The 81 Hong Kong Cafe 捌拾壹号

I recently visited this restaurant and had a very disappointing experience. The server, a woman, was extremely rude from the moment we ordered. She was unwelcoming and showed no interest in providing basic service. When I asked if they accepted Apple Pay, as I had used it during my previous visit, she responded harshly and dismissively, almost in a confrontational way, saying that who knows you came here half a year ago, 1 year ago, or 2,3 years ago. I noticed the exact tap-to-pay machine I used last time was on the check-out desk, but I didn’t bother continuing the conversation to irritate the angry server. Throughout the meal, she didn’t check on us or offer to refill our drinks. The overall lack of attention and courtesy made for a very unpleasant experience. I wouldn’t recommend this place due to their poor service.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

A gem here in Tucson! Definitely a slice of home for me, very glad I found this place. Authenticity and flavor all on point. Exceptionally good pricing for the portions you get. Will definitely return.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered here through uber eats and was disappointed. Noodles and beef were bland and was super oily. You can tell from the picture below. Yucccck. Gave 2 stars as I have ordered beef noodle soup here before and I remembered it was ok. Not that I would ordered it again but ok to not make me throw it out like this one. Ughh.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 3

Kid-friendliness: Yes

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chinese Dishes

Been there 3 times this week 3rd time was terrible. We were there at 6:56 PM (3 people) and the restaurant will be closed for a private party at 8 PM. There was an open table for 6 people and no reservation coming up, so they refuse to seat us cause they want to wait for a larger table and asked us to wait for 30 mins. I mean really… so they think a larger table will come in one hour before they close and finish dinning and the 3 of us will wait for 30 mins to order and eat in 30 mins before they close for a private party. Whom ever was at the front claimed that she was the owner, so I guess they don’t want to make money and treat their loyalty customer like crap. Never coming back again. Would suggest other customer to look elsewhere.

Food: 1

I've never had bad service, nor meal at 81 Hong Kong Cafe. I think this is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Tucson. I got a simple meal with spring rolls and steamed pork buns, and they were both delicious.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was very good. Fresh and fair priced

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Never realized this restaurant was here, but glad we tried it. Very good food, I'd say one of the best in tucson (and there is only one other that is really good). Not sure about the bad reviews, we had no problems- the restaurant wasn't too busy and we sat at the bar. Service was fast and very friendly. It's a very open restaurant , so there isn't much atmosphere, but we still had a very nice meal. Solid 4 star restaurant.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

Their pork chop fried rice is amazing! It’s 99% identical to the Ding Tai Fun one or even better because it’s not that oily. It’s a hidden gem from the menu because I didn’t see many reviews for it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

I just moved to Tucson from the East Coast. I found this restaurant online the Friday before yesterday. I looked at the menu and it seemed pretty good. So I called the receptionist to make a reservation and the lady said they can’t serve food right now. So I said it wouldn’t be too busy at three in the afternoon. It’s hard to say. He answered. I thought such a busy restaurant must be delicious, so I went there yesterday at noon with high expectations. After looking at the menu, I ordered shrimp wontons. I contracted pneumonia when I drove here and was very uncomfortable. Fortunately, I took anti-inflammatory medicine from a friend when I passed through Georgia. Anyway, I was relatively weak. So I ordered a bowl of Hong Kong-style wonton soup, salted duck and finally xiaolongbao. I specifically asked your boss who is from there. She said they are Taiwanese. I am engaged in the catering industry in the United States. Taiwanese and Hong Kong people are more attentive to their food, especially Taiwanese food. When the soup came, I turned it over with a spoon and found a few large shrimps, a few chicken slices, a lot of broccoli and cabbage slices, and a few large wontons. OMG, this is the first time I see broccoli flowers in soup. My Taiwanese boss, if you don’t understand Cantonese cuisine, you can ask the Cantonese chef. The shrimp wonton soup not only contains a few shrimps, but also chicken breasts. I am really speechless. The meat filling of the big wontons was not fresh and I was not thirsty. I knew I had nothing to eat. I was looking forward to the salted duck, which was served hot. The salted duck I had eaten was a cold dish or a cold dish, so it could be heated. The meat is soft and not firm, and the xiaolongbao is served at the end, so you can still finish it. Finally, the waiter wanted to introduce something else like braised pork rice. I think this basic thing is wrong. Will the braised pork rice be delicious? I watched the kitchen chef coming in and out. He looked like a northerner. I just read a review that Hong Kong people have said that the dry-fried beef river wok is not enough. You can’t blame northern chefs for being unprofessional. It’s better to cook southern food yourself, otherwise hire the right chef. Boss, do you think so?

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

My friends and I have been coming here for a few years. The cooking is often patchy— some days are good and some are bad. My soup needed salt and a friend’s food tasted as though it was reheated and lukewarm. The milk tea today tasted strange. Instead of replacing it with another, the server went at length to say she couldn’t replace it because of it was “another type.” Whatever she added in it made it soooo sweet and I have sensitivities. It just wasn’t worth the fight to get it removed given the attitude the server gave. I really do enjoy it when it’s good but it just isn’t consistent enough.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 2

The beef soup noodle was good and spice. The three cup chicken wasn't what I expected. The chicken tasted really old like it was precooked for days and really dry. The flavors weren't there. Even the garlics has no garlic taste. The portion was food though.

Will try something else next time.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Yum just yum! One of my favs. Crave it often.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

If you come to this restaurant with the intention of eating authentic Taiwanese or Cantonese food, please stop thinking. The vegetables in the dry-fried beef river were too raw, the beef was very tough, and the dish was good, but the saltiness was not enough and the wok gas was not enough. Overall, it was the level of a layman (non-Cantonese) frying in a wok, and it was too oily. The salty crispy chicken is not the advertised Taiwanese taste at all, the seasoning is wrong, the meat is too soft, the breading powder used is wrong and not crispy and fragrant, the nine-story pagoda is broken, the presentation is not good, it is not unpalatable, but it tastes like an amateur (non-Taiwanese) ) made. The fried pork ribs are very authentic, the marinade is just right, and the breading is correct but too thin. Overall, it is good. The only difference is that the pork chops and the breading are too thin, which makes the taste worse, and it also has a slight pig taste (those who don’t like the taste of pig) can be understood) and needs to be strengthened. The roasted duck rice is very good. The duck meat tastes sweet, evenly fat and thin, and the skin is good. The white rice is correct and has just the right moisture and elasticity. The only drawback is that each piece of duck meat is cut too large and does not fit in the mouth.

If you're coming to this restaurant expecting authentic Taiwanese or Cantonese cuisine, you might want to adjust your expectations. The stir-fried beef ho fun had undercooked vegetables, overly tough beef, and while the dish looked decent, it lacked sufficient seasoning and wok hei (the breath of the wok). Overall, it felt like a dish prepared by someone unfamiliar with Cantonese cooking, with the stir-fry being excessively greasy.

The salty crispy chicken was far from the advertised Taiwanese flavor. The seasoning was off, the meat was overly soft and mushy, the coating used was incorrect and lacked crispness, and the basil was chopped too finely, making the presentation unappealing. It wasn' It's unpleasant to eat, but it clearly tasted like it was made by someone inexperienced in Taiwanese cuisine.

The fried pork chop was very authentic, with a well-balanced marinade and the correct coating technique, but the coating was too thin. While the flavor was good overall, the thin pork cutlet and coating resulted in a less satisfying texture. Additionally, there was a slight porky smell, which might be noticeable to those sensitive to it, indicating room for improvement.

The roast duck rice was excellent. The duck had a slightly sweet flavor, a good balance of fat and lean meat, and the skin was nicely done. The white rice was properly cooked with the right moisture and texture. The only drawback was that each The piece of duck was cut too large, making it inconvenient to eat.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

Finally! Some good authentic Chinese food in Tucson! If you want to taste the wonders of what China has to offer for food, this is the place. Three cup chicken, cabbage and bacon, this is what Chinese food is. I really am not a fan of American Chinese. There are some dishes I really like, such as Mongolian beef, sesame chicken. But those are always over sauced in a lot of places. But the chow fun though! It's got that wok hei taste down perfectly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5