Cheap eats in Vancouver: how to eat well on a budget

Vancouver is not a cheap city, and a sit-down dinner with drinks adds up fast. But the cheapest meals here are often the best ones: noodle shops, bakeries, dumpling houses and family-run counters where the food is serious and the room is not. Here is how to eat well without watching the total climb.

Is Vancouver expensive for food?

A full-service dinner with wine is expensive almost anywhere in the city, partly because alcohol carries extra provincial tax in BC. But everyday food can be very good value if you know where to look. The rule of thumb: the more a place puts into its food and the less into its decor, the better your money goes.

Where can you eat cheaply in Vancouver?

Where	What to look for
Chinatown and Richmond	Bakeries, barbecue meat over rice, noodle soups, dumplings
Robson Street and the West End	Ramen, donburi, Korean lunch sets
Commercial Drive	Pizza by the slice, sandwiches, global cheap eats
Punjabi Market and South Vancouver	Thali plates, samosas, chaat, sweets by weight
Kingsway and East Vancouver	Vietnamese pho and banh mi, Filipino and Chinese counters
Granville Island Public Market	Snacks and small plates to share as you walk

What are the best cheap meals in Vancouver?

• A bowl of pho or ramen. Filling, fast, and some of the best value in the city.
• Barbecue pork or roast duck over rice from a Cantonese counter.
• A banh mi, often one of the cheapest good lunches you can find.
• Dumplings, ordered by the dozen and shared.
• Bakery buns. A Chinatown bakery bun or a samosa makes an easy breakfast on the go.

The lunch special is the best-kept secret in Vancouver eating. Many sit-down places run set lunches that cost far less than the same food at dinner.

How do you save money eating out in Vancouver?

1. Eat your big meal at lunch. Lunch sets and specials are much cheaper than dinner.
2. Skip the drinks, or keep them simple. Alcohol carries both GST and BC PST, so it pushes a bill up quickly. Tea is often free at Chinese restaurants.
3. Share dishes. Dim sum, izakaya plates and Korean meals are built for sharing, and a group eats more variety for less.
4. Look for happy hour. Many bars and izakayas run early evening food and drink deals.
5. Pick neighbourhoods over landmarks. Places right on the tourist strips tend to charge for the location.

Is food truck food cheap in Vancouver?

Not always. Vancouver food trucks can cost about as much as a quick sit-down lunch, because they pay for permits, ingredients and staff like anyone else. They are worth it for something distinctive, but if the budget is tight, a noodle shop or a bakery will usually go further.

Is it cheaper to eat in Richmond than downtown Vancouver?

Often, yes, for Chinese food. Richmond has a huge choice of restaurants, which keeps them competitive, and many places are aimed at locals rather than visitors. The SkyTrain ride costs far less than the difference a good lunch there can make.

How do you eat cheaply at Granville Island?

The Public Market can feel pricey if you sit down for a full meal, but it is a good place to graze. Buy a few small things from different counters, a pastry, a piece of smoked fish, some fruit, and eat them outside by the water. Sharing between two or three people turns a handful of snacks into a lunch, and you get to try far more than one plate would allow.

Do you still need to tip at cheap places?

At a sit-down place with a server, yes: 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax bill is normal even when the meal is inexpensive. At a counter where you order and collect your own food, tipping is optional. Budget for the tip as part of the meal, not an extra.

How do you find good cheap food instead of just cheap food?

• Follow the lunch rush. A full room of local workers at noon is a good sign.
• Read the menu for focus. A short menu that does one thing usually does it well.
• Order what the place is known for, not the safe dish you know from home.

Mosey is built around ratings from people who actually ate somewhere, dish by dish, which is exactly how you find the bowl of noodles worth crossing town for.

More guides to read next:

• Holiday dining in Vancouver: the Christmas Market, festive menus and booking tips
• Coffee shops and bakeries in Vancouver: how to find a good one
• Dim sum in Richmond and Vancouver: how to order, when to go

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.