⭐️ 10+ New & Closing: Vancouver Italian Spot Destroyed By Fire

In Partnership with Tourism Burnaby

👀 Plan Your Burnaby Food Adventure

It’s that time of the year! Bite of Burnaby is officially back from March 1 to 31.

This year is the biggest yet, with a whopping 75+ restaurants doing prix-fixe menus and limited-time offers.

There are 16+ ticketed events too, so you can eat, learn, and try something new!

Gooooodmorning there!

Here’s your March 27th 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

Sunbreak Plan (aka if the weather is finally cooperating)

Pick 1 Fresh Drop, grab 1 deal, then lock in 1 Bulletin Board event.
That’s a full clear.

Start here: Fresh Drops 👇

👀 FRESH DROPS

Spots opened or are opening soon

🥣 'King of Rice Noodle Rolls' heading to Burnaby - Yin Ji Chang Fen is taking over the former Green Basil Thai space on Kingsway.

🍜 New HK-style rice noodle spot in Richmond - Younmi Rice Noodle offers customizable bowls and classic snacks at Continental Shopping Centre.

🍦 NZ ice cream spot reopens with expansion - Plain Jane on East Hastings now features indoor seating and New Zealand-style real fruit blends.

🍨 New Vietnamese coffee and gelato shop coming to Richmond - Daydreamers by Cafe 33 is bringing specialty coffee, matcha, and gelato.

🍜 Award-winning Hunan team to open Richmond noodle shop - Geng Shi Ji is launching Dao Field Noodle Shop.

🥩 Budget steak sandwich spot hits Gastown - Stackhouse Steak Sandwiches has opened its second location.

🔥 New boil-and-sizzle spot for Aberdeen - Taoke is replacing the former Chef Hung unit, offering a hot pot and grill concept.

🥣 New rice roll stall for Richmond - Yummy Rice Roll is filling the vacant spot at Parker Place with stone-milled Cantonese staples.

🥤 Popular acai chain hits Metrotown - Oakberry opens its 10th Metro Vancouver location, offering customizable Brazilian bowls and smoothies.

🍗 New shredded chicken stall opens in Richmond - Toishan Fei Mui is now serving Taishan-style hand-shredded chicken combos in Parker Place.

👉 See more Fresh Drops here.

🌸 Cherry Blossom Food Fest IS HERE!

Get your spring outfits ready!

The 3rd annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Food Festival is officially back until May 3 and it is our biggest yet!

This spring, we’re featuring 27 vendors and over 70 spring-themed items for you to try!

Vendors include: Beaucoup Bakery, Matcha Cafe Maiko, Trafiq, Whisk Matcha Cafe, Fufu Pancake, and more!

You can check the full vendor and item line up at the official festival site.

And like previous festivals, the Passport and Mission activities return! Yes, that means every festival item purchase will grant you stamps and entries to the tiered sweepstake and prize pool!

The Gacha Machine that we debuted in Fall Food Fest is also here!

Purchase 2 festival items, and you get a coin to play the gacha machine. Inside the machine are various prizes like branded buttons, free festival items, and a rare prize!

But there are only 2 gacha machines, which will be rotating between the vendors every single week.

From March 27 - Apr 2, you can find the machine at Matcha Cafe Maiko and Matcha Tea Lab!

💔 HEARTBREAKS

Spots that closed or are closing soon

☕️ Broadway cafe to shut down - Lumiere Cafe is closing its West Broadway location on March 28 for a reset.

🍜 Robson hand-pulled noodle shop closes - Noodle Arts has shut after 8 years, though a new concept is teased.

🍜 West End Vietnamese spot closes - Family-owned Pho Q&M has permanently shut down its Denman Street location after four years.

🇹🇭 Burnaby Thai staple closes after 20 years - Green Basil is retiring, with Yin Ji Chang Fen already replacing the space.

🔥 Burnaby K-BBQ staple closes - Arisu on North Road has shut down after a decade, being replaced by Sizzle AYCE.

🍲 Global Malatang chain exits BC - YGF Malatang in Richmond has permanently closed its doors after six years on Ackroyd Road.

👉 See all recent Heartbreaks here.

💰 DEALS DESK

Money-saving food deals

🔥 Celebrate March Birthdays at Haidilao - Booking your special "Birthday Celebration" in March? Enjoy a festive setup, a birthday song, and an iconic Marbled Beef Cake on us; book at least one day in advance; available from March 13 – March 27;

🍔 FREE Smash Burgers at BFF UBC - First 100 people get a free smash burger; valid March 30 only; starts at 11 AM at 2188 Western Parkway

🍜 $15 Spring Break Ramen Deal at Beest Vancouver - Choose a signature mazemen with 1 oz roast beef and a side, including a small don or 2 pieces of karaage chicken; available until March 27, weekdays only from 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM; dine-in only, membership bonus includes a FREE noodle upgrade!

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

🗞️ FOOD NEWS

Things that happened around Metro Vancouver

🔥 Mount Pleasant restaurant destroyed by fire - Osteria Otto is closed until further notice after a devastating fire hit the heritage building.

🥩 Vancouver steakhouse named Canada’s best - Yaletown’s Elisa ranks #32 on the 2026 World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list.

🚗 Downtown poke shop hit by car - Pokerrito on Hornby is temporarily closed after an SUV crashed through its storefront.

👀 7 Best Bite of Burnaby menus in Lougheed and Brentwood

📕 4 Best Bite of Burnaby Menus in Edmonds & Market Crossing Areas

📖 5 Best Bite of Burnaby Menus in The Heights in 2026

📚 5 Best Metrotown Bite of Burnaby Menus To Check Out in 2026

🗓️ THE BULLETIN BOARD

Our curated events calendar

🍽️ [FESTIVAL] Bite of Burnaby (Mar 1 - 31) - dining celebration featuring diverse global cuisines; @ Burnaby, various locations; TICKETED

🌸 [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; FREE

✨ [EVENT] Blossoms After Dark (Mar 27 - 28) - illuminated cherry trees, bubble performances, flow dancers, and glow snacks; @ David Lam Park; TICKETED

🎌 [FESTIVAL] Genkikuma Fest (March 14 - 29) - marketplace with Japanese themed items, games, and prizes; @ Lansdowne Centre, Richmond; 10AM – 7PM (FRI & SAT until 8PM); FREE ENTRY

🛍️ [POP UP] Made In The 604 Pop-Up Market (Mar 28 - 29) - local artisan market featuring handmade goods, treats, and creative finds; @ 3102 Main St; FREE

🥖 [POP UP] Bread Window (Mar 7 - 28) - enjoy fresh focaccia and wine every Saturday; @ 417 Industrial Ave, Vancouver;

🥧 [POP UP] Coyote’s Cafe Pop Up (Mar 7 - 29) - Aussie meat pies and Melbourne-style coffee in a nostalgic diner; @ Laura’s Coffee Shop, Vancouver;

🌷 [EVENT] Spring at the Farm (Mar 27 - Apr 12) - magical spring experience with baby animals, tulip forest, and more; @ Maan Farms Abbotsford; TICKETED

🗓️ Check out more events happening in Metro Vancouver here.