Hop Alley

Reviews

• Ingrid P.

  star star star star star 28 May 2026

  It is rare that I am impressed by the food at an Asian fusion place, but Hop Alley proved me wrong.
  
  My friends and I grabbed dinner here before a concert at Mission Ballroom. We were NOT able to get reservations, since we made the decision to eat here late. Fortunately, we were able to sit at the bar and were able to maintain our conversation. The bartender/server was able to describe the food and offer his favorites to us. The dishes we got where:
  - Wok tossed beans: they tasted like they had kissed the roar of the wok and were tossed in a soy-sauced based sauce. I loved it so much that I put our extra white rice to soak up the sauce.
  - La zi ji: This was the dish that made the most impression on me. Made with Szechuan peppercorns, it truly embodied Szechuan (ma la) style cuisine with a mouth - numbing effect. BE WARNED that this is a sensation you probably haven't experienced. It is not a spicy-numbing effect, but is a result of chemical reaction in your mouth. It's a lot to take in and taste, so I suggest sharing this with 3+ people.
  - Hong you chao shou: two words everyone - chili oil. The dumplings were doused in the wonderful sauce with just enough chili oil left over to put a scoop of white rice in it.
  - Hop alley fried rice with bone marrow: I loved that this fried rice was not made with soy sauce, which is the traditional way. The bone marrow added another level of unctuousness to the dish. Definitely worth trying!
  
  Between the 3 of us, we weren't able to finish all the food. You will definitely leave with a whole new dining experience not only with the food, but also with the drinks. I will definitely be coming back to try the rest of the menu (I'm eyeing the salt and pepper soft shell crabs)!

• Melissa S.

  star star star star star_border 23 May 2026

  So pleased with this spot! I went as a group of 4 and would definitely recommend this as a group spot as the menu is designed to share. A little pricier than I would have thought. For 4 people they recommend about 6 dishes, which adds up quickly.
  
  Our reservation was for 7:15pm on a Wednesday and when we arrived on time, it was PACKED! The hostess kept letting us know that we were just waiting for the table to pay and leave, which ended up taking longer than we all thought. Since we didn't get seated until around 7:35-7:40pm, the hostess ordered us our drinks as we waited and they sent over a couple of appetizers on the house - definitely was not necessary as it was obvious it was a small space and very busy, but a great way to treat your customers!
  
  Everything we ordered was great, it is really hard to determine what was best:
  -Pickled veggies (comped app) - light and good, went great with the white rice they give each table
  -Wontons (another comped app) - So good, creamy on the inside and flavorful crunch on the outside.
  -Duck Rolls - Probably my favorite. They fell apart as you ate them, but the texture and flavor was unbeatable. Would order these every time. Also came in 4 pieces so great for a table of 4 to share.
  -Snapper - Came as an open face, half fish with greens and citrus on the top. Probably my least favorite but still good, the sauce was very light so most of the flavor came from the citrus slices on top. More difficult to share, but also not enough to ever be an entree.
  -Butternut Squash dumplings - WOW! Crunchy on the bottom, smooth on the inside. Sauce is fantastic. We were bummed there were 5 of these...which we kind of thought was on purpose so you'd order another one :)
  -Eggplant - Surprisingly much better than I expected. Chunks of eggplant with probably the best sauce of the night and crunchy bean sprouts on top. On the menu is sounds lackluster but a great dish
  -Garlic shrimp noodles - wow these were garlic-y. Lots of garlic, onion and more shrimp than I'd expect. A lot of noodles as well. Would say this was probably the least sharing-friendly as it looked like a big bowl of pasta.
  
  Overall, a great place. I'd go back and recommend to anyone. I would say that it wasn't as spicy as I thought, with most dishes having little to no spice.

• MyLinh P.

  star star star star star 23 May 2026

  Feeling like Kylie Minogue with Hop Alley...I just can't get you out of my head. My hubs and I decided last-minute to celebrate my bday here and it was prob one of the best bday dinners I've ever had.
  
  Here's a disclaimer⁠--I was never really a huge fan of Szechuan food because the spices never fully hit the spot for me. We're surrounded by many Szechuan restaurants here, and I've given it many chances, but I just couldn't fall in love.
  
  Well, ever since our dinner at Hop Alley, I haven't been able to stop looking up new Szechuan restaurants to try and chase after the high we got there. We ordered the spicy pork dumplings, the Szechuan fried chicken and the dan dan noodles at the restaurant, and the spices whooped our asses, and our tastebuds were immersed in so many flavors that we were completely entranced. On top of the bomb food, the hip hop, our bartender and the service he provided were top-notch. See you next time, Hop Alley!
  
  La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

• Jocelyn Q.

  star star star star star_border 22 May 2026

  Loved the powerful flavor profiles and the family sharing style aspect.
  
  Definitely hope to go back soon to try some more dishes :)

• Irene C.

  star star star star star_border 20 May 2026

  While service was a bit slow at times, the food was excellent. We ordered the garlic shrimp noodles, beef tartare, sea salt crusted bass, and beijing duck rolls. The garlic shrimp noodles doesn't look like much in pictures but the noodles are packed with flavor- this was my favorite dish of the night! Beef tartare was creamy and flavor was also spot on- my family who doesn't like beef tartare enjoyed this dish. Beijing duck rolls were delicious but I do feel like the duck inside was a little on the drier side. The letdown of the night was the sea salt crusted bass sold at MP for $51. While the fish was cooked perfectly on the inside, there was absolutely no flavor. The crust was super salty, but I expected more flavor from the lemongrass rather just plain salt. For the price, I would not recommend this dish.
  
  Service was super slow- the waitress took forever to come around to give us our check. However, I will definitely be back to try their dan dan noodles!! Reservations can now be made via Resy!