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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 busy Hong Kong-style cafe off Hazelbridge Way known for late hours and an enormous menu of rice plates, congee, thick toast and milk tea. The kind of place Richmond families end up at after a movie or a long day of shopping.
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An unusual pairing across from Richmond Centre: a coffee bar from the Fresh Press team sharing its floor with a travel agency. Good espresso and pastries in a bright modern room, with enough seating for a long laptop session.
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A private store tucked into Lansdowne Centre next to JYSK, open long hours and an easy walk from the Canada Line. Craft beer fridges, a broad spirits shelf and fine wine, with free mall parking. Useful when the government store has already shut.
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A small scratch bakehouse tucked into President Plaza that bakes everything on site using French technique. Croissants are the draw, especially the double-baked salted egg yolk custard one, alongside cream puffs, cakes and matcha or black sesame pastries.
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Steveston's Mexican spot on Chatham Street, with tacos, enchiladas and margaritas served indoors or out on the patio. Open seven days with a mid-afternoon happy hour, it is an easy stop after walking the dyke or browsing the village shops.
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Taiyaki and soft serve served together, a fish-shaped waffle cone filled with soft serve and toppings, on the Alexandra Road restaurant strip. It stays open to midnight, which makes it the default after-dinner stop in the Golden Village.
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An Aberdeen-area shop that stays open close to midnight, which is why it turns up on every late-night Richmond boba list. Fruit teas and milk teas with the usual topping range, ordered from a small counter rather than a sit-down room.
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A private liquor store on Alderbridge Way beside the Walmart, open 8am to 11pm. A walk-in cold room keeps beer at near-freezing, the shelves are organised properly, and same-day delivery is available. A convenient stop on a City Centre errand run.
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An easy-to-miss Taiwanese bakery inside Admiralty Centre, stocked with peanut buns, curry pastries, pork floss rolls and butterfly coconut buns. The taro loaves marbled with sweet taro paste are what regulars actually come in for. Cash only, take-out only.
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A wonton noodle and congee house on the Alexandra Road restaurant strip. Shrimp wontons in clear broth, beef brisket noodles and slow-cooked congee are the staples. Fast, inexpensive, and a reliable stop when you want something light and hot.
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Taiwanese restaurant on Garden City Road run by the Wu family, whose cooking traces back to Gangshan in southern Taiwan. Braised pork rice, beef noodle soup and small plates, in a room dressed up like an old Taiwanese street.
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Airy independent cafe just north of Richmond Centre with hours that stretch to 10pm, which is rare in the neighbourhood. Popular with students and evening study groups wanting espresso, matcha and a table long after other cafes have closed.
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Part cafe, part pet-friendly coworking space near Richmond City Hall, with bookable private rooms sitting alongside the coffee counter. Good for a long working session, and one of the few Richmond cafes that genuinely welcomes dogs.
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A waterfront bar and grill beside Milltown Marina with three patios: one facing the North Shore mountains, another looking out at the Fraser and the airport's main runway. Pub food, Sunday prime rib and a genuinely rare view.
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A small wood-fired pizza shop that opened in Steveston in late 2023. Thin, blistered Neapolitan-style pies made to order plus a short list of sides. Mostly a takeout counter with limited seating, so call ahead on busy village evenings.
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A working roastery in the Wireless Way industrial park with a small tasting bar attached, so the coffee is about as fresh as it gets in Richmond. Weekends are the easiest time to visit, and most people leave with beans as well as a cup.
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The restaurant and lounge at the Radisson on Cambie Road, serving West Coast plates and casual Italian. The lounge side is the useful part: a quiet place for a drink near YVR, with parking and hours running from breakfast to late evening.
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A busy Chinese supermarket in the plaza on No. 3 Road, popular for a well-stocked produce floor, a barbecue counter locals rate for leaner char siu, and bulk dace fish paste. Cashiers work fast; finding a parking spot is the only hard part.
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The Richmond branch of the Chinatown institution, best known for steamed baos in more than a dozen fillings alongside egg tarts, buns and apple tarts. It sits steps from Brighouse station, which makes it an easy stop straight off the Canada Line.
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An everyday south Richmond pub on Steveston Highway with its own liquor store attached, closed Mondays. There is a beer club, Taco Tuesday and occasional beer and wine festivals, so regulars treat it as a local rather than a destination.
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An Osaka-style curry house on No. 1 Road in Steveston, blending more than twenty spices for its roux. Katsu is breaded and fried to order, and the curry ramen is unusual enough to be worth trying. Counter ordering, quick service, generous portions.
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A Steveston counter frying gourmet mini donuts to order, with classic cinnamon sugar alongside a rotating list of seasonal flavours and filled versions. Mixed boxes let you try several, and they are best eaten walking down toward the boardwalk.
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A Steveston institution since 1985, Pajo's serves fish and chips from a float at the bottom of the wharf ramp. Order at the window, then eat at picnic tables over the water while the fishing boats unload. Casual, outdoors, and dogs are welcome.
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Chiu Chow and Cantonese specialist on Westminster Highway, walkable from the Canada Line. Dim sum at lunch plus Chiu Chow classics such as cold marinated goose and oyster omelette that are genuinely hard to find elsewhere in Richmond.
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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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