Overview
Hong Kong Chop Suey is a modest Chinese restaurant in Captain Cook on the Big Island, in the South Kona area. It appears to be a long-running local stop rather than a destination restaurant, with a low price level on Google and a menu that leans toward familiar Chinese-American and Hawaii-style comfort dishes. A traveler would care most if they want a casual, budget-friendly meal near the Mamalahoa Highway corridor.
Identity-wise, the Google Places record, the address on the ordering platform, and independent listings all point to the same business at 82-6066 Mamalahoa Hwy / Kealakekua Ranch Center in Captain Cook. The place was temporarily shut down by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health in June 2025 for serious food-safety violations, then reopened after a follow-up inspection later that month. That makes operational status worth checking before a visit, even though current third-party listings still show it as open. (health.hawaii.gov)
Cuisine & Specialties
The kitchen is best understood as classic Chinese-American fare with a strong local takeout-and-plate-lunch feel. The online menu is broad and practical rather than chef-driven: appetizers, rice and noodle dishes, beef, pork, duck, chicken, seafood, chop suey, saimin, egg dishes, vegetable dishes, and beverages. Prices on the ordering menu cluster around the $9–$13 range for most entrées, with some smaller items and noodle soups cheaper and whole-duck dishes more expensive. (eatfirstordering.com)
- Overall menu style: Chinese-American and Hawaii-local comfort food, with both counter-friendly plate lunches and a longer à la carte menu. (gayot.com)
- Notable dishes/specialties: char siu pork, orange chicken, beef broccoli, pork tofu, egg foo young, char siu fried rice, shrimp dishes, salt-and-pepper items, Peking duck, roast duck, saimin, and chop suey plates. (eatfirstordering.com)
- Price expectations: generally inexpensive to moderate for a tourist area; a traveler should expect a casual meal rather than a splurge. GAYOT explicitly describes it as “tasty, inexpensive,” and the ordering menu shows many main dishes around $9.25–$12.95. (gayot.com)
- Dietary usefulness or limits: there are some vegetarian choices, including vegetarian spring rolls, mixed vegetables stir-fry, tofu dishes, and vegetarian egg foo young. That said, this is not a specialized dietary destination, so guests with strict allergies or needs would want to be cautious and clarify order details. (eatfirstordering.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This looks like a straightforward, casual neighborhood restaurant rather than a polished dining room. Independent reviews and restaurant guides describe it as having little décor, but being satisfying for people who want accessible Chinese food without fuss. The setting appears to be suited to everyday meals, quick takeout, and low-key sit-down dinners rather than a scenic or celebratory occasion. (gayot.com)
- Service model and seating style: mixed counter-order/plate-lunch feel plus table service; takeout is clearly supported, and one listing says no delivery. (gayot.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: casual, basic, and unpretentious; multiple sources suggest the food matters more than the room. (gayot.com)
- Practical features: parking lot noted by GAYOT; Google shows a low-cost profile and the business category is simply restaurant/food/point of interest. Restaurantji also lists high chairs and vegetarian options. (gayot.com)
- Best fit: a budget-minded lunch or dinner, especially for travelers already driving through South Kona who want familiar Chinese dishes. (gayot.com)
- Weaker fit: people seeking ambience, a destination meal, or a strongly modern or upscale interpretation of Chinese cuisine. (gayot.com)
History & Background
There is not much verified backstory available in the sources I found. The most meaningful recent context is the June 2025 health closure and reopening, which suggests the business has faced operational scrutiny but resumed service after corrections were made. One source identifies the operator as Man You Chen, but I did not find a reliable longer ownership or founder story in the materials reviewed. (health.hawaii.gov)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Review patterns lean toward generous, inexpensive, satisfying comfort food. Repeated positives include fresh cooked-to-order meals, friendly service, and a menu with a lot of familiar standbys such as orange chicken, beef broccoli, char siu fried rice, pork hash dumplings, and noodle dishes. Several sources frame it as a reliable casual stop for locals and visitors who know what they want. (restaurantji.com)
Common Gripes
The main downside signal is not about the food alone but about the overall experience. Third-party reviews mention a plain room, occasional ordering friction, and some service inconsistency. More importantly, the June 2025 DOH closure for serious sanitation issues is a strong negative signal, though it was followed by a reopening after inspection approval; that means the concern is real and well-supported, but also time-bounded rather than necessarily ongoing. (gayot.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours listed by Google and Restaurantji are 10:00 AM–8:00 PM daily, but Restaurantji also shows Wednesday closed on one snapshot, so verify current hours before going. (health.hawaii.gov)
- Expect a casual, walk-in-friendly experience; takeout is clearly supported, and one ordering platform notes no delivery. (restaurantji.com)
- If you want a smoother takeout order, calling ahead appears to be a normal expectation on review sites. (restaurantji.com)
- The location is on Mamalahoa Highway in Captain Cook / Kealakekua Ranch Center, which makes it convenient for South Kona driving but not especially scenic or walkable in the tourist sense. (mapquest.com)
- For value, look at the plate-lunch style items and noodle/rice dishes first; those are the clearest fit for a quick, inexpensive meal. (gayot.com)
- Visitors with strict dietary concerns should ask questions directly, because the restaurant is broad-menu casual Chinese rather than a specialty allergen-controlled kitchen. (restaurantji.com)
Verification Notes
- Google Places identity matches the candidate: Hong Kong Chop Suey, 82-6066 Mamalahoa Hwy, Captain Cook, HI 96704, phone (808) 323-3373. (health.hawaii.gov)
- Operational status was worth confirming because the restaurant was closed by Hawaiʻi DOH on June 13, 2025 and then reopened after a green placard on June 23, 2025. (health.hawaii.gov)
- Address formatting varies slightly across sources, including the extra suite/lot-style number wording, but the location is consistent. (health.hawaii.gov)
- No major verification issues found beyond the temporary 2025 closure/reopening and the hours inconsistency across third-party listings. (restaurantji.com)
Sources
- Google Places record for Hong Kong Chop Suey —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=9720232321230848377— Retrieved 2026-04-01. Most useful for baseline identity, address, phone, hours, rating, and operational status. - Hawaiʻi Department of Health news release: “DOH CLOSES HONG KONG CHOP SUEY IN CAPTAIN COOK FOR MULTIPLE FOOD SAFETY VIOLATIONS” — URL unavailable in the fetched source payload; retrieval date from source crawl was 2025-06. Most useful for the serious closure signal and the specific nature of the violations.
- Big Island Thieves: reopening after health inspection approval —
https://bigislandthieves.com/hong-kong-chop-suey-in-captain-cook-reopens-following-health-inspection-approval/— Retrieved 2026-04-01. Most useful for confirming reopening after the June 2025 closure. - EatFirstOrdering menu page —
https://eatfirstordering.com/menu/1015/hong-kong-chop-suey— Retrieved 2026-04-01. Most useful for the live menu structure, dish names, and price expectations. - Restaurantji listing —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/captain-cook/hong-kong-chop-suey-/— Retrieved 2026-04-01. Most useful for review-pattern summaries, takeout mention, vegetarian options, and the conflicting hours snapshot. - GAYOT restaurant review —
https://www.gayot.com/restaurants/hong-kong-chop-suey-captain-cook-hi-96704_16hi00279.html— Retrieved 2026-04-01. Most useful for ambiance, price/value framing, and the contrast between counter plates and table service. - MapQuest listing —
https://www.mapquest.com/us/hawaii/hong-kong-chop-suey-525295331— Retrieved 2026-04-01. Most useful as a secondary identity cross-check for address and phone, and for noting the presence of an older website reference in the listing.
