Screaming Mimi’s

Absolutely fabulous clam chowder and scallop boat. Went to Lonsdale Quay with the in-​laws who were visiting Vancouver for the first time and I decdied to go and have some Clam chowder at Screaming Mimi’s which I’ve never tried before and I am sure glad I did because it was an AMAZING Bowl of Chowder & while waiting for the soup I saw they had a pastry with Scallops inside so I tried it and also I was amazed.

I only give a three star since i only order the calm chowder but only in tomatoe soup though. There wasn’t any trouble understanding though. Maybe i’m used to it. I didn’t see others have problems though. Maybe the staff was better on my day.

Lonsdale Quay Market offers so much more than a great place to shop and enjoy the waterfront view. Whenever you are feeling in need of some fresh seafood, Lonsdale food court is the answer. Screaming Mimi’s in particular has been around for some time now. And aside from live crab, they also have killer platters of mussels and clams.
They offer versions with and without cream. Both were rather watery and a bit lacking in flavor. I’m sure my Wonder Soup if added some seafood pieces would surpass this. Sadly there wasn’t much clams to be found either.
Live Crab by the pound steamed and presented on a tray with lemon and butter. All pre-​cracked so you won’t have to break your hands!
Mussels and Clams Platter: sold by the pound and seasoned with salt and better and some lemon wedges.
Fresh Oysters: shucked and served on ice with lemon.
If fresh seafood alone isn’t enough, than perhaps some fish and chips from Montgomery’s Fish & Chips would help fill the void! It is just around the corner!

Screaming Mimi’s a local seafood favorite
If you’re from out of town and if you’re looking for something that remotely is similar to crab pot in seattle then this could be it! Screaming Mimi’s is a family owned restaurant situated in the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver on 123 Carrie Cates Ct. If you have a hard time finding it, try walking towards the food court all the way to the end and make a right. You’ll find this little place right beside the door. It’s not a restaurant its more of a food court place.
Screaming Mimi features steamed seafood including mussels and clams, shucked oysters, chowders and a variety of seafood snacks. I’ve been to this location for a total of three times and I find that their clams are amazing. They are great for the price. I ordered a lb worth $ 4.99 and these clams are huge (not like the ones that shrivel up after you steam it). I also had their oyster as well, though I would say its definitely not the cheapest out there… It’s approximately $ 2.50+ per shuck which I find quite expensive since there are multiple places that offer a buck a shuck in downtown during happy hours.
The second time I visited I got the seafood chowder which is a mix of mussels, clams and salmon bits. Overall its quite good for around $ 5. Very creamy and definitely loaded with seafood in it.
The oysters are good but expensive. They are definitely one of the freshest places that serve oysters.
I’ve been to Joe Fortes, Coast, Rodney’s, Boathouse and this place and I would say these oysters definitely rank up there with Rodney’s and Joe Fortes.
If you are looking for quality and quantity for the dollar then Screaming Mimi’s is definitely the place. It’s extremely casual and the people are extremely friendly. Think of yourself as eating near Steveson Fisherman’s Wharf :)

* Seafood cooked just right *
I see a few other Unilocalers had bad service here. I guess I just got lucky. I was acknowledged before I had even finished reading over the overhead menu by the all Japanese staff behind the counter, and my order was taken promptly.
I ordered the seafood chowder, and immediately after ordering the woman who took my order went over to the chowder station to assemble it for me. You may ask, «Chowder station? Assemble?» That’s right.
She took pieces of halibut, a generous pile of clams, and several prawn and placed them all into a quick water boil and then put them into a serving bowl. They were then covered in the broth. This resulted in perfectly cooked seafood — unlike many chowders where the seafood gets overcooked as the chowder is on a low heat.
The shrimp had a nice crunch, the halibut was perfectly cooked, and the clams were juicy. It was seafood cooked just right. To top it off the broth had a pleasant seafood stock base, and had a hint of saffron to round out the flavours. A very VERY nice seafood chowder with perfectly cooked seafood. Photo:

I love seafood. I could give up on all forms of meat if I had an endless supply of seafood.
Screaming Mimi’s is kind of like street food under a roof. Great basic seafood. Crab, shellfish, marinated seafood chowder and baked fish rolls. They have a selection of raw oysters. I could drain my bank account slurping their oysters.
This is a food court vendor so they have limited seating. They can be busy. They have only a couple tables and a few bar-​counter seats, but you can carry your food to the tables on others side or the tables outside weather permitting.

Always gotta have your screaming mimi when you come to Lonsdale! Except last time I came here the service was lacking. Poor guy that was working there was moving at the slowest rate possible. My friend and I probably finished the chowder and oysters in half the time it took for him to make it.
Chowder is yummy, but the food really isn’t that amazing. Stale cold I might add, unless if you’re getting the clams or raw oysters, then THAT’s a different story :)

Have you ever had a meal that only left a bitter taste in your mouth from the terrible service you had? My experience at Screaming Mimi’s left me feeling so upset about wasting my time and MONEY and so disappointed in a meal that could have had such great potential.
Walked up to the counter and waited for several minutes to be acknowledged. There was no one else around except a woman who was putting tobasco on her food, and another woman who had already paid and was simply standing there. 6 people working behind the counter and not a single one paying attention to us. We finally have a chance to order — I asked the price of the steamed crabs and found the woman I was asking didn’t really speak English. Okay… Look, I’m an immigrant. I get the whole not speaking English thing. But in a customer-​facing position where you have to interact and communicate, I think it’s best to have some grasp of the language. We struggled for a while until I thought I got the answer from her. Something, however, was lost in communication.
We ordered some steamed mussels and one steamed crab, and asked for both to come out at the same time. We also asked for a small crab but ended up getting a large one which cost almost $ 30!
The mussels came out. My friend waited and waited and I insisted she start eating them before they get cold. She eventually did, but felt awkward about eating in front of me when I still had nothing. I kept checking the kitchen and saw a crab sitting on a tray and tried to get someone’s attention to see if it might be mine. Waited, and waited, and waited some more.
Several more minutes passed and the owner finally stopped chatting away in the corner with his buddy and asked if the crab was mine. Indeed — and it had been sitting there for more than 10 minutes, I let him know. He gave me extra butter as a consolation.
Now I was to sit and eat alone while my friend watched since her food was now finished. As if it wasn’t frustrating enough to have waited so long, the crab was no longer hot. The whole experience was frustrating and annoying. I feel like I wasted my money and didn’t even get to enjoy the taste of the crab because the service had been so awful.
I get that this isn’t a nice sit-​down restaurant, but it’s not that hard to provide basic service. I will never come back here, no matter how much I’m craving steamed crabs. It’s simply not worth it and I’d rather give my money to a business that cares about its customers.

Yes, yes… everybody else loves this place, the seafood is fresh, the staff are all cutesy and japanese, and it’s in a market setting which adds to its novelty factor. Too bad they’re a hot-​service mess.
Tried to come here for lunch today as it’s close to my work. Key word here is «tried.»
I went during a non-​peak time (1pm)…four tourists and little old lady were in line ahead of me. Four staff were bustling about so you’d think things would move along rather quickly. WRONG.
10 minutes without anybody in line being acknowledged, the little old lady leaves, another 10 minutes to take the orders of two of the tourists in line, couple behind me leaves, another 5 minutes before I get a «one minute» acknowledgement from one of the staff…
This is where I leave, grab cash from the bank machine, buy lunch from Sharky’s and as I walk by Mimi’s on my way back to work… the two remaining tourists that were in line ahead of me are still waiting to be served.

Being in North Vancouver and wanting to make some delicious clam chowder, going to Screaming Mimi’s was a no brainier. We went and got some really fresh and delicious clams at a great price. The service was fast and friendly. But, if you don’t want clams, they also have lobsters, crabs and fish. And, if you don’t want to cook for yourself, but still want to enjoy the great taste of fresh seafood, Screaming Mimi’s also serves food at the store. So, head up to North Vancouver and get a bite to eat…
And as always, Have fun!!!

I had that sudden craving for clam chowder last week and it was the only shop that sells manila clams and mussels. They were super fresh, meaty and along with some double smoked bacon and crisp veg from the market, my clam chowder was a hit! At least I thought so. =) Aside from the clams, crabs, and lobsters that they sell, they also serve those seafood in the store. After reading some of the reviews here, I must come back to try the clam chowder and the steamed crab.

I love seafood and especially when you can get it fresh on the North Shore. Lonsdale Quay is like North Shore’s version of Granville Island and I love it!
This place as really delicious chowders and fresh seafood.
I always order the combo seafood crema rosa chowder. It’s creamy, tangy, a little bit of spice and chock full of seafood, not fillers.
I’ve brought my friends there and they all agree that this is the best place for chowders!
Feeling adventurous one time, I decided to have some raw oysters. Usually I’d be iffy about places that I get oysters from. I decided to risk it and give it a try. OMG, oysters are really fresh and delicious and didn’t smell fishy.
I totally recommend this place for everything seafood!

Quick steamed mussels, clams or beach oysters? Check. Oysters rockefeller? check. Steelhead steak pulled fresh and placed out 1^st come/​1^st serve? Check. Two clams, Manila, and Savoury — both as tasty as clam gets. The mussels were the best I have had. Fresh, 3 minutes from order to table — steaming and presentation in three minutes! LANDSDOWN MARKET, the north stop of the sea bus on English Bay. Go, or miss out

Ordered a 2 lb Dungeness crab to share with my friend. We picked out our lively specimen, 15 minutes later, a steaming crab for us to share. No butter needed.
We enjoyed it so much, we came back the next night. Except this time, it was served cold? Puzzled, we asked why and they apparently need to be specifically told to serve it hot. So please be specific. Also, we like the funky green «soup» and ensured that stayed as well. For the full effect, order some rice from the Vietnamese place and eat it with the soup. Delish!
The service is accomodating if not a tad busy.
I’m not too sure about the clam chowder. They only had Manhattan and I prefer clam. Also, it appears to be a popular place. There are very few barstool tables there but you can always take your tray to the other eating area nearby.
Tip from my foodie friend: Rub the lemon they give you on your hands afterwards to rid yourself of that crabby smell!

Was sold out… At noon.

I love me some seafood. And the fresher it is the better! So my aunt came to visit from the t-​dot and I wasn’t sure where to take her on a rainy winter day, but she apparently wanted to go here. Apparently she came here 10 years ago and remembered it was amazing!
There was a group of 4 elderly gentleman taking up the two tables beside us having a FEAST for lunch. No joke, they had plates of oysters, mussels, clams, and freshly steamed crab arriving every minute — my Aunt and I just stared while wiping away the drool with the back of our hands. At one point one of them pulled out a bottle of wine in a paper bag and four cups and began pouring. How awesome is that?!
While I was really tempted for a whole crab like our neighbours, it looked way too big for a lunchtime meal. So instead we opted for the clam chowder and a creamy oyster, and a crab & shrimp bun.
If you’ve ever received a clam chowder bowl and wondered where the clams are, you should come here. For $ 4, they basically put a ladle-​full of clams (just clams) into your bowl, and then full the rest up with soup. That is a LOT of clams. Shame that they don’t serve the new England style anymore — it seems they only have the Manhattan or a rose-​style soup.
Don’t get the crab & shrimp bun, though. For a place that boasts fresh seafood, I was surprised they used fake crab meat.
Overall, a solid place. Conveniently located just off the seabus in North Van, and that gives you the opportunity to walk around the market once you’re full of seafood-​y goodness.

Fresh, Fresh, Fresh!
Delicious, Delicious, Delicious!
Absolutely got giddy after my first oyster. We picked 4 of each of 3 different types of oysters for some variety. Grabbed the basket — o — fixins and went to town.
What a great find after walking around the market — only wished I had a tall pint of brew to accompany the oysters that would’ve sealed the deal!
Don’t expect a huge place — in fact it’s near the entrance of the market, a few tables with bar stools is all… but what a find!

I hate having to update my review negatively, but this place has seriously gone … overboard? The cute, fishermen-​like boys are gone. The new staff of old ladies clearly can’t manage a lineup. When I tried to get a bowl of cioppino, they had no idea what I was talking about. And now they have one type of chowder available, Manhattan, no New England. The steamed clams and oysters are still the big draw, but good luck with jostling the crowd and figuring out how to get some service. Pass.

This is one of the best seafood joints ever, aside from the fish ‘n chips place on Granville Island. Indeed, Screaming Mimi’s makes any seafood-​lover want to scream with joy because the food is so good.
Located in a corner just inside the entrance to the Lonsdale Quay market, this is some of the freshest seafood you’ll ever have. They have buckets and nets of various clams, mussels, and oysters in front of the counter, and crabs and lobsters in tanks on the other side of the shop. The whole place smells like fish, but what do you expect? That’s how you know everything is fresh, it still smells like it was just fished out of the ocean!
We ordered the mussels and Manhattan chowder, which has their fresh clams in it. So good! Can’t say much else about taste, because if you have fresh seafood, that’s really all you need.
They don’t have much seating available, about a few tall bar-​stools and tables at most. The décor around the shop is neat, with big blowfish hanging from the ceiling, and starfish placed around the netting amidst the tanks. There’s something morbid about it though, when you’re eating seafood right underneath the dangling blowfish …
So the next time you’re at Lonsdale, consider Screaming Mimi’s for your lunch break. Your taste buds will be screaming hallelujah in no time.

Screaming Mimi’s deli is fresh seafood at its best! With tanks of live crab, lobsters, mussels and clams, you can have it all steamed up on the spot for immediate consumption with a freshly baked bun or you can take it home for a tasty dinner treat. The selection of freshly cooked prawns and seafood in such sauces as garlic beer can be bought in small to large containers and the delectable chowder and cioppinos are some of the best in the city. A true taste of West Coast life, fast and delicious!