Vancouver is a beautiful city in the mainland of British Columbia! I’m thankful I was able to make a trip out here with some friends – we shopped, we biked, we ate! We ate so many foods I remember clearly and I’m here to share my recommendations.
Vancouver is known for Stanley Park (larger than New York’s Central Park), Chinatown and Gastown which are all spots we visited in our 3 days! .
Also, I needed to share the leggings I wore in the photo above. These flare leggings are SO comfy and cute.
We arrived in Vancouver on a Friday at 9:50am, so we were at LAX airport at 3:30am since boarding was at 5am… it was a tiring travel day. Well, at least we had an entire day when we landed! We had an entire Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We flew out Monday at 10am so we only got to visit one spot before heading to the airport. This is why it’s a THREE day itinerary.
Day 1: Friday – Arrival in Vancouver, Dimsum, AMAZING Mango Mochi
We landed at 9:50am and getting through customs was actually really quick! We took a Lyft to our first meal, Hei Hei Rice Roll.
Hei Hei Rice Roll – 2430-8260 Westminster Highway Richmond, BC V6X 1A7 Canada
The location is on the second floor of the Richmond Public Market Food Court. There are lots of other food options but we only came for these rice rolls which changed my love for rice rolls. To this day, these are the BEST ones I’ve ever eaten. Yes, I said it. I don’t even say something is THE best haha
They have 21 options on the menu like minced beef, pork, shrimp, sliced pork, chicken, fatty beef, mushroom, vegetarian and more! We ordered the minced beef and shrimp one. You can also “build your own”.
The rice rolls were so silky smooth. The rice paper wasn’t thick, but it was thin and melts in your mouth. It ws a perfect portion size to share as we planned to continue on our food adventures. The thing about me when I travel is I like to try bites of many different foods instead of getting full off on one thing!
BTW, they don’t accept credit card and only cash. They do accept USD it’ll be a 1 to 1 exchange which isn’t worth it so maybe exchange some Canadian dollars beforehand!
After eating the rice rolls, we walked to Empire Seafood Restaurant for Dimsum!
Empire Seafood Restaurant – 5951 No. 3 Rd Unit 200, Richmond, BC V6X 2E3, Canada
We ordered shrimp rice noodle rolls, beef rice noodle rolls, shrimp and pork dumpling (shiu mai) shrimp dumplings, steamed spare ribs and chicken feet. I really liked the baked BBQ pork buns (top left)!
The dimsum was good but it wasn’t life changing good. I think living in LA and being so close to san Gabriel Valley, I’m spoiled with all the best dimsum. If you are craving dimsum, I would recommend coming to this spot! They do take reservations.
After dimsum for lunch, we walked to get mango mochi at Rice-Holic at the Admiralty Center Food Court! This would be my NUMBER ONE dessert recommendation in Vancover 🙂 It’s what I remember the most!
Rice-Holic – 8700 McKim Way unit 2178, Richmond, BC V6X 2H8, Canada
I found this spot through Instagram and they’re known for their viral mango mochi which has an ENTIRE slice of mango in the middle. The mochi skin isn’t super thick and mango isn’t coated with syrup/sugar.
Their mango mochi is only available in limited quantities per day because they use the freshest mangos! I recommend to order ahead of time. We placed an order 4 days before we planned to pick it up. When we wanted to order more, they didn’t have any extras!
Since I woke up at 2:30am for our early flight.. I was hanging on by a string and so tired. I needed a matcha to give me some energy so we stopped by Sunny M Specialty Coffee & Tea.
Sunny M Specialty Coffee & Tea – 4540 No. 3 Rd #1345, Richmond, BC V6X 4E4, Canada
We walked there from Rice-holic. They have a variety of tea options, matcha and coffee! I really liked my matcha latte with oat milk. It’s a small spot with a few small tables so it’s a grab and go spot.
After we lugged our luggage around to all the food spots… we finally made it to our hotel! We stayed at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre for $280 a night.
The hotel is in a great location! You can walk to many attractions like Stanley Park, English Bay, Yaletown and Robson Street with all the shopping!
We dropped off our luggage at the hotel, did some shopping and then we got dinner!
Fat Mao Noodles – 983 Helmcken St. Vancouver, BC V6Z 2S5
I ordered the beef noodle soup! The beef pieces were very tender and I got the Shanghai wide noodles! It was good because I was super hungry but it wasn’t an AMAZING beef noodle soup. My friends got the Khao Soi Chicken curry which has a creamy northern Thai-style curry with crispy noodles on top.
Everything was pretty flavorful! The best thing was the appetizer roti with curry. It was a Southeast Asian style flatbread with curry sauce on the side. Many of their foods contain shellfish so make sure you ask if you’re allergic!
After eating dinner, we winded down for the night because it was a LONGGG day for all of us.
Day 2: Saturday – Barrys, Shopping & More Eating
Good morning! It’s day 2 in Vancouver & we started the day off with a HIIT workout at Barrys Bootcamp!
Barrys Bootcamp – 1035 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6C 3R2, Canada
It’s a 50 minute class consisting of 50% interval cardio and 50% strength training. It’s a workout I’ve been doing for the last few years & of course, if I’m traveling to a place where there is a Barrys, I will take a class.
After Barrys, we showered there (highly recommend showering there because it’s a luxury experience) before getting acai bowls at Oakberry. They have this acai spot in LA too and tbh, it’s alright.
We went back to the hotel to relax a little bit before grabbing Taiwanese beef noodle soup at Torafuku.
Torafuku – 958 Main St, Vancouver, BC V6A 2W1, Canada
They have limited quantities everyday. Inside the soup is sake braised beef shank, beef broth, hand-pulled noodle, bok choy, soft poached marinated egg and pickled mustard. It was a rainy day so this bowl hit the spot!
There are only a few tables inside with one long table so there’s isn’t too much seating. It wasn’t busy when we arrived on a Saturday afternoon though! The server was also very sweet & the food are great quality. I would recommend this spot to those who love their Taiwanese beef noodle soups like me!
I walked the whole day in these flare leggings. I also love traveling with my Clifton 9s! I got them right before my Japan trip in April and I walked everywhere with them and my feet don’t hurt. I run and workout in these Hokas too!
After lunch, we went to the suspension bridge and then did some more shopping on Robson Street! We mainly shopped at Lululemon, Aritzia and Abercrombie! Lulu and Aritzia are the best deals because they don’t mark up their Canadian prices, so it’s “30% off” for Americans.
After shopping, we took a Lyft to a dinner spot that is highly recommended by many locals and people who visit Vancouver. Some people even mentioned this is the ONE restaurant you need to visit if you had to pick just one. They don’t take reservations so when we walked in, we put out name down and had to wait 1.5 hours.
FYI, it’s not in the safest area so I don’t recommend to walk around on your phone or late at night. We walked around as a group and on the safer side of the sidewalk.
Phnom Penh – 244 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z7, Canada
What we ordered: fried chicken wings, butter beef, beef luc lac and dry noodles.
Fried chicken wings: 10/10. This is what they are most known for. The chicken is juicy, there’s a good amount of tender meat and the outside crispy coating isn’t too thick or overwhelming.
Butter beef: 8/10. This dish is finely cut thin slices of beef with sauce in the middle to mix in. Fyi, there’s lots of cilantro in the middle so heads up for the cilantro haters.
Beef luc lac: 9/10. The beef was seasoned with some thick sauce. It’s very flavorful and delicious over rice. We ordered the plate with JUST beef, not the one over rice with an egg. We felt that it was more worth it to get a plate of meat instead!
Dry noodles: 5/10. It didn’t have too much flavor and pretty light in flavor. It came with dry noodles, meat, shrimp, egg and cilantro on top. The sauce is on the side and need to be poured in to mix before eating or else it’s very plain. All 4 of us wasn’t a fan of this dish but there are many people I read on Yelp that loved it!
Dry noodles on the bottom left of the photo. Butter beef in the middle and beef luc lac at the top left.
Day 3: Morning Coffee + Sandwiches, Bike Riding, Sushi on the Waterfront, Katsu for Dinner
This was one of my favorite days! We visited a coffee shop, ate delicious Mordatella sandwiches for breakfast, went bike riding along Stanley Park and had delicious sushi and katsu for meals!
In the morning, we walked to Nemesis Coffee in Gastown. They have multiple locations but this location was closest to us!
Nemesis Coffee – 302 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2N4, Canada
We ordered the Mordatella sandwich which is a croissant sandwich with mordatella (sliced pork), egg, swiss cheese and mustard. I’m lactose intolerant so I got the one without cheese and it was just as yummy! The croissant is so buttery and flaky. The runny egg is also a big bonus to me. If you come here and want food, I highly recommend the Mordatella.
We also got a matcha latte and ube matcha latte. The matcha is good quality here, I can taste it! It wasn’t bitter or overpowered by milk. If you are a matcha lover, I would get a matcha here!
Below is the matcha latte, ube matcha latte, mordatella sandwiches and chocolate croissant!
After breakfast, we picked up bikes at Spokes Bike Rentals which is a 2 minute ride across from Stanley Park where the bike trail starts! I highly recommend riding your bikes at Stanley Park if you make a trip out here! The views are so beautiful!
The weather worked out for us because the day before, it was raining but the next day, the weather cleared up right on time!
After bike riding, we ate lunch at Miku! It’s just a quick walk from Stanley Park so there’s a beautiful waterfront view! I recommend to make a reservation here. They open at 12pm!
Miku Restaurant – 200 Granville St #70, Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4, Canada
We all ordered the Signature Shokai. It’s a carefully curated selection of dishes, including 10 pieces of traditional and Aburi Oshi sushi, rolls and nigiri. It also comes with appetizers and miso soup for a total of $45 Canadian dollars.
Miku restaurant is most known for Aburi, or flame-seared sushi. They apply fire directly and lightly sear the seafood on top of the sushi rice to enhance the natural flavors. The sushi is actually eaten without soy sauce and it was so flavorful! Please put this on your spot of Vancouver restaurants to eat at 🙂
The plate of sushi, rolls and nigiri!
We walked around Robson street and relaxed. We went to dinner at Saku which is known for their katsu! They have a couple locations but we went to the one on Robson street since it was close to our hotel and shopping spots.
Saku – 1588 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 2G5, Canada
I got the chicken katsu! It came as a set with unlimited rice, tonjiru (miso soup) and shredded cabbage. Thhey have a variety of other options like pork, seafood, cheese and even veggie katsu. They also serve udon but they’re mainly known for their katsu! This was the perfect meal to end our last night here!
The pork katsu comes with one piece but since I got the chicken breast, it came with two pieces! I finished it ALLL.
After dinner, we walked to English Bay Beach. It was so beautiful here! It’s a beach with half sand and grass! We came here for sunset at 8:50 PM! Haha, we walked back to our hotel after and ended our night chillin and packing to head back home!
I’m so thankful to have gone on this trip. It was a last minute decision for me & I almost didn’t go because I just came back from Austin two weeks before. I love traveling but I’m also such a homebody & love to stay at home. Thankful for the memories with the girls here & all the yummy food we ate!
Thankful for these girls and these memories! Vancouver is a beautiful city & I’m glad to have gone on this trip! It was the longest I’ve been away from my toddler but my husband held the fort down 🙏🏻
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