This is a classic Markham food court spot for cheap, delicious eats. There's a reason it's been here for decades. Yan Can Cook is known for their giant menu filled with the classic Chinese dishes you crave from Yeung chow fried rice, to tender beef brisket noodle soup/rice, to sweet & sour pork rice, and more. But what I remember most about this spot is growing up eating their Chinese "snack time" foods. I'm talking bean sprout chow mein, shredded chicken soup (with red vinegar drizzled on top!), soy sauce rice noodle rolls, and their huge fish siu mai. Even with rising food prices, you get a lot of bang for your buck. The chow mein was LOADED to the brim! This spot will always hold a special place in my memories - and I highly recommend visiting it (especially because compared to the BBQ pork lines, you'll get your food a LOT faster). read more

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Yan Can Cook is a real hidden gem in the Markham First Place's food court. Everyone comes here to wait in lines for the two famous Cantonese BBQ vendors and underestimates the vendor in the middle of them. In my humble opinion, Yan Can Cook isn't worse than them. It has a variety of different Hong Kong street foods that I was wondering how do they prepare such a huge menu in that small kitchen. I ordered curry chicken rice and shumai. The amount is big with pretty affordable prices. My favourite part of this restaurant is that most dishes are cooked after you order! That gives them a tremendous advantage! Next time, don't wait in lines for the BBQ, come and enjoy other authentic Hong-Kong-style dishes. read more

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It's been a while since I've been to the food court at First Markham Place. This time I was looking for something cheap and tasty to keep me going until I got home. Despite the name, there is no relation to Chef Martin Yan (as far as I know). They had a special on soup and noodles for only $5.99. That seemed to fit what I was looking for but it ended up being a lot of food! I don't think they could have fit another noodle in that box! It was tasty, as was the hot and sour soup. Not bad, especially for the price! read more

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Awesome spot to get street-style snack foods! Their portions are pretty good and their food is tasty! Prices are very reasonable for their sizes! The street-style snack foods are very quickly prepared for you as they're all ready to go. Don't forget to get some chili oil for your meal! Their house-made chili oil is delicious! Definitely recommend for that good old comfort food! read more

Yan Can Cook - Shredded chicken soup, sticky rice with sausage, and fried noodles - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Yan Can Cook is a food stall in First Markham Place's food court, serving delicious Cantonese-style dishes. This stall is one of the oldest in FMP; it has been around for over 20 years. They have an impressively extensive menu item, considering that this is in a food court... comparable to the menus in many Chinese restaurants. The food is not only delicious, but also very affordable, non-greasy, and not too salty (the opposite of what you'd expect in a fast-food style Chinese food or dishes found in a food court). The Buddha's Delight Vegetables dish consists of a good variety of vegetables: gai lan, broccoli, green pepper, onion, carrot, and a few others. They're nicely tender without being overcooked, and the seasoning is tasty without being too salty and oily. Perfect accompaniment to any rice dish. They offer combo menu items that include 1-2 main dishes with rice and soup / drink for below $12. One of their signature items is the Fish Shiu Mai (a good divergent from the traditional Shiu Mai that's usually made of pork). There is always a big pot of it steaming right in the front counter. Yan Can Cook is definitely one of my favourite stalls at First Markham Place. read more

Yan Can Cook - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I ordered a Satay Beef Chow Mein and it was seriously delicious. At $10, it was slightly more expensive that most other options in the food court (most things are around the $8 mark), but it was well worth it. They really gave a generous amount of beef and vegetables, and the sauce to noodle ratio was perfect. Like any good chow mein, the noodles were crispy, softening up as they soaked up the savoury sauce. Honestly the chow mein here is better than a lot of proper sit-down restaurants I've been to. The portion was also quite generous, definitely enough for even the hungriest person. As a bonus, the food comes with a complimentary drink and I selected the iced lemon tea which was nice and refreshing. Overall this place is truly a gem, and I wish I lived closer so I could try the rest of their extensive menu. read more

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Recently re-discovered this place after going regularly pre-Covid. Prices have gone up a little since then but still great value overall for fast service, tasty dishes and generous portions. read more

Yan Can Cook - Beef Fried Rice Noodles - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

My fave food court stand in FMP. We always get their fish siaomay, curry fishball, and the soysauce noodle. The pan fried noodle is also good and this is just my always go to everytime we are in the Markham area. Its just simple typical Cantonese style cooking. The service always very efficient. And the food court ambiance has always busy but there is always plent of seats available. read more

Yan Can Cook - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Have been coming here for years. Great value with all the items on the menu. salt pepper pork or squid is wonderful. as a staple... they have a great dry fried beef rice noodle. Large mnue and I've tried only about half... picking out a new item along with favourites each time. One thing that I really loved was the chilli oil. During the pandemic we only ordered a couple times unlike our usual... but recently we started to order again and the chilli oil changed... I much prefer the old recipe. The new chilli oil isn't bad but it isn't what I fell in love with previously. I bought 2 bottles but was disappointed. The food is still great but maybe won't visit as much as we did pre-pandemic... on the look out for a place with a really great chilli oil. There is a Hakka place near by that have a really really good chilli oil but it's a bit expensive. read more

I was in the food court getting a bubble tea and saw the staff making Shumai. I decided to give it a try because it looks fresh and made in house. I got a chicken mushroom soup (faux shark's fin soup) and an order of Shumai and it was way below my expectation. Their chicken mushroom soup has a bad fishy smell. I only had 3 spoons and my body refused it. The Shumai contains too much flour or corn starch and I cannot taste any meat at all. The texture of it was soft and mushy. I only had 1 and half pieces and I throw the entire preset into the garbage. I will not recommend to but Shumai and chicken mushroom soup from this place. read more

This is my go to spot for noodles/rice dishes when I visit FMP. Food is cheap, portions are nice and big and the food isnt too oily. They also dont cheap out on the ingredients. Just be mindful when you want sauce you will need to DIY and I dont like that the chilli oil is exposed to all elements meaning its self serve with a container and a spoon with no lid? read more

Yan Can Cook - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

This dish was so tasty! It is packed with protein and the flavour is extremely strong. Make sure you request the boneless fish version if you do not like bones in your meat. Even though the prices have gone up to $12 a dish it is very reasonable for the amount of food you get read more

Yan Can Cook - $12 Boneless fish - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

They have amazing food. They have fast service.The fish siu mai is huge, hand-made and steamed on site! $3.50 incl tax. Add the chili oil. read more

Yan Can Cook - Food stall - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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We ordered take out, it was quite busy that evening but the line was moving fast. We were given a number, and the order camequite fast. We ordered Cantonese Chow Mien and Salt and Pepper Pork Chop on Rice. Bith were delicious, i especially like the Salt and Pepper Pork Chop, it wasn't over salty nor spicy, just right. Overall, as a fast food place it's quite good woth lots of varieties. Will try other items next time. read more

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When we talk about Yan, there's two that come to mind (if you are old enough), Stephen Yan from Wok with Yan and Martin Yan from Yan Can Cook. It seems like anyone with the last name Yan has a knack for cooking. As Martin Yan like to say at the end of his show, "Yan Can cook, so can you". However clearly at the Yan Can Cook food court stall at FMP (no relation to Martin) this Yan just can't cook or had totally lost passion for cooking. My order consisted of sticky rice with preserved sausage and meat and fish siu mai. I could say that there wasn't enough preserved meat to give the rice the right aroma. I can say that they tried to cut corners by mixing in regular rice with glutinous rice. But I shouldn't complain since it was four or five dollars for decent portion. But oh man there was the fish siu mai. It was horrible. It was grossly inferior to even the frozen aisle variety. The siu mai was really big but when you bite into it you can still taste and feel the starch inside. The siu mai were practically inedible. On top of this, the service was curt. She was emotionless when I got cashed out at the beginning. When I asked for an extra bowl late, the lady at the cash practically gave me the death stare and begrudgingly gave me the bowl. Just to summarize, in this case, Yan cannot cook or just plainly shouldn't cook...zai jian! read more

This place used to be called Yan's Cook, but now it's called Yan Can Cook (maybe Yan's Cook taught Yan how to cook, so now Yan can cook, haha). The menu is the same and the staff I think are the same, so I think it was just a name change. Anyway, it's one of the places to eat at the First Markham Place food court. It's pretty cheap and the portions are large. They are also really really fast. You get a free iced tea with each plate. I've had the Cantonese Chow Mein there ($7.50) and the portion is huge and full of meat and vegetables (BBQ pork, chicken, shrimp, squid, carrots, broccoli and shiitake mushrooms). The noodles are deep fried, so they are really crispy. My only complaint is that some parts were really salty and some parts were "normal" - although still verging on the too salty side. They just need to be more even-handed with the salt (and they can afford be to more light-handed with the salt too). Overall though a good cheap meal that will definitely fill you up. read more

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Their handmade Siu mai is soooooo big and al dente. I went at around 5 pm and they have a tea set 6 siu mai and a chrysanthemum tea for $5. The tea is very refreshing and taste natural. To be honest I am pretty filling. I am definitely coming back again for the siu mai. read more

Yan Can Cook - Siu mai tea set $5 including drink - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Located in the food court at First Markham Place, Yan Can Cook serves up dishes at super affordable prices but still tastes rather good! Try their "beef hor fun fried noodles" or "singapore fried noodles". They taste like they should cost more lol. This food court in general has a lot of great eats at low prices, so try this place and also some food from their neighbours in the food court. Your wallet will thank you. As usual, the parking lot at FMP can be a nightmare at times. Beware of peak hours for parking. read more

Although this might not be Martin or cousin Stephen Yan's (both stars of their own cooking shows "Yan Can Cook" and the Canadian version "Wok with Yan" respectively) quality of restaurant, it is fast food after all. For under 6 bucks, it's a decent deal. The crispy chicken dish was on par with some of the better places I've been (see my pic). Had a decent serving of veg and the combo with the hot and sour soup. As long as you stay away from the battered deep fried meat with gloopy sauce (i.e. fake chinese food), I think you'll be okay. My buddies curried brisket was decent, and I've had the soup noodles with brisket which was right on par with any other congee type place. Love being to get some decent Chrysanthemum tea that's not from a box or can, as you can't get it brewed everywhere (though admittedly it's probably instant). It's one of the busier stalls at First Markham place food court, so get here before the noon rush. read more

Yan Can Cook - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Yan Can Cook is a located in the popular First Markham Place food court. I'm pretty sure it has no relation to Chef Martin Yan of the famed PBS series "Yan Can Cook" but they share the same name. Btw I've met and dealt with Chef Yan before in the past...super nice guy and down to earth! The food here is good, portions large and cheap. They serve your typical Cantonese rice and noodle dishes but where they shine is the ready to serve dim sum snacks, especially their Fish Siu Mai. They are the BEST in the GTA! Huge, tasty and only $3! You will not get fish siu mai that is better. Pair that up with their chili garlic oil and you have a match made in heaven! Definitely also try some of their other dim sum fare like the soya sauce rice noodles and curry fish balls as the dim sum fare are all $3-$5 each. "If Yan Can Cook, So Can You!" - Copyright protected by the Yan Can Cook Corporation;p read more

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My new go to fast food! The fish siu mais pretty good! Super filling for $4. They also have a lamb stew that could be eaten with rice or noodle soup I had mine with rice it was amazing for the value. The fishball isn't that good. Tried their cold beef flanks those were bomb! The stick rice is a gem for $3.75. So is the thick soup. can't wait to try more things here ! Yan can define my cook ! read more

This review is only based on their dim sum items, I never actually bought a proper meal at this food court restaurant but whenever i do go to First Markham Place, I always get two items from here, their Fish Meat Siu Mai (Don't know what they call in English) and Soya Sauce Rice Noodle Roll (coeng fun). If you do go to First Markham Place, I highly recommend picking up some dim sum snacks from this place, especially the Fish Meat Siu Mai!! They make theirs super HUGE and they actually taste good with spicy soy sauce. A MUST try if you decide to dine in at First Markham Place! read more

Yan Can Cook - Spicy soya sauce siu mai! - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Over the past 10 years, their prices on most dishes went up by a mere 50 cents! My go to here is the scrambled egg with shrimp on fried rice noodles. For just $7.50, it is massive and tastes delicious. Add some of their chili sauce if you want more heat. Comes with your choice of tea as well. Cash only. As with all other FMP foodcourt stalls. read more

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The hunt for a good Chinese take out food court booth started when I was tasked to bring Friday night dinner to a ski chalet. The objective was to impress my Canadian friends with delicious and large quantity of Asian food at a price that made their jaws drop. I ordered and sampled from 3 food booths in total and concluded that Yan's Cook has the best value of food in terms of deliciousness, freshness, best cooking, volume and pricing combination (Yap, I analyzed this to death). Yan's Cooks is a popular take out food booth. Due to the high turnover, its ingredients are fresh. The chef manages not to over cook every dish I have ordered so far; this is a testimony of his cooking skills. In terms of deliciousness, the dishes taste good, but I must admit that they are quite oily most of the times (like 90%). The food is not too salty per my taste. The volume and pricing are in line with other food booths in First Markham Place. BTW, the average price of the food court food at FMP is higher than most other Chinese malls. In conclusion, I did feed my 3 friends with $35 of food, taxes included. And we had to finish the food in 2 meals. read more

I spent a year out of Canada, and when I came back, all I wanted to do is head on over to Yan's Cook (formerly Yan's Wok) and grab Combo C. Their sweet and sour pork, with wonton soup, and spring roll, might just be the greatest thing I've ever eaten. Unfortunately it's only available during the lunch rush, Monday to Friday. Six dollars, for more food than you'll be able to finish is always a great value. There are still a number of options, which come with drinks (instead of soup) at similar price points. In fact, the sweet and sour pork is always on order - regardless of the date and time - it just doesn't hold the same charming allure when you're not ordering Combo C. If you come during a busy time, be prepared to place your order, take a number, and wander First Markham Place for a little while, before coming back - claiming your food - and seeking out a table in the food court. read more

Yay Chinese snacks and the lamb noodle Nay Sweet and sour pork Nam yu Vegetarian pot Not a 1 star only cause the lamb noodle is pretty decent for the price and we used to always come here for the fish siu Mai although have not had it in awhile. The sweet and sour pork was super terrible though and same with the vegetarian dish. Used cheap ingredients and looked very out of place having carrots in both dishes. Maybe they had too many to get rid of that day. The sweet and sour pork did not even seem to be fried which is completely not right. The pork was super dry and lean. Pretty. Much no fat at all. So maybe on the pro side it would be relatively healthier. The vegetarian dish didn't have much vegetables but lots of vermicelli, cheap ingredients. Would definitely definitely not come back as it's not even cheaper than the competitors. It did come with soup and rice though I suppose. read more

Ordered the fried satay beef with thick noodles for $9. Great value. They give you lots of meat and noodles. The satay flavours were excellent. Would order it again for sure. In fact as im writing this review I'm craving for it again. read more

Yan Can Cook - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I ave been going to this provider long before Alan took over the stall. The food was good then but when Alan started serving food, it become better. So, for over 20 years I enjoyed the food, and still do, and conversations with Alan. I was there last year getting a family size order when I was informed that Alan had passed away. He was a very dedicated and hard worker when ever I saw him. I understand that family members are now running the location. It is a long way from Ajax to MFP. I will be returning for the best Asian food I have tasted. I have over the years tried many vendors in Markham and each has offer one great dish, but Yan Can Cook offers many great choices, in my opioion read more

It's definitely a good place for fast food Chinese cuisine IF you're super hungry. I stress super hungry, because the portions in this place are simply unbelievable. I failed to finish one meal even with my grandma helping, and I was actually somewhat hungry that evening. That being said, you get what you paid for. The prices are certainly on the low side and the quantity on the high side, but don't expect quality. I mean, it is a fast food stall after all, and honestly for what it is it's definitely more than satisfying for the average person eating lunch or dinner at First Markham Place. The siu mai, however, is a must. One order is, if I remember correctly, 5 pieces. 5 large pieces, I should say. It's not something you should have every single time since it's so unhealthy, but at least once is more than filling. Yan's Cook is one of the busiest stalls in the FMP food court, and with good reason too. With so much variety, huge portions, and low prices, all these combined attract the average person looking for cheap, quick fill you up food court cuisine. read more

Been around for years and the quality is consistent Really can't go wrong and it goes above standard food court quality Cheap affordable prices even now in 2017 Me and a friend ordered deep fried pork chops and fried fish with tofu Gave us two soups and two rices to go along Cost under $20, was about $19, forget the exact total More than enough food for us, was so stuffed Definitely a staple for FMP if you seeking typical cantonese food :) read more

Yan Can Cook - Deep fried park chops Fried fish and tofu Just less than $20 for all this - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I believe they changed their name to Yan Can Cook, but it's still the same guy in the corner making the delicious Sui Mai's, and their menu hasn't changed. I crave their Fish Sui Mai's which are large and full of fish meat, and are super tasty when dipped into some soya sauce and chili oil. We also got the Chow Mein and their Chicken and Shark Fin Soup Set which is a mind blowing $4, which is a great deal compared to other food options in the food court. The Chow Mein comes in a large portion and is pretty tasty with some hoisin sauce and sesame. The Chicken and Mock Shark Fin Soup was definitely be the star of the show as it was surprisingly full of flavour (Not too much MSG flavour) and had alot of shredded chicken in it which I enjoyed. Yan Can Cook is located inside First Markham Place, along with many other fast food stores and has been around for many many years. They have a variety of HK Style dishes and rice combos. read more

Yan Can Cook - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I really like their lamb brisket soup noodle. I drove two hours to here just for their lamb brisket. The lamb brisket are soft and tasty. They only accept cash which is a little inconvenient. read more

Yan Can Cook - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Went today and I thought they raised the price but they just charged me too little last time. Last time it was $7 for Cantonese chow mien $7.50 for Cantonese chow mien this time, they filled the noodles to the top and loaded it with more toppings than most restaurants that charge way more! They might have charged me less because they didn't have the bbq pork. Must have ran out and charged less because of it read more

Yan Can Cook - Cantonese chow mien, $7.50, a ton of meat!!! Enough noodles to feed 3 - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Order two simple dishes. Xo noodle with pork slices and also veggies and beef on rice. Noodles were HARD with no xo sauce taste. The rice is the cheapest rice with no taste. It's horrible. I will never ever go again. read more

My go to place to eat at first Markham place. Reasonable price, good portion size and super fast. Food is always good and consistent

Definitely a review that's been sitting in the works! This had been my go to Chinese food (beef friend rice) place as a child. Absolutely loved it and wouldn't take any substitutes, I recognize that their food was nothing special but something about having the double space gave them some cred in my young mind. It's been a while since I've gotten Chinese fast food, but here is a place that you can't go wrong for the price point! $5.25 for a large meal - definite hit =) read more

Love this place. Portions are big and pricea are cheap. I always get their sweet and sour chicken which always comes out super hot ans fresh. The sauce is always on point with a good mixture and of sweet and sour. There are also alot of sweet peppers and pinapple too. It comes with either cold soy milk, chinese soup, or cold sweet Chrysanthemum tea. Chrysanthemum tea is great for skin cleansing! My sweet and sour chicken is $6.75 + tax. This place is located in the food court and gets busy during their peak hours during lunch and dinner. read more

Yan Can Cook - My fav sweet and sour chicken with rice $7.60. Fresh and yummy with great portions. - Chinese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Food is super cheap and portions are large. Its a perfect place to get afternoon snacks if you are in the area. I have tried the sui mai (they are huge), soya sauce noodles, hot/sour soup. They were not amazing but were very good for under $4 I haven't tried their main dishes yet. They also serve quail, will be interested in trying that next time I am in the area. read more

This review is based on 1 item on their menu, probably their trademark dish - the fish Sui Meye (mai) street style. OMG, the Sui Meye here is super delicious and huge! They literally are made perfect size, texture, and flavour. The guy sits there all day long making these. A must try if you're ever looking for a snack or Appetizer if you're in this food court! $3 tax in for 5 huge pieces, $6 and you got yourself a meal. BTW, if you don't know what these are, you must add spicy soy sauce or soy sauce to add flavour, this is how you eat this dish. read more

We decided to grab something quick here before heading to the theatres next door. Although most of the stores in the mall are closed at around 6pm the food court in First Markham Place stays open late until 10pm. So we split a Satay Beef with flat rice noodle dish. Being aware that this is a fast food place where there's little care in preparation, we specially requested if they can use less oil and Satay sauce. The person taking the order said that the ho fan noodle is already oily. Huh? Well our request didn't make it to the chef our dish was super oily and saucy. Unimpressed even for food court standards. Cost was $5.75+ tax The drink accompanying the dish was a nice cool refreshing soy drink but sadly it was the best part of the meal. read more