TAKE OUT ONLY - Buka Maranga Cafe & Catering — Restaurant in Mississauga

This used to be one of my favorite cafes for years, until Jatin became manager. The first time I went, he stared at us full on for 5 minutes as we settled in, then approached us asking why we hadn’t ordered yet, even though we had just secured our table. It’s completely normal to secure your table and put your stuff away before ordering. We had pushed two tables together to work on our laptops (in a half-empty cafe), and he still asked us to return one “just in case someone else came,” despite at least 10 free tables. Needless to say, he didn’t check in on us again even once that day, while he walked around checking in on every other table.

On my second visit, I ordered an iced drink from Jatin. He apparently didn’t hear the “iced” part, and instead of simply correcting it, he became defensive and borderline condescending. He insisted I hadn’t asked for iced, claiming that since it wasn’t a busy time, there’s “no way” he could’ve made a mistake. He even reprinted the receipt and brought it to my table to “prove” he was right, and tried to make me pay for a second drink. After I refused, he reluctantly remade the drink, but not without a comment about how I needed to “work on my communication.” The new drink tasted awful, as if he’d just added ice to the original warm one. I couldn’t even get halfway through it.

What really bothered me was how obvious it was that I was being treated differently. While again he checked in regularly with every other table, he didn’t approach me once after that interaction. He’s super fake with all the customers and comes off as nice but he’s nothing but stingy. The overall atmosphere is now incredibly uncomfortable, it even feels like the ventilation has been cut, making it hard to breathe, almost like cost-cutting at the expense of comfort.

What used to be a welcoming, safe, and productive space now feels tense and uninviting. I no longer feel comfortable returning, and I’m not the only one who feels this way. It’s disappointing to see a once great cafe lose its charm because of one person’s poor attitude and unprofessional behavior, not to mention how incredibly cheap he is. Even the staff look miserable now.

Oh and I can’t forget to mention, the amazing google review by the manager Jatin Grover himself, pretending to be a customer, don’t forget to...

My cousin and I were looking for a cute little cafe to grab a bite and some coffee, and I came across this place on Google reviews. We were really excited to try the food and the drinks, but we had a less than stellar experience. I still want to rate this place 4 stars because the food was solid, but I believe they really need to work on improving their service and cleanliness.

I ordered a soup and salad and they were pretty delicious and healthy. My cousin and I also ordered a few lemonades that hit the spot and were really tasty. However, there were quite a few other experiences that left us questioning whether we would want to come back again.

Cleanliness The tables were quite dirty and had food left over from previous guests. This is totally understandable if a place is busy and they have not had time to clean up the table yet, but when we looked at the floor, we saw food all over the place. It seemed as if it had not been cleaned for a few days. The bathrooms were also less than desirable and had a very unpleasant stench. Lastly, there were about 5-6 bees or wasps flying around inside the cafe, and they repeatedly kept landing either in my food or drinks (mind you, we are inside the establishment). When we told the servers, they literally said, "What do you want us to do?" Honestly, I love bees and would never want to harm them, but I'm also not looking to go to a cafe that has them flying around in my food and drinks. Close your doors, or find a way to prevent this from happening. It's very irresponsible and a health hazard.

Service There was food all over our tables, chairs and the floor. I had to ask for help from the servers multiple times to clean up the mess that was left there from previous customers. They seemed reluctant to help, and I felt bad for asking. Also, the response about the bees/wasps swarming my food was just not great. This place has so much potential, and it's sad to see how certain things are being handled.

I really hope they can improve on these things because we really did like this place despite the issues and would love to...

Let’s start with the atmosphere: unique. Despite the classic outside look of this local café in Mississauga, the inside displays a beautiful range of modern design and furniture. They provide free wifi, and a wide variety of menu options - a diversity of classic items for safer picks and flavourful foods and drinks for food lovers.

I tried 3 items:

The Lox Bagel, Whole Wheat Banana Bread, and the Lavender Blue Matcha Latte.

The Lox Bagel offers a blend of flavourful moments in a single bite. The delicious taste of the smoked salmon is complemented by the acidity of the capers and tangy kick from the sauces and onions. All of this topped on a spread of herbs and garlic cream cheese and artisan cheddar bagel.

Any other Banana Bread would have been overpowered by a thick buttery texture and consistency, yet Buka Maranga’s version is quite light and pleasant. Not overly sweet, not heavy, just the right bite. I wouldn’t recommend having it as the only breakfast item, but it perfectly complements a coffee or a hot beverage.

My surprise was trying the Lavender Blue Matcha Latte. The milk foam visual with the warmer tone of blue sets the tone for a tasty, aromatic sip of latte. You would think matcha would dominate the taste of the drink, but in reality it just adds a nice texture to the drink. Interesting hot drink! Would definitely recommend it.

Highly recommend this place. Great atmosphere, delicious food...