Restaurants in Maple Ridge

Ban Chok Dee—which translates to house of good luck —captivates visitors with a spread of colourful, fragrant, and expertly balanced curries, noodle dishes, and rice plates. Traditional entrees, from pad thai to spring rolls, offset modern variations, such as the Pad Ped Jungle—crispy pork sautéed with shredded bamboo shoots in a spicy sauce—all of which draw from a palette of zesty sauces, potent chili oils, and creamy, coconut-milk-based broths. While embarking on their culinary voyage, guests gather amid leafy potted greenery and black-lacquered wood accents for a calm respite. Together, the food and atmosphere were voted Best Thai restaurant of 2011 and 2012 by readers of the Langley Advance.

To enhance the appreciation for Thai cuisine, owner and executive chef Parinya teaches lessons in how to create flavourful meals using simple techniques and telekinesis. The hands-on courses demystify ingredients, equipment, and the steps necessary to form four dishes, finishing up with a fun and delicious tasting.

Cat & Fiddle Sports Bar & Grill has been delivering upscale pub food for more than 20 years. Its generous menu proffers signature sandwiches, such as Cat’s pulled-pork sandwich—made from oven-roasted pork sauced with Jameson’s and Guinness and topped with frizzled onions—to pub classics, including the Team Platter, a sampler loaded up with hot wings, dry ribs, and potato skins, to name a few. Friday and Saturday nights, a live DJ fills the nightclub area with bumping beats while patrons dance on the spacious dance floors.

Chada Thai Fine Cuisine—named after the traditional headpiece in a Thai classical dance—prepares platefuls of pan-seared tiger prawns, chicken blanketed in curry sauce, and pad thai noodles. Around the dining room, elaborate headpieces adorn walls, and sculptures sit near the entrance, high-fiving patrons as they walk in.

Scanning Del Pollo's cozy dining room, it's not unlikely you'll see a few sombreros speckled throughout the largely hatless group of guests. That’s because waiters crown birthday celebrants with the classic Mexican cap, adding an air of unpretentious fun and festivity to the room. The cooks, however, make no such distinctions—they serve their authentic Mexican cuisine to everyone no matter their day of birth. These chefs fill sizzling fajitas with prawns tossed in house sauce, wrap flour tortillas around char-grilled AAA sirloin steak marinated with chipotle peppers, and whip up a Mexican poutine with achiote sauce, jalapeños, and a three-cheese blend. In addition to classic Mexican dishes, they whip up calamari with housemade tzatziki sauce and a New Orleans–style jambalaya comprised of chorizo sausage, scallops, and veggies. Bartenders complement the kitchen’s creations with a wealth of soft drinks, beers, shooters, and sangria, as well as specialty cocktails and margaritas. The soft glow from wall lamps, flatscreen TVs, and Christmas lights strung from the ceiling illuminate the live musicians who grace Del Pollo's stage.

Married couple Tony and Jean founded Tony's Place in 1989, and they've been doling out hearty helpings of house-made comfort food ever since. In the morning, their grills sizzle with omelettes and pancakes, which are available any time of day and pave the way for lunches of hot sandwiches, country specialties, and signature wonton soup. Their kitchen crew sculpts half-pound beef patties into house-made burgers or the diners' favourite Rodin sculptures before garnishing them with gourmet toppings such as jalapeno havarti cheese, fried eggs, or shrimp and crab. Meanwhile, pastries and fresh-baked pumpkin, apple, and rhubarb pies rise in the oven, anticipating their future unions with scoops of ice cream.

The Hronopoulos family, owners of Sokela Restaurant and Lounge, call upon Greek, Italian, Moroccan, Spanish, and French influences to create a menu that represents a mélange of Mediterranean flavours. Sokela was born when the owners decided to turn the image of their traditional Greek restaurant, Alekos, around by reversing its name. To reflect this new philosophy, the Greek plates share menu space with chorizo, gnocchi, and West Coast seafood dishes to please palates and confuse U.S. customs employees. Beige and brown accents, tiles, exposed wood, and short cylindrical hanging lamps create a casual atmosphere and surround patrons as they dine in the main room or the lounge.