that part is on me. We'll still order moo shu on occasion but the search continues for a consistently good Chinese place near us...

Food was tasty, service was fast and great! Will be coming back! Even my picky Cantonese husband and mother in law agree.

This is the hole in the wall Chinese delight that I have been searching for! They have a wide variety of dishes that I haven't heard of, like Beef Bitter Melons with Black Bean Sauce, as well as the regular faves you usually see like Kung Pao Chicken ect. Plus the staff was really nice and they do to go orders. So far I've only had the Crystal Noodles with Chili sauce and the Beef Chow Fun. Both delicious and I can't wait to go back to try more dishes! I've been looking for so long and I'm overjoyed to have found this place!

Alright what gives? This restaurant is tucked in a strip mall on federal and so inconspicuous. We came here on another yelp elite's reco they serve CLAY POT RICE. WHAT THE WHAT!! As a kid who spent summers in HK and had an amazing asian mom cook, i miss all these meals since moving to denver. Obviously we had to give it a try. This place is Cantonese / HK food forward. The clay pot rice wasn't anything to write home about BUT it did satisfy my craving. We tried the spare rib clay pot rice... i'll be back to try the sausage one in the future. we also got the five spice duck which wasn't bad but i will not lie ... my tummy did grumble a few times after we left and i'll chalk it up to the food being greasy. We also got the beef chow fun which was good flavor and 'wok hay' but again really greasy. The gentleman who was working was really sweet and kind and i appreciated his attentiveness. We also grabbed a HK lemon tea.. MmmMmmm sweet sweet summers in my parent's hometown. i'll be back to try other things and probably come in the evening when it's busier! pro tips: - parking inside the lot is a nightmare... park on the street to save yourself a game of bumper cars. - clay pot takes about 25 minutes so be patient or skip it! - HK lemon iced tea !!

Best Chinese food I've had in Denver by far. Can't wait to go back again and try more things. Everything was so tasty. Big portions. Nice staff. The XO Sauce Rice Noodle Rolls were my favorite. Texture like gnocchi and flavor similar to beef chow fun. So soft and savory and delicious.

This is my new go to place for wok-fired Cantonese dishes. Most of them are pretty authentic. I've been here several times now and have enjoyed Beef Chow Fun, String Beans with Minced Meat and Preserved Olive Vegetables, Clay Pot Rice, steamed soup and more. All are recommended. The only 2 things that we've tried and were less than ideal was one of the Clay Pot Chicken dishes - it would be much better if they used dark meat instead of white. Also the Salted Duck Egg Yolk Coated Acorn Squash would be phenomenal if they didn't cover the squash slices in thick batter. Regret that I still haven't had a chance to try their famous Fried Milk Curd (permission to call it "dessert entree"?!) The picture looks so enticing but they're always out when I visited. More reasons to try it, I guess!

A hidden gem ! The food is authentic and delicious! Huge portions too! It's my favorite Chines restaurant now

Sitting here right now thinking to myself, "I haven't had a meal this good since... well... the last time I ate here." Authentic, family style Chinese food that will leave you beyond satisfied. Get the duck jaws and frog legs!!!!

WOW Guys -- While searching for a Chinese takeout place I came across Happy Cafe and read a few reviews. Things like "best lomein" and "new favorite" came up, which piqued my curiosity enough to give it a whirl. Let me tell you plainly, you must try this place. Yes, it is Americanized Chinese food, yes, it's better than the average Chinese take out, and yes, the prices are a dollar or two lower than most places. But seriously - what is going on with the lomein?? SO GOOD! And the Kung Pao Triple Delight = full marks. We were so very happy with everything, and our at home dining experience was filled with squeals of delight. And seconds. And thirds. For reals, just try it out.

Amazing quality! I happen to stop by after getting a haircut next door and didn't expect much. I ordered beef chow fun, mapo tofu, and scallion pancakes. The chow fun noodles were delicious, only thing it needed was a little more soy sauce. The beef was really tender and juicy which is how I like it. The sauce for the tofu was also delicious, not too spicy but still got a nice kick to it. And the scallion pancakes were thinner and flaky but still great to the taste. Reasonable priced and good portions as well!

Best Hong Kong style food in Colorado! yes i said it ! my family and I come here so much at least once a week when we have a chance. We've tried almost half of the menu :) I will update the pictures if i ever remember to take one . lol

Unassuming little place but the food is really good. My favorite dishes included (apologies don't know if this is the official name of the dishes): -Marinated duck chins - chewy, tendon-y in a satisfying way. I didn't think I'd like this but there was more meat than you'd think. If you like chicken feet it's a similar experience. -shredded chicken. If you'd had the cold poached chicken with ginger/scallion sauce at other restaurants this is the same thing except the chicken comes pre shredded and covered in the sauce. It's a lazy way to enjoy the same dish. Sometimes that chicken dish has a few dry pieces but this one was really great - every shred with still tender and bouncy. -marinated quails - really well seasoned and enjoyable and I say that as someone who doesn't tend to like quail meat because I think the meat can be too dense -salt and pepper baby squids - I didn't like this one. The squid has some kind of solidish gel part in the middle that was bland and strange texture wise. -peppery pork stomach soup - tender chunks of pork stomach in a peppery broth. This felt good for a cold day. I don't love a ton of pepper so it wouldn't be my first pick for a soup but I didn't hate it. Service was friendly but really slow. There was just one front of house worker for the whole restaurant (maybe 10-12 tables). She was slammed but kept things moving on a busy night. It was my first time here so I'm not sure if it's normally like that but the food was great and unique enough that I'd be back. Oh and like many hole in the walls - the bathroom is disgusting. Don't go if you can avoid it. Unfortunately I have a toddler who somehow was convinced they really had to pee every 20 mins. Overall I'm happy my family brought me here. It's definitely going to be on my list for future visits to Denver.

This is my go to Chinese take out. I'm actually really looking forward to Xmas eve so I can order shrimp fried rice, crab cheese wontons and orange chicken. The staff is very nice and love to make sure everyone is enjoying their food and experience. I always get excited when I know I'm getting to eat Happy Cafe because it not only makes me happy, it's delicious

Authentic Chinese food. Quality was good. Atmosphere was poor. Service was great and Margret our server was really sweet. Try the fried spareribs and onion pancakes

Great spot if you want authentic Chinese food. Staff is very friendly and helps you with the menu if you can't decide on what you want to eat. They make this white fish in soup sauce with Chinese spices and it's amazing!

This was my first visit to the restaurant. The menu looked promising, and it offered braised pork belly over rice 滷肉飯, a Taiwanese rice dish that I have been looking for high and low in Denver. Naturally, I was excited! Plus, that the Chinese name contained the label 茶餐廳 (look up "cha chaan teng" on Wikipedia for the uninitiated) made me picture a Hong Kong café backdrop in my mind. I ordered the 滷肉飯 from the menu, and in the spirit of dining in a 茶餐廳, I got the classic Hong Kong style milk tea as my beverage. The milk tea turned out to be rather diluted. Instead of a glass of smooth and rich milk tea, mine was watery and underwhelming. The braised pork belly over rice 滷肉飯 was somewhat disappointing, too. The presentation was great, but the flavour of the dish was lacking. For a good bowl of 滷肉飯, it is important to have a strong spice profile (the Chinese five-spice powder + star anise + soy sauce + dark soy sauce) and to have the pork belly braised over a period of time. Even though I was not blown away by my experience this time, I would still return to try out other items on the menu. Perhaps 滷肉飯 was not the café's forte. Again, the menu looked really promising and I am open to trying something else!

Chinese food that will leave your stomach feeling happy! They have all sorts of dishes on and off the menu. The staff is friendly and attentive.

Pretty decent place. Dining in is now available which was great for a hungry stomach! The staff was very friendly and service was fast. Food was decent and reasonable portion. Overall seemed pretty clean. It was my first visit and I really enjoyed my meal!!!

LOVE this place! It's a total hole in the wall (expect weird/a bit tacky decorations and a mainly empty space), but exactly what I've been craving, since I've been in many a restaurants in bigger more established cities. The food is always on point, and the food has an air of authenticity. I now live an hour away, but given the chance of I'm in town, I'll always stop at this place. As a heads up, give the orange iced tea a try! It's fucking delicious!

Love this place! The order is always correct and the food is great. Spicy sesame chicken is always made well. Fried rice is perfect and the hot and sour soup is the best. Egg rolls are ok - had them a few times but I suggest going with spring rolls.

Very disappointed. Without family or friends over this holiday season I decided not to cook a typical large spread and just get some takeout and make things easy. When I picked up my order everything was good, friendly quick service and I was on my way home. Unfortunately, that's where things went wrong. Both my entree orders were inedible. The sesame beef was undercooked, breading soggy and falling off all pieces. Kung pao chicken was mostly vegetables sitting in a large amount of watered down sauce. I'll spot them two stars since all of the apps we ordered were crispy and perfect, and they were nice. So, I'm now cooking today and I had to pay someone else for the privilege to do so, not ideal.

AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! If you're looking for a great Chinese food restaurant, keep on looking! I received a new menu from this place in the mail the other day, so I thought I'd try it. Walked into an EMPTY "restaurant" and was told by the only person working there to sit anywhere. Was given lamented menus, water in styrofoam cups to match the white styrofoam plates later given to us. An occasional person would come in to place or pick up take out, but the place was by no means busy. It took a while before we were waited on & our order taken. First came the egg drop soup. BLAND! FLAVORLESS! Like hot water!! I had to scour the joint to find a tray that contained soy sauce, salt, pepper, chili paste, etc., and walked across the room to grab said condiment tray, and bring it to my table. Next came the main courses- I ordered Mongolian Beef, my father ordered Sweet & Sour Chicken. My beef dish was overwhelmingly loaded with oily white & green onions. What "beef" that was in the dish looked a pale gray color, and tasted overly salty! I guess that I'm used to Mongolian Beef from places like P. F. Changs- flavorful dark, rich sauce, plenty of meat, some onions. My dad's chicken was hard, and seemed as though it was not recently prepared- also less than enjoyable! When presented with the bill, each entree was a dollar higher in price, compared to what the menu stated! When I approached the "waiter", he points to this small hand written sign hidden behind him on the wall behind the cash register stating that prices may vary at any given time!!! WTF???!!! NEVER AGAIN!!! One of the WORST DINING EXPERIENCES I HAVE EVER HAD!!! Do yourself a favor- look elsewhere and DO NOT step foot in this dump!!! By the way, my meal from this place has been exiting me in the form of diarrhea!!! Sorry to share that lovely graphic detail, but it needed to be included here. HORRIBLE!!!

Happy Cafe is a little gem in a little strip mall on Federal. We've tried many things on the menu, but this time, Fried Dumplings, Soy Sauce Squid, and Garlic Pork got our attention. The dumplings were standard fare, a great way to start while waiting for the main dishes. The squid were whole, small squid, maybe about six to seven inches in length. Each squid, maybe eight to ten of them in total, was coated in a subtle soy sauce and rested on a bed of fresh bean sprouts and green onions. The garlic pork had a very nice sauce that was stir-fried with onions, celery, carrots, bell peppers, and jalapeños (because the hubby likes it hot). What we look for when we request any pork dish is that they use fresh slices of pork, and not slices if red roast pork. Don't get me wrong, roast pork, especially Chinese roast pork, is great. But when it becomes a restaurant's "pork" ingredient, it feels like the chef is just using up leftovers. I know, I know...waste not, want not. But we're picky that way. Happy Cafe delivers when it comes to using fresh pork. Each dish was executed very well and left us looking forward to the next time we visit.

I love this restaurant! Why? I'm from Hong Kong , it reminds me of the food from my hometown, really delicious and the staff is so nice and friendly, I recommend everyone should give it a try. You won't regret it :)

Discovered Happy Cafe on line with excellent reviews for Best Chinese Restaurants in Denver. Happy Cafe Chinese Restaurant is a best-kept secret if you've yet to discover it for yourself. Everything, and I do mean everything is a life-enhancing experience! What's best is: *****Food ~ huge selection! Fresh! Mouth-watering presentation. Delicious! Serves hot tea and "Hong Kong tea." *****We ordered Lobster, Beef with Green Pepper, Sweet and Sour Pork *****Owner, Bo (pronounced "Bau" in English) is welcoming, personable, and helpful answering menu questions. *****Comfortable atmosphere. Clean. *****Seating accommodates 2 to 8 guests. *****Off-street parking. I especially appreciate sticky rice, a favorite dish. Unfamiliar with chopsticks? Just request a fork.

Ordered off of GrubHub, delivery was fast and on point. The Hot and Sour Soup was well done and very tasty. I ordered Chicken Lo Mein just to test things out and it was some of the best Chicken Lo mein I've ever had. Prices are good too. Definitely ordering again.

Quite a while back on here, I talked about Hong Kong Cafe, a stellar example of a Cha Chaan Teng (tea eatery or "Hong Kong-style diner") in Denver. And now, it's my great pleasure to expound on another standout in this category, Happy Cafe on South Federal. Now, I must stress before I even begin - although they are technically both Cha Chaan Tengs, the dishes you will find at Happy Cafe bear only a very slight resemblance to the ones you will see at Hong Kong Cafe; the latter features both Chinese and Western-style offerings while the former eschews European eats (for the most part) in favor of specifically Sinitic specialties. To start, how about a few sticks of Zha Xian Nai (fried milk custard, often served with a salty/savory sauce to counteract its slight sweetness)? Or, have a taste or two of Jin Sha Nan Gua. Literally "golden sand southern gourd", this treat consists of chunks of fried pumpkin in a batter made from salted mashed egg yolks. And I'm betting you'll just love it. Steamed rice-flour rolls are a very popular Chinese starter, and HC brings you a version topped with a tantalizing bean/peanut sauce. Try it, you'll like it! But let's shift now to main courses, which I am sure you're equally curious about. Gu Fa Yang Nan Bao, or "ancient method lamb brisket pot", does indeed combine this tasty sheep part with mushrooms and toothsome tofu skin. And in this case, the old saying "the sum is greater than its parts", most assuredly holds true. "Ooh, olive mustard - what's that?", I hear you inquire. This condiment, originating in the area around the southeastern city of Chaozhou, expertly blends chopped mustard leaves with bits of plump green olive - and you can sample its elegance in a stirfry with pork and crisp green beans. Happy Cafe also brings you duck or chicken cooked in the classic Taiwanese "San Bei" or "three-cup" format - so named because the most traditional recipes call for one cup each of soy sauce, sesame oil, and Mijiu (Chinese culinary rice wine) - why not have a bit of both birds? But really, you can spend weeks and weeks trying the bevy of goods here at HC, and still not scratch the scintillating surface - so hurry up and check them out already, won't you?

Very tasty should not be a secret hidden in a strip mall!!! I always am impressed when the menu is Chinese first English second. I enjoyed the garlic, ginger spicy chicken. The service was fast attentive and the food flavorful. It paired nicely with white wine. I like spicy. Make sure you mention you want spicy or it will be mild spice level. The waiter knew the customers so they do lots of frequent repeat customers. I'll be back the foods great!!!

Dammit. Roamed off the reservation and ordered the Seasame Chicken. Whoops. Americanized gooey sugary nasty deep fried ballls of dry chicken. 2 little pieces of broccoli. This was a delivery. No Chopsticks, no mustard, no soy sauce. I guess I'm the asshole for thinking they cared. Bummer.

Delicious and friendly! We ordered delivery sweet and sour chicken (sauce is tasty but I like it thicker), fried calamari, seafood combo, and crab rangoon. Best calamari I've had, hands down! The chicken, seafood, veggies, and rice were all super delicious and good portions. They forgot to deliver the rangoons so I can't give them 5 stars but I highly recommend them and will be ordering from them again for sure.

WOOHOO ... as good as it gets !!! YUMMY IN THE TUMMY Yummy HONG KING STYLE CUISINE ... a must try ... CLEAN ... cozy environment ... good customer Service ... Promise you be leaving with a Beautiful Smile ....

I ordered takeout from HC after seeing all the rave reviews. Though I am no expert, a common thread of authenticity intrigued me. There are so many dishes I would like to try so this review is just based on the items we ordered. I ordered the Signature Braised Pork, Crispy Squid with salt and pepper, and beef lo mein. Perhaps it was the selection but i just I wasn't blown away. The braised pork was tender, but it didn't have much depth of flavor in terms of spices. Crispy squid was probably our favorite, just a little chewy. Lo mein had a nice wok fire flavor, but it was a little salty; had a good amount of beef and a few onion slices in it. Overall, it was good enough for an A-ok; however, I will try other dishes and likely update this review.

Accepted order through online portal, turns out they're CLOSED. What a disappointment.