Pa Pa Chang’s

Beat Taiwanese food in town. I come here weekly. Popcorn Chicken is a must eat and Bento box is excellent with a low price point. The BEST

Came here for dinner. We were seated in a timely manner. Restaurant was small and cozy and looked family-​owned. Taiwanese food is not really my cup of tea but I thought I would try another restaurant hoping you would change my mind.
I order the takoyaki, chicken skewers, pancake and beef noodles. Prices of the foods were kind of expensive for the amount that you got. Sadly the takoyaki, chicken skewers and pancake all had the same topping on it. Mayonnaise and wasabi. The takoyaki and pancake were on the oily side.
Beef noodles were sweet and salty because of the preserved vegetables on it but the noodles were okay. This restaurant usually caters to the younger crowd as it mostly has street food and bento boxes. I personally would not come back for personal food tastes. But a good concept overall.

I clearly hadn’t checked this til now but needless to say, our family still loves papa chang’s (both the 16^th Ave location and papa chang express in Pacific mall) and I’ve returned at least once a week and have brought/​recommended papa chang to multiple friends and family in the last year. The go-​to order for our family of four EVERY WEEK would be the minced pork on rice with egg, minced pork & sausage on rice with egg, curry chicken on rice, braised pork on rice, popcorn chicken, stir fried lettuce, fried squid balls and spring rolls. We sometimes throw in the pork bao but this place is definitely one of our comfort food spots!

The good: the price is probably the best part of this restaurant. I was highly recommended to come here after trying mama bear for the first time (it’s hard finding a good Taiwanese restaurant). However…
The bad: I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did with mama bear. First let’s start with the popcorn chicken. It wasn’t as crunchy, as flavourful, or as authentic as the ones I tried in mama bear — mind you it’s good but not great. The rest of the dishes were forgettable. One unique thing though is that they did have a traditional Taiwanese glutinous meat dish — this isn’t something you would find normally even in Taiwanese restaurants. I am glad that they had it, but it wasn’t as good as the one I tried in bubble republic (which unfortunately they have taken out in their menu).
The ugly: ugh I hated their service. They didn’t offer a table because we were missing one person. Luckily we got a table before the huge dinner rush came in. Portions are smaller than expected.
Neutral: as mentioned above, there is usually a dinner rush so be sure to be early and grab a table. Good for smaller groups as there isn’t much space. Great for takeout.

This tiny restaurant is very authentic Taiwanese food.
It is small and hidden in a plaza on 16^th and Markham Rd. The tables inside are quite small and usually group of 2 – 4 is a good size. May often need to wait for table if it’s 2+ people.
I like this location better than pacific mall location (located on 2^nd floor of pacific mall). Simply because I think this location tastes better.
Price 4/​5* depending what you order. Their sausage minced pork rice is good and filling.
Taste 4/​5* I usually get rice/​noodle with veggies on the side. Their side dishes are tasty too. I usually get sausage cause taiwanese sausages are sweet and chewy. It is something I crave for and would go back for. They also have bento boxes available for a decent price. I ordered for lunch take out and it was a good portion (but I had better one from scarbrough)

Probably one of the best Taiwanese restaurants around markham (and this is coming from a Taiwanese person)! The place is very small, so it’s harder to get seating on weekends. Their food is great, and inexpensive for the portions that you get. They make great pork chop! I also really like their fish cake (tian bu la).

Really small establishment and can get really busy. Their wait system is pretty good though as they ask for your phone number and they call you… and it works because there is no room in the place to wait. Probably seats 20 people.
I like the popcorn chicken and their fatty pork with rice. Their takoyaki is mediocre and so is the beef noodle soup. Price is decent. I’d go back but not my wife’s cup of tea.

Fun and causal place for dinner or lunch. A lot of people seem to come here for take outs, maybe because the place itself is not that big and there’s a lot of houses in the area. This place is also always full so prepare to wait or just call in to get take out.
Portions are not huge, but a ‘good enough’ size (maybe because I’m a big eater…). Reminds me of street food in Taiwan, but that is what they’re going for anyway so sizes will more or less resemble that. As a rice fan, I thought their Taiwanese Sausage and Minced Pork Rice was sooo good… period.
Be sure to try their drinks before you leave; it’s in a take out cup anyway. Personal fave is the pudding milk tea — not overly sweet like a lot of bubble tea chains but still creamy, and you can taste the ‘tea’ in it. Also has huge chunks of yellow pudding in it, yum. Another must try is their popcorn chicken that pretty much everyone is raving about. It’s bite sized, nicely seasoned and crispy on the outside, while the inside is tender and still nice and hot when they serve it.
I also found their tea to be very flavourful. Not the tea you’d order from their menu, but just the tea they give out. One of the staff mentioned they use ‘special’ tea leaves or whatever, which I’m not complaining about because they were pretty good, almost like jasmine and very fragrant.
They’ve done menu revamps after the owner went somewhere to bring back new dishes so prepare to see some new additions if you haven’t been already. The only thing that wasn’t balanced imo here were the portion sizes and prices. It’s not expensive to say the least, affordable actually, but for the portions they give it’s not as well balanced. For the times I’ve been here I can never be completely ‘full’ unless I order a huge amount of food on the table, which isn’t that big to begin with since the place is small.
All in all though, definitely a fan of Pa Pa Chang’s.

Must try: Popcorn Chicken
I have heard of this place a while ago but never got to try it because it’s quite far away from my (food) hunting ground. So having finally tried it, I say overall it’s worth the trek.
It’s just a general good feeling to have a table full of snack foods to sink your paws into, so we ordered various dishes to share. Highlights were 1) Popcorn Chicken: perfectly crispy and juicy and perfectly seasoned, can eat this forever. Got a takeout to go at the end. 2) Fish Skewer: the wasabi sauce makes this dish and gives it that pop, very enjoyable. 3) Taiwanese Sausage with Minced Pork on Rice: very nostalgic taste for Asian toddlers everywhere, good to pair with other meat dishes.
We also ordered 4) Crispy Intestine, 5) Deep Fried Pork Belly, 6) Meat Floss Pancake and 7) Green Onion Pancake with Eggs. All very enjoyable as well.
I had to took away one star because I think some more work could still be done regarding the sanitation of the dish preparations. I won’t go into details as I don’t want to distract from the quality of the food, but if more care is put into this, then everything would be perfect.
Lastly, I really think Pa Pa Chang’s should expand. May I suggest Finch and Yonge area? The opportunity is limitless, I guarantee it. :D
WYWH

This is definitely new favorite place for me and my fiancé. This tiny place has great food with very affordable price. We’ve been there twice in the last two weeks. The food is better than the bubble tea place’s food and cheaper.
We tried the popular rice dish, Taiwanese sausage and minced pork on rice. It was delicious for $ 4.99 food. You can add egg too for $ 1.00 each. We also tried the pork cutlets curry. It was pretty good. Huge portion for $ 5.99. We ordered a side as well, deep fried pork belly for $ 6.99. It surely can be categorized as a guilty pleasure food. It was really good and addictive. Will buy again next time for sure.
The second time we went we tried satay pork in thick soup with rice. I think it was about $ 5.99 too. It was quite unique and it tasted pretty good. We also ordered the popcorn chicken side dish, which was delicious too, and deep fried intestines side dish, which was pretty hard to chew but tasted pretty good.
Besides the food, I found the service was great too, they were friendly for the two times of our visits. Definitely will go back to this place often to try out different food they have.

Came here around 8pm this past Tuesday when there was a snow storm warning. Weather was bad but the silver lining is that we got a table right away. I came here 1 – 2 years back because my sister was raving about the amazing food and more than reasonable pricing. Only stopped coming because my boyfriend insisted that he found a dead bug in one of the dishes we got. I came back Tuesday since I was nearby with a friend and bug or no bug, this place serves some kicka$$ food!
Food: 4 stars
For the price you’re paying, you can’t find anything better elsewhere! My friend and I ordered the popcorn chicken, takoyaki, signature beef noodle soup, minced pork and sausage with rice, a tako pancake, and pudding milk tea as dessert. Everything tasted so delicious!!! If you get the takoyaki, there’s no need to get the tako pancake because they’re basically the same thing but just in different forms. A bit of a bummer that the pudding milk tea doesn’t have any pudding. You have to pay extra to get the physical pudding, otherwise it’s just powder for flavor. For the signature beef noodle soup, you have an option to have it spicy and that’s what we got. It was only mildly spicy. I think popcorn chicken and the minced pork with sausage rice dishes are their most popular items, and for a good reason, they’re really good!
Ambiance: 2.5 stars
This restaurant is very small and it’s a bit rundown. It can also get quite loud when it’s busy too. I don’t find it much of an issue since I’m sure that helps keep the prices low. It’s more if a grab and go place.
Service: 4 stars
The lady serving our table was friendly and refilled our tea immediately after we requested it. She was very nice, have recommendations, and let us know of available options with certain dishes we ordered. Service was better than most Chinese restaurants.

We went for dinner with a group of 5 people. Service was prompt. Since it is a smaller place, groups bigger than 4 – 5 is not ideal. The place is always busy but it is usually not that long of a wait. This is a very good place to share dishes. I’d recommend bringing cash.
We ordered the popcorn chicken (spicy) and non-​spicy, meat floss pancakes, green onion pancake which are absolutely amazing. The chicken and fish skewer are really good as well (chicken was better than the fish). They have a wasabi sauce on there that really adds that needed kick. I thought the shredded pork was okay. The Taiwanese sausage and the Taiwanese sausage rice were pretty good. I’ve gone at least 5 times and will definitely return. It is hands down one of the best restaurants in Markham.

This is a great little restaurant. So glad we Unilocaled it. Great service. Big portions for a cheap price. Only came to $ 35 including tax and tip for the below:
Pop corn chicken: really yummy, generous amount. Filling.
Taiwanese beef pancake: this actually tasted pretty fresh, kinda cold though
Intestine noodles: wasn’t my favourite but not typically my type of soup
Taiwanese sausage: I liked this sausage, kinda sweet
Boiled lettuce with minced pork: these veggies were really good, I would order this again definitely.
Verdict: Would double dip.

Great place for value, Taiwanese taste and speed!
Inside the plaza at 16^th ave and Markham Rd beside the convenient store. This small restaurant seats only about 24 people (no joke!). I usually expect to have to wait for a seat. That’s when you know the food is good! I’ve been here a million times but somehow didn’t write a review.
They have a wide selection of small dishes, snacks and bento boxes (kind of like a combo tray with a main and some side dishes all in one). They’re prices are mainly all under $ 10 and portions are just perfect.
They have good things like SKEWER CHICKEN/​FISH (deep fried on a skewer and drizzled with sauces), INTESTINE ON VERMICELLI, TAIWANESE SAUSAGES AND MINCED PORK WITH RICE (an awesome deal), POPCORN CHICKEN, TAIWANESE SAUSAGES, APPLE SIDER (an apple flavoured soda, yes not cider), etc.
They also offer TAKE OUT if you’re in a rush.
TIP: their TAKE OUT CONTAINER lids do not fit perfectly. that’s why they give you an elastic band but still be careful.
OR they also opened an express version at the upstairs food court at PACIFIC MALL down the middle row.
They now do CATERING and in case they don’t state it in English, it says TAX FREE if you’re paying by cash. They range from $ 30-​$ 38 per tray at the moment. (Photo uploaded)

i think they may have changed owners? Came here for lunch on the weekend and the food doesn’t taste as great as I remembered it to be (which was probably a year ago). Quite disappointing.
Ordered the minced pork with sausages on rice — this was alright. $ 4.50
the ‘pang pang fish’ ($ 4.99), which was fried fish skewers was disappointing though. I remember it being a lot more tasty the last time I had.
the porkchop pancake sandwich was disappointing as well. when we ordered we asked to add an egg inside but it was missed. there was so little porkchop in the pancake sandwich. the pancake sandwich texture was flaky but lacked flavor, it was all dependent on the porkchop and a little bit of coleslaw.
the popcorn chicken was good, probably the best dish of the 4 I tried
pricing is decent, we ordered 4 things and the bill was less than $ 20 — what more can you ask for?

Came here on a Friday night, around 6:30 PM and was surprised the place wasn’t packed. YET. First off, try to come before 7PM as the place gets packed really fast.
Servers greeted us with smiles and you are offered either water or tea as soon as you get seated, which is a nice touch.
They got our orders pretty quickly, and we got the food in 5 mins. Very impressive!
First impressions with the food: Very small serving for what you pay, but I have to admit the food is good. But the rice to meat ratio is not good, as there is way so much rice in the small bowl, especially on the minced pork and rice item on their menu.
I think I would come back to try their other dishes, but for the price, I am sure there are better choices out there. Papa Chang’s is still worth a try though.
Remember to try and beat the dinner rush, as since the place has very limited seating, the place gets really packed really fast.

I’m gonna update this review to acknowledge the fact this place doesn’t use disposable materials ever since the renovations, and they use actual dishes and utensils now when serving.
I have also tried the signature beef noodle soup, and I find the noodles a bit on the overcooked side. I definitely prefer Mei Nung’s noodle soups more.
Therefore, despite my previous review on upping this place to 5 stars if they improve the environmental side of this place, I’m keeping it at 4 stars.

Finally made it here for dinner on a Friday night around 7.30pm. The place itself is very small and the front entrance was a bit confusing, when the door opens there will also be a big draft. There was a short 10 minute wait for a table for 2. The décor is very simple, had a bit of a sad cafeteria feeling to it.
I got the minced beef rice with a soy egg and an order of popcorn chicken. The rice itself was very filling, almost didn’t need the egg because it was just too much food. The rice itself was just luke warm. The chicken itself is great, crispy, piping hot and juicy on the inside the only thing i wish was that it was a little saltier (the popcorn chicken I usually get at bubble tea places are covered in this magical salt that im missing here), even with the thousand island sauce it felt a bit plain.
Service was quick and the servers were friendly (which is pretty great for an asian place!) The meal was also very affordable for the large portion size which is why i will probably come back.

Didn’t know this place existed right around the corner, but I was able to find it through Unilocal.Thanks Unilocal,this place is awesome. There isn’t too much Taiwanese shops around, but this one has some really good flavors going on. Not to mention that the price cannot be beat. I tried the house popcorn chicken bento and the signature beef noodles. Both were great. Popcorn chicken that I have had in other spots like this wasn’t very good, but this place has pulled it off.
We went very early, around 4pm, and it was already pretty busy. I couldn’t imagine the place on an evening or weekend. There is only about 25 seats in the whole place, so I am sure it is packed. The food is fresh and made to order. It is fast too. From the time you order, you can get your food within 10 minutes. I have to head back to see what else they have to offer at this shop!

S’okay. Decent food for a decent price. Living near Scarborough, I wouldn’t drive all the way up just for this place because I could get more delicious food in larger portions in food courts at a cheaper price.
This restaurant is family run so it’s pretty small, housing only about 40 people maximum and lacking a waiting area. So when the weather is bad, I wouldn’t recommend you come here because you’ll have to wait outside for seats.