Expose the Kids to Delightful Dim Sum Delicacies at HK Cafe in Portland!

Dim sum is rarely suggested when it comes to kid-friendly eats for little ones, as the food, with its usage of ingredients unfamiliar to the American palette, is not always approachable and familiar. Chicken feet and shrimp dumplings aren’t typically a feature on any type of menu, let alone a kid’s menu. So why is HK Cafe featured as a kid friendly destination? We think the culture and atmosphere is perfect for kids and their families, and the instant gratification and novel experience of the small plates is delightful here.

Smiling maneki-neko cats greeting you at every turn, clamoring shiny silver carts carrying little dishes of food being shuffled about, large rounded tables in a banquet hall-type room perfect for several families to gather and a constant hum of adult and kid chatter that will drown out the loudest of baby cries or toddler tantrums make it a great place to take the family.

If you’ve ever been to dim sum, you know that the experience of “ordering” your food is a bit different from most restaurants. Servers roll around carts full of small-portioned dishes and you tell them (or point at) what you’d like to try. If you know of a dish in particular, you can ask if they have it. This is definitely a choose-your-own-adventure experience, especially if you are new to dim sum. What you think you have asked for might not necessarily be what’s in front of you, but that’s the fun of it!

If you are a vegetarian, servers can accommodate that by suggesting vegetarian dishes; however keep in mind that those dishes may have touched meat products or be cooked in meat-based products (broths, sauces, etc). There is no dedicated kids menu, but there are certainly things here that kids can enjoy such as chow mein, baby bok choy sauteed in a sweet oyster sauce, pork dumplings, and fried sesame balls. 

The area around HK Cafe leaves more to be desired, but it’s easy to get to and there is ample parking. If you have a picky eater or this is the family’s first time to dim sum, bring some back-up snacks. There is no changing table in the restroom so make sure to bring your own setup or save the diaper changes for the car.

HK Cafe is special to us in that it reaches across cultures, so if expanding your kid’s culinary horizons and exposing them to different cuisines is important to you, definitely give this a try.