A historical record of San Diego's only cha chaan teng
Latest recorded visit2015
“This is the only HK style cafe (cha chan tang) in SD!”
Roger, Google Maps review (2015-04-29)
Cantonese · Hong Kong Style Cafe
A Cafe
Kearny Mesa, San DiegoClosed
San Diego's only proper Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng, per Roger, worth it for the baked rice, pork chop and black-pepper steak-and-pasta dishes despite hit-or-miss milk tea and rough Convoy parking.
A Cafe is listed as closed on Yelp. This page keeps Roger's 2015 review as a record, not as a place to visit. This is the first full Place record for A Cafe; an earlier 2012 visit is preserved in the site's photo archive.
This page is kept as part of the dated record. The order notes below describe the place as Roger recommended it, not as it operates today.
What to order
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A historical record of San Diego's only cha chaan teng
From Roger’s camera roll
More photos from A Cafe
Posted 2012-06-29
Posted 2012-06-29
Posted 2015-05-03
Source-backed notes
Visit history
Checked in 9 times on Yelp and Swarm, most recently Jul 20, 2015. See the check-in log
2015-04-29day precision · source explicit
★★★☆☆
“This is the only HK style cafe (cha chan tang) in SD!”
Suggests coming with a Cantonese speaker since older staff have limited English. The HK milk tea is inconsistent day to day; recommends the baked rice or pasta dishes (sole or pork chop) or the steak/pork chop with black pepper and pasta. Convoy parking is rough; open until midnight.
A Convoy District spot Roger rated among the better local options for xiao long bao and pan-fried sheng jian bao, with better-than-typical service to match.
From the order notes
Crab meat xiao long bao · Sheng jian bao · Zha jiang mian · Pork feet
A Kearny Mesa Vietnamese spot Roger praised for freshly made, generous portions — nothing mass-ordered frozen — plus made-to-order coffee and wings he ranks among the only two worth ordering at an Asian restaurant in town.
A low-key Convoy-area grocery Roger called a one-stop shop for a Chinese household: herbal remedies, dried seafood, nostalgic HK/China/Taiwan sodas and whole-leaf teas, tucked in a warehouse half a block west of Convoy.
An all-day dim sum spot in Rolando that Roger found run by longtime restaurateur Michael, with banquet-style Cantonese white-tablecloth service and staff who keep the tea pot filled.
