Pho Zen isn't the kind of place you stumble into for ambiance. It's a literal hole in the wall--tables tilted just enough to make your soup slide, and the décor looks like the ghosts of failed restaurants past all left something behind. But you don't come here for design. You come here because the food is honest and brings back a bit of nostalgia to my Uni-Year. No Instagram plating, no carefully curated vibes, just steaming bowls of pho that taste like a student's comfort meal - heavy on the MSG, light on the pretense, and exactly what your soul remembers from the broke days - how it got from $5/bowl to $20/bowl these days says student me wouldn't even have this nowadays! Sad. Anyways, the broth has that deep, unmistakable beef flavour that borders on artificial, but in the best nostalgic way. You slurp, you sweat, you leave happy. AND don't linger--parking's a nightmare, and the next hungry soul deserves your spot. This isn't a place to be seen, nor looking for service with a glorious smile; It's a place to eat and get your butt gone. Cheers. read more

This hidden restaurant is next to the 711, in a mini mall on SE marine drive (and Fraser street). The reason why I think it's a great spot is its reasonable prices (prices you likely haven't seen in years as it seems Vietnamese cuisine and food in general have gotten more expensive). Is it the best pho of my life? No, but I've had their BBH and pho, spring rolls, and banh mi (chicken) and the food is fairly priced and the taste is decent. I'm not sure if I'd drive out of my way to have good here; however if you are already in the area it's worth dining in/try take out! This is a perfect spot for a quick bite to eat or take out. Service is friendly but limited (there is usually only one server and the kitchen staff sometimes helps run and clear food items). You don't come here for the ambiance (you can tell it was formerly a Greek restaurant due to its decor- but who cares lol). It's about the food and fair prices (which is rare in today's economy). read more

Hello so I'm visiting out of town I hardly give bad reviews but this place was something else. I was introduced to very rude customer service. I ordered for Pick up she was very rude on the phone. When I get to the restaurant to get my order I acknowledge that she was a minor(12-14 years of age) working there. I recommend her not to talk to customers like that She says " oh ok" The food was fair. You can get better food and service elsewhere in Vancouver. read more

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

Decent but pricy Vietnamese place by Marine and Fraser. Not too much competition in the direct vicinity. Parking is available in front of the restaurant. The interior used to be that of a Greek restaurant, and it shows. They didn't do too a job hiding it. There is even a Mykonos poster on the wall. Staff are friendly. Looks like a mom and pop operation. Noodle soup is definitely on the pricier side. $12-16 for pho as of the time of writing. I had the bun bo Hue. Decent sized portion. Soup wasn't too spicy, but that could be fixed with their house hot sauce, which has a little something special in it. I ended up using a pile of it. Special mention. The fixing were pretty good, and they didn't skimp out. Thank goodness. Wouldn't mind coming back at some point. read more

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Their fried chicken wings are what brought me here. Dined out here for the first time with a friend on a quiet weekday evening. They have some unique home flavours which are different from the pho places I've been. - Fried chicken wings (10 pieces) - Special pho noodle soup - Beef stew with rice noodle soup The fried chicken wings are surprisingly juicy inside while crispy on the outside. The batter holds well on each wing. They provided the peppery salt and lime on the side. I would strongly recommend to use them either separately or together. That will elevate the already delicious wings. The pho was tasty. Special pho has everything: cooked and rare beef, beef ball, tendon, and tripes, etc. The texture of the noodle wasn't too soggy. The soup was somehow on the sweeter side compared with the pho I had elsewhere. The good news is that it doesn't make me thirsty afterwards. The regular size pho was the smallest size of their 3 options. It's considered very generous for its price. The only critique I have is that the soup was not very hot when it was serve. The noodle turned cold faster than usual. The beef stew one had a lot of beef. My friend couldn't finish it. The noodle in this one was wider than the regular pho. It's a family business which has been around for almost 3 years. We were served by a young teenage girl. She's efficient on her own for taking care of a few tables plus some takeout pickups. They accept cash, debit and credit. There are parking spaces up front in this small strip mall. read more

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I have been coming to this place many times. Service is fast, the mother, the owner,always smiles but her 2 daughters, look unhappy. I don't think I want to come back read more

Decent spot for pho in the Fraser and Marine Dr area! My group of 3 dropped by for dinner Saturday evening around 6:30, and it was mostly empty. The inside was larger than I expected and looked very clean and well lit. They have a huge menu, and I found myself flipping through the whole menu multiple times before I could decide on what I wanted. I went with the #59 beef stew with rice noodle soup. It was only a dollar difference between a small and large bowl, so I went with a large ($12.50). My two friends both ordered the lemongrass chicken pho. My beef stew was pretty solid. I liked the taste of the broth a lot, and the meat was flavorful and tender for the most part except for 1-2 pieces that were tough and overcooked, but I wanted there to be more noodles. When I finished the noodles, I still had 6-7 pieces of beef left! That never happens, where I run out of noodles first before the meat, so I was pretty surprised. My friends both enjoyed their lemongrass chicken pho. I tried a sip of the broth and it tasted pretty good. The lemongrass flavor was subtle and not overpowering. read more

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Another pho restaurant in Vancouver with a vegetarian (and indeed vegan) pho option, so I decided to try it out. Their veggie pho comes in 3 sizes ($12.50 for regular; $13.50 for large; and 15.50 for extra large). I ordered the large plus some vegetarian salad rolls ($8.50) which are served with peanut sauce. The salad rolls came out in about 15 mins and the pho a few minutes later. The salad rolls were decent, but stuffed with a lot of iceberg. The seasoned tofu in it was decent and so was the peanut dipping sauce, but it was a pretty run-of-the-mill veggie salad roll. Meh. 3/5 As for the pho, everyone knows a good pho is primarily dependent on the broth. And the broth for this pho was perhaps the lamest I've tried in Vancouver. The soup looks great, with plenty of broccoli, bok choy, some shiitakes, seasoned tofu, and plenty of noodles. But the broth was barely flavoured and seemed to be without any sodium content whatsoever -- which is quite surprising for a Vietnamese pho broth. Luckily, they have chili oil, a salt shaker, and other seasonings to improve it, but the base broth could only be elevated so much. Very disappointing. 2/5 Service is fine -- perfectly competent but not friendly in the slightest. Probably just Western norms, but I didn't feel welcome here. I didn't much mind. I was there for the food, which wasn't good. Not recommend for their veggie pho. read more

Pho Zen - Vegetarian pho (large size) - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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THIS IS A MUST VISIT FOR A HOME COOKED BOWL OF PHO. I absolutely love this place. So much that the owners recognize me. Hehe. This mom and pop place always hit the spot for me. Every bowl of pho is made with love and tastes like my auntie made it. And also all the banh mi's, the bread is so soft and crispy. And the meat inside is never dried !!!! Every time I come, I order a small pho with a banh mi. I don't care how full I am, I will finish everything in one sitting. I have gotten all my friends and family addicted to this place. You will not regret it read more

Pho Zen - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Big portion, reasonable price and good service! Truly a hidden gem for Pho in Vancouver.

Not my first time here but last time I only got a banh mi (which was quite good) and this time, we ordered the chicken curry, #111 with many meats on top of fried rice, deep fried chicken wings and deep fried wontons. The food here isnt bad at all with pretty good portion sizes and flavourful dishes! The chicken curry smelled lovely and the banh mi had delicious grilled chicken, some pate and pickled veggies. It was a little merger with the filling but tasted great regardless. The stars of the night were the fried chicken wings and the wontons. Both were a large portion and quite flavourful! The wings were nice and plump while the wontons remained crispy despite the take out order. The fried rice with meats was good but there was nothing that stood out from it...They could have added more shredded pork and given more veggies but for the price, it was a large plate of food. Finally, they threw in an extra spring roll which was a nice surprise! Overall, the food here is pretty good but the service isnt the friendliest. read more

Stopped by Richmond to grab some Viet food and we discovered this hidden gem. It's a family run business, and everything from the atmosphere to service to the aesthetics really gave us the feeling that we were eating inside a local Vietnamese restaurant by the beachside. The portions of the food were fairly large considering the price (around $15 total with tax and tips included) and was very tasty. If you are in the area, you should stop by Pho Zen as they are super underrated. And a good time to support local businesses! read more

Pho Zen - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Trying this pho pace for the first time. I guess there are good reasons for me to keep going back to the ones I like. This place has kinda a rundown old-Chinatown restaurant vibe to it. It was empty when we go there, the servers even seemed surprised when we walked in. When I go to a new place, I usually try out their "staple item". So I ordered the house special large. Portion felt relatively small for a "large" Flavoring was okay. Most Vietnam pho places use msg, but in some places you can't really tell, here, it's quite obvious. - I felt rather thirsty immediately after having one sip of the broth. It's nothing horrible, just not great. My main critique would be that the broth was a bit too oily for my taste. Not likely going to be back again for more. Food 6 Service 6 Ambiance 4 Value 6 read more

Pho Zen - the front of the restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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My absolute go to pho place now! Love the convenient parking lot out front and the location. This is by far the best pho I've had. The pho is very flavorful and tastes very home made. I always order the house special and my partner gets the bun bo hue. Both are delicious and the portions are very generous. read more

The food is decent and authentic; just a bit over MSG added. service ... sticky surfaces and utensils read more

This place is super close to our apartment and it was amazing. The pho the spring rolls and the chicken wings are great. Highly recommended. read more

Pho Zen - Chicken wings were amazing - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I love this place! Favorite in the area for sure! The subs are amazing,I always pull in for one for takeout when I drive by! Nice fresh bread and everything else I have had was great. Definitely recommend! Seems like a nice family owned business too :) read more

An efficient, convenient, quality, family-operated Vietnamese restaurant opened up near me and I am so thrilled with my experience. The staff are friendly and efficient. I was happy to see it is a family business. Their hours of operation are great, they're open late! As of now, they close around 1AM. I ordered 2 chicken banh mis, a beef ball pho, and french bread with beef dip. Price is standard and affordable! It was easy to order takeout with viewing their menu online, and calling in. The banh mis (sandwiches) are delightful. I will come here often for these. They are slim but long and filled with a generous amount of common fillings such as pickled veggies, cilantro, peppers, and all that good stuff. The bread is fresh and buttery! I'd say their sandwiches taste more unique in comparison to other shops; it has its own simple charm. The beef ball pho isn't my most favourable, as it could have more flavour but that can be easily fixed with some side sauces! If you're nearby and craving pho, I'd say give it a try! The noodles are on the thinner side, the soup is very light, and the beef balls are very big! The French bread with beef dip was extremely new to me. This one has very obvious French inspired flavour, so if you're new to that, you may be taken back like me. The dip consists of cartilage-like beef pieces, and a few meaty beef pieces, and a strong, savoury, earthy, herb-y, reddish broth. I think this would appeal to many, but if you're unfamiliar with this dish like me, try sticking to something familiar first! Overall, it was an interesting taste. I recommend checking out Pho Zen! read more

Very best Pho. I have been to many around the globe......this was the best. Traveling guy from Daytona Beach. This restaurant was all about good food, not frills! Go with that expectation and you will be happy. read more

Tried this place out for the first time. Got take out which was packed well. We ordered two large pho, spring roll, salad roll, and fried wontons. The deep fried dishes were good and tasty, and the amount of meat in the pho was plentiful. However, the broth was on the weak side (not much flavour) and more importantly, I found two small pieces of white plastic floating near the bottom of my pho! Look how much is in my bowl before I noticed! Are these the only pieces or did I and/or my toddler swallow some unknowingly?!? Needless to say I do not recommend this place. read more

Pho Zen - A closer look at the two pieces of white plastic found in my pho! - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Would be a lovely place for truly Northen Pho but be aware. They have MSG in everything.

I live right across the road, I haven't been in my kitchen except for water. Food is excellent, fare prices, friendly owners. read more

Pho Zen - # 129 - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Ordered take out lunch for the family. My son enjoyed his large #40 pho special noodle soup. My wife and I consumed the good sized orders of #125 grilled pork & spring roll with vermicelli and #128 grilled chicken & spring roll. Noted the nice tang of the pickled daikon. The spicy sauce on the side was good compliment to the dry vermicelli (as compared to the usual side container of fish sauce at other places). The wrap of spring rolls were light (not oily) and the fresh flavours from the filling were appreciated. read more

Last month, my friend and I came to this restaurant. Being from Richmond, we had to take the Canada Line and transferred to a bus. It took us more than an hour because we got lost. Anyway, when we got there, it was just a relief we can finally sit at a table, sharing it with a young man. I ordered the one I saw a picture of it on FaceBook, I think. It looked so so good that it had made me hungry in the middle of the night. I just couldn't wait to get here. This soup is so different from PHO. I like the taste better and it's a little bit spicy but not hot. It was my first time to eat those pork balls and they were so tasty. I didn't realize they were pork balls until I asked the server. The young man sharing the table was eating a soup with noodles that is a new item for the restaurant. He said it was good and the server said it has red wine in it. Such innovation. What is also good, is that the server is the daughter who can understand and speak English very well, so there's no problem in communication. The place is clean and tidy. The server is friendly and her younger sister is also giving a helping hand served. I would like to go back there and have either the Bon Bu Hue or their new item with red wine. My friend doesn't eat beef so she had the combo with lemon grass grilled chicken on rice and had fried wonton. She said her orders were good. read more

We ordered beef noodle soups and spring rolls at Pho Zen. The food and service were ok. The tables were spaced apart and partitioned, I think they have hand sanitizer on each table, and there's parking in front, so that was good. But what really bothered us is that they actually had a container on each table with chopsticks, spoons, and napkins for you to help yourself as well as condiments. Disgusting. Now I know that's how Vietnamese restaurant are usually setup, but that's NOT hygienic these days (due to the virus). We had to soak our chopsticks and spoons in our hot teas to clean before using. We didn't ask for new ones to avoid possibly upsetting them lol. Afterwards I told the server our concern. I just hope they start dispensing the cutleries, napkins, and condiments individually because it is sooooo gross regardless. Thank you. read more