Mido Cafe

We came here for lunch on a weekday. The décor has an old classic look that reminds me of going to cha chaan teng as a child. We came here on a mission, and it’s to have some baked rice.
We ordered the baked rice with spare ribs to share. It doesn’t look appetizing as a Western cuisine perspective, but it surely tasted heavenly good. The spare ribs were deep fried to perfection — juicy with perfect amount of breading and fat. The ketchup /​tomato sauce has the perfect amount of acidity with some charcoal from baking. The rice base was egg fried. My only comment would be that the dish could have used some green and red bell peppers.
I also got a cold lemon tea and my friend got a red bean ice. Both were done perfectly for a Hong Kong cha chaan teng.

I love this place for its classic retro like feel, the great view of the Temple St Night Market, and its laidback vibe. If you want to see what one of the oldest HK café is like in its original state, swing by this place. Do note that there is a minimum per person and for the best view, come by at night when you can glance out the window and see the night market.
Came to this place in the late evening and was surprised that it wasn’t as packed as my friends and I had thought. When entering, you’ll get ushered by this old lady to go upstairs on the 2^nd floor. There, if it’s not packed, just pick your seat (windows highly recommended!) and wait for the menu. The menu itself is hugeee with a variety of options to pick from. Since I had a mad craving for some baked rice (a typical HK dish I always ordered in the States), I got the baked rice with porkchops.
My rating for the dining experience:
Wait time = Fairly long despite how the restaurant was half empty
Service = Meh, it felt like we were ignored for awhile and we had to put in some effort to get noticed
Food presentation = Decent
Food taste = average. Baked rice was a bit too sweet for my taste and lacked any real depth of flavor to it. Porkchops were so so and not too memorable.
Picture Opportunities = Yayyy. It was definitely nice to look out the window and see the view as well as taking pictures of the café itself.
Overall, this is a nice café to visit but I felt it was a bit overhyped for what it was. In comparison to other cafes I’ve visited in HK, this one didn’t stand out too much to me in quality of food and service.

TL;DR: Come here for the ambiance but not the food.
The décor, I have to say, was very well kept and picture perfect. Definitely feels like you were in the 1950s or 60s. Upstairs has A/​C downstairs only has fans for cooling. The servers usually encourage you to go upstairs anyway. You can choose where you want to sit, but of course you’ll want to sit near the windows so you can look out to the Temple that gave Temple Street its name.
We ordered the Iced Red Bean Milk, Yin Yeung (Coffee and Milk Tea mix), and Baked Pork Rice. Price is much higher than regular Cha Chaan Tang food even though that’s exactly what they’re serving and in even smaller portions. The food is a-​ok, nothing special.
To be honest, you’re here for the architecture than the food, which is exactly what the owner of this place thinks as well. Service is minimal even though we came after lunch rush and their bathroom was broken. There’s also a minimum limit per person.

**HONG KONG STYLE FRENCH TOAST IN AN OLD CAFE**
I’m into the 1950 – 1960’s period, so had to go here.
ABOUT MIDO CAFE
===============
Mido Café started back in the 1950s and is one of the oldest cafes in Hong Kong.
A landmark at Temple Street and was featured in various Hong Kong movies.
AMBIANCE
=========
Once you enter the front door, go immediately upstairs.
Sit at the booth.
Those windows are EVERYTHING.
ORDERED
========
FRENCH TOAST
Not your typical American-​style French toast. It’s Hong Kong-​style. Which meant that it was made with simple white bread and syrup. My mom used to make French toast like this. Nostalgic for me.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
RED BEAN ICE
One of their specialty drinks, but bland. Used to sweeter taste.
RATING: ³⁄₅
BAKED PORK CHOP IN MACANESE STYLE (takes 20 min to make)
Meat was tender and went well with the rice. The rice should have been fried for better texture and taste.
RATING: ³⁄₅
OVERALL
========
Loved my afternoon experience.
Food wasn’t that great, but will return for the French toast and maybe their famous tea and coffee drink.
Fast service, but not too welcoming.
RECOMMEND for a nostalgic moment in Hong Kong.

Mido Café 美都餐室 is an iconic eatery in Yau Ma Tei on Temple Street. The interior has more or less remained the same since they have opened decades back, and is more about the atmosphere and experience, than it is a food destination.
The best seats are upstairs, and if you go early enough you can get a booth by the window overlooking the temple. Great for people watching.
But there is a minimum order.
If you are here in the afternoon and only want a drink, the fail safe one is the classic red bean lotus seed ice 紅豆蓮子冰. It is just above water on the minimum charge, and is executed at a very high level. Good quality red beans, and nicely cooked plump lotus seeds. Some evaporated milk, sugar, and crushed ice. This is so much better than those Starbucks Blended Crappucinos, or even Hui Lau Shan mango ice blended drinks (which at some point really do lose their appeal). When the ice starts to melt a bit, use the spoon to get some red beans, lotus seeds, and ice. So darn refreshing!
So booth seating upstairs, perfect company, red bean lotus seed ice drink, is a four star experience from a visitor’s standpoint, just taking a break from walking in the area and relaxing. The scene and mood during evening/​dusk should be another interesting experience.
Now if you take into account the value, price, quality of the cooked food (and should you even brave the restrooms which is another whacky experience in itself), then the rating will drop.
But I have to mention their fried wontons (Kum Lo style) 錦鹵雲吞 is probably worth trying (even though the price seems high by now), and is absolutely not your moo shoo poo poo American Chinese crab rangoon fried wontons. This is actually an original recipe. And would you believe it, Mido Café during the 50s/​60s was actually used as a banquet hall… and apparently for weddings. And they served Kum Lo fried wontons as a banquet dish.
Boggle$ the mind.

The classic Mido Café situated on the historic Temple Street. Another place that is either loved or hated. Personally, I love it because it has maintained its atmosphere for well over a half century, which basically makes it a dining museum. Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, Mido is always a pleasant place to visit and to soak up the authenticity of the place in your yit lai cha and yu dan min.
Step inside and feel like you’re in the 60’s. Then take a glance at another diner holding a smartphone — back to reality. I prefer to sit upstairs because of the better view and air-​conditioning. The floors are tiled, tables apologetically varnished wood and the benches hard to fix up your posture. If you stare at the place for a moment, it might remind you of an American diner a la Edward Hopper’s painting Nighthawks. Ghastly green (rendered white) fluorescence light up the interior at night, which can double as a film set of Suzie Wong (which it did).
I was in the mood for the classic baked pork ribs with rice — I asked for extra sauce but the server just gave a blank, indifferent stare — Mido service at its best. The meat tasted smoky and was well marinated. The cheese glided over the entirety of the dish but still can’t be overpowered by the abundance of tomato sauce.
Stow away your credit cards as they are not honored here and break your change. The restaurant can be a hit and miss sometimes but for the price and nostalgic vibe, Mido makes me keep coming for another visit.

Mido café is like a little time machine that brings you back to the 60s. Everything in here is very retro from the mosaic walls to the green gates on the windows. Instead of it being dated and in need of a renovation, Mido prides itself on this very fact. I honestly won;t be surprised if someone told me that this place has not purchased anything new in the past 20 years.
I enjoy sitting upstairs by a booth facing the park across the street. It really does have an old time feel to it. When you order your food, don’t expect anything exciting. Its your typical cha chang tang restaurant and I’d have to say the food is subpar.
Ham and egg sandwich with a milk tea is pretty standard, but the people come here for the baked pork chop over fried rice. Pretty decent meal with a decent price tag, but nothing spectacular.
I would say most people come here for the novelty and not the food. There isn’t anything wrong with that. I love coming here to zone out from hectic hong kong every now and then to daydream and people watch from the booths.