Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Vancouver

Amusingly bad service at the Sun Sui Wah. We had a reservation for 5:00 on Christmas Day. We were the first customers in the restaurant at 4:50. When we walked into the restaurant we were told to go sit down or wait downstairs for the restaurant to open in 10 minutes. Nobody took our name and 5 tables wound up getting seated in front of us-- all before 5:00.

Our orders were taken in fairly short order and then the wait began. About half an hour in the delicious first course of our two-course Peking Duck showed up. Beautifully crispy skin, delicious sauce, snowy wraps and slightly fatigued spring onions and cucumbers to garnish everything. After twenty minutes we inquired about the second course and shortly thereafter appeared an uninspired duck mixture which we placed in lettuce leaves with more delicious sauce. The portion was generous but we were also left with little desire to finish it.

At about 45 minutes in, the cocktail I'd ordered when we sat down showed up. It was a chi-chi and not a Singapore sling as I'd requested. I didn't bother saying anything, but I didn't drink it either.

After another twenty minutes we inquired about our 3 remaining dishes. Shortly thereafter we received a large plate of deep fried squid with chillies. It was fine, not awful, not good. After about another twenty minutes we asked to cancel the next two dishes as it was 6:40 and they hadn't started making them yet. My mother is elderly and was ready to leave after all almost two hours on uncomfortable chairs. They made a bit of a big deal about us cancelling the dishes, although they clearly hadn't started making them yet. They did apologise but that was it.

Looking around the restaurant we could see some tables covered in nice looking food and some with no food at all and with people with looks of mild desperation. I get they were slammed and some of the individual servers were great, but there was a clear lack of any sort of organizing principle.

I honestly don't know if I'd go back. There was some good looking Alaska king but there were a lot of negatives to...

My family loves eating dim sum together. Everytime we go to Vancouver, we like to try new places and comparing them dish by dish and decide which one is our favorite.

Overall food quality, their main dim sum dishes meet our standard. We enjoyed their shu-mai, shrimp dumplings, bbq pork buns, spare ribs, shrimp noodles, pan fried leek stuffing and thousand egg congee. My most favorite thing here was their egg yolk buns; I ate 3 all by myself. The egg yolk cream inside was perfectly thick liquid, not too watery, and good ratio between bun and the cream. You know like some place if it's overcooked and it's too dry or some places use too much bun. Sun Sui Wah got everything all right. The one dish I am very disappointed at was their deep fried squid, it was overpriced and mediocre in my opinion. I have had much better anywhere else.

In term of service, I want to rate them 2 stars. Many employees we talked to were not that friendly despite it wasn't that busy at a time we got there but they didnt really care about what we asked for. I know it's Chinese restaurant and all, but comparing to other dim sum place that all the workers wearing suits, they are definitely below average here. But hey, you are here to enjoy the food not the service right?

Sadly, This time, I didn't take as many photos as usual because I already took a lot of food pics on this trip. I took pictures of only the soft shell Crab and stuffing fried taro because they were the two unique dishes that we didn't order from other dim sum places. I don't care for these 2 dishes but my mom likes the Crab dish a lot so I guess that's a good sign.

Overall, we might come back here in a long future but Sun Sui Wah is not near our top priority place to return. We prefer to revisit Fisherman's Terrace or Kirin because we had overall better experience there. Still worth it to...

Sun Sui Wah has long been a heavy contender for one of the best Hong Kong–style Chinese dinners in Vancouver, and this visit reminded me exactly why it stays in my top 3 HK cuisine in B.C.

Everything we ordered was an easy 5/5. The honey BBQ pork was tender with just the right amount of marbling, perfectly glazed, and full of that sweet-savory depth you want from char siu done right. The 2-ways duck was spot-on — the roasted duck wrap had thin, crisp skin paired with soft pancakes, hoisin sauce, and fresh scallions, while the minced duck in lettuce cups brought a beautiful textural contrast and a burst of savoury flavor. Presentation was neat from the noodle basket, appetizing, and worthy of a photo before digging in.

The lobster with sticky rice and corn is a staple for us — we never visit without ordering it. Generous lobster pieces layered over perfectly seasoned sticky rice make it both comforting and indulgent. The bok choy with mushroom and egg tofu was another highlight: the vegetables were crisp-fresh, the mushrooms juicy, and the tofu silky-soft with a delicate flavor that tied it all together. The fish maw soup with crab was equally impressive, full of premium ingredients and served in generous portions.

You can clearly taste the value here — fresh, quality seafood and meats, skillful preparation, and a kitchen that knows exactly what it’s doing. The restaurant is clean, the staff is quick and efficient, and the atmosphere feels like classic Hong Kong dining. Yes, prices reflect the premium ingredients and craftsmanship, but for this level of authenticity, it’s worth every dollar.

In a city filled with great Chinese restaurants, Sun Sui Wah still holds its own — easily one of the top 3 for me in Hong Kong–style dining...