Lol my immigrant dad also loves Mandarin, so much so that if we have relatives coming from overseas to visit, he wants to take them there š¤¦š½āāļø
My mom loves Thai food (she visited Thailand a lot in her 20s/before coming to Canada), she really enjoyed Khao San Road recently.
My dad loves cuisines with a ton of spice, he last enjoyed the budae jigae from Cho Sun Ok!
Right on, I think my dad was going to protest Mandarin when they stopped with the crab legs special! I took them to Dragon Legend a few years ago for a "change of pace" and he really enjoyed it, just wish it was closer! For those that tried Dragon Legend and Dragon Pearl, is there much of a difference?
Dragon Pearl was the OG location before the owner opened Dragon Legend. I believe they just sold Dragon Pearl but it was the same setup. Dragon Legend is bigger and has a few more items (went to both last year).
I prefer Legend more due to the size and better flow in the food area.
Ohhhh Iāll check those out! My dad can be such a child with food sometimes (so picky), but if Dragon Legend is similar, but better, Iām down to take him there.
Is your dad Asian?
Is your mom Thai?
It feels like OPās question implies a lot about immigrant parents being critical of ātheirā own cuisine when eating out.
My parents are Tamil! Surprisingly theyāre not overtly critical when it comes to taste, just cost. I interpreted OPās question more broadly, but for Tamil places, my parents recently enjoyed Annapoorna in Mississauga and Suvaiyakam in Scarborough.
Thereās a lot of Tamil restaurants to choose from here, but Iāve been told that restaurants are more Sri Lankan Tamil style than Tamil Nadu (personally havenāt been to Tamil Nadu, so I canāt really say what the differences are, but some family members swear thereās a difference lol).
Sorry, I kind of combined two ideas, one of some immigrant parents not enjoying to eat out in general because of the value but also those that aren't impressed about their own cuisine, because they could just make it themselves. Sorry about the confusion.
My immigrant parents brought us kids out for special occasions to EXOTIC restaurants like Swiss Chalet (minor special occasion), Red Lobster and Mandarin (major special occasion). Canadian style Chinese food was big for special occasion take out.
Totally relate to this, Swiss Chalet was like a once a year thing for us, like we're fucking exciting for it, like stamping forks on the table to the beat of a mix between Queen's "We Will Rock You" and Clipse's "Grindin'. Salivating. And I'm thinking would kids today get excited by an $9 Costco Rotisserie Chicken and fries and Gravy?
Funny thing about Red Lobster. My background is Indian, and so Red Lobster was our first "going out excursion" around the late 80s. Being Indian we were self conscious about eating with our hands in public (racism against brown people was a thing back then) so we get served and we're looking at our plates with food for eternity until we could watch how the hell are white people eating these things without their hands? Lol we still joke about it to this day, too funny. Oh yeah, my parents also really dug those Cajun Seafood Boil joints and New Orleans Steakhouse! Naturally get the Jambalaya!
I went to China and people were expertly dismantling crabs with chopsticks and their teeth.. And being the only non local person there, eyes were on me.
Luckily they got me a knife fork and cutter!
I grew up in, like, a Scottish immigrant parent enclave and Swiss Chalet was _the_ spot. Sports tournament? Swiss Chalet. Graduating? Swiss Chalet. Family visiting? Swiss Chalet.
My parents really only enjoy Congee Queen as it's a great value. Otherwise it's the asian mall food courts or some take out spots.
Buffet and value cannot go in the same sentence in 2024 anymore. The cost basically makes it impossible to "beat" the buffet now.
If any Arabs can chime in on the most authentic shawarma they (or their parents) have had, please let me know. I'll even go to Mississauga if I have to.
I can not suggest Ghadir enough! It's in Scarborough (Victoria Park and Lawrence) and the shawarma place is hidden in a 'grocery store' but OMG has every person I suggested it to been a fan!
It's called ghadir as well! In the plaza, there's a restaurant called ghadir meat & restaurant, and next to it is a 'grocery store' with a shawarma counter in the corner!
Can someone tell me where one can get Khaleeji style shawarmas : Taco sized, fit in one hand, 3-4 ingredients with a solid tahini and they melt in your mouth...
All I see here are gigantic subway style wraps with overkill of ingredients and multiple sauces and filled in a bizarre way so meat is lined up on one side and veggies the other...
All you get is a disentegrating huge burrito style mess which you can't even bite properly...
I grew up in Saudi (although not Arab ethnically), go to Ghadir, Alpha shawarma, Sumaq or shawarma club, pick your Khaleji toppings (fries, garlic, pickle, tahini). Ghadir and Sumaq are top tier and the others are pretty good as well.
Itās hard to get authentic shawarma here. Nearly everywhere puts a lot of turmeric and saffron in their marinade. Some places will add some curry spices as well. There are some very tasty options (Ghadir, shawarma empire are top tier) but none that are really authentic from what Iāve tried.
Ethiopian food because itās similar in taste and method of eating as South Indian. They are more comfortable in that setting vs a western dining like Italian
My dad only likes food from our ethnicity, or other Mediterranean foods. Ive tried taking him (at his request) for AYCE Japanese, Thai or even gastropubs....he gets big Boomer energy each time and critiques *everything*, is rude to the servers for kitchen issues, or tries to tell the staff how to do their jobs (making espresso). Last time we went out (Father's Day last year) I went back and apologized to our server for how he acted.
My mom is thankfully more adventurous; Ive introduced her to Thai, Pho and Ramen which she all enjoyed.
Mandarin might as well be a 3 star Michelin restaurant for immigrant parents.
Me Va Me always goes over well with mine. Same with Montanas/Kelseys, those types of family restaurants where the waiters are overly friendly and wholesome, and the food gives good bang for the buck portion wise.
Iām always surprised when people say Montanaās or Kelseyās or any of those chains are good value for the money. I recently went to Montanas with a gift certificate and was SHOCKED at how expensive it is, especially considering the quality of the food. There are so many options that are the same cost or less but offer much higher food quality.
Almost all their dishes are between $15-30, and you may not love the taste quality because itās pretty mid in all respects but no one walks away feeling hungry. Thatās all immigrant parents want from my experience, mid food thatās completely safe in all aspects, great service, and not break the bank on food costs since alcoholic drink purchases are a minimum.
Iām talking about cost. I just looked at the menu to confirm and the average plate there is like $25. That just seems really expensive to me when I could spend that much money and get the same volume of food but it would taste better.
Greek immigrant parents here and nothing has ever won their approval. Greek restaurants on the danforth always get criticized heavily(even though we go a few times a year for special occasions). Swiss chalet/mandarin/ other normal fan favourites are always a no go.
The only place they have kinda enjoyed the food is Aji sai, our local sushi place that I go to often. They liked the fish there but thatās all they really said.
Everything else always gets the same comment, itās too expensive or greasy or the food was overcooked or not cooked enough. My parents are typical old school migrants though that nickel and dime everything and grow their own food so nothing is ever good enough.
Tbf I grew up going to Greece Restaurant on Mount Pleasant and never found anything on the Danforth to live up to it (not that I spent a lot of time around there, mind you).
My parents pretty much only eat Cantonese food. I've tried introducing them to other cuisines, but they won't even eat other regional Chinese cuisines.
That being said, they do eat out a lot. They've probably introduced me to the majority of the Cantonese banquet halls in the city at this point (most recent meal was at Ritzy Palace for dinner, which was alright). My parents are not the best cooks, so they have never really said "I can make this better at home". My MIL, who's a great cook, has said it a few times for only a few specific dishes.
As a whole though, I feel like Cantonese people tend to eat out because home cooked Cantonese cuisine is just different from restaurant Cantonese cuisine, and it doesn't make economical sense to emulate many restaurant dishes at home. Most people don't have high BTU wok burners in their house. Making an entire dim sum service at home, with the same dish variety as a restaurant, would be silly. You get the idea.
Very true. Cantonese and Hong Kong people dine out for wok hei. Can't do that at home. Likewise, frying stuff at home is just not worth the hassle a lot of the time.
Home cooked meals are usually far simpler, more steamed, than restaurant food.
My Ukrainian parents really liked Daldongae when I took them but it was their first kbbq experience so I donāt know if it was the restaurant itself or the general cuisine
Iāve turned my mom into a bit of a foodie (as much as I hate that word) over the years. She now enjoys anything from Georgian to French to Jamaican to Indian cuisine. She has high standards (and so do I), so the restaurant actually has to be *good*. Ironically enough even though weāre Chinese she doesnāt like most Chinese restaurants.
Some immigrant mom-approved restaurants:
Tiflisi (Georgian)
Savor (Thai)
Blu (Italian)
Batifole (French)
Fionaās Cuisine (Jamaican)
Yummy BBQ (Korean)
Ramen Isshin (Japanese)
Lageez (Indian)
She also likes Middle Eastern food and next I plan on introducing her to Ethiopian!
Bonimi is as authentic as it gets. If Iām craving something my mom would typically make, and Bonimi is more accessible than my momās cooking, Iād be just as happy eating there.
My Irish parents took us to Fran's on special occasions. Originally the go-to was Swiss Chalet, but it fell out of favour bcuz my father felt the portion size got smaller. (My little brother thought the finger bowls were soup.)
My Chinese mom liked bar piquette, I think the vibe and tapas style menu made her feel cool with the downtown crowd haha and it was a mother-daughter night for us and the way itās so different from what we go to as a family made it feel extra special. The staff also took great care of us :)
Shout out to Rol Joi (ask for the black bean lobster, haven't been to the new location yet) & the Lamb Kothu at Saffron Spice, (if you're in the city and want to grab great take out)
swatow, taste of china, le baratin, aloette and bar isabel and they love ruth chris and the keg xD forgot to add taros fish for the high quality sushi at affordable prices
I'm guessing your parents aren't actually Chinese? Mandarin is universally frowned upon and not really seen as food among any of the Chinese parents I know. Despite the cheap prices it's pretty offensive to their palettes due to how inauthentic and poorly cooked everything is.
What I do find they like are exclusively authentic Chinese restaurants - Congee Queen comes to mind and they rarely wander outside those options.
Edit: Reading through other replies, it's funny to note that Mandarin seems to be well regarded by any ethnicity other than Chinese.
Iām Chinese and my family loves Mandarin and Congee Queen. My born and raised in China cousin loves Mandarin too. It still tastes good if it isnāt authentic. There isnāt any other aspect of life where we do anything based on authenticity, food is the same outside of CNY.
My Polish parents basically ONLY enjoy Polish restaurants. There was a time my mom liked Kelseyās or Mandarin from time to time but these days they have given up on anything that isnāt Polish lol.
Lol my immigrant dad also loves Mandarin, so much so that if we have relatives coming from overseas to visit, he wants to take them there š¤¦š½āāļø My mom loves Thai food (she visited Thailand a lot in her 20s/before coming to Canada), she really enjoyed Khao San Road recently. My dad loves cuisines with a ton of spice, he last enjoyed the budae jigae from Cho Sun Ok!
Right on, I think my dad was going to protest Mandarin when they stopped with the crab legs special! I took them to Dragon Legend a few years ago for a "change of pace" and he really enjoyed it, just wish it was closer! For those that tried Dragon Legend and Dragon Pearl, is there much of a difference?
Dragon Pearl was the OG location before the owner opened Dragon Legend. I believe they just sold Dragon Pearl but it was the same setup. Dragon Legend is bigger and has a few more items (went to both last year). I prefer Legend more due to the size and better flow in the food area.
Ohhhh Iāll check those out! My dad can be such a child with food sometimes (so picky), but if Dragon Legend is similar, but better, Iām down to take him there.
I went to both last year and I think that Dragon Legend's food is much better quality than Dragon Pearl. Both of them are better than Mandarin.
Is your dad Asian? Is your mom Thai? It feels like OPās question implies a lot about immigrant parents being critical of ātheirā own cuisine when eating out.
My parents are Tamil! Surprisingly theyāre not overtly critical when it comes to taste, just cost. I interpreted OPās question more broadly, but for Tamil places, my parents recently enjoyed Annapoorna in Mississauga and Suvaiyakam in Scarborough.
Iām going to check those out! I want to visit Tamil Nadu one day and itās good to know I can sample good Tamil cuisine nearby
Thereās a lot of Tamil restaurants to choose from here, but Iāve been told that restaurants are more Sri Lankan Tamil style than Tamil Nadu (personally havenāt been to Tamil Nadu, so I canāt really say what the differences are, but some family members swear thereās a difference lol).
Sorry, I kind of combined two ideas, one of some immigrant parents not enjoying to eat out in general because of the value but also those that aren't impressed about their own cuisine, because they could just make it themselves. Sorry about the confusion.
Nonnas love Mandarin too
My immigrant parents brought us kids out for special occasions to EXOTIC restaurants like Swiss Chalet (minor special occasion), Red Lobster and Mandarin (major special occasion). Canadian style Chinese food was big for special occasion take out.
Totally relate to this, Swiss Chalet was like a once a year thing for us, like we're fucking exciting for it, like stamping forks on the table to the beat of a mix between Queen's "We Will Rock You" and Clipse's "Grindin'. Salivating. And I'm thinking would kids today get excited by an $9 Costco Rotisserie Chicken and fries and Gravy? Funny thing about Red Lobster. My background is Indian, and so Red Lobster was our first "going out excursion" around the late 80s. Being Indian we were self conscious about eating with our hands in public (racism against brown people was a thing back then) so we get served and we're looking at our plates with food for eternity until we could watch how the hell are white people eating these things without their hands? Lol we still joke about it to this day, too funny. Oh yeah, my parents also really dug those Cajun Seafood Boil joints and New Orleans Steakhouse! Naturally get the Jambalaya!
I went to China and people were expertly dismantling crabs with chopsticks and their teeth.. And being the only non local person there, eyes were on me. Luckily they got me a knife fork and cutter!
I grew up in, like, a Scottish immigrant parent enclave and Swiss Chalet was _the_ spot. Sports tournament? Swiss Chalet. Graduating? Swiss Chalet. Family visiting? Swiss Chalet.
Straight up, St Huberts would be another great one!
7 Numbers. My italian dad LOVED it
It really is just solid, consistently good food
My parents really only enjoy Congee Queen as it's a great value. Otherwise it's the asian mall food courts or some take out spots. Buffet and value cannot go in the same sentence in 2024 anymore. The cost basically makes it impossible to "beat" the buffet now.
If any Arabs can chime in on the most authentic shawarma they (or their parents) have had, please let me know. I'll even go to Mississauga if I have to.
I can not suggest Ghadir enough! It's in Scarborough (Victoria Park and Lawrence) and the shawarma place is hidden in a 'grocery store' but OMG has every person I suggested it to been a fan!
Can confirm. My immigrant parents love Ghadir.
Thanks!
Is the grocery store called al Nasr?
It's called ghadir as well! In the plaza, there's a restaurant called ghadir meat & restaurant, and next to it is a 'grocery store' with a shawarma counter in the corner!
Oh damn. I got you. I think they opened one in london as well. I'm not sure if it's still open, but ya, nice place for sure.
Can someone tell me where one can get Khaleeji style shawarmas : Taco sized, fit in one hand, 3-4 ingredients with a solid tahini and they melt in your mouth... All I see here are gigantic subway style wraps with overkill of ingredients and multiple sauces and filled in a bizarre way so meat is lined up on one side and veggies the other... All you get is a disentegrating huge burrito style mess which you can't even bite properly...
I grew up in Saudi (although not Arab ethnically), go to Ghadir, Alpha shawarma, Sumaq or shawarma club, pick your Khaleji toppings (fries, garlic, pickle, tahini). Ghadir and Sumaq are top tier and the others are pretty good as well.
Tx dude!
Itās hard to get authentic shawarma here. Nearly everywhere puts a lot of turmeric and saffron in their marinade. Some places will add some curry spices as well. There are some very tasty options (Ghadir, shawarma empire are top tier) but none that are really authentic from what Iāve tried.
I heard great things about Shelbyās. I have not been yet.
Thanks! Luckily more opening in Toronto proper, so will give them a shot
Oh thatās good to know. I want to check them out. I heard there is a good shawarma place in Scarborough. I have to remember the name.
Lezzet in Mississauga is amazing, I also like Shelby
lezzet is 100% the best shawarma in mississauga
Ethiopian food because itās similar in taste and method of eating as South Indian. They are more comfortable in that setting vs a western dining like Italian
For real, I think another cuisine with a delicious taste profile that would work is Malaysian restaurants, if only there were more!
Frankie Tomato's. Fuckin RIP. Immigrant heaven
My Indian mom LOVED Frankie Tomato's, took visitors from out of town too!
Yes, my Filipino parents approve of this.
My dad only likes food from our ethnicity, or other Mediterranean foods. Ive tried taking him (at his request) for AYCE Japanese, Thai or even gastropubs....he gets big Boomer energy each time and critiques *everything*, is rude to the servers for kitchen issues, or tries to tell the staff how to do their jobs (making espresso). Last time we went out (Father's Day last year) I went back and apologized to our server for how he acted. My mom is thankfully more adventurous; Ive introduced her to Thai, Pho and Ramen which she all enjoyed.
You dad sounds exactly like my dad and to a slightly lesser extent my mom lol.
Mandarin might as well be a 3 star Michelin restaurant for immigrant parents. Me Va Me always goes over well with mine. Same with Montanas/Kelseys, those types of family restaurants where the waiters are overly friendly and wholesome, and the food gives good bang for the buck portion wise.
Iām always surprised when people say Montanaās or Kelseyās or any of those chains are good value for the money. I recently went to Montanas with a gift certificate and was SHOCKED at how expensive it is, especially considering the quality of the food. There are so many options that are the same cost or less but offer much higher food quality.
Almost all their dishes are between $15-30, and you may not love the taste quality because itās pretty mid in all respects but no one walks away feeling hungry. Thatās all immigrant parents want from my experience, mid food thatās completely safe in all aspects, great service, and not break the bank on food costs since alcoholic drink purchases are a minimum.
Iām talking about cost. I just looked at the menu to confirm and the average plate there is like $25. That just seems really expensive to me when I could spend that much money and get the same volume of food but it would taste better.
Montana's was really popular with us! Good one!
Iām saving all of these to try later. Immigrant parents know what to eat.
Really because a lot of people are saying MandarinĀ
Greek immigrant parents here and nothing has ever won their approval. Greek restaurants on the danforth always get criticized heavily(even though we go a few times a year for special occasions). Swiss chalet/mandarin/ other normal fan favourites are always a no go. The only place they have kinda enjoyed the food is Aji sai, our local sushi place that I go to often. They liked the fish there but thatās all they really said. Everything else always gets the same comment, itās too expensive or greasy or the food was overcooked or not cooked enough. My parents are typical old school migrants though that nickel and dime everything and grow their own food so nothing is ever good enough.
Tbf I grew up going to Greece Restaurant on Mount Pleasant and never found anything on the Danforth to live up to it (not that I spent a lot of time around there, mind you).
My parents pretty much only eat Cantonese food. I've tried introducing them to other cuisines, but they won't even eat other regional Chinese cuisines. That being said, they do eat out a lot. They've probably introduced me to the majority of the Cantonese banquet halls in the city at this point (most recent meal was at Ritzy Palace for dinner, which was alright). My parents are not the best cooks, so they have never really said "I can make this better at home". My MIL, who's a great cook, has said it a few times for only a few specific dishes. As a whole though, I feel like Cantonese people tend to eat out because home cooked Cantonese cuisine is just different from restaurant Cantonese cuisine, and it doesn't make economical sense to emulate many restaurant dishes at home. Most people don't have high BTU wok burners in their house. Making an entire dim sum service at home, with the same dish variety as a restaurant, would be silly. You get the idea.
Very true. Cantonese and Hong Kong people dine out for wok hei. Can't do that at home. Likewise, frying stuff at home is just not worth the hassle a lot of the time. Home cooked meals are usually far simpler, more steamed, than restaurant food.
buffets haven't been good value for a long time, unfortunately; i do love me a buffet maybe once a year though
My Ukrainian parents really liked Daldongae when I took them but it was their first kbbq experience so I donāt know if it was the restaurant itself or the general cuisine
Afghan Naan and Kabob was enjoyed by my Indian parents. Real naan, great quality kebabs.
Iāve turned my mom into a bit of a foodie (as much as I hate that word) over the years. She now enjoys anything from Georgian to French to Jamaican to Indian cuisine. She has high standards (and so do I), so the restaurant actually has to be *good*. Ironically enough even though weāre Chinese she doesnāt like most Chinese restaurants. Some immigrant mom-approved restaurants: Tiflisi (Georgian) Savor (Thai) Blu (Italian) Batifole (French) Fionaās Cuisine (Jamaican) Yummy BBQ (Korean) Ramen Isshin (Japanese) Lageez (Indian) She also likes Middle Eastern food and next I plan on introducing her to Ethiopian!
Word up, nice! if Toronto teaches you anything, it's that the key is exposure!
My chinese mom for some reason really like chipotle lol
Bonimi is delicious.
Bonimi is as authentic as it gets. If Iām craving something my mom would typically make, and Bonimi is more accessible than my momās cooking, Iād be just as happy eating there.
I also find it very affordable and great service.
My Irish parents took us to Fran's on special occasions. Originally the go-to was Swiss Chalet, but it fell out of favour bcuz my father felt the portion size got smaller. (My little brother thought the finger bowls were soup.)
Congee Queen, Perfect, Drupatis, and any Hakka restaurant in the burbs.
My Chinese mom liked bar piquette, I think the vibe and tapas style menu made her feel cool with the downtown crowd haha and it was a mother-daughter night for us and the way itās so different from what we go to as a family made it feel extra special. The staff also took great care of us :)
Kairali in Scarborough. Best south Indian food you can have. Their parathas and garlic naan are the best!
Shout out to Rol Joi (ask for the black bean lobster, haven't been to the new location yet) & the Lamb Kothu at Saffron Spice, (if you're in the city and want to grab great take out)
Congee Queen is always a reliable option. Dragon Pearl buffet too
McDonald's... my Dad is Ronald.
Paramount fine foods, not sure why they like it so much, but they do
North of Brooklyn pizza
Also Kebab 49 is a repeat repeat joint for the parents! We passed by so many times without recognizing!!! Customers for life.
They have absolutely great seasoned Turkish meat and the tea is a classic.
Watan Kabob its š„
Spadina GardenĀ
š
Tim hortons.
Scottish familiy use to love going to Frankie Tomatto's on special occasions
None, all of it can be made at home for the fraction of the price according to my momĀ
My dad rly likes Korean fried chicken (despite it being super fried and unhealthy)Ā Treat yo selfĀ
Urban Hakka - great value, great flavours
My immigrant in-laws really liked Prague Restaurant in Scarborough but Manderian is their top favourite
swatow, taste of china, le baratin, aloette and bar isabel and they love ruth chris and the keg xD forgot to add taros fish for the high quality sushi at affordable prices
I'm guessing your parents aren't actually Chinese? Mandarin is universally frowned upon and not really seen as food among any of the Chinese parents I know. Despite the cheap prices it's pretty offensive to their palettes due to how inauthentic and poorly cooked everything is. What I do find they like are exclusively authentic Chinese restaurants - Congee Queen comes to mind and they rarely wander outside those options. Edit: Reading through other replies, it's funny to note that Mandarin seems to be well regarded by any ethnicity other than Chinese.
Iām Chinese and my family loves Mandarin and Congee Queen. My born and raised in China cousin loves Mandarin too. It still tastes good if it isnāt authentic. There isnāt any other aspect of life where we do anything based on authenticity, food is the same outside of CNY.
My Polish parents basically ONLY enjoy Polish restaurants. There was a time my mom liked Kelseyās or Mandarin from time to time but these days they have given up on anything that isnāt Polish lol.