Happy Cafe

Alright,  in my opinion,5 stars for the best combination of price/taste in Chinatown, period.

Don't expect too much though, It is a Chinatown version of Subway or panda express, with more authentic Chinese cooking. it is not a restaurant for service and deco for sure, both minimum.  It is a place for quick and cheap lunch or  if you do not want to cook for diner. Honestly, the price is cheaper than you buy the materials and cook yourselves. Plus the food there actually is pretty fresh, much better than the famous Joyee, or even Lao Szechuan.

Ordering could be tricky because there are so many choices on the menu. Honestly, not all dishes are good. The beef dishes are all pretty good as well as the fried rice dishes (for the previous comments, there should not any soy sauce for the real fried rice dish) . The seafood noodle is always good. wouldn't go for any chicken dish though. The lobster is cheap and taste good, under 10 bucks.

Would I go all the way to try this restaurant? probably not. But if I am in the neighborhood and I need a quick bite, I'll go again. If I live in the neighborhood, I probably eat here every night until I am tired of all dishes on the menu.

Honestly, this place can do well if service was better. If you're not a regular it'll be difficult to get food here. I mean, their walls are filled with a few pictures and menu while they try to incorporate English on there now-a-days.

I used to eat here a lot when I was a kid (right when they open) and then it ceased due to the service. Since I was in the area for work and was making my way through town, I decided to drop a phone call in twenty minutes ahead of time. I went in to pick up the food (just a macaroni and chicken wings meal). They told me to wait (probably counting money to a delivery guy. She went back into the kitchen and I had to wait some more. Then she told me the food isn't ready yet. I was in a hurry and I made that point clear to them so I just said cancel the order and departed.

One thing learned is never have ANY hopes walking in here for their service.

I didn't bother buying any "quick" foods since I wanted something cooked and hot. =[

I came here with my friend for lunch and it's definitely a hole-in-the-wall kinda restaurant, but the prices are super affordable and portions are large compared to other restaurants in Chinatown. I went with the wonton noodle soup with beef brisket, which was delicious. I'm a big eater, but the portions were so large that I had to take my leftovers home. This is a great place to come when you're low on the dough and feeling like a starving animal.

Parking can be scarce in this part of Chinatown, but there is street parking. Happy Cafe is super close to grocery stores, pharmacies and banks, so you can run a buncha errands while getting a cheap bite to eat!