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Swatow Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- None
8 reviews for Swatow Restaurant
Swatow is a very good Chinese restaurant located in Chinatown. They don't do anything new or spectacular and if you are not familiar with the area you will probably walk pass Swatow not knowing that you just passed by one of the city's most reputable Chinese eateries. I'm not lying, anyone I know who goes to Chinatown, knows Swatow. They might not eat there or they may even hate this place but they know about this place.
I have been going to Swatow ever since I was a little kid because my dad is a friend of the owner. The always relaxed owner can be seen many nights in his restaurant talking with customers and even serving dishes. When I was little I always felt special my dad knew the owner but when I grew I found out that almost every regular here knows the owner. I believe his name is Peter and the guy sure is a character.
The restaurant itself is one of those shady looking dive restaurants. The place is tiny, crowded, and the tables and chairs must be older than Chinatown itself. I have to admit that I love the atmosphere here because it is something that hasn't changed in ages.
The food here is its selling point. It is really good and non-pretentious. It comes to your table quick and fresh. My favourite things here include the seafood chow mein and the beef brisket on rice. The chow mein noodles are crunchy until they soak up all the sauce. It is crammed with seafood toppings and veggies. The beef brisket is covered in a wonderful sauce and it's piled on a bed of rice. Both are served in large portions and are very filling so it's nice to share with a friend.
I do have to agree with other people here when they say that they come here only when they are drunk. I have noticed me coming here after a night of drinking more often than coming here during the day. That's not a downside though because that just means this place is open late and can understand the slurs coming out of a drunk party goer.
Swatow is great. The food is great. The owner is great. The business hours are great. Yup, if you are new to the area and walk pass this place thinking its just another Chinese restaurant, you just foolishly passed by one of Toronto's great eateries.
Y'know when you're out past last call and you'd really like some greasy chinese food? What you really want is to go to Swatow. Open way late and a big menu with lots of tasty choices.
I consider it a bonus that it has a cheap fast food atmosphere (in fact, I always feel like I'm in a Wendy's) because when it's late, I'm probably a bit messed up myself and wouldn't feel right some place nice.
Also, I was once in there with an 80 year old woman who turned to me and said "There's too much skin on this chicken." I replied "that's not chicken, it's tofu." She looked at me and said "I don't care what you call it, but I know chicken, and this chicken has too much skin." Apparently the tofu is chicken.
Introducing me to Swatow was one of the best things an ex-bf has ever done for me. I've been frequenting Swatow for over 15 years and it's never let me down. It's basic and to-the-point Chinese food with no nonsense service. It's oftentimes busy so don't be alarmed if you're asked to share a table. I'd rather share than wait.
Get the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup, Stuffed Tofu, Stuffed Eggplant and the General Tso's Chicken.
They don't take Debit or Credit here so make sure to bring cash. Also, don't be surprised if you see Susur Lee here late at night. He comes here often and he always gets the noodle soups.
One of my favorites in the downtown T.O. chinatown, and its quality hasn't gone down over the past decade. The kong xin cai and beef chow fun make a good late night snack. If you only have USD, the owner will quote you a fair exchange rate.
This place has EXCELLENT Chinese food. It's hard sometimes to navigate around Chinatown and find a good place that has great food at a great price. Well this has both. The food here is phenomenal. I always get the chicken noodles and veggies and it's delicious. The lemon chicken is also super duper tasty.
They're no frills here though - the service is fast but not the friendliest. But they are quick and the food is always hot and consistently tasty. Don't run around China Town looking for a place to enjoy some authentic Asian cuisine. Head here and dig in to some really delicious grub!
This restaurant has tasty food. The menu is a standard sampling of dishes for a Chinese restaurant in North America. I tried several of the basics including sweet and sour pork, General Tso's chicken, a dish with scallops and broccoli, and a crispy noodle dish with mixed seafood. Even though the restaurant was full when we ordered, our food came out quickly. All the dishes were very well seasoned and I thought the vegetables were fresh and tasty. The General Tso's chicken was my favorite even though I thought the chicken could have been chopped into smaller pieces. The scallops were cooked perfectly.
This place only barely passes because you're never hear unless you're hungover or drunk. This is old-school quick and dirty Chinese food. Most of dishes are greasy and come out hot. I still love it whenever I need that fix but please people...this is by no means "good" Chinese food.
Try the noodle in soup with beef brisket and wonton. Couple that with an order of Chinese salted doughnuts for dipping. Heavenly. Hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant best for take-outs, quick dash or drunken after-party meal.