China Island

IF YOU RESPECT YOURSELF DON’T EAT HERE
Very low staff who speak down to patrons and insult little children. This happened after ordering food with my family and having the woman (stretch of the word) behind the counter go into a «spit coming from the side of the mouth» rage after me asking how long it will take. When I get up and go to leave she becomes confrontational (while I’m holding a 3 year old) and rips up my order in my face. As I leave her own staff realizes she is in the wrong but she keeps her little mouth flapping and her minuscule brain churning with insults. She even complains to a patron «I’m so tired people ask me how long it will take, today I want to close restaurant»
If I had given her one iota of attitude I wouldn’t be writing this. But she unfortunately showed a low class approach to owning a restaurant and confirmed to me that her respect for patrons is non existent.
I hope she chokes on an egg roll ;)
IF YOU RESPECT YOURSELF DON’T EAT HERE

Huge and delicious portions, excellent service, a vibrant décor and an awesome ambiance are what stand out at this place! 2 of us ordered the do it yourself bowls, one with sliced chicken, chef’s vegetables and brown rice and the other with crunchy sesame chicken, chef’s vegetables and fried rice while the third item was the curry vermicelli noodles. We ordered the homemade lemonade and the hibiscus tea infused homemade lemonade, the latter an acquired taste. Everything was brilliant and the service pleased us to no end.

Ignore the drab exterior and dated interior décor. This place does Chinese food (just like the window says) and they do it very well ! Friendly atmosphere and good prices

When I was a child, I often ate at China Island. When I was a teenager, it was a bit of a tradition to have it at home on Halloween. After that I hadn’t eaten food from China Island in years. I finally went back recently. The food is relatively cheap and delicious! You can also see the food being cooked right behind the cash register. I love the won ton soup at China Island. The first time I ate won ton soup was here.
Eat at China Island!

These folks are very friendly and they know their regulars /​customers very well. They have a good rapport with people. I have tried the beef fried rice noodles and they were great. I would highly recommend trying anything here. I intend to try out more of the menu.

I am usually very iffy about Chinese food because more often than not I feel absolutely awful within a few hours of having it. China Island appears to be an exception! Went there last night and everything was delicious and served piping hot. Great service too. Had spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken balls, sautéed veggies and chicken fried rice. If you are looking for cheap, good Chinese, go here. Definitely will return. The open view kitchen definitely makes me feel confident no corners are being cut.

very good every time we order pick up
DELICIOUS hot and sour soup and the owners are soooo friendly
love it

The very best won ton soup I’ve ever had, super delicious! Great owners, quick and to the point, fast service, no frills décor, decent prices. Definitely worth checking out!

BEST WON TON in Toronto.
Great chicken with cashews, everything I’ve ordered was tasty, thoroughly enjoyed! Great owner, no BS and lots of personality.

DELICIOUS!!! I can’t say enough good things about China Island. If you like wonton soup, you have to try theirs. The wontons are suffed generously with deliciously seasoned meat, and the soup is jam packed with big wontons, bbq pork slices, and napa. It’s the best wonton soup I’ve ever had! The owners are fantastic — very sweet people, and they can definitely cook! I would recommend the wonton soup, bbq pork, and the chicken wings — you won’t be disappointed. I really recommend stopping in to try it out.

China Island looks like a Chinatown transplant but there are two important distinctions. 1) they have an open view we’ve-got-nothing-to-hide kitchen and 2) the restaurant is scrupulously clean. Wait, a third distinction; 3) plants in the window are alive and well.
Me and my 7 year old had the place to ourselves at 4:30 and I’ve never seen more than one or two tables of patrons in there. I think people are overlooking a solid and interesting contribution to the local restaurant scene. We didn’t get too adventurous with our selections, but I can tell you the chicken with broccoli and the eggplant with chicken (maybe also black bean sauce?) were quite nice. Chinese food as prepared for people who don’t want to take their Chinese food very seriously. Maybe if I return with an adult who isn’t going to take two bites and then start asking to go home and watch cartoons, I can find out if they aspire to represent for west end Szechuan lovers.
Portions are generous, prices are reasonable, proprietors are pleasant and the clean and fresh surroundings will make you feel sheepish about the state of the walls and floors at your house.
I’ll definitely return and/​or get takeout.

Went to China Island after battling 10 hours of cravings. I chose this particular Chinese food restaurant because some of the Unilocal reviews made it seem like I’d be in for a treat. Twas a cold and slushy night so my eyes were glued to the ground. Also glued to the ground was a HHHHUGE dead pigeon. Ew! It could easily have passed for a dark skinned pelican. Gross! The pigeon was in perfect tact, no visible signs of trauma, beak down in a pile of what I’ve convinced myself was strawberry jam. I should have considered that a bad omen and just went home but I didn’t. Also, THAT corpse is exactly why I don’t mess around with them Dundas West pigeons; they’re cold blooded killers!
So I ordered the general tao and beef fried rice. As I waited for my order, I went to the market next door and bought a bag of tangerines. The guy was like, $ 4.99 and I was like that’s crazy, these tangerines have the same liver spots as those pears I bought from No Frills. Ew! The General Tao sauce and chicken were good but the breaded batter ruined it; it was too thick! I was horrified. The bread/​meat ratio was just out of control! For every centimeter of meat, there were 161 centimeters of batter. It was so upsetting because this could have been a great meal. The General tao gets all slimy and gross by the time you get it home. I’m conflicted because it didn’t taste bad, but you shouldn’t need a spoon and straw to eat General Tao chicken China Island! I’ve been so psychologically destroyed after the general tao, I know I can’t go back there. I don’t care if the rice is good, there are other places that sell decent rice without gooey General Tao.
3 Stars cuz you ruined me for General Tao for at least a year.

I was in the area and wanted to stop into this Chinese restaurant. Having lived for a few years in Asia, I wanted to get my fix for this yummy style of cooking.
I ordered the shrimp and vegetable lunch special. It came with fried rice, vegetable soup, one spring roll, a crunchy Chinese finger food, and the shrimp & vegetables. The soup was good. It had a very light ginger taste to it that I enjoyed (don’t really like ginger). The vegetable in the soup seemed to be Bok Choy and lettuce. As far as vegetarian Chinese soups go — this is standard fare. It would have been nice if the green parts of the Bok Choy was added into the soup to give it some more colour and texture.
The lady behind the counter was nice. A couple of customers prior to me ordered take out and ate in the restaurant. In a nice but slightly firm tone of voice she explained why it’s good to let the staff know if they decide to eat in.
If I’m in the area again, I’ll definitely stop by, and will be sure to specifically request no MSG because I think it’s an ingredient in their dishes (tingly mouth/​tongue post-​meal).

Come and eat here. Seriously. Like most places they have their on and off times. But for a delish take-​out or dine in canadiana chinese food. This place is the om of om-​nom. I suggest the general tao chicken and thier chicken wings. For reasonable reason they, they are closed Mondays.

Me and my husband LOVE their ‘hot and sour soup.’ Winters are not complete without it. I also thoroughly enjoy the black bean chicken. Menu is priced well, and since the owner recognizes us, she now always gives me hot sauce on the side without me having to ask.
Love it.
Note: It’s a very simple place, but great for take-​out and delicious food.

I had such high hopes for a nearby Chinese restaurant. I know my Chinese, but I also accept the goodness of «cheap chinese». I ordered the General Tao (based on mentions here) and the Shanghai Noodles (w/​Shrimp & Pork).
The Shanghai noodles were unexciting. Tossed with some soy, nothing special at all. The General, on the other hand, was a disaster. GT can be very good and also very bad. This was without dispute the worst GT I’ve ever had. The «chicken» inside was like mush, like what you’d get in a sweet & sour ball. The coating was sponge-​like soggy. The sauce was bright red. When I saw it on the rim of the take out container, I confirmed our order (GT bright red?) She confirmed. Oh, it had pineapple. Pineapple? The General would not be amused; coups have started over less.
Sadly, I would not return nor would I recommend it. The search continues.

I want to give this place 3.5 stars. It’s more than A-​OK, but at the end of the day it’s your typical chinese restaurant with a super long menu of dishes which are all very similar to one another. The interior is a bit frumpy. I’ve only gone for take out. The restaurant has an open kitchen: you can watch them cook your food right behind the cash. The food is a bit hit or miss. I think it’s clear there are some dishes that they are quite good at making, and some that are on the menu because you see them all over the city. I’d recommend the egg plant and beef dish as a delicious safe bet. There aren’t any other options for good chinese food in the area, so if that’s what you’re craving this is probably the place to go.

Pretty darn good no-​frills chinese food. Nick P recommended this place for a quick eat and run spot. I ordered crispy rolls, hot and sour soup, and shrimp/​veggie lo mein. All very tasty –nothing overly greasy with the exception of the roll… but that is to be expected.

Ive gone here a few times. The food is ok, but not really outstanding in any way.
I find the restaurant itself cramped and unwelcoming, and I find the service kind of snippy. It always seems like I’m bothering them, making them work. Went with a friend once, who asked for a little extra sauce on his dish, and he was curtly informed that it was impossible, because it was pre-​packaged, and came in precise measures for each customer. Draw your own conclusions.
Good if you’re desperate I suppose. Always closed on Mondays.

China Island has delicious and well-​priced chinese food! The menu is standard fare, but the quality and quantity is great!
My favourite, their wonton soup, is 3 $ and you get 5 to 8 wontons in the soup, when a lot of places give you 4 if you’re lucky.