⭐️ 10+ New & Closing: Popular Dessert Shop Landing In Vancouver Finally

Gooooodmorning there!

Here’s your May 1st local guide to what’s new, what’s gone, and what to do this week across Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond.

This week in 30 seconds
🥟 Fresh Drops: the newest openings
💔 Heartbreaks: the spots that said goodbye
💸 Deals Desk: discounts worth actually leaving the house for
📌 The Bulletin Board: your event plans

Start here: Fresh Drops 👇

👀 FRESH DROPS

Spots opened or are opening soon

🍦 A popular taiyaki and soft serve shop is landing in Olympic Village - Little Pisces is opening a Vancouver flagship this summer with an expanded menu and late-night hours.

🥭 The viral mango drink shop replacing MACU soft opens in Richmond - Alfa Tea opens at Union Square on May 2 with 300 free mini glass mugs, after massive lines at its Burnaby launch.

🥣 A new Cantonese tong sui shop is opening on No. 3 Road - HE MADE is bringing old-time Hong Kong flavours and handcrafted sweet soups to Richmond.

🥖 A bánh mì and Vietnamese coffee kiosk just opened a second downtown outpost - Nami Vietnamese quietly opened in Coal Harbour with bánh mì from $13 and Vietnamese milk foam lattes.

🌶️ Richmond's popular Szechuan spot just moved to the famous food street - Ban Bu Xian quietly closed its Union Square unit after 4 years and relocated to a new Alexandra Road space.

🍛 A popular Japanese curry shop is opening a new concept on Kingsway - Namba Curry, from the team behind Oretachi Curry, is bringing Japanese curry and tonkotsu ramen to Vancouver.

🍩 Vancouver's iconic donut shop is opening across from Langara College - Lee's Donuts just confirmed its newest expansion, landing directly across from the campus.

🍜 A new Hong Kong cart noodle stall just quietly opened inside Pacific Plaza - Chow Noodles brings a build-your-own HK cart noodle setup with English translations to the Richmond food court.

☕ The 'King of Karak' chai chain just locked down a second Vancouver location - Chaiiwala is adding a Downtown spot along Granville Street next to KFC.

🥢 Richmond's popular Taiwanese restaurant soft opens a stunning Coquitlam location - Memory Corner just opened on North Road with red lanterns, an indoor fish pond, and 20-minute waits.

🥐 A New West sister-run cafe is quietly expanding to East Vancouver - Coasters Coffee is taking over a corner unit at E 29th and Rupert Street.

🍥 A popular Japanese ramen chain quietly opened its first food court stall - Kinton Ramen is now serving at Waterfront Centre in Downtown Vancouver, the chain's first food court concept.

🍲 A new Northern Vietnamese spot is quietly opening in the West End - No Ne is taking over the former Damso unit on Denman Street, targeting an early May opening.

👉 See more Fresh Drops here.

🌸 [FINAL WEEKEND] Cherry Blossom Food Fest

Your last chance!

We've spent six weeks pointing you at every limited sakura item across the city, and now we're down to the final 3 days. May 3 is the last day!

After that, the menus go back to normal and these items are gone.

If there's a vendor you've been meaning to hit, this is your weekend.

Grab the passport, run the trail, eat the thing.

🪦 GRAVEYARD

Spots that closed or are closing soon

🥞 Vancouver's iconic crêpe shop shuts down after 20+ years, quietly reopens nearby - Cafe Crepe has closed its neon-signed Granville and Robson flagship, though a new location at 672 Granville is now open.

🫕 Richmond's OG DIY malatang spot has quietly shut down after nearly 6 years - Grandma Liu closed at Union Square, with all related JOJO Pot locations now shuttered too.

🐑 A Northern Chinese lamb spot on Kingsway has quietly shut down after 8 years - Fortune Lamb Dining is gone, with a new Uyghur restaurant already taking over the space as of late April.

🍖 A Downtown BBQ and bar quietly shut down after just 5 months - Eldoria has closed on Robson, with signage already replaced by a new Korean street pub called Solo Pocha.

🍱 A 4.5-star food court Japanese don stall in Richmond is gone after 3 years - Katte has quietly closed inside Lansdowne Centre, with the unit already cleared out.

👉 See all recent Heartbreaks here.

💰 DEALS DESK

Money-saving food deals

🍵 FREE ROJO Tea + BOGO Specials at Paragon Tea Room — 3 days only (Apr 30 – May 2) score a free Classic ROJO (Rose Osmanthus Jasmine Oat) or Matcha Oat Foam x ROJO in collab with Earth’s Own; available at ALL locations while supplies last

🍰 Grand Opening Specials at Trees Coffee Kingsway — 15% off cheesecake, pastries, and handcrafted drinks; available until May 1; catch live music on April 25 and May 1.

🥖 BOGO Deals at Bánh Mì Très Bon — Buy one get one free favorites or free drinks; available daily; BOGO offer valid 3–5PM only.

🌯 Cheap Monday at Budgies Burritos - Enjoy $10 burritos and $3 beers every Monday; helps support local amidst Broadway closure

🗓️ THE BULLETIN BOARD

Our curated events calendar

🌸 [FESTIVAL] Vancouver Cherry Blossom Food Festival (Mar 20 - May 3) - Month-long self-guided festival with cherry blossom-inspired food from 27 vendors; @ across Metro Vancouver

🌱 [EVENT] Nikkei Spring Bazaar (May 2) - Japanese spring celebration with craft vendors, flea market, plant sale, and comfort food; @ Nikkei National Museum Burnaby; FREE

🛍️ [POP UP] Got Craft Spring Market (May 2 - 3) - 100 local brands selling apparel, homewares, wellness goods plus food trucks and DIY station; @ Croatian Cultural Centre Vancouver; TICKETED

⛵ [FESTIVAL] Ships to Shore Festival (May 2 - 3) - waterfront festival featuring the Kaiwo Maru tall ship, live music, food trucks, and artisan market; @ Garry Point Park Richmond; FREE

🛒 [POP UP] Summer Pop-Up Market (May 2 - 3) - curated lineup of local small businesses with handmade goods and thoughtful finds; @ Heritage Hall Vancouver; FREE

🥟 [FESTIVAL] TJ Fest (May 2 - 3) - Taiwanese street fest with fried chicken, wheel cakes, braised pork rice, live performances, and artisan market; @ Smith Ave Burnaby; FREE

🏮 [EVENT] Vancouver Hong Kong Fair (May 3) - cultural gathering celebrating Hong Kong heritage through artisan booths, food, and live performances; @ The Shipyards North Vancouver; TICKETED

🎪 [MARKET] Richmond Night Market (April 24 - Sept 20) - it’s that time again! The Night Market is back with more than 100 food booths to try!

🗓️ Check out more events happening in Metro Vancouver here.