J J Hong Kong Cafe

I can't believe I have never written a review for this restaurant. I've been coming here for about twenty years since my parents used to live in the neighborhood. The interior is pretty basic, very much like a Hong Kong style cafe. It's actually quite big with a lot of tables, but they do get very busy especially during lunch time. With restaurants closing and changing ownership quite frequently in the area, the fact that they survived all these years does say something. They do have a lot of very loyal customers. Service is very friendly and efficient. Although I am not even from this area and only come here sparingly when I am in the neighborhood, some of their long time employees actually remember me and know what I usually order! It's that kind of little things that make customers feel at home. Over the years, we have tried many dishes; but our go to items are their Braised brisket with Daikon and Rice Noodles in Soup 清湯牛腩河 and their Hainan Chicken Rice. We have also had Beef Chow Fun, Baked Pork Chop on Rice, Indo Fried Rice, Congee with Fish Fillet, etc. Everything has been authentic and delicious. Their Braised Brisket with Daikon has a very clean taste, I like it better here than any other restaurant. I also appreciate the fact that I can choose dark or white meat for my Hainan Chicken Rice without having to pay extra. At lunch time most items come with free drinks, and drinks have free refills. There's also an afternoon tea menu available from 3pm to 6pm that also comes with free drinks. They're open early (7am) for breakfast, with both traditional Chinese food and western style food. They're also open until pretty late for late night snack (midnight on weekdays and 1am on weekends). Prices are very affordable. If you like authentic Hong Kong cafe style food at a reasonable price, this place is a solid option.

This cafe is the perfect place to bring the parents and family. They have so much variety from soups, curry, combo meat plates for the boys and delicious side dishes for the kiddos. This place always has so much flavor. We order the black pepper steak plate and had so much leftover sauce, we took it togo with our leftover rice. Best part is their free drink refills on ice tea, thai tea and more! Always love coming to JJ's and would highly recommend.

I'm back 6 years later, and it seems they are still here. They are still open late. Prices are still decent with decent portion sizes. Taste is still the same. They have a sign that you have to add $1 to all the menu prices because of increasing costs. Parking is in the back. (also posted on Google)

I recently visited this breakfast spot, which was quite busy. While the menu is more affordable, it includes only one item and a drink. Compared to other cafes with similar breakfast options, I found their portions to be slightly smaller for the price. However, I would consider returning if I'm in the area.

We got here around 9:30 in the morning on a Sunday and got seated right away (it got completely full by the time we left). They have the traditional Cantonese style breakfast as well as American fusion breakfast. All entrees come with a drink (milk tea, coffee) and we got the beef brisket noodle soup and steak with eggs and toast. The beef brisket in the noodle soup is so tender and flavorful yet not salty at all. For the steak with eggs and toast, we opted to substitute toast with pineapple bun with butter. Steak is super tender and seasoned just right - a must try! If you are looking for comfort food for breakfast - look no further! Also wanted to appreciate the decor inside - gives off a slightly vintage and at-home feel! There is parking at the back and there's street parking at the front as well. Would definitely be back to try more menu items!

It is a classic Hong Kong-style diner that's wallet-friendly and a neighborhood favorite. I've known JJ Hong Kong Cafe since early 2013 and just rediscovered it again! My boyfriend and I were looking for HK food and this restaurant came up on our Google search. Everything from the backdoor entrance to the window seat my parents and I sat before, the memories came rushing back! I'm so glad to see they offered all my favorites, plus, a wide variety of options from baked pastas to club sandwiches to sizzling pots - all of which reflect the mix of Asian and Western culture. We enjoyed 4 dishes: Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings 椒鹽雞翼, Salt & Pepper Tofu, Eggplant with Garlic Sauce 鱼香茄子, and New York Steak. We ordered to take leftovers home because we got too excited with the feeling of nostalgia. The portion sizes were generous, especially considering the reasonable prices. While everything wasn't mind-blowingly amazing, it certainly delivers great value for the price. I did wish the dishes were served at a higher temperature, or maybe it got cold pretty quickly because of the cold weather - not sure. The Eggplant with Garlic Sauce 鱼香茄子 was my favorite out of all 4 dishes - the eggplant was cooked perfectly soft and had a generous coating of the sauce. My boyfriend was pleasantly surprised at the New York Steak's portion and thoroughly enjoyed it! The restaurant is located right on the corner of Garvey and Ynez Avenue so you can't miss it. Parking is located in the back of the restaurant lot on Ynez Avenue. Overall, my boyfriend and I had a great experience and took note they are open till 1 AM Friday-Sunday and 12 AM regularly. We will definitely be back!

Pretty much a staple for late night chinese food after the clubs or bars in MPK. The spot will hit if you're feeling buzzed or hungry. Ordered the indo fried rice and clam chowder. Fried rice was alright but tasted better before, not sure what changed. The clam chowder is not your typical one too. It wasn't bad and tasted fine. Service was quick and friendly. Abundant of parking spots located in the back.

JJ Hong Kong Cafe is just so nostalgic as they've been around for so long now. The restaurant smells like tea right when you walk in. They have a great Hainan chicken and a seafood pasta/rice dish is a must every-time! I love an iced milk tea or yin-yang. I wouldn't expect the greatest tasting dishes here but they're great staples and like I said, nostalgic. Servers are nice with a quick paced environment.

JJ Cafe is like a warm hug in food form! The ambiance feels familiar, and their food items never fail to hit the spot. The smelt roe and seafood fried rice is my personal favorite - always consistent and delicious. It is loaded with smelt roe and you can definitely taste the seafood in every bite. The club sandwich is also a guilty pleasure menu item that me and my family can never resist and the baked seafood pasta is also absolutely tasty! It's the perfect spot for comfort food cravings. Personally, I like to stop by during lunch because drinks (coffee or tea) are included!

Food is amazing! I order kung pao 3 ingredients. I like that food. The beef is good. It have peanut on that menu. For the people that allergy peanut. You need to change menu. The place is very big and clean. The service i would said too quiescent.

JJ cafe has all the comfort food I had growing up and it's reliable. I love my beef noodle soup and wonton soup and just soup in general but that's what i ordered and it definely hit the spot.

JJ Hong Kong Cafe is a very traditional and local Hong Kong cafe in Monterey Park. It's open super late and serves up a crazy amount of dishes (the size of the menu can definitely be overwhelming at times). The food has remained pretty consistent over the years, and while the service is always curt and efficient, the food makes it worth the visit. Specifically, I love the baked seafood rice as the cream and cheese melt perfectly to give an amazing bite of flavor. I would definitely recommend visiting for a late night indulgence by yourself or friends!

I've been coming to JJ Cafe for over twenty years and now that I've moved out of the area (to OC), it's made me really appreciate authentic Hong Kong styled breakfast since it practically doesn't exist in OC or if it does, it's done very poorly. The breakfast combo usually is more than enough food for me and the lemon iced tea or iced milk tea is always tasty. The staff the restaurant keeps (both front of house and back) has been consistent so it's always nice to see friendly faces. The prices are also on the "cheap" side which is always a plus!

2.5 Stars This is an overdue review. I would have given it more stars, but our recent visit was disappointing. Pre-pandemic, the customer service here was good. It took 15 minutes for the server to get our order. We almost went to Mama Lu's (I think it would have been better here). I told our server I wanted an Ovaltine drink and she said they do not have it. And then I went to this counter in the middle of the restaurant and asked the guy making the drinks (I pointed at the big Ovaltine can) that I would like to order it. Then the server saw me there and she asked if I wanted it hot or iced... We had the following dishes: * Minced Beef w/ Egg on Rice - I thought it was just ok. But the serving is big which you can save half for your next meal. * Baked Ham & Chicken w/ Cream Sauce on Rice - I've ordered this a few times and the taste was still good. I took home the other half. Ovaltine drink - You can have this hot or cold. I could not finish it, so I wanted to take it home. The server said she'll charge me $1.00 for the Styrofoam cup! Wow. I remembered our meal used to have a complimentary soup. But now they stopped serving it. It also took time for our server to get our bill. So I had to find her and give it to her. Maybe they are understaffed here? I hope their customer service improves. Sadly, I do not think we will be coming back here anytime soon.

Service was a little slow today , maybe a but shorthanded. We tried different dishes than our usual. The chicken black mushroom over rice dish was on the salty side. It was good but just salty. I really liked the flavor of the Pork neck meat. The beef brisket chow mein was also good. If you like pepper then the pasta dish is also good. Note that the restaurant was not busy at 1:30pm so it's a good time to plan lunch here.

Always a solid choice in area. JJ Cafe is open late. Lemon ice tea is refreshing and they give you a big glass.

The food here is decent, pricing is reasonable, parking availability has never been an issue for me, and most importantly - they're open late! The level of service is about what you'd expect from a place like this - just flag someone down if you need something, otherwise they won't bother you - perfect for laconic diners.

Best Hong Kong Milk Tea in Orange and LA county. I drive an hour with my family every time I am in SoCal just to eat their Cantonese Hong Kong Cha Cha Tang food. They offer refills on the drinks but not recommended because the HK Milk Tea will keep you up until the wee hours of the night.

Mostly tendon&fat, appetizer size. Price unupupdated over 2 yrs based on staff, menu came with separate laminated sheet stating prices will be $1 more listed. I'm not returning

Cheap and very affordable food. Quality is representative of the price though. My friend ordered chicken cutlet, and it came out with a lot of breading, very overcooked, and dry. Service of the place was good, and the waiter took the dish off of the receipt since my friend didn't end up eating it. Overall, had an okay experience here.

Went for a late night dinner mid-week and the service was quick and efficient, and food delicious. I ordered the grilled pork chops and while I almost always enjoy those at any Chinese cafe, I thought these were especially good. Maybe I was just really hungry?!? ‍

The food was amazing! Bigger portions so great with bigger parties. The fried rice had so much flavor and perfectly seasoned. I enjoyed the clam chowder as well but it's not your typical American clam chowder. But my so and I were still able to finish it. The food came out quick and staff was very friendly. It was pretty crowded at 10pm but we were still able to sit down fast.

Love their late hours. Will come here after night golfing. Never go wrong with any of their dishes. Love their Hong Kong milk tea!

JJ is nostalgic for me, as I've been coming here since I was a child, with my family. While it's not the fanciest, and could use aesthetic refreshing and even a good restaurant deep clean- this restaurant is consistent when it comes to delivering good food with some decent service. The go-tos are always: lemonade iced tea, fried rice w/ chicken and salted fish, and the salted fried chicken wings. I'm a sucker for chicken wings, and these are always crispy with the right amount of seasoning and garlic for that flavor punch.

Good service! Dated decor! Good is good and large portion! The best thing is Special lunch includes drinks and one free refill ! This restaurant is my favorite place!

My family and I decided to have breakfast on a Sunday morning in September. It was our first time even though it has been here for years. We parked on the street and walked to the back. Inside has tables and tv at the bar area and booths near the bar door. We sat in the booth and looked at the breakfast menu. The servers are efficient and good on refills of ice lemon tea. I ordered wonton noodle soup 9.99. My sister and brother got the steak and eggs w/toast and ice tea, and my mother ordered congee with chow fun and milk tea. My wonton noodle soup had 6 wontons and gai lan which was good immersed in the tasty broth. The congee -pork and century egg has the right thickness and consistency. The steak was cooked just right with the eggs. I will definitely go back to try their lunch items.

I love JJ! Have been visiting this cafe since I was very young and it's so nostalgic for me. Food is consistently decent. They have a wide variety of dishes on the menu and usually offer free tea or coffee.

Best bang for your buck! Opens late too. Was it gas? Maybe, but they cooked. It's giving China vibes, dirty and good. The restroom was cooked, urine wall was filled to brim. You know Chinese food is good when it's dirty and loud. The curry and indo rice was a good combo, add a meat dish in there too (meat taste kinda fake).

Came here for breakfast on a Saturday morning and it was one of the best breakfasts I've had in LA! When you first come in, it looks like kind of a hole in the wall kinda place but my mom told me that when her friends from out of state come to this area, they ALWAYS stop by here for breakfast and I'm not surprised that they do between the low prices and amazing food! We ordered: 1. Steak with eggs and toast - The steak was cooked perfectly and super juicy. It was perfectly salty without feeling heavy. The char they got on the outside was perfect and contrasted well with the juicy inside. Scrambled eggs were exactly what you picture them to taste like when you make it from home. The toast was so delicious! It was buttery and I actually spread the condensed milk that was meant for my drink on top, and it just give the toast a whole other dimension of flavor - sweet and savory. Loved this dish and super cheap too! 2. Preserved Egg and Pork Porridge - A classic Chinese breakfast dish and they do it well! A common issue with these is that they lack salt and this one was PERFECTLY salted. The pork was so flavorful and the crispy pieces on top added a nice crunchy texture. 3. Chow Mein with Soy Sauce - This dish is like the ones you can get at dim sum places and it did not disappoint! You can tell that they used a nice hot wok to cook these because you can taste the smokiness flavor on top of the soy sauce flavor. Delicious! The steak dish came with a milk tea and I loved it! The tea flavor was super strong and for such a hot day I got mine iced. You can add condensed milk to it but I honestly thought it was sweet enough for me. The service was not great. We had to keep waving them down to get the servers' attention but it could just be due to us getting seated in the corner booth. The staff were friendly though when we did get a hold of them. Overall, would definitely recommend you give this place a try!!!

Massive portions, cheap price, opens late, versatile menu Parking lot is behind the bldg underground Can be dirty at times but that builds character

i used 2 frequent hk-style cafes when i was assigned 2 work inda SG area cuz they were affordable & taste pretty good ~ i dont frequent it much nowadayz cuz 2 much msg makes me thirsty & sleepy baked bolognese, black pepper pork chop, shanghai stirfried noodles r wut we normally get & taste has been consistent im knockin off a star cuz i ordered take-out 4 my roomie last time; steada wonton in noodles, they gave us some kinda porridge that even seemed like somebody elses leftovers ~ it was 2 late 2 drive back cuz that would take bout 1.5 roundtrip my roommate called up restaurant & they denied any wrong doing open up ur bag/box 2 make sure u r gettin wut u ordered from take-out

Busy place because the food is delicious and they offer a wide range! They're open late too which is great. Food 9/10 Value 10/10 Service 8/10

As someone who grew up in the 626, I enjoy going to Monterey Park to find all my favorite comfort foods. Rather than going to my usual go-tos, I decided to hit up a Hong Kong style cafe that my friend recommended to grab a quick bite to eat before studying at a nearby shop. And boy did JJ HK Cafe hit all the right spots! Food: 4.5/5 + Indo Style Rice + Chinese Pan Fried Noodle Food is your typical HK style dishes with plenty of salt, grease, and childhood comfort! The Indo Style rice was flavorful and aromatic, topped with beef, shrimp, and Chinese sausage; the classic Indo fried egg on top was the perfect addition to mix broken yolk and add another depth of texture and taste. The Chinese Pan-fried noodle was similar to my favorites in the 626, but needed more crisp to its noodles; I felt that they were too soft. (Harlam's Kitchen in Rosemead still tops my list for noodles, but I still enjoyed the dish!) Price is fantastic; a meal for two only cost around $25 with extras to bring home. Service: 5/5 JJ HK Cafe has a wonderful sleepy ambiance to it with dinner style booths and tables. It essentially looks like your Dennys but with Asian food. Similar to Dennys, it also opens pretty late (12am), which is a plus if you are in the area and hungry for food after a long night out. Parking is easy with a structure located at the back, with spots on the front and on the bottom. I definitely think if you are looking for a late night spot to grab a bite, this is a place I'll add to my list!

JJ's is a Hong Kong style cafe that serves authentic and affordable food. Growing up in Monterey Park, I've always passed by and heard of JJ's, but I've never been until recently. I was surprised by how expansive the menu here is. I came with 2 friends and we ordered the seafood chow mein and the indo fried rice. The portions here are big so I recommend doing family style. Although the food was enjoyable, it was greasier than I would've preferred and I felt like the carbs to protein ratio wasn't the best here since it felt like I was mostly eating a lot of rice and noodles but not much meat. I would say the prices here are fair as it was under $40 after tax and tip and the 3 of us were decently full afterwards. Service here is pretty good and the waiter would come check up on us frequently and explained what the dishes were to us when we weren't sure what to order. One of the friends I came with speaks Cantonese, which definitely helped, but I think that the employees understand English enough that you're able to get by without speaking Cantonese. There restaurant has plenty of seating at both tables and booths and there was no wait when we came. The restaurant has a decent sized parking lot in the back and finding a spot was not a problem.

I came back here to celebrate someone's birthday. Service was super good this time around and they even allowed us to serve our cake with no extra cost. Around 9 pm reasonable amount of people around but we were able to sit in the back by ourselves. Got this beast of a New York steak and this portion and taste is ridiculous for the 16.99 price tag. Food here is absolute value and it's great that they open late. Larger parties has tip (service fee) of 18% so make sure not to double tip unless you want to.

Good place to go late night after 10pm with the usual HK cafe menu items. We tried the indo fried rice because a good amount of people mentioned it and said it was good and because it was listed as a popular item by Yelp. I thought it was kinda basic. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't great. It was kinda bland, needed more seasoning. The black mushroom chicken congee was verrrrry plain and bland. Which isn't the worst thing especially if you're ordering it because you're feeling under the weather. You def know there isn't MSG in it because it's so bland lol. The texture and consistency wasn't ideal. Overall it was ok. Not that great. Kinda mid. Good place to come after 10pm.

Parking: Easy, open, and free. There is street parking and a small lot in the back, which can be hard to maneuver. The only thing I order to go is the rib eye with black pepper sauce. There is something so comforting and indulgent (probably all the fat) about it. I highly recommend this. However, I do not recommend getting their spaghetti. It's noodles with some spaghetti sauce and a whole LOT of thyme. Just stick to the rice! I have tried other dishes here before, but nothing stands out. For instance, I had a baked sole. It was good, but it had a lot of cheese baked on top of it. For me, it's a one-and-done case. If you decide to visit here, make sure to get the rib eye with black pepper sauce and call it a day! I highly recommend taking it to go; you will be more comfortable.

This restaurant is Hong Kong style. Service was real slow. Flagging down a waiter was hard. They see you but ignored you. It was around 4:00 pm. We were seated right away, took our drink order and they came real fast. We told the waiter that we were ready to order when he brought us our drinks. He said he will be right back. After 10 minutes, we tried to flag the waiter and waitress. No luck. When we finally got their attention, they took our order and it was another 10 - 15 min tires before our order came. The food was delicious. Upon leaving, the front door was locked and we had to leave through the back door.

JJ's has been around for years and is a classic Hong Kong cafe located in the heart of Monterey Park. Open super late, it's my go-to for classic Chinese dishes! Service is usually fast and efficient! This is a no-frills, basic cafe that has a huge menu! There are tons of options to choose- from rice to noodle dishes to American sandwiches... You have to order the lemon tea no matter what- it's your basic sweet iced tea with a huge slice of lemon! You'll see most customers getting it, so don't forget to try out for yourself! Our favorites here are the chicken with black mushroom over rice, grilled pork chop with garlic sauce, and beef chow fun. All are solid, tasty Chinese fishes that never disappoint! There's street parking out front and parking on the back- if you're in the area and looking for a quick meal, definitely stop in!

Loved it! I accidentally ordered the brisket chowmein and it was all fat no meat and noodles were super crispy. I actually wanted the soft chowmein with beef. But it was hard to explain so we just ordered the chowmein soy sauce noodles and they were so delicious! I also ordered the Hong Kong coffee tea iced very good. Definitely coming back to try the breakfast combo w soy sauce noodles and chicken porridge. The chili oil is very good too.

This place is a MUST in the SGV. I've been coming here since I was a kid and it's just great classic Hong Kong dishes. My favorite is their thin sliced fillet minon with garlic sauce. Their meat is just tender and the sauce is addictive! No other HK cafe can compete with their steak dishes. They are also known for their indo fried rice. I like their lamb curry as well. Most of the dishes I've tried here are pretty good. Hardly any misses. The servers are nice and quick! They are attentive and refill ur drinks when it's getting low. The restaurant feels like you are going to get good comforting food. It has the buzzing and chatting ambiance that you would get at any good HK cafe. They are also one of the only HK cafe that still gives a free drink with ur meal during lunch.

I enjoyed their lunch special a lot. You can't beat a meal and a drink deals. My boy love the info fried rice very moist and savory. The hainam chicken is on point paired well with the ginger and scallions oil.

Open until 4am! Whenever someone mentions "Hong Kong" style cafes I always equate that to delicious but greasy food. JJ's pleasantly surprised me with a brisket and daikon radish soup. It had a light broth and was delicious! The pork chop in red sauce on a bed of rice was also delicious! Just as you would expect, a bit on the heavier side. This includes the order of black pepper with squid noodles. Equally delicious and not spicy, and yet could really taste a deep black pepper flavor. I didn't see any pics for the English tea (Hong Kong style) so I had to order it. Essentially a warmer note tea with milk. It was lovely! Staff was quick, food was served promptly. If it's late and you're in this area, I would highly recommend!

Just had dinner here! It was awesome. Open till 2am, and the food here is authentic, fresh and comes out piping hot! Also appreciate our kind waiter, and esp loved that he gave me a to-go cup at the end for my Thai tea! Great service and great food. We'll be back!

JJ Hong Kong Cafe has been a staple for Monterey Park area. They have a wide selection of dishes from western to eastern style cuisine. The quality is fairly consistent as you would expect with a typical Chinese/Hong Kong cafe. If you come here during the day, you'll be able to enjoy breakfast/lunch specials plus live entertainment from the older crowd hanging out and bantering about life and their rascal children. If you come here at night, you will tend to catch a younger crowd grabbing dinner after work or coming back from the club/concert. There is parking in the back of the establishment as well as underground parking lot, so parking is not limited. At night, expect to wait a tad bit longer for tables due to a higher volume of customers. I usually come here whenever I need quick comfort food - pork and preserved egg porridge with the lemon iced tea. Service is usually quick and friendly.

Love this place! I've been coming here for over 20 years and it's the same delicious food. Love the Hainan chicken, baked seafood, the free drink specials and the stir fried vermicelli. Miss the free soup.

It's a great place for good food, service is fast in the beginning but after you get you food it could be a challenge to get thier attention. Price is very good and selection suits everyone. Too bad there is no alcohol, but that's another place and time.

Make sure to enter from the back and park from the structure instead of the street. Servers are Chinese but know some English. They don't do split checks so make sure you guys have a that figured out. This place was open late so that was appreciated. The food portions are moderate but are good for the priced value. It's not amazing so I'll give it a 3

Amazing authentic Chinese food in LA! We always stop by here when we're in town and get our favorite fried rice dishes! The shrimp & pineapple fried rice is our usual go to, but we finally tried the indo fried rice and the honey walnut shrimp and they were equally as amazing. Service is always quick here. We came around noon and the restaurant was packed! Ambiance is more of an old schooled Chinese restaurant with numerous tables and booth. Can't wait to come back to try more dishes, especially try the Hainan chicken.