FAMILY TIME IN CHINATOWN
It’s hard to overstate just how important food is in Chinese culture. ‘Have you eaten yet?’ is a common greeting among family and friends. Whole weekends are built around family foody time, both shopping for treats and provisions as well as sitting down to enjoy huge, boisterous restaurants meals. It’s a given that every generation possible will be present at the table. No one is left out. So pull up a seat and grab some chopsticks, it’s time to eat!
CHINATOWN BBQ
130 E PENDER STREET 604-428-2626
Chinatown used to be full of BBQ shops where families would take out orders of burnished roast pork, lacquered ducks and tender poached chickens. Chinatown BBQ is one of the few remaining shops left with a beautiful full-service restaurant attached. The room is a tribute to Chinatown’s past while providing an inclusive space to ensure long time neighbourhood residents continue to have access to the best BBQ in the future. As good as take out Chinese BBQ is, nothing beats the immediacy of sitting down and enjoying roast BBQ duck over a bowl of thick rice noodles. The clean broth becomes imbued with the scent of savory spices and the noodles slippery with duck fat. Don’t forget about their superlative curried beef stew, tender poached chicken, and BBQ pork fried rice — all of which are absolutely glorious.
PHNOM PENH
244 E GEORGIA STREET 604-734-8898
*Michelin Bib Gourmand
A Chinatown favourite since 1982, this humble, family-owned restaurant serves classic Vietnamese and Cambodian dishes that regularly attract long lineups and have made visiting celebrities— including the late Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain—swoon. Their famous chicken wings, fried in a whisper-thin batter and tossed with aromatic ginger-garlic chips, is the gold standard for local chefs. Don’t miss the butter beef, thinly sliced into meltingly tender sheets and drowned in a vibrant pool of herbaceous nuoc cham. Oh, and the black-pepper squid. Or the various versions of meatballs. And the BBQ brochettes. The menu is long, but it’s hard to go wrong.
JADE DYNASTY
137 E PENDER STREET 604-683-8816
A must try dim sum spot in the heart of Chinatown, Jade Dynasty offers a delectable selection. Whether it’s shrimp dumplings, siu mai, salty egg yolk lava buns, or other traditional Cantonese wok fried dishes, they are all tasty candidates of traditional Cantonese food. Their attentive service also reminds diners of the cozy and approachable atmosphere that Chinatown is known for.
FLOATA SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
180 KEEFER ST 604-602-0368
Floata is Chinatown’s only true dim sum palace and large scale restaurant with a full classic Chinese kitchen. Every morsel of food served is made in house - and weekend dim sum service recalls the giant dim sum feasts that many older Vancouverites remember from their childhood. Given the lightness of modern Cantonese dishes, it is rare that diners will have starches during the main meal and order noodles at the end instead. The beef chow fun is a definite favourite here. Long considered a litmus test dish – the noodles have to be fresh and snappy, well imbued with sweet soy, tender and rich beef, and the whole dish alive with wok hei. Floata’s version passes this test with flying colours.
TATOS KITCHEN
232 KEEFER STREET 604-416-5445
The ready to take home offerings at TATOS KITCHEN are an essential to the many long time Chinatown residents. Hot, fresh and value priced dishes for those don’t to cook traditional multi course Chinese meals at home. The menu leans into big Guangdong flavours and the pan fried sticky rice is packed with cured meats, eggs, and shrimp - with a superb toothsome chewiness. Certainly, a go-to place to pick up delicious dishes for building an easygoing and satisfying family meal.
MAMALEE CHINATOWN
186 KEEFER PLACE 604 900 9800
Mamalee’s Malaysian classics have built a cult-like following over the years, and their first foray into Chinatown builds on some of the best Hainan Chicken in the city. Slightly cool, skin on, boneless pieces of chicken served with a pile of chicken stock scented rice and a sweet spicy sauce. The luscious texture of the chicken is nearly just about perfect, and a selection of laksas and Malaysian rice dishes are sure to please everyone.