stopped in at city square shopping centre to meet up with a friend for dim sum near city hall, and honestly, it's such an underrated little spot. on the busy intersection of 12th and cambie, this place has a bit of everything, anchor stores like dollarama, daiso, and sungiven foods, plus a ton of smaller shops that give it a cozy, local vibe. the glass atrium makes it feel bright and airy even on gloomy vancouver days. there's a food court with solid options, kin's market, and a few wellness spots. there's also hot yoga, fitness world, dental, a florist, salon, and spa, seriously, it's like a mini community hub. parking was super easy, two free hours if you validate with a retailer (over $5), and it's super convenient being steps away from the cambie canada line station. not your huge flashy mall, but it's got charm, convenience, and a lot of what you may need in one spot. read more

See all

This review is regarding the PARKADE only, not a reflection of the mall itself or the stores within. You MUST validate your parking at Sungiven Foods for 2-hour free parking, all other stores only validate for 1.5 hours - and I learned this the hard way. It was my first time driving to City Square, and I saw the sign in the parkade that read "Enjoy 2 hours free parking with purchase". I went to Dollarama first, and had my ticket validated there. I shopped around, and Sungiven Foods was one of my last stops before returning to my car. As I was driving out of the parkade, I was surprised that there was an overdue balance of $4.25 at the gate, even though I was in City Square for less than 2 hours (I had a timer on my phone). I called parking assistance and they sent Chandani to deal with the issue. She did not want to listen to my situation and was very rude and unhelpful. She kept insisting I pay for the ticket or go back upstairs to revalidate, and then walked away. I understand she may not have any authority to authorize anything or override the ticket, but she did not bother to listen or try to get help. I checked my timer, and saw that I was cutting it very close to 2 hours, so if I had re-parked my car and went back upstairs to revalidate, I would definitely go over the 2-hour limit. I paid the ticket and checked the website when I got home, and I understand that the City Square regulations states: -90 minutes FREE parking with a minimum $5.00 purchase from City Square retailers. -One retailer stamp per parking ticket allowed. Please bring your parking ticket along with you to the retailer for validation. I am upset because there was no indication (either on the website on signage posted in the mall or parkade) that the retailer stamp HAD to be from Sungiven Foods specifically (and be validated there first) in order to qualify for 2-hour free parking (instead of 90 min). Chandani also gave me the wrong information, and I would not have been able to re-validate at Sungiven foods anyways if I went back upstairs, as only one retailer stamp per parking ticket is allowed (as per the website). I did email the admin at City Square as well with my concerns over the signage, and asked for a possible refund. Chasity from Reception & Administration directed me to Precise Parklink in regards to the ticket refund. I didn't bother contacting Precise Parklink because on paper, I did exceed the 1.5 hour parking limit, but the reason for this is because of the misleading and unclear signage in my opinion. read more

City Square Shopping Centre - Shopping Centers Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all

I used to live 2 blocks from City Square mall, so I would stop by all the time. Mainly to go to the Safeway and Kins Market, but I've also gone to the beer & wine store and Starbucks. Other than that, I find it pretty useless. It's weird because the mall itself is nice, and well taken care of. It's not dumpy and dirty like Kingsgate Mall. But they just have the most bizarre selection of stores, most of which I've never seen a customer go into. The food court is pretty sad as well. If you're really lucky, you'll get to hear someone play the mall piano really badly while you're having lunch. I added an extra star for the fact that they have a beautiful sandstone heritage building inside. I guess they built the mall around it in order to save it, which is really cool if you ask me. read more

I don't think that there was once that this mall was ever busy. Well this shopping center has been here for ages. I remember when I was kid the two popular stores here was Safeway (yes Safeway has been here ages as well) and Kirin (that was when there wasn't lot of Chinese restaurant and Kirin was known has a very very highend fancy Chinese restaurant). Other than that yeah the other stores were just small shops. Well later on Kin market opened (that was like 15 years ago or so), then that is another store that attract people going to this mall. Only issue is that Kin has an entrance outside of the mall main doors so people just shop here and don't bother going into the mall. There is a food court here maybe it attracts City of Vancouver employees or people who works nearby (can't confirm this since I don't eat here during lunch time on work days). This shopping center does look dead. But again, its probably due to the stores inside. read more

See all

In it's name you think that you may get some mass shopping done here, some big box stores maybe lurking here, and your money will be spent happily with tons of variety, well, think again, the name may have 'shopping centre' but I don't know how else to describe this place. I come here usually to get to the Fitness World on the 3rd floor, and have rarely walked around here. The place is usually quiet, with most people either going to the beauty school upstairs, or the college on the other side. The only big box type stores around, would probably be the Safeway and the Kins Market, with the Kirin restaurant being the other attraction, and the gym. There is parking here underground, but one frustrating part about this lot is leaving it. Usually there are line ups, as I find the people who work the exits here are slow. The ramps are narrow too, as I have seen some good scrapes over my time to some fine automobiles! With the ever 'booming' Cambie and Broadway corridor opening up to more business, City Square is like an afterthought, the one positive is that there is a big underground parking lot where you can validate your parking if you spend money in here. If you are here with a purpose, it's a good place, if your looking for a place to waste some time, and for something to catch your eye, there are other places closer to take your hard earned dough. At least they have a small food court, and a liquor store (Lennox) that opens till 11 everyday! read more

City Square Shopping Centre - Shopping Centers Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I was over the "line" in the parking spot (in the "near empty" parkade) and received a $50 ticket!! I will NEVER shop here again. Perhaps this is the reason why there are not many shoppers at this centre. read more

The kids and I were hungry come lunch-time today and we were in the area here when we passed the City Square sign and thought, what the heck, let's check this place out. I concur with the many other reviewers who write that this is definitely one strange mall! It has a big Safeway here, some medical clinics, and some small and VERY eclectic shops (i.e., a medieval-esque shop selling knives and statues of medieval armored knights, a few boutiques selling the wackiest bejeweled and sequined clothes, a dollar store, etc.). But what appealed most to us was the food court. It had a great assortment of cuisines offered (Americanized Chinese, teriyaki, Mediterranean, sushi, a salad counter, a delectable bakery/pastry counter, and a few small chains like Subway, A&W, Starbucks, etc. We ordered from the teriyaki grill and it was actually quite good. And they validated our parking ticket so, because we were less than an hour here, our parking in the underground garage was free. There's a piano in the center of the food court for people to play, and a gentleman was playing some nice tunes! (Note that this is a temporary installation). The nifty food cart aside, I'm giving this "mall" four stars due to two reasons: -the bathrooms here are large, immaculate, and gorgeous! Frosted glass and cool. opaque metal, super clean, well stocked.... you couldn't find nicer in a five-star hotel. -the actual building itself is gorgeous! It's partially an old stone edifice onto which a huge glass addition was built on, creating both an old and a new feel inside. And the light! It's like a humongous solarium, with all the glass and skylights. The whole food court was bathed in natural sunlight. Just a lovely environment, all around. read more

Came here recently due to my family member needed to go for a medical check up near here. After walking this place for a little bit, which doesn't take really long due to its size, I kinda find this place to be pretty cute because it's so small. This shopping centre is really only good if all you needed was to buy groceries from the Safeway on the first floor or Kin's Market by the entrance, the basic little things from Dollarama, or just to randomly get something to eat at the food court here. The only downside is that if you're one of those that wanted to window shop, this ain't exactly the best place to come to. read more

The WORST experience ever! City Square Management, you know what, people now have to line up outside the store and practicing social distancing in the store and at check out, things are getting slower now and it takes longer time to shop since we have to do essential-only shopping per week, and there are three grocery stores in your mall. If you can't even get your damn parking clock right, you should train your staff to be understanding and give benefit of doubt to people. Here is the story: I went there for my weekly essential shopping during pandemic, and done 4 trips to 3 different stores to get all I need. The parking voucher is 2 hours - when I was at the gate at 5:21pm as shown on the screen, I was asked to pay $4.25 parking fee even my ticket is due at 5:23pm, I thought my ticket wasn't validated properly so I went back to Sungiven to ask re-validation, and was told it's already been validated and good to go. I then put the ticket to the machine, and it's still showing I was owing money. Then I pushed the help button to speak to an attendant, even I told her when I was first at the gate it's not expired but still showing $4.25 fee, she blamed me for going back to the store, she could do nothing since it's definitely passed the time now, and she gave me an attitude that it's my fault or I'm just a liar. So I spent 45 dollars at City Square, each receipt could have given me 2 hours of freaking free parking, but I still had to pay for parking, THIS IS RIDICULOUS! read more

City Square Shopping Centre - Shopping Centers Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I only come here for Steve Nash/Fitness World, Safeway & Kin's Market. Not even free food at Kirin's will lure me (well, it might). Just lacks any big names for me to do any shopping here. I'll give the extra star for the heritage decor inside. Part of the reason is the parkade entrance/exit on the side street sucks, but Cambie exit is good if you're going that way. Tight spots, crowded...plenty of other safeways to go... good thing they stamp your ticket to get a free hour, if they still have that haha, it's been awhile. Usually I pay on the street meters b/c busy bees like me need to get in/out in a jiffy! just want to update that the men's washrooms are amazingly decorated & quite nice, w/ that brown/white theme...extra star now upgraded ;) read more

A small, intimate, fairly exlusive mall exists on the corner of Cambie and 12th Avenue: Welcome to City Square. I used to go work out at the large, 24-hour Fitness World located at City Square, and would usually stop in at the main-floor Safeway to get some groceries after. There was always ample parking, and the mall is clean and bright -- a nice experience for those who are visiting for a specific reason. Otherwise, it's not much of a place for browsing. With only a few small stores and kiosks, there's not too much to see. However, there is a nice, bright food court and plenty of coffee shops -- it's a pleasant space to grab some lunch with a friend or a cup of coffee and some dessert. Now, something about the building itself. It's quite spectacular (I heard when the mall took over the site, the original greystone building wasn't completely destroyed, and some of the original walls were actually incorporated into the new structure), with a gorgeous glass roof and plenty of large windows, filling the entire mall with light. read more

City Square Shopping Centre - Shopping Centers Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all

Conveniently located a few minutes north of the Broadway-City Hall skytrain station, and across the street from City Hall, this small shopping centre houses everything you'll need. Some highlights: 1. Kirin Seafood Restaurant. Excellent Chinese seafood. FOOD court. Starbucks. Nom nom galore. 2. Safeway, Kin's market. All your grocery needs 3. Steve Nash Fitness, hot yoga, body fitness club. All your fitness needs! 4. Dollarama - wheee dollar store goodness! And much more... Sometimes there are events in the main atrium. So that's always a bonus. Whatever you need, you'll probably find it at this shopping mall. read more

Home to Safeway, Fitness World, a beauty school, a wine store, and a couple of random shops that I've never had the need to enter, City Square is kind of a ghetto mall that parades around like it's not. It's pretty though. read more

Very convenient mall for locals. You can find there a good supply of cheap food, a liquor store, a barbershop, a gym, fitness classes, a dollarama and many small businesses that one will need occasionally like key duplication. read more

True to it's name this is more of a shopping centre than an actual "mall" due to it's lack of apparel type stores. However there is a lot of good stuff here! They have a broad range of specialty stores, dr's, dentists, spa/hair salon, grocery store, dollar store, coffee shop, farm market and a liquor store open until 11pm EVERY NIGHT! I like my liquor so the late night liquor availability pleases me! The food court is decent and has a decent variety of foods, plus the washrooms are always tidy and in good order! Aside from all that this building is gorgeous, I frequently cut through the mall just because I like the the brick walls and glass ceilings. read more

Its beautifully built. Would not suggest bringing kids there. Dollarama employees are rather kind. The rest of the buildings employees are on the short fused, impatient side, as well as expensive food for a food court. I recently had eaten at "Kings Meal(?)" Paid almost 15 dollars for the meal. It was cold, not the greatest, now im dealing with food poisoning. The cook has poor hygienic health and practices. No change tables in the mens washrooms. read more

Weirdest Mall Ever. But I Love it!! Has mostly everything I need. I come here everyday for my Tea or Coffee break. read more

There are a lot of helpful and handy stores in the City Square Mall. A smaller independant market, A larger chain grocery, A handful of cell phone retailers and a Dollar store to name a few. It's a good spot to go if you need essentials, or if you wanna just browse around and grab a coffee from the coffee stand at the second level. read more

Unlike other malls in Vancouver, City Square takes a Spartan approach. It's never really been able to find its niche so the retail outlets that occupy the lot are constantly changing and kiosks are always shifting and moving. With its ever-revolving retail door, the only mainstays that come to mind are Safeway, Fitness World and Crankpots. It's a shame that no retailers have managed to be very successful here as the building itself is beautiful. read more

I'm a wanderer. This means that sometimes during my break I go to the mall or close by stores (e.g. Michaels) and aimlessly wander. The mall architecture itself is actually really awesome. Inside the mall is another old, stone building that half houses Blanche MacDonald Centre. If anything - go there to see this. There is a Steve Nash Fitness Facility, Safeway, Starbucks, Bikram Yoga, Daniadown... and that's about it for main stream type stores. Food court is there for workers in the mall, surrounding area and City Hall. Otherwise... it's not a very happenin' mall. read more

Whenever I'm in the neighborhood I usually stop in here (mostly to take a break from the rain.). It's a cute artisan mall with a lot of small independent shops and carts. I think it's one of the reasons I like this mall-between franchise restaurants like Subway, A&W and Starbucks, most of the retail here are small independent shops. There is a wide variety of services and lots of nifty craft kiosks here. read more

This place isn't really for shopping for clothing. A good place to get groceries at the local Safeway, go for a workout at the Fitness world upstairs, sit down and have some food in the food court, have some Chinese cusine at Kirin upstairs, grab some wine from the wine shop, buy some kitchenware from the Cook Shop, grab a coffee or tea from the tea shop upstairs (Cultured) or Starbucks. These are only a few! This is a convenient location for many, as it is near Vancouver City Hall and Vancouver General Hospital. read more

Weird little mall with weird little shops. Highlights: Cook-shop and the beer and wine shop that sometimes sells things for less than the BCLB (how do they manage that?). Letdowns: very lame dollar store and that strange lady's clothing shop that seems to cater to somebody's crazy aunt (many floral dresses and bejewelled tops). read more

So, City Square isn't actually a mall like you might be used to. It's more utilitarian...it's not a hang-out mall or a spend the afternoon at the mall kind of place. There are a couple of useful stores- Kin's Market, a great kitchen store and a really good beer and wine store. Mostly, people come here to go to Safeway or Fitness World. It is busy on weekdays because it has medical offices attached. There is free Wi-Fi which is nice. read more

I only come here for the gym, Kin's market and Safeway, other than that there is no real purpose to the mall. I think that rating it a 3 is a bit much. It does house a lot of medical practices and a make-up school, however, as far as shopping is concerned as a mall, it's less to be desired. The food court is also sad as well. Parking is a nightmare as it is like parking in the ass of an ant. read more

I just moved in the Fairview neighbourhood and I really love having this mall a short walking distance away. I love the stone walls and the glass panels everywhere, besides, it's so convenient, after my workout at Fitness World, I can just go grocery shopping at Safeway or at the farm market for fresh fruits and vegetables before heading home or downtown with the new Canada line! I just wish they had more clothes and shoes stores... read more

It's Christmas Day. Meeting friends for dim sum lunch at the Kirin ( it's one of the best place to have great dim sum in town) I arrived early and thought maybe go check out on the ground floor if any shops open today. I took the elevator to the ground floor and walk toward the shops... And a East Indian security guy yelling at me from across mall. I couldn't tell what was he talking about so I slowly walking over to him ( he kept telling and walk fast toward me). I finally understand what he says... He said the mall is closed and I am Not allow to be on the mall level... I said I didn't know and there are no signs inform guest anywhere near elevator telling people not to stop on the mall level and he doesn't have to yell! Then he still use loud volume telling me he is not yelling and I'm not allow to be on the mall floor... I slowly walks always from him toward the elevator. That's what happened to me on the Christmas Day 2016... It's holiday! Take it easy! There are no one else in the mall. I might hear a pin drop.... there are defiantly no need to raise voice, don't even mention yelling.... WTF? I like to come this mall once of while. It's clean got some nice shops, gym, Safeway, Kim's market. But I might think about I come visit again in the future, in case I get another unpleasant experience with this mean security person! read more

Vancouver's hidden mall. Free Wi-Fi.

In terms of being a mall, City Square Shopping Centre should instead be renamed City Square Business Centre. It's more of a business place than a "mall" place, not a teenage hang-out for sure. City Square has the basics-groceries, a large foodcourt and some coffee shops. It is also an office hub with medical offices, and beauty salons. Especially convenient for those in the neighbourhood and for those who take public transit (close to Broadway Stn on Canada line). At Christmas they have a craft market which really lights up the place, and maybe that's when it captures that "mall" feel. I do have to comment on the building though: it's just gorgeous! read more

It's an unassuming little mall near the hustle and bustle of the intersection of Broadway and Cambie. Although there isn't particularly much to look at, it is a nice and cozy place to buy a coffee and rest for awhile at; the interior has a strong 80's feel to it (which is CRITICAL, in my books, to achieving a good rating haha). It also has an interesting looking little European bake shop on the ground floor that although looks good, I've yet to try! read more

this mall is strange.. half glass, half castle with a mish/mash of random stores. oh and blanche macdonald is located in one of the castle towers. read more

the only times i'm really ever in here is to go to the bikram's studio... i've explored it a tiny bit and i know it has a fruits & produce market, a clothing store (actually it might not even be there anymore because the last time i visited it, it was having a closing sale), a safeway, and a parking lot. it's a tiny "mall" (i don't know if you could even call it that) and there's not much to it. it's cute i guess. read more