Hard Wok Cafe in Liverpool

Diarrhea right after eating, poor hygiene... I had diarrhea just after eating, my health condition is worrying...

Some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. The meals are massive so order less than you think.

Tried hot pot buffet, I will not recommended at all. The taste is about average or even less than, and the worst is a lot of hotpot dishes are run out of stock or subject to extra charge, so how does it called buffet? Waitress is cold and over confidence, I could not believe she had a proper training before working. I won't call it again.

Had a takeaway recently in a group of four. Two not impressed - sloppy chow mein lacking meat. Oily but tasty curry. Odd tasting satay. Nice soup and prawn toast.

This is a big sleazy restaurant in Liv. The attitude of lower service makes people feel sick.

Food is good but the service is a bit cold sometimes. Suggestion is if you have no crush on spicy food, order mild food then. Because their hot food are making my friends have stomachache.

Large portions for the price. Waitress was very nice. Food was delicious.

極差，服務人員很超臭之外服務也不好。 另外不能刷卡== 超麻煩

两人来这里吃了，回家都一起立马拉肚子，呕吐，肚子绞痛一整夜，看起来不错，谁知道用的什么食材，想起来就恶心死了，这家店从此拉黑了，求求你做个人吧

The real thing. Recomendado por un amigo local, es un restaurante con auténtica comida china. Cerca del centro neurálgico. Pregunté por el plato “Mao’s favourite...” y fue un acierto. Las camareras simpáticas y la comida deliciosa y abundante. Repetiremos! 👍❤️

Simply the best for traditional chinese food, really,really nice, with the bonus of reasonable prices!

Visited many times, keep ordering different dishes and always tasted very good. Can't order anything alcoholic so bringing your own beverages is allowed (seen people with own cola drinks as well). Next time hot pot!

Best Chinese food I ever eat.i will return there in 100%

Vine a comer hoy por segunda vez, ya que la primera vez estuvo bien, faltaba mucho en el menú sin que nos dijeran que pensamos que deberíamos intentarlo otra vez, ya que el restaurante puede tener un mal servicio. Entré a tomar la olla caliente y pregunte de inmediato si tenían cangrejo, a lo que la camarera respondió que sí (no tuvimos ninguna basura que vinimos la última vez y nos encanta el cangrejo) que ordenamos de inmediato para 3 de nosotros (esto es como un buffet, así que debería poder ordenar todo lo que pueda comer) después de aproximadamente 4 bocados cada uno pensamos que no sería suficiente, así que pedimos una porción de cangrejo. (1 porción de cangrejo es un cangrejo casi sin carne) la camarera dijo que lamentaba que no pudiera comer más cangrejo ya que solo tiene un límite de un cangrejo por mesa. Estábamos muy frustrados, pero en realidad nos mantuvimos tranquilos y preguntamos por qué no se nos habló de esto antes. La camarera dijo que estaba en el sitio y no te lo dijimos porque está en el menú, así que dijimos bien, ¿podemos volver a ver el menú? Estamos seguros de que no aparece en el menú (adjunto una foto del menú) la camarera trajo el menú y dijo que solo estaba en el menú chino. (¡No somos chinos y tampoco nos dieron el menú chino!) Estuvimos bastante furiosos después de eso, así que solo queríamos irnos sin pagar, pero pensamos que solo teníamos 4 - 5 picadas cada uno) pero pensamos que era el Algo malo que hacer nos ofreció pagar y pueden traer toda la comida de vuelta a la cocina, ya que no hemos tocado la mayor parte y luego dijeron que no, que tienen que pagar el precio total que escribieron en su propio recibo 52. 50 dijimos que no, no estamos pagando, pagaremos la mitad máxima, luego llamaron al propietario y probablemente el propietario les dijo que nos dejaran pagar la mitad. Nos fuimos después de pagar, pero ese no fue el final, ya que después nos enteramos de que nos cobraron de más cuando nos pidieron que pagáramos 52. 50 cuando la cuota era de 13. 90 cada uno + 1. 5 para bebidas ilimitadas (13. 90 * 3 = 41. 7) (1. 5 * 3 = 4. 5) suma = 46. 2 no 52. Luego volvimos a llamar a 50 para verificar que, si nos equivocamos al calcular algo, nos dijeran que las tarifas per cápita deben ser 14. 90 y bebidas ilimitadas fueron 2. 5 que de todos modos se suma a 52. De todos modos, fue la peor experiencia. Nunca volveré, no por la comida, sino por el servicio. Si quieres una verdadera olla caliente, ve a mi chile justo al final de la carretera, donde gastaré un poco más de dinero, pero te garantizo que es mejor. en todos los aspectos (ahí es donde terminamos) gastamos 66 libras para 3 de nosotros en mr chilli, pero disfrutamos de todo lo que teníamos postres por ese precio. Por favor, evite este restaurante! !

Decidimos tener una olla caliente, la cual solemos ir al Sr. Chilli, pero esta vez decidimos venir aquí. La camarera apenas entiende el inglés. Pedimos cordero en rodajas y ella le dio carne. El menú no fue actualizado. No tienen varios artículos y la camarera con vidrio no nos lo ha dicho. Incluso ellos no tenían la coca cola de la dieta.Chef increible con la peor camarera.

Good food, always,authentic meals. I will return to try more

Sabes que tiene que ser buena cuando entras y está lleno de clientes chinos y chop bastones están colocadas en el medio de la mesa, es una auténtica delicia encontrar un sitio como este, si te gustan las partes de un animal, luego te tienen en el menú! Mi familia pegados a lo básico, pero era magnífico. . . . El personal hablaba muy poco inglés, pero era muy educado y servicial. . . . Tome sus propias bebidas alcohólicas y refrescos como ninguno sirve, sólo vimos agua y té (chino). Escapar de la norma y encontrar este lugar, divertirse y disfrutar de la comida. . . . . .

The best hot pot buffet in Liverpool

Food was OK. Service was OK. Just what you would expect really. Nothing special, just average Chinese food.

Genuinely authentic Chinese food. Going here is like stepping into China (and I've been to China). They have really awesome hotpot which I recommend everyone to try. Paying for everything with cash is annoying though.

En efecto, es un café: mesas de arriba de Formica, televisión en la pared, etc. La última vez que estuve allí estaba lleno de estudiantes chinos en grupos que comían estilo comunal. La comida se lleva a la mesa (parece ser montañas) y luego se cocina en tinas de agua hirviendo. Hay salsas y salsas para acompañar esto. Alternativamente, hay dos menús, uno con los platos chinos de estilo inglés y el otro con platos chinos. ¡Hay partes del animal y el pescado en el menú chino que normalmente no se ofrecen! El problema es que los platos son baratos, por lo que la experimentación no tiene un costo muy elevado. El personal está orientado hacia el cliente en su mayoría chino, pero he encontrado que los camareros están muy contentos de hablar a través de los platos. ¡Cuidado con el tamaño de las porciones! Un plato de sopa puede ser una comida en sí misma, o hasta cuatro para compartir.El Caf no tiene licencia de alcohol, pero supongo que uno puede traer alcohol. Hay una licencia sin licencia un par de puertas más abajo.La calidad es bastante variable, pero uno no espera los mejores cortes de carne a estos precios. Prueba cualquier cosa vegetariana, a pescado o pollo y todo estará bien. Uno puede volver y explorar el menú una y otra vez: el lugar siempre está lleno y la gente parece estar de buen humor allí.Realmente excelente almuerzo o cena barata. El menú chino es la cosa, ¡adelante!

Yo seré simple. Sopa caliente y amarga, especial chow mein con té chino eran geniales. Realmente lo disfruté. Tener a liquidar la cuenta fui al inodoro y ojalá no tenía. No es aceptable en absoluto. Comida 5 estrellas y atenuado por el wc en 3 estrellas.

No he visitado el café en Wok dura casi un año, debido a que rara vez ser en esa parte de la ciudad, pero decidimos entrar última noche después de un día de compras. Me acordé de cómo buena su sopa caliente y amarga fue y literalmente no podía llegar fuera de mi mente todo el día. Afortunadamente, era tan bueno como siempre y totalmente justificada la anticipación! Mi pareja pidió la sal y la pimienta de calamar para su plato principal, que era delicioso y entregados en porción muy generosa, y yo tenía los cerdos los intestinos con una salsa caliente y picante con arroz hervido, que también era excelente.

Very popular with the local Chinese community and we could see why. The food was excellent. We had takeaway and it took well over half an hour to arrive. Very basic interior so not a place for a 'night out' - felt a bit like a student canteen.

Este es el café sin pretensiones a un tiro de piedra de la iglesia bombardeado' en la parte superior de la calle audaz, vale la pena una visita, si una comida china más aventurero es algo que buscas sin tener que gastar demasiado. Mesas de laminado y menús y una base de clientes principalmente en China le da una idea de que la comida aquí es auténticamente Chino en todos los sentidos. A pesar de haber estado aquí antes para sus platos de fideos de arroz/plateados, que a menudo son de tamaño generoso, decidimos darle la 'Experiencia China de estofado 'un ir en esta ocasión.Nos dieron un montón de ayuda de la camarera en elegir los ingredientes para cocinar en nuestra mesa las existencias simmering. La cantidad trajo a nuestra mesa era considerablemente más de lo que esperábamos y fue una experiencia positiva en general. Si quieres un poco de un cambio, este es un buen lugar para probar, el retrete me informaron que no era "estupendo". . . No necesita usar en esta ocasión.

做为一名利大的学生，中原是我最爱的餐厅之一。甚至回国以后，都会怀念他的味道。我强烈推荐大盘鸡。酸豆角面也不错，位置也很容易找到。

My wife and I went in here just because we were passing, we ordered basic stuff a chicken fried rice a soft noodles for me and a sweet and sour chicken for my wife, waitress was very good but the place needs a bit of a spruce up, it looks tired, the food was ok and I'd probably go back

This place has some authentic dishes, but they have to work on their cleanliness, decor and toilets.

I went with a colleague who is fairly knowledgeable about Chinese food and he ordered some unusual dishes. I really enjoyed the chilly cucumber salad though too oily, but some of the dumplings contained grizzly meat. Probably quick, but maybe not the best for quality.

Went early on Wednesday and it was quiet bar a few students. Staff were attentive and welcoming. Went for some basics - salt and pepper squid (real garlic and green chilli slices, tasty and fresh), noodles and rice, hard to get these wrong and they...

Venía de una cena temprano en la noche del miércoles. El restaurante era muy tranquilo, con otra mesa ocupada mientras estuvimos allí, pero eso no me molestó.

- formica de café tipo cantina mesas de básicas, sólo en efectivo, pero la comida es increíble! No he probado la auténtica comida china como este desde los años 60 cuando cantones se convirtió en la norma.

Well, we didn't know what to expect TBH. The place was full of Chinese, and I mean full, my wife and I were he only westerners in there. But as people say "You can tell if it's a good Chinese, if there are Chinese people in there" he place is set out like a cafe, which is good for us. We were given a menu (English) but everyone else had Chinese menus, and seemed to be eating stuff that we could not find on our menu. There were a couple on the next table who had a hot plate with two different soups bubbling in it and the biggest plates of meat/fish and vegetables I had ever seen in a restaurant. We asked what it wasting were told it was Chinese hot pot, so we ordered it. We were given a menu, and first you chose your soups, then your fish and meat, you can have as many as you want out of s choice of around 20" but th more different one you order, the less of that particular item you get. They give you enough to fill a large tray. He same went for the Veg, and you could also chose from 5 or six accompaniments too, have you all if you chose. The food came and the meats and fish were uncooked but sliced really thinly. And the idea was you cook them in your soup and eats out of small bowls. It was a fantastic tasty and dare I say health meal, and very much enjoyed.

Plain formica tables and chairs. Clean and accessible.Two adults, each had a chicken dish, one with egg fried rice, the other with fried noodles. Excellent flavours. This place does the anglo version of Chinese and the Chinese version. Lots of young people having crock pots, whilst we had shezuan and Kung Po sauces.As the rice and noodles arrived first, I did wonder if it was going to be a traditional service,of dishes arriving separetly, but they did arrive together.Portion sizes are generous, and there's a fridge of drinks, but as they aren't listed on the menu, we'd asked for a glass of water. I suspect you'll need to ask about drink.

Basic cafe setting as casual as you like, a menu of exciting options (no sweet and sour here) but just a gutfilling bowl of delicious offerings with noodles and rice. Bottle beer only but hey we were on an outing and had already had our fill before catching the evening train home. It may not look much but you will be mighty impressed.

This is primarily for the local Chinese community mainly the young as per the other reviews it sells authentic style food but does cater for westerners as well.The food is delicious and we did choose from the the more Anglophile menu of the three on offer.We will be going here next time we have a show at the Everyman as we have been meaning to try this place for a while.Give it a try you will not be disappointed.

This is a cafe primarily there for the influx of Chinese students. It provides a Shezuan style Northern Chinese menu - as such a lot of the dishes are spicy and they don't serve char siu pork. 90% of the things on the menu most non-Chinese people will never have heard of - such a person will find it a rather exotic experience and a journey in to the unknown. TIP... when you order a dish, it will normally serve two or more people and is designed to be shared as per a traditional Chinese dining experience. Most popular with the young Chinese diners is hot pot. You get your rice bowl refilled for free if required.

Ended up eating here by accident, as we had limited time before the theatre show. Truly enjoyable experience, with a multicultural atmosphere. Friendly service, good location, and amazing food. Great selection of dishes, however, some drinks just looked a bit weird. You can still get canned soft drinks, though.

My cousin David & his wife Kate came to our hotel to pick us up,this was the first time I had met his wife and we got a taxi to the philharmonic hotel for a few drinks and talk of the old days in a beautiful decored interior,then we started to walk back to our hotel just looking around for somewhere to eat and came across this quaint Chinese restaurant aptly named "Hard wok cafe"so we had like a banquet between 4 of us the food was wonderful,and not pricey, would recommend this restaurant.

Recommended for the more adventurous diner.Came in on Friday night, had the chicken hearts with cumin, gloriously spicy and fragrant,delicious. They do do more familiar stuff for the more faint hearted, but I love all the authentic stuff, and they have a menu full of it here.Can't wait to come back and work my way through that menu.(Cash only.)

After spending a month in China, I can now confirm that I dislike this place because the food is grim as oppose to me not liking authentic Chinese food! The food is bland.

We were looking forward to lunch here as the reviews looked good. Overall the food was just ok. The crab and sweet corn contained crab sticks but for £2.50 what did I expect. My lunch special of duck and rice was hugely disappointing. Dry duck and a sauce that tasted awful on a load of rice. My daughter had chicken which again was dry and over-cooked and didn't taste good. She loved the egg fried rice. My vegan husband enjoyed his tofu. I do wish I had complained but it was so quiet there and it felt awkward. My mistake.

Absolutely loved the hot & sour soup - only ordered a small portion, but it was enough for two really! Everything else we ordered was also very tasty - I really recommend the stuffed aubergines, which were delicious. The cafe itself is basic but airy and very clean. The waitress who served us was very friendly, but it was often very difficult to catch her attention. Our meal for two came to just under £30, which considering the very generous portions is truly excellent value for money. The menu is vast and full of interesting items for those who aren't accustomed to authentic Chinese cuisine, so take the time to read through it all if you want to try something different. They have plenty of traditional Szechuan dishes for those who like their food with a spicy kick. For those who are slightly less adventurous the menu has plenty of more familiar options to choose from as well, so there should be something to suit all tastes.

Second time visiting this cafe/ restaurant, we were dying for some dumplings and at 4pm we could only think of returning to Hard Wok. Portion size is generous, price is cheap and you get the full Sichuan pepper flavour! Service from the staff is fair, you do have to wave frantically to grab their attention. But dishes come fast and there's not much you really need from the staff. Will come back one more time! Third time is a charm!

As a Chinese student, the only reason that I always go to this place is because it near my accommodation and has fast serve speed. The food sometimes are worse than my cooking. And most importantly, I had food poisoning once after having dinner at this place. So be careful with the chill food, perhaps they are out of date.

Im so glad I looked past the questionable signage outside and stepped into this brightly lit cafe. The menu is entirely different (to most other restaurants) not your usual chop suey, black bean sauce etc (if that's your thing then maybe this isn't for you). I dont intend to sound derogatory but this is real Chinese food. The menu is not put together to suit a western palate, more traditional with varied ingredients and unfamiliar dishes. I had chillied fish & tofu with boiled rice...wow!

I have eaten lunch here on a number of ocassions and the menu is very authentic and is popular with many of the local Chinese students. I found the food to be very good and plentiful and the staff helpful and very knowledgeable about the food and ingredients. The prices are reasonable and staff are happy to provide doggy bags to take home.

Try the tripe,but with a Hoi Sin,type sauce,lovely Bass fish,Some hot,some unusual,dishes!Plastic tables,basic cafe feel,Great fun,big menu list!Friendly staff,

If you want authentic Chinese food this is the place, I have eaten here twice now and cannot believe the things on the menu and good value too, well worth a visit

This place is the place to go if you want good authentic Chinese food.Don't for a second judge it on appearance as it doesn't do it justice.The menu is amazing and unfortunately I wasn't brave enough to try some of the more unusual dishes.The food we had was stunning.My girlfriend had the lamb hot wok and I had the beef sizzler.Both were stunning with so much flavour.The potions are huge so don't get carried away ordering lots of side dishes as you won't finish them.This is the best Chinese I have ever been too in this country and I would recommend it to anyone.

Had noticed every time I passed I noticed this place was always busy with Chinese people. Read some reviews and found that this was a more traditional menu as opposed to a Westernised menu. Busy when we arrived. Seated straight away. Took our time over the menu. Not your usual starters. No prawn crackers ha ha. Different things on the menu like chicken hearts and other offal. Ordered hot and sour soup to share-huge bowl!Sliced belly pork with chilli and Kung Po chicken was lovely. Egg fried rice the fluffiest ever tasted. Noticed other diners with a hot cauldron type pot and trays of raw meat, seafood and vegetables. Would may be order next time, felt like a bit of a novice. Huge portions. Took left overs home. Next day no grease, didn't congeal, still as tasty as the night before. Waitress was busy but attentive at all times. Only served Coke, Chinese Beers and other Chinese soft drinks. Really enjoyed it. Something different for me. Would recommend. "Give it a go".

So now Liverpool has two excellent Szechuan restaurants - this one and Mr Chilli in Seel Street. The Hard Wok's hot and sour soup is peppery and very substantial. Cold starter - belly pork with garlic - with a real bite. For mains we tried the hot and spicy fish (it was, but not too much so), the kung po chicken (somewhat sweeter than elsewhere, but no harm in that), the delectable chicken hearts with cumin seeds and the braised beef with potato (believe us, far tastier than that may sound). Pleasant friendly service. Cash only, and in terms of alcohol, only Chinese beer (again, an authentic touch). Quite a few more unfamiliar dishes, and we look forward to trying them!

Went on a bank holiday Sunday. 2nd time have been. Hot and sour soup was great and fantastic value given one bowl is sufficient for 3 people. Menu is varied and haven't seen many of the dishes anywhere else before. Above all the food served was excellent. The aroma and flavours were 2nd to none. 1 rice is sufficient for 2 people to share. Would recommend this place as a must for anybody in or visiting Liverpool. On the night visited all other patrons were chinese and that in itself tells you how good this place is. Staff are courteous, friendly and efficient. Although language barrier could be an issue if u need to ask questions about the menu. Already looking forward to going back there again soon. A fantastic find and a real hidden gem.

As a student who came from China I think this is amazing thing to find a truly genuine Chinese food restaurant outside my country. But I did. This is different from the Western-taste Chinese food restaurants. This isn't the average "westernised" chinese menu, so if you like to try something different and a bit adventurous I would say try here. Their dishes are very good. I can't resist it I'll definitely be going back.

Didn't think this could happen,a truly genuine Chinese food eaterie,.This is not for the Western-taste pseudo Chinese food eaters. Having spent a considerable time in the Far East I had and experienced the genuine article I had given up finding the real thing here. It was a pleasant surprise to find the Hard Wok Cafe,the food was truly Chinese. I even forgave them the corny name. One minor point, I expect each table to be provided with tooth picks !!!

This isn't the average "westernised" chinese menu, so if you like to try something different and a bit adventurous I would say try here. We went on Sat night, the majority of the other diners were Chinese, I thought the food was very good, as was the service. I will definitely be back, a great find.

Ok, I can't resist it – Wok'n'Roll! While the food isn't cheap, I'll definitely be going back. The first things one notices are that the café is bright, open, stylishly casual and patronised by Chinese people. The service is attentive and friendly however, communicating with the staff was quite challenging. When I asked one of the waitresses to recommend a starter, she barely understood my request. As a result, I ended up with noodle soup which was a meal in itself. It was nonetheless rich with vegetables and beautifully spicy. For my main course, I ordered lamb in cumin seeds which was again a substantial meal. Its flavour was subtle and I ate it in conjunction with the soup. Bizarrely, the two dishes complemented each other. By the time I had finished, I was so full my stomach was groaning. I literally needed a lie down. The Chinese tea helped with the digestion. The meal cost approximately £17.00 which, given the quantity and quality, represented pretty good value for money. Apart from the minor communication difficulties, the service was friendly and efficient. I would have no hesitation in recommending this place. I would advise anyone visiting Liverpool to add this place to their culinary itinerary.

A basic Chinese cafe / takeaway right on my doorstep which I tried last night for the first time.We had the Stir Fried Chicken Heart with Cumin and Stir Fried Celery & dried Tofu mixed with Sundried Sausage and Bacon. Despite the absence of celery from the second dish, it is the first time I have had tofu that tasted like food. The chicken hearts were fantastic. They do not serve booze apart from Tsingtao lager which is a bit of a let down if you like wine but still worth a visit.The menu looks impressive for a small venue and I will definitely be munching my way through some of the more exotic (offal based) dishes over the next few months.We live in Chinatown but I generally avoid Chinese food because I find it a bit boring / predictable. This was the spiciest & driest Chinese food I have had and it reminded me more of Thai food.Service is pretty efficient and the value is good - the two meals plus noodles and beer = just over £20. Give it a whirl.