Welcome to Ethan restaurant, located on De La Gauchetiere West, in the heart of Montreal's Chinatown. You will be delighted to taste this delicious authentic Chinese food, where all the dishes cost less than $10! You can find a variety of delicious dishes, such pork, roast duck, the famous General Tao chicken, or the delicious noodle soup, prepared with honey BBQ pork. In short, the menu will suit all tastes and appetites!
Ethan restaurant is also well known by the locals, who appreciate not only its exquisite meal, but the speed and courtesy of the staff, which allows you to take time to eat your lunch, especially if you are on your lunch hour!
Come and try this unceremoniously friendly restaurant, for which you will remember as a feast of flavors!
Ethan serves a very large Cantonese menu with generous portions and prices that many reviewers call excellent value, making it a go to for affordable Chinese food in Chinatown. Dishes like Peking duck, soft rice rolls, congee with shrimp wonton soup, dumplings, and Cantonese fried noodles are frequently praised for staying tasty and satisfying, and dim sum offerings and bubble tea get positive mentions for flavor and portion size. The atmosphere is described as lively and fast paced, with quick service that suits hungry crowds, though some note that the pace can feel brisk and the staff sometimes appear stressed or overly pushy about tipping. Several reviews warn that not every item hits the same note, with some dishes being hit or miss and a few reporting off flavors or undercooked dumplings. A few accounts recount a troubling incident involving a homeless patron and criticism of how the situation was handled, influencing loyalty for some readers. While there are criticisms about service or ethics, others emphasize great value and reliable comfort food that keep them returning. Overall, Ethan is seen as a dependable, inexpensive option for big portions and authentic flavors, albeit with a caveat to temper expectations on consistency and service.
Maggie was our server & she was excellent, the portions were very generous (
we had two full boxes to take home) & very reasonably priced. Will be returning on future trips to Montreal! Thank you :)
A solid spot in Chinatown if you're looking for affordable Chinese food. The prices are very reasonable, which makes it a great option for a quick & casual meal. The dishes came out very quickly, which was nice when we were hungry & didn't want to wait long.
The flavors were good & satisfying - not overly fancy, but definitely tasty for the price. The staff were also quite friendly & welcoming, which made the experience pleasant.
Overall, it's a great value restaurant if you want simple Chinese food at a very good price. I would come back again for a quick meal in Chinatown. 👍
Mar 8, 2026
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I have been a regular customer at Ethan for quite some time. I dine in & order takeout frequently, around three to four times a month, because they serve good food at an affordable price & the restaurant is only a few minutes' walk from my place. It has always been my go to Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. However, after my most recent experience, I decided never to eat there again.
During my visit, a homeless man entered the restaurant. He appeared extremely hungry & stood quietly, staring at the food. He eventually approached the serving area & touched a plate, though he did not touch the food itself. The servers immediately noticed him & scolded him, after which he sincerely apologized.
The cashier then charged him for touching the plate, which I understand is reasonable. That said, if I had been in their position, I would have chosen to offer him food out of sympathy & basic human decency. The man apologized again & paid for the food using what appeared to be his last few dollars.
After paying & receiving his meal, he attempted to sit down, but the server refused & insisted that he leave the restaurant. Feeling frustrated & humiliated after being treated this way despite paying for his food, the man threw the meal on the ground & walked out. While I agree that his reaction was wrong, I can understand the emotions behind it given how he was treated.
Unfortunately, the food landed near me & the sauce splashed all over my jacket. The servers witnessed the entire incident, yet I did not receive a single apology or any acknowledgment.
Because of this experience, I made the decision to never return to this restaurant, despite being a loyal & frequent customer for a long time.
I go to this resto all the tiiime.🤩 I think they're the only restaurant I know of that did not raise their prices like all the others from the recent inflation. It's great if you don't want to end up spending like 20$ on one single plate of food.
I like ordering the dumplings because they're WAY cheaper then any other place. Love that they have plates with rice & a choice of meat dish, it saves money when you're by yourself & don't want to have to order 2 big plates. I like the soups & noodle dishes as well.
The only dish I tried so far I didn't like was the chow mein.
Staff are always super nice with me, I don't understand what those bad reviews are talking about lol. I'm pretty sure I skipped tips occasionally but they never got mad at me for it, but that may be because they know me & I go there often & will tip what I can afford most of the time.
Hey read this review I've been here multiple times & I know what I'm talking about
As a person of non Asian descent the waiters are extremely rude & uninviting to me & my friends. We would ask for water or a container to bring back the food. Tell me why the waiters does not even talk back & when she brought back the containers & she basically threw them on the table without saying a word. Keep in mind I try to be as polite as possible when I go out to Restaurant because I respect the worker in the service industry. But these Women didn't have a bone of politeness in their bodies.
Don't get me wrong I will always give a tip to my waiters, I know they work hard & sometimes depend on tips but when I don't even get the basic politeness & no hello how are you, it's problem. So I didn't feel like tipping but when I tried to leave the restaurant there was 4-5 workers surrounding me telling me that I HAD to tip more than I had already tipped (because yes I still did tip despite the terrible service), which I didn't appreciate after the service I received.
I've been to this restaurant at least six times & I think there was only one times we had a server who didn't seem to be mad at the customer.(Also there was a worker watching a TV show on full blast & she was having a loud mental break down, don't get me wrong again I know all mental health but like can I eat in piece my friends cat had just died)
I read the reviews & the people who enjoyed the customer service seemed to be of Asian background, I'm not assuming anything just putting that out there
Now you might be wondering why is this girl still going if she hates the customer service. But the truth lies in the dish #87. Now these are the best noodles I've have ever eaten in my life, it is me & my best friend's comfort food & I recommend to everyone. The portions are very good & they have good price not like the customer service. I hope most of my money goes to the chef's.
Conclusion do I think you should come, yes but be prepared for Bad customer service & good food
Nov 13, 2025
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I live in Toronto, I went there for visiting & this place was really amazing in price, food , & the quality & quality, I wish they had a headquarters in Toronto, that would be so cool.
There were 3 of us, & I have no notes. A great amount of tasty food for a very reasonable price. What made it better was the service, everyone was so friendly. 10/10 do recommend!
Sep 21, 2025
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Food was good, & our server was great. The price was good, choose individual portions we fed 4 of us for under $50 with tip!
The restaurant is meh, old dirty (ish) but I expect that in an old downtown Chinese restaurant. I would definitely eat here again.
Ate there several times recently. Food was good & inexpensive. Lots of negative comments about the service but they are very busy so, don't expect to be treated like a king, especially when the prices are low. I personally don't pay much attention to that. It's a very good Cantonese style fast & affordable restaurant. Just eat, pay & goodbye, no problem.
Good food for good prices! Service was excellent. We came at a pretty busy time- & despite that, we were seated quickly. Food comes very quickly, compared to other restaurants with menus as large as theirs. I like this place for dining in, & takeout. Good spot to check out!
Jul 5, 2025
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This is one of my favorite go-to restaurants! The food is tasty, the prices are very reasonable, & it's always a reliable stop whenever I'm nearby. My favorite dishes include the flavorful beef noodles, rice with sweet & sour pork chops, & a refreshing glass of Hong Kong milk tea or a delicious red bean dessert - simply perfect.
Located right in the heart of Chinatown, it's the ideal spot to enjoy a great meal while watching the lively, bustling street life outside. Always a fun & satisfying experience - highly recommended!
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!!!
