Sam’s Congee Delight in Markham

A porridge shop favored by Chinese people. Ive been here in 2023, and Im here again this year, and the food is still in bulk.

So good

Its a hole in the wall kind of restaurants that is cheap (relatively), great and authentic food, no thrills. Its basically why you go to Food Trucks. Service is fast and to the point. Great congee if thats what you are really looking for. Its a kind of cuisine thats disappearing, sadly, so get it before inflation really drives the prices so high it cant exist anymore Kid-friendliness: Has child seats. But the spaces are tight. Dont expect room to run around

Not even close to the quality standard they held when they were back located in Pacific mall. Congees with too much MSG, fried noodles burnt... what a shame!

2 years ago this used to be an excellent congee spot. Over the past 2 years, prices have nearly doubled. Dough fritters are now nearly always overfried to the point of being inedible with how much oil they retain. Congee quality is inconsistent and ingredients stale. Recommendation to just go anywhere else.

Did this boy with glasses take the wrong medicine? Huge attitude difference. Its like owing him tens of thousands of dollars. The food is not as delicious as before and the service is still like this

Terrible seating policy. Won t be coming back.

The congee has a lot of MSG and the fried donuts are not as good as before when they are near Pacific Mall.

Take away two portions of pork liver. After waiting for 15 or 20 minutes, it still didnt heal. There is no use asking. Not very busy either. I really don t know why it takes so long to scald two portions of pork liver.

Sam s is fantastic! The congee, fried pastries and rice rolls paired with the atmosphere, speedy service and classic dish ware made for the perfect nostalgic meal!

Good HK style congee a m d tice rolls but lacking in flavor.

All kinds of food can maintain a generally high standard.

Very Hong Kong-style porridge, the rice rolls are very smooth, great

Got sampan congee rice rolls with fritters as bc rice dumpling which I had not had in years. Good food brought back childhood memories of the taste and atmosphere in HK. Food was very reasonable and service was efficient and fast , atmospheric typical HK style cafe/diner

The food in the store is just average and not worth recommending. .

Very bad, the price is super expensive and the food is terrible.

The food is just ok, the taste is too heavy, and the Happy Meal size congee cost me $8, this should be my LAST TIME here the other similar store Yin Ji (Warden/Steele)is better, the bigger portion, milder taste and cheaper price

Great place for congee

The food was amazing but the experience was ruined by a waitress. At the end of the meal, the waitress used Mandarin to ask us to pay more tips. Thats is totally absurd and this is so far the worst food service experience in Canada.

It s delicious. There aren t many people on weekday mornings and it s very quiet. Came here for an interview nearby. Wish me success in interview

This restaurant just for snack.

Old style Chinese breakfast. Go there once a year with visitors. Expensive.

The service is very poor. If you don t want to be a waiter, you can go sweep the streets.

A friend came to travel and went to Huang Sanji, which had excellent online reviews. A long-established porridge and breakfast restaurant. Unfortunately, we didn t want to drink porridge, so we might have missed out on the deliciousness! Except for the beef brisket, none of what we ordered was very delicious. I can only say that at this price, don t ask for anything more. I also ordered red bean and peanut paste, which tasted pretty good in a small bowl. All in all, I was quite disappointed, maybe I had too much expectations! Especially the bean sprout fried noodles, believe me it s really not delicious!

I traveled to Toronto these days and went to Huang Sanji, a breakfast restaurant with excellent reviews by xhs. A long-established porridge and breakfast restaurant. Unfortunately, we didn t want to drink porridge, so we might have missed out on the deliciousness! Except for the beef brisket, none of what we ordered was very delicious. I can only say that at this price, don t ask for anything more. I also ordered red bean and peanut paste, which tasted pretty good in a small bowl. All in all, I was quite disappointed, maybe I had too much expectations! Do you really think this restaurant is delicious? Especially the bean sprouts fried noodles, there are so many small sweet potatoes everyone says they are so delicious, believe me it s really not delicious!

Pretty ordinary food and minimal service. Chinese donut was pretty disappointing, it s over fried from inside to outside and their soy milk isn t house made so you can t request it unsweetened. I thought it s pretty standard for this kind of restaurant to make their own soy milk especially at the price of $4 a bowl.

The best HK congee and rice noodle roll I have ever had outside Hong Kong

Located in 7354 Woodbine Ave, Markham, ON, Sam s Congee Delight is always busy and doesn t accept reservations. So depending on the time of day, there may be a long queue and wait to get a table. It specializes in Cantonese congee with customized toppings and other Chinese snacks such as Dough Stick, Sweet Cruller, Cruller with Bean Paste, Sesame Seed Ball, Steamed Radish Cake. It offers freshly made to order Rice Rolls with infused meats (shrimp, beef, BBQ pork, chicken slices, or pork s liver), or with infused veggies (dough stick, white fungus, mushrooms). Sam s Congee Delight was founded by Wong Sam in Hong Kong in 1966 when he opened an open-air food stall. His family came to Canada in the 1990s and continued his restaurant business in Markham.

If you need comfort food, this is the place!!

Nice cngee

Congee was too watery&the black century egg lacked flavor. Fried noodles with bean sprouts had a bit of a burnt taste. Cold soy milk was so artificial and just tasted like vanilla, like store bought. Sticky rice wrap lacked flavor had no meat instead just a small piece of pork fat. Spicy tofu and Cha Leung were really good and had so much flavor. Overall, this place was just okay. I think ppl come here more for the nostalgia.

Love the food! The congee and hot soybean milk are a must-try!

The rice grains in the porridge are distinct, the fried rice is super delicious, and the soy milk is just average.

Good place for congee

Better than I expected. Every dish was so tasty! It was worth the wait (which wasn t too long even on a Saturday at noon). Everyone enjoyed it. I actually don t even usually like congee but now I crave it from here! Will be returning :)

Was gona give this place 3 stars but decided to go with 2 stars. reason is there is just toooo much MSG I tasted the strong MSG right away in the congee, it s been 4 hours since and I m still a bit thirsty.. and it been 3 cups of water already The fried dough was really good!!! Not heavy - so the oil was fresh.. these was made fresh to order in my case, not sure if they are always made fresh to order could be a hit or miss.. Small chance I might come back to try the rice rolls. Congee with a plain fried dough stick was $12.50 plus tip. Parking: Free parking lot, shouldn t have any issues finding a spot Wheelchair accessibility: No problem dining here if you re in a wheelchair

Not the best quality , and price is not cheap.

Delicious street food. Very tasty.

Certain quality of food has gone down. We first ate with them when they were at Market Village. Congee, cheong fun, brisket were delicious. Now not so much. Crullers were still great by the way.

This place tends to be busy anytime of the day. Wait time can vary from 5 - 20 mins, otherwise food is good and cheap.

Love this place, always make a point of stopping by whenever I m in town

Best place for congee and cheung fun in the GTA in my opinion. Always a line on the weekends but turnover is reasonable. Takeout is fast too

Not the same anymore The server has to point to me to see the three pieces on green onion in my congee, three little peanuts and five small slices of pig liver. Congee was not even hot. was soft and no sugar crunch on top as it should. What happened to this place? Food

good HK style food, price is reasonable, ordered food comes out fast, portion is a bit small, go there almost every weekend.

Congee! They get busy quite quickly for a Monday morning but they are good.

Overrated pricy congee, totally not worth it. Meat not cooked well , still raw. Fried noodles small portion and oily. Go elsewhere. Food

I dont think you can taste other HK style congee better than this one whthin GTA

Came here twice during my one week stay because its that good. Love their minced beef porridge. Definitely my must go every time i visit Toronto.

Absolutely delicious and traditional Hong Kong style breakfast. This type of restaurant is hard to find in Hong Kong today. So glad to find an authentic one in Toronto.

Great variety of congee at a very reasonable price. Everything is freshly made. The service was fast and friendly. The fried dough is another food I want highlight, it tasted best dipped in the hot soy drink. Its also very clean and spacious.

Food: still great. Service: rude+++ Update. Been eating at Sam s since I was little at Market Village. Service then and also at this new location pre-Covid has been your average typical Chinese restaurant which is quick and straight which is great for a fast in and out dining experience. Today wow. Saturday, not super busy so no reason to be annoyed/rude. The attitude was Food was great like normal but when we paid the bill, we normally tip as per service and we know what they re service can be like but today they were deserving of the 20% we normally give. The lady looks at the total and says, Tips isn t included in the bill. We had left a bit over 10%. She wouldn t take the money to the counter. Whatever, we left it and another guy came to get it and brought it back. We left all the change. The lady comes back and says we didn t leave tips. Ok that was it. I took the $5 back and left all the coins which was more than a dollar. We got up to leave and he chases us to the exit saying the bill didn t include tips. I looked at him and said, I m sorry but you don t chase people for tips. If you want tips you have to earn it. There s always a first for everything. So BEWARE and leave tips if you don t want to be chased. We won t be coming back any time soon. Too many other places we can go to.

Cantonese approved

Definitely a comfort breakfast before starting a wonderful weekend. Congee was prepared fresh and tasty. Serve hot and pair very well with Chinese fritters.

The food is totally different from what I ate a couple of years ago. No service and no cleaning after last customer left. never go again.

Great traditional Hong Kong fare. First post pandemic visit. Still good and consistent. Parking: Parking is ok but not great during busy times, small lot for the strip plaza.

Average level.

Great place for HK style congee breakfast/lunch Update (Apr 2024): Its still a good place for HK style congee, but food quality and service really has gone down a bit

Food is ok but service is so so, no thank you to customers after paying is prime example

Food is delicious. Outstanding customer service. The place is clean. Recommend this restaurant who is like the congee.

Very authentic Dai Pai dong experience of HK style snacks and congee, the dough fritters are made in the kitchen from scratch and they show them making them, as well as the small bowls of congee, they have other snacks such as tofu or pork blood, chow mein and they make their steamed rice noodle pork/shrimp/char siu from scratch on the kitchen. It was very chaotic, busy and felt like we were eating outside but it made the experience more authentic. Food is very cheap and affordable as well.

Congee place where they also serve rice rolls, other Chinese snacks, desserts.

Never seen any restaurant can be this rude to a walk in customer. Cashier took the order with attitude even rolling her eyes when answering a couple of questions about the order. Another lady tried to fix the error on the order with an even worse attitude from the hell no where as I didn t even talk to her before. I m shocked how careless they could be to their business.

Never come here with your kids. Rude staff. It is definitely not a kid-friendly restaurant!

An authentic place where ppl start lining up early before noon during weekends. Assorted Congee: 5/5 The quality of congee is better than other congee place around the area, the ingredients are fresh. Dough stick rice roll: 5/5 The mixed sauces are HUGE plus, a must-try item. Fried noodles: 2.5/5 Nothing special at all, not the crispy type, not so flavourful, no gas of Wok, a can-skip item.

Delicious food in comfortable spacious room !

Sams Congee Delight offers a delightful journey into the heart of traditional Cantonese breakfast cuisine. From the moment you step in, youre greeted with the comforting aroma of freshly brewed tea and simmering congee, setting the stage for an authentic culinary experience. The menu boasts a wide selection of classic Cantonese breakfast dishes, each prepared with care and attention to detail. Whether youre craving the soothing warmth of congee topped with century eggs and crispy fried dough sticks or the savory delight of steamed rice rolls filled with barbecued pork, every bite is a taste of nostalgia and tradition. Downside is: waiting time is sometimes long on weekends. So, plan ahead if visiting between 11 A.M to 12 P.M.

The congee is nice. However, it is not as dense as imagined. The sweet cruller is fresh and not too sweet. The plain rice rolls are superb in the way that it is thin and smooth. The attendants are attentive, diligent and friendly. Their memory is surprisingly excellent. They can recognize the food codes without consulting the menu. The sunroom is good. You can enjoy the food, the space and the atmosphere without being urged to pay the bill. Nice experience.

If you want to eat Hong Kong-style porridge restaurant in Toronto, this should be the best choice. The taste is basically the same as that of Hong Kong food stalls. Ive tried the oil cooker several times and its always so fresh.

The food was delightful. We ordered two varieties of congee, a basket of assorted fried dough (sesame ball- amazing , original youtiao, and then another round version), rice rolls and noodles. Id recommend all of them. Though none were exceptional, they were fresh and properly prepared and so for those reasons, Id definitely return again. The restaurant itself is kept very clean and the atmosphere is social, very nice on a weekend. The negative aspects of our experience include : 1) The fact that they wouldnt give us a paper bag to put the leftover congee container into to take home. I seriously cant understand why they have that policy.. the round container is awkward and inconvenient to carry home and risks flying or spilling over in the car. 2) The congee is quite expensive for what it is, at $8 per bowl before tax and tip. Like Id mentioned, theres nothing extragant or exceptional about the food, however it is properly prepared and pleasant. If it werent for the other side dishes on the menu, I wouldnt return for the congee alone.

I have never eaten rice rolls that taste so bad. It really opened my eyes. I ordered pork liver sausage, beef rice rolls, and the taste was thick. Not to mention the first time I saw rice rolls with soy sauce. It was completely delicious. I was so hungry that it tasted so bad that I even wanted to finish it. Its disgusting. The soy sauce is just like Maggi diluted with water. It has no taste at all. Please dont sell it. Just those deep-fried ghost beef dumplings. I can sum up that this rice roll is just deep-fried. Its okay.

Foods are not the same as we visited before. So terrible

Simple but not cheap lunch

Yummy congee

Foods are delicious, love their congee, soya bean milk and fried goods, very authentic. Will come visit again and again Food

We had Sam s before heading out to the airport and noticed a lot of out of towners like myself visiting during the holiday. Totally understandable because we can t never find comfort food like these from smaller town. I do feel a little thirsty after the visit, but MSG or not, food served here will always bring back irreparable childhood memories.

Get the youtiao, shrimp rice rolls, spicy tofu, hot soybean milk. Everything was delicious! I went here twice when visiting Toronto but the youtiao was better the first time. The 2nd time it was a little too dry. The food comes out very fast after you order it.

A clean, well-run Cantonese casual restaurant that specializes in congee of many flavors, sticky rice noodle with various fillings and some traditional desserts. Service was efficient in a very no fuss HK way. The ambience was a bit too cafeteria-like.

Kid-friendliness: Saw numerous kids, I had my 9 year old niece with me as well Wheelchair accessibility: Easily accessible for anyone in wheelchair, no steps to encounter Food : 5/5 |

This place is always consistent. The service and food are always quick. Busy as usual for lunch hour. The congee base is thick and the fried dough stick is very fresh!

Too expensive and tip is mandatory. Taste normal.

Good quality food and fresh food.

Best congee in town and budget friendly!

In fact, it doesnt deserve even one star. The food quality of the big pai dong is so bad that it is priced at a five-star hotel. No service at all, just a tip.

The service was extremely poor. He kept a straight face and spoke as if he owed them money. He didnt pay a tip at the checkout and refused to let them go. He asked them to refund the money and pay the bill again with a tip! I said tipping is not mandatory, why do you still ask for it! The waiter said we are all like this! I was really confused. I didn t learn from the good ones, but I learned quickly from the tips! Wont go there again!

The pork liver porridge in this restaurant is my favorite. I brought my wife here for breakfast early in the morning, but the sesame balls served to us by the service staff were completely cold, and they gave us a lot of excuses. Is the store cheating customers? It was supposed to be a very good store, but the management can t keep up

Only congee is good. Would not go again.

Went out for lunch with friends and everything was great except for the end. When I had just finish paying, they sent someone back to talk to us about not tipping on the receipt and The server explain that since we split the bill we had to tip (6 people) and my friend explained that tipping is not mandatory it s a choice and the server said when I go to restaurants I tip overall my experience was ruined by giving us a rude attitude and them insisting us to tip before we could even explain to them our intentions.I personally don t tip though card and tip separately by cash since I know personally the tip given electronically doesn t always make it to the servers. If they didn t come back they would have seen that I left the tip. Overall the end experience was not great. We really wanted to like this place but not sure we ll come back if we ll be judged again for tipping differently. Great food though.

Consistent fast congee service, cash and debit card only.

Food and service were excellent! The facilities are clean. An absolute must visit spot if you want a wholesome meal.

Very disappointed Cant imagine chinese congee can be this... I still remember that they used to have a location in steeles and Kennedy.. That was many years ago . Things are changed .. Bottom line, not recommend

Our fav congee spot when we are in Markham

This is my go to place whenever Im craving Hongkong style congee and rice noodle. Must order items include the Lai Wan stlyle congee and dough fritter wrapped in rice rolls.

Very traditional street food in Hong Kong. The family moved from HK to Canada and opened this restaurant. 100% authentic. This is a place where you can find a bowl of congee that hard working class people eats everyday in HK and also the hand made rice ravioli with different stuffings..The sesame sauce, sweet plum sauce and chili sauce are all local flavors. Business here is very good and the place is clean and all foods are delicious. HIghly recommended

A little bit salty

wierd attitude

The casher woman had very bad attitude.

Based on our experience the food is very good, like clear your plate good don t expect good service bring cash, local currency do not pay in foreign currency or hint at carrying it, even if they suggest using it, as they will possibly try to take advantage of you if they know or think you are visiting, they may not let you use your debit card even if your bank is available locally We ate here in the Spring and did not want to leave a bad review, but I have decided to share our experience in hopes that others are able to either have a better one or just avoid a bad one. My husband paid while I went to restroom. When I returned I found out that they would not let him pay with his debit card. He ended up paying with foreign cash and they gave him local cash back based on an exchange rate that they decided, basically gave themselves a 30% tip, and expected more tip. I thought there had to be a mistake or miscommunication and went up to the register to talk with them I ultimately said that we d pay in CAD instead, they got upset and acted like I was causing a huge disturbance and greatly inconveniencing them we did end up getting our money back and paying in CAD, but they took a very long time to retrieve the money from wherever they had it and then heavily hinted for a tip. Honestly, had they not been so upset and rude when I brought up my concerns and then desire to pay with CAD then this would be somewhere I would frequent because I did enjoy the food. This experience has colored my view of the restaurant though, and even thinking about it leaves a sour taste. While I really did enjoy the food, it is possible to find food just as good elsewhere that also treats you with decency.

cashier very rude bad service

The manager is a bad apple in this place, we didnt receive one item which she insist she served, with a arrogant attitude, i lived in canton for 14 yrs and i ran my own restaurant in Canada for four yrs, normally i tip 20%. Today i tipped 15%, just for other wonderful waitresses and waiters. Do u really think i rather lied just for a 3 dollar snack

Yummy congee and rice noodle rolls, as I remember from the days of Market Village. Reasonably priced and service is quick, making this a good place to hit up for a quick breakfast or lunch. If only the lines waiting to get seated werent so long...

A must try place if you like authentic rice roll! Even the plain rice roll, with soy sauce of course, is so tasty! Watching the chef making a plate of rice foll within minutes is like watching a magic!

Beef sausage without coriander, which is a pity

The new location of Sams is much bigger than the old place but that doesnt mean no line up. Best congee in GTA

Must go every time I visit Toronto. This is not a fancy restaurant, it is a quick and fast congee place. 1. Tasty 2. Small portion for the price 3. Quick service 4. Accommodate food allergy

Authentic Hong Kong style congee and rice noodle rolls.

Food just ok.

Very nice texture of congee. The new renovated place feels very school cafeteria, because of high ceiling.

Quick courteous service. Congee was tasty. Would come back. In and out. Go early if you want to avoid a longer wait.

Clean and delicious food

Disappointed with the fish congee-over cooked fish; pig s skin is way too blend; was cold and chewy Overall experience-

Very delicious

Food and service are both excellent

The congee is too salty with too much msg, the beef are not real beef as you can feel it is mixed with flour. Will not recommend to anyone.

Im glad they moved to this bigger location always my go to breakfast

I ordered a meal today, a total of more than 7 yuan for breakfast. When I came to the pickpu to check out, the attitude of an aunt at the front desk was really disgusting. Do you look down on coins for checkout or something? I cant do it for more than 7 yuan. To give you coins, do I have to give you big banknotes? Is it because I m afraid my coins will burst your cash box? ? Dont tell me whether the food is delicious or not, but your attitude will make you not want to eat it again in the future. Its really disgusting!

food in general are a bit salty

Great service and great food!

If you want to taste authentic Hong Kong-style porridge in Toronto, this is the place to go. The silver bud fried noodles and oil pot are very authentic. The price is slightly higher.

Very good food, rapid service.

Rice roll skin is super thick The master has been replaced

Congee is ok served in smaller size bowl than other places and ingredients inside are minimal. Could barely find dried shrimp in the rolls, they were more like shavings. Definitely will not try here again coz all portion sizes are small and they arent cheap in charging

great food for a quick bite

I come here almost every week ! I love the foods here Food

Traditional Chinese breakfast. Just tastes like childhood! The fried dough stick was tasty and crispy! Definitely recommend!

The quality is average size looks so small. and the price is not reasonable.

Parking: Parking space

Food is great this place doesnt disappoint their food is consistently good, and fresh will be back again.

The product is good, the price is reasonable, and the workers are efficient.

delicious

a bit disappointing visit, not improving since last visit in january congee is fine but very small bowl (quantity) the dried shrimp rice roll is good but if warmer is better the fried noodle was the worst; cold tasteless and not fresh table and general area very clean and spacious i don t think i would return if comparing with milestone congee which is way better

I love this place - I get strong cravings to come here at least twice a month! We have been here many times and the food is perfect every time. The congee is rich & always the right consistency, full of flavour. The rice rolls/cheung fun are always silky, never too soft or too thick/chewy. Same with the tofu - always the right consistency & silky. I love the fried dough; they have different types, and they re all consistently well made. Service is fast & respectful, and prices are reasonable. The owners are from Hong Kong, where they also ran a congee shop, so the flavours are authentic & remind me of home. There is nothing more comforting than a good hot bowl of congee

This place is not as good as before at Market Village. The fried noodle and congee do not taste as good. The place feels like a food court or cafeteria. We had to wait for more than 15 min even on Sunday at 8:45am. The only good thing is we didnt have to wait long for food to come.

If you want affordable, authentic, and delicious asian style breakfast- look no further. Wish I could give these guys 6 stars. Everything is made fresh, in-house. Highly recommend!

I got takeout here and the service was so fast! Reminiscent of old HK food stall food. Excellent quality congee and side dishes. Decent price considering post covid. They do so well that they don t even serve the dinner rush

We dined at the old location in Market Village many times long time ago. Their food was fresh and affordable. Came here at this location and they were serving the same food as before. You wrote you orders on a piece of paper. Food would come within a few minutes. Everything was fresh and hot.

Large place, tables are spread out, reminds me of a school canteen setting. Staff immediately sat us down with tea and menus. Ordered my favorite century egg and pork congee, my partner ordered the pork blood & fish congee. Side dishes-fried bread sticks, steamed liver rice rolls, and spicy tofu. Congee more on the creamy smooth side with minimum rice bits, started to separate towards the end. I liked the pork as its shredded like pulled pork instead of pork chunks like in most other congee places. Century egg also had a good Unami profile. Fried dough sticks cooked perfectly, not greasy with a nice crunch. Plenty of liver in the rice rolls. The star of the show was the spicy tofu. Silky smooth with a nice spicy kick, worth the visit alone. Ill be back for sure

Yummy and quick service.

It used to be very lively when I was in City Square, and the products were moved to a new location. Then I visited once and it was okay. I haven t been to Toronto for three years due to the epidemic. I came back with high expectations to taste it. It was so bad. I ordered 5 meals and was disappointed. Everything was just warm and not warm. The porridge tastes ok but not hot. I dont know what to explain.

The traditional Hong Kong style congee was made to what they should be made. Dinning area are much more spacious than their previous shop location. Pricing average.

Solid eats, good price. Not fancy digs, but gets the job done.

Good, fast, cheap, yummy, satisfying lolll

This is my favourite restaurant for congee, rice noodle, and Chinese donut. Recommended.

I called to order takeout, and the lady who helped me place the order was so nice and polite. I dont like to eat onions. Ever since I was little, I have been reminded three times when placing an order that my porridge needs to be removed from the green onions. The young lady also put this on the list. But how can a chef skip? The lettuce and peanuts that should be there are gone. The chopped green onions that shouldnt be there are all over the porridge. Speechless. . . . So what should I do next time I need to remove onions? ? ? Dietary restrictions: Need to pay more attention.

The traditional Hong Kong style congee. Spacious than their previous shop location. Pricing average. Quality use to be sooooo much better but I feel like I keep coming here because of the nostalgia alone lol. The noodles with peanut sauce is bomb. Food

Classic