Tropika On Robson

Just wanted to say that I’m so bummed that this location was closed. We loved the food, the staff and the view of Robson street (great for people watching if you were sitting at the window). We enjoyed many dinners there over the many years. Cambie and Richmond locations are OK, but Cambie is so loud when busy, and food wasn’t as good at Richmond.

Tropica was interesting. The service was very good and the food was fast. I have had pad Thai thousands of time, okay maybe hundreds but it had a completely different flavor, it tasted like they put ketchup in it. It was eatable but did nothing y enjoy it that much. Some of the other dishes around me looked good so maybe I just ordered the wrong thing.

I’m writing this to remind myself not to go back here. The Sambal Kang– Kong was half decent, I’d give it 3.5 stars for flavour and 2 stars for value. It was all downhill from there. Sambal Clams were 1 star on value. 2 stars on flavour. The Acar Fish was probably negative 3 or 4 stars — bland as cardboard and negative 5 stars for value. Kari Kambing was basically someone’s leftovers. Totally lacking in freshness. Not going back.

A burst of flavor in every bite! The coconut seafood fried rice and sautéed eggplant were to die for!

Kids wanted something more Asian and closely. I did not read reviews but just walked around on Robson and randomly picked this spot. Food was super delicious and authentic Malaysian. We tried Grilled Pomfret with Dried Fish and Kari Kambing and believe I want to go there again tonight!!!

Very so-​so. Mediocre food at a high price. We ordered the Red Curry Duck and the Samba Tong-​Cai. The tong-​cai (green vegetable) was really poor — not fresh or tasty at all. The duck was fine, nothing special but edible. We had a bowl of rice each. Unbelievably, my rice was hard in spots and overcooked in other spots. My husband and I decided this was our last visit to Tropika. We had a mediocre lunch at Tropika on Cambie a few months ago. Too bad, we had really liked Tropika at one time. Quality has deteriorated.

Today is Wednesday. Had lunch here with my SO on Sunday. We ordered 3 items: Hainanese chicken rice, seafood fried rice, and the «5 bean drink». As a result, both of us still have food poisoning today. Freshness is not a priority here — the dead crabs lying in the tank by the entrance should’ve been a clue. Avoid this restaurant at all costs. Will not be returning here anytime soon.

Food: The food is great, very tasty and a lot of selection, seems like authentic Malaysian food. However, a little on the oily side I find.
Service: It’s great, the staff is very friendly although the service is a little slow on the weekends
Value: Good value
Ambiance: Semi-​upscale, lots of young people here. Good for big groups.

A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G food! OMG, dee-​licious food. You have to try the fried crab cake, the seafood coconut rice and the sambal prawns. To die for… Tip: if you’re going on a weekend night, call ahead and make reservations. The place is not that big and is usually packed.
Definitely going back again, AND recommending it to all of my friends!

Tropika is pretty great! The service is good and the food is always consistent.
It’s a nice place to go with friends when you don’t want to go through the fuss of going somewhere new. The atmosphere is nice as well! Love going for lunch and dinner. Definitely recommend it :)

We came here and had their nasi goreng Indonesian fried rice and I still remember it to this day. I even more sure to find somewhere with the same dish in Toronto.

Really quick and fast service and the food was really good!
Would have been better if the food was a bit hotter in temperature though.
If you go on weekdays its not that busy and you can definiyely fit large groups in here.
There’s parking on bute street in the back alley of triopika underground parkade for $ 2 an hour after 5pm! Pay by machine and not by phone!
Oh and my favorite is the coconut fried rice! So good! The tofu is an all time favorite appetizer and of course, the roti!

The guys are watching me write a review while I’m eating. How do they know. Guess I have no choice but to say mmmyummmzzzz. Ps banana leaf is second in myumz.

Clams were definitely NOT fresh — they didn’t have that great texture and flavor of fresh seafood.
Dinner was overpriced for the quality and flavor. Lunch menu looks a little more reasonable.

Mom, friend and I had a great meal and it was all cooked beautifully.
I could eat there everyday!

The location of this place is super convenient if you’re on Robson street – right next to the shops. Definitely stop by when you’re there.
My friend and I got the pineapple fried rice, which was elegantly placed inside a hallowed pineapple – fancy! It tasted pretty good, but I wished there was more of it!
We also got an assortment of satay! Also tasted really good, with the different sauces offered.
Price was reasonable.

I’ve been here 3 times recently, and been disappointed twice. The Char hor fun (noodle dish) was coated in a very syrupy sauce that was overkill with sweetness. And the dish was lacking in the meat department. There were enough noodles in the lunch order to fill me up at the time, but the meagre amount of protein left me hungry within an hour.
I was excited that they had fried rice with salted fish and chicken. Like those who love stinky cheese, people order the salted fish for its intense, pungent flavour. Sadly, Tropika doesn’t get this. I had to stick my nose deep into the plate to get a whiff of the fish which where no bigger than grains of sand. The scant amount of fish and chicken left me annoyed at having spent $ 14 on a plate of lacklustre rice. There is nothing worse than being served blandness — especially since it takes so little salted fish to flavour a dish. How cheap can you get? Or maybe they worry that the smell will bother other guests. In which case, they should just not offer this dish.
On a positive note, my friends love the stewed lamb and rice lunch special. It looks yummy, but unfortunately, is too spicy for me.
I will give this place another try. I will forgive them if the pad thai meets my expectations. Fingers crossed!

The lunch specials rock! Under $ 10 for a delicious Thai/​Malaysian meal? Yes please! The ambiance is semi-​upscale, not too shabby for the price you’re paying!
The Thai green curry was exceptional! As was the coconut rice! Very fragrant and the perfect texture.
If you get a window seat, you get a view overlooking Robson! Great for people watching!
The waiters are very polite and efficient. And they all speak Cantonese haha.

I am surprised that I never added a review for Tropika. Very odd. Been coming here for years! At least 1 – 2 times a month.
Great place to eat. Service is good and friendly. My main lunch specials are currey beef with spring roll and sambal eggs and Singapore Laksa. Can’t go wrong with those.
I’m definitely a repeat customer.

When a restaurant reminds me of the university days, just proves how old I am and how amazingly resilient any restaurant can survive in Vancouver’s economic climate ;)
My favourites are generally the tapas dishes: roti, satays, indonesian rolls (crunchy), and of course their desserts – bubar cha cha, kinda like a red bean/​taro sweet soup, and the beloved deep fried banana.
Plus this location delivers, versus the Cambie location. Not to mention, that Robson one has the best décor, feel and action, even compared to its newer Richmond location.
And if you’re a regular, you can call ahead to do pickup, and leave thru the back ;)