6 Lunch Spots For Asian Comfort Food In Vancouver

Feeling nostalgic or just simply under the weather? I've rounded up 6 of my go-to lunch spots in Vancouver for Asian comfort food. These are the spots that you’ll find me regularly visiting because there are some dishes that you just can’t recreate at home and should always be left to the experts. Don’t forget to bookmark the dishes by clicking on the images and let me know which one is your favourite in the comments below!

1. Bob Pochana

Once you try their Pad Si-ew Moo (traditional fried rice noodle with pork, gai-lan and egg), you won’t be able to go anywhere else for it. This is the only spot I’ve tried with enough ‘wok hei’ (aka. the breath of the wok when stir frying over extreme heat) to produce such distinct and tasty charred flavours in the noodles.

Recommendations

Pad Si-ew Moo, Kao Kai Jeaw (Thai omelette), Kao Kah Moo (usually on their $12 features menu), Kai Dow (Thai-style fried egg) on any or all entree(s)

Address: 1660 Robson Street, Vancouver BC
Website: bobpochana.com

Open seven days a week
11:30am—9:30pm

IF YOU LOVE THAI FOOD, BOOKMARK THIS 🌟🔝 hands down my favourite pad see ew in city 🤤🤤🤤 it's authentic, flavourful, got killer charred aroma from the wok & only $10! 🔥🔥🔥 (if you eat as spicy as me, ask for thai spicy) @bobpochana knows what's up @stephwants you to tag a friend who loves thai food ⬇️⬇️⬇️ - #thaifood #padseeew #uglydelicious #noodles #comfortfood #noodleporn

1,011 Likes, 32 Comments - Steph Wan📍Foodie in Vancouver (@stephwants) on Instagram: "IF YOU LOVE THAI FOOD, BOOKMARK THIS 🌟🔝 hands down my favourite pad see ew in city 🤤🤤🤤 it's..."

2. Kintaro ramen

Contrary to popular belief, I love my vegetables! I love eating ramen with abundance of veggies but it can get pricy after all the add-ons. At Kintaro, their vegetable ramen is prepared in their signature pork broth and comes with beans sprouts, onions, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, corn, wakame seaweed, bamboo shoots, green onion, and soft boiled egg. Best of both worlds tbh.

Recommendations

Vegetable Spicy Garlic Ramen, Original Cheese Ramen

Address: 788 Denman Street, Vancouver BC

Tuesday—Sunday: 11:30am—11pm
Closed Mondays

🍜 perfect remedy for a cold, rainy day 😍 i've been coming to kintaro for almost 10 years now & really watched them evolve. they used to have a "no photos of their kitchen" rule & the eggs used to be hard boiled 😅 i keep coming back here because they're definitely the best bang for your buck & i like that they keep their flavours classic. their noodles are bouncy & you can customize the richness of your soup to your liking 🌟 my go to is spicy garlic vegetable ramen cause it's full of veggies without additional add ons! @stephwants you to tag a ramen lover & let me know where's your favourite place for ramen ⬇️⬇️⬇️ - #ramen #noodles #noodlesoup #misosoup #japanesefood #japanesefoodporn

255 Likes, 25 Comments - Steph Wan📍Foodie in Vancouver (@stephwants) on Instagram: "🍜 perfect remedy for a cold, rainy day 😍 i've been coming to kintaro for almost 10 years now &..."

3. Heritage Asian Eatery

Ok, in the Chinese culture (or just me), we leave our BBQs to the pros. There’s no point attempting it at home because it’s laborious and you can’t beat variety. So when you come across a joint who has the recipe down and knows what they’re doing, you hold on to them (and convince them to hook you up with more ginger scallion sauce.)

Recommendations

BBQ Soy Chicken, BBQ Duck, Premium BBQ Pork, Ramen Egg

Address: 382 West Broadway, Vancouver BC
Website: eatheritage.ca

Open seven days a week
11am—9pm

this soy chicken from @eatheritage is literally GLISTENING 🤩💕 & i'm pretty sure this is why i'm gleaming inside 😛✨ - - @stephwants to know what's your favourite type of chinese BBQ 🥳🏆⬇️⬇️⬇️ --------------------------- #bbqpork #comfortfood #hongkongfood #cantonesefood #hkfood #nytcooking

381 Likes, 15 Comments - Steph Wan📍Foodie in Vancouver (@stephwants) on Instagram: "this soy chicken from @eatheritage is literally GLISTENING 🤩💕 & i'm pretty sure this is why i'm..."

4. Torafuku

Torafuku became a recent favourite after they revamped their lunch menu and added Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup — it’s honestly the best I’ve had in Vancouver and that’s a bold statement. Let no soup go to waste, it apparently takes 72 hours to rustle up beef broth to that richness and the tender beef shank is braised in sake.

Recommendations

Torafuku Beef Noodle Soup, Bowl #2 Fried Chicken Rice (their kickass rice is amazing!)

Address: 958 Main Street, Vancouver BC
Website: torafuku.ca

Tuesday—Sunday: 11:30am—2:30pm, 5:30pm—10pm
Closed Mondays

PSA: 10/10 would recommend & worth the hype !! 👏🏼🌟👌🏼🤩😍 don't remember the last time i had a bowl of taiwanese beef noodle soup with a broth so flavourful & fragrant, plus the thick slices of beef shank (braised in sake & soy) were so tender & delicious 🤤🤤🤤 well played chef @kuansteve 👏🏼👏🏼 this was spot on! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 (note: limited quantities during lunch only!) ps. if the soup looks a little shallow, it's cause i couldn't resist taking a big slurp before my camera had the chance 🤣 oops @stephwants you to tag a friend who 💖s taiwanese food!!!!! ⬇️⬇️⬇️ LET EM KNOW WHATSUP - #taiwanesefood #noodlesoup #beefnoodlesoup #chinesefood #noodles #beefstew

556 Likes, 17 Comments - Steph Wan📍Foodie in Vancouver (@stephwants) on Instagram: "PSA: 10/10 would recommend & worth the hype !! 👏🏼🌟👌🏼🤩😍 don't remember the last time i had a bowl of..."

5. Saku

I didn’t know I would appreciate Katsu until I visited Saku. I’m extremely picky: the batter must be light, crispy and the perfect home to a juicy centre (the protein can’t be dried out.) You’ll find exactly that at Saku plus each set comes with unlimited soup and salad for balance.

Recommendations

Chicken Katsu Curry, Cheese Menchi, Jumbo Ebi, Curry Udon

Address: 1773 Robson Street, Vancouver BC
Website: sakuvancouver.com

Monday—Friday: 11:30am—3:30pm, 5pm—9:30pm
Saturday—Sunday: 11:30am—9:30pm

didn't know i liked katsu until i tried @sakuvancouver !! 🤤🔥 it's consistently good & satisfies all my deep fried cravings, plus they offer unlimited salad for balance 😌👌🏼 we always add a side of cheese menchi, jumbo ebi, and hotate for variety 🥳 - - @stephwants you to tag a partner in crime to eat all the katsu with u ✨ ------------------------------- #tonkatsu #deepfried #japanesefood #japanesecurry #comfortfood #tokyofood

594 Likes, 11 Comments - Steph Wan📍Foodie in Vancouver (@stephwants) on Instagram: "didn't know i liked katsu until i tried @sakuvancouver !! 🤤🔥 it's consistently good & satisfies all..."

6. CORNER 23

It’s a sin to order two of the same dishes because we like variety. At Corner 23, we break that rule because we refuse to share the Braised Pork with Egg on Rice. It’s that good. Note: Bring cash!

Recommendations

Braised Pork with Egg on Rice, Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets, Eggplant and Pork in Hot Garlic Sauce

Address: 382 West Broadway, Vancouver BC

Open seven days a week
11am—11pm

Each restaurant on this list is walk-in only so plan accordingly. Since all good things are worth waiting for, make sure you have adequate time during your lunch break to wait in line at Kintaro & Saku especially during peak hours. Where are your go-to lunch spots for Asian comfort food? Let me know below!