Overview
Temple Valley Chinese Restaurant is a small Chinese restaurant in Kāneʻohe’s Koʻolau Center on Oʻahu’s Windward side. The Google Places record is internally consistent with the address and phone number, and current third-party listings also place it at the same shopping center, though some sources vary on the suite number and a few older listings shorten the address. (koolaucenter.com)
For travelers, this looks like a practical, local-style stop rather than a destination dining room: a place for roast meats, noodle plates, takeout platters, and quick meals before or after exploring the Windward side. The main draw is not novelty; it is the combination of familiar Chinese-Hawaiian comfort food, reasonable pricing, and a location that works well for an easy stop in Kāneʻohe. (koolaucenter.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
The food lane is best described as local Chinese comfort food with a strong roast-meat and plate-lunch angle. The menu evidence and review patterns point to roast pork, char siu, stuffed eggplant, gau gee, noodle dishes, and party platters as core items, with some additional drink and dessert-style offerings such as fruit smoothies, Vietnamese iced coffee, rice cake, and sesame-ball style treats. (wanderlog.com)
- Overall menu style: Chinese restaurant with a Hawaiian-local takeout rhythm; sturdy lunch plates, noodle dishes, roasted meats, and family-size platters. (koolaucenter.com)
- Notable dishes / specialties: roast pork, char siu, roast pork & char siu plates, stuffed eggplant, gau gee, jai noodles, beef broccoli cake noodles, and chow fun / chow mein-style noodles. (ubereats.com)
- Drinks and lighter items: real-fruit smoothies get repeated praise in reviews, especially taro and strawberry/mango; Vietnamese iced coffee is also mentioned positively. (wanderlog.com)
- Dessert/snack items: rice cake, coconut/red bean sesame balls, almond cookies, tea cookies, and manapua appear in menu-related sources. (wanderlog.com)
- Price range / spend expectations: Google tags it at price level 2, and outside menu sources support a moderate, casual spend rather than a splurge. Expect an affordable-to-midrange meal, especially if ordering plates or takeout platters. (mapquest.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: the menu appears especially useful for pork-forward eaters and people looking for filling mixed plates; vegetarian breadth is not clearly supported, and many of the best-known items are meat-centric. (ubereats.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This is a compact shopping-center restaurant rather than a scenic standalone destination. The experience is shaped more by convenience and the food than by a polished dining room, though multiple sources describe it as cozy and family-run, and the center’s setting gives it an easy access point on the Windward side. (koolaucenter.com)
- Service model and seating style: dine-in is available, but the place seems to function heavily as a takeout and platter spot; several reviews mention quick to-go orders. (wanderlog.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: cozy, small, and informal; one source notes recent renovations, which suggests the space may have been refreshed, though the overall vibe remains casual. (koolaucenter.com)
- Amenities or practical features: located in Koʻolau Center, with easy access to other shops and eateries nearby; parking is likely shared-center parking rather than dedicated restaurant parking. That parking inference is based on the shopping-center setting. (koolaucenter.com)
- Best fit: quick lunch, takeout dinner, family platters, or a practical stop while driving the Windward Coast. (koolaucenter.com)
- Weaker fit: visitors seeking a destination-level dining room, a long sit-down meal, or a highly refined atmosphere will probably find this too casual. This is an inference from the location and review pattern. (koolaucenter.com)
History & Background
Little meaningful ownership or founder history surfaced in the sources reviewed. The best background signal is that the restaurant appears to be an established family-run local Chinese spot in Koʻolau Center, and the center’s own copy mentions renovations, suggesting some continuity rather than a brand-new opening. Beyond that, there is no strong backstory documented in the available sources. (koolaucenter.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Review patterns are strongest around value, comfort-food reliability, and a few signature items. Repeated praise centers on roast pork, char siu, stuffed eggplant, gau gee, jai noodles, and the fruit smoothies. Several reviewers describe the food as authentic, friendly, and a good deal, and some specifically treat it as a dependable regular stop on the Windward side. (wanderlog.com)
Common Gripes
The main recurring caution is that popular items can run out, so earlier visits appear to have an advantage. There are also scattered complaints about uneven portion quality and missed items in delivery orders, but these downsides look mixed rather than dominant; they appear alongside many positive reviews rather than overwhelming them. (wanderlog.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Google Places shows Monday–Saturday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM, closed Sunday; Koʻolau Center’s dining page shows a slightly different schedule at times, so check the most recent listing before relying on late-day arrival. (koolaucenter.com)
- Go earlier in the day if you want roast meats, stuffed eggplant, jai noodles, or other popular items; multiple sources say favorites can sell out. (wanderlog.com)
- Expect a casual order-at-the-counter or takeout-friendly experience rather than a formal table-service meal. (wanderlog.com)
- The restaurant sits in Koʻolau Center in Kāneʻohe, which makes it easy to combine with errands or a Windward-side drive. (koolaucenter.com)
- If you are ordering for a group, the center’s copy explicitly points to party platters and roast pig as part of the offer set. (koolaucenter.com)
Verification Notes
- Officially listed name and core contact details align across Google Places and the Koʻolau Center directory: Temple Valley Chinese Restaurant, 47-388 Hui Iwa Street, Suite #8, Kāneʻohe, HI 96744, (808) 239-6467. (koolaucenter.com)
- There is a suite-number discrepancy in third-party listings: some older or scraped sources show different suite formats or omit the suite entirely, but the most current center directory and Google Places both point to Suite #8. (koolaucenter.com)
- Operational status appears current in the Google record and recent third-party listings. (koolaucenter.com)
- No website was supplied in the Google Places record, and the Koʻolau Center page did not surface a clearly separate official restaurant domain. (koolaucenter.com)
Sources
- Koʻolau Center dining directory —
https://koolaucenter.com/dining/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for current address, phone, hours posted by the center, renovation mention, and the center’s own summary of the restaurant’s offerings. - Google Places record supplied in the prompt —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=1036494985666702885— retrieved 2026-04-02. Baseline identity anchor for name, status, address, phone, ratings, and current Google hours posture. - Wanderlog place page —
https://wanderlog.com/place/details/3170970/temple-valley-chinese-restaurant— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for review-pattern synthesis, highlighted dishes, and traveler-facing notes about smoothies, roast pork, stuffed eggplant, and early-arrival advice. - Tripadvisor listing —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60653-d890747-Reviews-Temple_Valley_s_Chinese-Kaneohe_Oahu_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for historical review snippets, the takeout-oriented feel, and the long-running value/family-run pattern. - DoorDash store page —
https://www.doordash.com/store/temple-valley-chinese-restaurant-kaneohe-24208821/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for menu structure, popular items, and a recent firsthand delivery review praising roast pork and stuffed eggplant while also showing that some orders can be inconsistent. - Uber Eats store page —
https://www.ubereats.com/store/temple-valleys-chinese/RaSBNhKXUM-2dKghcpwE-g— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for confirming several menu items and plate composition, including roast pork/char siu plates, stuffed eggplant, gai/gee-style items, and roast meats. - Restaurantji listing —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/kaneohe/temple-valleys-chinese-/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Used selectively for an additional current cross-check on hours, location, and a mixed caution about occasional quality issues.
