Edmonton Chinatown Food: Bakeries and Banh Mi

Edmonton Chinatown food is a compact mix of Chinese bakeries, banh mi counters and Vietnamese noodle kitchens around 97 Street and 98 Street, close to downtown. It is cheap enough to try several stops in an afternoon. Go with an appetite and a bag, and eat a pastry first, a sandwich second and something hot last.

Chinatown is Edmonton's older immigrant food district, and it is changing, which is a good reason to visit it now.

What is Edmonton Chinatown food like?

Practical, family-run and cheap enough to try several things in a day. The district is small enough to cover on foot, with Chinese bakeries, bubble tea cafes, noodle restaurants and sandwich counters within a few blocks of each other. Plan a loop, carry a bag for anything you take home, and expect small rooms, short menus and a lot of takeout.

Which Edmonton Chinatown bakery is worth the walk?

Look for a Hong Kong-style bakery with full trays and a queue at the counter. The classics are pineapple buns, egg tarts, barbecue pork buns and soft milk bread, with red bean and wintermelon pastries for something sweeter. A bakery that makes everything in house, daily, smells of it from the street, and that is the sign to go in. An Edmonton Chinatown bakery is a morning stop, when the trays are full and the buns are still warm, so ask what has just come out of the oven. Order one savoury and one sweet, eat the savoury first and carry the rest for later. Many bakeries also sell sponge cake, coconut buns and sesame balls, which keep well for the walk home, and most are happy to box a few buns for the table.

Where do you find Edmonton Chinatown banh mi?

At small sandwich counters in and around the district, where a baguette is filled to order with pâté, cold cuts, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, coriander and chilli. Edmonton Chinatown banh mi is a snack, a lunch and a takeout meal in one, and the shops differ in the bread, the filling and the heat. Buy one at two different counters and compare them, then read the banh mi guide for a method. Ownership and fillings change from time to time, so judge the sandwich you are handed, not the old reviews.

Are there Edmonton Chinatown Vietnamese restaurants for a hot meal?

Yes. Family-run noodle restaurants serve beef noodle soup, rice plates, vermicelli bowls and other Vietnamese dishes, usually in generous portions, and a bowl for lunch costs far less than a restaurant meal downtown. Edmonton Chinatown Vietnamese restaurants are at their best on a cold day, when a bowl of broth with herbs and lime is the right answer. Check the current hours, share dishes with a friend and add the herbs and sauce at the end, after you have tasted the broth.

Is there a Chinatown food tour in Edmonton?

Guided food walks of the district run in some seasons, often with community groups that work to revitalize Chinatown. A Chinatown food tour in Edmonton is one way to learn the history and meet the owners, and it makes a good first visit. Dates change, so look for a current listing from a community or tourism organization, or do your own loop with the plan below.

What is changing in Edmonton's Chinatown?

A lot. New owners have taken over some long-standing businesses, new cafes have opened, and some older buildings have been redeveloped. That is a reminder to confirm that a place is still open before you go. Chinatown businesses change hands, move and close, and the best habit is to look at a place's current page or social account first.

How should you plan a Chinatown crawl?

Start in the morning at a bakery, when the trays are full, and finish with a hot meal before the afternoon lull. Wear walking shoes, carry a bag and leave the car in one spot rather than moving it between stops. Weekdays are calmer, and some small shops close earlier than you expect, so look up each one the day before. If you are travelling with children, pick a pastry stop and a noodle stop and call it a day. Keep a little time free for a wander, because the best discoveries are the shops you did not plan to enter. A small grocery on the way is also worth a look for sauces, noodles and snacks to take home.

How do you keep track of a Chinatown crawl?

Rate each stop by the dish. In the Mosey app only the place and stars are required, and you can name the bun, the sandwich or the soup and give each its own stars. Add tags such as Bakery, Quick Service or Great Value, tag the friends you went with so they can add their own view, and keep the stops on a list called Edmonton Chinatown. The Friends' picks layer on the map shows where people you follow have been.

Where else should you eat in Edmonton?

The Whyte Avenue guide covers the south side, the downtown restaurants guide the core. The Canadian food guides cover every other city.

After your crawl, open the Mosey app, rate the best thing you ate and start an Edmonton Chinatown list to share with a friend.