Shanghai River Restaurant

Both takeout and dine-in are consistently delicious — you can’t go wrong with either. My favorites are their fried fish, typhoon shelter-style crab, and drunken chicken. The staff are also incredibly friendly, which is rare to find in Richmond. It’s hard to come by a Shanghainese restaurant with such steady quality and great service. Every time I visit Vancouver, I make a point to drive over and dine here. Highly recommended! ☺️

The steamed meat dumpling is very good. The soup inside the dumpling is hot and tasty. The meat inside the dumpling is fresh and wonderfully marinated. The fried bread dough stick is the best I ever tasted in the world. So crispy. But the best part is that it is not heavy at all. The stick is larger than normal, but the dough is lighter than usual. It is like........ I just could not find the right words to describe it. This is definitely a "must have." The dessert is also good. Just take 20 minutes to make it, so order it at the beginning, and they will make it accordingly.

This place is sooooo good. Everything from the service to the food was just off the charts. This place is an example of Chinese hospitality putting its best foot forward. BUT know this place is true Chinese foodie culture. You have to wait 60 mins for a table? 30 minutes for food? It’s all right! Sit back and enjoy the atmosphere with drinks and friends. Because the food that comes to your table is an EXPERIENCE. It just adds to the list of why Richmond is our go-to food destination every time we come to Vancouver.

Shanghai River is a well-established favorite in Richmond’s vibrant dining scene, known for its refined take on classic Shanghainese cuisine. On a busy Friday night, the restaurant was packed, and without a reservation, expect a long wait—tables don’t tend to open up until after 8 PM. Despite the full house, service was impressively efficient. Dishes arrived swiftly and were executed with precision. The presentation stood out, particularly the deep-fried oysters—remarkably large, fresh, and beautifully plated. They were a highlight of the evening. The xiao long bao were satisfying and well-made, though not quite on par with the internationally renowned Din Tai Fung. Still, they delivered the comforting burst of savory broth you’d expect from a solid Shanghai dumpling. Overall, Shanghai River offers a polished dining experience with high-quality food and professional service. While it doesn’t quite earn a full five stars in my book—mainly due to the fierce local competition—it remains a top contender for those craving authentic Shanghai flavors. Just be sure to book a reservation, especially on weekend nights.

More improvement is required for the taste. The waitress kept cleaning up our tables and pushed us to return tables. We preferred them to speak to us if they needed the table back rather than doing many things to push us to leave

this place shouldnt be famous for their 小籠包(steamed dumplings) but for their 奶油龍蝦伊麵/ lobster cream based sause noodles cuz O MY GOSH ITS THE BEST ONE IVE HAD AT A RESTAURANT in a LOOONNG TIME. tell me why the lobster was so sweet (in a fresh seafood way) and the noodles were cooked to perfection, soaked in the sauce that has the lobster's juices in it, making it addictive to eat. even the onions were fried well and browned before being put into this dish, making this dish a solid 5/5 however their other stuff was mid- their fried taro duck tasted normal- just the classic five spice flavoured duck with not rly seasoned taro paste, accompanied with a sauce that tastes like diluted oyster sauce and dark soy. 3/5 their famous 小籠包 had the right amount of fat to meat ratio, right amount of soup, and the right texture. it just tastes normal but a bit above avrg 3.5/5 however their eggplant dish tasted like panda express with half the sugar... however it isnt drowning in oil at the least 1/5 overall 3.9/5

I enjoyed the atmosphere until a situation arose. The staff was misleading about the pricing. They charged us somewhere around CA$100 for the Peking Duck. We only asked for the duck but were given a two course meal so the restaurant could up charge us. Very scummy business practice! Food tasted good until the receipt came. We won’t be coming back.

As a Shanghainese, I recognized their food is pretty traditional and delicious! I had very happy time with my family as a tourist.

We came here from our cruise ship. Took the sky train from the cruise port. Very very convenient. We also managed to get there when they just opened at 11:00am. It's not one of your high end dim sum places. Decor wasn't the best although you can see into the kitchen that they were making xui long baos. A friend told us to come here for dinner but we decided to come here for lunch. The xui long baos were excellent. Hot with thin skins and juicy. I could have ate three more! We also ordered some sesame cake sandwiches. The bread seemed hollowed out and stayed very crispy. I thought it would be filling but it wasn't. We also had some sliced rice cakes which was okay. And also ordered some deep fried tofu - also good but you can never go wrong with any fried food. We also had some pork belly with preserved veggies. It was delicious and cooked perfectly. Then we also had the Shanghai baos that are steamed and fried on the bottom with soup in it. The bao skin was too thick and hardly any soup in it so I'd stick to the xui long baos.

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

Really loved the atmosphere and food from this busy restaurant in Richmond, spending time with family. As this was our first visit to Vancouver, we did not understand that the most popular and well-thought of Chinese food is no longer found in Vancouver's Chinatown, but rather in the city of Richmond, a suburb. We had eaten at a really good Chinese restaurant for lunch the day before, so was really looking forward to comparing it with the cuisine from Richmond. A reservation was placed for 4 the same day, and a spot was found for 7 pm on a Saturday. There are numerous parking garages in the area. The Richmond-Brighouse stop on the Canada line is also very close. We arrived a bit early, but around 7, we were seated at a round table meant for 6, giving us plenty of space to dine family-style. It's beautiful inside, with a huge bar dominating the banquet room. Every table was full, and the maitre'd was turning away customers that didn't have a reservation. Mandarin is predominantly spoken here, thus everyone will speak to you first in that language before switching to English (if they can). The menu is basically a laminated book with full color pictures. We didn't know how big the portions were, so played it safe by ordering 4 dishes (including appetizers). The dishes came out as they were prepared, in the following order: - Steamed Pork Dumplings (8 pieces $13.95) - these are made fresh in front of the restaurant by skilled cooks behind transparent plexiglass. It comes with a dish of vinegar and soy sauce with ginger slivers. The dumplings were superb, with thin skin and a very flavorful sausage with gelatin broth, just the right size proportions. These deserved the full bite treatment to get the mix right, even if meant taking the chance to scald your mouth. A clear winner. - Shanghai Chow Mein ($20.80) - big platter of chewy wheat noodles. It had been expertly coated with a very mild, not too flavorful brown sauce. I've seen this type of noodle be called lo mein. There was a bit of cabbage and pork loin strips to finish the dish. - Szechuan style Prawns ($32.80) - beautifully prepared deshelled prawns in a very simple hot sauce with celery. This was the one dish where each of could have eaten more, but we were all conscious to share. It was great with the accompanying white rice ($2.90 per bowl). - Lettuce Wrap with Beef ($32.80) - the most disappointing dish for the price, it came with 8 cups of very freshly washed iceberg lettuce leaves. The filling was very plentiful...enough was given to easily be 2-3 times the portion of a typical lettuce wrap. However, the chopped beef didn't really work for us, and the small bits of celery did overwhelm the rest of the crunchy ingredients. Both hot water and hot tea were offered immediately as drinks when we sat down, and no water was offered (though I'm sure they would have provided if we asked). They want you to finish your meal at the restaurant, and make it a big point that each carryout container is an extra 30 cents. GST is about 5% and credit cards are readily accepted, with the transaction being complete tableside. All of us really liked this place, and would definitely recommend this to anybody who enjoys Chinese food and wanted to try a good representation if in the Vancouver area.

Service is okay. They're all over the place and forgot my food. Reminded the waitress, and she went back to check and my order was never placed. Lol They were not busy, just unorganized.

Pretty good XLB and Northern Chinese dishes. I picked this mainly from reading reviews from some of my Yelp friends and I always love trying out new places for soup dumplings, especially while on vacation. Most of these dishes are great for lunch or dinner when served family style. Xiao Long Bao or soup dumplings are the main attraction here. They are freshly by the ladies in the kitchen window as you are led to your table. They are handmade pork meatballs wrapped in a thin rolled dumpling skin and steamed. The soup is jellified or frozen when made and becomes scalding hot inside, so be careful when eating. Gingerly, grab the peak of the pleats with tongs (or chopsticks if you are so skilled) onto your soup spoon and puncture a small hole to let out the hot liquid into the spoon. Wait a few seconds and the rest of the dumpling should be cool enough to eat without burning your mouth and then slurp up the soup. XLB can come in different varieties, but the usual ones are plain pork and pork mixed with crab. The crab innards are a unique taste and makes the soup an orange color. You do get 8 per steamer basket of the regular pork XLB, but the crab only has 5. We also had a couple of noodle & Shanghai rice cake dishes, which were pretty standard to what we're used to, but nothing outstanding. What we should have tried was the Peking Duck, but it wasn't offered at lunch and would have been a little much for lunch. Next time, definitely the duck for dinner! There is a parking garage with an entrance next door and on the street behind with limited dedicated spots. You might even get lucky and score a parking spot on Firbridge Way and go through the garage to the restaurant.

Someone recommended this place and thought to try it out. I really like how tender the beef was in the spicy beef noodle soup we ordered. If you want to get a variety of items highly recommend coming here with a group of people. Portions are pretty generous. Food is good. I'm giving this place a 4 stars instead of 5 just because of the xiao long bao - the flavor is there but the wraper was thick and doughy (which I personally am use to a thinner wrap). Besides that all the other items we order was good and came out hot.

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.

Great food and service was exceptional. Would go again. Tried a few other places and this was one of the best dim sum in town.

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.

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)

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.

My new favorite spot in Vancouver! The Shanghai noodles and sweet and sour fish are the must have dishes for me.

The Dim Sum was amaaaazing!! We ordered a TON of takeout with our friends. It was my first time visiting Vancouver, so of course we had to try some Chinese food in Richmond! This place was recommended by our friends we were staying with and it did NOT disappoint. The black vinegar pork was my favorite!! I've never had a dish like that before and it was incredible. Also the dumplings were amazing and the noodles. Will definitely be back if I ever visit Vancouver/Richmond again!

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.

There might be a ton of choices to eat in Richmond-Vancouver area but we consistently return here because of the excellent and consistent tasting dishes and it's been on our list of must go places for more than 10 years! This time we had their Shanghai style fried rice cake with veggies and shredded pork done to a perfect wok hei perfection. The pan fried pork buns are a must with a crispy bottom filled with juicy soupy pork. Our veggie dish was dau miu "par vine" stir fried with garlic chicken broth. I wish it was more than just the two of us cuz we would've order more dishes!

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...

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

=== 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!

(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.

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!

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.

This place has the best Shanghai food. The dumplings are made infront of you. We tried many item this time, they were all fresh, flavourful and delicious. The xiao Longbao is amazing. Duck was delicious. We will be back. Often. We were eating too fast to take photos.

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.

I come here for their xiao long bao because they are so juicy on the inside. They definitely have traditional authentic Shanghai food here. The braised fish is really tasty as well. Everything is on the sweeter side in terms of marinade so keep that in mind when you're trying the food here!

I hear so many good things about this restaurant that I feel the urge to give this a good review but I must stay true to my values and speak my truth. Food was ok and it's only made worse by the high prices. The table cloth has a suspicious dark stain and the chairs appear to have come from the medieval times. They are tattered beyond recognition and the edges are not smooth. As I stood up the chair caught onto my brand new hoodie and tore some threads up. If I had been sitting without a shirt that would've drawn blood.

Very good overall in a nice ambience and long window wall to see dumplings being made. Reservations recommended. Parking garage. Note: they close for 2 hrs from 3pm to 5pm big window into part of the kitchen making dumplings Sticky Rice w/ Ribs savory $17.95. 5* Fried Gai Lan w/ Ginger Sauce stir fried Chinese veg that looks like broccolini $14.95. 5* Mini Oyster & Pickled Veg Rice in Soup nice oyster tasting soup served in a pot heating over a chafing gel fuel $14.80. 5* Sweet Soya Bean cold appetizer; not braised kind $3.50. 3* Homemade Sesame Cake & Chinese Donut unfold a section of sesame cake (pita like bread) and place Chinese donut in it. Eat it like a hotdog in a bun. Prefer them in their own. $11.95. 5* Bean Curd Skin Roll w/ Veg $9.95. 4* Deep Fried Bean Curd Skins with Mushroom $12.95. 4* Deep Fried Duck Meal for Two fried taro paste covered duck $23.80. 4* Want to try next time Peking duck, crab xlb, pork xlb, mapo tofu, dan Dan noodles in soup, green onion pancake, won ton soup, hand-shaven noodles Parking has a parking garage Located -on north side of Westminster Hwy between Minoru Blvd & No. 3rd Rd -across from Richmond Centre Mall

This is a busy restaurant but well staffed. We came here the 1st night Sunday but fully booked so I made reservation for Monday night. Customers here are middle-high income. Price $$-$$$ but portion is relatively good if not big. Foods are not indicative of Shanghainese but rather a blend of southeastern Chinese style, excellent (our favorite). The simplest dish honey vinegar short ribs was my teen's favorite beside the really fresh steam pork dumplings (Caio lung bao)...crab meat dumplings also done great! Last but not least, crab done to perfection! I can only visualize the steps it took to serve this dish. Thumbs up! We're not going to forget tasty ma-po tofu. A typical minced pork tofu with added seasonings (lots of it). Very inexpensive dish but cook to perfection. My teens love to top it over a bowl a rice.

What an amazing place to have XLB!!! Everything is so yummy. We love every menu item at this place. I highly recommend that you make reservations because this place is super popular and is always packed. Enjoy!

Went to Shanghai River for Dim Sum on a Sunday. We showed up around 10:30 am (opens at 10 am) and didn't have a wait for 2 people. We had deep fried shrimp, Shanghai pork dumplings, hot and sour soup, pork and chive pan fried dumplings and sticky rice. The Shanghai pork dumplings did not disappoint and was my favorite thing on there! Overall, would go back again and for what it's worth, my husband and I haven't experienced food poisoning yet.

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.

UPDATE: Our whole family got food poisoning after 1 night...We will not return.

Prompt and attentive services. Food recommendations may need some improvements. Not bad at all.

Pros: They have a huge space and were able to get our party of 3 seated right away on a Friday around lunch time. No reservations needed. Cons: The quality of food ranged from very good to very bad. Considering their very large menu, I feel like it's best to come here with someone who has already tried this place to make sure you're ordering the right items and getting the most out of your meal. -Deep fried crispy tofu: very good. Tofu was very light and crispy and met my expectations. I would recommend this dish and order it again. -Wonton in hot sauce: good flavor but not spicy. It was one of the better items that we ordered. However, I don't know if it was good enough that I would get it again. -Homemade seasame cake stuffed with beef: Just okay. Flavor was lacking compared to others I've tried in my lifetime. Would not get again. -Fried Shanghai Style Rice Cake: this is one of my favorite dishes (when it's done right). However, this was the worst dish out of the bunch. The rice cakes were too softy/soggy and bland. Would not recommend.

First time trying out Shanghai River, a Shanghainese spot that also offers dim sum. We dropped in on a Thursday evening (with 7:00pm reservations). The inside is huge with several large, family style round tables. Service was fairly attentive. The menu is like a children's book with over 25 pages of dishes. Prices aren't cheap; be aware when ordering any market price seafood items. - Steamed pork dumplings ($12.95 for 8) - these were very good; tasty broth, filling and skin had a great bite. - Szechuan style smoked duck half ($27.80) - another winner. There's a couple of buns but the star, of course, is the smoked duck. Smoky flavour is enthralling and there's a good ratio of meat to fat/skin. A must try for any duck lovers. - Yan chow deluxe fried rice ($19.80) - not sure what makes this "deluxe". All it came with was bok choy. Not worth the price point. - Pan fried live crab with rice cake ($88.00) - not sure what happened with the rice cakes, we never received any. That being said, the crab was fantastic. The garlic butter sauce was delightfully delicate. If you're going to splurge, get a crab. - Bamboo fish ($123.75) - we wanted to order the braised ling cod tail ($54.80) but they'd sold out. The waitress recommended this fish instead. It looked small but was 2.25 pounds (which works out to $55.00/lb). Insane. The texture was mushy; no firmness or spring back. Nothing unique about the sauce. Would come back to SR but only for a special occasion or with a much larger group. 3.5 stars.

This wasn't the spot for me but I think it still deserves 4.5 stars. The flavour of the siu long bao, wo tiep, and sheng jian bao are all very good. My issue is that all of the items were enormous. That makes for a good value normally but I personally like these items in a smaller size (particularly *siu* long bao). The siu long bao dough is also a little thick. This is the best sheng jian bao I've had in the area so far.

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!

Every year I visit Vancouver, I also come to this spot for Shanghainese food. Their food never disappoints, and their Xiao long bao is always on point - thin skin and full of soup. I also like their fried dumpling, rice in soup, wonton soup, chao nian gao (stir fry rice cakes), spare ribs, and the fish head pot. They have so many great dishes for meat and seafood that you can't really go wrong. It's great for family meals and their portions are meant to be shared family style.

Excellent xlb (soup dumplings) as well as Peking duck. I'm from Washington DC region where we have Peking Gourmet Inn and this place rivals the quality there, even the plum sauce and pancakes. They must cook the duck for hours even though the server stated it was cooked quickly as the fat was rendered off well w super crispy skin. The star of the show is the XLB--not as good as Din Tai Fung in Tainan (arguably best location for xlb) as the skin was not supper thin, bower the price point is near half and just slightly thicker and more importantly the flavor was buttery good as DTF. The watercress was in season so had that too. We had to wait a bit but so worth it. Packed at 8pm on a Mon night! Service was good too. After such a lg meal we walked back to the Westin at the Wall. Very safe even at night, as we asked a policeman too. Nice town.

The place was packed when we visited. For some odd reasons, we waited for a long time for a three items: the noodle, the duck with taro and the famous dumpling. I watched and saw many people got their food even though they came way latter than us. We did not want to say anything because it was our first time here. The dumpling was good The other two dishes were like water, very neutral and had no memorable taste. Staff were nice. We finished the dinner and went some where else to eat...

The biggest youtiao I have ever seen in my life. My friend said that it's because everything is bigger in Canada.

Come with a reservation because this place gets super busy! I stopped by for dinner with a party of 8 for a late 8:30 p.m. dinner on a Sunday night and unfortunately because dinner was so late, some of the food items ran out, including the pan fried dumplings. For that reason alone, try to come earlier so you can try everything without limitations. My favorite dishes that we had ordered were the peking duck pancakes, the salted meat, vegetable & rice dish, and the lettuce wraps. The XLBs and potstickers were not bad either -- both were quite juicy and the wrapper wasn't too thick. Across the board, the food was really solid. I wouldn't say you're getting the best rendition of every dish here, but for this price point, it's definitely food you can thoroughly enjoy. If you feel like your table is not getting the service you're looking for -- tea refills, placing your order, etc., don't be shy about flagging somebody over. Overall, I would definitely recommend Shanghai River if you're looking for tasty Shanghainese food.

Came to this place when it was first opened, it was one of the nicer Shanghainese restaurants back then and the food was okay. I have repeated and taken some friends and family here over the years. Over the years, I can see that its good quality are slowly deteriorating away. Haven't came back here for a couple of years now so finally visited this place again not so long ago. Here were the food we ordered this time around; 1. 3 kinds of cold dishes; seaweed, pork jelly, drunken chicken with wine. The pork in the pork jelly were abit powdery and dry. And the chicken weren't so good. 2. Shanghainese wonton soup. The wontons were okay and the soup was hot, however, the soup overall was pretty bland and simple. 3. Xiao long bao (Shanghai dumplings). They were hot and juicy but my favourite place for them is still Crystal mall, the origin of the big juicy xiao long baos in BC. 3. Braised Tien Tsin cabbage with smoked ham. First time trying this dish here. Simply a little disappointing. 4. Deep fried live tilapia with house sauce. Don't ask, absolutely speechless with this one, should've had it steamed with ginger and onion. But our waitress suggested this way. 5. Rice with salted pork and vegetable. The only good thing about this was the rice was cooked in a clay pot, besides that nothing special. Overall, the restaurant is located on Westminster hwy, across the street from the back parking lot of Richmond center, and it has customer parking in the parkade. It was one of the nicer looking Shanghainese restaurants around when it was first opened but it became pretty basic nowadays as more and more restaurants are upping their game. Sadly the most recent visit was disappointing and not so stellar. Maybe it's time to give the other Shanghainese restaurant a few blocks away a repeat and see.

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!

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...

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.

One of our Go-to place when we're in Richmond. It's been a while since Covid & they've changed their menu. Our fave was the xlb & noodles. Service was just ok as usual.

Probably the best Shanghainese cuisine restaurant in Vancouver. All dishes are authentic and delicious. Love the noodles and fried rice assortments. The poultry selections are quite comprehensive and plentiful, many must try dishes from my experience. Service is great, flexible and helpful., Ambiance is typical Chinese restaurant style with round tables and clean. Highly recommended to lover of Shanghainese style cuisine.

Really tasty food but portion is a bit small for the price, quite pricey really. For the quality I don't mind going back but not my go to place. Some staff are friendlier than other but in general most staff are polite. Washroom isn't too dirty but could be cleaner. Loud place so if you don't like noise, it's not a place for you. Good for small or big groups, a bit difficult to eat alone unless you only order one or two items. Try to finish your food because you will be charged for asking container to go. Parking lot beside the restaurant but it's easy to miss it as the restaurant it tuck under a building.

The restaurant has really tasty Peking duck. I am removing two stars for the bathroom. The womens washroom had water on the floor and cardboard was left on the floor to absorb it.

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 :)