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A closeup of beef noodle soup with bok choy.
Taiwanese beef noodle soup at Chef Hung.
Jay Friedman for Eater

14 Restaurants That Make Richmond, B.C., an Excellent Chinese Food Destination

If it’s missing in Seattle, diners can find it here

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Taiwanese beef noodle soup at Chef Hung.
| Jay Friedman for Eater

Driving across the border from Washington to Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, can take just over two hours from Seattle (depending on traffic), but it feels like traveling all the way to China, at least in terms of restaurant options. The Night Market, which comes around every summer, is a must for visiting food lovers. But with an eye toward what’s missing from Seattle’s Chinese food scene, here are 14 other reasons to make the trip north.

These places are not ranked, but listed geographically, from north to south. If you think we missed a spot or want us to consider adding something for a later update, send us a tip.

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The Jade Seafood Restaurant

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Jade is great for dinner (try the salt-baked chicken), but it’s better known as one of the finest dim sum destinations in Richmond. Get classic har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) done right, with crunchy snap to the shrimp. Additional favorites include the pickled ginger with century egg and prawn roll, as well as the unique steamed mushroom dumplings, which feature a trio of mushrooms with a strong scent of truffle.

A view of steamed shrimp dumplings in a wooden serving vessel.
Steamed shrimp dumplings.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Ajea Noodle

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Food courts throughout Richmond offer plenty of fine places to eat. Yaohan Centre was one of Richmond’s first malls, and it’s home to Ajea Noodle, serving up a variety of Chongqing-style noodles. Diners enjoy suan la fen (sour and spicy potato starch noodles) with intestines as well as zajiang mian (mixed sauce noodles), dry or soupy, with addition of pickled long beans possible. Also popular is Szechwan (Clay) Potted Rice, fire-cooked to be crispy.

A closeup view of a noodle dish with ground meat, greens, and nuts.
Mixed sauce noodles.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Bubble Queen

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Popular with the teen crowd but a refreshing revelation for all ages, Bubble Queen serves a wide variety of candy-infused (think Ferrero Rocher and Maltesers) bubble teas, soft serve ice cream, and bubble waffles. The best bet, in season, is a mango slush that’s brimming with fresh mango slices on top and tapioca balls at the bottom. You’ll need a spoon to scoop it all out.

Two cups of mango slushes with tapioca balls at the bottom against a backdrop of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
Mango slushes.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle

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Beef noodle soup is the national dish of Taiwan, and this restaurant features a three-time winner of the national competition to determine the best. Chef Hung serves a beefy broth that comes with choice of meats, noodle types (go wide), and spice levels. Try the Champion Beef Shank with Noodle in Spicy Soup, with chunks of beef shank and a slice of beef “bacon,” plus pickled cabbage to add as desired.

A closeup of beef noodle soup with bok choy.
Taiwanese beef noodle soup.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Excellent Tofu and Snack

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Shoppers here take home house-made soy milk and soy pudding in containers ranging from one to four liters, but diners can also sit at the counter and enjoy a small tofu pudding, hot or cold, sweet or savory, with a variety of toppings. Basil seeds, for example, add interesting texture and flavor; other choice toppings include grass jelly, peanuts, and red beans. “Soft,” “smooth,” and “silky” are the operative words here — as is “excellent.”

A spoon dipping into a bowl of white pudding with black seeds.
Soy pudding with basil seeds.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Creating Taste

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The “Explosion Pulp Chicken” sign might sound the most intriguing (it’s like chicken cordon bleu), but it’s the various noodle dishes from Guangxi province that really hook diners here. The Guilin noodles are slightly sauced and pack a punch with three types of meat, while the Nanning noodles come in a sour soup with lettuce, ginger, garlic, and black bean sauce. Perhaps most compelling of all are the Liuzhou noodles, swimming in a slightly earthy and bitter soup with deep-fried tofu skin, day lilies, shredded black fungus, sour bamboo shoots, quail eggs, lettuce, sour beans, and fried peanuts.

A noodle dish with bamboo shoots, quail eggs, lettuce, sour beans, and fried peanuts.
Liuzhou noodles.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Chef Tony

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Chef Tony is one of the most talked-about restaurants in Richmond in recent years. Contemporary dim sum specialties include shrimp dumplings with matsutake mushrooms along with pan-fried taro and pumpkin cake. An upscale dinner menu brings dishes like lamb belly, squab, and some special sea cucumber preparations. Save room for steamed egg sponge cake and salty egg yolk lava buns for dessert.

A view of a brightly lit dining room with white linen tables, a blue column on the left, and a black and red contemporary art mural in the background.
Chef Tony’s upscale dining room.
Chef Tony/Official

HK BBQ Master

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HK BBQ Master is masterful indeed in its preparation of barbecued meats; sample all that’s offered. The barbecue duck is delicious and tends to sell out early. The barbecue pork is seductively sweet, while the soy sauce chicken is incredibly moist. The roast pork is the most irresistible, boasting three delicious layers: the meat close to the bone, a layer of succulent fat, and a crazily crisp and crackly fried skin.

A closeup of roasted pork with chicken on top of a  white plate.
Roasted pork and soy sauce chicken.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Shine Valley Lamb Soup 鑫福祥 羊汤馆

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This northern Chinese restaurant specializes in all things lamb, including lamb dumplings, skewers, chops, stir-fries, and pot-stewed lamb head. But the best part might be the availability of breakfast (starting at 8 a.m.), in which diners can get the namesake lamb soup, with or without noodles, and with a choice of lamb meat including pluck — an array of organ meats. The soup pairs well with any of the six types of shaobing (layered flatbreads, some stuffed and some not) on offer.

A closeup of a bowl of lamb soup with a plate of lamb skewers and a sesame roll beside it.
Lamb soup and skewers.
Jay Friedman for Eater

R and H Chinese Food

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This Chinese champion at Lansdowne Centre serves high quality xiao long bao, sheng jian bao, beef rolls, and many more freshly made delights. There might be better places for each of these individual items, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any other restaurant in Richmond offering this quality, consistency, and value across the board — in a mall food court, of all places.

A closeup view of six steamed dumplings inside a wooden vessel.
Xiao long bao
Jay Friedman for Eater

Empire Seafood Restaurant 帝苑皇宴

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Come for dumplings and stay for dessert at this popular dim sum destination. Steamed scallop and egg white dumplings are a good place to start; wu gok (with duck meat) are also delicious and baked barbecue pork buns are a sweet treat. For dessert, try the baked tapioca pudding, which is rich, creamy, and best eaten while still warm. If Empire is too busy, Parklane Chinese Restaurant is a sibling spot in the same shopping plaza.

A view of dim sum dishes, including dumplings and pork buns.
An array of Empire’s dim sum selections, including dumplings and pork buns.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Silkway Halal Cuisine

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It’s hard to see from the outside, but Silkway Halal Cuisine offers a nice setting for some delicious Chinese food with northern and Muslim influences. Lamb is a specialty here, featured in cumin lamb, lamb dumplings, and sliced lamb with pickled cabbage in hot pot. Look also for boiled fish as well as braised chicken with wide noodles.

A bowl of red broth with fish at Silkway Halal Cuisine.
Water-boiled fish.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant

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Lesser known than many of Richmond’s other dim sum destinations, Golden Paramount offers some superb items, chief among them the fabulously delicate crab dumplings (listed on the menu as “steamed dumplings with crab meat and meat”). The pork siu mai topped with fish roe is another great choice, as is the stir-fried sticky rice, loaded with smokiness.

An array of dim sum items, including noodles and dumplings.
Various dim sum offerings at Golden Paramount.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Mama's Dumpling & Coffee

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Tucked away in an industrial park, Mama’s Dumpling & Coffee is a destination for good xiao long bao and great sheng jian bao. Hint: Go between lunch and dinner to get those sheng jian bao (juicy and crispy) with the most minimal wait time. While the location is remote, make the most of your trip by visiting Wild Sweets (an amazing chocolatier) and Fuggles & Warlock (“keeping beer weird”), both located in the same industrial park.

In the foreground, a plate of crispy dumplings; in the background, a wooden vessel filled with steamed dumplings.
Steamed and crispy dumplings.
Jay Friedman for Eater

The Jade Seafood Restaurant

Jade is great for dinner (try the salt-baked chicken), but it’s better known as one of the finest dim sum destinations in Richmond. Get classic har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) done right, with crunchy snap to the shrimp. Additional favorites include the pickled ginger with century egg and prawn roll, as well as the unique steamed mushroom dumplings, which feature a trio of mushrooms with a strong scent of truffle.

A view of steamed shrimp dumplings in a wooden serving vessel.
Steamed shrimp dumplings.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Ajea Noodle

Food courts throughout Richmond offer plenty of fine places to eat. Yaohan Centre was one of Richmond’s first malls, and it’s home to Ajea Noodle, serving up a variety of Chongqing-style noodles. Diners enjoy suan la fen (sour and spicy potato starch noodles) with intestines as well as zajiang mian (mixed sauce noodles), dry or soupy, with addition of pickled long beans possible. Also popular is Szechwan (Clay) Potted Rice, fire-cooked to be crispy.

A closeup view of a noodle dish with ground meat, greens, and nuts.
Mixed sauce noodles.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Bubble Queen

Popular with the teen crowd but a refreshing revelation for all ages, Bubble Queen serves a wide variety of candy-infused (think Ferrero Rocher and Maltesers) bubble teas, soft serve ice cream, and bubble waffles. The best bet, in season, is a mango slush that’s brimming with fresh mango slices on top and tapioca balls at the bottom. You’ll need a spoon to scoop it all out.

Two cups of mango slushes with tapioca balls at the bottom against a backdrop of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
Mango slushes.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle

Beef noodle soup is the national dish of Taiwan, and this restaurant features a three-time winner of the national competition to determine the best. Chef Hung serves a beefy broth that comes with choice of meats, noodle types (go wide), and spice levels. Try the Champion Beef Shank with Noodle in Spicy Soup, with chunks of beef shank and a slice of beef “bacon,” plus pickled cabbage to add as desired.

A closeup of beef noodle soup with bok choy.
Taiwanese beef noodle soup.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Excellent Tofu and Snack

Shoppers here take home house-made soy milk and soy pudding in containers ranging from one to four liters, but diners can also sit at the counter and enjoy a small tofu pudding, hot or cold, sweet or savory, with a variety of toppings. Basil seeds, for example, add interesting texture and flavor; other choice toppings include grass jelly, peanuts, and red beans. “Soft,” “smooth,” and “silky” are the operative words here — as is “excellent.”

A spoon dipping into a bowl of white pudding with black seeds.
Soy pudding with basil seeds.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Creating Taste

The “Explosion Pulp Chicken” sign might sound the most intriguing (it’s like chicken cordon bleu), but it’s the various noodle dishes from Guangxi province that really hook diners here. The Guilin noodles are slightly sauced and pack a punch with three types of meat, while the Nanning noodles come in a sour soup with lettuce, ginger, garlic, and black bean sauce. Perhaps most compelling of all are the Liuzhou noodles, swimming in a slightly earthy and bitter soup with deep-fried tofu skin, day lilies, shredded black fungus, sour bamboo shoots, quail eggs, lettuce, sour beans, and fried peanuts.

A noodle dish with bamboo shoots, quail eggs, lettuce, sour beans, and fried peanuts.
Liuzhou noodles.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Chef Tony

Chef Tony is one of the most talked-about restaurants in Richmond in recent years. Contemporary dim sum specialties include shrimp dumplings with matsutake mushrooms along with pan-fried taro and pumpkin cake. An upscale dinner menu brings dishes like lamb belly, squab, and some special sea cucumber preparations. Save room for steamed egg sponge cake and salty egg yolk lava buns for dessert.

A view of a brightly lit dining room with white linen tables, a blue column on the left, and a black and red contemporary art mural in the background.
Chef Tony’s upscale dining room.
Chef Tony/Official

HK BBQ Master

HK BBQ Master is masterful indeed in its preparation of barbecued meats; sample all that’s offered. The barbecue duck is delicious and tends to sell out early. The barbecue pork is seductively sweet, while the soy sauce chicken is incredibly moist. The roast pork is the most irresistible, boasting three delicious layers: the meat close to the bone, a layer of succulent fat, and a crazily crisp and crackly fried skin.

A closeup of roasted pork with chicken on top of a  white plate.
Roasted pork and soy sauce chicken.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Shine Valley Lamb Soup 鑫福祥 羊汤馆

This northern Chinese restaurant specializes in all things lamb, including lamb dumplings, skewers, chops, stir-fries, and pot-stewed lamb head. But the best part might be the availability of breakfast (starting at 8 a.m.), in which diners can get the namesake lamb soup, with or without noodles, and with a choice of lamb meat including pluck — an array of organ meats. The soup pairs well with any of the six types of shaobing (layered flatbreads, some stuffed and some not) on offer.

A closeup of a bowl of lamb soup with a plate of lamb skewers and a sesame roll beside it.
Lamb soup and skewers.
Jay Friedman for Eater

R and H Chinese Food

This Chinese champion at Lansdowne Centre serves high quality xiao long bao, sheng jian bao, beef rolls, and many more freshly made delights. There might be better places for each of these individual items, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any other restaurant in Richmond offering this quality, consistency, and value across the board — in a mall food court, of all places.

A closeup view of six steamed dumplings inside a wooden vessel.
Xiao long bao
Jay Friedman for Eater

Empire Seafood Restaurant 帝苑皇宴

Come for dumplings and stay for dessert at this popular dim sum destination. Steamed scallop and egg white dumplings are a good place to start; wu gok (with duck meat) are also delicious and baked barbecue pork buns are a sweet treat. For dessert, try the baked tapioca pudding, which is rich, creamy, and best eaten while still warm. If Empire is too busy, Parklane Chinese Restaurant is a sibling spot in the same shopping plaza.

A view of dim sum dishes, including dumplings and pork buns.
An array of Empire’s dim sum selections, including dumplings and pork buns.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Silkway Halal Cuisine

It’s hard to see from the outside, but Silkway Halal Cuisine offers a nice setting for some delicious Chinese food with northern and Muslim influences. Lamb is a specialty here, featured in cumin lamb, lamb dumplings, and sliced lamb with pickled cabbage in hot pot. Look also for boiled fish as well as braised chicken with wide noodles.

A bowl of red broth with fish at Silkway Halal Cuisine.
Water-boiled fish.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant

Lesser known than many of Richmond’s other dim sum destinations, Golden Paramount offers some superb items, chief among them the fabulously delicate crab dumplings (listed on the menu as “steamed dumplings with crab meat and meat”). The pork siu mai topped with fish roe is another great choice, as is the stir-fried sticky rice, loaded with smokiness.

An array of dim sum items, including noodles and dumplings.
Various dim sum offerings at Golden Paramount.
Jay Friedman for Eater

Mama's Dumpling & Coffee

Tucked away in an industrial park, Mama’s Dumpling & Coffee is a destination for good xiao long bao and great sheng jian bao. Hint: Go between lunch and dinner to get those sheng jian bao (juicy and crispy) with the most minimal wait time. While the location is remote, make the most of your trip by visiting Wild Sweets (an amazing chocolatier) and Fuggles & Warlock (“keeping beer weird”), both located in the same industrial park.

In the foreground, a plate of crispy dumplings; in the background, a wooden vessel filled with steamed dumplings.
Steamed and crispy dumplings.
Jay Friedman for Eater

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