Best of Toronto
The Best Chinese Restaurants in Toronto
The best Chinese restaurants in Toronto tend to be found on Dundas, Spadina or north of the 401. In fact, it has become conventional wisdom that to get the best szechuan, Cantonese or other variation of Chinese food in the city a trip to Markham or Thornhill is all but essential.
In downtown Toronto there are three main destinations for Chinese cuisine - the original Chinatown on Dundas between Bay and University, the largest Chinatown on Spadina on and around Dundas and the often overlooked East Chinatown near Broadview and Gerrard. All three areas are represented on this list. For the best chinese restaurants outside of the downtown core keep an eye out on this site for a separate best of list later this year.
The poor reputation of Chinese restaurants on Dundas and Spadina are not entirely undeserved. Many will remember the notorious rat sighting incidents at the Dumpling House and Happy Seven in 2008. The same year the popular Swatow shut down after being cited for numerous health and sanitation related infractions. It all led us to wonder where in Chinatown we could go for a guaranteed rat free meal?
A quick glance at the windows on Spadina will turn up the usual assortment of hanging ducks and roasted swine but there's more to these collection of restaurants than what initially meets the eye. Think unlimited pots of steaming-hot tea, family-style portions that can be shared among friends and increasingly stylish (and clean!) establishments that routinely pack in diners for lunch, dinner, dim sum and 3am eats (sometimes with cold tea available).
More common are Chinese restaurants catering to vegetarians with tofu and mock meat featured prominently on the menu. And then there are specialty purveyors who are best frequented only for dim sum, dumplings or a lobster special.
Whatever you're looking for, it's probably represented on this list of the 15 best Chinese restaurants in Toronto.
Top photos by Peter Grevstad, Dubes and Neilta from the blogTO Flickr Pool.
Mother's Dumplings
The secret has long been out for this basement restaurant near Dundas and Huron. Inside, the kitchen cooks up the city's best steamed dumplings and nourishing soupy noodles, all made fresh and by hand throughout the day. More »
Lai Wah Heen
Long regarded as Toronto's best Chinese restaurant (especially for dim sum), Lai Wah Heen will cost you more than any other place on this list. Found on the second floor of the Metropolitan Hotel, it attracts tourists, well-heeled patrons and those who just can't get enough of the chefs creative take on traditional Cantonese cuisine. More »
Spadina Garden
It may only be a stones throw from Lai Wah Heen but the vibe and price points here are way more downscale. It's a good thing that the owners don't skimp on quality though and it shows in their tasty and wide ranging menu of Cantonese, Pekin and Sichuan cuisine. For a decent alternative, it's also worth trying Garden restaurant across the street. More »
Lee Garden
One of the longest-running restaurants in Chinatown, Lee Garden continues to attract lineups all through the night. Locals, tourists and hungry students all gather here. Be sure to have someone who can read Chinese fill you in on the daily specials and bargain set dinners. They have some of the best red bean soup dessert in Chinatown, free-of-charge to those who know how to ask for it! More »
King Noodle House
This noodle joint has been around for decades and has recently gone through a welcomed face lift. They serve typical Cantonese style fast food - soup egg noodles with wonton, congee and BBQ rice dishes. It's the ideal spot for a quick lunch if you don’t mind the lineups. More »
Rol San
With their bright red sign screaming cheap dim sum, Rol San still attracts the crowds. This is one of the best places to go to late at night (2-4am) when both the front and back rooms are jam packed with hungry revelers hoping to prolong the fun and ward off the looming hangover in the morning. Don't leave without ordering the pan fried turnip cake. More »
New Ho King
Dependable and dirt cheap, New Ho King has filled the role of the quintessential Chinatown institution for decades. Another popular late-night haunt for the post-club/bar-hopping crowd plus those in need of a General Tso’s combo at 4am. This 24 hour restaurant has long been on U of T students' speed dial. More »
Kom Jug Yuen
This unassuming spot is a regular hangout for white-haired grannies and grandpas seeking out senior’s deals after their daily stroll around the 'hood. It's definitely an old school restaurant but it has its charms and still manages to pull in the crowds for a cheap and filling lunch. More »
New Sky Restaurant
When I think of New Sky I flash back to childhood memories of banging chopsticks, spilling tea and poking holes into plastic table coverings. This is a classic destination for large groups and family gatherings. More »
E-Pan
Defying the standard big portion, cheap prices motto of most Chinatown restaurants, E-Pan offers quality dishes for a bit above the standard Spadina price tag. What you get is a wide range of fresh steamed fish and innovative Cantonese cuisine. More »
Simon's Wok
This vegetarian haven in East Chinatown is a great alternative for non carnivores and curious omnivores who dig mock meat fare like beef, chicken and pork that contains no animal products. Servers are friendly, but English is limited, so don't expect much explanation to go along with menu items like Assorted Wheat Gluten. A word to the wise - their vegetarian chow mein is possibly the best in town, and their Special Homemade Bean Curd Roll is a must! More »
Gold Stone Noodle
There's more to noodles at this long standing Spadina Avenue destination. You can pretty much get anything you want from their 400 item menu from standard soup and, yes, fried noodles to Hong Kong diner classics. Portions are huge and prices are low. More »
Chinese Traditional Buns
As fate would have it, subterranean restaurants have found a way to top and end this list. But don't be one of those people put off by low ceiling and less than ideal natural light. Traditional Chinese Buns more than makes up for their basic surroundings with excellent Xian pulled-pork sandwiches and savoury dan dan noodles in a toasted peanut-based sauce. More »
Discussion
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The lack of Swatow on this list is crazy, and I would eat at Asian Legend over half of this list as well.
Why not a list of the best McDonalds next??
Chinese is Chinese is Chinese.
Or a list with which uses the most MSG?
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Clearly you know nothing about Chinese food.
How about you go back to the Mandarin Buffet and have more chicken balls.
or Spring Villa, or Sam Woos?
That silly Panda!
I don't see a problem with a list that is the best of all Chinese cuisine -- basically, every restaurant on the list does the best in its respective area. Look beyond the trees.
Dumpling House over Mother's Dumplings? You gotta be kidding me...
I have never in all the years I've been going to MD had one poor meal and anyone I have ever taken there has always said they will be going back.
The thing with Kom Jug Yuen is, it's cheap and for the most part pretty decent. Just some people tend to think of it as a hole when they come for the first time. The old guy always rockin' different hats. The upside down baseball hat/visor is a personal fav.
i found mother's dumpling kind of overrated. the siu long bao (soup dumplings) didn't have enough soup (or space for the soup) and the beef pancake was overly salty. i did like their dill and pork dumplings. but other than that the flavour of their dumplings are mediocre. but i guess that's what you get for downtown toronto.
I haven't eaten in china town since the garbage strike. Don't plan to till at least next spring.
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Great. Thanks for letting us know how irrational you are.
Also, I agree with the first comment...the exclusion of a Markham or Pacific Mall area restaurant is slightly disappointing.
If these truly are the best, then how come there are so many bluntly negative comments about them?
There are so many different types of Chinese food on the list it's virtually meaningless.
You should have had different categories for different regions and styles.
And downtown vs uptown vs outskirts.
And then under each restaurant you pick for the top 15, have an agree/disagree button so we can all express our opinions on your choices.
Nice try, but it clearly ain't working for any of us.
My vote goes to NHK for dirt cheap, E-Pan for cheapish quality and Rol San for Dim Sum. Still need to get my butt to LWH or LTH.
Yeesh.
Lai Wah Heen is the only restaurant that deserves to be on this list.
And I don't know why they don't say it, but I'm pretty sure "we" (blogTO readers) voted on this list, I know I did. So to complain about the selection is a comment on readers, not blogTO itself.
Not true. The author compiles the list.
Tell that to the thousands of Asian people who eat in Chinatown every day. You have no idea what you are talking about.
Also, from the list, all are the restaurants specialize in southern chinese cuisine (HK, Guangdong, Fujian). All of the restaurants are cantonese based (with probably the exception of E-Pan (which means "All Things/Everything/Something close to that" in Mandarin)). So, calling it 'Chinese' in the all-encompassing sense is a bit of a stretch.
That said, this list is a freaking undertaking that focuses on the popular foods in typical cuisine. It's hard to pick out who's best for noodles, dim sum, congee, seafood, etc. that this region is known for.
Excellent try. I've been to all but two of the restaurants, and most of them (I think) deserve to be on the list and are quite good at what they specialize in. But try to remember, no restaurant is going to be quite as good or authentic (which can be terrible) as the homeland.
Do YOU know what you're talking about? What is the difference between the Asian diners in Chinatown and the ones in Markham/Agincourt/Richmond Hill, anyway?
A La in Markham has delicious Shanghainese food.
Or Ho Lee Chow for that matter?
How can this list be taken seriously?
Plenty of them in the core to choose from.
And they even have signs indicating no MSG.
Cant say that for all the others.
Or rats.
For a special occasion, Lai Wah Heen has a fantastic two-course Peking Duck which is more than enough for a meal for two people.
I have definitely never had a bad meal at Mother's Dumplings in the years I have been going, especially the pork and dill ones. The fried dumplings are less than impressive, so I skip them. And buying their frozen dumplings to take home is also great.
I support the idea of including dim sum in breakfast lists! Why don't you nominate one next time?
I wish BlogTO would just freakin' include that disclaimer on every post. They're giving commentators unnecessary headaches.
*Europe* is a continent. The list you describe would be a Best of Asian Cuisine, and it'd include Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, etc., all lumped together. But I've never seen a list like that.
China isn't special. The food is great and there's not only variety, but variety that has big differences, but it doesn't mean people should have to compose 15 different painstaking lists to placate your sense of importance. Look at mr hate's suggestion: Practical? No.
That was my point, there is no difference.
Who cares if gwai lo eat lemon chicken? I'm not eating it, and anyway, why would I care if "stupid" white people don't know the good things? They're, by our definition, stupid.
And anyway, you already know that Chinese food is great. Why do you feel the need to go out and trumpet this fact, and stamp on people who just don't appreciate all the nuances of regional cuisines? You're just as right staying home and keeping your attitude to yourself.
Like I said, I do think Chinese food is great, and definitely the greatest. But I just accept that a lot of people don't know everything, because they didn't have the benefit of being fed it every day while growing up, and it's just a beginning to perhaps more refined appreciation. And if they like sweet and sour pork, so what? If it's tasty, it's good food. "Authentic" food is only often better because its preparation is more careful and thorough, with superior ingredients and a finer understanding of how they all interact to create a great dish.
Your dismissive superiority is foul.
wow, that was nasty that you were calling white people stupid... i only said the lemon chicken was stupid.. that's not nice of you...
quoted for the truth
But ... they AREN'T. They're their own places. What's wrong with that?!
Toronto is plenty too big enough now that it's a megacity that has swallowed up the likes of Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough. I live in North York and recognize the stronger foundations that were laid here when it was its own city than are in the works today.
I don't get why anyone would WANT Markham or Richmond Hill to become part of Toronto. That, to me, is far more ridiculous than the facts I was citing.
One thing to remember is that the "Best Of Toronto" series, I have a hunch, is in part all about SEO etc., allowing Google results to bring eyeballs to this site.
I don't wish blogTO or its team any ill will, but since I have the same "are you effing serious?" reaction to these "Best of" lists, well, here I am.
BTW, I had a great time writing for this blog when I did, between fall 2006 through 2007, which consisted mostly of previewing and reviewing music events and shows etc. of the non-Toronto-centric/CBC Radio 3 buzz band/indie rock variety -- of which I still see little to no coverage on blogTO or Torontoist, I might add. (Aside: And what's up with a music profile series called Call and Response that I've never seen profile one of the city's, say, African music/percussion groups, or even a hip-hop act that uses this technique -- i.e. actual call and response chants/musical dialogues etc.)
Thanks
thank you very much
Here are three suggestions worth trying:
Congee Wong at Leslie and Finch
Congee Queen at Don Mills and Lawrence
Asian Legend at Leslie and Finch OR on Dundas between Beverley/St. George and Spadina OR and on Yonge south of Finch
Their dry noodle are to die for
AND
Lee Gardens 331 Spadina
Worst Chinese: Dynasty Chinese Cuisine 69 Yorkville Ave. (formerly 131 Bloor location)
Basically if Rob Ford is not your mayor (nothing to boast about really) than you are NOTTT part of Toronto. They are all lovely places just not part of Toronto. So don't whine that BlogTO didn't inlcude your restaurants because the TO in BlogTO stands for the city it represents.
Start a BlogVaughan or BlogPeel. >_<
And to the idiot who suggested Manchu Wok is added to this list, just pour some sweet & sour sauce and salt on a piece of white bread and call it a day. Because that's all you are really getting there.
cheers
writing about it al in my blog
http://asianfoodtoronto.wordpress.com/
On the positive side, delivery was prompt.