Zephyr Tea House Café

Cockroaches found on the table, closing in on my food. I jad already paid, but when I brought this to the waiter’s attention, he just said, «oh, okay, sorry» and stood awkwardly until we left. Health inspection should be done here.

Easy to get to via transit. I have been here twice with friends for drinks, not so much of things off the menu other than some noodle like items. There is some atmosphere. Prices are really cheap, cash only. Not enough pearls in my drink.

The food is good and a variety. There’s some small booths so there is some privacy and there’s room between seatings so you don’t feel that cramped.
The service is a hit and miss. Today (Feb 13) was good as the server spoke English, Cantonese and Mandarin so some friends who don’t speak Mandarin was able to order without feeling bad. However when it came, the person bringing the food only spoke Mandarin and also brought it to the wrong tables. The one who took the order had to correct the person who brought the food.
At night, there is ample parking as you can park by business next to them. It is open late (around 1am).

I am quite disappointed in this place and will not be returning. We came here 3 times, and all 3 times have been not pleasing.
The first time, I came with a group of 6 friends. When the bill came, we asked if we could separate the bills for each person, to which they replied «no». Then we asked if we could just pay separately for each portion but put the total together for the bill, to which the staff also replied «no». The staff said that it should be paid all on one debit card by someone. So one of my friends paid for the whole bill, and we paid him back by all going to the bank to get cash.
The second time, I came with a group of 2 friends. This time, we knew to bring all cash since last time the staff were not accommodating about splitting the bills. This time, we asked before our order if it was possible to split us into 3 separate orders. The waitress said no. Ok no big deal, but rather unaccommodating again. They forgot to bring one of my friend’s meals and we reminded them half an hour later to bring his meal. He almost didn’t want it since the other 2 of us were almost done. They also let a child bike around on a little kid bicycle in the restaurant which was really strange, because he bumped into one of our chairs. This is an eating establishment, not a playground!
The third time, which was last night, was the deciding factor to never return to this place again. When we ordered, the waitress this time didn’t speak a spot of English. So I asked her if she spoke other languages? (Since I can speak Japanese, French, and Cantonese). She spoke only Mandarin, darn, the language that I barely knew. I struggled with my questions about a certain order because I wanted to know some things about the soup, but she didn’t understand me. I asked her if she could bring a staff who could understand English, and she replied that nobody can help. Anyway, my husband and I ordered, and they completely forgot his meal. When we reminded them, they brought his dinner and the popcorn chicken was COLD. It must have been sitting somewhere on a counter for at least 20 minutes. The least they could do was check first and re-​heat it. Poor service, unaccommodating, and nobody speaks English even though this restaurant is set up in Canada.
I will not be returning and do not recommend this restaurant.

Agree with most reviewers about the shoddy service. We don’t mind eating here because the food is good and the place is roomy. Service, however, doesn’t even deserve the minimum 10%! The last time I ate here, which was last week, I had to ask for tea and water. The waiter seemed confused when I asked for tea. I didn’t mean bubble or any special teas on the menu but regular tea that all Chinese restaurants serve you when you sit down. Tea came and it was cold! Fine, whatever, but when I asked for refill he took away our cups and never returned with more tea! What the heck???
If you do go, just enjoy the food and don’t think about the service:-)

If i could give this place zero stars I would. Started out okay, waitress took our order for a group of fifteen people. To my surprise, the kitchen got our orders correct, usually these bubble tea places mess up on at least one order. Well actually they did, they forgot to make my drink. I ordered a apple passion fruit soda. It came with no soda, no fizz at all. Tasted plain and artificial. Didn’t bother to complain, but later on realized I should have said something. We also order a sukiyaki hot pot, was basically hot water and cabbage, no flavour at all. When we asked for more sauce, they originally wanted to charge us until we complained about the lack of flavour. Throughout the whole experience not one apology from the waitress for the delays or lacking dishes. At the end of the night we decided to leave a minimum tip of 10%, which was already more than they deserved. The waitress had the nerve to return to our table and ask for for 15% claiming there was a mandatory charge for groups larger than 7. We pointed out it wasn’t stated any where on the menu, she countered that it was, but after checking and saw it was not, she came up with the excuse that they haven’t had time to update their menu. Either way, we’re never coming here again. Their credit card processing machine was also down, but only informed us half way through our meal. I guess it’s our fault for coming here after having multiple disappointing visits, but it’s one of the few places that always have room for a large group, now we know why. Save yourself the headache and don’t try this place.

Found a nightlife bubbletea bar I like; a cross-​between of a restaurant and moderately loud music lounge with a separate snack take-​out bar. The place was pretty empty and lots of privacy since the place is spacious. That’s a big plus for me, because lots of bubbletea places in Richmond are cramped and tiny forcing me to always just do take out. There is a large screen projector playing music (English Pop, K-​Pop etc). Service is fast, but don’t expect friendly waitresses. They just plop the food and drink down at your table and walk off briskly (which seems to be a common thing with Chinese venues, sigh). The food is decent. I wouldn’t recommend this as a romantic place, but a good place for a group of friends if they don’t mind the sound of the music video playing on the screen. If you’re looking for a quiet place, this isn’t it, but if you have a group of lively friends looking for casual eats, then this is the place. Like Lily D. mentioned below: «I don’t run into friends here as often when I have my hungry grumpy face and no make up on». She is right, I can go here and just be in my casual wear. The food I ordered was the «Pineapple & Shrimp in Mayonnaise Rice» (came with seaweed appetizer dish, tomato-​egg appetizer dish, and a strawberry jelly candy). The pineapple and shrimp was in 1 dish, and the rice came in its own bowl. Everything came in a tray, kind of reminding me of a bento box style. I got the Strawberry Green Tea, it wasn’t too bad but a bit candy-​ish tasting. Maybe next time I’ll try a different tea and see if I like it better. Husband ordered the Popcorn Chicken with Rice, he says the popcorn chicken was good (better than Well Tea) but not as good as Pearl Castle’s. He ordered the Chocolate Coffee Milk Tea and he liked it. I found it kind of powdery tasting but the chocolate was nice deep flavor. Will definitely come back again and again. There is also free parking in a small lot.

Honestly, out of all the bubble tea places in richmond, the reason I sill drop by here is because
1:it’s usually never full
2: lots of privacy, between seats and tables there is actually space.
3: I don’t run into friends here as often when I have my hungry grumpy face and no make up on.
The food is decent, service is quite good.
I really like the «tri-​pot» (aka low carb snacks?) ‚
It’s like a corner with an individual kitchen where you pick what you want to be in the box and then they cook it for you in a special soup. I really liked the taro cake !!
However, it could be really [ p r i c y ] after getting too carried away with your selections. Plus, they add a 10% tips automatically as well… So my bill was around $ 20 last time I went… Just on the snacks.

Yummy milk tea and food, nice spacious place. But service could use a little improvement.
I had the Korean style kimchi fried rice, popcorn chicken, fried 甜不辣, and garlic sauce pork slices. All were pretty good except the hot items got cold pretty quick for some reason. Service was fast but the waitresses’ English was not very good.
All in all a good place for a quick meal over bubble tea.

Good! I would come back for their spicy beef noodle. I also liked that they have a combo with the popcorn chicken (noodle in soup with a side plate of popcorn chicken). Each combo comes with a cute mini mango gelatin and some tofu appy.

I mosed down to Richmond on Saturday night to check out this «new» BBT place. Zephyr Tea House Café is in the heart of Richmond. Off No. 3 Road and Alderbridge it’s in a can’t miss location.
Things I liked about Zephyr:
Firstly, I noticed this place is very spacious. The customers are not packed in like rats. There is plenty of room between tables and as a customer you are afforded a degree of privacy. Secondly, I like their selection of music. They have a big screen projector playing music videos from the latest North American and Asian artists! I’m Asian but don’t speak a lick of Mandarin. I like the diverse choice in music here.
Ok with every banana there is always the banana peel to deal with! Service is suspect here. I ordered the popcorn chicken and a strawberry grenadine soda. It took over 20 minutes to get my order. The place was not even busy! My friend asked for a hot water twice before receiving it. I don’t know I don’t want to sound racist cuz I really am not a racist, but it seems like places run by mainland Chinese people have a reputation of providing substandard customer service!
They don’t seem to realize that customer service is not a privilege! It’s an expectation in Van City!
The food… hmmm… ok la! The popcorn chicken was good for the first little while. After the ¾ mark I realized it was lacking in flavor and all I was really eating was battered deep fried chicken. Got to be a bit plain. The drink was exceptionally sweet! I could not finish it.
Overall, I would come back and try other dishes. The location and the ambiance of the joint make me want to try it again. I just have to lower my customer service expectations!

Although it is a little dark inside, the restaurant is very roomy and is a great place to hang out with friends. Food quality is solid, but recently the bubble tea has been horrible.
I ordered two drinks to-​go (Calpis green tea and Wheat Germ Milk Tea). The restaurant wasn’t busy, but the drinks took a while to come. The staff making the drinks spilled ¼ of the milk tea (she added the wheat germ while making the drink and couldn’t strain out the liquid). Both drinks were ordered half sweet, yet they come out tasting like syrup.
I went back a second time this summer and ordered 2 bubble teas to-​go. Let’s give them a second chance! :) Not only did my «half sweet» drinks come out tasting like syrup again, they forgot the pearls and did not do anything to fix that.
Drinks used to be really good at Zephyr, but now they are soooo sweet (even ordering half sweet) that they’re gross… I would pass on the drinks and just stick with the food.

1 – 5 scale
Service: 3
Cleaningness: 3
Food Quality: 3
Dined at Zephyr during mid afternoon which was nice because it wasn’t too busy. Other reviews suggest it gets pretty busy here and we had a child with us so we needed a less crowded restaurant.
Overall the service was prompt and the space was large so it was good for families.
I ordered a regular milk tea with pearls and some curry chicken. The chicken needs some work (probably not their specialty), but the milk tea was pretty good.
May come back again if I’m in the area, but it’s nothing to brag about.

The food quality is very good. Nicely flavored and the texture is perfect. We have 5 people for dinner, all ordered different drinks and dishes, and all were satisfied with our orders. I have posted some pictures for our dishes here in Unilocal,which is pretty self explained.
The service is kind of slow, though. I heard that they share the same waitress as the restaurant next door, since they have the same owner. This definitely slows them down. So be patient if your order takes a long time.

This has always been a staple since I was growing up. Fair prices, casual but sophisticated environment and great food!
This place has something for everyone, a little butcher for meats you can bring home and make later, great selection of bubble teas and other drinks.
Just go try it already!

I had the popcorn chicken noodle soup and found the soup to be a little bland. Portion-​wise it was decent, you’ll walk out feeling full. Next time I’ll try the house special noodles.
As expected from Richmond eateries don’t expect any service. I had to waive my waiter down twice to get the bill.
There’s a number of restaurants on that lot but overall parking wasn’t an issue. Easy to get to from Lansdowne mall as well if you’re coming from skytrain or bus.

I really really really like this place.
Pro tip: always try and get the seats on the couches. It’s perfect for large groups and it’s super comfy in that area.
As Edward L. said, there is plenty of parking here and the bbtea and food is all right! We had the salty peppery chicken last time and it was the bomb! Large portions, well spiced … simply delicious.
However, it is a bit difficult to wave down a server though when it comes to paying for your bill. Your best bet would be to go up to the cashier and pay there instead. 1 star deduction.
Zephyr has a great vibe inside though. There’s plenty of space and you’re bound to get a seat here unlike many of the other bbtea places in Richmond on a Fri or Sat night.

3.5 stars.
Based on what I had, this place serves up solid Taiwanese food. Their blemish is customer service.
It’s frequented by a predominantly young crowd, not much more than 25 y.o. — I guess they don’t have too high expectations here. Water was never refilled, had to instruct server to bring fork for my daughter twice. They were very courteous tho, so no complaints there.
They all assumed I could speak Mandarin — I can’t. I can butcher it at best. English it was.
Came here on a mid Sunday afternoon. No crowds, got a table immediately.
Amuse bouche free of charge — gluten in some sauce. Think monk food that they serve at monestaries. That what this was. Quite flavourful. Never seen this done at a Chinese restaurant before.
Beef noodle soup. I ordered this with the wide noodles (of course!!!) This was quite good. The broth did not have any MSG, or at least so little, it did not bother me. I could not detect it because it was not salty at all. The noodles were good and chewy and the shank was tender as heck. This was very well done and one of the better beef noodle soups I’ve had.
Taiwanese popcorn chicken was battered very well but was a bit too salty for me. Likely an off day. Less salty and this would have been excellent. Really enjoyed the deep fried basil that came with it.

Janice and I hit up Zephyr for a quick lunch. We both ordered some cold drinks to cool down. I had the cappucino cookie ice cream slush and she went with a matcha ice cream slush. Mine was okay. I tasted lots of cookies, chocolate, and not really any coffee. Janice’s was frothy and smooth.
We split a massive bowl of spicy house beef noodles with beef brisket along with some deep fried fish cakes. The beef soup was good and tastefully authentic, but the noodles were thin and too plain. The fish cakes were a nice fried treat.
The food and drink at Zephyr were decent. It’s a big, spacious space in the furniture district of Richmond. Everything was just okay, but still managed to be relatively good on value.

My hubby and I were trying to find a late night spot to have a drink and relax. There aren’t many places in this area that are open late. We happened to drive by this place and decided to try it out. They serve sodas and teas. I ordered the herbal passion fruit tea and my hubby had the blood orange soda. My tea came with a shot of simple syrup on the side. I don’t usually put sweetener in my tea but this one needed it as it was quite tart. It was very good and it was a cute little pot of tea.
They also have a food menu that is hong kong style snacks. However, we ended up ordering from Tri Pot, which also shares the café. They serve low carb snacks. So we got the chicken feet and pig’s ears. They were mixed and coated in a special sauce and served with cilantro and pickled cucumbers with your choice of heat. It was very good.
They have a tv playing the latest music videos as well as Chinese R and B music videos. They also have sections with sofas if you have a large group. A group of people were playing a rousing game of cards while we were there so it got noisy at times.
This place is mainly for the young asian crowd but we didn’t feel uncomfortable since there were other people there around our age.
It’s a nice place to relax and hang out.

Came here for a dinner. Many places in Richmond are closed by 2200, which is a shame. This place is open late though, so you don’t always have to resort to No. 9.
Parking is plentiful as this is in a (kinda dead) industrial park. No complaints here.
A couple of ads outside curiously advertise that the food here is «low carb». The dishes here go easy on the pasta and rice though. While it is a bit of a stretch, there is some truth to those signs.
The interior is a bit dim, with the walls painted black. There is a projector playing various music videos. Today it must’ve been Rihanna day.
I had a good chuckle at how the painters weren’t too careful with the masking tape. You can see a lot of paint «leakage» between the white fixtures/​pillars and the black ceiling. Might not want to hire them to do your place.
I had the salty peppery chicken (easiest benchmark for Taiwanese food). It was light on the better but heavy on the spices. They also mixed in some of those oh-​so-​awesome basil leaves. Some of the best I’ve had in Richmond for a while. My friend Vincent N. had some breaded chicken with noodle (it came with pasta and a small mango dessert) I tried some of his chicken and the skin was also crispy but light on the batter. I actually do prefer not having too much batter, so this also scored points with me. It also came with a small dish of pasta, which I tried a piece. The pasta is a touch bland but hey, this is healthier too.
I should come here more often, as the food is quite good. As everyone else (I looked around) looked like they were in university still, it made Vincent and I feel young again. Recommended.

A bit pricey for what you get compared to other locations around this town.
My brother and a couple of friends came here for a little dinner as I wanted to try the Tri Pot which is also located within, but a different business.
(Tri-​pot is a take out Taiwanese low carb snack place).
Taiwanese sausage, and like Stephen Y said, it wasn’t much. Kinda small, (but not too salty). No rice. Just a side dish. Our lady friend seemed to like talking about it and poking at it. 3 stars.
Spicy Wuntun, but it was a bit mushy, still passable and the portions weren’t half bad, but the Wuntuns were a bit smallish. 3 stars.
Pork with garlic. That was decent. Reasonable sized for the money and tasted good. 3.5 stars.
I ordered the Szechuan Hot Pot (Taiwnese style so it’s not quite the same).
Not very spicy (for what we like it to be)
Decent amount of veggies inside and the pork slices were just enough to fill my belly!!!
The Hot pot came out on a tray with an individual hot pot and butane cooker underneath to keep the soup stock boiling and cook the meats properly. I didn’t much like the sauces it came with, but that’s probably cause, it just wasn’t what I liked, so I left them intact and just ate the hot pot stuff.
3.5 stars.
My iced green tea, no sugar was good. Looked like beer in a glass with frothy head on top and everything! 4 stars. Kudos for no sugar.
If they gave you larger portions for price you pay, it’s be worth trying again. The flavour and ingredients don’t make this any better than other places around town, so I’d just have to say, it’s average.
What I did like was the Tri-​pot next door within.
Interesting concept.
BTW. the four of us were probably the oldest people here. Most of them were under 25 something kids with BMW’s and Benzes.

We went for lunch there today with 4 co-​workers. When we arrived at 12:10 and there was only one other table of customer. We thought great, we’ll be in and out in no time. We ordered and got our food almost same time.
We had side dishes and noodles to share:
Cold cucumber in spicy sauce — Very crunchy and tasty
Taiwanese style sausage — ok.
Diced chicken & peanut with chili pepper on rice — chili sauce mild and a lot peanuts
House Special Spicy Beef brisket noodle — Tasty and quite spicy
Deep fried chicken steak with noodle in soup — full size of chicken steak with thick noodle.
All of us ordered bubble tea, overall BBT were good.
For sure, we will go back there for lunch.