Alright, Â 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!
This is one of my go to places becasue I'm a dirt poor grad student. Â I've been coming here for the past 5 years primarily because the price of the food is so inexpensive. Â It is unreasonable to expect gourmet. Â However given the price, it is certainly worth it. Â Probably the best bang for you buck anywhere in chinatown. Â Usually I order food for carry out, but it's perfectly fine to dine in too. Â It would be place just to chat with friends over food whom are not picky eaters. Â Â Going there gives me nostalgic feelings of what HK was like way way back. Â Their prices have gone up (like everywhere else), but still remains one the most inexpensive restaurants in Chinatown.
Suggestion bring cash. Â I dont' remember if they take credit cards. Â They probably don't just like almost everywhere else in Chinatown.
I love this place! It is a small cafe that I come to eat ever since it opened (when I was in high school). Food is very cheap compared to most restaurants in Chinatown and they are delicious! It is so affordable that I'm so sure elementary school kids can come here and order food to get full!
I no longer live in the city but anytime when I do come to the city to visit I definitely try to eat at Happy Cafe to relive the memories and eat my old time favorites. You get the bang for your buck here!
eh.. this place is not what it used to be.. i used to go there few times a week back when i was a kid and it was greattt ... then i went back there for the first time after many years and the quality just went down hill big time... i gave it two stars because the food is cheap and the service is decent.. but there is alot of other Chinese restaurant. around the area with cheap prices and better quality food..
Review Source:I remember coming here years ago for their macaroni. My mom said to come here since it was cheap and you get a lot of food.
Yes, the tables do seem a bit dirty. They seem to have a lot of deal options and I see why so many school kids come here after school for a cheap meal.
Fish Fillet Noodle - My mom got this and I didn't try it. My sister said it was ok, but the noodles were a bit too chewy. She said like eating a rubberband...lol!
BBQ Pork Chow Funn - This didn't look that good, but it was actually quite good. The noodles had this nice crispiness to it.
Kids Meal A - This came with the macaroni and ham, fries and one chicken wing. Fries were ok, my sister said the chicken wing was crispy, but not much flavor. I tried a spoon of the macaroni and ham and remember it being better.
Beef and Tomato Egg Rice - I ordered the beef and rice and it was weird when she asked did I want it sweet or salty....huh? I said sweet and she suggest to add an egg and that was a good choice. It was good, but tasted a bit too much like ginger to me.
My sister and I got the iced milk tea and it was ok. Tea was pretty flavorful, but the drinks here are pre-made.
Overall, not a bad place to come for cheap eats.
I've eaten at Happy Cafe for many years and the food is definitely economical if you want to pick up a quick rice box. Â A couple of days ago, I ordered a beef rice with raw egg which is my favorite meal there. Â It is simple, quick, and cheap, and it includes a cup of soup. Â Can't beat that for about 4 bucks.
Review Source:A very economic way to full fill your lunch or even dinner. Chicken Wings are a plus and it was also posted by the Chicago Tribune recently. Plenty choices from their menu for the "lunch boxes". The only draw back is the kitchen and their front counter don't seem to look too nice and clean.
I personally have no problem eating there and will go again for sure.
This is the place to go in the afternoon for a quick lunch & dessert. I used to LOVE their peas with beef, until it changed & became salty. I also noticed that their rice boxes tend to have mostly rice, and less what you ordered (i.e. meat or vegetables). I know you are trying to cut cost, but 1 pound of rice in a rice box? Seriously?
Their take outs comes with soup and they make a good tofu flower dessert (imagine super soft tofu floating in sugar water, yes i know it doesn't sound yummy, but I grew up with it), and homemade soil milk too. Their baked goods are ok, but very reasonably priced.
Its cheap and its good. Yeah, the quality won't be as good as other restaurants but its not that much worse. Its still very good. I just like that its cheap. A few of the waittresses are really really nice. Some noodle dishes are like 2 something. Where can you find that? Dinner is also cheap and dinner tastes just as good as other restaurants. Highly recommend.
Review Source:Cheap is good right? Â I mean come on its $5 for a rice box! Â It's chinese food IN chinatown! Â Score right?!
WRONG! Â Not when the quality and quantity fails. Â I was so disappointed with this place. Â I've gone three times and have yet to be satisfied by the food or the quantity. Â The final straw with my parents were when we got 4 rice boxes and each one lacked taste (not even MSG can save this one), and there was either very little meat or else the meat was just all fat. Â
Now I got no problem with fat but if it ain't coupled with meat then there is something drastically wrong, even bacon has meat! Â Worse of all, I got sick from the food. Â I've never felt so sick after eating so little.
I'm sorry but please avoid this place and do yourself a favor and eat at gourmet foods which is right around the corner of this place. Â You can check my review for the good stuff!
So this is seriously one of the hole in the wall chinese places in chinatown.  Why the 4 stars? because the food is good and STILL cheap.  they have excellent iced hong kong style milk tea - what all the other places should taste like. i've heard they have good lemon ice tea here too but i ALWAYS just get my HK milk tea.  they have good noodles  and rice dishes here. my fav is the beef brisket funn noodles (its more of a brunch item but they will make it anytime).  the basic macaroni with ham in chicken broth is also really good (even though it sounds really plain).  you can seriously get an entree + drink for 5 bucks here.
Review Source:Might have been the traveling blues or maybe the fried rice wasn't that great, but whatever it was, I found myself crying at the Happy Cafe. This was definitely no Happy Meal (har har). Juan got soy sauce in his pork fried rice and he was happy. Perhaps that was the secret?
Without soy sauce, the pork fried rice tasted pretty bland. Fresh, but lacking flavor. So sad.. so sad.... ::sniff::
It's a weekend night and my family does not feel like cooking, who do we call up for take out? Happy Cafe! This is our go to place for cheap, tasty Chinese food.
Their foods are delicious and there is a wide variety to choose from. The size of the portions vary. One time we were surprised at how much food they gave us. We even had enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow. The next time we ordered (expecting the same big portion orders) we opened the take out box and saw that it was practically half of what we received the last time. Perhaps it is the different cooks making the orders, but if Happy Cafe would be more reliable on its order portions (hopefully on the larger side) that would be better.
Happy Cafe also has seating if you want to dine in. They recently got new chairs, so dining in is more comfortable. Although they do try to make the dining experience as pleasant as possible, they can only do so much. Happy Cafe is a small casual restaurant. The tables and flooring looks like it can use some revamping. If you are dining in try out their sizzling hot plate dishes. For example they have short ribs with onions and sweet sauce cooked on a sizzling hot plate. The aroma and crackling noise of this dish is sure to attract the attention of other customers sitting nearby.
Interesting Note - Make sure to try out their red bean drink. They have one of the cheapest red bean drinks and it's also very tasty.
This place sucks! I have to wait more than 30 mins for my stupid order and I just ordered some fried rice! and i started complaining and they totally forgot about my order and just started cooking it after ii was done complaining. and when i received, there was a fly in it! totally disgusting! UGHHHHHHHHHHH.
Review Source:FOOD: Â Â Your average Chinatown Chinese food. Â A bit too greasy, and somewhat over-MSGed, but there is a wide variety and several menus to choose from. Â They have a school menu (equivalent to kids' sizes), a combo menu (entree over rice or noodles), and a full dinner entree menu. Â AMAZING bang for your buck. Â For $5 (off of the entrees over rice menu), you get a HUGE portion.
SERVICE: Â Â It's a small restaurant, so you can pretty much motion and get service instantaneously when it's not very buy. Â The staff speak minimal English, so it's better to just point than to try to say your dishes aloud.
AMBIANCE: Â Â A bit of a run-down, dilapidated cafe feel. Â There is a TV if you're eating alone. Â Mostly filled with junior high/high school kids.
TRY: Â Â Five-wing chicken dinner; crispy pork over chow fun (wide rice noodles)
BOTTOM LINE: Â Â Not a particularly classy place, but good bang for your buck.
omg. TOTAL HOLE IN THE WALL. like totally... (wow! i sound like a valley girl)
given that, chinese people are super rude in the restaurant industry, this place is like no other.
first of all, i would love to give this place at least, AT LEAST, a 2.5 but i just can't BECAUSE the prices are outrageous!
their lunch specials are extremely cheap! no more than $4. all of the dishes! i swear! and i swear, they have over 100 dishes. i ordered kung pao beef style noodle and it was sooo salty, total soy saucey... ew.
i waited approximately 20mins and asked if my order was ready any time soon, and both times, this lady, snapped at me, and said, "wait, wait for your order. you sit over there. i tell you when ready."
sheesh!
HAPPY cafe, my ass. should be more or less, CRANKY cafe.
This used to be my default for Chinese breakfast. Why? Where else can you get a meal for 2-3 bucks nowadays? My ex used to say that Chinese restaurants in Chinatown are dumb in that they cut their own profit by lowering prices to compete with other similar places. I personally prefer it that way. I like their Hong Kong style breakfast, which can include macaroni with Spam, Congee, chicken wings, egg with rice....really cheap stuff, but helps if youre on a budget. I can imagine place smells better after the smoke ban has been in place. I have fond memories of coming here with my ex....ahhh...the romance of a $5 breakfast for 2...
Review Source:Two words: Excellent chicken wings! (oh wait, that's three, oops....)
Funny story about Happy Cafe: a few years back, I was seated in here, with my back to the door, eating and watching television. I heard a two-way radio squawk behind me, and upon turning around, noticed 5 police officers sitting at the next table, quietly eating their dinner and watching 'NYPD Blue'. I don't know what the point or moral of that story was, just figured I had to tell it...
not a date place, but go here if you want some good, cheap chinese food, canto-style. Â portions are big enough, and they've got a pretty good menu selection. Â if you're feeling adventurous, try their 'shwang pay nigh' dessert'; it's not on their english menu but it's one of my favorites and they're the only place that makes it.
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