When Jimmy Mah decided to return to the restaurant business, he knew he had found the place he wanted to run when he came across Northern Café. Read More
The family run Northern Café, an East-meets-West diner, has become a destination with one- and two-hour lineups for lunch
The family run Northern Café, an East-meets-West diner, has become a destination with one- and two-hour lineups for lunch
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When Jimmy Mah decided to return to the restaurant business, he knew he had found the place he wanted to run when he came across Northern Café.
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“Really bad location, really hidden, the owners had been trying to sell it for two years,” he said of the 11-table restaurant that sits atop a hardware store.
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How could he resist?
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Seventeen years later, Mah’s restaurant is one of the most talked about jewels in Vancouver’s food scene crown. The family owned and operated diner has been recognized as one of Yelp’s #1 Best Places to Eat in Canada for 2023 and a Top 25 Best Place to Eat in Vancouver for 2022. The east Vancouver locale was a finalist for Vancouver Magazine’s Best Brunch award and been written about in The Guardian.
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Before opening Northern Café, Mah and his wife Connie had owned and run restaurants from Saskatchewan to Vancouver. They retired in 2005 and spent the next few years travelling. After settling back down in Vancouver, they grew bored.
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Westcoast Homes
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Looking for a restaurant to run, Mah spotted the Northern, a café so off the beaten track that it was known only to a few locals and folks in the construction trade.
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But the real wrinkle in the story came seven years ago, when their son, Raymond, joined the family business. He brought years of experience working as a chef at Sutton Place, Hard Rock Casino, Elements Casino and Parc Retirement Living to the café.
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“I didn’t want to change what my dad did,” Raymond said. “I just wanted to enhance it.”
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Working together with his mom and dad, he noticed the restaurant “slowly start to get busier and busier.”
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In 2022, his older brother, Richard, moved back to Vancouver from Asia, where he had worked in advertising and marketing for over 20 years, primarily in Japan. While Raymond helps refine the menu and operations, Richard ensures that everyone feels welcome and part of the Northern family.
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“Do you know the difference between customer service and hospitality?” Richard asked our table.
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“Customer service is about giving people what they want. Hospitality is about how you make people feel.”
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Working together, the family has turned the Northern into a destination with one- and two-hour lineups for lunch.
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The menu is East-meets-West diner breakfast, brunch and lunch fare, comfort food with a twist. For example, the smoked salmon benny is topped with a tarragon Béarnaise sauce. Specials might include a crispy onion ring beef burger or the ever-popular chicken & French toast.
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The wonton soup is from an old family recipe. “A lot of people say it touches their soul,” said Raymond.
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Along with Raymond and Richard, other family members help out, especially during peak times like spring break and summer.
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Cosmetically, the diner has stayed largely unchanged since the Mahs took over or, indeed, since 1949, when it was built.
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Located in a lumber yard on the banks of the Fraser, it’s low-ceilinged, with a slanted roof and views of the roof and the south bank of the river. Flooring is black-and-white parquetry. The bathrooms are not what one would call state-of-the-art. Sun-blanched testimonials from satisfied customers from all over the world cover the walls. The clientele is a mix of regulars, local curiosity-seekers, and adventurous travellers.