I think this was once a fun place to eat, but our experience was really strange. From the moment I called about their hours. The person on the phone tried to get me to make reservations for the show, which we weren't interested in. When we arrived, the men at the front desk, our seater, and the waitress pressured us to see the show (we had an 18 mo. old in tow - no thanks).
As for the food - it was very "cheap buffet" quality. The pu-pu platter featured a lot of very tough, fatty terriaky and short ribs, oil saturated egg rolls, and crab rangoon with very little crab. I ordered the crispy orange duck - which came with nether orange flavor, nor crispy, but for some inexplicable reason, served on a bed of soupy beef low mien veggies. Someone else in the party ordered a shrimp dish that also came with beef sauce - who eats poultry and seafood with a beef base? Nasty! The fish and chips entree consisted of a heavily beer battered haddock filet so dry you needed a knife to cut it, and about 10 "chips" (fries). Sushi, salad bar, and drinks were good, but the price for what seemed like a lot of cheap-o, off hours, buffet food is outrageous. And all the while feeling pressured by the waitress to buy bar drinks, appetizers, salad, and other add-ons, all the way down to desert. It's on thing to offer this stuff, but another to ask repeatedly to the point of seeming desperate (I had to tell her THREE times I didn't want the salad bar. Sheesh).
Honestly, I think they're going for some type of fusion style what with all the chinese, seafood, and steak dishes on the menu, but the blends are just odd. If you're looking for good fusion/Asian food in this price range (and  little more classy atmosphere), I'd recommend driving across town to Fusion Cafe on North Main in Springfield.
I first came here in the late 90's, and it was a nearly magical place with perfect food and atmosphere....
It's gone downhill.....
I only go now when i'm in a group, and the surrounding places offer even less appetizing food.... Â the Mongolian Stir Fry at the buffet was pretty good last time...
If your a sushi fan then you should stop by! A great variety and always very clean especially how the fish is kept wrapped and chilled. We like to eat at the sushi bar and normally get better service also. I don't recommend going very late or going to the bar if your not a fan of loud music or noise.
Also, has great shows and drinks!!
I have been to this place twice, both times for mid sized events. Â For the space they have I will call them large events.. Â I have to give them a lot of credit for pulling off what they pull off. Â Some how they manage to make a large restaurant/bar an entertainment hall for the masses. Â The waitresses hustle thier butts off getting you and the 200 other people your beverages and food, and they are on point with thier service. Â The food is pretty good, ill give a 6 out if 10, good taste, good presentation, good portion. Â I couldn't really find anything about the food it to bring it to the amazing or great notch. The service is good, most of the bouncers are dicks. Â I know it is hard dealing with a cramped place full of people but you have to keep it cool fellas! Â All and all I'd go here any time for a beer or a show. Â They do a good enough job for what it is.
Review Source:To correct "Jeff L" below, the Hu Ke Lau did, in fact, completely renovate the place years back so it is not the same decor as it was back in the day when they had the caves and waterfalls (which I actually miss). Â The dining area is actually quite contemporary looking and very clean. Â They also installed a stir fry bar with massive gas burners where they cook in front of you.
I have been going here since I was a young boy in the 70's The place always had a certain mystique about it. Â It is huge and separated into many areas and the bar has a definite Polynesian theme going on, which is pretty cool.
Honestly, the food is above average for local chinese food joints, but you have to know what to order. The "Hu Ke Lau Rice" (basically pork friend rice with shrimp) is excellent and the portions are huge. Â The made to order stir fry is amazing and always super fresh. Â They give you a bowl and a ticket and you fill it up at the station with fresh veggies and sauce and they stir fry it for you while you watch. Â The pu pu platter is always a hit and comes in a huge tray with the blue flame.
I usually eat at the bar. Â The bartenders are super friendly and will help you decide on food if you are uncertain. Â On Thurs, Fri, and Sat nights, they can pack a decent crowd. It's usually a good mix of younger and older people. Â Lots of attractive girls if you are out on the prowl. :)
In any event, not exactly fine dining, but better than your average restaurant and much more interesting. Plus the drinks are awesome and many served in those cool ceramic mugs shaped like tiki gods or whatever. Â Everyone I bring here loves the place and asks to return.
I've been going here forever. Not frequently, but over a long period of time.
The Hu Ke Lau doesn't really change much. Nine times out of ten the food is good, on occasion it seems it's very good. The menu is traditional American Chinese cuisine.
I went to a private comedy show there once and the food in the buffet was really good. You know how chicken fingers can be hit or miss for a variety of reasons? This night they were amazingly perfect, I can't imagine any improvement, and on a buffet that's a surprise.
On another occasion I was at a breakfast at Westover (Air Reserve Base) that seated over 300 people. Hu Ke Lau catered a traditional American breakfast. Again I was impressed. On a remote location the food was good and everything went like clockwork. That tells you what kind of operation this is.
Most recently I noted that the boneless ribs I ordered were 'uncharacteristically' not fatty. Usually any Chinese place that serves them includes some real fat bombs. This serving didn't.
In terms of comedy. This is essentially the only place to go in Western Mass for big time acts. I've wanted to go, but haven't yet. If I do I'll Yelp about it.
Parking is nuts, they've outgrown their lot. You can find a spot but be prepared to walk a bit (maybe drop the ladies at the door gentlemen.)
I've been to Hu Ke Lau several times over the years. Â
Back in the early 2000s, I visited several times and saw their weekend Polynesian shows by Ripley Productions. Â That was pretty awesome: a full 40-50 minute show, great music, good dancers, just fun entertainment. Â
Food and drinks are good as well: I recommend their mai tai or the Headhunter.
One of the best things about the Hu Ke Lau, aside from the awesome Polynesian shows or the tropical booze concoctions is the interior decor of the place: there's quite a few giant tiki heads, aquariums filled with tropical fish, etc. Â They've added and updated to this over the years, and if you're into the tiki or Polynesian style, you'll love it.
Highly recommended.
Went to the Polynesia show. Â Show was really great but the food is way over priced during the show. I had the Kung pow chicken which was really good just enough kick in it. The fried rice was probably the worst I have ever had, very bland no flavor just rice and chicken. The waitress we had looked like she was out of control, asked for a water and 20mins later still no water asked again and got a dirt coke 10mins later WTF. If you have never been to a show it is worth it, just eat before you go.
Review Source:It's an interesting place to say the least. Â We had tickets to see Tracy Morgan in their comedy club. It looks like a dive from the exterior and parking is ridiculous. There's no real flow to the parking system and chances are you'll have to park in a muddy gravel lot. Â So speaking on behalf of the comedy club, this is how it all went down...
In the lobby we quicy realized it was country karaoke night. In a Hawaiian themed Chinese restaurant (yes, you heard right). Â We picked up our tickets at will-call and waited in a line to get into the comedy club. The staff was nice and had an orderly seating system to get people in the door and seated. The tables are extremely TIGHT and there's very little wiggle room. And in the winter, there's no room to put your coats on the back of your chair. Furthermore, the bathrooms are outside of the comedy club so be sure to bring your ticket stub with you when you use the restroom!! Â The ambiance is ... interesting. I felt like I was at a dysfunctional luau meets 70s disco.
There was a $10 food minimum per person and an 18% gratuity automatically added. Service was abysmal - we waited over half an hour for a Mai Tai. For a comedy club that seats nearly 500+ people, that's completely unacceptable considering people have already paid a lot for tickets and are squeezed in like sardines at their tables. Â Be forewarned that if you are a party of 2, you'll be seated with another party of 2. However, most people were harmless and you'll find yourself laughing together over crude jokes that can't be repeated outside of the comedy club.
The show itself was fantastic and we had a good time once we got in. Â We split a pu-pu platter between the two of us. The food was a little greasy and although the server said no substitutions were permitted, she was able to swap out the crab rangoons for extra chicken fingers because Hubs has a shellfish allergy.
Getting out of the place and back on the road was a challenge. Warning to those who travel, the cops sit and wait for people peeling out of the club so slow down and het a designated driver if you're going to be slamming back the drinks.
Delicious. My wife always enjoy the New Years Eve party as well as dining occasionally for dinner. Â There were some years when I could not recommend this place. Â Since starting to go back there over the last five years, the meals have always been delicious with good service. Â Enjoy!
Review Source:A couple of my friends and I once came here for dinner. Maybe it was stupid to get sushi at a tacky fake Hawaiian restaurant; but we just wanted to try it. 3 hours later we were all exploding from everywhere of our body. 2 hours later we were all in the hospital. Though we all had different sushi pieces on that menu, all five members of the group had to go to the hospital from food poisoning. A couple weeks later we looked this place up and a few years prior they had to close down for awhile for a rat infestation. Besides the horrible experience, the show was okay. More humorous than entertaining..which I guess can be categorized as the same thing.
Review Source:Not as good as it used to be. Â Now granted I haven't been here in a few years, but the quality (and amount of) food has down graded since last I was here. Â My best girlfriends and I were all back in town and were having a bit of a reunion dinner. Â Two of us shared a scorpion bowl (still good!)....but the buffet was gone and apparently replaced by a stir fry station. Â The food combos offered did not have a large variety, it was the same items (rice, egg rolls, 2 boneless spare ribs) and just rotated the first item ( mostly chicken.) Â The server was ok, I've had much better service, but she was attentive. Â
The three stars is due to what I feel is a down grade of quality food. Â Maybe it is because I now live in NYC where you can get some of the best chinese food. Â The restaurant was clean and the drinks were strong. Â It is worth a try. They also do live shows here, definitely worth checking out.
Cute(but expensive)luau-styled dinner show. Â Food features mostly Chinese foods. Â Very colorful show, and at one point, they even ask kids of all ages to get up on the stage and dance with them.
They do celebrate birthdays here, with long-time advanced notification of the birthday/anniversary.
Sorry this review is short, the last time I travelled to this theater, my car I had been driving had a major melt-down, axle to transmission blew, causing transmission needing to be replaced, and I don't want to relive bad memories, as I was the driver at the time of this problem happening. Â We were from out of state.
Went to see comedian Bob Marley. Â Show was really funny (as was the opening comedian). Â
Food was just ok - I didn't think it was as awful as some people wrote but I also wasn't expecting much after reading other reviews. Â There weren't many choices but we ordered the Pu Pu Platter for 2 Â which was more than enough food. Â
Drinks - actually pretty good and pretty cheap at $6-$7.
Service - our server was very friendly and we had no issue with wait time
I don't think I would go back just for dinner but would check out a comedy show here again.
Way back when I was a kid, it was interesting to be brought her by my parents to see a show. But we never went for the food. But times have changed and I've grown up and this place is a hold-over from the 50s and 60s. And when people look at the kind of show they put on today, we see a certain racism or cultural insensitivity that many were unconscious of in the past.
Review Source:The only reason to visit this place is to see a comedy show. Â They somehow manage to book some really big talent and it's the only venue in the area you're likely to catch such acts.
Unfortunately, even after you paid big bucks for a ticket to see the show, they REQUIRE you to buy food! Â The last show I went to at the venue they said there was a $10 limit PER PERSON! Â We couldn't all just order drinks or share an appetizer. Â We all HAD to buy food INDIVIDUALLY.
This is ridiculous.
To make matters worse, the food just isn't that good, and it's way-Way-WAY overpriced.
Way back in the day when dinosaurs walked the earth and I was but a wee kiddie Neanderthal, my mother used to take our family out to Huke Lau when she had a hankering for Chinese food. I loved it back then-- the faux island decor, the flickering blue flame from the fire pot in the middle of the pu pu platter, the crooning "Tiny Bubbles" singer ... the works. When I hit the college years, I moved to the Amherst area in the northern Pioneer Valley and experienced the joy that was Panda East and Amherst Chinese, and I lost touch with my plastic palm tree roots. Until, that is, I moved back down the Valley to West Springfield-- just a short pop down the 'Pike to Chicopee and the Huke Lau.
When I returned, I was shocked that nearly everything was the same. Fact is, I think the food was the same as well. Not as in "the food is made to the same spec and recipe" but rather *the exact same food*.
OK, I exaggerate. But just a little.
The Huke Lau is low-end Chinese for fairly high prices. Not NYC high, but pricey for the Valley; on par with AmChi or Panda East; but at generic Chinese take-out variety. It was very disappointing, frankly.
The decor did not hold up well to the twenty some-odd years, and in most cases appears more or less unchanged from the Stone Ages; and has not been kept up terribly well. Â Service was OK, nothing special. They still draw decent comedy acts, and if you're interested in one or more of them, that would make the Lau worth the trip.
Otherwise? Nah. There are better options.
My second (and last) evening at the Hu Ke Lau was saved only by the pleasant company. Since my dish of noodles with beef was so slimy and overcooked as to be inedible (and I'm not a picky eater) I was able to sample many other friend's dishes. All in all it was the worst restaurant food I have ever had. The sushi was warm, feel apart, not fresh, bland and all tasted o mayo. The Chicken Teriyaki had no Teriyaki to it. The potstickers were nearly liquid. Â The service was terrible, despite being a quiet Wednesday with an empty restaurant our server basically ignored us. Given the incredibly low quality, I would actually call the prices high.
Really, my expectations for a place like this are low - but the Hu Ke Lau still managed to disappoint. Terrible!
I'm sure that I probably have run into at least a dozen Air Force folks in my life that know where this is. Westover being right up the road, guys would fly in for whatever reason and sooner or later end up to eat and drink here. Back in the day, it used to be pretty popular but maybe not so much now. Occasionally I would end up here for a luncheon or going away party. The food was okay and the service was fine. I'm just not into the whole cheesy-unkept-fake-waterfall Chinese/Polynesian decor.
Review Source:This place used to be good when I was a kid, with a the impressive waterfalls and mountains and scenery. Now the place looks like a dump. The outside looks like it is about to fall over. The interior is the same, but the mountains are crumbling and the waterfalls are nasty. The place is pretty big and has a comedy connection lounge that actually gets some pretty big name acts. The place has a buffet and serves up some greasy terrible Chinese food. The spot stays open late to serve the drunks that roll out of the bars. If you are looking for a nice spot to dine, this is not it. The food is served fast and they probably get their share of dine and dashes because you wont have the same server twice. At one point this place was closed for health reasons. Not sure what those were but take a guess!
Review Source:My friend is currently living in Holyoke, MA. From what I can tell there aren't a lot of non-sketchy bars in her area. Maybe that's why she was so pumped to discover the Hu Ke Lau. She was so completely and immediately enamored with the place that she convinced me to go up to western mass last night (a Fri) to experience it first hand with her. The show was pretty funny. A group of "Polynesians" go on stage and a guy sings while the rest of the crew plays in the band or dances like real Islanders. I liked when they got the flame throwers out. The menu was skimpy, but when we requested specific items (veggie lo mein) they dished it out. Drinks and food were expensive, but the show was free. The rangoons tasted weird; they were all soft and too-crabby. My friend said the place sometimes sells out  so she made a reservation for us days in advance. It wasn't full while we were there. After the show we went to the karaoke bar (also pretty empty) and watched the lady in charge beg people to sing. Probably not worth driving 2 hrs to Holyoke for one night...but if you're in the area and want to drop a cool $50 go nuts.
Review Source:So, a friend and I drove from Boston to Chicopee to this place last night for a jazz show. We had no idea what to expect. Â Well, the outward appearance of this place was quite comical and cheesy. Â Just plain tacky.
Then, we go inside and they have an entire display of lei's that you can buy, the bathroom has a "perfume dispensary" for .25 cents a shot (no lie), and it's all just so corny.
However, the space is GREAT for a jazz or comedy show, it's large, but not too large, no seat would be a bad seat, and the FOOD WAS GREAT! Best Chinese I've had in a long time.
I'd actually like to drive up to see one of their "Hawaiian Shows", or maybe just try the buffet.
Fun place. Think tacky, though. Enjoy!
Not going to lie, this place is very nostalgic for me.
Theyre food is excellent; their buffet is so-so. The shows are amazing, even though they can get old after you see them 10 times. Irregardless, they have a great array of comedians that are there (check their website) and the service is 9/10 times excellent. I think anyone who has grown up in Springfield/Chicopee has been here at least once, and if you haven't, definitely try it!
I went for a hawaiian show night and it was absolutely fantastic. Â I got the twin lobster stir fry - it was okay but I could tell that the lobster was not fresh... my stomach got pretty upset soon after I ate it... -1 star for that... plus it was $45.... sure was not worth it... I should have just gotten fried rice for $8.
This place has tons of exotic drinks served in fancy mugs and cups... definitely a good place for a birthday party (even for kids). Â The pu pu platter is served with a live volcano in the center for some BBQ fun... The atmosphere just says "FUN".
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