ABC Cafe

I made a 3 star review about this place over a decade ago which I needed to remove.ABC is equivalent (maybe above according to my wife) to EAT, which both deserve 5 stars for prices and nostalgia. Many other HK cafe spots have inflated prices rebranding as the next new hip thing.You absolutely cannot go wrong with specifically two items here, one is the sole filet plate for $8.99 and the other is the pork chop + chicken steak plate (get the mushroom sauce) for $11.99. Add a lemon tea and you'll be pretty happy for a day.I'll probably still be eating here when i'm 50. Ignore the lower star reviews, they're asking for fine dining with a $10-20 budget. ABC is nostalgic HK cafe food, it's absurd that so many people are expecting a fine dining experience.ABC and EAT are the only two restaurants that I drive an hour for.

The food here was... questionable to say the least. I ordered a ribeye steak and was told that it was going to be 14 oz for 24.99. I ordered my steak MEDIUM-RARE. When the "steak" came out (if we can even call it that) more than a third of it was just beef fat and not actual steak. All of that beef fat literally made me feel sick yesterday-- just straight up nauseous.To make matters worse when I had cut into the actual steak bit it was still RAW. The bit of "mashed potato" on the plate was atrocious -- you can tell that it was from a box. and so was the mushroom sauce that came along with it. I sent the steak back to have it cooked some more but it still did not help, however, at that point all hope was lost that night.My friend and I also called the fried wonton, egg rolls, and shredded chicken soup (for here). Those were literally mediocre at best. As for the service it was literally terrible. We needed up coming a bit later at night; a little past 10pm. So they stuck in in a booth at the FURTHEST corner in the restaurant. So anytime we had to get a server's attention it was just a literal nightmare. I'd have to call out a bit loudly just for them to turn their head and look our direction. When it came time to pay the whole thing thing a bit over thirty minutes-- mainly because they were all too busy taking care of other parties on the other side of the restaurant. At that point we weren't able to leave until a bit closer to midnight smfh.BTW there were only about three parties in the place and it's a BIG restaurant soooo...Yeah overall,Food = mediocre to mehService = terribleAmbiance/Aesthetic-wise = halfway decent

ABC Cafe is a solid spot for good, traditional Cantonese food. They've been a fixture in Monterey Park forever, and there's something comforting about their consistency. The food is good--not exceptional, but considering the incredible competition in the area, that's not a bad thing. It's a dependable choice when you're craving Cantonese classics like wonton noodle soup or pork chops, and the coffee and tea selection is a nice touch.I do miss the days when they were open 24/7. It was such a great late-night option, and it's a shame that's no longer the case. Great casual spot to enjoy food and conversation. As for the service, I honestly think it's fine for a traditional Chinese restaurant. People complaining about it here seem to be missing the point--you come for the food, not to be pampered. The staff gets the job done, and that's enough for me.In a city full of amazing restaurants, ABC Cafe may not stand out, but it holds its own as a reliable neighborhood staple. If you're in the mood for no-frills, satisfying Cantonese food, it's worth a visit.

What's up: This place has been here forever. It's amazing to know that they're still alive and kicking. My aunt wanted to come try their Wonton Noodle Soup, so here we are!Parking: Located in the Garfield Lincoln Center, parking is shared among the nearby businesses. Depending on when you go, it can get busy.Environment: Walking in, the place looks decent. A portion of the restaurant looks closed but the other side is nicely lit. It's pretty quiet and staff members are not very attentive, so it might take a bit to flag someone down. The exterior environment of the restaurant feels a bit iffy since the business next door closed down; spotted a couple people sleeping in front of it.What was ordered:- Wonton Noodle Soup (pretty good)- Shrimp Cutlet with Chicken (ok)Yay/Nay/Meh: Meh. Come for the Wonton Noodle, not for the ambiance. It's decent enough and for the price, it was really good. Service was not great. Credit cards are accepted with a minimum of $20 purchase.

One of the few hong kong style cafes left that isnt hipster'd out with crazy prices. Ordered Orange chicken, hot and sour soup, and usually order their honey walnut shrimp. For the price, the food is really good. Hot and sour soup isnt too spicy and you can actually enjoy the flavors. Orange chicken is really good here compared to a lot of the different Chinese restaurants Ive tried. Portions are great. Parking is just a giant lot. Can be hectic enter or exit depending on the time of day and traffic flow.Restaurant is loud and rowdy. You can hear the servers call each other vulgar nicknames, which is hilarious when you understand Cantonese. Just enjoy the food and dont worry too much about ambiance.

After my nephew's high school graduation, my brother invited us to a late night dinner at ABC Cafe. Thank you Bro! OMG, I haven't been back here since I was a young child. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember its location. It still has the good space that it did back then. There is good parking, but plaza can get very busy during the day on the weekends... so come here early if you can.Staff was surprisingly pleasant and very attentive. There were 11 of us. They kept on coming back to fill our water cups. Btw, water was very cold and refreshing... so darn good! Thank you so much!Their menu is massive and has many selections... lots of meat, seafood, rice, noodles, and other specialty dishes. Prices are very reasonable. Portions are huge. Each of us ordered our own entree. We also added 2 orders of fried chicken wings and 2 orders of salt and pepper squid... oh, these are very delicious... they are a must get! Funny, six of us ordered steak and I wasn't one of them LOL. Instead I got the Seafood Udon with XO Sauce... it was quite tasty with lots of udon and XO sauce... I just wished there were more seafood. Nevertheless, I still finished the entire sizzling plate on the spot LOL. Was I that hungry or was it just that good? Maybe a little bit of both... don't know!I found out that this place is one of the very few restaurants that open late into early morning like until 1:00 AM. Cool pickings! Of course, I'm normally not out in the San Gabriel Valley area that late or actually that early LOL. Now you know in case you want a late night snack in SGV. Highly recommend this place for great taste and service!

There are two purposes to this review update. First, is to inform customers that ABC seems to have fixed their phone issue so that you can now call in takeout orders again. Second, is to warn customers that despite their service not improving and increased prices due to inflation, for unknown reasons (the new menu items in addition to old favorites??) business has greatly picked up even beyond pre-pandemic and even compared to levels from a decade ago. Further, and despite increased immigration from the mainland, often the increased business primarily seems to be traditional Cantonese people. Regardless lunch and diner may be very crowded and you should plan to wait for your food and possibly a table unless coming during off hours. Holidays are particularly crowded now.Their HK style dishes and breakfast are still good. The neighborhood is still in decline with many homeless. The lot is still big, rundown (watch for potholes), and crowded (hard to get parking often). Their recently expanded menu has some good items and some that look good but are not that great. Overall, service is still awful most of the time unless u r a regular and get served by waitstaff who know u. We still love coming here for the dishes we like curry chicken, Singapore noodle, HK style chicken, beef, and pork "steaks" with garlic or black pepper sauce, baked sole, green beans, breakfast, and others. Despite, some of these issues still a great casual hike in the wall place to eat with family and friends, but not for a formal or business meal.

The restaurant is located inside a plaza. There was plenty of parking. Easy access.We tried HK milk tea, wonton noodle soup, ribeye, and stir fry pea shoots. I feel like you can never really go wrong with food at HK cafe. Everything was tasty.Staff was friendly. Wait time for service wasn't too bad. A nice comfort food spot!

ABC Cafe is your typical Cantonese restaurant with rice, noodles and fusion dishes. My favorite dish has to be the pork chop with Peking sauce! So good, I love the sweet, savory, saucy taste to the dish. The beef chow fun was good too, I would order it again. The food was super affordable and during their afternoon tea hours, they have even more affordable prices on limited items.To be honest, I can't say ABC Cafe is my favorite Cantonese/HK restaurant but I think it's a decent spot and it's been part of the 626 community for so long that it's a nostalgic place

Used to come here often for breakfast and late night meals(along with JJ, OK, Garden and back then on Atlantic Blvd, Sunday cafe) 30+yrs ago. This is the first time I visit ever since. We have had our share of baked pork chop rice at every HK cafe you can imagine all these years. But the pork chop rice we have here is hands down, still one of the best....because they actually baked it with whole piece of bone-in pork chop like it should be. Most places nowadays use cut pork pieces, and certainly not baked as a whole dish but just toasted it in the broiler quickly. On top of that, three dishes three drinks in the afternoon comes to $43!!! With tips less than $50?! For sure this place you walk in you know you're not paying for the decor(be warned, it is dated), and the menu certainly doesn't offer as competitive of selection as other more popular HK cafes. We all know just cheap food won't bring customers back. The food gotta be decent. This place still stands after all these years with only one change of management. If you've loved HK cafes food in the SGV since the 90s you will appreciate this place(don't get me wrong, I do go to Delicious Food Corner, Alice's Kitchen, Tasty Garden etc). BTW the waiter recommended next time try the beef chow fun, ribeye and lamb chop. To be honest HK cafes are not the kind of place I'd attempt the wonton noodle soup. Save that at Sam Woo. The ribeye I remained skeptical. But likewise, I don't do steak at any HK cafes. Save that at a proper steakhouse.