Vegan-friendly
Chinese
Thai
Fast food
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Asian
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Asian fast food restaurant with a mostly veggie menu, labeled. Uses mostly organic ingredients. NOTE: take-out only during Covid-19 restrictions - order online or in person. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-9:00pm.
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1141 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, California, USA, 95060
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 25 Nov 2020 by Conniemm
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23 Reviews
First Review by Delmar831
MDHerbivore
Points +26
Great health options with spicy tang - Edit
Everything we had tasted great the sandwiches, the rice bowls, add-ons. I had a complete bowl of broccoli that was cooked perfect
Read morePros: Healthy food, Good spicy flavors, Nothing overcooked
Cons: not a fancy
Guest
suelavelle
Points +171
Reliably good! - Edit
Charlie Hong Kong's saved us during the pandemic - we could always go here, get take out and site by the ocean and eat delicious wholesome noodles and veggies - Spicy Tofu Dan Dan and Gado Gado. And we still don't eat indoors and come here often for a hardy tasty vegan meal - with lots of choices! The staff are always wonderful and you don't have to wait long for your meal. Thanks so much for all the years you have provided such great service and vegan food!
Read morePros: Delicious vegan food, Lots of vegan choices, great service
Cons: none
Guest
andyjng
Points +5378
Even Better Now as a Vegan - Edit
Since going plant-based back in 2020, I've appreciated the amazing and affordable vegan options that Charlie provides. I've ordered from them multiple times as well for catering and our groups have enjoyed the food each and every time.
Read moreMy staples are their Spicy Dan's Peanut Delight and their Spicy Tofu Rice Bowl. When I'm feeling something more refreshing, I go for their Cold Sesame Noodle Salad, which is a hit during the summer. Their portions are quite generous especially when dining in and I'll sometimes save some of that spicy dan sauce for a stir-fry at home for a different meal.
One thing I would note is that the price of adding organic tofu to a dish feels a bit steep, making a bowl or noodle dish lacking in protein that was $10 originally go up to around $15.
Thanks CHK - please continue to be delicious and serve our plant-based community members as you have been this entire time.
Guest
amyvotta
Points +624
Always Delicious - Edit
I’ve been dining here for years. Always fresh & delicious with so many vegan options!
Read moreGuest
forrey
Points +183
Very fun place! - Edit
What a cool place! Has great beach town vibes and super fast service. We had egg rolls, a salad, and a vegan cookie and everything was delicious. Great place for vegans!
Read morePros: Cool vibes, Fast service, Good food
Guest
nerissawvh
Points +165
Meh - Edit
I'm Asian and a good cook. This place is not very tasty. Just my 2 cents.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-09-20
Cons: They use swiss chard rather than Asian greens and
Guest
themuppetlibrarian
Points +2757
Inexpensive & non authentic - Edit
Charlie Hong Kong’s is very popular in Santa Cruz. The prices are very inexpensive and they get local produce for their Asian inspired dishes. I make fun of this restaurant though and don’t patronize it. Aside from being inauthentic the restaurant aesthetic is cultural appropriation and it makes me uncomfortable.
Read moreGuest
jamesisvegan
Points +46
Stalwart Veg/Vegan Institution - Edit
I’ve been going here for years. I love the kung pao tofu and the gado-gado. There is a sometimes unavailable sweet potato soup that is amazing. Chili-Sesame noodle salad is a fun cold meal. Only vegan protein is tofu, but they now do a sweet garlic or spicy version that you can select. Only veggie banh mi in town. Big portions, casual atmosphere.
Read morePros: Fast, Big portions
Cons: Can be very loud/ busy
Guest
Sjjk12
Points +1105
Pretty good - Edit
Average noodle bowls, but I want to come back a try a couple more bowls. More affordable option in Santa Cruz. The better one was definitely the chow mein.
Read morePros: Quick bite , Lots of vegan options , Price
Guest
ashwinn
Points +787
Ok not great - Edit
This is a cool hip spot. Calling it Chinese food is a stretch. It’s tofu, rice and sauce. But if your bar for authenticity is PF Chang, this place is totally fine
Read moreGuest
bsonderegger
Points +28
Hits the right spot - Edit
Husband found this place on Yelp and today was our first time trying it. We will definitely be back. Finding GFV Chinese food is tough, this place exceeded my expectations. We ordered the Chow Mein with rice noodles, the Spicy garlic tofu noodle bowl, tried a cup of the Thai soup and the hubs ordered the curry chicken with brown rice and avocado.
Read moreThe spicy garlic tofu bowl was delicious, although could be spicier, maybe next time I’ll order extra sauce, the ingredients were simple, but flavorful. The broth in the soup was my favorite part, rich and creamy. The chow mein was an easy favorite, packed with veggies and lots of flavor.
The husband says the curry chicken has a nice spice to it and was delicious, he would absolutely order it again.
10/10 on all the food. Service was excellent and extremely friendly as well. Food was super fast and there was plenty of room to sit and enjoy dinner outside. Thank you!
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Lots of GF options, Easy substitutions
Guest
kalavinka
Points +250
Cheap eats made quick - Edit
Pan-Asian omni menu of noodle and rice dishes but the majority of the menu is vegetarian/vegan. Didn't eat here much when they first opened but Santa Cruz has a surprising lack of cheap and good vegan food. That's where Charlie Hong Kong fills the void. Also, they have been very consistent during the pandemic whereas other local places have not been. Online ordering is available. Parking is a joke. Never order soup or teriyaki and you'll be good. Best vegan dish is the sesame noodle salad.
Read morePros: Vegan options, Cheap, Quick
Cons: Parking nightmare
Guest
NathanielRhett
Points +363
The food will always be great - Edit
This is a great place for many reasons but one being that they list what can and can’t be made vegan and almost everything can be made vegan. They are a great company doing there best to keep everything as local as possible as well as implementing things like beefless monday(not perfect but a step in the right direction). The only problem is that it will always be expensive but it is totally worth it.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options , Great flavors , Awesome customer service
Cons: Expensive
Guest
AdrienneAzzara
Points +37
Decent food, bad service - Edit
My partner and I were taking a day trip from Oakland to Monterey and stopped here for lunch on the way back. He used to live here and told me the food was decent. We placed an order for a tofu bowl and a mushroom bowl. Picked it up and took it to the beach to eat. Sat down and opened the bag. Receipt was right, but order was WRONG. One box was right but the other box said "pork". I thought for sure it was mislabeled, but opened it up and was very disturbed to see bits of chopped up pig flesh. We ate the correct one because we were hungry, it was decent but not amazing. Went back to let them know that they gave 2 vegans a pile of pork and we were disturbed. They said politely "well it was an accident. We'll get you the one you ordered". No offer of discount, no real apology. I was literally sniffing tears because I was upset, because I knew the animal flesh would be thrown away. What a waste of life. Asked if he could maybe throw in a beer for my trouble? Nope. "Sorry it was an accident". Seriously? No offer to fix it? Not even a free vegan cookie? I would have given someone their money back if they were clearly upset. Never going back there. Sorry, you lose. This is why I prefer to go to all vegan restaurants. At least if they screw up an animal's life isn't wasted for nothing.
Read morePros: Convenient and good sized portions
Cons: Poor service, you might get animal flesh?
Guest
MichelleOveson
Points +55
Vegan Options - Edit
It was okay. Kind of bland.
Read moreGuest
mysticsonic
Points +819
Major comfort food in relaxed digs - Edit
Clearly marked vegan options, even vegan cookies. Very laid back, "hole in the wall" vibe with lots of local characters. The service was very friendly (even though the lineup was going out the door). The food was filling and tasty
Read morePros: Bottomless green or oolong tea
Guest
backroads
Points +88
Comfort food - Edit
Portions are generous, prices are good and service was quick. We had Dans spicy peanut bowl and Gado Gado both with tofu. Several vegan options. Come when you crave the quick and tasty
Read moreGuest
h3llokitten
Points +42
amazing - Edit
So yummy. Love the vegan options!
Read moreGuest
andreathinks
Points +324
So yummy, and such great service - Edit
We had the Gado Gado, the Garlic Tofu Sandwich, and the Fresh Salad rolls. The Gado Gado is freakin amazing. It has a yummy black bean sauce and peanut sauce, on seasonal, local, sauteed veggies and comes with Jasmine rice. I think they make it low sodium, which is wonderful. I grabbed a little bit of the garlic chili sauce to go, too... theres also hoisin sauce to go. We called in, for takeout, cuz seating is limited, and the line can get long, there.. but they make pickups very easy, by setting up a seperate station for takeout orders.
Read morePros: Super delicious and unique combinations of flavors
Cons: Expect a wait during typical meal times, and limit
Guest
Conniemm
Points +1772
Tasty food - Edit
I enjoy Charlie Hong Kong's. I regularly get take-out to bring home as the seating is limited. There are a few indoor seats around the window with stools but the rest of the seating is more outdoors (even though it is enclosed).
Read moreI like the Spicy Dan Noodles although I never find them spicy. This dish has a combination of egg-free noodles with a good amount of fresh veggies. The Gado Gado is another favorite. It's always hard to choose which one I want.
The restaurant is vegan-friendly with many different choices.
Pros: good # of choices, inexpensive, separate line to pick up take-out orders
Cons: limited seating
Guest
Fabien
Points +58
tasty, cheap, friendly - Edit
loved the quick, scrappy ambiance here--lots of counters, casual energy, great place to go alone. Also, I loved the mysteriously swirly (smoked?) thinly-sliced tofu that came on top of my chili noodle salad. However, that dish overall didn't satisfy me; the dressing was kind of unbalanced in the direction of chili and citrus. So I ordered another dish, and it was out of this world: Indonesian Gado Gado. A rich, black bean/peanut sauce on top of some amazing seasonal vegetables (chard and mushrooms predominated) with brown rice. Damn, they nailed that dish--go and try it!
Read morePros: dirt cheap, amazing Gado Gado, good energy
Guest
Ali-Con
Points +50
Not great - Edit
Not very vegan-friendly and the food was not great. I asked for a dish without chicken and they still put chicken in it.
Read moreVery small with limited and only outdoor seating (chilly at night). But the food is cheap, and the place is open until 11pm.
I've not felt the need to return.
Pros: Cheap, Open late
Cons: Not tasty, Small, Poor service
Guest
Delmar831
Points +40
Good Vegan Options - Edit
I love that you can add and substitute items to any dish. Good atmosphere and good prices.
Read moreGuest
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