Cathy MerrittEvery person in our team has a soft spot for Chinese food. Toronto is quite stacked with Chinese restaurants. There are over 500 joints in the city for post-booze noodles, steamy dumplings, glazed roast ducks, and other flavour bombs.
The tricky part is picking one worthy of your cash. So we spent the last months digging into hot pots and buns for “research.”
Now with full bellies, we give you our recommended Chinese restaurants below!
How We Chose the Best Chinese Restaurants in Toronto
Dim Sum King Seafood Restaurant
From dimsumkingto
Address: Maindale Hall, 421 Dundas St W, 3rd floor
Contact Details: +1 416-551-3366
Operating Hours: Daily – 9 am to 9:45 pm
“They honour the classics” was the first thought I had walking into Dim Sum King. Their appetizing steamed dim sum, headlined by shrimp dumplings, were traditional, rolled out the old-school way via push-carts.
The neat part is that the space feels and looks fresh. It’s generally clean, aesthetically elegant, and spacious enough for family meals or banquets, with a dancefloor to boot.
I was also surprised they have other delish plates beyond dim sum, most of which were fairly priced considering the generous portions. To give you an idea, I had Szechuan-style dishes, noodles, seafood, poultry, and even vegetarian options.
Diners can grab frequent discounts, too, usually during weekdays. Plus, they offer special combos like adding noodles to a lobster dish for a lower price.
One catch, though, is that it tends to fill up fast on weekends. It’s not the most suitable choice for laid-back dining either.
What a Wonderful Place
Old school dim sum throwback to the good times. What a wonderful place. This place takes me back to my childhood in the 80s and 90s with the atmosphere, food, and super attentive and caring service. Went on a Sunday, carts were plentiful and stacked high with all the greatest hits of freshly prepared delicious dim sum. We were only two, but can’t wait to come back with more people to have the opportunity to eat even more! Only complaint was that I didn’t have more space to eat! If you love and appreciate great dim sum, do yourself a favour and grab some friends and order all the things. Om nom nom nom ☺️
Troy, Google Review
Will Absolutely Be Back
I can believe in have never been to this place before. It’s quite big, large tables and the dimsum was extra good and generous, the manager came in chatted with us a bit too, all in all food and service it is surely on the top of my dim sum list and will absolutely be back !
Walid Saleh, Google Review
DaiLo
From dailo.to
Address: 503 College St
Contact Details: +1 647-341-8882
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Thu – 5 pm to 11 pm
- Fri to Sat – 5 pm to 2 am
- Sun – 5 pm to 11 pm
As the brainchild of the boundary-pushing Chef Nick Liu, DaiLo brings a distinct style to the table: a fusion of French and Chinese fare. Think smoked trout in betel leaf, pumpkin dumpling loaded with black truffle, and truffle Hainanese chicken, besides foie fat rice.
The drinks and interior are both extensions of the resto’s style. See, they pour inventive cocktails in a casual yet refined, Asian-inspired brasserie that’s awashed in teal and gold hues.
Just know your bill won’t be small. Most best-sellers are within the $20 to $30 range, while the sharing plates can go up to $70.
Fortunately, their renowned tasting menu can lessen the cost. What’s cooler is that they can customize the experience based on your diet and preference, so each guest often enjoys a different set of dishes.
If I’d change one thing, it’s the wait time, which usually stretches up to 40 minutes.
Very Delicious
We went for the premium tasting menu and while it was great, I think I would stick with the regular tasting menu next time. While I loved the beef we were served, caviar is not worth it for me personally. That being said I would definitely come back, the courses were so fun, really appreciated how the waitress would tell us how to eat the dishes, and above all very delicious. Would recommend! Favourites were the dumplings, beef, DESSERT! Least favourite was the spicy green vegetable served with the main
Penny P, Google Review
12/10 Experience
One of the best meals we’ve had in Toronto. Every dish felt intentional, bold bursts of flavour. Everything was cooked to perfection and the SERVICE? Talk about 5 star service. My boyfriend and I couldn’t pick between a lot of the entrees, so Nick (manager) curated a tasting menu for us! Incredddddible service and just 12/10 experience. Will definitely be coming again!
Eileen Kim, Google Review
Haidilao Hot Pot Toronto Downtown
From mmomongaa
Address: 237 Yonge St
Contact Details: +1 437-778-1068
Operating Hours: Daily – 11 am to 3 am
This review wouldn’t be complete without a nod to Haidilao, given the iconic hot pot chain’s popularity in the city.
Aside from taste, it’s the customer-centric service that makes them a hit. First-time diners and patrons often rave about the cordial, attentive, polite, and efficient servers, who often hand out freebies like ice cream and toys.
They pass our variety test, too, thanks to the spread of spicy, earthy, savoury, and herby bases, topped by the sweet soy-based sukikayi. You can even jazz it up with seafood, greens, mushrooms, meat, and lots of dipping sauces.
Eating alone, however, is not the most cost-effective move due to the price. While you can mitigate this by taking advantage of late-night discounts, it can still hit.
Another hiccup is how busy it gets, with the noise to match.
On the upside, it’s not dull; live entertainment and noodle master demos are part of the experience.
Very Worth It
I love haidilao! They have the best customer service and the food always hits 🤤 the Tom yum soup is the best and comes with shrimp you can eat. They also have fun secret codes you can redeem to get free things. In addition, after 9 PM you can get the sliced beef for 60% off and it is a great deal. And during the day they have a lunch special which is very worth it. Haidilao also has the biggest sauce bar I’ve ever seen with so many sides including fresh fruit and salads. This place is a must try for everyone
Melody Chen, Google Review
Satisfying Hotpot Experience
Whenever I’m in Toronto, a visit to Haidilao is a must for a satisfying hotpot experience. The quality of the meat is consistently excellent: tender, flavorful, and fresh. There’s a great variety of soup bases to choose from; my current favorites are the pork bone broth and the sukiyaki. For spice lovers, the Mala soup is a bold and fiery choice.
One of the highlights is the DIY sauce station, complete with suggestions for popular combinations to help you craft the perfect dip. The service is exceptional. While waiting for a table, I was offered water and a light snack. Aprons are provided for every guest, and they even offer hair ties for those with long hair, such a thoughtful touch.
If you visit late at night, keep an eye out for special deals. I dined during the dinner rush and received a 20% discount for finishing within a set time limit, and yes, we made it! To top it all off, they serve complimentary ice cream at the end of the meal. I’m a loyal fan of Haidilao and already looking forward to my next visit
Natalie K, Google Review
苍蝇馆子 Cheng Du Street Food
From chengdustreetfood.ca
Address: 405 Dundas St W
Contact Details: +1 416-596-8800
Operating Hours: Daily – 11:30 am to 11 pm
Cheng Du does a lip-smacking job of capturing Szechuan cuisine’s variety, both in terms of flavours and dishes.
Seriously, I had a hard time (in the best way) picking a meal, as their selection features over 50 plates, spanning cold dishes, soups, vegetarian picks, poultry, beef, rabbit, and even bullfrog!
Thankfully, the prices were easy to swallow, so I didn’t spend too much for best-sellers like the mapo tofu with duck blood and taro chicken. Better yet, the portions were generous enough to be shared.
I love the thoughtful service, too. From what I’ve seen, they hand out hair ties, aprons, bibs, and bits for hand hygiene.
One hiccup, though, is that they don’t take bookings, meaning it’s first-come, first-served.
The food can also take a while to arrive. I had to wait for over 30 minutes, while some diners reported nearly an hour of wait time.
Dishes Were Delicious
Great service by Andy! Very welcoming and kind. All dishes were delicious! Preserved eggs were packed with flavour and the taro chicken was tender and juicy. Fairly priced with great portion. Will come back again! Expect to wait during dinner time though
Alice Xu, Google Review
Good Dining Experience
The restaurant has good service and ambiance. The food is good as well, however they add some spices that creates a tingling sensation in the mouth. They add this spice in pretty much all the entres so I think that needs to be improved as you cannot eat all the food with the similar taste. We ordered a potato appetizer and it was raw so definitely that needs to be cooked all the way as well. Other than that, we had a good dining experience
Manisha Sabat, Google Review
Swatow Restaurant
From tastetoronto
Address: 309 Spadina Ave.
Contact Details: +1 416-977-0601
Operating Hours: Daily – 11 am to 11:30 pm
Authenticity has helped Swatow remain a staple in Toronto Chinatown for over 40 years. In other words, the flavours here are bold, served fresh, and straight out of a Cantonese kitchen.
Unsurprisingly, seafood, meat, vegetable, and noodle lovers won’t be short on options. If you want the tastiest picks, our personal recommendations include the beef chow mein in black bean sauce and the shrimp wonton.
Price-wise, they don’t overcharge. In fact, the soups are mostly between $10 and $15, while the more complex chow mein, meat, and rice dishes sit around the $15 to $20 mark.
We just wish it were roomier. Sure, the smaller layout gives it an intimate vibe, but with it being a sought-after Chinatown icon, extra space wouldn’t hurt.
A few diners had also complained about the less-than-friendly servers.
On a positive note, the servings are hearty, and you rarely have to wait 30 minutes for the bites to arrive.
One of My ‘Go-To’ Restaurants
I’ve been to Swatow several times now, and I consider it one of my ‘go-to’ restaurants in Chinatown. If you’re looking for a place to feed a group for a reasonable price, this is a pretty decent spot to consider. There’s a wide selection of dishes on their menu. The staff are pretty good with keeping some attention on your table throughout your stay. They take cash only, and they have an ATM inside the dining room in case you need it
A.J., Google Review
Will Continue to Come
A staple spot when we’re in the area. The best hot and sour soup!! We usually take a serving or two to go. Mmmmm mmm good. Delicious mango 🥭 salad, spicy squid 🦑, manu authentic noodle dishes. Everything we’ve ever had here has been absolutly perfect. The restaurant is little and the staff may sit you at a bigger table with other guests. Can be really fun meeting people. Whenever we’ve come , the restaurant is always but yet we’re able to get a spot, some time we may have a short wait. But it’s worth it !!! Close to Kensington market. You can walk there. Parking garage near by if you can’t find a spot on the street. Friendly staff! The service is good and quick. We have been coming here for years and will continue to come!
Eva Munch, Google Review
