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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.
A Hong Kong style barbecue counter hidden in the parkade below the No. 3 Road Superstore. Roast pork, soy chicken and char siu over rice, sold to a line-up most days. Tiny seating, no atmosphere, and one of Richmond's worst-kept food secrets.
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Steveston's barbecue joint, smoking brisket, ribs and pulled pork in house with Kansas City-style rubs and sauces. Craft beer taps and TVs in the dining room, and it takes reservations seven days a week. Good for a group that does not want fish.
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Steveston's barbecue joint, smoking brisket, ribs, pulled pork and chicken in house with rubs made on site. Order at the counter, grab a craft beer, and watch the game on the big screens. Burnt ends and cornbread are the sides people come back for.
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Steakhouse on Ackroyd Road working with Prime, wagyu and in-house dry-aged cuts, paired with sake and cocktails as well as wine. A quieter, higher-end alternative to the chain steakhouses along the No. 3 Road corridor.
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An ice cream counter upstairs in Aberdeen Centre, listed in Tourism Richmond's guide to the city's frozen desserts. Being inside the mall makes it an easy stop mid-shop, and it draws the Golden Village crowd rather than Steveston day-trippers.
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A quiet, long-established Japanese restaurant on Second Avenue serving sushi, sashimi and cooked dinners. It runs separate lunch and dinner sittings seven days a week, takes reservations by phone only, and has free parking behind the building.
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Over 10,000 square feet of Japanese goods on Alderbridge Way, most of it imported directly. Bento, sushi and hot food made in-house each morning, plus frozen fish, seasonings, cosmetics and kitchenware. It closes at 6pm, so go earlier than you think.
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A small scoop shop off Blundell Road making its own ice cream in rotating batches, leaning Asian with black sesame, Thai milk tea, Vietnamese coffee and ube. No seating and no free samples, but the ice cream is dense and pints travel home well.
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Cantonese seafood restaurant that moved from Alexandra Road to a larger room on north No. 3 Road. Dim sum runs daily with an early-bird discount before 11am, and dinner leans on live tank fish, crab and roast meats.
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A cash-only Capstan Way shop making Hong Kong and Taiwanese-style treats such as buns, swiss rolls, cookies and sponge cakes, with a lighter hand on sugar and oil. The mango cake is the local pick and prices sit under the fancier patisseries.
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A small Malaysian takeout on No. 3 Road turning out laksa, nasi lemak, chicken rice and roti. It runs mainly on pickup and delivery with limited seating. Portions are generous, prices are low, and the sambal carries real heat.
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An old-school Chinese bakery and cafe where sponge cakes, egg tarts and buns come out cheap and steady all day long. There is a small dining side doing rice plates and milk tea if you would rather sit than grab a box and go.
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A long-running Cantonese bakery near Brighouse station where you grab a tray and tongs and load up from self-serve shelves. Portuguese egg tarts, pineapple buns, pork buns and sausage rolls come out through the day, and it stays open until 9pm. Cash only.
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The Parker Place branch of Richmond's best-known Cantonese bakery, running the same tray-and-tongs format with rows of sweet and savoury buns, egg tarts and cocktail buns. Handy if you are already at the mall for groceries or the food court.
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The Richmond room of the long-established Kirin group, on Westminster Highway near No. 3 Road. Refined Cantonese cooking with some northern Chinese dishes, live seafood, and a dim sum lunch that skews lighter than most in the area.
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A casual Greek taverna a block off the boardwalk, doing souvlaki, roast lamb, calamari and platters meant for sharing. It has been a Steveston fixture for years and is the neighbourhood default for an unfussy family dinner with a glass of wine.
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A waterside eatery tucked behind the Bayview shops, best known for burgers and a brunch that runs all seven days and stretches to crab cake benedict, cabbage rolls, borscht and chowder. Casual and rustic, and easy to walk straight past.
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The local roaster that took over the old Starbucks unit at Terra Nova, bringing house-roasted beans, a bakery case and a big neighbourhood room to Richmond's west side. Handy before or after a walk at Terra Nova Rural Park.
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A cake boutique and small cafe on Alderbridge Way doing custom celebration cakes plus neat single-serve mousse and entremet desserts, with coffee to sit in. Order ahead for anything specific rather than counting on the display case.
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A Blundell Centre bistro with a reputation for generous portions at low prices, run by operators with decades in Richmond kitchens. The menu mixes Western grill standards with comfort plates, and it draws a steady regular crowd.
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Persian and Mediterranean cooking on the Steveston boardwalk, with charcoal kebabs, lamb and vegetarian plates plus a fish-and-chips option for anyone who wants the classic. Waterfront seating and later closing on weekends.
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Richmond's long-running sports pub on Blundell Road, with more than thirty screens including three large ones. There are separate pub and dining sides, weekend entertainment, and standard pub food. The default neighbourhood spot for watching a game.
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A Taiwanese cafe on Alexandra Road, family-run since 1987, serving tea and coffee alongside a full menu of rice and noodle plates. Old-school, unhurried and open late, it predates most of the Golden Village restaurant strip around it.
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A private store in the Garden City Shopping Centre with a premium spirits selection that regulars rate above the government stores. Competitive pricing, same-day delivery, open until 11pm, and parking shared with the Save-On-Foods next door.
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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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