Last updated on February 17th, 2023 at 10:37 am
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You are in luck if you want to eat at this iconic American chain restaurant. There’s a Cheesecake Factory located here in Hong Kong.
The Cheesecake factory is always in the middle of a busy spot in the city just like how it is in other cities such as Boston and Toronto.
In HK, it is inside Harbour City, TST, one of the busiest and biggest malls.
If you’ve read some of my other blog posts, you would already know that TST is one of the top spots for shopping and dining in the city. You can buy anything from preloved luxury to affordable clothing to high-end brands.
Restaurant Impression
When you walk in, you’ll notice the dim lighting.
My mom complained several times that she couldn’t read the menu properly because it was so dark. If you have problems reading in a darker setting, it’s better for you to check out their online menu on their website.
From the front door, it might not seem like it but it’s very spacious inside. I’m sure the franchise must adhere to certain space measurements.
Cheesecake Factory Food Review
Before I go into detail about the food, it’s important to note that the food they serve here is the typical North American size portions.
Almost everyone I come here with is surprised at how much food there is on one plate. Although that was my normal, ever since moving back to HK, I’ve gradually gotten used to Hong Kong sized portions.
On the bright side, there are tons of leftovers you can take home.
The Cheesecake Factory Food Review
Fried Calamari
Their fried calamari has a mixture of squid rings and tentacles although I’m team tentacles.
There are lemon slices on the side if you want to squeeze some lemon juice on top of the calamari. The restaurant also serves garlic dip and cocktail sauce.
It’s nice that they serve customers with both sauces because it’s usually one or another. Although, the calamari is fresh and has enough taste without any of those things.
The breading might be a bit thick for some people but personally, I prefer a tad bit thicker breading.
They serve a tower of fried calamari. Since this is an appetizer, it could be one of the first things to arrive at your table. Don’t eat too much of this or else you’ll be too full for the main dishes.
Out of everything I’ve ordered at The Cheesecake Factory, their fried calamari and pasta have the biggest portion. I shared this dish with two other people and even then, we couldn’t finish everything.
You can always doggy bag the calamari but since it’s fried, it gets soggy.
Dynamite Shrimp
Dynamite shrimp is fried shrimp with spicy mayo on the side. There are 8 in total for one dish.
There’s nothing to rave about. What makes this dish stand out is the sauce. Without the condiment, there’s nothing special about their dynamite shrimp. It tastes like any other fried shrimp with thick breading.
I’m not sure if you can order the sauce by itself, but I would. It would taste fantastic with fries, calamari, or even sushi (yes, I’m one of those weirdos that like spicy mayo with sushi but some people think that’s strange).
Whenever I eat here, I either choose the dynamite shrimp or the calamari. Two fried dishes are a little excessive when there are so many other options.
Those who have a smaller appetite should get the dynamite shrimp. The portion is much more manageable.
Miso Salmon
It’s one of their more expensive dishes on the menu but it’s seafood. The restaurant gives you such a big chunk of salmon, you don’t feel like they have unreasonable pricing.
The miso salmon is sweet but a little salty. The surrounding miso sauce doesn’t really add much to the already flavourful salmon. It’s more for decoration purposes but it works because I found myself taking photos of this dish from different angles. The decoration of this dish is pretty.
The white miso sauce surrounds the salmon and rice (the server asks you if you prefer white or brown rice). There are also several snow peas as well. You get your carbs, meat, and vegetables all in one dish.
A minor complaint I have about this dish is the serving spoon. It came with such a big spoon and when we asked for another spoon, they gave us a little teaspoon. So the option was either eating the miso salmon with a very large spoon or a small spoon. I guess I could have used a fork but I use a spoon to eat rice.
Who’s with me?
Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza
The restaurant cuts up the flatbread for you so there are 8 square slices in total. They aren’t skimping out on the pepperoni either. Each slice has a lot of pepperonis.
The Pepperoni flatbread pizza at The Cheesecake Factory has amazing dough. It’s the perfect thickness with crunchy flatbread and warm gooey cheese.
The flatbread isn’t too big so one person can definitely finish this all. Other restaurants are known for their large slices of pizza but this isn’t too bad.
The dish does sell out from time to time. Depending on your visit to The Cheesecake Factory, you might be out of luck. It’s apparently that popular.
Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic
This is hands down the biggest dish (and my favourite) on this blog post.
I remember coming to The Cheesecake Factory with a friend and ordering this for myself. I couldn’t even finish one-third of it before I was full. There was still so much food left. The cream sauce makes it filling. There’s also A LOT of pasta. To be fair, I also got calamari and garlic bread.
The bowtie pasta comes with garlic parmesan cream sauce. They also add chicken pieces, bacon bits, onions, peas, mushrooms, and tomatoes. There’s certainly a lot of stuff but they all work well together. The cream sauce is SOOO good.
It’s something I must order every single time I eat here.
Parmesan Garlic Cheese Bread
The name alone should make you salivate. Their garlic bread caught my attention because it was one of the first items on the appetizer list.
Pasta and garlic bread often go together so I wanted to try it out.
The Cheesecake Factory does provide free bread before your meal so some people might want to pass on this garlic bread but think of this as a fancier upgrade.
They add all this yumminess with parmesan salsa and marinara sauce on the side. The warm artisan bread is filled with cheese inside. Yum! So slather that piece of bread with sauces and eat it with your pasta.
It beats the free bread (well, also because you’re paying extra).
Red Velvet Cake
There are dozens of cheesecakes to choose from but their red velvet cake is arguably one of their best.
What I’m going to say next is going to be controversial but I’m going to go ahead and say it anyway, there’s too much cream cheese in this dessert. There are two thick layers of cream cheese icing with whipped cream on the side.
There’s usually more cake than icing but in this case, there’s more icing than cake. The cake itself is moist and enough sweet already. On top of that, there’s cream cheese AND whipped cream. It’s just too much.
I usually take out one layer of cream cheese so it’s not sweetness overload. However, I do acknowledge that some people will like this because of the ample icing. It all depends on your preference.
Service – The Cheesecake Factory Food Review
Even though this is an American restaurant, the servers are very much HK-style. You have to flag down them if you want them for something.
There are a lot of employees working so unless you eat here during a busy time, it won’t take much to get a server’s attention.
Who Should Come to The Cheesecake Factory?
You should come to this restaurant if you want a place with TONS of food options at reasonable pricing.
There’s so much to choose from that some people find the menu too overwhelming. But I rather eat at a place that has too many options than a restaurant that barely has any options.
The Cheesecake Factory might not be as luxurious as some of the other restaurants in Hong Kong but it’s a great place for Western comfort food. I bet Americans come here to eat when they’re feeling homesick.
If you’re a health nut, it’s best to skip out on The Cheesecake Factory unless it’s a cheat meal. The restaurant food doesn’t exactly scream healthy even though there are healthier options like salad.
Final Thoughts – The Cheesecake Factory Food Review
People often think because it’s called The Cheesecake Factory, all they serve is desserts. They have dozens of cheesecake selections but to be completely honest, I prefer their food better.
There’s so much good food here that it’s always a struggle to choose what to get. Definitely go check out their menu to see what suits your taste buds.
Even the pickiest eater will find something you like here. They have everything from Western to Asian food but don’t expect their Asian food to be super authentic. It doesn’t mean they’re not good though!
With its convenient location, customers flock to The Cheesecake Factory all the time. Too bad they don’t accept reservations because waiting outside the restaurant for a long period is such a pain.
Lines start forming around 4:45-5 pm on a weekend. I’ve tried coming here several times on a weekend thinking we could beat the crowd but I was utterly wrong.
The best time to eat at The Cheesecake Factory is on a weekday.
If you’re in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, go take a peek to see how long it will take to get a table.
Now to You – The Cheesecake Factory Food Review
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Xoxo,
Nicole