So Good Restaurant

This is a staple in my diet and my #1 Chinese place. I always order their best 3 dishes:
Crispy beef — best menu item by far. Crispy fried beef with an amazing sauce.
Wu Se chicken — peanut sauce that my fiancé loves as her Favorite dish
Singapore noodles — spicy curry dish that is a great supplement to the above dishes.

Not so good. Would not return.
Food = This is not authentic Chinese food, so maybe I’d have to come back and reassess with a new mindset and different orders (i.e. Canadian-​Chinese dishes). Anyway, we ordered:
Green beans — the best dish in the meal… which is not saying much, but, it was not bad.
3 Kinds of mushrooms with bamboo fungi — Not a lot of good taste was going for it. There was MSG, which became all the more evident the next day (leftovers). Bamboo fungi’s spongy texture soaked it up too.
Beef with Chinese mushrooms & bamboo shoots — The beef in this dish was tender. That was a pleasant surprise. Other than that, this dish tasted exactly like the one before. Bamboo shoots were straight out of a can and still had the preservative taste.
Spring rolls — Probably one of the worst spring rolls I’ve tasted. At least the skin was crispy and not soggy… but the filling. Imagine stir-​frying diced onions and chicken breast without any seasoning. You didn’t have enough time to caramelize the onions so the sweet taste hasn’t come out, or it’s just old or an unflavourful onion variety. Maybe add some diced cabbage. Still no seasoning. Stuff that into a spring roll, and serve with cheap plum sauce. That’s kind of what it tasted like.
Service = OK. May have gotten better service if I weren’t Asian and/​or ordered the Canadian-​Chinese favourites.
Ambiance = Old tables & chairs. Cluttered cash register area. Dim lighting (not in a romantic way). Generally not very pleasant. Actually, the light on top our table died during our meal, and the owner climbed onto a chair and tried to fix the light as we were eating (with debris likely falling into the food).

No asian in this restaurant. Decided to trust Unilocal.Worst decision ever. The food is tasteless! Even disgusting. Nothing chinese. If you are used to authentic chinese food, avoid.
We had king mushroom with scallop and lamb hot pot. No taste whatsoever. the king mushroom with scallops looked like they just throw the ingredients in the water and then serve once cooked.

The best crispy beef, peanut chicken and shrimp I have ever had. Blows the competition away! The owner is a great guy too, always fun to talk to and you can tell he is very passionate about his restaurant.

Went with another couple. We were unsure what to get, but the wait staff was very helpful, planning out our entire meal. We loved the Indonesian Shrimp, I’ve never had anything like it before. The Hunan dumplings were also excellent as a starter.
The food came out almost instantly. The atmosphere was lively and very casual. Great place to go with some friends, wouldn’t go for an intimate date.

I have been coming back to So Good for eleven years and I have always walked away satisfied! I really enjoy the huge variety of options that the menu offers. It’s really easy to introduce people as they are very respectful of dietary needs. Ever had gluten-​free General Tsao’s chicken? I didn’t know what to expect before trying it, but it was really good. All the tangy, spicy goodness of a gluten-​full General Tsao’s. They also offer a large range of vegetarian, dairy-​free, and nut-​free options. I was actually first introduced to So Good by a vegetarian who swore that it had the largest amount of options available in Ottawa (it’s possible, I mean has around 400 items total, plus they substitute things to request). I know that their deep fried tofu is a huge hit and is a fan favourite of several of my friends. My go-​to dish is the chicken with cashew nuts. The chicken is plentiful (and not chewy!), the veggies crunchy, and the sauce is a nice balance of garlic and other goodness. My husband loves the General Tsao’s. They have many other great options including lemon chicken, ginger beef, pork eggs rolls, and Cantonese spring rolls. The owner Peter So is always on the premises and he makes a real effort to treat customers well. They don’t deliver but if you’re in the area, the pick-​up tastes as good as dining in. The restaurant is on the smaller side, so make a reservation if you’re a group or show up with plenty of time, because you may have a wait on a Friday or Saturday night.

Let me start with this: Thinking about So Good makes my mouth water. I’ve never had better spring rolls in my entire life, and what’s amazing is many times while I was having dinner here I watched them stuff and roll the spring rolls. Nothing is more authentic than that! Aside from the amazing spring rolls, the dish I dream the most about is their Salt and Pepper Chicken. I won’t bother trying to describe how delicious it is, there are no words. Just go and experience it yourself! They also make great noodle dishes and won-​ton soup! The portions here are HUGE and the leftovers often feed me for days. The menu is extensive and you really can’t go wrong with any choice you make. So Good is also very affordable! Outwardly, the appearance of the restaurant is not necessarily striking, but I find the best places to eat are often the little hidden gems!

Not so good… average at best and expensive if you’re not ordering off the lunch menu. We ordered a pad thai and a general tsos chicken. Both were generic Asian versions of the actual dishes. 3 bucks for a can of coke seemed pretty steep as well.

I was really craving some Chinese food, saw that this place has some decent reviews. Boy was I disappointed.
Service was ok but I had a feeling that I could’ve gotten better service had I not spoken Cantonese. I was made to write down our order myself, which I thought might’ve been standard practice but while waiting for our meal, no one else was made to do that.
Food: we ordered wonton soup, black pepper beef and mapo tofu. The food was ok, it wasn’t terrible but it was not something a good chinese restaurant should serve up.
Never in my life have I had a wonton that consists of a single shrimp wrapped in wonton paper…
The black pepper beef was ok, not particularly peppery, it didn’t have the flavours that I expected but it still tasted good.
The mapo tofu was tremendously disappointing. BLAND!!! It wasn’t at all spicy unless you took a bit into the whole peppercorns in the dish, I couldn’t taste any Doubanjiang (An essential ingredient) in the dish.
It was a little pricey for what it is, I won’t be back for a while…

Went for lunch with a friend on Wednesday. Place was quiet with modest décor. We were promptly seated and served.
I ordered the deep fried meatball with vegetable and bean thread (312). Friend ordered the phở noodles (30). We asked about appetizers and were recommended the Shanghai dumplings (7).
We felt the 6 dumplings were overpriced at $ 8.50 when they arrived. You can tell they were home-​made because the skin was quite thick, but unfortunately still served broken. My friend commented the noodles were OK. My meatball dish didn’t have bean threads in it. The meatball dish is typically braised with soy sauce and rock sugar until the nappa cabbage is soft. They put a weird canto spin on it by stir frying the whole thing in a garlic sauce.
Overall, based on what we ordered, the food was so-​so at best.

One of my co-​workers loves this place and highly recommended it. I finally got around to going recently. I went for lunch with my parents on a weekday.
The décor of this place is typical of what you would expect of a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown (and by that I mean any Chinatown: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, etc. There’s a certain look and feel, you know that I mean?) If you are looking for a spic and span clean restaurant, look elsewhere. The menus here are slightly sticky. However, atypical of most Chinese restaurants in Chinatowns, the service here is very polite and nice, and everyone speaks English.
We had the lunch specials (which is served until 3pm). The lunch specials are all about $ 9.95 and they come with steamed rice and your choice of Hot and Sour Soup, Corn and Tofu Soup or a Vegetarian Spring Roll. I had the Wu Se Chicken with Hot and Sour Soup. My mom had the Thai Lemongrass Chicken with Corn and Tofu Soup and my dad had the Black Pepper Beef with the spring roll.
We shared our main courses, so I got to try a bit of everything. The Wu Se Chicken was by far the star of the meal. Everyone at the table agreed that it was the best dish. It was chicken breast meat stir-​fried with carrots and green peppers, in a delicious peanut sauce. There were also peanuts and cashews in the dish (nut allergy people beware!). The sauce was rich and «peanuty» and slightly sweet. The all white meat was tender and the vegetables were crisp. I saw that lots of other tables had ordered the Wu Se Chicken as well.
The Black Pepper Beef was good. The beef was so tender. The sauce was full of black pepper, yet not all that spicy. The vegetables were onion, carrots, baby corn and green peppers. The loser of the bunch was the Thai Lemongrass Chicken. I had one taste and that was enough for me. This dish had way too much fish sauce for my liking. I could smell the pungent fish sauce from across the table. There was no lemongrass taste to me, all I could taste was fish sauce. If you like fish sauce, you will love this dish, but if you do not, stay far away from it!
The Hot and Sour Soup was good. It has chicken it in (most hot and sour soups are vegetarian, this one is not, so vegetarians beware!). It was full of mushrooms, tofu, bamboo and chicken. It was not that spicy and not that gelatinous — which I like, I don’t like overly gelatinous hot and sour soup.
My mom didn’t like her Corn and Tofu soup. She said it had a strange sour taste to it. My dad also did not like his spring roll. The spring roll was fat and full of filling, but he said it was bland and oily.
Washrooms are ok. Not super clean, but not filthy.
I would probably only return for the Wu Se Chicken.

Excellent. The lunch special in particular is always delicious and a great value. Décor is not fancy but staff are very friendly and welcoming. This is my go-​to restaurant in Chinatown

Disappointed. Don’t understand the 4 stars. Ordered a variety of chicken which tasted rubbery and tasteless. Chao ming was burnt and over cooked. I’ll give them one star for a good spring roll.

Don’t be fooled by it’s rough exterior, the food is EXCELLENT. Portion sizes are huge and service is friendly and fast! Will definitely come again!

I have never had bad food here. That being said I am picky with Chinese food. I have salt and pepper tofu which is a little cloud in your mouth. I also enjoy the General Taos chicken and friend rice.
The décor is a little dated as are most Asian restaurants, but the staff are very friendly and super accommodating.

If you’re in Chinatown and you want straight-​up good Asian food, try this place out. But not if you’re in the mood for bells and whistles and mood lighting! I have been there twice and I have enjoyed the food very much. The menu is very large and has a variety of Asian cuisines (mainly Chinese and Indonesian). The staff are very friendly too and give you good recommendations, because whatever you’re in the mood for, they surely have it.

Personally, the proximity of our residence to So Good is one of the many great things about living in Centretown. There is nothing like a good plate of beef w chinese greens, or szechuan spicy chicken or. (I could go on with these, so I best stop here); a fresh bowl of rice and of course a plate of salt and pepper tofu (which is never NOT a part of our meal). There is just no way that you can leave So Good unsatisfied. My bf and I actually have to do a «When was I last in So Good» check before we decide to come here (oh, that was just yesterday? darn!) more for the sake of our health (all that grease) and wallets than anything :)
If you do come, I suggest avoiding peak hours (weekend lunch and early dinner). With the small and cozy eating area, it could get loud. Takeout is very fast and reliable too, so that’s another option. Prices are reasonable, and with the consistent quality of food they serve, it’s well worth it!
Note that we just stick to the Chinese/​Szechuan items and have not strayed into the other cuisines they serve. We tried the milk tea here too and we suggest you skip it (they use powder). Otherwise, always a good experience!

So Good has been a family favourite for years. It is a great place for a good variety of different asian dishes. We always have the deep friend pepper tofu. Everything is good and there is always lots to go around.
They are almost always full so be sure to plan your outing.
Peter the owner is great.

Soooooo Goood. Just ask them for a suggestion and you’ll be happy. Don’t even look at the menu. Slap the money down on the table and eat what they give you. It’s all good. So good.

This place is still amazing, just got the usual Hunan Chicken and Szechuan chicken and they were both heavenly as usual. I just wanted to update my review to let everyone know this.
On another note, Peter told me to be careful texting so much because I’ll get arthritis. What a guy.