Restaurants

These Are the Best Food Court Stalls to Hit at International Village Mall

Here's what to eat on your next visit to Vancouver's International Village Mall (a.k.a. Tinseltown).

By Sara Harowitz /

This story is part of our March 2026 Secrets of the City issue. Get more hot tips for living your best life in Vancouver here.

If you’re reading this, it means that the headline didn’t scare you away. Congratulations and thank you! Stay with us here, will you? International Village Mall is many things: wonderfully weird, colourfully vintage, confusingly empty. You’ve probably been there recently to see a movie, running as fast as you can up the escalator—but next time, pause on the second floor and take in the scene of the food court.

It’s here that you’ll find a diverse array of people, from families with young kids to senior citizens, munching away on any number of dishes—be it Uzbek, Japanese or Mexican. This tiny microcosm of community is a true melting pot of the city, where locals of all backgrounds come to eat, and eat well. It might not look like much, but this food court is punching well above its weight when it comes to affordable, authentic and delicious meals in the city. Grab a honey green tea from Bubble King and dig in. 88 E Pender St., internationalvillagemall.ca

READ MORE: The Best Food Courts in Richmond

Tashkent

Uzbek restaurant Tashkent is so popular among the Uzbek diaspora that customers are known to drive from the suburbs just to eat here. Standout dishes include Uzbek plov, a steaming rice pilaf cooked in a traditional pot with carrots and tender morsels of beef, and the fried lagman, a stir-fried noodle dish with fragrant spices, hunks of beef and colourful chops of bell pepper, all coated with a welcome light dusting of sesame seeds. tashkent-restaurant.com


Bali Thai

Instagrammers might flock to Bali, Indonesia, for smoothies and buddha bowls, but authentic Balinese cuisine packs a little more punch (think: stewed meats and steaming noodles). Perhaps the most fun way to eat here is to build your own special: choose between coconut or steamed rice, then select proteins and vegetables to go with it. The grilled eggplant with peanut sauce is excellent, as is the classic beef rendang: a slow-cooked and aromatic dry curry that is brimming with complex flavour. balithaivancouver.com

Little Bangkok Thai Kitchen 2

A word to the wise: if you ask for your food at Little Bangkok Thai Kitchen 2 to be spicy, it will be really spicy. Like, chug-your-whole-water-bottle spicy. So, you know, maybe consider getting it medium. Just a thought. You do you! There might not be any kidding around with spice levels here, but the food is nonetheless delicious. Consider the classic pad thai, which comes just the way you want it: as a heaping plate of flat rice noodles, egg, bean sprouts, crunchy peanuts and your choice of protein. littlebangkokthaikitchen.square.site

Carnitas Don José

Carnitas Don José’s URL is, rather boldly, www.thebestcarnitas.com. And while we can’t verify if they’re the best carnitas ever, we are willing to put money on the proposal that they’re the best in Vancouver. Ordered by weight for build-your-own fun, these delicious spoonfuls of slow-cooked pork meat are served with warm corn tortillas, fresh white onion and salsa. If you spot him, be sure to ask Don José’s eponymous owner and chef about being an eight-time Mexican national charrería champion. thebestcarnitas.com

Torimaru

The hardest part about going to Torimaru will be choosing which ramen you want, because the menu, while modest, is full of mouthwatering options, from black ramen to shoyu ramen. The miso ramen is also an excellent option, served with thick slices of tender braised pork chashu, a jammy ramen egg, perfectly chewy noodles and a warming miso broth, with chili sauce and fried onions on the side for drizzling and sprinkling. Perhaps the best part? You can add kaedama—a second round of noodles—for just $1.50. torimaru-ramen.weeblyte.com

Zenya Japanese Kitchen

It wouldn’t be a food court in Vancouver if there weren’t at least two Japanese spots, but hey, we’re not complaining. Whereas Torimaru is all about ramen, Zenya has cornered another part of the market: onigiri. This beloved triangular snack of chewy seaweed, warm rice and any number of fillings is done right at Zenya, where options range from spicy tuna mayo to kombu. Also worth ordering is the classic Japanese curry: a rich and decadent sauce, served simply with white rice and pickled red ginger. @onigiri_zenya.vancouver

Tina Vietnamese Food

Tina Vietnamese Food doesn’t look like much (sorry, Tina, but you could really stand to upgrade the photos on your menu board), but the food is excellent. Is there anything more comforting on a rainy Vancouver day than a steaming bowl of Vietnamese beef stew? Nope. This dish is brimming with fall-apart hunks of beef, soft carrots and the most amazingly fragrant broth; you can get it with rice, but even better is opting for a small loaf of crunchy French bread for dipping. Bliss. ubereats.com/ca/store/tina-vietnamese

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Sara Harowitz

Sara Harowitz

Sara Harowitz is a freelance writer and editor based in Vancouver. Her work can be found in publications including The Globe and Mail, Maclean's, Conde Nast Traveler, CBC, The Tyee, and Canada's National Observer. Photo: Lauren D. Zbarsky