I’m a big fan of Chinese food. Growing up in Pepperell and Townsend, Massachusetts during the 1970s, if we wanted foreign food, the only option was Chinese. Even then, it involved a long-distance phone call to place the order and a drive to Fitchburg to pick it up. As a kid, I was amazed by the white boxes made with folded cardboard that had wires for handles. The food was exotic to my young mind. Fried rice was brown with veggies and bits of pork or chicken, and it had flavor. Sweet and sour pork, and Chinese chicken wings. The mysteriously named chow mein and chop suey. I was ravenous for pork cutlets, spare ribs, teriyaki, and egg rolls. Years later, when we moved to Alamosa, Colorado, Chinese food was no longer on the menu. With a large Hispanic population, Mexican restaurants were fairly common in southern Colorado, and they opened my eyes to a world of new dishes. It’s no surprise that when I’ve moved to new places, I’ve sought out good places to find Chinese or Mexican food.
In downtown Indianapolis, five or so blocks away from my apartment building is Hong Kong (a/k/a Hong Kong China Buffet). This small, mom-and-pop type restaurant serves food that reminds me of the Chinese food the family used to get in Massachusetts. P.F. Chang’s it’s not, since the atmosphere is very simple with tables and booths. There are a few Chinese items, such as a calendar from a Chinese food distributor, but they don’t give the place an Asian ambiance so much as remind you that this is a family-run restaurant that serves Chinese food. Most of the time I go there and the place is empty of customers. However, I usually go on weekends and after work, and I think most of their business comes from the lunchtime crowds from several nearby companies. For what its worth, I usually get takeout.
Atmosphere aside, the food is great. Almost always, I get a quart of pork fried rice and three egg rolls, but if I have extra cash, I often get something else as well. Today, I also got an order of chicken sticks (teriyaki chicken) and sweet-and-sour chicken. Plus, every time I’ve ordered an entree, they’ve thrown in an order of fried wontons for free. Since this is takeout, they toss in a few fortune cookies and packets of duck sauce, soy sauce, and hot mustard. They used to include plastic forks, but this time they didn’t. Maybe it’s the economy. Sadly, I’ve never known them to add chopsticks, which I’ve always thought were great for things like sweet-and-sour dishes, among others. Luckily, I’ve got some here at home.
In the past, when I’ve ordered Szechuan food or other items listed as spicy on the menu, the items were hardly spicy at all. This was also an issue at another Chinese restaurant I used to go to in Colorado Springs. However, at that restaurant, if we ordered a spicy dish, and we added that we wanted it spicy, it would come that way. I don’t know if that would work at Hong Kong, but it might be worth a shot.
Prices are fair. My usual order of a quart of pork fried rice and three egg rolls comes to about ten bucks. Cans of soda are a bit expensive at $1.25, though I admit I don’t know what they serve for beverages in the restaurant itself. Spending $25 or more for takeout buys enough food for a few days worth of lunches or dinners.
If you’re in Indy and want good Chinese food at decent prices and away from the crowds, I recommend Hong Kong, either for takeout or dining-in on the weekends.
Hong Kong
1524 N. Illinois St
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 951-8882
(317) 951-8686
(317) 951-8889 Fax
Rating: 
