Top 1

Reviews

• Emily L.

  star star star star star_border 3 June 2026

  Funky looking place with big round tables but also booth and couch seating. The decor is very eccentric - the walls are painted pretty out there colours. There's a wall of books, a terrace of themed coffee cups, and one section of ceiling to floor aquariums. There's also a huge projector screen which was playing a nonstop loop of Chinese movies. The last defining piece is this giant circular light piece which makes me think the restaurant could have been a lounge in a previous iteration.
  
  We went against the norm at this restaurant by ordering our dishes a la carte and ordering the Cantonese style ones. The seafood dishes - Maggi style lobster, oysters, steamed fish - stood out in sticking with the theme of the restaurant. Honestly even the short ribs and the sweet and sour pork were good too.
  
  I read a lot of complaints about the service. We had two huge tables of about 12 people each. We were served promptly, able to get refills when requested, and they didn't rush us at all, so no issues on my visit. I'd definitely hit up this restaurant again.

• Simon F.

  star star star star_border star_border 31 May 2026

  This restaurant is in a mall beside the Richmond Hill offices on East Beaver Creek. The inside is very open, and lighting around the area looked like it could be used for private functions. Some of the decorations around the wall were interesting, including a traditional Chinese costume that is on sale for $980.00 plus tax, as well as a floor-to-ceiling bookcase and some art. Other things we noticed were 12 large fish tanks, a bar area, and 2 large wine racks, almost floor-to-ceiling as well.
  
  The restaurant was definitely for larger groups, as most tables were for parties of 6 to almost 20. We were seated in what they called a "booth," which was actually comfortable low-seat sofas, good for 1-4 people.
  
  The food we ordered, although it took a while, was definitely worth the wait. A regular-sized soup was good for the 2 of us, but could easily work for up to 4. The seafood and vegetable plate had fresh vegetables, and the beef and vermicelli casserole had a flavourful satay sauce.
  
  Everyone is served mango pudding for dessert - slightly larger in size than the ones you get at some Japanese AYCE locations - with a plastic spoon.
  
  One thing that did not work was when we ordered vegetarian tofu to go. Upon opening the container, it turned out not to be vegetarian - it contained scallops, fried fish, chicken, beef, and pork. If you put something under the "Vegetarian" category, you'd hope it wouldn't contain any of the above-mentioned items.
  
  Something else that was not mentioned is if you wanted a drink other than traditional Chinese tea, you had to order it or go to the bar yourself.
  
  Otherwise, very clean and good service.

• Jeremy W.

  star star star star_border star_border 26 May 2026

  To start off our review we came here yesterday for dinner when the weather was -20 degrees outside.
  
  Overall for dinner the food was great (4 star) and we had no issues with service (4 star).
  My biggest problem was the temperature inside the restaurant. The owner for some reason decided that it wasn't worth the effort to raise the temperature inside the restaurant to room temp. So what did they use to supplement the frigid cold inside you ask? One revolving portable heater for the entire place!
  
  So there we are with other patrons still in our winter coats eating. It really takes away from the dining experience when you have to rely on hot food to warm you up. Then again maybe it's a new dining experience I haven't heard of? Freeze them inside to appreciate your food more?
  
  To top it off we brought our 5 month old to eat with us and one of the waiters asked us "why are you bringing her out? It's so cold". Lol just because we have a child doesn't mean I lock her up at home all the time. Maybe try heating up your restaurant next time?

• Yun Z.

  star star star star star 17 May 2026

  I had an amazing meal here. We got the combo for four and the dishes tasted stellar with a good balance of vegetables and meat on each dish. I don't have much else to say other than the fact that I'm already craving the dishes from there and would definitely go there again.

• Allison Y.

  star star star star star_border 11 May 2026

  Your experience with Top 1 is subject to how you order.  If you order la carte, it is pricey.  This rings true regardless of which entrée you order.  If you order a combo set, you are in for a reasonably priced treat.
  
  We ordered a $58 combo for dinner.  It consisted of an appetizer, a vegetable dish, a Drunken Rib, and a 2.5lb crab, stir fried "under bridge" style (橋底辣炒蟹).  There are many things that I'd like to talk about, so I organize my review in point form:
  
  1) In the menu, it says this combo is for 2 people.  Pure lie.  It easily feeds 3.  
  
  2) The highlight of the combo is the crab.  The crab we had was meaty and sweet, indicating that it was fresh.  I estimated that there was over 1lb of garlic in the dish.  Yet the garlic aroma and spice was not sharp, indicating the garlic slices were dry when they cooked them.  The crab was nicely fried.  There was a delicious coat of flavours on the shell.  Lick it, eat it, whatever, just don't miss it.  This dish had wok air, which is what under bridge spicy crab is famous for.
  
  3) The other thing the under bridge spicy crab is famous for is the spiciness.  Top 1's version didn't taste spicy to me.  It was nowhere as spicy as the dai-pai-dong version.  You should ask for extra spicy if you prefer it hot.
  
  4) The Drunken Ribs were in essence rib bites and taro deep fried in black vinegar.  It had a harden coat on the outside.  It was another wok air dish.  It tasted average, because the meat needed more tenderizing.
  
  5) The vegetable dish in the combo was small.  It was indeed 2-person portion.  
  
  6) Services was minimum considering the price range.  I expected a change of plates, since they were full of crab shells.  Never happened or offered.  When someone did wait on us, s/he was polite, effective and efficient.
  
  7) The bill came with 10% tips added on.  The calculation was clear.  Someone wrote in Chinese that the final amount was "all in".  If you cannot read Chinese, you can clarify with a server.
  
  8) I like the interior decoration.  It is a funky mix of batman statue, fortune cat doll, bookshelves, European armour, Chinese emperor attire, owls, and stuff animals.  Consider yourselves forewarned.
  
  Top 1 serves a few unique seafood entrées.  Our family will likely revisit in a bigger group to try other seafood combos.  I won't recommend ordering al carte here, however.