Wow, what a wonderful experience. We arrived for lunch at 1:30 pm on a Saturday and they were packed. Luckily we only had to wait a few minutes for a table. The menu is full of tasty dishes and you should have no trouble finding something you like. You might have to rely on a friend who has been here before to find the best dishes on the menu. We walked from our hotel so I don't know if parking is difficult or not. Service was very good. Everyone here seems to be fluent in one or more Asian languages. If you want a solid Chinese meal, you can't go wrong here. read more

Shanghai River - Great tea to cleanse your palate. - Chinese Near Me - Richmond, British Columbia

Been coming for years and years. One of the most consistent restaurants in town. My family and I come here almost every month. XLB never ever fail. All other dishes like noodles and sweet beef always taste great. Lunch and dinner very consistent. You can tell they treat staff well because many of them have been working there for a long time. This is a go to place if you're treating your friends or families to a nice meal. read more

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Good service but a bit pricey. The food was good, the place is clean, the tea is good as well. Would come back again to try once more!

In Richmond, British Columbia Very crowded restaurant In general food is 5 stars, service 3 stars. read more

Still a 5-star experience after my last review over 10 years ago ... We came here for brunch late morning on a Wednesday about half an hour after it opened. It wasn't full but it was certainly busy. I was glad that we made reservation. I had been there about half a dozen over the past 10 years or so and I received good services and served amazing dishes every time I came. My husband was craving for sweet sticky rice dumplings with Chinese doughnuts and sugar wrapped inside. He had only had them there before. So between Cantonese dim sum and Shanghai food, we decided to visit Shanghai River. We had hot soy milk (sweet for me and savoury for him), sweet sticky rice dumplings, pork XLBs and scallion pancakes. Everything was wonderful. The doughnut pieces inside the sticky rice dumplings were light and crispy and covered with just a thin layer of sugar. The XLBs were larger than we remembered or typically see elsewhere and they hold a good amount of meat and the essential soup filling. The wrap was just strong enough to let you pick them up without breaking to let the juice run out. The consistency of the wrap was just right. The pancakes were flaky on the outside and the fillings were pillowy. Service was very attentive and courteous. Although our bill only came to $41 before tips, we were so stuffed that we could only have light dinner. Another bonus is the location. It's within a short walking distance from the Brighouse Station so you don't have to brave the Richmond traffic by car. read more

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What a wonderful find. We love dim sum and found it amazing. Our favorite was the fried salt and pepper tofu. It was the best that we have eaten in either country! We also had chive dumpling and shrimp dumpling. The 3 items were enough food for us. read more

We've been coming for many years and quality and consistency of the dishes never change. For appetizers we had their sliced cold pig ears in spicy sauce, shredded jellyfish and squid salad. All were awesome! The braised bean curd with ground pork chili sauce on top of rice was well worth a try. A must have is the pan fried pork buns with a nice crunchy bottom and soupy inside. The spicy beef noodle soup is good. The Shanghai style rice cakes and veggies is another must with a nice wok hei. The XLBs are a must too! The daw mui veggies with garlic were cooked to perfection. You can't go wrong no matter what you order and we've had several of their fish dishes in the past. Yes, there's many places to eat all over Richmond but no matter you're lured back to a place that rises above the rest! read more

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The family favorite for Shanghai cuisine. Soup dumplings are always ordered as well as sweet soy milk with fried dumplings. Comfort food.

The staff was incredibly accommodating, but perhaps my expectations were set too high by friends raving about Vancouver's legendary Chinese cuisine. The food was good, but it didn't surpass what I can find in SoCal. read more

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The service was good and the food was presented well but the food is nothing to really ride home about. 3.5/5

Food was awesome, one of the best dim sum places I've ever been to. Service was extremely fast read more

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Came for dinner yesterday and back for lunch today, foods are very good and services are also excellent, everything we ordered came hot and tasty, will be back again read more

Was staying at the Sheraton down the street and they recommended this place. Waitress and staff were very friendly but the food......not good! The waitress was the only reason I gave it 2 stars. My chicken appetizer had a strange tasting broth and my "Spicy and Honey Beef" should been called "Salty and Strange Beef". It had ZERO flavor other than the salt and the Honey part had a very strange smell and zero flavor. Only ate the salty part of the beef dish with rice because I was so hungry and I almost always finish my dish. Maybe it's me as I haven't eaten Chinese food in a bit, but I do live in the Bay Area of California and eat various other Asian foods constantly and consider myself having a decent gauge on food. I do not recommend this restaurant. read more

We were performing the annual mitzvah of Chinese food on Christmas this year with 4 generally adventurous adults and two less adventurous children (7 and 4) and found ourselves here from points south in Skagit country WA. When we called around the 22nd or 23rd all we could score was an 8:30p reservation so we continued to look around at the multitude of Chinese restaurants in this neighborhood. Really an embarrassment of riches. We found another place with a 5p reservation. When we called to cancel 8:30 rez, we discovered that they had just had a 5p cancellation, readjusted and cancelled the other rez. When we got there, we were reminded that we had actually been to this place a few years ago for dim sum which we remembered was good. We will just have to try the other place next time (Yue) but the soup noodles won out here for this evening. The food and decor was definitely elevated above the day-to-day Chinese takeout joints around here but not so exotic as to have us wondering what we were eating. There appeared to only be one other table of white folks like us (always a good sign) but no indication that they were also performing the mitzvah. Getting some food on the table quickly is always important to keeping our young natives from getting restless and that involved a combination of beef soup dumplings, an small order of wonton soup (six wontons with bok choy and a large piece of chicken to cut up and eat if you want), another set of grilled dumpling with a more doughy wrapping and soup inside, an order of crispy tofu with minced pork in sauce (didn't quite finish this so it came home) that should had some chilis in it (and will next time) and an order of hot and sour soup for the adults. These dishes came sprinkled throughout the meal and the kidlets were kept at bay. For our mains we had a very good eggplant with minced pork. It probably could have been a little spicier but was excellent. Didn't quite finish this one so it came home too. We also had a delicious and somewhat unique smoked and crispy skinned duck. It could have used a few more of the small soft buns. We didn't quite finish it so it came home with us to find its way into one of a home cooked fried rice dish this week. The big finish was a whole, fried, sweet and sour rock cod. Very impressive and very good although our team was losing steam by this time. I made the extra effort to scrounge the carcass so there wasn't much of that one left though. All in all, an excellent 2nd visit meal for about USD$180. While we will be back, we are trying to spread our wings in this neighborhood though and try some more spots. read more

A river of taste! This restaurant was packed the first night we went to it and we couldn't get a table. However, luck would have it that we had time the day we were leaving Vancouver and we were able to get a reservation and a table. It is very nicely decorated and their cuisine is traditional Chinese. It was very tasty, we had the pork dumplings, the fried rice with prawns, the sweet and sour chicken, and the birthday buns. I got a couple of cups of their Oolong Tea because it was very tasty and comforting. I also had a Kokane draft and it was very refreshing. Their service was great! I would definitely go back given the chance. read more

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My parents are from Shanghai so I've grown up with similar food! Their menu is so big, it was hard deciding what to get! Everything was really good and flavorful, and the portion is great for the price! I'd recommend the salted ham and bamboo soup, pan fried buns, and sweet/vinegar spare ribs! The service was prompt, and the dining area is large. There was no wait on a Tuesday night around 7. read more

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=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE Good food and service, but not cheap. In fact, the prices (compared to portion size) knock the review stars down a notch. Parking may also be a challenge at times, but those with Teslas can enjoy a meal while supercharging across the street! === 2. FOOD Jelly Fish ($13.95): Sesame oiled and salted the way you would expect; a great option...if only they gave you more than a small dish for the money... Rock Cod with Sweet & Sour Sauce ($66.80): Sure, it's fruit from a can (sweetened still from the canned syrup): but the fish is tasty and cooked well. Be sure to order some rice to soak up the sauce in your bowl. Now if only the fish wasn't so small for the price... Crabmeat with Fish Maw Soup ($23.80): What the soup lacks in size/volume, it makes up with the amount of fish maw and crab meat provided - great tasting and a great choice! Steamed Pork Bun (Shanghai dumplings - $12.95): You get eight wonderful, plump dumplings for this price - perhaps the only dish that feels like it's priced right in the post-pandemic, supply chain-impacted time that is late 2022. Pan Fried Noodle with Pork ($20.80): It's like e-mein with bean sprouts and small strips of pork...that's expensive for the portion you get...but it tastes good. === 3. SERVICE The service is typically good all around - from those hosting, waiting on tables, bring you the check/taking payment, etc. It seems to work well in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. === 4. ENVIRONMENT High ceilings in a contemporary environment where one can see behind glass, chefs making dumplings from scratch - it leaves the feeling of comfort mixed with a little entertainment. Big and small groups could fit in here; however, those with baby strollers or wheelchairs may find the positioning a little cramped unless seated on the walkway edges / closer to the entrance. Parking is covered in the condo building, adjacent to the restaurant itself; however, be sure to watch the signs for which spots are permitted...and get there earlier in the mealtime to get a spot! read more

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I come back to this place every chance I get whenever I travel to Richmond! Despite coming on a weekend morning, it was pretty easy to get a table and they sat us immediately. We ordered the peking duck that comes with lettuce wraps, the honey walnut shrimp, baos, pork belly, and sesame beef sandwich. The service is alright considering that it is a busy restaurant. The peking duck was absolutely immaculate! I will definitely be coming again next time. Parking: Free, garage parking read more

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Back for more Again Hasn't failed us yet. Duck wrap and lettuce wrap and other good stuff this time 'round read more

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Ordered the following: Pig ear Jellyfish Squid salad Chive dumpling Pork soup dumpling Chinese donut Bean curd soup Goose liver dumpling My favorite was probably the pork soup dumpling and bean curd soup. It was easy to eat and the flavoring was just right and not overpowering. Service was excellent and we got seated quickly. Didn't eat everything as other people in my party ate them and said they enjoyed the flavor and authenticity of the food. If you want authentic and good Chinese food, I recommend going here! read more

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(Sunday lunch) Didn't have reservation at Kirin Seafood, so came here. Put name down, host said wait was about 40 minutes so went window shopping at Richmond Centre and came back. Shanghai XLB- one of most popular items, big and juicy, my favorite item. They have window area where staff make them fresh. Goose liver with sticky rice - unique dimsum item, small piece of goose, couldn't taste the distinctness Sesame cake with Beef - crispy sesame crust, beef was fine, not overly sweet Green onion chicken - waiter recommended as alternative to fish, a little too salty, chicken bone still had some redness. Gai lan with ginger sauce - boo, seems like fresh veggies always cost more than meat dishes! Tea and hot water included with meal. read more

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We came with some friends and had their set menu. Food was enough. And it came at a very steady stream. We really liked their specialty of the soup Bao that was made in the front kitchen with a big window so we could see the Bao being made. We actually ordered an extra order of the soup Bao. Service also great with parking on site. One bad thing was door from parking lot locked so we could not enter or leave to the car except thru front door . read more

I have been here multiple times over the last 20 years. Recently I took some friends who are visiting the area. On this visit, we ordered the Peking duck in two courses, Xiao long baos, pea vine tips sauteed in garlic (not on the menu), pan fried pork dumplings, pan fried pork buns, hot and sour soup and steamed buns with condensed milk (also not on the menu). The food has remained consistent all these years. We had a reservation for 8 at 7:30 but we didn't get seated until 8. I think the reservations are just a "guesstimate" so be prepared to wait even if you have a reservation. The place was full and standing room only in the lobby from 7:30-8. I had to waive down the waitstaff to order but the food came out promptly. Also they had last call for food at 9 so it wasn't a lot of time from ordering to eating to decide if we needed more food. Anyway, not a big deal. I do think they need to improve/upgrade their chairs. Don't expect 5-star ambience/service from here as the waitstaff is too busy for that. But they do an awesome job with the food and the quick delivery once you order. read more

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TLDR: Great HK-style Shanghai food. We came here about 8-9 years ago, and the food is still awesome now. I listened to the reviews, and made a reservation. It actually wasn't too tough. We called Sun morning to make a dinner reservation, and was able to get one at 7:30p, which was perfect for us. I guess people in Richmond like to eat early? Parking is a bit of a pain. There is a parking garage next door, but you have to be very careful in reading which spots are ok to park, and which aren't. There was a bit of a wait at 7:30p, but our reservation naturally got us in right away. Last time we were here, it was late in the afternoon, around 2pm, so it was quite a delight to see the place so full and noisy this time. Since we have a LOT of places to eat on our culinary vacation, we tried to restrain ourselves. But unfortunately, there were just TOO many dishes that my wife wanted to try, that aren't down in California. Many of them are childhood dishes she grew up with in HK. So despite our carefully kept plan, we ended up bringing everything home... (oh boy) So, starting with the soup: We got the Huangchow Duck Soup, and it was like drinking a duck! No really! The soup was very infused with duck flavor. And the meat was literally fall-off-the-bone. In fact, my wife was cautioning me not to pick at the meat, but instead grab the entire bone, since all the meat were floating away in the soup. We also ordered the steamed cod filet with veggies. I'm not sure if onions and green onions constitute veggies, but the fish was superb. Instead of thinly sliced which I was expecting, we got thick chunks of fish. It really gives some bite to the meal, and the delicate fish flavor is magnified. My wife thought it was a bit too salty, but I thought the flavor was just perfect! We also ordered the XLB, which being a Shanghai Restaurant, is mandatory. You can even see the chefs making XLB in the front window. It's not the BEST XLB we've ever had, but it was still very very good. The meat is loose and juicy. The only slight downside is the skin is a bit too thick. But it's nitpicky, to be honest. Still a must-order. We also ordered the Pork Cheek. Another great dish! The hogs must be giant-sized, to produce such large strips of cheeks. They were chewy and salty. I loved them! Last, we ordered one of my wife's all-time favorite Shanghainese desserts... the Red Bean Paste Pie. Now normally, I hate red bean, but my wife REALLY wanted to try this, and I know she can't finish it. From what I've seen before, it should be crunchy, kinda like an eggroll, but not as crispy. These... were more crepe-y. More Eggy. My wife agreed, but she still said it wasn't bad. Doesn't quite taste the same as the Shanghai food she grew up in, while in HK. So yeah... 4 dishes and 1 dessert. We didn't over-order at all! Haha, be careful of leftovers... apparently they charge for boxes and bags. But everything was worth it. This place was perfect 8 years ago, and it continues to be perfect now! read more

This is our "go to" restaurant for Northern Chinese food. I've never had a bad dish there over the years. The food is consistent but the service isn't. We've seen good service and bad service over the last many years. I guess it all depends on who they hired. All the Caucasian friends we brought there thought that it was the best meal they ever had and always asked if we'd go there again? That tells you something! read more

My first time back in many years away and it's just as good as I remembered. Prompt service and high quality, delicious food. Restaurant ambience is your typical fast-paced Chinese dining experience, although their dining room is more upscale than most. Visited for Shanghai dim sum because it offers dishes you can't usually get at a Cantonese dim sum place (ie more fried things, less steamed). Today the sticky rice doughnut brought us here - I had fond memories of it and was craving carbs. I had: -Savory soy milk (Ok) -Green onion pancake (piping hot and crispy - so good) -Doughnut rolled in sugar, then rolled in sticky rice (chewy = yum) -XLB (huge - can barely fit them in your mouth) read more

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Food was amazing. Service guite good. Price very reasonable! Very good combo meal for two! Nice variety, good guantity and great taste! read more

Food was good. Their beef noodle soup was very good (the Taiwanese style one) The braise cabbage was excellent The Shanghainese rice cake was not that good. Some of the rice cakes were mushy and some were tougher We had to also wait for a table Despite being a bit late for our reservation which is why I gave it one less star... read more

White table cloth and high ceiling, great display prep and plating. The food is phenomenal. If you've been to ding tai fung, the soup dumplings are even better. You can tell it's authentic because unless you speak Chinese it's a point at picture and order menu. Must be family run as the staff seemed inconvenienced to serve us read more

Love love love! If you're craving Shanghai food and Peking duck especially, this is a place to go. My friend and I decided to come here for our annual birthday dinner - just for the Peking duck to share between us 2. Yep. That's right. A whole 2 course meal for 2 and it was awesome! Perfectly crispy duck skin served with wraps and rice crackers to start. Second course is with lettuce wraps and stir fried duck with veggies. So good. We also ordered XLB and wooteep. XLB was so good. Juicy flavourful delicious . We wanted the pan fried buns but they were sold out so with the pan fried dumplings was our next choice. They were okay. Thought the skin was a bit too thick for my taste. If we were not so stuffed, we would have gotten the egg white puffs with red bean. Guess there's always next time! Lesson learned this time - no need to order Peking duck with a table full of people. 2 people is perfect so you can get a belly full of what you love! read more

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Shanghainese cuisine is another popular regional cuisine for overseas Chinese, as history goes, during the change of government in China (1949), many industrialist & entrepreneurs from Shanghai moved to Hong Kong and subsequently moved to overseas. Shanghai River being one of the more established Shanghai Restaurant in Richmond, their quality has been pretty steady through the years, with a comfortable & relaxing dining space, it has become one of "must visit" for out of towers or locals. Highlight dishes: Hot & Sour Soup ... one might think it is a relatively easy and common dish to make, but in fact it is not easy to get the right balance of spiciness & sourness. The ingredients are also important to give it the right sensational texture. Here at Shanghai River, the Chef is bold enough to put in the right amount of spice and vinegar. This is how you get the full satisfaction from this classic dish! With an extra dash of white pepper just before will make it perfect! Braised Spicy Beef Shank ... Tender morsels of Beef Shank cooked to perfection in a soy based marinate with a touch of spiciness, this is good just by its own or with noodles, try it, you will not regret! Also, don't forget their "made to order" Chinese Fried Donut ( Youtiao ). Dip them in soy milk for a classic breakfast and imagine you are in the bustling city of old Shanghai! read more

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Nice dinner with friends at Shanghai River Restaurant pre-pandemic - wasn't difficult to get table for 6 people. Service and food were good...if you were seated by the kitchen you can watch the staff make fresh dumplings - nice long view. Food for sharing: soup dumplings, fried chicken w/ shanghai sauce, shanghai chow mein, veggies, fried vegetable roles, salted veggies with cuttlefish , eggplant with shanghai sauce (a bit spicy)... Overall, all were dishes were good for sharing and everyone was full. Paying for the check is easy, they come over with the bill and credit card machine so your card never leaves your site... Would come here again next time in Vancouver... read more

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Ordered xiao long bao, delicious! Fu Zhu, authentic. Yan du xian, emmm, cheap for a reason. Overall experience was good. read more

Haven't been here for awhile. Approximately 5 years or more. Last memory suggests it was a peak experience. 2020 and a pandemic later.... We arrived at the open for brunch. Ordered the typical items for for bench marking as opposed to ordering for taste. 5 dishes. 1. Shanghai Dumpling with minced pork 2. Homemade Sesame Cake stuffed with beef 3. Salted Soy bean (soup/drink) 4. Shanghai Style Rice Cake with pickled vegetables 5. Sliced pork with preserved vegetables These are pretty standard affair dishes in Shanghai China / average street hawkers refinement level. Here in Richmond they are "top" in this category. Cannot complain it is as good as it gets here. Value is on the average plus side and the service is a tad better than the minimal expected in Chinese restaurants. May return to try other items on their exhaustive menus. read more

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A Shanghainese Dimsum Experience in Richmond - Things I tried: * Shanghai Dumpling w/ Crab Meat * Shanghai Dumpling w/ Minced Pork * Pan Fried Pork Soft Buns * Fried Turnip Pastry * Deep Fried Bean Curd Skin w/ Mushroom * Fried Shanghai Style Rice Cakes - Not sure if we came on an off day because I thought the food was mediocre. Some of my usual favourites weren't executed well here so I was a bit disappointed. Items I would order here: *crab soup dumplings - The xiao long bao soup base had the sweetness of fresh seafood. My only wish was for more soup! *sheng jian bao - This also lacked soup but it was nicely fried. What they lacked in soup made up in the quality of pork. The meat filling was less fatty compared to the buns sold in crystal mall, which may explain why there were less juices in these buns... *Deep fried bean curd skin with mushroom Items I would pass on: *turnip pastry - The radish and green onions inside the pastry tasted really strong, almost like raw? Usually, they would sauté the ingredients inside the pastry. The whole pastry was quite dry. *Shanghai stir fry rice cakes - I think this was over cooked, it was too soft & not chewy enough. Flavour was lacking, the chef could have added more salt or soy sauce. read more

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Pros: - Tasty food and good quality. I recommend the soup dumplings! - Good service. - Price is actually pretty reasonable depending on what dishes you get. - There are some seasonal specials. Cons: - Food can be a bit greasy if it's stir fried. - Some dishes are pricy. read more

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Went to Shanghai River this past Sunday for a dinner with my boyfriend and his family. I haven't been here in years, as I've found better (and less expensive) options for Shanghainese food, but I was open minded about giving this spot another try. We ordered an abundance of dishes as follows: -XLBs -Shanghai rice cakes with snow cabbage and pork -spicy minced pork with green beans -Shanghai stir fried noodles -minced pork with rice in broth -drunken chicken -deep fried rock cod in brown sauce -vegetarian goose with bean curd and mushrooms -stir fried pea tips with garlic -black vinegar spareribs with pine nuts -twice fried pork with tofu and cabbage -honey walnut shrimp -red bean egg white balls. Honestly... I didn't have high expectations but the food here is really not great. There's no refinement in the execution and everything is overly fried and greasy, or just poorly made. For example, the rice cakes came mushy and falling apart. The twice fried pork had maybe a few slices of pork in the whole dish as it was mostly cabbage, and the spareribs were fried to oblivion. Despite the sauce being tasty, the meat was so dried out and stringy I could barely get it off the bone. I didn't mind the shrimp but there were only 9 on the plate so not everyone even got one. The XLBs here aren't half bad if you don't mind a thicker skin, but they could've used a mince with a higher fat content imo. We also wanted to order duck but apparently they're out of stock right now? Which brings me to my next point. The service here is also pretty mediocre. We had to constantly ask for tea and water refills, and they forgot our rice a number of times. There are several waitstaff walking around but no one seems to want to actually provide any service. At this price point, there are so many better options for Shanghainese in the lower mainland - Long's and Wang's XLB blow this place right out of the water. The only redeeming factor is the more spacious and comfortable ambiance. read more

This brings back my great memories travelling with my family in Shanghai pre COVID. The Peking is my fave dish and Shanghai River did an amazing job. My favourite dish is Peking duck whenever I go to Chinese restaurant with a big group. My hubby loves steamed dumpling and he can inhale a few basket full within minutes :). The pan fried pork dumpling was yummy. It brought memories back when I was Shanghai we were walking around looking for somewhere to go for lunch. We finally found a place where they only had pan fried dumpling and it was so delicious. I also love having the lettuce wrap with the duck meat. Have to have someone healthy right? :) We had such a great time at Shanghai River! Never disappoints me. read more

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I think I might have to go out for Shanghai food more often. We started out with hot and sour soup. The combination of spicy sour and savoury is just soooo good. And I loved the crunch of the bamboo shoots and black fungus. Their sheng jian bao (pan fried pork buns) are just awesome. It's a thicker bun that's similar to a steamed bun but pan fried. Also filled with juicy pork which is just magic! We also decided to get their shrimp crab claws. They are MASSIVE and puffed up like a balloon fish. They tasted great and I could have used just a bit more salt. We also had deep fried duck with a taro batter?!? Surprisingly good! Loved eating here and will need to be back soon :) read more

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Food is okay. Xiaolongbao is good. Lots of soup. Sweet and sour ribs are very dry. Service is not good. There are long waiting time between two dishes. They didn't come to check us until they wanted 15% tip. read more