Life has never been easier for dumpling lovers in Metro Vancouver, with so many spots serving up the much-loved cuisine. From steamed to deep fried, there are so many dumplings to choose from.

For those unfamiliar, the Richmond Dumpling Trail is a self-guided culinary experience that includes different eateries across Richmond with a wide array of cultural varieties. The experience is also meant to take the intimidation out of ordering, which means you don’t need to know a ton about dumplings in order to fully enjoy them.

Each location can be found on the Tourism Richmond website , and they even have some set itineraries for you to try if you need a starting point. However, you can go rogue and hit each dumpling spot in whatever order you want.

But we were determined to carve our own way through the list of dumpling restaurants. Last year, we visited some dumpling hot spots , but this year we had to goal to find some of the most transit-accessible spots.

Keep reading to learn about the three dumpling restaurants we visited, which were located between the Lansdowne and Richmond-Brighouse Skytrain stations.

Parkhill Seafood

The most traditional spot on our list, Parkhill Seafood is your go-to destination for classic dim sum offerings.

We’re talking about the classic round white tables with steamed baskets containing all the dumplings you can eat.

You can’t go wrong by ordering your favourite dumplings, like the crowd-pleasing parcels of pork and shrimp called siu mai.

During our visit, we had the chance to try jian dui, which Parkhill Seafood calls its specialty. Also known as sesame balls, these fried Chinese pastries are made with rice flour and coated in sesame seeds. They are served warm and hollow on the inside, caused by the expansion of the dough.

Plus, this spot is just a four-minute walk away from Brighouse station, making it an excellent spot to start your dumpling journey.

Suhang Restaurant

If you haven’t already eaten a crazy amount of dumplings at Parkhill Seafood, you can make your way over to this Shanghainese restaurant.

What you’ll want to order when you stop here is the soup dumplings, which are served with a side of vinegar. It’s highly debated how to best eat the dumplings with vinegar, but we were recommended to break a tiny hole in the dumpling, pour a little bit of the vinegar inside, and then eat it in one bite.

But how exactly do they get the soup in there? Our waiter informs us that they add the soup in while it’s cold as a gel, mixed in with the pork, and as it cooks it turns into liquid.

Another tasty creation for our plant-based friends is its veggie dumplings. These dumplings have spinach mixed into the dumpling wrapper, making it green, so you know it’s healthy.

This spot is just an eight-minute walk from Parkhill Seafood or a nine-minute walk from Lansdowne station for those who want to head directly there.

Afghan Chopan

This one is the most notably different than all the other spots on this list and a much-needed addition to spice things up.

Afghan Chopan is an Afghan restaurant serving up two kinds of dumplings: mantu and ashak.

The mantu was our personal favourite. They were these steamed dumplings filled with your choice of ground beef or chicken (we opted for beef), onions, and spices, all topped with this delicious yogurt and beef sauce. After eating so many dumplings at the other two stops, we surprisingly were able to finish our order of six just because of how good they were.

Another equally good option for veggie lovers out there is the ashak, another steamed dumpling filled with leeks, chives, and spices topped with yogurt and beef sauce (with a vegetarian option available as well).

This restaurant is found just a six-minute walk away from Richmond-Brighouse station, meaning you won’t have to travel far to get home if you opt to take the SkyTrain.