Duk Kee Chinese Restaurant

The food tastes so-​so. It is a plus since it is open on 25^th when all other restaurants are closed.

Lots of good food.

Just the best traditional cantonese food, soul satisfying. Steamed chicken, fish with ginger and scallion, pork hash.

This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Hawaii! The service is fast and friendly.
The food comes out so fast. If you are starving, this is the place to go too! The portions are very big here.
Whenever we have a family get together or want to eat Chinese food, this is our first choice.

I had the Thursday special. Duck, char Sui and cold ginger chicken combination. As always the food is onolicious and consistent. I eat there at least twice a week and have never been disappointed.

I go to this restaurant for lunch very frequently. I like them because they are flexible in the preparation of their foods. I have a bad reaction to MSG and they are willing to prepare foods with no additional MSG. I order dishes without sauces, just plain. Unfortunately, I cannot resist a half order of their Crispy Gau Gee! No one is perfect — but their Crispy Gau Gee is pretty close to perfect! I know there must be some msg in it, but so far no reaction!

Very average. Like stepping into 1979.

Always crowded with lots of locals and other locals coming in to pick up their take outs. This is the not too big local Chinese restaurant of my youth and a favorite of mine to eat comfort food with hot white rice. My favorite is the chicken bitter melon while my wife’s is the wo won ton mein. But the” lunch plate special” and «dinner plate» specials are really good bargains when you want to eat a lot and can not quite figure what you are craving. Old time favorites like pork hash with hahm gnee, steamed egg, kau yuk, black bean clams, chow fun, gon lau mein„ lemon chicken, walnut shrimp are all there.
Same reliable staff there and courteous all the time. Saw a local large table with their stemware and bottles of red wine.. Have seen others previouslybring bottles of scotch or beer, but red wine with their own stemware. I like that. Duk Kee is reliable and dependable for taking care of you and your appetite.

Went with a party of 9. We got seated as soon as we walked Inside. They took our order really quick. We got our food quick and the door was good, you know typical Chinese food. It’s byob so that was really cool. You should try here.

Good ‘ol Duk Kee — my go-​to place for quick and tasty everyday Chinese. This place is definitely a long-​standing staple of the Kaimuki community. Everyone from college kids, to entire families come to enjoy a good meal. The food here has been pretty darn consistent over the years, which lends to their steady stream of business.

Duk KEE is the place to BE.
I think we can all aGREE that it’s a typical Chinese place-​no special ambiance. My parTY of THREE were seated immediateLY but after that we struggled to get our orders taken, our waters filled and our check to arrive.
I have spent years and years finding the best beef chow fun (dry) in Honolulu (it’s my cup of TEA). Duk KEE was no exception. The portions are a bit larger than other places and the prices are a bit lower as well. I think my beef chow fun runs closer to $ 10 elsewhere but it was surprising to ME that Duk KEE only charged $ 8. Some of the beef was tough and the rest was tender. The flavoring was good but not a nomiNEE to crack the top THREE spots. Next time I’m ordering the won ton soup-​the pictures look amazing!
I’d still recommend Duk KEE, you’ll enjoy it. Come and SEE!

They say you’ll know you’re eating at a really good Chinese restaurant when you see Chinese ppl eating there, and you know what?! That’s completely true of this one! You will definitely find Chinese-​speaking patrons throughout this restaurant! (I’m half Chinese, btw hehe)
I’m not at all a fan of fast food Chinese and only authentic will do — This is one of my most loved Chinese restaurants for authentic Chinese cuisine. It’s a gem chock full of great deals hidden away just off Waialae Ave on 12^th Avenue between Waialae Ave & Harding Ave.
Duk Kee sits along the perimeter of the block with pay-​parking lot right behind and in front of the restaurant along the street; Parking entrances are located on 12^th and 11^th Avenues.
Somehow whenever I get there, it’s not super crowded but by the time I start eating, the place does become more full. Idk if it’s luck but point is they always seem to have an open table.
What to order:
Basically, it’s a matter of what you like. If you choose the more Chinese-​type dishes, you will be more successful at experiencing great tastes. It’s like going to a steakhouse: Go there for the steak and not really for the seafood, if you know what I mean. With that said, everything I’ve ordered here is always so good, I’m never able to order just a couple dishes.
Not sure what to order? Simply ask the waitress which dish is most popular based upon the main ingredient you are looking to eat: beef, pork, chicken, fish, noodles, cake noodles, fried rice, soup, duck, veggies, etc. MAJOR, HUGE HINT! — You have to try their sea bass dish! Think fluffy flaky pieces of soft, white, tasty non-​fishy fish swimming in hot garlicky sesame seed oil and soy sauce with chopped fresh green onion lovingly placed on top! It will seem like everyone around you has ordered it, and if you do not order it, you will eventually look around at the other tables feeling that you should have ordered it! Believe me! I’ve lived through that plight and it was not fun! :(Hehe Lol Much higher priced but another must do fav is their mochi duck!
Service:
They’re always very courteous and helpful. If you need more tea, flip your cover over to signal that it needs to be refilled. More Water? They will come by regularly to provide :)
Seating:
For a small restaurant, seating is really good for all smaller sized groups. They have booths that fit 4 – 6 depending on body sizes, large round tables, or short rectangular tables that can fit 2 – 4 or be fitted together to seat a much larger party. Would probably be a great idea to call in a huge table request in advance ;)
Take-​out:
…is available and they’ll even help you figure out how much food you need to order whether you’re throwing a party, putting together or attending a potluck, or whether you’ve ordered too much to eat like me (which is the case as seen in our table pic hehehehe) My favorites to order are their gau gee and cake noodles dishes. If you are ordering their mochi duck, be sure to place your order by phone at least a couple days in advance to give them time to prep the dish for you.
Payment Methods:
Credit cards and of course cash are accepted :)
Don’t forget:
Before you leave, make sure you have enough hot mustard and soy sauce, and if you order a large pan of something, ask for a larger sauce container. They’ll be happy to make it for you: D
I hope you’ll love this place as much as I do. Enjoy! :)

I know of a few local (to Kaimuki) families who swear this is their go-​to chinese restaurant. My Chinese family has other «regular» places we go to and so I hardly ever came to Duk Kee when I was growing up. Now that I work in the area, I am always in search of places to get food, but I hardly ever crave chinese food. Hence, it took me awhile to rediscover Duk Kee.
The restaurant has been here forever – well, for as long as I can remember. That iconic red dragon gliding across the window has been there since before that parking lot changed from being metered parking. The décor also has not changed. The linoleum floors and fluorescent lights are typical of many aging chinese restaurants and the red chairs and glass covered tables don’t really help modernize the place.
But what am I talking about? The regulars don’t come here to be awed by the décor or ambiance. The food is good, and cheap! I realize that is definitely what will keep the older chinese kaimuki residents coming back again and again. The lunch special is a particular winner. For less than $ 8 you get a heaping pile of food large enough to feed a small chinese family. But really, it lasted me lunch and dinner and lunch again the next day. The jook is also surprisingly good. Before I actually learned how to make jook (everyone in my family just assumed I knew how, but I obviously would never have made myself jook if I was dying of illness in bed), I would get take out from Duk Kee. I picked up this habit from one of my Chinese uncles, so I knew it was okay. The other dishes I’ve tried at various intermittent dinners have been good. I’ve seen them making dumplings at off times and fresh vegetables being delivered. I’ve even seen some people bring in various things for the cooks to make. The food is good, no doubt. While Happy Days (across the parking lot) is known for Chinese dim sum, Duk Kee is known for authentic chinese food food, not breakfast.
Unfortunately, chinese food isn’t normally on the top of my priority list, but I’m definitely glad Duk Kee remains a cornerstone business in the Kaimuki area, known for it’s great chinese food and low prices :)

Got a big group party, parking lot next door
Come to Duk Kee. Open daily. It’s an institution in Kaimuki. Right off 12 th street. Sorry no more shark fin soup anymore …

3.5 stars
Duk Kee is your neighborhood Chinese restaurant that you can always turn to for decent food. It’s been around for a long time, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere because it always seems to be crowded! Saturday nights seem to be busiest. Like most Chinese restaurants, it’s good for large parties, just make a reservation. Their pricing is also reasonable. I’d say it’s probably the best Chinese restaurant in Kaimuki but not my favorite Chinese restaurant on the island.
Here are my favorite dishes:
Crispy gau gee!!! 2^nd best crispy gau gee to Kin Wah in Kaneohe.
Minute chicken cake noodle!!!
Won ton mein– Sometimes their noodles are hard, but their won tons are good and the soup is not oily.
Fried rice– it’s pretty tough to mess up fried rice in my opinion, but you’d be surprised at how some restaurants can still offer substandard fried rice. Duk kee’s is nothing special but it’s good (enough that I always look forward to eating the leftovers next day)
Chow fun– chicken is better than beef bc sometimes their beef is tough
Check out their daily specials too. I recently tried their beef tendon with turnip & look fun (fat white rice noodles). That was pretty good and I never had it anywhere else before!
If you’re not stuffed after all this, you can treat yourself to some gelato next door hehe. Parking in the municipal parking lot– duke it out with the 32 984 other restaurants’ patrons searching for a spot.

This is a favorite place to get delicious Chinese cuisine… better to travel the distance to get satisfaction guaranteed!!!
Each bite is flavorful and very enjoyable. Definitely worth the recommendation!!!

This Chinese restaurant stands out for their signature dish. I think it’s either called mochi duck or stuffed duck. Sorry, I don’t know the exact name. In plain English, it’s a pot roasted duck soaked in gravy. It’s a Chinese comfort food. I never had that dish anywhere else. If you’re up to a pot roasted duck dish, give it a try. It melts in your mouth.
This restaurant is a smaller place. So don’t bring a huge party unless you call in advance. Servers/​owners are nice and that’s a plus.

Not a bad restaurant specializing in Chinese American fast food. For a cheap $ 8, I had the dinner plate which came with an insane amount of food — fried rice, spare ribs, char siu (not the usual kind), beef and broccoli, 3 crispy gaugee, and chow mein. The fried rice and crispy gaugee were the best parts. My husband got the char siu (the usual kind) and roasted duck with white rice and choi sum ($ 8) which was also a huge plate.
If you value quantity over quality, this is a good place for you.

Kaimuki is noted for it’s many family restaurants. You have «hole in the walls» to fine dining, specialty offerings, a wide array of ethnic cuisines.
A favorite Chinese restaurant in Kaimuki is Duk Kee on 12^th ave. This location has always been home to a Chinese restaurant and the latest incarnation has been there for decades. A clean, reasonably priced dining option with very polite and friendly waitresses. The offerings are numerous-​some of our favorites include the rainbow tofu soup, watercress soup, lemon chicken, crispy gau gee mein (with the skinny noodles), stuffed duck (you can’t usually get this on the mainland) and the pickled cabbage with beef. Our go-​to Chinese restaurant in Kaimuki.
Crispy Gau Gee Mein– with emein upgrade

I caught a little cold over the weekend, and I needed something soupie tonight, as I wanted to get more liquids into my system.
My pops was feeling the «hole in the wall Chinese» thing, so we ended up at one of my favorite new «hole in the wall place» — Duk Kee Chinese Restaurant in Kaimuki town.
Pop was craving this Chinese beef stew thing with chow fun noodles in soup.
As for me, I ended up getting the Wor Soft Gau Gee Mein, or I would say the «Super Chinese Saimin»! Lol!
I thoroughly enjoyed my Wor Soft Gau Gee Mein tonight! It was loaded with the following tasty items — Chinese Cabbage, Water chestnut, Carrots, Shrimp, Choy Sum, Char Sui, Noodles, & (4) Soft Gau Gee! After eating my huge bowl of goodness! All I can say is «MAN! That Hit Da Spot!» :)
Service was fast & friendly. There is lots of parking in the Kaimuki manciple parking lot, or you can find metered street parking.
Restaurant was PACKED on a Monday night (that’s a good sign), and I was quite surprised at how this restaurant has such a strong following with the Kama’aina.
I normally come here for lunch sometimes with my co-​workers, but this was an all time first for me to do dinner here. I will be back again soon!