Chimaek Night at Zabu Chicken

In 2011, Zabu introduced Vancouver to the concept of proper Korean fried chicken, and the city has not fully recovered. The move here is chimaek: the Korean tradition of chicken plus beer (maekju), treated as a guaranteed good night rather than just a menu category. Order the soy-garlic original: lacquered, glassy-crisp and dangerously snackable in a way that makes it hard to remember you were supposed to be having a conversation. The room is loud, casual and completely without ceremony, which makes it a brilliant low-stakes date. Messy fingers and shared napkins do more for conversation than any candlelit silence. A 4.3 across thousands of reviews and a kitchen running till 1am means Zabu also doubles as a late-night rescue plan when dinner at the place you actually booked somehow ran four hours. Robson Street. Walk there.

Duration

1½–2 hours

Best time

Evening · Late night

Price / person

~$24–42 / person

Setting

Indoor

Neighbourhood

Robson Street, West End

Cuisine

korean

Best season

spring, summer, fall, winter

Estimated ~$24–42 / person for shared fried chicken and a beer, as of 2026-06-22. A ballpark, not a quote. Call ahead or check the website for exact pricing.