Restaurants
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.
People arrive on Chatham Street wanting tacos and a patio, which in Steveston is a narrower search than it sounds. The village leans hard on seafood and pub food, and Mexican has long been the gap. Little Mexico Cantina fills it, with tacos, enchiladas and margaritas served indoors or out.
The patio is the part that matters between May and September. Steveston runs on a strange clock. The boardwalk and the dyke fill up in the stretch between lunch and dinner, when most kitchens in the village are either winding down or not yet going, so somewhere with outdoor tables and a drinks list in the middle of the afternoon solves a real problem. That is particularly true on the walk back from Garry Point with a tired dog and a sunburn.
Chatham runs one block behind the water, between Bayview and Moncton, so you get the village without the full weight of the tourist flow along the waterfront. Parking on a sunny Saturday is the usual Steveston gamble, and walking in from wherever you find a spot beats circling the same four blocks. The room takes families and it takes groups. Timing of arrival matters here more than it would almost anywhere else in Richmond, because the difference between a February Tuesday and a July Saturday on this street is not a matter of degree.
In the Steveston neighbourhood of Richmond.
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Other restaurants and nearby businesses in the Richmond directory.
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 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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The cafe inside the 1895 Steveston Hotel serves a straightforward breakfast until early afternoon - eggs, bacon, hash browns and coffee. Unpretentious, cheap, and a genuine piece of village history that predates every patio on the waterfront.
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A takeout-first pizzeria on Moncton Street known for going well past pepperoni, with seafood, steak and truffle pies at prices to match. Thin crust, made to order, and a short menu of classics if you'd rather not spend big. Expect a wait on weekends.
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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 neighborhood default for an unfussy family dinner with a glass of wine.
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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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