Author: Susan_Wright

The Copa Café is a Hong Kong style cafe that serves Chinese dishes as well as Western style dishes including breakfast. I was in Vancouver visiting family and we decided to go out for dinner on this November Thursday. We arrived around 6:30 and the...main dining area was about 1/2 full. My first impression of the Copa Café is that the restaurant was airy and bright with a modern decor. The three of us ordered the following: • Sweet and sour chicken ($17.75) – deep fried chicken pieces, bell peppers, onions and pineapple chunks. The chicken was not crispy and the flavour balance was just a bit off; more sweet than sour but nonetheless tasty. • Curry minced beef fried rice ($16.50) – fried rice with pieces of beef with a curry flavour. The curry flavour was lacking (non-existent) and the dish tasted more like regular beef fried rice. In addition, the menu rated the dish at “1 chili pepper” - very slight spicy. However, not spicy at all. • Deep fried tofu with salt and pepper ($16.50) - minced peppers, onions, chilies, shredded lettuce and cilantro. Some of the tofu was a bit too salty. This dish was rated at “2 chili peppers”. However, the deep fried tofu themselves were not spicy, it was the minced chili peppers. • Braised lamb in spicy sauce ($18.75) - spaghetti(?) noodles with thin sliced lamb, bell peppers and onions. This was a tasty dish and the spicy sauce was not that spicy. This was rated at “1 chili pepper”. The total cost before the tip was $72.98. The food overall was okay as was the service; nothing spectacular. Breakdown of rating: • Food quality and taste – average. The best tasting dish was the stir fried lamb and noodles. The curry minced beef fried rice was the worst. • Value vis-à-vis portion size – average; portion sizes reflected in pricing but maybe just slightly on the expensive side. Three dishes would have been plenty and as it was, we had leftovers; a bit of everything enough for another meal. • Service – Service above average. Dishes arrived in a timely manner. I would rate the overall food experience at 3 out of 5. Notes & Tips • Visa accepted if over $25 spent • Seating for 90 or more customers. The seating capacity includes a semi-private room that seats about 40 people. • The menu is extensive with lots of choices • Check out the restaurant website for additional information • Metered street parking on Cambie Street • If you’re travelling by Canada Line, get off at the King Edward Avenue station and cross the street. You can see the Copa Café from the Canada Line entrance / exit. • There is also another branch in Richmond across the street from the Richmond Olympic Oval. See my review of the Richmond Copa Café. • Our first choice for dinner was the Taiwanese restaurant, “Corner 23” on the same block as the Copa Café but the restaurant does not take credit cards.