Good Chinese Restaurants in Vancouver China Town

[Busman723]

We are going to be in Vancouver for two days. We love Chinese to eat. Where is the best food for the money. We like both buffets and order off menus food.

We are staying at O Canada House with a car.

Thanks

[Milhouse]

Generally speaking, all the "good" traditional Chinese restaurants are no longer in the historical Chinatown. The bulk of them are in the burbs now (ie Richmond) with a few scattered around here and there in Vancouver.

 

There's a bit of revitalization going on in a chunk on the western edge of Chinatown where there are hipster/modern Chinese places opening up. Best example is Bao Bei.

 

A hole in the wall is the original Hon's Won Ton House in Chinatown know for won ton noodle soup and potstickers. They also have a little more touristy version downtown on Robson (and elsewhere).

 

There's also Floata Restaurant in Chinatown which is a big traditional Chinese restaurant in Chinatown but I wouldn't consider it that good to write home about but will do in a pinch.

 

Best value for your money IMO is Congee Noodle House on Broadway and Main just outside the downtown core. Their specialty item is congee of course but they also serve dishes like chow mein, fried rice, etc at a very reasonable price. (They also have a sister restaurant Congee Noodle King on Kingsway in Burnaby that's even cheaper.) It's a pretty basic place.

 

Further down on Broadway (and Granville) is Lin's which is also a bit of a hole in the wall that serves good northern Chinese at a good price. Their signature dishes are stuff like Xu Lin Bao (soup stuffed dumplings) and honey prawns.

 

If you're looking for higher end Chinese, I'd probably recommend Kirin which has locations downtown and beyond.

Imperial downtown and Sun Sui Wah on Main and in Richmond get mentioned a lot as nice high end places but I think they're a bit overrated.

 

I've got a whole other list if you're looking for dim sum. :)

 

No good Chinese buffets really jump out at me.

 

Here's a restaurant list from Mia Stainsby, the local paper's food critic, which she updates on a yearly basis or so.

[scottbee]

We are going to be in Vancouver for two days. We love Chinese to eat. Where is the best food for the money. We like both buffets and order off menus food.

We are staying at O Canada House with a car.

Thanks

 

'Chinese' food is a very generic term in a highly Asian city like Vancouver. There are thousands of Asian restaurants, and while one person might like one style....

 

Anyway, here's a local food bloggers local recommendations around the city. You'll find most of the highly recommended Chinese restaurants are in Richmond, near the airport. http://www.shermansfoodadventures.com/p/recommendations.html

 

Also, I note you're staying downtown, but with a car. You may find that more of a hindrance than a help as getting around by car is quite annoying, parking can be tough to find and expensive

[Milhouse]

...http://www.shermansfoodadventures.com/p/recommendations.html

 

<snip>

 

Hehe, I used to play hockey with Sherman. He's a really good goaltender. :)

[martincath]

I think Milhouse got most of the high notes - and Scottbee's reco for Shermans blog is spot on, he does a lot of Chinese restaurant reviews including many around Chinatown.

 

One favourite missed was Foo's Ho Ho - since you say you like buffets this might hit the spot as it is the only remaining 'Chinese Canadian' restaurant from back in the day and the menu has many familiar buffet staples, just made fresh. Do yourself a favour and have the house special egg fu-yung!

 

As to your accommodations, I know that block pretty well as I used to volunteer just along the way and walked past at least weekly. Unless they are leasing parking from one of the apartment buildings that ruin their views, I'm suspicious about the 'free on site parking' - parking spots at any of the historic homes in that area are very limited in number, if memory sevres this place has two spots and one standalone garage off the alley out back...

[Yo Adrienne]

 

A hole in the wall is the original Hon's Won Ton House in Chinatown know for won ton noodle soup and potstickers. They also have a little more touristy version downtown on Robson (and elsewhere).

 

 

We went to the Hon's on Robson 10 years ago and loved it. Will be back in May and our plan is to head there for dinner the night before our cruise...is it still as good as it was back then...? :)

[martincath]

We went to the Hon's on Robson 10 years ago and loved it. Will be back in May and our plan is to head there for dinner the night before our cruise...is it still as good as it was back then...? :)

Rocky fan???

 

Never eaten in the touristy Robson Hon's, but just got takeout from the Chinatown one a couple of days ago - pretty good, especially the won ton soup. Why not come see Chinatown and eat in the original, if either one is going to be better it's not going to be the one for tourists...;)

[Milhouse]

<snip>

One favourite missed was Foo's Ho Ho - <snip>

 

Oh, I remember going there for the odd family dinners in 70's. It's changed hands a few times but I'm glad it's survived.

 

We went to the Hon's on Robson 10 years ago and loved it. Will be back in May and our plan is to head there for dinner the night before our cruise...is it still as good as it was back then...? :)

 

I have to admit that I haven't been to the one on Robson in years either. Nowadays, there are a number of wonton noodle joints and other places serving very good wonton noodle soup that we typically don't bother with the trip downtown (though we have not found a closer place with just as good potstickers other than buying them frozen and making them at home on occasion). We did go to the one in Chinatown just over a year ago (?) because we were in the neighbourhood and enjoyed ourselves.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Milhouse

[Yo Adrienne]

Rocky fan???

 

Never eaten in the touristy Robson Hon's, but just got takeout from the Chinatown one a couple of days ago - pretty good, especially the won ton soup. Why not come see Chinatown and eat in the original, if either one is going to be better it's not going to be the one for tourists...;)

 

You're one of VERY FEW people who's ever gotten the joke of my user name...! :)

 

Our hotel is actually just a stone's throw away (walking distance) from the Robson location...and there's a GREAT gelato place right nearby. Since our time will be very limited, we probably won't be able to get to Chinatown, though I have no doubt it would be great...! :)

[alyxkat]

oooh! I was hoping to find a post about this - yay! Are there any good Taiwanese places in the downtown area (staying near Canada Place w/ no car)? I'd love to find a place that has dou jiang you tiao!

[Putterdude]

Food is a very subjective topic but as you have a car then I would certainly endorse the Pink Pearl it is a little out of the downtown core but has parking and is very popular. I also enjoy Floata Seafood and Hons in Chinatown and if you don't want to go that far then I can recommend the Victoria Chinese restaurant with has been a fixture in Royal Centre for probably 25 years or more.

[Urban trekker]

PD - I believe they said no car.

 

"(staying near Canada Place w/ no car)"

 

It is a different person from the OP who has a car.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[martincath]

oooh! I was hoping to find a post about this - yay! Are there any good Taiwanese places in the downtown area (staying near Canada Place w/ no car)? I'd love to find a place that has dou jiang you tiao!

Taiwanese food around Vancouver is generally quite far from the downtown core - a bus along the Kingsway will get you to several (also many Vietnamese restos), but all things Asian are much more prevalent in Richmond than Vancouver. Actual downtown places listing any Taiwanese-influenced menu looks like a really short list - Dinesty on Robson, near the Stanley Park end of the street. No sign of your fried donuts & soy milk on their menu, but then that's not a uniquely Taiwanese dish - they're common throughout at least Shanghai & Beijing in my experience.

 

If you can manage to get out to Richmond, then Yung Ho Soy Drink serves exactly what you want. If you don't want to go that far, then the closest to downtown place I *know* sells them is Congee Noodle House at Main & Broadway - very easy to get to on transit, about 3km on foot from Canada Place. If that's too far also, try any Congee place you pass and ask if they stock dou jiang (that's the *sweetened* soy milk, no?) - they should all have you tiao as many people dunk it in their porridge.

[alyxkat]

Taiwanese food around Vancouver is generally quite far from the downtown core - a bus along the Kingsway will get you to several (also many Vietnamese restos), but all things Asian are much more prevalent in Richmond than Vancouver. Actual downtown places listing any Taiwanese-influenced menu looks like a really short list - Dinesty on Robson, near the Stanley Park end of the street. No sign of your fried donuts & soy milk on their menu, but then that's not a uniquely Taiwanese dish - they're common throughout at least Shanghai & Beijing in my experience.

 

If you can manage to get out to Richmond, then Yung Ho Soy Drink serves exactly what you want. If you don't want to go that far, then the closest to downtown place I *know* sells them is Congee Noodle House at Main & Broadway - very easy to get to on transit, about 3km on foot from Canada Place. If that's too far also, try any Congee place you pass and ask if they stock dou jiang (that's the *sweetened* soy milk, no?) - they should all have you tiao as many people dunk it in their porridge.

 

 

thanks for the great info!

[Putterdude]

PD - I believe they said no car.

 

"(staying near Canada Place w/ no car)"

 

It is a different person from the OP who has a car.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

 

You are quite correct, given the same question posed on two boards, I assumed incorrectly that it was the same poster.

[Busman723]

I would like to thank all of the info. We are going to try the Pink Pearl, and also try Hon's Won Ton House.

[Milhouse]

Pink Pearl and Hon's were really big in their hey day. They're not the best in town in their categories anymore but they're pretty popular still so I guess they can be considered somewhat safe and easy choices.

 

Pink Pearl closed down due to a fire a few years back, took a couple of years (?!?) to reno, and I heard changed ownership. We checked them out for dim sum after reopening and it was adequate. They still had pushcarts which is rare for dim sum in Vancouver nowadays. But there are a lot better places for better quality & value if you are a bit more adventurous (Western Lake being the prime example).

 

My wife suggests Kalvin Szechuan (I've never been) for Taiwanese but it's not in the downtown core. It`s about a 20min drive to east Vancouver.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Milhouse

[Putterdude]

PD - I believe they said no car.

 

"(staying near Canada Place w/ no car)"

 

It is a different person from the OP who has a car.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

 

Ut, I need to retract my earlier post, the OP does have a car.

:)

Edited March 9, 2014 by Putterdude

[Milhouse]

Slightly off topic as none of these restaurants are in Chinatown but FWIW, here`s an award list of diner's choices for Chinese restaurants in a number of categories.

[lamchops]

Rocky fan???

 

Never eaten in the touristy Robson Hon's, but just got takeout from the Chinatown one a couple of days ago - pretty good, especially the won ton soup. Why not come see Chinatown and eat in the original, if either one is going to be better it's not going to be the one for tourists...;)

 

I've been going to Hon's (all of them) for over 35 years. Given the choice, I would eat at the Robson St. one over all others. As someone who's been in the restaurant business for 40+ years, I would say Robson St comes closest to meeting "Foodsafe" standards.

BTY, the Chinatown Hon's is not the original as they moved from the original little store they had on Main St. I agree with Milhouse that the Congee House is probably the best value.

I think the best food in the Chinatown area is a Vietnamese restaurant called Phnom Phen on Georgia St.

 

I just happen to eat at the Pink Pearl a couple of weeks ago and while the food was good, the atmosphere was lacking as it's become a club for chinese Karaoki. I grew up 2 blocks from there and it's not a place i would recommend given the choices & atmosphere elsewhere. Based on their current prices, I'd go to one of the Kirins or Sun Sui Wai.

 

We have a saying in the restaurant business, the washrooms are usually a reflection of the kitchen.

[scottbee]

I've been going to Hon's (all of them) for over 35 years. Given the choice, I would eat at the Robson St. one over all others. As someone who's been in the restaurant business for 40+ years, I would say Robson St comes closest to meeting "Foodsafe" standards.

BTY, the Chinatown Hon's is not the original as they moved from the original little store they had on Main St. I agree with Milhouse that the Congee House is probably the best value.

I think the best food in the Chinatown area is a Vietnamese restaurant called Phnom Phen on Georgia St.

 

I just happen to eat at the Pink Pearl a couple of weeks ago and while the food was good, the atmosphere was lacking as it's become a club for chinese Karaoki. I grew up 2 blocks from there and it's not a place i would recommend given the choices & atmosphere elsewhere. Based on their current prices, I'd go to one of the Kirins or Sun Sui Wai.

 

We have a saying in the restaurant business, the washrooms are usually a reflection of the kitchen.

 

I'd have to second the choice of the Phnom Phen, although it's very very busy.