Wilson's Haus of Lechon - North York — Restaurant in Toronto

Hate to say it, but our experience came with a lot of ups and downs — from the food, to the service, to the overall place. This was our first time trying this restaurant, and we were really excited. Before heading there, we called ahead to confirm if their buffet with unlimited lechon was still available. They assured us that it was, and that the last call was at 8 PM. According to them, the buffet is $21.99, and for an extra $10, you get unlimited lechon.

We arrived around 2:00 PM and told them we wanted the buffet with unlimited lechon, lechon kawali, and pork BBQ. At first, they only offered the $21.99 buffet without lechon. The lady butcher insisted multiple times that we had to order lechon separately. We explained that we had called ahead and even mentioned that their social media advertised the $31.99 buffet with unlimited lechon. Eventually, they agreed to let us avail the $31.99 option, but we were surprised they weren’t even aware of their own menu and promotion.

Now, let’s talk about the food. The buffet table food was actually good — solid 4.5 out of 5. But the lechon was a big letdown. The meat was soggy and lacked flavor. The skin, which should’ve been crispy, was rubbery and chewy — we couldn’t eat it at all. Honestly, it felt like chewing gum. This was really disappointing, especially since we expected lechon to be their specialty. On the bright side, the pork BBQ and lechon kawali were delicious, so I ordered another round of just the pork BBQ.

Unfortunately, there was more confusion — the staff didn't seem to realize we had paid for the unlimited lechon option. I had to explain everything again, and after some back-and-forth, the staff finally agreed to serve us. But even after that, we waited over 15 minutes, and the food still hadn’t arrived. I ended up just trying their soup while waiting.

While we were there, we also witnessed some issues with other customers. One customer was told their payment didn’t go through, even though they said they paid in cash — this happened twice, with different customers. Around 3:00 PM, a new lady (a bit tall and wearing glasses) came in — probably a shift change. She was very attentive and professional. When I followed up my order with her, the BBQ was served in just 1 minute! She handled the situation very well. Another customer even complained to her about the small serving of lechon she received — enough for three people, but she was dining alone.

Kudos to the new lady who came in — she made a huge difference. She honestly made me reconsider writing a negative review. But I also think it’s important to spread awareness.

We weren’t expecting a perfect experience or anything beyond our expectations — just decent service and proper communication. That alone would’ve been enough. Sadly, it...

I had been looking forward to dining at this restaurant all week, especially excited to try the pork BBQ and authentic pork lechon. Unfortunately, the experience fell short of expectations.

The restaurant appears to cater more to takeout than dine-in customers. When we arrived, we placed our order at the cashier and opted to dine in. After seating ourselves, our food was brought to us without any utensils or napkins. I had to get up and retrieve disposable cutlery and paper towels, which were oddly placed on top of a garbage bin. Next to it was a sign that read, “Please clean up after yourself,” which caught me off guard particularly because the debit machine prompted us for a tip during payment.

The food presentation was underwhelming. The pork lechon, which I had high hopes for, was not crispy at all. The skin was chewy, as if it had been reheated or had been sitting out for too long. While the meat itself was flavourful, the lack of crispy skin a defining feature of good lechon made the dish disappointing overall.

The pork BBQ looked promising but tasted bland. It lacked the signature sweet and savory flavor typically associated with Filipino-style BBQ. It seemed the meat may not have been marinated long enough, as the flavor didn’t penetrate beyond the surface.

The chop suey was also a miss. The carrots were cut extremely thick, making them difficult to chew and clearly undercooked. We joked about it at the table, but it was another sign of the rushed preparation.

The dining atmosphere left much to be desired. Staff members were chatting loudly with visiting friends, creating a noisy and chaotic environment. One employee was even coughing at the counter where food was being prepared. The decor was equally disjointed Christmas decorations still up in August and an abundance of Bible quote wall art made the space feel more like a church hall than a restaurant. There was a ton of things crammed in a small space.

To be fair, the pork belly lechon on display did look promising, but we didn’t try it during this visit. Still, based on this experience, I wouldn’t return to give it another chance.

The visit was quite disappointing and felt more suited to a quick takeout stop than a sit-down dining experience. For the price you pay the value and overall experience just...

All I wanted was a box of crispy skin of lechon baboy and its juicy meat.

When we arrived, I saw some lechon in the warmer, but the crispy skin was out of sight. Luckily, the senior citizen lady asked her co-worker to get the new one from the oven. I was thrilled. She then tried to sell me more than a pound. I politely declined because my partner is vegetarian, and I am the only one who will consume it. Even a pound is a lot for me. She then proceeded to add leftover bones from the customer ahead of me who didn't want it (not part of my order, by the way). She just decided to put them at the top of my order and made the box unable to close properly. I was a little offended because why would she give me those bones? But I just let her.

I went to the cash and paid. I even tipped. We finished the transaction, said our 'thank you's', and left. When I sat down, opened up everything, and was about to eat, I realized that the lechon was hard. Even my dog can't chew it. The skin was not crispy either. It didn't taste like lechon at all! The experience was such a disappointment.

She must have put the old meat (the exposed leftover meat in the warmer) and top it off with the new one. Which I could say, only about 15 - 20 percent. The rest of it was old. It was appalling. I couldn't believe it. How could she? Who's gonna eat this now? I really don't want to complain, but the service was very unacceptable. If she can do that sneaky thing to me, how much more to those who are timid? It's not okay.

To the management, please refresh your food handling training with your staff because I didn't see her changing her gloves while serving, chopping the lechon, and touching something else. A 100% cross-contamination scene.

I understand that the business thrives in upselling. However, it is not fair to serve products that didn't meet the company's standards for your paying customers. It will definitely...