Vancouver is one of the best cities in the world to eat in. Sitting between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains, it pulls in seafood that's fresh and varied straight from the wild, while a large Asian community — Chinese, Japanese, Korean — folds into local Canadian culture to create food you won't find anywhere else. From Tokyo-level sushi to Hong Kong-style Hainanese chicken rice in Richmond, every meal in Vancouver is the kind you remember.
#1 BC Pacific Salmon
Wild salmon from the British Columbia coast is Vancouver's number-one food icon. <strong>Sockeye</strong> gives you deep orange-red flesh with an intense flavour, while <strong>Chinook</strong> (or King Salmon) is tender, rich and high in fat — the premium fish of the bunch. It's popular as sashimi, grilled over charcoal on a cedar plank (Cedar-Planked), or smoked. Buy it fresh at Granville Island Public Market, or have it cooked to order at a waterfront seafood spot.
- Fresh Sockeye Salmon is at its best from June to August
- The Fish Counter on Main Street sells fresh salmon and cooks it to order as plated dishes — a big favourite with locals
- Granville Island Fish Shop sells fresh at a good price; take it back to your hotel if you have a kitchen
#2 BC Spot Prawns
Spot Prawns are the most celebrated cold-water prawns in Canada, caught only off the BC coast. They run larger than ordinary prawns, with sweet, crisp, delicate flesh, and the season is short — May to June only. Every year the <strong>Vancouver Spot Prawn Festival</strong> at False Creek harbour brings fishermen selling fresh prawns straight to the public. They're popular boiled in garlic butter, eaten raw as sashimi, or grilled over charcoal.
- The Spot Prawn Festival at Fisherman's Wharf runs around May to June — buy fresh prawns straight off the fishing boats
- Out of season you can find them at seafood shops, but they're not as fresh as in-season
- Ancora Waterfront Dining in the False Creek area does fine-dining Spot Prawns that taste excellent
#3 Vancouver Sushi and BC Roll
Vancouver has had a large Japanese community since the 19th century, which puts the sushi here on a level with Tokyo. The true Vancouver-born sushi is the <strong>BC Roll</strong>, made with grilled, smoked salmon skin, cucumber and avocado — invented in Vancouver in <strong>1974</strong>. The <strong>Richmond</strong> area has the densest concentration of high-end sushi and Japanese restaurants anywhere outside Japan.
- The BC Roll is a genuine Vancouver sushi invention — you have to try it
- Richmond has premium sushi spots at much more reasonable prices than downtown
- Miku Vancouver on the waterfront uses the Aburi (flame-searing) technique as its signature
#4 JapaDog
JapaDog started in Vancouver in <strong>2005</strong>, when Noriki Tamura opened the first Japanese-style hot dog cart on Burrard Street. It blends the American hot dog with Japanese toppings — Terimayo (teriyaki + mayonnaise + green seaweed), Oroshi (grated daikon + fish sauce) and Misomayo (miso + mayonnaise) — and has become a Vancouver street-food icon with a global reputation.
- The Terimayo is the signature — try it first
- The main shop is at 530 Robson St in Downtown, open every day
- Around 8-12 CAD a piece — cheap, filling and a fun lunch
#5 Richmond Dim Sum
Richmond, south of Vancouver, has the densest Hong Kong-Chinese and Taiwanese community in North America, which means the dim sum here really is on a level with Hong Kong — not just marketing. Well-known spots like <strong>Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant</strong> run dim sum carts cooked fresh every 20 minutes. The Ha Gow (shrimp dumplings in rice wrappers) and Char Siu Bao (barbecue pork buns) are all fresh, a world away from an ordinary restaurant.
- Go for a weekday lunch — fewer people than the weekend and cheaper
- Book Sea Harbour ahead on weekends, or arrive before 11am
- Try the Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go), fried crisp — a dish that restaurants back home often can't pull off as well
#6 Poutine
Poutine was born in Quebec, but Vancouver has run with it using fresh coastal ingredients. The original is crisp fries topped with rich gravy and Cheese Curds left to melt in the heat, but Vancouver has creative versions like Smoked Salmon Poutine, Lobster Poutine and Short Rib Poutine at <strong>Smoke's Poutinerie</strong>, the most famous chain in Canada.
- Smoke's Poutinerie has a Downtown branch open late until 3am — perfect after a night out
- Try the Vancouver versions topped with Dungeness Crab or Spot Prawns instead of the original Quebec recipe
- Good Poutine needs real cheese curds, not sliced cheese — if the cheese doesn't stretch when you scoop it, it isn't the original
Where to stay in Vancouver for this trip
A well-located hotel means less commuting and more sightseeing. Here are real, top-rated stays in Vancouver — compare Agoda · Booking · Trip.com in one click.
Fairmont Pacific Rim
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Fairmont Pacific Rim
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Rosewood Hotel Georgia
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Hotel BLU Vancouver
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Tours, tickets & activities in Vancouver
Day tours, attraction tickets and travel essentials for Vancouver — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Before You Pack
Eating in Vancouver is an adventure that never gets dull, because the city blends BC's finest seafood with Asia-Pacific food influences in a way all its own. Plan at least 2-3 meals in Richmond to taste the best Chinese food outside Hong Kong.