Ethan delivers a robust exploration of Szechuan culinary traditions through a menu defined by bold spice profiles and authentic regional techniques. Diners encounter signature dishes featuring numbing peppercorns, vibrant chili oils, and meticulously prepared proteins that characterize this distinct style of Chinese cooking. The kitchen focuses on the balance of heat and flavor complexity, utilizing aromatic ingredients to elevate classic Asian preparations. Each plate reflects an adherence to traditional seasoning methods, ensuring that the signature profile of the cuisine remains intact. The environment facilitates a direct focus on the food, prioritizing the intensity of the flavor profiles over superfluous aesthetic distractions. This establishment serves as a deliberate destination for those seeking a sincere and uncompromised approach to the nuances of Szechuan spice and traditional preparation methods.
Restaurant Ethan is widely recognized in Montreal Chinatown for offering a broad menu of authentic Cantonese-style cuisine at very affordable prices with generous portion sizes. While many visitors appreciate the quick service, cozy atmosphere, and great value for a casual meal, opinions remain divided regarding the overall experience. Some patrons highlight the efficiency and friendliness of the staff, while others report inconsistent food quality and express frustration over aggressive tipping practices or impolite service. The dining environment is often described as dated or simple, but for those seeking a convenient and budget-friendly spot for staples like dumplings, BBQ meats, or bubble tea, it remains a popular and frequently visited destination.
Food was warm & comforting. No wait on a Saturday night, very nice service & super fast order. General Tsao Chicken was quick, a bit hard, but overall good. Lo mein was super skinny noodle, thinner than we are accustomed to but good.
A good stop for a quick & safe bite in China Town.
We ordered the BBQ pork duck rice, the BBQ pork chicken rice, plus the scallop shrimp dumpling dimsum.
I've had lots of char siu, & it's always one of my favourites. I love the glazed outside, sometimes a little charred, well-seasoned with BBQ sauce, a bit of fat, & usually served with extra sauce. It should be oily & have a nice colour. But this BBQ pork was plain, dry, & tough to chew, with no real seasoning & no oil. The duck was the same. The chicken, though, was good- mostly tender, oily, & juicy. The food came out quickly after we ordered, & the staff were nice to us.
The dimsum, however, had way too thick dumpling skin, too starchy, not translucent or soft. It was just okay… I wouldn't recommend the dimsum here.
Overall, the meal was fine.
Mar 17, 2026
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Quickly seated & served during busy lunch time. Excellent Szechuan chicken with some kick, perfectly cooked white rice, & savory wonton soup. Served hot. Popular.
If you are feeling charitable this is the best place for you!! The food is soooo cheap (10 dumplings for 7$) it's perfect for feeding the homeless. The portions are large, & their take out containers are sooo transportable. I got 20 dumplings, two soups, a bowl of rice & a heaping plate of orange chicken doused in a thick thick saw. Take my word for it, don't bother trying the food; just give it to the homeless.
Anyone who is looking for something quick & delicious to eat, come here!!! First off the service is wonderful everyone is super friendly & the atmosphere is great. Secondly the wait time to order food & to get it on the table was less than 10 minutes. Not only is this place super affordable as the pricing has extreme value as you can get 18 pork dumplings for only $10!! As well as a LARGE bubble tea for $4.50.(Super delicious & house made!) The food was amazing, the general tao chicken was super delicious & crispy. If you're in the area & you're looking for something affordable & delicious I heavily recommend coming here!!
I adore this place for its countless options & immaculate HK drinks. However, the quality of its food just isn't consistent enough for me to recommend it to others. The chicken rice I ordered last week was the best I ever had, but the one this week? The taste was off & the green onion sauce didn't look fresh at all. Visit if you like a lil gamble.
We really enjoyed our meal- nothing fancy but tasty & very good pricesz
The service was excellent *despite being seriously under staffed*. While racing around like a headless chicken to all of her tables, our server managed to find an extra table to pull up alongside ours to make us more comfortable as we were initially quite squashed together.
But what really soured the experience & means I won't return to this restaurant is the manner in which they asked for a tip- rather than handing me the machine & allowing me to choose (& due to their good prices & good service I probably would have self selected 18%), instead the lady at the counter asked me'so how was your service today?' When I said'very good thanks' her response was'so will you be leaving a 18% or 20% tip?'
I've lived in Montreal for 6 years & felt like she was giving me the ignorant tourist treatment- putting me on the spot & forcing a higher tip out of me.
We will NOT be returning, this is a horrible way to ask for a tip & completely overshadows the hard work of your servers!!!
Visited this Chinese cantonese restaurant because we we searching for a place to warm up with some good hot soup. We ordered chicken corn soup & the beef soup with a side of crispy spring rolls:). Both were excellent! We also ordered the chicken fried rice, broccoli chicken, chow mein, we enjoyed all dishes the General taos chicken could have been crispier but it wasn't bad. Overall we had a nice experience. Ambiance was decent however the restroom could have used some attention. One staff member should be dedicated to this. Will visit again when in Montreal!
