Street Hawker's new turbo-charged concept brings major flavour to Vancouver

Among the many exciting things taking place along this particular block of Cambie Street, including the soon-to-open Park Theatre and Paragon Tea Room, Street Hawker Turbo is making a name for itself as the turbo-charged version of its sister restaurant on Main Street.

In October, both co-owners, Justin Cheung and Dominic Sa, made the difficult decision to close their other restaurant, Potluck Hawker Eatery, and convert it into this new outpost for their burger brand.

“We launched our hawker-inspired eatery in the summer of 2020, a time when the future of restaurants was uncertain,” shared the restaurant on Instagram at the time of the closure.”Despite the additional hurdles of opening during a pandemic, Potluck became more than just a place for rice bowls and fried chicken sandwiches—it became a cornerstone for the community.”

Like many, we were sad to hear the news that Potluck would be closing. Thankfully, some Potluck favourites have remained on the menu here (some of which you won’t find at its sister location).

Specifically, we were elated to find that the Salted Egg Chicken Sando had been carried over. A must order when going to Potluck, and the same remains true at Street Hawker Turbo.

Additionally, Potluck’s beloved wings have also made a comeback, available in both salted egg yolk and caramel fish sauce varieties.

But nostalgia isn’t the only reason you should visit; there are some new and exciting offerings to be had as well.

In addition to the new, purple neon lighting and video game-inspired decked-out interior, some new burgers have also joined the menu.

If you’re looking for something with a bit of kick to it, an easy recommendation would be the Pad Kro Pow!, a handheld topped with black pepper sauce, chilli garlic, Thai basil, and a sunny-side-up egg. Beware, this is a messy sandwich, but it is so worth the extra napkins.

During our visit, Sai explained that the burger was inspired by the Thai dish of Pad Kra Pao, stir-fried beef on rice. However, he did assure us that they toned down the spice a bit from the original dish, so there’s no need to worry if it’s too spicy.

Another new sandwich is the Filet-O Sally — Street Hawker Turbo’s take on a popular fast food sandwich with a similar name (we’ll let you connect the dots on that one).

However, unlike its fast food counterpart, the team has given the sandwich their own unique spin. Crispy salmon katsu is topped with a tobiko tartar sauce to create one of the top fish sandos in the city.

Those with a sweet tooth are in luck, too, with Street Hawker Turbo’s selection of milkshakes in flavours like pandan, Milo, and Thai tea.

Street Hawker Turbo officially opened its doors on Dec. 19. You can visit the restaurant daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Street Hawker Turbo

Address: 3424 Cambie St., Vancouver

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