Ho Won Restaurant

the serve shark fin soup !!! ban this place

Horrible service, tried this place 3 times in the last year and consistently received bad service. The first two times we waited over an hour to get our food. Each time when we flagged them down they would blame us for their bad service in chinese. The third time we waited an hour at the table and no one would serve us, so we left. Despite other people’s recommendations this place seems to disappointed every time.

It’s true that they have the best salt & pepper squid in town, but that’s the only good stuff they got. Other than that, the food is below average, and the service is the worst I’ve ever seen.

Delivery does NOT exist!!! How bloody annoying!!!

Classic Chinatown restaurant. This place will win you over not by it’s looks but by the flavours in your mouth.
First off, this is probably my #1 favourite place to go for salt & pepper squid. As one of my favourite Chinese dishes in general, it has the perfect balance between batter and squid. It doesn’t feel or look like the poorly done ones where you can see the grease but it has a lightness to it that convinces you that it doesn’t have that much oil in it. The flavour is spot on bursting with umami.
My other favourite is the Peking duck (3 course). You can choose for your other 2 courses noodles, rice, or soup. You can’t go wrong either way. The duck has a very nice crispy skin and is full of flavour.
It’s always a treat to go here. If you can go with a larger group you can try a lot more dishes. I can’t wait ’til I return here.

I’ve been a regular of Ho Won for over a decade. This is a old school joint that has been around for a very long time. Don’t let the older interior fool you, Ho Won has been around for a long time for its consistency, quality and great price.
Good select dim sum (get the siu mai /​pork dumplings, beef tendon, beef stomach). The salt and pepper deep fried squid is what they are known for. They also have a very good fish broth soup, which is not available at any other dim sum restaurants. The owner makes a limited batch everyday and once they are gone, they’re gone.
For dinner, go for the 3 or 4 course fish (cod) meal, which is amazing. It comes with a snow pea leaf fish soup, steamed fish with scallions, a braised deep fried fish and another vegetable (gailan) with fish dish. Very tasty, healthy and great value.

The boys and I were here in May 2014 for a post Taekwondo tournament dinner for volunteers. We booked five tables (53 diners in all) and we were served in a timely fashion. The staff were friendly but not that attentive – we had to walk to the kitchen area to get forks, knives, and extra bowls for the wee folk.
Corn and egg drop soup: this was pretty standard fare. The sweetness of the corn came through without being overly salty. This soup is also very kid friendly (instead of the fish maw soup); one of our picky little eaters slurped up two bowls.
Deep fried shrimp balls: nom, nom, nom! The shrimp balls were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. They managed to score more points with the kids.
Salt and pepper squid: awesomely, mouth-​wateringly delicious! Won’t say any more than that.
Stir fried seafood and vegetables in a deep-​fried noodle nest – this was another hit with the kids. Attractively presented in a noodle nest, there was a generous portion of scallops, shrimp, fish fillets and veggies.
Lobster in thermidor cream sauce: this dish was more for the adults (who weren’t allergic to shellfish. The lobster was cooked perfectly in a piping hot cream sauce. They could have added some egg noodles to soak up the sauce, though…
Stir-​fried pea tips/​leaves (dow mew): a very clever combination of the pea tips with a dried scallops (dai jee) and garlic sauce. Wonderful flavour and not too salty.
Crispy fried chicken with shrimp chips – I was purring over this dish. The chicken was juicy and tender (usually the breast meat is a bit dried out in most restaurants from the frying process). Shrimp chips were excellent (not too oily).
Fried rice – I’m not a big rice fan, but this was quite good!

I have to say, i am a longggg time fan of Ho Won. The Salt and Pepper Squid and Ginger Beef is out of this world when eaten fresh. This place rarely disappoints.

Good food. Yes salt and pepper squid is good too. But service is horrible. Don’t expect to be served right away. If you’re really hungry then you will probably pass out by the time food comes.
Ginger beef is good. Chicken fried rice good. Also if you’re Asian you get first priority. Next time I’m bringing an Asian with me for better service.

How have I not reviewed Ho Won before now? I was first introduced to this place by my brother-in-law’s family and has been in my regular restaurant rotation for the last 9 years.
I will start with the service… Sketchy at times but I don’t expect a lot being Caucasian in Chinatown. There are a couple of servers that recognize me and are more attentive than the others (and sometimes downright friendly) and I am happy to see them when we arrive.
The food… Delicious! Specifically the salt and pepper squid. It’s to die for and I almost guarantee that you won’t find any better. For real! Most of the dim sum offerings are also the best I have had.
The price is the same or less than other places in the city and I have not found a place that I would rather go. Getting hungry just writing this…

Had a wonderful experience in the late evening, ordered the 2 course Peking duck (crepes and fried rice) and salt and pepper fish, these two dishes were superb. The two were enough to feed 4 people. I’ve not had fish that I’ve enjoyed as much. I’ll be back for more.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Kicked off the Year of the Wooden Horse at Ho Won & dined on some of the most delicious Chinese cuisine!
Why then didn’t I give it five stars? Waiting nearly an hour to be seated without being told it could be anywhere near that long wasn’t pleasant — might not have taken a star off for that, however the restroom was simply vile!
So my suggestion? Use your bathroom at home before you arrive!

Wow. I can’t believe the Unilocal score here, it should at least be a 4. When the entrees arrived at our table, our jaws hit the floor. Massive!
— The Three Kinds of Seafood in Coconut Curry sauce had a ridonkulous amount of squid in it.
— The Singapore noodles had tiny slices of pork, but was generous in its shrimp count.
— The Cashew Chicken was also great, with plenty of garlic, plenty of cashews and chicken
The do charge for tea, which is kinda weird. And the spring rolls could probably be avoided (bland and too large/​floppy). Great value and very tasty food.

Decided to stop by to try their «famous» salt and pepper squid… and yes, it’s likely the best in Calgary (certainly the best I’ve had, so far). The seasoning is spot on and the batter is light and crispy. My only gripe is that, unlike the Chinese restaurants in the States, the squid is cut in large rectangular pieces. This makes it harder to eat, as there’s a tendon-​like material that makes it difficult to take bites off (it’s like rubber-band)…but I’ve noticed that every Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant I’ve been to in Calgary serves it the same way. Here’s hoping that they’ll consider switching to the type served at other restaurants and pubs… but unlikely cause they probably chop up the squids in-​house. Just remind yourself to ask for a knife when you order this dish. ;)

They have more traditional Chinese dishes that I am familiar with. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors of their dishes. I tried the salt and pepper squid based on recommendations. It was very good. I also enjoyed their fish with Bok Choy and dim sum. I highly recommend this place if you are craving Chinese food.

This place is your typical hole in the wall chinese restaurant, but their $ 7.50 lunch specials are a steal.
Very large portions.
I highly recommend the salt and pepper squid. It’s the best that I’ve ever had, and I probably finished half of the plate on my own.
Since Calgary Court is still closed due to flooding, Ho Wan may very well be my go-​to place in Chinatown for Chinese food.

Surprisingly good food and a great value. I’ve been a few times for both dim sum and for dinner, both are consistently good. It’s worth trying to find!

I love Ho Won! Hands down the best salt and pepper squid in Calgary. Of course it doesn’t look like the most appealing place from the outside, but aren’t those usually the best Chinese restaurants? The breading is perfect and I even eat all the peppers that come with it as garnish. The seafood chow mein, special fried rice and beef and Chinese broccoli are some of my other favorites. Everything on the menu is equally delicious and not a place you should pass up! I highly recommend this place if you are looking for some good ol’ Chinese food.

Honestly, this restaurant does not look very appealing but is one of my favorite places for dim sum without paying an arm and a leg for. Make sure to get a table near the front part of the restaurant otherwise you’ll need to wait for the carts to make it around you. This is also one of the few restaurants that I enjoy dining at for dim sum and also dinner.

We stumbled into Ho Won after hours of deliberating where to eat. I wasn’t sure how it got thrown into the bag of suggestions since I’ve never met anyone who has recommended Ho Won as a place to try out.
Our hostess sat us on the far corner of the restaurant. I usually have no problems about where we sit or in a restaurant’s layout or décor, but near where I sat was some hidden prompted stage. When I got up to wash my hands, the chameleon steps took me out and I toppled to the ground. Luckily my physique can handle the impact and I was in a mood where I was willing to see the hilarity in the event. But now as I write this review… MINUS ONE STAR!
The food to me was average. I usually let my friend’s order and we always end up with our safety dishes: dumplings, ginger beef, and fried rice. With a few once-​in-​a-​while dishes like chinese broccoli and pork dishes. It all tasted somewhat bland to me and couldn’t set my apetite to a roar so I just sat through the whole meal picking through odd bites of food. To me, it seemed like it was one gross discovery away from being compared to mall food court chinese food.