After 2 weeks of exploring Banff National Park and Jasper National Park in our DIY rental camper van, we were back where we started in Vancouver, BC. What was the primary goal during our time in the Vancouver area? You guessed it: Eat!

You know from our Hong Kong cafe foodie adventures in New York City that we love exploring this specialty cuisine. You can bet that we were going to capitalize on the opportunity to eat as much of it as possible during this road trip, especially because it’s sadly difficult to find in our current hometown in Dallas.

2 Days of Chinese Food in Richmond

While Vancouver does have a Chinese food presence, we have learned over the course of a few trips here that Richmond, BC is the place to go for Chinese food, and specifically Hong Kong style Cantonese food. The good thing is Richmond, BC is only a 20-minute drive (or a 35-minute ride on public transport) away from Vancouver, BC. Here are all the places we dined at during our 2 days in Richmond, BC.

Hong Kong Style Breakfast

Super Stars Cafe

8080 Leslie Rd #110, Richmond, BC V6X 4A8, Canada

Super Stars Cafe is known for their generous portions, affordable prices especially during Happy Hour/tea time (think HK-style French toast for just a few bucks), and their soy sauce chicken. All in all, Super Stars Cafe was on par with expectations but not as good as our true HK-style brekkie place which is detailed below.

Lido Restaurant

4231 Hazelbridge Wy, Richmond, BC V6X 3L7, Canada

Okay. EVERY time we visit Vancouver we find our way to Richmond to go to Lido. Every time. We have actually only sat down to a proper meal (Hong Kong breakfast, of course) once. All the other times we make the trip out to Richmond just for Lido’s pineapple buns. Imagine this with me: a steamy fluffy moist milk bread bun with a crispy crumbly cookie-like topping. The bread is almost malty. This bread envelops a literal slab of cold butter (I think it’s salted sweet cream butter), measuring approximately 1 centimeter thick. No, it’s not good for your health. Yes, it is very good for your soul. The bread is hot, the butter is cold. The bread is at once crusty and soft, sandwiching the butter which is thickly creamy. The bread is lightly sweet, the butter is savory. TLDR: Just go to Lido in Richmond, BC and order a pineapple bun, and you better order it with butter.

Keep in mind that Lido Restaurant accepts cash only!

A large factor adding to the superiority of Lido Restaurant’s pineapple bun is its turnover rate. Standing in line for a few minutes waiting for our seat, we witnessed giant rolling racks laden with freshly baked pineapple buns exiting the kitchen multiple times. Lido’s pineapple buns are good, and people know it. You can rest assured knowing your pineapple bun is fresh — it probably just came out of the oven.

In terms of other Hong Kong breakfast items, Lido does well but is significantly more expensive than what we are used to coming from New York City’s Chinatown.

Happy Day Cafe

1450-4771 Mcclelland Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 0M5, Canada

Happy Day Cafe serves up authentic Cantonese food (and Hong Kong breakfast, of course) in a modern setting, which is change in ambience from most café restaurants offering this menu. We popped in just for a pineapple butter bun. Happy Day’s pineapple bun had a lemon oil flavor to the crust and the butter was not as creamy. Not as good as the pineapple bun at Lido, but still leagues better than what we’ve found at Hong Kong cafes in New York City.

Happy Day Cafe accepts payment in cash and debit only.

Excellent Tofu & Snacks

4231 Hazelbridge Wy, Richmond, BC V6X 3L7, Canada

Excellent Tofu & Snacks serves THE BEST tofu pudding. They make soy pudding (hot and cold, original and flavored, and with lots of toppings to choose from), soy milk, and small Chinese snacks. This tofu shop is located right next door to Lido Restaurant. You know how I stated earlier that we visit Lido for a pineapple bun every time we visit Richmond/Vancouver? We also go next door to Excellent Tofu & Snacks and order a hot original tofu pudding with the obligatory ginger syrup. This tofu is magical. It’s never gritty, always fresh, and eating it in silence at a homey no-frills countertop bar is somehow so memorable.

Richmond’s Famous Chinese Mall Food Courts

Parker Place Mall

4380 No. 3 Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 3V7, Canada

Parker Place Mall does of course have shops, but is mostly known for their food court that serves up old school Chinese food. The fact that the mall is open from 11:00am-7:00pm but the food court opens at 8:00am is saying something.

Cherry Fruit Juice & Icy Bar

This dessert and snack spot in the Parker Place Mall food court is a step back in time. People come here for the nostalgic traditional foodie finds that you just cannot find anywhere anymore. Cherry Ice Bar has been a Parker Place Mall staple since 1992 and is known for their sugar rice puddings (缽仔糕) and shaved ice.

The sugar rice puddings (缽仔糕, “put chai ko”) are made from white or brown sugar, rice flour, water, and various toppings/flavorings. The jiggly rice pudding cake is steamed in small bowls, removed from the bowls with skewers, and usually eaten straight from the skewers as a tasty street snack. It’s hard to find these rice puddings even in Hong Kong nowadays, so take advantage of any opportunities to try them like at Cherry Ice Bar.

I grew up eating Taiwanese shaved ice (剉冰, “bao bing”). A professional shaved ice machine is required to create fluffy-snow-like flakey sheets of ice from a giant frozen solid ice cube deliciousness sitting on top. This is not “sno-cone” ice, no crunchy granules here! The shaved ice is extraordinarily creamy due to the condensed milk or cream typically drizzled over the mountain of ice. Toppings are usually chosen to order. Traditional options include fruit, puddings, glutinous rice balls, various jellies, stewed sweet peanuts, mung/adzuki beans, and taro. I have strong memories of my mom, sister, and I bargaining with each other over which toppings to add to our shared bowl of shaved ice: grass jelly and glutinous rice balls for me, jellies and peanuts for my sister, and almond pudding and mung beans for my mom.

As is the case for the sugar rice puddings from Hong Kong, traditionally prepared Taiwanese shaved ice is getting harder and harder to find in the United States. The current trend of sweet fruity flavored shaved ice has outshined the traditional versions. I was elated to find traditional shaved ice at Cherry Ice Bar and it remains one of my most treasured food memories of our trip!

Cherry Ice Bar’s shaved ice was amazing. It was old school, traditional, not trying to become new age or modern but absolutely exquisite because every little component was done perfectly. The ice was in mountainous layers of fine icy flakes made with the traditional spinning block shaved ice machine. The mochi balls were that oh-so-elusive “QQ” texture (springy, bouncy, chewy), taro chunks were not overcooked (overdone taro gets gritty), mung beans were clean and not syrupy, and the almond tofu was nice and elastic.

Parker Place Aberdeen Meat & BBQ

This place was hard to find! We meandered around the Parker Place mall for a while, confused as to where to go as this BBQ meat shop is not inside the food court. You’ll find the line of people before you find the shop. There is always a line.

Parker Place Meat & BBQ has hordes of loyal customers who have been patrons for decades. They offer roast pork, BBQ pork, roast duck, soy sauce chicken, and more. Chinese BBQ is ever-present during holidays and special events. The meat quality, cooking technique, and butchering/slicing skills are very important. We were excited to try this famously longstanding establishment and ordered BBQ pork, but it was just alright. The skin had good texture but the meat itself was slightly dry, and it was on the salty side for my taste.

Aberdeen Center

4151 Hazelbridge Wy, Richmond, BC V6X 4J7, Canada

Aberdeen Center is located a 5-minute walk north down the street from Parker Place Mall. Aberdeen Center is a modern bustling shopping mall with yet another absolutely divine food court overflowing with Chinese food options. I wish malls in Dallas were like this!

Our bellies were sadly already full, so we satisfied ourselves with a visual tour walking around and gawking at the restaurants on all three levels of the shopping center. The main food court is located on the third floor, but the food stops are really everywhere. There were so many wonderful options!

T&T Supermarket

Unit #MAJ1, 8311 Lansdowne Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 3A4, Canada

A supermarket? On my list of Chinese food spots to hit up in Richmond? Yes.

T&T Supermarket is an Asian supermarket, essentially the Canadian counterpart to 99 Ranch Market Asian supermarkets in the United States. But T&T is so much better than 99 Ranch Market!

If I lived in Vancouver/Richmond, I would eat at the T&T Food Court multiple times per week. The food is good quality, freshly (turnover rate is high) prepared, and quite affordable! Encompassing a range of small snacks, cafeteria tray-style options, soups, rice bowls, cold dishes, side dishes, drinks and teas, and fully prepared meals, the T&T Food Court has it all. Importantly, everything we sampled was really well done. It didn’t taste like grocery store food court food. This is a very viable option for Chinese food on a budget.