Kirin Restaurant

Chinese restaurant · West End

Kirin Restaurant

Chinese restaurant · West End

4

1172 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3Z3, Canada

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Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null
Kirin Restaurant by null

Highlights

Kirin serves up polished, inventive dim sum and classic Cantonese dishes in a sleek downtown spot with a lively, upscale vibe.  

Featured in The Infatuation
Featured on Michelin
Featured in Conde Nast Traveler

1172 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3Z3, Canada Get directions

kirinrestaurants.com
@kirinrestaurantgroup

$$

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1172 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3Z3, Canada Get directions

+1 604 682 8833
kirinrestaurants.com
@kirinrestaurantgroup

$$

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Jul 31, 2025

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@michelinguide

Jimmy O. Yang's Vancouver Inspires Chinatown Mukbangs

"A chain offering high-quality Cantonese dim sum and dinner, known for its spot prawns and XO sauce." - Michael He

https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/people/jimmy-o-yang-vancouver-canada-guide-michelin-travel
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@cntraveler

The Best Things to Do in Vancouver, Canada, to Celebrate the City's Asian Heritage | Condé Nast Traveler

"For standout Chinese food, indulge in dim sum at Kirin Restaurant, recognized as one of Vancouver’s top Chinese eateries. A weekend morning ritual for many Cantonese families, these bite-sized food carts and small plates are designed to be shared, and are most often enjoyed around a circular table to symbolize the unification of friends and family members. Kirin dim sum favorites include shrimp dumplings and steamed barbecue pork buns, or tender braised chicken feet in black bean sauce—best enjoyed while sipping on a cup of steaming jasmine or chrysanthemum tea. For dessert, try modern fusion delights like warm and flaky durian puffs, or savor the traditional silky tofu pudding."

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/where-to-celebrate-aapi-heritage-in-vancouver
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@infatuation

Kirin Downtown - Review - Downtown - Vancouver - The Infatuation

"Alberni St. downtown is where you’ll find stores selling expensive things like diamond rings and Louis Vuitton dog beds, and it’s also where you’ll find Kirin. This Chinese restaurant has been around for over 30 years and looks sort of like a hotel lobby, even though it’s actually one of the best dim sum restaurants in the city. They don’t have the traditional carts here, so choose a bunch of things off their menu - the barbecue pork buns, prawn dumplings and egg tarts are must-orders - and book ahead. You could come with a big group and share everything, but even if you’re only here with one person, it’s reasonably-priced enough that you can still try a lot. What you don’t end up spending on food, you can always put towards the least-expensive item at one of the stores on your way back to your hotel." - Shelley Mason

https://www.theinfatuation.com/vancouver/reviews/kirin-downtown
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@jjos07

Dim sum

Vancouver Eats
View Postcard for Kirin Mandarin Restaurant

Ivan Silva

Google
I had the pleasure of dining at Kirin Chinese Restaurant, and the experience was nothing short of breathtaking. From the moment we arrived, the service was exceptional—especially thanks to Eddie Ng, the Senior Assistant Manager. His attentiveness, professionalism, and genuine hospitality made a lasting impression and truly elevated our visit. We came for dim sum, and every dish was exquisitely prepared—fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. You can really taste the quality and tradition in each bite. The ambiance was elegant yet welcoming, making it a perfect setting for both family gatherings and special occasions. Overall, this was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a long time. I highly recommend Kirin, and a big thank you to Eddie Ng for making it so memorable

Ray Ju

Google
The parking situation for this store like many three area is either done by street parking or a nearby parking lot. The decor is simple and typical for a dim sum restaurant. The staff is nice. The waiters was dressed in suites. The dim sum items were delicious.

Gabriel Tam

Google
Absolutely loved my experience at Kirin Restaurant! I was extremely happy with everything from start to finish. The service was amazing—attentive, friendly, and made me feel genuinely welcome. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Will definitely be coming back. Highly recommend!

Mina

Google
Lovely Chinese restaurant if you are craving some dim sum. The food is absolutely delicious. The staff are very polite and do their best to give as much and as fast service as possible. All the food was served perfectly warm and when he asked for takeout, it was perfect perfectly wrapped. The only downside was that the restaurant was packed so the staff sometimes did not have time to bring the thing that you wanted as fast as possible, which is very understandable hopefully more people get hired so they can provide faster service in rush hours.

Kristy Chen

Google
Everything was quite yummy, I even enjoyed the Xiao long bao. Although it was not the best that I have had, it was decent enough. Everything was pretty good, but that would be the expectation as their price range is on the higher side when it comes to dim sum. Service was great, very attentive for a Chinese restaurant, would come back.

Amandeep Beesla

Google
Best dim sum in town! If you want great service with quality food and amazing atmosphere look no further! Def coming back.

Edmund Hayley

Google
The deep fried prawns were excellent. Everything else from the A La Carte Menu was fine, but I wasn't blown away by anything else. The House Chow Mein was downright disappointing - why would I want crispy noodles? Of course, real foodies want their noodles soft. The Dim Sum items were tasty. I would recommend the Prawn and sweet corn spring rolls, the BBQ Pork Buns, the Chinese Donut, and the Dumplings. The bottom line is this was an enjoyable dining experience, but the dishes are tiny and overpriced. The Peking duck was tasty, with crispy skin and meat which was a bit dry frankly. I ordered the whole duck and it was one small dish for $128 with a tip. The service was not great. The servers lack communication skills. It is important for those dining to be able to ask questions and make requests. I found out near the end of the meal there is free parking underneath the restaurant - one simply has to enter one's license plate on the touch screen. Why was I not informed of this free parking earlier? I would definitely return for more dim sum.

Grace Wang

Google
Surprisingly, on a sunday pass noon, made reservation for two people got seated right away. Not busy at all. Excellent service and the foods came fairly quickly. With similar price in other dim sum place, we will come back again. Enjoyed the pan fried halibut, pork peedan congee
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Michael L.

Yelp
Kirin is a great place for a sort of elevated dim sum. The staff are very polite and helpful, and the food arrived quick. The Vegetarian Goose had the perfect outer layer, and the mushrooms inside were sweet and salty and overall was an amazing flavor combination. The truffle dumplings are the star of the show- with an aromatic flavor of truffle and a perfect, gooey, outer wrapper. The restaurant is well decorated with large windows and a nice view of outside, and not too bright but also not too dark. Kirin is a great restaurant and I recommend that you try it if you are in the area!
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Eric K.

Yelp
Incredibly rude front of house and incredibly slow service. Disappointing because my family and I have come here for decades (grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles). We will never return. My young family and I didn't have reservations and waited in line with the rest of the folks who didn't make reservations. We were among the first to line up. They were reasonably polite to all the non-reservation guests ... until they got to us. The "maitre d", a middle aged man, literally ignored us calling for anyone with reservations. Then he tried to skip us and move on to the next person in the non reservation line. Even the people behind us felt awkward and embarrassed by the host's behavior. He eventually turned his attention to us and admonished me and family to eat fast since we didn't make a reservation. We actually did try and eat fast but the food and bill took forever to come out. Vancouver and Richmond have dozens of better dim sum places. I urge you to go there to spend your hard earned money. Can't stress enough how poorly we were treated despite being patient and polite throughout.
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Y Yelp Y.

Yelp
***FOOD: Utterly delish dim sum for downtown. Lots of variety and every dim sum we ordered was fresh and top knotch. SALT PEPPER FISH - Must Order/Try, so unbelievably good it'll have you craving long after; HAR GAW & STICKY RICE & SIU MAI & BBQ BUN - everything is good piping hot and so delicious. Totally satisfied our cravings. CONGEE- very very good; MANGO PUDDING - wow don't see this oldie and goodie on menus anymore. It was just so creamy good. So much mango. ***COST (OUT OF 4$) $$ expensive because it's downtown but if you are downtown and don't want to travel to Richmond or outside of downtown then this is as good as it gets. ***DÉCOR: upstairs, looks like it was carved out of lobby of the office building with skylights which made it pretty warm in there and the AC had hard time keeping the place cool. Contemporary modern pretty, upscale decor. Sparkly chandeliers. Parking may be an issue but it seems to me it's a place for tourists/visitors in hotel ***SERVICE: servers were ok, attentive, did try to seek us their special Kirin Mooncake. Dishes seemed to take a while so just assumed they were making them fresh. ***RECOMMEND: Yes highly RECOMMEND. Definitely would come back to eat here if have a craving for dim sum while visiting downtown.
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Regina V.

Yelp
I joined 900 people for lunar new year festival here. The food was tasty but as you can imagine service was super slow. It was really hard to get water lol. Nevertheless the courses brought back memories of childhood. I especially liked their prawn chips And bbq pork!
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Allen Y.

Yelp
Great place for dim sum in downtown Vancouver. Pros - wide selection of dim sum options and noodle dishes. Convenient location downtown. Very large interior and quick friendly service Cons - none! Great place for weekend dim sun with the family.
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Kristina C.

Yelp
There's something about the Dim Sum here that makes it more fresh? I'm obsessed though. So glad we had lunch here and everything was good! ***What we ordered ~ **Char Siu Bao (8/10) ~ The Bao is soft, the filling has a nice sweetness to it, and it's not DRY! I would recommend getting this especially if you like Char Siu Bao! **Har Gaow (10/10) ~ Ooooooh my god. If I had a bigger stomach I would get lots of this. I love that the shrimp is juicy and spongey. The rice wrapper on the outside is also soft and not dry too. I would order plenty of this honestly. Overall, Food did take a little bit to come out, but everything was good! I would totally come back! Highly recommend making a reservation though!
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Kristen K.

Yelp
We were a little hesitant to try Kirin for dim sum after reading mixed reviews, but decided to just go for it on a Sunday morning. We walked in without a reservation and we weren't sure if they were going to sit us, but they ended up giving us a table pretty quickly. The menu for dim sum is pretty small compared to other places we have been to, but they had most of the usual items. It was a little pricey, but maybe you pay for the elevated ambiance. We ordered siu mai, chicken feet, har gao, the deep fried prawn wrapped in taro root paste, and the charcoal salted egg yolk buns. Everything was pretty tasty and tasted a little "cleaner" than the normal push cart dim sum spots. Overall, decent experience in downtown Vancouver. I would probably go again if I visited the area and maybe try a couple more things if I had a bigger group.
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Dan P.

Yelp
The food was super yummy and juicy, service was great as food came out immediately. They offered us jasmine tea and there is free mint at the front! The restaurant felt cozy, there is parking right underneath very easy to get to, come eat here !
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Allie L.

Yelp
Vancouver is one of my favorite cities for Asian food. We wanted dim sum and Kirin Seafood was right around the corner from Robson street. We arrived for a late lunch and we were seated immediately. The servers were friendly and attentive. We ordered the traditional shrimp and pork dumplings, the rice and pork wrapped in Lotus leaves and the scallop, prawn and crab dumplings. The dumplings were plump and steaming hot! The dumplings had a lot of flavors and tasted so fresh! I've eaten a lot of dim sum and this is definitely one of my favorite spots! The rice and pork wrapped in lotus leaves is one of my go to dishes. The rice was soft and the meat was tender and the seasoning made everything tasty. We ate everything and left feeling very satisfied!
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Stephanie K.

Yelp
It's definitely a different way or high-class way of eating dimsum! Where I'm from, there are workers who bring carts filled with dimsum over to our table, and we would choose what we want. However, Kirin was just like your typical restaurant. You order off the menu, and the server brings it out to you. There's nothing wrong with this, but it's just different. I like that they give you two chopsticks- one to use for shared or communal dishes and one to use for your own plate. We didn't really care, but it was cool for them to have for germaphobes! Everything that we ate there was delicious! No complaints! Cleanliness on point! Excellent service! Reservations highly recommended! Everything was delicious!
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Helen L.

Yelp
This is my first time at the downtown location and it's just as good as the Richmond location. If you have a big group, I recommend calling to make a reservation to guarantee seating, otherwise you may have a wait. Came for dimsum and it's so good. The food is brought out freshly made and their chili oil is a great touch as well. I believe their chili is home made, you can taste and smell the garlic. Their service is also top tier, friendly staff and constantly checking on us. Good food and good service! I always look forward to eating at Kirin when I'm in Vancouver.
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Todd H.

Yelp
Kirin was recommended to us by our hotel concierge. We were craving some dim sum after a long Alaskan cruise. Nice, modern space with friendly and quick service. Food was overall very solid, particularly the sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, shumai (large portion) and the beef tendon, brisket with flat noodle. The XLB was okay but a bit thicker dough than my liking but overall good. We also had the spareribs in plum sauce but had thought they were black bean sauce, it was listed correctly but our mistake which was more surprising than it was bad. Nice spot, would recommend coming in for some tasty dim sum!
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Nathalia H.

Yelp
We came here around 1.30 pm for dimsum on a Sunday and got seated right away (party of 6). It took a bit for our dimsum orders to come out, but everything were delicious. We live in SGV area so I could say the dimsum is similar taste to SGV dimsum. We love their yang chou fried rice and hakao!
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Gloria T.

Yelp
One is the best dim sums in town. Superb service. The ambience of the downtown location is a mix of Hong Kong banquet restaurant and business feel. It's also more quiet. It's suitable for all occasions. They validate either 1 or 2 hours for the underground parking. Otherwise it's parallel street parking.
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Sylvia J.

Yelp
Visiting Vancouver for 4 days and this place was highly recommended by our tour bus driver. Decided spend last nice with good food. What a mistake.... Food was 4 star Service was 1 star Price was 3 star I am from LA so I am use to Chinese servers being little rude. But this was beyond....Our food was taking over an hour and we called our waiter few time. After that he completely ignored and avoided us. Our food came out after 1 hr 20 min...and was one by one....yet other table who sat after us was getting the same items we ordered. We spent $400 ( including tip) but not worth it at all
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M W.

Yelp
Service was good, attentive, ambiance was peaceful, we had an early dim sum reservation and the food was on par! Loved the congee and dim sum and pleasantly satisfied.

Nancy A.

Yelp
My husband and I had an epic dinner there on Thanksgiving. We ordered the king crab which they reserved for us when we called earlier in the day to make reservations. The ambiance was very nice and the service was phenomenal.
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Saran W.

Yelp
On a weekday afternoon, my family and I stopped at Kirin for dim sum. Since we arrived right before lunchtime, the restaurant was fairly empty and we were seated right away. The waiter was very helpful and offered suggestions on menu items that he thought we may like. We ordered some standard dim sum items and were especially excited to try the special cuttlefish ink egg yolk baos/buns. Our waiter even offered to hold our orders of baos until after we were done with our meal so we could enjoy them fresh as dessert; so nice! The food and the service were exceptional. I especially loved the sticky rice in lotus leaf and the soy sauce rolled noodles. The cuttlefish ink egg yolk baos were also delicious and worth the hype. They weren't too sweet and didn't take cuttlefishy at all. They looked beautiful and tasted great. Throughout our meal, the restaurant got fuller until nearly all tables were occupied. It may be the downtown location as well, but it was encouraging to see Kirin have such good business on a weekday! I'd highly recommend stopping by if you're looking for good dim sum. The regular menu items looked good as well, and we would've visited again for dinner if we had more time in the city. Next time!
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Victoria T.

Yelp
This place is a must every time I'm in Vancouver. Next time I'm going to go to the Richmond location though. to get durian mochi however they didn't have it on the menu and the one downtown and they were already sold out by 1pm!
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Ada H.

Yelp
Not sure what happened. The flavors have changed. The hot sauce as well. This used to be my favorite dim sum spot but I can barely eat them today. Maybe chef has left or something must have happened.
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Joyful Eater M.

Yelp
The food is decent for Vancouver standard if you don't want to venture out to Richmond restaurants. But the waiters are so rude and impatient that it kind of ruins the dining experience. You can be curt but to be so unpleasant takes this to another level.
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Lauren T.

Yelp
Pretty good dim sum, some specialty dishes that aren't normally at dim sum places. The portions are pretty large here. The beef was really good, as was the ha gao. The ha gao skin was thick enough to not sag, and had good texture. The spicy wonton dish reminded me of what you get at Din Tai Fung, but tasted less sweet. Overall, good dim sum, can't complain about any of the food.
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Ken T.

Yelp
We walked in as a party of 2 around noon, and the hostess told us it'd be a 15 minute wait. We ended up waiting almost 2 hours for a table and the hostess kept telling us they'd have a table soon while we watch other parties who have walked in well after us get seated. This was a huge waste of time and we wouldn't have put our names down if the hostess told us an accurate estimate of almost 2 hours. The restaurant closes at 2:30PM and we haven't even gotten seated by 2PM. I'm never coming back to this location, this management is a disaster.
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Francisca K.

Yelp
Was craving for Chinese and tried Kirin. Really wanted to try their dimsum , but they don't serve in dinner . We liked both the veg and chicken fried rice. The fried tofu an string beans was good too. Not a big fan of the fish. The string beans was ok . The kids liked the kung pao chicken . I gave an extra star for our server Nicky. He had worked there for 12 yrs .he was friendly and suggested us few items . Ambience is good .
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Paul A.

Yelp
Good Dimsum place. I like it better than Sun Sui Wah. I like all I tried. -Prawn dumplings -Prawn and pork dumplings -Bean curd roll -sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf - puréed egg yolk in cuttlefish ink bun Reservation is possible Street parking.

Andrew S.

Yelp
We came to Kirin in downtown because we didn't get into the Kirin in Richmond the previous day because we didn't have a reservation! I've never even heard of a dim sum place that you can't get into without a reservation! When we asked them whether we could get a reservation for the next day or the following day, they said they were booked! So our backup plan was to go to the branch of Kirin in downtown right when they opened. This strategy worked. We were the second party in the restaurant. For what it was worth, by the time we left, 5e restaurant was full and not clear that we could have gotten in without a reservation ... The space is very funny, with a bunch of offices above looking down into a courtyard which is the restaurant, except the courtyard is indoors. That being said, it was a nicely decorated and very high end Chinese restaurant. Again, the level of Chinese food in Vancouver must be mind blowing, because this restaurant has 3 stars!!! This was probably the best dim sum I've ever had, and I was literally in Hong Kong and Guangzhou last month, and I was visiting Vancouver from the Bay Area. Every dish we had was delicious and elegant, showing subtlety and skill. The dishes came out very fresh. My two favorite dishes were the spare ribs and the mochi sesame balls. Spare ribs are not my favorite dim sum, it these were so hot and fresh and full of flavor, it gave me a new appreciation for the dish. The mochi sesame balls were something I've had at many other places before, but these were so fresh, so warm, so sweet, it was literally like having sex. I've never had this experience before ... my mind was truly blown. The waiters were more like waiters at a Michelin star restaurant than your normal waiters at a dim sum place. Very detail oriented, well dressed and service oriented. Overall, I hope I get a chance to go to this restaurant or the branch in Richmond again ... just a truly 5 star experience ...
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Sum H.

Yelp
Visited the vancouver downtown location with my friend to kick off short vacation in Canada. I usually order seafood dishes but my friend is allergic to shrimp so decided to go with pork bao, xiaolongbao and special chow men with some seafood. Not very impressed with pork dishes, I like shrimp dim sum way better that I've tried before. The special chow men was soooo good! This is a bit more expensive as it's one of the main dishes not dim sum, but it's a big portion and so much flavor. Noodle is fried crispy, the sauce is delicious. Must try! The service and the cleanliness are a lot better than other dim sum locations. That's one of the reasons why I always come here.
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Rachel L.

Yelp
The food was really good but it was a bit expensive. The dim sun was good but nothing out of the ordinary. The Kirin fried rice was delicious, highly recommend. I don't think I would order the hot and sour soup noodle again. It wasn't really soupy and didn't taste that good. We thought we made a reservation but when we went in, the said we didn't. They were able to seat us anyways but needed the table back by 12:30pm. The service was decent but we felt a bit rushed around noon.
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Mark Y.

Yelp
I had high expectations for this place especially since their sister location gets good reviews but now I know why. The interior decor is stunning and I like the layout of the restaurant itself but after arriving and looking at the menu we wondered why their dim sum selection was so limited. We overheard the waiter tell someone at a nearby table that their choices are much smaller than the Richmond location which is a big disappointment. The costs per dish was alright and the items we got were rather underwhelming. The chicken feet sauce was as thick as gravy and too heavy. Their har gao was just OK and lacked that pop but the siu mai were big and plump. It was such a letdown and not even sure I want to try the Richmond location even if their menu is bigger.
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Jack W.

Yelp
=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE 2.5 stars - the food is good, the environment nice - just ahem, need to look past the prices and slow service! === 2. FOOD On this day of dine-in dim sum: - Chicken Feet: good taste and texture. - Pork & Shrimp Dumplings: good choice! - Beef Balls: taste on point! - Shrimp Dumplings: plump and good! - Pork & Scallion Soft Noodles: good, but ouch - $23.50 for a relatively small portion! === 3. SERVICE Perhaps they were short-staffed during our most recent visit, but it was just one man handling all of the host/front duties with dine-in and takeout patrons, escorting patients to tables, and taking payments from diners. It also felt like it took a while to get someone to take our dim sum order. The dishes also seemed to take a while to come out. === 4. ENVIRONMENT While it seems not to have been changed in a while, the decor is still contemporary. There are stairs at various points but for the most part, wheelchairs and baby strollers would work at the first set of tables. Parking is available underground.
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Lia K.

Yelp
food was good but not special. Price maybe a bit higher (or maybe it's just inflation?):basic dim sum for 4 people $80. ambiance is very nice. service is polite and efficient.
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John Y.

Yelp
Warning, reservations need for Sunday Dim Sum. Was walking in the neighborhood deciding on what we should eat and on the spur of the moment decided Dim Sum was going to be my Sunday jam. Went inside, encountered the front reception staff, oops, "sorry no tables, restaurant full, no reservation, no food" I put on my biggest disappointment frown and threw out my "Thai card", "but I came all the way from Thailand to try out your dim sum"' lol and behold they managed to squeeze me in, great service. Dim sum was top qualify. Their dan dan noodle soup was especially savory, nice peanut flavoured broth, noodles perfectly cooked al dente. Har Gao filled with big plump crunchy shrimp, other dim sum dishes just as good. Nice leisurely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
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Michael Q.

Yelp
Recommended by hotel staff , I had ordered beef fried rice , fried salt/ pepper fish and shrimp dim sum . Restaurant was busy during a weekday lunch hour . Restaurant is nice inside , staff was friendly and quick with service .

Sophie W.

Yelp
This is probably the best dim sum restaurant I have ever been to! The food is fresh and flavorful! The servers are very attentive and courteous. It is nice, quiet and clean. We will definitely be back soon!
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David L.

Yelp
One of my favorite dimsum and Chinese restaurants to eat at when I visit Vancouver BC from Seattle. The shrimp dumpling and shumai are some of the best I've ever had! Food The dimsum at Kirin is some of the best dimsum that I've ever had. The shrimp balls (hargow) and shumai are my favorite since they are so big and juicy. The dimsum in Seattle just doesn't compare. Overall the food here is excellent and I can't wait to come again. Atmosphere Large restaurant with plenty of seating and well lit areas. Great for small or large parties. Can get a little bit loud inside though. Can come dressed as casual or formal as you want. Pricing Fair pricing for the dimsum and other items in the menu. You can choose what you want to eat and how much you want to order. Cheaper than the dimsum in Seattle. Service  Service was okay. You might have to try to get the attention of the staff for service though. I don't base many of the ratings on service (5 star for food). Other Not too busy even though I came by at 1pm on a Saturday. Street parking in the area can be difficult as it is located in a busy area of downtown.

Gordon G.

Yelp
After a day of travel from California, with cancelled flights and delays, we finally made it into Vancouver at 6pm. Hungry and tired after checking into our hotel, we headed to Kirin for dinner. Upon arrival, the staff took good care of us and helped us with our order of minced beef, cilantro and green onion soup, steamed fish, deep fried chicken with soy sauce, stir fried string beans with garlic and beef chow fun. We were so hungry, with everything so tasty and delicious, we didn't even think of taking pictures. Thank you Eddie and your staff for providing us with great service and a wonderful dinner. Will definitely come back if we're back in Vancouver!
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Winny L.

Yelp
Came here for dim sum with friends while in Vancouver... Overall food and service were ok. Some of the group loved it and some of us thought it was ok. Place was decent size with.. Ordered a variety of dim sum dishes to eat - some of the usual rice noodles, egg custards, beef tripe, beef chow fun, shrimp dumplings, steamed pork buns, and two dessert dishes. Flavorwise was missing a bit for me but it was just average. Everyone's taste buds are different...guess I had higher expectations.
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Kelly L.

Yelp
Visit Vancouver for the first time and Kirin came highly recommended by a friend. First off, food is great and I am a dim sum connoisseur! The taste is just right, the shrimp eggroll, the sticky rice, even the egg tart shell is off of chain! we ordered a scallop fried rice and they do not skim on them! I wish I could try more, but they are good portion. I didn't mentioned anything as we were already full, but the guy who took our order MISSED what I ordered (we ordered the shrimp dumpling and shaomai - he never hear what we ordered and he was the rudest staff when we were there). Most of the staff were very nice to us, but this one younger dude in black suit who took our order ... boy ... he looked at me like either I couldn't afford to eat there or I shouldn't be there because I'm in jeans. We have never been there and didn't know how they order dim sum, and he looked at me like I'm a weirdo asking how to order. While others complain that folks try to upsell them food (ah, people, in fancy restaurants, that's what they All do! Why do you think when you go to steakhouse they try to upsell you the aged filet mignon?? ) This dude, didn't bother to sell us ANYTHING! So, there go that one less star. But food wise, for me, their cook/chef take their job very seriously and I can tell by the quality of the food we have. They are delicate, and very detail even on the simplest dim sum, like the sponge cake and the egg tart (that was the best tart texture I have had in a while). Enjoyed the food, and most of the staff. My friend had told me about making reservation, and they squeezed us in even though I only called about 30 min in advance. Thank you for the yummy food!
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Damian W.

Yelp
Food 4.0/5.0 Service 3.0/5.0 Value 3.0/5.0 Decor 3.0/5.0 Overall 4.0/5.0 Came for dim sum. There was a slight wait but not too bad. Food was great, a bit like being back in Hong Kong. They do have dishes like BBQ meats that are off-menu, so I'd inquire if I were you. Strange location though, kept hearing cars in the garage behind the restaurant drive by.
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Rob B.

Yelp
Aloha, best dim sum in Vancouver. Actually probably in the world. So delicious and fresh. Lovely staff treat you like royalty as they dress the part, nice. A class act Chinese restaurant. Very authentic. This is my second time here and it's still just as good. Best hot sour soup too. Enjoy.
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Heidi T.

Yelp
Tried the combo for 4 on a weekday for take out. Was told it'll take 45 mins but arrived early just in case. When we got there early, the food was ready packed in a box so it's easy to carry out. Manager was helpful and offered to help bring the box to the car for us. Food was just okay. Lacked flavour and wasn't worth the price. Heard there are other better Chinese restaurants in Van.
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Angie M.

Yelp
Will not go back for sure, they are very rude. our waiter was Eddie and he was rushing, cutting us off and so much more. Not many options, some stuff they didn't even have on their menu, no carts pushed around. expensive for no reason food not even good and we also bit into our shomai and pulled a piece of wrapper out of our mouth.
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Mario N.

Yelp
Came here on a Thursday right after they opened, the hostess told us we were lucky because a reservation is almost a must here. Had a few typical and some not so typical dim sum dishes, overall, all very good, service was excellent. Will definitely come back.
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Kris C.

Yelp
I'm not sure why this location has less stars than the other location. I've been here twice and had good experiences both times. The dim sum is very good quality and the service is excellent. One of our favorites is the unique squid buns with egg yolk inside - so good! Parking in the garage is reimbursed if you give them your ticket.
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Anna L.

Yelp
Honestly idk why the reviews are so low here.. this dim sum joint was pretty good. It's also super classy inside. I felt like I was in a super fancy restaurant cause I sat in a spot with really high ceilings. Anyways, the dim sum here is solid! I'm from california, so I didn't know what to expect for dim sum in Vancouver, but have heard good things and kirin did not disappoint. The star of the freaking show here is the hargow. It was SO plump and delicious, one of the very best I've ever had. Please don't skip on this one! The dan tat was also superb. Super fresh, eggy, and flakey. They also don't have the traditional rice rolls here, but they do have one that's stir fried in a special sauce, and this was pretty good to try too! It's unique and has a very smoky wok taste. Items I would skip are the loh mai gai and the taro cake. Both these were just meh to me so I wouldn't get it again.

Jad V.

Yelp
Poor service and reservation management. A reservation here does not mean they reserve a table for you. It means you can sit and wait until you are seated in order of arrival. Extremely disorganized. Defeats the purpose of trying to have an enjoyable time when the entire seating process is an epic disaster.
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Jasmine T.

Yelp
We decided to stop by Kirin on our way back to Seattle from Whistler. The restaurant was aesthetically pleasing and quiet. Going into an Asian restaurant, I never set high expectations when it comes to service but this one tops it all. We weren't familiar with the menu so took some time to look over it together. During the 5 min span, there were a couple waitresses that came over to check in if we were ready to order but we weren't. When we were ready to order, a waiter named Aaron came to take our order. Aaron seemed frustrated while taking our order and at one point, he rudely asked, can you speak louder? As we continued to order, there were a couple instances when he would scrunch his eyebrows in confusion. For instance, when we ordered tripe, he asked "which one?!" in a demeaning undertone. When we ordered duck, he explained 3 different ways to cook the 2nd half of the duck. It was difficult to understand the different variations and when we asked for clarity, he seemed frustrated, again. Towards the end of our order, we were just getting ready to finish and he would just slowly turn around and walk away. The whole ordering experience felt very rushed. It would have been great if the server was more engaging and suggested items that they specialize in and well, just be patient. All of the food came out super fast and was delicious but we couldn't remember all the items we ordered as we felt rushed. When we asked Aaron what remaining items were left, he mentioned only 2 dishes. Which made us think that he didn't get the rest of our order so we asked for the menu again. He rudely replies, "well can I drop this off first (as he was holding plates) ?!" We said yes and he came back and placed the menu. He came back a third time to refresh our plates and my mom asked, can we order some more dimsum. He then picks up something from the floor and walks away without taking our order. After 5 min we were able to grab his attention to order more. However, as time went on more items came out that he could not recall on. When it came time to pay for the bill, Aaron handed us the card machine and we didn't tip through the machine as we like to just give cash. My mom grabbed her wallet and began to look for cash for tip but Aaron just stood there, awkwardly waiting. When we handed him the cash he asked "was everything ok?" We looked at him with confusion and just said, it was just ok. Overall, the food was great but unfortunately the service is just awful, hence the 2 star rating. If you set that as an expectation going into Kirin, you may have a better experience.

Saimina L.

Yelp
I had a gift card so thought I would pop into the downtown location to get take out. I asked if they had ginger beef. They said yes. I ordered 1 order for $38. Got home and unpacked it and found a very small container of ginger beef and a another container of sweet asian buns. I was so disappointed. This was definitely not worth it. It had no taste. And why the buns??? I ordered ginger beef. This order was enough for 1 person. So after all that, I had no dinner. I would never go to this place again. What a ripoff.
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Betty L.

Yelp
Best dim sum Restaurant around west coast area! Love the transitional real taste! Good location and easy for parking