Hong Kong Cafe

Asian Dining at its best. Simple, thoughtful, and genuine. This place will suck you in with its charm from the moment you enter and will send you back out into the world refreshed and recharged.

This place has some classic good Chinese food with plenty of vegetarian option for those who don’t eat meat. The hosts are endlessly accommodating and very friendly. We were seated quickly, ordered promptly and I couldn’t believe how quickly the food came out. The vegetables in the dishes are all so fresh and delicious. Crab Rangoons were absolutely delicious. We came here on a Badger game day and there was plenty of space. This place is truly an under-recognized neighborhood gem.

I've been dining here for over 20 years, and it’s never been anything short of wonderful. The food is consistently delicious and served hot, just the way it should be. The service is always prompt, and I’m greeted with kindness every time I walk through the door. It’s rare to find a place that delivers such warmth and consistency year after year—I always leave feeling satisfied and appreciated.

“This is the best Chinese I’ve ever had” is what my Dad says every time we come here. We don’t live in Madison, but when we visit we come here every time, it’s now a little family tradition. There are so many vegetarian options. The general Tso’s Tofu is the perfect texture, it’s crunchy on the outside and flavorful and juicy on the inside. the cream cheese puffs are a must, let me repeat that the cream cheese puffs are a must! Also the wontons and soups are out of this world. The portion sizes are huge. And all of the staff are so personable, funny, friendly, and treat you just like family.

I love Hong Kong Cafe!!! Cute little Chinese restaurant run by a sweet Chinese couple who are both so nice and provide excellent service. The food is good and the portion are generous. Have been there twice now for lunch and had a wonderful experience both times. They offer a nice selection in the menu with plenty of vegetarian options. Currently they have a holiday promotion, where is you spend $50 you get a $10 gift voucher to use later. Go check this place out for yummy and fresh Chinese food.

This used to be our favorite Chinese restaurant, but that changed when they started automatically adding a 20% gratuity — even for just two people. It’s already overpriced, and because of this policy, my friend and I have stopped going there.

Skip it. Outrageously priced and the most revolting attempt at a mai tai I've ever experienced. Tasted like blended orange juice and something pepperminty. Food was decent but the $24 tip the lady added to the bill herself was absolutely not.

Smile You're on Camera :) Welcome to Hong Kong Cafe! Upon entering the restaurant I found my group, and noticed we were seated near a live security camera feed for the exterior of the restaurant.....I've read a few reviews stating this place has the best Chinese food in Madison. WHAT!?!?! The food arrived suspiciously fast while my dish: A Shrimp, Pork, Chicken combo arrived with the quality, and taste of a $5 Lunch special in any random Milwaukee Chinese American restaurant, yet featured a $15+ Price Tag. I did also try a few other shared table dishes which yielded very similar results. The one thing this restaurant has going for it: The upbeat attitudes of the employees.

Went here for lunch. Food and service both good. I had moo shu pork. Large menu with many choices.

First of all, I hadn't been in this restaurant in 30 some years. As students we loved it. I moved back to Michigan and visiting Madtown this was a must go (Micky's was breakfast). The low reviews were troubling, but reading them people gave 1 star because of the 20% tip they automatically add; the food reviews were always good. And the food was REALLY GOOD!! The place was a lot cleaner than I remember it and the service was excellent with really friendly people. And it was crowded, so obviously they are doing it right!! I still live in Michigan, but if I lived here this would be my go to Chinese place. 5 stars!! And the service was worth 25% so we added 5 bucks to the automatic tip!!

I haven't even finished my food yet. This place is amazing from the vibes of all the guys here working to the food. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

Best Chinese food in Madison hands down. The staff are very friendly and accommodating, the decorations are nice. I have been eating here since I was young and I haven't ever had a bad visit.

A long-time Madison staple. Their tailgates before Badger football games are the way to go. It's never too crowded and easy to get served. Having wonderful Asian food is a nice change of pace before a game as well.

I love Hong Kong Cafe!!! Cute little Chinese restaurant run by a sweet Chinese couple who are both so nice and provide excellent service. The food is good and the portion are generous. Have been there twice now for lunch and had a wonderful experience both times. They offer a nice selection in the menu with plenty of vegetarian options. Currently they have a holiday promotion, where is you spend $50 you get a $10 gift voucher to use later. Go check this place out for yummy and fresh Chinese food.

My husband and I got carry out last night and my husband got food poisoning. I've enjoyed this restaurant in the past but will no longer be dining here.

Overpriced and as others mentioned, sneaky 20% auto gratuity that he is smug about once you notice it on your check.

We are from out-of-state. Last year, took kids and their spouses to a UW football tailgate here, and had a blast--soju bombs, cha-siu bow, egg rolls, and all the rest. It was so great, we did the same thing again this year. Why the one star? Because on one credit card charge, I left a 10% tip, but the final charge was upped to 20%, without my permission. On a second CC charge, I left no tip because my SIL put $10 in the tip jar. This charge was also upped to 20%, without my permission. What kind of B.S. is this? Enjoyed seeing a "brother" make good $$ on festivities, but this is dishonest. Sadly, we will never return to Hong Kong Cafe.

We tried the veggie egg roll and bbq pork bun at their Taste of Madison booth! Both were amazing, I think the best pork bun I've had in Madison so far! The chili oil was a must have with the egg rolls. After trying these, we can't wait to go to Hong Kong Cafe's restaurant.

Service was the best I've ever had in my entire life. Friendliest people ever! Great food

Amazing food, amazing service, amazing staff. No complaints and a favorite place to visit whenever in Madison!!

I was very hopeful that it was gonna be traditional Hong Kong Cafe Cuisine, but it's just regular Chinese American cuisine, which I'm very sad about. Hong Kong Cafe cuisine was developed after WW2, which was heavily influenced by British cuisine. They had various dishes that couldn't be found anywhere else but Hong Kong Cafe's. Sadly, this is mot one of them....

We've gone here for years, the food is consistently excellent, owners are very kind, and the ambiance is cozy, clean, with beautiful art. We love the egg noodles aka Cantonese style chow mein.

We were so excited to return to Hong Kong Cafe for dim sum today! We have ordered from them throughout the pandemic as they are a favorite, but it's just not the same as eating dim sum in person! The owner, Terry, is friendly to everyone that walks in and the casual atmosphere always lends to friend conversations with the staff throughout your meal. The dim sum is handmade and it was just as delicious as I remember! Feel free to order as many dishes as you want, they're always happy to pull an extra table over for you too. Hong Kong has the best potstickers in town and it is worth it to order a wide variety from their dim sum menu. They're also serving sesame balls now which is the best way to end your meal!

Dinner has a separate menu that is extremely overpriced (like double the lunch menu), and supposedly it also mentions an automatic 20% tip that is added no matter how many are in your party, and by no means was the service worth that. The only difference between the two menus, besides the much higher price, was the plate it was served on. And the wonton soup - blech. Don't waste your time or money. No wonder there were no other customers in there at the same time we were.

The food is decent. However the price is very high, and they are adding 20% tip to the bill automatically. I thought the bill was high and later called them to clarify, they would not tell me exactly whether the tip was added. They keep saying that it was not their job to tell me. I found the way they handle it to be dishonest.

We love this place! Everything is so fresh and good! Always amazing service and the owners are so kind and generous. They know my dad when we do take out and always greet him! We love the chicken curry, general Tso, fried rice, and more! Basically everything is delicious!

Food is ok. But they added 20% tips without informing you. So I paid (1+20%)*(1+20%)=144% after I gave tips.

Good Chinese food for the price and location! I ordered the sesame tofu, and I was definitely satisfied. I was hoping for some spice since I ordered the hot version, but it didn't seem any different than the mild version. The egg drop soup was also good, but it wasn't unique. The food came quickly, and the servers were very nice and speedy. If I have a Chinese food craving again, I will definitely keep this place in mind.

Average standard Chinese food. Portions are small for the prices. Fair amount of veggie options. They are willing to accommodate your spice level. As we liked our food very spicy, they brought us a small dish with chili oil for added flavor.

My family has dined here for over 20+ years. Lee and Shirley are the hardest-working and most kindhearted people you will ever meet. They are a family run business that maintained the same staff forever because they treat every employee with kindness. Notably, they know many customers by name and spend time getting to know your family. The extensive menu caters to everyone and the food is always flavorful. Ask for recommendations and they will guide you in the right direction and happily accommodate your preferences. Hands down the best hot and sour soup ever - a must! After ordering takeout hundreds of times over the years, we've never had a bad meal. They go above and beyond to welcome customers. Hong Kong Cafe is the only Chinese restaurant in Madison worth going to. Truly a beloved Madison staple!

My girlfriend and I love HKC. The family owned business is a Madison staple. From the friendly, warm greeting when you enter to the delicious, generous portions you are served it is a great experience. There is actual fruit in the sweet and sour chicken. Everything is always very good and the service can't be beat.

Chicagoland native. Incredible Chinese food here! Was a little pricy but tbh It's 2022 and worth if for fire food everytime. Lo mein, fried rice, potstickers, egg roles all fire

Ordered two take out dinners about 2 weeks ago and was very disappointed. I have dined in there a number of times through the years and have always liked the food. However the dinners I picked up were bland and tasteless. My dining partner ordered sweet/sour chicken and received about 5 chicken nuggets covered in sauce, about three quarters of the container was a mixture of onions and green peppers. I ordered cashew chicken, the cashews were soggy and the meager amount of chicken was difficult to find in the mix of soggy veggies. We also got an order of egg rolls again tasteless and not what we expected. I understand they are struggling to keep the business going during this difficult time but for $43.00 this was a terrible disappointment. Unfortunately we ended up throwing most of it away.

Those who are rating HKC less than 4 stars have clearly never had their weekend Dim Sum! After moving from California (where authentic Asian food is everywhere), I have found this to be the only place for tasty Dim Sum in Madison. The owners will go above and beyond to accommodate any cravings you may have (call ahead to double check what is in stock if you're particular) and their variety is amazing. I love the pan-fried seafood noodles, green pepper/shrimp, barbeque pork buns, and fried taro. Whether you want a little Asian snack or a full meal, look no further than HKC on Sat/Sun from 11-2!

This is a convenient location for business lunches in the area but I must say the value could be much better. The 'lunch menu' entrees are all $9 and up and include only ONE option for a starter/side: a fried pork/veggie roll OR a soup. I've lunched here multiple times and most recently got the veggie lo mein, which had decently tasty noodles but very few veggies (seemed like 1-2 of each type), and a side of bland rice. It was a lot of carbs and filler for $9.50. Both soup AND an egg roll would help but again, the price seems steep compared to other similar lunch menus in the area. Silver lining is the service is attentive.

1 Read your bills!!! They automatically charged 20% tips on the bill without telling us. We would end up paying 40% tips if my friend didn't double check the bill. I don't think this is proper. 2 Fake Chinese food. The food is not horrible but this is NOT authentic Chinese food!

I was going to give this 2 stars because the food wasn't very good but it was editable. I wasn't impressed with any of the food at all. The egg rolls were gross & the crab rangoon was the worst I've ever had. I ordered Lo Mein, which was disgusting. All the other people with me were all equally disappointed. Not only is it gross, it's really expensive. For the service.... Our waitress was very nice and helpful. However, after I left the restaurant and walked to my apartment 3 blocks away, I realized I couldn't find my phone anywhere in my apartment. I had torn the place apart and came up empty handed. So, I called the restaurant and asked if they had found a phone and they told me no. About 20 minutes later I called back and said "Hey, I had just called about a phone and was wondering if you could ask and just make sure no one found one. I really think I left it there." & the man on the phone replied "You call your phone right now and listen and you will not hear a cell phone in my dining room because it's not here. Goodbye". Now, I work in the service industry and was very polite to him and he was so rude to me I was astounded. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. It was terrible! I would give 0 stars but I cant.

You really can't find much better Chinese in Madison than right here. Family-run, incredibly friendly service and food that'll have you ready to schedule your next visit. Reasonably priced, dinnertime can be a bit expensive but lunch deals are solid. You get what you pay for, and as always it makes for fantastic leftovers. Would certainly recommend.

Stopped in here last night after the Badger game. It is a smaller restaurant located on the corner, pretty much exactly what you think of for a small Chinese restaurant. We were seated quickly and all the staff was working diligently to make sure everyone had fast service. I had a bowl of the egg drop soup and it tasted really good. I also had some bites of the hot General Tsos with vegetables. Everything tasted great.

Growing up, my family always went to Hong Kong Cafe. The staff are some of the most friendly people I have ever met. They know me by name, and always make sure that my experience is wonderful. Not to mention it is by far the best Chinese food in Madison. The food is incredibly fresh, and the ingredients are of high quality!

I love Hong Kong Cafe! Tasty food, super nice people! Don't get why some would give this place a bad review. I've lived in a lot of places and in many other restaurants i've had 1. bad food, and 2. bad service. I know what that looks like (& tastes like!) But HKC has good food & good service! Been a regular customer for many years, and that's because it's always been a good experience! We used to eat at their west-side location. And before that, when it was under different management as Golden Wok! Good stuff!

We love this place and often order carry out. Food is consistently great. Favorites chicken fried rice, Mushu pork, sesame chicken and potstickers. All amazing.

Ok Chinese food. Came here twice for lunch. I saw all the awards it got from the city but the food doesn't seem to match up with the hype. I had sweet and sour pork which was just okay, not horrible and pork lo neon another time which was okay, not horrible. The first lunch I got with an egg roll which was bland and the second lunch I got the wonton soup but the wontons were bland, soup was fairly hot though. Atmosphere was ok, first time it was packed for lunch and the second time I was the only one in there which was a little strange.

Worst Hong Kong style Chinese restaurant in the town! Charge you more than 20% tips. Awful foods.

It's one of those small businesses in the area that you want to do well; it has a nice atmosphere, in a relatively decent location for college students, and has a lot to offer on its menu. But the truth is--it's overpriced, a little more expensive than most other Chinese places, isn't really even close to authentic (or so I've been told by two of my Chinese conversational English partners), but the worst part of it all: the food isn't that good. I've been here numerous times and the food is just bland. There's no flavor to the meat, the sauces are weak and flavorless, and there's no spice whatsoever. The rice is often undercooked and hard and the vegetables were such poor quality, I found a borderline rotten piece of broccoli in my dinner once. None of these things are tolerable in a Chinese restaurant. None. Especially not when I can make it at home for much cheaper. I wanted to believe that this place wasn't bad--but three strikes and Hong Kong Cafe, you're out.

I had to order lunch for a special event in my office this past Friday. I am relatively new at my job and have never had to organize lunch for a special event before. I was really nervous about things not going as planned, or that the food would be sub-par, especially after reading some of these reviews. I needed food for 10 people delivered by noon. The restaurant doesn't even open until 11 am, so I was worried there wouldn't be enough time. I called the night before to ask about what I should do, and I was told to fax (yes, fax) the order to them first thing in the morning. I then called when they opened and paid over the phone. I am relieved to report that I could not have been more pleased with my delivery experience with Hong Kong Cafe. Not only did the order arrive promptly at noon, it arrived exactly as I ordered it. Nothing was missing. Everything was hot. The delivery driver even carried the food all the way up to our office (it's inside a huge building) instead of just dropping the food at the door and leaving me to take it up. Since I was still a bit on edge from organizing the event and dealing with the stress of the food situation, I didn't eat much, sadly. I tried a little bit of a few things though. The Hot and Sour Soup and bites of Governor's Beef were flavorful and actually spicy, which was a nice change. (A lot of times when I order spicy Chinese food it is not spicy at all). The veggie egg roll I tried actually wasn't amazing, but to my credit, I thought it was chicken when I grabbed it. It was just a little bland with only cabbage inside. Also, I had a couple bites of Sesame Chicken, and it was AWESOME (and all high quality white meat). In fact, I was so sad that I couldn't enjoy it, that I plan on going back to HK Cafe soon, and I plan to order Sesame Chicken again. I've always said that Madison doesn't have any great Chinese places. This was until I tried Hong Kong Cafe. I don't think I'll go anywhere else for Chinese in Madison ever again!

Great service both in the restaurant and for delivery. I've dined in a number of times, and some of my friends swear by their dim sum on Sundays. I usually order the governors or General Tso chicken, and the quality of the meat is above average for this type of Americanized Chinese food. I love the flavor of many of their sauces. My only issue is the amount of filler that exists in most dishes. I am not a fan of water chestnut, mini corn, bamboo shoots, or excessive celery. All exist in various quantities in most of my favorite dishes, so I figure I pick out a good 20% of the Governors chicken volume by the time I'm done. This is a standard concern for me with most Chinese restaurants and by no means a major criticism. Delivery is fast and accurate, and the guys they send are awesome.

The food here is so good I would dare call it the best Chinese food restaurant in town! Everything is cooked to order and is fresh and prepared properly I would guarantee you would not be disappointed. I had the sesame chicken and egg fried rice

I think that HK Cafe is the best Chinese food in Madison (however, I make no claim that it is authentic--I'm comparing it to other Chinese-American restauarants in the area) For example, when I order sweet and sour chicken, it's actually in the sweet & sour sauce rather than just some fried chicken with red sauce on the side. The other dishes I've had there have been a distinct improvement over typical Chinese-American food too. The downside--it is expensive for dinner. Much more so than the other Chinese places in town. I only buy this for lunch.

So far, I've experienced 3 different Chinese restaurant in Madison. From this place, I only had lunch take out, but out the 3, I think this place is the best in terms of taste. The lunch takeout portion is quite generous. It comes with egg roll, too. I'd try their dinner menu when I have a chance.

We've been going to the Hong Kong Cafe for years. Coming from Chicago where we've eaten in tons of different Chinese restaurants and are kinda spoiled, we were relieved to find a really good Chinese restaurant here in Madison and close by. The service is good, very friendly and quick. Great egg rolls - a true test of a good Chinese restaurant and the bathrooms are clean. I always check a restaurants bathroom, if they're not clean, you can imagine what the kitchen is like. Fabulous fried rice too, also another test of a good Chinese restaurant. Ingredients feel fresh. Highly recommend.

The service was excellent! Very homey. The staff was very kind and always made sure our waters were full. The food itself was also very delicious I would highly recommend this place.

If Hong Kong Cafe were in another part of town, like Atwood or Hilldale or Willy, then I would never bother making a trip to eat there. However, it's in Regent, which makes a pretty short walk from my office. And since my other options for Asian cuisine in the area are Ginger Root and QQ Express (See my reviews on those (spoiler: I think they both suck really bad)), it automatically gets some ups for being edible. There's a lot of decent options for lunch (although a lot of them are similar), it's a good size portion, it's pretty quick (for a sit down place), and the entrees for lunch are all pretty cheap, at $6-$8 each. I don't really need much more than that when it comes to getting a quick lunch during work. But they could be better. I can tell that the vegetables aren't of the best quality, and their menu is very traditional, so just expect the classics with no twists or frills. If they did something that would make it more a destination spot, then I'd visit more often for sure. But for now, the location is what keeps me coming here on occasion, and bumps my score from a 2.5 to a 3.5.

I have been here a few times now, and it's been pretty good! We always order the appetizer platter - shrimp toast is to die for according to my sister! I also ordered the hot and sour soup tonight, which was delicious! The bits of tofu and bamboo shoots are my favorite. I wasn't overly hungry this visit and more so just tagged along for company. I did pick off others plates however :), and the sesame chicken is tasty. It was ordered hot on the spice level, and hot it was! Everything was nice and fresh, and portions are filling with a little left over to take home. The service is always beyond exceptional! Staff is super friendly, funny, and accommodating. Our waitress tonight was super cute and funny. It took a little bit to get water and soda refills, but since the food was so good we weren't too concerned. Will keep returning :) sweet staff and delicious food!

The only good thing about this place was the fast delivery. I'm not sure if I just ordered the wrong thing, but the General Tso's Chicken was horrendous. I couldn't even eat it. I also ordered Rangoons and they weren't even good. They were soggy. Perhaps it's more of a dine in sort of place, but I don't think I'm interested in doing that after this experience. Nam's is way better and across the street.

We went in for dim sum on Saturday around noon, and we were the only customers. Should've been a red flag then. But we sat down and ordered, service was ok but the food was far below average for dim sum. Plus, it was way more expensive than the good quality dim sum you get in the Chicago area, around twice the price. What really made me think I don't wanna come to this place anymore, is that the waitress had added an 18% tip on our check, I mean shouldn't the tip amount be added by the customers? I would have given 18% no issue, but the fact that the restaurant had put it on our check made us uncomfortable. We were only two people dining so it doesn't make any sense. Lesson learned - drive to Chicago if you want good food and great service.

Another place near my workplace. I come here pretty regularly, so again, I'm very biased. The people who work there are very friendly and nice to us. It's a great place for a quick lunch, I don't think I've had anything that's been "terrible." I usually get a noodle soup dish, and they're always great, especially for the price. For dinner, we usually order "off menu." They're friendly and always give great recommendations. I'm not Chinese, so I really don't know if it's "authentic" but for me, it's great. A lot of Chinese places are either too salty or too spicy, this place is just right. I can see how some people give low ratings. I love it because I'm a regular there now, but for a first-timer, it might be a little intimidating. If you're looking for a good restaurant nearby for a quick bite, I highly recommend getting to know the family that owns Hong Kong Cafe!