Jook Sing Cafe

Had lunch here and there were lots of hospital employees. It’s a good quick place to grab lunch. Food was good but not amazing. Had the Jook Sing wonton noodle soup and I could only say it was average. Prices were a tiny bit elevated versus what I expected in a Chinatown but overall not expensive at all. I recommend this place if you’re looking for a good cheap lunch.

Most convenient place to eat as a student at Tufts.
It’s the fastest food you can get. And possibly the best bang for you buck in chinatown.
I used to go when it was Harrison café but I think Jook sing is way better because one, it’s so much cleaner and two, there are actually a lot of places to sit inside.
Currently, my bf is addicted to all of their fried rice (especially mary’s fried rice) because it’s really good and they give you so much that it almost overflows out of the togo box.
I was used to getting the hot lunch (premade dishes– kind of like panda express) but decided to order some stuff on their menu. I’ve tried the rice cake dish, it was kind of bland. I’ve tried the salt and pepper fish over rice. (SO GOOD). It’s pretty salty so if you don’t like salty things don’t get it but it is the best salt and pepper fish I’ve had. I love the sauce on it (mixture of peppers and crack).
Their fries are actually really good. Didn’t expect much but it was piping hot and delicious. For like less than 3 bucks, you get like a X-​large portion of fries. If you like CRAVE parmesan fries (right across two streets), it’s very similar minus the parmesan.
I am actually writing this review b/​c I just placed a take out order for fried rice and salt and pepper fish.

Great Chinese Food! Quick and Friendly service, large portions and great price. What more can you ask for? Menu is extensive and everything on it is done well. Some favorites: Char Sui Won ton Mein (Best soup won ton’s in Chinatown), Beef with bitter melon (more of an acquired taste) and Uncle Soo Special.

Great place for Chinatown Chinese outside of the crowded Chinatown. Its great place to grab a quick bite, its clean and has seating area. Great price for the quality and quantity.

Steaming piping hot tasty Chinese food with cheap prices! I absolutely love how hot the food comes out! There is quite a large selection from rice and noodle dishes. The portions are big (filled to the brim of a to-​go box) and great for sharing.
Nikolai K. and I got the shredded pork with preserved cabbage nian gao ($ 6.95) which was perfectly cooked and flavored. Each rice cake was separated so they each got seasoned with wonderful tasty flavor. This dish was mostly rice cake with sprinkling of bean sprouts, carrots, carrots, green onion and shredded pork. I don’t remember seeing/​tasting the preserved cabbage though.
We also tried the salt and pepper fish fillet rice dish ($ 6.95). It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it still tasted good. White fish fillets were battered and lightly fried over a HUGE bed of white rice. We barely touched the rice since we had the Nian gao. The dish also came with some Chinese greens. I wouldn’t get this dish if I was by myself again because of how much rice they give though. It paired very well with the nian gao.
Both of these dishes have the red chili pepper next to them, but they weren’t really spicy and I didn’t feel the heat at all.

As a Tufts Master’s student, I’m a big fan of the convenience of this place. Their lunch specials run pretty cheap considering how much food you get. Fried rice and chicken runs like like $ 6, but they’ll fill the container up.
Menu items are hit or miss, but I think that’s true with any restaurant. Stick to the Cantonese classics, e.g. beef and preserved egg jook, and you should be happy.

I got their scallion pancake. The portion is pretty good but taste wise It’s ok not the best I had. They are very skimpy on their sauce. They didn’t even fill half of the cup for the sauce. Their sauce is so so. It’s not a soy base sauce so it’s lacking on seasoning. I wouldn’t get this again here.

Came here an hour before closing on a weeknight, and the place was dead. There was 1 person eating by themselves in the corner, and the rest of the place was deserted. The place is great for when you’re in a time crunch, as they prepare the food really quickly.
The AC is really strong during the summer — my friend and I sat down after ordering and ended up getting goosebumps the whole time we sat down because it felt like we were sitting in a freezer.
Their salt and pepper chicken wings are really good, and so is their thai tea. I also had the pad thai, but it was really dry. I haven’t been here at times when the place is busy, but from my experience the service is great and the guy who took my order was very friendly.

My coworker tipped me off to their breakfasts so I dropped in to give them a try. I got the 2 egg special — 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, 2 hashbrowns, and bacon. Every part of the dish was quality. They even buttered the toast perfectly. I’m not saying this was gourmet — it’s diner-​esq food, but it was just what I was hoping for (delicious and not too greasy). Also… it was only $ 5.90. They recently remodeled too so the interior was clean and pleasant. I ended up eating there instead of taking out.
I can’t speak for the rest of their menu (I’m not sure if I’d go there for lunch or dinner), but I’ll certainly be back again for the 2 egg special!

Lunch time rush: chaotic!
Crab ragoon: delicious, fresh meat
Pad Thai: no flavor– like none. Tofu was soggy and wasn’t fried.
Side of broccoli: $ 9.50! I double checked after I paid and the guy insisted it was indeed $ 9.50.
My friend got items from the hot bar and she was satisfied. Don’t order off the menu!

I would recommend the wontons. They are light and flavorful with shrimp. The rice dish I would recommend would be the pork chop with egg. It has both the fried pork chop with a sunny side egg. One dish that I would not recommend is the kung pao chicken because there is no nuts.
Tea is self serve in a discreet corner. If you need to use the bathroom, ask for the key. Overall the room is clean. There are big tables and banquette style seating.

I love this place! The ambience is quaint with the new renovations. I come here at least 3 times a week. As a jook sing, the food is perfect for me. Of course I usually order the R36. General Gau Chicken over rice, but I like to change it up sometimes. Their Hot and Spicy Mala Noodle Soup has just enough kick to it but not too crazy where I can’t feel my taste buds anymore. There’s so much choices that I will eventually try them all! I would definitely and have been recommending this café to friends and family!

The old adage is NOT true: Change is good. My co-​workers/​residences and I had a bad experience with this new establishment. Under normal circumstances, I tend to be fair and easy going but this incident I took it personal for I am a jook sing (ABC) too. Being from the boonies in Tennessee, it is acceptable and not uncommon to have chinese food served somewhat cold, tasteless with loads of oil to clog one’s aortic valve. But it is NOT acceptable in Boston’s Chinatown, but Jook Sing Café did serve us Chinese food Tennessee style. Harrison Café was never like this.
They had totally gotten our order confused with someone else’s order. This is just an example of one of the items. Instead of the chicken wings we order, we received french fries. They did manage to give us soy sauce packets for our french fries. (Gotta have soy sauce with our french fries). Harrison Café always gave us ketchup with french fries.
We brought it back to them and complained the food is a disappointment. The owner (a jook sing) is not a person that accepts critical criticism. We asked for a refund for the appetizer we had already paid. She didn’t apologize for the mistake; gave us back our money. She gave us free advice, «Next time check your take out before leaving». She continued on in saying her (father) family owned and operated a very successful restaurant down the street but sold it a few years back. Her mom dedicated her life in helping the Chinatown community by obtaining funding and support from City Hall.
After hearing what she said we want to say this to her in writing:
— We are jook sings too. We do not live in the shadows of our parents.
— We are jook sings too. We strive to become professionals in mainstream America to make our parents proud.
— We thinks your family must have forgotten to take the recipe book from the prior business establishment. We hope that place is doing better now.
— We wish Harrison Café would come back. Not so much the owners.
Regards,
Class of 2018
p. s. the one star is for the bottle of poland spring water which was serve cold.

Mix reviews.
I was craving for Laksa, so decided to try it here. I ordered braised beef Laksa. Everything was wrong with this dish. They used the wrong noodles. Vermicilli noodles? The noodles soaked up most of the broth out, leaving me with thick sauce like broth. The braised beef was thinly sliced, not my liking. I want that fat and juicy braised beef I am so used to.
Their French fries were always a hit when it was Harrison Café, and they did need fail with their new restaurant. Crunchy outside, moist inside!
My coworkers loved their salt and pepper squid. She ordered three days in a row. I did not try it, so I can’t comment on it.

A relatively cheap place for American Chinese food. Food are ok but not authentic Chinese.

First but not last time here. Great preserved egg jook. Salt & pepper tofu rules, too. I might try to run the menu table.

This is in the former Harrison Café space.
I will definitely be back to try other items off their extensive menu. It’s pretty varied and they also serve breakfast which is a plus. They have the HK style breakfasts for anyone who’s into that. There’s also Western breakfast. Something for everyone.
Now they just opened yesterday so I don’t have sky high expectations. I got the fish fillet laksa noodle soup via take out. The soup, fillet and veggies were good. Coconut and curry taste was just the right mix. Not a fan of coconut but this soup was really friendly to my taste buds. The only thing is, they forgot my noodles. My mom had her entrée with noodles and she got them. We didn’t realize it until I got home and was ready to dig in. But it’s all good because the soup was loaded with tons of ingredients. Next time I hope they won’t forget my noodles. Keep it up, Jook Sing Café!