Where to eat in Burnaby: Metrotown food courts, the Heights and North Road

Burnaby is the city directly east of Vancouver, and many people pass through it on the SkyTrain without stopping. That is a mistake if you like to eat. Burnaby has some of the region's best food courts, a classic neighbourhood main street, and a share of the biggest Korean food area in Metro Vancouver. Most of it is easy to reach by SkyTrain or bus.

Think of Burnaby as three food areas: Metrotown in the south, the Heights in the north, and North Road on the eastern edge.

What to eat around Metrotown

Metrotown is Burnaby's downtown, built around one of the largest shopping centres in BC and a SkyTrain station of the same name. The food here is mostly Asian, and much of it is in malls:

• Crystal Mall, across Kingsway from Metropolis at Metrotown, is the local favourite. Its food court is full of small, family-run stalls selling hand-pulled noodles, Hong Kong-style barbecue, Taiwanese snacks, dumplings, soups and bubble tea.
• Kingsway, the long road through the area, has Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Korean and Japanese restaurants in strip malls and storefronts.
• The big mall's food court covers the familiar chains, which is useful with kids or a mixed group.

In Burnaby, the most interesting food is often in the least glamorous mall.

How do you order at an Asian food court?

Mall food courts like Crystal Mall work a little differently from what some visitors expect. Each stall usually specializes in a few things, which are often shown in photos above the counter. You order and pay at the stall, sometimes get a number or a buzzer, and collect your food when it is called. Many stalls take cards, but carrying a little cash is still sensible. A good strategy with friends is to split up, each order from a different stall, and share everything at one table.

What should you order at Crystal Mall?

Stalls come and go, so it is better to know the dishes than the names. A good first visit might include:

Dish	What it is
Hand-pulled noodles	Fresh wheat noodles stretched to order, in soup or stir-fried
Hong Kong-style barbecue	Roast pork, crispy pork belly and roast duck over rice
Xiaolongbao	Small soup dumplings, eaten carefully from a spoon
Taiwanese fried chicken	Crisp, seasoned chicken pieces, often with basil
Congee	Savoury rice porridge, good on a cold day
Bubble tea	Milk tea or fruit tea with tapioca pearls or jelly

Look for the stalls with lines of regulars and short menus. A stall that does three things usually does them well. Weekend lunch is the busiest time, so a late lunch on a weekday is the calmest way to explore.

Where to eat in Burnaby Heights

The Heights is the stretch of East Hastings Street in north Burnaby, roughly from Boundary Road east. It is a classic main street of independent businesses, many of them family-run for decades. Expect Italian delis and bakeries (the area has deep Italian roots, like Commercial Drive nearby), Vietnamese pho, Thai, Indian, cafés and neighbourhood pubs. It is less hurried than Metrotown, and a good place for a long lunch.

Is North Road Vancouver's Koreatown?

North Road, which forms the border between Burnaby and Coquitlam, is the heart of the region's largest Korean community, and is often described as a Koreatown. The area around North Road and Lougheed Highway is full of Korean restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and cafés, many in small malls. It is the place to go for:

• Korean barbecue, grilled at the table.
• Stews and soups like soondubu (soft tofu stew) and gamjatang (pork bone soup).
• Korean fried chicken, often with beer.
• Kimbap and street snacks.
• Korean bakeries and dessert cafés.

Lougheed Town Centre SkyTrain station is a short walk from the strip.

Is Burnaby cheaper than Vancouver for eating out?

Often, yes. Food courts and suburban strip-mall restaurants are generally cheaper than downtown Vancouver, and portions are often generous. That is a big part of why Vancouverites cross the border for dinner. Prices are still rising, as they are everywhere in BC. Menu prices are before tax: 5 percent GST on food, plus 10 percent PST on alcohol. Tipping is optional at food court counters and 15 to 20 percent at table service.

Burnaby food at a glance

Area	Best for	Nearest SkyTrain
Metrotown and Crystal Mall	Food courts, noodles, bubble tea	Metrotown
Kingsway	Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian	Patterson, Metrotown, Edmonds
The Heights	Italian delis, pho, cafés, pubs	None, take the bus
North Road	Korean barbecue, stews, bakeries	Lougheed Town Centre

How to plan a Burnaby food trip

1. Take the SkyTrain to Metrotown and graze at Crystal Mall for lunch.
2. Ride east to Lougheed Town Centre for Korean dinner on North Road.
3. Save the Heights for another day, when you can wander Hastings Street slowly.

Food courts are where personal recommendations matter most, because nothing has a sign worth trusting. On Mosey you can rate the stalls and restaurants you actually ate at, dish by dish, and see what people you follow ordered, so your next visit starts with the noodle stall someone already loved.

More guides to read next:

• Holiday dining in Vancouver: the Christmas Market, festive menus and booking tips
• Business lunch in downtown Vancouver: how to choose a spot that works
• Beyond dim sum: a guide to regional Chinese food in Vancouver and Richmond

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