Richmond Night Market — Attraction in Richmond

I have been to Richmond Night Market once or at most twice annually on and off for the last few years. I am going to share how much money we spent as a guideline for those who have never been.

We went for the first time this year on the Victoria Day long weekend Sunday. We arrived a bit before the open hours - 7 pm. Even with the Zoom pass, the line to get into the market was a bit long, it took us about ten minutes. However, they did not let people for the general admission in yet. General admission this year was $8.5 per person while a Zoom pass is $40 for five entries and allows you to share with friends and use it another time. If you come in a group of five, that would be a slightly cheaper option.

So we spent $40 on a Zoom pass. Then we bought a three-pun bundle - cumin lamb, chicken, and duck from the Xinjiang BBQ guy. His cumin lamb was sold out both times we visited last year. This combo cost $20. Cumin lamb was my favorite while my husband loved the chicken one.

As a fan of Taiwanese stinky tofu, the smallest portion cost $13. It was good. The tofu was cut into very manageable bite sizes. You could taste the fermented flavor inside the tofu. The hot sauce was different - they used sriracha instead - it was not a bad match at all.

The third thing we ordered was Mahjong pudding from Snackslot. We got it because it looked fun. They were coconut pudding and it came with a purple sauce which I guessed it made from red beans and purple yam. It had a dollar cash note that was edible, but tasted nothing and had a weird texture. Half a set cost $18 and I was slightly shocked. Overall, it was more a fun experience than an enjoyment of the food.

I love egg waffles and I saw two stalls selling those. My go-to place is Eggstatic but since I can just go to their store, I wanted to try something different at the night market. I tried another place called Eggcellent. They had three flavors - chocolate, matcha, and Portuguese tart. Their egg waffle is bigger and looks like an egg and is packaged in an egg package. Four egg waffles were $9.99 and six egg waffles were $13.99. They could fix and match so we ordered the six egg waffles - two for each flavor. Again, I was slightly shocked by the price. The egg waffles looked very cute but the taste was quite a disappointment. While I could taste the chocolate and matcha filling inside, I could not tell anything special about the Portuguese tart. Also, perhaps the egg waffle gets too big, and it loses the classic character of crunchy outside and soft inside. It was more like a mini-pound cake with some filling inside.

At this point, we realized we would run out of cash soon, so we were not ready for any games. We also did not see any drinks that we were particularly interested in, so it was time to head out. On the way out, I forgot I saw a renowned Chinese herbal medicine store from Hong Kong that I would like to visit before I leave. I wanted some herbal candies to soothe my throat but I loved one tea that they gave me a sample that could help with digestion. I did not have enough cash for both, but I needed help with digestion after all the food we ate tonight, so we got the tea instead. It was $8.99 and they insisted on giving me back the change for $9 - how honest! However, this stall took cards, which was rare in the night market.

Overall, we felt we spent more money this year.

One good thing though, it seemed to be cleaner this year. We saw some staff cleaning the table. Last year, some tables could get quite messy and dirty, so we came prepared with wipes this time. We ended up not needing to use the wipes apart from our hands.

The second last food aisle from the entrance seemed to be the busiest, or maybe narrower. Definitely would recommend the Costco strategy to go to the further food first if it is not too busy. Then go to the shop and game...

The night market was previously one of my favourite places, but, while the vendors are still lovely I know feel that the company running it and their policies are not up to legal and legitimate practices - such as selling passes and limiting their uses to less than what is paid for, and hiring young people who don't do careful jobs and use aggression as a way to keep things under control and not properly follow up consumer complaints. Because I loved the market and visited many times before, I did not hesitate to buy a zoom pass. My husband and I went three times - totalling 6 visits. They clipped our card in a way on our third visit to mark it as used, which we were not able to know meant used because the star that says all used or something was clipped out, and no one told us. We still had the last of the admission spots left unclipped. When we went to the market for our fourth visit to use our last entry on our card they refused and claimed repeatedly that the card was used and that we had no proof that we had paid and not received what we had paid for. Humiliating tiring experience talking to a ticket counter person, a "manager" and a security guard at the entrance for 30 minutes and being treated as though we'd lied or made it up, trying to get one free entry. We came with friends who I had to meet up with later while taking to the manager who had zero customer service or respect for our purchase, and brought over a security guard who became very loud and threatening in my face. I told him that as I'm 8 months pregnant he will have to calm down. Now torn - a place that sells a service, steals my money, and treats me like s**t as a customer who clearly explained how they made a mistake, and that the only reason I was insisting is wanting to get the service I had paid for. Yet the night market is also a place where I've been coming to since it was opened and have spent huuuge amounts of money on food and products, I even went there for my bachelorette party and many vendors remember me. To go, purchase passes, and feel uncomfortable with questionable and aggressive management, or to just not to go and miss something that once gave me great joy? Well, we lost a lot of love today. So bummed out. Terrible customer service, theft from customers in not carefully checking what they are doing, and causing customers of lying or not having enough evidence. The security man said they could review video footage of everyone who enters, but it would take too long and not worth it for one customers entry, so they just would not do it and would not honour the last entry we paid for. I guess this night market has become so popular that they clearly don't need to respect their customers or give people what they pay for, and are happy to threaten previous long time, previously happy local customers. Calling the cops for a few bucks taken by this mega company is a ridiculous option, but if this happened to us it may well happen to many people - that adds up. The security guy said people come all the time with complaints and they sell thousands of speed passes. Buyer beware, it's not your normal Canadian business laws they are following... threatening and intimidating customers, refusing paid services, refusing refunds. Many young people run the show in a fast loose disorganized and sometimes aggressive way. Bummed. Will try to frequent the old night market by the IKEA...

Rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience at Vendor Number F65 at the Richmond Night Market today (July 27, 2025) was incredibly disappointing — not just because of a simple order mistake, but because of how poorly it was handled afterward. I hope this helps others make more informed choices when visiting this vendor.

I ordered their scallops with cheese, priced at $15, which is one of their advertised premium dishes. I was excited to try it — it’s not something you find every day, and I specifically came to this vendor for that item. After placing my order, I waited patiently, but when the dish was handed to me, I immediately noticed something was wrong.

Instead of the cheesy scallops I ordered, I received scallops with vermicelli and garlic — a completely different dish. There was no cheese at all, and the entire preparation was not what I had asked or paid for. Thinking it was just a mix-up, I politely pointed this out to the staff.

That’s when the experience took a turn for the worse.

Instead of correcting the error, the staff told me they were completely sold out of scallops — meaning they couldn’t remake the correct order even if they wanted to. This was frustrating, but I remained calm and asked, “What can you do for me then?”

Their solution? They told me to give the scallops back, and they would give me a full refund. Let me be clear: the food had already been cooked and handed to me. I hadn’t eaten it or even touched it yet — I caught the issue immediately. But being asked to hand back freshly prepared food — in the middle of a crowded night market — felt awkward, humiliating, and frankly unprofessional.

Why wasn’t I simply refunded on the spot with a sincere apology? Why wasn’t I offered another menu item of equal value as compensation? And more importantly, why was a customer put in a situation where they’re asked to return food after the vendor’s own error?

There was no ownership of the mistake. No attempt to make things right. No “we’re sorry for the confusion.” Just an attitude of “give it back, or nothing.” It felt like I was being blamed or suspected of trying to scam them, even though I was completely transparent and respectful.

Mistakes happen — I understand that, especially in a fast-paced, high-volume environment like the Richmond Night Market. But how a vendor chooses to handle a mistake is what separates good service from poor service. And unfortunately, this vendor handled it in the worst way possible.

It wasn’t just about $15. It was about basic customer respect and service. I left feeling disappointed, unheard, and with no food — not the one I ordered, nor the wrong one they refused to let me keep. I was effectively punished for their error.

So here’s my honest summary of what happened: •    Ordered: Scallops with cheese ($15) •    Received: Scallops with vermicelli and garlic •    Pointed out the mistake •    Told: “We’re sold out of scallops” •    Asked what could be done •    Told to return the cooked scallops for a refund •    No apology, no customer care, no solution

Would I recommend this vendor to others? Absolutely not. There are so many incredible vendors at the Richmond Night Market offering great food and excellent service. Spend your money with those who value their customers and know how to handle an honest mistake with...