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Ho Win Palace Restaurant & Lounge
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
11 reviews for Ho Win Palace Restaurant & Lounge
I have been eating at Ho Win Palace since I was a fetus. Ho Win Palace was simply where you went for Chinese Food while I was growing up. Sure, I knew other places existed, but they were strange, mysterious places that "other" people went to. It wasn't until I became a rebellious adolescent that I began experimenting, only to realize that *GASP* not all Chinese Food tasted like Ho Win Chinese food!
I went far and wide and could find no other place that mastered the art of a chicken finger like Ho Win. No other institution that would be fit to wash the sacred woks that Ho Win makes their fried rice in. Where, oh where, were the delicious little pillows filled with sweet creamy cheese and crab meat that Ho Win always served? Why was every other place woefully inept at cooking a chicken wing? Why, WHY for the love of all things holy, was Kowloon considered to be a good chinese food restaurant???
No, my friends, don't be fooled by their prime location and fancy Polynesian water fountains, Kowloon can't hold a Pu Pu Platter Flame to the food at Ho Win. Let my irresponsible rebellion be a lesson to you all - there was a reason that my family rang in every New Years with food from Ho Win Palace and a reason I still drive all the way from Watertown when I want Chinese - because fantastic Chinese food is hard to come by. Luckily you all have Yelp and now know just where to find it.
Ho Win's was THE place to go for Chinese on New Years Eve, there was no other place that could compare and its the same now. I've been to sushi bars and uptown fusion bars etc etc....but something was lacking. I realized what that was when I went back to Ho Wins for the first time in ages and tasted their fare! AH! this is what was missing! The decorum is fantastically as it should be, stuck in the 70's, and if you are lucky you'll catch the local elder italians cocktail hour and be serenaded with Italian oldies! Great Place! Never Change!
Me and the family ended up at Ho Win Palace in Everett. My mom wanted to go to Kowloon but I was not feeling like traveling there on the T...so not convenient. We ordered a PuPu Platter, lobster sauce, egg fu yung, pork fried rice, and crab rangoons. All of the food was fresh and served piping hot. My only complaint was the crab rangoon filling was too liquidy. There was no texture whatsoever.....just smooth liquidy cream that tasted bland as heck. Loved the chicken fingers and lobster sauce the best. I would go here more often if it was not so chilly these days. i will be back though. BTW the decorum leaves A LOT to be desired....lol. Mom loved it!
Everytime I drove by this place, the parking lot was full, so I thought...this place must be good and it is!
I love the old school, red boothed, I am gonna get a drink with an umbrella kind of Chinese restaurant. My son and I shared chicken fingers, rice and lobster sauce, not exactly my favorite things to order, but they were all quite good. Now I stop in whenever we are in the area.
I would much rather stop here than Kowloon any day, I just dont get the hype with that place, just dont get it.
I always thought Kowloon had the best and strongest drinks. Until I went to this place, but first the food.
The food actually isnt that bad. The lobster sauce is probably the best I have had ever, and the chicken fingers acheived that fine balance of greasiness and crispiness that is rarely achieved. Good stuff.
But the drinks. Me likely. A single $6.25 Zombie fucked me up more than 3 mai tais at the Kowloon (Total: $21). Seriously, I am convinced they just pour the glass full of 151 and then add a pinch of red food coloring, its that strong. If you want to get a cheap buzz and eat some decent chinese food (preferably in that order), this place isnt bad. In fact, its divine.
So I love bars with pictures of their drinks-- they get extra points when they're served in tiki heads (which this one does not) and also when there is so much booze in them that this light weight sniffs them and starts feeling hot in the face (which this one does!).
The decor is very 1960s quote-un-quote-Asian....with big chandeliers, wood paneling, large print curtains, and weird carpeting....but what can you expect when you pull off rte 16 into what looks like the side yard of a junk yard in everett?
The menu is pretty standard-- and the execution is good. I always order the boneless spareribs-- it's my litmus test for the standard Chinese menu-- and they were solidly produced.
The portions were heaping so we took a bunch home and it was just as good the next day....which is another characteristic I appreciate in restaurants such as this.
It appears to always be sort of empty...maybe it's the location....but they're still in business, so they must be doing something right.
Greasy, culturally inaccurate Chinese food is actually one of my favorite things on the planet. I have thankfully been introduced to actual Chinese food by Kit Y. over the years, but something always brings me back to the Pu-Pu platter and Lobster Sauce you can get as easily as you can find a Burger King.
Ho Win Palace is like a Tiki Bar you would see in a movie that was going for that kitschy hasn't-been-renovated-in-50-years type feel except it's totally genuine, complete with wood paneling, chandeliers, and randomly displayed paper decorations. Points for preservation.
The drinks were sadly not served in fake coconuts, but they were strongenough to send even my grandmother's liver into shock. The Spare Ribs were copious, the duck sauce thick and sweet and the chicken fingers were crispy.
The odd thing was that before our food came they brought a bread service. Besides the fact that this is totally out of place, they brought us cold, unsliced sub rolls with butter. What? And fortune cookie fortunes were also disparaging, but I can't blame the establishment for that.
I'm honestly impressed with this place. No frills, good quality, decently priced chinese food. I have only been in here for lunch and the place has been empty so I never had a problem with the service and the food never disappointed.
And they serve alcohol which is always a bonus.
This is a nice Cozy place to meet friends and relax.
It has a comfy atmosphere. Lena is the Proprieter, and the rest of the staff are friendly and pleasant.
The food is always great and so is the service.
There is always a smile there for you.
It is a great place to go, and let the traffic die down before you get onto Rte. One North.
Never had the food but the drinks are strong and GOOD!
My absolute favorite Chinese restaurant in the area. They make Kowloon look overpriced and pretentious. My favorite thing on the menu is the Hot and Sour soup..this shit has healing properties folks. Whenever I am sick, I go and get a to go order. Tasty not overly spicy with lots of veggies and ground pork. Just wish they would throw in some chow mein noodles in the bag like they do back home in CT. Awesome Egg Rolls which taste homemade and not pre frozen. Lunch specials come with soup of the day, which wasn't advertised but always delicious. I tend to stay away from Beef dishes here because one time I had Beef and Mushrooms and the meat was quite tough. Everything else id delish!!!!
