I love this place. A few things to note before you visit. To have lunch here, it is a temple so you will need a membership. The ladies at the front desk are super nice so they'll help you with a membership. You can pay for the year or pay per quarter. They only accept cash. The membership is also good because it allows you to take activities like yoga on the weekends. This is a temple so when you go in you do have to be respectful if they are in prayer- they will not let you walk in the area where there is prayer but will let you know once it's over so you can pass. It works by ticket system. So for any dish or drink, you need a ticket. You can buy the tickets with cash before you enter the cafe. I highly recommend the laksa and any of the fruit teas. They even give you toothpicks so you can eat the fruit once you're done with the tea. A tip for the tea: have 3-4cups and ask them to refill with hot water. You can ask for hot water refills as many times as you want so make sure not to drink all of the tea so you can dilute it and savour it. The food here is all vegan and vegetarian (some items have milk). Their laksa with rice noodles is my favourite. There is mock seafood and fish balls in there and is absolutely filling and satisfying read more

See all

Interesting enough the Buddhist temple has noodle / snack shop. It is members only and membership is $30 a year. I just join on July and hence half year cost $15. All food has to buy ticket at the front desk. Each ticket costs $12 and can buy 1 item in the teahouse. The servers are very nice and kind. The place is very clean. I ordered 2 types of cold noodles and both are very nice. Ice cream waffle is a hit with fresh mango. The spicy noodle has Thai curry soup which is very delicious. It is very worth as you just need to give the ticket to the server and that's it. read more

See all

This hidden gem is within the Fo Guang Shan monastery temple in Mississauga. You need to be a member to buy coupons. Each coupon is $12 and gets you one dish. With 4 coupons we each had a different type of noodle and Laksa and shared a gorgeous fruit tea. The food was tasty and hot and holistic. The ambience is simple but practical and the service is friendly and efficient. The ingredients are fresh and the menu is entirely vegetarian. The money also supports the cause so highly recommended. read more

Water Drop Teahouse - Laksa with noodle, cold sesame noodles, vegetable soup with rice noodles - Vegetarian Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

My mom suggested coming here because they offer a fully vegetarian menu (which was super exciting, as I am a vegetarian). We ordered the fresh fruit tea, which was very good but also very sweet. We asked for more water to dilute the tea; if you come you may want to ask for 50% sugar. For food, we ordered the laksa noodles and the "beef" rice noodles. Both were incredibly delicious, and came with a hearty portion of all ingredients. The mock fish balls tasted exactly like I remember fish balls to taste like! The amount of food you get is definitely worth the amount of money you're paying ($10 per dish). I loved coming to this restaurant because it's an extension of the Buddhist temple, so you know that the money is going to a good cause. The servers are all volunteers of the temple, and were all so friendly and helpful. They are fluent in Chinese and English, so they can cater to a wide variety of customers. One thing to note is that you need to pay a membership to the temple to get into the restaurant. Additionally, you pay for food vouchers up front, and give the vouchers to your server when ordering. You do not pay at the end, and there's no tip or tax included; any item at this restaurant is $10 (at the time that we went). Verdict: I honestly cannot wait to come back here and try everything on the menu! read more

Water Drop Teahouse - Laksa noodles - Vegetarian Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

See all

Beautiful tea house by a monastery, it's a vegetarian place with some comforting options. They have quite some good tea options to choose from. read more

When my Canadian friend asked me, do you want to eat laksa noodle, I enthusiastically nodded yes. I expected to be taken to some little SE Asia eatery, but was surprised when we ended up parking at a temple. I am no stranger to Fo Guang Shan, they have two temples in Florida; in fact I associate them with delicious authentic Chinese food - at least that was partly what drew me to their Sunday services in the beginning... It's a tranquil, calming place to eat in, service is courteous. It's a small menu, with some noodles and other snacks. Food is healthy and delicious. The laksa may lack the aroma of crab or shrimp but tasty in a different way. My favorite though, as others have mentioned, is their fruit tea. I've never tried any tea so delicious! There are real chunks of fruit inside and the flavor is just slightly sweet and not overly sour. We kept drinking and the staff kept refilling till we steeped all flavors out. read more

Who would have thought a delicious vegetarian restaurant is located inside a temple? This is a great place for all veggie lovers whether you are religious or not. All items are $7 and you buy these 'tickets' outside in reception and exchange for what you order. The popular items are the vegetarian laksa and the mock beef in noodle soup. Both of these items are spicy but you can ask for less spicy if you wish. Soupy noodles seem to be their specialty but they also have waffles and sandwiches too. Highly recommend drinking their Fresh Fruits tea as well! You can refill but obviously it will dilute in flavour over time. Ask for toothpicks to eat the fruit! read more

Water Drop Teahouse - Mock beef in noodle soup. In the back, vegetarian laksa. - Vegetarian Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

To add to my review, DO NOT skip out on the tea while you're getting something to eat! As I've tried most, if not all, of their noodle dishes, the tea is what keeps me coming back. I've tried: Fruit Tea, Dried Fruit Tea, Tangerine, & today, their Special Oolong. All very good and refillable! All the fruit ones are on the sweeter side while the oolong was very nice and there was enough leaves for 3 refills. Tip: Like others have said, go early if you want to get the Laksa. "Rice Noodle" looks more like a vermicelli to me. It's coconut milk based and it is spicy, so keep that in mind! read more

Water Drop Teahouse - Vegetable Noodle Soup - I wanted laksa the last coupla times and missed it! None left by 1pm. :( - Vegetarian Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

In order to dine at the Tea House, you need a $30 membership first. Each dish or tea serving is $10. Shelling out $60 for 2 laksas and 1 tea serving felt a bit pricey. However, the laksa is amazing! The broth is flavorful, and has a sesame smell to it. The imitation meat is also really delicious. The fruit tea itself wasn't that great, too sweet. It tasted like those pineapple chunks that you get in a tin can. Overall I enjoyed the experience and will be back for the laksa. read more

It's unfortunate that a membership is required to eat at the restaurant however given the quality of the food and service there, it's definitely not something I mind paying. If you can go a few times a year, I think the membership cost justifies it since the prices are $7 per item. And plus you get to eat in a temple! Their menu is fairly simple and doesn't have a lot of options (there are more tea options than meal dishes). You order meal tickets at the front desk when you first enter and each item on the menu is worth one ticket. We ordered the lemon ginger tea and the vegetarian Laksa noodles. Food didn't take too long to come and our waitress responded very quickly to our requests despite it being busy. The tea was really flavourful and unlike anything I've ever had before. The ginger taste wasn't overwhelming and the lemon honey balanced it out well. There isn't a lot in the little pot but you can ask for free refills of hot water. The Laksa noodle is the best I've had in Canada, the broth was the right amount of sour and spicy and some of the tofu accessories tasted better than meat counterparts I've had before. Initially the portion size looked a little small but at the end, I realized it was just the perfect amount because I left not hungry nor bloated. The other noodle dishes also looked delicious as well and I plan on returning to try the rest of their teas/noodle dishes. read more

Water Drop Teahouse - Their menu has a page explaining the story of the Lotus Tea House. - Vegetarian Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

See all

WOW!!! Never though to go to eat at a temple. Its a beautiful Buddhist temple. The architecture of the building is beautiful as it looks and feels like a temple. They have some fascinating things outside before you make your way in. Once you get in there is a huge hall for prayers and on your right you have all vegetarian cafe/restaurant. The Restaurant is reasonably priced. Basically they have a ticket system and I believe its $5 or $7 bucks and with that ticket you can order any one item from the menu. The food is all Vegetarian and very tasty. I had the spicy rice noddle soup and trust me the portion was great and it wasn't just soup. The noddles and vegetables were in their full potential. I got another ticket to get their fruit tea.... and make sure you get it as its to die for. I near head such a fruity tea. The service was great and make sure during office lunch time you get there earlier as it could get busy. All in all its a great place to visit and have a meal. read more

See all

Lotus Tea House is located in a temple called Fo Guang Shan Temple. Atmosphere is nice. The menu selection is quite small, but I don't mind. It's a nice place to rest and eat while in the temple. It does however close quite early. I definitely recommend to try the fruit tea!! Sweet and delish. Be sure to have a look around the temple as well!! The main shrine is beautiful and there is a mini museum upstairs. **Every item on the menu is $7 and you are required to buy food tickets before entering the restaurant. Tickets can be bought at one of the front desks near the entrance of the temple. read more

Water Drop Teahouse - Lotus Tea House is located in a temple called Fo Guang Shan Temple. Atmosphere is nice. - Vegetarian Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

I had the most amazing lunch with their popular Laksa dish and fresh fruit tea. I felt the lunch was prepared with love and served with smile. They played beautiful and calm instrumental music (sort of meditation music found on YouTube) which relaxes you and brings positive thoughts. According to the friendly volunteers at the restaurant (servers, chef etc. all are volunteers) they are the only one that serve fresh fruit tea in Canada. Every dish here is for $7. I still have the taste of delicious vegetarian Laksa in my mouth. I know I will be back here very soon. My only regret-why I didn't come here any sooner. I'll leave you with a beautiful quote found on the menu of this restaurant - "A Kindness Received Is Returned Many Times Over". read more

Water Drop Teahouse - Popular and the bestest Laksa dish at Lotus Tea House. I'm already craving this. - Vegetarian Near Me - Mississauga, Ontario

See all

Membership fee?? Just to eat lunch? I love the Lotus Tea House and I go there often for great food, but today I was asked to buy a 30$ membership plus they raised their prices to $10 per item. I left disappointed. Im not sure if I will ever go back. The Lotus Tea House is inside a Budhist Temple. I'm pretty sure the Teachings of the Budha are not in line with the new mandatory membership policy. Extremely disappointed. I hope the Temple committee see these reviews and reverse their policy. read more

Um.... How come no one mention anything about the $30 a year membership? I thought I went to a gym because I heard the word membership. $30 a year was not bad because if you go often its only few dollar extra each meal. I used to come here to eat occasionally because the food was quite amazing and I like their taro milk tea. However, recently the receptionist told me as of their new policy, only member can buy food tickets for the restaurant, so I just went elsewhere to eat... I guess you just need to find a person who is member and get tickets for you Since, nowadays it needs a membership in order to eat, I give them 3 stars because I can't justify myself spending extra $30 to just eat couple times a year. It is quite discouraging for me to go anymore..... read more

Yes, you require a membership (or need to go with a member) in order to dine here. However, the money goes to the temple - and that's always a good thing. :) The tea house is run by volunteers, and has a nice calm, warm atmosphere. Best laksa I've ever had in Canada (it's the closest thing I can get to a laksa in Malaysia). read more

My love for vegetarian food is pretty huge but I hardly ever get to try it out. Much to my surprise, I was told by a colleague that the nearby Buddhist temple has a restaurant inside. I nearly fell off my seat and was so excited that I arrived there the next day to try it out. In an incredibly tranquil and serene setting, you walk in and you're overwhelmed by huge vast prayer room in front of you. The restaurant is spotless and has a lot of natural light coming through. It's quite intimate and not really made for big groups but I've seen a few tables pushed together when needed. Though the actual restaurant is off to your right, you need to pay upfront at the welcome desk off to the left of the prayer room. All plates are $7 (no tax or tip needed!!) and you can opt for extras such as pots of tea, waffles, or other drinks. The menu is simple but it's true Asian comfort food at it's best. Soups are free of MSG and strong overwhelming spices. Instead you taste pure flavours of vegetables with the spices playing nicely. No indigestion or heartburn here. Between two visits, I ordered the mock duck meat soup (seitan) with a small amount of fresh Asian vegetables in a spicy tomato broth and a curry seitan with steamed broccoli over rice. Both dishes had great flavour and the vegetables were perfectly done. No floppy overcooked vegetables ... they were bright green and retained a nice al dente crunch. The seitans are decent and not overly rubbery. They weren't the best ones I've ever had but I'd be happy to eat them again. The size of the dishes reflect the prices. They were decently portioned but for someone who is used to eating larger sizes, they might be on the small side for you. Personally, I'd like to eat more green vegetables and have less rice/noodle to fill me up. I found the balance between vegetables and starch a little off. The flavours are wonderful and felt nourishing. The service is possibly the happiest I've seen anywhere. They're genuinely smiling and if it wasn't a temple, I'm sure they'd be skipping and whistling as well. read more

This place has been here for awhile and I've actually returned for years after years, back when their prices were still 5 dollars a ticket! Now you need to pay $30 annual membership to buy the tickets that are now $8 per ticket. All the items on the menu are $8 and you will need to buy the tickets at the reception of the Temple with your membership. The red noodle soup and laksa is their signatures for sure. Everything is vegetarian at the Temple and despite that, it doesn't taste as terrible as one would think. An avid meat eater myself - I find this place very tasty and always returning to eat. Their fresh fruit tea and tangerine tea is very good as well. I would strongly recommend to try it as it is indeed well steeped to get the flavour out. When I have the chance - I try to get it if I can. Very good to end the meal with! read more

Had a healthy and yummy lunch here yesterday. We had laksa, mock beef noodle, sesame cold noodle, toasted sandwich with mushroom and corn, and fruit tea. The fruit was marvelous. It had dried pineapple, grapefruit and apple. Everything is $7 each, and it is worth every penny. Ticket for the food is available at the front desk. Servers are very friendly and they are all volunteers. My hat is off to them read more

See all

Hands down, the best Laksa in the GTA that I have had! The location is inside of a Buddhist temple where you are free to browse around after you eat. I discovered this place when my manager took me for lunch as he had hookups to tickets because his wife taught Arts and Crafts at the temple during Saturdays. You can buy tickets at the front though if you do not already have tickets, the ladies who work there are very friendly and all smiles. Please note that it is cash only, so do come prepared! The food is all vegetarian and MSG-free. I was blown away. I've had Laksa before, namely at other Malaysian restaurants (including the ever-so-popular Restoran Malaysia), but nothing has ever come close to just how they make the soup! Even though there is no meat whatsoever, it was very satisfying (that is saying a lot from the little meat-eater I am). The tofu and fishcakes make excellent subsitutes! WHO KNEW VEGETARIAN FOOD COULD BE SO FLAVOURFUL AND GOOD? I also recommend the fruit tea, which is naturally sweetened and just perfect. I was skeptical, but it was really just amazing. I cannot say enough great things about this underrated hidden gem. You are provided with toothpicks to eat the REAL fruit inside the tea after or while you drink the tea should you choose to. It is perfectly sweet, with full of fruity flavour that did not taste artificial at all. I had a lot of fun exploring the history and buddhist culture after my meal, def a 5/5 for this restaurant. read more

Who knew that you could get vegetarian laksa in Canada?! I came here with my family and my aunt, my sister and I all ordered our own bowl EACH. Laksa is a spicy noodle soup of Perenakan culture - a fusion between Chinese and Malay. It normally consists of fish cakes and prawns to top your rice vermicelli, but the version at this teahouse includes soft tofu cakes and soy balls embedded with vegetables. The best part is drinking the spicy soup; it warms the tummy and you feel stuffed after you're done! read more

Not one thing to complain about this place. Feels like home to me, as growing up I was often at the temple. Great vegetarian options, cheap, and for a great cause! Honestly the best Laksa Noodles I've ever had!! read more

See all

Beyond the beautiful aesthetic of this temple, the Lotus Tea House located therein boasts some of the most wonderful teas and soups in the GTA. Be sure to order a Fresh Fruit Tea with your lunch! Also, I'd advise going in earlier (rather than later) during the lunch hours if you want some of their coveted Laksa soup. In the unlucky event where they run out of it, I usually opt for the red soup with rice noodles! read more

I had the laksa noodles and it was great! The soup was rich but not overpowering, and the service was nice as well. I came with a friend who had the membership. read more

Very interesting place to have a meal inside a temple it's not what you would except, I was pleasantly suprised at how nice the atmosphere was. They could have had some more parking spaces that's the only issue I had otherwise it was a great meal I would recommend checking it out read more

So we made the trip out to find a great vegetarian restaurant..... and finally! We found this place thought it be cool to dine in a temple, but when we got there we couldn't get in because apparently you need to be a member to dine there. The membership costs like 30.00 a month! Crazy! This place is not open to the public people!! Just a heads up. MEH! It's unfortunate! read more

Lotus Tea House is located in a temple called Fo Guang Shan Toronto Temple. A membership is required to eat at the tea house, due to this is not a restaurant and all who serve there are volunteers and provide quality of food and service; with the membership, you can do more than just the food at the Temple. You purchase the meal tickets at the front desk and all items on the menu are same price. The Vegetarian Laksa noodle is the best in Canada, spicy rice noddle soup and the portion was just the perfect amount. The fruit and tangerine tea, there are real chunks of fruit inside and full of flavor, make sure to ask to refilling the water, so can steeped all flavors out. Great vegetarian options, unbeatable price, and for a great cause! read more

Awesome! The best vegetarian/vegan noodle house in town. Must be a member to purchase

Awesome Vegetarian food. Will keep coming back here. This is a hidden gem inside Buddhist temple. Food is delicious hygienic and organic. The best part is its all vegetarian. Everything is just one price and it's big serving. read more

It feel so disappointed, when you are hungry, they told you that you must buy a membership. I know the restaurant was held for collecting money for temple, but membership is not a good idea, you push the customers away read more

You now have to have a membership to the temple to eat in the Tea House, and the lunch is $10, but it is still amazing food!!!

My parents and I read the write-up in The Toronto Star dated may 28, 2009 and finally visited this beautiful Buddhist temple in Mississauga. The outside of this building is attractive in itself but inside the worship room is gorgeous. The tea room is to the right of the front door and one must purchase $7.00 coupons for each item before placing your order (each item is $7.00 whether it be your curry or your tea). Temple staff are so joyous and your meal arrives quickly. There is no tipping and no tax (not for profit). The menu is limited but more than ample. We shared the coconut curry soup (which was my favourite), noodle with bean sauce (which my parents were keen on) and rice noodle in red-cooked soup with a pot of rosehip tea. Would definitely return. Tuesday - Friday - 11 to 5 p.m., Saturday/Sunday 11-4:30 Closed Mondays. 905-814-0465 Cash only, no credit cards wheelchair access read more

Came here often, just upset thay we need to be a member now and pay 30$ a year just to eat at their restaurant . Not only that, but they raised their prices too! This is not right.. You shouldn't force anyone to be a member, it should be an option. read more

I love this place. The tofu tastes like meat. I always get the fresh fruit tea because you can eat the fruits after finishing drinking it and it tastes sweet. But it's more worth the money if there's more people in your party when you get tea because it's not cheap and you can share one pot. read more

This is a membership only place ($30 per year). So unless you are a die hard fan of their food (which is good), look elsewhere. On to the food. They have a very innovative style of food -- all vegitarian but some with meat flavors. The most famous one is the fruit tea, which was a little too sweet for me but most people like it. While the food is good, it's not worth the membership fee and the $10 per item. Sorry! Lotus tea house, you lost one more. Some people just don't understand the second order effects of their decisions. Let's see how long this membership fee scheme remains in force. read more

Complete rip off! I have been many times to this temple and truly enjoyed the food and ambience. I decided to visit today as I was craving their soup ( after their one month reno) only to be asked what "member" I was. Yes unfortunately this peaceful place has now turned into a consumer money grab. In order to eat at their tea house, you are now expected to PAY an annual fee of $30 to eat there! And their prices have now increased to $10 a coupon! The "membership" btw does not get you any discounts. Looks like they have realized their popularity and now are just being greedy! We left in complete disbelief that a temple could charge a membership to eat! Not very zen like! we have advised all others at our work to avoid this greedy establishment. Completely disappointed that a place of peace and zen would stoop to such low levels. Avoid! Avoid! read more