Chinese Flavors — Restaurant in Toronto

To preface this review, I'm a local guide, a foodie and someone who's lived in this neighborhood for 11 years. I have tried just about every restaurant in the immediate area, and have hundreds of reviews under my belt of other establishments around Toronto and Southern Ontario. I have a pretty good objective understanding of what good food is, and I am not afraid of being critical when improvements must be made in an establishment.

Chinese Flavors is a relatively new Chinese restaurant that I was happy to (re)discover - seeing it cleaned up, re-branded and picked up by a new set of owners who on first impression were very passionate and proud of their food. Before getting into the food though, I would encourage them to use the Canadian spelling in their restaurant's name, as it was difficult to find them with the current name.

Let's start with cleanliness - the first staple anyone looks for in any good restaurant. The place is spotless. I can't have said the same about the previous restaurant that preceded this one.China Court, the restaurant that occupied this space previously, was filthy. It had received attention from the city's health department, and not in a good way, having been shut down several times. I am happy to say that's all in the past - Chinese Flavors is spotless and clean. The owners themselves told me how they had to turn the place upside down to ensure everything was cleaned thoroughly to avoid the issues the previous owners left behind. I can attest to this having also been shown their kitchen, which looked super clean.

Next up - the service. We all want to be treated well when we go to a restaurant, whether it's fine dining or a quick take out spot. I'm happy to say that the staff here, including the younger front of house staff as well as the owners, are all wonderful and very friendly. They make you feel at home and that's really nice given how casual and informal this place appears. They greet you when you come in, thank you when you leave.... These are small things that go a long way to make someone feel welcome.

Now for the food. There are a LOT of dishes on the menu, which can feel a little intimidating. The food itself is fresh, made HOT (as it should be) and pretty delicious! There are a few usual trappings of a western Chinese-style restaurant (like sweet and sour chicken, chicken balls, etc...) which I would avoid in favour of having something a little more unique. Their deep fried dumplings are delicious, as are their green beans and home made tofu! I also personally love their General Tso's chicken (aka white boy special). Their hot and sour soup is also really nice - with a slight tangy and sweet flavour that's so much nicer than any other I've had before. The presentation of the food is predictably a bit plain, but it's hot, fresh and delicious and that's what matters most.

My recommendation to the owners would be to consolidate the menu into more unique and specialty dishes, and to focus on home made versus mass produced. Over time I am sure they will learn which dishes do well. I would prefer a smaller, less intimidating menu of unique and tasty dishes to choose from over an abundance of choice that can lead to frustration.

As for the decor it's nothing to write home about, but it still manages to look a lot more minimalist, clean and brighter than the way the previous owners had it. If the owners wanted to improve this a little they could use something a little nicer than basic folding chairs, and perhaps leave some condiments like hot sauce, soy sauce and chop sticks on the table to invite people to dine in.

Overall my wife and I are so much happier with how this place turned out in the hands of the new owners. We hope they continue on their trajectory of making excellent food, providing great service and being a staple of the community. We'd definitely recommend you...

Me and my friends recently ordered some foods at Chinese Flavors and had an incredible experience! From the moment we walked in, the ambiance was warm and inviting.

We started with the hot and sour soup, which was a fantastic blend of flavors. It had just the right amount of spice, and the balance of tanginess made it a perfect appetizer.

For the main dishes, we ordered the mixed vegetables with tofu and ma po tofu. The mixed vegetables were fresh and vibrant, stir-fried to perfection with a light sauce that complemented the tofu beautifully. The ma po tofu was a standout—it was spicy, savory, and packed with flavor. The silken tofu soaked up the sauce wonderfully, creating a comforting dish that was hard to resist.

We also tried the sliced beef with broccoli. The beef was tender and juicy, and the broccoli was crisp, adding a nice crunch to the dish. The sauce was rich and flavorful, tying everything together perfectly.

Overall, the service was excellent, and the staff was attentive without being intrusive. I can't recommend Chinese Flavors enough for anyone craving authentic...

I was so excited to the newly renovated/new management.. but got home disappointed. ordered their number 2 menu and it's clearly state Beijing styled fried noodles. when I opened all my orders I was confused as I'm looking at a different dish on my take-out. I got a steamed styled noodles. Called them and told them that my order was wrong. and the person who answered the phone and said that I ordered a different style which is the steamed. but I told her that it clearly state it says fried noodles and it didn't say anything about steamed. so they did offer me a fried version.. and went back there and tried to show her that it does say it's fried but when I got there to show them their mistake, they just crossed out the word fry on all of their menu. But they forgot that their menu is online and it's still say fried... very disappointed as they didn't even say sorry that they made a mistake not even a compensation for their mistake... not recommending this restaurant and hoping that the previous management will...