Swatow Restaurant

«Hole-​in-​the-​wall» is indeed a good description of this small restaurant. A friend and I ordered bowls of duck noodle soup and then shared a plate of eggplant and shrimp in hot sauce. The soup contained a fair amount of duck, some noodles that reminded me of instant ramen, and a bit of bok choy. Mostly it was liquid, and I found the liquid to be greasy and not especially tasty. The eggplant and shrimp dish was straight-​on good; I’d order it again.
The only alcohol available on the premises was Molson lager. I ordered a can and drank about half of it but regretted the absence of something more interesting.
The restaurant does not take credit cards. This information is not exactly a secret, but it was news to me. Although I had almost no Canadian money on me, my friend had stopped by an ATM and was able to produce the required currency.
This restaurant is visibly a good value, and the fact that it’s open late was a real plus for us. While it’s not the best restaurant on the block, I’m glad that we swung by.

The quality of this place has gone downhill but not the price. Ordered Salt Fish and Diced Chicken Fried Rice — no salt fish at all. How can they cheap out on the most important ingredient??? Not many customers during the height of dinner time on a Saturday… not surpised at all.

Food was pretty good, but service was terrible. One of the items I ordered came out to be different than was described because they ran out of the original so they gave me a different one without informing me beforehand. Also, I would like for the waiters/​waitresses to ask if I am done with a dish before just yanking it from the table. I wasn’t even finished eating and they took my plates.

A friend recommended Swatow for when we were visiting Toronto. Stopped in for lunch and it was exactly as my friend said — delicious and authentic, quick and relatively cheap. The shrimp dumpling soup was great but the fried pork dumplings really stole the show. I’m still thinking about them. We also had Shanghai noodles which were decent. I’d go back again in a second if I was in Chinatown, but I’d get two orders of dumplings!

Excellent food at affordable prices with fast service sums up this place. Portions are very large, food is fresh and everything is authentic even though they give you fortune cookie at end of meal.

It was quite an unexpected good eats find. This is a hole-​in-​a-​wall type place. The price is befitting to the quality you receive. There were many typical and some interesting menu choices. This is definitely a place to hit-​up when options are low and hunger tensions are high. Mind you, you are here strictly for the food and not for service, there are lapse in customer service but I’ll overlook that for good food.
We ordered the general Tao Chicken. Nice and crispy with a nice generous covering of their sweet spicy sauce. The vegetable were fresh and crisp, simple looking with a hit of flavor. It is priced higher than the typical surrounding restaurants but the execution of the dish warrants a taste.
We enjoyed the fried intestines too. Nicely prepared, no off-​putting taste or smell and fried to crispy yet chewy perfection. The dish came cheap and plentiful. I only wish that there were some pickled carrots and radish on the side to cut through the fattiness and oily texture. It was served with a sweet and sour sauce, though I liked the sauce, I didn’t feel that it was the best pairing as it made the dish heavier.
The creamy tomato sauced fried rice was bomb. So good. The amount to shrimps served with the dish was impressive; perfectly cooked-​not chewy or dried. The sauce and rice were flawlessly seasoned and left us satisfied.
The meal was delicious. I am so glad to have found a new to-​go place for late-​night Chinese food. I loved the low-​key, easy going vibe. Service was fast and food served within 10min of ordering. A place for a quick bite during lunch or a lazy date…

Went to Swatow again last night. This place is the classic Chinatown greasy spoon. When you need a quick bite late at night, this is it. The food is flavourful, it’s consistent, and it’s cheap. Like most Chinese restaurants, there are plenty of choices. We ordered the shrimp dumpling soup, deep-​fried chicken wings, chicken with spicey garlic sauce, yeung chow fried rice, and some sliced (battered) fish on rice. Everything was so good. It’s like comfort food.
I especially like the chicken wings. Normally, I like my wings dripping with BBQ sauce but these ones are just deep-​fried with no sauce but they’re so flavourful!
The service is best described as, well, no-​nonsense and efficient LOL.
The Good
— good food; like comfort food
— very reasonably priced
— open late
— quick service
— good energy level at night for a greasy spoon
The Bad
— my friends found the wait staff unfriendly. I didn’t they they were unfriendly, but I certainly wouldn’t say they were friendly either
— I’m not a fan of the bright fluorescent lighting. They should turn it down a notch at night.
Bright lighting aside, I’m definitely a fan of this place.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Swatow. Not much has changed. The 3 waiters are still there and the food is the same as it was when I visited about 5 years ago.
For a Chinatown greasy spoon, it’s definitely a gem for Toronto if you need a quick cheap fix.

Amazing late night Chinese restaurant. I had the most delicious soup here. A nice rich beef broth with a bunch of different dumplings, tender beef and bok choy. The service was fast and polite. I’ll need to visit and try other dishes but so far I can say this is my favourite Chinese restaurant downtown (not counting dim sum places).

My favourite late night eat! Service is speedy and food arrives within 5 minutes of being seated. The restaurant is always busy but the wait is never too long. You can call ahead for takeout but no delivery. Cash and debit only.

This is an update on my previous reviews.
I’ve been eating here for the past 5 or more years. I usually order the rice meals and have give them a 5 star… till now. For the past couple of time I have related here recently I have noticed a lot of negative qualities.
Like I said I have usually ordered the rice meals but these last few times have not been great. The taste is not the same (have a feeling they changed the brand of l sauce they have been using to cook certain dishes), The amount is ¼ smaller, and the prices are higher. I usually eat the same thing around 90% of the time so I am able to taste the difference. I actually wonder if this is just for the rice meals or for other items as well. Anyway when I decide to go back I might try something else and will re update.

Authentic Cantonese food (I am a Chinese Cantonese, so can tell real /​fake Chinese style) Reasonable price, clean, service was quick too.
Nothing much to complain
Ordered
*Wonton noodle ¹⁰⁄₁₀
*Deep fried pig intestines ⁹⁄₁₀
*Black bean beef rice ⁹⁄₁₀
*Beef brisket and tendon ⁹⁄₁₀
*2 fried tofu ¹⁰⁄₁₀

Writing this review brings tears to my eyes because this restaurant reminds me of my late father so much. Nostalgia. This was the restaurant that he and my mom used to go all the time after they finished playing at the casino and one of the only few, if not the only one that was open way back over 10 years ago.
They brought me here one time and raved about their foods. I was so excited to try it.
A few great items to try:
–Wonton
–beef in black been sauce with rice
–satay beef fried
–beef with rice noodles
–any fried rice is excellent
–sweet sour chicken
–beef and Chinese broccoli
–deep fried spicy squid
I’ve always recommended this restaurant to many friends and they always compliment my suggestion as their food never fails.

Came here at 2 am on Saturday night after a very disappointing drink next door.
Got a huge portion of General Tso and Chile Beef for not too expensive. I was two sheets to the wind so my taste buds may have been in retreat mode, but I really enjoyed the food. I’ll have to come back when more sober to write a non 2 am review.

There is only one thing I order from Swatow and that’s the Shrimp Dumpling Soup — without noodles, so there is more room for those delicious dumplings!
Everything else I have had here was disappointing — especially the General Tso chicken, so tough, too sweet and filled with raw green peppers.
The best thing about Swatow is the crazy late hours, but beware on weekends — it’s crazy busy after the bars close.

I went to this place based on the good reviews, and trust me, they’re right. Great, extensive menu, excellent food, nice big portions. It is cash only, and a completely plain looking place, but in my experience those are the best. Service was succinct, but never rude, the food came fast. I had the fish and tofu hotpot, of which I have included a photo. The hot and sour soup was very different than what I’ve had before, but it was very good as well.

Sunday lunch: 3 minute wait for a table for two. Food delivered within 5 minutes!
This is a no frills small restaurant. Patrons are diverse — speaks volumes right there: heard Portuguese conversation, group of 11 Caucasian guys celebrating a birthday, Pakistani couple, Vietnamese. It’s great.
Chinese tea served when you are seated.
Scrambled egg and shrimp: delicious but too salty. Large shrimp and plentiful!
Beef stew and tendon lo mein: served with a few pieces of greens, flavorful and tender beef chunks.
Good!
Fortune cookies to end the meal.
A convenient go-​to place for a quick bite!

Remember the last time you had a meal that wasn’t too heavy, too light, and that hit the spot?
We came into Swatow restaurant in Chinatown in between lunch and dinner, which is always a great time to sneak in another meal. It’s awesome, mainly because it’s not too crowded, and I would often get a good sense of the restaurant’s vibe when I visited. Most prices here are under $ 10.
At $ 4.75, I picked a winner in the beef stew noodle soup (#6). What came next was an appetizing bowl that was topped with generous chunks of well-​marinated beef, fresh green vegetables, chopped green onions, all nestling nicely upon a bed of chewy egg noodles.
The broth: deep in flavour, served as a fine accompaniment to the constant in-​and-​out slurping of the noodle was almost ritual-​like. Soup, noodle, meat — repeat.
Meal momentum is now in motion.
Typically in Chinese restaurants, one knows if the food is good when the sounds of wok and fire can be heard from the kitchen. Evidently enough, it was loud, yet entertaining.
Upon seeing the bottom of the bowl at the end of the meal, I realized that the restaurant was playing hits from today’s top charts, and Pompei’s «Bastille» followed by Rihanna’s «S.O.S.» which revealed another interesting, modern layer to this cozy, traditional space. A great place for dining alone or with friends, this student-​priced around-​the-​clock restaurant will be my go-​to-​place from now on.
Notable mentions!
— Shrimp wanton noodles (#9)
— Shrimp with Eggplant on Rice (#106 nice for 2 people sharing or just 1 hungry soul)
— Congee with mixed seafood (try ordering the dough fritters along with it, very Hong Kong style)
— Fried Tofu (99cents each)
— Hot soya milk (this will wash down a meal better than anything else)

We went to Swatow twice during our stay in Toronto! Small Chinese restaurant, this place offers so much. I certainly recommend. If you like noodles, don’t hesitate to order a noodle soup. Yummy! They use fresh noodle pasta they make in the kitchen. Very very good.
Their soups are good, fried noodle meals are delicious. You must plan a 10 – 15 minutes wait before you are assigned a table, but it is definitely worth it. The décor is regular Chinese restaurant décor, but the food… Very good.

Swatow Restaurant is a cozy, no-​frills traditional Chinese restaurant north of Dundas and Spadina. Bottom line: come here for 4 star food. Prices are cheap, service is quick, and portions are huge. I’d say almost anything on their menu is good but I had the Wonton soup and crab/​corn soup. Both were delicious and the portions were huge; wasn’t expecting this and had to eat both because they were so yummy. Perfect venue for hot noodle soup on a cold winter day.
Pro tip 1: Cozy venue for groups of up to 8.
Pro tip 2: Ordering the wonton soup is enough for 1 person; the portions for each meal are humungous so save your money for beer later.