New Town Bakery & Restaurant — Restaurant in Vancouver

New Town Bakery & Restaurant Location: 148 East Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T3

New Town Bakery & Restaurant, a staple in Vancouver’s Chinatown, comes highly recommended for its signature steamed buns and dim sum offerings. My visit was a chance to explore a selection of both their dine-in dishes and famed takeaway items.

Food

Chef’s Special Congee The Chef’s Special Congee arrived with a pleasingly thick texture and a savory depth that speaks to a well-balanced preparation. Each spoonful offered a comforting warmth, though the flavors leaned more toward simplicity than boldness. It’s an ideal choice for those who appreciate subtle, well-executed flavors. Rating: 7/10

Fish Ball Congee This congee, while serviceable, lacked the richness of the Chef’s Special. The texture was slightly thinner, giving the dish a more diluted feel. The fish balls themselves were soft, yet the overall flavor was somewhat muted, leaving it feeling like a more straightforward offering without any particular highlights. Rating: 6/10

Pork Potstickers (6 pieces) The pork potstickers were a highlight of the meal. Served warm, these potstickers offered a juicy, flavorful filling wrapped in a perfectly cooked exterior with a slight crispness. The pork was seasoned thoughtfully, creating a well-rounded, savory experience. This dish is an excellent showcase of New Town Bakery’s attention to detail in classic dim sum fare. Rating: 8/10

Prawn Turnovers and Baked BBQ Pork Bun For the takeaway, I opted for the prawn turnovers and baked BBQ pork bun, both of which lived up to the reputation. The prawn turnovers were great with a rich, savory filling that was well-seasoned and balanced. The baked BBQ pork bun was equally enjoyable, featuring tender pork in a subtly sweet glaze. Both items made for a memorable finish to the meal, with the prawn turnovers standing out as a must-try.

Ambiance

New Town Bakery & Restaurant offers a modest, comfortable atmosphere with functional, if slightly dated, decor. Seating is comfortable, but the ambiance leans toward practicality rather than style. That said, the understated setting suits the restaurant’s focus on authentic, homestyle fare, providing a straightforward and welcoming environment for casual dining.

Price

The pricing at New Town is reasonable and accessible, offering solid value for the quality and portions provided. The affordability makes it an inviting choice for a wide range of diners, particularly for those looking to enjoy quality dim sum without a hefty price tag.

Service

Service was a strong point of the experience. The staff were attentive and genuinely friendly, with several waitresses stopping by to ensure everything was to our satisfaction. This attentiveness, paired with their warmth and courteousness, elevated the overall dining experience and left a positive impression. Rating: 9/10

Verdict

New Town Bakery & Restaurant impresses with a mix of reliable, classic dishes and standout favorites like the pork potstickers and prawn turnovers. While some offerings, such as the congee, may feel understated, the overall quality, paired with excellent service and reasonable prices, make it a worthwhile destination. For a casual yet flavorful experience, New Town Bakery is a place I’d happily revisit to explore more of its menu and enjoy its celebrated...

NOTE: Cash or canadian debit only!!!

Literally the highlight for my friends during our Vancouver trip. We went here twice for their baos during our stay here. We found this place near our airbnb with lots of high reviews. We noticed the line out the door immediately. Since we wanted to eat inside, we went towards the back of the bakery and waited to be seated. Inside was not very big, with 3 large round tables and a handful of smaller tables for groups of 2 or 4. Our group was seated at one of the large round tables after about 15 minutes. I ordered the pineapple bun with butter and a hot milk tea (7$). My group ordered other things like bola bola bao (dai bao), minced pork with veggies bao, siu mai, and egg tart. We also shared an order of 6 apple tarts since they had won awards for it. The food came out quickly and we loved it. They toasted the pineapple bun so it was super warm and flaky. They were also generous with the amount of butter. The milk tea was great and really complimented the bun. It was an great standard for this chinese cafe. My friends loved their baos. They couldn't stop raving how much they loved the taste and how fluffy the bread was. The siu mai was good, but a little overpriced, 8$ for 4 pieces. The apple tarts were okay; we compared them to a mcdonalds apple pie but homemade. I honestly think it just wasn't our thing, but I can see why people enjoy them. They did forget our egg tart, but after bringing it up to them, they promptly brought it out and gave us a red bean pastry as an apology. We came here again, but to-go. The line for to-go may seem long, but it goes by really fast as they have multiple people constantly serving the line. We ordered the same baos again and ate them as a snack later in the day. It is a bit cheaper to order to-go, just by...

GET THE COCONUT BUN !!! it’s sOOO good — the bread is so fluffy and soft, and it contains this sweet, shredded coconut paste that is so perfect and comforting with the warm bun. the egg wash is so satisfying, the top is brown and baked nicely, and it pulls apart so nicely. however, i do wish the coconut was spread a bit more evenly to the edges, because the center was super filled with the sweet goodness but the outside was just normal bun.

both the deluxe chicken bao and pork asado bun had a steaming, thick, fresh, and filling bun, and was loaded with meat. the deluxe was super hefty, and i especially enjoyed the flavourful and juicy chunks of meat paired with the grainy, earthy egg yolk. the asado bun was sweet and super flavourful, but it had an alcohol ish taste too? not sure if that was intentional.

the taro turnover was really good too — the outside was crispy and the inside was bursting with the thick, dense, and subtle-tasting taro paste which was balanced perfectly with chunks of meat. the ratio was absolutely perfect !

the pineapple bun was large and had a really good flavour, but it was microwaved before serving. this made the bottom of the bun super floppy and soggy, but it got better after it cooled off a bit. i also would’ve preferred for the butter to slOWLY melt into the bun (so it’s still a bit solid). the butter was also minimal and not evenly distributed throughout the bun. the top was super crumbly and perfectly sweet though, and the salty butter still paired well to make an...