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Ginger Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
212 Queen St WToronto, ON M5V 1Z2
Neighbourhoods: Entertainment District, Queen Street West, Downtown Core
(416) 977-8778
- Hours:
Mon 11 am - 11 pm
Tue-Thu, Sat-Sun 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for Ginger Restaurant
20 reviews in English
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Review from Charlie S.
Toronto, ON
4/15/2012
Fast, cheap, delicious...what more could one ask for? I love Ginger.
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Review from Mauricio A.
Toronto, ON
10/17/2011
I have been visiting the Ginger chain of restaurants for at least 8 years.
I'll be honest, about the only thing I get from here, whether it is to eat there or to go, is their Pho.
Almost everything else, including the decour looks as bland and as generic as what you would get in "that food-court that you hate to go to in that strip mall out of town where they sell that very cheap xyz item you like and go out of your way to get twice a year."
Everything in the menu seems very pedestrian and you get the feeling most people here are for just three reasons:
A-) they are either like me, someone who likes one dish -my friend loves their sandwiches, but hey, to each is own.
B-) There are those who come here because it is convenient... In fact the only reason I used to to Ginger was because their pho is alright (-A), AND I used to live 45 seconds from a Ginger back in my Uni days.
C-) Third-World-country-like-budget. (AKA: Student)
So, if you are on a budget, you will like this place because primarily is kind on your wallet. As you will get your fill and a more varied diet than if you ate just pizza and hot dogs. But if you are willing to spend a bit more than say $10 and maybe want to, you know, care about *where* you are eating then I am sure you could find a nicer place.
FYI: even Not Just Noodles is better since it is also cheap but they have a much larger menu. You know, just sayin' -
Review from Kat T.
10/17/2011
Twice I've been to Ginger. The first time, when they moved into the 'hood and I thought, "Great! New Asian food."
I was not impressed. White rice with a side of fried stuff seems to be the M.O. here.
The soups contain terrible quality meats, but decent quality vegetables.
Not much for either the vegetarian or fish eater that is healthy and fresh-tasting.
I tried it again, just to be sure. I had to add soy, or chili, or lime sauces to have any flavour. -
Review from Lynn C.
10/17/2011
The food is tasty, but the price is not as cheap as I had expected and the quantity is small. I ordered a grilled pork chop and chicken on steamed rice and it was really tasty, but the two pieces of meat was really thinned out and there was some cabbage on the side. For $9 the box was really light. Made me regret not going to HoSu down the street.
I enjoyed the food, but this is basic Vietnamese pork chop and chicken and going to any vietnamese restaurants in chinatown would have provided the same thing at better quality and quantity, service, and atmosphere for about the same or cheaper price. -
Review from Anni L.
8/10/2011
This place is excellent for their portions and variety. They cater to everyone including vegetarians.
You have the choice of viet noodles, vermicelli, rice dishes with curry or grilled beef, shrimp, chicken or pork, or a combination. They also have chicken and beef subs ($3.50), fresh rolls ($1-2 each), spring rolls ($1-2 each), chicken mango salad, fresh fruit shakes, juices, and beer.
The pho there is ok. Not chinatown standards but filling and tasty. They also have a hot and sour version that you can select.
You can add extra veggies to any dish for an extra $1.50.
At this place, you place your order, take a number, and take a seat. No tip is required as it is like a take-out place.
The food is tasty and filling but it isn't the best asian food i've ever had. The location is convenient and the food comes very quickly. Price is also reasonable with a meal being around $7.
I recommend this place and would definitely go back. -
Review from Leeanne M.
5/16/2011
Ginger is Pho-cking delicious.
Random find on a rainy, gray day after we had walked 800+ miles looking for a different joint. We gave up on the original place and boy, am I glad we did.
Ordered the #19 Pho ( rare beef) and two fried vegetable rolls ( sorry forgot the menu item number on the rolls), Vietnamese iced coffee and of course, an avocado shake.
All superb.
Bonus: a bit further down is John Fluevog for some shoe and boot eye-candy - the sales clerks were super-duper nice not weirdly pushy like some can be.
But mostly, GO TO GINGER and EAT PHO. -
Review from Vivek S.
1/19/2011 1 photo
I walked in for take-out the other night and my conversation at the till went like this:
Vivek: "Hi, I'd like a combo number forty-five and--"
Cash: "That'll be $9.00"
Just to be clear, there was almost no space (a femtosecond really) between the "and" and his brusque ringing up of my order. I didn't pause for an hour or whisper the word "and" or fall asleep on the floor. All I wanted was a smoothie with my meal and what I got was "let's-keep-this-going-NEXT!" from the server. It wasn't even busy. Why the verbal cock-slap?
And to add injury to insult: my pad thai wasn't very good. Over-cooked chicken, limp noodles, a kind of mouth-hating flavour. And don't even think of telling me that I "ordered the wrong thing," yelpers. If it's on the menu, it should be passable. This was barely.
Obligatory Title Pun: Tread GINGER-ly.
Menu Readability: Pictures and numbers! Pretty useful actually.
Need to mention: The food comes out quickly. (Too quickly?)
What this place teaches me about myself: Deny me a smoothie, and the talons come out.Listed in: Queen Street Address, Uno Dos
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Review from Spike D.
2/12/2011
Don't expect fine dining. It's Vietnamese fast food but it's very tasty and very cheap.
Been there twice and was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the food for the prices.
Counter service is not overly effusive but it's very fast.
The coconut tofu soup is sublime -- warm, spicy, sweet -- and the asparagus shitake soup was excellent as well.
Also, I loved the yam and avocado salad roll. The yam was crispy fried with a little tempura coating, giving the roll an unexpected warm crunch.
Fresh banana and mango smooth was huge and tasty.
All this plus tea and tip for fifteen dollars? Perfect. -
Review from Doug S.
5/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
I *heart* Pho!
My apologies to Canada, as I think I brought one of the worst colds I've had in my adult life into your country yesterday. My voice is all but gone, I'm hacking up my lungs and I've got head congestion and a cough that would wake the dead.
My friend wanted to go shoe shopping at nearby John Fluevog (she bought 3 frickin' pairs! Jealous!). We were hungry, and I demanded soup. We spied Ginger and headed in.
I ordered the Hot & Sour Seafood Pho, she ordered the Beef Noodle Pho. God, it was good. And I feel so much better, now, that I have this miracle food in my tummy. I also ordered an Avocado shake -- also great.
You're a godsend, Ginger. -
Review from Tina D.
Mississauga, ON
6/27/2011
I love it here. Being a starving student on a shoestring budget this place is perfect for me.
Great prices for great food. I don't know how else to put it.
As a heads up those, if you don't like cilantro you might not like it here. They tend to put it on everything. -
Review from Naomi K.
10/25/2010
I was here once. Got tofu with noodles dish. I didnt know vietnamese food could be so greasy! WTF? I guess for like 6 dollars I cant complain. I mean, it was good, not great, but too greasy for my sensitive stomach.
My fiance has no probs with grease, in fact, he loves it; and he loved his food. His meats were really shiny--it scared me kinda.
The fried veggie roll was tasty, but super greasy. I mean, in a weird greasy kind of way not in the way that all fried food is greasy.
Cant explain it. You'll just have to find out for yourself. -
Review from Lindsay S.
Toronto, ON
9/17/2010
Surprisingly YUMMY!
I was tempted to try this place, after walking by a million times, and salivating at the plates I saw sitting in front of people inside.
Today was the day I finally got to give it a go ...
There was a girl sitting behind the cash, multi-tasking; screaming orders over her shoulder into the kitchen, texting in her blackberry, and even talking on a cordless phone.
But she was quick. I just hoped she got my order/special requests right.
....
Prices, CHEAP.
Each 'meal' has a photo on the wall (it's one of those places ..).
This makes it even harder to decide what to pick. Nothing looks overly tempting, due to the poor quality of photos, everything had a yellow/orange tinge to it. Typical, right?
After a few minutes of looking the wall photos over and over, I decided on "#43".
Pad Thai & Curry Chicken - $5.00
Simple enough.
NOTE:
I should mention the serving sizes looked huge in the photos, so I chose something that appeared a bit smaller. Most meals had a few different proteins (ie. tofu AND shrimp AND Pork ... chicken AND Beef ... ).
Service, SUPER-FAST.
It was 2pm when i walked in, and the line up was long. This place was packed!
I got mine as take-out, but only sat down to wait for maybe 3 minutes, and my number was called, and it was all ready to go. Wow?
Yes, indeed!
I walked home, opened up my Styrofoam box, and was excited at what I saw!
Half of the container was pad-thai (with NO peanuts on top, as I had requested). There were MASSIVE chunks (at least 2 chicken breasts worth) of curried chicken, that looked rather good. And the pad thai wasn't scary looking. About 1/3 of the meal was a FRESH carrot, sprout & cabbage salad, and they were generous with the cilantro -- the smell of fresh herbs flooded the air the moment I opened my meal.
I was dying to dig in.
I had to pre-cut the huge pieces of chicken, but they were tender & moist, well marinated in curry.
Everything was really good.
Surprisingly GOOD for the 'fast food' type of atmosphere is was produced in.
This meal was fresh & cleaner than most food you can find on Queen St W.
Definitely on my list of amazing cheap eats, and I'll be returning, but next time I'll bring my boyfriend. -
Review from Alison B.
2/27/2011
New hood, new Ginger.
I can't believe it has taken me this long to head to this Ginger location and get myself a vietnamese sub. I'll be honest, I was fairly nervous that they wouldn't be as good as the Yonge Street location and my love for Ginger would go down a notch.
The Sandwich - Top notch, delicious and filling. For 3.50, I dare you to find a more delicious viet sandy anywhere else.
The Location - This MAY be better than the Yonge Street location. It was definitely less hole in the wall and felt more spacious.
Conclusion - Delicious, fast, cheap and not too dirty. -
Review from Rj P.
4/9/2010
Ginger is an inexpensive, tasty viet-thai restaurant with fresh, tasty and hot food.
Value for the dollar, this place is top notch. Meal and beer for under $10! Ginger has been a good cheap choice before a night out and I will definitely use it as place for a quick bite again in the future.
Meals are viet-thai inspired, lots of rice, noodle with a protein and curry or sauce. Everything is prepared fresh and served piping hot. There is no table service - order at a counter and they bring it to your table. -
Review from Jennie B.
Toronto, ON
12/17/2010
This place has good well-done Pho, but don't try to order extra noodles on the side - the lady working the cash last Saturday had very limited understanding of English (or she just wanted to jack me for an extra order of plain noodles, which in that case, she understands English exceedingly well). The Pho is tasty and everything but does not have enough noodle and my husband would say it didn't come with enough meat. Enough said.
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Review from Denise S.
3/27/2011
Solid, cheap, Vietnamese food in a convenient location. I usually get the chicken noodle soup (pho). Perfect on a winter day and also what I was craving recently getting over a cold. $5.99 gets you a really big bowl (4.99 for small). The chicken is quality, white meat, not the "crappy scrappies" so often found in soup dishes. The service is really fast. You order, pay, and take a number. My meal came in under 5 minutes. They have a nice selection of tropical juices, smoothies, etc. too.
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Review from Bryan G.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 1/7/2011
Vivek asked about the lack of a Humourous Story on this review. The simple answer is there isn't one yet (perhaps because they raised the price of their domestic cans from $2.50-$3.50) but I hate to disappoint the CM so I'll just leave you with a somewhat related Mitch Hedberg quotation - "Rice is delicious when you want 2000 of something".
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/6/2010
I usually end up here when I don't really know what I want, I just know I want a decent, cheap,… Read more »
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Review from KL M.
Toronto, ON
7/28/2010 1 Check-in Here
Very cheap and filling but kind of bland. Go for something spicier like the chili beef. Can't complain too much at these prices.
Update: the pho is very good and the servings are massive! -
Review from Margs L.
Toronto, ON
4/9/2010
This place can be found on the busy strip of Queen St. W. After doing some research online, I guess this is a chain of fast food Vietnamese restaurants.
The place is very clean and the food is great. You go up to the counter, order one of the many meals and you get a number. You can either do take out or sit in. the service is so fast.
Last night I had a Vietnamese Vegitarian Sub which is like ban mi but it has fried tofu on it and without the brown paste. (3.50)
Many small snacks available. Cheap beer and the food is all very cheaply prices. I can imagine this place being filled to the rim at lunch time.
Anyways, check it out if you are ever in the area. -
Review from Phillip T.
4/30/2010
This is a great place for some really cheap and tasty banh mi. Also, I was able to pick up some stray open wifi signals nearby if you want to check messages.
