Burnaby is one of Metro Vancouver’s most genuinely diverse dining cities, shaped by a population that is majority visible minority and brings food traditions from Korea, China, South Asia, the Philippines, Greece, and dozens of other places to the city’s restaurants. The result is a restaurant landscape where the question of what to eat on a given evening has more good answers than most similarly sized cities in Canada. The key is knowing which neighbourhood to target for which cuisine.
The city’s restaurant geography maps onto its distinct neighbourhoods. Burnaby Heights along Hastings and North Road is Korean BBQ and Greek, two traditions that coexist in a way that makes little sense on paper but works perfectly in practice. Metrotown is international and dense, reflecting the mall-adjacent population. Lougheed is the anchor for Chinese dining, from Cantonese seafood restaurants to Sichuan specialists. Brentwood is newer and more eclectic, absorbing the cafe and casual dining energy of the redevelopment. This guide covers all of it.
Burnaby Heights: Korean BBQ and Greek Restaurants
The Korean BBQ corridor on and around North Road in Burnaby Heights is one of the most concentrated and highest-quality Korean dining clusters in Metro Vancouver. The competition among restaurants on and near this strip has pushed quality up and value high: you can eat well at a Korean BBQ table in Burnaby Heights for significantly less than equivalent restaurants in Vancouver’s Robson Street corridor. The grills are well-maintained, the banchan selection is generous, and the staff at the better spots bring genuine expertise to the table.
The pairings at Korean BBQ in Burnaby Heights are worth understanding. Samgyeopsal, thick-cut pork belly grilled at the table, is the entry point and the most universally popular option. Galbi, short rib marinated in a soy and pear sauce, is the more expensive and more celebrated choice. Bulgogi, thinly sliced marinated beef, is the most accessible and works well for first-time visitors. Most restaurants offer combination options and the staff are experienced at guiding unfamiliar diners through the setup without condescension.
The Greek restaurants in Burnaby Heights are a completely different register but equally worth attention. These are family-run institutions with histories measured in decades, serving the kind of food that the community eats rather than an adapted version for non-Greek visitors. Whole roasted lamb on the rotisserie at Easter, fresh calamari in summer, moussaka that has been made the same way for thirty years: these are the dishes that have sustained loyal followings across generations of Greek-Canadian families in this neighbourhood.
Metrotown: International Dining
The Metrotown area around Kingsway and Royal Oak SkyTrain stations is Burnaby’s most densely packed restaurant zone and also its most international. The population density around the Metrotown development and the transit access that draws diners from across the region have created conditions for a restaurant diversity that few suburban commercial zones can match. Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, South Asian, Filipino, Middle Eastern, and Latin American restaurants all coexist within a few blocks.
The Taiwanese and Hong Kong-style restaurant scene around Metrotown is particularly strong. Late-night tea houses, shaved ice dessert spots, and casual noodle and rice plate restaurants operating at the intersection of these two culinary traditions have established themselves as reliable destinations for the extended communities that use Metrotown as a gathering point. These are not tourist-facing restaurants but working parts of community social infrastructure.
The Japanese restaurants around Metrotown span the range from izakayas with serious sake lists and well-executed small plates to ramen shops that have become destinations in their own right. The competition among the ramen spots around the SkyTrain station has driven quality up to a level that is genuinely competitive with Vancouver’s ramen corridor, and the prices are typically lower. A bowl of tonkotsu broth with well-made noodles from a Burnaby ramen shop is one of the more satisfying things you can eat in Metro Vancouver.
Lougheed Area: Chinese Dining
The Lougheed Highway corridor through Burnaby’s north side is home to the city’s Chinese restaurant concentration, with a particular strength in Cantonese seafood restaurants, dim sum houses, and the larger format Chinese dining that serves extended family gatherings. Several of the dim sum restaurants along this corridor are among the best in the region, drawing customers from across Metro Vancouver on weekend mornings and early afternoons.
The dim sum tradition in this part of Burnaby is worth understanding before you go. The best restaurants use a cart service where servers circulate through the dining room with steaming bamboo baskets and plates, and the protocol of flagging items you want from passing carts is part of the experience. Arriving at 10am to get a good table is the local approach. Arriving at noon on a Sunday means waiting in a long line, and the experience at peak capacity is chaotic in a way that some visitors find energizing and others find difficult.
Beyond dim sum, the Lougheed area has Sichuan, Shanghainese, and northern Chinese restaurants that serve cuisines quite different from the Cantonese tradition that dominates many Chinese restaurant clusters in BC. The Sichuan options in particular reflect the significant recent immigration from Chengdu and surrounding areas, with mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, and fish dishes in the ma la (numbing-spicy) style that defines the cuisine.
Brentwood Corridor: Newer Openings and the Evolving Scene
Brentwood Town Centre and the surrounding area is the newest and most rapidly changing restaurant zone in Burnaby. The development of dozens of new residential towers around the Brentwood SkyTrain station has brought a wave of new restaurant openings targeting a younger, higher-income demographic. The resulting mix is more eclectic than the established corridors, with Japanese-Peruvian fusion, modern Korean small plates, upscale pizza, and contemporary Southeast Asian all appearing in the new commercial spaces.
The quality at the better Brentwood restaurants is high, reflecting a combination of the investment in new spaces and the competitive pressure of arriving into a neighbourhood where several hundred new restaurants have opened in the past five years. The menus tend toward the contemporary and international rather than the traditional, and the aesthetics are distinctly of the current moment rather than rooted in any particular community tradition.
The tradeoff at Brentwood compared to the established corridors is that the newer restaurants lack the depth of the places that have been serving the same community for thirty years. The Greek diner at Burnaby Heights that has been there since the neighbourhood was first established has something that a restaurant that opened two years ago in a new tower cannot have: a record of consistency and a community that has tested it across decades. Both are worth eating at, but they offer different kinds of reassurance.
Why Burnaby is One of Metro Vancouver’s Best Dining Cities
The case for Burnaby as a dining destination rests on three things that are harder to find in Vancouver: price, diversity, and authenticity. Lower commercial rents mean that restaurant margins are slightly better and prices are slightly lower for comparable quality. The demographic diversity of the city means that the full range of cuisines is present and serving actual communities rather than adapted versions of those cuisines serving a tourist or non-community audience. And the combination of long-established immigrant communities with newer arrivals means the food has depth.
The Korean BBQ corridor at Burnaby Heights is the single most compelling argument for Burnaby as a dining city. The quality, the value, and the concentration make it a genuine destination that draws regular visitors from across Metro Vancouver. This is not a comparison to other cities in the region that is difficult to sustain: the Heights genuinely has better Korean BBQ value than almost anywhere else you can reliably find it in the Lower Mainland.
The Chinese dining scene along Lougheed completes the picture of a city that can serve a full range of what most Metro Vancouver diners are actually looking for. The dim sum options in this corridor are competitive with the best in Richmond, which is the highest standard available in the region.
Tips for Eating Out in Burnaby
For Korean BBQ in Burnaby Heights, arrive with a group if possible. The format is best enjoyed communally and many of the grill setups are optimized for three to six people. Going as a pair is entirely workable but a larger group gets more variety.
Dim sum at the Lougheed area restaurants fills up fast on weekend mornings. Either arrive by 10am or expect a wait. The wait is usually worth it at the better restaurants, but factor in the time.
Brentwood restaurants are newer and prices reflect the newer construction and higher rent structure. If value is a priority, the Burnaby Heights and Metrotown corridors deliver more per dollar spent.
Use the SkyTrain to reach Burnaby’s restaurant corridors from Vancouver. Metrotown, Brentwood, Holdom, Sperling, and Lougheed stations all put you within walking distance of significant restaurant clusters. Evening parking around Metrotown and Burnaby Heights can be difficult.
Questions Often Asked
Where is the best Korean BBQ in Burnaby?
The Korean BBQ corridor on and around North Road in Burnaby Heights has the highest concentration of quality Korean BBQ restaurants in the city and is considered among the best-value Korean BBQ in Metro Vancouver.
Is Burnaby good for Chinese food?
Yes. The Lougheed area has strong Cantonese seafood restaurants and dim sum houses that draw customers from across the region. The Metrotown area adds Taiwanese, Shanghainese, and other regional Chinese options.
What is unique about Burnaby’s restaurant scene?
Burnaby’s restaurant scene combines exceptional diversity with better value than Vancouver, driven by lower commercial rents and a genuinely multicultural population that supports authentic versions of cuisines from Korea, China, Greece, South Asia, and beyond.
Are there good restaurants near Metrotown?
Yes. The Metrotown area has one of the most internationally diverse restaurant concentrations in Metro Vancouver, with Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and many other cuisines represented within a few blocks.
