The vegetarian choices served at The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen are always delicious. They are known for specialty Buddhist vegetarian meals and have been in the community for years. We ordered a few things and were very impressed with how well they were made. Served hot, our selections were like works of art. #16 - Bean Curd with Mixed Vegetables - plentiful amount of different types of veggies. # 5 - Stuffed Bean Curd Skin * - always delicious. # 65 - Rice Noodle w Vegetarian Chicken & Vegetable - came with generous giant pieces of mock chicken. Excellent vegetarian dishes. read more

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My fav is their mixed veg platter. It is yummy. Service is fine. Like most Chinese restaurants. Ambiance is dated. read more

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen - Vegetarian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Delicious and healthy even though it is far from downtown by my standard. The price is reasonable.

My go to place to pick up vegetarian food. Their prepared stuff is fantastic! It's hard to find restaurants that are vegetarian with Asian influence. 10/10 read more

We went there because the Richmond hill vegetarian restaurant was closed forever in August . Sadly we had to drive another 10 km to Scarborough. The restaurant is a well established vegetarian restaurant and is full of regulars . The reason id that they block the nicer tables with a reserve sign and take it off when a regular client walks in (I knew because I could hear their conversation ). We had regular assorted Buddha vegetarian fish. It comes in 4 sizes and we chose the large which is not large in size at all. It is like a small in other restaurants . But I guess when u r the only game in town, you can be cheap in food quantity . These are made of assorted gluten made pieces / curry, sweet and sour etc . It is okay tasting and no different than the ones from supermarket We ordered vegetarian dim sum and assorted Buddha delight noodles Again nothing spectacular and the noodle was crispy enough but a bit greasy (yes even vegetarian food can be oily) Overall food is average and so is service unless u r their regulars. Toronto GTA needs more vegetarian restaurants read more

As I was waiting for my boyfriend to get milk tea from Marathon, I couldn't help but notice the people dropping by to pick up chinese vegetarian food. The customers seems to be regulars as they chat with the lady scooping and cutting the bean curd products that were on display. I peered into the window and had a look at the products on offer. The looked pretty good - don't have excessively vibrant colour and not super oily. I was eyeing the mock chicken and a fried bean curd spring roll looking item. The mock chicken is my go-to item to order when I get Chinese vegetarian food. It was marinated in a diluted soya sauce and therefore you can still taste the bean flavour. The spring roll like product is called mock duck. The outside compose of multiple thin bean curd layers and the center has a slightly more chewy, thicker layer. Both items cost ~$7 and I will definitely come here again to pick up more bean curd products. read more

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen - Mock duck (on top) and mock chicken (hiding underneath) - Vegetarian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen has been around for ages. It is one of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in this area! While, food can be oily, as with most more traditional Buddhist vegetarian restaurants; their dishes are none-the-less delicious. The oil used in one dish can probably be used for four to five dishes at another restaurant. To avoid "a moment on your lips, a lifetime on our hips/guts" situation, you can inform the kitchen to cook with less oil when the order is being placed. This will reduce the mishaps of the dishes being drenched in oil. My go-to dish is stirred fry rice cake. It's usually enough for 2 meals. it's always delicious. Rice cakes are constantly perfectly cooked with a slight chew and not too soft. Overall, support local and visit The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen if you are in the area! Take out and delivery on UBER Eats are available during this physical isolation period. read more

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What can I say? Maybe it was the dishes we ordered but our first experience here may be our last. We are recent vegetarian converts and have been trying out new vegetarian restaurant options. We came here hoping to find a new go to place and to our dismay, that is not going to be the case. Based on reviews and our personal preference, we ordered beef & mushroom soup (meh), taro fried fish (a-ok), fried tofu balls in brown sauce and veg (yuck), salted fish fried rice (the best dish of the night) and a plate of mock duck meat(meh). I still think that eating vegetarian shouldn't mean compromising on flavours and sadly I found food here under-whelming. I think I'll stick to eating at regular Chinese restaurant and just order meatless dishes with full flavours. read more

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I have only ever stopped in to buy the takeout and have never tried their dishes but the takeout vegetarian items are amazing. We usually get their small mix or large mix with an addition of a roll or two of the mock chicken (I think). They are sold in rolls and to me, mimics intestines hah. Their mix is less oily and more homemade vibe compared to the pre made boxes sold at supermarkets. In a mix they have different items to mimic chicken, pork etc. You can order from the staff that mans the cart at the front of the store. Once you order, they will snip the big pieces into a carton for you. Their prices definitely did go up compared to last year but for their quality I would be coming back. read more

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen - Vegetarian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We were headed to Pho Q but left because of the noise. Ended up here. Sticky tables, not the most pristine of dishes or chopsticks. The corn soup was ok, black bean with mock beef and bitter melon adequate and the vegetable fried rice had some decent wok hay. Overuse of corn starch in everything. Miserable wait service save for one nice person. Not running back any time soon. Bathroom was spotless and very clean. read more

My first taste of Chinese vegetarian cuisine was from Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen, a cozy casual restaurant tucked in a dated but nonetheless well-trafficked plaza in Scarborough. Things have changed: lunches were busier in my childhood, whereas on a recent visit there was no wait despite it being the weekend; and things were drenched in oil, while now they show restraint. What stayed constant is their low prices and simple but satisfying dishes. Do not visit without getting a plate of the vegetarian "dim sum" (the small pictured for $4.50), which is deceiving as it's not really the steamed dumplings synonymous with dim sum. Rather, they are pieces of gluten and tofu, prepared in different manners (braised, fried, steamed) and flavoured with various sauces (sweet soy, curry, sweet and sour) all served warm to munch on at the beginning of the meal. This is the "it dish" for the place. In fact, you'll see many people visit just to get this as take out. The stuffed bean curd skin ($4.50) was one of my favorite dishes, but sadly the recipe has changed. While they're less oily, it's now deep fried instead of pan fried so there's no difference in texture on the wrapper (I loved having the contrasting crispy and silky bites of the past). The filling, which was hot and plentiful in the past, is now stingy and lacks all the different vegetables and fungus that gave it the interesting flavours. Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen's soups are all a combination of bean curd, vegetable, corn and bamboo - the sweet corn soup with vegetable and bean curd ($4.50 for small) is one that offers three of the four ingredients. It's a simple concoction made with a semi thick cream corn base with tons of tofu and bits of mushrooms mixed in. It's tasty, but a few chopped green onions would help add some colour. read more

Growing up in Scarborough, I've come to this restaurant often and have been satisfied each visit. When I became vegan, I learned to appreciate this place even more. The prices are low for large portions but I think that they reflect what you should expect from this restaurant as well. Their food isn't outstanding compared to bigger restaurant chains such as King's Cafe, but it's still a great and cheap option! Some dishes are hit or miss but the sweet and sour pork as well as their fried noodle with vegetarian beef have always been a staple when my family orders from them. The restaurant, itself, is on the smaller end, so expect a wait time during the busy Chinese celebration days. The parking, as many people have mentioned, is also hectic since it's in a busy plaza with many other small stores, restaurants and fast food places. I would recommend not parking in the parking area in front of the restaurant but probably the parking lot facing the back of the restaurant, where I usually find some vacant spots. read more

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen - Vegetarian Chicken with Lemon Sauce (on the side) - Vegetarian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The worst vegetarian food I have ever had. Came here because I was looking for a new Vegetarian place nearby, but the food here was horrific, and the wait time was worse. We arrived at the restaurant and got seated, but we were confused as to how ordering was done as we sat there with utensils and tea for a few minutes. I thought it might have been in of those restaurants where you order off the options on the wall, but there were none. Only after I had asked for the menu did the server finally give it to us, and we ordered the Curry Bean curd, the Vegetable pork tofu soup and some other rice dish with a corn sauce. Sitting here for over half an hour, there were other customers who arrived after us, ordered, and received their food before us and at this time it was just getting ridiculous. We asked when would our food arrive about three times over the next 20 minutes (50 minutes wait now) and they basically tried to bribe us by giving us some "free" appetizers from the heater. About 5 minutes later, we finally received our food and all three dishes came out at the same time (I do not understand this either, if dishes were done sequentially, you could have given us each dish individually instead of all at once). Now, after waiting about an hour and absolutely starving, you would think the food would be worth the wait but it was not. The soup was some opaque thick soup with imitation pork strips and a lot of Chinese veggies, but everything had no taste whatsoever. The soup itself tasted like water with corn starch and undercooked chopped vegetable leaves. The corn sauce rice dish was just the same as well; no flavour with corn kernels sprikinled here and there. The only thing that had flavour was the Curry Bean curd, which was also average in itself. Overall the worst experience I have had with any vegetarian restaurant yet. read more

One of my favourite Chinese vegetarian places around this area. I love the Chinese gluten dishes. Usually, we get the assorted ones that has the curry flavour, sweet and sour flavour as well as items that look really similar to meat such as BBQ pork and the pig intestine. Overall, the dishes are decent priced - roughly $8-$10 each in a relatively large portion that is good for sharing amongst families. We enjoy getting the Fried noodle with mixed vegetable, which is only for $6.95. Fried noodles indicate that the sides of the noodles are crunchy and lightly fried, but since they cover the noodles with a lot of sauce, the noodle are usually soft and covered with sauce. Another one of my favourites are the Fried stuffed yam fish with sweet and sour sauce for $10.50 for dishes to go along with rice. It has always been one of my favourites, and definitely not easy to make as it takes a lot of time to make. Be careful when you eat it though, it can be pretty hot when it comes out fresh from the kitchen. read more

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Was introduced to this restaurant last week... Food are great and will definitely ree visit read more

This place is great. When you order "dim sum", it's really not the usual dim sum that you find in most Chinese restaurant, it's actually a platter of different flavored tofu, tofu sheets, and gluten. You get a sour one, and there is one firm-er than the others which is a mock BBQ pork. A pressed firm tofu would act as a piece of chicken breast, and there is also a curry flavored fried gluten ball. Some of their dishes are just simple stir-fry of vegetables, but there are few amazing dishes that they use gluten and turn it into mock meat that you really can't tell the difference. The Salty fried chicken with fried noddles is one of the best. Even with a sauce over everything, the chicken pieces would still be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The most amazing thing is, it even seems like it's real meat, that it's bursting with flavor (it's juicy!) when you bite into it! You would see this place packed with people at lunch times when it's weekends, or when it's the first day (or 15th) of the month on the lunar calender. Normally they are really quite, so that when they are busy, the service suffers a little. If you want the "dim sum", you should order it the first thing you get inside, as the only server in the place will have to make that for you, instead of sending that one order to the kitchen. If you trying it for the first time, go there at around 2pm, or early evening at 5 - 6pm, that way you can be sure you get your food in a much more reasonable speed. they close at 9pm, so the "dim sum" wouldn't have any many selection. (you don't really get to choose, so it's a tip that you should get there early.) read more

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eir prices are way up and quality way down.....I was always uncomfortable going there...They use to be good at one time, before the pandemic.....The owner is a nice woman....but the employees have a BIG Attitude problem if you are not Chinese or do not speak Cantonese !!! Big Bugged ATTITUDE problem ! I rather go to more pleasant Vegetarian Restaurant that is not intimidating........because I am not Chinese.... read more

Was so curious to get to know Chinese restaurants that only serve vegetarian dishes thanks to Deb P! Although I am Chinese myself, I did not really realize we do have quite a few Chinese restos here and there in GTA catering to vegetarian eaters due to personal/religious reason. Pretty interesting if you ask me. This place was the first one I tried. The parking lot was busy but there's more spots at the back of the restaurant. The establishment itself is not the biggest but seems pretty clean. Ordered spring rolls and mock sweet and sour pork and they tasted surprisingly good. The portions were decent as well. Service was okay. The server wasn't really rude but she definitely seemed bored. They have a takeout food service counter by the door and debit and credit card are accepted here. A note to people who don't understand Chinese: the menu at the takeout counter and chef's recommended on the whiteboard are only written in Chinese. so maybe bring a Chinese friend to interpret so you don't miss out? Heading to my next veggie restaurant :) read more

The vegetarian sweet and sour "pork" is one of the best we've had! I'm not vegetarian but my sister is and we both loved this dish. The texture is similar to the non-vegetarian version of the dish! The eggplant and tofu items were flavorful as well. I'll keep coming back to this restaurant! read more

I have been here 10 x and counting. I love the foods from the counter, especially deep fried ones. I usually spend $50 or more, some for take-out. Their Taiwanese stir-fry is my fave (pickled chinese vegs, loads of deep fried tofu, peanuts, ... my fingers get weak while reminiscing ... ) . Good place to chill alone or with your tribe. Clean washroom. read more

So good! This is a small little restuarant located inside the plaza. I never knew this place existed so I always go to lotus pond near by for their vegetarian platter and sweet and sour fish. So these are the two dishes I got here. The large vegetarian platter for $8.00 and the sweet and sour fish which was fried taro for $13.99. Both dishes were extremely flavourful and fresh. The vegetarian platter had distinct flavours too. The sweet and sour sauce for the fish was on point, a great balance of sweet and sour. They seperated thr sauce and fish so the fish was still super crispy. Service was good and price is a lot cheaper than lotus pond. I think their food is less oily than lotus pond as well. The only down side is this place is quite small so remember to make reservations if you have a large group. read more

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen - Large vegetarian platter $8 - Vegetarian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came here for lunch and it's not bad for vegetarian food. The place is pretty small and prices are reasonable. I did enjoy their noodle soup and the staff has low patience so it's better to know what you want to order cus if you are trying to figure while they are their they will just walk away and tend to to other customers. read more

Since I have been to a few Vegetarian places in the area such as Graceful, Gourmet etc... I figure why not give a chance to try a new vegetarian place instead of going to the same one.. . Didn't know what to except, especially after reading the limited reviews online. I have to said that I haven't not been disappointed. Though I did make a reservations early on, we were given a table right close by the door (and it was extremely cold that day)... I guess reservations really doesn't matter. It is first come, first served. 7 pm is the most busiest time. I recommend going there by 6 pm.. or after 8pm. Staff was polite and nice. Food is actually great & good value. Staff also gave great suggestions. They also have great combos at the back. Parking: Kind of hard to find parking in that plaza as there are so many business and restaurants.. suggest to maybe park at the back of the menu. Space: Very tight and limited. They can only fit so many tables in there. They also asked patrons if they would like to share a table.. Overall, I would come back but I will only come back when it isn't as busy.. read more

Honestly, a complete MEH from what my imagination had for great Vegetarian foods. One use of tofu was disguised under the names of "curry" this and "chicken" that; "black bean" this and "kung pao" that ... It is alright if you're looking for a familiar Chinese favour, but for the price they charge, I could honestly visit T&T supermarket and buy their vegetarian meals and be more satisfied with taste and price. Also, expect complete silence during lunch hour at 1:45PM - there were 3 other tables occupied with ours and all that was in place of "talks" were clatter of chopsticks and spoons ... some slurps, but absolutely no conversations from anyone. Just wow. A 3/10. read more

I'm currently on the hunt for mock meat that tastes close to the real thing...and this place is not it. However, the flavours for each dish was really good that it didn't even matter. We ordered bamboo shoots, which were good but the bamboo itself I found to be quite large and thick which made the bamboo less tasty and more..fibery if that makes sense. We also got the veggie delight which was larger than expected - always a pleasant surprise when that happens. As well as the moo sho pork dish - this dish was definitely my favourite out of the three. It was super flavourful and I enjoyed making my own rolls from the wraps. The pork bits also looked very much like the real meat, but couldn't fool me! ..it tasted and felt exactly like tofu. Final conclusion? Decent place that I'd come back to, but wouldn't rave about it. read more

I've been coming to this place since I was a wee lad. Nothing's really changed. It's not stand out but it's always serviceable. Standouts include their spring rolls as well as their great mock beef with pepper sauce and flat rice noodles. And of course, their vegetarian platter plates are always welcome. We get them at least once a year! For a full review with more pictures and descriptions, feel free to check out my blog, conveniently located on my profile page! read more

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This place has been around for decades now and is still going strong. It was my first time sitting down to eat here. In the past I've only packed up from their to go bar. Being a Buddhist kitchen, all the dishes served are vegetarian. Their menu has a lot of items that you'd see at any other Chinese restaurant but the meat is replaced with various bean curds and Buddhas delight or "jai". To test out the authenticity and to satisfy a recent vegetarian convert's cravings, we ordered sweet and sour "pork" and "beef" chow fun. Just by sight, you 100% can't tell the difference between the meatless dishes and the real thing. The sweet and sour pork was actually beautiful. The sauce had the right sheen and each piece of meat and vegetable was perfectly shaped. Biting into the pork, it had that iconic lightly fried crunch to it and the bean curd did a wicked impression of pork. In some ways it was better than the real thing - there were no "gotcha!" bites of a piece only of bone or one that's all fat. The flavour of the sauce was also super authentic and delicious. The beef in the chow fun dish was more on the medium end of matching beef. It didn't quite soak up as much flavour as I would have liked and the texture is quite different from beef. The noodles and the bean sprouts were great though and they subbed in slivers of snow peas instead of the green onions which I actually liked more. If you're fiending for those classic Chinese favourites but shying away from meat, I absolutely recommend coming here. If you're not looking for dinner, the jai bar lets you pick and choose. I also saw them preparing big party plate orders while I was there, so there are bigger take home options as well. read more

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen - "Beef" chow fun - Vegetarian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is officially my new favourite place to get Vegetarian Sweet and Source Chicken. It was AH-mazing! The service is pretty bad and they forgot my rice but the food is worth the wait! They also offer veggie "meats" you can take home to cook. Haven't tried it but it looks good. read more

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It gets really busy here during the 1st and 15th day of the month in the Chinese calendar (avoid coming these days) the dishes are tasty and very realistic to meat dishes in the way it looks, of course taste and texture is different. try the curry dishes! noodles or fried rice is good too! the large vegetarian gluten dish has gotten smaller and smaller they keep giving less things... read more

Ever since our first visit to Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen, we have been back at least once every 2 weeks. We pretty much love everything we tried and this is now our more frequent regular spot. Love it! read more

I love this place so much that I think this is my second post I can't remember! But who cares! As someone that mainly eats Whole Food plant-based, this place is a God Sent!!! No one gives you veggies like these on your favourite meat dish versions. It's small, it's a Hole In The Wall and I love it. read more

This is my first time at a buddhist vegetarian place. Came here for dinner because of a friend's recommendation. Initially, I didn't think this place would be that good because in my mind I thought this place probably only serve plain tofu and vegetables. But to my surprise, there were so many variations that can come out of tofu. Many dishes were very saucy. They had great flavor too. read more

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen - Vegetarian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Long story short, we ordered take out. The person that we spoke to (assuming is the owner?) asked can we come now, we said yes we can so we did. When we arrived at the restaurant, the restaurant was closed! We couldn't receive our order and had to order from somewhere else, which delayed our dinner by an hour. The next day, she called again though we missed the call because we were away from home. We eventually called her back. Turns out that she blamed us for not coming to pick up the food, but we did! We even confirmed a note that we saw on her window about a private home sale in Markham. If we did not have come to the restaurant, how would we have known about the notice? She also blamed us saying this was the 2nd time that an order was received but nobody picked it up. Of course that is not true...why would we order and not come to pick it up...isn't it silly? She knew we were long time customers too. She said she called our house, but obviously we were not home as we were on the way to the restaurant. She should have asked for our cell phone contact if she wanted to contact us and not assume we were close by (we had to travel for at least 20 minutes to get to the restaurant!). And logically speaking, if what she said was true, why would we even bother to call her back when we saw her missed call? Super disappointed at her behavior and blaming us for her mistakes. After more than 25+ years of buying food from this restaurant, this is how the store owner treats her long time customers. And the most disappointing thing was she said the next time she sees our number she would not pick up to receive the order. Could you believe that!? This is not the only vegetarian restaurant in the GTA, and certainly other restaurants treat their own customers with respect. Definitely will not order take out from this restaurant ever again!!! read more

It may have been what I ordered, but this place was nothing special to me. I was in the area and used yelp to find a place to eat. I should have spent more time reading the reviews, because they talked about what I didn't like, but was eager to eat. I guess I have learned my lesson. I ordered their mushroom noodle (because I was trying to avoid the "fake meat" and I love mushrooms) spring rolls and the vegetarian dim sum. -For the dim sum I was expecting more of a steamed dumpling then fake meat, this was the real disappointed point for me. I guess I should read better next time. -As for the spring rolls, they were good and a decent size. -As for the noodles, I prefer a thick noodle to the thin and crunchy ones they served. This may be normal, but again it wasn't my cup of tea. -On the topic of tea, like many chinese restaurants, this place serves complimentary tea with your meal. -On the plus side, the flavours were very good. An additional note is to be patient in the parking lot. It is relatively small and very busy. Take your time and some deep breaths when it seams chaotic. read more

I've been coming to this vegetarian restaurant since I was a little girl! Their best items in my opinion are the cold cut sweet and sour appetizer, bean curd roll, sweet and sour "pork", and the black bean ho fan. It's a small restaurant that can get quite busy during religious days but they're generally pretty good on a normal day. We've tried different vegetarian restaurants throughout the city and we always come back for the taste and value. Highly recommend! read more

came here for lunch bc i was craving chinese food ! first, let me just say that the parking in this plaza is SO hectic and it will probably take you around 10 minutes to find a parking spot during busy hours there are actually many veggie restaurants in the gta area that are pretty similar but i think this one beats all of them! the food is so yummy, service is really quick and the portions are super duper big. ordered the mock sweet and sour pork - we asked for the sauce separately to dip and they were very accomodating! really good texture, i reccomend this to everyone! (5/5) we also ordered the rice noodles - it was super good as always, the person sitting beside us who just came in even asked what it was because they wanted to order it! (4.5/5) the menu is all in chinese, but if you explain to them what you want they will know! one thing is that the restaurant isn't so big so sometimes there are waiting times (like 5 min) btw sometimes the food comes out of the kitchen super duper hot so you might have to wait a little bit before eating it! read more

The Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen - Vegetarian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Really liked this place. I agree with another reviewer the veg dim sum was delicious. read more

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Came cuz I saw their Chinese gluten display in the window, and I'm a sucker for Chinese gluten. Not a fan of the way it sits out in the open without any plastic screen to protect it from insects, though. Got a small for $4.50 (tax included). Not cheap, but not overly expensive. The box wasn't completely full. I don't like that. I said I wanted some of each item (first time, so I might as well try them all). They didn't give me every item. I didn't like that either. Taste: curry gluten - had some curry taste. sweet and sour - had some sweet and sour taste, but not sharp enough. vegetarian char siu - tasted odd. Not like char siu or its sauces at all. vegetarian pig large intestine - I liked this one. It had a nice chew to it. Good texture. vegetarian kidney - sauce was gloopy. The sauce spilled onto my other non-kidney options. bean curd sheet rolls - I like these. I mean, these are really hard to get wrong. other nondescript glutens - tasted like salty gluten. Overall taste - they could have been considerably less salty. Will I come again for the gluten? Probably not. It's okay, but if I prefer T&T's gluten (their curry gluten and their duck gluten are amazing), the portions are better and it's cheaper, then I'm going to go there. read more

3.75 stars. Must try: -#3 Deep Fried stuffed bean curd skin with Yam Small $4.25 for 3 rolls(6 pieces) and Large $7.50 for 6 rolls (12 pieces). It's heaven if you like fried foods and taro/yam! Most other food are decent. read more

I have been going here for years and absolutely love, LOVE the food. My favorite is the dim sum plate of mock meat and the deep fried tofu with black mushrooms. Bot are out of this world. Very nice and friendly staff and very reasonably priced!! read more