Top Restaurants in Vancouver by Cuisine
Vancouver is one of the most diverse places to eat in North America, and this guide maps 69 cuisines across eight world regions so you can jump straight to the best restaurants for whatever you are craving.
The city sits on the Pacific Rim, and generations of newcomers from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Latin America have shaped how it eats. You can have dim sum in Richmond for breakfast, Persian kabobs in North Vancouver for lunch and Ethiopian injera on Commercial Drive for dinner. The Michelin Guide has covered Vancouver since 2022, but many of the city’s best meals still come from family-run spots in strip malls and side streets.
How to use this guide: each cuisine below links to its own page with our top restaurant picks, what to order and where to find them. Regions are listed roughly by how big their dining scene is in Metro Vancouver. Where a cuisine is mostly found outside the City of Vancouver, such as in Richmond, Burnaby, Surrey or the North Shore, we say so.
Jump to a region: East Asian · Southeast Asian · South Asian · Middle Eastern and Central Asian · African · European · Latin American and Caribbean · North American and Pacific
East Asian Restaurants
East Asian food is the backbone of Vancouver dining, and Richmond is widely considered one of the best places outside Asia for Chinese food. Downtown’s Robson Street adds a dense cluster of Japanese and Korean spots.
| Cuisine | Where to look | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Restaurants | Richmond, Chinatown, Kingsway, Metrotown | Regional dishes from across China, hot pot, hand-made dumplings |
| Cantonese Restaurants | Richmond, Cambie Street, Chinatown | Dim sum, roast duck and BBQ pork, live-tank seafood |
| Sichuan (Szechuan) Restaurants | Richmond, Downtown, Burnaby | Mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, water-boiled fish, mala dry pot |
| Taiwanese Restaurants | Richmond, Kingsway, Burnaby | Beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken, braised pork rice, bubble tea |
| Hong Kong Style Cafés | Richmond, Kingsway, Main Street | Milk tea, pineapple buns, baked pork chop rice, French toast |
| Japanese Restaurants | Robson and Denman, Downtown, Kitsilano | Sushi and omakase, ramen, izakaya plates, the locally born BC roll |
| Korean Restaurants | Robson Street, Coquitlam’s North Road, Burnaby | Korean BBQ, fried chicken, soondubu stew, bibimbap |
| Mongolian Restaurants | Scattered across the region | Buuz and khuushuur dumplings, plus Mongolian-style grill buffets |
Vancouver is also widely credited as the birthplace of the California roll, created by a local Japanese chef in the 1970s.
Southeast Asian Restaurants
Vietnamese pho shops are on almost every major street, while Filipino, Malaysian and Cambodian kitchens reward a short trip into East Vancouver, Richmond or Surrey. Some smaller cuisines, like Laotian and Burmese, often appear as pop-ups or on shared menus.
| Cuisine | Where to look | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnamese Restaurants | Kingsway, Fraser Street, Richmond, Surrey | Pho, banh mi, bun bo Hue, broken rice plates |
| Thai Restaurants | Downtown, Main Street, Commercial Drive, Kitsilano | Khao soi, boat noodles, green curry, papaya salad |
| Filipino Restaurants | Joyce–Collingwood, Surrey, Richmond | Lechon, sisig, chicken adobo, halo-halo |
| Malaysian Restaurants | Downtown, Richmond, Burnaby | Laksa, nasi lemak, roti canai, char kway teow |
| Singaporean Restaurants | Downtown, Richmond, often on Malaysian menus | Hainanese chicken rice, chili crab, kaya toast |
| Indonesian Restaurants | Scattered across Vancouver and Burnaby | Beef rendang, nasi goreng, satay, gado-gado |
| Cambodian Restaurants | Chinatown, East Vancouver | Phnom Penh noodle soup, butter beef, garlic chicken wings, fish amok |
| Laotian Restaurants | Pop-ups and shared Thai or Lao menus | Larb, sticky rice, Lao sausage, khao piak noodle soup |
| Burmese Restaurants | Pop-ups and a handful of small cafés | Tea leaf salad, mohinga, khao suey |
Chinatown’s long-running Cambodian-Vietnamese kitchens are a local institution, and their chicken wings have a cult following.
South Asian Restaurants
The Punjabi Market on Main Street near 49th Avenue is the historic heart of South Asian food in Vancouver, and Surrey now has one of the largest South Asian dining scenes in Canada. Expect everything from sweet shops and dhabas to modern fine dining.
| Cuisine | Where to look | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Restaurants | Punjabi Market, Surrey, South Granville, Downtown | Butter chicken, thali, dosa, chaat, tandoori |
| Pakistani Restaurants | Surrey, Burnaby, Fraser Street | Nihari, karahi, biryani, haleem, seekh kebab |
| Nepalese Restaurants | Spread across Vancouver and Burnaby | Momos, dal bhat, thukpa, chow mein |
| Bangladeshi Restaurants | Surrey, Burnaby | Kacchi biryani, bhuna khichuri, mustard fish curry |
Middle Eastern and Central Asian Restaurants
North Vancouver’s Lonsdale Avenue is the centre of Persian food in the region, with kabob houses, bakeries and grocery stores side by side. Lebanese and Turkish spots are found citywide, while Uzbek and Uyghur kitchens cluster in Richmond and Burnaby.
| Cuisine | Where to look | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Persian (Iranian) Restaurants | North Vancouver, Coquitlam | Koobideh kabob, tahdig, ghormeh sabzi, saffron ice cream |
| Afghan Restaurants | Burnaby, Surrey, North Vancouver | Kabuli palaw, mantu dumplings, bolani |
| Turkish Restaurants | Downtown, Kitsilano, North Vancouver | Doner, pide, lahmacun, kofte, baklava |
| Lebanese Restaurants | Citywide | Mezze, chicken shawarma, manakish, mixed grill |
| Syrian Restaurants | Burnaby, Surrey, Downtown | Shawarma, kibbeh, fatteh, Syrian sweets |
| Armenian Restaurants | North Vancouver, Burnaby | Khorovats barbecue, lahmajun, manti, dolma |
| Uzbek Restaurants | Richmond, Burnaby, Downtown | Plov, samsa, lagman noodles, shashlik |
| Uyghur (Xinjiang) Restaurants | Richmond, Burnaby | Big plate chicken, hand-pulled laghman, cumin lamb skewers, polo |
African Restaurants
Commercial Drive and Main Street are the go-to streets for Ethiopian and Eritrean food, best shared family-style over injera. West African kitchens are smaller in number but growing, especially in Surrey and East Vancouver.
| Cuisine | Where to look | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopian Restaurants | Commercial Drive, Main Street | Veggie combo on injera, doro wat, kitfo, coffee ceremony |
| Eritrean Restaurants | Commercial Drive, East Vancouver | Zigni, shiro, tsebhi, injera platters |
| Moroccan Restaurants | Downtown, Kitsilano | Tagine, couscous, pastilla, mint tea |
| Egyptian Restaurants | Burnaby, Downtown | Koshari, ful medames, ta’ameya falafel, hawawshi |
| Nigerian and West African Restaurants | Surrey, Burnaby, East Vancouver | Jollof rice, suya, egusi soup with pounded yam, puff-puff |
European Restaurants
Commercial Drive, known locally as Little Italy, and West Broadway in Kitsilano, home of the city’s historic Greek community, anchor Vancouver’s European dining. Gastown and Yaletown add French bistros, Spanish tapas bars and pubs, while Eastern European comfort food often shows up at community halls and family delis.
| Cuisine | Where to look | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Italian Restaurants | Commercial Drive, Yaletown, Gastown | Fresh pasta, Neapolitan pizza, espresso and gelato |
| Greek Restaurants | West Broadway in Kitsilano, citywide | Souvlaki, lamb kleftiko, spanakopita, saganaki |
| French Restaurants | Gastown, Kitsilano, Downtown | Steak frites, duck confit, croissants and pastries |
| Spanish Restaurants | Gastown, Yaletown | Tapas, paella, jamón, sherry |
| Portuguese Restaurants | East Vancouver, Commercial Drive | Piri-piri chicken, bacalhau, pastel de nata |
| German Restaurants | Downtown, North Vancouver | Schnitzel, bratwurst, pretzels, German beer |
| British Restaurants and Pubs | Citywide | Fish and chips, Sunday roast, meat pies |
| Irish Pubs | Gastown, Granville Street | Guinness, Irish stew, live music |
| Polish Restaurants | East Vancouver, Burnaby | Pierogi, bigos, kielbasa, żurek soup |
| Ukrainian Restaurants | East Vancouver, community halls | Varenyky, borscht, holubtsi cabbage rolls |
| Russian Restaurants | North Vancouver, Downtown | Pelmeni, blini, beef stroganoff, Olivier salad |
| Georgian Restaurants | Downtown, North Vancouver | Adjarian khachapuri, khinkali dumplings, Georgian wine |
| Hungarian Restaurants | Scattered, plus bakeries | Goulash, chicken paprikash, lángos, chimney cakes |
Latin American and Caribbean Restaurants
Taquerias have spread across nearly every Vancouver neighbourhood, and Main Street, Commercial Drive and Kingsway hold many of the city’s Salvadoran and Mexican kitchens. Peruvian and Brazilian spots lean toward sit-down dinners, while Caribbean food is easiest to find as takeout.
| Cuisine | Where to look | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Mexican Restaurants | Main Street, Commercial Drive, Kitsilano, Gastown | Tacos al pastor, birria, mole, mezcal |
| Peruvian Restaurants | Downtown, Main Street | Ceviche, lomo saltado, ají de gallina, pisco sour |
| Brazilian Restaurants | Downtown, Burnaby | Churrasco rodízio, pão de queijo, feijoada, coxinha |
| Salvadoran Restaurants | Fraser Street, Kingsway, East Vancouver | Pupusas with curtido, tamales, horchata |
| Cuban Restaurants | Downtown, Main Street | Cubano sandwich, ropa vieja, mojitos |
| Jamaican and Caribbean Restaurants | Main Street, Surrey, Burnaby | Jerk chicken, oxtail, beef patties, curry goat, roti |
North American and Pacific Restaurants
Vancouver’s own cooking leans on what the West Coast does best: wild salmon, spot prawns, Dungeness crab and BC wine. Indigenous restaurants share the food traditions of the land the city stands on, the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
| Cuisine | Where to look | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Restaurants | Downtown, Gastown, Granville Island | Wild BC salmon, spot prawns in season (May–June), poutine, Nanaimo bars |
| Indigenous Restaurants | Kitsilano, Downtown, North Vancouver | Bannock, bison, cedar-plank salmon |
| American Restaurants | Citywide | Smokehouse BBQ, smash burgers, Southern fried chicken, brunch |
| Hawaiian Restaurants | Downtown, Kitsilano, Richmond | Poke bowls, loco moco, Spam musubi, shave ice |
| Fijian Restaurants | Surrey, Burnaby | Fiji-Indian curries with roti, kokoda, lovo at community events |
| Australian Cafés | Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano, Downtown | Flat whites, smashed avocado toast, big brunch plates |
Best Food Neighbourhoods at a Glance
| Neighbourhood | Known for |
|---|---|
| Richmond | Cantonese, Sichuan, Taiwanese, HK cafés, Uyghur, the Richmond Night Market in summer |
| Chinatown | Barbecue meats, bakeries, Cambodian-Vietnamese, new-wave bars and restaurants |
| Robson and Denman (West End) | Ramen, izakaya, Korean BBQ and cafés |
| Commercial Drive | Italian, Portuguese, Ethiopian, Eritrean |
| Main Street and Punjabi Market | Indian, Mexican, Thai, Caribbean, cafés |
| Kingsway and Fraser Street | Vietnamese, Salvadoran, Chinese, HK cafés |
| Kitsilano | Greek, Japanese, brunch spots, Indigenous |
| North Vancouver (Lonsdale) | Persian, Armenian, Russian |
| Surrey | Indian, Pakistani, Fijian, West African |
Tips for Eating Out in Vancouver
- Book ahead for weekends. Popular dinner spots, omakase counters and dim sum halls fill up fast, especially Friday to Sunday.
- Tip 15 to 20 percent. Tipping is customary at sit-down restaurants in British Columbia.
- Go early for dim sum. Many Richmond dim sum restaurants are busiest from late morning on weekends.
- Watch for Dine Out Vancouver. The city’s annual restaurant festival runs in winter with set-price menus.
- Plan for transit. The Canada Line reaches Richmond’s food hubs, and the Expo and Millennium Lines run to Burnaby, Surrey and Coquitlam.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food is Vancouver known for? Vancouver is known for Pacific seafood like wild salmon and spot prawns, world-class sushi, Cantonese dim sum and the BC roll. Its multicultural food scene is often ranked among the best in North America.
Where is the best Chinese food in Vancouver? Most locals point to Richmond, just south of Vancouver, for the widest range and quality of Chinese restaurants. Chinatown and the Kingsway corridor are good options within the city.
Which neighbourhood has the most variety? Main Street and Commercial Drive offer the widest mix of cuisines within walking distance, from Mexican and Ethiopian to Indian and Italian.
Are there good vegetarian options? Yes. Indian, Ethiopian, Lebanese and Taiwanese restaurants are especially strong for vegetarian and vegan diners.
