In 2004, my friend invited me to lunch at the Ben Ben restaurant in Chinatown. The food was super! The service was slow. And the ambiance was nice cozy. read more

great food at reasonable price-what more do you want? Server was helpful with wine selection and service was prompt. One small negative was that when next table order a "sizzling" dish the smoke was sufficient to cause coughing throughout the restaurant. But-from what I overheard-the sizzling dish was worth it! Was our first time but won't be our last! read more

Came here with out of town family. We understood they would be busy but it was all downhill from the moment we sat down. We had to ask for tea & water. We ordered food and it still wasn't out an hour later. We noticed that a group that came in after had gotten their food after the hour and we still didn't get our food. When we asked about our food, the lady responded with lots of attitude and said she was dealing with the kitchen. No apologies whatsoever. Another member from our table asked about the food and was told the food would be right out, also with attitude from their staff. We put cash on the table for the pop and we walked out. As we just left, a staff yelled at us that our food was at our table, ( over 1 hour later and after we had all walked out. ). We understand that Christmas time is busy but they didn't check in on us at or not did they try to update us throughout the 1 hr + that we were waiting. On top of that, they couldn't even be bothered to hand out dishes and utensils. They handed it to one of our members and asked if we could pass them around. Awful service. read more

I have been twice in the past 10 days and am going again today. My go-to restaurant in my neighborhood. Almost don't want to comment as to not attract crowds. It is a gem. Food is fantastic and servings are generous. I went with a born-in-China friend who loved it as well. Anything from the "sizzling dishes" is great. The dish sizzles on a hot platter on the table, the aroma is delicious. There are cloth tablecloths and comfortable chairs in this modest and unpretentious place. It wasn't noisy or too crowded on the days I went, perfect for catching up with conversation with friends, even a work meeting over lunch. I like the Chinese lady who provides service: direct, no nonsense and not North American style obsequious pandering. read more

Food portions are great and the taste profile of the dishes are amazing. The cook (owner) is an old style Chinese master as I haven't had that type of a taste profile in a long time. The owner that runs the front of the house is the wife and she is funny, personable and very accommodating. read more

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Really good Chinese food! The pork buns were so fluffy and delicious. The general Tao has a great sauce and was nice and crispy. The beef and broccoli had a good flavour. The fried rice definitely needed soya sauce and hot sauce added to it but still was ok without it. Massive shareable portions. The waitress was super friendly. Will definitely be back. read more

Ben Ben Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

It's been a favourite of mine for years. The food is authentic which I find very hard to find. Very good szechuan food.

This is a small Chinatown restaurant. I've been there for lunch twice. The nice thing is that they have lunch specials. For $12, you get a spring roll or soup, plus a main dish with white rice. Tea is free. Not a bad deal. The service is friendly. Unfortunately the food is just okay. I got the BBQ pork and bean curd. The deep-fried tofu was pretty good, but the overall flavour was a bit bland. My wife had shredded pork with garlic sauce and it was decent, but nothing I'd go gaga over. The spring roll was really good. The wonton soup was decent, but nothing spectacular. read more

The service was terrible. The lady was rude, didn't want to put a paper place mat, arguing the table was clean but she'd done it for the other costumers. Didn't bring napkins. She seemed mad at everyone, rushing to be paid and asking for tip. Food was ok, restaurant not very organized, but we wouldn't had cared if the service would've better and respectful. read more

We went inside the restaurant with the family. We were expecting good quality service but in return we got the worst service imaginable. First off the restaurant looked completely neglected, and it was quite dirty. The restaurant looked like a warehouse. On the table in front of us there was a pile of boxes. We tried to ignore it regardless hoping the food would be good. We were surely mistaken. First off, the server gave us completely watered down tea, that tasted like soap. We then tried to order their "Seafood Soup". The soup was absolutely horrid. It looked like it was completely watered down, full of starch. It was filled to the rim with mushrooms and eggs. But hardly any seafood. We were charged a staggering $30, just for the soup alone! Which we absolutely couldn't even eat. Then when we questioned the server about the soup, she immediately began to argue with us, and proceeded to dig into our soup, and show us, what she thought was seafood. It was microscopic in size. We couldn't even see any seafood. It looked like it was from someone's leftovers. Terrible food. Terrible environment. Disgusting food. We left the restaurant, because the service so atrocious. read more

I had lunch here with my parents recently. Overall we thought it was OK. We had the Hunan Dumplings ($8.95), Fried Noodles Cantonese Style ($10.95), Sizzling Beef with Ginger and Onions ($13.95) and a bowl of steamed rice ($4.45). The Hunan Dumplings were OK, but I prefer the ones at Rice Pea. You do get more of them at Ben Ben though, I counted 19 dumplings to our order. The dumplings appeared to be boiled wontons with ground pork filling. The sauce was very spicy and tasted more of chili peppers than peanut butter (the sauce at Rice Pea is the other way around). The Cantonese fried noodles were good but a little too oily for my tastes. Lots of mid-sized shrimps, chicken, beef and BBQ pork. No mushrooms though :( The veggies were mostly celery and onions. There were some carrots and broccoli but not much. The gravy had a nice flavour to it and wasn't too salty. The Sizzling Beef had a lot of beef in it but the beef was rather chewy. It was soft yet chewy, very odd. They use fresh ginger and the ginger was mild so it did not overpower the dish. The onions were a mix of regular onions and green onions. The rice was huge. We had forgot to order rice so after the server brought out our food she asked if we wanted steamed rice, we said yes and silly us did not specify the size, so she brought us the big one. A small serving I believe is just $1.45, but ours was $4.45. My mom regretted not paying a few dollars more for a fried rice instead. Service was very good. There was just one lady serving the entire restaurant so she was very busy but she was pleasant. The decor is typical of Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, very utilitarian with minimal decorations. The dining area is clean, but the washrooms are less so. They have lunch specials from 11am to 3pm everyday including weekends. You get an entree and your choice of a spring roll, wonton soup or hot and sour soup. It's a good deal if you're dining solo or don't want to share dishes. Street parking only. There is currently construction at the front of the building where the restaurant is so it sort of looks closed, but they are open during the construction. read more

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Very disappointed, food was not up to par. Both the hostess and cook were not wearing gloves or mask!!! Really Won't be back for a long time! read more

Talk about value! My plate of Cantonese Style Friend Noodles was overflowing for less than $15 with tax & tip. Food is good quality, contains all the aspects of the dish and done well. Not sure why there's hate on the service - my waitress brought me tea without asking and packed up my leftovers (which you will have) when I was done. Sure, the decor/overall feel of the place isn't great, but I couldn't find anywhere that beats this place in the area. Give it a try! read more

Ben Ben Restaurant - Cantonese Style Fried Noodles (shrimp, beef, pork, mushrooms, and more) - $10.95 - Chinese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

We ordered take out delivered by Ubereats. We usually order from Yangtze but we thought we'd give Ben-Ben a chance. We ordered crispy beef, lemon chicken, jumbo shrimp with snow peas, and rice. The crispy beef was so-so and too stringy. The lemon chicken was good but also a bit stringy but the lemon sauce was excellent. The jumbo shrimp with snow peas turned out to be scallops with snow peas. It was Ok, the scallop had been sliced into thin layers adding up to maybe less than one full size medium scallop. read more

Amazing and friendly service! Big portion and definitely not the type of restaurant that would cheap you out by putting a lot onions and veggies in your meat dish. Food tastes good as well. Would definitely come again! read more

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This is probably the friendliest restaurant in Ottawa. The workers made me and my friends feel welcomed and at home. Being new to Ottawa it's nice to go to a place that you know is friendly. The food was great. The price for the portion and quality you are getting is amazing. I recommend getting the dumpling soup and duck with rice. Later in the night is usually empty which is nice. Me and my friends love this place and come here regularly for the dumpling soup and spring rolls. read more

I hadn't been to this restaurant in at least ten years. This used to be one of my favourite lunch places, until I moved out of the area. Now that I'm back in the area it was time to see if it had remained the same! It has! The hot and sour soup is how I remember it. It actually had flavour instead of just being over salty and bland. The spring roll was crispy and the sauce that came with it was delicious. The other dishes we ordered were also really tasty. The portions were huge. There was enough left over to make a filling lunch for tomorrow. I love leftover Chinese food! There aren't to many places that full me up and then send me home with food. The food here is a little different from your typical Americanized Chinese food. It feels more "homemade" somehow. The dinner for two (B) was about 45 dollars after tax and tip. This felt like a really good value. They have lunch specials that run in the 10 dollar range before tax. I'll be back! read more

Food Quality & Price: All food was made fresh. The portions are HUGE and though we ordered "4 bowls of rice" they brought steamed rice out in a large bowl that ensured everyone had enough. The quality of the food was good (not exceptional) but absolutely no complaints. I've read reviews before about cold food and that was definitely not the experience we had. A "small" bowl of soup feeds 4, "medium" feeds 6 - 8 and "large" feeds 8 - 10. For a party of four, we paid $40. So, in my opinion, for the price, the food was worth it. Facility: The location is convenient, located in Chinatown Ottawa. However, the restaurant itself could use some updating. This is what brought the mark down. Washrooms were terrible to say the least. It is exactly what you would expect (rickety slide lock stalls, dirty walls etc). The interior of the restaurant needs to be redone to bring standards up. It has the typical drop down ceiling tiles and a giant pillar in the middle of the room (covered in mirrors). I really think that with spending more money on sprucing up the place, it could be more successful. Service: I've seen reviews that are hit and miss with service. We noticed maybe two employees working. The main lady who worked basically as cashier and waitress was exceptional. She had recommendations, a sense of humor and worked very efficiently. She was kind and warm. I didn't see much of the other worker which is probably why some patrons say they received "cold service". The restaurant owners need to hire better people so this poor lady isn't doing everything herself! Overall: I really liked this restaurant. It all came down to price and food quality, which I found balanced out quite nicely. It was nice to have some authentic Chinese food in Ottawa. The menu was a good mix between real Chinese food and entertaining those who prefer North Americanize Chinese food. One thing that is kind of annoying was that NONE of the menu items were numbered and you were given paper and pencil to make an order... that meant writing out the entire name of the dish. (With a large group, this can be a long process). I would probably return if friends were going again but I'm not sure I would seek out the restaurant purposefully on another trip to Ottawa. read more

When you order sesame shrimp, you expect breaded and fried shrimp with sesame seeds. What you get, however, is another story. Shrimp coated with globs of hot mayonnaise, on a bed of lettuce, with a few measly seeds on top. Horrible. Most of the other dishes follow suit, and the service wasn't very high quality. The boy serving us refused to consider the notion that he brought the wrong food (he did - egg rolls instead of spring rolls). He gave us what he brought and left. And then there's the restaurant itself. There are rubber mats taped to the floor and i could see mould growing in one corner. It's small and frankly very sketchy. Long story short, I have no idea why Stephen Harper orders from this shithole. Would not recommend at all. read more

Ben Ben Restaurant is not that bad when you compare against other Chinese restaurants. There were a few dishes too salty for my preference but then again it may suit for their regular customers in the surrounding neighbourhood. It's decent enough and affordable. I recommend it if you are looking for decent enough food for a great price. read more

Had a fried rice with shrimp and pork and took the servers recommendation of barbecue duck (I wanted to try duck. First time). Damn good food. The duck was delicious, especially the skin. The rice dish was good too, if not the all star the duck is. Good knowledgeable friendly staff. The interior was a bit shabby, but clean. Price was very reasonable. read more

Good authentic (interesting) Chinese food. Restaurant itself is nothing special. Would most likely return if the service was bad...rather than horrendous. Waited well over 50 minutes for 2 dishes, because apparently, there was only 1 chef working. Granted, the restaurant wasn't empty but it sure wasn't understandably full! The waitress/manager was barely apologetic about the situation---even told us to leave if we didn't want to wait any longer. We by no mean made a fuss since we understood there was a shortage of staff, but her response was entirely inappropriate. Terrible experience, not even worth a second chance. read more

This is a small Chinese restaurant, nothing fancy. Food is just okay. Not a place I would highly recommend - carpets and washroom are filthy. After dining there, I paid with my credit card - it has a chip. When I experienced problems with the machine, that is I accidentally bypassed the tip amount, the cashier indicated that he would fix it for me. To my surprise he proceeded to key in 15 percent as the tip. I was never asked the amount I wanted to leave. This bold assumption has resulted in a lost customer!!! read more

I can't understand how there are so many negative reviews. I have been coming here for years and the both the service and the food is always excellent. Some of our favourite dishes are hot and sour soup, stuff eggplant, hunan veggies and that general tso's, which is legendary. Its unlike any I have had anywhere else and I have simply stopped ordering at at other places because they always pale in comparison. read more

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE!!!!The restaurant is smelly, floor was oily and the owner was super rude. When we first walked in the owner and the server ignored us completely. The owner was on the phone and the server was wearing a headphone. After we greeted to them and asked if they were still open they finally pointed to a table but didnt bring us the menu/tea etc for a long time. Then a friend went to washroom while me and my other friend continued waiting. The friend sitting with me told me the smell in the restaurant made her nauseous and she wanted to step outside for air. I followed her out and checked if she was ok. Then I went back in and wanted to order something to go. When I stepped back in I heard the owner was speaking to the phone loudly in Chinese - three fucking stupid people came to use the washroom. She saw me walk in but continued saying disgusting things like Those fucking morons etc. read more

Super tasty. Order for take out. My favorite dishes: Kung po chicken Crispy beef Buddhas delight fried noodles read more

I guess it provides authentic Chinese food given that there were a lot of Chinese customers. I have been there twice. And had General Tao chicken and some kind of platter with chicken, beef and lamb? anyway three kinds of meat. I am not sure this is originally how it is done but i didn't like general tao chicken here at all and the food was cold. actually both of the dishes were cold so my bf asked her(manager) to warm it up a little more. and her response was totally inappropriate. She was defensive and asked other clients who ordered the same dish if the food was cold loudly. And she kind of yelled at us that it can't be cold. but it was cold. all we asked was to warm it up but she made a fuss. Neither the food nor the service was satisfactory. Would never ever go back. read more

I used to love this restaurant, both for the quality of food, the large plates and the prices. It was my favorite place until they changed. At one point, they started giving smaller servings for single people. I use to order 2 different dishes and end up bringing one dish home. However, after they changed, I had nothing to bring home. At first I thought it was my imagination but it happened 3 times. One day, I ordered "exactly" the same two dishes as the couple besides me, and I was right, their order was double the size of mine, like it used to be, and all for the same price as mine. I felt really cheated and never went back. If they are going to cut the size of the dish because you are single, they should also cut the prices read more

I highly recommend the crispy beef and the general tao chicken :) they are simply the best! I went in late August, but it's even better in January when you need to feel all toasty inside (not to mention a good sinus treatment), a great natural remedy. The service is amazingly speedy, not that I really expect it to be given that it's anything but "fast food"...and the wait staff are pleasant, asking how everything is and if you need anything else. Oh and it's authentic too, you see plenty of Asian folks there all the time, which is always a good indicator. So make sure you stop in next time you're on Somerset and looking for top-notch Chinese food, you won't be disappointed. read more

It's great to finally get fresh and authentic Chinese food that is a big step above the fast food variety. Fresh vegetables, sizzling food and homemade iced tea is a real treat. Apparently one of Stephen Harper's favorite places to use his government credit card. The servers are hilarious and friendly although the service can be a bit slow. The food is worth the wait. read more

Lunch menu is great. They have difference type of food at very reasonable price. I eat there at least once a week as i work in the neighborhood, will have to make an effort to get back there try the dinner. read more

Service is mediocre (today my husband was scolded for showing up on time to pick up a take-out order!) and there was a piece of pork in my vegetable dish. Also, his vegetarian spring rolls appeared to contain meat. My dish was fine aside from the pork (I am a vegetarian) and my husband didn't enjoy his. We won't be running back. read more

This place is amazing I have been going here for over 10 years now, it makes me wish I lived closer to Somerset. The lunch menu is very good you get either a small soup or a spring roll with a main dish all for about 8$. The dinner menu is huge, you will never run out of new things to try although there are definately some awesome favorites like: Sweet & Sour Pork, Szchewan Spiced Beef, Singapore Fried Vermicelli, Jumbo Shrimp fried in Sea Salt, General Tao's and the list goes on. I have been to fancier Chinese places but, for quality and price Ben Ben can't be beat. Do yourself a favour and check it out sometime, it won't be your last visit trust me. Tastiest most authentic Chinese food in Ottawa! read more

I do NOT recommend this restaurant AT ALL. Ordered the fried chicken rice, and the general tao's chicken.. the fried rice was really bland, no taste at all, the chicken did not seem fresh at all - we went during supper time, and the restaurant was EMPTY. We thought it was because of the cold weather, but no, it was because of the food. If you want good chinese food in Ottawa.... drive to Toronto or try another restaurant in Ottawa don't eat at Ben Ben, and if you are stuck on Sommerset, try ''so good' a litthe farther down the street (closed on Monday, which is why we did not go). Now we know, and will never go to this place again. read more

I have been eating in Ottawa Chinatown restaurants for many years and tend to keep coming back to the same tried and true places. Occasionally I get the urge to try something new and having walked past Ben Ben's to see it often full of customers, I decided to give it a try. After looking over their pretty extensive menu I ordered their stuffed eggplant sizzling plate. Some time later the lady serving me which I suspect may be the owner/manager mentioned in other reviews, brought a hotplate to my table and poured the contents of a bowl onto it. This was the first time I had seen the dish served in this manner. It was accompanied by a bowl of over-cooked rice and a half-filled pot of lukewarm tea. The dish tasted ok despite the stuffing beeing a bit greasy as if it had been over-fried separately but the eggplant was sort of wrinkled and chewy leading me to speculate that the dish may have been previously frozen and thawed out in the microwave before it was poured onto the hotplate. Of course I have no proof of this and cannot say with any certainty that this was the case. Rather, it is simply the impression I was given. When presented with the bill I was somewhat surprised to note that on top of the cost of the main dish there was an additional charge for either the tea or the rice which is quite unusual in restaurants in that area. By standards in similar restaurants in the area, the total, at just under $18 was also slightly on the high side for such a meal. What really disturbed me was the attitude of the person serving me; service was rather on the cool side which in itself is not really a problem - and a bit pushy. Then, after taking my money to pay for the bill, she took her sweet time coming back with the change and I distinctly got the impression that she was stalling in the hope I would leave without it before she came back. Frankly, while this establishment seems to have a regular clientele, it is definitely not my cup of tea and I will continue to take my business elsewhere. read more

I've been to Ben Ben several times and the food is good, but the service is absolutely horrible and the manager has no sense of customer service or respect for customers. Today, my boyfriend and I went for an early dinner with friends at Ben Ben, and after receiving sub par customer service (our egg rolls were cold and we waited over 30 minutes for the cheque), we decided to leave a modest tip. After paying, the server/manager yelled at us (in a full restaurant of people) that we needed to tip more and that it is illegal to tip less than 15%. Embarrassed, we waited for our friends to pay as well, and she continued to bicker at us, saying that we needed to give her more money because she wasn't going to "pay the government for the tips we didn't leave her"... to which my boyfriend refused, now that we were being berated. Finally, before leaving she yelled "if you don't want to leave a good tip, you shouldn't eat in restaurants". I've never been more embarrassed and offended by someone in the service industry in my life... WILL NEVER go back. read more