It's true that Vancouver is the freaking Dalai Lama of culinary diversity, but some cuisines haven't made it to the scene yet. Which ones haven't made an appearance yet?

I'll start: PUERTO RICAN!

Cuban?

Burmese

There's a relatively new Cuban place in Burnaby called Delicias de Alicia.  Check it out: yelp.ca/biz/delicias-de-…
Really good food.  But yes, there are not a lot of options.

Also lacking, a lot of European foods.  Like Hungarian, Croatian, etc.

iraqi

@Reena - I've been to Delicias de Alicia for Cuban, as Kat suggested:  yelp.ca/biz/delicias-de-…  I heard there is another one someplace out in the burbs.  Perhaps New West.  

@Kat - European foods are definitely lacking.  But there are a few decent ones:

- Hungarian at Danube Restaurant:  yelp.ca/biz/danube-europ…  They also have some things that might remind you of Croatia a bit like palacinken.

- Serbian (not Croatian) snack food at Bernie's Balkan Kitchen:  yelp.ca/biz/bernies-balk…  They make the kore for their bureks in-house instead of buying frozen phyllo.  

I would love to find:

- Chicago deep dish pizza (seems someone should be able to do this easily, but don't know of anyplace that has)
- High quality Texas style BBQ (No thank you, Memphis!)
- Good Chinese food (just kidding)

Thanks, Marc!  I will definitely check out Danube.  The Serbian food sounds interesting, too.  Can't wait to try them.

Armenian?

Bulgarian?

Czech ?

Danish

Scandinavian (IKEA doesn't count).

But those Swedish meatballs are so authentic!

I second Christine R. I want non-cafeteria style Swedish food!

Within like two years, the current location of Delicias de Alicia Cuban Food in Burnaby used to be a Chinese restaurant(Golden Wok), Japanese restaurant(Gen Roku), Fish and Chips restaurant(Betty's Fish and Chips), and now it's a Cuban restaurant. See the pattern? Better try Delicias de Alicia Cuban Food before it closes down.

West Indian and or Jamaican.
Man what I would give to eat a curry chicken roti like the ones from Blue Water in Toronto.

There used to be a Jamaican restaurant in Burnaby called Kiss Yo Mama next to Delicias de Alicia Cuban Food, but it closed down early this year.

Czech!!!! I love Czech food!! Also, Ukranian and Russian food options are few! The Rasputin is closed now and Ukranian Village on Davie (I think it's called that), well, no one's eaten there and I haven't really found it inviting enough to go in. I would love more Russian food!

Many good suggestions, which I hope some immigrants are listening to and thinking about opening a place up!  

For a few of the ones above, there are some limited options available:

- Bulgarian @ Acacia Fillo Bar:  yelp.ca/biz/acacia-fillo…

- Russian (shop not a restaurant) @ Euro Food Plus:  yelp.ca/biz/euro-food-pl…

- Ukrainian (shop not a restaurant) @ Alenka:  yelp.ca/biz/alenka-europ…  There is also the Ukranian Church meals once a month, but I haven't had a chance to try those.

and related to some of the requests....

- Georgian and Russian baked goods @ European Breads:  yelp.ca/biz/european-bre…

- For Scandinavian baked goods Halso Konditori is pretty good too:  yelp.ca/biz/halso-kondit…

Marc, the most recent review of Halso says it's become a French bakery :(

There's a wonderful Bulgarian place on Denman called Acacia Filo Bar.

acaciafillobar.com

Forgot to add the Ukrainian place on the same street

ukrainianvillagerestaura…

@Nadine - Bummer about Halso!

I have been to Ukaranian village. They have the best cabbage rolls I have ever had. Their perogies and are pretty good too. Lunch is quite reasonable too.

@Sonia is Czech food the same as Ukaranian food?

The Reef doesn't count as Jamaican food?? Lol I had a jamaican take me there.

We're definately missing raw chicken and raw pork sashimi in Japanese restaurants in Vancouver.  Anyone here tried it?

@David - I've had toriwasa (chicken served like a tataki), but not torisashi (chicken served completely raw and sliced like sashimi).  I haven't tried pork though.  But I have had basashi, which was a bit chewy, but paired well with the shiso it was served with.  

I don't think you will find any of them here though.  And honestly I don't think I would trust the production and handling of it here if it was on offer.

@ David L @Marc D WHAT!? Chicken sashimi!? How do they do that without salmonella..? That's just crazy talk. How does it taste?

Chicken here are overly medicated and produce mutated virus and bacterias. In Asian countries chicken meat sold in open street market without refrigeration and people don't get sick.

@ Micheal...I would love it if there was Danish cuisine here! But they barely have Danish restaurants in Denmark (or Copenhagen at least)...so I doubt there will ever be one here. :(

Alot of those Counties like Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Holland have such great social systems that they would be hard press to want to immigrate here I think.

@Michael - Haha, I would love to see you ask my Czech friends that question.

Czech is different Christine. I would love to visit there I heard they have great beer and world class ballet and opera and cheap for us too.

i would love if there was a great peruvian restaurant here.  and southern.  

i love the czech republic, but their food... i do not love.  but polish food, amazing!

The reef is carribean food which would include Jamaica.  They have rotis there.

I would be another for high end Peruvian.

Mochikas is the answer to everyone's Peruvian longings wonderful food made by wonderful people-odd location but WTH?

mochikas.ca/food

The Reef is just plain awful what they serve has no relationship to Caribbean food.

The Reef is good for a drink and a snack on the Commercial Drive patio, but it's not de real ting, mun!
I'm talking about a Roti shop where you just walk in and get a big ole' burrito style Roti, and maybe some sweet fried Plantain.

@Roanna - Have you tried The Patty Shop:  yelp.ca/biz/the-patty-sh…

I haven't had their roti, but their Jamaican Patties are pretty good for Vancouver.

Every been to Riddim and Spice on Commercial Drive? yelp.ca/biz/riddim-and-s…

chowhound.chow.com/topic… ??? Garifuni? I'm interested

is there anywhere to eat cat or dog in vancouver?

kidding, kidding :p

ohhh ohh  
palestinian!!!!

@ Reena, I've eaten twice @ Riddim and Spice. It's ok. I wouldn't cross town for it but since I lived in the hood I'd wander up there.

Put me down for Peruvian chicken. I just checked out the menu @ Mochikas and am terribly disappointed to see fries on there. WTF?! Where's the yucca? The plantains? Chicken Rico, I miss you!

I'd also like to see a crab shack, i know, not likely to happen but a Baltimore girl can dream ;P

@ Roanna, have you tried the chicken curry @ CalabashBistro? It was pretty damn good when we were there a couple of weeks ago. Having not been to the Caribbean, I can't comment on authenticity but I can on taste!

@Conrad Y - Peruvian cuisine, I had no idea we had that! Tx for highlighting it, dude.  : )

Not that this is ethnic cuisine, but there is a hole in my heart where Milwaukee Market Creamery used to be. Is there anywhere else to buy frozen custard in Vancouver?

"real" southern and Bbq

@Cyndi - Don't know of any other custard spots here sadly.  I wonder what happened to that expensive machine they had - someone must have bought it, no?  

@Richard - Totally agreed.  The slim BBQ offerings (Memphis and Re'up) just don't cut it.  I'd love something like this: yelp.com/biz_photos/qLJU… and yelp.com/biz_photos/qLJU… and yelp.com/biz_photos/qLJU… and yelp.com/biz_photos/qLJU… from:  yelp.com/biz/the-salt-li…

I agree with the need for more/better Caribbean and Peruvian food... :)

@ Marc I was wondering about the same thing! I hope they didn't have to give away the machine. So sad. The owner was such a sweet guy, too.
@ Sarah - Have you had Haitian food? I'd be interested to try some! I was doing relief work there in '06 and remember the monotony of meals: rice & beans breakfast lunch and dinner... but then for a few nights we stayed with a family who had a cook and the food was so good! The avocados were so HUGE they could have been a meal in themselves.

where is the best and biggest hot pastrami on rye in the lower mainland?

@ Kath - Alicias, the Cuban place in Burnaby we have mentioned, does plantains AND yucca!  They were out of plantains when I went, but people kept calling and asking if they had it, so it's apparently a very popular dish.  I can't wait to try it.  I did have some yucca, and it was interesting.  Starchy, but good, and nice with the garlic oil they put on it.

Animal style is popular in California

real CUBAN and Puerto Rican food.

I wish there was an Argentinean steakhouse.... mmm.. chimichurri....

Surprised nobody thought of Himilayan /Nepalese

I believe Katmandu on Commercial drive has Napalanese

9pm

I agree with all that said CUBAN.  All I ever want when I'm back home is either Cafe Habana in NYC or La Isla in NJ.  TO DIE FOR...now if only one of them would set up shop here.

Let's face it: even in a multicultural city, a lot of these cuisines don't have the numbers, audience, market, whatever, to justify a full-fledged restaurant. But now that there are street carts and such, maybe there's hope a truck selling say, regional Pakistani (remember that episode of Seinfeld) could bloom into a full culinary experience. And if you seek out the multicultural festivals, like the fusion fest, you'll find those lesser known cuisines - often pretty cheap.  

Oh, and save the wild salmon! Cause I like my Canadian cuisine too.