Wah Kung Restaurant

Guess what? It was somebody’s birthday the other day… I’m not gonna say who, but it was someone who is FAMOUS!!!
So a small crew of Unilocal buddies got together for a meal last night, and what a night it was!!!
You cannot ask for more, when you have GREAT COMPANY, LOTS OF LAUGHS, & ONO GRINDAGES!!! To top it off, we celebrated a birthday too, for a very special Yeep!
I must say this particular Yeep is one of the most kindest, generous, & all so funny… she is easy to admire, as she is so full of life!!!
When I talk about — Great Company, Lots of Laughs, & Ono food… what am I talkin’ about???
Yes gang, I was rolling with a small group of fun Yeeps from the Hawaii Unilocal community!
Our original meal plan was to get some Oxtail Soup from Kam Bowl, but for some reason they were closed last night, so a smart Yeep had suggested we check out Wah Kung Chinese restaurant.
Where is Wah Kung? If you folks don’t know where it is… the best way to describe it, it’s where the old 99 Ranch Market use to be in the Mapunapuna area.
There is lots of free parking in the huge parking lot, and the entrance to the restaurant is on the side of the building (to your left) as you enter the parking lot.
I’m really glad we came to Wah Kung’s, as the food was deeeeeeeeeeelicious!
The restaurant was very spacious & comfortable, and the service was very fast and efficient.
We ordered following dishes last night —
1. Crispy Chicken with the 5 spice salt.
2. Beef tomato e-​mein.
3. Salt & Pepper Pork Chop
4. Kau Yuk with Taro
5. Steam fish fillet
6.Sweet sour cabbage with squid
7. Rice
Each dish was delicious, & very flavorful! Great Chinese food, and very reasonable too, as it’s a great value!
In the mood for Chinese? No need to go to Chinatown, all you have to do is go to the Mapaunapuna area, & stop by at Wah Kung’s!

This is the best Chinese restaurant on Oahu, hands down! We discovered this gem of a restaurant under the previous ownership, and the food was OK. The new owner, Michael took the place to a whole new level. The food is always perfect here, yet the prices are reasonable. It takes approximately $ 40 to feed our family of five every time.
The owner, Michael really cares about his restaurant and his guests, and he is very nice and friendly.
Our kids absolutely love the country fried noodles. We also order the Ong Choy and it is just delicious every time.

I typically don’t like Chinese dinner food, but I’ve got to say, I like the food here. I was expecting to be a grumpy frumpy because I’m already always in a bad mood and eating Chinese food just worsens my condition.
My family used to always come here back when they were at the old Gibson’s Mall or the Servco Mall. They used to really enjoy coming here. So we decided as a family to revisit our old stomping grounds. Man, I’ve been using that euphuism more frequently lately. Old stomping grounds. Lol.
We started out with the Chicken and Corn soup. Same old corn starchy soup base I think the sweet corn kernels made a difference.
A big bowl of soft and wet white rice came out with some Mapo Tofu. I would’ve liked it better f it were spicier. But it was great to throw on the rice and scoop into my mouth with chopsticks like a real Chinese. Slurp slurp burp.
Then some orange chicken came out. You could really taste the sauce and it wasn’t over battered.
Next was some walnut shrimp. Again the breading was not overpowering.
Then we had a kind of pork. The use of what I think was li hing powder gave this dish a unique flavor. Lastly, the chicken vegetables and cake noodles came out. The fungus reminded all of us of the jai popo (grandma) used to make.
The help was not too friendly but you come to expect that in the Chinese restaurant anyway.
All in all I was surprised at how much I enjoyed dinner. I’ll think of coming here again if I EVER get the urge to eat Chinese. There are other old restaurants but many don’t exist anymore.

Great place for big family dinners since there’s ample parking. The food was surprisingly good too! If you’re thinking of throwing an event with 40 ~ 50 people, you should consider this venue as an option! They allow BYOB too!

4 stars for lunch! I was very surprised with Wah Kung. My co-​worker suggested it. There were many iffy reviews and I was hesitant to go.
FOOD: Delicious.
SERVICE: can sometimes be slow, but otherwise no complaints.
AMBIANCE: Clean and sometimes noisy at lunch. It was very busy.
LOCATION: difficult to find, I can’t even remember or describe to you how to get there… But there is quite a bit of parking in the back. I had no trouble finding parking.
4 stars, would go again if I was around that area for lunch.

Simple, clean, and delicious Chinese food.
They have a good selection of seafood and meats. However, they do not have a large selection of veggies which is a big disappointment for me personally. Everything about Wah Kung definitely seems to be above par amongst the other «mainstream» Hawaii Chinese food restaurants.
The parking and ambiance are both near perfect: ample parking and the restaurant is very clean. The service is also well done, at no point during the experience did I find myself being rushed. They were also very prompt with bringing out the food, filling up the drinks, and giving is our bill.
In sum, the service, price, parking, and ambiance are all quite good. I would love to see them add more veggie dishes to their menu in the near future.

I didn’t even know that this place existed… but it’s good! It’s tucked away on the side of the old Ranch 99 Market, right by the parking lot so it’s super convenient. The food came out quickly and was fresh and delicious! We had honey walnut shrimp, super yummy beef chow fun, capital pork, snow peas and scallops, and lemon chicken. Service was decent and it was pretty clean, which is good for a Chinese restaurant haha. A nice option for a sit-​down restaurant in the Mapunapuna area. Check it out!

Wah Kung is located inside or next to Moanalua 99 or old Ranch 99 market.
Parking is plentiful and free so if you need to accommodate a big group that serves chines food near salt lake area this is the place for you.
Service is pretty good too. They have many servers on the floor willing to take orders and refill your water.
We ordered orange chicken, chicken chow mein, beef look fun and crispy gau gee. I think they use msg because when I got home I had to chug down some water and had slight headache. But food was tasty.
I also saw people bringing their own alcohol drinks so it must be byob but not sure if there’s fee for that.
This place is always busy especially during dinner so plan accordingly.

I give this restaurant 5 stars based on my Chinese restaurant dining experiences I’ve had in the past, and needless to say I ate my words! I actually hate even eating AT Chinese restaurants (but I LOVE Chinese food) because of the ambiance, just so unsanitary, the servers are rude, the spacing on the table is little to none (this matters because I’m Hawaiian, I don’t come from a small family, so spacing on the table is judgement-​worthy for me LOL,) and I usually always end up hating something I ate! BUT, back to my 5 stars… The servers and the host, were very very nice & were also very consistent, the gaugee, egg fu yung, char siu fried rice, Chinese chicken salad, even the tea & water was good! The only down side was that one of the servers took away the soup ladle my (7mo old) son was playing with HAHA!
Looooong story short, good job brada!

Tried something new there, Chinese beef stew with tendons oops but forgot to take pictures, we were too hungry, served in a covered porcelain pot to the table, the waiter then opened the cover to a boiling dish, tendons were very tender as well as the meat, below was a bunch of chinese cabbage, very tasty, not overpowering, great with the jasmine rice, Next time I want to try the lamb stew. We also had mapo tofu, a nice touch of spicy with the soft tofu. The beef look fun black bean sauce was also good. it is getting a bit more pricy than the old owners, The 3 dishes with rice came out to $ 36.40 plus tip… Another good thing is you can BYOB and they don’t charge corkage fee there. I was pleasantly surprised to see them furnished us with wine glasses.

I’ve been to Wah Kung many times before under the previous ownership. I was a little concerned when I heard that there was new management, but I had dinner here back in May, the last time I was in town, and the food was just as good as before. In fact, when it came to the roast duck with buns, it may have even improved.
The previously mentioned Roast Duck with buns was great — crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. The Honey Walnut Shrimp is tasty. We got a chicken and eggplant over cake noodle dish, a mushroom and tofu dish, and some ong choy. Everything was pretty good, though the roast duck, honey walnut shrimp, and the chicken and eggplant dishes were my favorites.
Decent portions, good food, and the service was on top of things too. Overall, not a bad place for dinner.

I’m visiting my family from California for the weekend and since I wasnt here for Mother’s Day, I convinced to have a belated Mother’s Day dinner. She suggested that we go to Wah Kung. I have never been to Wah Kung and Im not really a fan of Chinese cuisine but I went along with it.
Parking is easy, they share the same lot with the old Ranch Market. We were greeted upon entering and was seated right away. Large dining room, plenty of tables. Ideal for groups or special occasion parties. As soon as we sat down, they brought us piping hot tea while we were looking at the menu. Menu was very extensive, so I asked for suggestions and recommendations and the restaurant specialty. The staff was knowledgeable and offered a few mist have. We decided to get the Abalone, Pork and Veggie Soup, Oyster in Garlic and Green Onions, Pork Slices sauteed in Mixed Vegetables, and Garlic Seafood Fried Rice.
Abalone Soup was delicious, broth was clear and tasty. A little skimpy on the Abalone, pork was tender, generous veggies. It was perfect meal to start. Next came the Oyster in Garlic and Green Onions. Large size oysters, about 8, perfectly sautéed in garlic, the sauce was tasty, with slices of ginger and topped with green onions, very flavorful. Next came the Garlic Fried Rice and The sauteed Pork in Mixed vegetables. The rice was cooked perfectly with just enough hint of garlic and mixed seafood. The Pork slices with mixed veggies was also great, the vegetables was still crunchy, and lots of it. Pork was sliced thin and very tender, the sauce was jist enough, not too over powering the flavor of the dish.
Overall I like the quality and freshness of the food. The flavor was good, simple but not great either. The service was excellent, staff was attentive, water was filled without even asking. The price was moderate. The décor was minimal. Atmosphere just simple, typical neighborhood restaurant. I’ll definitely come back again, maybe with a bigger party so we can try more dishes. I’ll recommend to someone just for a local place to eat if uou are in the neighborhood.

I honestly wish I could give a ZERO STAR REVIEW… And after reading the other horrible reviews about this UNSANITARY food establishment I feel sick to my stomach.
My family and I went in for dinner. Dad ordered a pork hash, I ordered sweet sour spareribs and my little sister order a plain saimin…
My spareribs were EXTREMELY overlooked. I was a little worried to eat them because d how dark they were but my parents said it was fine. My sister was eating her saimin… About halfway through when we freaks out and says «THERES A WORM IN MY NOODLES!»… I glance over and instantly lose my appetite… My dad immediately called a waitress over and she just looked at it and grabbed the bowl, and said «you want another order?» … IS SHE FREAKING CRAZY! Hell no we didn’t want another order. And mind you she didn’t even apologize!
The bill comes and the WORM SAIMIN IS STILL ON OUR BILL!!! We walk over to the manager and tell him that we will not be paying for it. Then he proceeds to tell the waiter ringing us up to take the saimin off the bill. We tell him that we are going to write a bad review and he says «I DONT CARE»… WOW!!! My dad said learn some customer service man!!! I of corse get upset as well and say that not a single person has apologized for this!!! And his response — «we already take off bill. What more do you want»…
I AM SO UPSET AND DISGUSTED AS I WRITE THIS REVIEW. I FEEL SICK AND CANNOT BELIEVE THIS RESTAURANT IS STILL OPEN!!! WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE FOUND BUGS IN THEIR FOOD. SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN! THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!

My former manager told me that this was his family’s favorite Chinese restaurant. Since he’s my main Chinese connection, I listen to him on all things Chinese. I even consulted him when it was my coworker’s 50^th birthday and I wanted to know what they would do for such a special occasion. Anyway, my parents thought car buying/​researching was a tiring, hunger-​inducing experience. My dad had asked where we should eat and the car salesman directed us here. I figured it was good because my manager had told me that his family eats here.
We came on a Saturday late afternoon (around 2), so no one else was in the restaurant. The workers were all eating their dinner (or late lunch). We were quickly seated. We got the normal minute chicken cake noodle, kau yuk (?), crispy gau gee, eggplant, and some other things. They were quite quick and the food was tasty. The food did come out all at once but it was okay since we were all hungry. The prices were good as well.
The people were as friendly as they get in Chinese restaurants if you know what I mean. They weren’t overly friendly/​courteous like in a Japanese restaurant but they weren’t entirely rude either. I call that a win!
I would come here again if I was in the area, which is not often. Just to let you know that this place is located in the 99 Ranch complex and it’s out of sight unless you know where you’re going. It’s also sort of dingy but I guess that adds to the charm and the fact that they have been in business for awhile (which is a good thing). Try it out for yourself :).

Happy 70^th birthday to my cousin!
My mom, cousins, sisters, aunties, nieces, and I gathered for a surprise birthday party — and it was fabulous! The food (7 courses), the service, the free parking, the restrooms, environment, etc. were great! We occupied 3 tables in the private room and had 2 extra tables for our own appetizers, birthday cake, gifts, and beverages.
LOCATION:
Formerly called 99 Ranch, 99 Moanalua is an enclosed building, full of different vendors, at the end of Mapunapuna Street. Go to the far left of the building. The restaurant is at the back corner.
FOOD:
Scallop soup; Peking Duck (with crispy skin); Ginger Chicken; Salt & Pepper Shrimp (with fried garlic flakes); Beef with fresh Chinese peas; Special Birthday Noodles; tender Kau Yook with Taro & Buns; and white rice — everything was tasty and beautiful!
SERVICE:
Our tea pot and water glasses were refilled without our asking. We all had wooden disposable chopsticks at our place settings (instead of those slippery plastic ones). Take home boxes and plastic bags were given for the leftovers. Staff took our group photo and the owner even wanted to be in one of the photos!
In the past, I have been here for a post-​funeral meal, my dad’s 75^th birthday party, lunch with a fellow Unilocaler, meeting before a trip, etc, This restaurant is consistently good, and may be even better now that there is a new owner! (Hint, hint!)

This Chinese Restaurant is located in the old 99 Ranch Market or now known as Mouanlua 99. It is at the end in the back. They have their own separate door to get into. We went here on Christmas day. And I would tell you they were busy.
Walking into the restaurant you can tell its a Chinese Restaurant because of the atmosphere. They have several seats outdoor if you are waiting for your party. They also have their own bathroom, so you don’t have to go into Mouanalua 99 to use their bathroom.
We sat down at the table and the first thing that came out was the soup. This was actually pretty good. However it was a bit warm when we got it, but very manageable to drink it. The next dish we got was lobster with oyster sauce. This was very good. I enjoyed this dish very much. Another dish I also enjoyed was a crispy ginger chicken. It was very moist.
I would recommend if any one is around in the area for Chinese food this is a place to come to.

Man, I don’t even know where to begin…
I’ve eaten at Wah Kung about 5 times with my family, and each time it’s been okay. The food is usually really great (I’m really easy to please when it comes to Chinese food) but the service is usually really poor. Being in the service industry, I like to attend to my customers within the first 3 minutes they arrive to offer drinks and take orders – here it takes at least 10 – 15 minutes for them to even acknowledge you.
Getting to my experience last night (8÷8÷2014), I was really stoked to eat here. My party and I ended up ordering the Scallop Soup, 2 order of Honey Walnut Shrimp, Pork & Watercress Cake Noodles, 1 Order of dry Cake Noodles, Rice, and Steamed Garlic Fish. The waitresses kept passing our table and ignoring us entirely – until we had to flag her down and ask her to take our orders. The restaurant was pretty packed because there was a party there, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore everyone else entirely.
Once our orders were taken, the food came out pretty fast. The scallop soup was delicious and I was eagerly waiting for my cake noodles. As soon as they came out, I quickly put some on my plate without looking and just started munching on it. I was eating some shrimp when my friend looks at me and says, «Uh… guys… there’s a BEE IN THE CAKE NOODLES.»
I spit out my food and wanted to gag. I thought he was joking at first, but I quickly looked at the plate and saw a LIVE BEE IN MY CAKE NOODLES THAT WAS COOKED. I was really kicking myself because I didn’t look at the plate ahead of time because I ate some of those noodles. My friends started to take pictures and as a waitress walked by, I flagged her down and told her about the bee. She noticed we were taking pictures and quickly snatched the food away from me before asking, «Do you want me to box this for you?» UMM, ARE YOU INSANE? I’M NOT GOING TO EAT CAKE NOODLE WITH A BEE IN IT. I told her no, and she proceeded to ask me if I wanted another order. I told her I was done and that I wanted my check.
She gave me my check and it still had the Cake Noodles on it, and the Steamed Fish (which I didn’t even end up getting). I told her I wasn’t paying for the noodles or the fish, so she angrily took the check away and ONLY TOOK OF THE CAKE NOODLES. She MADE ME pay for something I didn’t get and DIDN’T EVEN END UP DISCOUNTING ME FOR THE BEE IN MY FOOD.
I’ve never not tipped before because I’m a server and I understand how important tips are, but what happened yesterday was the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had. As a server, you should ALWAYS check the food you bring out because you are the last line between the kitchen and the restaurant. I’ll NEVER be going back to Wah Kung, and I advise you all to do the same!

What would you do for a Klondike bar? Or in this case… GOOD Chinese food! If I’m being completely honest, yes the place is extremely dated but since I’m not eating the décor I could overlook that aspect. And if seeing a fly or two… or three swarm about at the table bothers you… maybe don’t go here. But again, WHAT would you do for a Klondike… oops, Chinese food? Miraculously those flies disappeared when the food came. Or did they?
If you’ve never been here finding the place is quite confusing but then again, I’m so easily directionally confused! The restaurant in located inside Ranch 99. Once you go in, veer to the left and keep walking straight until you find the restaurant sign. Parking was not an issue and found it quite easy to find a spot. Since neither my husband nor I have ever been to this restaurant, I was convinced that he had the place completely wrong. C’mon, a separate restaurant within a food court and amongst shopping «kiosks?» Yes… he was right and I was wrong (now it’s official since it’s in writing).
So I’m guessing that this is a favorite amongst the local community since the place was packed! We were guests at a private party in a separate room that maxed out at 50 people easily. The service was synchronized beautifully with all the tables being served simultaneously without a wait. We had the added bonus of getting the grumpy, old Chinese woman who snarled and scolded us when we asked for extra things. It was quite comical and I accepted the fact that it was part of the «package.» I was probably the only «asian» person eating there without chopsticks (yes…my husband forgot my cheater sticks). Without a fork I would’ve starved or have been rude to eat with my hands. So you can imagine the chagrin when I asked our adorable waitress for a fork and a straw.
Nevertheless, the food was EXCELLENT!
–First off… the thinly sliced SALT AND PEPPER PORK CHOPS were a huge hit! They were deep fried, crispy on the outside, tender and tasty on the inside. This dish inspires me to compile a list… ODE TO CHOPS. Yeah, it was terrifically good! That dish alone with a side of rice or veggies would have been a stand alone dish if not for all the other entrees that followed.
–But before all the other entrees followed we were served a hot bowl of egg drop soup. The soup was not anything spectacular nor the steamed bun with the crispy duck skin with a slight douse of plum sauce and thinly slivered green onions (I’m told by Paul C. that this is served first for special events) that followed. This wasn’t my favorite but to be proper, I had a few bites.
–The walnut-​shrimp dish served in the beautiful taro bowl was tasty as it was beautiful to look at! I haven’t met a walnut-​shrimp dish that I didn’t like and this was no exception. The shrimp was deveined, cooked to perfection with just the right amount of «sticky sauce» on the outside. It sat on a bed of candied walnuts within the taro bowl.
–Another favorite was the STEAMED fish with thinly slivered ginger and green onions. Ever so light and oh so flavorful! It was beautifully presented by the grumpy, adorable, old Chinese lady (we were so pleased with the dishes that her demeanor only added to our dining pleasure).
–The roasted duck was beautiful as well (I’m not a fan of duck but it sure was pretty) but I did not partake in eating the duck.
–By the time the beef with vegetables arrived our table we were all stuffed! I did have a smidgen of the veggies and it was cooked to perfection — not overdone and not too raw.
–I’m also told that the noodles arrive last at a Chinese feast. And that it did… oh my! I had to «rest» my utensil a bit to allow myself to stand up and let my food migrate to my toes just so I could get a mouthful of noodles to taste. I wish it had come before the duck and beef but who am I to change tradition. It was super yummy and beckoned a few more bites before I surrendered for the evening.
At the end of the evening… the flies and the grumpy service were well forgotten and accepted. I shudder to think what’s in the kitchen but I am more to willing to accept that ignorance is bliss and all the super yummy goodness had some «ancient Chinese secret» that did not induce a comatose state after the meal nor induce a food binge after a few hours at home. Oh to be a fly on the wall at Kung Wah Restaurant… that would be a treat!

Love the Chinese Chicken Salad, if my review was only for the salad it would be five stars! I come here a lot, mostly for lunch and take away for a week night when I just can’t think of what I feel like cooking.
The Oyster sauce Chicken on cake noodles is a favorite. The chicken is always moist, well done and the cake noodles are fried with the crisp top & bottom that shouts the cook knows what he’s doing. The oyster sauce is not overpowering as some make it. Another favorite is the Cold Ginger Chicken. Right up there with the salad IMO and rarely leave it off the order. I can eat the ginger with a spoon it is awesome.
On the Beef entries our standards are Beef Broccoli on Chow Fun, Mongolian Beef and Beef with Black Mushrooms. Really like the Kau Yuk with a Taro and all their duck offerings are excellent.
Another favorite is their soups! If you let it be known you are going to Wah Kung, especially on a rainy day, you will be bringing back a box of soup containers with a dozen different choices. All good. My personal fav is the Bah Chun Wor Mein, every thing in it including gizzards, liver and tripe. Excellent! Wah Kung’s house fried rice and two orders of crisp Gau Gee rounds out the take away.
We sometimes come as a family for dinner. Service is quick and the kids always comment we need to have the giant round table with the lazy Susan in the middle at home. Parking is never an issue on the weekend or after work but lunch can be a different story.

Wah Kung is a «landmark» restaurant in the Mapunapuna/​Salt Lake/​Moanalua neighborhood. When we’re in the area, we’ll drop in to order a «quick» wor won ton mein or for family style, a steamed fish and kau yuk with taro. Wah Kung may be one of last Chinese restaurants on Oahu who still prepares Braised Boneless Stuffed Duck. This dish used to be a «mainstay» on our family 9-​course dinners along with deep fried stuffed oysters wrapped in caul fat. Of course, because of the time consuming preparation efforts and multitude of ingredients, you have to place an advance order. It’s worth the wait!
We stopped in today to grab a dish of beef chow funn with black bean sauce. The sauce was thick, dark and full of salted black beans with chunks of green bell peppers and onions that almost drowned the soft slices of look funn. It was simple, tasty, neighborhood Chinese food with value… we weren’t looking for haute cuisine!