Breaking: Crab Hot Lau to Open Second Location at UBC This Month

Anyone who knows me will know that I’m a hotpot fiend. From Chinese steamboats to Japanese shabu shabu, I’ll have hotpot at least once a week—yes, even in the summer. And this obsession with hotpot isn’t going to slow down any time soon, especially now that Vietnamese restaurant Crab Hot Lau will be opening its second location at UBC next week. 

 

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Avid VanMag readers will know that Crab Hot Lau is a two-time winner of our Best Vietnamese Restaurant award, and has also been listed as one of our Reasons to Love Vancouver. The praise is well-earned: the restaurant serves up Northern Vietnamese dishes such as crispy crab spring rolls and the hearty rice field crab vermicelli soup—all made with love by founder and head chef Cherry Pham. 

When Crab Hot Lau opened its first location along Kingsway in November 2021, Pham didn’t think she’d ever expand the restaurant. However, through four years of dedication and fostering good relationships with her customers, the second location at UBC will be opening in partnership with a local Chinese family.

“They came to our restaurant [at Kingsway] a few times before,” says Victoria, Pham’s daughter. “They really love the food here and wanted more people to know about it.”

The family—who once lived and taught at UBC—approached Pham as potential business partners, explaining that “students and faculty lacked access to fresh, high-quality meals on campus.” Pham saw this as a chance to offer hearty, nourishing meals to a new group—tired students who may be living away from home (hey, that’s me!).

“My partners don’t come from the restaurant industry, but they share the same values: honesty, integrity and long-term care for the community we serve,” notes Pham.

 

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The new location will serve up its signature soups like fish noodle, beef pho and of course, the hearty crab hotpot. To better serve its new clientele, Crab Hot Lau will also be open for breakfast service from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. starting in September. 

If you’re not up for the trek to UBC or don’t want to queue at Kingsway, you’re in luck: Crab Hot Lau will also be opening a third location along Granville Street in downtown Vancouver. While the details for the third spot are still under wraps, Pham hints at a September opening.

“Crab Hot Lau was never just a business,” Pham explains. “It began as a way to share honest, heartfelt Vietnamese food in a welcoming space. [We want to create] a place that feels like home, offering food that’s nourishing, warm and deeply rooted in tradition.”

Doors to Crab Hot Lau are set to open next week at 2192 Western Parkway.