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Need something to take to friends on the mainland? Nothing is better than something you can eat! The manapua's (steamed pork bun aka char siu bow) and pork hash are excellent here. It's really an unassuming spot on a corner. When you walk in it feels like you walked into an old factory or something. It's usually always busy with people coming in and out. Looks kind of gritty, but oh yeah it's good! We usually call and order in advance and pick them up on the way to the airport. Always order a few for yourself so you can munch on them on the plane. You just gotta love it when you bust open the bun with an explosion or red pork and steam. Everyone around will be jealous.
Just so you know, this isn't really a restaurant either.
Parking is brutal. If you're picking up you can dash in and out real quick and hope that the police aren't coasting by. There also is a few pay lots in the area about a block or so away.
The "closed" on Tuesday bites my ass every time. Brawr! I'm guessing my stomach sounds like that when I get rejected from anticipated manapua.
There is something really comforting about the bare bones, warehouse type of operation with big round steam racks of manapua cooling, and sweet aunties that are ready to tie up a box of goodies. The char siu filling issue is all relative. Some days I get one that is bursting with char siu, and others not so much or in one big lump on the side. I could really care less about the lack of red dye in the meat. Less staining on my white shirt when I drop a big chunk. No matter what, the char siu doesn't come with tough, gelatinous misc parts of fat. Get the pork hash on the side. They go good together.
Yum!!!!
I'm in love! I was so scared to go in here before today. Like everyone says it has a pretty ghetto warehouse look to it and it feels very soup nazi-ish (I had to listen to the two people ahead of me order so I knew what was going down before it was my turn). The order taking guy was super nice and hummed along to Jimmy B's Margaritaville as he took orders on slips of paper that he passed off to the aunties boxing up the doughy pork goodness.
Before I moved to Hawaii I am pretty sure I didn't even know what manapua was. Now I am considering starting a fan club. I'm not sure what the draw is, but I can't help myself and have tried them from many places and I like this one the best. I, like many others here, appreciate that they are not funky pink red meat filled and instead the insides look like what shredded pork should look like. Even the dough has a good flavor that doesn't take away from the pork star of the show.
I only live a few blocks away but I had to dig into my tied up like a present package and munch on one on the way home. Wish I'd bought more!
No worries, now that I know the drill, if I ever pop across the street for dim sum, I know what I'll be taking home!
yummy steamed manapuas and pork hash.
for baked, royal kitchen is the place to go!
I come here for the manapua. I like to think of myself as a manapua connoisseur- I've tried it all over the island and this is hands down the best! I like it because the meat is the closest thing to eating regular kalua pork rather than the red-dyed doctored up gelatinous mystery mass kind. And it's big and soft and doughy. And it's $1. I guess a lot of people don't know about this place because the entrance is kind of obscure and warehouse like as others have mentioned, but if you're in chinatown check it out and try the delicious manapua.
I've noticed that these manapua are getting doughier, with less pork filling...but I'm gonna let it slide. I kinda like dough.
This is great for potlucks, soccer game snacks, parade route lunch.
Manapua ****
Pork Hash ***** (mostly pork, very little noodle wrapper)
Half Moon *** (the wrapper is a little thick on this, I'd do ONLY Pork Hash)
It's also pretty cheap. If I were homeless, this would be another place I'd spend my hard earned pan-handling pennies.
I really love this place. It's in Chinatown so it's walking distance for me. It's so dang fast. One day I just wanted a little snack: 1 manapua and 2 half moons. As I was getting my money out of my wallet for the $2.48, the little baggie of my order was set down on the counter and I was out of there.
In the past I've had the pork hash and some of their noodles (can't remember the name of them), but they were good too with the sauce it comes with.
Just know that this is NOT a restaurant, more like a factory. They seem to have grandma and grandma working on all the different foods. I love the quick food there. I just wish it was open longer in the day.
if you can get past the severe ghetto-ness of the place, you'll find that the manapua filling here has not only a pleasant texture but great flavor.
the filling does NOT have gross fatty chunks of char siu like other places - it has a fine shred of flavored pork that fills the entire cavity of the bao and leaves you wanting another.
the half moons arent half bad either and the pork hash, while nothing special, is a good buffer between baos.
really - get over the ghetto-ness.... and they're some of the best bao you'll ever have.
When I was growing up, every family trip to Honolulu ended at Char Hung Sut the morning of our flight back to the Big Island. We'd take boxes of their manapua and pork hash home with us, and we'd often freeze most of it so that we could enjoy the pork-y goodness for the next few months. The flavors are excellent--my favorite pork hash and manapua in the islands!
This makes a great gift to take to the outer islands. Call early to place your order, as their products sell quickly. They'll wrap your order very nicely for travelers.
I am not a fan of pork buns. I don't eat the Chinese version, char siu bao, nor the local version. BUT, my co-worker made me try one from here and it was actually good! I liked it b/c it was shredded pork and it was plain - no pink stuff glazing chunks of pork.
Of course I'll eat my Mom's homemade Filipino version of this, Siopao (chicken and egg filling only for me please!) but this is a very rare occasion. So if I ever have a craving for a manapua, I'll pick one up here at Char Hung Sut. Which I did last week (snack before my haircut).
Holy cow!!! No one has posted this up for a review? I feel so honored!!! Anyone who's anyone in Hawaii who eats manapua and dim sum knows this place. My hair dresser packs it up by the dozen to take home to the bay area. I would too, if luggage didn't cost an arm and a leg.
When I was growing up my dad would bring us goodies from Char Hung Sut - Manapua, half moon, pork hash, etc. Heck I didn't eat dim sum from any other place because once you go here you can't really go anywhere else. Is it that good? Maybe I'm biased as it's my childhood memory, but I swear when I go back to taste it, it's as if time stood still.
i guess its because of the chinese new year, but damn, the manapua here makes me soo happy!
$1 for a nice sized manapua that is a yummy doughfilled with char siu goodness! i love it soo!!!
the pork hash and the half moon is pretty damn good!
come early!
i'm gonna try eat a manapua a day for chinese new year! hehe
I love the manapua here! there is soo much bread i luv it! the meat inside is very tasty...the pork… Read more »
nothing special, the manapua to me was OK. actually it was too dry to be honest, and it was mostly bun not much pork. idk maybe its because i didnt grow up eating char hung sut. libbys sells similar style steamed buns, and i liked theirs a lot more.
The manapua here is delicious, finely shredded pork with hardly any fat. The buns are a little doughy, but totally worth it for the shredded pork inside. All of their items freeze well for travel and can be defrosted in the micro w/ a wet paper towel over them.
You can't go wrong ordering anything from their very basic menu.
If you're going outer island call ahead as I think they close on Tuesdays. They also pack your order for travel if you ask them.
I'd heard people rave about Char Hung Sut for years, so I thought I'd finally try it out. As others have mentioned, there is no display case at Char Hung Sut -- just a menu (high up on the wall near the entrance) and a counter to order at.
What are Chinese takeout places in Hawai'i usually known for? Manapua (char siu bao). So I got some of that. A relative raved about their ma tai soo, so I got some of that, too.
The manapua was very bread-y -- not a problem with me, as I'm a fan of bread. What I DID have a problem with was the meat inside. The char siu was shredded and on the lean, dry side. Who wants lean pork in their manapua?!
The ma tai soo was OK -- flaky on the outside, which was nice -- but the insides were nothing to write home about. I felt a little ripped off, because there was a gaping hole on the inside that should have been filled with vegetable goodness, but it was maybe about half full.
On one hand, it's cheap stuff (see the menu photo I've uploaded for prices as of April 2008). On the other hand, Kwong On was cheap, it was good, and you could SEE what you were getting before you ordered it. Damn you for closing, Kwong On. It seems finding a replacement isn't as easy as all that!
I went here to do a side by side comparison of their char siu bao with Libby Manapua and found that, although delicious, it didn't measure up to Libby's. If you aren't a fan of a good amount of dough, I wouldn't recommend this place. The dough and the char siu are both delicious but it just didn't match the flavor that Libby's had. I would still happily get bao from here if Libby's was too busy or out of the way!
Manapua's?? Anytime!! As long as they're from Char Hung Sut!!
If you don't know what a manapua is, it's a large sized char siu bao! It's de-lovely! And deelicious!
As long as I can remember from my "small-kid" years, I've always ate manapua from Char Hung Sut. My family should have stock in this place since we eat their foods all the time. My grandpa got us grandkids hooked on their stuff. Everything...from the manapua, to the pork hash, pepeiao, rice cake, half moons...ooh man! I'd even eat the manapua while sitting in the water at Punalu'u beach at 9am!...ahh, the good 'ole days.
The bread for the manapua is distinct...in smell, texture and flavor. It's by far the best. The char siu meat is sweet, not a lot of fat and not too oily like some other places. You'd never see a big 'ol piece of pork fat hiding in the crevice of a Char Hung Sut manapua!!
Prices here can't be beat.
In order to get what you want, you NEED to get there early! I'm talking before 7am here!! They usually sell out by 9am! No kidding!! Lines start to form at 6am sometimes.
Oh, and the manapua is another item that does pretty well on a flight from Honolulu to San Francisco too!
Awesome pork hash, some say the best on the island. Their manapua are pretty good, too. A little dirty, though -- I've found unexpected bugs in the food before. All the same, worth it. Really.
My favorite standard manapua. I don't know how it compares to authentic char siu bao, but I like that the filling is not as fatty or gristly as many, nor is it some freakishly pink/red hue. Relatively inexpensive and a good value. One will make a meal. Pork hash, half moon, and pepeyau also worth trying here.
Gross manapua. If you really want dim sum, go across the street to Mei Sum. It is 20 times better.
Not really a fan of the big manapua. A lot of bread but not too much meat inside. The other dim sum is okay. Don't really like the layout of the place. Kinda freaky when they are making/placing the dim sum near you.
11/2/07: I stopped by mid-morning to place an order to take to the outer islands. This was my second visit and attempt, on my first trip, I went during the lunch hour and they had already sold all their manupua's. Busy busy location, when you enter, you basically walk into the kitchen where they are hand making the various things they sell. After placing my order, I returned after Noon to pick up. They wrapped everything nice together for travel, I got home and ate the maunapau's and pork hash (siu mai) about 5-6 hours later. Not bad, this is clearly the hawaiian version maunapas - not the same as what I've had in san francisco or in hong kong. Good, fresh food - would return again, this makes a great gift for those outer island friends/relatives-
I usually decline eating processed or otherwise unidentifiable mashed-up meat, so I pass on items like manapua or pork hash. I do, however, enjoy the manapua at Char Hung Sut. Their manapua is actually filled with lean shredded pork, rather than the usual gigantic hunks of fat and gristle. They also serve the other usual dim sum items, but get there early in the morning, or you might miss out.
Their so called manapua turns out to be the same as the pseudo char siu boa of 30 some years ago I ate back in California before the influx of authentic Cantonese cooks to the US. Characteristically big, with 80% bread and rough in texture, they represent amateurish culninary art of early Chinese immigrants from Guangdong province. They didn't survive trying to compete with the real art in California.
The rest of the stuff this place sells are comparable, with very thick skinned gau gee and rough imitation siu my etc.
But I do see lines at the counter. They are mostly local Hawaiians and Micronesians.
Personally, instead of spending $1.00 for one manapua, I would rather buy the real char siu boa at those real dim sum places within its two neighborhood blocks, or just drop by the local fast food chains and hit the $ menus. For a dollar, one can get some good deals at McDonalds, Wendys or Jack in the box etc.
My humble opinion.
Simply the best Manapua I've had on Oahu. Closed Tuesdays. Get there early.
I don't know the official time Char Hung Sut opens. But, I've been there before 6AM pickup dozens of Manapua for the gang at work.
The manapua's bread part is too large and dense for me... I like a lighter, puffier steamed manapua. The pork insides are just ok, a little dry for me because it's lean meat. The chicken manapua is good though.
Honolulu, HI
Category: Restaurants
Honolulu, HI
Category: Chinese
Honolulu, HI
Category: Restaurants
Honolulu, HI
Category: Korean
Honolulu, HI
Category: Japanese
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