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.
We were lucky enough to choose this restaurant for lunch today. Had the duck meal for four & it was a true banquet! The salt & pepper shrimp were amazing, all of the dishes that came were delicious. We eat a lot of Chinese food in various locations & can say this meal was excellent. Our other daughter had #150 sliced pork & duck soup with noodles & she was very pleased. If we are ever in Montreal again we will be sure to stop in. Also the meal came out much quicker than expected. Wait staff was pleasant.
Food wise....
1. Soup with pekking duck & bok choy was bland
2. pekking duck sliced thinly was tough & I could tell it wasnt from the display.
3. eggplant stir fry is too watery, to much oil, & bland.
4. steam rice wasnt made today. bit into some hard grains that were dried.
BBQ pork & duck was dry with no flavour 👎👎
Disappointed that a plate full of bean sprouts was passed off as a dish on the set menu 🚫, Also, was asked to tip more (yes, more) before leaving 😠❌, Should have trusted the reviews & skipped ?? this restaurant.
Jun 20, 2026
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We had an enjoyable dinner at Restaurant Ethan, a Chinese eatery located in Montreal's Chinatown. This restaurant is known for its authentic Cantonese cuisines, popular Peking Duck, Beef Fried Noodles, Sichuan dishes & Dim Sum. We ordered the Cantonese Chow Mein (crispy egg noodles topped with a stir-fry meat, seafood & vegetables in a savoury sauce) & Pan Fried Dumplings. Both dishes tasted delicious! They were generous with the portions & the price was reasonable.
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.
Je trouve qu'une étoile, c'est déjà trop généreux.
Mes deux arguments à faire
1. Le restaurant n'a pas respecté la loi 96 sur la langue du Québec, s'adressant à moi en anglais & en chinois dès le début.
2. Le plat qu'on m'a servi avait clairement été laissé de côté pendant un certain temps, il n'avait pas été préparé à la commande (je l'ai comparé au même plat servi à la table blanche à côté de moi). Servir des restes à des clients asiatiques, c'est pas vraiment acceptable, non ? (Malheureusement, je me suis rendu compte qu'il y avait un problème seulement après avoir fini mon repas & je n'ai pas pris de photo sur le moment.)
La caissière était extrêmement désagréable. Elle était aimable avec les Blancs, mais pas avec les Asiatiques. Sans parler des restes de nourriture ; tant la nourriture que l'expérience en général m'ont donné l'impression que le restaurant pratiquait une discrimination envers les Asiatiques. Il s'agit d'un cas de discrimination inversée.
J'ai trouvé que même un pourboire de 20 % était excessif ; je n'aurais pas payé un centime. J'ai commandé un plat de riz combiné au canard & au porc, mais par rapport au repas identique servi aux clients blancs de la table voisine, mes légumes semblaient rassis, sans saveur & extrêmement difficiles à mâcher. En y repensant chez moi, le riz lui-même était également tiède & dur (après avoir observé le repas du client blanc voisin). En tant que client asiatique, j'ai d'abord écarté mes inquiétudes en recevant le plat. Cependant, pendant mon trajet de retour, j'ai soigneusement repensé à cette expérience & l'ai comparée au plat identique servi aux clients blancs à côté de moi, ce qui m'a conduit à cette conclusion.
Il s'agit d'un cas où le racisme intériorisé s'accompagne d'hostilité horizontale.
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I think one star is already too generous.
My two arguments
1. The restaurant did not respect Quebec's Law 96 on the language, addressing me in English & Chinese from the start.
2. The dish I was served had clearly been left out for some time; it hadn't been prepared to order (I compared it to the same dish served at the white table next to me). Serving leftovers to Asian customers isn't really acceptable, is it? (Unfortunately, I only realized there was a problem after I finished my meal, & I didn't take a picture at the time.)
I felt that even a 20% tip was excessive; I wouldn't have paid a cent. I ordered a rice dish with duck & pork, but compared to the identical meal served to the white customers at the next table, my vegetables seemed stale, tasteless, & extremely difficult to chew. Looking back at it at home, the rice itself was also lukewarm & hard (after observing the white customer's meal). As an Asian customer, I initially dismissed my concerns upon receiving the dish. However, during my journey home, I carefully considered the experience & compared it to the identical dish served to the white customers next to me, which led me to this conclusion.
The cashier was extremely rude. She was nice to white people but not to Asians. Including the leftover food I received, both the food itself & the dining experience made me feel that the restaurant was discriminating against Asians. This is a case of Internalized Racism comes with Horizontal Hostility.
I think that because of their vast menu not all of their dishes are their forte. Having come here multiple times, I can say that their Peking duck, soft rice rolls, satay beef fried noodles & milk tea are delicious. Don't bother ordering fruit flavoured bubble tea or pad Thai, it isn't the best they have.
Regarding the service, they have place for improvement. Recently, it's gotten better from past visits though so I think they're going in the right direction.
