Great location, right on a central part of Davie, this is a pretty typical pho joint. They have a sizeable vegetarian section of the menu, including a vegetarian (vegan) noodle soup with veggies and tofu. My wife and I stopped in for dinner one evening and each ordered the aforementioned noodle soup--she got a small ($11.75 plus tax) and I got a regular ($12.75 plus tax). We also got an order of salad rolls ($7.50 plus tax), which comes with 2 rolls. The rolls came quite late. They were pretty standard, coming with fried tofu, vermicelli, and lettuce. The peanut dipping sauce was on the liquidy, salty soy sauce side of things -- I wish it were creamier and less salty. 3/5 The soups were decent. The broth was peppery, with some nice, gentle spices detectable in there. I asked for a side of chili oil, which helped amplify the broth. You get a generous portion of noodles, fried tofu, and vegetables (broccoli, bok choy, carrot). Unfortunately the veggies were quite overcooked -- the broccoli was almost soggy, so were the carrots and bok choy. 3/5 All in all, middle-of-the-road veggie pho. The broth is pleasant. The veggies were overcooked, but plentiful and nicely chosen. Decent place for veggie pho. read more

Pho Central - Vegetarian salad rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Sorry but the waitress here had a serious attitude problem. Most 99% of the people in Canada are extremely friendly and helpful. This girl was like we were working there. We ended up walking out. If you want attitude eat here. read more

Pho Central - Documented - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Surprisingly good Vietnamese food in this part of downtown. Solid 4.5 stars. Parking is available in the side streets. The place is pretty brightly lit, and almost looks like a lounge because of the pink bar lighting. Almost felt like the place doubled as a nightclub. Furniture is nice and classy, with nice stone tables and dark wooden chairs. Place actually looks and feels clean. Amazing. The staff were friendly and helpful. The food here is something. Special mention goes to the lemon grass clams. The soup broth is just right, and locks in the flavours. This dish comes with a tangy peppery dipping sauce (similar to that of Phnom Penh). I would almost recommend having this dish over everything else. The grilled chicken on rice came with a nice large chunk of meat that was nice and moist, but also didn't contain much fat. They really get this right here. I also tried some of my friend's Bun Bo Hue soup, and it had a nice light spicy kick. Definitely one of my new go-to places for Davie Village. Recommended. read more

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Went here during pride and despite being crowded and busy, the staff was very attentive and efficient. I ordered "bun rieu" - a noodle specialty with crab, tofu, and tomatoes. I was so blown away at how authentic the flavour was! Not to mention the bowl was a decent size for the listed price. Probably the best bowl of bun rieu I had in both Toronto and Vancouver! Would definitely come back for more and to taste other dishes read more

A new addition to the Westend. It's a small venue with only a few tables to sit and enjoy their food. Great for take-aways in that respect. I must say, the customer service here is wonderful. Perhaps because it's so small but I genuinely enjoy going. They aren't pushy or ignore the people that walk in. It's a very comfy space. Quite good pho if you are interested in it. I had the vermicelli with lemongrass chicken and springrolls. I felt the rolls were undercooked but the chicken was very tasty. Chicken in curry sauce had a wee bit of a kick but also quite good. I must say, if you are a fan of lemongrass, they offer a plethora for you to choose from. inexpensive and filling. can't go wrong. read more

Pho Central - PHO CENTRAL - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Good prices and good service. It's not crowded :) I tried the chicken lemongrass and the spicy pho and it was delicious

This is straight up the BEST spot for late dinners in Vancouver. Their home-style salad roll technique makes you drool. The pho is simply spectacular. The thin slices of beef pierce through your imagination with succulent flavours. No fake cactus club attitude. They honestly tell you their opinions on dishes instead of trying to sell you whatever dish you asked about. No dumb waiting for a hostess to be seated in an empty restaurant (hello cactus and the keg). Finding this place changed my opinion about dining downtown. Right now I'm planning to move to this area just to have this place around! 5/5 - For Folks who Want an Affordable and Exquisite Dining Experience read more

Pho Central - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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A favourite go-to for always delicious Vietnamese soup and meals. Have to confess always eat the same thing as it always pleases! Fresh and crispy salad rolls -yummy. Not the finest meal ever, but always good value, leave full and content, and always change from a 20. read more

I wavered a bit on this one between three and four stars. Service is very friendly, the food is very affordable, and the interior is pretty good for a fairly inexpensive establishment. All good things! But while the food is fine, it isn't great. I got my basic order whenever I try a new Viet place - rare beef pho and deep fried spring rolls. The pho comes in small and regular sizes, which is a nice way to downsize your meal a bit; but while the broth is pretty good, the meat and noodles didn't seem to absorb much of the flavour, and ended up tasting a bit blander than I'd like. I also tend to prefer my noodles softer than these ones. Still, not bad; but I've had better. The spring rolls were a bit confusing. They're fairly small compared to some other places, and they're thick-shelled and tough. My first few bites were disappointing, but then I realized I should let each piece soak in the sauce a bit before eating it, and that made it better. Again - not bad, but not great. There's nothing outright wrong with this place, and I'll happily go back if a friend likes it and wants to go. But I wasn't left with a real desire to return on my own, either. read more

Pho Central - The small rare beef pho! The noodles were a little tougher than I'd like. - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I'm really disappointed with my experience at Pho Goodness. I came here with my friend who hasn't had much Vietnamese food but has enjoyed the little she has tried. We split a bunch of vegetarian options (Pho soup, salad rolls, a sub). The salad roll was super good. I really enjoyed it and it was really quick. However, napkins are a luxury. We had to ask several times for more. And we didn't get refills on water even though there was 2 servers and 4 tables of 2. The soup was very flavourful but not something you can really split. The soup comes in 2 different sizes and I'm not sure that we got the large one that we ordered. The disappointment was the sub. It was off. I'm not sure if it was the lemongrass sauce or the fact that they share the deep fry with fish but it tasted not right. When my friend brought it up with the server, the sever was adamant that they did not use fish sauce or that anything was wrong. My friend tried it again but she insisted it was off. She couldn't eat it. It was super disappointing. I will not be returning there. read more

In a pricey area, easy on your bankroll. Great portions, two snack-sized offerings ($10) made for a good evening nosh. Be returning with guests. read more

Pho Central - 'Maiden' nosh here - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Ordered the $5.50 veggie tofu salad rolls around 6:30PM on a Friday. The restaurant was nearly full and my order was ready in about 5 minutes. The takeout order consisted of a plastic carry bag, styrofoam clamshell container, two individually saran wrapped rolls, one larger sized peanut sauce, spoon, napkin. The rolls were had good proportions and were nicely assembled. The ingredients tasted refreshing and moist. Good portions of moist tofu ingredient well distributed throughout the rolls. Sauce had nice thicker consistency with mixed in peanut chunks. The peanut sauce was sweet with a subtle peanut flavour. The soso sauce paired well with the Tofu rolls. What the rolls lacked in portion size was offset by the cheaper price. Overall refreshing rolls with fresh tofu flavours. Sauce was just average and paired well with the rolls. Would recommend 3.5 out of 5 Ingredients: Rice pepper, rice noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, tofu, peanut sauce Rolls 266g read more

Pho Central - $5.50 veggie tofu salad rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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surprisingly really good! we got take out on a rainy day. as of June 9th 2020 there is still no seating. sad face indeed. however, my go to pho place across the street (pho goodness) also had no seating. so i figure why not try something new? a big difference between pho central and pho goodness is that pho central has all the traditional meats that you would find in authentic pho. i'm talking tripe! i'm talking tendon! the brisket and sliced beef at pho central was also amazing. brisket was very juicy and had the right fat to meat ratio. the noodles and broth were good. the broth was a little cooler than i would have liked, but it might have been because we got take out. either way, i yam glad covid encouraged me to try somewhere new. as a creature of habit especially with what one would consider homestyle food i probably never would have visited this neighbour in the 5 years i've live here in the west end read more

Came for the soup not the dining room or ambiance and we were not disappointed. It was a busy evening, but we did find one table right away. There were quite a few people getting take out, usually 4-5 the entire time we were there. This place would not be good for groups of more than 3, seating is very limited. Service was very quick and helpful, no problem with spring rolls arriving late, they were there ahead of the soup. One of us had the 15e, rare beef and meatballs and one of us had the shredded chicken. We found the spring rolls to be good but average. The soups were both terrific,very nice but different broths with lots of sprouts, thai basil, jalapenos and limes on the side. The shredded chicken has fried garlic and chives, which are very good. Will definitely be back here, a great place for a quick, filling meal and only $19 for two soups and spring rolls. read more

We normally hit up Pho Goodness but the problem is you have to eat quick and leave as there's always a long line to get in. Pho Central however due to its size, it's more of a restaurant where you get to eat slower, enjoy your meal and chat with friends without feeling rushed. Food is on par. Grilled lemongrass chicken is the bomb. Just ask for extra chicken. They also always have mango salad which is delicious. Great place to go with a group of friends. Great food. Highly recommended! read more

Pho Central is my go to place whenever I have a craving for a bowl of pho. I must say that I am a little biased here, since it was of the first Pho places I've been to many many many many years ago. They used to have a much smaller place across the street. Now, on to the food. I usually order the Pho Tai Nam, which is a mixture of beef brisket and lean slices of meat. The broth itself is very good, though it might be a little too salty for some. My friend usually drinks the entire bowl of broth, which makes me wonder how much sodium did he just take in. I did order the spring rolls, but I'm not too crazy over it. I'm sure there are better Pho's out there. But if you're in downtown or the West End and have some Pho or Vietnamese food cravings, you really can't go wrong here. It might not blow your socks off, but it definitely does not disappoint. PS: For those who do not like raw bean sprouts, you can get them to blanch them. read more

Pho Central - Pho Tai Nam - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Super duper value. Super duper tasty. I was a little bit addicted. Packed at lunch, open pretty late. Sooo worth it. read more

One of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants in town, authentic cuisine with dishes you can not find anywhere else outside of vietnam. I also like their beef carpaccio and dry pho! So yummy, just thinking about it makes me wanna go there tonight . Staff is nice and polite, parking in the back. Great restaurant ! read more

Our friends brought us to this place as they love Pho. Though I like ramen more than Pho, it's good to have new things to try. The place is small but clean and managed well. The server was extra nice and she was ok to explain everything on the menu. They have good prices for the quality of food they serve. I love all their grilled meat, particularly the squid, chicken and the beef ribs. Their Pho is good too, the noodles cooked to perfection. It was my first to try Vietnamese and I would return. read more

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We ordered (walk-in) lemongrass chicken pho (x2) and chicken and prawn salad rolls. Ready in 15 minutes; excellent service. Food was absolutely delicious and we had enough for 2 meals! Will definitely be back. read more

I had a headache and I needed to eat immediatly. Pretty standard Viet mom & pop pho joint. Very small place, I think the place has about 8 tables or so. Seems like a family operation with the daughter working the tables while mama and family work the kitchen. Shrimp(prawn) Spring rolls were tasty, Pho broth was good....didnt need a lot of sauces, noodle bowl was good too. Grilled meats was done well, fried egg roll was nicely fried too. Price was very reasonable so a good lunch spot. Or dinner or when you have a headache and need to eat. ha! Bathroom is a bit sketch, you have to cut through the kitchen and it was a bit strange. So I just recommend holding it in or go to the cafe up the corner. A recommend to check this place out. Happy Viet'n!! read more

Alright, let's break it down: Noodles 3/5 Standard rice noodles but a bit too soft and overcooked in my opinion. Broth 3/5 Flavourful and not oily but they overdid it on the MSG! I had to down 2 glasses of water when I got home. Beef Balls 4/5 Bouncy with no gristle (always a bonus) Extras 4/5 All the good fixings (no lemon for lime substitute BS here!) Spring Rolls 2/5 The non-standard ingredients caught our eye (taro, black mushroom) to try these bad boys but in the end they were over-fried and hard. Although they do use the extra crispy spring roll skin that I love, it couldn't save them from being less than mediocre. This was my first time being back since they've renovated and moved to this new space. I'm glad they've upgraded to the bigger space but I don't remember their broth being so packed with salt! read more

Pho Central - $8 regular pho with beef balls - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Finally made it to their renovated place since they moved across the street probably back in the summer, and much pleased b/c anything in comparison to the old one, which was a classic hole in the wall. And the fact that relative to ambience, seating comfortablility, plus ordering alcohol, thrusts this to a 4 star lol. It's a cool place to bring some friends.. I ordered the Special pho, which in a good and bad kind of way, had everything as the choices they gave you kinda limited you. For example, choosing option A meant rare beef and beef brisket but no meatballs....so option D would've included meatballs and rare (which i'm trying to stay away from) but no brisket...something to that effect as there were over 6 choices of 2 types of 'toppings', you get the pic, so what the hay, just ordered everything. The broth was good and didn't seem to have MSG, didn't feel thirsty. Liked the fact that later, she re-heated the sprouts & brought back more basil. Also tried their salad roll, which itself was good, bulky: packed w/ the usual goodness but lacked the thick peanut butter dip. Their version was much more liquid, almost like a soya sauce based...thank goodness had some minced peanuts. Lucky for me, service was good, but as the place got busier after I was the first to arrive 4:45pm, I could see the single server struggling. It's a long, much bigger place than before and almost feels a bit lounge-y with its booth, and central neon bar counter. the nicest washrooms yet @ a pho place lol. Extra star to me b/c I can work here w/ shaw wifi, comfortably. Food-wise, may be a notch below Pho Goodness next door but that's as cramped as can be, and lot noisier too. read more

Pho Central - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Compared 2 (2.5 star) pho places, literally right next door to each other, it came down to Pho Central having a website. Upon getting here, to our delight, there was a wait, so that was our first good sign. And just an FYI for you non-Canadians, they call fried egg rolls, "Spring rolls". Where as what I usually call "Spring rolls" in rice paper are called, "Salad Rolls"..weird. Either way, the fried eggs rolls weren't good, and were super doughy. The Pho Dac Biet (everything) was fantastic though. Also gave large servings of meat and tendon, etc. There was some inconsistency in service, where I believe that may be where the 2.5 stars stems from? Either way, delicious. read more

Pho Central - Spring rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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This review is only about the Bun Bo Hue I ate recently. First off it wasn't completely authentic. There wasn't a pig's trotter & pig's blood curd served with it which was fine by me. The broth was the major problem for me which was too sweet, not spicy & flat tasting. People forget that the broth carries the whole noodle soup dish and the toppings & noodles are just the secondary players. Without a good complex spicy broth the Bun Bo Hue was a major let down. Maybe they've had to adjust the taste to suit the demographic in the area, I don't know. read more

We were surprised that this place was only 3 1/2 stars. The bar must be pretty high in this foodie town. I would give it another half of a star if I could as our experience was great. The décor and ambience were pleasing with good separation of tables and an attractive bar. The restaurant was clean and well lit. The menu offered plenty of selections including vegetarian fare. The service was good (but perhaps a little curt for these here parts.) Our orders were correct and the food was delivered efficiently and timely. The portions were agreeable and the food was well above average. Our meals were fresh, well seasoned and appealing. The value was excellent. I would recommend the place. read more

This is my favorite neighborhood restaurant. I dine here most often and I just love their curry soup with giant chicken. My husband always get their pho and it's fantastic as well. read more

Great prices (about $10), big portions! Lemon grass chicken pho was delicious (and they don't cheap out on the chicken!!)

Pho Goodness was closed, my usual..so decided to cross the street to this place I used to frequent this place when it was across the street beside cottonmouth, but haven't been back to the newer location for quite sometime Anyway, service was good..it was very busy..most likely due to Pho Goodness being closed..hint to the management of Pho Goodness Unfortunately my meal was below average, and not tasty at all..had a really hard time finishing it I won't be back read more

I'm a big fan of Pho Central. This is probably one of the best Pho places downtown. But I find portion sizing, flavor and pricing just right here. The spring rolls and salad rolls are decent here too. The service is friendly and this place opens late. Sometimes on the weekend you will notice the fog from the fog machine at the club waft in which I find funny. But other than that they make a wonderful broth. read more

Came here quickly for pho to warm up and stay out of the rain. Good service, good pho, good salad rolls and tasty Banh Mi! Quiet restaurant, not a ton of people in here while I ate (5pm on a school night) so that created a more relaxed ambiance. I recommend this place! read more

This place has been our go-to while vacationing in Vancouver. It's close to our hotel, and the food is delicious. We've ordered multiple items each time we've been, and especially recommend the Calamari, and chicken fried rice! Hot and delicious seasonings in both. Staff seems stressed, but they are usually pretty busy inside with customers, so it's understandable. 5 stars :) read more

Won't be coming back. I've never seen such slow service before. I went by myself in the middle of the week and the place was mostly empty aside from a couple other tables. It took forever for the water to come out, and then again for the pho itself, and to get the water refilled and my bill. The server literally moves like a sloth (not even exaggerating). The meat and broth of the pho were good, throw in the extra sauces and it's even better. However, something with the noodles threw the whole thing off. Eating it as a whole wasn't very good. A middle aged guy sitting behind me left after a few bites into his pho. He made a complaint about how it wasn't very good and explained that he wasn't going to pay for it and walked out. Also, I wouldn't recommend the pork salad roll. The pork was too dry for my taste. I haven't tried anything here aside from the pho and salad roll, so I can't speak on the other dishes. read more

As I have said before, there is a magic line in Vancouver. Some call it the divide between Vancouver East and Vancouver West. I call it the decent Vietnamese food divide. So once again with trepidation and a thought of, "I know better than this" I wandered into the newish Pho Central hoping to break through the magic line and find a pearl of a pho house west of the line. Service was very welcoming and friendly throughout the visit. Good start! Looking over the menu the first thing that stuck out was the pho was only available in 1 size, but priced just slightly higher than a large east of the line. So far, ok. Looking a little more closely at the options if you wanted tendon or tripe you had to add an additional surcharge of something like $2.25 or so. WTF?!?!??! Well, at least they have brought tendon and tripe west of the line. I guess they had to pay protection money to the tendon and tripe police to smuggle it west and are just passing the cost along? I can picture the border checks as you drive from Vancouver East to Vancouver West where they search your car and say, "Ah ha! I see you are carrying tendon. You thought you could get this past the line?!?!?!?!?! Pay up." Never being a fan of the speakeasy, I just ordered the rare beef and brisket pho. The basil and sprouts had seen better days. The lime and chili were plentiful. The noodles themselves were a big clump on the bottom that were very difficult to separate. Hm.....Not so good... On the bright side, I do have to say the beef was of decent quality, and the rare beef was not completely cooked (I like it close to raw so I can cook it in the soup just barely and enjoy it really rare, so this was promising). I like it to come even a little rarer, but for being west of the line this was a good job. The broth itself was decent, but a little greasier than I normally like it. Honestly if I got this pho east of the magic line I would definitely not return. So I'm left with the debate of if I should ever eat pho west of the line. I'm leaning towards no. read more

I dream of Vietnamese food often. I've eaten enough pho in my life that it flows in my veins. I've crammed more salad rolls in my maw than would be judged wise. I love me some Viet food, and it generally loves me. And while I've slutted it up at various pho joints from here to Saigon (seriously), I have to say I haven't hit one this disappointing in a while. The food here was, for lack of a better word, disappointing. Weak salad rolls (large but flavorless). Bland veggie pho. A tofu banh mi that was filled with some sort of weird, drippy, brown sauce. Brown bean sprouts. Spotty basil. Harried servers. Nothing was good. It could be they were unexpectedly slammed on a holiday. Maybe I ordered wrong. Who knows? I know that some pho joints in my hometown are only good at one thing - pho - and the rest of their menu sucks. So maybe I should have just tried the pho here. But I didn't. And the things I tried on the menu were meh. And the service didn't make up for it. Sorry. Not a fan. read more

Pholy sheeeiiiit. Sorry, awful pun, but Yelp seems to love that garbage. I digress. I got pho to go from here, and it was some of the best soupy bizznazz I've ever experienced. Tons of beef in the most flavourful broth I've had so far. Minus one star because this place is so tiny that I can honestly say I'd never eat-in. No matter though, this was delicious and it's kind of fun to run in and out with your dinner while watching all the POOR SUCKERS waiting in line at Stepho's. Then I went home and watched The Bachelorette. read more

Honestly great food here. Lemongrass clams came in a beautiful salty broth and lemon pepper dipping sauce, high recommended. Lemongrass chicken and spring roll on vermicelli had nice char marks, was mostly moist, and a generous portion size. Their condensed milk ice coffee was standard fare. My friends were just as impressed with their meals. The atmosphere was affected by the club next door, with spillover machine fog coming through the vents and the bass occasionally ripping through the atmosphere. read more

Pho Central - Legit feasting - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Delicious pho, incredibly friendly staff, quick service, and clean clean clean. It was 8pm when we got there, still crowded from the dinner rush, and all of the nozzles on all of the sauce bottles were perfectly clean. My rare beef and meatballs pho was 6.95 before tax, and it was a decently sized bowl of soup, so good value there. For two people, tax and tip included, we spent $17 and were stuffed. However. If you want what used to be the "house special" in every pho place in town, but is now considered some kind of expensive delicacy, i.e. tripe and/or tendon, you have to pay $2.25 extra. I'm sorry, but I can't understand how there can be any kind of tendon shortage that would merit this much of an extra charge. Don't soft tissue meats follow the laws of supply and demand? I mean, if there's a dead cow somewhere, and you can make meatballs out of it, you can also get some delicious organs to put in my Vietnamese soup. Unless there's a global tendon cartel out there, $2.25 is an extortionate surcharge. Unfortunately, I think we're seeing this in more and more pho places. Hence the 3 stars rather than 4, which I would otherwise gladly give this place. read more

Awesome veggy noodle soup. Simple Pho style made with veggy broth. Many of the Pho places I go to only have pork broth, and this was the first I found which offered an alternative. They have several vegetarian rolls and other items on the menu as well. The soup broth had a lot of flavour in it, and comes with tofu. All of the veggies and tofu were cook very well. I recommended this place a few times with many of my friends. The price is extremely good for what you get as well. read more

Bright, new, clean, sloooooow Took a while to get our food and the server was telling us it's a slow night for them. They would get 4 stars as the pho was FANTASTIC, the service tho was so so, so I'm taking one back. I'm happy to see a local place make it to the big leagues from a quaint little place. read more