One Hour Cafeteria

One Hour fills up at the speed of light, so most of the time you’re sharing a table with a few other strangers. No worries– this little fact adds on to the casual ambience of the restaurant.
I’m a huge fan of bean bag chairs, so One Hour was really right up my alley. The lighting is dim and really quite unflattering, so it’s not the best place for artsy photos, but the food is quite delicious. I find their savoury dishes yummier compared to their desserts, even if the names DO sound quite tempting (I mean, cheesecake in a jar? How enticing!).
The waitresses are not that fluent in English but can understand you just fine, and they work hard to keep the customers satisfied. Our cute water glasses were always filled, and the food arrived quite quickly. The bubble tea is housed in huge glass cups, and honestly it tasted quite authentic. One Hour has actually become one of the restaurants I frequent on a weekly basis!
Favourites: fried chicken and Taiwanese beef noodle soup

Comfy atmosphere — literally sinking into bean bags. The fried chicken and any noodle soup are always my to-​go choices here. Make sure you add a marinated egg for the authentic experience.
Cold dishes and drinks are decent. The Roselle slush is a unique drink to try with actual flower petals in the drink (sizes of drinks are gigantic).

Very convenient bubble tea/​eatery near U of T. Last time I was here, I ordered rice noodle soup, Fried Chicken wings and spicy beef tendon, all of which were very good. I still maintain the fried chicken wings are one of the best in the city and unique as well, with an incredibly light and crispy batter and Chinese perfumes of star anise, white pepper and cloves. Unfortunately their bubble tea is really bad. If you are any form of a bubble tea connoisseur you would know what I mean (flavourless, overly sugared, powdered nonsense).
As for the restaurant itself, they have a clean bathroom for a Chinatown location, which was surprising. I also quite enjoy the aesthetic look of the bean bag chairs and the overall open concept feel of the restaurant. However, since I am a bit on the heavy side, I sunk too deep into the bean bags and ended up having my head at the level of the table, which made it pretty inconvenient to eat my food :(Finally, I’m not one to notice these things but ALL of the waitresses working there are super good looking. If it’s intentional, kudos to management :)

If you’re like me, you can’t stand the taste of powdered mango bubbletea. Onehour is the only place downtown that has the best real fruit mango bubbletea. I ask for mine with whipped cream on top as an extra. The portions are always huge, the girls are always helpful and the ambience is so relaxed and open. Definitely check it out!

As a U of T graduate, I know the pains of not being able to eat while you study in the library. I usually cannot go and study on a regular basis at libraries because I need food. Constantly. So I usually like to visit new cafes to fulfill both my stomach and brain.
Sometime ago, I went to One Hour Cafeteria, located near Spadina and College. It’s a Chinese café run (I think) by Chinese young adults in their mid 20s. They have a pretty good menu of bubble tea, desserts, and food. I personally like noodles, so I thought I’d try their Zha Jiang Noodles with their recommended Taro Slush.
Zha Jiang Noodles:
The noodle bowl was pretty small, about your average palm size, and it was warm when served. The Korean cuisine has a similar dish with the exact same name, except the sauce is made of black bean instead of minced pork like it was here. The vegetables were very fresh, noodles very good, and all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the food. For me, the food portion was a tad bit small, but that might’ve been also because I was famished. Next time, I’d like to order a small dessert to go along with the food.
Taro slush:
The slush was good, nothing extraordinary, but they seemed to use fresh taro instead of the powdered kind that you normally see in bubble tea shops.
They have wifi, but I couldn’t really figure out what the password was… something to do with a lot of 8’s and h’s. That day, I was lazy and didn’t ask but I am sure they will be more than happy to help you out.
Their interior is also very appealing, they have small tables by the walls and also big tables for friends with bean bags as their chairs. On the walls they had coat hangers for all which was a very nice touch and their washrooms were very modern and clean.
Maybe it’s because of their name, but everyone seemed to be sort of leaving after one hour … I felt a bit intimidated to stay for longer.
Food: 3.5÷5
Service: 3.5÷5
Price: $
Cleanliness: 3.5÷5

Exquisite deco. Friendly staff. Clean straightforward setting.
Ordered zha jiang noodle, tremella, and cheese Ina jar.
The zha jiang noodle is really good. Refresh, warm, non-​greasy.
The tremella came in huge portion. They also put some jelly stuff in. Yummy.
The cheese Ina jar really surprised me. It is super light, yet doesn’t lose the cheese flavor.

This spot is lunch heaven!
It’s a relatively quiet lunch spot, especially for the area. Picture this — low tables, high top tables and stools, and bean bag chairs as far as the eye can see…
What’s best about this place is the cheap and delicious menu, consisting mainly of noodles! You can get a regular size or a large for just an additional $ 1.20 — don’t forget to add a seasoned egg for 99 cents!
The one costly thing on the menu are their tea drinks — they actually are comparable in price to a meal, which means that I haven’t tried any of them.
If you’re looking for a quick place to grab a lunch or a snack, or a place to study (you won’t be the only one), 1Hr Cafeteria is a gem!

All dishes are delicious! I recommend the fried chicken, braised beef noodle, and xiaoguo rice noodle. Service is fast and the waitresses are super cute (Like, intentionally super super cute)! The environment is relaxing, but the bean bag chairs are sometimes annoying when you’re trying to focus on your meal.

My BFF and I found this place accidentally just walking past and the interior is what made us wanna try it out. It’s got a cute casual atmosphere with a wooden interior and comfortable bean bag chairs. It’s a great little place to hang out with some friends, surf the net, or if you plan on going alone, maybe bring a book and catch up on some 50 shades of grey haha. But seriously, it’s a pretty chill place with not much on the menu to choose from but it’s a good selection for a café type environment.
The drinks are alright nothing too special but they are a nice change from mainstream bubble tea such as the basic taro, mango, strawberry business. They offer a mix and match option where you choose your type of tea (black or green), your flavour (peach, litchi, ginger. etc), and then your toppings (tapioca boba, grass jelly… etc). I personally took a risk and tried Black Ginger Milk tea with grass jelly and honestly, it tasted pretty good (had a good kinda tingle in your mouth): p The food is what you’d expect for a small Chinese style café. It’s a bit on the pricey side for the portions they serve but I’m not gonna lie they are pretty tasty. The fried chicken is always yum, and the soups are also seasoned pretty well. It’s worth a shot to try if you’re planning to lounge around for a while.
All in all, it’s a cute place to hang out with some good friends and chat.
Of all the times I’ve been there, service was good, food was good, drinks were also good. Nothing wow to say about this place but nothing bad either :)
Love the casual concept though

I really adore this place. A massive airy space, lots of natural light, great communal tables, bean bag chairs. Must order items: chicken wings (so crispy), spicy beef shank noodle soup (has a good kick to it), cold noodles (very refreshing). A good casual spot to grab a bite and catch up with friends. No preservatives and MSG in their dishes — which I really appreciate!

Beef tendon & fried chicken wings! Highly recommended! Drinks are slightly expensive, but the cup for water is super super cute!

Nestled just a few doors south from Mother’s Dumplings is One Hour Cafeteria — a Taiwanese-​style bubble tea and snacks café (no alcohol) that’s at once cozy and zen all at once.
White-​painted walls juxtaposed against light and natural wood tables, the place is a mix of comfy communal low tables with comfy beanbag chairs (or occasionally you can find a real chair), or if you’re really against beanbags, there are stools and cruisers for those feeling loftier. Whenever I’ve been there, it seems to be mainly a Chinese (mandarin-​speaking) student crowd. Some are just catching up and hanging out, while others fly solo with their tablet or laptop. Overall, it’s a mellow and calming environment.
Unlike other downtown bubbletea shops, what most impressed me was that both their drink and food menu seemed to be made from fresh ingredients that you could taste. Whether it was in the form of a simply honey black tea (I could taste and smell both the honey and black tea), the real aloe jelly in my drink, to the delicious broth of their noodles, with extra fresh veggies on top, items were well-​proportioned (not too small or large), and flavourful without tasting like it was MSG’d.
I’ve been happily pleased with my honey black tea with aloe jelly, my matcha redbean slushie, slow braised beef shank in cold chili sauce (doesn’t appear to be on menu anymore), braised beef noodle soup, Xiao Guo Rice Noodle Soup, and Zha Jiang Noodle.
Prices are a touch higher than other «fast Chinese food» restaurants in the area, but sometimes it’s worth it for a little comfort, service, and ambiance.
So if you’re looking for a bite to eat in the Chinatown area, and want someplace a little nicer than plastic tablecloths and bright fluorescent lights exposing garish avocado green walls, then consider checking out One Hour Café for a little Taiwanese-​style reprieve…

This place isn’t bad. It’s a lot bigger than I expected. Came here for lunch and got their recommended noodle dish which was pretty decent. Reasonably priced for a place downtown so can’t complain. I didn’t get their bubble tea though…
Service could’ve been better. Ordered water and it never really came until we asked for it again and they came in these awkward round bottom glass! I get they’re trying to be hip or something but if you had a laptop with you, that’s an accident waiting to happen!
Overall it’s an okay place to chill. I can’t imagine sitting on a beanbag chair for more than an hour though… Doesn’t seem to offer much support. Cool concept nonetheless. Made getting up that much harder.

I ventured in on a weekday afternoon hoping to have some nice drinks. I was greeted with dim lighting and modern décor. Looks pretty good. I stood at the entrance for a few minutes but I wasn’t greeted. No biggie, I’m used to this sort of service, so I just assumed I can grab a seat anywhere. I found an empty spot near the entrance and thought that would be a good place. I was about to sit down when I was asked «are you alone?». I replied yes. They told me that those who aren’t in groups should sit in the back. I don’t mind sitting in a designated spot, but I would have liked it if they informed me when they greeted me. Whoops I guess they didn’t even do that.
Any who with that I stumbled alone to the back and sat down at an empty table. A couple minutes passed by until a waitress asked if I received a menu yet. I replied no and she apologized that she didn’t see me go in. I would assume she didn’t see me as no one even escorted me to the back. She then gave me a menu. I looked at the menu for one minute and another waitress asked if I was ready to order. This repeated three times. I understand that some people don’t take long to order, but really?
I ordered the hot red bean milk tea and a custard crêpe. The red bean milk tea took slightly long, but it tasted quite good. The price was a bit expensive but I feel like the quantity was reasonable. I was told the crêpe would take 30 minutes, but 50 minutes had passed and I never received it. Seeing I spent a little shy of an hour there, I just decided to leave it with that.
Final verdict: If you like to have a slow dining experience, understandably if you’re going with a group of friends and want to chat and such, this is the place for you. I personally didn’t enjoy their service, but I’m willing to give this place another try as the drinks were promising.

A pretty interesting place!
I’ve been here since three years ago, and I thought it had some pretty neat stuff: they have cool wobbly rounded-​bottom glasses of water, bean bag chairs and pretty bowls and utensils.
I’ve always felt the food portions were a little small, and that the price was a littleee much. I think I recall ordering a large (but not so large) noodle soup with a milk tea/​slush with tapioca came to almost be $ 20.
I like coming here but when I tried to come here for a longer period of time (to talk with friends) I thought the bean bag chairs start to get really uncomfortable.

Came here a couple times just for bubble tea and I was really impressed! I got black milk ginger milk tea, cold, with grass jelly both times. Really surprised and impressed by the quality! There aren’t a million choices and combinations to choose from, but that’s okay by me. They have the classics with a few extras which will work for most people. Tea is nice and strong and you can request things like less ice and less sweet, which I really like because some places gyp you by loading in the ice and are way too sugary for my tastes. The first time I sat down, and the second time I got it to go but both times were a bit slow.
The place itself is super cute, quiet, and chill. The light is pretty moody and I feel like it would make a very nice low-​key date place for a quick dinner or for dessert/​tea after dinner. Someone wrote that they like to come to work there, so maybe I’ll give it shot next time I don’t feel like hitting up the busy cafes of Queen St.
It’s a bit more expensive than what I would pay for the same drink at somewhere like Chatime, but it’s much different so I don’t mind paying the extra dollar or so. I haven’t tried the food but I hear it’s really good too. Highly recommended, and will definitely come back!

If Ikea sold bean bags and decide to furnish a restaurant, One Hour Cafeteria is what it would look like. Kind of a weird place, but I’ll start my review with the seating. You have two choices for seats:
1) High two-​tops with stools that look like they’re straight out of a cheap Ikea catalog.
2) Low communal tables with beanbag chairs. Seems like a really cool idea until you’ve been there a while.
I’ve been twice for lunch, and I’ve actually enjoyed the FOOD. Some highlights:
**Xiao Guo: chinese gluten-​free rice needles smothered in a sumptuous bone broth swimming with bak choi and topped with sautéed, ground pork. Really nice deep flavor from the broth with a nice garlic backbone. Probably my favorite dish.
**Zhajiangman: Noodles served without a broth with ground pork. It has a lovely background sesame flavour to it. It’s very cute how it’s served with the components separated in the bowl. Lots of flavour.
Portions are quite large. The waitress encouraged me to order the large version, and she made fun of me when I didn’t finish it… this tiny Chinese woman can apparently eat a large by herself with no trouble.
The SERVICE was adequate. We were able to order food and it was delivered and water might have been refilled once. It’s pretty basic service… polite and friendly just sparse.
The ATMOSPHERE as I mentioned before basically is low-​budget cafeteria in the Ikea style. The water glasses are a little too trendy for their own good with a slightly rounded bottom that means they roll around.
There is quite an extensive list of Chinese-​style DRINKS including boba tea and variants. There are also less westernized drinks with things like aloe if you’re feeling adventurous. I would feel adventurous but the prices are comparable with entrees…$ 4-​$ 5 for a tea, is just too much for my wallet.
OVERALL, this is a pretty cool new find for me. The food was actually quite satisfying. The service was pretty average. I find the seating pretty weird… if you’re more than 2 people, your only choice is beanbags. I’m not sure that I can ask my visiting work colleagues to sit on a beanbag for lunch. Nonetheless, I’ll be back myself for sure.

Came across this place by accident, glad i did!
1) Beef tendons were awesome ($ 5.00). They’re served cold in a spicy sesame oil with cilantro (really refreshing and light, a great start to the meal).
2) Chicken wings ($ 7.50). I’m a slut for fried chicken and I appreciate that they put their own stamp on these ones by incorporating Chinese 5-​spice into the batter.
and 3) Pork Wontons ($ 6.80). These have an obvious handmade and rustic feel to them that I love. I’m straight but if cum tasted like this broth I would S more D!
For around $ 20 you’ve had a 3 course meal that will rival anything in this city regardless of price — these guys truly don’t know how good they are.

Recommendations:
–cheesecake IN A JAR
(it’s fairly expensive at 6.50, but really delicious. basically it’s a jar of cheese with a thin layer of breadcrumbs at the bottom and a bit of strawberry jam on top.)
–Taro bubble tea
(you can tell it’s made with actual taro as you can feel it in the texture. quite good)
This was a great spot to hang out for some tea after dinner. The atmosphere was great. They were open til at least 11:00pm on the tuesday night we visited. It’s just the right volume for socializing. Perfect lighting in my opinion. Not too bright, but you can still see without strain.
Service was good. Not extremely fast, but the drinks seem to be made with care, so it was a worthy trade-​off.
The beanbag chairs and stools in the front look cool, but I don’t think I’d be too comfortable after being there for more than an hour.
Though I normally only review places that I’ve been to more than once, I’m making an exception here since this spot is new. Will update when I return.

This modern bubble tea shop has been open for a bit over a month and is still finding it’s groove. I came by twice during times where they were supposed to be open (hours are on their facebook page) only to find them closed. When I finally did make, it they were still tinkering with the lighting a bit. They are also sorting out their food menu. A couple weeks ago, they only had wontons. But now they also have beef noodle soup, edamame, and a couple other offerings.
But, this place is a great addition to the area — a chill spot to hang out with friends or get some work done. The clean and simple décor, all blond wood, white walls, exposed brick, and black square bean bag chairs, stands in stark contrast to its cluttered Chinatown neighbours. The front seating area is bright and airy, and there is also more space at the back that is a bit quieter but darker (i.e. not ideal if you are studying). Wifi is really reliable. They have stacks of magazines both in Chinese and English. Music is a random mix of Chinese pop and Canadian indie. Apparently, the owner came from China to study architecture but decided to open up this place instead.
I had a large mango green tea with tapioca ($ 4.99 + $ 0.50) which was huge and syrup-​y sweet in a good way. But the real measure for me is the tapioca, which was done just right, al dente, if you will. Not too firm yet not mushy either. The tapioca to tea ratio was also good — nothing sucks more than running out of tapioca before the tea is done, or ending up with loads of leftover tapioca. Service was efficient.
On my last visit, on a weekday night, the place was about ¹⁄₃ full — a mix of groups, solo study-​ers, and one couple that met online out on their first date (didn’t mean to eavesdrop but they were talking really loud… at least they were far less awkward than the first date couple at Bisogno:
).
I’m definitely excited that this place has opened up! Definitely a step up from the usual Tea Shop 168, etc.