Richmond's Golden Village food guide: Alexandra Road, malls and food courts

Richmond, south of Vancouver and next to the airport, has a very large and varied concentration of Asian restaurants. A lot of it sits in the Golden Village, the commercial area roughly between Sea Island Way and Alderbridge Way, around No. 3 Road. If you have heard that you can eat dim sum, hot pot, Taiwanese beef noodle soup and Hong Kong cafe breakfasts within a short walk of each other, this is what people mean.

The SkyTrain Canada Line runs through it, with stations at Richmond-Brighouse, Lansdowne and Aberdeen, so you can get here from downtown Vancouver without a car.

What is the Golden Village?

It is a district rather than a single street. It grew from the 1980s as families from Hong Kong, then Taiwan and mainland China, settled in Richmond, and the shops and restaurants followed. Today it is a place where signs in Chinese characters often come first and English second, and where the better places are packed on a Saturday.

Large Asian-themed malls are a defining feature. Aberdeen Centre is the best known, with a food court, plus a number of full-service restaurants and shops. Some stalls in malls like this may not take cards, so carry a little cash.

Where is Alexandra Road?

Alexandra Road runs east from No. 3 Road and is often called Food Street, because so many restaurants and takeout counters line a few blocks of it. It is the easiest place to walk with no plan, comparing menus in windows. You will find noodle shops, hot pot rooms, Taiwanese snack bars, Shanghai-style dumpling houses and bubble tea within a few steps of each other.

What should you order in Richmond?

Think of it as a food crawl rather than one big meal. A few things the area does well:

• Dim sum. Weekend lunch is the main event. Arrive by 10:30 or book ahead. The separate guide to dim sum in Richmond and Vancouver covers how it works.
• Hot pot. A simmering broth at the table, with thinly sliced meat, tofu, vegetables and noodles to cook yourself.
• Taiwanese food. Beef noodle soup, three-cup chicken, fried chicken cutlets and bubble tea.
• Hong Kong cafe food. Milk tea, baked rice dishes, toast and scrambled egg sandwiches, often cheap and quick.
• Shanghainese dumplings. Xiao long bao, the soup dumplings, should be eaten carefully: lift one into your spoon, bite the skin and sip the broth before eating.
• Bakeries. Pineapple buns, egg tarts and red bean buns are cheap, so pick up a few and try them.

Is it hard to get a table?

It depends on the hour. Large dim sum halls and hot pot rooms often get long waits at weekends, and many take a name at the door instead of reservations. Smaller noodle shops turn tables quickly. Weekday lunch is the easy option, and if you go with a group, book where you can.

How does the bill work?

Many places add a tip option on the card machine, but some Chinese restaurants have tea charges or set service fees, so read the bill. In British Columbia, GST of 5 percent applies to food, with 10 percent PST on alcohol. Tipping 15 to 20 percent before tax at a table with service is customary. At a counter or food court, a tip is optional.

What about dietary needs?

Menus are meat- and seafood-heavy, and sauces such as oyster sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce appear in many dishes. If you are vegetarian, vegan or avoiding gluten or shellfish, Richmond does have Buddhist vegetarian restaurants and places that can adjust, but you should say so clearly and ask what is in the broth. Halal Chinese and Muslim-friendly restaurants also exist in Richmond. Ask before you order, since the language barrier can be real in smaller places.

How to plan a day

Start with dim sum at 10:30 on a weekend. Walk it off through Aberdeen Centre and the surrounding malls, then return for bubble tea or a bakery snack in the afternoon. For dinner, try Alexandra Road. The Canada Line takes about 25 minutes from Waterfront station downtown.

How do you find the good places when the strip keeps changing?

Restaurants here open, close and change names often, so judge a place by what is on the tables and who is queuing. Recent photos and current opening hours will tell you more than an old list.

How do you keep track of a day of eating in Richmond?

A Golden Village crawl can cover dim sum, a hot pot, a bubble tea and a pineapple bun before dinner, and each of those is a different dish worth remembering. In the Mosey app you rate the dish itself, so the xiao long bao and the beef noodle soup are scored separately even when you ate them an hour apart. Tag what you liked, build a list of the stalls and dining rooms you want to return to, and share it with the group chat so everyone can add their own finds. Rate the best dish of your day in Richmond before the Canada Line takes you home.

More guides to read next:

• The Richmond Night Market has closed: what it was and where to find summer night markets now
• Ordering delivery in BC: what the fee cap covers, what you still pay and how to save
• BC liquor rules for diners: bringing your own wine, ID, PST on drinks and what is on the bill

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