Our Faves

Good Chinese food for locals + visitors alike

Rated this place:

It's one of the rare Chinese restaurants in Chinatown where you feel comfortable ordering in English, where the waiters will speak back to you in English and where you don't have to yell to get their attention. That's probably why they're usually packed at all times with locals and visitors stopping in for a bite.

They offer a huge menu of traditional Chinese dishes for all kinds of palettes and budgets, from spicy to soupy, $4 congee to $10+ fried noodle dishes. It's definitely not the cheapest place to eat in Chinatown but something keeps bringing people back.

Their "char siu" or BBQ pork is good though the sauce might have more to do with the flavour than the meat itself. The preserved egg and pork congee is hit-or-miss but it can be worth the risk when it's a "hit," making the perfect Sunday lunch with a plate of fried savoury donut fritters on the side.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Chinese food
• late night Chinese food
• char siu
• bbq pork

Szechwan

Rated this place:

The General Tsao’s is fantastic and the hot and sour soup is the best!

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Szechwan

Chinese soup noodle and eggplant and port dish

Rated this place:

Soup noodles w/ bbq port and veggies or beef brisket w/ a few sticks of chinese donuts (salty, not sweet). delicious and cheap!

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• chinese soup noodle and eggplant and port dish

Chinese food

Rated this place:

No frills, awesome value! Fast service, fresh food, great prices. I love the Beef w/ vegetables on rice... and the Shrimp Dumpling soup. Delish!

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Chinese food

Late night chinese food

Rated this place:

Tried and tested many many times, this a personal fave of myself and all my party animal friends. The place isn't that big, so you'll probably have to wait for a table if you show up after 1am. But it's worth it, I recommend everything on the menu, the fried spicy squid is especially good after a night of drinking :D

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• late night Chinese food

Late night food

Rated this place:

Good food, cheap, anytime, all the time. The vibe is always amped, as just about all of Swatow's patrons are either heading out, or calling it a night. I recommend the lemon chicken, and the fried wontons (pictured). On Spadina, east side, north of Dundas, look for the lineup - they know where it's at.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Late night food

Chinese restaurant

Rated this place:

General Tsao Chicken - look no further.

General tso chicken

Rated this place:

A friend told me I needed to try this and man was she right! Very generous portion of crispy breaded chicken covered in a great sauce with just enough spice. Order a plain white rice to go with it, perfect combo.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• General Tso Chicken

Late night chinese food

Rated this place:

Great food, fast service, great friendly staff, fun scene. Forget all the others. The General Tso chicken would make any military leader proud. Not sure what is takes to get a chicken dish named after you but this one is worth overthrowing a government for.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• late night Chinese food

After-club restaurant

Rated this place:

As the clubs begin to close their doors, the lines grow at the doors of the Chinese restaurants along Spadina. But there's only place worthy of waiting: Swatow. The food is delicious that just hits the spot for that booze-filled stomach.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• After-Club Restaurant