Edmonton’s Chinatown is an amazing culinary destination in the city.
There are more than 100 businesses in Chinatown—most of which are family-owned restaurants offering up authentic dishes representing all sorts of Asian cuisine.
I’ve partnered with the City of Edmonton to help promote why you should visit Chinatown, an area that is pretty dear to me! (#YEGChinatown_Partner).
My parents’ Vietnamese restaurant King Noodle House Pho Hoang has been serving our family’s Vietnamese beef noodle soup right on 97 Street in Chinatown since 2006. 🍜 (we were located down 107 Ave for years before that, but still in the area).
I’ve spent nearly 20 years playing and working in this neighbourhood and I’m still there a lot!
Chinatown has seen so many changes during that time, and I’m hopeful it has a bright future, and that highlighting the great businesses a bit more consistently, and giving you ideas for how you can experience the Chinatown I know and love, helps with that.
I’ve made a point to post about Chinatown before but be sure to watch for more Chinatown-specific content from me going forward, as I share the many ways this district—its people, and its places—are special, and how you can get the most out of your Chinatown experience.
Starting with sharing some ideas for 10 Bites You Can Get Under $10 in Chinatown!
Please note that there are many more great food options you can get in Chinatown for under $10 (the list is obviously not exhaustive). As I hope to highlight all sorts of spots in Chinatown over the next while, I’m also spreading the love so something that might not be featured in this post may still be featured in another.
Also: although I have partnered with the City to promote Chinatown, all recommendations, opinions, etc. are my own. I have been a longtime supporter of Chinatown and have always encouraged visitors!
10 Bites Under $10 in Edmonton’s Chinatown
Locations listed in alphabetical order
1. China Marble Restaurant – Congee (assorted)
Location: 10566 97 St. | Website
China Marble Restaurant is one of the newest businesses to open in Chinatown, offering a wide range of Chinese cuisine including dim sum options.
For your $10 Bite at China Marble Restaurant:
Check out their assortment of congee (rice porridge) offerings! They’ve got 11 congee options including a plain congee and green onion cake option for $7.78, plain congee alone for $5.54, and nearly all all other options like preserved egg and pork, chicken and mushroom, beef, etc., for just over $10 (just!! close enough for this list lol).
2. Co Chin Saigon – Bánh Giò (savoury rice dumpling)
Location: 10632 100 St. | Website
Another new-ish addition to Chinatown, Co Chin Saigon is a great Vietnamese restaurant offering a lot of delicious Vietnamese dishes you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in the city. They’re becoming known for their daily specials, where cravings specifically dictate when you visit.
For your $10 Bite at Co Chin Saigon:
While you can find some Vietnamese desserts for under $10 here like che buoi (a pomelo sweet soup), flan caramel, or rau cau dua (a marble jello), on Mondays, Co Chin’s Daily Special includes Bánh Giò. For $6, dig into these small and savoury Vietnamese rice dumplings made with rice flour outer layer, ground pork, black fungus, quail egg and onion filling wrapped in banana leaf.
3. Namaste India – Samosas (beef, vegetarian, chicken, chaat)
Location: 10023 107 Ave. | Website
Namaste India offers East Indian cuisine including lunch and dinner buffets. Their Chinatown location is one of four in the city (but I’m biased because I think the Chinatown one is best! ;))
For your $10 bite at Namaste India:
Try an assortment of samosas! Namaste India offers chicken samosa ($5), beef samosa ($5), vegetable samosa ($4), butter chicken samosa ($7) or a samosa chaat ($7) or cholle ($7.50).
4. Nhon Hoa (Nhon Hoa 2 or Van Loc) – Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich
Location: 9718 106 Ave. (Nhon Hoa) or 10622 97 St. (Nhon Hoa 2), or 10648 98 St. (Van Loc)
Nhon Hoa and Van Loc are considered the OG (old school / original) Vietnamese banh mi sandwich shops in the city, and they’re conveniently located in Chinatown! Bring cash for the best banh mis in town. The general stance is that Van Loc has better bread but Nhon Hoa has better mayo and a touch more meat filling.
For your $10 bite at Nhon Hoa, Nhon Hoa 2, or Van Loc:
Any of the Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches (under $10)! I always get the combo which comes with an assortment of cold cuts including Vietnamese cha lua (a pork sausage), and an excellent liver pate. You also get the option of spicy or no spicy—I get spicy (they include green jalapeños).
5. King Noodle House Pho Hoang – Grilled Pork Balls (Nem Nướng)
Location: 10615 97 St. | Website
Upfront disclosure: King Noodle House Pho Hoang is my parents’ restaurant. So obviously I am going to recommend it. But also I would recommend it because it’s just really good too okay? lol. We specialize primarily in Vietnamese beef noodle soup (pho—the national dish of Vietnam), a family recipe passed down three generations. So you won’t find too much else on the menu here. The soup isn’t under $10 unfortunately, but our two appetizer offerings are!
For your $10 bite at King Noodle House Pho Hoang:
I suggest you try Vietnamese Grilled Pork Balls (Nem Nướng) for $7.75. This is a plate of addictive ground pork meat balls that many have fallen in love with. Don’t be confused by the pink colour inside and out—we Vietnamese like to colour some of our meats pink for presentation lol.
6. Ruby’s Bakery – Spam and Cheese Bun
Location: 10642 98 St.
Like most Asian bakeries in Chinatown, you can actually get a lot of bites for under $10 here! Ruby’s Bakery sells Hong Kong style baked treats, breads, and wedding cakes. They have egg tarts including egg tarts on a cookie crust (which is unique!), custard tarts, and lots of buns.
For your $10 bite at Ruby’s Bakery:
Ruby’s Bakery makes spam and cheese buns! This is a delightful bite for spam lovers!
7. Shan Shan Bakery – Frozen Green Onion Cakes (and other treats)
Location: 10552 97 St.
Shan Shan Bakery is one of the most popular bakeries in Chinatown, located right on the main 97 Street. The owners have been running Chinese and Western bakeries for more than 30 years and offers more than 100 types of pastry items including buns, cakes, cookies, tarts, breads, puffs, donuts, and more.
For your $10 bite at Shan Shan Bakery:
Although almost all items can be enjoyed for under $10, I wanted to highlight that Shan Shan Bakery stocks frozen packs of delicious green onion cakes ($9) from Green Onion Cake Man!
8. Spirit Bistro – Various Wontons Items
Location: 10824 97 St. | Website
Spirit Bistro is located just a little bit north of 107 Ave. along 97 Street, which I used to think felt far but it really isn’t. Chinatown is a great neighbourhood to walk to and from different restaurants, murals and businesses! Everything is in walking distance.
Spirit Bistro is a Chinese restaurant which (like everything mentioned in this post) is family-owned. The restaurant hasn’t been around long (since 2020) but the family owned a restaurant in north Edmonton for over a decade (thanks to this Chinatown Dining Week profile for this information!) This is mainly a Chinese take-out spot because it’s so small.
For your $10 bite at Spirit Bistro:
There’s a few wonton options you can get here all under $10, like pork-filled wontons tossed in spicy hot chili oil with green onions ($9.99) or a small Wonton Soup ($6.95), or even deep fried wontons ($9.99) or deep fried crab rangoon (which are wontons filled with cream cheese, veg and imitation crab meat—$9.95). Though not under $10 I thought I’d also shout out to the Ginger Beef dish here, which might appeal to the Canadian masses lol—did you know Ginger Beef was actually invented in Calgary in the 1970s?
9. Super BBQ Delight – BBQ Pork with Rice Lunch Box
Location: 10620 97 St.
Bring cash to buy your BBQ at Super BBQ Delight, a longstanding BBQ shop on the Chinatown strip. This is a very small and unassuming space (it actually shares the space with Nhon Hoa 2 so you could hit up two under $10 bites here in one stop!) Find a straight forward menu here—meat! They butcher BBQ pork, ribs, sausage, chicken, duck, and more.
For your $10 bite at Super BBQ Delight:
I always go for the BBQ Pork Lunch Box Special ($8) which comes on rice. But you can get any of their BBQ items on rice too (I might branch out from my usual and try soya chicken next time!)
10. Tea Bar Cafe – Bubble Waffle
Location: 10640 98 St. | Website
Tea Bar Cafe has been serving bubble tea in the city (and in its original Chinatown location) for well over 20 years (since 2000). A visit here means you’re visiting the first and longest-running bubble tea shop in Edmonton. Along with drinks, they have a pretty varied food / snack menu too!
For your $10 bite at Tea Bar Cafe:
I didn’t want to suggest a bubble tea since that’s not technically a “bite” (more of a slurp, but I guess you do bite into the toppings lol), so instead I’ll suggest my other go-to snack item here which is their Bubble Egg Waffle, which comes in assorted flavours—original ($4.95), or seaweed, sesame, dry shredded pork, cheese, chocolate, or red bean (all of these types are $5.50)! Bubble waffles differ from regular waffles in how it’s made (with usually more egg), and they are usually thinner, crispier, and presented in a cone shape.
Writing about food always makes me so hungry… I hope reading it has the same effect on you and that you plan your visit to Edmonton’s Chinatown soon! Like today? Tomorrow? This weekend?
Stay tuned for more Chinatown content from me—and if you’ve had other delicious bites under $10 in Chinatown you want to share with the group, please leave a comment below! As I mentioned, this is not an exhaustive list so I’d love to know what other affordable eats I should be checking out during my next visit (which is always soon lol).
Also be sure to check out the City of Edmonton’s Chinatown revitalization strategy and Chinatown Recovery Fund!
If you have an idea that could add to building the vibrancy of and support with revitalization of the area, anyone can apply for a grant! If you’re not an existing business or non-profit, you can connect with existing ones to co-partner on your application to help bring your idea to life!
Disclosure: I am working with the City of Edmonton to promote Chinatown. This does not impact opinions or views stated in this post—I have long supported Chinatown and am there every week!
Linda
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Disclaimer: This blog post was published in partnership with the City of Edmonton, however all recommendations, opinions, etc. are my own. I have been a longtime supporter of Chinatown and have always encouraged visitors!
