The Boss Restaurant — Restaurant in Burnaby

Service is horrible. Don’t bother with this place if you don’t speak Cantonese. Even if you’re Cantonese think twice, do you want to eat at a cafe that discriminates? They will discriminate you if you speak Mandarin (Hong Kong really dislikes China people). For the record, I am Taiwanese but they can’t tell the difference. In their mind, speaking mandarin means you’re from China.

I’ve been coming to this cafe since I was a kid (but with my mom’s cantonese speaking friends).

We got minimal service and made me feel like I was a bother for asking for ketchup and hot sauce when the table beside us got offered hot sauce when their food was served.

At Hong Kong cafes they always serve drinks right away before the meal comes. The tables side us got their drinks right away. However, our drinks got served when we were almost done eating.

Table beside us ordered steak and got a steak knife. I ordered steak and got a butter knife. My mom asked for a steak knife and they never gave it to us.

We asked for the bill and waited 10+ mins before they gave it to us.

Basically, I had to ask for things that they automatically served to tables around us, and when asked, they would take a long time to get it to us. They were polite to tables around us and even made small talk with the table beside us. I felt very uncomfortable like I was a nuisance to them for requesting basic things.

Just because this cafe has a long history and already has long standing customers doesn’t mean they can treat people poorly. Very disappointed.

Food is average not spectacular, paired with discrimination, I am definitely never coming back.

To top off our experience, my mom and I left after paying and passed front desk with a lady standing there that did not even bid us farewell or even a smile. The lady has been working at the cafe for 20+ years (recognized her from when I was a kid).

I understand that Chinese restaurants and canto cafes typically don’t have top notch service. I don’t care for top notch service, I care for respect. Save yourself from getting discriminated. Especially this...

We were starving after a long morning of shopping at Metrotown with the family. That hunger where even the food court feels too far away. The Boss 大班 hits the spot every time. It is our go-to HK-style café tucked right inside the mall.

We walked in and instantly felt like we’d entered a classic diner in Hong Kong. The Boss 大班 is renowned for its classic Hong Kong café offerings, including pork chops, baked spaghetti, breakfast combo, and milk tea. This place reminds us of the nostalgic flavours.

We ordered a combo meal (as always) — massive portions. Their portion is always enough to share between two or three people, and most of the combo meal comes with a complimentary hot drink. Our favourite drink is a hot, smooth, and strong cup of Hong Kong milk tea and coffee mixed 港式鴛鴦. 🧋

There aren’t many places like this left in the area — massive menu, all-day breakfast, and classic HK dishes. This place is underrated on social media — just loyal customers and a line out the door.

The Boss 大班 may not be trending, but it’s been quietly winning hearts since 1999. This place is more than just lunch — it’s tradition, comfort, and a taste of home… right after a shopping spree.

📝📝 Food: 🥢🥢🥢🥢 Should Try! Service: 👩‍🍳👩‍🍳👩‍🍳👩‍🍳 Kids: 👶👶👶👶 Yay! Price: 💲💲 $30-$50 for two (lunch) Presentation: 📷📷 Parking: 🚗🚗🚗🚗 moderate free parking by the mall. Tips: 📝 Accepts cash-only. 📝 Go hungry and prepare to take leftovers home. 📝 Do not accept reservations. 📝 Grab a number and check the monitor for the waiting time. So convenient and easy to...

The Boss Restaurant, located in Metropolis, has been around for a number of years and is still quite busy serving up popular HK-style cafe items. Recently, they underwent a renovation which made things a bit brighter with more glass so we decided to pop in for a visit.

A staple that I almost always order at a HK-style cafe is the Baked Seafood Fried Rice in Cream Sauce ($13.95). I added a side of Chicken Wings for $2.99 and upgraded my drink to a cold lemon tea for $1. I know that it’s been a while since I’ve been here, but I was quite unimpressed with this dish… the seafood consisted of squid, shrimp and scallop but it wasn’t as creamy as I was expecting because the deep and narrow dish meant they could maximize the amount of rice on the bottom while limiting the amount of toppings.

We also ordered the Shredded Pork Efu Noodles. One look at this dish and I knew things weren’t going to be good. Normally, efu noodles are thought to be easy to digest. However, I found that this dish was way too dry… like it was either overcooked or leftovers.

I know I’ve had better food here in the past and I’m not sure if this is just a one-off or not. Either way, not sure why there always seems to be a lineup for this place.

Update October 2024: Haven't been here for 4 years. Food is still middish level but serviceable. Had the Shanghai chow mein and chicken mushroom soup with toast, cold lemon tea, and gyoza ($35). The noodles were firmer than I prefer and portion size...