Happy Lok Diner in Cardiff

Delicious authentic Malaysian dished. A taste of home!

Went with my Asian partner for an early dinner. Firstly I could book over the phone unlike a well know Thai restaurant, a few doors down , which refused to take a phone booking. Anyway I digress. The food was amazing. I have lived in Asia for many reasons and visited Malaysia alot and this is the real deal. Amazing salty egg prawns, the ma po tofu was delicious and the water spinach just perfect.

Very welcoming great food excellent service we eat here every couple of months

Taste of authenticity, brilliant service! Worth every pence you pay.

What a fabulous find. I've read about it but never been. We went for a quick eat and were not disappointed. The restaurant was warm and friendly, just a few other tables being used but we were early and it was Tuesday. The waiter was totally charming with a lovely smile. We ordered the Roti Canai and Chicken Satay for mains. Delicious! The roti was light and fluffy with crispy edges, the sauce, equally delicious with a small amount of spice. My only complaint there was the sauce was cold. The satay had plump pieces of chicken on 4 skewers with a deliciously fragrant sauce and some chopped salad. Some of the best I've had in Cardiff. Mains (we were already full by this stage) Beef Rendang and Singapore noodles. Both were lovely and full of flavour, the rending the best of the two. We were very happy to take away leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The even better feature is that it's not expensive at all for what it is and we can't wait to go back.

It is one of my favourite restaurants in Cardiff. Great food doesn’t always have to be fancy. Every time I come here, the dishes remind me of my late mother's cooking. Tonight, we had Assam Seabass, Salt & Pepper King Prawns, and Roti Canai. All of them were delicious. I’ve also tried many other dishes, like Nasi Lemak, Salted Egg King Prawns, Seafood Hor Fun with Egg Gravy, Mee Goreng, Salted Egg Squid, Kam Heong Prawns, Japanese Tofu with Seafood, Salted Fish with Pork Belly, and San Bao Rice. I always leave with a happy tummy.

Been trying to dine in since Sep 17. Until Oct 1, 2024, no sign that the restaurant still in business. No notice about the status as well.

Fantastic place serving halal on most items. Staff were very friendly and assured me all food is cooked separately from pork. All the dishes served were exceptional, definitely one of the best Malaysian restaurants out there. Real authentic food similar to Sambal in Manchester. Highly recommend to everyone.

Staff is friendly. Good service. Stir fry has a good flame favour. Reasonable price. Very clean place. A rare find of tofu fa, which was very smooth. Could be better if they served it with yellow sugar rather than syrup.

Diverse menu, with clearly labelled vegan options. Portion sizes were large. The vegetable fried rice and claypot aubergine were favourites on the table. Crispy fried beef wasn't as enjoyed but overall a lovely restaurant with yum food

Delicious food of Malaysian Chinese cuisine 😋👍🏻 Clean and comfortable. Good services and friendly. Prices are reasonable. Please book before you go.

We’d heard about this restaurant serving Malaysian food and thought we’d give it a try. Roti/curry sauce was very good. Beef Rendang was also very good. Sadly our Chicken Claypot was nothing like we’d eaten in Penang and Jakarta. It was a broth-like dish instead of the curry we’d expected. We’ll go again and try and order more appropriately!

Was passing and thought I’d give it a try. Had the blandest food possible, bares no resemblance to the menus description.

Good authentic Malaysian Chinese food, small but cosy restaurant, great service

My Malaysian friend gave his birthday treat here, and OMG, I loved the food! The food was great—authentic, delicious, and with sizeable portions full of flavor. They have a diverse menu with so much to try. The place is very clean and tidy, and the atmosphere is good, making it a great dining experience. The staff are very friendly and provide good service. For the quality of the food, the price is on the higher side, but it is worth it. I would advise booking a table in advance. Highly recommend this place!

Authentic tasty Malaysian food and wide variety of mouth watering food menu too. I will definitely come back for more......see you soon 😁

Amazing experience and a very peaceful atmosphere. Best food in the town, very authentic and staff were really friendly. I highly recommend this place for good food.

After spending years trying to find a gluten free Chinese I found this place! First time I ordered was 2 weeks prior, I had the rice noodles as chicken chow main , chips , chicken fried rice and a Malaysian curry -ALL gluten free. Was so happy to return, I had done the same order and double checked over the phone it was again, all gluten free. Which they assured me it all was! Chips came pale and uncooked (vile) and were definatley not salt & pepper as I had requested. The chowmain was NOT gluten free as they had used egg noodles rather than the rice noodles! And the curry was portion sized just about enough to feed a child! I called up and they said they could give me “complimentary” chips next time (lol) as if there would be a next time. Avoid if you are celiac - they’re clearly not as clued on as they make out. I am not angry, I’m just disappointed.

Wow. Just wow. I’m so glad my aunty brought me here - the food is divine!!! Stunning flavours, great menu ( I’m vegan and there are plenty of options! ), lovely staff and swift service.. Highly recommend - I’m already trying to organise a return visit, gorgeous!! Yum yum 💛

Roster duck and BBQ pork are must try. Remember to order in advance.

Very tasty food. Good variety of food to choose from. Great service and polite staff.

Honestly the food was nice. My first outing in Cardiff and I enjoyed every bit of it

16 in our group, each and every one of us were thrilled at the exquisite tastes and a fantastic choice - I’m already organising our next visit

Can't believe it's taken me so long to eat here, incredible Malaysian food. The Roti Canai were a perfect starters before we filled our table with mains. Salted egg King Prawns, Fried Hor Fun with Beef, Kam Heong Chicken, Claypot Aubergine were all stand out dishes. Claypot Pork belly, butter chicken and half duck also delicious. Excellent Jamsine tea with a free refill too. Can't wait to return to work my way through the rest of the menu

the food is so delicious . ive tried nasi lemak for 13£ and rendang for take away. u will get huge portion like on this pict . the atmosphere is good , the place is very clean . Rendang is also yummy . overall 🤌🏼🫰

The pork ribs taste good and the service is also very good.

Really enjoy Happy Lok. One of the few (if not only?) Places that does good Malaysian food. Have been a few times for both lunch and dinner, and have tried a fair few dishes, all have been really good. Lovely staff. Would recommend the roti canai for starters and their curry or hainanese chicken rice for mains.

As a Singaporean, this is very authentic malaysian-chinese food. They even make their own sambal! We had the nasi lemak and bak kut teh, plus their homemade soya and grass jelly drink. On-street parking is plenty available too.

Such good food. Such good service. One of the best dining experiences in Cardiff. We have found our favourite Malay restaurant here.

Amazing food so full of flavour, something very rare especially in the UK! Feel like I am in Malaysia.

We were so happy to find Malayian Rest in Cardiff but on our 2nd visit. The waiting period and the lateness of service was horrible (i am taking about 2hrs later we get our foods on the table after we sat down). The food was ok but with poor quality so we decided never to come back again because there are many more better places to eat elswhere. Demand the best and maybe our foods and services will improve else there will always be no quality. Dont be so cheap!

Happy Lok is a must go! The service is great and its the best place for authentic malaysian food

Amazing service and delicious food! A must go for malaysian food 😋 highly recommend to visit!

Super good malaysian food and tastes soo authentic!!! Gives a nice Malaysian Ambience. Highly recommend the dishes!

Absolutely uncanny to the food, atmosphere and service I have in Malaysia, will return here and order their Steamed Assam fish. Beautiful. Malaysian food at its peak.

I’m Malaysian, and this is the one and only Malaysian restaurant in Cardiff. Food and service here is absolutely amazing, definately a must try, especially their newly added duck claypot dish. MUST TRY 🔥

The food is so delicious and it makes me emotional

The food is peng especially the asam fish ✨everyone come here

Great food and service. Would highly recommend.

The best customer service around. Delicious food as well. So many great items on the menu.

Underwhelming. The food was tasty but nothing special and pretty pricey. The restaurant 'cafe' was a bit grubby, cold and lacking atmosphere. We had to wait until the staff had finished their meal before we could pay.

Absolutely loved the food. The food is reasonably priced and the portion is perfectly filling. The service is amazing. I received a call and had to get out of the restaurant to check something. They put my food in the kitchen and brought it back once I came back. They are very friendly people.

The staff is very friendly and helpful. The service was quick, the food was good quality and flavourful.

Amazing authentic Malaysian Food. Highly recommended.

Love the dishes here, so tasty, you will be spoilt for choice, we even took a takeout of the beef noodles for laters.

Food is quite nice, price is good. Service is brilliant. Yeah, i liked it. Can't fault from my experience.

Authentic asian taste! Worth every penny of ur money

Great food and friendly service. Not the smartest of places but food makes it well worth the visit. Salt and chilli prawns were amazing

Wow, this restaurant is absolutely amazing, from warm and friendly staff, excellent amenities and ambiance; to absolutely divine and delicious food. ****Highly recommended****

Excellent malaysian food in UK. Love it and will come back if there's a chance. Recommend wat tan hor and salted fish pork belly claypot. Ordered 三宝饭 but got char siew, duck and roast chicken, was hoping the chicken could be roast pork instead but it's ok ba, wasn't made aware what was going to be served during order.

Copy of same review i left in April being back twice since and again last night Cannot belive no other reviews since April Great food and value Went with wife both had 3 courses and bottle wine, with a tip £60 great value Food and staff all very good .nearly all the other customers were Chinese/Asian which is always a good sign , yes Defiantly going back Date of visit: April 2023 Aug 11 2023

肉骨茶别有风味。小排骨很赞。非常好的一点是排骨和肉类都是不错的部位而且量较足，不像有些中餐厅会用廉价的部位替代偷工减料。服务非常亲切。需要注意的是前菜的香酥鸭是卷好的鸭肉卷，想吃切块的香酥鸭不要点前菜的鸭子。

Excellent meal - large interesting menu. I particularly recommend the food from the Malaysian specials and chefs specials - lots of interesting and delicious tastes. Very friendly and helpful staff.

Got the roti canai, Nasi lemak and mince pork and aubergine hot pot. Highly recommend it. The taste is brilliant and very filling. Pricing is great.

Amazing service, delicious savoury meals. Top👌

A happy visit at Happy Lok Diner! Was a last minute decision to visit this restaurant for some Malaysian food, was able to walk in and get a seat right away. Service was very good and the menu was diverse. We didn’t have any trouble ordering dishes as the menu was clear with photos of popular dishes too. Food was very good quality and authentic. Overall a very good experience and will definitely visit again.

Lovely people service and food. Nice restaurant. The kung po does need real chillis and less soya sauce though.

Extremely satisfying Malaysian-chinese cuisine in what appears to be a family run establishment. The honey roast pork is excellent, BUT the roast duck is definitely the star. Will be back to sample more.

Absolutely lovely food, no MSG, not greasy or smothered in sauce. Best Chinese/ malay offering in Cardiff.

Such a surprise find, after moving back to Wales from Malaysia after 10 years I was starting to crave alittle Malaysian food. I found this restaurant online and thought it would be nice to try. I was not disappointed, the food excellent and service great. If you are ever in the mood you have to go here.

Fantastic customer service, nice and busy atmosphere. Portion sizes lacked a little. Wish the meat to rice ratio was better for the triple roast, (chicken wings weren’t very big). Girlfriend ordered beef hor fan noodles but there were very little noodles (1/2 of the plate). Would definitely recommend to eat 1.5 dishes per person.

This is an amazing Malaysian restaurant. The staff are very friendly and the Roti was excellent. We really enjoyed it when we came here.

Absolutely disgraceful ordered meal at 7pm still no delivery despite being assured twice that meal was on way. Even if they hadn't lied food would still be cold on arrival of that I have no doubt . NEVER AGAIN DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS TAKEAWAY @@!

Visited on valentines night. Extensive Malaysian menu with something delicious for every requirement. The food is prepared with fresh ingredients and every plate from starter to main course offers something different and packed with flavour. Service is excellent and staff are knowledgeable and attentive. Prices are very good for the excellent food. 100% recommended 👌

Great food served by friendly staff, offering Welsh wine is a nice touch

Great tasting food at a reasonable price. Would come back here again.

As someone from London, who went to university at Warwick, and has eaten at many Malaysian restaurants/establishments between the two places, people in Cardiff have no idea how good they have it. The Roti Canai is better than Roti King’s. Buttery, flaky and served with a delicious curry dip (Roti King’s isn’t very buttery or flaky). Beef Rendang coconutty with complex spices. The Nasi Lemak is fabulous. From the coconut rice to the chicken. My one point of criticism is that I’d prefer to see more anchovies and peanuts going with the fish, but the Sambal Oelek (traditional Malaysian spicy shrimp paste) ordered as a separate sauce is extremely delicious and completes the dish. No doubt the star of the show was the Char Kwey Teoh (Stir Fried Rice Noodles). These… THESE. These stir fried rice noodles were noticeably better than any I’ve had in London and I’ve eaten in places (Rasa Sayang, C&R Cafe, Golden Dragon, Wing Yip Restaurant, Plum Valley) and are the best I’ve had in the UK hands down. Packed with ridiculous flavour and blessed with the most fragrant wok hei I’ve savoured in the UK, it is delectable and to die for. I’ll certainly be back at Happy Lok when I ever return to Cardiff.

Was taken here for my birthday by my family. Had the most amazing time, the welcome was lovely and warm, even had balloons on my table. The service was excellent and very attentive. The food was amazing, being Malaysian there was so many different dishes to choose from, we asked advice on what could be recommended and were very happy with the choices. Would highly recommend Happy Lok Diner to friends and family.

Curry sauce - cold and bland with a jelly texture. Satay skewers - hardly any meat or sauce for £5.80. You get a lot more for your money from other local restaurants. Japanese chicken - rubbery texture with strange after taste, small portion. Prawn crackers/egg fried rice/chips - all good.

My first proper Malaysian - Chinese try. I was happy with the dishes I choose. Very clean and tidy ambiance. Well kept. The food was fresh, hot and tasty. Good portion and worth the price. I would come back again.

Authentic Malaysian cuisine in the town. Surprisingly the best BBQ pork(Char Siu) in the town, as a Charsiu eater for a few decades, I could tell their pork wasn’t colouring by food colouring, instead, they may use the char Siu sauce to season the pork, which is an authentic way to do it. Pork was so tender as well. I will definitely go for a dinner for second time.

good chef, nice staff and tasty Malaysian food

Good Malaysian food and excellent services.

My partner and I had an impromptu visit to Cardiff today and decided to grab a bite to eat. We happened upon this lovely little restaurant and we wete not disappointed. Its not much to look at but the staff are very polite, helpful and friendly. The menu is very good, the food delicious and not a bad price , we will be returning.

Good selection of real tasty vegan food. We’ve been here a number of times and have tried a few of the vegan dishes on the menu including Tofu Rendang, kung po vegan chicken and clay pot aubergine and every time we try something new we find another fave dish. The staff are lovely, so welcoming, helpful and always happy to explain the menu. Highly recommend.

Large menu, lovely mix of Indian and Chinese flavours, exciting menu.

Stunning food! We had a whole sea bass and roast pork with morning glory and rice and every single thing was perfectly made and super fresh! Thank you 💛

Beef Ho Fun was great as well as the roasted pork belly with a perfectly crispy skin. Nasi Lemak was good, but this being our first try of Nasi Lemak we can't compare to previous experiences. The portion sizes are great in my opinion. Sometimes you can be given too much food and this can affect presentation, but we didn't leave overfilled and were satisfied. The staff are attentive and easy-going which made the experience more enjoyable, and the cleanliness was superb. Prices are above average, but this reflects the pride in their cooking and business, which is overall very strong. Would be extra enjoyable with medium sized groups.

Delicious, fresh, tasty food, and with friendly service and a relaxed atmosphere, too. Can highly recommend!

Food was ok, however some of the portions were not. Crispy duck advertised as a quarter duck, it certainly was wasn't. And a plate of plain noodles we were charged £6.20, a huge mark up and totally unacceptable. Disappointing.

Great Malaysian cuisine,cooked perfectly & tasty. Highly recommend this culinary experience.

Delicious food at a good price & friendly staff! Food is consistently great.

We ordered starters which were great. However, after ordering the main course, we realised that the Claypot malayasian spicy chicken was very sour and was not upto our taste and we asked it to be changed. However, the restaurant charged us for that as well and threw away the dish as well that we couldn’t even take it back.

Would give it a higher rating if I could. Have been there a couple of times and tried something different every time, and every single dish has been incredible. The nasi goreng is probably my favorite. And the nasi lemak is also delicious.

Ordered a takeaway from these guys- food came fresh and hot and it was so delicious! Will definitely order again.

Excellent authentic Malaysian food in Cardiff - very delicious and already planning the next visit!

Authentic Malaysian and Chinese Food. Would recommend!

Lovely place and delicious Malaysian Chinese foods.

Went here with some friends for dinner and had a great time. There is so much variety on the menu and every is absolutely delicious, great portion sizes and the staff are super friendly and helpful too. We’ll be back soon!

Food quality was really good, but the serving size was extremely disappointing for the price. I would have given 4 stars, but due to the small portion I'm giving 3.

Friendly Chinese Malaysian dining. It seems like a professionally family run business. The tea came quick, and they were happy to refill with water. The food was served quickly and warm. It was well presented, and the taste was spot on. Overall, it was a pleasant calm experience. The price was reasonable. Happy to visit again.

It's nice to have Malaysian dishes served in Cardiff but because I personally have been to many in and around West Side and London. I have to say the portions given are really frugal. Portions were alright, and the food is considered delicious by UK standards. Location is fairly easy to find with a carpark area just around the corner making it relatively easy for access as well. We were asked for additional £2 if we wanted extra sambal. To give a comparison on the amount given. Picture 2 is what we have in central London. That was the 1 negative we found. But the chicken portion given compensated slightly.

A great place to enjoy superb food

The food is really tasty! I went there with Malaysian friends as they were recommending it. We ordered the meal for “4 or 5 hungry friends” and it was extremely delicious! The atmosphere is cozy and the staff are always keen to help you if you need. Just make sure to book beforehand, especially if you’re going to have a dinner there.

The Malaysian food is very authentic as is the Chinese food. The portions were very generous and the crispy pork cooked to perfection. We will deffo return! Anyone looking for a good taste of the Orient look no further than here!

Came here spontaneously and really glad I did. One or two minor things I thought could've been better but that's me being fussy. I will be back for the Nasi Lemak for sure.

Very, very good! We just had the most delicious, good value and courteous service of Malaysian Chinese food of our stay in UK - Hor Fun, CKT, Salted Egg Prawns and Stir Fried Bok Choi. It was in Cardiff - at Happy Lok Diner Unfortunately we gobbled everything, no photo

Very friendly staff. Lots of choices on the menu.

Food is amazing! Best Malaysian food ever

Good staff helpfully good range of food