Best of Toronto
The Best Hakka Restaurants in Toronto
The best Hakka restaurants in Toronto may not be the best looking restaurants in the city, but what they lack in decor, they make up for in flavour. Each restaurant is basically a sparsely decorated room with a smiling fat Buddha statue in the entrance, a lucky kitty next to the cash register, and kitschy posters of mainland China decorating the walls.
But this no-frills approach to decor isn't a big deal. Because you don't go to these restaurants to look at what's hanging on the walls. You go to eat. And eat, you will. Generous, heaping portions of delicious Indian Chinese fusion will satisfy even the pickiest of palates and keep you full for days.
Before we go any further, let's figure out what hakka is exactly. The answer will change, depending on who you ask. The name lends itself to the cooking style of the Hakka people, a nomadic group originally from southeastern China. As the Hakka people moved around, so did their food.
Although there is some discrepancy as to what real Hakka food actually is, Hakka cuisine in Toronto seems to have particularly strong ties to the expat communities in Calcutta or the Carribean. The best of both cuisines merge in Toronto. Think traditional Chinese food preparation with spicy Indian flavours, and you'll get the gist.
The majority of Hakka-style restaurants congregate just northeast of the city, in Scarborough, and are often billed as Indian-Chinese.
Pack lightly on your travels. You'll end up leaving with bags of delicious leftovers. Here are the 12 best Hakka restaurants in Toronto according to me.
Federick Restaurant
Thought of as the original hakka restaurant in T.O., Federick has set the bar amongst hakka-lovers over the past 20 years. The hard-to-find place is tiny and carefully disguised amidst brick office buildings, but still always packed with a loyal clientele. Parking is a bit of a feat, but make the effort! The crab corn soup and chicken pakoras are worth it. More »
Lin Garden
Consensus online seems to say Lin Garden is one of the better, if not best, hakka-style spots out there. The tasty, colourful menu, with specialties like oh-so-doughy shrimp pakoras and Manchurian Beef fried noodles, only backs that claim. FYI, if you can't stand adult contemporary, then I recommend take-out--Celine Dion, Bryan Adams and Don Henley are on heavy rotation at this restaurant. More »
Tangerine Asian Cuisine
Fans of the constantly crowded Tangerine Asian Cuisine can breathe a sigh of relief - a new, bigger location has recently opened up on Ellesmere Road. The food is tasty and the prices are decent, considering the gigantic portion sizes. Try the chili chicken - a perfect combo of spice, with a higher then average chicken to batter ratio. More »
Danforth Dragon
With its quirky tropical decor, this Danforth spot creates the impression of an oasis for Hakka food-seekers. A couple years ago, the friendly owners revamped their menu to focus on Hakka-style dishes, like the popular Manchurian Chicken, served with coriander, chilis and a whole lot of cayenne pepper. Kick things up a notch and ask for the in-house chilli sauce. When you can't take the heat, you'll be grateful for the Kingfisher beer on the menu. More »
Kim Kim
Chinese stir fry and cooking techniques are blended impeccably with Indian spices and masalas at this cozy restaurant. Kim Kim's menu is peppered with heavily flavoured choices, from aromatic hakka noodles to tasty butterfly prawns, plus a large vegetarian selection with favourites like stuffed eggplant served in a tasty hunan sauce. More »
Chung Moi
You can't miss the red and white sign advertising Chung Moi at the corner of Eglinton and Kennedy. The family-owned restaurant is one room, and always busy, thanks to the unique dishes on offer. The Hot and Sour soup, made to order in small batches with shrimp, egg, grated carrots and cilantro, is a secret recipe from the owner's grandfather. Manchurian Friend Noodles and Chili Chicken are also delicious menu items. More »
Wok With Yu
Owners Peter and Sandra, born and raised in Karachi, speak fluent Hindi and Urdu and have a sense of humour that makes eating here a treat. A bigger spot then the others on this list, Wok With Yu's size doesn't make its food any less delicious. The authentic menu offers a yummy mix of Chinese food with a slight Indian flare, and Halal food to boot. Non-meat eating patrons will love the extensive veggie menu, including a tasty vegetable hakka chow mein and manchuriuan tofu. Plus its name is Wok With Yu. That is funny. More »
Lucky's
Do not leave Lucky's without trying the chili chicken. Blending delicious Indian spices with deep fried diced chicken, the dish is both fiery and filling--a Hakka must. Dining alone? Multiple television sets often play bright and colourful Bollywood musicals to keep you company while you eat. Bonus points for outstanding fish pakoras. More »
China Cottage
Take a date to China Cottage--the ambience of this restaurant makes it more sophisticated and less well-worn then its Hakka counterparts. Plus, it's hard to resist such popular dishes as the spicy chili chicken and cottage special pepper chicken. You might want to avoid the fried chicken wings, though. They're doused in a delicious garlic sauce (read - bad news bears for your goodnight kiss.) More »
China Garden
Lit by lucky green jade lanterns, this second-floor hideaway is a Hakka haven in the Annex. China Garden offers cheap but generous servings of noodle bowls, rice dishes and sizzling hot plates, plus a variety of hakka-style curry dishes (a highlight - the Fung Mei Mein). Follow the red rug to the main counter to place your order, then have a seat and prepare your tastebuds. More »
Spadina Garden Restaurant
Just west of Bay on Dundas, Spadina Garden is a hot spot for workers in the area hungering for Hakka. The fully licensed restaurant is packed during lunchtime with regulars, and for just cause; its house specialties are both affordable, delicious and efficiently served. Try the hot and spicy peanut chicken or the wontons with hot peanut sauce. Allergic to peanuts? No worries. With over 200 dishes on the menu, choice abounds. More »
Spicy Dragon
At $4.75 a pop, the lunch specials at Spicy Dragon pack the joint with deal-hungry foodies. Although not much on the eyes, the sparsely decorated restaurant offers yummy Hakka, Cantonese and Szechuan style food at super cheap prices. Other than affordable lunch specials, their chicken pakoras, green beans and spicy salt & pepper shrimp have made many a loyal customer. More »
Discussion
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Too bad there's only one visitable spot on the list (#11) - rest too far.
What? There are restaurants in the city north of Eglington?
Who knew?
I love China Cottage. Definitely deserves higher than 9th. Pay attention to what you order, Hakka can be REAALLLLY spicy.
interesting... none of these looks like the hakka food i know of.. such as salt baked chicken, fat pork slices cooked with preserved veggie
Federick, not Frederick.
The one thing I really I miss about living in Scarborough is the awesome ehtnic food.
awesome list! I love hakka food, and now I know I don't have to wait for my parents to pick some up from Federick's—I can just go to Bay and Dundas. CooL!
LOL @ all the lemon chicken dishes on these restaurants' menu... yep, Hakka people certainly have those a lot..
Seriously... it's not Frederick, it's FEDERICKS! ... which makes the food even more awesommer.
I would go further than the article, the Hakka food found in modern day china referenced by jack is not to be found anywhere in the GTA. Hakka in Toronto is entirely derived from the cuisine of the large ethnic Chinese (both Hakka and Han) community in Kolkata.
It should also be made clear that Spadina Garden has some dishes identified as Hakka on it's extensive menu outside of those few dishes the place is mostly "mainstream" North Amercianized Chinese. Good cheap and tasty.
It clearly says "FEDERICK" on the sign in this blogTO picture (http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/frederick-restaurant). Geez.
in other words.. most restaurants here are what we call "chop suey" lol.. one other famous hakka dish is panfry sliced fatty pork loin(after it is steamed).. again don't see that on any menu
For Hakka go to Malton
For Indian go to Malton or Brampton.
/end
funny how the first two people who corrected the spelling of federick's ended their sentences with spelling errors.
and kudos for the term 'ethnic food' you just dated your personal stance on race relations back to the 18th century. colonialist.
Spadina Garden is definitely not 'hakka' - great food, though.
Used to order from Danforth Dragon until three of us got food poisoning from there in Dec08. We called Public Health and the restaurant manager who seemed rather unconcerned.
The food was tasty but it always arrived a little too quickly to be cooked fresh...
HEY! Blogto isn't supposed to cover any restaurants outside of the core!!! GRRR! I feel better that the next 99 articles will not be like this one. :).
salt baked chicken is a very basic Hakka dish.. it's like sushi in Japanese restaurants..so if none of these places serves this dish, i question how authentic these places are...
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Wow, THANK YOU, i've been looking for good Hakka for a while, i was so excited when i saw this post!!!!
Your links are broken on all hakka restaurants.
I thought no one knew about the new Tangerine opening up on Ellesemere RD. It's so discreet and hard to find. I've been to the Markham location and just recently gave Ellesemere a visit as well. Amazing food but Federicks is most definitely #1, I agree 100%. It's crazy that Ellesemere (literally 1 traffic light away) is home to two of the best in Toronto!
One restaurant that was left off of the list is Garlic Pepper. Located downtown near Wellesley Subway Station.
Great and more importantly accurate list!
The Lin Garden link doesn't work, even when you select it in the restaurant menu.
P.S. Lin Garden has the best Hakka hands down, but only if you eat it in the restaurant. Take out isn't the same because the food loses its freshness and flavour. Also, the chicken fried rice tastes like the styrofoam they pack it in.
Okay Jack, we get it, you're either Hakka or really passionate about traditional Hakka cuisine. It seems like whenever there's an online discussion about "Hakka" food, one of you comes along, crying out "where's the salt baked chicken"? Get over yourself. Nevertheless, Hakka (Indian-Chinese hybrid cuisine popularized in Kolkata) is great stuff and has a rich history of its own. Like all great cuisines, it is the product of migration, invasion, and the union of many traditions and cultures.
This isnt a toronto blog.
Who on earth would go to Scarborough period, let alone for some food.
All sarcasm aside it's nice to see coverage outside dt core, even if it is for something mostly found outside dt core. Keep it up.
Hakka chicks are hot.
Faley's in Etobicoke Islington/401? Better then Lin Garden IMO
Great to see you guys covering restaurants outside of the DT core. The majority of us don't live there you know and I'd like to see more restaurants reviewed that aren't in the core.
then don't call these best Hakka restaurants..at best, fusion asian/chinese whatever restaurant.. to call these restaurants serving hakka is disrespectful to Hakka people.. especially putting Spadina Garden there.. you wouldn't put Greek restaurant into the list of best italian restaurants, would you? just because the place serves tempura shrimp doesn't make it a Japanese restaurant either..I am just pointing out the obvious...just like you guys mixed northern chinese cuisine with southern chinese cuisine before.. it's a joke..
Seems like the list pretty much includes all the Hakka restaurants that you can find around Toronto. I must not like Hakka all that much because i have been to 3 of those top restaurants and thought the food was meh...it could be a lot better.
Hey wtf,
Shut the hell up with not wanting to go to Scarborough. I'm tired of people that can't venture outside of the core- sometimes your anti-scarborough or GTA comments border on blatant racism. Life does exist north of Bloor. Wake up.
Racism?
Because someone thinks Scarborough is some sort of useless outpost?
Think you are way off there, champ.
Not sure where that person was being racist at all....
Everyone knows life exists north of Bloor, just not enough people care about it.
Jack, just gotta say your need to continue your tirade against this Hakka post at all costs impresses me. You really are the best at what you do, being a jackass that is.
This article got me excited because I'm Hakka and wish more people enjoyed the food my family makes at home. However, I don't recognize any of the dishes mentioned (but I am not an Indian-Hakka). So, really this article features great Indian-Hakka cuisine, but not necessarily what I would consider traditional Hakka cuisine which features loads of steamed and braised dishes, preserved vegetables, etc. - and not really hot spices. Nonetheless, thanks for shedding light on the Indian-Hakka cuisine of Toronto!
I wonder if Jack has full blown hulk-outs over BlogTO articles or if he's just a miserable, nose picking troll.
Exactly. Small minds live in small worlds.
god hakka food is pretty awful
Woohoo! I emailed this article to my whole family, they are going to be so stoked! Yes we are Bengali and yes we love Hakka food...too bad most of it is so far away from me!
finally,someone is saying the same thing like I said...if you like chop suey, go for it..but paying 11 bucks for chop suey at spadina garden? sure.. go for it.. you guys are so rich here..
meimei on January 28, 2010 at 9:40 AM
This article got me excited because I'm Hakka and wish more people enjoyed the food my family makes at home. However, I don't recognize any of the dishes mentioned (but I am not an Indian-Hakka). So, really this article features great Indian-Hakka cuisine, but not necessarily what I would consider traditional Hakka cuisine which features loads of steamed and braised dishes, preserved vegetables, etc. - and not really hot spices. Nonetheless, thanks for shedding light on the Indian-Hakka cuisine of Toronto!
Jack,
If this list frustrates you, could you then please let us know where we can get traditional Hakka? Or does this not exist in the GTA?
there is none in Toronto! there are chinese restaurants trying to serve some hakka dishes, but we don't have any Hakka restaurants.. we have chiu chow restaurants.. maybe blogto should do an article on best chiu chow restaurants in toronto instead.. which is a more popular chinese cuisine like cantonese, northern china(shanghai) cuisine
For years (10+), I was a L.Garden man; that lady there is awesome.
Then I was introduced to Spicy Dragon by a fellow 1/2-Indian : P
Lovely list, makes me hungry for some dry chili-chicken!!
jonathan@blogTO
For sure I've been hearing about Lin Garden. At least, the one on Pharmacy. I was an Avid fan. It's lost its flavour.
I used to frequent Kimlin on Lawrence at Birchmount road. Was a better choice than Lin Garden. After being sold, it is not the same.
I went to asain wok and roll http://www.asianwoknroll.com/woknroll.html
last night for the first time......
For all of those that think that Malton is an area in Northern Punjab its not.. Its located on the boarder of mississauaga and Rexdale at Airport rd. and Derry.
I loved the place... Food was great...had Chilli Chicken and lollipop chicken wings.... My buddy had the Masaala Chicken.
I would recomend it to anyone.. at lunch it is really really busy.. so be prepared for a corwd...
Malton has the highest crime rate in the GTA.
Do not go there. Ever.
we should probably add Manchu wok and mandarin to the list
I don't understand how you can cut-down every restaurant on this list, not add your own "corrected" suggestions, then just insult everyone who enjoys these restaurants. Why not add some constructive feedback to the list, instead of just ignorant insults.
When I used to work out in the boondocks we'd go to Faley's for Hakka. Mmm, chili chicken! http://www.faleyrestaurant.com/hours-location.html
I wish there were some Hakka places downtown -- sounds like Spadina Garden doesn't really fit the bill.
when there is none, no authentic hakka restaurants in toronto, there is nothing to add... should have changed the title of this article to "chinese chop suey restaurants" to begin with
do me a favour, read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_cuisine
In places such as India, and other places of Indian diaspora overseas, Hakka Cuisine is erroneously known as something that bears little to no resemblance to actual traditional Hakka dishes. This variation of "Hakka Cuisine" is in reality, mostly Indian Chinese cuisine, falsely known as Hakka since many Chinese restaurant owners in India were of Hakka origin. Typical dishes include Chilli Chicken and Manchurian Chow Mein (which in turn has no resemblance to real Manchurian cuisine), and these restaurants also serve traditional Indian dishes such as Pakora. Being immensely popular in these regions, this style of cuisine is often falsely credited of being representative of Hakka Cuisine in general and authentic style of Hakka Cuisine is rarely known in these areas.
I dated a Hakka chick b4. I can confirm, she was sizzling hot.
Would like to see those stats buddy.
Malton is mostly Sikh's....
Also you can walk through the worst areas in the GTA and night and not get hurt..
Your just a Twat!
Jack's anal retentiveness is quite hilarious - he needs to get used to "local" terminology even when it's incorrect (he is absolutely right - the food should be called "Hakka-Indian. Having said that, locally when you say "Hakka food", people KNOW that this spicier, Kolkata-based food is being referred too). It mostly caters to the South Asian community, who find other Chinese food (particularly Cantonese) way too bland.
One point about some of the Hakka-Indian places in Scarborough (and Tangerine in Markham): because they are in large Muslim areas, no do not serve any pork products (they'd lose a lot of customers). That's why I would add China Garden in Malton - good pork dishes as well as the regular stuff.
For the downtown snobs crying about these "far away" restaurants, please note that some of us here are actually married with children. Why the hell would we live downtown??
I was going to say...
I am so sorry i live in the burbs...
If only i could have swung the extra 1.9 million and get a home downtown for my family I wouldn't have live in Brampton (where BTW some of the best indian in the GTA is...) why is that you Downtown snobs may ask???? BECAUSE 20% of the populations mother tongue is PUNJABI!
I only have to VISIT Malton or Brampton! I refuse to live in any "ethnic" enclave (even though I'm South Asian myself). That would rule out Brampton, Malton, Woodbridge, Thornhill and Markham (must be higher auto insurance premiums if you live in Markham!).
Downtown is good for work (not so much the commute), shopping and eating. Wouldn't want to live there with a family, though. Houses are too small unless you're loaded.
ha ha...i couldn't agree more
I visited Kim Kim last week for the first time after seeing this posting. I was surprised by how good the food was especially their Lollipop chicken,masala fried rice, hakka tandoori chicken and spice & pepper shrimp. The waitresses are very friendly.
How could you not mention Eddie's Wok'n'Roll?? THAT is the best place for good hakka, even though the line up's can be a bit nuts. Totally worth it though!
I'm Hakka and Spadina Garden isn't a Hakka restaurant. *Yueh Tung* should be number 1. Kim Kim isn't that good, they changed their management/chef a few years back, was better then.