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Hon's Wun-Tun House
Category: Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Dim Sum [Edit]
1339 Robson StVancouver, BC V6E 1C6
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 685-0871
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
99 reviews for Hon's Wun-Tun House
Review Highlights
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"...had the Bean Curd rolls with asparagus in black bean sauce." In 5 reviews -
"some of the best Chinese food outside of Hong Kong." In 8 reviews -
"Great BBQ pork, noodles, and of course, wun-tun." In 7 reviews
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99 reviews in English
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Review from Caroline C.
3/14/2012
I'm not a huge fan of Cantonese food, but Hon's came highly recommended by a local so we went to check it out.
The efficiency of this restaurant is kind of mind boggling. Any sort of Kaizen opportunity they've figured out. For example, orders are submitted via iPhones, the cafeteria-style atmosphere with different stations for lightning quick order fulfillment. It's kind of a "let's not mess around with the details, you're here to eat" type of place.
Service is not so friendly. My husband started to order in English but the server wouldn't have it, so instead of ordering in broken Cantonese, he ordered in Mandarin. I don't see how this is more efficient (uhh, I guess there are more Kaizen opportunities). So if you even look a little bit Chinese, have your Cantonese ready.
So anyway, the food is good. I like the reference as it being the Chinese McDonald's of Canada. Well, except the food is better than McDonald's. I liked my char siu (I had to start with the basics, right?) and my soup. I'm not really sure what the soup was, because I'm pretty sure I got something different than what was ordered. -
Review from Melisa W.
Surrey, BC
4/6/2012
This is a great place to get some quick and cheap Chinese food. The servers are constantly walking up and down and it shouldn't be hard to flag one down. They aren't the friendliest but I don't expect that much more in a Chinese restaurant (I am Chinese, I'm not being racist - just honest). The food is what you would expect for a place that serves your meal in 5 minutes. They have tv's which is tuned in to hockey when there's a game.
I sometimes go in, on my own, just to get some quick noodles in soup. It's also good for bigger meals too. -
Review from Brittany W.
North Vancouver, BC
3/31/2012
For quick, cheap and well-portioned Chinese under $10, come to Hon's on Robson for lunch. Our work crew enjoyed rice and crispy noodle dishes of all sorts from their $7-8 huge menu selection.
If you're feeling like greasy Chinese, this is a solid, inexpensive spot to go. For me, it's not my thing and I didn't feel well after, but I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food.
What's more:
- Servers take orders on their iPhones and the food turnover is generally pretty quick with this system
- BBQ Pork and Zucchini on crispy noodles. Though super greasy and drenched in sauce, this is is a really good dish
- One dish can easily be shared by two people, and three if you want to be "comfortable"
- Hon`s on Robson is much better than Hon`s in Chinatown -
Review from Meana k.
3/18/2012
Mark H lovingly referred to it as the Chinese McDonalds of Canada. Vincent N said although this was one of his favorite joints that you should stay away from the dim sum. Uh oh. What had I gotten myself into when meeting some people at Hon's for Sunday Dim Sum??
Okay, my expectations are set. It's going to be a super casual almost divey service lacking loud cheap fast simple place with some adventurous options. Cool. I'm in.
And after a night of heavy drinking, dim sum is exactly what my stomach needs. I think. Or this could be a very bad idea....
At 11am the place was nearly empty. By the time we left at 12:30, it was only 1/3 full. My overall impression was that the food was decent and service was fine if you don't expect any actual service.
Started off with the sticky rice which was good, and some chinese brocolli with oyster sauce. This was great, but I do wish they'd chop it it up into more manageable pieces. We got two rice flour rolls, one with beef and one with shrimp. Both were good, although I preferred the shrimp one. We also had steamed spareribs in black bean sauce which was nice. I wasn't a big an of the pork and shrimp siu mai, nor the steamed BBQ pork buns. They were just okay. The deep fried pork dumpling was interesting, not at all what I expected but not bad. The hit for me was the congee which we got with pork slices and century egg. The congee wasn't too watered down and had some great fresh ginger in it. We ended up getting a second bowl to finish off our Chinese donuts.
Super cheap food. Go with a bunch of friends and order lots of little items and you'll be sure to walk out stuffed for around $10-12 per person. -
Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
Hon's is incredibly old-school - I'm talking 80's Vancouver mega-chain. It's like the Chinese equivalent of Uncle Willy's. Chinese or not - most people who grew up in the GVRD has eaten at Hon's at least once. And come on, they call it a 'wun-tun' house... not 'wonton' - Hon's cares about proper phonetics, yo.
It's basically set up like a HK cafeteria. And yes - due to the location and accessibility, most of the customers are non-Chinese. Think the waitresses were in mild surprise when I dropped the Cantonese on them. Side note - the name in Cantonese is 'Hon Kei'... so if you hear someone saying that in the restaurant - they probably aren't talking about you, roundeye.
We needed a quick grease fix so we grabbed an 'dry' beef chow fun (#88 - ~$10) and a dozen of their famous potstickers (~$7 - pan-fried pork potstickers are the only way to roll). They input the orders via a handheld tablet so things came super quick.
Chinese people take 'dry' beef chow fun seriously. It's the serious challenge for any Chinese chef to do this properly. Stir frying bean sprout, onions, beef and flat noodles over a high flame is tough. You need strong forearms for wok control and your timing has precise. Overcooking bean sprouts = FAIL. Overcooking the flat noodles so they fall apart = FAIL. Undercooking or overcooking the beef = FAIL. Adding too much oil to 'cheat', making it too greasy = FAIL. Not have the right balance of soya sauce = FAIL.
Every place serves this and every Chinese person eats this - no exceptions. My friend was told "You're not my son" when he told his dad he didn't like beef chow fun. True story. He's still hurt to this today about that comment - I keep telling him he's lucky that his dad didn't smother him in his sleep. I mean... that's what I would do. The 29th trimester isn't too late to eliminate a mistake, right?
... and coming back from that tangent on filicide... Hon's beef chow fun was par for the course. Not overly greasy - but lacking good 'wok hei' and colour. I know the chef isn't name Bic or Lil Wayne... but come on, bring that flame. For $10, it's pretty expensive compared to other places - but that may be due to the location.
I remember the their 'famous' potstickers being better - good char on it, but the dumplings were kinda oily and mushy overall. But perfectly okay for the price - next time, I'm just ordering a few dozens of these as beer accompaniment.
For those of you aren't complete alcoholics, Chinese joints are the cheapest places to get bottled beer. Most of the selection is $4 and they had Yanjing bottles on special for $2.99. Yanjing is your typical Chinese beer... light, flat, skunky and sweet. Like Shawn Bradley, no hops. I was gagging a bit after ever gulp - but it was $2.99. Any beer under $3 is' good' beer. Comparable to Budweiser or Stella Artois. Had to get two beers deep before I stopped wincing. Come on, I'm Chinese - saving money is wet velvet sex to us.
Anyways - decent Chinese eatery - a bit charming in how pedestrian and old school the decor is. Cheap beers and good potstickers... why the fuck not? -
Review from Wendy Y.
3/15/2012
My boss treated me and my colleague to lunch at Hon's. I've never been to Hon's on Robson, but I am impressed by the size of the restaurant - it's big. The first thing I noticed was the two kitchens: vegetarian and non-vegetarian at the back. The place looked clean and tidy (even though the tile floor was kind of slippery).
Apparently my boss frequents this place more often than I thought from the way he chats up with the waitress. My boss likes to come here for lunch and take advantage of the $8.95 lunch special. With this lunch special you get a choice of soup (anything from sweet and sour soup, wonton soup, corn and chicken soup etc), an entree with a bowl of white rice, and a dessert (coconut jello). The choice of entree is lengthy. I chose black bean and chicken. My colleague ordered a beef stir fry in black pepper sauce. My boss ordered some sort of pork dish.
The portions are fairly big. I only ate half of my soup entree, and rice. The price is economical with the amount of food you are getting. Quality wise, it's edible, not bad. Their chili oil is really good. It goes very well with wonton. The service is fast and efficient.
Would I come here again? Sure, if someone was treating me to a free meal.Listed in: Cantonese Food
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Review from Hailey C.
Vancouver, BC
5/8/2012
Cheap yummy Chinese food! The atmosphere leaves a little to be desired but the deliciousness makes up for it. They give you about 5 menus when you are seated which is overwhelming but do not fear: order some dim sum items like the sui mai, order some dan dan noodles, get some wun tun soup and/or a lunch box - you're set. Get some yum yum in your tum tum.
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Review from Robert H.
Vancouver, BC
4/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
The place is really big, and the menu of choices was HUGE! OMG! Seriously!! However they didn't have the one thing I wanted which was "chicken lo mein"... Unbelievable. The pointed at something that they said was just like it, but when I received it all I had to say was LOL! It was a plate of thin noddles and a whole chicken (well maybe half a big chicken) cut in inch cubes on top... ??? OOOOKKEYY DOKEY! It was Delicious! but it wasn't "chicken lo mein". I also hat this super won-ton soup with a lot of extra goodies in it, Sooo Delicious!!! The bill was about $40 for 2 people. I would definitely go back. But Seriously get on google and learn how to make "chicken lo mein"!!! Thank you.
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Review from David C.
3/20/2012
Great spot for Cantonese food. Nothing fancy.... just great food at a great price. The chicken and corn soup was really good. The spot lacks any sense of a dining experience... but the food is good. Head to this spot with friends, family, or alone... its not a first date spot.... but the food is very good.
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Review from Angela G.
3/17/2012
Cheap and cheerful Cantonese, served with breathtaking efficiency.
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Review from Ava E.
8/13/2011
I hadn't eaten Chinese food since I went to China 3 years ago. And I'm glad I waited. As soon as we went inside, I was immediately transported right back to China. The decor, the seating, the Chinese tea before and after the meal. And everything was GOOD. Since it was my cousin and her family, we each ordered a dish. Or at least I thought we were ordering individual meals. The food just kept coming and coming, chicken and peppers in coconut curry sauce, beef and green beans in a black bean sauce, sweet and sour chicken (it doesn't stop here, there's more), deep fried chicken wingettes with spicy rock salt, won ton soup, pork chow mein. Those fried wingettes were to die for and by far the best thing on the menu.
You must order these, no question about it. -
Review from Herman E.
11/28/2011
This is more of a 2.5 star review.
The food here is what you would call fast food quality Chinese food. Not the best but it serves a purpose.
I've eaten almost everything off the menu since it's inception. Yes, it was one of the first won-ton houses in Vancouver, and it's first location was on the east side Main Street in Chinatown.
I have yet to figure out why they put pieces of roast duck in the sampan congee.
Not known for exemplary service. Where else can you get seated at your table and the hostess just slaps down the menu in front of you without acknowledging you. -
Review from Sarah A.
2/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Mmmm, dim sum. This place is great after you've had a few drinks downtown and are looking for some cheap and reliably good greasy food to fill you up and fight the impending doom of tomorrow morning's hangover. It's kind of like eating in a giant high school cafeteria, complete with the obnoxious football jocks in the corner and sanitarium-style gray decor. Service was fast and the potstickers and steamed buns were very yummy. The waitress even agreed to make us something that wasn't normally on the menu at that time of night, so we were impressed. Or maybe that was just the three pints previously consumed talking.
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Review from Nicole F.
8/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
After the Pride Parade Hon's seemed like the best bet for avoiding lineups downtown.
We were seated and served really quickly, well, except for me. Mine was brought out last. I ordered the Mixed Veggies and Veggie Meat Congee and it was about as disgusting as it looked. First of all, when they say Mixed Veggies, what they actually mean is a bunch of different slimy varieties of mushrooms and the odd piece of shaved carrot. Unfortunately, I despise mushrooms and the texture alone in my mouth makes me want to vomit everywhere. So that sucked.
I tried to eat around the mushrooms but the congee was way too watery for my taste. It was pretty bad. I've had good congee before and this was NOT it.
Also, I pulled out a massive chunk of congealed congee from the middle of the bowl that I thought was a mystery vegetable at first, but NOPE!
Lesson learned, stay the fuck away from Hon's congee.
Everyone else's food was apparently delicious. I tried some of my friend's food. He had the Bean Curd rolls with asparagus in black bean sauce. This was actually delicious and I stole most of the asparagus once he was full. I also tried one of the veggie wontons from the soup and it was a little bland but decent.
Getting the bill sorted out was a little ridiculous and eventually we just went up and paid one by one because the guy who told us he'd bring the machine over was a liar.
I'd be willing to come back, but I'm definitely going to stay away from the congee. -
Review from Mark H.
10/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hon's is the Chinese McDonald's of Canada. I say that with love.
Is it the best Chinese food? Of course not, but what it does deliver is good value and consistent quality.
We had old family friends from the UK wanting good 'familiar' (caucasian-style) Chinse so Hon's fit the bill.
Ordered several safe choices. All met the standard Hon quality that I've gotten used to.
Everyone left full, bill was cheap, Hon's did the trick. Now if only they didn't have a sliding main front door that made for a chilly dinner. -
Review from M C.
10/25/2011 2 photos
A true Chinese Cafe in Vancouver's Chinatown. This is not want of those want to be places, but they actually make stuff cheap, good and quick.
The place isn't the cleanest, but it is in Chinatown. -
Review from Norah L.
Vancouver, BC
12/16/2011
Loud and could be cleaner, I do appreciate that the food is served promptly and there's even a separate vegetarian kitchen. The stuff is tasty and portions generous. I have had problems in the Chinatown Hon's where the waitresses didn't speak English or much at all, but then at the West End one that's not a problem. I have no problem waiting in line to eat here because I know I'm getting a big bang for my buck.
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Review from Vannessa S.
Burnaby, BC
12/17/2011
How this location has higher reviews than the one in New West I'll never understand. Sure, The one in New West has gone from good to bad, this location has always sucked. Dirty, greasy, noisy, ugly, even the tea sucks. I hate hate hate the atmosphere, the whole industrial cafeteria thing does NOT do it for me. Everything was so salty and greasy I couldn't finish anything. I could barely hear myself think, let alone have a conversation with my friends from the noise of the kitchen and the other customers. The place is dirty, it's been said before. The staff is hard to get a hold of when you need them. I do not want to come here again
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Review from Ramon V.
Very few questions in life guarantee a resounding "Yes" response.
"How bout Hon's?" is one of those questions.
My heart weakens when I am reminded of the possible financial demise of Hon's. It hurts because Hon's has become one of the staple restaurants in Vancouver. Everybody knows Hon's. It's on my list as one of the wonders of the kitchen world based on the way they can handle capacity and a massive menu with such ease and prowess.
It's like a large Hong Kong cafeteria, and they don't claim or pretend to be anything other than that.
It's great for large groups. Kids love it. They serve dim sum items until 5pm, and have the best potstickers in town at ridiculous prices.
My other favourite items are the curry beef brisket, the bbq pork slices, the bean curd rolls with broccoli, the wor-wonton soup for one, the crispy chow mein with black bean sauce. In fact, I could easily triple this list if I had to.
Their dinners for two are intended for three. Be prepared to leave full or with a doggie bag. -
Review from Steven S.
10/8/2011
Looking for 5 star chinese food? Love the Noodle? Enjoy ambiance like that of a soviet era high school cafeteria? Then go to Hon's on Robson St. Second to Gods gift to the stomach Porcine, Duck is a food of the gods and Hon's does it perfect and perfectly predestrianly. Presentation, hell no, those plastic composite prision dinnerware, yup. But such amazing BBQ duck, crispy and perfectly greasy enough. If you love duck you will know what I am talking about. Also it is the Cosco of Noodles, large portions and in every variety you can think of. Try not to be put off by the soul killing decor or the grumpy service, this place is all about getting your feed bag on and if you have not been there GO, and if you have not been there in a while go back, chomp and chomp on some duck and noodles.
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Review from Josh G.
12/1/2010 1 Check-in Here
Pass! Even considering the reasonable prices, this is a definite skip for me - and should be for you too. Gloppy Chinese food, which you really shouldn't have to settle for in this city. If you want great Chinese at reasonable prices, Toko foods by Cambie and Broadway....boo yah!
If you want an asian style lunch around Hon's, Thai House on Robson and Bute - boo yah!
Take that Hon's. -
Review from Namit M.
3/8/2011 13 Check-ins Here
We have been eating at Hon's since the mid 90s - previously at the Richmond location, but lately here in DT. The fact that we go back again and again (through a couple of management changes) is a testament to its longevity and consistency.
We usually order the pan fried chicken potstickers - excellent
the crispy fried noodles - amazing but dont doggie bag well.
the chicken with pepper and vegies - very good
cod with spicy rock salt - not on the menu but very good indeed.
In the last couple of years as the popularity has waned but the service has improved.
This restaurant gets 4 stars for food and 7 stars for value and consistency.
I would tend to stay away for dimsum as there are much better options out there. -
Review from Ed U.
There's quite an assembly-line operation with all the wheels you see grinding here, although the lemming-like approach suits the cavernous space in this uber-popular eatery. Man, it's like you're a cloudy jelly bean in the Jelly Belly factory, and you're moving so quickly on the conveyor belt that you're wondering if you'll end up in a lovely gift box or in the reject pile to be bagged and branded as a belly flop. Which jelly bean was I?
In this hallucinogenic scenario, I think Jamie W. and I probably need to go back into the sugar mix machine and get re-flavored. Our first challenge was sorting through the four menus that were piled high on our table. The endless selection of dishes was mind-boggling, and I could well imagine Vancouverite regulars coming back time and again trying to find the true "get" dishes on the menu. We saw some pass by after we ordered and sighed regretfully at our ignorance of the possible culinary pleasures to be had here.
Instead, we went a more predictable route and ordered a dozen Pan-Fried Potstickers with Pork for C$6.55 (see photo). While they were indeed crispy on the bottom as expected, there was an inordinate amount of grease in the wrapper. Naturally, that didn't stop us from gobbling them down in quick order. The next dish we had was the C$7.95 Wide-Egg Noodle with Ginger, Green Onion Juliennes and BBQ Pork (See photo). For some reason, I was expecting a chow fun noodle, but it was more like re-purposed fettuccine marinated in soy sauce. Pretty good actually if a bit too wet for my taste. The pork pieces and bean sprouts added nice texture though.
The last dish was clearly the best, the C$10.50 Deep-Fried Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce and Broccoli (see photo). We had reason to suspect it would be the best since there was a big picture of it on the laminated Specials menu. The sliced chicken was panko-encrusted with a nice light sauce, and the florets were cooked to the right tender crispiness. That one was worth getting again. The service was on automatic pilot, but it was definitely consistent as we were all numbers to the buzz saw staff.
FOOD - 3 stars...miles and miles of Cantonese dishes in all sorts of variations, just hard to nail what are the standouts
AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...kinda like a big prison cafeteria with decor courtesy of Pier One
SERVICE - 3 stars...I'm a good jelly bean, I'm a good jelly bean!
TOTAL - 3 stars...a solid bargain and time-saver for above-grade Cantonese foodListed in: Vancouver, Victoria, Veni,…
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Review from Keane L.
10/1/2009
Decent and cheap cafeteria style food. The barbecued meats are especially good - the roasted duck and char siu are both relatively lean. One noodle bowl could feed two and that is coming from someone who almost ate a whole turkey once. (Don't judge.)
It's the Chinese equivalent of the Domino's pasta bread bowl, only you don't have to be high to enjoy it.Listed in: Vancouver!
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Review from Sebastian P.
Vancouver, BC
11/12/2010
HONs is a local institution for people who love typical Hong Kong Style food and are not distracted by the appearance of the establishment.
It indeed looks like a mensa/cafeteria and at certain peak times it get's packed in there. So don't let the look of it fool you.
Their menu contains numerous dishes for very a reasonable price and I found the quality of the food here at Robson location considerably better than in Chinatown (Keefer St). Be aware that many of their dishes come 'bone-in' - typical chinese. The portions are very generous, keep that in mind before you order! ;-)
Enjoy HONs !!
Cheers
-S -
Review from Krsna V.
3/26/2009 1 photo
A local Chinese/ Cantonese chain restaurant. Seems to be quite popular with the lunch hour crowd and tourists due to its location.
I ordered the lunch special. A selection of one soup, one entree, and a small bowl of rice. I got the vegetarian hot&sour soup, and sauteed chicken with chinese bok choy. The entree was supposed to be spicy. Not really. Just your regular Americanized Chinese food. Nothing special.
Dejected, I ordered some dim sum. Steamed chicken feet, anyone? I took a picture of the chicken feet and sent it to my man. He called immediately, and started screaming at me as to why I like to torment him. I don't blame him. They looked pretty unappetizing. My opinion changed after eating them. They weren't bad at all. Good thing the claws were removed. You don't want me choking to death in a different country.
The menu is extensive, they even have a huge vegetarian selection. Not bad for a quick lunch.Listed in: Vancouver - nature lover's…
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Review from Ed C.
12/9/2008
Thank God there is a cheap spot with good Chinese food in Vancouver.
All your normal Chinese foods without any frills or extreme mark-ups.
Come here to save some money after blowing your wad around the rest of the city. -
Review from Pamela L.
10/22/2010
This place isn't stellar but it works - so if you're the hood and you're hankering for some Chinese food this place will do just fine.
For a newbie (and sometimes for me) the large menu is a bit daunting - but this is usually the case for most Chinese restaurants. They have a good selection of Veggie dishes and the Chef's recommendations are pretty solid. The combo meals for multiple people are well priced.
Almost everyone gets the potstickers but I think this really is a force of habit since you can now buy them at TnT and even at Safeway. There really isn't any awful (unless you're eating at the Coquitlam location - boooo, gross, blech, plegh plegh) but I wouldn't say that there is anything outstanding, either. Seating is usually shared as they arrange many of their tables side by side like a cafeteria. It's always busy and chances are, if you're a local, you'll bump into more than a couple of people who just stopped by because they didn't know what else to eat.
I enter Hons with a shrug followed by a "Sure, why not". When I leave, I also shrug - but this is due to the fact that slow and I'm stuffed to the max and now have the "fatty fat fat" status. So, I guess if the restaurant has left me in such a state then food is good, to say the least. -
Review from Rosie C.
8/7/2008
Yummy and cheap with a vast menu.
Hon's provided many Sundays with dim sum, before shopping excursions on Robson St.
I can't wait for your food to be in my belly again! -
Review from V C.
9/14/2010
We stand, contemplating the old-schoolness of Hon's and whether we dare to go in. An angry white man storms from restaurant and declares to the general world, "Worst Service Ever!"
"Angry white man leaving the restaurant," The Husband muses. "That's a good sign." So we go in.
What can I say, it's shared cultural heritage. We're used to the gruff abuse of our Canto restauranteers. It's a sign that the food is so good, the staff doesn't need your namby-pamby patronage. Or, it's a sign that they're just idiots. In other words, who the heck knows.
But we're already ruled by inconsistency. The Husband, suffering a mildly upset stomach from an errant oyster (eaten elsewhere) therefore craves the simplicity -- and potential greasiness -- of a won ton noodle soup.
So the food? Eh, two stars. The won ton (stuffed with shrimp and meat) are serviceable. The egg noodles are dental-floss thin and springy -- that's good. The broth, flavored water. The asparagus with bamboo pitch and mushrooms plate is laden with sauce, but steeped in the ways of eating Chinese food, I merely take a bowl, fill with hot tea, and dunk the pith to remove the excess sauce. (Passive aggressive eating, or a coping mechanism? If I were to be a repeat customer, which I suspect I would not be, I'd ask for less sauce.)
What merits the three stars? Sheer indifferent showmanship.
--the utterly old-school ambience of this restaurant, which has defied the ministrations of any interior decorator from the late 20th century? --the hustle-bustle of the waitstaff, where the primary hosts check orders on their iPhones (there's a Chinese Restaurant app????? Of course there is) and the rest of the T-shirted bunch whip around tables to drop plates, fill cups with hot tea, or clear tables.
--the chefs in baseball caps who move nonstop, elevated above the diners but ignoring them entirely as they ladle glistening faux sauces and flip contents in woks. Their forearms surely could deflect burning bullets.
So there it. Expect little, ask for sauce on the side (or very little), and watch the show. -
Review from Edward L.
2/16/2011
Anyone who's grown up here in the 80s knows all about Hon's. They were one of the established "Hong Kong style Wonton / BBQ houses", way before places like Aberdeen Centre existed.
I'm a huge fan of their potstickers. There are different flavours (Beef, Pork, Vegetarian), and they're always well done. Another "usual" is their Hot and Sour soup. I like to get the Seafood option.
The other dishes are medicore, but decent.
The outfits worn by the staff are a bit tacky (just T-shirts), but practical. And their service is great. In 2010 they started punching in your order via PDA. So advanced.
Oh, the potstickers can be purchased in frozen bags, to be enjoyed at home. Another big part of my getting fat, I mean, growing up.
My only gripe is that parking sucks. Fortunately, my friend can usually score me free parking. -
Review from Fannie S.
3/25/2009
I had my doubts....I mean, it's a chain of sorts. So I had my doubts.
But I was pleased with my dinner.
wonton mein soup. :) Dumplings = juicy, noodles = fresh, and broth = savory. Slurp, slurp!
soy spring chicken = delicious, juicy and a lot of it.
shanghai bok choy = steamed with oyster sauce was perfect with the chicken.
I wanted to eat more but my eyes are much bigger than my stomach... I did nibble some of my friend's fried rice which was pretty good but typical westernized Chinese fare.
We tried their mango pudding and almond tofu for dessert. Mango pudding, just isn't my thing, and theirs is no exception. Almond tofu was delightfully sweet after that savory meal.
Decor = bright lights. Simple tables and chairs. I liked how the kitchens were actually separate stations, designated as "noodles", "vegetarian", etc.
Prices = very affordable, especially given the portions!
Good mix of westernized Chinese and authentic Chinese fare....*drools* -
Review from roxmarie g.
6/25/2009 1 photo
I knew I wanted to try the chinese food when I went to Vancouver - many Hong Kong chefs have migrated to Vancouver in the last 15 years. As it stood we had limited time, money and transport, but the hotel concierge told us there was no reason to travel to Richmond and recommended Hon's, which was right around the corner.
Hon's is a huge bustling casual restaurant with five labeled kitchens: vegetarian, chef's specialties, BBQ, Wun Tun, and Potstickers. The vegetarian menu contains dozens of items. While there I tried the fried bean curd skin veggie dish and the enoki mushroom bean noodle dish both of which were very tasty. Their wun tun soup is also quite good with a rich delicious broth.
Hon's menu lists many items but it's mainly a noodle house with a little dim sum and some other savory dishes. While you'll find authentic and different things here, it's not really a place to go for fancy dining with tons of seafoods and meats or labor intensive meals. I saw a lot of people ordering the potstickers which looked like they had a fairly thin skin like the Wun Tuns. So little time, so much Dim Sum! I wanted to try the Chinese doughnut but the first time I was by myself and it was huge, and later on my traveling companion wasn't that interested in it - the sesame balls we ordered after one meal were hot, fresh and gooey.
Based on this experience I'd say it's probably true that the Chinese food experience in Vancouver is different than in San Francsico. The flavors and textures of the fried bean curd skin were interesting and fresh and the black bean was delicious. And I really noticed that the service was exceptionally friendly - much moreso than in San Francisco.
I do wish we had time to try more diverse places in Vancouver including a higher-end one, but trying Hon's was fun since I mostly eat in workaday Chinese places at home. I'm glad we tried Hon's - we went back twice for a quick bite while there. -
Review from Tony G.
1/20/2009
I was really happy with the dinner that we had here. I had a bowl of top-notch egg noodles, with tender chicken in some flavorful broth, a side of broccoli, and a meat dish (forgot what it was but remember that it was amazing).
The ambiance wasn't anything to write home about, but who cares about ambiance at a place like this? You also notice that they separated the vegetarian food from the meat. I am sure the vegetarians/vegans would be happy about this. Also, the meal was cheap for what I got.
One thing I wasn't too happy about was the canned soda. Do they not allow fountain drinks in Canada? I am sure it was a canned soda because they don't do refills here. But that is a little complaint so don't worry about this.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop! -
Review from Shekinah S.
1/14/2010
I read about Hon's in a guide book and it sounded like the sort of place frequented by tourists and locals alike. My first impression wasn't that great: one big room with cafeteria style seating, little to no ambiance and rough around the edges. But then I noticed the high number of Asian diners and decided it must have something good. And Hon's does have something good. Probably lots of things.
The menu is the most overwhelming menu I've ever encountered. It's huge. You could eat a different dish every day for a couple years. Some of the menu is in Chinese. The categories are confusing and lacking meaningful organization. I had a hard time narrowing down my selection because lots of things sounded good. There were also plenty of dishes that didn't interest me in the least, but would surely excite the more adventurous eater. We went with:
-- "Lunch for 1" combo ($8.95) with steamed rice, Vegetarian Hot & Sour Soup, and Honey Vegetarian Chicken with Walnuts: I didn't like the soup but my boyfriend did. The fake chicken was very good but somewhat mysterious since it didn't look or taste like tofu. This vegetarian dish was served sans vegetables.
-- Chicken with Shrimp, Pepper, and Peanut ($6.99): Really yummy. Good sauce and the meat and shrimp seemed of decent quality. Had more vegetables than the vegetarian dish.
-- Vegetarian Potstickers (6 for $1.67 Anniversary Special, regularly $3.50): OK. In my notes I wrote either "too slim" or "too slimy."
-- Steamed Rice Rolls ($2.50): basically clumps of rice noodles. Bland even when drenched in sauce.
-- Total cost: $23.44
Service was brisk, almost friendly. I saw another server giving a couple a hard time because they had too many questions or wanted to modify their food. With 1000 menu items to choose from and a language barrier, I say just pick something and save your neediness for a different restaurant. I do wish that on a 90 degree day we were offered water instead of scalding hot tea. Also, my BF's soda was $2.50, which is utterly ridiculous.
Though far from a fine dining experience, and perhaps even an authentic experience, Hon's offers great value and pretty darn good food. It was one of our least expensive meals in Vancouver and we left absolutely stuffed. It's a good place for vegetarians, and in fact has four separate kitchens, one of which is just for preparing vegetarian items. I'd come back because there are so many things to try on the never ending menu. 4 Stars for what it is.
If you crave Hon's outside of the restaurant, I think there were either some prepackaged foods for sale or a sign showing where you could get Hon's in grocery stores.Listed in: The Asian Persuasian, Best o' The West
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Review from Brandon S.
2/6/2009
We just got into Vancouver and we were starving. We wanted something local, cheap, fast and baby friendly. Hon's Wun-Tun House did the trick nicely.
We kept things pretty basic, an order of fried chicken dumplings (delicious), a plate of BBQ pork (very moist, I hate dry BBQ pork), bowl of wun-tun with shanghai noodles and brisket (good wun-tuns, OK brisket, pretty greasy) and a chicken dish that was cooked with tea and peppercorns (very tasty).
It was a very good meal for us, but also very good to share with our kiddo. Our one year old daughter got some of the noodles all chopped up into little bits and a little bit of brisket and pork and she seemed to love it too. And when she got crazy and knocked a plate on the floor and yelled a little bit, nobody even noticed because of the cafeteria style setting, and the staff just grabbed us a new plate without any attitude. -
Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
7/26/2010
The Robson Street HON's has a vegetarian kitchen. Hurrah, right? Well, maybe. The place is a giant cafeteria with weird noises and fluorescent lights. The service isn't bad, but unfortunately, the food is.
I've been there a total of four times and each time I visit the food is overpriced, bland, and filled with rehydrated mushrooms instead of anything worth eating. The vegetables are obviously frozen-and-boiled or canned, with very little texture or flavour. The faux meat is scarce. I can't believe I paid $11 for rice noodles, dried mushrooms, and 3 pieces of hydrated bean curd. The spring rolls are okay, but it's hard to go wrong with deep fried wheat product. Their dim sum is passable - if you get there during lunch hours.
I've seen delicious-looking food go by on its way to other people's tables, so is it just the vegetarian menu that sucks? I'm not sure. Either way, I'm done with HONs.Listed in: Danger! Danger!
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Review from andrea c.
Richmond, BC
10/25/2011
Great place to get a quick bite. Good food, service is pretty good too.
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Review from Marcy L.
2/17/2011
Pretty good food, limited menu, ok prices, ridiculously slow service.
I was visiting for work last week and ventured in with an empty belly. Despite the fact only two other tables had patrons at 3 pm, it still took 20 minutes to get a coke, pork buns, potstickers and shrimp shiumai.
Server never brought over my rice or water either. -
Review from Jeffrey S.
1/2/2010
Heard good things about this place; ads in window state they received best of 'People's Choice' award for both 2007 & 2008.
I don't know who the "people" were who chose to award this place "tops" in '07 and '08, but they certainly don't know good Chinese food when they taste it. Which is truly discouraging since most their customers seem to be Chinese. Perhaps it's from living in SF for over a decade, but I found the food here slightly sub-average. Granted, it could have been what we ordered: BBQ spareribs, broccoli and black mushroom in oyster sauce; beef strips with green beans, mushroom, bamboo shoots; and egg noodle soup.
Hon's apparently makes their own noodles which is a true indicator of a good restaurant. But the egg noodles looked off brown rather than the yellow they're supposed to be. The texture was more like rice noodles than egg noodles as well.
I would agree that this place is best left to late night cravings after a half-dozen cocktails. After all, isn't Chinese food sooooooo much better when you're wasted? Booze + Salty Food = A plan.
