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No. 3 Road is where most of Richmond's eating happens, and the density is genuinely unusual. Alexandra Road alone packs dozens of kitchens into three short blocks, and the food courts under Aberdeen Centre, Yaohan and Parker Place hold dozens more. That is one end of the city. At the other, Moncton Street in Steveston runs on independent bakeries, cafés and fish-and-chip counters within sight of a working fishing fleet.
In between sit the neighbourhood plazas most residents actually use week to week: Blundell Centre, Seafair, Terra Nova Village, Ironwood Plaza, the strip retail on Williams Road. This section covers all of it: restaurants, cafés, bakeries, bars and breweries, dessert counters, grocers, liquor stores and the corner shops that stay open longest.
Vietnamese restaurant on Alderbridge Way named for the Vietnamese word for rice. Broken rice plates, pho and vermicelli bowls served in a bright modern room, within walking distance of Aberdeen Station and the Alexandra Road strip.
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Cantonese seafood and dim sum house in Cambie Plaza on Richmond's east side, well away from the No. 3 Road crush. Roomy, easy parking, and a menu that covers dim sum at lunch plus seafood and banquet sets at dinner.
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A compact French-Asian bakery on No. 3 Road known for laminated pastry with unexpected fillings like yuzu and masago, and for sea salt buns that regularly sell out. Small counter and short hours, so it is worth timing your visit for the morning bake.
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A tiny family-run shop on Chatham Street making proper Liege waffles with pearl sugar, real butter and honey in about a dozen flavours, from vanilla through matcha and yuzu. They also take custom cake, pie and creme brulee orders for pickup.
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A West Cambie Japanese grocer that stocks the specific things other stores skip: baking and cooking ingredients, wagyu and sashimi-grade fish, regional snacks, and hot food to take away. Staff move between Japanese and English without any fuss.
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A no-frills Moncton Street chip shop that regulars rank against the wharf stands. Halibut, cod and salmon come battered to order with hand-cut fries, plus chowder and burgers. Small dining room, steady takeout trade, and less of a lineup than the waterfront.
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A small Anderson Road cafe pairing gelato with matcha lattes and Vietnamese coffee. It works as a quieter City Centre dessert stop when the Golden Village dessert shops are packed, and the drinks are as much the point as the scoops.
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Family-owned Steveston patisserie open since 1996, focused on European-style cakes such as tiramisu and triple chocolate mousse, plus everyday pastries. It is where Richmond people order birthday and celebration cakes instead of buying one at the grocery store.
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Long-running Cantonese banquet restaurant on the second floor of London Plaza. Big round tables, live seafood tanks and a dim sum service that starts early. Richmond families book it for weddings and birthdays as often as for a regular lunch.
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A big, busy Cantonese dining room on the third floor of Aberdeen Centre, best known for made-to-order dim sum at lunch. Locals queue on weekends for har gow, rice rolls and egg tarts, then shop downstairs. Dinner shifts to seafood and banquet dishes.
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A small dessert cafe on the east end of Cambie Road that Tourism Richmond includes among the city's ice cream stops. It sits well away from the Golden Village dessert cluster, serving the surrounding residential blocks, so it stays quieter.
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A Cambie Road beer bar and grill carrying the long-standing Vancouver name, with a wide international bottle list alongside the taps. Burgers, wings and pub plates, screens for the game, and easy parking. Convenient to the Bridgeport hotels.
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A big, cheap Asian supermarket off Sexsmith Road that stays open until midnight every night of the year. Locals go for aggressive produce and seafood pricing, a busy barbecue and hot-food counter, and restocking that makes late shopping worthwhile.
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A long-running Richmond independent that brews ethically sourced coffee to order and bakes its own cakes and pastries in house. Tucked into a strip mall on No. 3 Road, it keeps a steady weekday crowd of regulars who know the baristas.
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Richmond's flagship craft brewery, tucked into an industrial unit behind Ironwood Plaza. The tasting room pours a rotating lineup under sci-fi and pop-culture labels, with arcade cabinets, pinball, shuffleboard and corn hole, plus growler fills and off-sales to take home.
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A compact ramen shop on Bayview serving rich broth bowls, gyoza and rice sets. It closes Mondays and splits the day into separate lunch and dinner services, so check the hours before you walk over. Lines build fast on cold, wet afternoons.
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Richmond's kosher bakery, family-run and Filipino-Jewish, turning out challah, cinnamon rolls, croissants, muffins and donuts. The hours are short and it closes Saturdays, so plan around them. Bread is baked fresh rather than held over.
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The chip shop at the Garry Point end of the village, frying sustainably sourced fish with hand-cut chips, plus burgers, poutine and salads. Open every day until early evening, which makes it a sensible takeout stop before a walk out to the park.
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A gelato and dessert shop on Moncton Street in the middle of Steveston Village, and a fairly recent addition to the strip. Cases of gelato by the scoop plus other sweets, positioned squarely for the summer walk-up crowd off the boardwalk.
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Small family-run Cantonese kitchen near Richmond-Brighouse Station that has collected a stack of local dim sum awards. Everything is cooked to order rather than pushed around on carts, so expect a wait and go early, because the room is tiny.
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A quick-service bowl shop in the McClelland Road towers doing grain bowls, salads and cold-pressed juice. You order at the counter and it is out in a few minutes. A lighter option in an area otherwise dominated by hot pot and barbecue.
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A cash-only Hong Kong style bakery on Hazelbridge Way that steams cheung fun rice rolls to order alongside the usual buns and pastries. The house chili oil and the egg tart donut are what regulars come for, and it opens at 7:30am on weekdays.
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A Westminster Highway bar and grill named after a regular who has eaten there daily for over thirty-five years. Big local wine, craft beer and spirits list, screens throughout and a patio. Opens early for takeout and runs through the evening.
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A tiny Cantonese barbecue counter in the Superstore plaza on No. 3 Road, long regarded as one of the best in the region. Char siu, crackling-skin roast pork and soy chicken are chopped to order over rice. Small space, quick queue, and it sells out early.
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From the blog
Guides and roundups written for Richmond, with the businesses linked inline.
Nothing on Alexandra Road is a hidden gem. It is just in a strip mall with bad signage and no patio, which is why visitors never find it. Here is how I actually use Richmond's plazas and food courts, which specialists are worth the drive, and when not to bother.
The West Dyke Trail is about five and a half kilometres of flat gravel between Terra Nova Rural Park and Garry Point, and I ride it most mornings. Here is what is actually at the north end, which way to walk so the wind is on your side, and why winter is the better season for it.
I live four blocks off Moncton Street, so this is the Steveston I actually use: where to park before the Bayview lots fill, how to buy fish straight off the boats at the wharf, the honest answer to the Pajo's versus Dave's question, and why the history here is not decoration.
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