Restaurants
Upscale Cantonese seafood house inside Empire Centre on No. 3 Road. Known for elaborate, modern-looking dim sum, live tank seafood and Peking duck. One of the standard Richmond picks for banquets and big weekend family lunches.
Chef Tony works the upper end of Cantonese seafood from inside Empire Centre on No. 3 Road, in the densest stretch of the Golden Village. Rooms in this category run on a different clock than a regular restaurant. Weekend late morning belongs to dim sum, loud and full of families. Evening turns into banquet territory, round tables, a whole fish brought out for the group, and a bill that assumes eight people rather than two.
Modern-looking dim sum divides people, and it is worth knowing which side you are on before you sit down. Plenty of Richmond grew up with trolleys, stacked bamboo and no styling at all. The newer kitchens pipe, mould and color things until there is a decent argument that the result has become a different dish wearing the same name. Both versions are worth eating. At this level of the market you are paying for the seafood and the room as much as for the cooking, so it helps to actually want the room.
Getting here without a car is easy, because the Canada Line runs directly above No. 3 Road along this whole stretch. The Golden Village is at its densest right around this address, which means an afternoon here can absorb a mall or two on either side of the meal. Large tables work differently at every restaurant in this category, so a phone call about a group of eight or ten will save an awkward arrival. Come hungry and come with numbers. That is what the format is for.
In the Golden Village neighbourhood of Richmond.
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Jiangsu and Zhejiang cooking on Alexandra Road, a regional style far less common in Richmond than Cantonese. Xiao long bao and sheng jian bao are the signatures, alongside the braised, slightly sweeter dishes of eastern China.
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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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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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Cantonese restaurant tucked into an Alexandra Road strip, quieter than the big banquet halls nearby. Dim sum is the draw at lunch: steamed dumplings, rice rolls and taro puffs made to order, with plenty of seafood on the dinner menu.
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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 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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