One year young, this restaurant has potential. Located on Main Street, Chinatown, amidst Vancouver's undesirable area is this Hong Kong Cafe. The inside is so beautiful, brightly lit with charming interiors. Concept is very simple - line up to order, pay and seat yourself. Menu has only a few items. Food is good. Second floor of building is a residence, formerly "Grandma's house". read more

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I remember seeing some Instagram posts on Saan Saan Cafe a while back. I was at a nearby bakery when I remembered Saan Saan was around the corner, so decided to stop there for lunch with my family. First off, it's not a great part of town. But once you enter, you are instantly think you're in a different place. The place is quite cute and gave me small hints of nostalgia, as there was some artwork that reminds me of my grandparents generation. They had a small display area selling various local HK-culture related books, jewelry and stationary. As my kids took a table, my wife and I approached the counter, and were welcomed with a big smile. His first question? "Do you prefer I speak in English or Cantonese?" In all my life, I've never been asked that question when visiting a cafe or restaurant. It's a testament to their dedication to customer service and making visitors feel right at home. In addition to what found on their menu, he added they just introduce rice bowls for lunch. So we decided to try the following: - Ginger Scallion Fried Chicken Wings: Very good. Chicken with ginger scallion, is pretty common. But fried chicken wings with freshly prepared ginger scallion is next level. I really enjoyed this. - Mochi Brownie: Good. Tasted like "Lao Mai Chi" (糯米滋) - with chocolate. - Maple HK Milk Tea Latte: Good. A successful take on milk tea in a latte form. - Rice Bowls: Very good. They had two bowls - chicken and vegetarian - both equally good. Carefully prepared. The use of crispy scallions makes it so much better. Service was incredible. From taking our order, carefully bringing out eating utensils and folding them into napkins, delivering our food, and checking up on us - this is full restaurant level service in a cafe setting. I really enjoyed our visit. I would rate this place a 4.5 if I could give half stars. The space is nice, the food is very good, but the its service and family atmosphere that really sets this place apart. I hope to visit again soon. read more

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Absolutely loved this gem! I had been wanting to check this place out for a while and had a craving for a Hong Kong milk tea. While there we decided to also get a snack so we ordered the shrimp toast and a pineapple coconut cookie and the black sesame cookie. Both the hubby and I are not coconut fans but gave this a try and loved it so much we ordered two more to go. I brought one for my mom and she is still talking about how good it was. I also ordered the lime ribena for the hubby and it was so refreshing. We loved everything and the shrimp toast also did not disappoint. Presentation was beautiful and exceeded our expectations of what you would expect in a cafe. Service was also lovely! I already can't wait to come back and try the other items on the menu and have already recommended this place to friends! read more

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I've been GF for the last 5 years for health reasons. I was born in HK and raised in Richmond. I grew up eating Chinese food, and went to a HK cafe nearly everyday after school. After I went GF, I've been basically shut out from most HK restaurants, especially HK cafes. Saan Saan really helps fill that occasional craving, and they do it really well. The food is obviously meticulously prepared, delicious, and much higher quality than any classic HK cafe. It's elevated HK cafe food. You can't even tell it's all GF. So far we've been twice, because it's not a quick or easy trip from Richmond for parents with a toddler. My husband and I come here when we take time off work together for a lunch date. We ordered a bunch of things both times. What we've ordered: - Prawn toast - will order everytime. Toast is thin and crunchy, and the shrimp paste is sweet, savoury and juicy. Love the pickled daikon on top and the greens add some freshness to this traditionally heavier dish - Chicken wings - basically taste like the 風沙雞翅 that I was raised on, and that's a compliment :) - Curry fish balls - Indian curries are generally GF, but HK curry uses this jar sauce that isn't GF. So I appreciate that they make this iconic HK street food accessible to me. The fish balls are made in-house, and the balls are around the size of ping pong balls. It's good! - Singaporean chicken - a bit light on the seasoning, but the Singaporean flavour comes through. I love 星洲炒米, so I appreciate it. - Black sesame caramel cookie - the black sesame flavour really comes through! - Pineapple coconut - this one was amazing - the middle part is coconut, and the cookie is topped with pineapple bun topping. The cookie is tender and chewy, I can taste sea salt and it's also super sweet. Love it but maybe the sugar can be toned down a tiiiiiny bit. Chinese people like less sweet desserts ahah :) - HK Milk tea mochie brownie - this one tasted as described, chewy and soft - Char siu BBQ pork puff - anyone GF knows that puff pastries are not easy to come by. I'm happy that I can have it here. It's nice and crispy and the filling is legit. I order at least one puff each visit. - Curry Beef puff - same as above, legit HK curry filling. - HK milk tea and yeen yeung - these taste like they should, Tea can be stronger, smooth texture though. One thing I will make a note of, although they're def 5 stars for me - before I come I make a mental note that I am here to splurge. The prices are a bit steep. The last visit we dropped $90 here between the two of us for lunch (tax and tips included), and that includes 1 puff pastry, 2 cookies, 2 drinks, 2 snacks and 1 fried rice. BUT - the price reflects the quality and we leave very full (and the cookies become dessert for another day). More importantly, I CANT EAT AT ANY OTHER HK CAFE SO THANK YOU FOR EXISTING :) So I 100% am happily paying more to come here. Just wish we can come more often, unfortunately the trip is not easy for us and it's a splurge for lunch. I am looking forward to seeing an expanded menu - perhaps French toast, Kaya toast (more Singaporean but yum!), pineapple buns, egg tarts, soup noodle sets (eg., 榨菜肉絲米, satay beef noodles), baked pork chop rice, egg waffles (not HK cafe but a street snack), egg and ham sandwich, fish siu mai, etc. So many possibilities! read more

Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant - Chicken wings and curry fish balls - Desserts Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Lovely, friendly people who own this business! Loved my experience coming here. The ambiance was cozy and felt very peaceful. You could smell the aromas of brewed tea the second walking in. Sadly, we came later in the day so most of the goodies were already sold out. Tried the ginger milk burnt sugar cookie and it was delicious! Perfectly soft but still structured. Got a balanced flavour of all the components mentioned. It's a real treat and we'll be back for their other menu items soon :) read more

Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant - Ginger milk burnt sugar cookie - Desserts Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

It is great seeing something like this open and I am hoping for more. When you look where this is, it is in a very rough part of town, that being said, what the owners are trying to do here is bring a part of that Cantonese heritage and open something that gets that flare right. HK milk tea, it is one of my drinks of choice, and usually it is my daily when I am back in Hong Kong, not here as it seems to only be usually served at an HK cafe or very rarely at a Chinese bakery, and usually I am just eating a lunch, or having it as takeout, there is no true place to enjoy it, until you come into this place. The room is very welcoming, bright, wide open, with a few Chinese heritage pieces to add aesthetics to the joint. Think of this place as a coffee shop, but for HK milk tea, Yeen Yeung (I am probably butchering the Chinglish) and iced lemon teas. They also serve up some gluten free pastries, which I just learned on my second visit, which I ordered them all, from curry beef, char siu, and mushroom, and all were delightful. Other things I noticed on the menu, but will have to return on another day is the curry fish balls and the shrimp toast. They have a full kitchen in the back, and getting a chance to speak to the staff and the owner, there will be other food options in the future, just wait. I will be back to try their other drinks and I will say it was one of the smoothest HK milk tea's I have had in the city, and a good place to sit around that you forget the neighbourhood it is actually in, I can't wait for more from what is tome come from this place. read more

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Small little cafe located by Chinatown. Seems like it could easily be missed if you didn't happen to be walking by it, but once you see it, it really stands out! Very cutely decorated and comfortable space to sit and enjoy your treats. I had to check it out because it's the same nickname my family calls me, and it was so sweet to know that the owners named this cafe after their mother. I had the black sesame cookie and HK milk tea. The cookie was perfectly chewy with just the right amount of black sesame flavour and sweetness. The milk tea was delicious as well. Check them out! read more

Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant - Menu - Desserts Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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As a huge fan of HK style milk tea, and tea in general, I wanted to try this cafe for a long time, especially after seeing influencers on IG rave about this cafe. The interior design of the cafe is very aesthetic, giving off retro Chinese but modern vibes. I ordered the HK style milk tea (recommend by the staff to order cold) with 50% sugar, and a pineapple coconut cookie, which they described as a mix of a pineapple and cocktail bun (HK style bakery buns) in terms of flavour. Overall I enjoyed the milk tea; strong and smooth with intense flavours, ending with a delicate aroma which fills your mouth after you take a sip. The cookie was on the sweeter side, however it tasted exactly as described! The cookie was also crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside. Will definitely return when I'm in the area and needing a caffeine/HK milk tea fix. read more

Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant - Iced Hong Kong style milk tea + pineapple coconut cookie - Desserts Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Love that they make gluten free hk inspired pastries, and it tastes SO GOOD!! The pineapple coconut cookie was so chewy and delicious, I loved it! The hk yuen yeung (half milk tea and half coffee) was super smooth and paired so well with the cookie and the char siu bbq pork puff! It isn't the most transit accessible cafe and is a little hard to find parking but its definitely worth a visit!! read more

Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant - Hk yuen yeung, pineapple coconut cookie, char siu bbq pork puff - Desserts Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This place did not disappoint! Staff were super friendly upon arrival around 11am and the place was packed with customers eating in. I ordered the beef curry pie and the mushroom pie, along with some cookies for pick up. Everything is gluten free and is Hong Kong inspired. They're currently having their soft opening and are only open Friday-Sunday. Would recommend this place to those that are and are not gluten free! You'd never even know it was gluten free; everything tasted amazing!! read more

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Fantastic experience here on all fronts: service, food, and atmosphere. The people who run the place were exceedingly friendly and went above and beyond taking care of customers. The design is modern but with little details in the decor give the place an authentic homely feeling. The backstory behind this cafe is so interesting - apparently the space has been in the family for three generations (you can read about them on their website). The menu features modern HK comfort food and is all gluten-free! I was there around 2 pm on Saturday and many of the baked goods were sold out, but luckily they still had what I wanted. I tried their corn pot pie, a ginger milk burnt sugar cookie, and an iced HK milk tea. The corn pot pie was creamy but not heavy, topped with a pastry that was the perfect sweet spot between crisp and soft. Very comforting. The cookie was phenomenal!! At first bite, the taste of fresh ginger was VERY strong and the burnt sugar added depth to the flavour without making it too sweet at all. The texture was also amazing, soft and chewy, and I loved the thick edges. As expected, the HK milk tea was also excellent, strong and smooth. The tall and full glass was much appreciated because I didn't want it to end. Dipping the cookie in the milk tea was heavenly. I can't overstate how much I enjoyed my visit here. You can really tell how much love has gone into this cafe. read more

Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant - Corn pot pie, ginger milk burnt sugar cookie, iced HK milk tea - Desserts Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Wow.... one of the best and unique cafés in this city. Their baked good selections is amazing, incorporating alot of flavours from HK cuisine. I got the HK iced tea/coffee mix and it was so delicious. The cookie had an amazing chewy soft texture and paired well with the "pineapple bun" topping. The curry beef pastry was really good too but I truly want to try the BBQ pork one. Staff are incredible welcoming and kind. read more

Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant - pineapple bun cookie and beef curry pastry - Desserts Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Saw Saan Saan all over social media which inspired me to come visit. The interior is cute and modern. We got the pineapple and cocktail bun inspired cookie - "not too sweet" but enough to hit the spot if you're looking for a sweet treat . The outside has the pineapple bun crust and the inside is filled with the coconut sugar mix that is typically in Chinese cocktail buns. My partner got the milk tea and I got the yeen Yeung (half coffee half milk tea). Typically the coffee at Hong Kong cafes are milder so I don't usually like the yeen Yeung, but they use fresh espresso beans here so I enjoyed their version of it! read more

Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant - Desserts Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I love the vibe of the cafe. It's simple and peaceful. The staffs are also friendly. The char siu puff is very delicious. I love how crunchy the puff pastry is. I would love to get the sweet dessert next time. The hongkong milk tea is rich in flavor. read more

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New Hong Kong inspired cafe and restaurant located on Main and Cordova! Stopped by their soft opening pop up. Pleasantly surprised by their space - lots of seating and very airy. I liked their assortment of gluten free HK inspired baked goods. I tried the char siu bbq pork puff, the pineapple coconut cookie and the iced hk yin yeung (half coffee half milk tea). Overall pretty tasty but on the pricier side considering all the other bakeries in Chinatown down the street. read more

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We enjoyed our visit to Saan Saan. The pineapple bun cookie and pork bbq puff were so unique and delicious. The café is modern and clean, and the service is very friendly. We only wish the café was located in a less sketchy area. Also, it's quite pricey as 2 HK milk teas and the 2 (notably small) pastries came out to over $25 read more

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I discovered Saan Saan cafe through TikTok and made it a point to visit during our latest Vancouver trip. Right off the bat - this part of town isn't great lol. There were some... questionable people out front but once you enter the cafe it's warm and welcoming. We ordered the HK milk tea, yuen yeung, lemon ginger chicken bowl and a variety of baked goods (pineapple coconut cookie, black sesame cookie and milk tea mochi brownie). Everything was absolutely delicious. The lemon ginger chicken was SO good - similar to the popular Taiwanese popcorn chicken with a refreshing lemon ginger sauce that really sticks to the accompanying rice. The pickles and tea egg balanced out the bowl perfectly. I only wish there was a bit more rice because it became a little too saucy for us towards the end. The pastries were all deliciously unique and held up well when taken to-go. Drinks were classic and nostalgic and service was super friendly. read more

Super cute, very tasty coffee shop! I have celiac so it was an absolute pleasure to get something and feel totally safe.