10 Must-Try Restaurants in Vancouver’s Chinatown

Look for the “Happy Valley Turf Club” and place a bet on King Louie to enter Bagheera, a Jungle Book-inspired speakeasy serving pakoras, curries and cocktails.

• Cuisine: Inventive cocktails & Indian-inspired small plates
• Vibe: Dark and glittering, with storybook details and vintage lighting
• What to eat: Pakoras (but you’re probably here for the drinks)

Catch up with an old friend or two over dumplings, pickles, small plates and excellent cocktails at Bao Bei, Chinese for “precious.” The intimate space features suspended paper parasols, cane-backed chairs and floral accents.

• Cuisine: Modern Chinese small plates
• Vibe: Busy spot with delicate vintage touches
• What to eat: Beef tartare with preserved mustard root, crispy shallot, ginger, quail egg, watercress, burnt scallion oil and taro chips

With its checkered floors, schoolhouse lights and red vinyl chairs, Chinatown BBQ feels like it could have been here for decades. Opened in 2018 by Carol Lee, founder of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, the spot pays tribute to the spirit of historic Chinatown, with delicious food at accessible prices and staff hired from previous Chinatown businesses.

• Cuisine: Traditional Hong Kong-style barbecue (siu mei)
• Vibe: Nostalgic Hong Kong café style with a modern touch
• What to eat: Tender roasted pork with crispy skin

Slurp down a lunchtime noodle bowl, stock up on locally produced foods or sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) bag at Harvest Community Foods. Run by Chefs Andrea Carlson (Burdock & Co) and Gabriella Meyer, this sustainability-focused grocery store and cafe features a cozy dining space and baskets brimming with local produce.

• Cuisine: Comforting Asian-inspired noodle soups plus cookies and organic groceries
• Vibe: Small, light-filled space with natural materials
• What to eat: Ramen with squash and miso broth, yuzu radish and sesame

Find Southern fried chicken, Vietnamese-inspired pork ribs and sides in a fun atmosphere at Juke Fried Chicken. Their chicken is non-GMO, grain fed and free range, and the fry batter is gluten free. Also available at their sister restaurant, The Chickadee Room, a cocktail lounge and snack bar next door.

• Cuisine: Fried chicken
• Vibe: Casual and chatty, with poured concrete floors and a small patio
• What to eat: Chicken and jalapeno cheddar waffles topped with pickled jalapenos, schmaltz, and chipotle maple drizzle

Ascend a narrow staircase to a scenic perch above Chinatown at Kissa Tanto, a Michelin-starred restaurant serving Italian food with Japanese influences. Not sure where to start? Opt for the omakase tasting menu.

• Cuisine: Japanese Italian
• Vibe: Moody lighting, statement banquettes, thoughtful plating, excellent service
• What to eat: Tajarin, a thin, homemade pasta served with butter, roasted mushrooms and miso cured yolk

Don’t come through Chinatown without a stop at New Town Bakery and Restaurant, founded here in 1980. It’s worth the wait to grab a few of their famous steamed pork buns to take away, or opt to dine in to enjoy an extensive menu of Chinese classics.

• Cuisine: Chinese and Filipino baked goods
• Vibe: Busy, no frills spot with reasonable prices and generous portions
• What to eat: Steamed BBQ pork buns

In case you haven’t heard, pizza is not on the menu at Pizza Coming Soon, a cheeky Japanese snack bar. The eclectic offerings run the gamut from elevated Izakaya fare to unexpected experiments like a Big Mac Bao or an ice cream sandwich with miso caramel, chocolate covered oreo crust and matcha powder.

• Cuisine: Japanese snack bar
• Vibe: Retro vibes with bright colours and clean lines
• What to eat: House-made gnocchi with pickled shimeji mushrooms, tomato brown butter miso sauce and furikake

Grab a delicious sandwich to go at Say Hey Cafe & Deli, where ingredients are fresh, house-made is the norm and vegetarian options are plentiful. Don’t forget a triple chocolate brown butter cookie for dessert.

• Cuisine: Sandwich shop
• Vibe: Casual, no-frills space with a handful of tables
• What to eat: Signature meatball hoagie with San Marzano tomato sauce, provolone, confit garlic mayo, arugula, pickled serrano peppers and parmesan

Sister restaurant to SUYO near Mount Pleasant, UCHU Cevicheria & Raw Bar serves a menu of upscale Peruvian seafood dishes with a focus on ceviche and tiraditos (kind of like sashimi).

• Cuisine: Peruvian seafood
• Vibe: Brick walls, cascading plants, and a long marble bar
• What to eat: Sablefish Nikkei on a bed of risotto with a creamy Peruvian-Japanese sauce with kelp, cashews, red chiles and black mint chimichurri

If you’re craving authentic Mexican street food, head to Los Sapos Tacos for tacos, quesadillas, flan and imported sodas. Mexican-owned, Mexican-cheffed, and open until 11 p.m. or later for your late-night dining needs.

• Cuisine: Mexican street food
• Vibe: Small spot with folding chairs and plenty of “graffiti” on the walls
• What to eat: Birria tacos (braised beef in a spicy stew)