Hung Mein Chinese Take Out Delivery — Restaurant in Ottawa

Type: delivery order through Uber Eats.

Total Price: $63.27

Items ordered:

General Tao's Chicken Singapore Styled Fried Vermicelli Combo #4 Chicken Fried Rice (free item given to orders above $40) 1 x can of Diet Coke

Total Price: $63.27

Cons:

Extra charge - Restaurant charged $1.00 extra through Uber Eats. Explanation was to fulfill the extra request. Do not know if this is for 2 x fork or 2 x hot sauce or requesting to have General Tao more spicy (which certainly was not done). Never have been charged by any other restaurants for these.

Bland taste overall - No distinguishing tastes between all ordered items aside from Singapore Styled Fried Vermicelli as it is curry based. Request to have General Tao more spicy not respected, $1.00 extra charge for either this request or 2 x fork. Even the Singpore Vermicelli did not have consistent flavour throughout.

Portion - Portions could be seen as good as per the included picture. However, further analysis of the Combo #4 item (most left item in the picture) displays that the biggest part of the container is filled with Chicken Fried Rice, second biggest part filled with Sweet&Sour Chicken Balls, and finally the smallest (1/4 compared to the biggest) is filled with the Szechuan Beef with largely cut vegetables with 2 to 4 pieces of beef.

Pros: Hard to say at this time.

Reasons for ordering:

Read some other reviews before ordering and could see that the owner/manager does reply to some of them so seemed caring.

I normally go with the reviews but I also understand there are some people who give bad reviews on purpose these days to sabotage others. Based on #1, I decided to trust the restaurant's explanations for the bad reviews involving topics such as bland taste, etc.

Owner's explanations (not all) for bad reviews previously left:

Customers have wrong taste buds (e.g. "No way that items such as General Tao can be bland").

Impossible for a customer to leave a bad review when the restaurant was closed due to electricity issues and that the customer found the wrong one.

Summary:

Most likely will not reorder anything largely due to the fact extra charges are applied automatically by the restaurant without good explanations nor having the actual requests not being respected. Taste would have solved it all but unfortunately I have to agree with others saying it is bland.

Maybe this review will also get the owner's typical explanations as done in the past. It is a shame that improvement can only be made when someone is willing to accept criticism. In the business of customer service, it is hard to accept all customers but there should not be such a high level of defensive responses most of the time.

Addition (after reading the owner's reply):

Price of 2 x hot sauce packet is apparently $1.75 as per the attached picture. Yes, it is the same type you get at other restaurants for free. Maybe they started charging for these due to inflation. I really hope McDonald's do not start charging for ketchup packets.

Not fully grasping the 51% vs 49% content mentioned. However, if I understood it correctly, the goal of making the 49% of customers happy is maybe unachievable without revisiting the bland taste issue that the customers within the 49% group have mentioned consistently.

For those who actually get to the end of this lengthy review - if you do not mind bland taste, get charged for hot sauce packets, get told that your palate is inaccurate/underdeveloped for spiciness, can bear inconsistent seasoning within a dish, and having Chicken Fried Rice as the main course of a Combo dish - this is your place.

About their last claim about my photos of their food actually helping to bring in "more customers" - do they really think we are that naive to believe it...

I've been ordering from Hung Mein for years, and overall, I'm pretty happy with their food. I tend to stick to the dishes I know they do well, and those favourites have kept me coming back.

Their Yang Chow fried rice is solid—flavorful, satisfying, and reliably good every time. The Ja-do Wings are crispy, flavorful, and cooked just right. I also really enjoy the crispy beef—it’s one of the best items on the menu. Thinly sliced, perfectly fried, and coated in a sweet, sticky sauce that hits all the right notes. It’s got that perfect balance of crunch and flavour that makes it seriously addictive.

The chicken balls are a comfort classic, and the pepper salt tofu is another go-to—crispy outside, soft inside, with just the right amount of seasoning. I’ve also come to really appreciate their stir-fried mixed vegetables. They’re fresh, well-seasoned, and best of all—not mushy. The veggies still have that satisfying crunch, which makes them so enjoyable.

I really enjoyed their Cantonese Chow Mein, too. It was a favourite for a while, with nicely crisped noodles and flavorful toppings. But at some point, they changed either the type of noodles or how they were cooked, and it just hasn’t been the same since. I don’t order it anymore, which is a bit of a letdown—but thankfully, there are still plenty of dishes I love.

One nice bonus: if you order over $40 before tax, they include a basic chicken fried rice. It’s pretty generous for a free item, and I’ve found a lot of chicken in it—definitely not just filler. If I have leftovers, I’ll toss fresh veggies and a scrambled egg, then throw it all in a wok. It turns into a delicious next-day meal.

And, of course, the red sauce ties everything together. It’s sweet, tangy, and brings back all the nostalgic takeout vibes from my childhood.

Hung Mein isn’t flashy, but when it comes to dependable, satisfying comfort food, they deliver—literally and figuratively. As long as they keep nailing these staples, I’ll...

Food is good in most cases but they told me they have a minimum order of 20 dollars for delivery which is ok but then when you order over 20 bucks like they want you to they still charge you for delivery??? ( not the driver you tip them separately which is normal ) . If you have a minimum delivery order price of 20 then you should be delivering for free except for the tip . You can’t set a minimum and on top of it charge for delivery too ?? It’s one or the other . If you charge for delivery then just deliver it regardless of price . If you need a minimum dollar value on an order that’s ok but don’t charge extra for delivery. These people are double charging.. !!!! This has been edited to respond to the owner who responded. Your drivers are u the owners and your family members so this we pay are drivers “ response is funny . Btw every one pays their drivers as required by law so nice try . You don’t give your drivers the 2.50 . It’s true there is no guarantee that everyone tips so I get that but it’s probably because you’re charging for delivery so that would be one of the main reasons if that happens . I was told by you or your staff the minimum order for delivery was 20 not 18 so that’s what I wrote . It’s actually irrelevant how much it is as if you have a minimum amount for delivery yet charge for delivery after this threshold has been met is ridiculous. If you have a threshold you should not charge to deliver period . You are double charging . Anyway I think that’s more them enough reason to rate 1 star because I feel it’s not proper . Btw I always tip and so do most people . I was truthful and said the food is good so I didn’t say anything negative falsely. Just stating my opinion on your...