Vancouver, BC - places to eat

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29 July 2010
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Folks:


I will be in Vancouver staying by the convention center from 7/31 to 8/3.

I'm looking for recommendations for restaurants as follows:

- Japanese
- Chinese
- seafood (raw bar
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- Vancouver/BC specialties

The place can be a hole in the wall as long as the food merits it.

What can you recommend? Name, address and comments please. General directions (i.e. SkyTrain from City Centre to xxx station) would help as well since I don't expect I'll be driving.
Thanks!
 
Japanese - Dan restaurant on Broadway
Small, expensive but worth it!

Jim
 
Unfortunately, I don't know a lot of good restaurants downtown. I tend to avoid downtown because of the traffic and congestion. However, there are a lot of good food carts downtown, including the famous Japa-dog. Best thing is to just explore downtown.

For Japanese, there is a sushi restaurant on just about every corner. Most are good, because of the competition, bad restaurants don't last. Whenever I go to court downtown, I usually have lunch at the Kimono restaurant on Smithe and Hornby. They have decent food. If you are willing to travel outside of downtown, there is also a small restaurant on Oak and 21st Avenue called Tokiwa that have some interesting "Creation" rolls. However, this place fills up fast during lunch time. You can order to go.

For Chinese, my two favourite restaurants are Kirin and Szechuan Chongqing. There are several Kirin restaurants, including one downtown at 1172 Alberni Street. Szechuan Chongqing is on West Broadway, one block west of Granville Street (1668 W. Broadway). Or, you can take the Canada Line skytrain all the way to Richmond, which is essentially an entire chinese city. There, you can pretty much take your pick.

For Seafood, there is Monk McQueens on False Creek, near the Cambie Street Bridge. I also like the Boathouse Restuarant. They have several locations, including one near Stanley Park.

If you like East Indian food, I highly recommend Vij's Restaurant on Granville and 11th Avenue. Be warned, they don't take reservations and they always have a line-up to get in. Their lamb chops are to die for. Other restaurants I like include the Banana Leaf which is a Malaysian restaurant. They are on the 800 block of West Broadway. Their seafood pasta with spicy tumeric sauce is fabulous, and if it is in season, I like their mango sticky rice desert.

If you are planning on using public transit, go to www.translink.ca for trip planning.

Oh yeah, if you like AYCE (all you can eat) Japanese and Korean food, try the Shabusen. Again there are several locations, including one downtown (755 Burrard Street) and one on Granville and 14th Avenue. You give up quality for quantity, but the korean barbeque is fabulous.

Another thought: I am assuming you are looking for authentic Chinese food, not "American" Chinese food. I lived in Albuquerque for a year, and the so-called "authentic Chinese restaurants" there served some incredible abominations. Seriously, you call that Chow Mein?
 
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Honestly there are COUNTLESS of amazing restaurants all over Vancouver and Richmond for Japanese, Chinese, and Seafood.

Gimme some time to think of some of the best.

I think we have one of the best places in the world for variety of authentic cuisine due to our diverse demographic.
 
If you want Japanese food make sure you go to a Japanese owned and operated retaurant like Dan or Tojo's.

There are many many Chinese owned and operated Japanese style restaurants in Vancouver. Some are good but they tend to serve slightly different food than a true Japanese restaurant.

Jim
 
For wontons, try McKim Wonton Mein Saga in Richmond.
 
My choices off the top of my head in Downtown area (as others have pointed out the array is staggering here but I'll try to keep it simple)


- Japanese sushi - Miko sushi, Robson st.
- Japanese other - Gyoza king or Hapa Izakaya both on Robson
- Chinese low end - Hons, Chinatown (super low end but incredible = kent's kitchen Chinatown - LOL)
- Chinese high end - Kirin, Alberni st.
- seafood (raw bar) - Joe Fortes thurlow
- Vancouver/BC specialties:

- Bridges, Grandville Island

- Sand Bar Grandville Island

- Top of Vancouver, hastings

- Cloud 9, Robson

- Lift, Menchions mews

- Cin Cin, Robson (my old fave)

- Bluwater, yaletown

The list could go for days, you need 6 mos. and $80K to try them all...
 
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Folks,

Thanks for all the recommendations. What great weather we had in Vancouver last week! We left just as the heat wave was rolling in.

We ended up sampling the following (limited due to schedule):

- Kirin (downtown)
- Coast
- Sun Sui Wah (Richmond)
- Hon's (Chinatown)

We would have tried Kent's Kitchen if not for the long line. The place reminded me of the eateries in Taiwan, mainly near the colleges and universities where you could (back in the early 80s) eat for under US$2 IIRC.

And angus is right: we would need 6 months to be able to try everything!

Thanks again!
Rene
 
go to octopus garden and visit sada-san, sit at the bar, he is awesome!!! :wink:
 
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