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Phonatic Social

4.7 (23 reviews)
Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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PHONATIC SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Dogs allowed
Outdoor seating

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Vermicelli
Tony X.

Phonatic Social just might be my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in the North Shore and possibly all of the Lower Mainland! I ordered the phonatic specialty vermicelli and it came with a prawn and chicken skewer and a spring roll, all of which were full of rich flavours. The service was good and the place had nice decor and good lighting inside, as well as an outdoor patio. I'll definitely be back!

Condiments
Jonny M.

Tried out Phonatic Social Restaurant, a North Vietnamese spot, for a weekend lunch. The inside has plenty of tables but there's also a large patio. Service was okay but had to ask for tea refills. 10% off discount during happy hour (2:00-5:00pm). Enjoyed the homemade chili sauce. - Salted coffee ($9.00) - Herbs - bean sprouts, basil and lemon wedges - Pho ga nuong satay ($20.50) - broth had good depth, nice peanut flavour. Lemongrass chicken was excellent. Favourite dish that we tried - Bo kho ($20.50) - not as thick as other beef stews. Star anise was prominent. Beef shanks were tender but wish they gave more carrots - Bun cha Ha Noi ($23.00) - spring rolls were legit. Grilled pork was okay but lacked variety

Hanoi beer
Colleen P.

Bursting with flavor! Get the turmeric fish, it's delicious. Classic dish in Northern Vietnam, but they make the dish their own here! Lemongrass sauce and dill give the dish a light and flavorful taste, with vermicelli noodles to add into the sizzling skillet. Fish was fresh and light, and it took on the flavor of the ingredients. We also ordered chicken pho, which had a deep flavor, and was absolutely delicious. The chicken was tender, and the herbs were fresh. 10/10. We spoke with the owner for some time after the meal, and he gave us recommendations for exploring the city and told us a bit about his business and life in Vancouver. (We are visiting from out-of-town). He was so personable, and it was evident he puts a lot of thought and care into the dishes and overall dining experience. Highly recommend!

Julia M.

TOP TIER. Food, service and ambiance, TOP TIER. The greeter at the door, the location in North Vancouver, The staff, all amazing. Two of us shared 4 food items and all were some of the best vietnamese cuisine ever. We didn't want to waste ANY bite so we took everything to go. I recommend getting the salt and pepper wings with the tamarind on the side. The spring rolls were so fresh you can tell they were never pre made and refrigerated. They were freshly rolled. We wouldnt hesitate to come back every visit to this city!

Pork and prawn spring rolls
Damien M.

Had lunch after wifey's apt in north van. We were seated promptly by server and given menus to look at. Asked right away if we wanted tea or water to drink. I got tea. The tea was very nice. The place is small but cozy, seating is fairly close together with nice decent tables and chairs. I ordered their Phonatic Specialty Noodle soup(Pho Dac Biet) plus an order of pork &prawn spring roll(Cha Gio), Wifey ordered the Vietnamese omlette(Bahn Xeo) The spring rolls were crispy and delicious, using the rice wrap not the Chinese egg roll wrap which for Vietnamese spring rolls i really do prefer the traditional method so this was right up my alley! Wonderful filling good texture and flavor. I will say this might be my new favorite for spring rolls. The fish sauce for dipping was delicious as well not watered down like some other establishments I've been to. The special noodle was delicious as well. Natural beef broth with a nice flavor, not super deep in beefiness but not light either. For being 24hr beef bone broth i give it 2 thumbs up. The beef short rib was fall off the bone and tender, plenty of other meat in the bowl as well. I did feel one more mouth full of noodles would have been perfect as I felt I was missing that but meat was again very plentiful! Wifeys omlette was somehow not transmitted to the kitchen and it takes about 20m to prepare. The server came and apologized and said the kitchen was making it at the moment but if she wanted they could change order to something faster. Wifey wasn't in a hurry and said since it was started already it's fine. It came it abs looked wonderful. I've had in the past and to me if seemed thicker than I've had but as long as the taste is there then that doesn't matter. Wifey seemed to enjoy..I didn't taste as i was to full of my beef rib soup. But it looked tasty. Very wonderful restaurant and will probably go again when in North Van.

Mori N.

Great little Vietnamese place. I'd go back....even though there is room for improvement... I'd go back because it was tasty and the service was spot-on. Couple of things right off the bat. Please don't bring out the food one by one. Most people have a tendency to want to enjoy their meals together. So, bringing out one dish nearly 15 min before the other is....well...not great. If you're going to put a Shrimp Salad on the menu don't cut the shrimp in half...makes you look cheap as an establishment. Also it's good to... you know....de-vein the shrimp (see pic.) The Beef Pho was nice. It tasted hearty, homemade and authentic. Did lack salt and even with the seasonings on the table...that kick was missing slightly. The Mini Pate Baguette was a bit of a let down. I was expecting more Pate....there was barely any there. Almost none (see pic.) The Baguette itself was very nicely done...crispy. The service was beautiful. Friendly. Attentive. Consistent. Professional. I Love Asian food. This place quenches that crave. With a few things corrected this place could be the Rockstar of that neighbourhood.

Azadeh S.

Food: 5/5 | Service: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 4/5 We ordered Pork & Prawn Spring Rolls (2) | Cha Gio, not greasy and tasted so good. Also ordered Phonatic Specialty Noodle Soup | Pho Dac Biet, which has short-rib, sliced beef brisket, rice noodles, and was soooooo good. highly recommended.

Vincci P.

I passed by this place so many times that I finally decided to try them, and it was a great decision. The place is charming but big enough to host a good amount of customers. The staff was friendly and efficient, especially during lunch time. Before I ordered they offer some warm and delicious tea, then I ordered specialty noodles soup that feature most of the items that other Vietnamese restaurant but they added one stand out item: the short rib with the actual bones and it has plenty of meat on it. I also wanted to try the mango sticky rice for dessert, as well as the mango smoothie, but I got so full with bow of pho by itself.

Josephine M.

Heard about this place somewhat recently from a foodie group that I follow and was looking forward to trying it. The decor is nice. They have these colourful lanterns hanging all over the place, both outdoors and indoors. Gives it more atmosphere than any of the other Vietnamese restaurants I've been to on the North Shore. There were some decent dishes here but overall, I have to say that I was really expecting more from this place. I think it was a bit too hyped up on the foodie group. My daughter ordered a Lemongrass Chicken with Vermicelli noodle and shared it with her dad. The order came with two pieces of Lemongrass Chicken and they ordered an additional third piece to supplement. Really wasn't necessary as the portion was huge. The original two pieces would have been plenty enough for them both. Our daughter tends to be quite sensitive to grease and this dish really greased her out. For myself I ordered the Vegetarian Vietnamese Omelette Crepe. This is kind of a like a Vietnamese style lettuce wrap. They gave several huge leaves of lettuce which I was supposed to use to eat with the omelette crepe part of the dish. I am a bit sensitive to grease myself and I too felt greased out by my dish. My stomach was feeling a bit weak for the rest of the day. There was a Green Papaya Salad with prawns which was quite refreshing but I wish the restaurant had tossed the salad a bit before setting it down in front of us. There was supposed to be mint in it; I didn't taste any mint. I think my husband got all the mint while I got all the basil. There was a sharing platter that was ordered for the table. I did enjoy the squid and prawn from this platter, and the Vietnamese coffee drinks were pretty good too. Other people at the table ordered bowls of hot pho & noodles, and there was also a Bahn mi sandwich. I think those dishes were satisfactory. Overall, I think a lot of the food here was a bit too greasy for our family.

Dog friendly undercover patio!
Natasha P.

They have a dog friendly undercover patio and also offer chicken pho! The service was very quick but we did find the pho to lack a bit of flavour. That being said, still amazing to have quality pho on the North Shore and a place we can bring our dog!

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3 months ago

Great Pho! Really loved their chicken wings too. Parking wasn't a problem either. My granddaughter loved it too.!

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3 months ago

We really enjoyed the food and drinks. Service was friendly and efficient. Recommend the spring rolls and pho noodles.

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Phonatic Social Reviews in Other Languages

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Tamarind Hill Malaysian Cuisine - Malaysian laksa curry ($16.00)

Tamarind Hill Malaysian Cuisine

4.0(146 reviews)
0.4 km•Central Lonsdale
•$$

Food was incredible. We had the Roti Canai (texture was on point), Chicken Satay (great savory…read morepeanut sauce that was not too sweet like other sauces), Sambal Green beans with shrimp (some of the best flavors that included use of dried shrimp and one of the true gems of the meal), the Beef Rendang (which is one of the finest renditions of a beef curry stew I have tried in my life - beef texture was perfect and the flavors would make my Thai grandmother smile though she may have wanted it to be a little bit spicier - but this was perfect for our family) - for me, this was the superstar entree of the evening and I will remember this for a long time, and the Nasi Goreng fried rice (again, perfect texture and meld of flavors) - everyone loved this as well. Portions were nice, especially on the beef curry. Owner was very warm, personal, and friendly. Highly recommended!

I came here for a weeknight dinner. Been by this place many times, finally decided to try…read more Guy running the front was nice, good service. He might be the owner. Place was really not busy. One table eating already at around 730pm, and us. Otherwise there were a few takeout orders. My main problem with this place is the lack of authenticity. They clearly geared the food for the local tastes, which is a far, far cry from what I would expect in an authentic Malaysian restaurant. And even further away from the real food you get in Malaysia. I can see how if you're a local in North Vancouver and Malaysian food is exotic to you, then sure, this place is very approachable. Because it is better described as "Malaysian-inspired." We tried several items: Satay chicken - tasted pan fried and otherwise tasteless. Usually these are char-grilled. Chicken was juicy though. Peanut sauce was just ok. Sauce was kind of watered down. 3/5 is generous. If youve had authentic satay, you'll know what I mean. Char Kway Teow - not bad. Seasoning was too sweet, and needed more "wok-hei." Noodle texture was good. 3.5/5. Sambal eggplant/green beans/okra - the sambal was really, really lacking the funkiness of the fermented shrimp paste I expected. Needs WAY more. Also needed way more heat. This just tastes like a bit of sweet stir fried veg. 2/5. Assam Laksa - this was the biggest disappointment. There should not be coconut milk in this dish, but they put some in. This completely overpowers the Tamarind and all you taste is coconut milk. A bigger sin is the lack of any fish. Traditionally this is made with Mackerel, and sardines are often substituted. But there was no fish in it. This should be a sour, tart, funky fishy broth. It was none of the above. The noodles had a horrible texture too. Sorry, this dish is a 1/5. And this is not Assam Laksa. The shrimp they used in all the dishes is the cheap frozen stuff, probably frozen white shrimp. Pretty tasteless. We asked for everything (except the satay) to be extra spicy. Nothing was really spicy. There was a mild kick in maybe the assam laksa (except totally muted by the coconut milk) but the rest was not spicy. at all. And this goes back to my comment about catering to the local tastes. People around here I guess cannot eat even remotely spicy food. If you want authentic Malaysian food, steer clear of this place. You will be very, very disappointed. There are many better places in the lower mainland. If you want some tasty food that is somewhat reminiscent of Malaysian food, this is not bad, and on the North Shore, this is one of very few options available to you. Guy running the place is super nice though, and I get it, he's just trying to cater to the local palate to keep the business afloat. The restaurant itself is really dimly lit but clean and comfortable enough. I'll give this place a 4/5 for service, but 2/5 for food. Overall 3/5. Location is right on Lonsdale near 14th, and you can find street parking or park in one of the nearby lots. Sorry, I wont be back, and I cannot recommend this.

Photos
Tamarind Hill Malaysian Cuisine - Sign

Sign

Tamarind Hill Malaysian Cuisine - Nasi goreng ($16.75)

Nasi goreng ($16.75)

Tamarind Hill Malaysian Cuisine - Menu

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Pho Garden

Pho Garden

3.2(43 reviews)
3.1 km
•$

Our first and last time here…read more Bare environment. Rough service. Below average food. I think I've gone to a fast food joint with more flare than this place. We wanted to sit at a two seater and were told to sit at a four seater. No room for negotiation lol. I ordered the beef stir fry and was served the seafood stir fry, and was told it was my mistake. It wasn't. I'm too anal to make mistakes like that. Listening to them yell about it in the kitchen in Vietnamese made it even more awkward. Moving on...... Even the beef stir fry was a let down (see pic.) The Beef Pho was so underwhelming and amateur it was comedic almost. Stellar Pho speaks languages to you, grabs your hand and takes you on an aromatic, exotic, thrilling and invigorating ride, with the last sip slapping you back into your chair glad to pay the bill. This Pho was hot water, cheap beef, some noodles and a couple of basil leaves with Hoisin sauce doing all the work. Yet, still failing.

My daughter and I are visiting from Seattle, Washington and my dad took us out to eat. Since we had…read morenever eaten them before we wanted to try one dish and ordered a vegetarian bowl. The owner was absolutely horrific. Since we only ordered one bowl of vegetable soup, he only offered two glasses of water instead of three. When we asked him why he only gave us two glasses of water he said that we only ordered one bowl of vegetable soup, which is why he would only give us two glasses of water. The owner was incredibly rude, disrespectful, and unkind. He was extremely inhospitable and disrespectful. When I asked him why he only brought two glasses of water he abruptly turned on his heels and walked away. This was the worst experience I've had in Vancouver to date. It's such a awful way to remember Vancouver by. I typically love coming to Vancouver to enjoy the food and try new little eateries. Also, I think that the store has poor sanitary standards. I highly recommend the store get checked by the local authorities to make sure it is clean and running to appropriate food service standards.

Photos
Pho Garden - Cafeteria style beef stir fry.

Cafeteria style beef stir fry.

Pho Garden - Very very basic Pho. Nothing much to it.

Very very basic Pho. Nothing much to it.

Pho Garden

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Phonatic Social - vietnamese - Updated October 2026

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