The Ip family has five Hon's locations in Vancouver, including this popular 200-seat eatery on Vancouver's trendy Robson Street. (Duncan Speight/CBC)
With busy tables and lines sometimes stretching outside the door, the kitchen at Hon's is always buzzing.
The first Hon's Wun-Tun House was opened in Vancouver's Chinatown in the early 1970s by the Ip family, shortly after they arrived in Canada from Hong Kong.
The first small restaurant, with just five staff, offered large portions of Cantonese-style cooking at inexpensive prices, which got them a lot of loyal customers who spread the word.
As a result, the family business grew and grew; spreading across the Lower Mainland. The original Hon's became too popular for its location, and had to move into a bigger facility, but still in Chinatown.
Now there are five Hon's, including a huge, bustling 200-seat restaurant on Robson Street, Vancouver's hottest shopping district.
The Robson location often has long lineups stretching out the door into the street, but turnover is fairly brisk and people usually don't have to wait too long for a table.
The menu is huge, and can almost be overwhelming, with some 600 items to choose from. One of the fun things to do is watch what's being served to the table next to you, just to see what might tempt your taste buds.
The Robson Street location also features open elevated kitchens, including a separate vegetarian kitchen, so you can watch the teams of chefs at work.
Despite the incredible variety, Hon's is still best known for its the legendary potstickers (similar to Japanese gyoza), its noodles, plus, of course, hand-made wonton.
They're all so popular that customers can buy prepared frozen versions of some of their favourite dishes at the restaurants, as well as at supermarkets across Greater Vancouver.
Executive manager Simon Lee says the popularity of Hon's is based in providing good value, without high prices — and he notes they've always reached out to the mainstream market, not limiting their appeal to the Chinese community.
The Ip family still owns the restaurants, with Chi Ying Ip, the widow of the chain's founder, now heading the company with help from her daughter.
Hon's Wun-Tun House, Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C.
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