M Star Cafe

M Star Cafe is my family’s go-to Hong Kong cafe in Chinatown. We also love S Wan Cafe (洋紫荊) but they have limited seatings and close on Sundays. I won’t rave about their food but they are up to par. Their HK style milk tea is a standout compared to most HK cafes in NYC, but it is not the best. Iykyk the service is 100% authentic. The whole atmosphere, from the food, service, customers to interior, it transports me back to Hong Kong. ＊Rice Roll with Mixed Peanut Sauces 混醬腸粉 $4* Not sure why it isn’t on the menu but this is apparently what they’re known for. Everyone ordered their mixed peanut sauce rice rolls when we went, and I also get it every time. The steamed rice rolls texture is perfect. Unpopular opinion: I wished they put less sauces. ＊Beef Curry Rice 咖哩牛腩飯 $8.5* In Hong Kong, we describe HK style curry rice as “neon curry” lol. This one 100% matched my expectation. They didn’t skimp on the beef so it was super filling. The curry sauce was spicy and flavorful. I shared with my boyfriend and we couldn’t finish, given he has a big appetite. ＊Russian Macaroni 羅宋湯通粉 $7.5 We were skeptical at first but changed our mind after we tried. It reminded me of the taste of classic HK breakfast macaroni. Very comforting. ＊Beef Flat Noodle Stir Fry 乾炒牛河 $12.5 You really can’t go wrong with beef flat noodle stir fry at HK cafes. I’ve never tried a bad one in NYC so far. ＊HK Style Milk Tea 港式奶茶 $5.3** Well balance of ceylon tea and evaporated milk. Not too bitter (I found the milk tea at Kong Sihk Tong very bitter and overpriced). I usually order it without sugar.

First time return here after Covid on the Sunday. Looks like this place under new management. This place used to be packed with people at this time but today kinda quiet only 2 tables with customers. I ordered Hong Kong style milk tea, congee and pan fried hk style steamed rice noodle. Everything served in paper cups and plastic platesTea and congee was ok but the pan fried rice noodle was deep fried. I took a bit noodle was crispy and no taste even with some sauce on the top. I called the waiter told him that noodle was not pan fried. He said that was pan fried then I said it tastes terrible I told him to take it back. At the end they didn’t charge me for the pan fried noodle but still insisted it was pan fried…. C’mon don’t insult me I can tell the difference between pan fried and deep fried

Really great food and fast and efficient service. Very similar to what I’ve had in Hong Kong

I enjoy going there,we come here a lot. reasonable price. good homey food. my favorite is soy sauce fried noodle, salted fish fried rice, fruit salad. but other food is good too. kids love their breakfast meal.

My experience of M Star was mediocre. I went with a group of friends (they had suggested this particular restaurant). The storefront is very hole in the wall as others have noted, but I found the food lackluster. The service was good. I tried a few things: The beef rice crepe, the shrimp rice crepe, the beef stew noodle soup with rice noodles, the tea egg, and the preserved egg + pork congee. I also tried the beef stew with rice dish and the herbal jelly. I enjoyed the shrimp rice crepe, the tea egg, and the preserved pork egg congee. They had good flavors and textures. I also enjoyed the beef stew rice noodles. The beef stew rice dish was just okay. It had a lot of fatty parts that weren't enjoyable to eat and the sauce to rice ratio was a bit overwhelming for my personal taste. The beef rice crepe had an unusual texture -- the texture of the ground meat was more like what I would expect from a meat loaf (kind of crumbly) as opposed to a patty. No one in our group particularly enjoyed this one. I would not recommend the herbal jelly. It did not taste like traditional guilinggao in any way, or have the same texture. It tasted a bit like tap water. I would probably not return again -- if I wanted this type of food I would look elsewhere. Although the food is really cheap, I know I could have a more enjoyable meal elsewhere with the same price, especially in Chinatown.

Love this cafe in Chinatown. The waiter doesn’t even write down our order and memorized it. The food comes out super quick and most dishes are $4 at most. Highly recommend!

Ordered a beef chow fun and hk milk tea during lunch time. Worst beef chow fun I've ever had. Lacking flavor and no sauce. I asked for a take out box and they said they would charge extra $1.50. When I left, they chased me down a block asking for more tip when I gave 15%.. which is usually optional. Will never come back and would not recommend.

They started to argue with me because I didn’t want to tip! The food was not good & the service wasn’t good enough for a tip. I got the beef stew with rice noodles and it was not tasty. What tip when I only spent $7.50?? The staff got angry with me and almost didn’t let me leave. I had to remind them that a tip is OPTIONAL. It’s not MANDATORY. Don’t waste your time coming here, there’s plenty of other spots to spend your money.

M Star Cafe is my family's go-to Hong Kong cafe in Chinatown. We also love S Wan Cafe (洋紫荊) but they have limited seatings and close on Sundays. I won't rave about their food but they are up to par. Their HK style milk tea is a standout compared to most HK cafes in NYC, but it is not the best. Iykyk the service is 100% authentic. The whole atmosphere, from the food, service, customers to interior, it transports me back to Hong Kong. ＊Rice Roll with Mixed Peanut Sauces 混醬腸粉 $4* Not sure why it isn't on the menu but this is apparently what they're known for. Everyone ordered their mixed peanut sauce rice rolls when we went, and I also get it every time. The steamed rice rolls texture is perfect. Unpopular opinion: I wished they put less sauces. ＊Beef Curry Rice 咖哩牛腩飯 $8.5* In Hong Kong, we describe HK style curry rice as "neon curry" lol. This one 100% matched my expectation. They didn't skimp on the beef so it was super filling. The curry sauce was spicy and flavorful. I shared with my boyfriend and we couldn't finish, given he has a big appetite. ＊Russian Macaroni 羅宋湯通粉 $7.5 We were skeptical at first but changed our mind after we tried. It reminded me of the taste of classic HK breakfast macaroni. Very comforting. ＊Beef Flat Noodle Stir Fry 乾炒牛河 $12.5 You really can't go wrong with beef flat noodle stir fry at HK cafes. I've never tried a bad one in NYC so far. ＊HK Style Milk Tea 港式奶茶 $5.3** Well balance of ceylon tea and evaporated milk. Not too bitter (I found the milk tea at Kong Sihk Tong very bitter and overpriced). I usually order it without sugar.

Nothing much was opened early in the morning around 7am. And it was a rainy day. So we dined in. Simple layout with tables and chairs. Service was not too great, it seems like she didn't want us to be there. Now the food... Fish and clam congee was bad. There were barely any clams. The fish was overly salty and too soft. I didn't enjoy the texture at all. The cilantro was so big and since this is a herb, it shouldn't be stalks of it. Fried dough steamed rice rolls was not good either. The fried dough was obviously not fresh and it was refried. The rice roll was fine, but the soy sauce was too sweet; almost like a dessert. Satay breakfast combo with mac was weird. The satay sauce on the beef was very peanuty and not enjoyable. I had fond memories of this place and coming back was definitely disappointing.

This is one of those places that are so good in the city that you don't want to share it but I didn't feel right keeping this from you. They make the best beef rice rolls in the city. Hands down and yes I realize what a big statement that is, but here's the thing, their dough is perfect, the filling is perfect, and so is the portion. They only serve it until 2:45pm and Ryan is awesome. That's all I have to write. Oh and I'm sorry I don't have pics of it. I keep eating it too quickly. I'll do better.

Came here to meet up with some friends -- the service was typical for Chinatown diners. Most of the dishes were good when thinking of the standard Cantonese diner. I thought the congee and the beef noodles were okay, but I enjoyed the rice rolls and the baked rice. Nothing super stand out, but it does the trick!

M Star Cafe is a local joint serving typical HK breakfast foods. If you don't expect too much from this hole in a wall like service, you will enjoy it. Prices are very cheap here. I got the classic HK steamed rice rolls doused in sauce - the sauce was really good but personally I found the rice rolls to be too dense. I also go a milk tea/coffee which was really warming and good on a frigid day. Don't expect great service - expect authentic HK food at the price of a less friendly service. One day I would love to come back and try the other breakfast items like the classic toasts.

This is my morning go to cafe for breakfast when I am visiting Chinatown from Florida! It's affordable and delicious. The rice rolls with peanut butter sauce is my favorite dish. It looks like there's only one server but she is fast catering to everyone. Authentic Hong Kong Ambiance. This is a must try place when you're in Chinatown area!

Great Hong Kong style cafe. Prices are very inexpensive and you get great value for the money. Staff are friendly and i believe family owned and operated. Cash only

My experience of M Star was mediocre. I went with a group of friends (they had suggested this particular restaurant). The storefront is very hole in the wall as others have noted, but I found the food lackluster. The service was good. I tried a few things: The beef rice crepe, the shrimp rice crepe, the beef stew noodle soup with rice noodles, the tea egg, and the preserved egg + pork congee. I also tried the beef stew with rice dish and the herbal jelly. I enjoyed the shrimp rice crepe, the tea egg, and the preserved pork egg congee. They had good flavors and textures. I also enjoyed the beef stew rice noodles. The beef stew rice dish was just okay. It had a lot of fatty parts that weren't enjoyable to eat and the sauce to rice ratio was a bit overwhelming for my personal taste. The beef rice crepe had an unusual texture -- the texture of the ground meat was more like what I would expect from a meat loaf (kind of crumbly) as opposed to a patty. No one in our group particularly enjoyed this one. I would not recommend the herbal jelly. It did not taste like traditional guilinggao in any way, or have the same texture. It tasted a bit like tap water. I would probably not return again -- if I wanted this type of food I would look elsewhere. Although the food is really cheap, I know I could have a more enjoyable meal elsewhere with the same price, especially in Chinatown.

Nothing fancy just authentic Hong Kong style "Cha Chang Tang". It's kinda like an Asian diner where you can get a variety of food for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The food is decent but this kind of cafe is not meant to serve fancy food but more comfort food. Milk tea is good and authentic. Service is pretty good for a chinese establishment. Check this place out if you are up for some authentic Asian styled quick bites.

Had the C breakfast; elements were basic but everything came out quickly and they tasted good. Note it is cash only.

Congee was quite mid. Got the preserved egg with pork, but might as well have called it preserved egg congee because there was basically no pork. The cart noodle was quite odd- the satay beef flavor wise wasn't what I'm used to, and the beef stew was ‍. Rice roll texture was also way too thick. Milk tea was decent though.

Food was meh and served to you on plasticware. But the worst part was after we paid including a 15% tip, they started complaining that we didn't tip enough. Completely shocked us and were left speechless. They demanded more money. We thought 15% was more than fair considering the service was below par to put it mildly. Only checking reviews afterwards, it seems this happens somewhat regularly. I generally avoid giving 1 star reviews to mom and pop type places as I know it can really affect business but I've never had this happen before.

A hidden gem in chinatown for cheap eats. Extremely cheap and fast service. The servers are very friendly, can't expect to be treated like a king when the restaurant is about fast turnover. Everything came out to 16 and we left a 4 dollar tip. Please tip the servers well as you are already exploited this place for their cheap price. The food is okay, nothing out of the ordinary. However, my coffee is filled to the top. Was expecting one stick of youtiao but got two. Egg sandwich was fat and stuffed to the max.

I'm on the hunt for a new cheese baked place in Chinatown. I came across this place after several Yelp searches. I order for pick up and it was ready within 15 minutes. I was able to quickly go in and leave. The inside was pretty crowded with customers eating in during lunch time. I got the Baked Pork Chops Rice with Egg. It was pretty good, but not as cheesy as I liked. This is one of many cheese bake places on my list and I'm super excited to keep trying more cheese bakes! There was a little too much tomato sauce than I liked, but overall it was pretty good.

Ever since I moved to New York 7-8 years ago, this has stayed one of my favorite restaurants in Chinatown for Cantonese food. If it's your first time, got to get the rice rolls with peanut sauce and soy. This is my must-order every time I step into this joint. Also, their HK milk tea always hits the spot. Other HK classics like beef flat noodle and congee are all solid here. Prices are ridiculously cheap. One of the big pros of this place is that it opens super early in the morning (7am). One of my favorite memories when I moved to the city was finishing a night shift and walking straight to M Star after work for a delicious breakfast.

Came here a few Sunday ago with my cousin after our monthly facial. It was crowded with a small wait as we wanted a bigger table than the small table in the corner they originally seated us- we knew we would order alot and need more table space. We saw a table leaving and waited to have that table cleaned. Overall we enjoyed everything. Each dish came out hot and fresh. Everything is serve on plastic containers for Covid Safety. Wasn't expecting the fried egg on the Portuguese Chicken but it was good. Ordered: Noodles with peanut hoisin mix sauce Butter & condense milk toast Curry fishballs Borscht soup (the Hong Kong version not the beet version) M Star special Steak with Black Pepper sauce over spaghetti Baked Portuguese Chicken style over rice

$6.75 for their breakfast special is the best deal in town. 2 eggs, toast, bacon, potatoes, and coffee it tea. They also have other options like congee w rice rolls or noodles, ramen, oatmeal, macaroni and ham. Love this HK cha cha tang.

Best, cheap and quick authentic Hong Kong style eats in the heart of Chinatown. They do offer dine in service however most patrons order takeout. I often drive 15 miles there from Queens early weekend morning just to pick up their steamed Rice Rolls (Cheung Fen).

Got the shrimp and beef rice noodles. They were average/just okay and will hit the spot if you have a craving or are in a rush, but you can probably get better quality elsewhere. The rolls are a bit too thick here. They have really good HK milk tea though. They use the Black & White brand of evaporated milk, which gives it an ultra smooth and creamy taste. It's also the brand that is frequently used in HK to make milk tea, so props for that. However, I ordered a large size (hot) but got a small size. It was too late to alert them to the mistake as were leaving Chinatown by the time I checked the bag (ordered takeout on our way out of the city).

Came back to eat at this restaurant after many years not coming out to CTown. I ordered set E breakfast, and my daughter ordered the spam macaroni with scrambled egg. Our meal tasted as good as it was before. I asked why they are using plastic utensils. The waitress told me there was no one washing dishes. I guess people really don't want to work anymore. This is extremely sad in my opinion. The price has increased quite a bit from several years ago, but it is to be expected with everything going on. Can't wait to come back again in the near future.

No frills little shop to stop by for some authentic Hong Kong breakfast. I always try to come here early in the morning to get their breakfast set specials. I have tried their congee, cheurng fun, ramen, and fried dough sticks. Always come here for their hong kong milk tea and cheurng fun. The cheurng fun is a rice roll which is so silky smooth. Service is quite quick and the locals are always eating here. One thing to be conscientious about is that everything they use is disposable, which is not exactly the most eco friendly. I assume it is cheaper for them to buy single use than to hire someone to do the dishes, since they do keep their food prices pretty low. As with all restaurants right now, vaccine cards are needed to eat here.

I came here for lunch on a Friday afternoon. This is definitely a no frills style HK cafe in the old school part of Chinatown. Service is not the best but the food is cheap. We ordered the HK style toast with butter and condensed milk, the chicken wings, and the baked spaghetti with short rib and egg. I also ordered a red bean ice drink. The best dish was the baked spaghetti with short rib and egg. The sauce was a bit bland but there was a lot of short rib and the egg was runny. The chicken wings were dry and the HK style toast wasn't really toasted that well at all. The red bean ice drink had a lot of red bean which was great. It was a decent place but I admit I would rather pay more and go to a better HK cafe nearby.

Food is medicore! I wish this place didnt use all plastic utensils n plates. They need to be more environmental friendly!

M Star Cafe is a classic Hong Kong-Style Cafe where the inside is old-fashioned. Since I entered at 3:30 pm, the place was empty and the servers and waiters were idling. After ordering a hash brown and a sampan congee which the restaurant calls it house special congee. The items took a few minutes to be ready. While waiting, another customer entered and ordered takeout. The hash brown is better than the ones I had during my elementary school days. The house special congee had pig skin and peanuts.

I'm currently craving their Breakfast Special set(s) right now because their selection and pricing has a good mix of nostalgia and fair pricing amidst the pandemic. We ordered Breakfast Special C (Macaroni with ham, butter toast, egg) and Breakfast Special E (Preserved egg & lean pork congee, HK Styled rice noodle/cheung fun with peanut butter and soy sauce). It's definitely a no frills Chinese cafe where it's cash only, service equates to food being brought to the table, and drinks and food are served in disposables, but these are also the reasons why I would come back. Although it's probably not healthy to eat this everyday, it's a pretty cost efficient breakfast before starting the day!

very good. cash only. wheelchair accessible. yummy imitated shark fin soup. yummy sandwich. food came out very fast. very affordable. very clean. the menu got something for everyone.

I was a tourist from Hawaii , went with my family yesterday 6/3/24 around 12 pm the food was kind of blend ,the bill was 33.09 including tax yet on the bill , I notice there was a gratitude fee for $6 total bill printed on the check was $39.02 (cash only) so I put down $40 Since we were rushing to leave , we didn't think about the gratitude 18% was already included on the total billing, there was only 1 guy server and there were not many customers only us and others 2 tables , after we left , I called back , a.nice lady Amy I believe was the owner she check my bill there was no $6 for gratitude on the record, to me like all the Chinese cafe restaurants they don't charge customers 18 % for mandatory gratitude it was up to the customer to pay , my concern 1: why my bill had shown $6 gratitude charged yet not on the record when the boss was checking the record from the register I was thinking that the waiter took the $6 from the customer then deleted the gratitude item from ther register record try to hide the $6 gratitude that he took from the customer after we left , to me he was trying to scam the customer and not report to his owner try to falsify the bill that he actually received especially when he know we are the tourists and will not going back again and he though we just let it go Please when you go to this restaurant please be aware the bill he charge you Thanks

Possibly the worst dim sum and congee I've had. I was in Chinatown one day (during the pandemic, when everything was starting to re-open). We were craving some dim sum since we hadn't had any throughout all of quarantine. A lot of places were still closed and that's when I stumbled upon M Star Cafe and decided to give it a try, despite its 3.5 star rating. We ordered a beef churng fun, a shrimp churng fun, chicken sticky rice, and thousand year egg/lean pork congee (total came out to $18). The churng fun itself had a weird consistency, like it was not freshly made - and the filling inside was bland. The chicken sticky rice was not any better. The ingredients inside just did not taste good. The congee was probably the worst. It was watery and had a soapy taste to it, and very little thousand year egg or pork. We had to reheat it and add our own ingredients to make it palatable. Maybe dim sum/congee is not their strong suit and their HK cafe items are better? Either way, I don't think I want to find out.

When you walk in and you're greeted by HK's biggest stars like Andy Lau, you know the food is buss'n buss'n (sorry for that). It's a typical Hong Kong style cafe. It's off the beaten path of mainstream tourist Chinatown so only locals or lucky wanderers know what's up. We ordered rice rolls, Portuguese chicken over rice, curry seafood noodle, tea leaf egg, beef chow fun, congee, Russian soup, "shark fin" soup, and several drinks. Btw the server didn't have to write down the order, pro. Even after all this food, I didn't feel sluggish but still extremely satisfied. Put it this way, the cheeseburger I had yesterday somewhere else was smaller in portion but I felt gross. Fast service, authentic food, and wonderful prices has converted me. I'm now a returning customer.

Only had limited items from here, but the tell tale for me is the HK style milk tea. It's pretty poor as I can not taste the tea flavor, and not smooth at all like you would expect from real HK Tea House. Very weak. I may give other items at try in the future but not in any rush to go back.

Overpriced, ice-filled tea that was too sweet and watered down. Maybe their food is better.

This place in business for a long time, and serves Hong Kong style cafe food. However, the food/drinks are no longer good. Very blend.

A great place for a HK style meal! No frills and nothing fancy, but so good. And it's such a great value. They give you loads of food for the price. Everything tasted great, with an abundance of flavor. We got the seat meals for breakfast. A shredded pork and picked vegetable mei fun noodle soup was sooo good, one of the best I've had in awhile. Also the meal with congee and soy sauce pan fried noodles. Must try the HK style milk tea! It's strong and so flavorful.

Always a fan of their club sandwiches and have been eating these since I was little. I'd say the quality has deteriorated over the years but still manages to give me that childhood feeling.

If you are seeking some very affordable and very authentic Hong Kong style eats, I would definitely recommend this place - but only specifically for a handful of items! Although this place doesn't disappoint with the quantity, I wouldn't praise everything here to be the best tasting dishes, BUT the items that ARE in fact quite delicious, I would say are a MUST eat. Let's begin with the most authentic hong kong rice noodles that are typically served with peanut sauce, soy sauce and some oyster sauce. This place with the very heavy pour for the peanut sauce is phenomenal!! I always love this dish and typically get it in the street carts of NYC, but the peanut sauce is typically watery....here that is not the case the rice noodles and sauce are absolutely AMAZING!!! you can order the regular one or the pan fried version, which honestly BOTH are amazing!! The iced coffee/tea are also super authentic and delicious, there isn't a case where there is too much milk/cream vs. tea/coffee, this place has genuinely perfected the combination!! Definitely order this even just for a take out! The Portuguese chicken over rice is baked and wow oh wow, I don't know how they got the chicken to be so juicy but it is seriously delicious. I wasn't a big fan of the tomato sauce, but I don't like tomatoes but all my friends loved it! So would definitely recommend giving this a shot!! The dim sum, are all classics and quite yummy - again definitely something that is worthwhile!!! Everything is extremely reasonably priced, but this is CASH only place so come prepared. We tried some of the other dishes which were just okay, like the cart noodles - where you can pick a handful of items with what ever noodle - it was okay. It is more a street food that is just good, I wouldn't write home about that but in a pinch with only a few bucks in your pocket, it is nice! The curried squid or the fish balls, were okay - nothing super flavorful or surprising. Singapore rice noodles - were massive portions but I can't say that it was absolutely a must order. Still worth a shot for those huge huge portions!! Overall, great hong kong street food place!

A bit disappointed by the food though this is an old style HK tea house. The baked pork chop with rice had mostly fatty pork. We ordered the congee but it came with little taste. The sticky rice in lotus leaf was fine though.

Great food. Great price and classic service. The expected experience for the cafe setting , food and price. The prefect amount of friendly service to slightly rudeness really brings the experience in a hongkong Cha Chan Ting of quick breakfast Chinese food.

Food is pretty good. Expected to wait abouy 10 to 15 mins for your table. I came on a Saturday afternoon. I ordered baked pork chop on rice with tomato sauce and a cold Hong Kong style milk tea.

I'm always a bit nervous about hole in the wall places in Chinatown just because they don't always look the most sanitary. The 3.5 stars on the review didn't exactly win me over either, but my friend assured me that this place was good. When I actually arrived, I had to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is old, but it looks clean (and it was well air-conditioned too!). We went a little crazy with ordering because everything looked so good and it was also just so cheap. For the three of us, we ordered the following: 1) H.K. Style Steamed Rice Noodle: 3.5/5 - This dish is a rice noodle roll that is covered in a sweet soy sauce and peanut sauce. It's not as soft as your typical steamed rice noodle roll, but it's still good. However, since one of our party is allergic to peanuts, the sheer quantity to split between two made it easy to lose its appeal amongst all the other good food that we had too. 2) Shrimp Steamed Rice Noodle: 5/5 - I have a soft spot for this dish, and this was so good. For only $3.50, the portion almost seems bigger than what you'd get at your traditional dim sum restaurant. The sauce was very good and the shrimp very tender. 3) Fried Dough: 2.5/5 - This dish was just okay. We had originally intended to eat this with our congee, but the congee came first and we sort of forgot about it. It was a bit more oily than I would have liked but not too bad. It's only $1.50, so what more can you expect? 4) Preserved Egg & Lean Pork Congee: 4.5/5 - It's been a while since I've had a good bowl of this congee (the last place I ordered it from was so gross so I was worried I was going to get something similar). However, it was actually really flavorful. Highly recommend! 5) Pork Chop with Instant Noodle: 5/5 - I never thought I would come to a restaurant to eat instant noodles but this was so good. There was actually a good number of pork chops in the noodles and the noodles themselves were cooked to just the right consistency. It does make me think though that I can probably learn to make this myself at home, but nonetheless, it was nice to learn that it isn't always a bad idea to order instant noodles at a restaurant. 6) H.K. Style Milk Tea: 5/5 - Perfect for the very hot day that we were eating on. The sweetness was not overwhelming and it was overall very refreshing. 7) Pan-Fried Dumplings: 3/5 - It wasn't bad, but compared to all the other dishes, it failed to shine. I think it was also just so heavy and with how much food we already consumed, it wasn't super appealing anymore to have to finish a plate of dumplings. There are definitely better dumplings in the Chinatown area. Service is on the slower side, but they were very nice and got us everything that we needed. Overall, I'm definitely down to go back and try some of the other things on their menu!

Best Spam and egg sandwich!!!!!!!!! THE BEST in NYC!!!!! I gotta go get some tomorrow !

AVOID M Star Cafe: Horrible service. This place is not worth it. You can find much better food in the area with competent waiters that will bring you water and don't harass the guests. Don't go, don't waste your time, HORRIBLE SERVICE: When I left the restaurant, waiter ran after me and ambushed me outside. Waiter accused me of not leaving enough tip. I was shocked and proceeded to give another dollar. Waiter's response: "One dollar is NOT ENOUGH. You need to give more money for the tip". I tip accordingly based on service received. Waiter demanded that I leave 20% tip for a meal that had almost NO SERVICE. Order was taken and given. Wait staff NEVER came and asked if we needed anything. DID NOT offer water. DID NOT ever ask if things were ok or if we needed anything else. DID NOT even offer the meal check. I got up myself to ask and was told to got to the counter myself to get the check then pay. Food: Nothing special, food is not worth it. Food was served on paper plates with plastic forks. I saw that drinks were served in paper cups. I wouldn't know because the waiter didn't bring me water. Ambiance: None, this is a hole in a wall. Menus are under hard plastic on the table. You will be eating with paper plates but the wait staff expect to be tipped like a Michelin starred restaurant.

Overall, good HK-style cafe. I got the HK-style rice noodles and a french toast - both had very on point flavor, but the texture was a bit lacking mainly because I had to get takeout due to covid. I ate my food after 30-40 minutes I received my order, so when I ate, the rice noodles were a bit softer than it should be and my french toast no longer was crispy as it seemed when it was freshly cooked. However, considering how long I waited before eating, I rate 4 stars because the flavor was on point especially for its cheap pricing ($7.50 in total). The rice noodles had amazing hoisin and peanut butter combo flavor - ugh so good. I should have also gotten some siracha on top, but otherwise, The french toast was BUTTERY with an amazing sweet taste on its own from the batter the toast was dipped in before it was fried, and a hint of saltiness from the butter (not shown in the picture because it melted by the time I got back home). I added some syrup on top of my toast, and wow, it completed the flavor of the french toast (surprisingly, this syrup felt a bit lighter than regular maple syrup and a little bit less sweet, which I actually like more). However, if I were to eat in person or 5-10 minutes after I got my food, I would imagine the texture to be on point as well. I would definitely come back again if I ever have any more cravings of HK-styled foods.

Came here because a friend recommended me to try one of their fried pork rice dishes. Unfortunately, because I misinterpreted what exactly my friend wanted me to try, I decided to order it the next time I visit, if ever. I did, however, tried some of their other dishes. The highlight of this trip was the pan-fried rice noodles (cheurng fun). It has the perfect light crispiness on the outside and a tender chewy center. The semi-burnt lining has the toastiness and taste of burnt rice at the bottom of a stone pot. Overall, it's pretty good and something I've never seen elsewhere. We shared a club sandwich which included lettuce, tomato, pickles, ham, and corned beef scrambled eggs sandwiched between 3 slices of buttered toast. It tasted standard and the ham was super salty. My mom ordered a cup of hot HK style milk tea and she said it was barely warm. My brother ordered the spam and egg over rice, which also tasted very ordinary. The service here was kind of slow. Took a while for us to get a waiter to take our order and the waitress forgot our tea until we flagged her down for something. I'd probably only come back for the pan-fried rice noodles and to try the fried pork rice dish as recommended by a friend. Otherwise, the food is ordinary compared to the many other restaurants in Chinatown.

My favorite go to for quick Chinese breakfast ! Their food always hits home. I recommend the waffle with condensed milk and peanut butter! Their satay instant noodle breakfast special is also one of my favorite choices.

This place used to be a favorite but the rice rolls are now clumpy and grainy rather than smooth with texture. Would go elsewhere unless they revert to past quality

Good Hong Kong style breakfast options in Chinatown in the East Village. Had congee, instant noodles, and HK style rice crepe breakfast. Cash only business but the food is good and there is indoor seating which is hard to find in many Chinatown restaurants in New York. Service was good but best if you can speak Mandarin.

BREAKFAST REVIEW ONLY Solid HK breakfast cafe. No fuss and don't expect service. Breakfast sets come with a variety of food items, which I like -- makes me feel like a queen with a spread of food. My favorite breakfast - SET D: Satay Instant Noodles, soup, milk tea, and toast. $5.50 flat. You can't really argue much for this price that you are paying.

3.5 stars for authenticity of a Hong Kong cafe and for the menu... Also, I get it now after seeing the inside of the place. The name M Star Cafe, the "M Star" translates to "Celebrity" in Cantonese. Ha ha what a play on words. Inside the establishment, there's a mural of Chinese celebrity caricatures and on the opposite wall, there are real photos of celebs that dined there. I can recognize a few faces. The tables are lined with pinic cloth style tablecloths and a glass or plastic top on top to keep it clean. The menu is slipped in between for ease of viewing. This is efficient, less time wasted waiting on someone. I'm used to seeing this in many Chinese establishments. Onto the food, I came to try the HK style rice noodles, judging by the photos I saw on Yelp, I knew they served it. While tempted to opt for the street vendor cart minutes away as I'm in Chinatown, I had time to spare so I chose to dine in. The service is lacking energy but when you're in a place like this, a casual homey fast food joint, they don't care so much the service. They care more about the speed. So it's a highly efficient way of doing things. The HK style rice noodles were delicious. I loved the peanut sauce and the way they drizzled it on top. The noodles were not sticky and perfectly steamed. The price also can't be beat. Street pricing but with the dine in seating, a total plus. I also ordered the Fried dough wrapped with rice noodle. That's a typical HK breakfast favorite. In fact, two tables ordered it after I did and then I overheard other patrons afterwards trying to order it and were told it was sold out. People, I was here at 9am!! Wow. But believe me, it's hard to find in many restaurants past the morning Rush. Quantities are generally limited and it's a favorite. This particular one, the fried dough seemed over fried. Too crunchy and too fried. The outer layer is supposed to be crisp but the inside of the dough is supposed to be pillowy soft. I was a bit disappointed it was not. The rice noodle was fresh and fairly thick. Sauce was on point (it's the sweet soy). Just because I had to try one more tasty thing, I ordered the waffle with peanut butter and condensed milk. Very similar to the HK style French Toast but served on a waffle instead. This was really a sweet treat. Fun dish, brings out the kid in me. So the run down, come for the Hong Kong style experience - menu and variety. But skip it if you don't want to share a table or feel rushed. This place was packed by the time I left, 9:45am. I took longer than they normally prefer but I was in no rush and I ate my breakfast slowly. At least it was a great value. With the above mentioned items and my hot tea with lemon and honey, it was $10! Great value.

Craving (or eager to try) some quintessential, no-frills Cantonese and Hong Kong-style breakfast? M Star Cafe is a good pick. They have great breakfast specials before 11 a.m. that include two to three items and milk tea for $4.75. You can also order food a la carte. I've had the satay beef with instant noodles, preserved egg and lean pork congee, steamed rice noodles smothered in peanut and hoisin sauce, and toast with condensed milk. They're all varying levels of decent to good. Make sure to get a nice, hot cup of milk tea with whatever you choose. The servers are curt yet efficient, very reminiscent of my dining experiences in Hong Kong. Mornings and afternoons get very busy, so you'll have to share a table with people or wait for your own. Don't worry though, it usually doesn't take long. Almost everyone is just here to scarf down food, then leave. Taking your time? Relaxing? Don't try that shit here. You WILL get cut by an elderly Chinese person. Or me.