Ah, the 99. If you have yet to experience its pneumatic sighs, its sweaty, tightly-packed confines and its hurtling death speeds down University Boulevard, I highly endorse the 99 bus as a staple of the UBC experience. (One bus driver even wrote a song about it.)
Perhaps because it is so quintessential to UBC, it is also a direct route to many student-friendly places to eat. Some on this list are old classics, and some are relatively new to the area -- nevertheless, I’d like to recommend the following cheap and delicious places to eat along the Broadway corridor, organized according to their proximity to a 99 stop.
Hours: Closed Mondays; Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm; Open Sundays and holidays from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm.
The “Sun” in “Sun Sushi” might as well be referring to the beacon effect of their cheap prices, attracting students like flies to a porch light. $6.95 gets you their sushi special: miso soup, a yam tempura roll, a California roll and a tuna roll. Don’t bother going if you’re one of those people who complains about a heavy-handed rice to fish ratio in your sushi: you get what you pay for. That being said, it’s far better than anything you’ll find in the Village on campus, and if the 99 is your commute, you can even phone in an order right before you get on the bus and it’ll be ready by the time you get off at Sasamat (I know this from personal experience). They have a number of vegetarian options if you don’t eat fish, and their teriyaki boxes are a great deal. All in all, a great place to stuff your face with sushi for under $10.
Hours: Open every day from 4:00 pm until late (I once called to ask what time they were open until, and the lady on the phone replied, “Well, it depends -- what time do you want to come?”).
Right next door to Sun Sushi is hands-down the most satisfyingly cheesy, thick-crusted pizza I’ve had in Vancouver. Share a medium roasted lamb pizza and a half-bottle of house red wine with a friend (or with yourself) and you will not be disappointed. This place has been here for 40 years and I am somehow quite sure that the décor and the music have never changed -- but why mess with perfection? This restaurant is a total time capsule, but if all time capsules came with such awesome spanakopita, lemony roasted potatoes, souvlaki and pizza, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them become the next restaurant trend. The only thing I don’t recommend is trying to have food delivered -- I tried it once and it took an hour and a half. But this is Greek comfort food at its finest.
Address: 2620 Sasamat Street (Just off W 10th Avenue)
Hours: Closed Sundays and Mondays; Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm, and from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Relatively new to the neighbourhood, The Kitchen is a small, unassuming Korean restaurant that serves homemade food to order. Although a little on the pricier side, the food is well worth it: the quality is great and the portion sizes are reasonable. Tea is complimentary, with each table given its own steaming thermos and each dish comes with a couple small sides, like black beans and kimchi. I wouldn’t recommend the dumplings -- they were just okay -- but the beef bulgogi made me want to abandon all common sense and lick the cast iron platter. Also, the atmosphere is lovely -- I am already planning to return on a drizzly day for a big bowl of pork bone soup.
Hours: Closed Sundays; Open Monday to Saturday from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm.
A slight step up from Sun Sushi (and only one more 99 stop away) is Sushi Gallery. This is the sophisticated older sibling of student sushi, albeit in a similar price range. Miso soup and green tea are complimentary and self-serve, which is great during the winter months. Their fish is also slightly nicer for the price point. They have plenty of vegetarian options, and some creative rolls that range in price from $5.50 to $6.95. If you’re sharing with a couple people, their party trays are a great deal.
Hours: Open Monday to Thursday from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm; Open Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm; Open Sundays from 12:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
Thai Basil has two other locations (one downtown on Thurlow, one on Cornwall Avenue), but their Broadway location opened very recently and I’ve already been there several times. I find that Thai food tends to be surprisingly expensive, but this is a lovely exception to the rule with no sacrifice to quality. This location is fairly small, but they do a lot of takeout, so if you’d rather guzzle Pad Thai from the comfort of your basement suite, you’re in luck. If you like spice, their Pad Gra Prow (minced meat, chili, garlic, and basil with a poached egg on top and rice on the side) is amazing. Their Pad Thai and spring rolls are also classically delicious. I’d recommend sharing a couple dishes so that you can taste a variety, but if you’re just ordering for yourself, you can get a combination of curry or an entrée with rice, salad and a spring roll for $9.95.
Hours: Approximate; generally open from around 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (sometimes later).
This place is unfortunately easy to miss -- they have a relatively small storefront squished between a couple other restaurants -- but once you have found it, it’s hard to resist a return trip. Harvest Deli has some of the biggest, meatiest smoked meat sandwiches I’ve seen outside of Montreal. It’s difficult to choose from the veritable billboard of a menu that they have posted on the wall, but I somehow feel like it’d be even harder to make a wrong choice. They have dozens of combinations of various meats, cheeses, and sauces on offer, and they always use incredible bread on either side of them. If you can’t make up your mind, go with whatever is on the blackboard. A little pricier in the realm of sandwiches, but the portion size is definitely worth it.
Hours: Open Monday to Saturday from 11:30 am to 9:00 pm; Open Sundays from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
It may not look like much, but this sushi place is incredible. I was a little worried the first time I went because it was relatively empty, but then I sat there for a while and noticed the steady stream of people coming in to pick up their takeout. Their dinner for two special is possibly the best deal in the city -- $19.90 for sashimi, edamame, two miso soups, two raw oysters, teriyaki chicken don and two special rolls (I’m not sure if it’s on the menu, but it’s listed on their website). They also have a special where you can get three rolls or other small dishes for $8.95. Great quality, and an awesome deal.
Hours: Open every day from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm; Lunch menu from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm.
It’s hard not to like Bob’s enthusiasm for Thai food, as it results in some funky but well-executed takes on traditional Thai dishes, like the taro root poutine topped with lemongrass, lime leaf, tofu and green curry. Bob Likes Thai is a little more expensive in the realm of the student budget, but, as with most Thai food, ordering works best when you’re sharing, so it makes for a nice dinner out with friends. I’m personally fond of the roasted duck red curry, which has lychee, tomato and pineapple in it (tangy and delicious), and the green curry. Pad Thai at Bob’s has a fun twist -- they use smoked tofu, which is a small change with a surprising (and pleasing) influence. If you’re looking for a deal, go there for lunch -- they have a limited menu of their classic dishes for $10.
Hours: Open Monday to Saturday from 11:00 am to 8:30 pm; Open Sundays from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
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These are tacos at their most classic: chewy corn tortillas doubled up and straining to contain their juicy fillings. The taco menu ranges from beef cheeks (de cachete) to fish (pescado) to roasted poblano peppers with creamed corn (rajas con crema), with plenty of classics in between (like chicken, pork, and mushroom). There’s also a quesadilla option, though if you’re seeking any other dishes, you’ll be out of luck -- this is a taqueria only. The lunch lineups are long but the pace is quick, and if you’re planning on going at noon hour, it’s kind of fun to watch people in suits narrowly miss dribbling tacos down their shirts. The beef cheek taco is indulgently rich, the fish taco is pleasantly free of deep-fried batter, and hot sauces and pickled veggies are self-serve at the counter, alongside the napkins, which you WILL need. At $2.75 per meat taco and $2.50 per veggie taco, La Taqueria delivers a seriously flavourful meal for around $10.
