How can we say no to Ding Tai Fung? It is such a fun place - you can see the kitchen through the open window. Watching them make the dumplings and the noodles while we eat is just fun and interesting. My favorite is the steamed Xiao Long Bao (XLB) - I usually order 2 of those orders just for me. That's a meal. Also the beef pancake is delicious! Sometimes they miss the mark, but most of the time, it is crunchy on the outside and tasty on the inside. It is quite pricey but at least the service is good and they are quick! read more

The name of the restaurant had changed, a few months back was called Ding Tai Fung. Apparently the real Ding Tai Fung from Taiwan came to Canada to open shop , so Trademark infringement and the owner had to change the name to Xiao Long Bao. Frankly, I was disappointed with the food we ordered today. The Braised beef Vermicelli had NO TASTE! The beef was soft but no texture, literally No Taste! It doesn't taste like beef at all. I never tasted card board before but I imagine that's what it tasted like. No joke! Worst braised beef EVER! The soup and fried tofu in it also had no taste. I guess the chef forgot to season it and put in some MSG! 0/10 The other 2 dishes are more acceptable. Maybe 6 or 7 out of 10. read more

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Once in a while we have a meal that's utterly disappointing. Ding Tai Fung is Markham's copycat version of the famous global chain. We were excited for the Shanghai centric dishes on the menu, yet all of the flavors were off for us. Mini soup dumplings tasted quite bland in terms of both the filling & the accompanying vinegar. Their Shanghai salted pork soup required us to add salt. By contrast the Lion's Head meatballs with Napa cabbage was overly salty giving inconsistent flavours. It didn't help that we waited 25 minutes for dishes to arrive mostly lukewarm including the dumplings out of the steaming station. Even the soy milk and soy-stewed pork rice took forever. This after waiting a while for a table during the dinner rush that had our hopes up for a good meal. The menu offerings were all on the pricier side including $12.95 for 6 dumplings and $11.49 for XLBs. Skip it or hit it? It's a skip for us next time! The only positive was the service, which was at least polite despite being inattentive. read more

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Grew up eating here, and it was always good. Don't get confused, as this location is not the actual DTF around Asia. However, I still really enjoy this place for their food! Got here around right before noon without a reso for 2, and was seated immediately. The restaurant filled up to the brim afterwards. Food here is always good and hits the spot for me. Service is great, the workers here are nice and speak Canto. Here's what we got for 2: Hot and sour soup 4/5 - Came in a pretty big portion for the 2 of us. Perfectly spicy and sour at the same time. Great starter soup to open the appetite. Braised beef noodle soup 5/5 - Something about this soup is so delicious and brings back memories. Pan fried dumplings (potstickers) 4/5 - Crispy on the exterior, juicy on the inside. Delicious and an order that you should definitely get. Crab meat soup dumplings (crab xiao long bao) 5/5 - My absolute favourite item of this restaurant. The crab meat is so sweet and seafood-y. Paired with the amount of soup that's in the dumplings, it's delicious and nothing can compare! A MUST order! Pork soup dumplings (xiao long bao) 4.5/5 - If you're not into crab, this is the next best thing for their soup dumplings. A classic with pork. Thin wrapping with lots of soup inside. Make sure to eat this when it's still hot! Overall, there's a lot of great dishes here and I would definitely keep coming back. It's a bit pricier than other spots but I think the quality and food speaks for itself! I haven't had a crab meat soup dumpling elsewhere as good as here. read more

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Drove 30 mins to go to Ding Tai Fung but ended up in front of Xiao Long Bao. So I called and the lady confirmed it's the same restaurant but just the name changed. I went in anyway just to try since I was already there. The xiao long bao was fine. Glad they have the boiled pork with garlic sauce. However, their siu mai was a disappointment as it did not look like siu mai at all. I asked the lady if I got the wrong order but she indeed confirmed that's how their siu mai looks. The shrimp on top is dry, and so is the wrapper, esp the top if you leave it u touched for a while. Then the wrapper is thick and doughy, close to the texture of mochi. The filling is too little and more like crumbly ground pork unlike the bouncy solid texture of siu mai. Sad I paid close to $60 incl tips and cash discount but I won't be back for dim-sum here. read more

It is a famous brand, but I think it has no relationship with the famous brand originated from Taiwan. Don't know where to start. We arrived on a Saturday evening around 5:30. It is 70% occupied, the waiters were cleaning some tables and collecting dishes, making very very loud noise, I mean really loud. It seems they don't care about the customers dining there. We were quickly seated after the table was cleaned. We ordered some soup dumpling and fried dumpling. The soup dumpling was not too bad, holding up the standard, but the fried dumpling, it is not Shanghai style. I don't know what kind of style, it is just not to our liking. We also ordered seafood soup, there was a lot stuff and veggie inside, but soup was bland, if you don't like oily Chinese dish, order it. The meat had no taste, and too much fat though. Anyway, maybe we didn't order the right thing. But the noise is something we cannot accept. It is a beautiful restaurant, it could have a decent dining experience if they pay more attention to the service. read more

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Dropped by this familiar shanghainese style restaurant for dinner, the drunken chicken was cold and tender with just the right hint of xioshing wine. The soup dumplings were solid--nice broth, thin skin, and still juicy. Potstickers were crispy and satisfying, nothing fancy but done well. The Taiwanese beef noodles were super comforting, with a rich broth and tender beef. Overall, just good, no-fuss comfort food that I'd happily come back for. Service was typical of a Chinese establishment. Clean restaurant with a mix of 2 seaters, 4 seater tables, and large round tables, good for small and large groups. read more

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Xiao Long Bao craving again! We usually go to Ding TF Scarborough location but we had several errands to do in Markham today so here we were. The main downside of Markham location is parking and crowdedness. Saturday around 1:30pm, took us 20 mins to find a parking and getting a table. If you are coming as a group then send someone to the restaurant immediately to get a waiting number while a driver is finding a parking. It will save time. Food was great though! XLBs were good as usual! Today we tried a few new food items: # 65 Fried Noodle with Pickled Cabbage and Chinese Mushroom This noodle looks simple and under-seasoned, but NO. It was robust, with nice dried shiitake flavor. The noodle was nicely chewy. # 100 Scrambled egg with minced fish: It was just OK. I had better ones elsewhere with better presentation and flavor-complexity. # 16 Steamed Chive and Pork Dumpling : It is more chives than pork - but surprisingly very juicy and smooth. The skin's thickness and doneness is perfect - tasted fresh! It was a nice interval food for a change between XLBs. Overall I was very happy about the food and service experience. I am glad we came here today. read more

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Stopped at this gem in Markham, ON and the food was delicious...10 of 10 would recommend and go back when we are in town again! read more

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Been coming here often. Every time we come back to Toronto we just kinda have to stop by this place and always pretty consistent. Of course we always order the soup dumplings as this is what they are known for. They for sure make it good. In general most food here is good. Service is always fair and food comes fast. Place is a good size and decent sized tables. At times we come with a larger party sometimes less. We always order a lot and get to try it all. For sure a good go to place and will be back. read more

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Had a craving for dim sum and decided to try this place. The staff is friendly, the good comes out very quick and is fresh. read more

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We went here for soup dumplings where we got a pork and crab one and one with dried scallops. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between both but both were juicy and good. We have had the infamous din tai fung dumplings where this was pretty good but didn't seem as meticulously made as din tai fung. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just more of an observation since both have such similar names. We also had beef noodle soup, fried chicken dish, green beans, and scallion pancake with beef. Everything was tasty. My only criticism would be to add more raw scallions with the scallion and beef to have a little more contrast. I would come back and try other things on the menu, along with the soup dumplings. read more

Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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For context, I've been to this DTF location ever since I was a child. They completed a couple of renovations, but the tall glass windows where you can watch your dumplings get made still remains. This restaurant can get real busy early in the evening so its best you make a reservation or take a card to reserve your queue in line. Soup and pan fried dumplings are always a safe choice with the Shanghainese fried noodles always being a classic pick. read more

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I think by now, everyone knows that this is not the real Din Tai Fung. So my review will not talk about that very much - except to reiterate that you should not expect DTF level food or service. I was stubbornly not going to try this restaurant, but when I saw how many people were eating here, I knew I had to try it on the off chance that I was missing out on something amazing. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that. DTF Markham promotes itself as a Shanghai restaurant, but I really did not get that from the food or the menu. You can't just slap xiaolongbao on a menu and say it's authentically Shanghainese. Most people were eating the likes of sweet and sour pork, beef chow fun - traditionally Cantonese dishes. We did enjoy the Lion's Head Pork Meatballs, which are a traditional dish, and it had a good taste. The portion was decent too, for the price ($22). They also had Wuxi fried spare ribs, which were authentic - they were not fried at all! It was more of a stewed texture, which was disappointing. The taste was good however. We paid $90 all in for three dishes and three bowls of white rice. I didn't find this to be good value and likely won't be back. There is another Shanghai restaurant that opened at First Markham Place, so we will try that next. read more

Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Growing up, I've always loved coming here for the pan fried dumplings. I recently came back and tried them again, and they did not disappoint! They tasted as great as I remembered them! The price is definitely up there when considering dumplings in general, but this is a great spot for some dumplings when in First Markham Place! read more

Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Efficient service and great food! I came here for the vegetables and dumplings and both were flavourful! read more

Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Ding Tai Fung (which has a similar name to but separate from Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese restaurant chain that has a Michelin star) has a few locations in the GTA, including Markham and Scarborough. The concept is similar to Din Tai Fung, which specializes in soup dumplings and Shanghainese dishes. This Markham location is in the First Markham Place plaza, which is a hot spot for lots of good Asian eats. The interior is clean, bright, and modern. Ambiance is casual and relaxing. You get to watch the staff make dumplings by hand near the back of the restaurant. The ordering sheet they give you is not in English (it has Chinese characters only), but it's numbered, so you can look at the English menu booklet with photos, and indicate which items you want to order by matching the numbers from the menu booklet with the numbers on the ordering sheet. The menu isn't as big as those in most other Chinese restaurants, as their specialty is in the soup dumplings and steamed dumplings in general. There are limited vegetarian options, as there is only one vegetarian dumpling on the menu - but it's actually quite good. The vegetarian dumplings contain short vermicelli stands, small tofu pieces, shredded cabbage and mushrooms. Each order comes with 6 dumplings, and the size of each dumpling is pretty big. All the soup dumplings contain meat in them (mostly pork). The other dishes are pretty typical - simple and familiar, nothing fancy, yet satisfying. The Sliced White Fish with Wine Sauce and Eggs & Shrimps Fried Rice were decent - just as expected. The Bean Leaves with Garlic was okay. I liked that it wasn't too oily, but it did not contain any garlic at all (nor could I taste any garlic in the dish). I wish it came with lots of garlic. read more

Xiao Long Bao - Vegetarian Dumplings, Eggs & Shrimps Fried Rice, Bean Leaves, White Fish & Mushrooms with Wine Sauce - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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I came here with in a group of 9 on Saturday for lunch. There was a 30 minute wait, so we walked around the nearby mall until they called us. We were seated at a table set for 9, but it was very cramped, we bumper elbows and some of us could not get up without asking the neighboring table to move. There is a window where you can watch the chef's make the dumplings. They have a large menu, and you just check off the items you want on a piece of paper. We tried a large variety of dishes, a few types of Xiao Long Bao, pan fried meat buns, hot and sour soup, red Bean pan fried pancake, sticky rice wrapped around pork floss and fried dough, Shanghai noodles, stir fried pea shoots, two types of stir fried rice cakes, and more. Notable item is the red Bean pan fried pancake, I enjoyed that the most. Everything else was just ok. The stir fried rice cakes were rather bland, but maybe I'm just not used to that dish. I didn't like the flavour of the xlbs, compared to others I've had in Toronto. They were beautifully made, but mine didn't have much soup inside. There is a 10% cash discount. The washrooms are very small compared to the size of the restaurant. For 9 people, our total was 250 before tip. Servers are fast and efficient, but they did help us take some family pictures. read more

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The food here is soooooo delicious! We got pork soup dumplings and mini ones too and they were perfect. Also tried their mushroom noodles which looked bland however were surprisingly flavourful. Service was great and it wasn't too busy in there either. Washrooms were nice and clean. Highly recommend this place. read more

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This was my first visit to this worldwide renowned dumpling house franchise in Toronto anyway.  I've been to their flagship restaurant in Taipei, and a 2nd location there, and also one in Los Angeles.  Having experienced what I know they can do, this visit fell just a bit short of their normal 5 star food mainly due to the broth being too light and bland for the two beef noodle soups we ordered.  It's normally more rich and flavorful.  Their renowned xiao long bao (XLB) soup dumplings were the usual tip-top excellent though.  Our party of 6 ordered the following for lunch: - 3 bowls of hot soy milk, two plain and one sweet, and these were delightful refreshments to start. - Classic pork XLB's - Crab meat XLB's - Braised beef noodle soup - Beef tendon noodle soup - Stewed pork and mushrooms with rice Overall, still a very nice and enjoyable lunch, but like going to a worldwide famous steakhouse or famous whatever, I have to hold Din Tai Fung to a higher standard.  This location was packed to the gills until about 2pm and we had earlier made a reservation for a 1pm lunch while putzing around in the Markham Place Asian mall that they are adjacent to. The bill for this lunch visit - a modest $79 CD or $58.52 USD read more

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We visited the First Markham Place location. There's plenty of parking but it can get really busy. The restaurant is clean with an upscale feel compared to other Dumplings restaurants. We ordered the Soup Dumplings, Pork and Chives Dumplings and the Hot & Sour soup. The dumplings were delicious with their wrap on the thinner side just like I like them. The soup had a nice consistency and flavour. The downside is the cost is on the pricier side. Service was minimal but efficient. This is worth a visit! read more

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Looking for some northern chinese dim sum fare? Look no further. This restaurant is located in the busy First Markham Place mall on Hwy 7and Fairburn Dr. There is plenty of parking however expect to park pretty far as this place gets busy. We had a reservation for 10 people and we got a private room in the back. I wasn't able to do the usual pics for every dish as everyone cam very hungry. The dumplings are hand made in house and served fresh in large bamboo steamers. You can also order pan fried pork dumplings as well. Every dumpling was like a burst of soup. You can dip it in the ginger and red vinegar provided. We got vegetarian, pork and shrimp, pork and crab. All the dumplings were so fresh and you can taste the difference from the froEn varieties. The noodles were good but didn't look so appealing. The fried rice we got had like diced pieces of ham or dare I say "Spam?" The green onion pancakes were thick and fluffy with lots of scallions with every bite. When comparing this place with the other large chain I frequented recently, this place hands down exceeded my expectations. Only critique is that after all the orders came through the servers didn't come by to check on us to refill our tea pots. If you're used to Chinese service quality this was about on par with other places. My suggestion focus on the service aspect and you will certainly keep new customers coming back for more. read more

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The xiao long bao were delicious, perfectly steamed with juicy, flavorful soup inside each bite

Are you down for Ding Tai Fung? YES! Any day of the week. Named suspiciously similar to Din Tai Fung (no G at the end of the Din), a chain originating from Taiwan that has a Michelin star, this place is a fine replica. Food is fantastic. Always busy. There really isn't much more I need to say about this place. It is great. Oh! yeah, get the XLB. Enjoy! read more

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This was our first dim sum place this trip. The place is simple. Wasn't too busy when we arrived. It was about 10:30. The ordering process was simple and had pics. We order a few dumplings. There was soup in one. It was flavorful but was expecting it to be a little warmer. The dumplings had unique twists on some and then there was one that looked like a purse. read more

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I only came in for a small bite and everything was pretty decent. I really loved the soup dumplings and will get them every time! The shrimp dumplings were also good, I liked the presentation overall. Service was kind of slow and we were left to our own devices and had to remind our server we needed water but our server was nice. It would have been nice to have more choices but again, just popped in for a snack. I would give this restaurant a middling 2.5 stars. read more

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My go-to for Shanghainese good. Not the greatest, but not a lot of options in Toronto in general. A fave for dumplings and noodles, (esp rice cakes) Pricey for sure as you want to eat all the things! read more

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Dependable spot in FMP for xiao long bao. BUT you must try the chili tendons!! The absolute best. Go on a weekday for least lines but still a busy spot all day long. Large open space with a view inside the kitchen makes for a great lunch atmosphere. read more

Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Not the famous Din Tai Fung but who cares as long as the food is as good as DTF. We ordered XLB, braised pork belly and stewed beef pancake wraps. They are good and we filled our hunger with satisfaction. read more

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Really good dumplings and food! Super polite staff working here too and they were around when needed. Got a lot of the cooked food pretty quickly, it was all delicious. We got a bunch of different dumplings and I gotta say that the soup dumplings were the stars of the table. Highly recommend trying! Decent amount of vegetarian options available as well read more

Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

It's been awhile since I've eaten from here. I recall the food here is pretty good but also a bit pricey. I was surprised that they weren't offering any takeout discount during Covid. I'm not sure if that is a smart business idea as I know for me it really makes a difference for me to order again. The only reason for ordering from here recently was that I was craving for xiao long bao (steamed soup in bun/dumpling) and this place came to mind. They really make this dish well and they didn't disappoint me this time. The other dishes were okay like the shanghai noodles and pork ribs but I can get similar dishes like these elsewhere for a lower price. The only dish that I disliked was the wonton in chili oil. Overall, we enjoyed most of dishes especially the xiao long bao so we'll still come back for these dumplings! read more

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Shanghainese style dim sum. We enjoyed the steamed or soup dumplings. The stream shrimp and pork dumplings exceeded our expectations and satisfied my husband who was skeptical about it at the start. The spicy and sour soup is just OK, I was hoping for a better version of it. read more

Food is decent for the most part. Capacity is limited to 70. Staff was all wearing masks and they did a good job in separating the tables! However, they were not very efficient in removing the used dishes from our table. The "Shanghai" food was quite good and portion size was decent. We did have an issue with the really really small portion size of the "side" dish of sweet and sour pork. This $15 dish is like a half serving which is unfortunate because it does taste decent. Guess we will stick to the traditional food here. read more

Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

The bun is dry no soup, the widest soup long bro I ever had, I will never go bad again

Need to downgrade here. All the dumplings were too thick and undercooked. Disappointing. I'll have to go back to Shanghai. read more

Xiao Long Bao - Xiao Long Bao Steamed Soup Dumplings - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Having heard about this restaurant in the GTA sharing a similar name as the popular internationally famed DTF yet still being a local favorite, I had to check the place out to see if it lives up to its hype. Ding Tai Fung (GTA) specializes in dimsum and their dimsum sure doesn't disappoint. Staff were very helpful with the menu and you can watch the chefs make each piece through the window. I will say, I was slightly disappointed by the xiao long bao (soup dumpling); they weren't as soupy as I would hoped for it to be. If anything the shrimp siu mai bao was even soupier. Would still recommend this place a visit if never checked out. read more

Beware this is not the famous Din Tai Fung from the States and looks to mimic them. Note the one from the states is spelled the same just doesn't have the g in Ding. The dumpling and food is on the pricy end but the taste doesn't live up to the price point. It was a one time try but I wouldn't come back here again. read more

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The original Ding Tai Fung is a chain that started in Taiwan; this is not part of the famous chain, despite having the same name and very similar menu options. Overall, I think they do a decent job and I had a great time here. If you are here, obviously, Ding Tai Fung is known for its dumplings, so you should order at least one of their dumpling dishes. Like other Taiwanese dim sum places, there is a glass window you can watch chefs at work. It is very very busy on a weekend night, and you're likely to wait at least 20-30 mins, but this restaurant is in a strip mall that makes you feel like your' in Asia. The strip mall has Chinese medicine shops, clothings, other restaurants, and the population is quite impressive for Asian American density in Markham overall. We ordered the fried calamari, which is a great choice! The calamari wasn't too rubbery and was tender and a perfect crisp on the outside. The soup dumplings were good for us; I know it's hit or miss or other folks, but we had a good night. The soup didn't soak through the dough and rip; skin remained intact even when hot or cold and lifted cleanly into the soup spoon. Other dumplings were also good; flavors were accurate the the folds on top were on point with craftsmanship. Note, dim sum and dumplings are oftentimes heavy and will make you full; you will get full with just 3 orders of dumplings for 2 people. Dim sum is often hearty and heavy. Seafood soup was calming; I don't like artificial crab or fish cake too much because I feel they taste more starchy than protein-y for my liking. So this soup I would avoid if you're not one for artificial meats. Service: not harsh and rude like other Chinese establishments I've been to. Expect to wait a long line if you're here on the weekend, but I liked that the staff never made you feel bad about asking for refills, changing seats, or accommodating for younger children. This, I think is their strong point that a lot of other Chinese establishments can improve on. Restaurant is clean and bright; dishes also came relatively quickly. I don't think we waited longer than 15 mins for our dishes. You can also have even 12 people in your party and still have a big round table. Great for fam and friends. read more

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This is a replica of the famous Din Tai Fung. Food was not up to par. Probably one of the worst sheng jian bao and shanghainese noodles I've tried. The service isn't great. read more

Xiao Long Bao - dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim dim - Dim Sum Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I came here with a friend during a weekday evening and it was a little busy but there were still many tables available. They checked our vaccination status at the door and we were then escorted to a large table. The food, although on the pricier side, is absolutely delicious. I have to recommend the differnt Xiao Long Baos. It's the best I've had from all of the dim sum restaurants I've gone to in Toronto. The food came out piping hot and tasted very fresh and flavourful. The service was just alright. I think there was a little bit less respect for my friend and I since we didn't speak Cantonese and/or Mandarin but they were still polite and attentive. Overall, it did not ruin the experience. Parking for the restaurant is great too. It shares the large parking lot with First Markham Place so there is plenty of parking. However, if you want to park close to the restaurant, you may have some trouble finding a spot since the parking lot is usually pretty packed closer to the actual shops and restaurants. If you don't mind a short walk, then parking is no issue at all. Transit isn't hard either since there is a vivaNext stop close by First Markham Place. It may be harder to bus from Scarborough since you will need to transfer from TTC to YRT, but the food is definitely worth it! read more

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