Pearl Castle Café

Been here many times over the years. Standard bubble tea café style food and drinks. On our last visit we had the Kimchi fried rice, chicken nuggets & fried rice, and longan & dates hot tea. The tea was soothing and tasty, but the food we ordered was really salty — especially the chicken nuggets. Note to self: Do not order that particular dish here next time.

This would be the original location, where the toasts and special drinks are actually served.

Nosh and Nibble came here and we had the following:
Wonton with Chili Sauce ($ 6.25)
Honey Sauce Chicken ($ 8.75)
Abalone Mushroom with Three Spices ($ 8.95)
Fish Nuggets with Sour Sauce ($ 9.50)
Coconut Seafood and Pork Hot Pot ($ 12.95)
Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice ($ 10.95)
Apple Curry Chicken Nuggets with Rice ($ 9.25)
Young Girl’s Dream + Pearls (grenadine, calpis, pop, cream) ($ 5.25 + $ 0.50)
Ferrero Rocher Milkshake ($ 5.95)
Mixed 4 Toppings Shaved Ice with Milk Ice Flakes ($ 6.95)
Fluffy Cream Thick Toast with Almond Flakes ($ 4.50)
Japanese Green Tea Fluffy Cream Thick Toast ($ 4.25)
The Wonton with Chili Sauce were an appetizer that came with about 7 wontons in a shallow bath of chili sauce. I found the chili sauce to be quite mild so you might want to ask for this to be spicier if you order it. The skin was soft but not mushy and was an okay choice.
The Honey Sauce Chicken came was a Special Dish that was quite potent in honey flavour without being too sweet. The chicken itself was tender and was very shareable.
The Abalone Mushroom with Three Spices was another Special Dish and this was a hot plate of both abalone and mushroom. This came with a meaty sauce so if you’re vegetarian you can ask for a vegetarian substitute sauce. In any case, the mushrooms were juicy and coated with a sauce that left a bit of a heat and numbing sensation on the tongue. I wish there was more abalone to go around, but that’s what you get for $ 9.
The Fish Nuggets with Sour Sauce were breaded pieces of fish lathered with a sweet and sour sauce. This was no Panda Express sweet and sour sauce though; the sweetness was subtle and the fish wasn’t completely dry. Definitely better than the stereotypical Chinese food.
The Coconut Seafood and Pork Hot Pot came with a creamy coconut broth and a collection of seafood bathed in it. This was a very potent broth with lots of flavour and so this was my favourite dish of the night. This came with a side of steamed rice.
The Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice was also quite tasty. I’m not usually a fan of pineapple — mind you, this didn’t change my mind, but there was lots of flavour evenly mixed through the dish.
The Apple Curry Chicken Nuggets with Rice was the most interesting dish of the night for me. Most people are familiar with the chicken nuggets, but this curry had an apparent apple sauce aftertaste to it which made dipping the chicken into it all the more enticing. Within the curry were potato and carrots, and this also came with steamed rice.
Moving onto some drinks, the Young Girl’s Dream came with grenadine, calpis, pop, cream, and of course, the popular cotton candy. Presentation-​wise this was very pretty with lots of flair and fluff. The drink itself was quite fizzy and would be good for those who like something bubbly.
The Ferrero Rocher Milkshake was a drink with Ferrero Rocher chocolate mixed in with the usual milk and cream and topped with a delicate chocolate ball on top. Again, presentation was on point with this drink, though it was not as chocolatey as I thought it’d be. For those who like a thick chocolate milkshake, this was not it. For those looking for a smooth milky drink with a subtle hint of chocolate, this was it.
Moving onto desserts, we started with the Mixed 4 Toppings Shaved Ice with Milk Ice Flakes. This came with taro, grass jelly, pearls, and a circle of condensed milk. While this didn’t use the blanket-​looking shaved milk cream found in my usual favourite places, this had very fine ice; much finer than that seen at Icy Bar, so I give this a thumbs up if you like a very fine shaved ice. Remember to dig into the bottom to get to the toppings!
The Fluffy Cream Thick Toast with Almond Flakes was a sight to behold. Lots of photos on Instagram drew me to this and the almond didn’t lie. This was covered with warm almond flakes giving it lots of depth and flavour. The toast itself was quite cakey and wasn’t too dry.
The Japanese Green Tea Fluffy Cream Thick Toast was our last dessert of the night and this was a hot piece of toast with what seemed to be a green tea butter spread over top and toasted. I didn’t like this as much as the almond version seen above but if you like the flavour of green tea this might be interesting for you.

Taste is ok, but they don’t really care about the quality of the food. The veggies we had is definitely not washed. And the service is SHITTY! We stand inside of door for 10min, without a table set nor welcome. And we asked many times for water, but no show until we leave… AND the waitress forgot giving us changes. How could a waitress be like that! Awful. My least option in the future.

Delicious food, not bad service. Must their bubble tea and chicken nuggets. Remember must bring cash!

Pearl Castle is exactly what I expect to get from a Taiwanese café in Richmond: delicious food, good enough to make up for the terrible service.
First, the good: Pearl Castle smells amazing when you first walk inside. The hot pot is delicious! My friend recommended the coconut milk seafood hot pot on a cold evening and it definitely hit the spot. It was great value for the price and was full of flavour. I’ll definitely be trying the other hot pot flavours in the future, but the coconut milk is a definite winner here. The hot pots come with a bowl of steamed rice and a «dessert» (actually just a small biscuit roll).
I also had the «Japanese green tea fluffy cream thick toast»…comically long name aside, the thick toast was good and had plenty of green tea topping. It could be improved with some condensed milk on top, but it was still satisfying.
The only drink I’ve tried here was the honey chrysanthemum tea. I usually try the milk tea the first time I go to a Taiwanese restaurant because if they can’t make a basic milk tea, their other drinks probably aren’t worth trying. However, I was really craving chrysanthemum tea, so I got it cold with grass jelly. It was what I expected — nothing mind blowing, but good enough. The grass jelly was meh. It was a bit too medicinal tasting for me, but I’ve had worse.
Now, the bad: The service is appalling. I didn’t expect much, but let’s just say I was lucky one of my friends can speak a bit of Mandarin. I’m not faulting the wait staff for not knowing fluent English, but you should at least know what «grass jelly» means if you’re serving bubble tea. My drink arrived without grass jelly even after the server said «okay». Then when my friend pointed out (in Mandarin) that my drink didn’t have any grass jelly, she brought a bit over in a small cup. Okay, language barriers, I get it.
Soon after, we were done with our food and needed to get the bill. Once we got her attention, we asked to have our bill split and the waitress said no, which was unfortunate but not unexpected. Once we got the full bill and knew what each of us was going to pay individually, we asked the waitress to give us eight $ 5 bills in exchange for two $ 20 bills. Of course, she came back with a few dollars change instead of $ 40. We had to call over another waitress who spoke English to get things done properly and she apologized for the inconvenience.
Despite the service issues, we found ourselves back a few nights later because the food is pretty great. Again, the service was typical Richmond, but the food was good (and affordable!), and that’s what really matters to my stomach. I’ll be back to try the rest of the menu.

I’m from Edmonton and always make it a point to go to Pearl Castle when I’m visiting Richmond! Love their fried oysters, chicken knee and seafood milk pot! Not to mention their bubble tea. Excellent!

Always come here for afternoon tea, service is great, especially their manager. Food quality is just okay, and drink just as good as usual. Their hotpot are normal, salty chicken is not too bad. Soup and noodle not too good so don’t bother to try. Tuna toast is a must try. Also, their banana milkshake is excellent too. Overall, is a good place to visit for light meal and bubble tea. Quality of food: ⁴⁄₅ service: 3.5÷5 décor: ³⁄₅

Came here for a dinner with my friend. Been a very long time I haven’t gone here. I got Tomato Beef noodle ($ 10.25) and my buddy got Angelica Chicken noodle ($ 9.25) and Matcha Frappé ($ 4.95).
Tomato Beef noodle– tasted good with tomato soup. Noodle was thick and chunky which I didn’t like. Meat was tender and soft.
Angelica Chicken noodle– my buddy said it tasted bland. AND said she won’t order this again. However she enjoyed Matcha slush.
Big portion and reasonable price. Service was fast. However one staff was absent minded and handed us a bill while we waited for our food. Washroom smelled kinda funky.

I finally got to try this place out since i’ve always passed by but never stepped foot inside. My pear castle virginity has been taken!
I tried out their popcorn chicken and rice, since it’s one of my favorite things to try at other taiwanese places and see how they match up with the others. The quantity of food was decent and above average. Good portion for the price. The popcorn chicken was only just average but personally a bit below average for my liking. The crunch factor wasn’t all that ‘crunchy’ more like, stale and a bit flat tasting… Seasoning was ok, it was a bit more salty than other places which I didn’t like too much, the three side dishes they served with the meal were pretty good, got some cabbage, potato and some other thing that I forgot what is was.
Overall, the popcorn chicken rice was really only 2.5÷5 for me… But this review just scratches the surface of this place since there are still so many other items to try. Until the next time and try something new, this review is still pending.

Consistently good food and service! Must try: seafood hotpot, honey sauce chicken, chicken nuggets, chicken teriyaki fried rice, etc

CASH ONLY
Shredded pork and squid (⁴⁄₅) — Would have been great with rice, since it was kinda salty. However, I hit my carbs for the day so I ate it without rice. I’d have to come back to have it with rice the next time.
Passion black tea (⁴⁄₅) — Got it with less ice and less sweet, tasty and strong passionfruit flavor, but likely a syrup.

I’ve been to this place many times, and the only reason I come back is because the food is good and incredibly reasonably priced. The service however is a major issue, it takes a ridiculous amount of time to get someone to take your order and even longer to get your food or drinks. The only thing the staff do quickly is get you payed up and on your way out the door.

Order the deep fried chicken knee, its spoiled when eat. And late service on weekday.

Great place to grab some authentic Taiwanese boba & food! I love how they offer hot pots especially the Botany Chicken one! Tastes like my parents home cooking! Their Five Spice Chicken is also highly recommended!
Venue only takes CASH!

Quality of bubble tea here is comparable to the best places in Taiwan. My friends and I had 3 different flavor among us — all good to great. FYI I lived half my life in Taiwan and still spend a few weeks there every year, as do my friends I came here with.
Popcorn chicken was better quality than night markets and tea shops in Taiwan, though I wouldn’t mind a little basil mixed in or white pepper or garlic or chili powder on the side (should come automatically, no?). I guess I could ask next time…
Quality of other appetizers was comparable to good places in Taiwan. (Flavored Toast, abalone fried mushrooms).
Service was prompt and very friendly. Most of us spoke at least some Mandarin, though there were a few non Asians in the restaurant as well and they seem to have enough English speaking staff as needed.
Ambience is clean and warm.
Prices are better than any comparable quality tea house in Taiwan (!!!). Cash only.
I’m sold and hope to find excuses to come out here often and become a regular.

This place is always super crazy busy. The food I have to say is ok. I do in fact find their bowls fascinating. I mean they kind of reminds me of a comfy chair where the rice sits in. Other than that, it is a Chinese restaurant so don’t expect exceptional service here. Some of the waitress don’t speak English so you either have to know Mandarin.
I like their drinks here. They have some pretty interesting drinks like the love paradise yogurt drink. Sounds interesting eh? There are more like that but they are good and you can pretty much get it here only. As well, they have some pretty good desert, The Taiwanese shaved ice.
I do in fact like the choices they have.

I came here for their bubble tea and condensed milk toast. I was meeting one of my friends in Richmond and he suggested this place. There is a good balance of sweet and savory meals. Enough seating and decent atmosphere. It is always ruled by young kids which is fine with me. I know that it bothers some, however, I like it. Prices are very decent. English is limited given the area but they managed to understand that I wanted extra pearls. They forgot to charge me extra but told me not to worry about it ’cause of my honesty. From what my friend told me this place has been around longer than the bubble tea trend explosion, therefore, not surprised that they made my bubble tea almost perfect.

Great food. The food came instantly after I ordered it. The customer service was very slow. As it took them 15 minutes as to say hi what do you want to order. The staff are very slow to get to you. The food was good and very affordable.

After Cute Pearl House closed down, my go to bubble tea place is Pearl Castle. (Note: not the one in Richmond Centre… Food/​drinks aint as good)
The Passion Fruit Green Tea with pearls (I asked for less sweet) is delicious and refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
Chicken with 3 spices and rice. You can never go wrong with the this order. However, I find the side dishes on the other hand will always be hit and miss…
I was a bit disappointed on my last visit… The Gung Pao Chicken wasn’t spicy enough and it didn’t have the peanuts I used to love :(
Service like usual was pretty bad, it’s as if most of the people there simply don’t want to be there. Apathetic and lethargic… save for perhaps 1 – 2 employees.
Regardless… There isn’t a better Taiwanese restaurant in Vancouver or Richmond. Let me know if you know a better place. Cause I’d love to find a different place with good Taiwanese food AND bubble tea.
Overall… I think this place is a consistent 3 star restaurant factoring in service…

Wow I don’t know how long this place has been around? I betcha I’ve been coming to Pearl Castle for over 10 years!
Still when I come to Pearl Castle I find it to have a new, fresh, and lively environment. Pearl Castle is pretty clean, good service and a wide array of snacks, food, and drinks. It’s a perfect environment to hang out late night. I guess there are few hip Asian joints to hang out on a late week night.
I had a chocolate bbt and sweet condensed milk thick toast. These are my staple go to items when having bbt. Both items were really good. I’ve ordered meals here… both lunch and dinner. I enjoy the food here. They offer an eclectic mix of tasty dishes, and some of the waitresses aren’t bad too! Hahaha!

I went here to celebrate my mom’s birthday with her by having dinner here.
We ordered Deep fried oysters, this spicy $ 10 meal thing, and 3 cup chicken. It was decent to say the least and despite how the place was busy, the food still came at a relatively decent amount of time. The service was good, and the price was pretty fair. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is looking for some decent Taiwanese/​chinese food that might be heading towards that general direction.

Very decent portions. Had the milky udon in soup which was different but not too bad. Lots of ingredients and seafood in this dish. The kimchi pan fried udon was also very decent. We also had a chicken dish which was delicious. Prices are ok– about $ 10 a dish. This place is busy so get there early.

The food is probably more 3 stars. the drinks are really good, and the consistency makes it a 4 star.
It’s consistently pretty good. the drinks are probably more interesting than the food.
We like to stop in after our drive up and get a bubble tea, or get something simple to eat.

Undoubtedly trendy and incredibly Taiwanese, Pearl Castle (圓香 aka Yuan Xiang) is easily one of Vancouver’s most popular tea house chains. This Richmond location is always packed, lots of young folks passing time, while sipping some tea and getting their eat on.
The fact they’re open late is a real draw. No one likes how quiet Richmond becomes after 10pm and somehow the post movie hour ends up becoming a late night eats /​drink session at PCC. Perfect for crowds, but asinine parking. I suppose neither is technically their fault.
All sorts of Taiwanese edibles are available, from the classic 3 Cup Chicken (三杯雞) to more adventurous choices like Deer Intestine Soup (五更腸旺). I’ve personally had mixed results with their Hui Guo Rou (回鍋肉), which is one of my favorite dishes in general, but has been butchered otherwise. The Tomato Prawns (茄汁蝦球) are a decent pick, but are best enjoyed with rice, which is a $ 1.50 a bowl. I say skip the bowl and go for the Taiwanese fave, Braised Pork Over Rice (台式滷肉飯). On a whole the food isn’t all that impressive but realize that this isn’t their forte. Drinks and desserts are more up their alley.
Hibiscus tea with bubbles? Solid. My perennial favorite in taro green tea is wickedly sweet and a close favorite in the lychee green tea is good, so long as they’re not too heavy on that cancer causing boba powder. During the summer months, a bowl of the shaved ice is a treat, just make sure you have other mouths germing up the bowl with you so the judgemental taibilang (#1) don’t give you an odd stare.
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(#1) Taiwanese for «people from Taipei.» They ain’t afraid to tell you like it is.