On On At McCully

RELOCATED …
Oh man — the owners sold On On to new people, and those new people absolutely DESTROYED what was formerly a great restaurant. The good news? The original people are still around! Check out AINA HAINA CHOP SUEY! Same cook, same servers … and I swear, the food is better than ever.

I used to be a regular here because of the awesome crispy gau gee when it was under the previous owners. However, it may have gone downhill. The crispy gau gee is average at best. I can’t figure out why they painted the place like a giant fish tank since they hardly have any fish in their aquarium. Anyways, that was a bad move, the new paint job looks UGLY.

DON’T GO!!! I called my order in and still sat there for another 30 minutes never got my food so I left!!! They took orders of people walking in after I was still sitting there and people finished eating before I even left WITHOUT getting my food!

I used to DREAM about the Chinese Chicken Salad from On On. Chinese Chicken Salad is one of my faves and I’ve ordered it from MANY places. However our visit here tonight was just OK. We ordered take out at 4pm for pick up at 6pm. However, when we arrived at 6:10 they had no record of our order and of course our food was not ready.
While we waited, we wandered the restaurant. There’s a random case with a watch, jewelry and a bottle of alcohol sitting new to the door. ??? I’m torn about the new ocean décor on the outside. I doesn’t really match the restaurant but for a chinese restaurant to put in effort to the décor is definitely a first. I do like the artsy chandelier!
Our food came our quick. The salad was NOTHING like I remembered. The dressing was very tasty but overall it was just average. The beef chow fun (dry) looked great but lacked a little in taste. It was good, but I will try to find another place for my favorite dish.

Okay so me and my bf went to ON ON McCully chinese resturant. And hmmmm theres quite some reasons what i like and dont like about this place.
Inside the resturant: I loved how clean and nice it look in there. But what strange about that place is dat there are soo many fish paintings on da walls and in the bathroom walls lyk wtf i felt lyk i was in a aquarium not a resturant. And on the ceiling dea is a snowflake lookin chandelier .i mean its nice and all but it doesnt match the resturant honestly.
Service: ok ok the waiter and the waitress looks soo damn scared for serving us. When they wanna put tea dea hands start to shake. Also they didnt fill up are waters the only time they fill up r waters wen we first walkd in and omg we were the only customers in the resturant and they didnt fill up are waters? Thats kindah odd and annoying. But what i lyk about the waitress she was all smilin but dem two gtta be bright .

Oh and in the kitchen i think the chef or the owner were fighting in the kitchen and it was sooo damn loud you can hear dem scrappin in there .i mean lyk take ur bizzness outsyd its quite disturbing.
FOOD:
House special fried rice– Hmmmm it was OK but it wasnt all that the way the food presents its self was burnt looking lyk wen yu cook ur own fried rice at home and yu accidentally burnt it.
House special fried chicken wings– WAS FUCKN SALTY ! They really gtta lay off the salt on the reals.
Spring rolls– was oily and less crispy and they needa improve that foreal its nasty and no moa taste. Thats the only spring rolls i ever ate and was lyk dat unreal.
Shrimp w/​macadamia nuts– it was actully ono (tasty) out of all the dishes i’d recommend this one because all the other chinese resturants ive been to only had walnuts and this one was unique and i actully liked it.
Overall, i would go back here but this would be the last place i’d be going to.

Came here for a private function where the host had set up a buffet of salad, noodles, gau gee, orange chicken, etc.
The salad was great. The rest of the food is better at Panda Express.
We didn’t really deal with service because it was a buffet, but if the food stinks, that can’t really be saved.
Sorry On On, but nooooo thank you.

We took our roommate Kim for a Birthday dinner. We had been wanting to try this for quite some time and actually tried a few months back but they were closed having been bought by new owners and remodeling. We were very impressed, authentic, ONO Chinese food. We started with the Coconut Shrimp, and Pot Stickers, then Dale ordered the Beef & Broccoli, I had the Fish with Vegetable medley, and Kim ordered the House Special Chicken. Service was great, and I love the new seascape on the front of the building.

Daily lunch and dinner specials. Friendly staff and ample parking. Good prices, too. Don’t expect 5-​star table side service.
My picks:
Sea Bass
Salt & Pepper Porkchop
House Cake Noodle

I went with friends to On On at McCully (5). Haven’t been there for a long time. Lots of parking if you go early. They really get busy around 6pm.
We started with a combo platter which consist of Roast Duck, Chars u, Spring Rolls and Crispy One Ton. There’s 2 sizes sm/​lg.($ 15/​$ 30) we didn’t finish it so. Then we order soon cause was getting busy so we all ordered 1 item. We had Spicy Eggplant, Beef Broccoli, Boneless Minute Chicken, Salt & Pepper Shrimp and Seafood Cake Noodle. It was a lot of food for us. The portions was good, the price is reasonable. When its busy so much people are in there it gets a little loud. I mean what Chinese Restaurant isn’t loud.
Would I go back again? Yes. I was happy when I left…

Unbelievable! Now you’d think that what comes next is about good food or service but you’d be wrong. Went in there today to get some lunch. Placed my order with the friendly waitress and waited. My food was brought out by the lady owner. Perfect up to this point. But when I asked for hot sauce and she put some in I asked «is that rooster sauce (sriracha) because id like chili hot sauce she replied… it’s only kind I have I don’t care what kind you want! That was verbatim.
I then said «you don’t care what I want?» in which she replied «I don’t care what you want, everybody loves me here!»
I just walked out of there completely flabbergasted. As I was leaving she was telling the waitress stuff in Chinese directed at me.
I actually am in my car writing this review so amazed that the owner would talk to a person that way. I’ll never return here AND I’ll be sure to point her rudeness to anyone that ever asks me about this place.

I work right next door for the last 11 years so I been coming here alot but lately, the food… something lacking. the crowds are so off and on too. Sometimes, its super packed up and sometimes, you can hear the mouse squeek by too.
the food is not too bad but the prices are something too. sometimes, better off going to Panda right down the street on King. I think this kind of restaurant is nice to go to but its outdated, the prices fluctuate often and the food quality is not consistent.
Want a good deal? for $ 6.99 go across the street to the old Lil Caesars location for a lunch special with 3 selections, soup and some bubble drink. not too bad at all!

I know they are different establishments, and different owners. But, I must compare:
On On at McCully has a bigger restaurant and more ample parking, however, that is all the pros that I have for this restaurant.
In all honesty, I would much rather go to On On Chinese Restaurant in Kapahulu. Here is what is better there: The service, the food, the comfortableness, the vibe, and even the water.

Sorry, I’m reposting my previous post on 11÷10÷10 because it was on the wrong restaurant, and it was for this restaurant in McCully:
Had a 7 course dinner at On On restaurant. Place is nice, but the quality of the food lowered:
Chinese Chicken Salad — 2 star. The mix just wasn’t right
Scallop egg soup — 2 star tasted like it had chlorine in it.
Peking Duck — 4 star tastes just like all the other chinese restaurants.
Black mushroom abalone — 5 star this was actually good!
Seafood taro basket — 4 star Though, the basket got soggy fast.
Pork hash w/​steamed fish — 3 star interesting combo.
Cake noodle chicken — 3 star cake noodle wasn’t too tasty, chicken was ok
Gin doi for dessert, but I was too full to eat it, so I can’t rate it.
Although the restaurant was only half full, I still had to ask the waitress for water twice before she brought it.

Since I live in the neighborhood I’ve been going to On On for years. It’s has the reputation of being the creator of the cake noodle but its just average to me there.
Parking:
The place has a pretty big parking lot. They are also close to young, king and beretania street which you can easily find parking after 7pm. I believe that you can park at Central Pacific Bank if you need to after hours.
Ambiance:
This place is always clean and nice looking. Everything always looks reasonably new unlike some old school Chinese restaurants. You can always find big family parties of over 14+ eating. This might be one of the best places to easily take a big group.
Prices:
On On is slightly more then the average local Chinese restaurant. They have pretty good sized portions here so I guess you get your monies worth. I guess when times are tough or slow they sometimes have some really good specials. Depends on what banner they have on the outside. From the last time I went they had some 5.99 $ take out plates (I chose the minute chicken with noodles which was a huge portion). Most of the regular eat in entrees run about 8 – 11 $ each.
Food:
You can pretty much find all the staples of any local Chinese food here. They have the reputation of the creator of cake noodle but I’m never impressed. To me everything is okay but nothing is awesome or memorable.
Overall On On is at least consistent but definitely not the best local Chinese spot in town. You can expect a clean and nice looking restaurant with good parking, which nowadays make it’s a 5 star establishment.

We recently went there and to start the Chinese NY with some ono pake food! We tried other things this time; lup chong with assorted veggies… yummy, the choi sum with cake noodle… yummy too and our usual cold ginger chicken.
They have a 10% discount on their entrees cause of there 31^st anniversary and we got a complimentary pake desert for FREE!
So try it out and experience this establishment and yes there were chinese people eating there too. The saying is, if you don’t see chinese people the food ain’t all that good. Kung Hee Fut Choy!

This might date me but do you remember when people used the expression «salty» as a term for being upset? Like: «Ho brah, dat stupid teachah gave me one D just becuz I trew Ling Hing Mui at her. FK, SALTY!»
I used it a lot in high school and that term really came to mind when I ate at On On for the first time this past week. Not so much because I was upset, but, the majority of the food was just so damn salty.
The peking duck: All I can say is WOW, that thing was so salty I thought they had it soaking in the ocean. The crispy skin in the bun was fine but the rest of the bird was just unbelievably salty.
The chicken salad: Strangely enough, this dish was lacking salt, actually it was lacking flavor altogether. It tasted like they poured sesame seed oil over some shredded lettuce and mixed in some tiny pieces of chopped up, unseasoned chicken. On top of that, the lettuce was a bit brown like it was old. My brother said it was probably because they used an iron knife to cut it and the iron reacts with the lettuce and turns the edges brown. I don’t know, it looked old to me but either way, visually it was a turn off.
Scallop soup: Can’t comment much on this since I’m allergic and couldn’t have any. Word at the table was… Surprise…“it’s a bit salty”.
Honey walnut shrimp: Another dish I can’t comment on but I did eat the candied walnuts, those were ok.
Fried eggplant in a blackbean sauce: This was probably the best dish of the meal. The eggplant was a bit overcooked but at least the sauce was flavorful.
Mongolian beef: Too sweet and not spicy at all, but I guess the sweetness helped to balance out the other dishes that had too much salt.
Chicken with cake noodle: Sadly a bit too salty again. The noodle was also not crisp like most other places. The chicken was also pretty tough and dry.
Overall the food was borderline 2 stars, but the friendly service helped bump up the rating a bit. The other good thing was that even though the food was «meh», it did all come out hot so gotta give them credit for that too.
I was eager to try a place that I’ve never been to and was starving when I got there, but unfortunately left the restaurant a bit, well… salty.

We visited here with the girlfriend’s parents. It’s realtively close to our house, so was really convenient on the corner of McCully and Young Streets.
We ordered the tsing choi (mustard beef), which is like eating a version of tsukimono and is probably reserved for more specialized tastes. The cake noodle chicken was tasty, but the noodles are a bit fatter and softer (I like mine thin and super crispy). The salt and pepper ribs were really good. Although it was light on the salt and pepper, but I think most restaurants over do it anyway. Best to add your own if its not enough. We also had a really salty green bean and hamburger plate (not sure the exact name obviously), but the hamburger was super salty. The green beans came out fine though and balanced out the plate. Finally, we had mabo tofu. It went great over rice and if you love tofu like me, I’d get this one. Although, it wasn’t spicy at all.
Service was fast and attentive. Prices are slightly above average, but not too bad. Check their website because they have a coupon you can use to get a slight discount. The parking lot is odd and small. If you are having a large gathering, this is something to think about because it could get brutal.
Overall, it was alright. The food wasn’t mind blowing, but then again there aren’t many restaurants that do that. For how much we ordered, the price wasn’t too bad at all. I’d go back, it’s a good family «go to» restaurant.

One of the better Chinese restaurants in Hawaii in my opinion. Prices are pretty decent and the food is good. Service is quick and they’re always really nice.
My boyfriend and I really like this place. Their spicy pork with eggplant is one of our favorites.
We sometimes refer to On On as «Club On On» … We came here after working out at 24 hour fitness Kapiolani… Maybe not the best after-​workout meal, but who cares. We aren’t on diets or anything. lol.
As we were eating we heard someone playing with the music volume… Not like it was a big deal. It was kind of random and unexpected – suddenly the music was blasting! The music was bumpin’ like we were at a club!
…Yeah, maybe you had to be there.
Anyway, I like this place. The parking situation is pretty good; they have a nice sized lot. And, there’s street parking available too.

When I visit home, this is a place my family frequents. My grandma loooves Chinese food and she definitely looooves this place. Parking can be a bit tight and they have an odd formation in the parking lot but there is some street parking available in addition to bank parking when the banks are closed. My family usually goes for Friday night dinners but we recently threw a party for my Popo. We had 16 people (Mom made the tables 8 and 8, how good luck of us) and they had chosen 7 dishes.
Chinese chicken salad was good with not too much dressing. Honey walnut shrimp came next and THAT was delicious. I always feel that there’s never enough shrimp (compared to walnuts) on the dish but it could be because the shrimp is the money maker of the duo and more wanted. Next came the stuffed duck which was good but nothing special. We had moo shu pork; we always have a TON of moo shu left over and definitely not enough wraps or plum sauce. We had to ask for more and they were quite confused with our request. The ginger fish came next which was followed by the chicken with green onions and lup cheong. Those two dishes were by far my favorite. Finally, cake noodle with chicken… which I passed on.
My cutey patootey cousin Tisha said the rice was yummy and proceeded to eat 3 bowls of it. And she liked the chicken sans green onions. She is the pickiest eater out of our whole family so if SHE says the chicken (and rice) is delicious, well, we best believe that.
I have a favorite waitress here that always remembers our family but she wasn’t there :(at the most recent visit. Still it was delicious as always and I would gladly come again.