Congee Queen — Restaurant in Markham

Food: 5 Stars Service: 5 Stars Ambience: 5 Stars Value: 5 Stars Overall: 5 Stars

Congee Queen on Leslie Street is likely one of the best Congee Queen locations I’ve visited, and I’ve been to quite a few. If you are familiar with Congee Queen’s reputation for quality, this particular spot truly lives up to, and even surpasses, the high expectations associated with their name. There are several aspects that set this location apart, and I hope my experience will be insightful if you are considering stopping by.

Firstly, I found the service here to be impressively friendly. Given how incredibly busy this place can get—especially on weekends—it’s remarkable that the staff remain as attentive and polite as they do. One word of advice for anyone planning to come on a Saturday or Sunday: you’re going to want to call ahead to reserve a spot. The restaurant fills up quickly, and for good reason. Despite the hustle and bustle, the waitstaff always found time to check in on us and were attentive to our needs, making the whole dining experience smooth and comfortable.

When it comes to the food, this Leslie Street location is simply unmatched compared to others, particularly the Congee Queen at Centrepoint Mall. I can say with confidence that the dishes here are a level above—from taste to presentation—and there’s really no comparison. We started with the sweet and sour pork, which turned out to be a highlight for all of us. One thing that really stood out was how well the pork was cooked. Unlike at other locations where you may find it overly battered, here the balance was perfect—more tender pork and less batter, giving it a crispiness that felt light and well-executed without sacrificing flavour. The sauce was just right too, not too sweet, which is often a pitfall with sweet and sour dishes.

We also ordered the fried chili turnip patties, and they were bursting with flavour. This dish was one of my personal favourites, thanks to the crispy exterior and the combination of spices that made every bite a delight. The turnip patties were well-seasoned and had just the right amount of kick to them, which complemented the rest of our meal beautifully. It’s rare to find a dish like this done so well, and this location certainly gets it right.

In addition to these highlights, we ordered both noodles and a rice dish, and every component was spot on. The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente and seasoned with a good mix of vegetables and sauce that was neither too greasy nor too bland—a balance that is sometimes hard to strike with stir-fried noodles. The rice was fluffy and had a nice blend of textures with vegetables and meat that rounded out our meal in a satisfying way.

The overall quality of food at Congee Queen Leslie really sets this location apart. It’s not just the variety on the menu that’s impressive—it’s the consistency in preparation, the flavours, and the presentation of each dish. Whether you are in the mood for their signature congee, fried dishes, or noodles, this spot manages to deliver an experience that feels thoughtfully curated, with each dish cooked to perfection. The quality control here feels a notch above, and I would recommend this location over others without hesitation.

To sum it up, if you are in the area, Congee Queen on Leslie is worth the visit. Just make sure you call to book a reservation, particularly on weekends. The service is consistently friendly, and the food speaks for itself—each dish is carefully crafted, flavourful, and often better than you’ll find at other locations. It’s not just the sweet and sour pork and chili turnip patties that were a delight; everything we ordered was done right, from noodles to rice. For those who are already fans of Congee Queen, this location might just become your new favourite—and if you’re new to the experience, this is the perfect place to start.

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My fiance and I were at Congee Queen Highway 7 this evening. This restaurant does not take any reservations, they serve customers on a first come first serve basis. Be prepared to wait at least 2 hours. We listed our names on the waiting list at 6PM. We were seated almost at 8PM. Following Covid rules, only 10 people are allowed to dine at the same time. This is all okay and understandable.

The problem was the staff and manager/owner were abusive and rude!!! I understand the times we are in right now are challenging but I do not think it is acceptable to shame customers in front of other customers out loud or shame customers. Period.

This review is about how the table across us was treated.

Upon seating, we noticed a loving and jolly couple. They looked to be in their senior years. They were dining with a man who appeared to be their son or grandson. They were just about done and had asked for the bill. The bill was given to the grandpa. Grandpa either could not see well or was not familiar with the debit machine. The young boy completed the transaction. After handing it back to the server, the server raised her voice out loud for everyone in the restaurant to hear. Catching everyone's attention, the server told the young boy, "Excuse me you did not tip! Where is my tip?"

Everyone looked up. I felt so awkward and ashamed for the young boy. He was very apologetic and said, "I am sorry it is an honest mistake. I thought the service fee was already included". The server then took the receipt, slammed it on the table pointing to the boy, "See here no service fee was included. You have to tip me!"

At this point, Grandpa intervened and said, "Let me go to our car and find money. We don't have cash. We only have debit." Grandpa comes back with several loonies and toonies he found in his car. Grandpa gives it to the server, "Here. Please take it." She then responded, "I don't need your coins."

My fiance and I lost our appetite instantly! We asked for our bill and took the food that just got served to us home. We felt so bad for the family across us. No matter what! The server was, without question, wrong for acting the way she did! Meanwhile the manager/owner behind the cash witnessed all these acts. She allowed the server to continue behaving this way. She stood by the cash and watched the interaction.

When the family left, the server did take the several coins Grandpa left. She showed the coins to the lady behind the cash and both spoke in another language.

I understand, okay. Everyone is suffering these days. The family who was treated badly paid for their food in FULL. It was an honest mistake. There was no need for public shaming and animosity. The manager/owner encouraged the abuse by choosing to be a bystander. She did not even speak to her staff after the family left. It seemed to not bother her at all.

My fiance and I are no longer coming back here. Tonight's event turned us away for good. We waited almost 2 hours to be seated. We can only anticipate the abused family must have waited the same amount of time to be seated, too! For them to be treated like animals was totally unnecessary. Dine with caution!!!

In your opinion is tip mandatory? Especially in this...

[Overall Review] Yesterday night we decided to grab Congee Queen for take out and wow was I disappointed... They have so many locations around the GTA and decent reviews, so we thought it was be a good place to grab take out. Being in RH there are so many options when it comes to Chinese food, and sadly Congee Queen won't be an option for us in the future.

[Promo] - Congee Queen offers an In APP Promo. Download their App and place an in App order for the first time to receive a free Sweet & Sour Pork or Popcorn Chicken with a min order of $1.

[Detail Food Review] Sweet Cruller Rice Noodle Rolls - Youtiao (Chinese Long Donut) wrapped in thin steam rice noodle paper and comes with a peanut & sweet soy sauce. This is one of my favourite Dim Sum dishes, so we decided to try this, sauce was good, rice noodle was soft and thin, however the youtiao was really hard and dry, could be because we got it for take out? We live about 15 minutes from Congee Queen.

Fried Chili Turnip Patties - About 3 years ago, we went to Congee Queen in Sauga where we had the Turnip Patties for the first time and fell in love! These Turnip Patties are cut into small bite size cubes and seasoned perfectly with a nice crusted exterior from being fried but a soft smooth interior. We knew that this wasn't going to be crispy from take out, but that was fine as we just placed it on the pan once we got home to crisp it up a little bit. This is probably the only dish worth getting from Congee Queen.

General Tao Chicken - This is usually one of my husbands favourite dish as he loves the spicy, salty and subtle sweetness of the dish. However, Congee Queen version is horrible and doesn't taste anything like General Taos Chicken. It was very heavy on vinegar where that was basically all we could taste, black vinegar a little soy and sugar with very minimal mala spice.

Sweet & Sour Pork - This was a free dish that came with their PROMO on their app. They offer a free Sweet & Sour Pork or Popcorn Chicken with your first in app order. This was very mediocre for us, so many places in the area make it better. Congee Queen version also had more batter...