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One Hour
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Food Specialty Food Ethnic Food Coffee & Tea, Ethnic Food
435 Spadina AvenueToronto, ON M5T 2G6
Neighbourhoods: Chinatown, Kensington Market, Downtown Core
(647) 346-2172
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 11 pm
Fri 11:30 am - 12 am
Sat 1 pm - 12 am
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for One Hour
20 reviews in English
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Review from Flouny S.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 4/6/2012
Oh one hour, you sly fox! I couldn't resist your Rosetta Slush and fab decor I ventured out to visit you today.
Unfortunately, like all the greats...we had to suffer for our food...because of the sheer popularity of this place, our options for seating where either at the very back on uncomfortable high chairs or sit in front of the burning hot sun...
We decided to duke it out with the sun and sat at the front...I must say that it was overwhelming at times to enjoy the company of my dinning companion because of the strong glare of the sun seeping through the window...I was nearly blinded with light!
Back to the serious business of ordering...
We were really disappointed that the Mecca of this place was unavailable (Rosetta slush)...We opted for a honey lemon drink with aloe, nice but I didn't like the flavour of the honey (personal preference) The waiter was nice enough to split it into two glasses for us.
Ordered the cheesecake in a jar, not bad bit a bit pricey at $5.99. The graham crust at the bottom is the best by far. A once in a while treat is not bad.
Next we shared a bowl of noodles, I cant' remember what it was called but it was a little spicy...For $6.49 it's a bit steep for the small amount you get but it's all about the atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere.
They have WIFI so ask your server for the PW.
Note: Owner - please install a pull down shade so that your customers at the front don't get a sunburn while sitting at the front! Regular chairs would be nice too for those of us that don't like the lumpy squish-ness of beanbags!. Not all of us are tall enough to get even sit on the high chairs!!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/28/2012
Finally a nice cozy bubble tea place that is modern and is clean, whew!
One thing to be weary, the… Read more »
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Review from Erin P.
Toronto, ON
3/14/2012
Finally a nice bbt place to just hang out on a lazy weekday afternoon in Chinatown. Awesome food, drinks, and services. When u come during their down time, the owner is more than happy to chat with u and get to know ur personal orders.
Their sour and spicy wontons are amazing, so is their mango slush and red bean milk tea. -
Review from Thomas H.
Recommendations:
-cheesecake IN A JAR
(it's fairly expensive at 6.50, but really delicious. basically it's a jar of cheese with a thin layer of breadcrumbs at the bottom and a bit of strawberry jam on top.)
-Taro bubble tea
(you can tell it's made with actually taro as you can feel it in the texture. quite good)
This was a great spot to hang out for some tea after dinner. The atmosphere was great. They were open til at least 11:00pm on the tuesday night we visited. It's just the right volume for socializing. Perfect lighting in my opinion. Not too bright, but you can still see without strain.
Service was good. Not extremely fast, but the drinks seem to be made with care, so it was a worthy trade-off.
The beanbag chairs and stools in the front look cool, but I don't think I'd be too comfortable after being there for more than an hour.
Though I normally only review places that I've been to more than once, I'm making an exception here since this spot is new. Will update when I return. -
Review from Sharky L.
Toronto, ON
Like to come to this place to work. It's really nicely design and comfortable. The drinks are good and surprisingly so is the food. There are not many options but I guess that's the charm of it. I find the cold noodle to be really good.
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Review from Olivia O.
Toronto, ON
4/23/2012
Warm and relaxed atmosphere~
Yummy specialty slushie!!!
It's closed on Sunday... -
Review from Gary Y.
Toronto, ON
4/7/2012
The portions are a bit small but the taste is indeed authentic. Love the ambiance, very modern and clean!
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Review from Vicky W.
North York, ON
1/9/2012
Finally got a chance to check out One Hour Cafeteria.
Space: Very Cool. Loved the low tables, the bean bag chairs, and the magazine rack. Someone knew what they were doing.
Food: Ordered the beef noodle soup. The broth was delicate, and the bowl was full of meat, noodles and bok choy. There wasnt a drop left in my bowl.
Service: Waitress was really efficient. Helped me order - and filled my water glass twice. No complaints.
Cant wait to return to try more items from their menu.Comment from Han S. of One Hour 1/10/2012
My pleasure you liked it, try sweet&spicy rice noodle and… More » -
Review from Alice T.
12/18/2011 2 photos
"So I can only sit here for one hour?" I ask...
"Oh no, one hour can change your day" says the waitress...
Oops, lost in translation perhaps?
That's kind of how i felt about this place, like maybe I didn't quite understand it but it knew it's purpose. Small cups with a rounded base that sit a little clumsily but never tips, fat forks and spoons that don't really pick up food like it should, and bean bag chairs great for naps, but maybe not so great for eating food... I felt like all the choices were a bit impractical for eating but maybe because it's supposed to be more of a lounge for bubble tea? Having said that the food was really good.
Personally, I'd say this isn't really Asian Fusion, the menu items are pretty common dishes you'd find in a Chinese tea house in Taipei (and I'd imagine Beijing or Shanghai though I've never been), they're just not the ones you'd see on a Chinese take out menu in North America. Beef noodle, marinated eggs (aka brown eggs), tang yuan (aka glutinous rice dumplings), these are all pretty traditional Chinese dishes.
In fact, One Hour is the only place I've found in Toronto to do a perfect sweet & spicy sauce using the famous numbing spiciness of Szechuan peppercorns. It's the perfect mix of sweet, spicy, salty, sour that leaves a slightly numbing feeling on your lips and tongue. If you've never tried it, it's enough to go just to feel that sensation. The heat is completely different then the burning spiciness of chilies. The sauce also has fresh cilantro and sesame to round out the flavor. The noodles are served cool, the wontons hot, both spot on and well worth trying.
Although this place is a bubble tea place, I didn't try the bubble tea. It seemed way over priced, especially in comparison to the food... $5.99 for wontons, $4.99 for tea... Which is probably why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5.
Also it would be nice to see a few more menu items... Maybe a pork chop rice or chicken cold noodle in a sesame sauce or braised pork belly... but once again, maybe I'm misunderstand their purpose... -
Review from Christian P.
Toronto, ON
12/22/2011
Beyond its student place looking (packed of students behind their PCs or Macs), this restaurant has some really great food! The menu remains quite limited, but meal ingredients are fresh and meals are tasty (and perhaps a little bit heavy to digest... I don't know... need to read others' reviews about this latter point). Service can be a little bit lengthy or forgetful, but otherwise it was friendly. It is called a cafeteria, and this eventually is an appropriate name, but with more sophisticated and good meals. The seating on big puff-cushions can be nice also if you want to relax.
To get 5: enlarge the menu; keep the front room as for student cafeteria but promote the backroom to a more casual restaurant; be slightly more attentive to customers; add the systematic glass of water to newcomer tables. -
Review from Steph L.
What can you do with One Hour?
... You can sit down with a book and order a tea beverage.
... Catch up with friends...
... Sink into a beanbag chair and do nothing.
If you were Jack Bauer, you could diffuse a bomb, save the president, and expose an international terrorist group.
Anyways, there are very few bubble tea places that I like downtown. One Hour offers a beautiful and modern space to relax. This place is huge. I didn't even notice the (much nicer) back room until I got up to look for a restroom.
The service is friendly, but this place is still very new.
A few weeks ago, I showed up at 9pm and the place was closed.
So, I called today to check if they were open before showing up.
At first I loved the idea of bean bag chairs. "Oh! What fun!"
Which later turned into "Oh! My back!" as I sank further to the floor.
The menu was much smaller than expected.
It has basic flavours of bubble tea and maybe 5 food items.
We ordered some One Hour specialty drinks.
The lemon-honey with aloe was pretty tasty!
It was perfectly sour and sweet, and the aloe bits were way better than tapioca.
The banana tea looked good. But unfortunately it was more ice than banana. And the chocolate cookie stick garnish was a bit oddly placed.
The food was very simple and a bit more expensive than it should be.
But it's a fancy bubble tea place, so I'm not surprised.
The spicy wonton is not at all spicy. But it's hot and hits the spot if you want some comfort food. It's a snack so if you're hungry, it probably won't be enough.
The spicy beef noodles were surprisingly good. Served warm (not hot), garnished with the same sauce as the wontons.
A soy, vinegar, sesame sauce which was light and well balanced and topped with heaps of green onions.
I like this place. I hope that they will keep adding items to their menu.
This is one of my go-to places for tea downtown! -
Review from Esther W.
Toronto, ON
3/16/2012
I just want to repose the review back on here. Although the service and the restaurant ambience were nice, the food that I ordered was a total disappointment. I had a beef noodle soup for lunch, but the broth was too salty that I barely tasted it. I wasn't sure what that was but I either bite on a salt particle or sands from the vege, it wasn't a nice experience.
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Review from Rainie L.
Markham, ON
2/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
I'm glad I discovered this place. I love the decor / furniture. It's totally unconventional for a bubble tea / Taiwanese snack house. A long bookshelves of magazines awaits those who don't have any homework in their bag. Menu is super short and compact, something like 10 food items and 5 flavors of bubble tea. I got the taro milk bubble tea. They made a mistake on my order and I guess they were busy but my take-out order took a whopping 25 minutes to arrive. Not the most efficient service. But they use real crushed taro in my taro milk tea so that was a nice surprise. Tapioca was chewy and sweetened - perfect! I can't remember the price but it was reasonable. I'll have to go back and try the food next time.
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Review from Tamara M.
Toronto, ON
With a name like One Hour, it could easily be mistaken as a place to develop your photos or even get your nails done. But surprisingly its the name of a new bubble tea place in downtown Toronto, which offers a refreshing experience in a modern atmosphere. Inside is very loft-like, with a side brick wall, wooden tables, high ceilings, exposed pipes, and white walls which makes it appear open and spacious. The layout is unique as there are 2 separate rooms linked by a hallway. The front room is good for larger groups with communal tables and bean bag chairs while the 2nd back room has a smaller seating area for more privacy for groups of 2-4. In the hallway area, there is an open kitchen with a counter and bar stools, which I thought was pretty cool.
A note about the bean bag chairs: they are fun to plop down on and comfy but hard to sit still or get out of as you roll around! So if you want more stability and support, go for the slightly raised bean bag chairs which are more firm.
Music playing was a variety of music, mostly r&b and hip hop, some country, pop, and of course, mandarin slow songs, which I refer to as "bubble tea music" as I've heard them always playing in the background especially back in Vancouver =)
I ended up ordering a basic hot honey green tea, which was not too sweet and had a nice fragrant flavor, similar to jasmine. As this place was new, the menu is not too extensive at the moment and there was a note that a new menu would be coming out. Didn't see food or snacks on the menu, but maybe in the future. It would be nice to see the thick toast with condensed milk that would pair perfectly with the tea.
If I'm ever feeling like bubble tea in downtown, I think I found my go-to place! -
Review from Denise S.
This modern bubble tea shop has been open for a bit over a month and is still finding it's groove. I came by twice during times where they were supposed to be open (hours are on their facebook page) only to find them closed. When I finally did make, it they were still tinkering with the lighting a bit. They are also sorting out their food menu. A couple weeks ago, they only had wontons. But now they also have beef noodle soup, edamame, and a couple other offerings.
But, this place is a great addition to the area -- a chill spot to hang out with friends or get some work done. The clean and simple decor, all blond wood, white walls, exposed brick, and black square bean bag chairs, stands in stark contrast to its cluttered Chinatown neighbours. The front seating area is bright and airy, and there is also more space at the back that is a bit quieter but darker (i.e. not ideal if you are studying). Wifi is really reliable. They have stacks of magazines both in Chinese and English. Music is a random mix of Chinese pop and Canadian indie. Apparently, the owner came from China to study architecture but decided to open up this place instead.
I had a large mango green tea with tapioca ($4.99 + $0.50) which was huge and syrup-y sweet in a good way. But the real measure for me is the tapioca, which was done just right, al dente, if you will. Not too firm yet not mushy either. The tapioca to tea ratio was also good -- nothing sucks more than running out of tapioca before the tea is done, or ending up with loads of leftover tapioca. Service was efficient.
On my last visit, on a weekday night, the place was about 1/3 full -- a mix of groups, solo study-ers, and one couple that met online out on their first date (didn't mean to eavesdrop but they were talking really loud... at least they were far less awkward than the first date couple at Bisogno: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...).
I'm definitely excited that this place has opened up! Definitely a step up from the usual Tea Shop 168, etc.Listed in: Cafe Culture, Chinatown Cheap Eats
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Review from Elame G.
Toronto, ON
9/29/2011
Recently opened Bubble Tea place. Conveniently placed next to Burger King and Popeye's on College and Spadina. Decor is very clean and simplistic. Tables are set up so that you have the option to sit on bean bags or high seats (however they only have 3 tables). Therefore, it gives a very intimate atmosphere. Music is a combination of Mandarin and English pop songs. Price is typical- $3.99 for regular bbt plus .50 for tapioca.
As for bubble tea I thought they made a great formula. I ordered Almond milk green tea with lychee jelly and the bf got peach with tapioca. As such,we were happy with our drinks. I really wanted to order their noodle soup but they ran out of rice noodles so I said forget it :(
I'm not giving this place 5 stars because even though the bean bag idea is novel its not practical...we kept slipping and sinking on to the floor. -
Review from Nao C.
North York, ON
12/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Discovered this place by accident while walking to Chinatown one day. It's almost a hole-in-the-wall, with its small exterior. But even from the front you can tell it stands out from its less polished Chinatown neighbours. One Hour is all about style. The interior stretches deep within, providing more seating space than the front lets on. The design is a great mix between polished modernity and ruggedness. It's minimalist without being uncomfortable.
Their menu is limited, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Almost everything is on the menu is done well. Their bubble teas are not watered down with ice, and their tapioca is consistently perfect or near perfect.
The food is not bad either, although they are still more of a teahouse/lounge than a restaurant. It's a little on the pricey end but the presentation is always nice in a simple way and I guess you're also paying for the atmosphere.
When it's not too busy it's a great place to get some work done here, and they encourage lounging around for an hour or two with your laptop or a good book. There's free wireless Internet which is pretty reliable. They also play a good mix of music: Western indie pop stuff, ambient experimental stuff, and more accessible Asian pop tunes that have a nice folksy-ness to it. (I appreciate that they don't blast Kpop and Cpop ballads all the time!)
Service is always helpful and friendly without being overbearing. All the waitstaff appear to speak both Chinese and English very well.
I would highly recommend One Hour! Just keep in mind as a relatively new establishment, they're still getting their bearings together a bit. -
Review from Mimi C.
Toronto, ON
I've been here twice now and I really like the store layout. I find the bean bag chairs very comfortable and neat. It's a good place to chill and linger. However, there are a few things that I find problematic. The menu is really small and limited. Moreover, the bubbletea is very watery. I would give their bubbletea one star and environment to be four stars. It opens realtively late which is also good if you want to find somewhere to go after dinner or a movie night.
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Review from CHAR C.
Toronto, ON
12/22/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I really like this place. it's my go-to spot on spadina for a non-alcoholic beverage. very chill, with bean bag chairs and a very clean modern feel. food isn't bad either - flavorful but not a huge fan. many of their teas are made from fresh fruit and beans.
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Review from Marvin A.
Toronto, ON
1/27/2012
1Hr Cafeteria is a great spot nestled in Chinatown! The space is really well done. Very modern looking. They have low tables, and bean bag chairs! (No sinking) Had the Lemon Honey Tea with Aloe bubbles, really good! 1Hr has a simple menu, which is what they're going for in terms of simplifying what we eat and drink! Friendly service and good food times, I'm definitely going back to try more stuff!
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Review from Jessie W.
Toronto, ON
12/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm drafting this review as I sit here in the restaurant now. I know how people complain about the chair, I understand how painful it must be for a tall person, but i'm short, so it doesn't bother me. The waitress, just found out her name is Samantha, is so friendly, and the owner is very nice too. Food is above average, I tried beef noodles, which is kinda between vetanmese and Taiwanese beef noodles, are flavorful but not too salty, I also tried the sweet and spicy noodles, which like a lighter version of the schechuan cold noodles, they didn't make it too spicy, which is what I like. The only thing that annoyed me was two camh patients sat right next to me and was asking me very personal questions, but really it's not the restaurant's fault, since these two people with serious mental issues looked absolutely normal.
