Hakka Ren

I was urged to visit Hakka Ren due to its mixed reviews and my curiosity wanted to confirm what the ravings were about.
They’re right — the food is tempered with spicy flavours so beware when ordering. We ordered off the lunch specials and they were decent sized portions which satisfied our hungry appetite. The specials were served with soup as well as a serving of rice or noodles with your preferred entrée. I would order the sweet corn soup or the chili baby corn again… But for takeout. Don’t get me wrong, the atmosphere is really nice and clean. However, the service is peculiar. We were a table of two on a Wednesday at about 1PM. There were a couple other tables but I wouldn’t consider it to be «busy» as they were well staffed and each staff could have had their own table to look after even. Our waitress seemed very impatient throughout our whole dining experience starting by rushing for us to order. We asked for water three times before a different waiter served us by complete coincidence. I had a mouthful of food and plenty left on my plate when she asked if we wanted our food to be packed. We were confused because we were served not even five minutes prior to her asking us. The most infuriating was as we continued to eat our meal, she asked us FOUR times (without exaggeration) if we were going to pay by card or cash. Mind you we weren’t even halfway through our meals. She made us feel very unwelcome because she was so insistent on having us leave. I could’ve understood if it was busy and they needed tables but the restaurant had most of its tables available and it wasn’t rush hour. I’m not sure what prompted her to urge us so but it ruined my experience with Hakka Ren. Perhaps I’d consider takeout at a later time but I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant for anything more than the food.

Very nice and clean interior and friendly service.
But the food could benefit from more «zing»! Only the shrimp pakora was considered really tasty.
The Yin Yang Chicken fried rice/​noodle and Chili paneer passable, but definitely needed more seasoning. And the crispy beef was TOO crispy to the point you cannot chew the meat… it was drier than jerky. I’ve definitely had better crispy beef at other Hakka places.
For the chili paneer, although we asked for «dry», the paneer pieces were still coated with gravy. I can only imagine that if we asked for the paneer with gravy, it would be like soup! Additionally, the pieces of paneer were tiny.
There are so many choices of hakka now in Mississauga (and GTA) that I wouldn’t go out of my way to come back here. (And I DO go out of my way for hakka!)

Food ***** — Service ***** — Ambience *****
Fairly new restaurant but has become our regular haunt. We have tried many hakka places around the GTA and we find this the best. Most hakka chinese places serve food that tastes the same no matter what they call it. But this one makes the difference.
Strongly recommended

Clean environment but the food need more seasoning. Understand that they have salt, pepper, pickle chilly and sambal on top table but they not really help for the taste for the food.
Why the dish not coming with the steam rice? They just coming with steam rice if you take out?
I been eatted in Haka in many places, this place not the bad but in here bit pricey.

Ordered take out Hakka chowmein, stir fry vegetables, tiger prawn dry, and chicken corn soup, food was ready quickly and was nice and hot.
Portions are good, but quality could be better for the price charged. Mainly came here due to convenient location.

I’m definitely going to need to up my heat tolerance, because this place is one hot joint!
…Sorry.
I used to frequent this location when it used to be Zem One (RIP. And before you try to inform me that it simply moved locations — I know, and I stand by what I’ve said). I came in feeling a tad nostalgic, but also intrigued. Lighting, décor, and atmosphere were much brighter, happier than the previously dim sushi restaurant.
We arrived during the downtime, and were promptly seated, and served. The wait staff were extremely friendly, accommodating and helpful with menu selection. We ordered the house fried rice, chicken pakoras, and house sauce tiger prawn (as per the waitress’ recommendation).
Food came in good time and were large in portions! The fried rice was well seasoned and had good meat portions, the pakoras were very delicious (little spicy for me, but as mentioned earlier, I need to work on that). The tiger prawns was one of the best shrimp dishes I’ve had in a long time. Too long have I been subjected to mediocre shrimp that were no larger than the tip of my thumb; these prawn were huge. I mean, 2-​bite huge. The sauce mixed very well with the rice, and added a sweet/​spicy flavoring to the meal. I was extremely happy with this recommendation.
The only reason why I’ve docked a star is because of service. As friendly as they were, there were only 2 people manning the front, with one of them (probably the boss) seemingly busy with other tasks. The one waitress left was essentially made to serve all tables, bus all the food, clean the front station, provide drinks, etc. Due to no fault of her own, I had to wait some time to ask for the bill, and get water refill. And trust me, when the food is spicy, every second counts. Eventually they provided me my own water jug (as a joke, but in seriousness, greatly appreciated).
Ultimately I was extremely happy with the experience I had here, and am definitely coming back. Hopefully by then my tolerance will have increased some measure… if not I might just have to bring my own water jug!

We decided to try this place instead of our usual Hakka place just to change it up. Prices are a bit higher here but the décor is nicer. Portions were good and if you like spicy, they deliver on that front.
Chicken pakoras were great but the other items we ordered, fried rice and shrimp in manchurian sauce I think were just OK.

Been here a couple of times and its the best Hakka I’ve had in a while. Last night too was a take order and we had to wait atleast 30 mins for the food but the food made up for that. Mike the owner was very amicable and honest about the wait time which i appreciated.
The food and portion sizes was great. The price was reasonable too. Being a stickler for quality though, I do have a couple of bones to pick. First that the fried rice had very few veggies despite being told it comes loaded with veggies. And this is important for a vegetarian like me. And the chilli paneer i got, the paneer was tough and rather over fried. Given how i make my own paneer at home and am quite well versed with how it should really taste like, i think the paneer they used may have been frozen, thawed and then fried for longevity. which compromised quality. Another issue was that i order four dishes and ended with 5 on the bill and the takeout. Not sure if this was an oversight or miscommunication.
But everything we got tasted great, and was not doused with salt and oil which is great. Overall great food and good service.

Fairly new restaurant in the Ocean’s plaza. The food was great! We ordered Shanghai noodles, paneer in house special sauce, and Hakka style roast chicken. I’m usually not a huge fan of Hakka but this was good. Everything was very flavorful and saucy. Dishes are very reasonably priced, as well. Service is quick and friendly. The décor is pretty clean except it was kind of weird there was a gap between the booth and the wall. Will be back!

Family owned business with years of (global) experience in the restaurant industry! This is definitely a more Chinese style of Hakka food (note that they are called Hakka Ren: Chinese Restaurant, not Indian-​Chinese restaurant so you’re not going to be getting a lot of Indian dishes or flavours, but tons of typical Chinese takeout dishes). Huge portions, fair prices, delicious food and friendly service! Owners and staff clearly care a lot about quality and ensuring guests have great experiences. They are more than willing to adjust spice levels to accommodate your tastes.
Food tips:
Dine-​in entrees do not come with any rice so that must be ordered separately, but take out entrees come with a side of steamed rice.
Medium sized soups are enough to share with 4 people. They do a great chili chicken. Love the Hakka Chow Mein and Hakka Fried Rice! The pepper tiger prawns and crispy vegetables with hot garlic sauce (like tempura vegetables with a dipping sauce) are both excellent appetizers worth a try. There are specials after 3pm Monday-​Thursday featuring popular menu items like pepper chicken, chili chicken, manchurian chicken and general tao’s chicken for almost 20% off the regular price.

Great service, very clean modern place. Had the Hakka fried rice, chicken and beef, the portions are huge for 8.99! Also the chicken and broccoli was pretty good. Although I admit I’ve had better elsewhere but this place is definitely pretty good! Will definitely be back!

This place was deserted when we got there on a Sunday evening so I was skeptical and only ordered the basics. Décor is minimal with a newly (cheaply) renovated feel, everything is very clean.
Great: chicken pakoras (hot and flavourful with the best coriander chilli sauce), stir fried green beans (not overdone and delicious garlic sauce), and paneer Manchuria (excellent sauce and a kind of bouncy feel to the cheese)
Service was great and food was quick and hot! Will definitely be coming back to try other things!

So, one of the great things about slicing up your hand is that your SO first drives you to get stitches, and then finds you yummy Hakka food to eat. In our case, it meant finding this tiny little gem at Eglinton and Hurontario in Mississauga. Initially, we were a bit doubtful anything would: a) be open at 9:30pm on a Monday and b) be welcoming to a person wearing the fugliest gym clothes possible (AKA. Whatever I could pull on with one hand that could hide a bloodstain if need be). But in a bland shopping plaza, tucked between a Magic Cuts and Swiss Chalet was our salvation! Hakka Ren is lovely little restaurant with magic food and phenomenal customer service. Initially it was a bit hard to find (the plaza seems to be allergic to proper signage), but the minute you walked into the bright room, you were welcome! We were greeted warmly and seated promptly in one of the many booths. The young woman who served us was very helpful, and easily explained the menu to us when we had questions. She was very sweet. And we noticed the room was over half full; pretty impressive for a Monday night in the ‘burbs.
The menu is extensive with a exceptional selection for Vegetarians. We went with the Wonton soup, Manchow soup and Manchurian Chicken (it gives you a choice of being served dry or with gravy. Get the gravy!!) with steamed rice. My wonton soup was subtle, with a delicate broth full of white pepper and soft dumplings of chicken with a hint of ginger. While not the usual I’m used to, it really grew on me and after the fourth spoonful I actually preferred it to the traditional style I’m used to. But the Manchow was a revelation! It was similar in consistency to hot and sour soup, but lighter, with a giant punch of fresh herbs, veggies and garlic. I wish we’d gotten a bigger size and taken the leftovers home. The Manchurian chicken was so good that I ended up eating a serving — I couldn’t just have the one bite. It had a good balance of spices and chili, and was just so damn satisfying that I’m tempted to drive back there tonight for more.
It’s a small, family-​run place that’s only been open for 3 ½ months. It’s clean, delicious and affordable, and worth every cent in mileage. Please, give it a try!

Found this restaurant a couple of weeks back using Unilocal,I had an unexpected family emergency so I could not write a review at the time.
The restaurant serves Hakka which is a fusion of Indian and Chinese. When called to make an order for takeout I was courteously received over the phone and my order of fried rice and chicken pakora were taken. I was only at Square One but the food was ready by the time to pick up.
The manager and hostess were both welcoming and made sure I was being helped. I was told the place recently opened.
I ate the chicken pakora while I was in the car, I could not resist. I would have eaten more but they were so fresh they were piping hot almost burnt my tongue driving.
The portions were big, I am a big guy and gave up at the halfway mark. Definitely serves more than 1, the rice file the styrofoam container.
Food was good but it would not be my first choice for Chicken pakora and fried rice. I will definitely be back though and recommend to others.

Love this place. Been here a couple of times. They are open late and have a great variety of choices. The server was really friendly and gave on point recommendations.
Highly recommend you get the house special fish and the treasure rice (?) dish.

We enjoyed the lunch that we had here. I’m glad to have found a new hakka place that’s in Mississauga.
Décor — more on the modern side with dark booth and tables, and lighter walls. The booth seats were comfy.
We liked most of the dishes we had here. For appetizers we ordered the fish pakora is was delicious. The serving sizes are big and we got quite a lot of pakora’s to share. The fish was soft and flaky, and cooked perfectly. The batter was light and had chili in it, which added a nice spicy kick to it. So if you don’t like spicy food beware.

We got the garlic shrimp noodles, which were tasty too. It had the yellow egg noodles, with vegetables, the shrimp was cooked well. The garlic flavour was present but not over powering.
I also enjoyed the House Special Beef, that comes with a slightly sweet sour dark sauce. It was also very tasty and also had a bit of a kick to it.
We also ordered one of the chicken dishes. But it wasn’t one of my favourites.
The server was friendly, and was able to recommend popular dishes to our table. The service was quick and were got our food in a timely manner. We came late afternoon on a Sunday so it wasn’t. The rest of the staff was also friendly.
I definitely be back to try some more of their food.

I visited Hakka Ren within the first month of its opening. They had a 15% off grand opening special, which was a nice surprise.
The décor inside Hakka Ren was more modern than most Hakka places I’ve been to. It was quite busy for a Friday evening as well — nearly at full capacity.
We were quickly seated and we glanced through the menu. They are priced about 10% higher than other hakka places in the area — so they already had some ground to make up to catch up to their competitors like Chili Chicken House and Eddie’s. There were a lot of interesting menu items that differed from traditional hakka offerings, but I didn’t decide to try those out on this visit. I went with the staple hot and sour soup with chili chicken.
Then, we waited.
It was quite busy and still within a month of their opening so I could understand increased wait times, but it took about half an hour to receive our soup. That’s pushing it. The chili chicken also took a while to come out. I hope they can improve these times for my next visit as it was much too long of a wait.
However, the food was nearly good enough to make up for the wait. The hot and sour was among the best I’ve had — you could really taste the broth. The chili chicken had a nice kick to it and was very tender and juicy.
I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, but it was clear that they were experiencing growing pains and seemed unable to accommodate a large volume of customers in timely fashion. However, I’d say that their food would justify their price increase compared to other Hakka places in the area — it’s that good.
Look forward to visiting again!

I was finally able to try this place a few days ago. I ordered a lunch special to go (chilli chicken and veggie fried rice). My friends ordered a few other items that I was able to try (manchurian chicken, crispy beef, a noodle dish and hot garlic chicken). First off, I would like to say that the customer service was great! ⁵⁄₅
I just wish their food was just as good. I REALLY wanted this place to be as good or close to my go-​to Hakka joint, Chilli Chicken House… But it’s NOT even close. The food was very okay… Edible… Nothing to ride home about. I feel every Hakka place should have an awesome chilli chicken… It was, again, okay. Fried rice… fine… I Wouldn’t order from here again. I hate writing mediocre reviews when the service was so great… But I didn’t even finish my lunch because I was so disappointed in the food. I really hope the owners keep up with the good customer service, because then this business may last.

Tried this place last night, it’s a new hakka joint in the Oceans plaza next to the Swiss Chalet. If anyone knows me, they know I love a good hakka feast — and Hakka Ren absolutely delivered!
The Goods: the interior is well lit and spacious, the staff were friendly and attentive, and the restaurant is easily accessible in a good location.
The Food: Very tasty! We ordered chicken pakoras, chili chicken (saucy), hakka roasted chicken w/​house special sauce, manchurian rice, Hakka chow mein noodles, & crispy beef (my fave). Every dish we ordered was a pleasant surprise, since most Hakka restaurants seem to skimp out on the spiciness — but not this place!
I’d definitely recommend this place for those who enjoy authentic Hakka cuisine, and who like their dishes to have a kick of spice. I only wish the east end had hakka restos like this!

Just across the street from my folks’ place…
After trying Emerald Chinese Restaurant (and feeling somewhat violated) I demanded some type of redemption that there was somewhat decent Asian food in this part of Mississauga.
So mom says there’s a Hakka place across the street that ‘just’ opened…
Do yourself a favour and eat here! The food was sooo damn good! We ordered the Spring Chicken, Egg Fried Rice and, what goes without saying, Chili Chicken, since any self-​respecting Hakka restaurant should be able to hold their own with that particular item. In essence, the Spring Chicken is much akin to the Chicken Pakora without the spice, but also has green onion in the pakora batter. Very nice. The Egg Fried Rice was very mellow and the rice was cooked perrrrfectly. Even more shocking was the amount of rice, which was packed to the top of the takeout container, as if I got two orders of rice. SCORE! And for the Chili Chicken? It was excellent. Not too spicy, but had a good amount of heat that can be handled by anyone, yet adjusted to be more hot and spicy with the included hot sauce.
Mom gives it a ¹⁰⁄₅. I concur. Great Job Hakka Ren!