On Lok

Reviews

• John P.

  star star star star star_border 12 June 2026

  We thought it would be fun to see, and dine at 'On Lok' once again.  So off we went, with memories of 'long ago' visits in mind, for a weekday lunch late last week.  We arrived just before the restaurant opened its doors at 11 am, and were able to park in their small lot out front.
  
  It had been a very long while since any one of us had dined there - daughter said it was 25 years ago when she was there last - Mom said longer for her - though knowing the name, I had no recall of ever dining there.  When walking in, I heard a couple of - "wow, it looks just as as it did before" comments from the ladies.  And once inside, seated, and looking around at the surroundings, initial observations sure seemed well-confirmed.
  
  Our server was very friendly, and we really appreciated her help re: ordering - always ensuring we had checked out 'specials' on the wallboard, against listings in the restaurant's main, printed menu before deciding on any one dish to order.  And service from kitchen to table was fine - soup first, and other dishes arriving in a quite nicely-timed sequence.What was ordered:  wonton soup (10 pcs) -- sweet & sour boneless pork -- pan-fried, shanghai thick noodle -- spicy cod fillets -- beef fried rice (ordered primarily to be a take home dish).
  
  Portion sizes were very generous, and like we usually do when ordering Chinese fare, had over-ordered.  But heh, this was a sort of long-awaited 'reunion' of sorts -- we had wanted to try several tastes, and sure got them - both there, and at home, with the leftovers, which made a fine dinner the next day.
  
  We enjoyed our recent, and much-belated dining experience at 'On Lok'.

• Cliff G.

  star star star star star 3 June 2026

  A good Cantonese noodle-focused place, has been there for 20 years and i keep coming back, awesome authentic chinese food, always have specials on the board when you come in, the homemade won-ton is great, i always order the juilienne pork
  lo-mien with hot sauce, for the starter and then order from the specials they have of the day, definitely a lunch spot to check out!!

• Olivia R.

  star star star star_border star_border 31 May 2026

  The reviews seem to really swing both ways...I'd say this is a pretty average place for the price point. The late hours definitely add a star though.
  
  The wontons are definitely the highlight! Rest of the food is average greasy Canadian style Chinese food...
  
  Service was not friendly BUT very efficient and quick so I can appreciate that.
  
  Ample parking outside is great if you're on the road.

• R C.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 26 May 2026

  :Onlok Hastings
  At least 15 years ago this is one of my favourite places for lunch. Went there last week and had a bowl of wonton noodle soup with barbeque pork which brought back memories.
  This past weekend I was in the area, so I decided to pick up three dishes for lunch during the week. Prawns with scrambled egg, Special Chow Mein and Sweet and Sour Pork with pineapple.
  All three dishes were a disappointment, their quality has definitely gone downhill over the years.
  Scrambled egg and prawn the egg head chunks of brown/black scrapings from the pan the eggs where a light shade of grey and yellow, not a nice yellow. The Chow Mein the meat and fish were stale and noodles had a odd perfumery taste, the chicken had bones. The sweet-and-sour pork had more vegetables and hardly any pork it was very stringy, it looked like the sweet-and-sour sauce was an afterthought as there was hardly any in the container.
  The food had a very bland taste, even the Chinese mushrooms were tasteless.
  The three dishes were $45 I was very disappointed. I maybe ate a quarter of it and the rest went into the garbage.
  Besides a bowl of wonton noodle soup  with barbecue pork I would
  not recommend this place as the quality has definitely degraded.

• Robert B.

  star star star star_border star_border 22 May 2026

  This place was a thrice weekly stop for me back in the 80s, and after a long hiatus, I've been back a few times over the last few months.  It's timeless!  The decor has not changed at all in 35 years.  The same yellow hand-lettered specials board.  Same glass over checkered tablecloths.  BBQ Duck and pork hanging in the window like a proper Cantonese noodle house should.  The sign that said "Please put umbella in bucket" is gone, but it was there for years.  On Lok is so unfashionable that it's hip, although on my recent visits, there was not a man-bun to be seen.  The menu hasn't changed, although the prices are slightly higher than they were in the 80s!  They also take debit cards now, which is quite the handy improvement over the past "cash only" policy.  
  
  I want to give this place 5 stars purely for the nostalgic twang that I experience when I walk through the door, but this is functional food, not fine dining.  3.5 is probably more accurate.   Bishops, it ain't...
  
  My goto bowl is BBQ duck with Sui Kau noodle in soup.  Sometimes you hit the duck lottery and get all breast meat, and sometimes you get some bonier bits.  It's all good though.   Crispy skinned livery buck breast and the tasty tissue along the ribs where the 5 spice marinade is concentrated.  Just enough duck fat to get your cardiologist wagging his finger at you.   Don't forget to spit the freshly stripped bones on the table like the old ladies from Hong Kong...   And the Sui Kau are great!  Very much like wontons, only better.  Big, plump pillows full of pork, shrimp, bamboo shoots, and black fungus.  Perfect when dipped in your custom condiment mixture of soy, chili oil, and black vinegar.
  
  This is a Hong Kong style Cantonese noodle house, with no pretension whatsoever.  It's very much in the style of the now-closed but much loved Hons on Keefer street in Chinatown.  Last visit I was unable to convince the waitress to give me Shanghai wide noodle in my soup, but hey, pick your battles.  The bottom line is that On Lok still satisfies, even after 35 years. Now that Hon's is closed, I'll happily be back more often for my noodle in soup fix!