Moon Garden Restaurant

WHAT I ATE - HAWAII@ Moon Garden Restaurant 578 N Vineyard Blvd, Honolulu, HIOld School, Classic Honolulu Chinese Food @ Moon Garden RestaurantWe were meeting with one of my wife's friends for lunch at a real old school chinese restaurant in the Liliha-Palama neighborhood. The area can be sketchy at night, so best time would be daylight hours for dining there. It's a good hangout to listen in on locals having lunch or dinner there. I'm sure some lively conversation can be heard!One item I cannot find anywhere in the mainland is Crispy Gau Gee! And another item my wife is hard pressed to find, is Cake Noodle. Both menu items can be had at Moon Garden and they do both fantastically!Another dish we don't see often is the Honey BBQ Pork Ribs, that you have to order at least the day before.The clams were also a winner, but we couldn't tell if they were raw, or pre-cooked, chilled and served cold. Either way, they were delicious! Just expect that the dish is served cold.Fresh Chinese Vegetable of the day is a must to round out the meal.Moon Garden is one of those places we have to fit into our itinerary when we travel to Oahu.VIDEO LINK:https://youtu.be/iyHSeNocCSw

2024 updatePandemic Survivor- happily not a ghost of the past. So many restaurants and eateries disappeared during the pandemic times. Some decided the pandemic accelerated what they had planned to do (Likelike Drive In), some couldn't survive the fall out from worker shortages and decided to cut their losses (Kaimuki Big City Diner). Everyone gas a story of a favorite food establishment that is now gone. Luckily for all of us, Moon Garden is a survivor. They have been serving up delicious Chinese kau kau for many a year and the consistency has been quite high. A favorite "go to" restaurant not quite in the neighborhood, the in dining options can be challenging as they have a couple of round tables and some smaller seating options in a pretty small area. We have dined in when we have time flexibility and do take out fairly regularly. Recently we ordered their house chicken with ginger sauce (warm dish), which uses free range chickens ( hope this doesn't mean the strays running all around oahu now LOL) Surprisingly this was the first time we tried their crispy gau gee with crispy noodles and gravy. The skinny noodles they used were perfect and the simplicity of the dish made the dish delicious with no masking of imperfections. Not greasy at all. The third dish we had was pork with sweet sour cabbage (Suan cai), a fermented napa cabbage. Their dish had just the right amount of balance between the sweet and sour although next time We would probably order with beef, more of a preference. My mom's favorite Chinese restaurant- never challenge mom.

The nicest little hole in the wall place on vineyard. Lots of parking. The restaurant is dated and has sticky carpet but the food is authentic and tasty! Prices are reasonable. Convenient to pick up take out without having to go into Chinatown

Every time I go here I am never disappointed! On Christmas Day they ran out of broccoli but they called me back and asked if I was ok with another veg and gave me a choice. The cake noodle was fried to perfection! Even with the gravy in the dish when I got home it was still crispy! The staff was sooo friendly! I will definitely be back more often.

It's been ages since I last dined at Moon Garden Restaurant in Liliha, and what really motivated me to come back here for a meal was a picture that my Yelp buddy - Tami C. had posted on Yelp. It was a picture of a Minute Chicken Cake Noodles with Choy Sum.Yes gangies, if you ever dined at Moon Garden Restaurant, they are known for their Honey BBQ Char Siu Ribs (you must order it one day in advance)!!! How good are those Honey BBQ Char Siu Ribs?Bruh, those ribs are broke da moufth ono!!! I'm gonna go out on a limb & say it's da BESTEST Honey BBQ Char Siu Ribs that I've ever eaten!!!Unfortunately, Bruddah Fran no longer eats red meat or pork (old people problems, Lol!), so those deeeeeeeeeelicious Honey BBQ Char Siu Ribs will have to go on da back burner.No worries, cuz da Moon Garden Restaurant makes other excellent dishes like - a Minute Chicken Cake Noodle dish! Came here with my friend Jennifer C., as she's a big noodle fan.I ordered my Minute Chicken Cake Noodles, & my friend ordered the Rice Noodles w/Preserved Vegetables & Meat.What can I say about the grub???The Minute Chicken Cake Noodles was enjoyable, & very tasty! I was surprised that they used Chinese Cabbage with my dish, as I was expecting Choy Sum, but I guess they used whatever vegetable that was available that day.My friend Jennifer enjoyed her meal, and no complains from us, that's for sure!Service here was on point.If you decide to dine at Moon Garden Restaurant, the restaurant is on the smaller side, so I'm not sure if you should make reservations before coming here. There is free parking available just to the right of the building, as the parking lot is shared by other businesses.

We're very grateful to arrive here for take out lunch during inclement weather. Staff are very welcoming. Vibe reminds me of the gathering place to enjoy Cantonese cuisine. We ran into a familiar face, a businessman that decided to treat a few construction workers during lunch and he only had wonderful compliments to share about this restaurant. Our entrees remained intact and hot for half an hour drive home. We're over the moon for Beef Broccoli on Fried Rice and Minute Chicken with Crispy Noodle. My better half knows I'm very picky when consuming beef broccoli and fried rice. Thinly sliced marinated beef tasted tender and succulent. Broccoli cooked to perfection. Both ingredients combined with light sauce. This entree hit the spot in one bite. Moving forward, I won't hesitate to order and highly recommend beef broccoli from this restaurant. With just a few key ingredients, fried rice was quite tasty. Minute chicken pieces were very moist and tender. No bones. Minced, fresh garlic accompanied by light tasting sauce complemented minute chicken, tasty bok choy, and delicious, thin crispy noodles. Free parking behind inside the lot. We will consider dine in for a future visit.

Love this place. Fried tofu---yum. Light and crispy with a shrimp surprise in the middle. Beef scallion was gingery and tender. Minute chicken cake noodles were on point. You know you're in a legit Chinese restaurant when the majority of the patrons are speaking Chinese. Parking in the back.I have yet to try the ribs!

The BEST Honey Barbeque Ribs!! So meaty and yummy delicious!!Great service and generous portions of TASTY goodness!!

I've driven by this place for years and I finally gave them a try- I called in an order to go and I was not disappointed. The service I received was efficient and friendly without the attitude that has been too common nowadays- the food was excellent! I wish I'd tried this place sooner! I'll definitely be back! CHANCE EM- you won't be disappointed!

Hello guys, I looked this up on yelp and saw a 4 star plus review, however when I first drove up to this place I was skeptical, don't let the building make you consider anything different. I did see a bunch of locals walking in to it to the point it was almost completely full. We decided to go in and oh my god I am glad we did. We first ordered Hot and sour soup, it was made the way it should be. Next we ordered Peking duck, that may have been spot on. After that we ordered mu shu pork, fantastic, and finally it was the Mongolian beef. That too was good. Over all I would recommend this restaurant to someone who really like the taste of food rather than the ambiance. We will make this restaurant our go to for authentic Chinese every time we visit Oahu. The owners are very humble and nice.Cheers