Hello Cafe

Based on the reviews posted, my son and husband and I head for Hello for a quick and easy dinner at a neighborhood joint. We were eager to try it since we haven’t yet found a Chinese restaurant in South Philly that compares to some of the establishments in Chinatown. I hate to say it because the people were so nice, but our dishes were inedible. The chicken and ginger hot pot had no ginger, only an excess of garlic, and tasteless meat swimming in a sweet, gloppy brown sauce. The spring rolls were crisp on the outside, but discolored, and filled with an unrecognizable, gray soggy mess. My husband, who’s not a picky eater by a long shot, actually spit his chicken into his paper napkin. The wait person seemed dismayed by our untouched plates. We smiled and told her we weren’t hungry. They are very sweet people, but we won’t be going back.

I love it here!
I’m not sure what it is about this place that i love — maybe it’s the fact that there are so many unique and tasty things on their menu (the lamb, the soups, etc)? the price? the service?
Possibly just all of the above. I have been going here for years with my family and have enjoyed it every single time.

I stopped in this place randomly and found it had far-​above-​average food at very low prices. This is the Cantonese style food like most of the places in Chinatown offer, but I found that it had a slightly more interesting flair at this place. Many of the dishes look very simple but are subtly spiced and very well-​executed, little things like the freshness of the ingredients and the use of many different ingredients in small quantities.
Portions are immense. Outstanding value.
Menu is good… very diverse, lots of more «authentic» offerings but presented in a way that will make them pretty accessible to people unfamiliar with this type of Chinese food.
I really hope to come back to this place soon.

I did enjoy their spring roll appetizer very much and based on that alone I probably would have awarded four stars, however I had a chicken dish and the chicken tasted reheated; I could’t even eat it. Possibly an off day, but I probably won’t be going back!

We ended up eating here by accident because everything else in Vietnamtown was closed (everywhere else closes at 8 or 9 pm, Fridays and Saturdays included). The portions are huge and relatively inexpensive, and the service is extremely fast and very friendly. However, I thought the food was sub-​par, which is unfortunate because food is my primary motivation for patronizing a restaurant. The beef chow fun was semi-​soupy, which is not how I like my chow fun. My dining companion said his Hainan chicken was just okay. The food is probably 2-​star quality, but the nice people, quick service, and huge portions push it up to 3. Maybe we ordered the wrong things, or went on an off day?

Great food fast service friendly staff

I’ve been living in South Philly for the almost 2 years now and there are lots of great vietnamese places but until I found this I haven’t been hooked on any of the Chinese places and I’m Taiwanese. I finally found a place that makes my favorite dish, mapo tofu! I’m hooked. I’ve gone back at least once a week since. Their chinese broccoli with chicken is very good. I have yet to eat in the restaurant since I’m just buying food for myself for the week but the portions are decent and ingredients are fresh and not overly sauced American-​style. I need to bring my husband and family there sometime to try their stews and other dishes.

We normally goto Chinatown for chinese food. Being asian myself this place is one of my favorite places to eat in South Philly. It’s quick, they are fast with their food, its cheap, and best of all it taste great!
The seafood is alive and cooked right before you eat. I recommend the clams and black bean sause ($ 11) and an order of chicken wings (5.50).
For a dinner of two, those two dishes will fill you up with some to take home. The serving sizes are crazy!
For under $ 20 bucks this place will take care of your chinese food craving. Order more and just bring it home for lunch tomorrow.

Love, love, love this place. The food is great. The noodle soups are fantastic and the Peking duck delicious and served with wheat buns instead of Chinese pancakes! My dad is a regular and whenever I am in town we go here. Go and then tell your friends to visit Hello Café. You will not be disappointed with the food, service or cost.

More people need to come to this tasty hidden treasure in the area at Washington Ave. known as the ‘secret’ Chinatown or as others refer it ‘Little Vietnam’. Either way, most of the restaurants all have great food at an affordable price. But Hello Café by far has won my attention and thus it needs to be UnilocalED!
The food is FAST, especially if you come on a weekday. Friendly people serve you and the surrounding both comfortable and clean. You can watch some of the chefs in the back cutting vegetables and getting plenty of noodles ready for soups and other delicious entrees. The meals are big and a friend and I ended up sharing a dish. I was hungry but with comfort food like this, plus rice, ya fill up.
May I suggest a glass of their ever awesome iced coffee. They use a sweet condensed milk and the perfect balance to create a drink as splendid as bubble tea.
Your service ends with your check with a dish of fortune cookies and sweet fresh cut orange slices. It’s rare some places do this, but it’s always a treat and really shows they mean to get a BIG TIP. And give it to them.