Recommended food places

I like to run anime convention presentations, but I also like to check out new places for food both locally and abroad. This list isn’t exhaustive, but here are my favourite places to go to along with some notes on specific places.

British Columbia

Greater Vancouver

Oof, this one is tricky as I live in Metro Vancouver and been to so many restaurants. I will need to turn this list into a separate page, heh.

The favourites

  • Aiyaohno Cafe (“Aiyaohno”) - Japanese-inspired pastries, drinks, and “404 meat not found” meals from a lovely husband-wife duo (Bev and Greg).
    • This is my favourite cafe (let alone, place for food in general), because Bev and Greg aren’t afraid to use their kitchen as a playground to bring their ideas to life and make those ideas tasty - my favourites are the (iced) royal milk tea, the teriyaki “chicken”, and the now-retired “hambagu” donburi.
    • If any of you received matcha shortbread from me during out-of-Vancouver cons (starting with Otakon 2023, where I dropped one to the con’s programming director), they come from here. Aiyaohno may not be prestigious, but the shortbread is durable while highlighting Japanese culture in Vancouver.
      • “That is so good!” - Tsukino-Con’s panel coordinator, as he walked past by me taking a bite out of that cookie during the 2024 con.
    • This is where I took my Donghua intro slide pic, thanks to Greg.
  • The Tannenbaum Restaurant (“Tannenbaum”; vielen Dank Keichoro!) - Homestyle German fare with the most extreme customer service I’ve seen in my life going to restaurants.
    • I’ve documented this restaurant a couple times on Eat New West. I’ve also mirrored the posts on my website, considering that the group is members only.
    • While Mira wasn’t the photographer, I took my Anime in the Philippines intro slide pic in her restaurant.
  • Butterfly Tea & Dessert (“Butterfly”) - K-Pop inspired bubble tea place that’s cheaper than what the chains offer.
    • I am not part of the ARMY let alone a K-Pop stan, but I come here because the drinks (both the quality and creativity) slap, the service I’ve received from Nush (daughter and the “face” of the cafe), Deepa (mom), and Anil (dad) are extreme.
    • If you hate tipping, you will love this place. Everyone there (be it Nush, Deepa, Anil, or Jolyna) always bypass the tip screen before handing you the terminal. Treat their cup holder demo as a tip jar? They donate everything in that cup to Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, an organization Nush supports.
    • Thanks to their vast menu and ever-changing specials, I don’t have a specific go-to although I lean more towards their fruity teas.
    • You’ll have to custom request them, but Deepa makes amazing veggie pakoras and rice pudding!
  • MunChi - The best pretzels I’ve had; they’re crunchy on the outside yet pillowy on the inside. I like the Flammkuchen pretzels.

The other good places

  • Petite Bao - An Asian twist on your usual hamburgers (bao burger buns). Love their char siu bao burgers.
  • Mello - Compared to Lee’s, I like the texture (soft brioche!) and flavours more. They’re also satisfying to have during a train ride to Seattle for Sakura-Con.
    • My favourite flavours are cereal milk and strawberry cream.
  • Greens and Beans (thank you Eat New West) - Almost all of the soups and scones I’ve had are solid, and they make a yummy shrimp salad for their sandwiches.

The honourable mentions

  • Notch8’s brunch buffet - It’s your typical upscale brunch buffet so you know what to expect. But my mom’s side of the family and I are huge fans of both Raluca and Adrian; they’re super entertaining and Notch8 is lucky to have them as servers!

Victoria

  • The Bubble Tea Place (thank you Tsukino-Con Programming) - This is a textbook example of how you don’t need to have Asian owners to successfully sell bubble tea. The pearls have the right chew and I like how they disregard authenticity where they turn to cocktails for their lineup’s inspiration.
  • Ramen Arashi - Got this recommendation from one of my Donghua audience members at Tsukino-Con 2024. This passes as a local Vancouver ramen joint with crispy gyoza that tastes as if it’s not from frozen, creamy tonkatsu broth for the tan tan ramen, and melt-in-your-mouth chashu.

Sunshine Coast

  • Coastal Crust Pizza (thank you Jarvis!)

North America

Seattle

  • Salt & Straw
  • FOB Poke Bar (thanks Emily!)
  • Maneki
  • Beanfish
  • Momiji (thanks Lee!)
  • Ludi’s (thank you KuroRaiden, Jesse, and Jarvis) - Silogs whose flavours take you straight back to the Philippines.

Toronto

  • COPS Donuts (thank you Chloe!)
  • Craig’s Cookies
  • Juicy Dumpling - soup dumplings
  • Len Duckworth - fish and chips
  • V’s Schnitzel House - While Slovakian, their schnitzels rival Tannenbaum’s.
  • Fourth Man in the Fire (thanks Dave!) - pizza place also offering…donuts?!

Baltimore

  • Mera - Middle Eastern and Mexican fare that hits the spot after a long flight to the city.
  • Ice Queens - Black-women-owned snowball place with friendly and chatty service.
  • Ramen Utsuke

Washington DC

  • Prost! - German food a couple blocks away from the Otakon venue. The chicken schnitzel benny (as much as it’s a crime itself) is solid.
  • Reren Lamen (thank you AniTwitter!)
  • Ben’s Chili Bowl (thank you Mike!)
  • Captain Cookie and the Milkman

Europe

Germany

  • Cafe König (Baden-Baden) - The best Black Forest cake I had!
  • Die Tafeldecker in der Fuggerei (Augsburg) - Maultaschen fried like a gyoza.
  • Andy’s Krablergarten (Munich) - Don’t underestimate the portions.
  • Kebap with Attitude (Berlin) - Modernized Döner
  • Prater Garten (Berlin) - Get their Königsberger Klopse (meatballs)!
  • Bäckerei Siebert (Berlin) - Berlin’s answer to Mello.

Austria

  • Bärenwirt (Salzburg) - Rustic restaurant with the best Käsespätzle (cheese pasta) that I’ve ever had.
  • Mirabell Coffee Bar (Salzburg) - Coffee shop offering delicious Salzburger Nockerl.
  • Leberkas Pepi (Vienna) - I recommend the classic inside a roll with some sweet mustard.
  • Schnitzelwirt (Vienna) - Worth waiting in line for!

Asia

Philippines

  • The UCC cafes (specifically Clockwork at Ayala Vertis North; Manila)
  • Bizu (high tea; Manila)
  • Ginza (Cebu)