One of the national dishes of Vietnam, and one of our favourite dishes ever, a good bowl of pho is a true cure-all, in our opinion.
Whether it’s a cold day, a breakup, a pesky flu, or just a bout of hunger you’re dealing with, there’s little as satisfying as a big, steaming bowl of the stuff.
The soup dish has many variations, depending on the region of Vietnam, but in general, pho is a dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat (but there are also plenty of vegan versions, too!).
Northern-style pho uses wider noodles, has a clearer broth, features chicken or minced rare beef, and uses much more green onion and black pepper, while Southern-style pho has a slightly sweeter broth, a more meat-forward approach, and is served with lime, hoisin sauce, and sliced Bird’s Eye chiles.
No matter the kind of pho you’re after, Vancouver has a fantastic variety of Vietnamese cuisine, meaning there’s so much good pho in this city that it can be hard to decide where to go.
Here are our top choices for the best pho in Vancouver.
Known for its fish cake noodle bowls, Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen recently opened a Burnaby location to accommodate hungry diners in Metro Vancouver looking to sample its fantastic food. You’ll want to try the pho here, as well as several other items on the restaurant’s menu.
Address: 5155 Victoria Drive, Vancouver
Phone: 604-321-2711
This popular Main Street restaurant is a no-brainer if you’re searching for delicious pho. Here, the dish comes in varieties like sliced beef sirloin, brisket and meatballs, boneless free-range chicken and quail egg, and organic tofu, daikon, and carrot, to name a few.
Address: 3388 Main Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-878-8883
Do Chay offers its signature vegan pho made with avocado, yuba, yo choy, broccoli, oyster mushroom, and rice noodles in a flavourful, vegan pho broth – a definite departure from more traditional pho dishes, but one that still wows us.
Address: 1392 Kingsway, Vancouver
Phone: 604-225-8349
This popular Davie and Main Street haunt dishes up steaming bowls of pho both day and night. While vegetarians can enjoy meat-free noodle soup options, it is the fragrant, meat-laden (think: tender slices of beef) pho bowls that are the real stars of the show here. You can also opt to get your pho “sate style” here, with a spicy peanut sauce added to the broth.
Address: 1150 Davie Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-568-3253
Address: 3079 Main Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-620-7727
This casual, family-style restaurant is known for combining traditional French cooking with Vietnamese cuisine. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the restaurant dishes up pho bo, with several delicious renditions. Here, the full-bodied broth is best savoured with finely sliced rare strip loin. For maximum flavour, add some bone marrow or a perfectly cooked poached egg into the already hearty mix.
Address: 1428 Granville Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-564-9668
With the flavours of Vietnam and the coziness of a Parisian cafe, this authentic place on Commercial Drive hits the spot. The menu has eight different styles of pho, including vegan and lemongrass chicken flavours. Finish the night with Vietnamese egg coffee, a drinkable dessert that will perk you right up.
Address: 1468 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Phone: 604-255-3220
Quick and casual, Mui Ngo Gai offers a diverse menu dotted with a wide range of Vietnamese fare. In addition to exotic rice dishes, vibrant salads, and hot pots, Mui Ngo Gai prepares a whole bunch of delicious pho options, including beef brisket and crunchy beef flank. Fresh noodles (rice, yellow egg, or round), bean sprouts, lime, and basil float in a beef broth with a choice of supplemental toppings.
Address: 2052 Kingsway, Vancouver
Phone: 604-876-8885
Hai Phong Vietnamese Restaurant isn’t breaking any new ground, serving your typical Vietnamese fare; however, the Kingsway restaurant churns out nourishing and flavourful pho. Choose between a variety of beef-based pho (brisket, tripe, rare beef, and beef shoulder), and for additional heat, opt for the spicy broth.
Address: 1242 Kingsway, Vancouver
Phone: 604-872-3828
This counter-service marketplace eatery has two locations in Vancouver, which means you have double the chance to enjoy its Vietnamese veggie pho. Made with star anise, cinnamon, cardamom broth, organic tofu, daikon chunks, beancurd, lotus root, mushrooms, herbs, flat rice noodles, and bean sprouts, this offering is gluten-free as well.
Address: 1689 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Phone: 778-379-9508
Address: 5052 Victoria Drive, Vancouver
Phone: 604-568-9508
Named after and inspired by Saigon’s Mrs. Nguyen Thi Than, this Commercial Drive spot specializes in Vietnamese street food. Its pho bo (beef pho) features a super flavourful broth that has been simmered for 24 hours and a vegan version with King Oyster mushrooms.
Address: 1046 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Phone: 604-559-5938
Cafe Dang Anh
This gem specializes in Northern Vietnamese food, which has a few distinctions from Southern Vietnamese when it comes to pho. Northern style uses wider rice noodles, has a clearer broth, uses chicken or minced rare beef, and uses much more green onion and black pepper. Cafe Dang Anh is a truly solid choice for Vietnamese in the city, let alone the neighbourhood.
Address: 5186 Victoria Drive, Vancouver
Phone: 778-379-7977
Pho Quynh Express
With a whopping five locations, Pho Quynh Express is a sold spot for warming pho. Our number one pick here? The number 21: a house special spicy satay beef pho.
Address: 1691 Main Street, Vancouver
Address: 89 W 2nd Avenue, Vancouver
Address: 625 Howe Street, Vancouver
Address: 810 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Address: 1263 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver
This cozy Chinatown spot not only offers several different varieties of flavourful, warming pho, it’s also a seriously fun place to hang out. Head here for the food and drinks, stay for the happy hour specials and late-night events.
Address: 145 East Pender Street, Vancouver
Hai Chi Em’s menu, which has been crafted by Saigon-born Chef Do, features authentic takes on dishes like Phở Hai Chị Em (beef pho), Bun Bò Huế Hai Chị Em (spicy beef pho), and Mì gà tiềm (braised crispy chicken noodle soup), to name just a few. Everything here is an absolute must-try, so you can’t go wrong no matter what you pick.
Address: 2172 Kingsway, Vancouver
Daryn Wright/Daily Hive
Known for its namesake dish, the Lau Cua Dong (rice field crab hot pot), this Northern Vietnamese-style restaurant also has a lineup of other pho and soup dishes that will warm you up from the inside out.
Address: 2141 Kingsway, Vancouver
Phone: 604-423-3633