Swatow Restaurant

This is a hidden gem in China town! If you like to try Chinese cuisine This one is the must try taste authentic!! we had tried few different dishes was tasty 😋 and my kids love it!!

January 1, 2025 on Google

Most of the hype around this place seems to be coming from the Tdot bloggers who do not have the ability to venture outside of downtown and try actually good Chinese food that exists outside of Spadina. I've tried Swatow soups, friedrices, and a rice on plate, and all were underwhelming and did not live up to the hype piled on top of it by BlogTO, Dished, and such. This place is often labelled as a Hidden Gem but it's actually in plain sight on Spadina with its distinctive signage and distinctively grungy look. The minced crab meat soup was ok, hardly any crab though and it looked like it may have been immitation crab meat. The fried rice was nothing impressive. The rice was too hard and it felt stale. Hardly any meat. Nothing authentic either. The duck on rice was the last straw. A few oversalted duck pieces placed on top of white rice, three greens on the side, and no sauce whatsoever. This was hard to eat. The duck meat was okay, but no significant seasoning. I was expecting greatness with this dish but what I have tried is telling me the other dishes There are way better Chinese restaurants in tdot. I have never dined in because the interior is not appealing. Parking is extraordinarily hard to find. And they do not accept card for payment. If you've come here from afar, try Bitter Melon nearby or go to Annalakshmis on Blue Jays way for memorable food experiences

December 22, 2024 on Google

Found this place on Google. It was delicious! The service was great and fast. Ice cold cans of Coke automatically makes them a winner. The hot tea was really good too. We had rhe sweet and sour chicken, fried rice and shrimp egg foo young. All fabulous. Huge portions. They are cash only though. Luckily they took US dollars for a small fee.

October 31, 2024 on Google

The beef stew noodle was just ok. The hot and sour soup was awful. It tasted like canned soup, but more "orange" and sweet. And the fried dumplings were 6 for CA$15 - very overpriced. I guess the plate of sauce (which they probably used to make the hot and sour soup) was supposed to be special. At the end, the lady tried to overcharge me on the dumplings. This is definitely a tourist trap. P.s. I just saw in another review, they got 8 dumplings instead!

September 27, 2024 on Google

The restaurant offers standard Chinese soup with noodles, wonton soup, beef brisket with noodles, comparable to most noodle places in Scarborough and Markham. However, the dining experience was marred by the staff’s rush to clear our table, even removing my chopsticks before I finished food in my bowl! Despite its popularity on social media, the hurried service overshadowed the meal, making it less enjoyable. I will not go recommend since there are a lot of similar choice in the same street .

September 3, 2024 on Google

We ate the vegetable fried rice and deep fried shrimp. was amazing, the star of the show was the homemade chilli oil on each table, incredible. fried rice was amazing and shrimp was very soft General Tso’s chicken was very good too. Fast service was served food within 20 mins. would definitely be back

August 26, 2024 on Google

This place is a tourist trap, not a hidden gem. Prices are more expensive than the surroundings. However, they use frozen seafood. I had the seafood pot and fried shrimp balls. Dishes came out fast, in 5 minutes, but the restaurant was almost full (about three open tables). The dishes did not come with rice; an extra $3. Service is so-so. The interior is cramped.

August 13, 2024 on Google

Took the family here after a Jays game as it opens until a decent time. Honestly, we eat a LOT of Chinese food and this place hits the spot. Even though the price is on the higher side, the portions were pretty big and quality was good. Restaurant is small so there’s always a lineup but it moves pretty quickly. Cash only but there is an ATM inside and most major banks are literally steps away outside. Highly recommended for tourists and visitors, wouldn’t recommend for locals as you can get better or equal quality considering the high price here.

June 1, 2024 on Google