Pauoa Chop Suey

Food are good, we used to go there so often dine in and take out and then one day they raised double the price for take out. C’mon seriously, only two of us 2 orders for $ 28 for soup and noodle. They said they have more when you ordered take out but what are we gonna do with tons of food? It not gonna be tasty for the next day. Just wanna order the regular meal. Why you gonna added so much food for only two of us for. Very disappointed

My family has frequented this restaurant for more then half a century. The staff is always friendly and attentive. Service is still great. The last few times I’ve eaten there, the chicken in my favorite dish was too salty. The pork in the green beans was also way too salty. The won ton soup was delicious as always. I will try some other dishes. The parking lot has never changed and is a challenge, lol. If you have a big car, park on the street, but a least there is free parking.

This place had been here for quite some time… I remembered when it used to be call Pacific Chop Suey. I used to work right across the street at the Shell gas station. It’s been about 2 decades since I walked into this place, but we decided to give them a try since a colleague of mine frequents this restaurant. We decided to order some take-​out: beef chow funn and pork chop with fried rice. Both dishes turned out to be quite disappointing. The beef chow funn was relatively bland and needed more beef in it. The pork chop was made with a sweet and sour sauce which we totally didn’t expect. For most chinese restaurants, if they don’t specify, it’ll usually be served fried or pan-​fried. I guess I can’t blame them since I didn’t bother to ask ahead of time, but the meat was extremely fatty. I’d say that one third of it was fat. The fried rice only had shreds of egg and it was also bland. Verdict… not returning again!

I just ordered a crispy roast pork with cake noodles and smothered it in their delicious gravy, the roast pork and cake noodles stayed crispy to the last bite… outstanding! Tip, order it the way you want it and they deliver! Good job guys!

Located in the front of Pauoa Valley this is a great old school Chinese restaurant. There’s free parking in the back of the restaurant and the prices are reasonable. I like everything there! Their char siu fried rice is great, delicious cake noodle dishes, you can’t go wrong with any of their menu items! But one of their best dishes is their orange chicken. Ok, not exactly traditional Chinese cuisine but hey it’s still good. What I like about it is that they batter and fry each nugget of chicken. They don’t just batter a piece than cut it into smaller pieces. The sauce for the orange chicken complements the battering on the chicken so well, yummy! For good Chinese food, I highly recommend you give them a try.

Delicious hole in the wall. Great food, low price.
Situated in a little bit of a sketchy area, but well worth it.

i haven’t been here in a while, but some things never change. Like the driveway into the parking lot. Free parking. It is from Pacific Heights Rd. The height clearance is only 6’2″, so those of you with monster trucks, you’ll have to resort to finding street parking or do the illegal and park in the tow away zone on Pacific Heights Rd., put your fourway’s on and run in. The stalls in the lot are a bit small, but if it’s a quick pick up, take two.
Once parked, head up the Diamond Head stairs to the next level. Walk along the way going Mauka, past the kitchen, until you reach the street. Turn right and make a hard right in 2 steps, into the door. Mind the step up.
Seating in the restaurant include, three eight tops and one ten top, 7 – 4 seater booths and one one seater booth.
There are chairs for customers to wait for their takeout orders. The ambiance is very casual and it’s pretty quiet. People carry on their conversations in hushed tones as the acoustics are quite bad; small space + loud voices = annoyed customers. Haven’t seen a sign for a restroom. They take V/​MC for sure.
Food is chop suey house style, but good. I like the crispy Hong Kong style chicken with the side salt.
You can order whole or half or regular portion. Yum!
Get on over and get your fix, tonight!!! Enjoy!

Found this place on Unilocal.
We were looking for some authentic Chinese food while visiting from Arizona. Omg, their food is amazing!
Beef & broccoli is so tender and juicy. Orange chicken is crisp and perfectly cooked. The fried wontons are crisp and have sweet taste to them.
Thank heavens for Unilocal.I’m so glad we ventured away from Waikiki (where we are staying) for dinner.
Ps.
The area looks sketchy but there’s plenty of secure parking!

Love to eat here. This is right in my area. Its the same family working here for years. I love pauoa area. This is across the street from a gas station.
Love the crispy gau gee. We get like 10 in a bag for an order. Also, like the cake noodles they have. Shrimp canton is really good.
I’m getting hungry. I think this is were I’m going to eat dinner after this review.
Parking is in the back of the restaurant. Its also an apartment building parking area. It looks a little scary. Nothing has happened to our car there but it has that look.
Its an old town favorite to go and eat at. Check it out :)

We live in Pauoa and visit regularly. I love their chow funn and honey walnut shrimp. They have good service and they are pretty quick. The only thing is I don’t know what I am paying for because all the writing is in Chinese on the bill.

My dad is a native of Pauoa Valley, but we never visited until a recent family trip to Honolulu. We found ourselves with a night out without my haole mom (who typically doesn’t want to eat anything ethnic), so I looked up some restaurants and boom, Pauoa Chop Suey it was!
It doesn’t look like much from the outside, which is partly responsible for why we never visited. But, I was pleasantly surprised when we got inside and saw that it was a very nicely decorated and quiet local Chinese restaurant. Of course, there are chop suey items, but you can order typical Chinese dishes as well.
We started with BBQ pork (a large appetizer) and ordered BBQ pork fried rice, chicken chow mein, and sesame ginger chicken. Everything was amazing! The BBQ pork was very nicely cooked; not too fatty, and a very generous amount enough for three people to share. The chicken chow mein was probably my favorite dish because of the way the chicken was prepared. It was crispy on the outside and perfectly juicy on the inside.
When the food first arrived, we thought we would have tons of leftovers to take with us, but we managed to get through most of it! It was that good.
The servers serve your first plate to you, which is a nice touch.
Prices are very economical, and it’s a nice little getaway from the traffic and tourism of Waikiki.

Came here on a whim for take out. Ordered Shanghai noodles, roast pork, and minute chicken with cake noodle. Just for the record, I’m far from being a Chinese food connoisseur but I know what I like. Personally, the roast pork was too salty for my liking… The cake noodles were too soggy… I like it crispy on the outside with the inside being a little softer. The Shanghai noodles too mushy. I like my fried noodles with a little more texture. Then again maybe I cAme on a bad day. Will come here again and update my review accordingly. Ps, parking is scarce!

Everything I’ve had here so far has been REALLY good–
Shrimp balls (my favorite) — big juicy salty shrimp wrapped in egg roll strips and deep fried
Minute chicken cake noodles– good ratio of crispy and gravy soaked noodles
Crispy gaugee– packed with meat
Black pepper tenderloin– super tender beef

Best cake noodles on the island! They are always so crispy and delicious. Always consistent, never a disappointment when we go.
Parking is very limited in the back, some street parking available. Inside restaurant is nice and clean. They also do takeout orders. They get very busy during dinner time, come early.
Also, try the beef broccoli and honey walnut shrimp.

If you’re looking for local Chinese food, this is the place to go. I’ve been going there since I was 5yrs. old and order the same thing. Here are 4 must have entrees.
#1: Beef broccoli cake noodles with an extra order of cake noodles. Cake noodles are pan fried noodle that are cut into a square. The sauce is a brown beef sauce that makes the dish.
#2: Honey walnut shrimp. This is fried shrimp with a tempura batter. Comes with a mayo based cream topped with walnuts. If you’ve ever had the honey walnut shrimp at Panda Express this 10x better.
#3: Orange chicken. The sauce taste like it is actually made from oranges. Nothing like any orange chicken that I’ve had.
#4: Lastly, sweet sour pork. Taste exactly how it sounds.
I really recommend eating here! My favorite place. If I had to have one last meal it’d be here. ENJOY!

I dined at Pauoa only a handful of times and was always pleased with the quality of food. The service is quite friendly and the orders come out quickly. Since I came on my own rather than being an invited guest I ordered my favorites like cold ginger chicken, pork hash, fried rice, egg fu yong, and shrimp honey walnut. All very tasty and highly recommended. Cant say the same for a few Chinese restaurants that I dined at.
The prices are fair and the restaurant itself is clean. Theres parking in the back although very limited. But I noticed a number of customers picking up take outs. So maybe the parking situation is not so bad.
And YES I shall return to my favorite Chinese restaurant.

A week or so ago, my girlfriend wasnt feeling well and wanted abalone soup (something she would eat often when she was sick), so after searching Unilocal a bit, we found Pauoa Chop Suey.
When I found this place, I was a bit skeptical. Its a big building in makiki/​nuuanu area, but there didn’t seem to be many people there.
We went in, and were greeted by some friendly older women (always a good sign in places like this… they make the best food!)
I got their dinner plate, becasue it had a little bit of everything, but they also had some roasted pork on special… so I needed to get that too =D. My girlfriend opted for some Abalone soup (obviously).
The food was fantastic, and portion sizes were massive. I left stuffed and still had left overs for 2 more meals. The prices are cheap as well, especially considering how much food you got and how good it was. My only regret was not having more friends with me so I could try more stuff, but that just means Ill have to come back!

There are a few things that I like about this underrated Chinese restaurant compared to Moon Garden.
Dishes are somewhat similar to but the taste is just one step behind.
There are lots of seating and it’s easy to walk through. There’s even comfortable booths to sit at.
The best thing about this restaurant is the deep fried crispy Gau Gee. It isn’t your typical thin and flat version. It is big, thick, and meaty. If I had to bring Chinese food to a party, it would be the Pauoa Chop Suey Gau Gee. You have to order it every time you eat here.
The only downside is the parking. It’s very limited to about 5 – 6 stalls because the restaurant shares the location with the apartment nearby. Street parking is almost impossible. Take caution when driving in and out of the driveway since it’s very difficult to see pedestrians crossing or cars passing by on the road.
Finally I don’t have to worry about dishonoring my family for not being able to speak Cantonese well. The waitresses are very friendly and I can order in English.

The Chinese Restaurant hardly anyone knows about…
Yet…
Pauoa Chop Suey’s been at this location in Pauoa Valley, for what seems like forever? 20? 30? 40? 50 years? I mean it’s one of those places that you might just pass on by, unless you’re familiar with the area or have a relative or friend that lives in the hood that knows about this area landmark.
THE LOCATION:
Pauoa Valley (I think it’s part of the valley) is a very «old school» Honolulu neighborhood!
If you’re familiar where Lynn’s Saimin & Cookie Shop is located (Emi’s favorite cookie spot), it’s directly across. You can’t miss it if you look for the vintage red & white «Chop Suey» sign hanging there since the days of the original Hawaii 5 – 0, frankly it looks like it might be a decade or two older than Jack Lord, himself!
THE PARKING:
Parking is near zilch on the street, BUT if you park in the BACK of the «seafoam green» building… You’ll find parking stalls generically marked «Customers Only” — I counted maybe a dozen. Since the restaurant is mostly take-​out customers… Stalls open quickly! Just a warning that the parking lot is sketchy at best!
THE AMBIANCE:
The ambiance is a vintage „TBT“ feel. Ever been to Golden Duck on South King Street? It’s like that, but maybe a decade older. The faux wood tables, golden Buddha décor and the red seats suggest typical „Chinese Chop Suey House“, circa 1950’s — 1970’s! Yup it’s old, but surprisingly clean, although we had to move a table since I noticed some grease on the first one. Oh well, it’s old! Just make sure you watch your step as you walk in — especially seniors, since the entrance door is elevated a good 6» inches above the sidewalk!
THE GRUB:
Typical Chinese cuisine, but with the standard «lunch» & «dinner» 6-​items mixed plates you see only in Hawaii. The menu was surprisingly diverse, from the Americanized Orange Chicken & Honey Walnut Shrimp to the Hawaiian favorites Kau Yuk & Sweet ‘n Sour Spareribs to the more traditional Steamed & Fried Fish. Every Chinese noodles available; Chow Mein, Look Fun, etc. Of course, the standards of Fried Rice & Soups, etc, etc.
We had the following:
LUNCH MIX PLATE ($ 8) — Pork Chop Suey, Sweet Sour Spareribs, Kau Yuk, Fried Shrimp, Crispy Won Ton & Steamed Rice.
PORK W/​BITTER MELON ($ 9) — Seasoned Pork with Bitter Melon covered with Black Bean Sauce over Steamed Rice.
We drank:
HOUSE HOT TEA & HAWAIIAN TAP WATER.
Again, don’t expect a Chinese Michelin rating here. It’s a super casual, somewhat dated restaurant that offers a ton of options and generous proportions. The food itself was very good for what we paid. I was somewhat lukewarm with the staff… Then I remembered how cheap the plates were. So, I’ll ignore the snappy waitress for now.
Lastly, I would recommend Pauoa Chop Suey if in the area and jonesing for quick Chinese. I can’t see why anyone would go out of their way to get here, with that sketchy parking lot, but heck they do give a lot!
OVERALL GRADE: 3.6-STARS!
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #268

Pauoa Chop Suey is one place that I really missed while away on the mainland. I come back 10-​years later and everything tastes exactly the same. Chinese comfort food and my go-​to Chinese restaurant for sure!
Pauoa fits the phrase «Never Judge a Book by its Cover» perfectly. The location may appear to be «sketchy», but enter and you won’t regret it. Inside is very comfortable and great for family-​style eats. The staff is very kind, funny, and actually remembered me after 10-​years. :)
My perfect meal here is:
Crispy Gaugee: 10 pieces; very plump, juicy, and crispy in the right places.
Hot & Sour Soup: perfect for a rainy day, sore throat or cold.
Minute Chicken Cake noodle: simply ono. Perfectly cooked chicken and veggies over crispy cake noodle, smothered in sauce. You can’t go wrong.
As much as I always want to devour what I order here, I simply cannot and can fortunately take home leftovers for lunch the next day. And, everything tastes just as great as the night before!