Before I get to my review, the Saugus Wings on the apps menu are amazing. Â Those alone are worth 5 stars.
I have been to Kowloon many times. Â While it is one of the better chinese restaurants I've been to, the food is still hit or miss. Â Some days you go and the food is great, other times you go and wonder why did I ever pick this place to eat? Â Overall the food can get pretty pricey. Â They don't offer combo meals unless you show up for lunch. Â When the dinner menu rolls around there's no more ordering a combo of teriyaki steak with chicken fingers and pork strips. Â Instead you have to order a normal meal like Sesame Chicken and then if you want rice you need to order that separately. Â Unfortunately I think this is the biggest issue with Kowloon as I'm a huge fan of the apps. Â
Also, I do not recommend ordering take out. Â The one time I did it was awful. Â It tasted like the food had been sitting out for the entire day before i had gotten it and was just sitting under a heat lamp. Â Very dry and just disgusting.
They also offer comedy shows here. Â I've never been so I can't comment on it. Â And they offer sushi, thai food, cantonese, etc......
Overall it's one of the better chinese food places but the 3 stars is due to the lack of combo's and the hit or miss dinners.
My little family and I were invited by friends. I have a 14 month old, he was being quite disturbing because he was very hungry by the time we finally got our meals. I didn't see a kids meal or anything like that. But they had a high chair ( with no strap) and a changing station in the bathroom.( which women's room was difficult to find)my family and I hadn't eaten here since we first moved to Massachusetts 2010.
It
The food... it was ...okay.... my son got sliced chicken and vegetables( I ate some veggies from his plate not the best I've ever had.& my husband got hunan chicken. he said " it was not good, nothing to comment about." I was disappointed that I didn't get to pick the 8 different nigiri from #3137( I think is the sushi with Cali roll and 8 nigiri) I didn't know it came
With miso soup and salad( which was nice) the sushi seemed a tiny bit dry to me. It was 21.00 for 8 peices of nigiri& 8pc cali roll.; miso soup& salad) that's not a bargin when i'm used to getting all you can eat made to order plus items from the kitchen for 23.00!! I think I am spoiled when it comes to sushi because of nana7 in Billerica!
Jersey Shore people bottled in the early 90s is what is happening here. Oh, you call your talons, nails? Nice, you could really defend yourself in a fight here. Which is what happens sometimes because there is a full time cop here.
My favorite area to sit by is the lagoon. Yeah, a flourescent indoor lagoon with water fountains. Its pretty nice.
White Mai Tais.
Swear to god, you can order crab rangoon, and the second the words spill out of your head you know that your app will arrive in less than 30. seconds. I think 30 seconds is the max. How do they do it? Who cares. its delicious.
their menu is 40 pages long. sometimes they are out of the fish neck. prepping for polynesian? yup. taste for thai? you got it. care for chinese? duh. jamaican me hungry for food from japan. okay, so they dont have jamaican, but they do have american.
if you get here sat or sun between 7-9, be prepared to take a ticket. its about 45 mins....unless you meow ;)
such an experience. seriously. dont take my word for it. ample parking. ample people watching. its 3 floors. and weddings are conducted in the attic. check. it. out.
Like 3 stars, this place is A-OK.
Its great for the ambiance and the experience. Kind of reminds me of Las Vegas with waterfalls and the decor. The lobster sushi & shrimp fried rice are my top notch orders. The crab ragoon wasn't  too tasty. It tasted kind of old like it had been sitting there under a heat lamp for hours.
An absolute disgrace to chinese cuisine.
Everything here tastes disgusting. It's loud and has a horrible ambience. The food is always overcooked and the seafood is not fresh. We ordered a noodle dish and it was basically stir fried instant ramen noodles. Home cooked instant ramen noodles would have tasted better than any of the food here. I honestly do not understand the popularity of this place. Maybe the food tastes good for those who have never eaten any real chinese food.
I should update this because I've been back twice since my last review in 2011. Â Most recently, in my last trip to Boston, we did a huge take out order at my friend's house. Â That was this past weekend. Â
Every time I come to Boston, I use Kowloon as a meeting place to gather as many of my Boston friends as possible and have a huge meal with them. Â It can get up to about 20 people each time I have the gathering. Â Kowloon never has a problem hosting it because they're just so huge that they can handle it. Â And we just load the table up with pupu platters, fried rice, appetizers, Saugus wings (a must), and various dishes. Â Everybody always loves it. Â
I have so many memories here. Â I got to know some of the staff and management here and they always treat me well (Hello to the Wong family, and to Bobby Wong the best waiter and host I've ever seen). Â
Quite honestly, I'm addicted to their chicken fingers, fried shrimp, and teriyaki sticks. Â I'm also addicted to their fried rice and pan fried noodles. Â Hell, I'll eat anything here. Â
Even on the take out order, the food is just as good. Â Sometimes it's not as fresh on takeout since it has to travel. Â But I still loved it. Â And on top of it all, my wife who doesn't eat a lot of the same fried crap I get here, now is a fan of the pad thai. Â
I still love you Kowloon. Â I just thought I'd tell you that.
I just had lunch at Kowloon Restaurant. What a trip back in time.
This place looks like the set of Hawaii 5-0 circa 1975. Coming in the front entrance you are greeted with several autographed celebrity shots in the lobby. Â From there it is onto the Tiki wonders of this Polynesian palace. Complete with dark lighting and the table side fountains in the bar area, it is fun, fun, fun. I would have loved to sit in the bar area and rock back a couple of tropical drinks, but it was a working lunch today, so I dined in the main restaurant area.
Like any other Chinese restaurant the menu is huge! So many choices! From the lunch menu I built my own plate. This is a great value. For a very reasonable $7.95 you are given 4 choices of items to build your huge plate. I did the usual egg roll, spare ribs, fried rice, and a dumpling. It was in a word...average. Average is not always a bad thing, so bear that in mind. I guess I could call it "good" average. It should be noted that I am not a huge fan of Chinese food, so I might be slightly prejudicial in my overall lack of enthusiasm. Â However, as I noted previously this place is worth coming to just for the "ambience."
I would definitely return to Kowloon, if not for the food, then to visit the whacky Tiki bar for some fun tropical cocktails.
So a buddy of mine and I were looking for a post-tennis match meal/lunch thingy and so we decided to venture up Rt 1 to see what really took us. Kowloon runs so many commercials during Phantom Gourmet, that we gave in to its marketing and ventured in here. Â
First, this place is HUGE. Â I've never seen such a large Chinese restaurant. Â Food was decent, not the best I've had, but it was okay to say the least. Â I'm not sure I'd come back here, but it was a fun time, ate a ton. Â
They've got a bunch of crazy crap on the walls in the front, spent a good 20 minutes just checking out all the pictures and such.
It's hard to rate Kowloon because there are two distinct components to the experience: the food and the setting. I would give the setting at least 4 stars because it is so over-the-top ridiculous. I had been explaining Boston's bizarre relationship to "Chinese" cuisine to my husband for years. The strange fascination with Polynesian kitsch and pineapple; the oddities of a roll and butter; the gooey sweet and sour sauce; the pu pu platter in general. . . I could go on and on.
Anyway, it seems like this "tradition" has been eroding for years, especially on the South Shore where many of the tiki Chinese joints have been closing. Or else, the food has just really gone downhill.
Sadly, as a kid, I had never been to Kowloon because it was "all the way" up on the North Shore (heavens, no!). But, I remembered that I was always attracted to its lights and general Disney atmosphere whenever we drove by on our way to Maine.
We got our opportunity a few months ago and even I was blown away by how packed it was in the lobby, but also by how efficiently we were seated. I guess given how gigantic the main dining room is, it makes sense that they just keep rolling people through.
We had an okay seat in the bigger room with the giant ship replica. However, I would have liked sitting in the more romantic part with dim light and several blue-glow fountains.
We ordered a pu pu platter (what else?!?!) and I got whatever drink comes in the actual ceramic tiki mug. It was awesome! We also got pork fried rice and mongolian/shanghai beef (can't remember exactly). The pu pu platter came out in a jiffy and it was possibly the best I've eaten. It was cooked to perfection and not overly greasy. I guess it's because nearly every table orders one. BUT, the pork fried rice was very bland and the beef dish was bordering on terrible. So, it seems like you have to stick with the very basics.
That's weird too because their menu is enormous. I was pretty impressed with it since they divide it by regional cuisines. They have a Polynesian section and then Chinese and there were other options too. They have American dishes as well.
So, we'll definitely come back. I think I'll bring my mom, too. Maybe we'll venture into other parts of the menu? I'm not sure. But, Kowloon is definitely a destination and I'm happy to see that it seems to be doing a booming business. I wish they would work on getting their pork fried rice up to snuff.
Bonus, here's a cool article in the Globe about faux-Chinese cuisine and its tradition in Boston: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bostonglobe.com%2Flifestyle%2Ffood-dining%2F2013%2F02%2F05%2Fchinese-restaurants-went-from-polynesian-flavor-authentic-food%2F7D0xpld8m3L4XInXU7vBcL%2Fstory.html&s=f315126a1f1a80d03e5f87b9b5a795ba4255e7744534bef58d658d14a2409c1c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.bostonglobe.c…</a>
This is a great place to go if you've just gone to a movie, or concert, or sporting event, and you're in the mood for Chinese food, because it is open until 2am. It's great any other time for Chinese food as well - anybody in the North Shore area knows about it, and anybody that comes to visit from out of town gets taken there at least once. The food is great, the staff is great, and the atmosphere is one-of-a-kind.
Review Source:The Official Kowloon Rating System-
Did you grow up in Boston or any of the surrounding North Shore communities?
Other than going to the Cape or New Hampshire, have you never ventured more than 10 miles outside the town where you grew up?
Do you think the Phantom Gourmet is the final word in restaurant reviews? Do you have a Dan Andelman poster above your bed or Dave Andelman pajamas?
If you answered yes to these questions- 5 STAR RATING
If you answered no to these questions- 1 STAR RATING
This place is a landmark on route 1
it's so cute inside with the new sushi bar ,, that's kept very clean love the California rolls they truly have mastered the craft of sushi ! Â
also not sure when they started takeout until 2 but it's awesome when you have the munchies just remember to go to the side entrance !
As for many know they have comedy that's pretty awesome for birthdays but you mostly go for the food one of my favourites is lo- mein with  veg's  very delishious ! Their always hot and fresh ! This place has been run by the same family for years and  their sometimes they greet you at the door and are extremely friendly !
Kowloon is campy fun, the best of the best of Route 1 in Saugus. If you want better food... perhaps seek out a restaurant that doesn't contain a fiber optic mural of an erupting volcano, perhaps in a neighborhood which doesn't also feature a place with a giant cactus sign and fiberglass cows, or a store inside a model ship.
If possible, sit in the boat. It's very special.
Ever think about going back to the 1970's and then think twice about it.
My wife and I went to the Kowloon because the Andelman brothers seem to pimp this restaurant every Sunday and wanted to experience the true Disney land of Chinese food.
Remember the 1970's and the old kel-tel commercials selling the best of the 70's tapes, that is the music that is blaring while you eat, The rugs are worn thin and the tables are in need of replacing, the decor looks like a bad  Disney Epcot experience only much dirtier  and not taken care of.  The waiters all wear tight tuxes and our waiter never introduced himself and we did not know who was taken care of .  We were given one menu and not sure why we had to share the grease stained piece of cardboard,  We finally ordered our food by this unhelpful waiter and we did see him again until he gave us the food a half a hour later,  He also messed up our order and we had to track down the manger to remind the waiter that we ordered more food.........what a lousy place and experience this is turning out to be .............
The Saugas wings are good but you can only eat a couple before the sweet sauce overwhelms the taste and they become hard to eat.  The pork in the spareribs and the boneless ribs had the texture of a clammy rubber eraser and the chow mien had little to no taste and reminded me of  non label la choy type of bland food.  The egg-rolls were over fried - under cooked in a the wrapper with under cook cold cat food inside. Â
It was becoming Very gross and my wife at that point starting eating the fried rice and left everything else - i wish i did the same..........the ride home provided me to stop 3 times to vomit the food out of me in a matter of 15 minutes after i paid the bill for this swill.  Believe me it tasted  better on the way out than on the way in me..... Â
All in all don't waste you time, money or  own health to go to this 1970's Disney Epcot  experience and find the local mall and eat at the food court for a better experience.   Not PHANTOM RECOMMENDED.................
I can imagine Kowloon used to be an awesome place to go. It seems impressive when you're 12 and everything looks really exotic, but with the smallest degree of scrutiny, you can see Kowloon is actually dumpy and a little gross.
I came here for lunch while I was spending the day in the area. We didn't want to travel too far off Rt 1 to find some food, and the fella was craving General Gau's.
I was overwhelmed with the menu(s) which comes in three sections, with several pages each, so I went with a staple I thought they would get right: I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai, which I understand is not going to stand up to the authentic pad thais I've had in Seattle, or even the other pad thais I've had right here in Boston. But this was flavorless, and a while later, made me feel sick to my stomach, even though I ate just a fraction of my gigantic portion. Fella was happy with his Chinese dish, and I did agree his tasted yummy.
We didn't order any alcoholic beverages, though had we, our lunches might have tasted better.
It was a sad experience. The decor is dated beyond the comforts of irony or nostalgia. The waiter was very sweet though.
I should have read the reviews before coming here. The decor is very interesting. I was like on a boat, in a moat, and on some tropical island all at the same time. But we were seated at a dirty table. I don't think it was part of the decor. This was during lunch on a weekday, and there was only a handful of other people in there besides us. For the most part I didn't like the food. The hot and sour soup was ok, but not really that spicy. Both chicken dishes we ordered of the menu were disgusting. Neither sauce had any taste to it, and the chicken was rubbery. Off the appetizer menu, the boneless ribs were ok and the thai rolls were great. In conclusion, I wouldn't come back here to eat, but it looks like a great place to go for drinks or if you need a laxative but can afford to spend a little extra.
Review Source:This is a very large and famous restaurant on the north shore. Â The decor is outdated but it's what keeps the regulars coming back. Â The food itself your basic run of the mill Chinese food. Â I would not stray and try the Sushi, you will not be pleased. Â Once you order the food will arrive within 10 minutes because food is just precooked and just waiting to be called upon. Â Kowloon is the place to go with a big group or party if you want atmosphere, fun and decent enough food.
Review Source:We had been coming here for 20 years but today will be our last. Â Ordered a small appetizer platter & I was concerned when the food came out in 3 minutes. Everything was cold & disgusting, inedible the pork strips were cold & chewy, the ribs had coagulated fat on them as if they had been sitting In a buffet table for hours. The fried wonton had NO FILLING, ice cold & hard as a rock.
Won't be coming here again!!
Now I know the inside of this place hasn't changed since the stone age but the food still rocks. Great portions , always get exactly what you ask for and the drinks are made by pros , no skimping on the gin. Try some of your favorite entrees without the MSG and that will be the only way you will eat it again. We ordered all ours without MSG and were pleasantly surprised , no loss of flavor what so ever and no cotton mouth after. I'll definitely keep coming back here.
Review Source:Kowloon has been on Rte 1 for 60 years. They must be doing something right. The duck I ordered has also been on Rte 1 for 60 years. I have yet to encounter a tougher bird. My wife said what do you expect for $13. I don't know, maybe meat that is chewable? She loved her thai seafood platter. I have never seen her not love a seafood platter, esp with lots of hot chili.
Very loud 70's music. Back section was loaded with families, parking lot crowded on a tue night. Sort of a larger version of the China Dragon, you know, the one with the booths and bright florescent lights located between the pizza shop and the tattoo parlor
This review is only for their comedy club (Komedy Klub).
Located up the stairs to the left of the doors as soon as you walk in the entrance from the parking lot. (let's see how many prepositional phrases I can fit into one sentence!) Anyway, pay $20 per person to the hostess, and someone will seat you when you walk in the room/attic upstairs.
It's a pretty big space that can fit maybe 100-200 audience members. A tiny stage up at the front for the comedian. Decor/furniture is a little outdated and tacky. But I think that has now become just part of Kowloon's whole image.
The menu for the comedy show is a limited selection of all of the most popular Chinese takeout options (crab rangoon, spare ribs, fried rice, etc.) and a sizeable beer/cocktail list. Prices are a little high though. $50 for two people? On top of the $20/person admission price? It's a bit too much for what you're getting. Food was nothing special.
There were 3 comedian stand-up acts, and they were all very funny. Had a really great time!
I wish I could really love this place, I really do but there's just too much going against it.
In the past 10 years or so.. I've come here probably around 4 times and each time I was disappointed. Â The size is massive but it's always always packed which really annoying people who are loud and obnoxious. Â There are many places you could go in here. Â There's the Volcano Bay Room, Tiki Lagoon, Thai Grille, Luau and Mandarin Rooms and the Hong Kong Lounge. Â For this review, I visited the Hong Kong Lounge.
To start off, the lounge is located at the first right turn from the entrance. Â It was PACKED so me and my brother and cousin elected to just sit at the tables on the outside of the place. Â It was COLD outside and sitting there by the entrance was a bad idea because every time the door opened (which was very frequent), a cold burst of air would envelope us. Â You know how some places have the heat on high at the entrances to stop this from happening? Â Yeah well not Kowloons! Â I would think that they'd do that judging by the prices they charge but nope.. no such luck. Â
We weren't that hungry and since there was just three of us, we ended up just ordering beers and a large pupu platter. Â I've got to say that it was the worst pupu platter I've ever had. Â The wings were disgusting, the ribs were dry to the point that I thought they were actually fossils of animals long extinct. Â But the worst was the fried wontons. Â There was absolutely minimal filling in each one.. it was like eating rolled up tortilla chips with just a TINY SPECK of filling. Â Absolutely atrocious how they would serve something so utterly disappointing. Â I literally, took a bite out of one of them and just sat in disbelief at this joke of a wonton... which both my brother and cousin agreed upon was the worst one we've had anywhere. Â
Lastly.. yes the parking lot is huge but good luck finding a spot. Â I don't understand why this place is so popular.. it's just not worth it to me. Â The only times I go is when everyone I'm with just had a plan to go there and I tag along because I have no choice. Â Horrible place. Â The prices are insane for the quality of food they're dishing out and the service is SLOW. Â The parking is bad and the ambiance, although it's quite lovely... is often overpowered by the droves of douchebags who come in. Â Avoid if possible.
Huge! Thid place is huge... the crowds are huge, the parking lot is huge, the drink menu is huge and the food choices... huge! Literally, everyone can find something here! The Chinese offerings are pretty standard. The sushi menu has some pretty creative options. The thai menu has lots to offer. We have always been seated quickly, had friendly servers and the food served quickly, hot and yummy. Ample parking with an ATM close by. Haven't been to their comedy show, Â but it looks to always be packed. Sometimes it gets overwhelming but not a bad choice on route 1 if you have a large group.
Review Source:I'll give this place two stars only b/c the thai food from the thai kitchen is decent. Â The chinese menu is downright terrible with perhaps the fried scallops being an exception. Â As others have said this place is waaay over rated.
My main problem with the place since I could just get tha is the cleanliness of the restaurant overall. Â It's basically a dirty restaurant, even with the improvements to the bar area. Â The bathrooms are totally gross which is a bad sign in terms of what the kitchen must be like. Â There are also lots of party people that go there on the weekends so don't be surprised if it smells like vomit at times. Â Yes I'm being serious.
The non american staff is also totally rude. Â Especially some of the male bartenders and people who are relatives of the owners. Â I guess the relatives think they can get away with being unprofessional. Â I don't plan on going back.
Ewwww. Never, ever, never, never again. Never.
This was SO hideously bad that I've been trying to write a review for about a week now. Â I give up. Â It was so bad that we complained (yes, in "this" type of establishment, cultural norms understood), and actually GOT half our meal comped.
The ONE star is for the manager knowing that the food (tasteless, bland, semi-warm) was AWFUL and handling the situation properly. Thank you, Misses Manager, YOU are to be commended.
Great food, awesome atmosphere, great staff.
We have been coming here for a fee years now, and this place improves itself every visit! Last time we went there, the food was amazingly fresh, our server was knowledgeable and friendly, and they had a live band playing smooth jazz. Awesome combination for a great night.
I had the sweet ginger chicken wings, and fried rice and special house spicy chicken. My dish was a 10!
My only advise is that this place can get a little crowded and it may be hard to find seats right away, so you might have to wait a bit but believe me, its worth every second.
The Good:
- The best chicken fingers at a Chinese restaurant hands down. Loaded with meat and never too much coating.
- The tempura lobster tails are also worth checking out.
- Cool Atmosphere. Lots to look at and lots of crazy people. It's fun watching the drunks babble. Plenty of stimulation for those with ADD, maybe too much.
- Plenty of seating
The Bad:
- Busy
- Loud
Oh, Kowloon you created many memories growing up. Fortunately my palate has grown but your food has not. This may be the only two star review that I'll return to many many times
The team started with the PuPu platter. Dad and the little guy then moved to sushi while nana and older brother stuck to traditional polynesian bleh. Maki was uneventful, Uni was delish.
A north shore landmark.
I have not been here in a while, but my high school reunion was just held here. Great place to hold a function. It is a landmark in MA & there is so much parking here.
I am not that crazy about the "Chinese" food. but their Sushi & Thai food is really good. the drinks are good & strong. It still pulls in a crowd after all these years of being open.
They have the comedy club here too, which always pull in a great crowd.
Just not a fan of their Chinese food
What's to write about a place that has been a restaurant monument that most people don't know... I guess the only thing to share about Kowloon is to order the Saugus Wings. Â The sauce for them is bomb de la bomb bomb. Â You can just order a side dish of that sauce to go and it goes good on literally anything. Â I have used it for pork, fish, steak, stir fry and just rice dishes... it's money in the bank. Â
The Grey Goose White Mai Thai's that they serve there are the balls as well. Â The bar area isn't great, but it is much better after they remodeled it over the summer. Â
Besides that, I'm impressed that they have done as well as they have for as long as they have. Â They have decent run of the mill Polynesian style Asian food as well as a menu that has expanded into dictionary size in recent years. Â Gordon Ramsey would be bullshit if he went into there and had to look through the massive menu.
The food isn't blow your socks off and I would honestly rate them a 3.5... but I have been going to the place since I was a kid and I still have family gatherings there.  The  memories there more than make up the last half point.
I was a bit skeptical about a place that is regularly featured on the Phantom Gourmet but decided to trust Kelly.
We stopped in to the Kowloon to have dinner with a friend of ours. When we first walked in it was very crowded and there was about a 40 minute wait, understandably so considering this place is a legit tourist trap destination. We waited in the front area of the restaurant and when our time was up our number was called over a bullhorn that compares to the MBTA announcement at Park Street. We followed the hostess towards out table in the back of the restaurant. The first thing I noticed while walking through was that the restaurant kind of smelled like a cat box. Maybe it was the fact that we had walked past a bussers station and there might have been some dirty dishwasher or something, anywho... it really stood out to me. Yuck.
When our friend Heather arrived we ordered food and drinks, the drinks were pretty good, strong but not overbearing and the food came out fast. It was quite delicious for a place that seems to have a fast turn around of customers. There were many birthdays throughout the restaurant, including one directly next to us whose guest seemed to come over from the trailer park on the other side of Route 1. By the time we were ready to leave a band had started up, and while I would have liked another scorpion bowl I don't think that I could have stayed to listen to the horrible singing that was being performed.
I may come back here depending on my mood and if Kelly asked me to, but I probably wouldn't take the initiative and suggest it myself.
Terrible food. Never had a good meal here and the final trip sealed the deal. Got take out and ordered kang liang soup, shrimp pad thai, pork fried rice, and chicken fingers. The soup was flavorless with a broth that tasted like water. The pad thai was dry, with no bean sprouts, and overcooked shrimp. The fried egg was barely mixed in too. The pork fried rice was mushy and cold. The chicken fingers were the worst, barely covered in breading and the breading that actually was there was completely saturated in oil.
I strongly advise anyone who reads this to go elsewhere, especially with the amount of similar restaurants in the area. For sure, this will be my last trip to Kowloon.
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