Kowloon Tong Dessert Cafe

affordable and yummy desserts/snacks— beat the evening rush on friday night and got seated right away. bathroom was clean and food came out relatively fast. i wouldn’t recommend the popcorn chicken because the seasoning could’ve been stronger but i would go back to try other desserts.

The dessert was very tasty and a large portion. Can honestly share between three people.

Stumbled upon this place, and so happy we did. The menu is confusing, but the owner was very helpful in explaining what is what. The mango sago was icy and cool, not overly sweet which I like. Probably really great served warm too! Can’t wait to try the waffle ice cream, charming place for date night 👌🏻

I asked a waiter at the Harborview Restaurant where he goes for “red bean ice” drink. He recommended KTDC. This place makes a delicious “red bean ice” drink. The sesame glutinous balls with crushed peanuts is out of this world, too.👍👍

Tasty Hong Kong style desserts. Many tasty options. We got the salted egg yolk fries, mango desserts, waffles. Waffle was a bit dry but overall tasty and hit the spot

Finally got a chance to try out this place. It is not the best but it didn't disappoint. We have the ice cream waffle sandwich, mango go go, popcorn chicken and curry fish ball. Food is decent. The service was attentive, brought us extra utensils and bowls ready for us to share food, Refilled our water without having to ask!

The Curry Calamari was a standout with its irresistible curry sauce that I couldn't help but dip my rice crepes into. The Beef Brisket with Rice Crepes, although enjoyable, left me wishing for a heartier beef portion. The Mixed Fruit in Ice Cream Waffle was a simple yet satisfying dessert, offering a medley of flavors in each bite.

Been coming here since college. Long overdue small review. Solid no frills late comfort bites and dessert, nothing too fancy but always a nice treat of dishes to scratch an itch.

Updated 4/2/2025: Check your receipt. I realized Kowloon Tong Desserts didn't remove a tofu desert dish until I got home. They didn't have that dish available and I was charged for it. When I called the same night, the clerk refused to refund me over the phone and told me to come back. Today, I went back and a different crew was working. Luckily the clerk from the previous evening left a note. Still, what a waste of time for me to get a refund when they could have just done it electronically since I charged it on my Visa. Original review: Kowloon Tong desert cafe has been here since the 90s'? My friend lives up the block and I remember seeing people still in there when I drop him off after bar hopping. It is still the same. The place was filled tonight with people waiting for a table at 9:30pm. The food here is OK. Not the best. The thing that keeps people coming back is that they are open late if you want to have a place to chat after dinner. Good times.

How we even ended up here was a bit of a blur, but the fried tofu was absolutely hitting the spot. The sweets were nice too.

Good food, fast service, affordable. Can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner. This is exactly what a HK cafe is! We wanted drinks and a light snack and we stumbled upon this place. It can get quite busy but people come and go. We ordered hot ovaltine since it was so cold outside and the HK milk tea with coffee. Both drinks were so delicious, the milk tea with coffee is strong. We got the sweet and spicy wings and added $2 for garlic fries. The dry rubbed wings were really good and pipping hot. The fries were seasoned well and crunchy. We also got the condensed milk French toast with peanut butter. It was good but I ordered the wrong thing because I wanted the deep fried French toast, but I know for next time! There are also many dessert options.

This place has never let me down when craving dessert in the area! This place is open late and has affordable desserts. My favorites are always the sago tapioca desserts with mango. They’re perfectly refreshing, fruity, while not being too sweet. I love this mom and pop shop. Do yourself a favor and check this place out!

Ordered a Mango Smoothie, Hong Kong Style Waffle, and Mix Fruit Coconut Milk Black Sticky Rice. Mango smoothie was a friend's go to so that was not mine. The Waffle was very good with the standard peanut butter and condensed milk sandwiched between. It doesn't taste too sweet and feels quite light. The Black Sticky Rice was a refreshing dessert complimented by the coconut milk's creaminess. Aside from the food, another highlight of this place is the cozy and retro ambiance it gives of a traditional small Hong Kong cafe. It's busy inside and you might need to talk over people but that's a pleasure if you care for that sort of experience.

Kendrick Lim

Tasty Hong Kong style desserts. Many tasty options. We got the salted egg yolk fries, mango desserts, waffles. Waffle was a bit dry but overall tasty and hit the spot

Fiona Seah

Finally got a chance to try out this place. It is not the best but it didn't disappoint. We have the ice cream waffle sandwich, mango go go, popcorn chicken and curry fish ball. Food is decent. The service was attentive, brought us extra utensils and bowls ready for us to share food, Refilled our water without having to ask!

Jerry Herrera

Been coming here since college. Long overdue small review. Solid no frills late comfort bites and dessert, nothing too fancy but always a nice treat of dishes to scratch an itch.

Jeff Ho

Updated 4/2/2025: Check your receipt. I realized Kowloon Tong Desserts didn't remove a tofu desert dish until I got home. They didn't have that dish available and I was charged for it. When I called the same night, the clerk refused to refund me over the phone and told me to come back. Today, I went back and a different crew was working. Luckily the clerk from the previous evening left a note. Still, what a waste of time for me to get a refund when they could have just done it electronically since I charged it on my Visa. Original review: Kowloon Tong desert cafe has been here since the 90s'? My friend lives up the block and I remember seeing people still in there when I drop him off after bar hopping. It is still the same. The place was filled tonight with people waiting for a table at 9:30pm. The food here is OK. Not the best. The thing that keeps people coming back is that they are open late if you want to have a place to chat after dinner. Good times.

Alice Hou

The Curry Calamari was a standout with its irresistible curry sauce that I couldn't help but dip my rice crepes into. The Beef Brisket with Rice Crepes, although enjoyable, left me wishing for a heartier beef portion. The Mixed Fruit in Ice Cream Waffle was a simple yet satisfying dessert, offering a medley of flavors in each bite.

Jake

The dessert was very tasty and a large portion. Can honestly share between three people.

Khoi Pham

How we even ended up here was a bit of a blur, but the fried tofu was absolutely hitting the spot. The sweets were nice too.

Lo

Good food, fast service, affordable. Can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner. This is exactly what a HK cafe is! We wanted drinks and a light snack and we stumbled upon this place. It can get quite busy but people come and go. We ordered hot ovaltine since it was so cold outside and the HK milk tea with coffee. Both drinks were so delicious, the milk tea with coffee is strong. We got the sweet and spicy wings and added $2 for garlic fries. The dry rubbed wings were really good and pipping hot. The fries were seasoned well and crunchy. We also got the condensed milk French toast with peanut butter. It was good but I ordered the wrong thing because I wanted the deep fried French toast, but I know for next time! There are also many dessert options.

Geronimo C Ramos

This place has never let me down when craving dessert in the area! This place is open late and has affordable desserts. My favorites are always the sago tapioca desserts with mango. They’re perfectly refreshing, fruity, while not being too sweet. I love this mom and pop shop. Do yourself a favor and check this place out!

River Walkington

Crazy good desserts wow 10/10 Big enough to share good enough to get your own. Definitely coming back, we got Pan friend red bean gelatinous balls with crushed peanuts and a Rainbow fruit Bubble waffle sundae.

I find this place to be always busy. I always end up ordering to go when I come. They have one of the best desserts. I also love their fried popcorn spicy chicken and their pork chops with rice or spaghetti my favorite. If you're looking for a good place to eat that closes late this is your place. Definitely worth it.

Ethel Chua

I find this place to be always busy. I always end up ordering to go when I come. They have one of the best desserts. I also love their fried popcorn spicy chicken and their pork chops with rice or spaghetti my favorite. If you're looking for a good place to eat that closes late this is your place. Definitely worth it.

Your typical Asian dessert place. Warm n cozy atmosphere to hang with friend and family

Food yum, but Tofu w brown sugar not really yum to me.(so only 4 stars for this)

+2

Super asian desserts, sweet (sometimes too sweet...) And pretty, with a ton of special things like tapioca, jellies, rice puddings etc. Cute, but sometimes overwhelmingly sweet.

We ordered waffle crunch and mango go go.. the deserts were okay not so great. Mango go go was a complete disappointment.! Pretty much crowded even at 1am

Still open! Love this spot! One of the few Asian snacks/dessert spots still open late night! We used to go here after church fellowship all the time because when you're hanging, it's nice to have food!

Where else can you get sesame and peanut tangyuan at 12am on a weekday when you’re having a dessert craving?? The place was packed when we got here on a Wednesday night at 11:30pm The gyoza were also good, but the true joy lies in the wide array of dessert offerings :) The table next to us seemed to really enjoy their mixed fruit sundaes...

They have the best, most spicy ginger milk curd in the Bay Area! It is a little more on the runny side but it is very smooth

I wanted some Asia an dessert and this place was open late. I would be careful with leaving valuables in car as break-ins are common in the area. This place was very busy at 10:30pm. They have both cold and warm desserts and many different drinks. Our orders came quick. We enjoyed what we got and will definitely be back for more.

It's been quite some time since I've been here, and since they're open late, it's the perfect spot for my group after we play volleyball. Located right off Geary, there's tons of parking either on Geary itself or on 7th where the store front is located. It's not hard to miss because it's probably one of the only spots open in that area at that time of night. When we walked in, there were a good amount of people eating inside. We were greeted by the staff and immediately were given a table and menus. They have an extensive menu one with desserts and drinks and another one with food. the Hong Kong Cafe style restaurant so tons of smaller snacks as well as meals. I opted to get a meal set which is $13.85 and includes entree, with either rice or spaghetti, choice of sauce, one drink, and dessert (for an additional charge). I got the chicken wings with curry sauce and spaghetti. We are also giving corn as part of our meal. The milk tea that I had was nicely sweet and tasted great. I highly suggest getting the mango pudding for dessert it was a large size and actually came with chunks of mango on top. Other items that we got to share were fried tofu, rice rolls, and salted yolk fries. The salted fries are okay not too much of a flavor except when you get to the bottom of the basket. Highly suggest getting the rice rolls as they are so delicious. Overall a really awesome experience because all of the food was pretty decent and service is great. Definitely will be coming back here as they have an extensive menu and they're open late!!

I ordered pickup through Doordash and it said it was going to be ready by 11:35 AM. When I got there, it was closed. I saw a man inside and knocked on the door but he didn't respond. I checked my phone again and it said it would be ready at 12:31 PM. I called and they didn't answer. I called again at noon and they did pick up and told me it would be ready in ten minutes. I arrived ten minutes later and it was ready. I had to wait for a minute to get my stuff but it was a smooth pickup overall. I ordered the original popcorn chicken, egg puffs, Ovaltine, deep fried chicken wings with udon, and Hong Kong milk tea (iced). I received everything except the deep fried chicken wings. There was deep fried tofu instead which is not what I ordered. However, I got a refund for that item through Doordash. I also received some super hot broth looking liquid with sliced scallions that I did not order. The Hong Kong milk tea was very very good. It just was sweet enough and tasted like very strong tea which is what it's supposed to be. The Ovaltine was Ovaltine. The popcorn chicken looked kind of gray and pallid but tasted great. The deep fried tofu wasn't fried chicken and the udon tasted a little too salty for me. The egg puffs were very nice. I didn't try the broth because I didn't order it and I didn't want it. The ordering experience was horrible but it's not their fault. The food overall was pretty good but the service wasn't good but it felt like the man was trying his best. I ordered about $30 worth of food but used Doordash's promo code SEPT50 for 50% off up to $15 so I paid like $19 in total after fees and tipping. When I went to pick up my food, all the lights were off which felt weird. The portions were generous and I finished all the food over the course of the day.

+6

Entered and sat pretty quickly. Desserts came fast and were really tasty. The mango sago was really nice. Came in the winter time and the fruit was still fresh. It wasn’t overly sweet nor was it too creamy. Also the portion size was good for an after dinner dessert. Overall a nice well balanced all around dish to have.

came in as a group of 7 and was sit pretty quick. the ordering was fast and desserts came out quickly. was busy. street parking available. fruit was fresh and sago was chewy. great portions for sharing after a meal.

Great place for Canto desserts that will transport you back to the Hong Kong of the 70’s & 80’s for the yummy fish balls, fried chicken wings, sandwiches, fries, finishing with a bowl of hot sesame and almond soup with sesame or peanut glutinous rice balls. There is a special “Happy Hour” menu that is a great deal. Service is prompt and the ambience is laid back-perfect way to end a date night.

Went there after dinner and it was 1/2 full. Two of us ordered, plain crepes noodles, served with soy sauce and peanut sauce, sesame paste and B kid grass jelly with ice cream Crepes was pretty good. I had better sesame paste but b kid grass jelly with ice cream was pretty good.

I would have given 5 stars but the new server charged us for an extra drink we didn’t order. I had an ice cream, red bean and grass jelly dessert, others had mango smoothie, cookies and cream milkshake (one made of soy and another was regular milk), a chocolate milkshake and ovaltine with grass jelly. Everyone enjoyed their drinks but the extra threw us for a loop. We tried to tell her we didn’t order it but I think that threw her off and confused her so we ended up with it just to stop the confusion! 😬 Added more photos!

We got the Hong Kong milk tea, pork sandwich with fries, and papaya soy milk stewed dessert. The milk tea was lukewarm, which was a little disappointing. The pork sandwich was good, but the fries were way too oily. And the papaya soy milk dessert was just not worth $9 at all. Overall, a bit of a disappointing meal, I feel like there are much better HK style restaurants out there!

I've had this place bookmarked forever and finally made it here on a rainy evening & it was perfect! Arrived around 10pm with a few of my girls, and the wait wasn't too long, but the place was fully packed. We put our names on a list behind the door in the wall once you walk in and you wait. We ordered 2 hot desserts & one cold. Coconut sago, coconut black rice, and a Mango sago. They were delicious, that prefect amount of sweetness that want too much & more all of a hint to enhance the natural flavors. I'd highly recommend it if you want a dessert that isn't overly sweet. The only reason I have it a 4 star is because i had to rewipe the table with handsanitizer because it smelled like they wiped the table down with a rag that needed to be changed out 😮‍💨

Ricky Da Luz

Entered and sat pretty quickly. Desserts came fast and were really tasty. The mango sago was really nice. Came in the winter time and the fruit was still fresh. It wasn’t overly sweet nor was it too creamy. Also the portion size was good for an after dinner dessert. Overall a nice well balanced all around dish to have.

Jenny

came in as a group of 7 and was sit pretty quick. the ordering was fast and desserts came out quickly. was busy. street parking available. fruit was fresh and sago was chewy. great portions for sharing after a meal.

D J

Great place for Canto desserts that will transport you back to the Hong Kong of the 70’s & 80’s for the yummy fish balls, fried chicken wings, sandwiches, fries, finishing with a bowl of hot sesame and almond soup with sesame or peanut glutinous rice balls. There is a special “Happy Hour” menu that is a great deal. Service is prompt and the ambience is laid back-perfect way to end a date night.

Hugh Do

Went there after dinner and it was 1/2 full. Two of us ordered, plain crepes noodles, served with soy sauce and peanut sauce, sesame paste and B kid grass jelly with ice cream Crepes was pretty good. I had better sesame paste but b kid grass jelly with ice cream was pretty good.

A. Ko

I would have given 5 stars but the new server charged us for an extra drink we didn’t order. I had an ice cream, red bean and grass jelly dessert, others had mango smoothie, cookies and cream milkshake (one made of soy and another was regular milk), a chocolate milkshake and ovaltine with grass jelly. Everyone enjoyed their drinks but the extra threw us for a loop. We tried to tell her we didn’t order it but I think that threw her off and confused her so we ended up with it just to stop the confusion! 😬 Added more photos!

Bonnie

We got the Hong Kong milk tea, pork sandwich with fries, and papaya soy milk stewed dessert. The milk tea was lukewarm, which was a little disappointing. The pork sandwich was good, but the fries were way too oily. And the papaya soy milk dessert was just not worth $9 at all. Overall, a bit of a disappointing meal, I feel like there are much better HK style restaurants out there!

Miss Mai T

I've had this place bookmarked forever and finally made it here on a rainy evening & it was perfect! Arrived around 10pm with a few of my girls, and the wait wasn't too long, but the place was fully packed. We put our names on a list behind the door in the wall once you walk in and you wait. We ordered 2 hot desserts & one cold. Coconut sago, coconut black rice, and a Mango sago. They were delicious, that prefect amount of sweetness that want too much & more all of a hint to enhance the natural flavors. I'd highly recommend it if you want a dessert that isn't overly sweet. The only reason I have it a 4 star is because i had to rewipe the table with handsanitizer because it smelled like they wiped the table down with a rag that needed to be changed out 😮‍💨

Kowloon Tong is a Hong Kong style Cha Chaan tang serving casual comfort food and lots of desserts. We've been here before for a snack and sweet and decided to try them for a simple dinner and some sweets. 4.3 on Google, 3.5 on Yelp. The place was filled on a Saturday night with lots of young folks. They have a $20 daily special with entree, choice of starch, and hot drink. Add $3 for a dessert. Service was pretty limited here, need to hail the server to get things done. Safety Pluses - Online menu, Delivery services available, online ordering. Food Review: Pan Fried Pork chop ($20 daily special) had 2 thin chops with mushroom sauce, rice and a HK Milk Tea. Pretty decent value and reasonable quality. 7.5/10 Pickle Cabbage slice pork ($20 daily special) with fries, and a drink included some nice gai lan veggies. +$3 for a Hot Tofu dessert. Great value and large quantity of food. 8/10 Red Bean Drink ($10) did not include ice cream and had a ton of ice. 7.5/10 Overall - Good Food - Good Decor - Good Service - Good Value - Very Good Would we come back - Yes

Mediocre savory food. But they are known for their dessert. Next time I'll try them out. For now 3 stars for a quick and easy dinner.

solid hong kong dessert cafe with variety of food. can picture it getting busy at night. mango sago: solid dish, as expected. tofu fa: well made tofu fa and came for this hard to come by dish but way too expensive for what it is.

Waffle ice-cream fresh cut fruit was a generous order. Definitely a dish to share.

There aren't to many Hong Kong style dessert places in the Bay Area and this is one of the few places that we like. We got Mango-Go-Go, Nutella French Toast, Avocado Smoothie, Deep fried soya tofu, and mango sago. Honestly the food is good but wasn't worth the price (This was $55, my bf went a little crazy and ordered a 3 out of the 5 desserts that we got). Definitely makes me want to go back to Asia and eat it there instead. I can get so much more for the price. Overall Rating: 7/10

Anna Ng

There aren't to many Hong Kong style dessert places in the Bay Area and this is one of the few places that we like. We got Mango-Go-Go, Nutella French Toast, Avocado Smoothie, Deep fried soya tofu, and mango sago. Honestly the food is good but wasn't worth the price (This was $55, my bf went a little crazy and ordered a 3 out of the 5 desserts that we got). Definitely makes me want to go back to Asia and eat it there instead. I can get so much more for the price. Overall Rating: 7/10

First place was ok same as the dessert. Does not taste as original Chinese food.

Was excited to try this place, but didn’t have a very good experience at all. 2 out of 3 dishes we got were decent but the other one was like soupy water with some chunks of fruit- not something I’d willingly pay for. The person helping our table said that sago was with coconut milk. Well, one of our orders (mango sago) definitely did but the other (honeydew sago) was just water. They claimed it was fruit juice AND coconut milk.. but it had absolutely no flavor and the fruit in it was hard and flavorless as well. So, pretty disappointing to pay for a bowl of water. The server/person helping out table just insisted that it was how the dish was supposed to be. If they had at least considered our concerns and tried to offer to fix it then maybe I’d try this place again.

Let me start by saying that I like supporting local small businesses and would love to see them thrive during this difficult time. I really wanted to like this place. However, their desserts were super overpriced and tasted so bad that I had to throw them away after just one bite. I ordered a mango pomelo dessert and a HK-style egg waffle. The mango pomelo dessert was so diluted that it tasted like tap water. The egg waffle was like a batch of batter that had no egg flavor whatsoever. The only reason why I gave this place 2 stars was because the owners were nice and they provided great service. I would not recommend this place if you're looking for authentic Asian desserts.

I have been coming to this HK style cafe since they opened more than 10 years ago. It started out very good. I was there yesterday evening with my nieces. We were very disappointed and won't go back again! Curry Fishballs : $10 not cooked in curry sauce, nor the right kind of curry for that. Fishballs were not fried. Tasted awful! Tofu Curd (Sweet Plain) : $9 has no soybean taste, rough, and not creamy. Worst, topped with scoop of brown sugar for sweetener. It should be ginger cane sugar syrup instead. Popcorn Chicken: $13 is more like small chicken nuggets, but the meat has no taste. No fried basil leaves, not the right type of batter for that. The odd thing was that the owner was speaking in Cantonese and complaining about his slow business. Sad that slow business took out the quality of the foods that they are selling!

Benny Kwong

I have been coming to this HK style cafe since they opened more than 10 years ago. It started out very good. I was there yesterday evening with my nieces. We were very disappointed and won't go back again! Curry Fishballs : $10 not cooked in curry sauce, nor the right kind of curry for that. Fishballs were not fried. Tasted awful! Tofu Curd (Sweet Plain) : $9 has no soybean taste, rough, and not creamy. Worst, topped with scoop of brown sugar for sweetener. It should be ginger cane sugar syrup instead. Popcorn Chicken: $13 is more like small chicken nuggets, but the meat has no taste. No fried basil leaves, not the right type of batter for that. The odd thing was that the owner was speaking in Cantonese and complaining about his slow business. Sad that slow business took out the quality of the foods that they are selling!