Vancouver travel guide
Where to Eat in Vancouver: Our Asian Food Guide
If you love Asian food, Vancouver is dangerous. We live in the San Gabriel Valley, and we still come here thinking about the next meal before we've finished the one in front of us. On our latest visit, we planned a packed 24-hour food tour and our local friends G and Sanda approved every stop. This guide brings that trip together with favorites from an earlier visit, including HK BBQ Master, the place we'd make room for every time. Here's what we ordered, what we loved, and how we'd group the stops so you spend more time eating.
Plan your meals.
If you only have one day
Pick one area and two main meals. In Vancouver, we'd build around Phnom Penh, then add Le Pho or Dynasty depending on whether you want pho or dim sum. Leave room for an egg waffle on Robson. These stops are spread out, so allow time to travel between neighborhoods.
Make Richmond its own food day
Start with dim sum at Fisherman's Terrace in Aberdeen Centre, stop at Harmony Bakery nearby, then make HK BBQ Master your other main meal. Choose hot pot instead if that's your priority; doing both will take a serious appetite.
Before a flight from YVR
Neptune Noodle House at McArthurGlen is our airport-area pick for wonton noodle soup. It's outside the terminal: leave time to get back to the airport, check in, and clear security.
Where we ate.
HK BBQ Master
4651 No. 3 Road, Richmond · beneath SuperstoreCantonese barbecue · our essential stop
Get: The three-meat rice plate: char siu, crispy roast pork, and soy sauce chicken; greens on the side.
This is the one we said we'd want every time we came back. Lisa had already been with friends and brought Peter because he loves Chinese barbecue, especially pork. The char siu was soft through the fatty parts with a glaze that wasn't overly sweet. The roast pork had crisp skin without tearing up the roof of your mouth, and it was savory without feeling super oily. Then the soy sauce chicken surprised us: we nearly skipped it, but ended up unable to choose a favorite of the three. Get all three if you can.
Plan your visit: It was cash-only with fewer than ten tables when we visited. Bring Canadian cash and check hours before making the trip.
Phnom Penh
244 E Georgia Street, Vancouver · ChinatownCambodian and Vietnamese
Get: Butter beef, garlic chicken wings with the citrus dipping sauce, and beef luc lac with a fried egg.
We'd wanted to try this for years. The butter beef is thinly sliced, nearly raw beef with herbs and a tangy dressing; mixing everything together gives you sweetness, acidity, garlic, and so much flavor in each bite. G said it's one of the few dishes he'll line up for, and we understood after the first plate. The chicken wings were light and crisp, and the citrus sauce made us want our own dipping bowls. The saucy, tender beef luc lac with egg was comforting too, but the butter beef and wings were the two we couldn't choose between.
Plan your visit: We waited about an hour on our visit. Build some flexibility into your day rather than booking the next meal too tightly.
Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
108-777 W Broadway, Vancouver · FairviewCantonese dim sum · earlier trip
Get: Siu mai, shrimp dumplings, pan-fried turnip cake, and pan-fried chive-and-shrimp dumplings.
This was our dim sum stop on the older trip, and we came away understanding the hype. The seafood had a lot of umami, the shrimp dumpling wrapper had a satisfying sticky texture, and the turnip cake was packed with daikon instead of mostly flour. The chive-and-shrimp dumplings had a pan-fried bottom that reminded us of gyoza. It felt like a splurge for dim sum, but we thought the quality justified it. We'd bring friends here.
Plan your visit: Reserve ahead for dim sum. The restaurant currently lists lunch from 10am to 3pm; check its site for changes.
Le Pho
2503 E Hastings Street, Vancouver · Hastings-SunriseFamily-run Vietnamese
Get: Lemongrass chicken pho and a banh mi dac biet; the pork banh mi was G's favorite.
A viewer recommended it, and it turned out to be G's longtime neighborhood favorite too. Try the broth before adding anything: the chicken and crispy garlic gave it a deep, garlicky flavor, with green onions and lemongrass coming through. The chicken itself was tender enough that we joked they must be doing something illegal back there. The banh mi had a good balance of vegetables and meat, with bread that had crunch without hurting your mouth. We took the piece we couldn't finish to go.
Plan your visit: This is on East Hastings, away from downtown Robson Street. Plan it as a separate meal stop.
Eggette House · Robson
1194 Robson Street, Vancouver · West EndHong Kong-style bubble waffles
Get: The black sesame waffle with black sesame mochi filling. We also tried tiramisu.
The black sesame filling was like lava, so give it a moment before biting in. The mochi was bouncy and sweet, with a strong sesame flavor that made this the clear winner for us. The tiramisu version tasted more cocoa-forward and was good too, but it didn't burst with flavor the way the sesame one did. An easy snack to share while you're downtown.
Plan your visit: Use the Robson address for the branch we visited. Eggette House also lists a separate Richmond Public Market location.
ChoCho Hot Pot · Burnaby
4361 Kingsway #4A, BurnabyAll-you-can-eat hot pot · latest trip
Get: Individual pork or spicy broth, sliced meats, and a few prepared dishes. Save room for an egg tart.
Lisa had wanted to come for a long time, and there were almost too many options. We liked having individual pots, flavorful broth, and the freedom to try things without pricing out every plate. Even the dim sum was good. Peter found curry, which made him very happy, and the egg tart at the end was surprisingly flaky for an all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurant. We used the full two-hour seating window and finished everything.
Plan your visit: The quoted price was $53 per person during filming. Treat that as a visit snapshot and check today's menu, soup charges, and seating rules.
Fisherman's Terrace Seafood Restaurant
Suite 3580, Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, RichmondCantonese dim sum · latest trip
Get: Har gow, lo mai gai with salted egg, pan-fried turnip cake, and shrimp-stuffed eggplant.
The shrimp was the star: bouncy, naturally sweet, and delicious in the har gow. Our other favorite was the little lotus-leaf sticky rice parcel, with tender chicken, shrimp, mushroom, and salted egg. The turnip cake had Chinese sausage and dried-shrimp flavor without feeling too greasy. We'd skip the spare ribs next time because they were too bony for us. We arrived around 11:30am and waited about five minutes for two, but that was our experience rather than a promise of a short line. Our bill came to $61.22.
Plan your visit: Go at lunch for dim sum. The official site lists lunch from 10am to 3pm; reservations are available by phone.
Harmony Bakery
4231 Hazelbridge Way, RichmondChinese bakery
Get: The classic steamed rice pudding / rice cake (put chai ko).
Lisa finally found one of her favorite childhood snacks here. The rice pudding was squishy, chewy, and only slightly sweet, and we'd had a hard time finding it back home in LA. They had the plain version when we visited. The woman at the counter was so kind that she let us pay in US dollars, but we'd bring Canadian cash next time rather than count on that.
Plan your visit: A small snack stop near Aberdeen Centre. Ask what's available that day.
The Dolar Shop · Richmond
Unit 720, 5300 No. 3 Road, Richmond · Lansdowne CentreIndividual hot pot · earlier trip
Get: Ribeye, lamb, shrimp paste, vegetables, and a split spicy-and-silver broth.
Our earlier hot pot meal felt high quality from the meat to the service. Lisa had tried the brand in Seattle and wanted Peter to experience it. The ribeye was tender, the shrimp paste was a favorite, and making our own dipping sauces was part of the fun. Peter's simple sauce was mostly garlic, green onions, pepper oil, and salt. We were already full from eating all day and still finished everything. Pick this if you want the hot pot meal we loved on the older trip; ChoCho is the all-you-can-eat experience from our return visit.
Plan your visit: Check the current menu and reserve the Richmond branch. Offers and pricing can differ by location and time.
Neptune Noodle House · McArthurGlen
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, 7899 Templeton Station Road, RichmondWonton noodles · before the airport
Get: Wonton noodle soup; fish congee if you want something lighter alongside it.
Lisa had been thinking about Neptune's wonton noodle soup since a previous late arrival in Richmond. We were relieved to find a branch at the outlet mall before heading to the airport. The broth was savory and seafood-forward, and the wontons were meaty and juicy. The fish congee was light, but the wontons were the reason we'd come back. This was a very happy last meal.
Plan your visit: The outlet branch has shopping-centre hours. The late-night restaurant Lisa remembered was a different branch; don't assume this one stays open late.
Cowdog
1927 W 4th Avenue, Vancouver · current listed locationCoffee
Get: An iced coffee, even in the rain.
Peter stopped in for coffee on the latest trip and thought it was really good. We didn't need elaborate plans for every stop: sometimes an iced coffee, shorts, and Vancouver rain were enough. It's a useful coffee break if you're spending time around West 4th.
Plan your visit: Check the current location and menu before visiting; addresses can change between trips.
Good to know before you go
- This guide combines two visits. The latest video follows a packed 24-hour itinerary; the older favorites weren't all part of that same day.
- Vancouver, Richmond, and Burnaby are separate cities in Metro Vancouver. Group your meals by area instead of treating this list as a walkable route.
- The C$61.22 dim sum bill is from our visit, not a current menu quote. The hot pot price is also historical; confirm current prices and what is included before booking.
- Pack a waterproof layer. We had rain, and an hour waiting for a table feels longer if you're cold.
- G also took us to Nemesis Coffee, where we enjoyed black sesame and ube lattes. Check the current menu before going specifically for those drinks; Nemesis has multiple locations around the Vancouver area.