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Happy Hill
Category: Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Dim Sum [Edit]
806 Centre St NECalgary, AB T2E 8K1
(403) 276-3288
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
13 reviews for Happy Hill
13 reviews in English
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Review from AJ P.
Calgary, AB
12/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
A nice simple family run restaurant at the cross section of 7 th ave and Centre North. I have been here many times. The food is inexpensive, the quality good. Customer service usually fast and efficient. Favorite dishes ... Chicken Corn Soup or Mixed Veggies / Chinese Greens and Congee
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Review from Alex L.
Calgary, AB
11/8/2011
Good dim sum for a reasonable price.
Standard dim sum fare that is well made and quickly available. The order sheets make sure everything is hot and fresh. No cart ladies but it is fresher this way. Plus, the cart ladies are a vanishing beast, they are almost impossible to find these days in Hong Kong (the home of dim sum).
The baked pastries are exceptionally good (try the pineapple BBQ pork buns).
The Sui Mai (pork and shrimp dumplings) are a bit below average.
Don't expect customer service and it can be quite noisy.
Overall I will be back for sure in spite of the decor and customer service as the food is good enough that writing about it is making me hungry.
6/30 -
Review from corey G.
8/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Dim Sum Eye Catcher ::::: Durian
I wish I wasn't such a chicken! We saw many interesting and unique dim sum options on the menu, but durian is what glared at me. I now know I'm all talk. I pride myself on being the Bear Grylls of dining, but when Durian graced my eyes, I looked the other way. Yeah, the legend of its stink is infamous, but I turned the other way, and let it walk by.
And I will always feel the regret.
Nonetheless, we stopped by Happy Hill to grab some afternoon dim sum. We went here basically because we happened to be behind schedule and were desperate for dim sum. We were late, and we were hungry.
Happy Hill----I love the name. I like being happy, and I like green grassy hills. Now where does dim sum fit? The restaurant is in a little strip mall north of downtown. We walked in to find ourselves the minority. Many Asians were chowing down and looking happy. This made me feel comfortable. One thing I was disappointed in was how the dim sum was served. I'm used to places which have plates prepared and paraded on a cart. Here you are given a menu and a pencil and you go down the list checking off everything which looked good.
The menu is extensive, and you will find anything for your dim sum fix. We went with quite a few plates, and we waited, and waited. Granted we were already famished, so seconds ticked just a little slower. Then we finally started getting some plates. One at a time. I'm sorry, but I can be a non-polite tiger at the table when I'm hungry. So, I pounced on the first plate. It was good, but I wanted more. I wish we would have received more plates at the same time. Happy Hill was being a tease.
We eventually got into a strive though, and the plates started popping out.
All in all, the dim sum was decent. I would definitely come here again if I was desperate in the late brunch hour. A solid 3.5 stars. -
Review from C T.
Calgary, AB
Updated - 4/9/2011
I just love Happy Hill. I had written about the $1 chicken special. The $1 chicken special is now over.
Tonight we went to the restaurant for dinner and their special Chinese menu changed. It's featuring KING CRAB - I'm not sure what the special is all about but I did see a big table order the King Crab and they actually brought out 3 types of dishes associated with the King Crab 'cos it's huge!
We decided to try their $9.95 Crab Special - 3 different styles to choose from: cold, salt & pepper and steamed with ginger and onion. We picked steamed crab - so sweet and delicious! We also had the Egg wtih Shrimp - my fave dish, the Peashoots with Garlic, and Satay Beef with Enoki mushrooms with vermicelli in a hot pot. Very well done and quick.
The restaurant was quite full when we were there tonight. Service was quick.Listed in: My fave Calgary Restaurants
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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4/16/2010
Dinner was so good at Happy Hill. If you order 3 entrees excluding soup or noodles, there is a… Read more »
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Review from Mike M.
Calgary, AB
7/25/2010
Happy Hill is one of those places that you would never notice on your own. You have to be told about it, usually by a native Calgarian (if you can find one.)
But once you know where it is and discover how great the food tastes, then you'll never have any trouble finding it again.
Now about the food, It is seriously good, but usually I have no idea what I'm eating. If you think you like Dim Sum (usually shrimp and combination of about 1000 different things), then bring a Dim Sum-educated friend with you and let them order. That's what I always do. I'm not sure what it is, but I like shrimp, so I usually leave happy.
Dim Sum is pretty much a group activity, so they have big tables good for up to eight people. Usually there is about 6 or 7 of us, so that leaves us lots of room. Plus once the bill is divided between seven people, the bill is rarely over $10.
Parking tip: Make sure you get there early, the parking lot fills up and it will be tough to find a place to park.
This is easily one of my favourite restaurants in Calgary....as long as I have someone that can order for me.Listed in: Food From Around The…
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Review from Andrew R.
1/11/2011
Excellent dim sum, and the closest to Montana that I know of. Having dined at other dim sum joints with a friend who is a Hong Kong native, I like to think that I know what to look for, and it was all here.
In the US, dim sum is usually selected off or roving carts, but Happy Hill uses a "checklist" that you fill out at your table. Since our friend wasn't with us this time, the checklist made it much easier to order, and to make sure that we got some of the less-mainstream dishes. Having tried chicken feet before, and not really liking them, I decided to try braised duck feet, because every other table that I could see was having them. Delicious! Much better than chicken feet, and well worth the 7 hour drive. -
Review from Eric F.
Calgary, AB
6/1/2009 1 Check-in Here
My mainstay for dim sum in Calgary - I'm practically here on a weekly basis. In fact, I'm here so often that the service is somewhat approaching "friendly" and I think I even saw a smile once, otherwise unheard of in a Chinese restaurant.
I really like Happy Hill for a couple of reasons:
- It's a bit separated from the crazy drivers and parking hassles in the epicentre of Chinatown.
- It's a smaller restaurant, which translates into shorter waits and fewer screaming babies.
- The dim sum is steamed after you order it, with the order list printed in both English and Chinese.
The dim sum has always been excellent, with one caveat: Although this is one of the few restaurants I've found in Calgary that serves xiao long bao (Shanghai soup dumplings), don't get too excited, because the wrapper is too thick and too often the soup has already leaked out by the time it reaches your table. The restaurant certainly doesn't lose points for trying, though. (I guess I need to find an excuse to get back to Shanghai, or at least to Ding Tai Fung outside Toronto.)
They also do hot pot here, but I haven' t had it for quite a number of years - I always end up here for dim sum instead!
$20 for two people, with leftovers. -
Review from dinah g.
Calgary, AB
2/7/2010
My cousin likes to treat our family to dim sun here, she does this because the dim sum is delicious and basically cheap; I mean have you seen how large my family is?
We have never received unpleasant service here and when you are a hungry family and you want your food fast and at Happy Hill they do deliver.
The nice perk is parking, there is FREE parking as it is not located in the busy and expensive parking area of Chinatown; just last week I paid $16 for parking to go for dim sum at the Regency. Plus it has easy to read menus, lists in both Chinese and English.
You can also order hot pots here, which is an all time favourite for my cousin, no wonder she takes us here. -
Review from Rhona-Mae A.
Calgary, AB
9/26/2009 1 photo
Another reviewer mentioned that a smile is unheard of in a Chinese restaurant. I'd have to agree. None of the staff cracked a smile when I was at Happy Hill.
The tiny lot was jam-packed with cars today at about 11:30 am. I had to park across the street in another lot (and it was FREE, what a concept in Calgary).
A quick glance around the interior revealed that the place was full of Chinese clientele - always a good sign. The large windows gave a nice sunny vibe to the place (the closest thing you'll get to a smile there). The decor was rather plain but at least everything was clean.
I quickly found my friend and we ordered. The list was pretty easy to understand. The columns are ordered according to size (S/M/L dishes).
We had the spring rolls, sesame seed rolls, egg tarts, steamed shrimp pork dumplings, chives and pork steamed rolls, steamed-I-can't-read-my-scribble crepe and deep fried squid.
There was something different with the spring rolls. It was cinnamon-like (but not quite). Tasty. That made up for the bland shrimp. The dumplings were plump and juicy, exploding in my mouth.
The crepe made my stomach grumble in protest and had my palate demanding tea to purge the taste from my mouth. Personal preference I guess. As for the squid, it looked like the squid I tasted at Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin in Hawaii but not as tender or flavorful.
I would have liked to have our teapot refilled but they didn't really check on us.
The sesame rolls and egg tarts were light and not overly sweet.
My friend and I couldn't finish our food so we both had doggie bags. The food's not as flavorful by suppertime. My palate and stomach protested profusely.
Final verdict? The food was decent. Some yummy dishes and some not so yummy. If you're ok with service without a smile and your dishes to be plonked on the edge of the table without much acknowledgment, then you'll be fine.
If you're looking for friendlier service and service where they check up on you a bit more, keep on driving.
Deductions: One star for service being "just ok" and another for the food being "ok". -
Review from J C.
Edmonton, AB
1/28/2011
Supper time can get pretty busy because it's a smaller restaurant. The food is very good and is very reasonable. You can't go wrong with any of the dishes on the menu. The service is quick and if you're looking for a smile from a waitress you won't find it at any Chinese restaurant. I will have a meal at Happy Hill at least once when I'm in Calgary.
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Review from Chris W.
Calgary, AB
10/6/2009
I have not had dim sum here yet, but after reading the reviews, it's next on my list!
I have had dinner here twice and both times have been great. The food is very authentic and the variety is great. The salted whole chicken is delicious, and the tofu dishes I've had here are great too. The portions are very generous and reasonably priced.
The decor is not much to speak of, but I haven't had any problems with grumpy service as others have mentioned. The people have certainly been pleasant, and the service is surprisingly quick.
This is definitely my go-to place for fresh, authentic Chinese food in Calgary. -
Review from Mame G.
Calgary, AB
4/15/2010
We went to this place twice for hotpot, and it was DISGUSTING! The beef smelled like smelly shoes and the seafood was not fresh. My stomach did not agree with the food and had the runs afterwards.
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Review from Matt V.
9/25/2009
dim sum was fabulous
service was what is expected at a chinese restaurant.
Great place...in my 4 days in Calgary, I ate here 3 times!
