The Top Places to Eat in Vancouver: The Chinese Food Edition
The Chinese minority in Vancouver traces its roots back to Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. For over 150 years, they have formed an integral part of the city, leaving a lasting mark on the architecture, culture, and cuisine of Western Canada. Their legacy is prevalent across the entire spectrum, but nowhere more so than on our taste buds. Widely regarded as the top destination for Asian food in North America, the city hosts a wide range of restaurants serving Asian delicacies from affordable dim sum shops run by traditional families to high-end dining in the CBD.
If you’re looking for the top places to eat in Vancouver, these Chinese food options are a must-have.
Sun Sui Wah
Consistently ranked as one of the best in the city by local magazines and food critics, Sun Sui Wah is a classy dining establishment with roots in Hong Kong. In a city full of world-class dim sum places, this one stands out. One of the most happening places in all of Chinatown, Sun Sui Wah serves a variety of dishes, with its squab being one of the most famous. The fresh seafood is worth the higher end price.
Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie
Another Chinatown mainstay, Bao Bei serves a range of delectable dishes in the traditional Chinese sharing style. Small plates meant to be shared amongst the diners are served in an intimate dining room. The dinner menu is full of flavours from Taiwan and Sichuan, but they incorporate modern dining from Canada and elsewhere into their table fare. They also have a penchant for making libations for dinner, their stiff cocktails being famous around the city.
Legendary Noodle House
It’s hard to leave a restaurant off of this list when its name starts with legend. There’s no hyperbole in the name either. To the restaurant, noodles represent longevity, which you will have if you consume any of their healthy lunch bowls regularly. The noodles are reportedly made by hand, and the authentic waterwheel and Chinese lanterns at the front make you feel like you really are in the Far East. With exotic dishes such as Tibetan Lamb Shank and Chao Shou and prices that can’t be beat, Legendary rounds out our list as the most affordable and excellent option.
If you’re coming to British Columbia or are a local looking for some great new places to eat, then you have to try one of the top places to eat in Vancouver’s thriving Chinese food scene. The rich cultural heritage of the city’s Asian population is best summed up in the wide range of eateries serving food to hordes of hungry Vancouverites. If we weren’t so busy cleaning the exteriors of homes in the Vancouver area, Diamond Clean’s staff would probably be in Chinatown every day for lunch!
