Hoa-Hoa

I’ve patronized Hao Hao on and off over the years, but I won’t be going back. I found hair in my food the last time I got take-​out there. It was revolting, and it took me a while to work up the nerve to go there again. I rationalized it to myself in thinking that, even though the restaurant is dirty and dumpy, I only found hair in my food once and it could’ve happened in the best of places.
I told the owners, a husband and wife couple, about the incident when I returned today. Instead of apologizing like normal people, the wife became extremely defensive and hostile. They tried to ignore my report, asking gruffly «what do you want?» on the buffet line. They were not just dismissive about concern for public health and sanitation– they were downright nasty in response, making me question why I’d ever eat there again. The food is ok, not terribly healthy, but not good enough to warrant that kind of treatment. I was really taken aback by how rude they were.
If you like oily Chinese food with the cook’s hair in it, you’ll be fine. Otherwise, steer clear.

Went here again and got the chicken with broccoli. The chicken was cold and had a really strong sharp taste (as in seems like they left it out for 5 hrs then cooked it). The broccoli was ok. I think I might be ordering the wrong dishes. So far I have a really bad impression on this place.

Hoa Hoa’s sesame tofu was the first Chinese dish I’ve ever tried and I think it is really great! This place brings back memories of my first year in college and it is a place that my friends and I enjoyed coming to. I used to come here all the time when I lived in Dobie and it always hit the spot for me. Their veggie spring rolls are pretty good as is their hot and sour soup! I wouldn’t say the food is the greatest quality Asian food and I’ve definitely had better over the years but it’s tasty, the workers and owners are friendly, and you get a lot of food for the price you pay. They also have quite a bit of vegetarian options, which is nice! I recommend every vegetarian person to try the sesame tofu dish! :)

Other than Huahua, let me know if u can get better Chinese food else where near UT campus. Truely autentic, large portion and fair price!

I have a five star for it is really a convenient place for a quick lunch if you want to eat Chinese dish. The restaurant owner is a nice couple.

The food is ok but not so that good. Food is a little greasy. It’s actually more like Chinese fast food.

Sooo… I used to live near Oakland Chinatown, and believe you me, I am not easily dissuaded by:
a) dirty kitchens
b) dirty kitchen workers
c) dirty plates, silverware
d) critters
But, two out of the four times I ate here… I got violently ill =(throwing up, food poisoning.
The taste was good, like usual fast pseudo-​Chinese/​Asian food good. I really tried to like it! But, the testimony of my GI doesn’t lie, and unless something radically changes here, I won’t be (able to, even if I wanted to! – ) coming back…

Given the suspect quality of many lunch spots around UT, A-​OK can be a powerful resource in the neighborhood. And there are many reasons that you stop at three stars for Hoa-​Hoa: they aren’t very fast, the food quality is about exactly what you’d expect for $ 7-​a-​head Chinese, and the restaurant itself bears the same air of despair and abandonment as does the barely breathing Dobe Mall food court in which it is housed.
But there are also reasons to stop back: food is served fresh and piping hot, there’s a huge variety of vegetarian and pescatarian stuff, you can customize your order within reason, spice levels are respectable, and it’s across the street from your campus building. Or maybe that’s just my campus building. Also: sriracha on every table. That should be a political manifesto for the 21^st century.

Hoa-​Hoa is the best spot for a cheap Asian lunch on campus! Although the food quality isn’t the best, the portions are great. As long as you don’t have high expectations here, you will be satisfied.
The lunch special is only 7 dollars and it comes with a choice of soup and an egg roll. I highly recommend the salted pepper chicken and the mandarin chicken. The salted pepper chicken is very crispy and it has a nice spicy taste. On the other hand, the mandarin chicken is tangy and very sweet.
I would definitely not eat here for dinner, but for a cheap lunch, Hoa-​Hoa can’t be beat!

I just don’t like it that much. The meats are always drenched in sauce, which would be a good thing if they actually tasted good. They are either too sweet or too salty. Large portions though, which is the only plus. I’ve had a good experience with the manager who is a woman but a bad one with the man.

After coming here a first time, I don’t know why I’ve been back as many times as I have. Hoa-​Hoa is a campus staple for cheap Asian food. Located in Dobie, it’s pretty easy to find when you get in. They have a lunch special that most people go for, but I’ve been disappointed almost every time.
Their fried items are usually very mushy rather than crispy, and the items they have for their lunch specials have usually been sitting out for quite a while and are tasteless. Their beef and broccoli has come out almost rubbery at times and their soups, well their soups are alright. The hot and sour soup is a bit watery, but passable.
I kept my standards fairly low, but Hoa-​Hoa has never been able to make the small hurdle for janky cheap Asian food that I’ve set. If you’re on campus you’ll probably end up here eventually, but look elsewhere if you can.

Tried hoa hoa for the first time recently and can’t say I’m entirely disappointed. I ordered the lo mein to go and it was decent– nothing amazing but still good. It tasted a lot better after I drenched it in soy sauce but overall I liked it. Considering that it was decent prices and had a huge serving I would recommend it! Not rushing to go back but overall a decent option for a quick stop by.

Ahhhh Hoa-​Hoa. Home of my freshman 15. I came back to see if this place was still open. It is!
Went there on a Sunday, hoping Dobie Mall would be nearly empty. They still have the same ordering process:
Get your tray and utensils
Order your soup
He’ll ask you if you want scallions
You will say ‘yes’
Order your lunch item and drink
Still same generic ACF quality. I came here for the nostalgia. Don’t judge.

The service was nice, but the meal was pretty terrible.
First, the lo neon that I paid an extra dollar for was cheap, overcooked spaghetti.
The sesame chicken was overcooked, over salted, and over sauced. It was edible though
The egg drop soup smelled like bleach, so I just threw that away.
There wasn’t even a fortune in my cookie.

I decided to try this place out because I live in the dobie apartments and I heard it was good and cheap. I wouldn’t have ever known this place existed if I didn’t live in the dobie apartments.
I decided to try the egg drop soup which was pretty good, it wasn’t the best I’ve had but it was good after I put some salt in it. I also had some of their famous sesame chicken along with a side of crab puffs. The crab puffs were a pretty disappointing because they were lacking in filling and very greasy from the fryer. Although, the sesame chicken was out of this world and I would definitely get it again.
I will definitely eat here again because the prices were great and the food was good. Service was ok but my food came out fast and I had a good overall experience.

Bits, chunks, and many, many tiny pieces of beef and other unidentifiable meat in my VEGETARIAN lo mien. Bits of chicken in my BF’s sesame tofu. Food poisoning a customer is not cool guys.
Overall everything was terribly mediocre. Didn’t even give us a fortune cookie. :/​
Never again.

All you need to know
— excessively long delivery wait
— lousy food
— excessively long wait for delivery of forgotten food

My go-​to place for cheap, Americanized Chinese food. Hits the spot every time and it’s super cheap. Portions are big enough for 2 meals. They even deliver! Service kind of stinks during meal times. Cleanliness is questionable. Ingredients are even more questionable. But I know what I’m getting when I venture into this corner of Dobie — do you? LOL.
Honestly, I’m just giving stars on expectation vs reality.
Super low expectations.
Reality? Not terrible.
Therefore, 4 stars.

Hoa-​Hoa is too underrated! They have a great variety of vegetarian options, and I’ve always enjoyed their food. Nothing I’ve gotten has ever tasted subpar. The lunch combo is an awesome deal too: lots of food (spring roll, soup and entrée), good price (7 or 8 bucks). Perfect Asian food for a student budget!

Ok, so re-​reviewing this place I came to realize something. If its deep fried, it can’t be bad. So I chose orange chicken this time and man it was great. Large chunks of non-​ambiguous chicken, coated in an orange sauce (orange peels are there too for authenticity), and three scoops of rice and some steamed broccoli on the side. Definitely a winner near a college campus. lots of food for relatively little.
Some of the other pals got Pepper Steak flat noodle, which was alright, though on the saltier side. I saw real black beans though, that’s a plus. Lots of onion (I feel like they used a whole onion or something x. x) and not much beef. Lots of noodles too though, and that’s all I can ask for. My other friend got lemon chicken, which i didn’t know what it would be. It turned out to be like battered chicken tenders with a lemon sauce on the side of some sort. Didn’t taste like anything to me, but each person has their rights to like their own thing.