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    Canton Garden Restaurant

    3.8 (47 reviews)
    ModerateChinese
    Closed 11:30 am - 10:00 pm

    Canton Garden Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    CANTON GARDEN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Canton Garden Restaurant

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    This is what I got for the $19 "Salt and Pepper Crispy Seafood Delight".
    BeenHere D.

    If you're looking for a great Chinese restaurant meal for your Christmas or New Year's Eve tradition . . . this ain't it. Not sure about the "Johns" and "Joys" giving the 5-star reviews on their web site, full of praise and touting this as the "best traditional Chinese restaurant" and "best Chinese" in Halifax, but it certainly isn't. Having eaten in many authentic Chinese restaurants in New York, Toronto, and Vancouver (or even other HRM Chinese restaurants), I know that this isn't it, and I'd worry for the state of Halifax Chinese food if this is what diners praise. This is your garden-variety (one might say, Canton-Garden-variety?) Canadianized Chinese food, but hey, maybe some people like that. Just don't call it "traditional", "authentic", or worst, "best in HRM". Some of the lowlights: - The hot and sour soup was bland, bland, bland. It's the typical cheap offering of thick, cornstarchy liquid with just tofu and a few meagre pieces of chicken; for $10.95, I expected a bit more generosity (I've gotten more chicken, mushrooms, or even shrimp, for example, at other places for this price). Certainly expected much more oomph for my tastebuds, like I've received in other restaurants. This is one of the things that I judge a Chinese restaurant on, because if you can't get this simple soup right, it can go downhill from here fast. And it does: - The General Tso chicken was sweet and boring. You can get "good" General Tso that is more flavourful at better restaurants; but you won't get it here. - Same with the other dishes we tried, that just missed so many notes: Beef with Broccoli, Shanghai Noodles--yes, you could put it in your mouth and chew and swallow so that it filled up your belly, but there was little enjoyment. The Sweet and Sour Chicken was again, garden-variety Canadianized Chinese food, but it suits some people (like teenaged boys, who'll eat anything). - Most disappointingly, I was expecting to be impressed by the $19 Salt and Pepper Crispy Seafood Delight". The clerk had told me ahead of time that they were out of squid that night, and would I be OK with just shrimp and scallop. I said sure. No scallops came, and for $19, all I got was what you see in the accompanying photo. To add insult to injury, the batter was not crispy nor peppery--it was a soft-battered dish and definitely had a taste of salt, but of more concern, a hint of sweetness, almost as if they had used the batter from a sweet dish. (Unless, maybe, this is just how Canton Garden defines their batter, in which case, thumbs down for a dish that in any other good Chinese restaurant, should wow you with the saltiness and spiciness.) - It was pricey for the servings that we got. Don't expect value here. - And don't even get me started on that particular server's treatment of other businesses in the plaza (but that's another story). Pros: - Um, it was open on a night when our first choice in the same plaza, the Japanese/Korean restaurant, wasn't? Er, they followed COVID-19 safety protocols? Maybe I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they were having an off night. If it had been a single or just few issues, I would've given them a chance at redemption. But overall, we wouldn't order from them again, and would never recommend this restaurant. Go there if you happen to be *right* in the plaza and are *starving* and the other places are closed (like, even the Guardian Pharmacy isn't open to offer a bag of chips or a candy bar). Go there if you're the type who "eats to live" rather than "lives to eat". I gave them 1 star because at least the food was digestible (and it's the minimum that Yelp allows). Otherwise, take a short drive down to Bedford Highway and hit the classic Chinatown which offers more authentic Chinese tastes, and better service. Or any other Chinese restaurant in HRM. You can't do worse. I hope. :/

    Bill W.

    TL;DR - The freshest, tastiest, consistent Chinese in Halifax. Staff are friendly and helpful and the restaurant is very clean and comfortable. If you are here for supper don't get the usually Canadian Chinese fair, go for something a little different. Really want your sweet and sour chicken balls? well you can have it.. But why when you can have the pineapple chicken, with fresh tomato and lightly breaded chicken. So good.. The menu is full of great dishes and the staff are very accommodating when it comes to changes and special requests. (Eg. Vegetarian dishes) Weekends are for Dim Sum! And by far the best in the city. Fresh, not frozen like a few others I have had in town. My personal favourites are the turnip cake in xo sauce, a nice spicy twist on the regular turnip cake. Shrimp spring rolls, pan fried dumplings, all the steamed buns, fresh made soy milk, it's all great. It's not served on a cart like you see in some big places in Toronto, but it's still quick. Come early as it gets very busy after 12:30-1:00. Great for groups too, a bit of a trek for the peninsula folks, bet well worth it.

    the front of the restaurant
    Ruth D.

    Finally, a Chinese Restaurant in Halifax that comes close to those I remember from my childhood in Montreal. The in-laws also grew up in Montreal and so we had to have some Honey Garlic Spareribs - perfect, and some egg rolls - not even close, but the General Tao Chicken and the Hot and Sour Soup were great. The rest of the dishes - sizzling beef, a shrimp something - I didn't write it down, were wonderful. Three big pluses for the restaurant - large portion sizes; focus on the main ingredient - no overload of green peppers that so many Asian restaurants dish up; and every dish actually tasted different. The restaurant has only been open for 4 months and is already popular.

    Wonton soup, VERY good!
    Christina R.

    Price- Great! Atmosphere- ok Food- Good! Bathroom- one of the best! Location- not horrible Service- Passable So, This one was an adventure! my parents randomly decided we were going out for dinner, and after an extensive Yelp search, we decided on this place! So thank you Yelpers! Atmosphere We know my opinion on places that are a completely contemporary setting with little to none of the culture present.. This being a Chinese restaurant, when we walked in there was a tank with two huge (VERY CREEPY) fish in it. The walls are a beige color, there's a few (and I do mean few) pieces of art that have an Asian look but otherwise its a completely western restaurant.. It kinda took away from the experience... but it wasn't a deal breaker! Bathroom Now, I'm not sure why I have taken to reviewing bathrooms at every restaurant I'm in but I have! This bathroom was amazing! I wanted to take like 20 million selfies, it was clean, very modern feeling with normal height toilets (yes this is important to me), and the part that sold me on it the most the lighting was perfect to show off my highlights! (the ones that show up only in the right light) So this bathroom by its self would be a 4 star bathroom... oh and happy to report there is NO mickey mouse soap dispenser! (just a perfectly professional looking on!) Food! Now, we did real the menu for a long time! I did see a few Cantonese items but majority of the menu (for regular dinner hour) was all your standard Canadian Chinese fare. Chicken balls, beef and broccoli, and 25 different variations of fried rice, ya know the standards. so the menu kinda lets me down but goes along with the feel of the place. HOWEVER! there is a positive! The quality of the food is pretty good!!! Won-ton Soup, if you order a large they do mean LARGE! its a big enough bowl for 4-5 people to have at least one serving. there were 3 of us and we all had 2 bowls (and there was still a little more left) it was GOOD! the broth was very well seasoned, the meat perfectly flavored... basically I could write a book about how much I love good food! This would have a whole chapter! (in case we didn't realize something, when I say I would put it in a book it means it was GOOD!) Now, moving on to the "main course" We had the standard issue dinner for three, which consisted of Chicken Balls, Sweet and Sour Ribs, Chicken Fried Rice, and Chicken Chow Mein (pictures all added previous to my review).. Ribs the standard gooey mess coated in way to much sauce, our sauce had some strands of ginger in it which we enjoyed slightly more then the ribs.. Chicken balls, well they are a standard Canadian Chinese food for a reason! (we even got the standard issue red dye goo!) Chicken Fried rice, well done, tasted better then standard issue food but yet was still under whelming. Chicken Chow Mein, when it was hot it was good! to sum up! Food is good! if you want standard non greasy Canadian Chinese food! however ORDER THAT WON-TON SOUP! you wont soon regret it! Location For the type of restaurant it is, its in the perfect location for its clientele. Price The price tag is fair for what you get, unless you go for individual dishes, then it gets costly. Combos were pretty well priced and were the standard issued combos of the Canadian Chinese market. So if you want the standard selections, by all means Combos are the way! Want certain things, be prepared to pay 10-15 bucks a dish. Service The service is a little confusing... There were two girls serving, one who spoke very strong English and one who had a bit of a struggle. There was no sign to indicate it was seat yourself, so we stood there looking like clear new comers. There were a lot of orders flying out the door, which has a sign of both good and bad things, a lot of take out means there are a lot of people who don't like the service, but like the food enough to order it.. so hm.. but anyway! back to the service. It was moderate pace, slightly awkward, but could have been better organized.. one came over and asked how everything was the other came within 2 minutes and asked again... to sum up, it appears they need a bit more organization but otherwise it is passable for the level of business they do.

    Honey Garlic Ribs
    Mike H.

    This is by far the best Chinese food in Halifax. It is fresh, consistent, and flavorful. They truly care about the quality of their food and servicing their customers. If you order takeout, it usually takes no more than 15 to 20 minutes. Favs: Eggrolls, Honey garlic spareribs, Barbecue pork, Almond Chicken Soo Gai, and Szechuan vegetables. It's all about the flavour - check'm out.

    combo A: egg roll (not seen here?), chicken fried rice, sweet & sour chicken balls

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    15 years ago

    Very good dim sum menu and not very expensive. Very busy on saturdays yet excellent service.

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    12 years ago

    Though not centrally located, this establishment has a quirky way of preparing food in wide variety with incredibly friendly service.

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    Canton Garden Restaurant - chinese - Updated May 2026

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