There’s no shortage of excellent Chinese restaurants in Vancouver. From soup dumplings worth slurping to mounds of morning dim sum, you can eat your way through the eclectic cuisine of China without leaving the Vancouver city limits.
- SEE ALSO: Best Dim Sum in Richmond
Here are our picks (in no particular order) for the best Chinese restaurants in Vancouver.
Peaceful Restaurant
Beef roll at Peaceful Restaurant (Photo by La Belle Province/Flickr)
You may have seen Peaceful Restaurant on a certain food TV show (and Peaceful isn’t shy about mentioning it, too), but many agree the attention to this restaurant is well-deserved. Featuring the cuisine of northern China, Peaceful is beloved for their beef roll, as well as their noodles (hand-pulled, knife cut, Dan-Dan, you name it).
Address/Phone
#110-532 W. Broadway (604) 879-9878
43 East 5th Avenue (604) 559-9511
2394 4th Avenue (604) 559-9533
Website: peacefulrestaurant.com
Peninsula Seafood Restaurant
This is a bright, busy, modern Chinese restaurant inside Oakridge Mall. The restaurant is the first Canadian venture for its parent company, a China-based restaurant group. They definitely take some bold liberties with plating (heart-shaped jellies, anyone?) and their menu veers off into strange territory (sushi?!) but in 2014 Peninsula nabbed two diners’ choice Chinese Restaurant awards (Best Fine Dining and Best Service), so they have a loyal following for their dim sum and other dishes.
Address: #140-650 W. 41st Ave (Oakridge)
Phone: (604) 428-9999
Website: bandao.ca
Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie
Photo via Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie/Facebook
Bao Bei’s food veers towards contemporary and upscale, and some dishes draw from the influence of other cuisines without being “fusion.” This dinner-only restaurant’s menu is full of dishes designed to share, made with sustainable seafood, free range eggs, and organic meats. Despite Bao Bei’s emphatic modernity, there’s a handmade feel to their carefully-crafted food, from their dumplings and “schnacks” to their noodles and entrees.
Address: 163 Keefer St
Phone: (604) 688-0876
Website: bao-bei.ca
Long’s Noodle House
This 10-seater hole in the way beckons Chinese food fans from afar. With their calling card dishes, like their Xiao Long Bao (“Steamed Mini Pork Buns”) and drunken (or wine) chicken, Long’s is the stuff local legends are made of.
Address: 4853 Main Street
Phone: (604) 879-7879
Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
Dim Sum at Dynasty Seafood (Photo by iwona_kellie/Flickr)
Dynasty, open since 2009, has won awards for their high-end Chinese food and dim sum. It’s one of those pricier Chinese restaurants with big seafood tanks, crowded dining room, dazzling presentation, and iffy service.
Address: 108-777 West Broadway
Phone: (604) 876-8388
Website: dynasty-restaurant.ca
Flamingo Restaurant
If you’re of a certain age and have been in Vancouver awhile, your family may have had special occasion meals at Flamingo. Known for their “banquet style” Chinese food, Flamingo has been a mainstay in the Lower Mainland for over thirty years. They do dim sum, too, but you may just want to grab a few friends or relatives to help you clear plates of honey garlic spareribs or their lettuce wrap.
Address: 7510 Cambie Street, Marpole
Phone: (604) 325-4511
Website: flamingorestaurant.com
Legendary Noodle House
Legendary Noodles (Photo by Jessica Spengler/Flickr)
Head to the West End’s Legendary Noodle House to watch your noodles being stretched and pulled right there on the spot in their open kitchen. Noodles are served up in three widths (thick, thin, or flat), and in a variety of dishes, from fried to soup, with various sauces. Tibetan Lamb Shank with fried noodles or noodles with their creamy peanut sauce are popular options.
Address: 1074 Denman St., West End
Phone: (604) 669-8551
Website: legendarynoodle.ca
Kirin Restaurant
Kirin Restaurant (Photo by Lisa Pinehill/Flickr)
Kirin is often among the top options for Vancouver’s dim sum enthusiasts, thanks to their modest selection of well-known staples. It’s a little on the pricey side (and their service will always get mixed reviews), but their steamed dumplings–particularly the shrimp–tend to draw raves.
Address/Phone:
South Cambie: 2nd Floor, 555 W. 12th Ave. (604) 879-8038
West End: 102–1166 Alberni St./(604)682-8833
Website: kirinrestaurants.com
NingTu Restaurant
Shredded pork with chili & garlic sauce at Ningtu (Photo by Ningtu Restaurant 寧都飯店/Facebook)
You’ll find Shanghai-style Chinese classics here at this Kensington-Cedar Cottage joint. Beef rolls, pan fried dumplings, and pan fried rice cakes are among the most popular dishes. Their fried Chinese Donut is a favourite for brunch time diners.
Address: 2130 Kingsway, Kensington-Cedar Cottage
Phone: (604) 438-6669
Website: ningtu.ca
Landmark Hotpot House
Photo via Renee Yi/Landmark Hotpot 春秋火鍋 on Facebook
Hailed as Vancouver’s best Chinese hotpot restaurant, Landmark Hotpot House’s food is top-notch. The restaurant keeps customers coming back for more of their delicious soup bases, in which diners dunk a variety of high quality meat, seafood, and veggies. Go for the geoduck, or feast on the fatty beef (or for the intrepid, there are lots of intestines to ingest), just be prepared to open your wallet wide; the city’s best hotpot doesn’t come cheap.
Address: 4023 Cambie Street
Phone: (604) 872-2868
Website: landmarkhotpot.com
Featured image: Table at Chinese restaurant/Shutterstock
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