Garlic & Chili Restaurant

There's something almost nostalgic about Garlic & Chilli. A reminder of the good old days when Chinese eateries were all about hearty, honest food at prices that didn't break the bank. No frills, no fancy decor, just generous portions of comfort on a plate. The lady who served us was warm and welcoming, making the experience feel a bit like stepping back in time. Sure, the food isn’t perfect, but that’s part of its charm. With rent prices soaring, these little mom-and-pop spots are becoming endangered species, so savor the experience while you still can.

Garlic & Chili is a small, family-feel restaurant that offers some really tasty dishes. The sour spicy soup and house fried noodles are especially good—the fried noodles were delicious and flavorful. The only downside is that the restaurant could use better ventilation, as it can get a bit stuffy inside. If they improve that, it would be perfect. Overall, a nice spot for a cozy meal!

We were in Burnaby and needed some quick food before heading your way catch a ferry. We were near Garlic and Chili, so we popped in for a quick bite. Just a few tables and a non-pretentious environment, which was fine with us. Food was hot and fresh and the tea was a nice surprise. We enjoyed it and obvious locals do as well, as they were doing a steady takeout as we ate. Thank you

A good, honest, but typically modest small Chinese restaurant. He cooks, she serves and sometimes one of their offspring help out. My wife and I go there often because we know we can get a good, tasty meal of sufficient size to tame our hunger, all at a reasonable price. There are plenty of similar restaurants, but the quality of the cooks vary and is why one wants to discover one that is consistently good. If you are looking for a go-to place for Chinese food for an informal lunch, try this place out. Hard to imagine being disappointed unless you were expecting white table cloths and fine wine for under $20.

I actually only ordered from them for the first time a few days ago, The lady said I shouldn't order Ginger beef with Lemon Chicken so I got Mongolian beef instead that time. The food was definately good enough to order again. Good food reasonable prices. But they make mistakes. I ordered Sweet and Sour pork, GINGER beef and Chicken Chow Mein. They sent Sweet and sour pork, SWEET AND SOUR BEEF, and Chicken Chow Mein. Why would anyone order two Sweet and sour. A little upsetting. I don't want to read too much into it, but it sort of feels like she's trying to teach me lesson.

Service was great - I had the beef chow mein, chicken wings, and spring rolls. The herbs and ginger/onion were really fresh, it tasted like home made cooking! I’m a huge Asian foodie and I’d order from here again. I do think the prices are very affordable for the huge portions.

Did take out from this place for the first time, very reasonable for the quality of the food they serve. The owner is a sweet person who does a great job looking after her guests. Give this neighbourhood restaurant a chance, I was happy with my lunch. Szechuan chicken with rice and hot and sour soup. Will be back!

The kids and I enjoy the food from Garlic & Chili. We've been customers for some time. Everyone's tastebuds are different but we love the food. The vegetables taste fresh, we don't find anything overly salty, boneless pork is actually boneless with no fat, and portions are good for us. We have never dined in, but it looks clean and the service is always friendly. We also like the prices. Highly recommend. Ample parking outside as it's located in a strip mall. Convenient location so you can pick up items in the other stores. Photos: Beef Broccoli Chow Mein, Braised Tofu with Vegetables, Diced Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Sweet & Sour Boneless Pork, and Wonton Soup (10 pcs).

Meeting up with some people I used to work with in Burnaby and they suggested Garlic & Chili. The positives are that is plenty of free parking as it is part of small strip mall in a residential area and they have lunch specials. This is small restaurant with only 4 tables. I opted for the chicken and cashews. It came with rice and a bowl of wonton soup. The broth in the soup was tasteless...the wontons were okay. The presentation of the chicken dish was nice but unfortunately it was very bland and tasteless. A person in my group ordered the szechaun chicken which looked so much better than what I ordered, and would probably try that if I was ever to return. The was no issue with the service. It was not the most positive of food experiences and I have no plans to return.

I have been going to Garlic and Chilli for 17 years now. The lunch specials are the best and ready in 15 for takeout, every time. The owners are very nice people. I see the cook go jogging all the time. When we order at nights, we order three plates and a soup and have enough leftover for another meal. Mike.

Been meaning to try this place in the hood. So I did. I should have realized when I wwas the only customer that it was not going to end well. The won't soup was bland and boring. The wontons were all filler. If I had the option to add soy sauce or something to it, I could have jazzed it up a bit. Butt there were no condiments to be seen. The pepPer chicken on dry spinach was next. I've never had chicken that feared like that. It was like a fillet of fat. 4 small pieces of spinach. Finally the Singapore style vermicelli. Wow. I've eaten this dish att many places, and never has it been goopy and saucy. Again, not even a hint of curt flavour. First and last time here. 30 bucks poorly spent.

Food is 3 star, an extra star for the great, friendly service. Found this hole in the wall place after a bowling party for the kiddos. Ordered the basic house special fried rice, chicken chowmein, and general tso's chicken. We felt that both fried rice and chow mein need a bit more seasonings. The general Tso's chicken was not bad with good amount of succulent battered chicken. Hubby and I agreed that it can be a bit more spicy. We don't mind coming back to try different items on their menu whenever we're in the neighbourhood

I am sorry but this was a big disappointment. The chicken schzeun tasted the same as the chicken on spinach (2 small wilted spinach leaves constituted the spinach bed). The shrimp rice was not flavorful. The beef chow mein was bland. This is just my opinion and your mileage may vary.

When trying to find a spot to eat on Easter Sunday, this was one of the few restaurants open nearby so I decided to give it a shot. You can immediately tell its a smaller mom & pop shop. A simple yet welcoming vibe. The menu items were all very reasonably priced for the portions that were provided. The food was something you'd expect out of a cheap Chinese restaurant, with a solid home cooked feel. Out of all the dishes, I enjoyed the garlic eggplant the most. If you're looking for a quick bite without breaking the bank, this joint would be a great spot!

Small restaurant in Vancouver. The food came in a little bit too spicy even when they said "little spicy" I ordered the lunch special which came with wonton soup and rice with Mongolian beef and found it very soft and tasty. Some friends ordered the lunch special with the spicy chicken and were reaching for the napkins. Lol. Apparently my cousin goes here all the time.

I'm honestly amazed that this strip mall is still around, after 25+ years. Unless you live here, you'll probably only encounter it by accident. The restaurant is open later than other businesses in the strip mall as well. Parking is plentiful, as I'm sure the land is really cheap back then. The interior is mostly pink and white, and gives the place a bit of a tacky feel. Overall, the food is on the mediocre side. "Food Court" comes to mind. Hot and Sour soup - hot in temperature, but missing the hot in spiciness. Honey garlic spare ribs - nice fluffy batter, but again, missing that special something. White rice - served in nice giant bowl for sharing. Stir-fried chicken - again, missing that special kick. Overall - meh. Mediocre and forgettable.

I like this place it's a family run restaurant and I've only ever ordered takeout but it's always fast. I ordered the house chow mein, chicken fried rice and sweet and sour pork and they were are great. The chicken friend rice is light and simple and a great price. The house chow mein was loaded with things and I really enjoyed it as well and the sweet and sour pork is loaded in sauce and packed with pork. I want to try to general tao chicken next and I'll keep getting the chicken fried rice and house chow mein regularly.

This is place is pretty good for the food offered. Feels like you're in an office space lol, very small place but good honest flavours. Been here for years and I've come and taken take out a few times. It's in a neighbourhood strip mall with a buy low foods. They have this cumin lamb dish I love and "teek-ban" dishes I don't see very often anymore. Basically sizzling hot metal plate, splatter a you everywhere but oh so good. Introduced a few people new to the dish that were also there, waiting for takeout. Hot sour soup is on point, though veggie dishes selection a bit small and non traditional. Given the area I'm not surprised, no near by Chinese market. Lots of other food offerings in this strip mall, this neighbourhood is lucky to have this place and others! Hope it never changes!

* Egg tart quest sidetrack * On the never ending quest for a perfect egg tart I went on a wild goose egg tart chase today to find the bakery recommended by Claudia L. to be shut down for a holiday for a month! Argh! It was a long drive away to face that "Dear Customer" sign. I regretted schlepping out there to return tartless, but figured I would make the best of it and stepped in a few doors down to try out this restaurant. I got a bit scared when I first saw the menu as it looked like a full-on Canadian Chinese menu at first glance. Items like lemon chicken and General Tso's chicken. Yikes! What did I get myself into? But then I spotted one dish that sounded good - Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup. And it was on the lunch special pricing of $5.50. I figured, "Why not?" The food was actually not bad. The beef had been seared before being put into the soup, so it held in its natural juices very nicely. It was very tender. It had a slight bit more fat content than I normally like - but it was tasty. The veggies in the soup were at the right consistency as well - still with a bit of crunch. And the noodles were actually perfectly done. Didn't expect that! The only major drawback was the broth. It had such a large amount of MSG that you could taste it. I was happy to find a few actual Szechuan peppercorns to give your tongue that good numb feeling as well - also not expected at this location. Overall a pretty decent lunch, for not much at all. The place is pretty clean as well, as it appears they recently renovated and changed names to Garlic & Chili. There were some hints that the place used to be called "Chiu Yuet" or something such as that. The egg tart quest continues, with its pleasant diversions along the way!

I live close by in the neighborhood and I enjoy coming here for the lunch specials. The prices are very reasonable - includes choice of rice or noodle dish with choice of wonton soup or hot and sour soup. My advice is to take the hot and sour soup. The wonton soup is not that good in my opinion. I usually order a chicken type rice dish (i.e. chicken with black bean or with mushrooms and bamboo shoots). The food is always freshly prepared and delicious. I agree with another reviewer that this place won't be anything too special if it is in Richmond but it is exceptional based on N. Burnaby standards. Seriously, it is a hidden gem in North Burnaby. I've been here for dinner too and the dinner menu is great. My favorite dish is the cumin lamb - you won't be disappointed if you like lamb! Extra bonus as this place also accepts credit card which is not too common for a small Chinese restaurant.

Normally, I enjoy food from Southern China which is also known as Cantonese Cuisine which is basically famous for allowing to speak for itself. Today, I want to venture up North where everything is spicy and has lots of flavour, meat and is rich. Venturing into Garlic & Chili, I was not disappointed in what I had ordered. I ordered the cumin lamb and the green beans since I was fancying some lamb. The lamb was very tender and the cumin was the right amount since it can overpower and cover the dish easily. The green beans had a touch of garlic which perfectly balanced the flavours of the dish. These are the type of restaurants I would definitely be happy to recommend to if I want to recommend some food from the North. +.5 for accepting credit cards.

Go to place in the neighborhood for Chinese takeout. We do the dinner for two and it's freshly made and tasty.

Cold and tasted like it was from a can, Called about quality and also that a hair was found in item. They said sorry and then hung up. Was a place we ordered from. Not anymore as it has gone down hill

I've been here several times and IT'S AMAZING. We got what's probably the best food and service that exists. The food isn't very expensive yet very high quality. The lunch special is probably the best deal. There's no better Chinese food you can get.

The lunch specials here are very good value. The quality of the food is solid especially for a place in north burnaby. The regular dinner menu is decent but not spectacular. If this place was located in Richmond it wouldn't be worth mentioning but for north burnaby it is a stand out. It is probably a slightly above average restaurant in terms of the GVR but for burnaby it is one of the best.

This place is our go-to for local Chinese takeout. The portions are decently sized but it's the quality of food that keeps us coming back. Good options in North Burnaby are few and far between. Our regular order: garlic pork on spinach, ginger beef, sweet and sour fish, spicy wontons, Shanghai noodles, green beans. Food so always super flavourful and fresh!

This place is one of those hole in the wall finds. The food has so much flavor and cooked when you order. It does have some spice for sure. I like all the chicken dishes and ginger beef. It's not cheap but I figure paying for quality.

This restaurant has been running by the same couple owner for over 20 years... A pearl from small community...

So I really can't recommend this place.....unless you want super delicious and quality eats. Didn't really think much of it from the outside well the inside either BUT the food is consistently great and always hot when it's get delivered. The portions are very generous as well. Price is pretty much what you would expect too. So if you are in the area and want delicious food, this is the place for you.

I absolutely love this place! The food is always so fresh, tasty, and AMAZING!! Definitely have to try the country style wonton when there(Alert-spicy!!). My mouth is watering just writing this review.