Hong Kong Station

Not to be confused with Hong Kong Cafe a bit further east on Regent... the station is a hole in the wall type of place. Heard about it from a friend of a friend who agreed with the elite reviews saying you go here for the food, not the service/ambiance, and I'd agree. Seating area is limited. Online menu is pretty sparse on descriptions so I just went for I think hot and sour noodles. Minus the bean sprouts which I don't like (again, no real description so I didn't know what would come with it), I was pretty satisfied. I got it extra spicy and I'll say I could've stuck with regular spicy. They were more like soup noodles, and the taste reminded me a lot of the spicy soup base at hot pot. Pretty customizable for the specific things you want. They threw in a free canned drink when I picked my order up.

I went in there yesterday to grab a takeaway during their lunch hour. I am a visitor and just stumbled upon the place.I waited over 15 minutes for my order. I politely asked one of the helpers, who was the son of the owners, to check in on my order. He was kind enough to step into the kitchen to do so. The wife, one of the owners, came out yelling at me that it is their rush hour and that I should not be pushing them. I apologized very politely that I didn't mean to and I had no idea that they were that busy. I finally got my order accompanied with more brandishing for having rushed her. By then 20+ minutes were up since I got my order. The food was overly greasy. The quality of the meal and the very poor customer service pretty much ruined my appetite. I thrashed the food after a few bites. I would not recommend going in. I could tell her son was really embarrassed by her behavior and apologized to me.

Ambiance/service: a hidden gem on Regent street that you would never notice if you didn't take the time to go here. There are limited tables to sit at, but if you have one it's comfortable enough. I only saw one server. She came and dropped a piece of paper and a pencil off for us to mark what we wanted. Not rude, but not overly friendly. Most of the menu was also in Chinese characters with the English translation.Food: We got the egg rolls which seemed like they might have just been deep fried from frozen, but weren't bad and the beef chow fun noodle dish we had was fantastic! The two of us split it for lunch and it was just about enough!

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Madison and compares favorably with my experiences with Chinese food (I am Chinese American). Before moving out to DC, I was a Hong Kong Station regular, going every Wednesday evening for about a year. The child I babysat for loved hanging out with the restaurant owner's children and we almost religiously got the same dishes each time. (Please look at photos of same dish on multiple occasions...I take pictures every time I eat). There is also a review on Instagram on food4wu account. The child would get the fresh roast bbq pork with rice and bbq pork buns (包子) . The bbq pork with rice was not on the menu, but because she became a regular, the owners catered to her. I usually get the spicy mala soup with a spiced egg and a veggie like baby Bok Choy. I prefer spicy, not Super Spicy. I have gotten several friends hooked on this combination and we could easily eat it once a week I have tried other noodle dishes and enjoyed them as well. My significant other sometimes craves the shrimp nian gao (年糕). He also likes getting egg rolls.The staff is admittedly slower and more disorganized than some might prefer, but over time you can build rapport and honestly the food can not be beat.I plan to visit this restaurant during my visit back to Madison exclusively to fill my spicy soup craving! Definitely would recommend this restaurant!

After 3 years of coming here, they're learning and evolving.The menu has changed drastically and they've cut out many items that were not very tasty or that weren't ordered very much.The menus they hand out now are little forms that you check off what you want, which I guess decreases wait time.There are three options for noodle soups now, all of which are great! The mala noodles are incredibly spicy, even for a guy that lives on peppers, but it doesn't take away from the savory broth. Other than the noodles, the menu items can range from fantastic to boring. Clay pot meals are filling if you're willing to pick through a few bones. The rice bowl with meat and greens is simple but satisfying.The service has picked up quite a bit since they've hired some new faces, but its also a reason I knock a star off their rating. At times, orders can come out incomplete or wrong. With servers that don't speak English fluently, it can be hard to tell them this. Also, the tiny space makes it hard to fit everyone and its considerably inconvenient to be asked to move to accommodate another party.Despite these flaws, I still find myself coming here at least once a month to polish off a bowl of noodles. If you can, come eat here and experience noodles that don't have to be pho. Skip it if there's a crowd or just come back an hour later.

When we walked in last night, we were lucky to grab the last open table. The setup is a little confusing for the first time diner. We received 4 sheets of the menu-each sheet having different items for you to choose from (for instance, there is a sheet to build your own soup bowl). Simply mark what you want and give it to the waiter/waitress when they return. There is ALOT on the menu so choosing something can be a daunting task. As many of the tables were filled with soup bowls, my girlfriend opted for that as I went with the Beef Chow Fun and a pork bun. For the soup bowls, you have the choice over the type of noodle, the type of broth, and then what protein or other yummy thing you want added to it. She opted for the pork bone broth as a base with udon noodles and beef. The broth was absolutely excellent and was the perfect solution to a cold and rainy night. The rest of the ingredients were solid but I feel the broth (as it should) stole the show. With mine, I can freely admit that I am not a Beef Chow Fun expert but thought it was very good. The beef was sliced thin and tender and while the noodles were oily, I was not surprised as they are stir fried. I summed it up to my girlfriend as "cantonese comfort food". The pork bun was ok as the pork filling inside (although tasty) was only lukewarm.I liked the feel inside the restaurant. It won't win any awards for decorating as the walls were covered with vintage and randoms pictures and posters. It's small and can be cramped but I think that adds to it's charm. I definitely will add this to my regular rotation of restaurants that I frequent.

Attended a Badger/Camp Randall event & happened by this place afterward.Ordered, paid, waited. Hostess taking order was much more concerned with her phone than with the customers. After about 20-30 minutes, had to ask where our food was. Kitchen didn't have our order. I had to again give the order for two of us. Finally after about 40 minutes or maybe more, served. I'd ordered a vegetable/tofu dish but what I received was a seafood/tofu dish. I pointed to the menu where it said vegetable/tofu & hostess told me I'd received what I ordered. Was difficult to get her attention away from her phone. I can only guess she (1) didn't care or (2) she only read Chinese and the translation was wrong. The dish was watery & flavorless. Partner's dish was acceptable & was what he ordered.

An awesome hole in the wall foodie place. Good authentic Chinese food, definitely not Americanized Chinese food. So & so service, but you come here for the food. You know it is authentic & good when you see a lot of international students frequenting the place.

Really delicious food! My favorites were the Mapo tofu with braised pork and the taro/shrimp/pork rolls. Can't wait to try their other dishes

AWFUL experience. It's the second time waited for more than 2hours. The noodle soup is literally just water and very little amount. Doesn't worth the price.