Hou Hou Mei in Highland

As an Asian Stomach, we came in with an expectation, but the food is sadly disappointing. - Sweet and Sour Pork - Pork was not freshly prepared, no juiciness. Proportion of flour is so much higher than meat. The sauce is sour than normal, lack of wok hei too. Charging 18 pounds for this is off value than ordering from neighbouring takeaway shop. Rice is served but not warm enough. - Wok Fried Noodles with Char Siu - This is definitely not char siu, which is misleading to fellow Asian. Just simply Tesco Pork belly slides with some char siu sauce. Portion is small. Totally not worth 18 pounds. Coming from London this is a rip off. Server and interiors did tried their best to maintain the high end Chinese food impression. But the food is certainly far from a satisfactory level. If you want a cup of tea at a nice Asian restaurant, this is fine. But for its food, consider other options/cuisine.

1st visit tonight. Perfect small plates menu. Hot tasty fast service .

Have had between 16-18 visits to this restaurant since it's opened and can honestly say it's the best dining experience inverness has to offer. Everything on the menu is delicious so fantastic opportunity to try new dishes

Amazing new spot in Inverness. Food was delicious, so good to try genuine cuisine - prices reasonable. Restaurant nicely done inside - it’s always busy so I recommend booking a table!

Always a cracking meal here worth every penny cocktails top notch 👌

Delicious and varied food, good atmosphere, caring approach to my food restrictions, good location.

The food was excellent- meats were cooked really well and lots of flavour in the dishes. Lots of choice on the menu allowing for a variety of tastes and caters well for intolerances. Service could have been more friendly and attentive to enhance the experience but didn't take away from the excellent food

Friendly staff . Great food , great drinks , reasonable priced ,

Service was superb and the food was amazing!

It was my first time here on a wet Tuesday evening. I was expecting the usual quiet restaurant you find midweek. However, it was absolutely packed. A testament to how well received and tremendous this restaurant is. Our greeting on arrival was nice, asked to take a seat while our table was made ready. This was a short wait, we were then taken to our table, which was a lovely table under some birch branches. We were offered some complimentary tea to start with. It was green tea with jasmine. I am not a fan of this kind of tea but in the setting and since it was cold outside it was nice. They may have made a green tea convert out of me. The cast iron tea pot was great, kept the tea warm till the last drop. We then ordered drinks, the cocktail menu is honestly next level. It was actually hard to pick a single one. But we picked, my wife took a mocktail of Jasmine Cooler and I picked the Strawberry, Lychee Bramble which were both incredible. Our meal choices were, two small plates of BBQ Bao buns and Cauliflower Salt and Pepper Wings. The wings were the best I've had and not a drop of meat in them! Our large plates were Prawn Wok Hei which wasn't for me but my wife loved it and I chose Sticky Sesame. It was honestly the best I've ever had! We were so full we only shared a desert. It was the chocolate & Passion Fruit Tart. I can't give it justice here how good it was. All together the meal cost £75 which with food costs currently this is a steal for what we were served. Cannot wait to be back! One of the top 5 restaurants in Inverness!

Don't wait to be told about the food, just go try for yourself. Absolutely delicious. My taste buds were going nuts. The service was great. The staff are all friendly and give you a personalised experience. Thank you.

Papaw's curry was one of the best things I've ever had

Amazing food when you actually get booked in! Nothing is too greasy like a usual Chinese but there is often limited availability and only an option to book online which is a nuisance at the best of times! Decent prices and the best things on the menu are the prawn crackers and the mocha (especially the raspberry one).

Food was great, service was great. The Cantonese style ramen was good. The bao was good.

Excellent food in a lovely setting. Never had a bad meal and always well cooked.

First time at the restaurant and was blown away! There's so many options on the menu, you'll want to have them all! Perfect portion sizes, fabulous wait staff and the tastiest food ever! Will definitely be back, many, many more times to try everything!

Food was super hot and very flavoursome. Service was great and the staff took the time to explain the menu and were very friendly. Booked 2 months in advance and certainly worth the wait. Best restaurant in Inverness now by a country mile. Well done!

Absolutely awesome meal & service was top class. Thank you

Everything was fabulous 🤩 lovely food, great service and the price was good too. Will be back

Amazing food, can't recommend enough! Superb mojito

Oh my goodness, worth a visit, absolutely delicious food!!

Excellent food was amazing service was good

I’ve been here twice, last time was for a work night out. Everyone had a really great time, staff were friendly and the food was lovely! Some of my colleagues were just wanting me to book the same again for next year. Great restaurant highly recommended!

Food was nice but not as good as last visit all dishes arrived randomly - some peoples food was eaten before others arrived. Couldn't get staffs attention at all for drinks or additional food order. So gave up. Very noisy fellow customers.and crammed in. So won't be back even though booked few months in advance.

Very surprised how relaxing the interior of the restaurant was. A superb menue and can recommend two people sharing 5 "small plates" for an interesting and filling meal. I enjoyed a pot of green tea and my wife was pleased with a sour cherry cocktail. We were quite full but managed to find time for a chocolate brownee with small jug of warms sticky chocolate sauce.

Phenomenal Asian fusion restaurant. I think my husband and and I have worked our way through the entire menu at this point! Really delicious food with a lot of thought put into flavours (not only in the food, but the cocktails too). It's often booked out at weekends weeks in advance and for good reason. Definitely one to try.

A fantastic evening out at Hou Hou Mei! Our first time visiting and certainly won’t be a our last! You can tell how good somewhere is by how busy they are mid week, and tonight every table was full! The staff were friendly and helpful, and every bit of food was amazing! The Char Sui Pork Belly was out of this world! Throughly recommend!

My favourite restaurant in Inverness!

We were so lucky to get a seat without a reservation, and we’re so glad we did because this was the best meal we’ve had during our week in Inverness. Wonderful flavors and portions so big and filling we opted to get our dessert to go. The mocktail selection was fantastic as well. Also- everyone was so friendly and attentive and the bathrooms were clean!

Hou Hou Mei in Inverness is fantastic! The food is fresh and flavourful—loved the sweet & sour prawns and sesame beef. The staff were super attentive, and the decor adds charm. A top spot for authentic Asian cuisine! I look forward to trying more of the menu.

Very happy to have come across this restaurant. The food was perfect and the atmosphere was lovely. Staff were all very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend to anybody who enjoys Asian cuisine and we would definitely go again. Definitely make a reservation as it can fill up quick.

The most amazing oriental food ever!!!!

Travelled with my wife here and we have been looking for asian food, this place does not disappoint! No appointment but they took us in very fast and friendly. Food is great, and all the staff seem very caring, attentive. We had the salt and chilly squid, sweet and sour pork, asian green and salt and chilly monk fish! Delishhh I would say. Will be back next time we visit Inverness. Thank you for saving our hungry tum tum

Absolutely phenomenal food. Stayed in Inverness for a couple nights so researched ahead of time to make an advance booking (highly recommend). We did a mixture of cocktails/mocktails, small plates, and a main. Everything was delicious - duck spring rolls, dumplings, salt/chili squid, bao, and curry. I only wish I had left room for dessert! The staff were so kind as well. Don't miss this gem!

My husband and I visited on Saturday to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary - travelling from Elgin to try it! As soon as we walked in the door we were made to feel very welcome. Service was amazing and the food was 10/10! What's even better was this was our first meal out just the pair of us since having my son so we appreciated how special the staff at Hou Hou Mei made our evening. The pork belly was delicious and just melted in my mouth. We enjoyed the prawn toast, crispy Korean chicken bao buns and Momo dumplings to start then I had the teriyaki chicken ramen and my husband had the char sui pork udon noodles. Every dish was delicious. We've already decided what we're ordering if we manage to go back.

Excellent authentic food, large portions

Beautiful restaurant. Excellent selection of dishes which are indescribably delicious. Amazing service. Book early as their high standards mean they're always very popular.

I wish I could award more stars - from beginning to end I had a wonderful meal. I was early but this wasn’t a problem. I was shown straight to my table and offered a choice of complimentary Jasmine or Black tea. I was asked about any dietary restrictions and I was brought a fresh menu marked up to show what I should avoid and the items they could tailor to my needs. I started with the chicken satay skewers - 4 tenders cooked to perfection and served with a generous helping of satay sauce. For my main I chose the Tataki Sorloin Steak (med rare). This arrived on a huge mound of tender stem broccoli. The steak was tender and succulent and the broccoli still had a bite to it - perfect! The steak also came with a portion of Jasmine rice. Whatever you order, do your self a favour and get a side order of the Kimchi and picked veg - both home made and so tasty. The pickles were fresh and crisp. The pickling brine wasn’t too strong - it allowed the individual flavours of the veg to come through. The kimchi was tasty with not too much heat. I prefer mine with a bit more ooomph but there was enough raw chilli garnish to take it up a notch. They both made me smile. I also had a mock tail - Asian Pear based with mint, elderflower and ginger beer - would definitely order again. I ended up bringing half of my main course home- can’t wait to finish it off today. Quality ingredients, cooked well, I was dining alone and had a great experience. I could imagine it being a brilliant place for a group - ordering everything in the menu and sharing all the dishes. Chopsticks are the first choice tool but knives and forks are available. Service was friendly and had that great balance of being attentive without being overly interfering. Staff were knowledgeable and, as a lone diner, I didn’t disappear into the background - if you know, you know. I can’t wait to go back.

I came here for my birthday with my husband after hearing all the hype on Reddit and the like. It was very full and if you want to eat here I recommend making a reservation in advance. The food was decent. Not authentic at all and not spicy enough for me. But decent. The cocktails were very good and the service was attentive and timely. I would come here again.

The food was amazing like eating in a different country

Good food and really accommodating and kind staff

Great food and great service. Would highly recommend. Wanton soup was delicious and really hit the spot. The Sticky Sesame was delicious and a great sharing portion.

Brilliant, loved the food. Good choice for people looking for Gluten free.

The restaurant is very busy because of the delicious food. We were on time for the opening and only had to wait 10 minutes for a seat, so expect a waiting time or better reserve in advance. The food is excellent and there is a lot to choose from, including vegetarian and vegan dishes. The restaurant is authentically decorated and the staff was great. It's a little higher priced, but it's worth it.

Excellent service and the food was fantastic! It was our first time dining here and the staff went out of their way to surprise us with a little dessert to celebrate my partner and I getting engaged whilst on our holidays!

This was top notch! The food was delicious, the service amazing and it was an all-round great meal out. The way the staff dealt with a mushroom allergy at our table was excellent, and really demonstrated that there was a good relationship between kitchen staff and front of house. Loved the decor inside, and the wallpaper in the Ladies WC is beautiful!

Brilliant, well thought through vegan options. We had cauliflower with sticky sesame, kimchi & tofu dumplings, crispy tofu bao buns and Battered cauliflower in spicy garlic sauce with jasmine rice. All were delicious and the staff were great and friendly

The food is amazing had the chicken gyoza and pork ramen and it just melts in your mouth servers are very nice and attentive

We went for my daughters birthday. Superb. Great food. Everybody enjoyed it.

10/10 in every aspect. The best meal we have had. The bao buns were my absolute favourite but i honestly couldn’t fault a single thing. The staff were so so friendly and it made such a great environment. I booked this for my birthday and they made it so special for me. This place is a must. You won’t be disappointed.

Best asian food I have had ever in the uk

Celebration for husbands birthday. Everything was excellent, especially the Asian pear Sticky toffee pudding.

Nice meal with friends but not as nice as our last meal here, we were all a little disappointed in the quality. 2 of us were also disappointed we couldn't have noodles instead of rice with our meal and had to pay extra for fancy noodles which wasn't what we requested at all or wanted. Maybe new staff as we had to repeat requests for water and drinks a few times, it us a busy place.

One of the best Thai food I had in UK!! Just delicious, as the name says indeed it’s Very Very Yummy!!

Best food was beautiful Lovely staff

Must go in Inverness! The food was amazing, very tasty and delicious. Especially the pork belly 🥲🥲🥲

I ate here tonight for the first time. I was dying to try the place, since I had heard so much about it. I had steak, cauliflower, bao buns, pork dumplings and pork ramen noodles. I was so unimpressed with it all. The pork in the ramen was good, but the ramen lacked so much flavour. The noodles coming out of the soup were just far too tasteless. The dumplings were so soggy and tasteless. The steak was mediocre at best. The chicken that came in the bao buns was thin and hard, although the bad buns were half decent. The price etc… would have been fine, was the food better. Service was great, our waitress was excellent and the food came out extremely fast. The were very efficient.

Great Chinese restaurant. Delicious food.

As a Taiwanese, i certify the taste and the quality is authentic. Those dishes we ordered were fresh and tasty than the dish we had in London

Wow just wow what a great place to eat, everything was just so so prefect, thanks for giving us a great memory to take home. Great staff, great food amazing price, I have already recommended this to all my friends.

Food was brilliant, really impressive 👍

Another fab u lous meal at hou hou mei

Delightful restaurant to attend. Food was fantastic and tasty. The service was spot on, a wee mistake with one of the wee plates but quickly corrected. The portion size was generous and tasty. The steak was cooked to perfection. Our wee plates were generous and the service and friendly staff made it an excellent evening. First time here with family and friends and most definitely we will return. Great food, lovely staff and value for money. The female I'm guessing is the owner/manager was lovely, as our first time, she explained the menu brilliantly.

Most definitely the best Asian food we've ever had. Service was first class. We were a table of four, we each had a different small plate as a starter and shared it. Very, very good. Ours mains two different steak dishes and two different king prawn dishes again very good. Cocktails were lovely. Price was excellent and value for money. Highly recommend.

Best Sichuan and Korean food I've ever had! Staff were incredibly friendly, asked me about allergies and made accommodations for me.

You should make a reservation as the restaurant is very busy. But it's definitely worth a visit. Starter and main course were very tasty.

As a family with 2 kids aged 8 and 9 - we have been going for 2 years and all love it. The food is sooooooo tasty. Wow. Little bit pricey but we only go a couple of times per year and its a real treat. We usually park in Tesco and walk to the restaurant. I rarely ever have desserts but ALWAYS have one here - they are so good. You wont be disappointed with the food. This visit we ordered 4 starters, 2 mains, 3 sides (greens, 1 rice and 1 noodles) and 4 desserts. We all were full and only a wee bit of waste. With drinks it was £120 for four. Cant wait to return. Best restaurant in Inverness. Seats arent very comfortable. Some lovely decor.

Great drinks, great food, great service and great portion sizes! Especially everything korean glazed was amazing!

Amazing food and great service!

My favourite restaurant ever. I’ve been here 4 times now, usually with family but I recently brought my friend who was blown away. The food is incredible, the satay skewers are so tender, the salt and chilli chicken is delicious. I absolutely adore this restaurant and i’m so happy to have one like this in inverness. You can tell there is a genuine love and passion for hospitality from the owners. The decor is stunning, the service is excellent and so friendly, the menu is diverse with so many options. The cocktails are amazing, the yuzu mojito is my personal favourite. This is the kind of restaurant you expect to find somewhere closer to the central belt, there really is no other restaurant like this in inverness. I seriously recommend this to anyone considering stopping by. Well worth the money.

Really nice service, quite professional. Food of a really high quality. Plum sake is awesome🤗

Nice place,nice staff and excellent meal.Very popular book weeks in advance.

I'd heard lots of good things about Hou Hou Mei but this was the first time I managed to get a reservation and we weren't disappointed, excellent menu choices, tasty dishes, fab cocktails and excellent service plus great value for money, definitely worth 5 ⭐

Very underwhelmed by this restaurant. Service was efficient but felt that flavours not terribly authentic. Over Generous use of what tasted like a bottled sweet sauce that left some food too sweet and at times soggy..

Visited in again in April and was not disappointed fantastic food lovley staff and great service hot food on hot plates 10/10 hopefully going back again soon .

Wonderful food and wonderful staff - a food highlight of Inverness

Cannot fault them. Great service, great variety of dishes available and all were delivered swiftly still steaming hot, all dishes were delightful, exceptionally fresh and generously portioned. Priced very fairly perhaps leaning to the cheap side for what you receive, restaurant is spotless and beautifully decorated and perfect location right in the centre of town.

Try and have everyone’s meal served at the same time. A wee bit disjointed. My Thai red curry was down as 1 chilli 🌶️ on menu, but the dry chilli’s 🌶️ were extreme 😅 still loved it and the noodles 🤤 I would highly recommend.

The food and drinks are lovely; explains why this restaurant is so popular, busy and sought after. However, and it’s a big however, our server and the hostess to a lesser degree, were condescending, snippy and haughty. They made you feel lucky they let you be there and really like you were bothering them. I love good food, but, nope, I will not return and I will not recommend. I work too hard to be treated poorly by anyone.

Walked in the restaurant at 4:40pm as the place opened at 4:30pm. The place is almost empty. Asked for a table for 2 and the waiter says he can “squeeze”a table for us but we have to wait for 30mins… I looked around the empty place and can’t believe what I heard…. I’m shocked by the poor service and absolutely amazed by the arrogant waiter. Good luck to the business. Many thanks for nothing.

The bao bun with Korean Sticky sauce was incredible. Sesame seed beef 10 out of 10. Great food

Selection of small plates delicious and varied. Large plates also delicious. Would stick to more small plates next time as they were so good. Would highly recommend. Booking in advance essential as this place is packed and always booked at least a couple weeks in advance

A pity I was told to reserve 6 weeks in advance to get a seat even as a single person and that take away is not possible because of capacity when the restaurant was half empty yet... The staff was polite and the restaurant looked nice. I was looking forward to tasting the food but I don't have 6 weeks. Btw is the restaurant name misspelled on purpose for an inside joke ? It should be haohaowei 好好味. Which means good flavour...

Omg fantastic Chinese cuisine! Everything was so good. The steak was superb as well as the pork bun!! Must visit for a change of food during Scotland visit!

Easily one of the best restaurants in Inverness today. Been there a few times recently and every time the food was fantastic and service impeccable.

Absolutely excellent in every way. Delicious food, lovely staff and good atmosphere.

Loved Hou hou mei but sad that there’s no takeaway service. Having said this I understand as most takeaways are not so good.

At first everything was ok but after the main course asked for the drinks menu, someone brought it but forgot to come back to take the order, a guy checked on the table next to us but didn't come to ask if we want anything or whatever and the girl who served us she was just staying on the bar..after a long waiting time we just decided to pay and leave.

Had a wonderful meal here everything was so delicious and the encouragement to share starters suited us to a t. The portion size is fantastic and the drinks (especially the mocktails) are amazing. The staff couldn't be more friendly or attentive.We will definitely be returning.

The quality of food is quite good, and the waiter who served our table is very nice.

Nice restaurant, friendly personal, good food... As for the decor : I thought, the big wave of Kanagawa was Japanese !? ;-)

Food amazing, staff amazing, atmosphere brilliant

Excellent food and atmosphere. Good service. Prices ok. Good communication for booking.

Best Asian restaurant cuisine all of us have experienced, cocktails and mocktails were delicious also.

Tried to book online. Asked to provide credit card details to guarantee booking and t&c’s said restaurant could charge what ever it wanted at any time. Err no thanks.

Plates that were empty on table leaving no space to eat happerly had to move my own onto side of the bar Food was amazing x But tried to take my plates while still eating

Great friendly service and the food is good. No kids menu/portions.

Great food, service and atmosphere. Staff very friendly and attentive.

Just completely average and really expensive for what it is. Watery red curry full of onions rather than varied veg, didn’t taste like red curry at all. Awful satay, average dim sum, salty Singapore noodles. Overpriced, and can’t understand the rave reviews. If you are visiting from outside the city and have had a decent Chinese / Thai, I doubt you’d enjoy the food here.

Excellent,first time but will be returning,we'll worth a visit