Wondering where to get the best dim sum in Metro Vancouver? Or the best Chinese BBQ? Or the best Szechuan cuisine?
Wonder no longer. The diners have spoken. Earlier this year, more than 12,521 votes were cast in the Diners’ Choice Awards component of Vancouver’s annual Chinese Restaurant Awards. The results (see below) are a veritable road map to finding the best Chinese food in a city justly famous for its Chinese cuisine.
Looking for the best king crab dish in the Lower Mainland? Head to Excelsior Restaurant on No. 3 Road in Richmond. Best Chinese fine dining? The hands-down winner is Kirin Restaurants, with multiple locations, including a convenient downtown spot on Alberni Street. Or how about best hot pot restaurant? That would be the lovably named Fatty Cow Seafood Hot Pot on Victoria Drive in Vancouver.
Photo credit: Chinese Restaurant Awards
What impresses me about the Diners’ Choice Awards is the number of people who participated. With 12,000-plus people voting, you know that the results are going to be pretty dead on. And the truth is that there are so many great Chinese restaurants in Vancouver and Richmond that the average diner does need something like a cheat sheet to make sense of it all.
All of the winning restaurants will be recognized at the annual Chinese Restaurant Awards, in January at the River Rock Casino. The awards – which really don’t get enough attention – were started four years ago to highlight the best Chinese restaurants in Metro Vancouver. In addition to the Diners’ Choice component, professional food critics select the top Chinese restaurants in multiple categories.
Below are the results of the 2012 Diners’ Choice Awards. Is anything missing? Do you have a favourite that’s not on the list? Please let us know.
Best:
1. Xiao Long Bao (Shanghainese Soup Dumplings)
Dinesty Chinese Restaurant
160-8111 Ackroyd Road, Richmond (604-303-7772)
2. King Crab Dish
Excelsior Restaurant
6-6340 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-278-2637)
3. New Restaurant (Open less than one year)
Grand Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
4331 Dominion Street, Burnaby (604-432-6002
4. Fine Dining Restaurant
Kirin Restaurants
1172 Alberni Street, Vancouver (604-682-8833)
1163 Pinetree Way, 2/F, Coquitlam (604-944-8833)
2/F 555 W. 12th Avenue, Vancouver (604-879-8038)
350 Gifford Street, New Westminster (604-528-8833)
200 Three West Centre, 7900 Westminster Hwy, Richmond (604-303-8833)
5. Dim Sum Restaurant
The Jade Seafood Restaurant
8511 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604-249-0082)
6. Northern Chinese / Shanghainese Restaurant
Northern Delicacy
2788-4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond (604-233-7050)
7. Szechuan / Hunan Restaurant
Golden Szechuan Restaurant
3631 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-288-9058)
8. Taiwanese Restaurant/BBT Café
Pearl Castle
1128-3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond (604-270-3939)
1380-4380 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-270-1870)
9. Hot Pot Restaurant
Fatty Cow Seafood Hot Pot
5108 Victoria Drive, Vancouver (604-568-6630)
10. Congee and Noodle Restaurant
Congee Noodle House
141-143 East Broadway, Vancouver (604-879-8221)
11. Vegetarian Restaurant
Spicy Vegetarian Cuisine
132-4200 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-304-3538)
12. Hong Kong-style Café
Cattle Café
1020– 8580 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604-276-2800)
4885 Kingsway, Burnaby (604-430-8686)
13. Bakery
Maxim’s
1136-1163 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam (604-468-1337)
2226-6060 Minoru Boulevard, Richmond (604-270-8337)
516-5613 Victoria Drive, Vancouver (604-323-1551)
161-4800 Kingsway, Burnaby (604-438-2256)
152-10153 King George Highway, Surrey (604-634-0323)
14. BBQ Shop
HK BBQ Master
145-4651 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-272-6568)
15. Food Court Stall
Mambo Cafe, Aberdeen Centre
3020-4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond (604-273-3669)
10:06 am
What happened to Sun Sui Wah?? Has always been a fan favorite in years past.
6:10 pm
Sun Sui Wah? I think people have finally realised that it has always been overrated. The dim sum and dinner menus are good, but definitely not the top in Vancouver. The service is not the best either, especially during dim sum rush hours when the staff really becomes indifferent to customers’ needs.
8:16 am
Sun Sui Wah may still be recognized with a critic’s choice award – results are in Jan. 10.
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5:42 pm
fatty cow??!! the mystique with this place amongst diners and so-called foodies, just mystifies me….
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