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Golden Phoenix
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Seafood, Dim Sum [Edit]
2425 Nanaimo StreetVancouver, BC V5N 5E5
Neighbourhoods: Grandview-Woodlands, Hastings-Sunrise
- Hours:
Mon-Fri, Sun 9 am - 11 pm
Sat-Sun 9 am - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Golden Phoenix
19 reviews in English
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Review from Emily C.
2/7/2012
So .... my parents' house is literally down the block from this place. Reading some of the reviews, I'm confused about the location ... the one that I went to was right on Nanaimo/1st. And yes, the name is awfully strange for an authentic dim sum joint .... but i digress.
I still remember when this was Spargo's italian! Back in the early 90's. And then it turned into a short-lived but successful (?) Vietnamese fusion joint. And then a random noodle house that folded ...
But the food -- not bad. The beef stir fry noodle was SUPER oily (but it usually is everywhere). Dim Sum was a big healthy, steaming portion. I came kinda late in the afternoon (3pm?) but it was still packed with old people. Will come here again! -
Review from Aaron S.
1/7/2012 5 photos
Golden Phoenix?Phoenix Garden?Garden of Golden Phoenix? The name may have changed but the dim sum for the right price has not. This place is packed solid especially on weekends so don't come late.
We ordered mostly from the carts but grabbed a few things from the kitchen as well to round out the meal. Everything was delicious. The service was good too. The managers control that place like a combo of a drill sergeant/air traffic controller. Fun to watch and if you asked for something it was taken care of quickly. I think the best thing about this place is the smile you get when the bill comes and it's a bargain considering you ate your weight in food.
Get those chicken feet away from me! -
Review from Kat S.
Updated - 1/6/2012
Hip hip hooray, this place is back in business! With a new, clean decor, and spiffed up looking staff. Woot!
Weekends are insanely busy, especially around noon, so don't expect to get in right away. And if you can't hear your number being called you may get skipped. Apparently our number was called in Cantonese, according to someone in the know, but the staff claimed it wasn't. Anyhow, we got seated quickly thereafter.
Weekdays afford you a sweet 20% discount on your bill. Yay, that part hasn't changed!
The food is great, and even at full price on a weekend, 4 of us ate tons for $60 including tax and tip. Good deal!
The squid is great, the eggplant awesome, the donuts in rice wrap are the best, and the sticky rice is delightful.
The managers do tend to hover, but the staff were friendly, and if they didn't understand they would ask someone more fluent in English. A few items you can't get on the cart so you have to order from the waiters. For example, the donuts, squid and gai lan (sometimes they bring it on carts, but not always).
This is my go-to place for dim sum now.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/1/2011
An excellent, filling lunch on New Years Eve for three people came to $36 including tax and tip.… Read more »
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Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
2 = number of people dining
22$ (+ tip) = Cost for a very filling dim sum.
20% = weekday discount
2 = thumbs up
Kat S deserves 100% of the credit for inviting me for dim summing here today. We stuffed ourselves on sticky rice, beef stuffed rice rolls, gai lan, sui mai, pork and peanut dumplings and mango pudding - shaped like fishies! Everything was a hit, except I wasn't a big fan of the pork/peanuts. It was loose in it's wrapper and the combination didn't do it for me. But the sui mai was fabulously plump, juicy and flavourful.
A bustling place for a Friday at 1030, with a line up forming, and large groups dining around the big round lazy susanned pimped up tables. We were seated at a small two-top balanced precariously on the edge of two rooms. A good vantage point for "tai haa" aka "Just looking." Pronounced with sounds like -ai-sle f-a-ther. That's right, today I had my Cantonese phrase book with me and I'm putting it into practice. The downside to this spot, the managers pacing back and forth, stopping right in front of our table to monitor the line up at the door.
We doddled over our conversations and yum cha, but this could also be a pretty quick meal -- the carts were stacked full, full, full with a variety of options including some very tasty looking eggplant that were just beyond our reach as they were gobbled up by other tables. Good thing, we were pretty full.
When I asked for the maai-daan, aka the bil pronounced l-ie- f-a-ther, I almost fell over at the ridiculous cheapness. All I can say is when's the next dim sum date? -
Review from Gina I.
6/20/2011
Yummy shrimp rolls here (big and plump!) I took my Dad and BF here for Father's day dinner and it wasn't too busy on a Friday night.
There was a bit of a language barrier, because I ended up with a $30 fried rock cod, OUCH. It was good, but not $30 good, ya know? Plus, I'm cheap and our whole meal should have cost that ;) I digress..
The pan fried noodles were great and so was the sweet and sour pork. I had to keep it simple due to my Dad's tastes, but this place was pretty good and I never even knew it existed until I drove by one day. -
Review from David L.
6/26/2011
A restaurant with seafood on their name should be very good when it comes to their seafood dishes. There was even a live skate fish and an Atlantic cod in their tank. Were they there only for show?
The skate fish dish was served with black beans with a spicy sauce. Yes, it was tasty and nicely cooked but, there was little meat. I wondered what happened to the rest of the fish.
I also had one of their signature dishes. Live prawns with green tea leaves. The prawns didn't taste fresh because the meat was a bit mushy. The meat on live prawns should be firm and not mushy. Even though they used about two cups of green tea in the dish, I couldn't really taste the tea in the prawns. Interestingly, the dish was served with a coned shaped basket. But, why?
I had one of their pork steamed herbal soup. It was delicious tasting soup with a bit of woody flavour. The soup was watery, but it's more of a traditional Chinese style soup. Apparently, soup is their real specialty at this restaurant.
I had some other dishes such as stir fried beef with veggies and tofu with scallops hotpot. They were much better executed than their so-called live seafood dishes.
I wouldn't get excited at this restaurant if you're into seafood. Average results for a seafood restaurant. -
Review from Amy T.
3/14/2011
This place has really stood the test of time.
Golden Phoenix has been the place to grab some greasy Chinese food after a hard long night's of drinking. I think I started eating here 15 years ago.. don't do the math.
Today I find myself eating dinner there and the food is still decent. Peking duck was great and the pancake was soft. The duck lettuce wrap was refreshing and satisfying. The cream fried lobster was finger-lickin' good. Some things that needed improving were the Chinese broccoli which tasted old and the shrimp which didn't taste too fresh.
One thing that I love is the fact that they serve dim sum "after" 3:00PM... sometimes you just want prawn dumplings at 5:00PM. -
Review from Dru C.
12/17/2010 ROTD 3/7/2011
One of the cheapest place to go grab dim sum. A place to just sit and eat with family and just yum cha.
They have different inventions of dim sum products like the "Tea Wrap" or sesame seed fried balls. Their tea wraps are actually my favourite here because the wrap taste like tea and the inside is filled with meat bits and daikon bits. It makes it the perfect combo. These are the places where new dishes are made and become popular.
This place gets really really busy very fast especially on weekends. It is a popular spot to a lot of Asians who want Dim Sum on their regular weekends with family.
This place is best to come when it is not as busy, on weekdays with less people, and with 10% discount!
A perfect place to just sit, drink some tea and enjoy some nice small dishes of food. -
Review from Michael C.
Vancouver, BC
4/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Keep the dim sum carts rolling please!!
It was a slow lunch hour, so they decided to leave the dim sum cart in between the tables like a buffet station. They just keep refilling up the same items over and over again. The tower of steaming bamboo kept growing over the time we were there.
The food wasn't even rotated, and so you'll imagine the food on the bottom got older and the stuff on top wasn't hot cause the steam didn't reach up there.
The dim sum otherwise is actually pretty good for the price, when they decided to actually push the cart around.
Servers walks around trying to sell you random dishes over and over again. It gets annoying sometimes when you're trying to have a conversation with friends.
Like I said, dim sum here is cheap (under $15 bucks per person after tax/tips), but just don't expect too much. Come here for a cheap and quick fill.
Oh, -1 star for unattended cart. I like to see the sexy dim sum lady pushing the dim sum carts to make my day ;) -
Review from Dan J.
Vancouver, BC
12/18/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Gno jong yee sik Dim Sum.
Excellent Dim Sum experience here. Our party of eight was tucked away in the far corner of the restaurant and, as is often the case when that happens, a lot of the carts didn't make it to us.
Nevertheless the usual fair Ha gow, & Siu mai was very good. Excellent dumplings. They also offer some more exotic treats if you're feeling adventurous.
The decor is nothing special, but a lot nicer than many other dim sum places I've been to. Not too loud. Reasonable price too.
(Btw: why is this restaurant listed twice? I guess I'll post to this page since this is the one that popped up when I checked in here.) -
Review from Raymond O.
Vancouver, BC
11/11/2009 1 Check-in Here
Don't be fooled by the shabby exterior of the restaurant, it is way more appealing inside as compared to its exterior appearance. Seating is still pretty tight, but decent looking, and judging from the crowd, I felt good about waiting for a table. A ten minute wait was not so bad given we came in without any reservations. The hostess was likeable and looking out for us making sure the carts reach our table which happened to be at the far corner.
One of the few places serving dimsum carts, the prices are very cheap as compared to other dimsum restaurants. The portions are very large as well, and its flavour and freshness I can't really complain.
In fact the dumplings look mutated here being each piece is gigantic in size. Selections are wide and varied, and props for serving different kinds of fillings on their sesame balls. I was pleased with their offerings and the quality of the food. Service is also helpful and patient when explaining the dishes. This was a pretty good value given the very reasonable prices.
Though I consider this 4 stars given the value, I would have second thoughts returning here given that parking is a real pain, and due to the long lines since the restaurant is not as massive as the others in the city. But it definitely is worth a try. -
Review from Dave K.
1/21/2010
Blargh! Hurl Gow and Spew Mai - take it back, take back!
Ahh, I love yum cha (I'm on a quest to retitle dim sum in this country - but that's another story...) - no other dining experience is such a gamble. Even at the most reputable establishment, you can never be totally sure how things will turn out. And you have to be on your game at all times - you never know when a lobster dumpling is going to swoosh past while you're looking the other way.
Anyhow, back to the Golden Phoenix ... things started out promisingly - the place was packed, but they managed to squeeze the two of us and our hangovers into a small table. The standard yum-cha chaos surrounded us, and the cart/table-service double was in effect. A feast was on the cards.
But, alas, the food was a let down: the fried dumplings were soggy and the steamed ones were gloopy, and the shrimp was tasteless. Sure, the portions were massive, but it's just no good when you don't want to eat any of it.
You'd be better off heading next door to Bon's instead of this place - you'll get the same chaotic atmosphere, but with edible (and even cheaper) food.
I'm still finding my way around the VC dim-sum scene, but this is way at the bottom of the pile when compared to the four I've tried so far:
*Sun Sui Wah (nice big room; table service),
*Jade Palace (cosy Chinatown nook; table service),
*Floata (uncomfortably huge hall; carts - and a very off-putting moniker), and
*Shanghai River, Richmond (pricy but tasty; table service).
I'd recommend any of these four, but I won't be back to the Phoenix. Oh well, plenty more yum-cha joints to choose from! Next stop will be Kirin, methinks. -
Review from Tim L.
8/25/2008
There's cheap dim sum to be had here and it actually tastes pretty good.
I used to come here quite often for dim sum as their dishes for $2-$3 were a great deal and tasted better than most other places in this price range.
However recently, my Grandmother through her community of "original" generation friends has informed me that it has a reputation for poor hygiene and cleanliness.
I personally didn't notice any issues the last time I was there, but I will certainly be more cautious in the future. -
Review from Nicole B.
4/18/2011
It's pretty much the same consistency when I come here. Pretty good dim sum for cheap.
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Review from pete d.
Vancouver, BC
6/7/2010
Kelsey's experience sounds quite uncharacteristic from the Golden Phoenix I know - which in my dozens of visits have yet to yield anything but satisfaction. Admittedly, I've never been here on Christmas Night, or any night actually - but for dim sum, The Golden Phoenix ranks as probably the best I've had in the city.
The dim sum is cart-service style and the food turnover is pretty rapid so everything is fresh. In addition to dim sum staples like har gao, shu mai, sticky rice, dumplings, etc., the dim sum here is weighted heavily but not exclusively towards seafood. Everything is fresh and well-prepared, they have a fairly extensive repertoire of regular items, with new surprise specials constantly being added to keep things interesting.
Menu standouts include their crab cakes, the shrimp and chive dumplings, spicy squid, black bean clams and the tofu-shrimp-eggplant. Prices are quite reasonable - we typically dine in a group of 6+ and walk away extremely satisfied barely breaking $20 each.
The Golden Phoenix for dim sum tends to be packed, with a lineup every weekend. Typically the wait isn't more than fifteen minutes though - and well worth it. -
Review from Kelsey P.
Vancouver, BC
12/4/2009
One of the only places we could find open late Christmas night, so we went.
It was interesting to say the least. A large COLD chicken carcass was among the other strange things on the menu. You could also see the seafood swimming around in tanks near your table waiting to be eaten.
I stuck to a meatless dish which was actually quite tasty, while the other three people at our table ordered freely and felt quite sick later.
I would be timid to go back. -
Review from Nathan N.
8/24/2009
So I've only had Dim Sum 3 times now. But this is by far the best place I've had it. Not only was it at a great price, but everything I ate was tasty. Maybe I need to have more to truly give it an accurate rating, but what I had was good, so that's the best review I can do. Seemed really packed at lunch, so they must be doing something right.
Eat it, try it, and if you hate it, then my bad. But this Korean who knows nothing about Dim Sum, liked it. :-) -
Review from Katy N.
6/4/2009 9 photos
It was my last family dinner before my departure and they sure had funky looking decor. Of course, I was kinda skeptical about this restaurant & ready to have a "back up SECOND dinner" plan and surprisingly the food was pretty darn delicious & flavorful; definitely felt the MSG attack after wards :P
House special soup aka "lai tong" (either beef or pig stomach) - yummy
Blanched Jumbo prawns - FRESH & SWEET
Blanched Geoduck - FRESH & SWEET
Fried Geoduck - yummy & not that greasy
Sauteed escargots - YUMMY
Sauteed snails - YUM
Sauteed doa mui - tad greasy yet yummy
Lamb stew clay pot - tender
Steamed chicken - a tad salty
Sauteed green beans - yum
Beef "guu lok yut" - decent & tender
Considering all that food we ordered the bill was not expensive at all! I honestly would have rate this place 3 and half stars but their service was pretty darn good! -
Review from Richard J.
North Vancouver, BC
12/30/2009 ROTD 3/8/2010
A very strong 4 stars for this place. Some of best dim sum around. The tables are small and the dishes often come on trays. The Sui Mai is huge! ....and very tasty. Get here early to avoid crowds like most places. I've been here several times and am impressed more and more.
