On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Loading...
This was *THE* place to go when I was in high school, mind you, that was the early ninetes and I probably spent at least an hour volumizing my hair just to go there. For some reason, we thought it was a special place. All my girlfriends and I came here for our last night out before we left for college. There was drama and there was more drama.... and that's before I even get to the food and the place....
If you live nearby, you have probably come here for the comedy or the food or the drinks or *something*. If you live nearby and haven't been here, check it out. It's a North Shore staple! I haven't been back since that fateful day in 1992, so I plan to go back sometime soon. My husband hasn't ever been, so I think I might have to take him there. Since, by my own advice, it is a North Shore staple.
I was not impressed with the food whatsoever. The crab Rangoon was nothing but empty shells, the teriyaki meat was dry and the pork fried rice was terrible.
I will not eat at this establishment ever again.
I do like the late night comedy club upstairs. This is the only function I will attend when I go to Kowloon's.
Ummm, right.
Driving up Rt. 1 you see this building and go.. WTF?
I've been here several times, mostly for the novelty of it when I was in high school - recently for my work Christmas party. Can't say I would ever really want to set foot in here again.
Yeah the decor is outta control cheesy, and yeah after a few drinks it somehow starts to make sense, but why is that every time I eat here I feel an uncontrollable urge to want end it all.
The food really isn't great tasting, nor is it prepared phenomenally. And my chicken tastes exactly like your shrimp dish...and his pork dish. Yeah, I think I am all set.
Christmas rolls around and someone in the office thought it was a grand idea to have the office party here. Why? I don't know. I really can't explain it.
So we go upstairs to the function hall, have our office party with 4 other office parties. We share watered down drinks and that awful food in copious, buffet style portions. All in all, OK. I can deal with this for an hour and a half, maybe two hours.
And then the comedian came on...AWFUL. Awful awful awful. All you got was pussy jokes, and the clinking of people's dinnerware. Believe me that sitting next to my 60yr old Admin who goes to Church every Sunday & hearing pussy jokes was not my idea of comfortable, let alone a good time.
Yeah. Good choice on that one guys.
Drinking the Polynesian Punch...
As I close on my second year of living in Mass, I started to look back at eateries that I haven't tried. I have driven, weaved and curesed driving down Rt 1 I must have passed Kowloon a thousand times. I can honestly say that I never once felt the urge to stop and eat. I have allergies to tacky. This place screams big time tacky.
Around lunch time, the co-workers and I were discussing our meal options. For some unknown reason I suggested Kowloon. What was I thinking? I guess I thought this might be an adventure.
Traffic was light on Rt 1 so arriving was a snap. There seemed to be plenty of cars in the acres of parking but in the insided there wasn't many people. I didn't take a census inside but the cars to patron ration was 2-1 cars to patrons.
The decor of this place screams early 1970's. I could almost close my eyes and imagine Bruce Lee in a Kung Fu action flick from the time. Red table clothes and napkins adorned the tables. It appeared a little untidy and must have seen brighter days. The booths had some serious length working too. I am pretty sure you could fit eight adults easy!
The lunch menu seemed pretty reasonable. I went with the #13 - SS Chicken, Veggies and Rice. The service was lightening fast and my order was first out of the chute. The Chicken was tasty, Rice was just ok, and the Veggies didn't work for me. In all it was pretty ordinary experience.
I can now say I have been to Kowloon but can't see it becoming a staple any time soon...
The Loon. An enigmatic creature perched on a hill in a town called Saugus, a lovely place where neon signs go to flicker out and die. (I genuinely think those signs are a beautiful thing.)
I came here for a birthday fete. It seemed like a lot of people do this because there were a ton of groups here. It's massive. Eventually I found my way to my crowd, with no help from the staff. "Just walk. Walk round." Don't mind if I do!
I got a Zombie. It was a tall mother, with crushed ice and after a few sips my esophagus was seared. Burns so good. But, in the end, it did the trick. My friend's cough syrup martini and mojito were horrible. I don't think I've sampled drinks that bad maybe ever. We got her a Mai Tai to follow which was much better. #1 rule of life: friends don't let friends have shit b-day drinks. Stay with the Polynesian standards and stray from the fancy pants concoctions.
I don't think we had an assigned waiter, there seemed to be a revolving door of vested men there to forget my drink and misappear for long stretches. I had my bad decision hat on when it came time to order foods, and got some stupid semblance of shrimp when I should have just ordered simple veg sushi. It was ok. I sampled some scallion pancakes and eel in a sushi bowl and both were also ok, but off a bit.
When I was done eating my attention drifted to my surroundings. Ominous clouds painted above rocky, uninhabited shores made up the backdrop. Dusty palm trees and plastic black lava groped at us off the walls. Eeps. We've got to get off the island. Where's Faraday when you need a little indigestional course correction?
This is the epitome of the american chinese restaurant - polynesian food. The Wong family had founded this huge shrine of american chinese food so many years ago I can't remember. This place is a local landmark on Route 1 and has a loyal following of regulars. Don't expect gourmet authentic chinese cuisine here, you will need to go to Chinatown for that, but this is a great place to kick back, have a scorpion bowl, and some "chinese" appetizers with friends.
I grew up in the area so a lot of events and fundraisers have been held here, I have also been to a lot of parties here and as much as the atmosphere is fun, which it is the rest is just not that wonderful.
The drinks are strong but really expensive, the staff is hit or miss and the food itself is nothing extraordinary. They are really accommodating if you have more than four people but when you try to have a meal with just two it's awful. I guess they cater more towards the parties and such. Which makes sense to them as far as money goes but makes it hard for people to go on a date here and expect to get stuff done quickly.
One time even with four people we had to search for our waiter to get us refills on soda! Soda! I mean it takes two seconds a cup and we were literally 10 feet away from the fountain! WTF?!
The menu is giant and a bit overwhelming. Attempting to try something new is always a challenge because of the sheer cost of everything.
Standbys here are the Saugus Wings, and the PuPu Platters. If you are willing to share a Scorpion Bowl I'd say do it and the rest of the drink menu is decent too but you might as well go all out and just get the Scorpion Bowl.
I do come here a few times a year but there are better places with better service and better food at better prices.
I've never been to a restaurant with such TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!
They refused to take a take out order over the phone. Then when we drove 40 minutes to get there, the door was locked and I called again to get let in. The lady only didn't listen to me and just kept hanging up saying that they were closed!! They were open and serving people inside.
When some patrons were leaving, they let me in. Once inside, one manager pointed me out to the front desk and said I could order there. I got to the front desk and there was the girl who kept hanging up on me. She then refused to take my order saying that the cooks had already left. Why would she tell me to come order in person if the kitchen staff wouldn't be there?!?!?
The owner was not there, and the other manager didn't help at all and just said that the kitchen staff left and there was nothing that they could do.
DO NOT COME HERE!! Irresponsible, unaccommodating, and unfriendly staff!!!!
TWO THUMBS DOWN
I will have to disagree with other statements about this place. This place has in fact stood still in time. I find most Polynesian type places highly overrated, and this was by far the worst I've ever experienced. I had better food at hospitals, the decor was cheesy and seriously old, and the place literally smelled like my Grandmother's linen closet.
Aside from that...the service was horrendous. Our waiter, if you could call him such, was rude and unhelpful. He actually "huffed" at us when we asked him for something.
If the food was at least flavorful, I might suggest this place. But otherwise, you should just order in from a respected Chinese delivery joint and save yourself the hassle. My girlfriend and I joked about the fact that EVERYTHING tasted like it was frozen and that the kitchen consisted of nothing more than 25 microwaves and a couple super sized walk in fridges. I didn't get to confirm this but I wouldn't be shocked.
The review should be considered null and void under one condition...it is super late, nothing else is open...and you are too drunk to care. That is the only "pro" I can list is how late it is open.
Kowloon's a blast from the past. The place looks like it was made in the seventies and has not changed. I was literally laughing out loud as my boyfriend and I were seated in what looked like a scene from Casino.
The food is not what's keeping this place afloat in these tough economic times. I was briefed over giant Scorpion Bowls with the facts of Kowloon. Mainly, it's where you bring a date if you're from the north shore. It's never the intended destination for the night. Even if you end up spending your night here, it's never intended. It's where you can find mediocre stand up comedy weekly. If you don't have at least one drunken story involving the Kowloon, well then, you're not from the north shore.
The Kowloon, a gem in its own way, is like riding a moped, fun to do when no one's looking.
This is the second to worst Chinese food I have ever had. The Egg Drop Soup was slimy, and the Chin Lui Chicken, which is chicken, red and green peppers, and broccoli cooked in a special hot sauce, was not even the least bit spicy. Hello?? Not in the least.
Even the egg roll was terrible - worst one that I have had. It certainly didn't taste fresh and seemed mushy inside - as if it had been frozen for far too long. My fiance's sushi was also sub par - nothing remotely interesting or tasty.
And the drinks - too expensive for what you received. I ordered a rum drink that was quoted as being "served in a pineapple." What an expensive scam! I should have known better since my drink came in a CERAMIC pineapple. Not a fresh pineapple at all. And not even a large drink after all of that.
I suppose people go for the atmosphere. We were seated in the big ship - so, so funny! It is nuts inside, but since the food is so bad - why even bother? We also went to the bar after our meal before the comedy show. The bar was a scary, scary meat market of a bar. I swear you could pick up a disease along with your one-night stand!
The reason I give this establishment two stars instead of one is because the Comedy Show was HILARIOUS!! Lots of laughs! Skip the food and bar, and head upstairs for the comedy - after having eaten somewhere nearby.
Price was ok but the service and food were terrible.
The restaurant overall was a bit dirty and where we sat it smelled a bit funky. The Asian waitress was rude and non accommodating. The spare ribs tasted nothing like pork! It had a strong odor and it might have been not cleaned properly or it was just old meat. I hope it wasn't a "different animal..." The rest of the food was average. Save a trip and order from your local Chinese take out...
I will never understand the draw of this place.
I will never understand why people go here.
Sure - it LOOKS impressive, this huge building on a hill on Rt 1 in Saugus looming over the traffic. They really churn out the food and people too. They keep it moving.
This place is so bad, it's good. But I don't mean that in a good way. It's bad.
We went Saturday night for lack of being able to choose where to go and figuring we'd see how this farce would be for 2 to dine. It was super-crowded, but we only waited maybe 10 minutes for a table. This place is mass-produced asian food for white people, and that allows them to get you in and out.
Inside is a crummy fountain thing - and all kinds of kitch crap on the walls and tacky decorations. The menu is ENORMOUS - so big you'll never be able to decide what to get. Few pictures - so forget trying to figure out what some of the items are.
"Bread upon request" so we asked for some. The waiter looked at us like we had 3 heads between the pair of us. The bread was the best part of the meal.
We got an appetizer of the rangoons which were ok- fried rice was good - and 2 chicken dishes that were surprisingly similar. Lame.
At least they give you a lot of this garbage. We had tons to take home, then throw out.
I would never choose to go here again. We went for a laugh, because the place just looks so ridiculous. These giant chinese/whatever restaurants are a joke to me.
As others have said. Kowloon isn't what it used to be.
Until the mid 90's, this was THE place to get great asian food. Service was always as good as the food, and the food was GREAT!
The last 12+ years? I've been here at least 5 different times (none of which were my choice) and each time I hope they return to their prior glory, but it hasn't happened.
Better Asian food is down the highway.
The fact they have a comedy club is nice, so maybe that's a reason to come to Kowloon now?
Went a couple weeks ago for my friend's birthday. I have to say that I really wasn't all that impressed.
Sure, the building is cool looking and the inside is..unique, but I wasn't really feeling the food (it was just average Chinese food) and the waitress seemed annoyed to be there. Yeah, I can't say that I'd be too excited to serve a table of 15 or so 23 year olds either, but we were nothing but polite to her.
I've been here for comedy shows, x-rated hypnotists shows, late night grub and late holiday-no-where-else-is-open grub. It's casual dining and the walls are covered with framed photos of semi-celebrities who eat there for the same reason everybody else does. It's easy to get to, and it's accommodating to big groups.
I like to saddle up into a booth with friends, a signed Hulk Hogan framed photo overlooking my meal, as we dig into one of the bajillion special combos everybody shares.
Sure there are little tiki hut like booths, water fountains, palm trees... but that doesn't make up for the horrible food. Yucky! The chow foon was super greasy and had no flavor, the spring rolls had a minimal amount of cabbage and a lot of grease. The best part of my meal was the tap water.
I like to consider myself a student of Polynesian pop culture. I've been to the Mai Kai in Florida, the Jasmine Tree in Oregon and the Tiki Ti in California to name a few places.
When I found drove by the Kowloon while shoe shopping, I was stunned that it wasn't on my radar. An occasion soon came up that called for eating out someplace different so we went to Kowloon.
This is not a place that has stood still in time, and it has definitely changed with the times in order to stay in the thick of things. Sadly, there aren't many tikis here, they've presumably been replaced by all of the celebrity memorabilia that greets you as you enter. Going through the dining hall, it almost seems as the establishment went through a phase of detikification at some point.
The food was surprisingly good given other reviews here. The lo mien was a disappointment though as they used some strange flat noodles in it.
The drinks were a bit of a let down. I can make much more well balanced drinks at home. I did only try two of their drinks, and I should try a couple more before passing final judgment, but I'll probably stick to drinking tiki drinks at home.
I'm glad that I went, but I'm not eager to return. If the opportunity presents itself, I'll go willingly, but I won't make special plans to return right away.
Nice place, big place!! Bar is very small though for the crowds that come. They should make it bigger.
Huge menu, which may have hindered the quality of the food. Got sick here a few times, probably because of the huge portions of msg.
Comedy club is nice.
They should hold some more events here as it is built for that. Always packed and tough to get a seat on any night, so expect a wait. Overall, good food, not great...expensive drinks....and lots of celebrities.
It's always amazed me that there are more then five cars in the parking lot, never mind that it is ALWAYS crowded. The food is nothing more then bad Chinese buffet food with waiters - Yes, that is why you always get your food so fast, because your waiter is scooping from giant vats in the kitchen.
But anyway, thanks to Yelp the fog of Kowloon's popularity has finally been lifted. I noticed a common thread in every single positive review, alcohol and lots of it - "yeah, the food sucked but man, I was so drunk on scorpion bowls it was awesome!"
Kowloon is certainly not the best food in the world. It's tacky as hell. And generally I hate everything loved by Dan and Dave Andelman.
I haven't explored all of their humongous menu, but I really love the avocado mango maki (love sushi, hate seafood - I know, I'm a freak. And my options are limited). The soups are pretty decent, I've tried a couple of spicy chicken dishes that are ok, and one or 2 things off the Thai menu aren't bad. I realize this isn't a rave review, so why 4 stars? Because Kowloon is fun, and there's no denying it.
People watching at Kowloon is incredible. Ever been there on a Saturday night? Insane. [I spent my 29th birthday there in April - I was wearing a wizard hat and trying to climb into the fountain. Maybe you saw me?] I suspect that my love of Kowloon is directly proportional to the amount of Zombies I drink, but I'm telling you, every time I set foot in that freaking gigantic monstrosity of a restaurant, I have a blast.
A tip: don't go during the day. It's depressing. Go at night, and be sure to drink.
I'm removing a star because after having a lot of other local chinese restaurants, Kowloons doesn't deserve that third star anymore.
Kowloon still hasn't grown with the economy. The prices are outrageous, the food is still a la carte (figure $8-10 for every item you would LIKE to eat as there is only one size for most items), the waiters only seem to be there for the order and the check. non-alcoholic drinks are pitifully small and refills are not free.
Here's an example of your 'standard' chinese meal:
Pork fried rice, Chicken fingers and spare ribs.
At your regular place. a meal like that would cost you about $8-9 and leave you with plenty of leftover rice
At Kowloons it's $8.25 for the fingers, $8.25 for the spare ribs and $7.25 for the rice. So for that meal it's $23.75. It will feed 3-4 people though. But that's only three items. Everyone has to want chicken fingers and spare ribs and rice. If someone wants something different, expect to pay $9-12 for each additional item.
There are much better options out there, even for large crowds. Everyone can get what they want and not have to share with each other or split a bill between a group that may have ordered and not eaten specific, expensive things.
Also, there's not one single item they serve that stands out against the regular chinese take out place. I can't think of one item that I can say "Kowloons does it best"
Also I've found that even after explaining to them multiple times that shellfish cannot be on any plate that I plan on eating off of, they NEVER SEEM TO GET IT! The last time I went they did it again and that was the last time I'll ever go there. When I say "Shellfish will kill me" I expect them to UNDERSTAND THAT SHELLFISH WILL KILL ME!
Apparently there's a luncheon combination platter available M-F until 5pm and Sat and Sun until 4pm. They should make this available all the time.
Kowloons is a staple of the Northern Suburbs. It's a bit over the top with the decor. The selection… Read more »
I really do like Kowloon. Amazing chicken teriyaki and crab rangoon, which is very important to me. It's a great place to come with friends to stuff face and inhale yummy drinks. The place is huge so there is hardly ever a long wait.
They also make VERY strong scorpian bowls - veddddyy niiicee!!
I'll take two please (then it's blackout time!)
Upon exiting the fabulous Kowloon, my roommate stated: "this is my new favorite polynesian lounge."
I mean, really, what more needs to be said?
It's a monstrous mecca of old-school chinese restaurant meets sushi bar meets keno meets a weird live band singing at the helm of a boat dance floor type thing...and it's awesome. Think waterfalls, fake palm trees, drinks served in coconuts, the whole nine thousand yards. Oh, and they can accommodate private parties of up to 500, according to the menu.
My menu was sticky (I think it was orange chicken), but I didn't mind! All was forgiven when I saw those relic red-trimmed plates that I thought were gone forever. I can't speak for the Polynesian, Japanese, Thai, or "American family style" offerings, but the Chinese food sure was greasy and good.
We started with Fog Cutters, a rum-based cocktail served with chopped ice and a cherry in a tall ceramic tiki glass. They were kind of gross, as expected. Then, we stuffed our faces with a pu pu platter for 5,000, full of chicken wings, an eggroll, fried shrimp, spare ribs, and pork strips (!!!). We added a couple of side apps as well, of course.
The meal included constant water refills, fortune cookies tossed at us by the waitress the second we said we were done, and my escaping with a copy of their laminated cocktail menu for my bar.
Who said you couldn't be classy at kowloon?
Most overrated restaurant in metro Boston. The staff clearly mailed it in 15 years ago and rides off its name recognition, because if you dine in, the food is awful (it's fine for take-out, but not that great - not worth the price or the hype).
If you go during any sort of popular time, expect it to be so packed and loud inside that you can't have a conversation with the person next to you. It's also constantly packed with annoying groups of high school kids (I would know, I was in a bunch of those groups in my day) - they come after their baseball games, proms, graduations, parties, or anything else.
The funny thing is, when we'd have these events, someone would always suggest the Kowloon, and almost everyone would say "Why? The Kowloon sucks." But we'd end up going anyway.
I don't get it either.
Food used to be good here, now the place is just average. Lots of celebrities stop in here while they tour around town. Wrestlers, B-list actors, musicians.
Come for lunch to get your money's worth. Dinner prices suck.
The food is palatable to terrible. (Unless you like flaming food, fire is fun). It'd MAYBE be worth it if the prices were cheap, but they're not. The only food that I had that was decent was fried, and even that came to the table cold.
Our waiter was a jerk. Let's call him Jim the Jerk. We were there in the middle of the day, and as it was, he only had our table to wait on. Jim was brisk to the point of being rude, not a smile out of him. He'd not listen to our order, having to be corrected often. Jim didn't do anything for the table except bring out food and drinks. He didn't fill up empty water glasses, he didn't once check on us to see if we were doing well, and he never came around so that we could ask for things. This is the worst part: Jim included his own tip on the bill. He calculated the tip AFTER tax, and gave himself a 21% tip. I don't give 21% tips unless the waiter gives me service under the table as well as above, and certainly not to a waiter who didn't even do the minimum of waiting needed for a tip.
Only possible reason for visiting Kowloon? The atmosphere. It's adorable, kitsch, rundown, and fun. Unfortunately this awesome atmosphere is ruined by asshole waiters and shitty food.
It may be a landmark, but Kowloon is not making a mark in my land... er... in the land of restaurants? Crap this is going nowhere.
I wasn't impressed by Kowloon. The place is huge, and the inside is kind of cool, but you get that "trashy" feel in here. The menu is gigantic, but I did not like my dish at all. And the waiter was not attentive or friendly.
The only plus side, really, is that it's close and has a large variety of dishes to choose from. I would much rather go somewhere with a smaller menu, a nicer atmosphere, and better food for not much more money, though.
The Kowloon certainly is a legendary staple of Rte. 1 in Saugus. To me it's worth the trip just to look at the celebrity 8x10s alone. The walls are adorned with comedians such as John "BANG BANG BANG" Witherspoon, Gilbert Gottfried... Wrestlers love the Kowloon like no other place as Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Hulk Hogan and countless others also show up on the wall. Even that wellfull of talent Nick Lachey is on the wall!
Food is good but I had to take the rating down due to the fact that my waiter was fucking horrendous. I went there with my little brother taking our beloved Nana out to lunch. When Nana asked if soup came with the lunch special our waiter yelled "WE NEVAH GIVE SOOU". She tried to smile and engage him in small talk, hyping us up for taking her out to lunch and the guy blew her off.
But the food is pretty good, they have Keno and those celebrity pictures are KEY !
Pack your Immodium AD, this place is a stomachache in the making. With a horribly gaudy "Hard Rock Cafe"-type, pseudo-Asian decor, Kowloon is an experience from start to finish. The food tastes like it came from the dumpster, but the service is rapid and the meals are cheap. If you are wasted, when you wake up and started pissing out of your ass, you won't know if it was the Crab Rangoons or the gin and tonics that made you ill. Remember the scene in Swingers where Trent stands on the table and then says "I would never eat here" - that is Kowloon encapsulated. What a glorious shithole.
From out of town and my boyfriend took me here for a lovely dinner. The atmosphere is really cool...it looks kind of taken from another time. Like if the rat pack wanted to hit a happening Asian place with"style". I mean, it has kind of a fun kitchy vibe...South Pacific meets dinner theater and I like it.
The food was great. We did the pu pu plater and I did some duck dish. I was so full I took most of the duck home, but it was crisp and tasty.
The service was great (although I would have loved some more attention to the refilling of drinks).
Kowloon is like the Steak and Shake of Asian cuisine - and for those of you unfamiliar with "the shake," that's only a compliment if you're drunk and everything and I mean everything within stumbling distance is closed.
Kowloon will try (often successfully) to entice you with a multi-section menu offering styles ranging from Hunan, Thai, Szechuan, Sushi, and Americana. The portions are enormous and the service is solid. The food on the other hand was very bland. I suppose I should have guessed when they touted being able to serve 1,200 people at a time - I don't remember military chefs winning many awards.
If I was to go again(and I won't), I'd skip the diner style booths and sit at the surprisingly lively bar. Try one of their large appetizer platters. ***Also, if you like spicy, make sure to emphasize that you really really like spicy. They seem to play it safe and dramatically under spice.
Aw c'mon. Kowloon's doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should you. It's Chinese comfort food. Why is it so popular? Well, for me it brings back happy memories of family dinners, roasting appetizers over the flame of the pu pu platter. Kids love kitch and this place is like a Tiki Rainforest Cafe.
Food: 2 stars
Service: 1 star
Happy memories: 5 stars
Kowloon is a one-of-a-kind place fo sho!
The huge Asian style building on Route 1 in Saugus stands out, the parking lot is always full, and the waits aren't too too long. Dining here is certainly an experience not to be overlooked. The menu takes about a week to read, the inside has the feel of "I haven't been dusted in about a decade" and the servers are uber speedy. Sometimes, the food comes too quick, leaving little time to enjoy the appetizer.
Let's talk about their drinks. They are cheap (for around here), and boozed up like you wouldn't believe. The Mai Tai is my favorite, but all the "tropical" drinks end up tasting quite the same. The food is pretty good- I would say worlds better than the excuse for a restaurant "P.F. Chang's." They have all different Asian style foods, and even a small back section with things such as grilled cheese and spaghetti...Although I would be wary of those.
The price is right, portions generous, service friendly, and always busy!
Wow. Just, WOW. That is all I have to say after my late night visit to the North Shore mecca of people watching.
I had never been there before, despite having lived in Malden for more than a year and half. But my friend and I were hungry and it was past 11, so we couldn't eat at Hugh O'Neills (the kitchen closes at 10) so we trekked to Saugus.
First, we sat in the dining room and ordered two things to share--boneless spare ribs and pan friend noodles. The food was nothing spectacular but it was decent. I want to try the Saugus Wings so I guess I'll have to go back at some point. The waiter managed to knock over my mango colada and spill it all over the table when he brought the food out, but such is life. He brought me a new one so all's well that ends well.
After we ate we went to the bar and had a few drinks. This is quite the place for people watching. For example--a guy with a cowboy hat and his oxygen tank (tube attached to his nose and all) pounding back the drinks at the bar. A guy getting escorted out by the cops at midnight, ready to start a fight with them. Note to that guy--starting a fight with cops at a bar = SO not a good idea unless you want to spend the night in jail. Just sayin. And what I assume is the typical Saturday night bar crowd there. It was quite the time. I might have to go back soon for some more laughs :)
I don't think Kowloon is the best place for chinese food, but I don't think it's the best either. I just go here when I want some chinese food close to home and I can sit down & enjoy some drinks too. That's when the bill gets pricey though.
It's usually packed here on the weekends, but the wait isn't bad at all since it's pretty huge in there. The menu is huge too so there are a variety of dishes to order.
A renovation of the place is definitely long overdue!
THE DRINKS! They make great drinks. Super, ULTRA kitschy. This is 1960's Asian food at it's peek. I had a really good time. I came here last night at 9:30pm, was seated by 10pm, served by 10:15, drunk by 10:45.
Go here for fun. And don't kid yourself by dressing up thinking this is a formal function.....you'll see people in evening wear and laugh your self into ordering another drink. Great entertainment with a loud atmosphere.
I ate in a grass hut next to a boat dance floor.
I'll be back, oh yes, I will.
This place Rocks! I cannot tell you how many times Kowloon served as my way station on the way home from Boston after a wild night in my younger days.....
My folks used to take me here as a kid, and I remember once coming home from France after being there all summer and this was the place I wanted to stop and eat on our way home! I had been stuck staying with a family over there who liked to eat all their food super rare, so had been living on french bread and crepes almost the whole summer....so I was ACHING for Chinese food and Kowloon was the only place I longed for!
All the food is awesome.....and like reviewer Joe, having grown up on the North Shore, this place just calls out to you as you drive by....and nowadays is filled with wonderful memories, and still good food!!
I loved his advice (and I say the same) when u order, make some sort of substitution and you will be assured of getting something made super fresh.....I can vouch for all the food being yummy (and oh, those scorpion bowls!) altho I do not eat sushi, so I cannot speak to that part of the menu.
Service has always been wonderful, the place is HUGE and they still seem to run it like the family business that it is! Yes, it's a bit dated in decor, and is tacky in a fun way.....just enjoy the Kowloon Experience!
After being stuck in the O'Neill tunnel for 2 hours causing me to miss my company Christmas party at the Colonnade, I thought nothing would cheer me up. Especially when I finally arrived at my date's home, only to find his Hugo Boss jacket tossed across the chair and him in his boxers and undershirt playing world of war craft. Luckily, he sensed my disappointment, got back into his monkey suit and took me to the place where all my dreams come true-the Kowloon. (besides being the place where all my dreams come true, its also the only place to stay open past 10 on a Sunday)
This place is beyond tacky, as are most eateries on Route 1. I love tacky. I love Route 1. The actual building is gigantic and is home to: a boat in the middle of the restaurant where a live band plays, an actual pond and waterfall, and plenty of tables. They have a large Chinese and sushi menu. I ordered a wide variety of sushi and it all completely hit the spot. There were heaping portions and I polished them all off nicely. We also had several Mai-Tais and they were all delicious and potent. The crowd was young families and young singles looking to get Asian cuisine and or hammered on 10pm on a Sunday, yet I don't think anyone looked twice at us in our formal wear.
Yes, the Kowloon, with its Elvis Blue Hawaii gone terribly wrong decorations and extremely Americanized Chinese food, made what could have been a horrible night an amazing one.
Kowloon is the Chinese sister restaurant to IHOP. It's where you go late at night when you're too trashed to taste the greasy slop you're shoveling in your mouth. The food is so terrible, you have no excuse for eating here otherwise.
Not that I've EVER been in that kind of drunken state before...
Here's a short list of things you're likely to see if you visit Kowloon:
-Local high school kids in Prom gear trying to use fake IDs.
-Suburban white gangstas, out for a drink with their hos before they head home to Mom's house for the night.
-The trailer trash from down the road, scratching up a pocket full of lotto tickets.
-Burnt out waitresses, taking refuge in the fact that the waitresses at Kowloon are more burnt out than they are.
-Me, drunk, face first in my plate.
There's also a comedy club attached. I can't imagine how washed up your career must be to book at show at the Kowloon.
Medford, MA
Category: Chinese
Peabody, MA
Category: Thai
Saugus, MA
Category: Chinese
Lynnfield, MA
Category: Seafood
Lynnfield, MA
Category: Chinese
Some of these places are great, some not so much.…
Reviews of some of the fun, fantastic (and…
These places are easy to get ejected from if you…
Life begins 5 miles outside of city limits! Viva…
Places I ALWAYS go back to, and tell everyone…
My favorite places to eat, shop, and stay North of…
I used to only eat Philly Rolls. I have expanded…
The good, the bad, and some of the out-of-town…
