Our story

1962: Mr Happy opens the doors

In 1962, a man everyone knew as "Mr Happy" opened Canberra's first Chinese restaurant — down a flight of stairs into a basement on Garema Place. It's the same basement the restaurant still occupies today, more than six decades later.

Third generation: Gavin

Mr Happy's grandson, Gavin, now runs the restaurant — the third generation of the same family to do so, in the same location his grandfather chose. On the dining room wall, a mural of the Great Wall of China, painted by a former chef, has watched over decades of regulars.

In the press

Happy's has been written up more than once as a Canberra institution. A few pieces worth reading:

• SBS Food — Four generations of happy memories at this Chinese restaurant in Canberra
• Region (formerly RiotACT) — Happiness runs in the family of Canberra's oldest Chinese restaurant
• The Canberra Times — Restaurant review: A sense of deja vu at Happy's Chinese Restaurant