Restaurants that opened in Richmond in 2023 seemed to strengthen the city’s status as a food destination, possibly the North American hub for Asian dining.
The new restaurants cover a wide variety of food types, from a creative bakery launched by a MasterChef Canada winner to a prestigious Japanese restaurant opened by a Michelin-starred chef to Chinese food originating from different regions of the country.
Here are our picks for the most exciting new restaurants that opened in Richmond in 2023.
Daan Go Cake Lab
Address: #100-4731 Garden City Rd.
MasterChef Canada winner Christopher Siu opened his first Daan Go Cake Lab on the west coast last year in Richmond and it attracted a lot of attention right away. It’s especially popular for its Instagram-friendly character macarons and designer cakes – whether it’s in the shape of a hot pot, roasted pig or durian.
Osmanthus
Address: #2788-4151 Hazelbridge Way
If you want to try Chinese food and have a fine dining experience, Osmanthus is one option. This new Chinese restaurant, specializing in food from Southern Chinese cities, including Shanghai, opened at Aberdeen Centre and claimed to offer “delicacies originating from the Song Dynasty.”
“Our traditional Chinese restaurant is a haven for connoisseurs of fine dining, where we meticulously craft Jiangnan dishes that pay homage to the rich history and flavours of this enchanting region,” says the restaurant’s website.
Masa Ishibashi
Address: #130-8411 Bridgeport Rd.
Richmond may have its first Michelin-starred restaurant soon. Masakazu Ishibashi, a Michelin-starred chef from Japan, opened Masa Ishibashi, serving high-end Japanese cuisine.
Ishibashi has received numerous honours in Japan, but this was the first time the chef opened a location in Canada. The restaurant uses fresh ingredients airlifted from fish markets in Japan and provides "Edomae Cuisine," which has a long history in Japan.
A Bite of Shunde
Address: #2215-4653 Garden City Rd.
Richmondites can now enjoy cuisine from Shunde, one of the most important birthplaces of Cantonese food, with the opening of A Bite of Shunde on Garden City Road.
Shunde, a district in southern China, is famous for producing some of the best Cantonese cuisine and was named a City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Shunde cuisine is famous for using quality ingredients and preserving natural flavours in its cooking.
Grill Party
Address: #120-8511 Alexandra Rd.
Grill Party, a barbecue eatery featuring Northeastern Chinese-style dishes, officially opened in February.
It’s hard for people to miss it when they walk by as the restaurant is decorated inside, and outside, with neon signs that mimic the atmosphere of a nightclub and late-night restaurants in Asia.
Its menu highlights lamb and beef skewers, hot pan dishes, steamed scallops with glass noodles and an extensive list of cocktails and alcohol choices.
Little Karp Seafood Restaurant & Bar
Address: 8631 Alexandra Rd.
A new Richmond fine-dining restaurant has created a fusion menu, combining Western cooking styles with lesser-known and sometimes intimidating Chinese ingredients.
Owner Fan Fan Cheng aims to showcase Richmond’s “excellent resources” of fresh produce and seafood, while also educating people about lesser-known or intimidating Chinese ingredients via Western cooking style.
The restaurant gets its seafood from Steveston Wharf or local fishing companies, produce from B.C. berry farms and even olive oil from The Olive Farm on Salt Spring Island.
Chinese Baozi Master
Address: #1085-3700 No. 3 Rd.
Compared to some of the fine dining or Michelin-starred chef-owned restaurants, Chinese Baozi Master is very humble. However, the stall at Yaohan Centre’s food court has seen lineups since its first day of opening.
The products it offers are simple – authentic steamed stuffed buns, which are an essential breakfast item for people in Northern China and other areas in the country. Its popularity shows that Northern Chinese people’s love for authentic baozi can never be underestimated.
Nyonya House
Address: #100-3866 Bayview St.
Nyonya House, nestled between Freshslice Pizza and Blue Canoe Waterfront on Bayview Street, offers a wide variety of Malaysian dishes.
The restaurant’s offerings include popular dishes such as roti canai, satay skewers, nasi lemak, laksa, Hainanese chicken and rendang beef, as well as drinks including Malaysian milk tea and coffee and desserts such as cendol and mango sticky rice.
Kazuhan Yakiniku BBQ
Address: #1150-8391 Alexandra Rd.
For those who want to try traditional Japanese-style BBQ, they now have an option in Richmond with the opening of Kazuhan Yakiniku.
The restaurant offers all-you-can-eat barbecue starting from $48 per person as well as a rice and noodle lunch menu.
Daowei Haige Seafood
Address: 7911 Alderbridge Way
Daowei Haige Seafood specializes in “marinated raw seafood in sauce,” a type of food originating from Southern China.
Chefs put fresh clean seafood such as fish, shrimps, crabs and oysters in the specially made sauce, seal it and store it in the fridge, so the sauce marinate the seafood but it still keeps its freshness. Daowei also offers Northern Chinese style cooked dishes.
Yokai Tapas and Sake Bar
Address: #140-8133 Cook Rd.
Yokai Tapas and Sake Bar, a Japanese-style bar, called izakaya in Japanese, opened on Cook Road. Izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks and is a casual place for after-work drinking in Japan.
The restaurant decor follows izakaya in Japan with seating that is suitable for groups or individuals, and two arcades with classic Japanese games. The restaurant has various cocktails on its trial menu as well as Japanese dishes.
Datang BBQ & Beer
Address: #50-8100 Ackroyd Rd.
The new Northern Chinese-style grilled barbecue offers all-you-can-eat for $39.95 per person before dinner time.
The restaurant provides a wide variety of dishes including meat and ribs, chicken palm, beef intestines, chicken gizzards, beef tongue and dishes such as cold noodles and sauerkraut.
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