I have eaten at Swatow for as long as I can remember-and for good reason! Fast and fresh with the best beef with vegetable fried noodle in china town hands down. Lines ups out the door for lunch and dinner. Cash only (they have an atm inside). Best option when craving Swatow during peak hours is to call ahead and pick up.
Great Chinese food and open late after the bar. Loved the pork dumplings and the chow mein beef w/ black bean sauce fried noodle was really great! Decent service and good price point.
We got General Tao chicken which had a nice
crunch and a sweet and spicy sauce.
The Shrimp Chow Mein had a good amount
of shrimp and vegetables on top of crispy noodles in a sweetish-sauce and Beef
and Broccoli, with tender beef in a tasty sauce.
It was a good meal and we were satisfied.
Thing is, the taste was not so out of this world that we would go back to
Chinatown just to eat here. We have access to many other Chinese restaurants
which deliver the same great taste. As for the price, at about $13-15 per dish,
it was also not the biggest deal in town. Still, if unsure of where to eat in
Chinatown, Swatow will not disappoint!
Authentic Chinese food experience! The food here is really great and the servers are very efficient. Will definitely be coming back for more!!
Your typical hole in the wall Chinese restaurant in Chinatown! It's open until 4 am so it's great for late night eats and they have the Stir fry snow peas tips that is amazing (even though all Chinese restaurant makes it, this one is definitely the best I've tried) their beef stew noodles are good and the congee is a bit lacking in favor. But the fried ho fun is really good! The staff is really nice!
This late night China Town restaurant is a great spot for a quick hot tasty meal, whether it be the swatow special soup or a beef brisket on rice. The food always comes out fast and is consistent.
good food. so many people there. large quantities of food. Very traditional swatow food such as beef tripe, pig blood. The fried stuffed tofu, pepper are really yummy!
Awesome, one of the best Chinese food in Toronto... I was there at 2:00 am and it was quite packed. The food is fantastic and the space feels really original. Fully recommend.
Love this place for quick lunch or late night munchies after the party. Well known for soups. Try the famous Charchung soup - sweet and spicy hot.
Whether it's for lunch, dinner, or late night snack, this place always delivers. I've probably been coming here for the past 25 years and the food is always consistent.
My staple is their wontons. Big juicy shrimp dumplings in a nice clean broth. Their fried rice is always a winner. I can't say I've had a bad dish here.
The service is always super efficient and friendly. They're also really accomdating to dishes that are off the menu so don't be afraid to ask. Make sure you bring enough money to match your appetite as this place is cash only.
Quick service, Tasty food. They don't mess around!
Ordered my meal and it arrived hot on the table in 3 mins. They make you write down your order and they don't like you paying with debit.
I came here for lunch on a Friday around 11:30. There were a few other customers who seemed liked regulars. We placed our orders and it came fairly quickly.
I had the wonton noodle soup. The shrimp was bouncy (彈牙). I felt that the skin was a little too tough though.
My dad had the beef brisket noodle soup. The beef brisket was tender and chewy. They were also full of flavour. I preferred this over the wonton.
Solid spot for wonton, dumplings, some westernized Chinese food and open late. Dishes are fast and cheap. It's become a tradition for my dad and I to go there when I come into town.
Toronto Go To for Chinese. Im from Vancouver, and I get alot of authentic Chinese food. This is THE place I like to go when in Toronto. Staff are very friendly.Going there, is obvious they have alot of returning regulars.
-----11 Mar, 2015-----
Beef and Broccolli. Beef with Broccoli with pieces of Ginger,Green Onion
-----11 Mar, 2015-----
Shrimp Dumpling Soup. All shrimp won tons in nice broth
Love it. My family and I have been coming here for many many years, like 20 at least. The food is consistent in taste and the service is getting better and better. Great food with cheap prices. Try the braised beef brisket with whatever noodles or rice, they are the best I've ever tasted and possibly the cheapest too.
I could never get tired of eating here. Great place to always eat at. Quick service and great food all the time.
Great place. One of the few Chinese joints that's been around forever and maintained its standards. I have never been disappointed in more than 25 years of going there.
Love this place, def my fav in Chinatown
Brisket with noodles was good. Will try again on my late night wanderings.
Good cheap and fast. The soup is simple, which is nice, but can be a little greasy.
Solid. It's pricier than the other places in Chinatown but I find the food there to be tasty alternative to other Chinese fast food places. We usually get the Fukien Fried Rice + Shrimp Wontons and have been happy with it.
Good Eats at Swatow. The food here is some of the best tasting Chinese food that you will find in chinatown. Prices are reasonable and the service is excellent not to mention how quickly you receive your order. And its open late! My recommendation if you like fried noodles is the beef or chicken with black bean sauce. Very tasty and just a hint of spicy.
Only downside no menus online
Standard Chinatown. Generally Swatow is my place to go for late night eats when I'm in the area and King Noodle House has closed. It is better than other alternatives (such as New Ho King) but by no means is it a great find or gem of Chinatown.
Last time I came here I ordered the congee as well as the rice noodles with beef and vegetables. I found the first to be mediocre and the second to be extremely greasy. That being said both satisfied my 3am craving.
If you are around Chinatown late at night this is the place to go.
Gooood Noodles. I love Swatow's seafood noodle bowl. Delicious broth with nice noodles and an assortment of seafood (shrimp, squid, and scallops) and veggies. Add a dollop (or more) of their hot chili oil to make this dish even better.
Their General Tsao? Chicken is expensive but I can't resist it either.
Very good shrimp with lobster sauce and beef & veg with fried lo mein noodles. Quick friendly service. Some of the sauces were a little gloopy from corn starch, but tasty nonetheless.
Fantastic Restaurant. I find it almost comical that the last three negative reviews were written within one week of each other (two on the same day) by reviewers that have reviewed no other restaurants. This is hands down the best Chinese restaurant I have ever eaten at.
Typical Chinese restaurant? yes, but the fried rice was big in portion and had lots of shrimp and BBQ pork pieces. Their fried rice was one of the best I ever had and I've tried so many different ones.
It is a pretty good place for traditional Cantonese soup noodles. Food is served quick and fresh. Portion is very generous with all the other dishes I've seen. My ratings: ❤❤❤❤ Price range: $-$$ 雲吞麪 牛腩雲吞麪 魚蛋粉 Click here to see my other reviews on the local dining scene. Swatow Restaurant 汕頭小食家 309 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5T 2E6 (416) 977-0601 Previous Toronto eats: Asian Legend 味香村
Best Cantonese chow mein in the city. Fast service and a couple of communal tables where you can make friends. Basically really good food, so go out and try it.
Cozy little place nestled in Chinatown which reminds one of a cleaner, less crowded version of these tasty noodle joints in Hong Kong. Affordable and tasty!
China town restaurants are a unique landscape that you need to navigate with personality. This is a place that you don't need to navigate much. The wontons and beef brisket here are top tier. Growing up in southern China, the flavours here are quite authentic and is quite good for the Chinatown standard.
Though I must say, I was so impressed by the quality of their rice in their set dishes such as the simply chashiu tofu rice. The sauce and the rice were just ... at perfect marriage!
I love Chinese food and I'm a fan of this place. The place looks like every other Chinese place in Chinatown, so don't judge it by that. The service is extremely quick and I literally got my food within 5 minutes of sitting there! I choose to have light meals here and I generally get a coup for myself since I dig soups. Ive had the Wanton Noodle Soup and as simple it is, with a broth, some green onions, noodles and wantons, I really like it. Its nice and light with a flavourful broth. I add the soy and XO sauce to add some spice to the broth, but it works well without it as well. The quantity of the soup is huge and it's worth the price. I've heard their beef brisket is damn good but I haven't had the chance to try it out as yet.
If you're looking for a quick pocket-friendly Chinese meal, Swatow is your place to be!
I had to try out this place after repeatedly hearing about how good the beef brisket noodles are. Went in for lunch a while ago and I must say all the hype is justified. The noodles were great and the meat was well cooked and filling. The price is very cheap and service is quick. A great place to hit when you want something that will surely hit the spot.
Went here on the recommendation of my CBC buddy for the Beef Brisket Noodle dish. I was hungry, so I ordered extra meat and it still came to under $10. The place was bustling and the little kitchen at the front of the restaurant was giving off the most wonderful aromas of cooking noodles and wontons.
As with so many other places in Chinatown, you don't go for the fancy digs, but the staff is great and they have patience with foolish 鬼佬 that come!
Swatow 汕頭小食家 is one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto. Highly recommend their beef brisket rice noodles. You can tell that the beef brisket is marinated well and with care and imparts that homely flavour into the broth and noodles. Overall, other dishes are not bad too, and indicates a very Cantonese style. It has a very down to earth ambience resembling family owned eateries in Hong Kong.
Wow the shrimp with scrambled eggs on rice was so tasty! Lots of flavor in all the dishes we ordered. Staff is chill and friendly. Price is very reasonable!
I have been going to this place for years, since the 1990s. Highly recommend the Wonton Noodle Soup. Service is fast and although the prices have increased, I would say it is still reasonable considering the portions and quality. Good complimentary tea that they serve you as well. Great choice if you're looking for a quick bite for dine in but also great for takeout. Highly recommended. Fried doughnut makes a nice side to the soup.
Flavor is wonderful. The fried rice with something on top was amazing. We also had Snow pea leaves stired fry and shrimp dumpling soup and egg drop with mushrooms and shrimp cashew nut .
Bring cash !! They accept only cash however, there is an ATM machine in restaurant .
Amazing food, fresh and inexpensive. Portions are great for 2 to share easily Nd quick service.
Complimentary hot tea pot is truly appreciated and, the fortune cookies. :)
Probably one of my favourite spots in Chinatown. I used to come her to grab takeout for work frequently and then hadn't been back since the pandemic hit until last week. They have the best beef in black Bean sauce I've tried anywhere in the GTA. Service is always efficient. You just have to remember to bring cash. Their prices have increased a fair bit though. $23 for beef in black Bean and a side of steamed rice. I know beef prices have gone up but I'm not sure it's worth it. Or maybe a half portion would be better.
Passed by this restaurant on a really cold day and decided to try it since it seemed popular. I was not disappointed. The food was very warming and comforting, would definitely come here again.
Visited for Chinese New Year and had a great dining experience. The food was tasty and good value for money. Definitely recommend a visit if you are in China Town.
I chose to dine here simply because it was as run down and incognito as could be. No Yelp reviews & no tourists. As authentic as you can get. When they handed me a pen and a receipt, I thought it was a dim sum joint but prices led me to guess otherwise. I obviously ordered too much & it was aiight.
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