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Peaceful Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
532 W BroadwayVancouver, BC V5Z 1E9
Neighbourhood: Fairview Slopes
(604) 879-9878
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 9:30 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
72 reviews for Peaceful Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"...my personal favourite: the cumin beef in sesame flat bread." In 5 reviews -
"Peaceful Restaurant makes great noodles." In 40 reviews -
"Xiao long bao: dumplings filled with a fragrant soup and a..." In 7 reviews
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72 reviews in English
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Review from natalie w.
Richmond, BC
4/21/2012
Small restaurant, don't bother if you have a group of 6 or more. Food is great, service left me speechless, in a bad way, here is what happened:
So my friends and decided to give this restaurant a shot since it's always busy. We sat down and order a few dishes then 10 mins later we added another dish to our order. When all the dishes are here the food is so spicy so one of my friends decided to order something to drink, here is the conversation between the server and us:
Friend: Can I get a menu
Server: Why? Why do you want?
Friend: We want to add something
Server: Can't you see there are a bunch of ppl lining up outside? You should have ordered everything in one shot.
Friend: I just wanted to see the menu to order some drinks, maybe a beer
Server: We only have 1 type of beer, how many bottles?
Funny thing is I think my friends and I were all in shock, plus due to the numbless in our mouth because of the spcies our heads are not functioning normally. We just kept eating. 2 minutes later I finally broke out and said:
"OMG, did you guys realize how ridiculous that was? She told us we can't order! "
Yeap, just thought I should share with all my fellow yelpers.
As for the food, even for that traumatizing conversation with the server I still give a 4 star. Enuf said.
Try the szechuan fried chicken with the Chilies. Its pretty damn good. -
Review from Ryan I.
4/24/2012
Beware if you are a large party! Prior to our visit, I made a reservation for 9 people at 2pm. Even though we arrived on-time, we had to wait an additional 30-40 min. to eat. During this time, we were passed up several times by parties of two to four people. In other words, they gave away tables that were promised to us several times, thus prolonging the wait.
Most memorable dishes were the Peaceful Beef Roll and the Pan Fried Dumplings. We also had a few of their hand-crafted noodles dishes, which were okay.
On the plus side, they were able to accommodate my friend's gluten sensitive diet. -
Review from Fritz S.
4/9/2012
*Sigh* Peaceful Restaurant....., well, there's nothing really peaceful about it. The sound of people coming in and out, waiting for a table., long lineups, people talking loudly, slurping their noodles,. Fresh Noodle dough being beaten, banged, tossed, and twisted around. baby's crying (my daughter).... and yet there's something blissful about this small family run restaurant.
Its easy to see from their open kitchen that EVERYTHING is made fresh here., from the dumplings to the great tender chew of the noodles. Now i've been wanting to come here since forever and i am glad i did! Parking can be a bit tricky because its street parking but its worth the small headache.
Now one thing u GOTTA try before you die is the peaceful beef roll! A-freakin-mazing!! you got your dough pan fried both sides until golden brown added with hoisen, sweet been sauce, scallions, and your sliced beef shank then rolled and cut into four sexy pieces! mmm tender, crispy, juicy.........uh.... what was i talking about again?
Next you got your hand made fresh noodles! now u can have pretty much any noodle dish on the menu and it will taste amazing! i would try the szechuan stir fry if you are into spicy foods like i am :)
last but not least do your self a favor and try the pot stickers!..... you'll see..... you'll see....
Small restaurant, HUGE flavor, great people! i'll be back..... oh yes... My fat ass will be back!! -
Review from Dee D.
Burnaby, BC
5/25/2012
This place is seriously overrated. While yes, the beef pancake and dumplings are quite delicious- it can be imitated easily and cheaper elsewhere. I still think the best xlb experience was at Dinesty in Richmond.
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Review from Deniz T.
4/1/2012
I have eaten lunch at the Peaceful restaurant for the first time today. I was avoiding it due to constant line-ups, but today I got lucky.
I have ordered beef roll and the spicy dan dan noodles. Both of them were ridiculously delicious. Everything tasted fresh, well seasoned. Beef rolls were sweet with the hoisin sauce in a crispy and soft pastry. Good amount of beef, very pleasant to eat. Dan dan noodles (i ordered with the thick noodles) was incredible. Texture was slightly chewy which was great, broth was seasoned very well, spicy, sweet, garlicky, salty...
good service, very decently priced, clean interiors. What else do you ask from a restaurant?
I will go back as soon as i get hungry to try more.
(a second note, i took a friend same day for dinner to try more dishes. Szechuan style eggplant and green beans blew me away. %80 of the cooks can not execute eggplant cookery properly. And only %5 of the rest can do a spectacular job. this is in that %5)Listed in: My top Vancity Eatries
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Review from Joseph H.
Richmond, BC
3/13/2012
I'm surprised by the number of negative reviews here. I just had lunch here today and I thought it was great. To be honest, this is very close to the experience of actually having lunch at a typical middle-tier restaurant in Beijing. The food tastes very close to the Northern chinese style, rather than Shanghai style or Cantonese style.
There are three hand-pulled noodle restaurants on this block of West Broadway. I think it speaks volumes that this particular restaurant is the busiest and most packed with people at lunch. You got to know how to order and how to talk to the servers. This isn't your typical "friendly" Canadian style. You got to project authority and command the servers, bark at them almost. Tell them exactly and precisely what you want, and expect it to be done immediately. I know that sounds rude, but it really is how things are done in China and in Beijing especially. And you're not supposed to tip a lot. I know you can't help it, especially if you're really Canadian. Its just not normal in Beijing to tip a lot.
I don't think you can go wrong ordering anything here. I prefer the spicy Szechuan dishes, particularly on these cold, rainy, blustery, grey Vancouver days; but, everything else tastes pretty good. There is some msg in the food, which is standard. I think they try not to put too much in. You can probably ask them to not put any if you prefer. If you don't like the food here, the problem actually probably isn't the food, but that you're not used to the style and taste of Northern chinese cuisine.Listed in: Favorite Noodle Joints
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Review from Stephanie C.
Vancouver, BC
3/27/2012
This is about as good as these noodles get outside of Asia. It's a fantastic little place, and everything is made fresh!! I prefer the blade sheared noodles over the hand-pulled because I enjoy a little more chewiness. The "dan dan" noodles are also super tasty if you like some heat! The beef rolls are always a given, how can you resist tasty beef w/hoisin sauce rolled in a green onion pancake? Mmmm.
The only qualms (unrelated to food or service) I have are that it's ALWAYS busy, and I'm not a huge fan of waiting in line, or waiting for my food... So be prepared to wait if you're going here, but it's definitely worth it! Don't forget, it's cash or debit only! -
Review from Brando W.
Vancouver, BC
5/2/2012
This is a great place to go if you like being stared at while you eat. I was seated promptly, placed my order right away, and started out being very happy. A boy from the kitchen is sitting opposite of me.... and just stares at me. Hello there! He goes in the kitchen to assist, my food comes out, then he goes back to his seat and stares at me. The food mind you, was very tasty. For over twenty minutes this kid watched me eat.. I get it, I am great to look at, but come on. At one point I smiled and waved at him. He waves back and continues to stare while blabbing loudly on a phone. So yes I would eat the food again. I will never sit in there again. How uncomfortable do they want you to be?
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Review from Phil K.
Burnaby, BC
3/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
My first DDD joint and it didn't disappoint.
Great Dan Dan noodles, just the right amount of heat. Brings you the edge and then backs off. Also one of the best Sichuan beef noodles I've ever had. I suggest the broad noodles, a little firmer with a little more chew. Pan fried pot stickers were ok. I've tasted juicier ones in Richmond. Some were almost burnt on the bottom and I noticed this was a common theme on other people's orders. Beef roll also was just ok. Better at Kalvin's on Victoria. Pan fried shanghai buns were small and once again not that juicy. Biggest disappointment was the shanghai noodle. Small and looked meh. I suggest not ordering this.
Was looking forward to trying the xiao long bao but they ran out. How do you run out of that?? Also, quite crowded and space was narrow and cramp.
Definitely come back for the noodle dishes but the rest, just average. Sorry Guy Fieri, I know shanghai food a little better than you. Not every place you visit is great. -
Review from P G.
Vancouver, BC
3/21/2012
Cumin beef Tao, was very very dry.
Spicy chicken w noodle was solid and filling, noodles were good, chicken was good tasted like chicken.
Would be back if craving chinese with a spicy kick. -
Review from Adrianna N.
Vancouver, BC
2/19/2012
After a year of searching for the right Northern Chinese style restaurant, I have finally found..."the one". Sure, the name is a little strange and when I first saw the place, my first thought was "huh?" but from the first bite, I feel like Ill crave it forever.
The first meal I had the pleasure of eating here consisted of egg and tomato soup, cumin lamb, cold noodles with a spicy sauce and green beans fried up with combination of garlic, and hot peppers and rice. From start to finish, the meal was a party on my tastebuds. The cold noodles were perfectly textured paired with an exceptionally balanced chilli oil sauce, the cumin lamb (my favourite dish) had just the right amount of cumin, flavourful but not to overpowering, and the beans were crisp yet tender with the perfect amount of spice. Did I forget to mention that the rice is a combination of white and red rice? Delicious!
Since my first foray into this gem of a restaurant, I've also brought my Beijing friend along for a meal. She started off as a skeptic, left a return customer. Just the look on her face when she tried the dishes, something along the lines of "cry....Im home....yum" said enough.
Sure, the decor isn't anything to write home about, but I've noticed that all the little hole in the wall restaurants I adore happen to also share the same lack of styling. As for the price, dishes generally fetch between 12+ dollars a dish, but don't let that deter you, the quality makes every penny worthwhile.
As long as this place keeps doing what they're doing, I'll forever be blind to the decor and the bill, its all secondary to the mind boggling food. -
Review from Martin V.
Vancouver, BC
4/19/2012
I love Peaceful, the staff is amazing! Especially Amelia (I'm sorry if I misspelled your name). There are many noodle places side by side on that block on Broadway but Peaceful is my favorite as even if you don't order noodles, I guarantee the food will be good. Little bit more expensive than Sha Lin few doors next but much more comfortable atmosphere, cleaner setting and you can ask server questions in English :) Never disappointing....
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Review from Arnold P.
3/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
I had the Sichuan Beef Soup Noodles. The noodles were good but the broth is the highlight here. It was tasty and full of flavours and fresh. The spice was not too spicy but it was just right. I would definitely come back and try the other soups
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Review from Michael Y.
Toronto, ON
1/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
I haven't had Chinese food that has blew me away lately, but this place came very close. We came in with a party of 13 and they were accommodating enough to it is all in one table. We were in luck because as we came in a big group were about to leaving.
The great thing was they had various dishes I did not hear or know of and I had to be a little adventurous. I had the "cats ear" soup! No it was not really cats ear, but they were noche noodles in a warm savory broth. It was perfect for a cold winters day. We all shared the beef roll and dumpling and I wished that I ordered my own. They were pretty tasty and sharing them did not sit well with me. The service was what was expected at a Chinese restaurant - food came out as they were done. The place wasn't the fanciest place, but it was clean. -
Review from Trish L.
Vancouver, BC
4/12/2012
I love this place. My boyfriend and I dream about their beef rolls. We usually order shaved/cut noodles for whatever noodle dish we get. They have a great texture to them. We also really enjoy the chili fish, their hot and sour soup and xiao long bao. All of their pastry/dimsum style dishes are delicious. I also like how their rice is a mix of white and wild rice! The service is always friendly and quick. However due to it's popularity, expect a 30min + wait if you plan to eat during lunch and dinner rushes.
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Review from Nellie C.
Vancouver, BC
5/17/2012
Wednesday night 7:30pm the restaurant was packed. The wait was about 10 minutes for two. I ordered seafood fried dragged noodle. Noodles were done perfectly, although the seafood portion was very small. The famous beef roll that won an award came out. Slight disappointment. Not enough flavour and too dry. Next chilly eggplant arrived, but it was too greasy. Way more oil in the dish than any other Chinese or Thai restaurant I've been too. Grease masked the taste of eggplant too much, and there was shredded pork in it even though the item was in the 'vegetarian' section of the menu. If I was a vegetarian I would have been upset. Lastly, the thousand chilly chicken was a surprise. So many little red dried chillies! I tried eating one, but had to spit it out. Apparently I'm not supposed to eat the chilly, but then why are they filling half the dish? My partner commented maybe that's the whole point - thousand chillies. The dish also had cracked pepper corn in it, which made my tongue almost numb. The long beans were tasteless despite all that spice. The chicken was dry and uninteresting. Is this the true Szechuan style?? I normally don't return dishes, but this one I had to. I asked the waiter and he offered to redo the dish...OK. But when the dish came back, the only difference was that it was a bit more salty. I told the waiter once again that I'm not happy with it and asked to switch to something else. He offered Kung Pao chicken. OK I said. While the Kung Pao chicken was more edible, I was still not impressed. It looked like they rushed the food: pieces of uncooked garlic and bell peppers; onions weren't even chopped up properly, and once again the lack of flavour was disappointing. However, I appreciate the waiter's effort to make things right. To me, the food was simply not worth the high ratings on Yelp. During the course of dinner, I had to flag the waiters because the place was so busy. At one point, our tea pot was taken away to refill hot water, but it never returned. We had to flag down a waiter and ask for it. Next time if I come here, I'd just order the noodles. One last thing. The women's washroom stall doors are all broken. Nothing to do with food, but it matters in the whole dining experience.
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Review from Cindy S.
Vancouver, BC
3/7/2012
Peaceful Restaurant was just featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network last weekend so being someone who loves hand pulled noodles and spicy foods, especially Hunan I went over and ate lunch there on Tuesday and boy was it a mistake. Never mind that the parking meters run $3.00 per hour, they took 53 minutes just to prepare 2 noodle dishes at 2:30 pm, they had no soda's, no free wifi as advertised, no full size plates to eat on, they wanted to charge us for requesting wooden chop sticks to eat our $31.00 lunch with, They dumped so much cumin on my food that didn't cook down, it was like eating dirt and someone tell them to break up the branches in the other spices so they don't taste like chewing twigs. The service was very rude and slow, and the place was filthy too. Granted the food was decent, it was nowhere near as good as Legendary Noodle on Denman St. And Legendary Noodle has great service, plates, sodas, and they don't charge for wooden chop sticks.
Remind me not to listen to Guy Fierri ever again. Peaceful Restaurant was not Peaceful or decent, no thanks, this was the worst dining experience for me this century plus i had the worst Diarhea in my life the next day. -
Review from Kristen M.
Vancouver, BC
3/20/2012
Really great food. We've eaten here many times and have loved every dish that we've tried. The Xiao-Long Bao steamed buns and the hand dragged noodles are must haves.
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Review from Rick C.
We stopped by Peaceful, a stone's throw from Broadway-City Hall station, for some Mandarin style Chinese food. A bunch of us randomly decided to head to this Chinese eatery for some fine food.
The thick noodles (top) were quite delicious. Hand-made in front of the dining area, the consistency and smooth taste were very filling and a treat to eat. I definitely recommend it.
After some late arrivals, we got to eating. My standard dish from any restaurant, the spicy ginger beef (top), was pretty good, crispy, and great for snacking.
Both the beef rolls and XLBs (xiaolongbao) were quite delicious and tasty. The rolls were crispy ourtside and tender inside.
We had a double portion of XLBs. They were quite hot and hit the spot with their piping hot soupy, meaty taste.
The lettuce and meat wraps were fairly standard but still did the trick nicely. It's another favourite, standard dish.
We also had some "cat ear" soup which was hot, fresh, and frothy. I enjoyed it. The whole meal was rather satisfying and it got very busy by the end of our meal. There's not much to say. It was good and I'll surely be back.Listed in: Diverse Eateries
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Review from Kari C.
9/2/2011
My sister and I were having a conversation about what we thought constituted good Chinese food. Her answer boiled down to "as long as it doesn't give me food poisoning!", so I introduced her to Peaceful Restaurant.
Remember The Urban Peasant? That friendly old dude, James Barber, who had the cooking show that was always on CBC in the afternoon? His review, posted in the restaurant's window, was what made me visit Peaceful the first time.
It hasn't disappointed me yet, and is somewhere I would take people who want something different than "Chinese" fast food.
Favourites...
Peaceful beef roll: a thin, crispy pancake, covered in hoi sin sauce, sliced green onion, and shreds of tender beef, rolled and then cut. A must-share!
Cat ears: A version of gnocchi, with shredded pork, snow peas, and carrots. Slightly salty and oily, but not super greasy.
Mandarin ginger chicken: Lightly battered, deep-fried hunks of chicken in a dark and spicy, gingery sweet sauce.
Xiao Long Bao: Shanghai Juicy Dumplings, the little pork and pork soup-filled pockets of wonder. Tender dough and meat, clear, flavourful broth. They looked and tasted so good that they were worth burning my impatient tongue on.
FYI, if you order a side of rice, it's purple and delicious.
Service is always quick and friendly, the restaurant is clean, the tea has a slight floral taste without being stinky and overpowering, nothing to complain about. They do it right.Listed in: Werewolf Time
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Review from Ellen L.
10/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Decided to try this little off-the-beaten-path Chinese restaurant with a funny name on a whim one day and haven't looked back since. They specialize in northern China cuisine, but does offer some Shanghai and Sichuan dishes. The dishes, as I've found in my numerous visits here, tend to be hits or misses. Beware that things can get a bit salty. When I remember, I always ask to go easy on the salt.
Notable hits:
- Cumin lamb stir-fried noodles: ask for the blade-sheared noodles for this dish for some extra chewiness. It's an explosion of cumin flavour in the mouth!
- Xi'an cold steamed noodles: the chilli sesame sauce combines together very nicely for a bull body of flavour.
- Sichuan meat salad: I love this. It's spicy and slightly tongue numbing from the peppercorn, yet the sesame oil leaves a very fragrant aftertaste. Very refreshing appetizer.
- Sweet rice wine fish: I'm generally not a fan of non-minimalist cooked fish, so this was a pleasant surprise. The flavour was dimensional (sweet and sour), yet delicate and suited the fish.
- Chilli garlic eggplant: hit the spot! Get a bowl of rice with this one for sure, and just start pa fan.
- Peaceful beef rolls: love the flaky pastry.
Notable misses:
- Chilli garlic shredded pork: aka fish-flavoured pork. Very much lacking in the signature fragrant vinegar flavour.
- Sichuan thousand chilli chicken: deep fried chicken pieces stir fried with lots of dried chilli and peppercorn. This dish looked super appetizing (if you're a big fan of spicy food), but very disappointing in flavour. The chilli and peppercorn did not add any flavour and the chicken was dry and bland.
- Beijing ZhaJiangMian noodle: bland bland bland.
- Dan dan noodles: salty salty salty. Not memorable.
Diners, Drive-in's and Dives, the Food Network show, recently filmed an episode here. I have no doubts they'll feature the beef rolls and one of their hand-made noodles. Comparing Peaceful to Sha Lin, its next-door neighbour - Sha Lin has better noodle texture and variety, but Peaceful wins hands down in terms of flavour. -
Review from Elizabeth L.
Vancouver, BC
3/11/2012
Peaceful used to be fantastic in every way. That was until the Food Network came into town and it's been completely downhill from there.
This place is always busy. So, be prepared to wait. For everything.
Most recently, I came at around 3:00 on a Saturday and had to wait for 20 minutes to get seated. My friend and I had hoped to order their xiao-long bao but found out that they were sold-out for the day. Disappointing. Instead, we ordered Shanghai fried noodles and a plate of pork potstickers. We waited about 15 minutes for the noodles to arrive and another 25 after that for the potstickers. For a Chinese restaurant, that's a damn long time to wait for your food.
Think that take-out is a faster way to experience Peaceful? Wrong. The last time I ordered food to-go, the kitchen was so behind on its orders that I waited in excess of 30 minutes before my food was ready. It's pretty clear that the biggest problem at this restaurant is the slow turnaround time for food orders.
Despite the long waits, the staff is generally polite and helpful, which is a plus considering that you'd often be lucky to get a smile or a "thank you" at some other low-budget casual Chinese restaurants. They speak both English and Mandarin, too, which is handy.
Depending on what you order, the food is pretty good, and their beef rolls are excellent. I'm also a big fan of their hot and tangy soup dumplings, which is deliciously spicy and packed with umami. I will say that I've had better potstickers; the dough wrapper is a bit too thick for my liking.
In the end, Peaceful is worth a try, but just make sure you have lots of time to wait for a table and for your food.
Oh, and bring either cash or your debit card -- they don't take credit cards. -
Review from Stephene C.
Vancouver, BC
11/25/2011 2 Check-ins Here
You can definitely tell a difference between fresh pulled and stretched noodles, made in house compared to store bought packaged noodles. They taste a whole lot better, and the texture is great! Kinda chewy with a bit of give, not too soft or hard, just right. Peaceful Restaurant makes great noodles!
I also had this beef roll thing. The bread portion reminded me of Malaysian roti canai, it's buttery, soft and slightly sweet. It was soooo delicious wrapped around a thin slice of beef.
The namesake of this place is kind of at odds with the actual atmosphere, it was bustling with activity and loud conversations, not peaceful at all. But the busyness can be seen as a mark of a good restaurant. We came at just the right time because we got seated right away. As soon as we got our table, there was a few groups that had to wait at the door.
As for the service, I thought it was good! The waitress gave us other suggestions for a dish that we had originally wanted but they didn't have available at the time. One of the noodle dishes we ordered came with the ingredients separated, so the waitress kindly mixed our noodle bowl for us.
Overall, great experience! Will definitely go back, in fact I'm going back in the near future to try other dishes =)
St3Fin -
Review from Paul S.
9/18/2011
Best Chinese food I've ever had hands down.
The soup dumplings were little pockets of amazing. The dough itself I was informed was a little to thick, but for me, since it was my inaugural consumption, I was pleased with every bite. Quite stellar actually.
The beef noodles... man was this dish just perfect. I'm a component man. I find my soup to be left of just broth and bits when I get to the end. Not this time!! The broth itself was so rich and tasty I wanted to lift the bowl up and down it all. The only reason I didn't?? The noodles... hand made in house and you could tell with every bite that there was love in this bowl.
We were in Vancouver only for 4 days and had to make a return visit on our last night in town. We stopped at both locations in Vancouver and both times had the beef noodles. I was amazed how both times I had the dish, even though at different restaurants, it tasted exactly the same. Wonderful. -
Review from Trish R.
7/23/2011
Noodles...
I love the silky, hand-pulled noodles with a variety of treatments, lately our fave is the spicy DanDan peanut sauce. OMG... So good!
We usually share a noodle dish with a spicy cumin beef sesame flat bread sandwich as well. Spicy and delicious!
Oh, and I much prefer this shop to the new one downtown. Busy, happy, thriving and consistent! Yum! -
Review from Kate L.
Vancouver, BC
1/22/2012
The best noodles in town, coupled with friendly service and many other great dishes make this my favourite new Chinese restaurant in Vancouver. We've especially enjoyed the potato rolls, the dan dan noodles, and the really great noodles with green onions.
My partner and I are both vegetarian. There are plenty of really delicious options on the menu for us. Although we've been several times, we haven't exhausted the long list of dishes we can order. -
Review from Ha T.
9/25/2011
Another review in support of their noodles. I like big, fat strands with a little bit of springy-ness to them. Long live the smooth Xi'an noodles with spicy peanut sauce!
The chefs are big on spices and herbs, without making things too salty. The seasoning on the beef roll is indescribable, something you have to try for yourself.
I'm disappointed that they don't have desserts or anything sweet on the menu. When I asked for iced tea, the server snapped open a can of Nestea and stuck a straw in it. That's ok, I'm willing to give up all prentention for great food and service. -
Review from Doris L.
Vancouver, BC
5/21/2011
Good noodle Northern-style noodle place. I didn't have anything of the dim sum variety. Just two kinds of noodles, the Dan-dan and some other brothy one (Nin Jiang? maybe).
The Dan-dan noodle was very good. I especially liked it because it was peanuty and quite spicy (my fellow diner was wiping sweat off his face halfway into the second bite). The other noodle was very brothy and very good too, but less intense.
The noodles were very chewy and fresh. Peaceful restaurant claims that the noodles are made in-house. I can verify this claim since I did a bit of amateurish spy work and peeked into the kitchen and saw they had a huge dough mixer.
Overall, very affordable too. Two bowls of noodles are just about $19 or so with tips and everything.
Service here is OK. Pretty friendly but nothing too exceptional. -
Review from Danika L.
Vancouver, BC
9/1/2011
I've been here a few times now. All times it has been busy, but I've never had to wait long. My favourite dish is the Mu-shu stirfried noodles. Mmmm! I'm actually eating my leftovers as I type! The portion sizes are big, and I usually end up eating my mu-shu noodles for lunch and dinner the next day. Despite the busyness, I've always found service to be good and friendly.
Will definitely be back since there's so much more on the menu to try! -
Review from Feifei R.
Vancouver, BC
7/5/2011
I am regular here whenever I am in Van.
Huge menu, various option
Very good panfried cutting noodle with Lamb, spicy!
Beef roll is my favourite! Their steamed buns with soup inside are freshly made! Amazing!
Sizhuan style Eggplant or green bean is my must order. However, sometimes, seems like cooked by different person, can be disappointing.
Overall very good. Will continue go back! -
Review from Jessica O.
Vancouver, BC
2/19/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Chinese take out in Vancouver can be.... schlocky, to say the least. That is why I LOVE Peaceful Restaurant. In contrast to the gloppy, cornstarchy Chinese delivery in this city, they offer bright, clean and fresh flavours in a variety of Hong Kong style dishes.
Peaceful is family operated and as a result the staff are all really pleasant and friendly, and well....peaceful. The food is simple and traditional and all of the noodles homemade. I can attest that the vegetarian choices are all filling and fresh! My favourite options are the Spicy Green Beans (written on the menu as containing pork, but they are happy to leave it off) and the Salty Peppery Tofu.
Peaceful is only a few blocks from my house so I end up eating in a lot, but they also do delivery. Do be prepared that they will turn you down for delivery when they are too busy - like all Fridays and Saturdays before 9! Like I said, they are family operated and they need the extra hands on busy nights.
Finally, I have noticed their yummy looking dim sum many times but never tried it out. Soon! -
Review from Vanessa G.
3/23/2011
Ahhh Peaceful Restaurant, you are so much cleaner then Sha-lin. You also have the the fried noodles i like, with different vegetables, and a few pieces of tofu for $9. It was good, but i am comparing, i was looking for that kick that Sha lin had, but i am now thinking that may have been msg. So Peaceful it is. Service was really attentive, almost to attentive, but in the sweet, endearing kind.
My friend opted for a the big noodles in a peanut sauce, she asked for no meat, and it came to a wopping $6. She said it was delicious too. I would like to come back here and try a few more dishes, family style. Parking in the back. Enjoy!Listed in: Best Veggie Eats!, Vegantastic, Hole in the walls
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Review from Cathy S.
12/16/2010 1 Check-in Here
I started coming here after a few less than good experiences at Sha Lin and now I wouldn't dream of going anyplace else for my shaved or hand-pulled noodles.
After trying numerous different dishes on the menu, which were all very good, we have settled on our favourites - the F7 Hand-cut Vegetarian Szechuan Noodles and F1 Mu-Shu Pork Hand-cut Noodles. The portions are enormous and are not too oily. The service is friendly and quick. The restaurant is clean and the decor pleasant. For a quick and reasonably priced delicious plate of noodles you can't do much better.Listed in: They Say The Neon Lights Are…
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Review from Mark H.
1/5/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Good enough to get the Shanghai food seal of approval from the gf.
Passed the good Chinese service test by greeting us properly not with just a couple of fingers. Tip: Learn 'Ni hao' and 'Xie xie'. It works wonders.
Started with the tan tan noodles (I think) with the peanuty sauce. Excellent.
XLB's - not the best this time around, but at least they put ample soup.
And my personal favourite: the cumin beef in sesame flat bread. Supposedly this type of bread is hard to find in Shanghai and is more of a Northern thing. All I know is it's darn tasty. Cumin makes it almost taste like lamb which I love. Bread is perfect. Just the right level of spice.
More menu sampling is in order.Listed in: Chinese Chowdown
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Review from Lucie B.
Vancouver, BC
11/9/2010
After half a year in Beijing, I moved to Vancouver. I was pining for good, northern Chinese food, so a local friend from Beijing recommended this place, and damn me if it isn't just as advertised: bei fang kou wei! True northern flavour!
I've been coming back here for over a year now, and I must confess myself an official devotee. Whether you want street-food-like snacks (the chive pockets will warm your soul), a relaxed lunch with friends (handmade noodles: choice of shaved or hand-pulled!), or a group dinner (black-tea-smoked duck), their extensive menu will not let you down.
I've been trying to eat through the whole menu, but everything's so good that I can barely choose between the fabulous dishes I've already tried and the promise of those I haven't! (BEST CONUNDRUM EVAR.)
They adjust spiciness for less adventurous palates, but by default they provide a pretty good base level in their "spicy" foods which probably rates as "medium to hot" on the pitiful Western scale.
Particular recommendations:
- cilantro lamb: the flavour will make you fall out of your chair
- Beijing sweet-bean-sauce pork (little crêpe-like wraps included)
- spicy ma-po tofu: this ain't The Naam's tofu; meat+tofu=sublime
- Szechuan string beans: classic, simple excellence
- Dan Dan, Zhajiang, or Mushu noodles: all noodles handmade in house
- "Cat ears" aka Chinese gnocchi
Sine qua non:
- Xiao long bao: dumplings filled with a fragrant soup and a core of minced pork and ginger . It would be criminal not to order them! -
Review from Will K.
Vancouver, BC
2/5/2011
In Vancouver, it is not hard to find good Chinese food. Maybe it is a little bit harder to find very good Chinese cuisine. So, what would distinguish this little spot from all those competitors?
This is one of the few Chinese places that:
1. Food is quite/very good
2. Won't hurt your wallet
3. This is one of the few Chinese restaurants where I was not yelled, barked, or thrown dishes or whatever I asked for. I was even greeted at the entrance! I couldn't believe it myself !
I know I might be a "little" sensitive for these issues, and it is normal for Chinese nationals, and also I understand that in Chinese places they do not expect tips or anything.
But Peaceful honors its name and had a good and friendly service. How would I not tip them well?
Szechuan dishes are a must here. The TanTan (or DanDan) noodles were hand pulled and the sauce was fantastic to my palate. And it was about 10 CADs that got me satisfied!
Worth a visit! -
Review from Bill P.
Vancouver, BC
9/26/2011
"Mandarin" style Chinese cooking, well maybe with a touch of Hunan and Sichuan thrown in.
WIthout doubt, this is the best northern-Chinese-style restaurant I've ever encountered.
I too would especially recommend the noodles. They are made on-premises and are perfectly prepared. We've tried "cat's ear" noodles and Dandan Mien, both of which were superb. But we haven't had anything that was less than excellent.
If you don't like spicy, be sure to ask about the heat of the dish you order.
The service is swift and faultless. Also, they are not hesitant to recommend specialties, or enquire about how you like things prepared; and you get exactly what you negotiated with the server.
It's not cheap, but you absolutley get your money's worth. These people are experts. -
Review from Willow B.
Vancouver, BC
11/17/2011
Love the food, the service, the speed. Eating in is good, although it is busy and small. Call for take out and pickup 15 min later. Food is packed well, hot and steamy, and I always have leftovers. Good value and great food.
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Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
11/10/2009 2 Check-ins Here
Like walking into an entirely other place: a memory of Hong Kong perhaps, or maybe one from my childhood when my mother would take us to some hole-in-the-wall in Chinatown. Either way, the hand drawn shanghai noodles with pork and the crispy tofu with seasonal vegetables were far tastier than what even my tastebuds had imagined.
Based on the recommendations on Yelp, I just had to try the cumin beef on flatbread. It probably would've been better had I actually been craving that much savory spice. It's something I have saved on the back burner for "giving it a go" at lunchtime.
Service was sweet and quick and one of the servers even cracked a joke about the noodles making an excellent snack (Yes indeed. I almost wolfed them down in the car they were so good!)
If I could make one suggestion it would be to add two to three times more of that yummy crispy tofu. I'd pay double, no triple for lots more morsels. How they got the inside of the crispy skin to be so flavourful I'll never know... it's like the tofu version of the Caramilk mystery! -
Review from beki L.
Vancouver, BC
9/23/2009 ROTD 11/23/2009
Total hole in the wall chinese restaurant (these ones are the best anyway!)..... walked by it a million times.....
i normally never go to a chinese restaurant for dinner since i am chinese and if i wanted good chinese food, i'd go pay my parents a visit.... but a few friends were going and kept talking about this 'beef roll'. so i had to try it out...
everything we ordered was pretty standard chinese food, nonetheless very good, but when the beef roll came out and i had my first bite, i was hooked! the meat was beef brisket and it was wrapped in this delicious fried rice flour tortilla that was perfectly crisp.
I know when i go back, i will be just ordering the beef roll...maybe two of them.
my 2 friends and i could barely walk out that restaurant... that is a good sign.
the restaurant is very narrow and long, doesnt seat too many people so dont come with a huge group. happy smiley service and not a long wait for food...awesome.Listed in: Not exactly home…
