Hakka No. 1

The service was reasonable. The food was amazing, it tasted great and the quantity was good. Definitely recommend!

Hakka no. 1 is the no. 1 alternate to driving all the way to Brampton or Mississauga in search of good Hakka food.
I was fooled by the cover of the book, and was assuming the worst when I finally decided to give this place a try.
But to my amazing surprise, the restaurant was the exact opposite of what I feared. It was clean, well organized seating, good staff and delicious well cooked Hakka food.
The prices are the cherry on top. Delicious and more than filling lunch options for under $ 10…how can anyone complain after that? The lunch menu offers so many options, that you don’t even need to bother with the main menu during lunch hours.
The service is decent. Yes they weren’t rolling out the red carpet… but it’s 6.50 for a dish that almost two can feed on… who the heck cares whether they smile or not during service? As long as they’re not rude… which they weren’t…not even close. Also, chicken in my dishes was good quality, no tofu fillers, and they didn’t charge tip on my bill. I hope things don’t change the next time around, as quite a few reviewers seem to have had these issues.
Finally coming to the food:
Hakka noodles were great, flavourful, and a generous portion. Not too spicy, for me… not spicy at all. Also ordered Bombay chicken with fried rice. (You can change steam rice from the original combo to fried rice for a dollar and half). Bombay chicken was crispy fried, very well marinated and flavourful, tossed in fresh green herbs. An amazing preparation. If anyone knows and misses «chicken kebabs of Bangalore», this dish comes really really close to it.
Overall, dining here was a really good experience and I found it to be a wonderful find in Midtown Toronto.
This will be a regular spot for us!
I really hope that things don’t change the next time around.

Service is OK.
Food is delicious. Very flavorful. Portion is big. Family style dining. Affordable. Will likely end up with leftovers.
Definitely recommend this place if you want flavorful, delicious and affordable food :-)
They have weekdays lunch specials :-)

I find their food to be very dry. It tastes fine buy their meat dsent seem appealing at all. They have a vast amount of meals though.

Manchurian fish ¹⁰⁄₁₀ (perfect!)
Curry chicken ⁹⁄₁₀ (tasty!)
Crispy Ginger Beef ⁹⁄₁₀ (amazing sauce and it’s pretty crispy)
Spicy Salt Shrimp ¹⁰⁄₁₀ (so good! Not too salty, just perfect)
Good portions for an even better price.
This place is really good!
I was recommended by a friend and I’m not disappointed at all.
Also, I have no idea why people are complaining about the service, they were quick (very quick) and friendly.

I’m a bit new to hakka but there are a lot of similarities to Chinese cuisine. I see all these bad reviews but I didn’t experience any of that during my visit.
The service was actually quite good. We had two different servers who tended to us. Our waters were refilled and they did the usual check up without being too invasive.
There is an extensive menu and we only ordered two out of the plethora of choices. The chicken pakora had a nice kick to it and it was a generous large portion of meat. I had one piece which was a bit fatty but it wasn’t too big of a deal. The beef rice noodles were delicious. Just the right flavour and on par to what I get in other Chinese restaurants, maybe even a little better!
I have yet to try other dishes on the menu and I’m not sure if I would just because I liked these two dishes so much. Will update this review if I ever do!

I have to admit that within its massive menu there are a few gems. The Bombay chicken, pakora, rice or noodle dishes are quite savory and have never disappointed the few times I have been here. Portions are very big and a single dish can be shared by at least 3 people. However, this is where the positive review ends. Whenever, I have tried to wander off and be adventurous it has proved to be a bad idea. Most of the gravy dishes are waay too salty and the meat lacking in flavor.
Now, about the service: horrendous. Be prepared to order as soon as you sit down, because the food takes forever to arrive. I like to think it is because the food is being freshly prepared, but at this joint lets not kid ourselves. The waiters are usually hanging out behind the counter and will not notice glasses that are empty or you trying to get their attention. My friend had to practically wave her card and do a handstand to get the waiters to come over.
Every time I have been here it has been a hit or miss with some of the times being quite enjoyable. For that reason I will give it an average of 3 stars. If you still want to give this place a try I suggest doing takeout.

This place was a disappointment. The dishes that claimed «HEAT» — lacked. The General Tao Chicken similar to a person who had been submerged in water for a LONG period of time. I am not sure if it was supposed to be deep fried — and someone failed miserably — or exactly WHAT was going on. The Ginger chicken didn’t taste like Ginger at all. The beef and broccoli had more broccoli than beef — and the broccoli was HARD. The Wonton soup was tasty — which was the only thing that was okay.
All of the dishes must have TONS of MSG. We only ate a little of the food (all else went in the GARBAGE unfortunately) — but we were STUFFED — in a very unsettling way. This place was a waste of time and money. Never again.

Wasn’t too sure because of all the bad reviews online. Went here for a last minute lunch with a friend. I called ahead to try and place a sit in order before I got there cause we were both meeting there and I only had an hour. The server wasn’t rude in his response but told me they don’t do that.
I showed up 9 minutes later and when he brought my menus I just gave him my order, so rudeness just quick and efficient. Exactly 5 mins later my food came out steamy hot lol except my friend was running late so I had to wait a good 5 minutes anyways… I definitely snuck a few pieces in my mouth.
Ordered the lunch specials (chili chicken and manchurian beef) both were saucy, flavorful and spicy! The chicken still had crunch after 5 mins and the beef was really tender. All this plus spring rolls rice and a bottle of water for 5.95 each. amazing deal!
I need to try their hot and sour soup though!
I’d definitely go back :)

I don’t understand all the negative reviews here. My parents and I went here for lunch recently and we thought everything was just fine. Yes, the portions are a little smaller than at some other places, like Super Hakka, and the Chili Chicken was not spicy at all, but it still had flavour. The female server who greeted us and took our orders was very friendly and nice. The male server who cleared our table and brought our bill did not smile, but I wouldn’t say he was rude, just neutral (neither nice nor not nice). They did not automatically add the tip to our bill like some other reviewers mentioned — although we were just a party of three, maybe they do this if your party is larger (?)
We ordered from the Lunch Special Menu. I had the Bombay Chicken (dry) — $ 6.95, my dad had the Mango Tango Beef — $ 6.95 and my mom had the Chili Chicken (dry) — $ 5.95. All lunch specials come with a vegetarian spring roll and a bottle of water.
The spring roll was average sized. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was filled with cabbage, onions and carrots. It was pretty standard. I loved my Bombay Chicken. It was spicy hot and had a great combination of spices in it. I loved the dry chrunchy bits. The Mango Tango Beef was tender and came with green and red peppers as well as slices of sweet ripe mango. The sauce was sweet and was a nice contrast to the spicy Bombay Chicken. The Chili Chicken had flavour but it wasn’t spicy at all. I don’t understand why on menu the Chili Chicken is rated as spicy as the Bombay Chicken (2 chilies). Anyway, the Chili Chicken was my least favorite, but it was still OK and my mom who doesn’t like really spicy food actually really liked it.
The white steamed rice was nicely cooked but not all that plentiful. Portions are a bit smaller than other places.
Overall it’s a good place to go if you are in the area and have a craving for Hakka food. Lots of free parking in the strip mall parking lot.

Should’ve checked the review on Unilocal before I went here. Then again a friend took me & he doesn’t check reviews.
I judge a hakka/​Indian Chinese restaurant on their chili chicken. I’d rate it a 2 out of 10 here.
The ONLY good thing are the portion sizes.
I honestly don’t know how restaurants who serve horrible food can be in business!
I will never go here again. If I ever find myself at Keele & Lawrence so hungry I could eat anything, I still wouldn’t go here.

Horrible food with horrible customer service. They use tofu as a filler as opposed to real chicken in all of their dishes. I would never recommend any of their locations to any one. I can pay same amount of money to a better Hakka Chinese restaurant located in DownTown Toronto or Chung Moi Restaurant in Scarborough.

Good food, HORRIBLE service. I’ve been here countless times with my family, and have even thrown family parties here just because the food is good and the price is fair. Service on the other hand, is absolutely ridiculous. No smiles or greetings, and their favourite line in the world is probably «$ 1 extra for more sauce». They should definitely consider hiring actual and polite waiters who know what they’re doing. Don’t bother tipping either, they already charge it on their bill. We only come here because its close to where I live, but if you want equally good Hakka food and proper service, I suggest China Cottage – though its a lot farther.