The Lion's Den Cafe

I've been looking for authentic Jamaican food in Vancouver for a decade and I'm not sure why I never knew of this place. The oxtail stew and jerk chicken was perfect - moist and flavourful and generous and went well with the champagne soda. I'm literally committed to trying every dish on their menu with ackee and salt fish up next. The owners Junko and Ken were there and despite suffering a stroke a few years ago Ken was there smiling and listening. Junko told us about themselves, their food, and the story of the restaurant's name.
Do yourself a favour and go there and eat heartily and listen to their story - it'll be worth it.

Jerk and teriyaki chicken combo on rice.
Excellent!

Sat outside on the lone table and shaded a bit by the trees.

Family run restaurant excellent and personable service. You can tell she was extremely busy but she was organized and timely.

Jamaican patties were excellent - we tried both chicken and beef, and they were well flavored and hefty. Overall, great value and go for the Jamaican dishes.

The jerk chicken has a nice spicy kick, and the meat was very tender. Serving portion was very generous, and the breakfast special was only $9 !? You cannot find that price at a restaurant in 2023 anywhere in Vancouver as a regular price!

PLEASE NOTE:
- service will be slow because it is ONE lady who is the cook/server/cashier/dishwasher/DJ/caretaker. Be patient and only go if you have time to spare
- pour your own water and clean up the table as much as you can before leaving - help the lady out!
- tip generously for a local gem :)

Having read the reviews ahead of time, we called ahead to put in our order and informed the lady owner of our arrival time. Even though she was visibly stressed out about juggling so many tasks, she was still very polite and kindly got our food out quickly. Super grateful for that!

If my spouse had a stroke and became disabled, I would not be able to handle running a restaurant literally all by myself (probably will burn it down within the first day...) So it is amazing what the owner is able to do on her own, day in and day out.

Another place that is near where i live 2-3 blocks,I went to check this place after walking by the park which is just after this building,not busy when i came,late lunch.

Small place lessthan 20 heads when its full plus few tables outside.
The owner is always there he is Jamaican named Al and the wife is the queen in the kitchen named junko,both of the very friendly..now i understand where they got the word 'JAPARIBBEAN".

They have this calendar and after eating they will ask ask every clients to sign, As per Junko they survived almost 2 years now.
simple menu,only few choices,i tried the jerky chicken. it comes with veggie salad and rice,it was spicy,the chicken was so tender that the meat is falling from the bones.

Decors are jamaican inspired plus there was really a lion inside.i beleived they bought it from the zoo,it was a huge stuffed lion by the upper portion,positioned like looking outside from a den.pretty neat,i like it.
Parking is always hard in this area,although it is free but firstcome first serve or you park by the street or a bit far.

Small place so i dont know if it is good for group,there were 2 kids inside with their mom so that shows that this lions den is good for kids,
There is TV but since im so hungry i forgot to checkl if they have wifi,even the wash room i wasnt able to peep on.

For so long i wanted to try this place,but i would say this is not really the best spotto get an authentic jamaican dishes,maybe next time i will try Junko's special pizza.

Accept cash/credit/debit
Noise level is average.
Friendly owners i even have a soveinir picture from both of them.
Mabuhay!!!!

Our second visit and it Did not disappoint the curry goat is off the hook and my wife chose the big breakfast which she enjoyed very much. Also recommend you ask about the story of the stuff lying yes it's a real lion with a rather tragicomic story

Japarribean? What's that? Definitely a new one.

Parking is quite awful here, as both Fraser and Kingsway fill up. A short walk is in order.

The name of the place comes from the giant (real) stuffed lion, on a shelf near the ceiling. This can be seen from the outside as well, if one looks up. The lion (his name is Junior) once lived in a zoo in Ontario.

The interior is definitely a bit confusing - it honestly reminded me of an old pawn shop, with all these random knick-knacks everywhere. There's even a vintage coin-op Pac-Man table arcade game. Don't let the multiple joysticks fool you though - only 1 player plays at a time, even for a 2P game.

The owner (Al, Jamaican guy) was friendly, but we didn't all get his (deadpan) Carribbean humour. I was okay with it, but his jokes took a couple of seconds to register. I can see his humour confusing customers who aren't used to it. The lady working there (Junko) is Japanese, and does the cooking. Hence the Japarribean.

I had the jerk & teriyaki combo. Really wasn't sure what to expect. Sure enough, it was jerk chicken with teriyaki sauce thrown in, with a side of rice. This was definitely different, but I'm not user if it would impress everyone. Original, yes. Tasty? Unfortunately, not really. I couldn't really tell what I was eating. Maybe the strict Japanese or strict Caribbean items are better. With that said, our combos came with Jamaican patties. They're not made in house, but are sourced from places such as the Patty Shop (Arbutus) and Hibiscus (Surrey). Can't go wrong with these. These were served with a sweet chili sauce that had a nice kick. Special mention.

The owner Al does care about his customers, and had us all sign a calendar (he does this to every single customer). Pretty neat when you flip through the pages and see all those signatures.

I probably won't be back for a while, but when I do, it'll probably be to try the Caribbean or the Japanese dishes.

Small and intimate store and a hilarious owner who truly makes you feel welcome and part his restaurant. I won't ruin that moment for you if you've never been though.

From the beginning Ken was welcoming and friendly. He even gave up a box of Halloween chocolates to munch from while we waited for our orders (couple days after Halloween). The entire box! not just a couple pieces. Knows how to spoil a bunch of girls.

The store will only fit about 12-15 people so you might want to make a reservation and be prepared to wait like most authentic restaurants since they make food from scratch. Totally worth it. Good pricing too.

We had:
Goat curry
http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/lions-den-cafe-vancouver-3?select=T8cIvuradClu54F6S-BiEA#h0f_CSKHUNSMOnyT3UhaVQ
Oxtail stew,
http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/lions-den-cafe-vancouver-3?select=T8cIvuradClu54F6S-BiEA#Iauc7bkyT2WEUEVxxendyA
Jerk & Teriyaki Chicken
http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/lions-den-cafe-vancouver-3?select=T8cIvuradClu54F6S-BiEA#PT9eJTpFs0V6LRLVLBmH_A
Vegetarian sandwich.
http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/lions-den-cafe-vancouver-3?select=T8cIvuradClu54F6S-BiEA#9-Ey7fOkTLrOPMV8FSQ_Pg

The dishes were large, and each with their own unique Caribbean flavours. Can't wait to try it again.

Big Al Soul Saturday cooking!!! We got a few classics the fried chicken and catfish plates serves with collard greens and rice and beans and cornbread. Delish.

Creative and genuine East Van joint with lots of regulars and local support, thought Junko and co make it a welcoming place for newcomers as well.

You go here for the authenticity and vibes.
The food - Big Al's cooking days, held about every other month, is recommended.
On the regular menu, the Jamaican stuff is decent. On the Japanese side I've tried okonomiyaki, which is too sauced over imo.

Hope this stays a part of the community for years to come !

After years I finally gave this a try. I would see this all the time in the little Triangle of shops just off Kingsway and Fraser area.

I was kinda disappointed. I heard that this place had some Caribbean food, however, was introduced to a new genre (self proclaimed) Japarribean, however, there was nothing authentic about the two or a fusion that would suggest such cultural blending.

Instead we did the all day breakfast off two friend eggs, pan friend potatoes, toast and bacon for $9 which seems to be the average for the area.

The waitress didn't seem all there with my questions which was disconcerting. I asked her a few times about the soup and she was unclear as to whether they had it, it was being made and then she changed her mind about the answer and said that they don't have soup at all.

I came here 'cause I was with a girlfriend of mine who swore by this place and she is in love with it. I didn't fall in with it as much as I wanted to mainly 'cause it of the genre of food blend that was misrepresented, the questionable customer service. The waitress made a big deal about us wanting a window seat in an empty place which was strange.

The place is small with limited seating.

They get two extra stars as the meal was made to order and came out in a timely manner.