For all foodies and restaurant goers, a common question that pops up is: What are the best new Vancouver restaurants to eat at?
We’re all looking for the hottest new spot, wondering which super chefs are ready to launch another mind-blowing innovation in cuisine, and who’s adding one more gem to Vancouver’s glittering crown of eateries. We also know all of that happens at a rapid pace in this city, and it’s sometimes difficult to keep up.
So, to help you out, we’ve put together a must-hit list of all the restaurants opening now, or soon in and around your neighborhoods. We hope you’re ready to enjoy these rocking new spots in true Vancouverite style!
New Vancouver Restaurants That Opened Recently:
🍲 Kingsway gets a new Northern Viet spot – Van 168 is a new family-operated restaurant offering authentic Northern Vietnamese dishes, including a unique Bún Ốc Chả Ốc, which features freshwater snail and steam snail sausage with vermicelli noodles in soup.
🍙 Vancouver gets first onigiri cafe – Takenaka (yes the food truck) grand opened their onigiri cafe inside COHO commissary.
☕️ Premium cafe quietly opens on Broadway – Lumiere Cafe takes over the previous Blenz by Broadway City Hall station. It has a premium and aesthetic interior and one of the largest cups of coffee we’ve seen in the city.
🇯🇵 Beloved Strathcona Japanese restaurant reopens – After two unfortunate fire incidents, Dosanko finally reopened this week.
🥭 [COMMUNITY SPOTTED] HK Mango brand opens new Richmond location –Hui Lau Shan has soft-opened their new Richmond location. Unlike other franchise stores, this one offers some new snack options and a dreamy, pink-and-gold decor aimed at female and youth demographics.
🍜 New Japanese ramen cart is going viral – Tatchan Noodle offers Okinawa Soba in a Yatai cart experience. The owner, Tatsuya, wanted to share the taste of his hometown with locals. The cart offers three bowls of soba, and only makes around 30-40 bowls a day.
After we shared our experience on social media , the cart has seen massive interest from Vancouverites and was quickly sold out.
🇲🇾 Malaysian snack & dessert shop opens 2nd location – Malaysia Street has quietly opened in Richmond, offering traditional desserts, drinks, and finger foods.
🍛 Miku’s parents to open a curry-specialty spot – The group behind Miku & Minami are opening a new Japanese-style curry restaurant called WA! CURRY. It will be located at the previous Gyoza Bar location in Downtown. It is expected to open March 15th.
🥚 Viral egg-shaped snacks take over Burnaby – Guulu Cafe offers a new and cute snack called “eggyaki” shaped like little eggs with an adorable smile.
🥤 China BBT chain spotted to open first BC location – Whale Tea started in Nanjin and has over 300 stores in worldwide including Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and London. The brand uses a whale as its symbol which represents strength and sustainability.
We spotted them taking over the previous Exposure BBT unit.
🥤Best BBT shop opens in Downtown – Baroness has soft opened a new location on Denman Street, offering – in our opinion – the best brown sugar bbt and pearls in the city.
🍵 New Japanese dessert cafe soft opens in DT – Yesterday Daigyo Cafe opened in the West End. The cafe sources its ingredients from Shizuoka, a region in Japan known for its high-quality matcha, and focuses on beverages like lattes, teas, smoothies, and coffee with a matcha twist. The menu also includes parfaits and savory sandos.
See our full coverage about Daigyo Cafe here .
🍕 New Korean pizza chain opens in DT – Pizza Maru, known for its green tea dough, is opened its West End location yesterday. The chain, which has over 650 stores worldwide, opened its first Canadian outpost in Toronto last year. Pizza Maru offers a variety of pizzas, including regular classics, Korean-style pizzas, and more.
See our full coverage about Pizza Maru here .
🐱 Richmond Cat Cafe quietly opens – yesterday we stumbled upon Richmond’s new cat cafe, Pet Pls, on their soft opening day. According to the staff, the cafe has a roster of 7 cats – all owned by the owner. In the future, they plan to have cats available for adoption. To spend time interacting with the cats, the cost is $18 per hour.
🍲 Dolar shop’s second Burnaby location – the hot pot chained shared with us that the new location (just a couple blocks from their Station Square one) will open to the public on January 28th.
🇯🇵 Japanese style cafe opens in West End – authentic Japanese style cafe, 93 Coffee , takes over the previous 3/4 Full Cafe on Denman. They offer in-house Japanese shoku pan loaf, breakfast sets, omurice, and a full drink menu.
🐟 Famous sauerkraut spot reopens in Richmond – Known for its signature Chinese Sauerkraut Fish, TAI ER has reopened its Richmond outpost after its renovation.
🍔 Victoria’s popular burger joint set foot in DT – the island’s go-to classic burger joint, Burger Crush, has now opened in Downtown Vancouver (755 Nelson). The brand is known for their plant-based options and milkshakes.
🍣 High End Omakase Sets Foot In North Van – North Van will be getting a new omakase spot, Sushi MAHANA, on Jan 14th. Executive Chef Hiroshi Hoshiko has crafted a truly special venue that celebrates both traditional Edomae sushi flavours, by sourcing fresh ingredients flown straight from Tokyo and locally caught fish.
Omakase starts at $200 for their introductory course, or $250 for the premium option.
🍕 New Italian spot springs up in Gastown – After years of being empty, the previous Nicli Antica unit finally has a new owner: Gastronomy. The new food spot is said to serve elevated twists on classic dishes and aim to be “thought-provoking”. Here you’ll find wood-fire oven pizzas, oysters, lasagna and cocktails.
☕️ Whistler gets new retro cafe – Whistler’s Creekside area just got a new funky and retro cafe called Rockit Coffee Co. It is by the same folks behind Tacos La Cantina and The Mexican Corner.\
Catch our chat with the owner about why they decided to get into the coffee business here .
☕️ Highly anticipated Novella Coffee Bar – The highly anticipated coffee bar from the team behind Michelin 1 Star Published on Main, Michelin recommended Bar Susu, and House of Funk Coffee, opened their doors.
Read about what’s to expect from their coffee and food in our chat with their co-owner Cody Allmin here.
🍳 Newish Steveston Korean brunch spot– our friend Teelythefoodie, recently shared her experience at a new Korean brunch spot in Steveston, which has seemed to have been under the radar.
🍣 Return of Tom Sushi – After a lengthy renovation, one of downtown Vancouver’s top sushi spot is back in action! There’s a good reason we put Tom Sushi #1 on our best Vancouver sushi list: top quality sushi at an affordable price. They don’t take reservations so be prepared for a small wait.
🥐 Hidden gem croissant spot expands – Authentic French pastry shop, L’Atelier Patisserie, previously had a homey hidden spot near Mount Pleasant. This week they’ve moved to a new and much larger space on Broadway (599 E. Broadway). They are known for their croissants and French baked goods.
🍝 New Italian farm-to-table spot – Viaggio Hospitality Group (Ancora, Cibo Trattoria, Papi’s Seafood & Oyster Bar) revealed their new Northern Italian x West Coast restaurant, The Farmhouse, has opened this week on Main Street (352 E 10th Ave).
🎲 Gastown got a new 90s inspired board game cafe called Turquoise Goat. They are taking over the previous Catch 122 location.
New Vancouver Restaurants Opening Soon:
🍖 [COMMUNITY SPOTTED] New Korean & Japanese BBQ joint spotted in Richmond – Located right next to Richmond’s Lido restaurant is going to be a new spot called Two Horns.
☕️ Cafe La Foret shares opening date – the aesthetic Burnaby cafe shared that their upcoming Royal Oak location will open on April 3rd and operate more of a production facility.
🍫 Small batch chocolate shop to open on Main – Melt Confectionary, who is known for its nostalgic flavours, shared that they are opening their first retail location.
🥤 New BBT chain to open first BC location – SHUYI Tea spotted to open in Richmond. They are known for using high-quality ingredients and packing their drinks with toppings.
🇯🇵 Osaka izakaya to spring up in Downtown – Guu Izakaya, a popular Japanese izakaya chain, is opening a new Osaka street food concept called Guu Toramasa.
🍲 More hot pot in Richmond incoming – Big Way Hot Pot , a popular self-serve hot pot chain, is set to open a new location in Richmond this spring. Customers can choose from almost 100 different toppings and soup bases, and weigh their pot to determine the price.
🇮🇳 Award-winning Indian restaurant to expand – Sula Indian Restaurant is opening a third location in Vancouver, near English Bay, in Spring 2023.
🍗 Saku Brentwood Lives – Popular tonkatsu brand, Saku, was initially reported to open IN The Amazing Brentwood (TAB). However, during the pandemic, their logo disappeared from the TAB website. Earlier this week, a community member spotted ‘Saku Opening Soon’ signs across from TAB at the Solo District.
This will be Saku’s 4th location in the province.
☀️ A bit of California in Vancouver – laid back California inspired restaurant, Birdies Eats & Drinks, to open in previous Lougheed Hwy Earls location (3850 Lougheed Highway). It is reported that Birdies is a new concept created by the Earls team.
🍲 [COMMUNITY SPOTTED] Downtown Big Way Hot Pot – a community member spotted the signs for the upcoming Robson Street Big Way Hot Pot. Big Way is known for their personalized self-serve hot pot where you have over 100 of items to choose from.
Last week we also reported that they are opening their 2nd Burnaby location. They have confirmed to us they are taking over the Gokudo Shabu Shabu unit to reduce wait times.
🍜 Top ramen brand expands – Ramen lovers, get ready! One of the top ramen brands in Vancouver, Ramen Danbo, is expanding with a brand new location in Kerrisdale (2277 W 41st Avenue). They’ll be taking over the previous Sofra Mediterranean Kitchen unit, and will be serving up their delicious ramen bowls in no time.
🧃New Taiwanese BBT Chain Arriving in BC – Macu Tea, a Taiwanese BBT chain founded in 2008 and has 330+ stores globally, is taking over the previous Alley BBT spot in Richmond’s Union Square.
Heritage Eatery to open in Lonsdale – known for casual Asian comfort eats, they will be opening a new location in Lonsdale Quay Market’s upcoming new food hall. This will be the 3rd location for the brand, and is set to open next spring.
🌮 Chancho on the move – Yaletown’s Chancho Tortilleria is moving to the previous Cafe Deux Soleils location, on Commercial Drive. Slated to open early next year.
🇯🇵 Upcoming Burnaby Japanese Yakiniku – A new upcoming yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) spot, Yorimichi, was first spotted by us opening on Richmond’s Alexandra Road.
🍜 Marugame Udon Vancouver – globally known Japanese handmade udon & tempura brand to open up their first Canadian location in or near downtown Vancouver. Slated for 2023.
👀 Mega popular New York chain, Halal Guys, announces their first BC location. Many people from Toronto and Calgary (who already tried Halal Guys in their cities) told us to keep expectations moderate. Thinking it will taste as good as the original in New York may be wishful thinking sadly 🙁
🥭 Hui Lau Shan Richmond – Coming soon sign for the HK dessert brand spotted at one of the new apartment retail units, across from Richmond Centre.
☕️ Cafe La Foret Expands – the popular aesthetic Korean cafe teased about a new Royal Oak location in works. Judging from the photos, it may be going for the same concrete garden look as their current location.
😱 Time Out Market Oakridge Park – the omega 69,000 sq. ft food court will include live cooking kitchens, 3 bars, coffee shop, and open patio. Time Out has similar gigantic food halls in Montreal, New York, Osaka, and more.
🇭🇰 New dim sum and HK cafe called Happy Valley Food City, to be taking over the previous Swiss Chalet unit on 3860 Lougheed Hwy., Burnaby, BC V5C 6N4.
🍗 Popeyes is opening a GIGANTIC store inside Metrotown. It will be right across the ICBC.
🍰 Master Chef S7 winner, Christopher Siu, is bringing his bakery and cake lab concept to BC. With already 5 locations in eastern Canada, Daan Go Cake Lab will land in Richmond as the province’s first location.
At Daan Go, you’ll find cute macarons and cakes which lean towards Asian flavours. The cake lab is going to be taking over the car repair shop on Garden City Road (by Avery & Micha). Slated to open Spring 2023.
🍞 Highly rated Burnaby Heights bakery, Fior Di Latte Cafe, to open a new location in Granville Island.
🐟 Popular poke brand, Steve’s Poke Bar, to open in Yaletown by the Canada Line Station.
🥐 Beaucoup Bakery, one of the city’s most beloved bakeries, announces a new location in downtown’s St. Regis Hotel. Expected to open in the Fall.
🤩 Our friend spotted popular Tonkatsu spot, SAKU, is opening up in Coquitlam this winter. It is going to be right by Bjornbar Bakery (581 Clarke Rd #111, Coquitlam, BC V3J 0L1)
🇭🇰 Are you a fan of HK style cafe comfort food? Looks like Main Street is getting one in Fall called SAAN SAAN.
👀 Highly anticipated Japanese cheese tart brand, Pablo Cheese Tart, announced that they are opening on West Broadway.
☕️ One of Calgary’s top cafes, Analog Coffee, is taking over the longstanding Yaletown Blenz unit.
That rounds up our list of restaurants opening their doors, or getting ready to open. We hope you try a few, or all of them, and enjoy safe and memorable meals. If you’re looking for the best food in Vancouver, peek our lists so you won’t be disappointed.