The salt and pepper squid is 5 stars. The batter is thin and brittle. The squid is toothsome. I have not found better squid in a Chinese restaurant. Four stars: pea tips, pork dumplings, Singapore noodles, and ginger chicken. 3 stars: The beef rice noodles (ho fan) noodles are tasty. The chowmein is fine but ask for the noodles to be cooked extra crunchy. Sweet and sour pork is yummy but fatty. The portions are large and the prices are some of the best in town. Support this gem while you still can. read more

This is a long long standing authentic Chinese eatery that's been serving Calgary for quite some time...I believe for over 40 plus years. Is it white linen? Nope. Are the bathrooms clean? Nope. That said, that ain't why you come here. The food is excellent - you won't be disappointed however...if you're a fan of the "salt and pepper" vittles you're going to love this place! They're known for their sat and pepper squid and, after having it three times in the past six days, (no lie) it's amazing. John is one of their senior servers and owners I believe - great guy. Always friendly, warm and gracious - hence why this place is always busy. I'm surprised if the current yelp rating...our experience over the past week had been nothing shy of excellent. Go for the squid however don't be afraid to explore and try more as well...you may be pleasantly surprised. ;) Enjoy. read more

Ho Won just reopened after Covid restrictions eased We just went for lunch and it was a wonderful as usual Fish in corn sauce over rice is to die for Please to visit and support this Calgary foodie favorite read more

Very good quality Chinese food. From the white people favs to authentic all good. Hits the spot everytime. Order the salt and pepper squid. Obv parking is bad here because it's downtown so heads up. Their only open a few hours during lunch time and dinner. read more

Excellent salt and pepper squid. The 10 course dinners are also great here and reasonably priced. The downside is they are sometimes short-staffed. Highly recommended. There's a reason they've been around for a long time. read more

Good food. Yes salt and pepper squid is good too. But service is horrible. Don't expect to be served right away. If you're really hungry then you will probably pass out by the time food comes. Ginger beef is good. Chicken fried rice good. Also if you're Asian you get first priority. Next time I'm bringing an Asian with me for better service. read more

Ho Won Restaurant - This is me eating - Chinese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The best budget friendly restaurant with the most delicious and freshest food in Chinatown.

I'm not sure if this place really deserves a four, more like a three and a half, but I digress, let me explain... This place has the best food that I've eaten when it comes to Chinese cuisine. That is backed up by the fact that there is a large amount of Chinese people eating there themselves - so this is good. HOWEVER - the service is so bad, it's laughable. On one occassion, our extended family went as a large group for dinner one night. We got there only to be told there was no room for us, though the restaurant was empty. After 15 minutes of us giving each other confused looks, we were sat. Service was slow, and after ordering the waiter rarely came by. Then my father took charge. He waved his hand in the air, snapped and said, 'hey!' in a loud voice, then about 50% of the other patrons all swervered their heads towards our table to see who outnoised the already noisy place. I was so embarrased, but it worked! Now, that being said, my father has done business in China for years and told me this isn't rude, and we need to just be straight forward, and things will be fine. Apparently this is true, because by the end of the night, he was chuckling with the waiter as if they were good friends. Food's great, and since I've been here numerous times, i've ordered many items, all very tasty. Price (to me) is cheap, and food comes in a timely manner. The best part is, you won't be on the toilet for a full day after eating there. read more

Slowest service ever because understaffed in front and kitchen. Take out order was 45 late read more

The boys and I were here in May 2014 for a post Taekwondo tournament dinner for volunteers. We booked five tables (53 diners in all) and we were served in a timely fashion. The staff were friendly but not that attentive--we had to walk to the kitchen area to get forks, knives, and extra bowls for the wee folk. Corn and egg drop soup: this was pretty standard fare. The sweetness of the corn came through without being overly salty. This soup is also very kid friendly (instead of the fish maw soup); one of our picky little eaters slurped up two bowls. Deep fried shrimp balls: nom, nom, nom! The shrimp balls were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. They managed to score more points with the kids. Salt and pepper squid: awesomely, mouth-wateringly delicious! Won't say any more than that. Stir fried seafood and vegetables in a deep-fried noodle nest--this was another hit with the kids. Attractively presented in a noodle nest, there was a generous portion of scallops, shrimp, fish fillets and veggies. Lobster in thermidor cream sauce: this dish was more for the adults (who weren't allergic to shellfish). The lobster was cooked perfectly in a piping hot cream sauce. They could have added some egg noodles to soak up the sauce, though... Stir-fried pea tips/leaves (dow mew): a very clever combination of the pea tips with a dried scallops(dai jee) and garlic sauce. Wonderful flavour and not too salty. Crispy fried chicken with shrimp chips--I was purring over this dish. The chicken was juicy and tender (usually the breast meat is a bit dried out in most restaurants from the frying process). Shrimp chips were excellent (not too oily). Fried rice--I'm not a big rice fan, but this was quite good! read more

Ho Won Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Honestly, this restaurant does not look very appealing but is one of my favorite places for dim sum without paying an arm and a leg for. Make sure to get a table near the front part of the restaurant otherwise you'll need to wait for the carts to make it around you. This is also one of the few restaurants that I enjoy dining at for dim sum and also dinner. read more

I visited the restaurant for lunch with a handful of coworkers. Amazing salt and pepper squid. Friendly staff. All around great experience. Recommendations are: Salt and pepper squid Sizzling rice Sizzling beef in black bean sauce Soft shell crab A must visit if you go downtown. read more

I heard that their Salt and Pepper Squid was the BEST in Calgary, so I had to try it and we did order from Ho Won this past week. We also ordered the pork dumplings, chow mien and ginger beef. It was all excellent! It's been a long time since I have ordered Chinese food and not found something to complain about, but there were no complaints here! We ordered through Uber Eats and the delivery went well and it was probably faster than if we had actually driven to the restaurant and tried to find a parking space. Great food! My husband and I had happy tummys and we will be repeat customers in the future! read more

I decided to take my parents out for Dim Sum, and my dad wanted to go to this random place that I never heard of called Ho Won. I was super stoked for a new Yelp adventure. When I got there, 95% of the patrons were senior citizens, and all but two people were Chinese. Must be a hidden gem that no one has heard of, right? Wrong. It turns out that there are already 7 reviews on Yelp. Sigh. To start things off, the service was pretty slow. It took a while before the food carts came over to our table, so my impatient mother decided to go to them to get something. We had BBQ pork pastries, honeycomb tripe, homemade giant fish balls, shrimp paste stuffed eggplant thing (can't you tell I'm white-washed?), more cow organs, shrimp dumplings, siu mai, shrimp and chive dumplings, jin deui, pea shoots, beef rice noodle rolls, and broth. What sets this place apart from others are the portion sizes and how everything seemed to be homemade (AKA kitchen made). I liked how this place had some unique dishes to choose from that I've never tried before. However, the siu mai smelled a little foul and the rice noodle rolls had too much rice noodle for the amount of beef. Overall, the dim sum here is better than most places, but I didn't see those crispy deep fried taro root balls that I love. I think I still like Central Landmark better, but this place is not too shabby! read more

Ho won! Well one thing I LOVE about ho won is the prices! Infact I feel like it might be the cheapest chinese joint i have been to EVER! I will make this quick. The salt n pepper squid is so crunchy like cracker jacks, the ginger beef is gushy, and sweeeeeeeeeeeet. The gai lan so delicious , the toasted garlic makes a difference! And it's all just for cheaper than cheap! It's not so refined as bills or harbour city. The dumplings a little gamey and lemon chicken a bit TOO crispy. But overall it's great i would go their any day! And that's all that I have to say! It's a little rough around the edges but then again that's exactly why I would come here again! 5/30 read more

I love to order the lobster and crab dishes... The creamy lobster dish is amazing. You get so much lobster, for the price, you can't go wrong! So yummy! The salt & pepper squid is great too. PRO - portions are generous. CON - service is very slow. PRO - the food is worth the wait. read more

Food was either too bland or too salty. Service was horrible because of not enough staff. Staff was rude and pushy. Overall bad experience. Will not be back. read more

Wow. I can't believe the Yelp score here, it should at least be a 4. When the entrees arrived at our table, our jaws hit the floor. Massive! - The Three Kinds of Seafood in Coconut Curry sauce had a ridonkulous amount of squid in it. - The Singapore noodles had tiny slices of pork, but was generous in its shrimp count. - The Cashew Chicken was also great, with plenty of garlic, plenty of cashews and chicken The do charge for tea, which is kinda weird. And the spring rolls could probably be avoided (bland and too large/floppy). Great value and very tasty food. read more

How have I not reviewed Ho Won before now? I was first introduced to this place by my brother-in-law's family and has been in my regular restaurant rotation for the last 9 years. I will start with the service.... Sketchy at times but I don't expect a lot being Caucasian in Chinatown. There are a couple of servers that recognize me and are more attentive than the others (and sometimes downright friendly) and I am happy to see them when we arrive. The food..... Delicious! Specifically the salt and pepper squid. It's to die for and I almost guarantee that you won't find any better. For real! Most of the dim sum offerings are also the best I have had. The price is the same or less than other places in the city and I have not found a place that I would rather go. Getting hungry just writing this..... read more

I've been a regular of Ho Won for over a decade. This is a old school joint that has been around for a very long time. Don't let the older interior fool you, Ho Won has been around for a long time for its consistency, quality and great price. Good select dim sum (get the siu mai / pork dumplings, beef tendon, beef stomach). The salt and pepper deep fried squid is what they are known for. They also have a very good fish broth soup, which is not available at any other dim sum restaurants. The owner makes a limited batch everyday and once they are gone, they're gone. For dinner, go for the 3 or 4 course fish (cod) meal, which is amazing. It comes with a snow pea leaf fish soup, steamed fish with scallions, a braised deep fried fish and another vegetable (gailan) with fish dish. Very tasty, healthy and great value. read more

Classic Chinatown restaurant. This place will win you over not by it's looks but by the flavours in your mouth. First off, this is probably my #1 favourite place to go for salt & pepper squid. As one of my favourite Chinese dishes in general, it has the perfect balance between batter and squid. It doesn't feel or look like the poorly done ones where you can see the grease but it has a lightness to it that convinces you that it doesn't have that much oil in it. The flavour is spot on bursting with umami. My other favourite is the Peking duck (3 course). You can choose for your other 2 courses noodles, rice, or soup. You can't go wrong either way. The duck has a very nice crispy skin and is full of flavour. It's always a treat to go here. If you can go with a larger group you can try a lot more dishes. I can't wait 'til I return here. read more

This place is your typical hole in the wall chinese restaurant, but their $7.50 lunch specials are a steal. Very large portions. I highly recommend the salt and pepper squid. It's the best that I've ever had, and I probably finished half of the plate on my own. Since Calgary Court is still closed due to flooding, Ho Wan may very well be my go-to place in Chinatown for Chinese food. read more

The food is not bad. Salt and pepper squid dish has pretty big squid! Quite tender. Singapore Fried Vermicelli and PanFried Beef Rice Noodle in Soya Sauce are not too bad. read more

Hands down for the best Ginger Beef, Dry Spare Ribs and Salt & Pepper Squid .... my first stop whenever I get off the plane. read more

Ho Won Restaurant - Yummmmmy - Chinese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Good food, great salt and pepper squid. came here on a team lunch, everyone seemed happy and we were in and out in over an hour. I agreed with a previous review that it is more like a 3.5 but what the heck worth a try for chinese cuisine. read more

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Kicked off the Year of the Wooden Horse at Ho Won & dined on some of the most delicious Chinese cuisine! Why then didn't I give it five stars? Waiting nearly an hour to be seated without being told it could be anywhere near that long wasn't pleasant -- might not have taken a star off for that, however the restroom was simply vile! So my suggestion? Use your bathroom at home before you arrive! read more

Not going to lie, if you are expecting service from this restaurant you're going to be really disappointed. Dinner service usually have 2 servers, and you literally have to hunt them down for order and water. Other than that, I have to say this is honestly one of the best Chinese restaurant in Calgary. This is coming from an immigrant from Hong Kong by the way. That's worth something right? (lol) Anyway, back to the review. They make old school Canton style cuisine, and their food is always fresh and never over cooked. They are super famous for their salt n pepper squid, so I am not going to go into that. If you love seafood and cream sauce, I beg you to give the lobster in cream sauce a shot. The way they make their cream sauce is just heaven...I am not joking or exaggerating when I say that my Italian fiance will take the left overs from the dish and turn it into lobster alfredo linguine. It is that good. Another favourite of mine is their deep fried chicken. The chicken is NEVER dry, breast always moist and skin crispy, simply perfection. Favourite part is probably the little saucer plate with the spiced salt in it, oh and the prawn crackers. (Very authentic) Why only 4 stars after such a good review of their food? 2 reasons. One I already talked about, the service. The other is because the restaurant itself is not friendly for people with disabilities, and their stairs are freaking steep! All in all, this is a really good place for good Chinese food. read more

I love Ho Won! Hands down the best salt and pepper squid in Calgary. Of course it doesn't look like the most appealing place from the outside, but aren't those usually the best Chinese restaurants? The breading is perfect and I even eat all the peppers that come with it as garnish. The seafood chow mein, special fried rice and beef and Chinese broccoli are some of my other favorites. Everything on the menu is equally delicious and not a place you should pass up! I highly recommend this place if you are looking for some good ol' Chinese food. read more

There service has declined so much in the past years. They don't serve as much dim sum as they use to. Very disappointed

I have to say, i am a longggg time fan of Ho Won. The Salt and Pepper Squid and Ginger Beef is out of this world when eaten fresh. This place rarely disappoints. read more

Worst service I've had in a long time! I walked in around 10:30AM on a Saturday and there were 3 people in the entire restaurant. When she brought me to the table, I waited 5 minutes before she came to me again. I asked for a menu and she gave me a "funny look" then walked away. 5 minutes went by and she helped other 3 customers....5 more minutes passed and she helped 2 people that walked in...another 5 minutes passed and she helped other customers that walked in AND she gave them a menu. I tried to get her attention (verbally and I raised my hand in her direction of eyesight) and she apparently couldn't hear or see me...I was at the table directly beside the other customers. After almost 20 minutes of being ignored, I eventually was fed up and just walked out. I don't have many expectations (in terms of service) with restaurants like this but they managed to sink even lower. I will never return to this establishment again nor will I order take out. A waste of my time I will never get back. read more

Absolutely the best salt and pepper squid I've had anywhere, ever - period, and good sized portions to boot . The service is fast and accurate. The other dishes I've had are all very good to excellent. Going as a group of 6 to 10 will ensure a good variety of taste experiences. I'd give them a 6 out of 5 for the squid if I could. read more

I haven't experienced much Chinese cuisine in Chinatown, so I can't rightly say where Ho Won fits on the scale of endless restaurants. We came here for my birthday a couple of years ago, and did as we normally do in these types of places: order an endless parade of dishes to share. Nothing really popped out at me, it was all consistently good. The ginger beef was flavored well, and the squid was on the tender side. We shared good laughs that night, and managed to keep some extra cash for coffees: why give a good tip when the service is non-existent? read more

Being Chinese, I have grown up around the realm of Chinese food where most of my memories were of eating the meals my grandma prepared, and getting sick on a crap load of dim sum about every Sunday. Other fond memories as a child was visiting Ho Wan, however it was only to order take out, where I rarely ever dined here. Just recently however I made a visit to this restaurant for a family dinner. Located in Chinatown, Ho Wan isn't exactly pretty to look at, where interior or exterior decoration for that matter isn't really on the first priority list. Despite its simplicity, it does its job of supplying you a seat and table. Like other reviewers, do be prepared to sit and wait as the service is quite slow. The dinner that night was scheduled for 6:00PM, however with the business being so understaffed, the food took about an hour and 10 minutes to arrive. It got more frustrating when the servers choose NOT to look at the customers even when being signaled, to continue and finish whatever they were doing. It got so bad that there was a stall, where no diners were getting any of their orders, and had to refill their own teapots. Although it was a little frustrating, it was laughable and allowed more time to socialize with the fam until the food came. Despite the long wait, the food was excellent. With nothing being too salty or too bland, it was definitely worth the wait. Just about any dish is extremely tasty, so if you're a first timer do be adventurous in trying new dishes. I definitely recommend the salt and pepper squid where it has a lovely seasoned batter and extremely tender squid. If you're a noodle fan, I also definitely recommend to order a dish where portions are quite large for a very reasonable price. Despite how good the food was, I think I'll stick to take-out than dine here again. If you're wanting to dine here, I say give yourself a 3 to 4 hour window just in case service is a little slow the night you go. read more

Surprisingly good food and a great value. I've been a few times for both dim sum and for dinner, both are consistently good. It's worth trying to find! read more

They have more traditional Chinese dishes that I am familiar with. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors of their dishes. I tried the salt and pepper squid based on recommendations. It was very good. I also enjoyed their fish with Bok Choy and dim sum. I highly recommend this place if you are craving Chinese food. read more

A good friend brought me here because she was raving about the best salt and pepper squid. I was hesitant since it's hard to find a Chinese restaurant that makes it decent. When the squid arrived at the table, the first thing that surprised me was the portion! Second thing was the flavour! The squid wasn't overcooked, juicy, and seasoned perfectly with just the right amount of batter. Since that day, this has been my go-to place for S&P squid. I've also tried their dry beef chow fun and that was delicious too! read more

Had a wonderful experience in the late evening, ordered the 2 course Peking duck (crepes and fried rice) and salt and pepper fish, these two dishes were superb. The two were enough to feed 4 people. I've not had fish that I've enjoyed as much. I'll be back for more. read more

Slowest dim sum service known to man, avoid unless you intentionally want to starve to death. Minimal selection and low quantities with the carts coming out once an hour. Regret coming to this place would give -5 stars if possible. read more

Decided to stop by to try their "famous" salt and pepper squid...and yes, it's likely the best in Calgary (certainly the best I've had, so far). The seasoning is spot on and the batter is light and crispy. My only gripe is that, unlike the Chinese restaurants in the States, the squid is cut in large rectangular pieces. This makes it harder to eat, as there's a tendon-like material that makes it difficult to take bites off (it's like rubber-band)...but I've noticed that every Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant I've been to in Calgary serves it the same way. Here's hoping that they'll consider switching to the type served at other restaurants and pubs...but unlikely cause they probably chop up the squids in-house. Just remind yourself to ask for a knife when you order this dish. ;) read more