Mr.Red Cafe

I thought they had gone vegetarian a while ago, but they have gone back to serving meat, which is a little sad but unsurprising since it seemed like they got a lot of backlash from old customers. They still have a good selection of vegetarian dishes that go beyond the basic plates that you find at most Vietnamese restaurants. I tried the house special rice, which included a tofu patty, a piece of omelette, crispy fried bean curd, pickled veggies, and obviously rice. I thought it was all very tasty. I really liked the flavourful sauce and texture of the tofu patty. They have condiments at the table but I forgot to use them because I got distracted as soon as I started eating. The portion was enough for one filling meal. It was $22 for this but I thought the price made sense for the quality. I also tried the taro & banana dessert. I wasn't totally sure what to expect for this but I ordered because I like taro. It was basically a hot dessert soup in coconut cream and sago with chunks of taro and banana. It's called "sweet dessert" on the menu but the sweetness was actually very subtle. I liked it! The environment was very pleasant. They were playing soothing music and the decoration felt very authentic. I loved the little water fountain by the entrance and the bamboo on the walls. My server was very nice. Obviously I don't know how their meat dishes are but I would recommend them for vegetarian Vietnamese.

I love Vietnamese food and am not a vegetarian. This place was surprising and well on its way to converting me to vegetarianism or at least considering it as a viable option. The standout for me was the Dill noodle soup. First time I saw this on a Vietnamese menu and gave it a shot. Well worth it. The dill provided a subtle flavour elevating the flavourful broth. Well worth a try. The fresh spring rolls were huge and the normal pho soup was indistinguishable from its meat counterpart. Thumbs up to the chefs brave decision to go wholly vegetarian.

My wife has been vegetarian for 50+ years so she was keen to check this place out. I was quite pleasantly surprised with just how good everything was. We will definitely go back again...

Unfortunately the food was just okay. We have been here in the past and it was much better, maybe the kitchen was having an off day. Spring rolls were really greasy and our pho was rather tasteless. We always look forward to having the soup as the broth is usually on point, but not lately. Service was impeccable, as always. Not very clean, I hate to say.

Love their food so much! The ingredients are so fresh and tasty! I’m a picky eater. But this is just right. Great service! Peaceful environment! Will come back if I can :)

Both dishes we ordered are good. The decor of the restaurant is interesting and culturally Vietnamese.

My first authentic Vietnamese restaurant and it was fantastic ! Loved the food, spices were perfectly combined, food was fresh and good quality !

I think it’s a hit or miss depending on what you get. I got the class beef pho and it was really standard, nothing special but no complaints either. My friend got the grilled pork belly & pork meat balls (Bún Chà Hà Nội) and it was delicious and super unique. We shared the Xèo Crepe and while it was different, the bottom was soggy, there was way too much bean sprouts inside, it was hard to eat and just wasn’t amazing. The service was average and the atmosphere was nice. The decor was fun and enhanced the dining experience. That being said, I would come back to try again but maybe ask for recommendations.

This is the second time we've ordered delivery from here since they changed to their vegetarian menu. Like many reviews, my previous one from a few months ago have disappeared... Anyway, this time we ordered: Vegetarian pho - my hubby said it was delicious! It looked gorgeous with a nice colourful array of veggies. Bun cha Hanoi - I used to order this when it was made with pork, and honestly I think this vegetarian version is actually better. Wow, it was ridiculously delicious! Vegetarian spring rolls - this was quite a bit better than the last time! More filling this time, and not greasy at all. Really nicely done!! Rainbow salad roll - this too was even nicer than the first time we had it. Lots of crisp, fresh veggies and a hint of mango. Really quite nice. I was too hungry to take photos but it all looked gorgeous and tasted fantastic!

Mr. Red Cafe was my last meal devoured in Vancouver before heading back home. I cannot rave about this place enough. From the wraps, to the sampler platter and how quickly everything was prepped, it took me so much longer to use the restroom and snap a couple of photos before inhaling my food. Everything from the flavouring to the aesthetics and the energy of the food was so divine, I cannot wait to come back to this place. Such a cozy little nook with a beautiful staff and place to feel nourished :)

Having changed to being an all-vegetarian restaurant no, I decided to return. I saw they had a satay pho, which I'm a sucker for. So I ordered that ($19.50 plus tax!), and it came out in about 5 minutes. The broth was decadent, being lightly spicy, rich and nutty. Inside the soup, there's plenty of thinly sliced tofu, what seemed like vegetarian duck (either bean curd or seitan), medium-width rice noodles, and two slices of tomatoes. The soup is really missing veggies, and I let them know that, so hopefully they'll add them to the dish in future. Super tasty satay pho, but at $19.50 it's one of the most expensive in town. And the lack of veggies doesn't help. I'm glad they went all veggie and maintained the high food quality.

I thought they had gone vegetarian a while ago, but they have gone back to serving meat, which is a little sad but unsurprising since it seemed like they got a lot of backlash from old customers. They still have a good selection of vegetarian dishes that go beyond the basic plates that you find at most Vietnamese restaurants. I tried the house special rice, which included a tofu patty, a piece of omelette, crispy fried bean curd, pickled veggies, and obviously rice. I thought it was all very tasty. I really liked the flavourful sauce and texture of the tofu patty. They have condiments at the table but I forgot to use them because I got distracted as soon as I started eating. The portion was enough for one filling meal. It was $22 for this but I thought the price made sense for the quality. I also tried the taro & banana dessert. I wasn't totally sure what to expect for this but I ordered because I like taro. It was basically a hot dessert soup in coconut cream and sago with chunks of taro and banana. It's called "sweet dessert" on the menu but the sweetness was actually very subtle. I liked it! The environment was very pleasant. They were playing soothing music and the decoration felt very authentic. I loved the little water fountain by the entrance and the bamboo on the walls. My server was very nice. Obviously I don't know how their meat dishes are but I would recommend them for vegetarian Vietnamese.

Same owner has Ha Noi Old Quarter but the presentation was not as nice for the food we ordered. The turmeric fish was good but not as crispy, and there were less veggies. Otherwise the flavors were similar. We also ordered Bun Cha Ha Noi and Beef Noodle. Service was excellent. Super polite and nice servers. It was relaxing and easy going atmosphere. It was easy to get a table and we were seated quickly. The bathroom was small but kept clean enough. May or may not come back.

We ordered the chicken pho, fried crab and pork noodle set and papaya salad. The papaya salad was refreshing and the size was quite big. We got the one with beef jerky in it. The papaya was crunchy and addictive. The chicken pho was disappointing. The noodles were broken but the soup was nice and mild. There was a lot of noodles in it. The fried crab and pork noodle set was delicious. The fried crab and pork balls were crispy and hearty. Each set comes with three. I would recommend just getting the fried crab and pork balls as an appetizer instead of a noodle set. Overall the service was fast and efficient. The food was okay. Their appetizers are better than their mains so I would go there only for their appetizers and not for their pho. There is a strong scent of bleach in their cups and in the area which influenced the atmosphere a bit but other than that I would go back for appetizers.

This was my first time at this restaurant that my friend had recommended. When we first walked it we were greeted with this wonderful smell of fresh Vietnamese food, and were seated promptly. The entire menu looked so good and it was helpful that it had some photos of the dishes as I'm more of a visual person. Since we could not decide we got two mains (the beef pho & the beef sausage vermicelli platter) and we also got the appetizer chicken wings. The chicken wings were quite delicious - meat was still juicy and soft with a crispy light flavoured exterior. I did find the breading was slightly thick for me personally though. The beef Pho was wonderful. It came with steak, meatballs, and flank. The broth was a little bit on the saltier side that at typical pho places but I preferred this broth to the broths at some other restaurants! Lastly the beef sausage vermicelli platter - this was also fantastic. The sausages were otherworldly with a whole entire 4 person string quartet gliding across my taste buds. Game changing. I'd definitely recommend going here and giving it a try. It is Northern Vietnamese cuisine and we had a great experience here!

I've come here probably 5 times over the past 4 years. I'm from Hanoi myself and it's really hard to find northern Vietnamese food around, which is why I gravitate towards this restaurant whenever I miss home. My only complaint is it's on the expensive side. The interior is decorated with pictures of places from Hanoi so it does feel like home a little. The service is always good whenever I've gone. I've gotten to try a couple of menu items so I'll just list my thoughts on them below: * Bún chả Hà Nội: everything's pretty good. I've only had it the one time but the meat cut was a bit fatty and greasy so it's a little hard to keep eating. * Chicken Pho/Phở gà: really decent and the broth is good! The noodles aren't traditional to northern cuisine since they're not flat and thick. With that being said, I don't know how easy it is to find northern pho noodles and I'm not picky, that's just a note. * Grilled Beef in Betel Leaf/Bún bò lá lót: I really like this and it's very good. The colour of the beef on the inside was a little questionably red but I didn't get sick after so it might just be an aesthetic thing. * HN Turmeric Fish Style with Dill/Chả cá Hà Nội: My absolute favourite! This was a treat because it's very costly but it's so hard to find this in Vancouver. It's one of my favourite Vietnamese food of all time! The shrimp paste makes it authentic although it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Expensive and very westernized food. If your friends complain that the food at Vietnamese restaurants tastes too "weird", this the place to take them. If you're not looking for authentic food, they have some good dishes, but you have to order carefully, since they also have some mediocre dishes even if you don't care about authenticity. The green papaya salad is quite good, although the flavor is fairly mild. The banh mi bread has very soft crust, easy to eat, but not at all like a decent baguette, and the "dac biec", which is where you might expect to get authentic flavor, is very Americanized. The lemongrass dishes are ok.

Great fresh food with an attentive friendly staff. Recommend the fresh prawn mango salad and hope to come back for more of the menu

Pleasantly surprised at lunch. I found this place to be a mix of semi authentic and yet westernized to some degree. Pho broth was complex and really well developed. I would have like some more Thai basil and maybe a fresh chili ideally. Bahn Mi was decent - not entirely traditional but again good flavours and better than many places. Service was great.

Ive been here twice so far, once years ago and again today. Nothing has changed, the food delicious, the ambiance unassuming, and the service attentive. What I love about this place is it's northern Vietnamese cuisine so the flavors and plating are different from your typical Vietnamese restaurants. It feels like upscale Vietnamese comfort food in an unassuming environment. Everything we ordered was delicious, including the pho (not pictured). But in addition to the flavours, what I love is the attention to detail, little requests attended to, but also upon hearing me drop my chopsticks, they quickly brought me a new set without me having to ask. The entire experience is five stars for me. Highly recommend to those who love to venture out and try something new. It wont disappoint.

Enjoyed their fish cake noodle soup and spring rolls. Coffee was also very good. Highly recommend.

A well known hole in the wall. Nearby street parking for those who are driving. Very reasonsble prices, you can get two entrees plus an appetizer for under 80. Family run so service can be a bit slow and the restaurant is small so best to get here early. The highlight of this place is that they make Vietnamese dishes not found elsewhere so it is more authentic. The steamed rice cakes, which you can only order for dine-in will surprisingly grow on you as you eat them. An interesting interplay of textures. The portions were a good size.

I think I just found my new favourite Vietnamese place! I honestly could eat this all the time!! I had the Banh Xeo as my main dish even though it's considered an Appie to share, but it was amazing!! I also ordered a side of pork belly which - mmm! Chefs kiss! My husband got their Banh Mi and their curry chicken . Both delicious, no complaints! The staff were also friendly and attentive. Check them out!!!

Can you tell I quite like this place? Mr. Red, please don't ever leave Kits! This place is my comfort food haven, they've got perfectly portioned bowls of pho (more pricey than other pho places, but I find their ingredients more upscale), cool Vietnamese dishes like rice noodle platters, and vegetarian options too. I'll let the food speak for itself, stop by if you're looking for a relatively healthy and quick bite of Asian food that won't disappoint.

This place is something special. There is just nothing like it. It's not your regular "pho joint", instead it's a panacea if Northern Vietnamese specialties. Yes they have pho and it is delicious but you can get that anywhere. I recommend deviating from the norm and try some new dishes. I honestly haven't tried anything there I didn't like. I'm not sure why I haven't reviewed this place sooner? I have been here a bunch and always recommend it to friends. I think it's because I'm so preoccupied with the food and flavours I just get lost and forget lol. This place is a solid 5 stars! You HAVE to give it a try. PS if you're a fan of Mr. Red they have just opened up another venue on Commercial drive called Hanoi Old Quarter- can't wait to give it a try

I ordered the BÚN TRỘN MR RED vermicelli bowl, which includes a pork belly, spring roll, and tofu. The stand out to me was the spring rolls. They use real crab meat, which was awesome and I found the spring roll texture itself to have a thin crispy outer skin with a generous amount of filling inside. It was really delicious!

Located on Broadway near Kitsilano, Mr Red offers a decent, albiet not necessarily super authentic, taste of Vietnamese cuisine. They specialize in dry noodle dishes such as bún đau mam tôm, bó lá lôt, or bún cha hà noi. Thats not to say you couldnt order ph here, but there's a ton of places better for that. Portion size is pretty good, you get a healthy-sized heap of vermicelli and green, leafy herbs/veggies alongside any order. I've never been disappointed in anything I've ordered here, although I can't say I've ever bern blown away by anything either. The decor is excellent though, and with lots of green plants and beautiful paintings on the walls, the atmosphere is jusy right for a Vietnamese feast. At the end of the day, Mr. Red is a pretty good place for some classic Vietnamese dishes if you're looking for something other than ph, in an area that's lacking a bit for other options. The value is fair and you won't leave hungry, what more could you want?

Mr. Red Cafe is my go-to restaurant if I'm craving viet food. Their Pho Bo is a classic beef pho with an assortment of thin meat slices, and crab meat and pork spring rolls are a must try. I tried the Bun Tron Mr Red for a change last time, and it was perfectly balanced and very filling, though still light enough for lunch time.

I was really excited coming here because of the rave reviews. My excitement lowered when I saw the menu - don't expect them to have the typical pho, vermicelli and rice dishes. Rather, they have specialty dishes such as goi cuon, banh xeo, banh beo, and bun Cha ha noi, etc. I was still looking forward to trying the dishes, and again, I was let down because of the quality of the food Growing up in Vietnam and having been back twice (and eating Viet food on a daily basis when I lived at home), I would consider myself a connoisseur in Vietnamese cuisine. Safe to say that this place was a big let down. First of all, the prices here are too much for the average taste. Second of all, the service wasn't that great. And last but not least, the taste was bleh I ordered chicken wings - too dry in my opinion but I did like the presentation: pop of orange (from the sauce) served on a crispy green lettuce. No flavour from the chicken itself and it wasn't spicy as described. The sauce did have a strong scent of butter but no honey Banh beo - I came here with the intention of trying this since it had been ages. Presentation was on point and very eye catching. I was left with a big let down after the first bite. The rice cake itself was a bit on the firm side + the ground shrimps looked and tasted processed + there was no fried bread bits as described + the amount of fried shallots overpowered the general taste + and lastly, they didn't include a main ingredient which was mung bean paste. I would come back to try a few other dishes - I just hope they'd better than this experience

I went to Mr. Red café on Hastings Street few years ago. I remembered the food was OK but not impressed. I came here for lunch with my girlfriend, they have wide selection of menu. We ordered some basic stuffs coz didn't feel like food adventure for lunch. The fish cakes were a bit over deep fried and greasy. The beef pho very tasty (MSG infused broth) and beef dried vermicelli very mediocre. I would not recommend this restaurant provided you like high sodium dishes to fulfill your taste bud.

Came aft a day of shopping w mom for late lunch around 2pm. She said she's been here once years ago, but remembered it to be good. Honestly, I think it was also cause this place was the closest to the store we just left. Pros: - food presentation is pretty. They lay it out nicely like a deconstructed entree so it's not a mystery what goes into the dish. - menu is pretty diff. Compared to other Vietnamese restaurants, they have like a dumpling section? And a large dessert variety. - like the service. It's soft spoken and kind. Cons: - moms lunch dish was $17 and it's a lot of food, but usually can find smth similar for a few bucks noticeably less. It's a bit pricier for sure (ex. $11 for pho and comes only in large size which is fair. Mom was merp about it tho)

We ordered Banh Xeo, Cha Com, Bun Cha Ha Noi, Bun Dau Mam Tom, Cha Ca Ha Noi. Banh Xeo is about average. It's not crispy and crunchy enough to roll, easy to fall apart. On the other hand, Cha Com, Bun Cha Ha Noi and Cha Ca Ha Noi was excellent, very authentic and highly recommended to all. Bun Dau Mam Tom was good overall, except for the boiled pork. I think the restaurant boiled it and let it cool for too long, it was cold and not that fresh when serving. The fried tofu in this dish was very crunchy and crispy though. Mr. Red's menu was very diverse, they served food from all parts of Vietnam. The restaurant looked like a Vietnamese countryside restaurant and their waiters wore Vietnam countryside clothing. Highly recommended if you want to explore Vietnamese cuisine.

It's a hit and miss depending what you order. Most food I'll give it 4/5 for value and taste. Note: Avoid the egg crepe dish. Not crunchy like the authentic version. Also not that tasty. I'd give it a 1/5. I probably won't ever order it or recommend it.

Lunch with a friend:one of the best vietnamese restaurant ive tried in vancouver,not so big place,roughly it can house 30 clients or more,its called red cafe because most of the walls are red,decors are more of an asian style,natives,asian locals,the counter is decorated by a nipa hut its like a dried leaves of an asian tall grass binds together and used it as a roof or shade and it looks fantastic. Waiter service,very good and fast no mistakes at all,as soon as we arrived crew are all smiling,we got a table sooner than we thought,ice water and tea right away,tables are clean floor is not sticky despite its raining that day. We ordered the traditional fried spring roll,a chicken dish,some green salad, and a noodle dish,food presentation is 100% i love it so much dishes are placed on a small clay pot and the clay pot is put into a native made wooden pot holder, just like what asian does in the early years,they used banana leaves as well its like im back home and attending a typical get together in a farm. Quality of foods excellent the chicken is so tender and the potatoes cooked just right not hard not so soft and not saggy,the spring rolls are heaven to me plus the sauce for dipping i love it,the greens are fresh it has papaya on it and it tasted good too,i have no single complaint with all the dishes we ordered.excellent Noise level average,busy when we came restaurant is full and i am surprised how diverse and multicultural clients are,street metered parking,wifi is free,wash room is clean there is TV plus music they are playing an asian music and it was so relaxing They accept cash,debit,credit,good for group,family and kids. Before we went home i asked the server if i can buy one of that small clay pot with the holder but too bad it is not for sale but since i am very determined and my interest of having one is so intense that it shows in my face the manger gave me one that is no longer in used because the cover was broken...owemmmgeeee it gives another aura of happinness in my face i almost kiss the manager hahahahha,i am very greatful and thankful that i have it evev there is no cover gesture is really much appreciated,i still have it displayed in my home with the date it was given to me.... Neat and nice place to enjoy authentic vietnamese cuisine,sooner ill be back again and will bring few friends so we can try other stuff in your menu. Good job red cafe..more power...more customers.. opps they are selling tea by the counter try the pandan flavor

Not bad not bad. There are two locations of Mr. Red Café. This one is not the original one but its close to where parents live. Came here with friend and sister for lunch. I got the stew beef pho with the chicken wings and coffee. I was told the coffee is pretty good here. I was not disappointed. The coffee doesn't have a strong bitter taste to it, it is a tiny wee bit sweet. I had the cold version and it was kind of disappointing the amount of ice it was in the coffee and as well it was a small class for $5. Also it wasn't serve as drip coffee. The wings were good. It was freshly made but it was spicy. The beef stew pho was interesting. Not a lot of places have the beef stew version. The broth has a very strong beef taste. If you leave it next day (left over), you can see the beef paste at the bottom of the soup. Portion size was pretty good for $10. I do recommend this restaurant.

Our fav place for northern Vietnamese cuisine Mr.Red Cafe @mrredcafe_ca 2131 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC 2680 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC ---------------------------------- 1 Chả cốm Làng Vòng (猪肉鲜虾小年糕) Deep fried rice cake with pork and shrimp - Fav fav fav appetizer here. Super soft and flavorful 2Chả Cá Hà NộI (煎香鱼) Hanoi Fried Fish with Turmeric and Dill - This one is a must order!! Super unique northern Vietnamese dish. The dill fish aroma paired with tangy vermicelli salad is extremely interesting 3 Nem Cua Bể (酥煎春卷 猪肉螃蟹馅儿) Pork and crab crispy spring rolls - love the crispy texture but couldn't really taste the crab 4 Chè Khoai Môn (香芋西米露) Taro dessert with tapioca and coconut cream (hot) - delicious but tarp bits are a bit hard 5 Bánh Mì Gà Xào (辣鸡肉越式三明治) Spicy chicken and pate sandwich - pretty good but not the best banh mi

Came by here today with my hair stylist after my appointment since it was a cold and rainy day which is perfect for pho! We arrived at 2:30 and were promptly seated. Menus and tea came shortly afterwards. I got my usually beef meat ball pho for $13 and it came to the table at around 2:45. Pho seems to only be one size but is about a medium size so not unreasonable for the price. Service was minimal but was quick. However we were on a bit of a time constraint so by the time we could actually eat the noodles we pretty much had to leave. Not a huge problem as it did come out as quick as possible. Wish tea had been refilled though as it wasn't very busy. Would definitely come here again if I was in the area! They only accept interac or cash but they do have tap!

Veggie pho ($11?) I liked this. They added a lot of veggies (carrots and broccoli) then I've usually gotten. I liked how the tofu picked up the flavour of the broth. There were also a lot of noodles too. I also REALLY liked their pickled garlic/pepper oil that was on the table. I cannot express how much I'm going to go back there just to have more of that! Pretty quick and friendly service. Good bang for your buck.

Came on a Sunday night, not super busy but had to wait 20 mins for food. The restaurant is clean with good ambience. It's a bit pricier and the menu is smaller than other pho/Viet places. Nice plating but portions are smaller. Spicy Hue style pho and banh beo were delicious. Instead of normal flat rice noodles they use round noodles, which is unique and refreshing to try. Beef was well-done though, so not as tender. Banh beo was soft, and warm, perfect for sharing as appetizer. Banh xeo was not crispy enough on the outside, and the inside was still a bit mushy/undercooked. That was disappointing considering we waited 20mins. Overall a good experience.

Came here for lunch and I was very pleased with my meal. I got item #21 (I forget the name). But it was a vermicelli bowl with crab meat spring rolls. The spring rolls were amazing!

Had a bad experience a number of years ago but thought I'd give them a second chance so we popped in for some Vietnamese sandwiches. I've never seen a place mess up a Viet sandwich. Got the house special and the chicken. Worst Bahn Mi in town and probably the most expensive. At $7, you get a cold, hard bun with dry ingredients, especially the shredded chicken that tasted like dry canned tuna. No Visa either, c'mon Mr. Red. Downloaded yelp just to write this review. Please take this off the menu, it's embarrassing.

Was in the neighborhood with some friends and we decided try out the Mr Red at this location since we are always happy with with the food at the hastings location! I absolutely awesome how Mr Red have such a vast selection of Vietnamese dishes to choose from. With this many choices I had to choose something outside of my regular favourites and it did not disappoint! I ordered the Cha Ca Ha Noi. A pan fried fish fillets infused with turmeric, fresh dill and green onion with vermicelli and shrimp paste. If you like the salivating salty shrimp paste you'll definitely like this dish! And the spring rolls are a must! They use real crab meat in their spring rolls!

My first visit here was a dinner with my family and we were intrigued by the interesting dishes and very please with the delicious food! We started off with the steamed pork and shrimp dumplings which were chewy and yummy. We also got their house special beef pho which had a light broth but lots of meat and was good. We also tried their chicken dish that was cooked with garlic and ginger. Although it was a bony chicken, it was very flavourful and exotic tasting! We loved the most crab spring rolls, rice noodle bowl with some beef and fried tofu since there was a nice variety and all the fried portions were crispy and light! On my second visit, I got a chicken banh mi to go and was a little disappointed. The bread was quite crusty and hard cutting the top of my mouth with each bite. In addition, the whole sandwich was quite bland. The picked veggies had a lack of flavour and the chicken was hardly flavoured with only the sriracha showing through. I was happy to see white meat chicken breast but expected more from Mr Red Cafe. Overall, we had a very pleasant dinner here with the dishes being different from typical vietnamese places but I would stick with their dishes rather than sandwiches.

越來越好食, 越食越香, 越香越肥, 越肥越買衫, 越買衫越要勞, 越勞越癐, 越癐越瞓, 越瞓就唔可以寫個評語. =P 紅先生餐廳, 我越來食越菜 Viet restaurants have a special place in my heart. I have this crazy love hate relationship with them. Of the ones that I have frequented in the past, I usually come out smelling a stench of fish sauce all over me. Something I can't stand. That said, I still eat a lotta Viet food. I've come here twice now. The first time, I had already had dinner, so anything I tried was not on an empty palate. I had to wait. Wait for a full blown empty stomach before I could fully appreciate the nuances of the food. I am happy to report that 聞香下馬,知味停車. Translation: get your lazy a$$ here. I didn't get the Viet fish sauce stench on me. Two thumbs up. Yay!

Popped in here randomly on the weekend, having heard great things. I love Vietnamese food and I've had quite a bit of it, so I have specific tastes, but I'm always looking to try a few new things too - like pandan tea! I've never seen pandan tea in a restaurant before, and they even sell it by the bag at the counter. I quite liked it, so I got a bag to go, and they're surprisingly affordable. On to the actual meal - I split a beef pho with my friend, and I thought it was pretty good overall. But the broth didn't quite taste right - it didn't have as much of the zing or fresh fragrance I usually like in pho, and instead had quite a bit of earthiness to it that I wasn't a huge fan of. Good, but not great. Maybe it was too little coriander? I have no idea. We also got some kind of beef salad roll, which was pretty good in terms of taste but fell apart instantly upon picking it up, and was nearly impossible to dip. I ended up just dumping it in the sauce and scooping it all out together, and that turned out great. The nuoc cham here is truly very delicious - I'd drink cups of the stuff, seriously. Sadly they don't serve my favorite appetizer, cha gio, but that's okay! It's good to branch out. Service was very fast, too, and the inside of the restaurant was quite nice. Overall, my only serious complaint is that the pho broth just didn't quite do it for me; but everyone has their broth preferences, so it's worth checking this place out all the same!

FYI don't try to look up their website because their site is gone so you're better off looking at the photos here to get a sense of what you'd like to eat. The menu book is huge and they're very descriptive with the menu items but it's a hit or miss for the photos as not all of them will have photos (but there's still a decent amount). I tried the Hanoi beef noodle stew and it kind of looks like the beef ball noodle soup except instead of beef balls, it's beef stew chunks and the soup is murky as opposed to clear. It also comes with carrots. The meat is tender however, I don't usually go for beef ball noodle soup either but I'd say if you had to make a comparison, the soup here is a little more flavourful and salty than the clear broth. A friend tried their vermicelli bowl which comes in a very colourful bowl of vermicelli. (There are other food items on the menu as well with vermicelli that are served on bamboo baskets). Presentation and execution looked great. The crab meat spring roll was crispy and flavourful. We also got the Banh Xeo to share. Generally I'm not a Banh Xeo because it lacks a lot of taste unless you drench yours in fish sauce but the crust was fried really well. If you've never had Banh Xeo before, growing up my family has taught me to wrap it. All the items for the Banh Xeo is served in a bamboo basket. You'll want to choose bigger leaves as your base and then layer it with herbs or whatever you prefer, then top it off with the Banh Xeo; roll up the entire thing and then dip it into the fish sauce and then in the mouth it goes. It's kind of like a Korean BBQ wrap but Vietnamese style. The dish is extremely wet (due to holding the veggies) and can get super messy because you're probably not going to eat the whole thing in one bite so be sure to use the plates that they give you. Overall, this place has one of the better Banh Xeo's I've tried with the outer layer fried perfectly. The dish goes get soggy overtime as it is heavily filled with beansprouts so as messy as it is, I don't recommend leaving it to the end to try to get your first taste. This place offers a great variety of Vietnamese foods that you don't find a lot of times at a Pho shop. The only thing that could be improved is that when I came, they sat us down in a four person table in the middle of the place. Right after we had placed our orders, a party of 8 had came into the restaurant and the waiter came to ask us to move to a table closer to the wall even though there had been another table of 10 on the other side of the restaurant but the table hadn't been clean yet (hence why I'm assuming they had asked us to move). Since food had not arrived yet, I was ok with the move but had the food come, my response would have been a no. There were many open tables in the place and not cleaning up after customers leave is not an excuse to have other customers move to accommodate to the other parties that are entering the restaurant. This review is getting a four star because it is definitely better than a lot of the Vietnamese restaurants I've tried in Vancouver which all sort of rank together but customer service and restaurant cleanliness could use a little more work because FYI, the plates we got for our Banh Xeo had dish detergent remanence so...look before you eat.

I'd recommend skipping their pho as the soup is overly sodium-rich and try their rice dishes instead. Grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves is a good bet, so are their spring rolls. Interior decor is better than your average pho joint (especially at the counter), but everyone can still tell you've had Vietnamese from the smell on your clothes afterwards.

Kitsilano hidden gem. Would definitely go back, food delicious authentic and atmosphere was inviting and casual. Staff were inviting and helpful and food came quickly.My first visit I got a classic ph bò and the broth was flavourful and the meat perfectly tender. We got the Chicken wings as well, but the recently changed the recipe to dry wing with salt and pepper with a lemon wedge, nothing special but still tasty. Second visit we got the bún nem cua b which was good as well.

Went in when it wasn't too busy, around 4:50 pm on a weekday afternoon. Thought I'd try one of the most basic appetizers, a chicken salad roll with peanut sauce, just to see what it's like before ordering a larger meal that I may not like. Good thing I took this approach. The peanut sauce was a gluey mess, thick and congealed in an unappetizing light brown color with little to no texture in taste or appearance. The salad rolls themselves contained very little vermicelli, and a huge amount of lettuce, and in my case, a small sprinkle of shredded chicken. The chicken was so salty, it was a good thing that there wasn't more in the wrap. Should have gone with the prawns, which is what was on the menu. The wrappers are pleasantly light and translucent, which is both pretty and ultra fun and chewy. That was the best part of the roll, by far. Service was friendly, the atmosphere was very nice, with incense burning, mixing magically with the smell of food in the air. Temperature was nice, with a hint of air conditioning, without being too hot or cold. Decor is somewhat dated,some might think it's even slightly tacky, but the servers and scent are enough to keep even the most fussy of us from true distraction.

My favourite thing about this restaurant is that they serve and sell pandan tea (loose leaf, by the front counter)! It's such a lovely fragrant tea that I've never seen anywhere else. This is a lovely little Vietnamese restaurant with several menu items I've never seen before like the rice roll wrapped with lettuce and stir fried beef, which was delicious but a little pricey at $6 for 3 short rolls (they also fall apart quickly). My friend loved the fish sauce it came with so much he just drank it after. We got the regular beef pho (they had a chicken one too which I've never seen before!), which was lighter in flavour (and colour) than pho I've had at other Vietnamese restaurants, so it was a little less sweet than others I've had. My friend felt like it was missing something but I liked it fine. I also liked that the noodles more than others I've tried--they had a firmer texture but this is personal preference. I'd like to come back for a quick bite (the service is really fast and you just pay at the counter afterwards) and to try other unique appetizers (I'm thinking of their little rice pyramid with meat and quail egg) I haven't seen elsewhere. They also offer a set menu for 2 people on weekends which looked pretty good.

Good Vietnamese restaurant. More extensive menu than at your average Vietnamese joint. I think it is family run? No matter what the place is good.

I am blown away by this place. Why haven't I come here earlier? Thanks to Yelpers Jay and Simon for recommending this place. Simply I'm blown away by the variety that you don't find in a regular Pho place. So yay! Why should I write more when all the other reviews are awesome reads! So read them, be inspired and come dine here.

Yummy Vietnamese food served with fun and beautiful presentation. Lots of options on the menu including some fun appetizers. Price is fair for the portion size. Decor inside is adorable though restaurant is a little older.

Have been three times now - once as a couple, once as a group and once getting take aways. The Sunday family dinner is cool - you have your choice of mains but a bunch of appetizers and dessert - just like their traditional sunday dinner. The fish with dill (not on the family dinner menu) is fantastic. Service is okay -not great but it seemed to be traditional, good food.

Nice little vietnamese restaurant. Has their own and authentic foods than other vietnamese restaurants i Vancouver. Would like to come back to try some other more unique items in the future.

The Bah Mi is good if not excellent. Very fresh bread, very fresh ingredients. The shredded chicken is great, but the menu lacks choices with only two different types of bah mi on the menu. Probably a place to come and try the rest of the menu and maybe then turn this into a five star!

Had both of their specials. The bun cha ca was good and the broth was very flavourful. The spring rolls lacked flavouring though. Still 4 star as majority of the menu items are pretty good.