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The ultimate food tour from Metrotown to Royal Oak station

May 04, 2022

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You didn’t ask for it, but we have created the ultimate food tour from Metrotown to Royal Oak station. That’s right, you can take transit and don’t have to worry about driving home with a full belly. We’ll also offer some different options if you’re looking to customize your food tour to make sure you hit up the best spots. But preamble aside, let’s head to the first stop on our food tour.

From Metrotown station, you’re going to head down the BC Parkway Trail until you hit Imperial street. Cross the street and you’ll hit La Forêt, one of the best cafes in all of Burnaby. It’ll take about 10 minutes from the station to get here, but it’s worth it. They’ve got plenty of delicious drinks to try like their Cinnamon Hazelnut Latte, Crunchy Dalgona Latte, and Marshmallow Latte. They also have tons of food options with seven different brunch platters, plenty of different sandwiches, pasta, and pizza. We’d recommend ordering a nice drink with a small pastry or maybe a meal to share since this is just one of the many restaurants you’ll stop at. It’ll be tough not to order everything off the menu, but we know you can do it.

Address: 6848 Jubilee Ave, Burnaby

Alternative: Fondway Cafe

If you’re needing that caffeine fix immediately and don’t want to walk the ten minutes from Metrotown station to La Forêt, Fondway Cafe is a great alternative. The space is a bit smaller but they have plenty of coffee and tea options just like La Forêt, but it is just a one-minute walk to get here. Their food options are also a bit more limited than La Forêt but they have a breakfast sandwich that is so good we cannot stop thinking about it. Plus, they serve grass and coffee jelly drinks, which La Forêt does not.

Address: 4462 Beresford St, Burnaby

On your way to La Forêt (or as you’re walking to the next destination from Fondway Cafe), you’ll pass the Burnaby community fridge. While this is mainly a food tour about you eating, consider bringing some food along to leave in the community fridge. This community fridge provides a safe and a nonjudgmental way for people in our neighbourhoods to give and take what they need, reduce waste, and feed their children better. Visit the Burnaby community fridge website to learn what food can and cannot be accepted.

Address: 4750 Imperial St, Burnaby

Whether you went to La Forêt or Fondway Cafe, you’ll have to go east down Imperial street, past Jubilee Cycle, and then turn left onto Royal Oak ave. From there, it’s a straight walk to Kamamarui Ramen & Don. We’d recommend ordering either the Tonkatsu Ramen or the Black Ramen (made with black garlic oil). But you really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu.

Address: 6514 Royal Oak Ave, Burnaby

Some people are particular about their ramen, and that’s okay! If you’re looking for a richer ramen broth, then Marutama is the place for you. Instead of stopping at Kamamarui, walk a little bit further and turn right on the corner of Kingsway, and you’ll be at Marutama. They have more ramen variations than Kamamarui, but they have fewer appetizers (but that might be a good thing considering how much food you’ve already eaten). Both restaurants are great and we’d recommend you try them whenever you have the chance.

Address: 5278 Kingsway, Burnaby

After all these savoury foods you’ll be due for something sweet. Regardless of if you chose Kamamarui or Marutama, you’ll need to head southeast down Kingsway and turn right onto Grimmer street. Then across the street, you’ll see Sugar Lab Pancake House. It may surprise you to hear that, despite having “pancake” in the name, we would recommend ordering one of their crepe cakes. They have so many different flavours, and it’s so cool to see all the different layers of crepes in the cake slices.

Address: 5376 Grimmer St, Burnaby

You’ve heard us talk about Ki Cafe before, but we cannot stress how much you need to visit. From Sugar Lab Pancake House you’re going to head west down Grimmer street towards Royal Oak ave, and then turn left to head south towards Royal Oak station. Along the way, you’ll run into Ki Cafe on your left. This is the perfect place to unwind and relax after a long day of walking and eating. What’s great about this place is it has a huge manga library for you to sit down and read, along with some delicious drinks. Depending on how full you are, you can also order something off their food menu. We’d recommend getting the Potetama (a poached egg in a creamy potato puree with toasted focaccia) or their fried chicken waffles.

Address: 105-6888 Royal Oak Ave, Burnaby

If you follow the Burnaby Beacon on TikTok (which you should), you might remember we ranked Camellia Tea & Coffee as one of the best places for tea in Burnaby. It is also, coincidentally, right beside Ki Cafe. Currently, Camellia Tea & Coffee does not have any indoor seating which makes it perfect if you’re just looking for something to enjoy on the transit ride back home. They also have yummy pastries if you didn’t quite satisfy your sweet tooth at Sugar Lab Pancake House.

Address: 104-6888 Royal Oak ave

Well, there you have it! This is the ultimate food tour from Metrotown to Royal Oak station. Once you’ve finished at either Ki Cafe or Camellia Tea & Coffee, you can continue south down Royal Oak Ave, and you’ll hit the station.

What’s great about this food tour is you can do it backwards as well and start with breakfast at Ki Cafe or Camellia Tea & Coffee. What’s even better is there are so many other restaurants that you can make this food tour your own by adding more stops along the way. If you do end up trying this food tour, be sure to post it on social media and tag @burnabybeacon so we can see.