Taste of Zen
Gilmore, Richmond
Restaurant in Richmond, Canada
The Read
Dress
Casual
Why go
Taste of Zen is a suburban Richmond restaurant on Steveston Highway, positioned away from the main dining corridor near Richmond Centre. Verified details on menu, pricing, hours are limited; confirm before visiting. Booking is easy, it likely offers a quieter alternative to the busier Chinese seafood houses in central Richmond.
About Taste of Zen
Quick Verdict
If you're choosing between Taste of Zen and the better-documented dim sum and seafood houses on No. 3 Road, the honest answer is that Taste of Zen's Steveston Highway address puts it outside Richmond's main dining corridor. That distance works in its favour for one specific scenario: a quieter meal away from the weekend rush that defines central Richmond's Chinese restaurant scene. Whether it delivers enough to justify the detour depends on what you find when you arrive; and right now, verified detail on the menu, pricing, chef is limited.
What to Expect
Taste of Zen sits on Steveston Highway in the southern part of Richmond, a neighbourhood better known for the Steveston fishing village than for destination dining. The name signals a Chinese or pan-Asian focus, the address places it in a suburban strip context rather than a dense restaurant row. For explorers who like to move beyond the obvious cluster of venues near Richmond Centre, this is the kind of spot worth a look; but go in with calibrated expectations and confirm hours before making the trip.
The lunch-versus-dinner question matters here. In Richmond's Chinese restaurant scene, lunch service, particularly dim sum, tends to be the sharper value proposition, with lower per-head spend and a faster pace. Dinner typically brings fuller à la carte menus and longer waits at the popular spots downtown. At a quieter suburban address like this one, dinner may actually be the more relaxed and accessible option, with less competition for tables than you'd face at Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant or Jade Seafood Restaurant on a Saturday night.
Booking & Logistics
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. No phone or website is currently listed in verified sources, so the most reliable approach is to visit in person or search current listings for updated contact details. Given the location, walk-in availability is likely more consistent here than at Richmond's busiest seafood houses. For groups, confirm capacity in advance, suburban venues in this format can have limited private dining infrastructure.
For broader context on where Taste of Zen fits in Richmond's dining picture, see our full Richmond restaurants guide. If you're planning a longer stay, our Richmond hotels guide and our Richmond bars guide cover the rest of your trip. Food explorers who rate Richmond as a stop on a broader Canadian itinerary might also consider AnnaLena in Vancouver for a higher-end evening, or Alo in Toronto if you're covering the national dining circuit. For vegetarian-focused dining nearby, 4 Stones Vegetarian Cuisine is a Richmond option worth noting. Other Richmond spots to cross-reference include Baan Lao for Thai and Berties Butchers & Little Bertie's Cafe for a casual daytime stop.
Planning details
- Location
- 9160 Steveston Hwy, Richmond, BC V7A 1M5, Canada
- Website
- buddhisttemple.ca/services/taste-of-zen
- Phone
- +1 604 274 2822
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Taste of Zen leans into restraint rather than spectacle. The name signals a pared-back, contemplative approach and the write-up places the restaurant at the quieter southern end of Richmond’s No. 3 Road dining corridor, where banquet-hall volume gives way to a more subdued register. The kitchen’s grounding in Chinese Buddhist vegetarian technique—attention to texture, umami depth and careful, centuries-old preparation—reinforces that calm, minimalist sensibility. Diners encounter a focused, low-key room that reads as intentional: a deliberate counterpoint to the abundance and ceremony that define much of the surrounding stretch.
Best For
This is a place for people who want a quieter, thoughtful take on Chinese vegetarian cooking. The menu’s dim sum platter and a French Lunch Combo point to strong lunch and brunch service, and the food’s temple-kitchen lineage rewards diners who appreciate technique and texture. It suits solo meals, modest family lunches and casual hangouts where conversation can stay measured rather than be drowned out by banquet noise. Given Richmond’s discerning Chinese dining public, Taste of Zen is especially appealing to those looking for a restrained, skill-forward vegetarian option away from the louder, more ostentatious places on the corridor.
Ordering Tips
Lean on the signatures. The dim sum platter is an obvious starting point for brunch or a shared midday bite, showcasing the kitchen’s plant-forward approach. Order a selection that highlights the mock meats alongside more traditional vegetable and tofu preparations to experience the textural variety the write-up emphasizes. The French Lunch Combo is a good, explicit midday option if you visit during lunch service. Because the restaurant positions itself as a quieter, restraint-focused alternative to banquet-style venues, center your order on a few well-executed dishes rather than a large spread.
Planning details
Location
9160 Steveston Hwy, Richmond, BC V7A 1M5, Canada · Directions
Also consider
Also Consider
- Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant; Seafood, Seafood
- Jade Seafood Restaurant; Chinese, Chinese
- Lemaire Restaurant; American, American
- HK BBQ Master; Chinese BBQ, Chinese BBQ
- Minamishima; Japanese Sushi, Japanese Sushi
Restaurant context
Richmond's Chinese restaurant scene is anchored by a handful of high-volume seafood houses that dominate weekend bookings. Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant and Jade Seafood Restaurant are the standard references for Cantonese seafood and dim sum in the city; both well-documented, both requiring advance booking on weekends. If your priority is a proven, high-capacity dim sum experience, either of those is a safer choice than Taste of Zen given the current gap in verified information for the latter.
For Chinese BBQ specifically, HK BBQ Master is the Richmond benchmark; lower price point, no-frills format, a clear value case. Minamishima covers a different category entirely (Japanese omakase) and is not a direct competitor, but it's worth noting for explorers weighing a Japanese versus Chinese dinner. Lemaire Restaurant operates in a different cuisine tier altogether and serves a distinct diner profile.
Taste of Zen's Steveston Highway location gives it one practical edge: lower booking friction and a calmer setting than the central Richmond cluster. For a solo meal or a low-key weekday dinner where you want to avoid the weekend crowd at the main venues, it's worth a look. But until more verified detail emerges on the menu and price range, the established names are the lower-risk choice for a first-time visitor to Richmond's dining scene.
Explore Richmond
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full Taste of Zen guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare Taste of Zen
| Venue | Awards |
|---|---|
| Taste of Zen | No published awards |
| Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant | 2026 OAD Casual in North America Recommended2025 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #1102024 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #1122023 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #101 |
| Jade Seafood Restaurant | 2026 OAD Casual in North America Highly Recommended2025 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #1362025 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence2024 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #1452023 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #130 |
| Lemaire Restaurant | 2026 OAD Casual in North America Recommended2026 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence2025 OAD Casual in North America Ranked · #8622025 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence |
| HK BBQ Master | 2026 OAD Casual in North America Recommended2025 OAD Casual in North America |
| Minamishima | 2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 La Liste Top Restaurants |
Comparing your options in Richmond for this tier.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Taste of Zen good for solo dining?
Possibly, though limited verified information makes it hard to confirm layout or counter seating. Its Steveston Highway location puts it away from the busier No. 3 Road corridor, so foot traffic is lower and solo visits are unlikely to feel rushed. If solo bar or counter seating matters to you, call ahead or visit in person to check before committing.
Is Taste of Zen good for a special occasion?
Probably not the first choice for a milestone event. Without confirmed awards, a documented chef, or a listed price range, it is hard to know whether the experience matches the expectations that come with a special occasion. For a more established celebration option in Richmond, Jade Seafood Restaurant on No. 3 Road has a stronger track record for banquet-style dining.
What should a first-timer know about Taste of Zen?
No phone or website is currently verified, so confirming hours before you go is the single most important step. The Steveston Highway address puts it in the southern part of Richmond rather than in the main restaurant cluster, so plan accordingly. Arrive without assumptions about the menu format or price point until you can confirm details directly.
Can Taste of Zen accommodate groups?
Unknown based on available information. The Steveston Highway location is not a high-volume dining strip, so large private dining or banquet capacity is unconfirmed. For groups with specific space or menu requirements, Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant or Jade Seafood Restaurant are safer bets given their documented group dining formats.
What are alternatives to Taste of Zen in Richmond?
For dim sum and Cantonese seafood, Jade Seafood Restaurant and Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant on No. 3 Road are better-documented options with clearer pricing and booking paths. HK BBQ Master is a practical pick for roast meats without the uncertainty. All three are easier to research and confirm in advance than Taste of Zen currently is.
