Remember that time I went on CBC Radio to sing the praises of Burnaby Heights? One of many reasons why I love living in this neighborhood is the abundance of great restaurants and eateries. Historically an Italian part of town (to my knowledge), North Burnaby offers a rich diversity of culture and cuisine today. But, it’s not just diversity. These places are legitimately good. The question then arises: which places are the best?

Here’s my totally subjective list of the best places to eat and drink in Burnaby Heights and Brentwood, broken down by type of food or drink.

Best Greek – Socrates in the Heights

Order the roast lamb. Trust me. Or the lamb chops. Or maybe the lamb souvlaki. Okay, so it’s not much of a secret that I’m a big fan of lamb. And Socrates does a great job with it across the board. The Greek salad is super solid too. Even outside of the pandemic, they’re mostly a takeout and catering type joint. There are a couple of tables, but it’s not really set up for much of a dine-in experience. But yes, order the roast lamb for sure. Super good, great portion, extra juicy.

Best Vietnamese – Viet Noodle Guy

As a general rule of thumb, I’ve always assumed that super clean Vietnamese restaurants aren’t any good. The dirtier the restaurant, the better the pho. Viet Noodle Guy destroys that misconception. I’d argue that Viet Noodle Guy is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Metro Vancouver, full stop. I particularly enjoy the vermicelli bowls here. The pho, spring rolls and banh mi are all good too. If you prefer a slightly different take on Vietnamese food, Broken Rice is pretty decent too.

Best Bubble Tea – PresoTea

When we first moved to Burnaby Heights, there was one bubble tea place (which has since closed). But, all of a sudden, we have several popular options in our neighborhood. Chatime opened not too long ago on Hastings near Alpha, and CoCo Fresh has the old Starbucks location on Lougheed next to Fatburger. For my money, though, I prefer PresoTea in the newest part of The Amazing Brentwood. It’s tucked underneath, across from Sporting Life. Keep an eye out for those monthly specials!

  • Website: presoteabc.ca
  • Phone: (604) 657-4567
  • Address: P25, 4501 Lougheed Highway #03, Burnaby

Best Sushi – Sushi Bar Kilala

Uni Nigiri - Sushi Bar Kilala

If I had written this guide to the best restaurants in Burnaby Heights just a couple weeks ago, I probably would have given the best sushi title to Sushi UOmo. After ordering some takeout from Sushi Bar Kilala, though, I’d argue there’s a new (to me) king of raw fish and seasoned rice in North Burnaby. High quality product, careful attention to detail, and just the right balance of nuanced flavor. We’ll be back.

  • Phone: (604) 298-4749
  • Address: 4749 Hastings Street, Burnaby

Best Coffee – Caffe Artigiano

While this isn’t quite like our experience with bubble tea in the area, there are some similarities. We already had several coffee shops along Hastings (plus at least three Starbucks down by Lougheed Highway). Some of these were more “old school” Italian. In more recent years, we’ve seen the arrival of several more big name coffee chains, including Caffe Divano and JJ Bean Coffee Roasters. I prefer the coffee at Caffe Artigiano myself. They even have an app!

Best Bakery – Chez Christophe

Given the Italian history of Burnaby Heights, you’d assume the best bakery in the neighborhood would be an Italian bakery. That’s fair. When it comes to baked goods, though, I’m very partial to Chez Christophe. I’ve loved their croissants and pains au chocolat since they were in the much smaller location across the street. The creations keep getting better: the champagne opera cake is back for Mother’s Day. FDL Cafe is good for a change of pace too.

Best Thai – Siam Le Bien Thai Cuisine

Takeout from Siam Le Bien, Burnaby Heights

Just like with the sushi situation, if you’d asked me just a few weeks ago, I would have told you that Chad Thai was the best Thai restaurant in Burnaby Heights and Brentwood. It’s a solid option with great lunch specials, and I appreciate how I can order via SMS. I almost didn’t Siam Le Bien a second thought. Now that we’ve tried it, I’m sure glad I did. We definitely need to explore more of the menu, especially the curries.

  • Website: siamlebien.com
  • Phone: (604) 293-1343
  • Address: 4217 East Hastings Street, Burnaby

Best Pizza – Stan’s Pizza Joint

There’s no shortage of “chain” takeout and delivery pizza in North Burnaby. We often order Domino’s (don’t judge us) because it’s cheap and convenient. Uncle Fatih’s in Solo District is really good too. When we want to elevate our pizza game to something better, we turn to Stan’s Pizza Joint. They’re more generous with the cheese and toppings, generally speaking, and it is a better quality pie.

Best Chinese – Grand Chinese Restaurant

If we’re being honest, there isn’t all that much in terms of “Chinese” food in Brentwood and Burnaby Heights. Lu Lu Kitchen has some decent skewers and Paul’s offers a good range of “Canadian Chinese” dishes. Our family keeps going back to Grand Chinese, particularly for the in-house made xiaolongbao. In the before times, when indoor dining was still a thing, my daughter loved watching them make the dumplings through the kitchen window. The sweet black vinegar spareribs are also way better than they have any right to be.

Best Mexican – Don Oso’s Restaurant

One of the newest and most welcome additions to Burnaby Heights is Don Oso’s. We’ve been missing a proper “Mexican” restaurant in the area for years. To be fair, Don Oso’s is more than “just” Mexican. They have Chilean empanadas too, for example, plus tacos, burritos, tortas, Chilean completos (hot dogs) and more. I recommend the don cevichote (like ceviche, but with cooked diced sole) and the quesabirria tacos (served with consome).

Best Breakfast – Gray Olive Cafeteria

I guess you could technically call this category “best breakfast” or “best brunch.” It’s true that Gray Olive Cafeteria has some lunch items too. Me, I always gravitate to the breakfast stuff. It’s certainly fancier than your typical greasy spoon. Take these lemon ricotta pancakes with almond slivers and fresh seasonal fruit, for example. The G.O. classic platter with eggs, pork belly, pork & leek sausage, and chimichurri is excellent if you’re more on the savory side. The hash browns are wildly addictive too.

  • Website: thegrayolive.com
  • Phone: (604) 566-9664
  • Address: 4190 Hastings Street, Burnaby

Best Deal – X-Site Grill & Bistro

If you’re expecting something totally original, this isn’t going to do it for you. If you want a killer deal on solid food, it’s hard to beat the $5.95 lunch specials at X-Site. (They used to be $4.95. Either way, you do need to buy a drink to get the deal). The chicken souvlaki is my personal favorite, served with rice pilaf, lemon potato, pita bread, tzatziki, and Caesar salad. I’d also recommend the Okinawa taco rice at Suzette’s Deli (#116-3993 Henning Drive). It’s available on Mondays and Wednesdays.

A World of Food on Our Doorstep

The catchphrase for Burnaby Heights is “swing on by,” likely inspired by Helen on that neon sign. The neighborhood continues to evolve over time with a growing abundance of food options. The Brentwood area is rapidly transforming too. OEB Breakfast Co. just opened at The Amazing Brentwood on Monday. We’re hoping to see La Taqueria, Cazba and Saku soon too, plus Kokoro Tokyo Mazsoba at Madison Centre. There is a lot of great food and I am 100 percent here for it.

What’s your local favorite? Or which restaurant or eatery are most looking forward to visiting?