Hong Fatt BBQ  – 443 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5T 1G6
Country: China        
Must-try dish: #18 Four Meats (Choose your own adventure)
Dinner guests: Nic Jr. 
Seating: Indoor seating only. 
The high: It’s an excellent place to go if you’re starving, as the service is quick!  
The low: The meat is barbecued fresh daily to preserve its flavor and tenderness. It is served at room temperature, but if you prefer warm meat, arrive as soon as they open their doors

To celebrate our fifth birthday this year, we wanted to go to a Toronto institution, and we did exactly that at the “new” Hong Fatt BBQ in the heart of Chinatown. 

It’s been around since the 1980’s, and despite having changed hands only once, the adjective new is often used by locals who have lived in the area for generations to distinguish the first from the second set of owners. With all the changes that happened around Chinatown and Kensington Market in the last decade and more, many of the original shop and restaurant owners have moved away so there’s a different demographic that would seem unfamiliar to the people who first made the neighbourhood what it is. 

Hong Fatt BBQ remains one of the last vestiges from that lost era, and many Chinese continue to flock to it for its reliability and affordable prices. As you walk in, you feel like you’ve been transported to a time in the past with the simple but charming decor, and the television on the back wall playing Chinese-Canadian news from a few years back. If nothing else, the three-year old news made us feel like we were in a time-capsule. 

Since its opening, the restaurant has been entirely family-run and continues to be today. It makes you feel comfortable, almost as though you’re in the owner’s home. The service is quick and efficient, so if you’re hungry and in the Chinatown neighbourhood, Hong Fatt has your back. 

As the name indicates, this is where you go for barbecued meats. There are a few ways to proceed here, starting with making the decision of how many varieties of meat you want, and then which proteins to pick from their list of options. This decision is more about preference than about what we ordered, but we’ll tell you anyway – Four Meats (18) made the most sense for us, which included BBQ Duck, BBQ Pork, Roast Pork, and Beef Brisket. You can’t go wrong as long as the love the protein types you ordered. 

It doesn’t feel right not getting a noodle dish when indulging in a Chinese feast, so we opted for Singapore Noodles (A22), which satisfied any cravings. It was marketed by our server for being spicy, but don’t be deterred as it’s seasoned with flavour rather than heat. The vermicelli noodles are cooked in curry powder, vegetables, egg, shrimp, and pork then stir-fried for an added crispiness. Hailing from the Cantonese recipe repertoire, this dish is often a staple on takeout menus and in restaurants across Hong Kong. 

To maintain a balanced diet, we were introduced to the Chinese green vegetable Choi Sum (A8) for the first time. It’s a blend between broccoli and bok choy as the firm stems are 80% of the dish with softer leafy pieces accounting for the rest. Like many other vegetable dishes in Chinese cuisine, it’s sauteed in oil and garlic. Although it’s worth ordering, vegetables aren’t usually a highlight at a Chinese feast. 

Hong Fatt BBQ has been on our hit list for a long time, and it felt fitting to go to such an iconic place in Chinatown for our birthday dinner. Cheers to many years of barbecued duck, and our friends to enjoy it with. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)