Location: Kaneohe behind Island Mini Mart, good luck finding parking! I had to get street parking. Food: 1. Minute Chicken w/cake noodle 5 stars their cake noodle is to die for 2. Crispy gau gee 5 stars so yummy w hot mustard! My boyfriend likes the sweet & sour sauce. 3. Steamed fish w/ginger & onion 4 stars I love fish but didn’t necessarily care for that particular taste. 4. Fried rice 5 stars like any other Chinese restaurant Portions are HUGE! We ordered ala carte &WOW I didn’t realize how much food my boyfriend & I were getting. The amount of food for the price you pay is so worth it & we even had left overs for dinner. Service wasn’t very efficient. We had to keep flagging someone down to get refills on our water & then we had to flag them down for take out boxes. I ended up just paying cash so we didn’t have to wait around for someone to come back and grab our bill. Overall, since I live on the opposite side of the Island, I probably wouldn’t drive back here to eat unless I’m in the area.(and maybe just get take out)
Camille R.
Place rating: 5 San Diego, CA
Service is super fast so get ready. Been coming here all my life as any native Kaneohe resident does. Classics to always get, minute chicken cake noodle(I have yet to find this elsewhere nor do I know how to explain the sauce to recreate), shrimp canton, egg fooyung, walnut shrimp, gau yuk with bun and of course the famous gau gee! I must say I have almost nailed recreating the gau gee but that gau yuk though…
Roxanne Lynn T.
Place rating: 5 Honolulu, HI
They get 5 stars for accommodating a large group at last minute. We came here after a viewing and had probably 20 people in our family that wanted to have dinner together. It was recommended that this Chinese restaurant was nearby the Hawaiian Memorial Park Mortuary so we decided to see if they could take us. They were accommodating and was able to get us seated within 15 minutes. We weren’t all together on one table but we were still near each other separated in 3 tables. To make things easier we ordered all the same food and ordered the same quantity for all tables. Some of the things we ordered were fried rice, chow mein, peking duck w/buns, beef broccoli, clams, honey walnut shrimp. All were so good that we didn’t even bother taking pictures of our food because we were too hungry. The food came out quick one entrée after another. Good service and large enough for groups. Food was just as expected for a chinese restaurant.
Nick H.
Place rating: 2 Syracuse, NY
At best an okay Chinese takeout. Typical Americanized Chinese restaurant. If you are a tourist from the mainland, Id advise on avoiding it. There’s literally nothing you can’t get back home. Portions relatively small. Dishes layered with oil and salt and even the dishes labeled as spicy is not really spicy. We ordered: 1) Mongolian beef — lot of food coloring. Meet isn’t fresh(but what can’t you expect). Tastes and looks like really cheap cut of meat; very chewy. Flavor more like the boneless bbq ribs than anything else. 2) pork with stuffed eggplant(spicy) — labeled as spicy. Not spicy at all. Pork really minimal and chopped into really small pieces and smothered in nothing but oil. the eggplant is honestly how most eggplants are prepared in China(with a lot of oil) but this was different. Very non authentic. 3) salt shrimp — smells great. Very salty. Had a ton of better ones with more flavor without being so overly salty. 4) beef with flat noodle — not really flat noodle. Just regular noodle. So much oil that you can’t even taste the noodles and beef anymore. It was borderline just eating a plate of oil. Maybe it’s just because I’m not native to the area but it’s way too much oil and corn starch for me. It’s probably a personal preference, but I don’t think this is a good sample of what Chinese food should and can be.
Karynne T.
Place rating: 4 Seattle, WA
Chinese food in Hawaii cannot get any better. This place is amazing. Great for large groups and are always busy. During Chinese New Years, they have gau available! There is an decent sized parking lot, otherwise you have to find parking on the street. There are so many options for food here. Have you tried cake noodle?! If not, make sure you do. They have a delicious peking duck and of course their crispy gau gee. You cannot leave without at least trying these items on the menu. Everything else is good as well and comes in a family style portion to share. Lots of leftovers, so make sure to order accordingly. PRO: Good for groups TRY: Gau
Gary P.
Place rating: 4 Kailua, HI
We had a great meal at Kin Wah last night. We went to celebrate the life of my Grandpa who I greatly miss. Grandpa’s love of good Chinese food led us here where we’ve eaten many times but somehow I’ve never written a review. We started with crispy gau gee and a few cold beers. I remember they served Bud, Bud light, and Heineken. They also had Chevas Regal, Jack Daniels, and a few other spirits I don’t remember. For dinner we ordered: cold ginger chicken, roast duck, kau yuk, steamed buns, shrimp Canton, house noodles, pork ong choy with ham ha, egg fuyong, sweet sour spare ribs, and steamed rice. The ginger chicken was delicious the sauce was excellent. We got the roast duck dry style with plum sauce on the side and it was delicious, moist, with crisp skin. I really enjoyed the kau yuk. It was seasoned perfectly with the perfect ratio of fat and lean. The shrimp canton was good but not the best I’ve ever had. Next time I’ll probably order a cake noodle dish rather than the house noodles. It was good but not great. I enjoyed the egg fuyong but my wife felt it was over cooked. The sweet sour spare ribs flavor was great but a few pieces were a little tough. Overall I enjoyed the meal and will return. Service was excellent. Hot tea and ice water were refilled regularly without being intrusive. Parking can be tricky but if you don’t immediately see a stall one will open pretty quickly. The restaurant is good sized and can seat quite a few people. I’d recommend eating here if you’re in the neighborhood and have a craving for Chinese food.
Li Y.
Place rating: 3 Honolulu, HI
I must be hungry ’cause while I wait for my takeout order the pictures all these Unilocalers have already posted look ohhh sooo good. From Pam’s crab rangoons to Helen’s taro duck and of course all the delectable pics from Lyla and Nadine… so many MORE dishes to try next time. This place has been our family’s go to place for minute chicken cake noodle. They do it right here! For family dinners to big pot luck dishes, this has always satisfied. Today trying somethings different. 1) Stuffed eggplant and 2) oyster rolls. Looks good. Smells good. Tastes satisfies. A little disappointed in the small serving. Also, no sauce with the oyster roll/fried won tons. Would have been better even with a little sweet sour sauce. Had to eat with the eggplant sauce. The search continues for more yummie dishes here. Will be back.
Cheryl K.
Place rating: 5 Honolulu, HI
Price is great, food is tasty and good size, love to visit more but I live kinda far :(. Stay delidious
Aaron S.
Place rating: 5 Honolulu, HI
Food is awesome service is awesome it’s my favorite Asian place to eat by far would recommend to anyone
Christopher C.
Place rating: 1 Kaneohe, HI
Wish I could give this 0 stars, food was good and we used to eat here but when I was getting dinner for my friends 18th we found not one but two roaches in our food. They were both found in our shrimp conton. We will not be eating her again and wish that they either A shut down or B have more frequent health checks. DONOTEATHERE unless you want some extra roach in your food.
Nat N.
Place rating: 4 Honolulu, HI
Some things never change, Kin Wah is one of them. My parents used to take us here when we were kids, and it’s just as good as I remember it to be, maybe even better. The décor and ambiance is quite dated and nothing to write home about, but that goes without saying for a majority of Chinese restaurants, because you go to Chinese restaurants for one thing only — to eat or get take-out! My favorite items: — boneless minute chicken cake noodles — gon lo mein(dry noodles) — fried rice with shrimp — crispy gau gee — steamed fish with shoyu and ginger — chicken with black bean sauce The quality is decent for what is is — a local neighborhood Chinese restaurant. For take out orders, scan the business photos for the menu and phone in your order ahead of time to minimize your wait time. The restaurant is located behind Aloha Gas on Kam Highway(near Koolau Farmers/Windward Nissan). It shares parking with many other popular businesses so the parking lot can get kind of crazy during rush hours(late morning, lunch, dinner time).
Jilly P.
Place rating: 5 Kamuela, HI
ATMOSPHERE: There’s seriously an electric feel in the air when it comes to Kin Wah! It might be because they’re so busy. Otherwise, it’s your typical authentic Chinese spot atmosphere. SERVICE: When we first got there, we were seated promptly even though they were really busy. The lady who seated us was kind and asked if we were okay with the seats that she was sat us in, which we were(a little side table for two). When our other server came around, an elder woman, I thought that she was going to be unpleasant — don’t ask me why. But she was actually really nice and helpful. We had a couple of questions about portion sizes and she answered them. She was very attentive. Only downfall would probably be that she just didn’t refill our water that fast… I mean I drank my water right when I sat down and then she refilled our water right before we left. FOOD: SO, SO ‘ONO! Kin Wah is definitely, my FAVORITE Chinese restaurant on the island. I don’t think anywhere else can compare. We ordered the Kin Wah Chow Mein, Mongolian Beef, Shrimp Fried Rice and Crispy Gau Gee and LOVEDEVERYSINGLEBITEOFIT(even the leftovers). A lot of times, I don’t like to get shrimp fried rice because some places like to skimp on the skrimps, but not Kin Wah! There was a lot! The Chow Mein definitely had to be my fave dish though… It was just very tasty all around! Something that I liked about this joint was that it wasn’t as greasy as most Chinese food places. LOL OVERALL: YES, YES, YES and more yes. PLEASEGO!
Lillie M.
Place rating: 5 Kaneohe, HI
I eat here all the time. Dine in. Take out. Lunch. Dinner. It’s always amazing. It’s a ton of food, for an awesome price! Honestly, since the food comes out so fast, I know it isn’t cooked upon order, and and totally don’t care. It’s still crazy delicious! Favorites: Char siu pork Honey walnut shrimp(killer!) Oyster sauce(pot roast) chicken with cake noodle Beef broccoli with chow fun Crab rangoon(my absolute fav) Kun pao chicken(the mushrooms are amazing) Steamed buns And, finally… the hot tea… it’s black tea… its piping hot… you get the whole pot… and I drink it all!
Anthony B.
Place rating: 4 Seattle, WA
A brown paper bag, spotted with grease, bulging and heavy. The perfume of the fryer, iridescent red dipping sauce. These are my earliest memories of Kin Wah. A restaurant that has been a part of my whole life. The crispy Gau Gee and other delicious dishes have been present at celebrations and casual dinners alike. The food here hasn’t changed much over the years, neither have the prices it seemes. While our understanding of Chinese food has evolved Kin Wah has been serving the same standards, with the same quality. Part of me wished that our server didn’t balk when I inquired about the possibility of bok choy as a side dish. But it was a non issue, the Chinese Broccoli we got hit the spot. Part of me wishes that they would innovate a little, try something new and exciting. But most of me is more than satisfied with my grease spotted bag of Gau Gee.
Vince B.
Place rating: 4 Kaneohe, HI
Ohhh man… this one is a challenge. I’ve been coming here on and off for years and years. We came a few days ago just because it had been so long. It hasn’t changed much at all. Local Style: I don’t recommend you drive across the island to have dinner here. To those uninitiated with old school local style Chinese food this place may be a disappointment. This is not really classic Chinese food. I think your experience at Kin Wah will be determined by why you are coming here and your expectations. You will experience genuine ‘Local Style Chinese’ though plus a 1970’s style Chop Suey House. Places like this are rare gems now a days. I bet there are only a handful of places like Kin Wah in existence, anywhere! Just know what you are getting yourself into here. It is what it is. Legendary Fame: Now, if you grew up in or have called Kaneohe home you would know that Kin Wah Chop Suey, just called ‘Kin Wah’, is one of two legendary old school restaurants in Kaneohe. Births, deaths, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, holidays, first birthday parties, regular birthdays, family reunions, class reunions, celebrations and events of all sorts helped to create those legends. The large servings, vast menu, party specials, fast efficient service, low prices and tasty food contribute to the many 4 and 5 Star Reviews that Kin Wah Chop Suey has earned. Venue: Adequate sized restaurant that looks a bit dated. Party room/banquet area for larger events. The«bar» is behind the cash register and consists of a few bottles of wine and other liquor. Mostly booths in the restaurant area. Cramped parking lot due to the crowds. Service: Currently a mixture of younger staff along with the old timer staff who probably served you when you were young. Fast efficient and no non-sense service. Always plenty of staff too. Food comes out amazingly fast although some dishes take longer. Food: MSG is proudly used on all meat dishes. Your request for«No MSG» means that no additional MSG will be used. Many of the dishes are served in a sauce over cake noodles. The sauce soaks into the noodles for a delicious effect. Mushrooms are mostly canned. Some fresh vegetables are included. Dishes are primarily meat, sauce and noodles. The sizzling platters look good. Servings are huge. You will be taking food home. My wife had Head on Salt and Pepper Shrimp. The shrimp were huge and of high quality. She loved it. That was a 5 Star dish. She also tried the kun pao chicken on cake noodles. Waitress said it was a big favorite. Wife liked that too. Vegetarian: I had the Vegetable Fried Rice and Mushrooms &Vegetables w/Cashews. Vegetable fried rice was nice and had good flavor. A 3 star good vegetarian meal. The fried rice had had egg in it but it can probably be left out. Mushrooms were generous but from a can. The vegetarian menu and items are probably not the top selling dishes. Kin Wah should get credit for at least having several meatless options as well as a meatless soup. Everyone is welcome here. Old families, young families, the really elderly, babies, hyperactive kids and picky snooty teenagers. Mostly middle aged families who are bringing the kids, the grand kids, parents and grandparents, including the ones who are sort of bent over and walking slowly with a cane. This is why Kin Wah is a part of Kaneohe life.
Kuuipo D.
Place rating: 3 Kailua, HI
My review is based on a phone in order. I was craving Chinese food lately, so I decided to check out Unilocal to see who was close. I put the filter on ‘rating’ and Kin Wah came out on top. Even though it was a 10 minute drive, we are always willing to try new places. We phoned in our order. Thanks to Unilocalers for posting menu pics and the link to the website for the complete menu! We ordered beef broccoli with cake noodle, shrimp fried rice, char siu, crispy chicken, and egg & pea soup. They told us it would be ready in 15 minutes. Hopped in the car for the short drive over. The parking lot was arranged weird, but I guess they are trying to maximize parking spaces with the small lot that they have. It was later in the evening, so we were able to get a stall right in front. We walked in and I tried to look over the place, but our food was ready to go. The cashier was friendly and rang us up quickly. He confirmed our order with us to make sure it was correct. I check it over again in the car & noticed that the cake noodle was in a paper bag. I never saw that before. Got home and unpacked everything. It smelled good and looked delectable. As I put the beef broccoli and cake noodle together, I noticed all the oil soaked into the bag from the noodles. Now I get it! Cake noodle oil was soaked up by the bag! So smart! The crispy chicken was crispy and salted enough. The beef broccoli was OK. The broccoli was soggy. The shrimp friend was tasty. The char siu was a little dry. The soup was good. Between the food, the service, and the price, Kin Wah is someplace I wouldn’t mind coming back to.
Nadine C.
Place rating: 4 Kaneohe, HI
After my good friends, Lyla & Ed helped me move some furniture, I wanted to thank them by taking them to a «Good» Chinese restaurant in Kaneohe. Since they had never been to Kin Wah before, this was the perfect place! Kin Wah is hidden in the corner of the parking lot shared by Aloha Gasoline, Masa & Joyce, and Aloha Mini Mart. This shopping complex is on the corner of Luluku Road and Kamehameha Highway. On the Kamehameha Highway side, it is across from the Windward City Shopping Center and on the Luluku Road side, it is across from Koolau Farmers. Parking is tight at peak times. We had to park on Luluku Street since the lot was full. That’s okay because we were hungry and it was hot outside. The air conditioned restaurant was a welcomed relief! We ordered the Clams with Black Bean Sauce, Kau Yook with Taro, and Kin Wah Tofu. This was the first time I’ve had this tofu dish, steamed in a lotus leaf. I liked the gravy with my rice, mixed with a slight crunch of water chestnuts and green peas! The Kau Yook was tender and tasty! I finished it up since Lyla and Ed were full. The taro soaked up the gravy — yum! The five senses of taste, touch, smell, hearing and seeing were used in the Clams with Black Bean Sauce! When you HEAR your food sizzling on that platter and see the bubbles bursting around the shells and smell those cooked onions, you just can’t wait to taste those plump and sweet clams! WINNER! I’ve been to this restaurant before for family parties, but we come early for the parking. The ambiance is okay for an older, more established place. It’s just plain, good Chinese comfort food that’s reliable and filling! Happy tummy for me!
Lyla D.
Place rating: 3 Honolulu, HI
I’ve lived on the island of Oahu for most of my life, have worked in the Windward(Kailua) side of the island for several years and have passed this place numerous times. But only most recently, I have begun to «stretch out» my some of my dining horizons to the Kaneohe side with the help of fellow Unilocalers. So, yesterday, after helping out Auntie Nadine with moving some furniture, we were on the Windward side looking for a place to have lunch. She had recommended Pah Ke’s and a couple of other neighborhood Chinese restaurants because my husband and I said that we were tapped out on fried foods. We chose Kin Wah because we’ve never dined here before. Kin Wah is located in a strip mall that is bordered by Aloha Market & Gasoline station and Masa and Joyce’s Okazuya. Apparently, this restaurant has been a long time Windward neighborhood Chinese restaurant with deep roots in Windward families. I mean, you know that a Chinese restaurant has been around for a long time when they’ve continued holding onto the name«chop suey»! Anyway, being that this was our first time to try this humble restaurant I kept my mind open. The parking lot was packed as it was lunchtime and the businesses in this plaza are restaurants. We managed to find parking down the street in the cozy neighborhood. The restaurant was«clean» as one would expect for a Chinese restaurant and I noticed three waitresses folding won tons and gau gee out in the dining area. I was a bit concerned as the bowls of ground pork and trays of won tons and gau gees were set out in the open dining room where patrons would pass. The seats, table and menus seemed a bit tacky to the touch. We were greeted with friendly smiles and shown to a booth as soon as we entered. Our waitress was courteous and efficient as she refilled our teapot and glasses of water routinely.
We ordered 3 dishes, that were pictured on their menu, which appealed to our appetites. Our choices were kau yuk with taro, Kin Wah tofu aka Fukien tofu and clams in black bean sauce. The clams in black bean sauce came out on a sizzling platter. The clams were cooked tender on a bed of sliced onions with the black bean sauce bubbling over every nook and cranny. We were relieved to receive the kau yuk with taro in a more«authentic» brown sauce and not the local red food colored type. And the Kin Wah tofu was a steamer basket filled with a base of tofu and topped with ground pork in brown sauce. The food was decent and reminded me of the ORIGINAL Wah Kung(Mapunapuna) Restaurant. Most of their sauces were dark soy-based sauces that were okay but seemed to taste the same. Heaven forbid that we should dare order sticky orange sweet and sour anything! Kin Wah Chop Suey is definitely a solid neighborhood restaurant but could use some renovation as well as better food preparation or handling guidelines. #399
Alice N.
Place rating: 5 Mililani, HI
I love this place! My hubby introduced me to this restaurant as his family frequently goes. The food comes fast and delicious. I read others complain about that, hey it’s magic! We’ve tried Mongolian beef which is one of my faves there. Comes on a sizzling platter hot plate bubbling hot! Sweet red beef sauce with onions and peas omg mouth orgasm. Also like the fish with ginger and onions, gaugee, house noodle, kauyuk with taro in sauce with steamed buns, ongchoi stir fry, the list goes on and on. Making myself hungry and I’m on a diet! So naughty.
Helen T.
Place rating: 4 San Mateo, CA
Local Chinese restaurant in the Kaneohe area where my husband grew up. It’s a very casual, no-frills, low décor Chinese restaurant located in a strip mall. If you are looking for solid Chinese food to takeout or to grab with your family, this is a great option! We ordered the following: Clams with black bean: Special on the menu. The sauce was delicious and was a great seafood option for us. Honey Garlic Chicken: Orange chicken-like batter with a garlicky sweet sauce. Tasty! Shrimp Chow Mein: Least favorite item, but I was able to score some veggies from this dish! woohoo broccoli! Boneless Minute Chicken with Chow Mein: We had the cake noodle version the day before and preferred it much more. My husband craves this because we can never find it in california! It’s basically stir-fried chow mein with chicken and chinese broccoli cooked crispy into cake shaped squares. Very delish! Crispy Gau Gee– Very generous with the meat filling. Must order a side of these. Fried Taro Duck — MYFAVORITEDISH of the meal! A layer of crispy duck, a layer of mashed taro, all wrapped up in a breaded exterior. Loved the creativity of the dish and the balance of the taro and duck. It was the Asian version of a meat and potato dish!