As a National Historic Site of Canada, Vancouver’s Historic Chinatown is of important social and cultural heritage value to the city.
Vancouver’s Chinatown was established in the 1890s and is is one of the largest and oldest Chinatowns in North America.
Vancouver’s early Chinese population were immigrants who travelled to the city to work in local mines and build the Trans-Canada railway.
The main commercial area of Chinatown runs is around six blocks, bordered by East Pender Street, Gore Avenue, East Georgia Street, and Carrall Street.
When visiting Vancouver’s Chinatown, you’ll find an area rich in history and architecture, classic Asian specialty stores with items piled by the sidewalk for perusing, as well as dim sum restaurants, Traditional Chinese Medicine shops, Chinese tea houses and hidden spots that offer a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life.
While there are many traditional finds in Chinatown, you’ll modern retail, especially along Pender between Columbia and Main streets.
Here’s a look at where to shop, eat, drink and sightsee in Vancouver Chinatown. Please note the following list is not exhaustive.
Where to Shop
Vancouver’s Chinatown has a diverse number of shopping options.
You can do your weekly grocery shopping here with a number of shops offering produce, meat and BBQ, live seafood, houseware and more.
You’ll also find many gift and souvenir stores as well as Traditional fashion boutiques and vintage thrift store.
Produce
Carley BBQ & Hot Pot Supplies: 255 East Georgia Street. Open daily 9 am – 5:30 pm. Known as a one-stop grocery shop. You can find lots of hot pot ingredients at there.
San Lee Market: 211 E Georgia St. Open daily 9 am – 5 pm.
Meat & Seafood
Carley BBQ & Hot Pot Supplies: 255 East Georgia Street. Open daily 9 am – 5:30 pm. Known as a one-stop grocery shop. You can find lots of hot pot ingredients at there.
Dollar Meat Store: 266 East Pender Street. Open daily 8 am – 6 pm.
Chinatown BBQ: 130 East Pender Street. Open daily except Monday 11 am – 7 pm. chinatownbbq.com
Garlock Seafoods: 252 East Georgia Street. Open daily 9 am – 6 pm.
Hung Win Seafood: 585 Gore Avenue. Open daily 9 am – 6 pm.
Mah Roy Market: 231 East Georgia Street. Open Monday – Saturday 7 am – 5 pm. Sells chicken only, 100% BC-owned poultry.
Money BBQ: 595 Gore Avenue. Open daily 8:30 am – 6 pm.
Sing Chong Food Centre: 253 Keefer Street. Open daily 8 am – 5:30 pm.
Dried Goods/Traditional Chinese Medicine
Spices, nuts, dried fruit, teas, grains, etc. Don’t know what something is? Just ask! The business owners are very knowledgeable.
Yuen Tai Hong: 530 Main Street. Open daily 10 am – 5:30 pm.
Continental Herbal Co.: 278 East Pender Street. Open daily 9 am – 6 pm. Known for dried seafood and mushrooms.
Cheung Sing Herbal: 536 Main Street. Open daily 10 am – 5:30 pm. Known for dried seafood.
Hang Hing Herbal Medicine: 299 East Pender Street. Open daily 9 am – 6 pm.
Tone Ren Hong: 247 Keefer Street. Open daily 9 am – 6 pm.
Hang Loong Herbal Products: 1T7, 242 East Pender Street. Open daily 11 am – 6 pm.
Kitchenware
Ai & Om Knives: 129 East Pender Street. Open Monday – Friday 11 am – 6 pm. aiandomknives.com
Forum Home Appliances: 245 East Pender Street. Open Monday – Saturday 9:30 am – 6 pm. forumappliances.com
Tinland Cookware: 260 East Pender Street. Open Monday – Thursday 11 am – 4 pm. They offer cookware, housewares, restaurant supplies, llates, bowls, kitchen gadgets, cutting blocks, pots and pans, utensils of all types, and more.
Book Stores
Liang You Book Store: 218 East Georgia Street. Open daily 11 am – 6 pm.
Massy Books: 229 E Georgia Street. Open daily 10 a – 6 pm. massybooks.com
Xiang Wang Enterprise: 229 Keefer Street.
Fashion
Chinatown Vintage Community Thrift Shop: 131 E Pender Street. Open Tuesday – Saturday 12 pm – 5 pm. A treasure trove of gently used merchandise that includes women’s clothing and accessories. 100% of all profits go towards the revitalization of Chinatown. chinatownfoundation.org/chinatown-vintage
Gifts
Artistic Gems & Rocks: 107 East Pender Street. Open 11:30 am / 12 pm – 5:30 pm Wednesday – Monday.
Bamboo Village: 135 E Pender Street. Open Wednesday – Monday They carry a large selection of tropical plants, flowerpots, bamboo products, lanterns, one-of-a-kind Chinese antique furniture & collectibles, housewares, and much, much more.
Chinese Zodiac Gifts & Souvenirs: 48 East Pender Street. Open Monday – Sunday 10 am – 6 pm. Statues, prints, key chains, boxes, apothecary bowls, fans and more.
City Garden Florist: 180 Keefer Street #113a. open daily 9 am – 6 pm. citygardenflorist.com
Fuling Gifts & Houseware: 111 East Pender Street.
Where to Eat
Bakeries
Traditional Chinese Bakeries
New Town Bakery: 148 East Pender Street. Open daily 6:30 pm am – 7:30 pm. The restaurant also made a cameo in Alice Wong’s Netflix movie “Always Be My Maybe.” newtownbakery.ca
Sun Fresh Bakery: 245 Keefer Street. Open daily 7:30 am – 6:30 pm.
The Boss Bakery: 532 Main Street. Open daily 7 am – 6 pm. facebook.com/TheBossBakeryandRestaurantChinatown
Maxim’s Bakery: 257 Keefer Street. Open daily 8 am – 6 pm. facebook.com/MaximsBakeryandRestaurantChinatown
Zhao Mah Bakery: 280 East Pender Street. Sunday – Tuesday 9 am – 6:30 pm. Wednesday – Saturday 9 am – 7 pm.
Modern Asian-Inspired Bakeries
Buttermere Patisserie: 636 Main Street. Cafe hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Cake pickup at 958 Main Street Wednesday – Sunday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. buttermere.ca
Kouign Cafe: 18 East Pender Street. Open Tuesday – Sunday 11:30 am-5:30 pm. thekouign.com
Dim Sum
Vancouver’s Chinatown is home to some great dim sum restaurants and bakeries. There are many delicious options at affordable prices. neighbourhood’s restaurants.
You’ll steamed dumplings, large sized filled buns, rice rolls, rice and noodle to-go boxes and more.
Jade Dynasty Restaurant: 137 East Pender Street. Open Wednesday – Monday 9 am – 9 pm. Closed Tuesdays. One of the last standing family-run dim sum restaurants in Chinatown. facebook.com/JadeDynasty
Floata: 180 Keefer Street. Open for dim sum 9 am – 3 pm daily. Dinner 5 pm onwards Thursday – Sunday. One of the largest Chinese and longstanding restaurant in Vancouver. Chinatown fixture for standard dim sum, Chinese dishes & live seafood, plus takeaway and delivery. floata.com
Noodles & Rice
Ming Fong Fast Food. Inside Chinatown Plaza at 180 Keefer Street. Open 9:30 am – 6 pm. Known for affordable, friendly service and good portioned rice and noodle dishes fresh from the wok.
Kent’s Kitchen: 232 Keefer St, Vancouver. Open 10:30 am – 6:30 pm. A Chinatown institution, you’ll find a good old fashion buffet of Chinese cooked items where you select from to compose your rice or noodle takeaway box. Lineups are usually expected. Cash only.
Gain Wah: 218 Keefer Street. Open daily 11 am – 11 pm except Tuesdays. A classic Cantonese food restaurants. Good portions for the price.
Modern Asian-Inspired Restaurants
Torafuku: 958 Main Street. Modern Pan-Asian cuisine with bold and vibrant flavours. torafuku.ca
Sai Woo: 158 East Pender Street. Contemporary and adventurous, Sai Woo combines the best of old and new in a salute to its 1920’s predecessor. Bedecked by twinkling lights, with a long bar and cozy booths, the restaurants offers inventive and flavour packed Asian-fusion fare. saiwoo.ca
Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie: 163 Keefer Street. Modern Chinese sharing plates and inventive cocktails in a stylish dining room. bao-bei.ca
Fat Mao Noodles: 217 East Georgia Street. Modern Asian noodle bar with focus on Thai-Chinese soup noodles. Opened in 2015, it is the third restaurant of chef Angus An. fatmaonoodles.com
The Union: 219 Union Street. Industrial-chic hub serving creative cocktails and Pan-Asian eats. theunionvancouver.ca
Other Cuisines
- Kissa Tanto
- Straight Outta Brooklyn Pizzeria
- Ba Le Sandwich Shop
- Juke Fried Chicken
- Crackle Creme
- Dalina
- Phnom Penh
- Virtuous Pie
- Hunnybee Bruncheonette
- Matchstick Chinatown
- Hey, Dumplings!
- Manpuku
- Mello
- Propoganda Coffee
- ShuckShuck
- MILA
- Pacific Poke
- Umaluma Dairy-Free Gelato
Where to Drink
The Chinese Tea Shop: 101 East Pender Street. Open Wednesday – Sunday 1 pm – 6 pm. thechineseteashop.com
Treasure Green Tea Company: 227 East Georgia Street. Open Monday – Saturday 11 am – 6 pm. Closed Wednesday. Sunday 12 pm – 5 pm. treasuregreen.com
Keefer Bar | Keefer Yard: A Top 10 Bar in Vancouver serving inventive cocktails with Chinatown-sourced ingredients. thekeeferbar.com
Vancouver Chinatown Attractions and Landmarks
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden: 578 Carrall Street (reopening 2021). The first Chinese or “scholars” garden built outside of China and consists of a freely accessible public park and a garden with an admission fee.
Vancouver Chinatown Millennium Gate
Millennium Gate: 26 West Pender Street. The Vancouver Chinatown Millennium Gate makes the entrance to Chinatown and features 3 ornate, tile-roofed arches in the traditional Chinese design.
Sam Kee Building
The Sam Kee Building at 8 West Pender Street holds the Guinness Book of Records of being the world’s narrowest commercial building. One of Chinatown’s wealthiest firms, the Sam Kee Company, had it built in 1903.
Historic Shanghai Alley
Historic Shanghai Alley: 524 Shanghai Alley. Shanghai Alley is one the earliest settlement areas of Vancouver’s Chinese immigrants. This neighborhood housed more than 1,000 Asian-Canadian residents, and had numerous commercial and cultural activities including restaurants, shops and Chinese opera entertainment.
At the end of Shanghai Alley hangs a replica Western Han
Dynasty bell, a gift to Vancouver from sister city Guangzhou and
a symbol of the historic connection between the two cities and
their urban settlements.
Chinatown Memorial Monument
Chinatown Memorial Monument (100 block of Keefer Street) commemorates the significant contributions of Chinese Canadians to the city of Vancouver.
The first bronze statue, a railway worker, recognizes the thousands of Chinese Canadians who lived and died building the Trans-Canadian railway system.
The second bronze statue, a Chinese Canadian Second World War solider, recognizes some six hundred Chinese Canadians who volunteered in the War efforts, proving their patriotism which later earned them the right to vote.
Historical Murals
Titled “A Snapshot of History”, there are a few murals which were created in 2010 by Shu Ren (Arthur) Cheng and are located at 490 Columbia Street near the corner of Pender.
One panel of the mural depicts the Goon family who contributed to Chinatown. The other two panels feature a reproduction of a 1905 photo of a silk merchant in Chinatown and a rendering of a 1936 photo of men sitting outside a barber shop at Carrall and Pender.
Chinatown Plaza
Inside Chinatown Plaza at 106 Keefer Street is a Terracotta Warrior replica.
Where to Park in Vancouver Chinatown
Free Parking
East of Jackson Ave, free 2-hr parking is available on Pender, Keefer, Georgia, and Union St. from Mon-Fri. As this is a residential area, please be respectful.
Paid Parking
- The Firenz (688 Abbott Street) – $5.50/2hrs
- A. Livingstone Field (105 Keefer Street) – $6/2hrs
- Chinatown Parkade (188 Keefer Street) – $8/2hrs
- Golden Crown (211 E Georgia Street) – $6.50/2hrs
Safety Tips
Just as in Downtown Vancouver, Yaletown, and Gastown, please place any items in your vehicle out of sight. Please be respectful of all residents.
As Chinatown has many vulnerable groups, please wear a mask and practice physical distancing at all times.
Visit in the afternoon if possible. Senior residents often shop in the morning.
How to Support Local Vancouver Chinatown Businesses
- Shop in Historic Vancouver Chinatown
- Write a Google review for them! Be their online presence.
- Post photos to social media. Tag us so we can share to our community!
- Tell your friends and family! Share the good deals you found.