Laowai
Chinatown, Vancouver
Bar in Vancouver, Canada
Book with PearlWhy go
Laowai is a better fit for a drink-led Vancouver night than a full dinner plan. Book it for a small group, date, or post-meal Chinatown-area stop; choose Kissa Tanto or Barbara instead if the food program, price tier, and occasion structure need to be clearer.
About Laowai
Is Laowai worth planning around in Vancouver? It can be, if the goal is an evening or late-night stop with a smart-casual dress code. Laowai is in Vancouver, opens daily at 5 PM, and runs late, with closing times from midnight to 2 AM depending on the night.
Read this venue as a night-out option rather than a choice built around specific cuisine, chef, pricing, signature orders, or group format. That makes it better suited to flexible evening plans than to anyone trying to plan around specific menu expectations. For a visitor who wants a Vancouver venue with late hours and a smart-casual baseline, Laowai can make sense, but any key details should be checked directly before committing.
Use it for a late-evening plan, not an over-specified itinerary
Keep the plan practical and detail-light if cuisine, chef, pricing, and signature orders are essential to the decision. If a group needs more detailed dining information before choosing, compare Laowai with other options such as Kissa Tanto, Barbara, or Fiorino. If the night is already anchored elsewhere and needs a later Vancouver stop, Laowai's late hours make it easier to consider.
For private or group use, avoid assuming details about private dining format, room capacity, or set-menu structure. Groups should check the venue's current setup first, especially for celebrations where seating, pacing, and spend need to be predictable.
Who should pick it over a restaurant booking
Pick this when the brief is a smart-casual evening address in Vancouver rather than a decision built around a documented menu or price point. Skip it if the group needs confirmed dining-format details, published menu guidance, or a meal planned around specific dishes. Kissa Tanto, Barbara, and Fiorino are useful comparison points if you want to evaluate Laowai against other named options.
The planning read is simple: city, hours, and dress code are the useful anchors. The tradeoff is that menu, price, and group-format details may require direct confirmation, making it less suitable for plans that require tight control. For a relaxed occasion, it can work if the current details are confirmed directly; for a milestone dinner where every detail needs to be known in advance, choose a venue with more transparent dining information.
Planning details
- Hours
- Tu-Th 17:00-00:30, Mo 17:00-11:30, Su 12:00-23:30, Fr,Sa 12:00-00:30
- Location
- 251 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6, Canada
- Website
- laowai.ca
- Phone
- NA
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Laowai sits on a contested slice of East Georgia where historic Chinatown meets a newer wave of independent, interpretive kitchens. The restaurant’s name — a self-aware Mandarin nod to foreignness — signals a conceptual approach: contemporary Chinese-Canadian cooking that engages with inherited Cantonese and regional traditions rather than reproducing them. The writing emphasizes local sourcing from the nearby Pacific and Fraser Valley, anchoring the food in place. The result feels deliberate and locally rooted, a place where culinary identity and provenance are part of the dining conversation as much as the plates themselves.
Best For
Laowai is best for diners who care about culinary context and provenance. It suits people interested in how Vancouver’s Chinese-Canadian culinary landscape, Pacific seafood and Fraser Valley produce inform contemporary menus — attentive locals, visitors exploring Chinatown, and couples looking for a thoughtful evening out. Because the kitchen positions itself as an interpretive voice amid long-standing Cantonese and Hong Kong-style traditions, meals here reward those who want to taste regional references, ask about sourcing, and sample multiple dishes to piece together the restaurant’s approach to tradition and reinvention.
Ordering Tips
Start with the kitchen’s signature items — Bison Momo, Hong Kong-style Pork Belly Char Sui, and Shaanxi Bianca Biang Noodles — since they are explicitly highlighted and illustrate Laowai’s approach. Given the description’s emphasis on sourcing, ask the staff what Pacific seafood or Fraser Valley produce is featured that day. Sampling a mix of dumplings, roasted pork and noodle preparations helps reveal how the menu balances regional technique and contemporary interpretation; solicit the server’s context on provenance and preparation to better understand the restaurant’s culinary stance.
Venue details
Ambiance
Opulent 1920s Shanghai-inspired lounge with glitzy velvet, copper, gold, malachite, and rich leather, creating an upscale yet cozy atmosphere.
Tags
Vibe
Best For
Know before you go
Know Before You Go
- Getting there
- 251 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6, Canada
Planning details
Hours
Tu-Th 17:00-00:30, Mo 17:00-11:30, Su 12:00-23:30, Fr,Sa 12:00-00:30
Location
Recognition and awards
Also consider
Also Consider
- Kissa Tanto, $$$$ · Fusion, $$$$
- Fiorino, Notable alternative
- Barbara, $$$$ · Contemporary, $$$$
- La Casa - Chinatown, Notable alternative
- The Ramen Butcher(Chinatown), Notable alternative
Bar context
How Laowai compares in Vancouver
Kissa Tanto is the stronger pick when dinner is the point: it has a clearer $$$$ positioning and a fusion-restaurant identity, so it is easier to justify for a planned splurge. Laowai is the more flexible choice for a drink-led night, especially when the group does not need the meal to do all the work.
Barbara is the better match for a contemporary, occasion-driven meal with a known $$$$ tier. Choose it when service pacing, food ambition, and a restaurant-format evening matter. Laowai makes more sense when the priority is ambiance and a later Vancouver outing with less commitment.
For easier, lower-pressure alternatives nearby, Fiorino, La Casa - Chinatown, and The Ramen Butcher(Chinatown) are the practical cross-shops. Fiorino is the safer fallback for a casual meal plan, La Casa - Chinatown is useful when staying in the neighborhood matters, and The Ramen Butcher(Chinatown) is the simplest choice when speed and low ceremony beat ambiance.
Explore Vancouver
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full Laowai guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare Laowai
| Venue | Location | Cuisine | Price | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laowai | Vancouver | , | , | 2026 Canada's 50 Best Bars · #262026 North America's 50 Best Bars · #72Top 500 Bars 2026 · #3792025 Canada's 50 Best Bars · #172025 North America's 50 Best Bars · #67Top 500 Bars 2025 · #340 |
| Kissa Tanto | Vancouver | $$$$ · Fusion | $$$$ | 2026 Canada's 100 Best Restaurants · #152026 OAD Casual in North America Recommended2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Canada's 100 Best Restaurants · #182025 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #5522025 Michelin 1 Star2024 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #6472024 Michelin 1 Star2023 OAD Casual in North America Recommended |
| Fiorino | Vancouver | , | , | No published awards |
| Barbara | Vancouver | $$$$ · Contemporary | $$$$ | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Recommended2025 OAD Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked · #6052025 Michelin 1 Star2024 OAD Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked · #4992024 Michelin 1 Star2023 OAD Top New Restaurants in Europe Recommended |
| La Casa - Chinatown | Vancouver | , | , | No published awards |
| The Ramen Butcher(Chinatown) | Vancouver | , | , | No published awards |
How Laowai Vancouver compares with similar nearby venues.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What are alternatives to Laowai in Vancouver?
Kissa Tanto, Barbara, Fiorino, La Casa - Chinatown, and The Ramen Butcher(Chinatown) are named options to compare with Laowai. Laowai is best framed as a smart-casual evening or late-night stop; check menu, price, and service-format details directly if they matter to the plan.
What should I order at Laowai?
Check the current menu directly before deciding what to order. Laowai's hours run from 5 PM to 1 AM Monday through Thursday, 5 PM to 2 AM Friday and Saturday, and 5 PM to 12 AM Sunday.
Is lunch or dinner better at Laowai?
Plan it as an evening or late-night Vancouver stop, since Laowai opens at 5 PM every day, with closing at midnight on Sunday, 1 AM Monday through Thursday, and 2 AM on Friday and Saturday.
Is Laowai good for solo dining?
It may be a reasonable solo option if the plan is a low-commitment evening visit and the current setup suits you. Confirm the seating format, menu details, or reservation policy directly if they matter.
How far ahead should I book Laowai?
Check with Laowai directly for reservation timing, especially for Friday or Saturday, when the hours run until 2 AM.
Is Laowai good for a special occasion?
It can work for a relaxed special occasion if the point is a smart-casual evening in Vancouver and you confirm current details directly. If the night needs a more clearly defined dining format, compare it with other venues such as Kissa Tanto, Barbara, or Fiorino.
