Ben Ben Restaurant in Ottawa

Hot & Sour soup and spring rolls are always our family favourite. Been going since I was a kid

Food was just eatable, service not good really Not worth it Food : 1/5

Real deal. SO GOOD! Go there, take everything.

Still our favourite neighborhood place for dry fried beef noodles and chow mein, for years and years. Family-run and welcoming.

Been coming here for 30 years, even with the change in ownership, the quality and delicious dishes abound - highly recommend the Singapore Fried Vermicelli

Kid-friendliness: D. Song was so friendly and great with the the grand kids. She had just rolled out her fantastic dumplings, which we devoured and took home after ordering too much. Crispy beef was the best weve ever had along with shrimp and book choy, then the mushu chicken then eggplant in black bean sauce. Took lots home! The service and attention was great! Been there a few times over the years. Will now be our go to place for this great food! Thank you D. Song!

Overall, the food wasn t bad, except the wonton soup was very tasteless. We were told our food would be ready in 30 minutes, when we arrived at the restaurant, we had to wait another 40 minutes before it was ready! The lady who served us was not friendly at all, definitely needs to brush up on her customer service skills. Won t be going back.

Amazing Crispy Bee

Best dim sum Ive ever had. Wonton soup was excellent. The owner lady was very pleasant from the moment I walked in the door. Ben Ben is not fancy by any means but the food and service makes you forget about the ampmosfere. Next time I come to Ottawa I will definitely return.

Very friendly personnel, the food was good but the place it s a little crowded but with a very warmth and welcoming atmosphere, I will definitely recommend this place and will definitely go back. I think I ve found my favourite Chinese food restaurant. Parking: There is a paid parking lot near by just in case you can t find paid street parking.

locally owned and authentic food. a family favourite.

Very friendly and the food is consistently great.

Ive had many restaurants prepare me muschroom egg foo young.. this place 10 out of 10 for this dish. I have yet to find any other that can beat them!!

Best Chinese food in Ottawa, so consistent

Delicious food and friendly service, the hot and sour soup was especially tasty. Thanks

Very upset with how disappointing the food is now. Growing up this was my families favourite restaurant and the food was amazing. However, over the weekend we ordered food and were in shock with how different the food is compared to before. The portions was extremely little, it was under seasoned and the cost did not justify how little we received.

The best Chinese food in Ottawa. I ve been eating here since 1989 and never disappointed. The owner Linda is onsite majority of the time working directly with the customers. We ordered the salty fish rice dish, house fried rice, pepper salt shrimp without the shell, sizzling beef, wonton soup, beef with Chinese greens. All the dishes were amazing, highly recommend any sizzling dishes. We drive across the city to get Chinese food since not all Chinese food has that authentic flavours. Prices are competitive.

I mostly get take out. Food is very good.

Ben Ben restaurant had pretty good food. It was an okay price.

Excellent service. Linda was very friendly and helpful. Food is very good. Lots of hard-to-find Chinese dishes. Spacious seating. Easy parking in a municipal lot next door. Glad we came.

Veg spring rolls and beef and black bean were good. General Tao chicken was disappointing. Food was generally so-so. Will try a different place next time.

Best food in north america giant portions awsome staff gone here with friends multiple times so worth it

Very good authentic Chinese cuisine. Very friendly and helpful service. Huge portions and reasonable prices. Will definitely go back! Vegetarian options: Quite a few options, though we didnt order any Parking: Lots of street parking

Food is always good.....Service as well....We ordered a combo that feeds 4 people and it was alot of food.....My favorite place to go for Chinese food

Our favourite restaurant to visit when were in Ottawa!

We went here a few weeks ago the place is not very clean should of been our first red flag. Server came to set the table my cutlery was still covered in food . 3 of our meals came out very bland the veggies were soggy my husband had a dead ladybug cooked on his mushroom she took the mushroom away did not change his food . After waiting awhile my 6yo chicken wings came out and were undercooked and bloody . Was not a nice meal

The owner was very IMPOLITE .She asked for TIPS. TIPS and TIPS like an homeless .Food was very cold, without taste.Dirty restaurant.We saw a COCKROACH who was climbing the wall . She said you have to pay 10% minimum ,in Quebec its 15%.She put on my visa a tips that l disagree but she said very rude you shoud pay.Finally l said well never come back ! She said l dont care.Very poor place.

My childhood favourite spot, we got the Chinese six person meal which I absolutely loved. If you can t read it; the left 6 person one comes with duck and the right one lobster. Feel free to ask owner Mrs. Yun, she is so helpful. My group came at 7pm and she told us that the kitchen closes at 8 but we can stay a bit longer. Super accommodating, food is traditional and delicious. A true snippet in my history and grateful to get to experience again!

The food is amazing. The taste was perfect, and everything came surprisingly quick. The service was also amazing. We finished everything in the blink of an eye! Not a speck of food left. A perfect reataurant. The price was also pretty reasonable. Would recommend to all.

Sometimes it is very cold. But it is worth it for great food and service that Linda provides. Vegetarian options: Most dishes can be made vegetarian or gluten free. Kid-friendliness: Yes

Best Chinese food I ve ever had in Ott!

Excellent food price to. No MSG if you ask wow and the service with Linda the owner shes amazing she went way above and beyond as a owner WOW AMAZING

Didnt have the best experience. Menu pricing was missing in restaurant with menu provided and was difficult to order without knowing prices for each other. Asked owner for prices and she said some but still a bit skeptical. Food was ok, vegetables were a bit wilted but overall flavor was ok. Hope they can be a bit more transparent on pricing. Maybe was just me, but I dont like going somewhere without knowing what to expect.

After a long day drive, we ordered a set dinner here. The food and service were good.

Food was ok , the luncheon wonton soup was not flavourful, spring roll was good , chicken black sauce rice was not seasoned and bbq pork was not at all bbq . Sauce unseasoned sauce as chicken. The funny thing was the cashier lady forced to pay more tips after paying from credit card and starting giving explanations. Rude and annoying. As a tourist worst first place to dine in Ottawa. Never be back again

Lunch menu was very bland. We ordered 2 different lunch menu items. The brand of rice they serve was very bad. Food was bland. Very bland. I am surprised by their good rating. I like eating at mom and pop restaurants and I dont judge a place based on its decor. But with this one the decor already speaks for the food that will be served. Just be aware that there maybe some forceful tipping for a non existent service.

This is one of those hole-in-a-wall restaurant with friendly service, great food, but nothing more. The food was really good, especially the chicken friend rice.

Good food very fast service

This is one of the best chinese restaurants!

Warm meal, great flavours, impeccable service. Sweet & simple, thank you!

Good services and yummy food

Very friendly service, best Chinese food Ive ever eaten, and the spring rolls were absolutely amazing. Good price, everything is homemade!

Delicious food!! Sauces are so tasty!

Our favorite . We are never disappointed.

Really enjoyed the hot and sour soup!!

Have been going to Ben Bens since I was a child and now we still get takeout from them and my kids love it too. Large portions, great service.

Very tasty food made fresh.

The boss is very nice and the food is delicious The food is served quickly! Recommend Mapo Tofu and Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs

Just delicious! Iconic Ottawa restaurant, a must try.

This place is amazing. Big portions, and fair prices. Royal Treasure near by serves half of what they do, and more expensive. Will be going here from now on! If you order takeout, it is excellent. They package them really well.

We went there last week waiting for the food an hour, we just got only dumplings , the restaurant is not busy too,we cancel 2 meals because we have to go, she yelled at me said I have to take all of them, i said no, she asked for a tip too, why i can tip with so rude server. I think she is owner, so bad experience with this restaurant , never coming back

Love the selection of food and prices are good. The Spring Rolls are incredible! And their seafood dishes are delicious!

Use to be great...portions are getting smaller and not so fresh anymore...

Very welcoming and friendly staff. Dish comes in big portions and they got cheap lunch specials from 12 to 3

Great no frills place. Good portions for the price, and the owner is friendly. Try the crispy beef and singapore vermicelli!

Use it for take out fast and very good!

Super friendly and top quality authentic Chinese food. Great restaurant.

We love this restaurant. Every time we get to Ottawa it is the first place we think of. The food is fresh, delicious and generous in portions. And the owner usually serves us herself ! It is small and not fancy but a great place to eat!

A quick and tasty lunch. The food is always good. no fancy decor or service. just good food.

It was great for what it is. The food was delicious, the service was charming I will be going back.

I ordered one of the daily specials, fish-flavored shredded pork rice, freshly fried, served very quickly, and the portions of vegetables and rice are large. It comes with a soup: hot and sour soup, wonton soup or spring rolls, only 12.95 $+tax. It tastes really good too

We have been there many times and Customer service so bad food was not Worth and lady was so Rude

Not too bad, cleanliness could be better. Food is passable.

EDIT: Its funny, Google is asking me if this place has changed and to re-rate it......this is the best thing about this restaurant is that is does not change. BIG SHOUT OUT to Linda and her son. 5 plus....all day!! I have been going to this restaurant for over 15 years. It has changed owners twice and a few cooks since then. Now the owners son is a cook and he is really really good! Taste of food would be 6stars if I had the option. The service is great and the owner really cares about the well being of her clients.

We were visiting Ottawa on a long weekend and were impressed with the freshness of BenBen s food and quantity. It wasn t overly salty or overdone with starchy sauces. We had leftovers for lunch the next day! Lovely, small family restaurant.

Worst general Tao Ive ever had, it was rubbery and dry, I couldnt even eat it, I had to throw it out. I should of sampled it before leaving the store as I had no dinner and had to order other food when I got home....

Love this spot. Super friendly staff and delicious food! Lobster with green onion and ginger & dry fried rice noodle with beef are my favourites.

The food was ok, but definitely need to up the seasoning. We ordered wonton soup, general tso chicken, beef and rice, and fried noodles with mixed vegetables. Staff was nice and service was quick. Would give it another shot someday.

The perfect chinese restaurant for the whole family. Food is great, service is fast.

Ordered Szechwan beef w onions, peppers, add bak choy. Was ready in 5 mins curiously. Got home and was stunned at how bad meal was. Absolutely awful. Couldnt believe it. Worst Chinese I have ever had...unreal. (After mentioning it to a friend, she said it was well-known as a subpar place...shouldve asked around, I guess.)

Best hole in the wall Chinese/ Szechuan cuisine in chinatown. My family and I love this place

The luncheon special was awesome. Tasty and well proportioned portionwize. It comes with choice of a spring roll or a small soup (wonton or hot & sour) & a dish with steamed rice. Although service was good upon arrival, it became difficult to get water, etc as there was one waitress bon the floor only, serving, dong cashier work etc. Its a go back to place for food but could improve customer service wize or in the least have two people on the floor.

I really love this place. As always food and the service was really good, which makes me going there over and over.

My son says: this place is amazing. Highly recommend going here. Hes 10. I also like the food a lot. Good for kids and families. A true neighborhood restaurant

Ordered this item off the menu that cost $33 (plus tax) and received this. You can understand my disappointment. Never ordering from this restaurant again.

Go-to place for authentic Chinese food. Big portions too

I love this restaurant. Their minced chicken corn soup is the best soup I ve ever had. Their service is 11/10. If you like reading reviews, are 5 2 and have a name that starts with V, you ll love this restaurant. If your name is Kyle you will also love this restaurant. If you don t fall into either of the above categories you ll also like this restaurant.

Convenient, good

The most horrible customer service I ve ever experienced. We ordered for my sister s birthday and she was craving this one dish (seafood rice noodle). We were served a dish that looked like instant ramen instead. We drove all the way from Stittsville and when we called to complain, the woman on the phone was so rude. She told us that we should ve known better and checked, even though we double checked the order details at the restaurant. After 10 years of regularly ordering from them, they have now lost our business for their horrible customer service.

Need to learn how important customer service is !!! Having travelled all the way from Stittsville to the Restaurant for my daughters birthday meal, her one wish was to get Seafood rice noodles. We ordered and I confirmed before we left. When I arrived I saw the cook give the wrong noodles and checked with the owner, where she confirmed the right order. We got home and it was egg noodle (looked like Mr Noodles) and not the rice noodles. When I called to complain, other than saying sorry she said that she put the right order in but the cook made the mistake. She said that I should have checked before I left the restaurant. Really! Is that my fault I asked? After having a series of issues with my last few large orders from this restaurant, that s it. No more. There is only so many chances you can give. One time my parents were visiting so we took them to the restaurant to be told at the table that my tip was too low. Recently, the lemon chicken was over cooked and with old meat. The lid of the sauce was badly put on and all over the bag when we got home. Having worked in a Chinese Restaurant, I know how things should be cooked and the flavours. As you can tell I am so disappointed since this was a special occasion and the series of previous mistakes will make me never to return. Having my own business, customer service is paramount where we go above and beyond our customers needs. This clearly is not the case with Ben Ben I think it is time to be visiting the Yangtze restaurant across the road from now on. DO NOT bother writing back as you have a very clear message and don t need to hear an empty apology.

Ive eaten here a few times over the years. Delicious food! Portions are a little on the big side and are great value for the dollar. Service is quick and the servers can make helpful suggestions. Today, I tried a noodle dish with shrimp and curry (I forget its name) and loved it! I look forward to many more visits!

I have been a regular at this restaurant for 15 years. Not once in those 15 years were I or any of the friends I have introduced to this restaurant ever disappointed. Over so many years sometime I would eat in this restaurant seven times a week. They are absolutely fantastic people. Their food and service are also outstanding. They always give more food than most places around and charge less. They are my favourite Chinese restaurant in Ottawa and I have tried almost all Chinese restaurants in this city.

Take out is good value for money and ready for pickup very fast.

Cheap and cheerful. Family run with a good 11.50 lunch special.

Incredibly good, fresh. Restaurant owner went next door to buy fresh lobster, they were out. She came back, asked us if we wanted Vancouver crab. Went back, got it for us, served with ginger and scallions, so fresh. To die for. Could not believe how incredibly kind the owner was. BBQ duck and beef with black bean sauce was just divine. Highly recommended.

Big portions, friendly staff

Authentic chinese cuisine, great flavours and portions.

You cant go wrong with Ben Ben. I am from Toronto and I am used to good Chinese food. Ben Ben is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Ottawa HANDS DOWN. The staff are also very helpful and friendly, especially the lady at the front who will always be helpful, recommend something good, and always has a smile on her face. The food here is amazing. Everything I have tried has been great...crispy beef, general tao, chow mein, soft shell crab, lemon chicken, spicy prawn. Everything is delicious. I live in Ottawa permanently and whenever my parents or friends visit I always order from Ben Ben. Also unlike most Chinese restaurants, Ben Ben does not cook with soy sauce and they are proud of it. Seeing as thought soy sauce is not very healthy for you, this is a good thing and shows that their food tastes good without unnecessary flavoring.

The best Chinese food in town. Have been going here all my life!

One of my favourite restaurants since I was a kid!

This is probably they only Chinese restaurant I go to....There General Tao Chicken makes me always come back and order it every time

BenBen never disappoints. Tasty, generous portions and well priced.

Lockdown is over and the first place for a great meal is Ben Bens.

Amazing staff and delicious food!

Best food and service

Great food

Overall experience good and tasty Chinese food.

We thought it was a bit pricy until we saw the portions, Huge! Lots of food and best fried rice Ive ever eaten. Spring rolls were large but very greasy and peculiar taste. Would definitely go back. Restaurant is looking run down, could use a serious update. Staff , I believe owner, was quite pleasant and very friendly.

Good food and fantastic service!

We ordered 2 dishes: Shanghai noodle and Efu noodle. The vegetable in the Shanghai noodle was full of dirt. I had a stomachache from eating in this restaurant. Not sure if Ottawa has a DineSafe program. You should do some research on this restaurant. The Ladies washroom is partially blocked by storage shelf. It is not wheelchair accessible.

A place to go anytime you can.

Very good havent been there in the last 10 years flavour still the same

The taste wasnt as good as I thought.

Great food and service.

Delicious

I want to Ben Ben for lunch on Wednesfay Sept.22nd and was great friendly polite lady. Food was execellent and I do recommed to all my friends who like Chinese food. Thank you for great food on my birthday.

It was so great to have a lazy suzie sharing meal with some close friends.

I ordered duck and it was very cold. The rest of the food I ate was fine. Its an acceptable place to get Chinese food, if you dont mind having cold food

Our go-to Chinese restaurant for the past 26 years. We make the drive from Orleans and fight traffic with no hesitation. Favorites include beef Lo Mein, fried shrimp in spicy salt, stuffed bean curd Keilin style and supreme seafood soup.

The best Chinese food in Ottawa! Ive been going for over 20 years and am always happy with my food. The staff are so kind it makes this a 5 star review. You dont go for the decor.

Good food and friendly service. I would recommend for sure. Can call ahead of time and arrive to eat immediately. Very nice.

amazing, food is great, portions are excellent value.

Every dish on menu is tasty. Friendly staff. Very quick service and generous portions.

Best hot and sour soup Ive had in Ottawa

Terrible, greedy, and very immoral place. The service is rude and very crude. This place is racial against certain customers and only care about white people more. They got our reservation at 6pm but because we were a minority they put our table near their front door when the cold icy winds blew at us. We asked for another table near the corner that is empty but they insisted we stay where we are because that table was reserved for their precious white customers only! What s even worse is that I noticed they served the white customers first then the other minority customers. When we complained about the cold and asked why our order is taking long( we waited for over an hour for our food) and my two young infant sons were crying for hunger they told us to wait for another 20 minutes!!!! This was outrageous and they were rude and greedy. I recommend boycotting this restaurant until they decide to shape up for good!

Hidden gem in Chinatown! Every single dish was delicious and the service was excellent. Highly recommend the spicy sizzling chicken. Hands down the best Chinese food I ve had in Ottawa and I ve tried many places. The decor is unassuming and it doesn t look like much, but WOW was is amazing!!!

Very shady. Decor is strange and some food safety practices off putting. But very lovely staff and an excellent selection of choices on the menu - no lack of variety here! Definitely an interesting experience

Singapore noodle a must, excellent value!

This is truly the best little chinese resturant on Somerset in China Town,Ottawa . The sizzling beef and veggies are amazing . They bring a hot plate and put the meat and veggies on it and it cooks and sizzles right infront of you . Best beef ever and prices are very cheap .

Great service. Great food. No complaints. Recommended for authentic well priced dishes.

I think the food was good, however it is a small place, not very organized and the prices are somewhat high compared to the local market. However, the daily specials are exotic and unique.

Went for a friends birthday, really good food, definitely recommend

What a great place! We were recommended this place when we asked the receptionist for the best Chinese food around. We were staying at the Delta downtown and while we knew it was a bit of a walk, it turned out to be well worth it! My co-worker and I hummed and hawed at the menu and when we finally decided the lady told us not to be silly and just get the dinner for 2 (B). This is without a doubt the best Chinese food Ive ever had. Great staff, great atmosphere, amazing food! Big thanks to the lady who took our order and made us change our options. Keep up the great work!!!

Excellent Chinese food

Always my go to place!

The best Chinese Restaurant in Ottawa

One of the best take out places in the neighborhood. The food is always super fresh and the staff is attentive and considerate.

Giant portions and great for sharing, always delicious food

Good food! Nothing special. Very nice and kind owners. :)

Good food, prices are reasonable. Big portions. The fried rice is enough for 4!Enough space to eat in and socially distance. Hot and sour soup really good. Quick and courteous service. Owner likes to share which is great! Roadworks around so parking is not readily available near, but not far to go.

Great food... good qty for the price Too!

Found the food to be excellent and the service very cordial though the prices could be sharper. Real Szechuan heat.

Very nice lady running it. Been here many times. High quality Chinese food at good prices.

favorite place in Chinatown. First discovered this place when cousins from Toronto were visiting by chance and have been going back ever since. Sizzling black pepper fish is amazing, as is the eggplant.

Great food

Wow. Excellent food, extremely fresh stuffed eggplant, with crispy perfect crunchy bean curd. Will be returning many times!!! So excited to have found this gem in Ottawa.

Delicious hot wonton soup.

We ordered sweet and sour pork, shrimp fried rice and 2 egg rolls for delivery. The food taste amazing with good portion sizes and delivery was 40 mins. We are visiting Ottawa for a couple days and didn t know where to order Chinese food and I m so glad we ordered from Ben Ben, really impressed with the quality of the food. Authentic and delicious (coming from another Asian person!)

Starting to be more on the expensive side for chinese food and the waitress sometimes has a bit of attitude.

Great food. Great price. Great services

The food was not something i would eat again. Not my cup of tea

Best general tao chicken in town!!!

Simple tables and decor, but delicious Chinese food with amazing, friendly service. The menu options are endless and the food comes fast.

Ben Ben has an allure that I believe is lost on quite a few other businesses in Chinatown. Portions are great and easy to share. Staff is friendly and not shy to joke around if you look the type. Im glad to support these guys and enjoy their hot and sour soup so much!!! Everything else Ive had has been fantastic as well!

It may be small but its an awesome place for chinese food. Delicious food. Totally recommend it. :)

Friendly service and amazing food. Portions are very generous as well. Ive never been disappointed.

excellent everytime i went there.

Good food, great staff, great spot to visit.

A very good place to eat good service

Place could use a good cleaning.

Please check your menu description human dumplings in hot sauce . Saw it in doordash app.

A small but neat Chinese restaurant. Reasonable price.

Always good food and good service

Authentic, great food, informal, down to earth

First time there.. We will be back, very big servings, very good value!!

Food is OK.

$16 for 6 egg rolls? I was ripped off at take out. And they taste like Macdonald apple turnovers made with pork.

Chow mein was excellent.

This place is great! Food is terrific and the service is friendly. They will even make you some special items not on the menu, like spicy pepper shrimp. So yummy!

Three Chinese restaurants that were closed this evening due to wedding receptions so we decided to dine here, its been a long time and one of my favourite. Waited for an hour and a half for our first food but it didnt disappoint us... Truly amazed how one lady serving, cashier and taking all orders from everyone... I gave her a good tip for running around making sure every table are served with excellence. Good effort deserve good tip dont care if i waited long as she truly apologize and inform us about the delay.. Food is way too good and the portion is more than i expected... I highly recommend this place...

Food was amazing! Service was great even though it was bustling. Portion sizes are big and flavour is great. I have leftovers that I will devour tonight after exploring Ottawa. They do take out as well. They had an extended menu on the wall with some very interesting dishes available. Im glad I found this restaurant our first day in Ottawa

Let the owner suggest from the menu, she knows best. Delicious and fair priced.

Ive tried basically every spot downtown ottawa has to offer and still find myself going back every 2weeks with my group for their black pepper Cantonese style steak and lobster, its just so tender and mouth salivating. It gets hot in the restaurant but you can always call for pick up

Delicious! Their minced beef with crab meat soup is to die for! As well as their Ginger lobster!

Ive been looking for takeout place for so long! The best Singapore Vermicelli and Yang Chow fried rice!

I thought i would try some place different and order from ben ben. I do not order out very much. I was very disappointed. Chicken fried rice was burned and the general taos, which is my families favorite was a let down. No plum sauce, no soy sauce and kids were not happy when there was no Fortune cookies. At a cost of over 100.00.

Honestly the best Cantonese resto in Chinatown. I tried the other ones and had major regrets. Ben ben s put more ingredients and have more layers of flavour to their food. It also has that wok aroma that other places don t have. Coming from Toronto, I was ready to be disappointed by the Chinese food here, but thank god for Ben Ben s.

We have been coming to Ben Ben for 4 years and it is the only Chinese restaurant well visit now after disappointing experiences elsewhere. Their soups are the best in town - full stop - and we love every meal.

Went for late lunch on a Sunday, got great quick service. We started with hot and sour soup, not my favorite it was too sour. Then we got the sizzling spicy jumbo shrimp and the special boiled fish in spicy sauce(Sichuan fish with glass vermicelli). Both of these dishes were excellent. The shrimp was flavourful, not spicy but really delicious. The fish was this giant bowl with glass noodles and batter fried fish. Perfectly cooked, super spicy and numbing with the Sichuan peppers. Overall an excellent meal. I would go back for the fish for sure!

Family run type of restaurant

This was our first time going to Ben Bens. Our friend highly recommended this place, so my wife, son, and mother figured we would give this place a try. Though the price was a little high, it is definitely worth it. We loved the food, the portions are quite generous and the service was excellent. I recommend this place.

Second time in twenty years that our take out food was completely différent. New cook? Thats sad!