Vancouver cheap / late night / student eats

[jeffchuck]

I moved to Vancouver a couple days ago, and I'm having a rather difficult time finding restaurants that meet the needs of a student. Very good, moderately expensive (for a student, anyway) restaurants are quite easy to find, but I've yet to encounter the kind of cheap, late night, local, fast foody restaurants that abound near universities elsewhere.

I lived in Seattle for just a couple months this summer, and in that short time, I was able to find the following within walking distance of my apartment:

-Gyros for about $3.50 at a place open until 2:00am every day
-Greasy, heart killing, delicious, fast food double cheeseburgers for $2.20 at a place open until 2:00am
-Clasier, fresher, made to order cheeseburgers for $4.00
-Huge bowls of pho including dessert for under $4.00
-Complete Chinese meal with tea, egg roll, bbq pork, rice, and entree for $6 to $7
-Delicious home made veggie burgers for $4.00 at a place open until 1am
-much, much more

I have yet to find an area with establishments in Vancouver. The UBC area is clearly not suited for such places, but does this exist anywhere in Vancouver? My initial thought is that real estate and ingredients are simply too expensive here to allow for such restaurants. Please tell me that I'm wrong.

[mbender88]

Late night I enjoy Pho Kim Penh Xe Lua on Broadway right on the west side of the Cambie construction mess. It's open until 6am (!) or longer on weekends and they're very friendly and attentive. Last week, I took my girlfriend and her friend who are slightly picky but they thought the decor was 'interesting'. We had soup, salad rolls, and a sandwich for less than $20 including tax and tip.

If you want the best pizza in the city, go further down Broadway near Commercial to Uncle Fatih's pizza for 2 slices and a pop for $3.50. There's always ranch dressing and hot sauce and the potato pizza is soo hard to resist when you're on a diet...

[jay_kay]

The "Gold Train Express" Vietnamese cuisine place on West 10th - just outside UBC campus, I have checked out once and found it not bad. Weird decor but was really packed with lots of student-looking types. I am sure its open late as driving by it all the time in the late evening, the open sign is lit up more often than not.

[pants]

taki's taverna on davie and thurlow - great greek - souvlaki is about $10 w/rice, potatoes, carrots, greek salad - yummy. i was poor when i lived around the corner and we went there all the time when we wanted a nice meal that wasn't going to break the bank. beer and wine are reasonable too.

[fmed]

>>I have yet to find an area with establishments in Vancouver. The UBC area is clearly not suited for such places, but does this exist anywhere in Vancouver? My initial thought is that real estate and ingredients are simply too expensive here to allow for such restaurants. Please tell me that I'm wrong.

You'll be glad to know you are wrong about Vancouver in general...you are, however, absolutely correct about the UBC area. It's a shame really. Broadway and MacDonald has some OK holes-in-the wall (Cafe D'Lite, etc.)

Commercial Drive, Hastings Sunrise, Kingsway, Broadway and Main, all have great cheap ethnic (Pho, Chinese Noodles/Congee, Shawarma, even some decent pizza by the slice).

[cdnprairiedog]

Mac Falafel on the NE corner of 10th and Alma. Good cheap food, daily specials. Close to UBC. Open until 11 most nights. Falafel sandwich or plate are good options, I'm vegetarian so I can't attest to their shawarmas or donairs.

[twinkienic]

In general, Main st, Commercial dr, and Kingsway are centres of cheap eats... mostly Asian places. There's Hawkers on Main for hole-in-the-wall dirt-cheap Malaysian food.

[eastcoastgirl_westcoastlife]

I second the East Van motion. In Hastings Sunrise on Slocan and East Hastings (#10 and #16 bus takes you there from downtown) there is a GREAT Vietamese joint - I pass it everyday but can't remember the name, it's between Slocan Family Rest. and the BC Liquor store. It is a Pho house but are known for their awesome spring rolls - there's a huge sign outside advertising the rolls. Cripsy, greasy, fulla meat and massive in size. Two HUGE rolls for 3 dollars - beat that!

[tofuwillowlithe]

The name of the place is Bao Chau spring roll house. They do the best pho too!

[twinkienic]

There's some really good cheap eats in Vancouver... but walking distance? That depends. Where do you live?

[jeffchuck]

Walking distance isn't really a big issue. It was just something convenient about Seattle.

I do have a bus pass and a car, so I can make it anywhere around town.

[Sam Salmon]

Head into East Van-cheap deals here are found in Asian places not hamburger joints-Vancouver isn't Seattle.

The Kent restaurant in Chinatown comes to mind and there are always the gangster infested Pho hangouts on Kingsway.

[JWh]

Late night FANTASTIC eats include:

Gyoza King, Guu on Robson, Jang Mo Jib Korean Food, The Naam, Eatery. All are open till at least 12am, most later on the weekends.

[Sam Salmon]

"Gyoza King, Guu on Robson....The Naam"
The first two are NOT CHEAP the third is a dirty dump that offers the worst crud imaginable, vegetarian crud as well.

[kwailan4]

My list is mostly Asian. Honolulu Cafe on Main, No 9 in Richmond, Corner 23 on Cambie.

Ever tried the pizza joints along Granville in downtown?

[Sam Salmon]

You're right-there is No Hope for one such as yourself-Ramen noodles await..