Aberdeen Centre — Attraction in Richmond

Marketed as the “first truly Asian shopping experience in the Lower Mainland,” Richmond’s Aberdeen Centre is unlike any other mall in the Greater Vancouver Area. Once you arrive at the shopping centre, you quickly realize why Vancouver’s Best Places suggested it has a “distinctly Asian flavour.” It is, as the name implies (Aberdeen being a popular destination in Hong Kong), an Asian hub where you can find anything from herbs & health foods, cosmetics, Thai designer furniture, the latest fashions, and unique pan-Asian eats. In short, if you want to experience Asia in microcosm, there’s no better place to visit than Aberdeen Centre.

The above makes our visit to the Aberdeen Centre all the more humorous. We were in Richmond with my dear grandmother and she had a hankering to attend a mall. I’d suggested CF Richmond Centre or Lansdowne, but she was steadfast on visiting Aberdeen because “it was closer” to our hotel (not by much!). I asked if she was sure and then quietly acquiesced, knowing she likely wouldn’t find anything she was looking for (i.e.: Common North American stores and brands). So, we headed off and managed to snag some pretty primo parking in one of Aberdeen’s free lots, just adjacent to the H-Mart entrance (yay!).

Not surprisingly, given the time of year (Chinese New Year), the mall was a hustle and bustle of activity. It was difficult, at times, to navigate some of Aberdeen’s more narrow walkways; however, the main atrium and upper levels were fine. In any event, I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle as I observed my grandmother and dear mother amble from store to store and not finding whatever it was they were looking for. While they browsed, I amused myself by taking in Aberdeen’s stunning architecture. The curved upper levels and random-sized natural light openings on the ceiling add to the special feel of this mall. Additionally, because we were on the eve of Chinese New Year, the mall was decked out in beautiful red Chinese lanterns and dragon displays. Indeed, that’s definitely one major thing I appreciate about this mall: It celebrates Asian cultures and does so very proudly.

After wandering the mall for a while, we made our way up to the food court level. Browsing past TripAdvisor reviews, it would seem the food court is a highlight as most seem to focus their attention on it. In this, I would agree. It’s nice to patronize a mall food court and not be met with your standard fare – KFC, Starbucks, Burger King and the like. Instead, visitors are treated to a wonderful variety of pan-Asian eats; and I’m not talking about your typical Westernized cuisine like beef chow mein or sweet & sour pork. Here, you can have authentic Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Cantonese, Korean, Malaysian and Szechuan cuisine. From a foodie perspective, it really is quite a nice selection. And it’s not just savoury on the menu, no. This food court is home to Beard Papa’s (delicious cream puffs) and 8 Juice (fresh fruit smoothies! Yum!).

Before departing, we did shop in the H-Mart, which serves as an anchor tenant (the other anchor being Daiso). To my mind, the H-Mart was very similar to T&T, which is a good thing. We procured a few treats and spices before going on our merry way.

I do intend on returning to this mall once the COVID-19 stuff dies down. Not long after our visit, Gram Café opened its doors for the first time at Aberdeen Centre. They’re a Japanese chain renowned for their soufflé pancakes which, based on the propaganda photos I’ve seen, look absolutely divine! Go on – look them up! If they don’t get you wanting to visit, I don’t know what will!

Overall, I do enjoy sporadically visiting the Aberdeen Centre. Its unique fusion of East meets West shopping and dining results in an experience absent from other malls in the Greater Vancouver Area. And while my grandmother didn’t find what she was looking for, the food selection will surely bring me back...

I like Aberdeen except for rhe dact that it is always very busy...well, I shouldn't say always but pretty much everytime I've gone, it has been very busy. The mall is nice. Temperature is usually great, it has three levels with a food court on the 3rd level. The food here, in my experience has been very good. Usually my wife knows and chooses what place to buy from so I always let her decide but there is Bubble house, Beard Pappas a Crepe place and, many, many other Asian cuisine restaurants. On the second floor there is also a kids' play area which is very expensive and a few specialty stores. On the 2nd floor, you have access to DAISO and many retail spaces, as well as services including a couple of hair salons and some posh outdoor stuff (rooftop tents, bikes, roof racks, etc.) There are some fancy pottery and dish stores and many others which I don't remember. There are also some offices and cellphone stores in an area of the mall which is kind of hidden; with no view to the fountain. On the main floor there are: a bakery, a grocery store, a restaurant, a curio shop a few clothing stores, a bookstore and a whole bunch of other specialty shops. The Piece de Resistance is the fountain. It is a mini version (and inspired by) the Bellagio fountain. Nice to see - kids love it. Also, Aberdeen usually has some sort of educational display near the fountain from Dinosaurs and Giant Bugs to science experiments put on by the local schools to Halloween and Christmas displays. The mall also has an information desk which is usually manned. The only reason this mall dies not get 5 stars is because the parking is horrendous made much worst by bad drivers or entitled drivers who believe they should be the only ones with parking rights. Security does try to address it with regular patrols bu parking is limited and tight, given the number of visitors the mall gets on a daily basis. It is absolutely horrendous on the weekends so avoid parking in there by paying for parking...

I recommend avoiding this mall if you would like to park for free in their parkade. You might get ticketed for relaxing enough to lose track of time even if it's your first time. I didn't think that I would be spending near three hours at the mall, but I ended up shopping and shopping (buying beverages that required wait times; grocery shopping, perusing their event, and window shopping). I went over the three-hour time limit for that parkade level. I now have a parking ticket for $86+. Other malls issue a warning the first time for parking longer than more hours than I did. The information centre said they won't waive the fee because the signage warns about the three-hour limit. It didn't sway them that I had purchased items there during that time and was shopping at the mall the whole time I was parked there. It seems parking tickets could be how they make their money. Otherwise, they don't value my business. Please click a reaction to my comment so they know over how many people are reading this, and maybe it will help me get my money back. Thank you! Also, some guys were smoking in the corner under the covered parkade in front of a vehicle that was just parked facing the corner and not in a parking spot, with the flashers on. I had to inhale the secondhand smoke to get to my vehicle, which I wouldn't have been able to get into if I wasn't skinny because the driver beside me decided to park at the boundary of the stall. I will never go here again unless perhaps management waives the fee, but I wasn't given any option to speak to management. I've already started to tell family to boycott the place because of this. Maybe they should focus more on security of the parkade. Two security officers were sitting at the...