I haven't come here for a few years, but delighted to see how the food quality has gotten much better. Typically order the crepe and the beef short ribs. Pros: - huge portions and good quality ingredients - the food is delicious and served searing hot - service is actually quite friendly Notes: - cash only - free parking in the side streets if you turn in from Broadway Ave. read more

Thai Son Restaurant - Crepe and beef short ribs with rice noodles. Plenty of fresh herb and vegetables to make a nice bite. - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I come here almost every week and always order the same dishes but decided to try something different today and ordered the crepe as I was looking for a low carb choice. This will be my go to dish going forward. It's delicious filled with seafood. The staff are usually pretty friendly. Their Vietnamese coffee is super strong but one of my favourite drinks here. read more

Thai Son Restaurant - Crepe - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Love the crepe's its loaded of veggie's and seafood. The service are faster than the rest maybe because we came a bit early for dinner. The Pho' loaded of meat, too. read more

Came for a late lunch with a Vietnamese friend who'd been craving, in their words, "really good pho" as they'd been missing their mum's cooking since moving out from Ontario a few months ago; both other places they'd been to were in their view: very average and overpriced. The space was tidy, relaxed and had a few other diners when we arrived, the lady behind the counter was busy but gestured to seat ourselves. They brought us menus and then did a vaxx-passport and photo ID match check. Serves of hot tea quickly came next and our orders taken. It couldn't have been much more than 5-minutes before our large bowl of steaming hot pho arrived, and the piece of lemon grass chicken a couple of minutes later. My friend thoroughly enjoyed their #1 pho- house special $12.25, flavourful broth, very fresh and pretty generous serves of the different beef ingredients. I had the #9 pho- rare beef, brisket, tendon $11.95 and had the spicy broth: seriously delicious. The beef slices were tender, the brisket was the kind that almost melts in your mouth, and the pieces of tendon were so so tender. I really like that the bean sprouts are quickly blanched before they're served - still crisp but temperature wise, they don't cook down the pho when they're added. Oh and the lemongrass chicken had a really good cook/grill on it and was well-seasoned and so more-ish! Service wise, both ladies that we interacted with were cordial and super efficient! Servings were definitely generous, both had to-go boxes for the third/half our pho because it was too good to leave. No doubt I'll be back for my next casual Vietnamese meal. Until next time! read more

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Low average food (pork was really tough and vermicelli was broken up into small pieces) could have been better but terrible service. And the finishing touch- rats in bathroom. read more

If you are looking for some Vietnamese cuisine - Thai son is a quick way to satisfy your cravings. There is an array of selection from pho noodles to rice dishes. The prices are very reasonable and prices range from $10-13. This place has been here for quite some time and is great to get a quick bite. They had several locations and every time I go to Thai son I'm always full. Parking around this location is easy to find. Also I find this place a little outdated but it is somewhat a fast food joint. Also the servers provide good fast service!!! read more

Thai Son Restaurant - Pork Skewer with egg roll, and veggies and vermicelli - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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We haven't come back for Pho for long time since we found better Vietnamese restros on Kingsway such as Hai Phong, Lemon Grass n etc. Be fair, we should give it a try after several years and write a review too. I came here for dinner with my husband. The plenty of parking spot on Kingsway and not too busy when we arrived. The noodle soup was really salty and beef were over cooked. I just able to finish half!! My husband got dry noodles which the same dry meats and salty noodles. NO point for return!! read more

Thai Son Restaurant - House special dry noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Sometimes you just cannot go back to places you used to like..... and that is the story of this place. Talk about once upon a time then turning into something in the sayings of I wish I could have 'un-eaten' this meal... I was practically at that moment after finishing my bowl. Let's take a trip back to memory lane on this joint before remembering the meal I just devoured. Way back in a galaxy far far away, when Vietnamese food was the 'in' thing and new restaurants were popping up like printing money, this chain of places started planting their seed, and this was really the place to go. I remember Thai Son had a few restaurant locations, from the menus of the owner having famous Asia celebrities eating at his beef noodle joints (do you remember this?). This location on Broadway was always packed, any time of day, but I know with so many restaurants of this variety popping up in the last decade, there is only so much stomach to go around, and hence I have not returned, but it always was an alright place. This time with a business partner in tow who wanted food for lunch, she advised of coming here as we were around the area, so without hesitation we entered the doors. There is parking around the place, just note there are some paid meters here, but if you go a half block North, the parking is free for 2 hours, keep your eyes peeled! I noticed some things haven't changed, like having the place be 'cash only' and after all these years... wow. So we were seated, presented menu's and ordered. I ordered the house special pho with spicy soup, which is the same soup the use for the Bun Bo Hue. Not too long after I came back from the clean washroom to wash up, the food was sitting in front of me. As the person with me ordered the Bun Bo Hue, and asked if my broth was the same (which the waitress said yes) we decided to eat. It was pipping hot, a good sign that the stuff just came from the pot. From the look I had enough mystery beef pieces in my bowl, even though I ordered a small, well they aren't 'cheaping' out on me, as I put my beansprouts and squirt my lemon (hey.. where's the lime's.. did they get expensive again?) wedge into my broth for extra flavour. Before adding any of the hot sauces to spice it up even more, I started drinking the broth, and unlike any other BBH broth I have had, this thing did not have any aromas of sweet, but that of salty, one where it just put my mouth off and everything I was eating right after the first gulp made me more thirsty, and more tired. I felt the need to down the tea provided like someone was paying for shots at the bar, and keep going to be able to finish this small (as they state) bowl of pho. The meat given was alright, nothing special to write home about, and eventually the place was real loud due to the lunch crowd either working or living in the area. I don't like wasting food, but wished I didn't after I got through the bowl. There was definitely MSG in this bowl of broth.. one that took me for that tired ride the rest of the work day. The prices are fair for what they serve, and the menu hasn't really changed from day 1 of what they offer. I don't know what I was hoping here, but definitely not the feeling I left with. There are some things you cannot do, and 'un-eat' a meal is one of them, I know I will not be back for a very long time for mediocre pho. read more

Thai Son Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I came here with my family for lunch right before the 2018 Vancouver Mural Festival which was minutes away from this restaurant. The last time I've been to this Vietnamese restaurant was over 10 years ago because I haven't written a review for this place. This is one of those rare restaurants that has all a large stack of chopsticks and spoons on your table. Unfortunately, they weren't very clean looking and I had to go through several spoons to find a clean one. We were served right away once we sat on the table and the food came quickly after ordering. The beef rice noodle soup with beef brisket, beef balls and tendon was good and there was a decent amount of noodles and meat. There were solid beef flavours in this dish and it just tasted right. This seafood noodle soup dish, hu tieu nuoc do bien, could have much been better if they used better ingredients. The soup tasted like Vegeta food seasoning and it was very salty! The fish balls, squid and shrimp were fine, but the artificial crab had very little flavour. The bun bi cha gio with shredded pork & deep fried spring rolls on vermicelli with assorted fresh vegetables was delicious. This is a dry noodle dish with no soup. I loved the fresh vegetables with shredded pork. A light tasting savoury dish. Prices are about the same as Asian food courts but you're getting much bigger portion size and you don't have to eat with plastic plates and bowls. read more

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Cheap and delicious Viet restaurant near Main and Broadway. I went here for lunch on a weekday and the place was packed. Regardless, the service was fast, friendly, and accurate. Just a disclaimer, they only take cash. I ordered spring rolls, and grilled pork chop with a fried egg on rice - this dish came with soup. I normally don't eat the soup because I don't generally enjoy pho but this broth was tasty and flavourful. The rice dish was huge, with 2 pieces of pork. The meat was well marinated but a bit on the salty side for my liking. They cooked the egg to my preference - over medium. The spring rolls were crispy and delicious! An order comes with 3. I would definitely come back! read more

This is a decent pho restaurant with large portions. The spring rolls were interesting in that they were just rolls of ground meat paste. I've never had spring rolls like that before and they were just ok. I say that because when you dip the rolls in, the thickness of the meat paste does not allow the fish oil to really penetrate the spring rolls. The rest of the meal was as healthy as you can get. A side of meat and a generous portion of vegetables. I had a number 53 and my friend the number 30. See my photo and you'll see that the meal is plated nicely. I really enjoyed the tea and our waitress was nice enough to fill our pot constantly as I asked for more. A-OK! read more

Thai Son Restaurant - 53. It's bigger than it looks. - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Had a pho craving and ended up here at my friend's recommendation. I had a #3 large Pho Tai Nam which is beef flanks and brisket - got a good amount of beef flank but not so much brisket. Found the broth lacked depth of flavor too. I normally don't add any condiments to pho, but this time I started trying some out. My pho craving was not satisfied. :/ On the plus side, I really enjoyed the side of Lemongrass Chicken. And only $3.25! I was worried a large pho and a side order of chicken would be too much food for me but nope, was just the right amount. Next time, I will pass on the pho here and get one of their rice dishes instead, probably the one with the Lemongrass Chicken. read more

Thai Son Restaurant - #3 Pho Tai Nam (rare beef and Beef brisket) - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I eat here weekly. They are consistent and excellent quality. Only negative is not many drinks on their menu. read more

Thai Son Restaurant - a plate of meat and rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

One of my favourite Thai Son locations (the other being in Richmond). Parking is a bit lacking, but fortunately there is space on the street a block or 2 north. My favourite group dish is their hot + sour soup with prawns. You can also pick between pork and fish as a side dish. The soup is awesome, and is nothing like the thick brown stuff you get in Chinese restuarants. The soup is clear and is more sour than hot, thanks to the tangy vegetables in the mix such as bamboo (huge cooked slices) and pineapple. As for the fish, it was a bit salty, but came in a hot metal pot with a huge (communal) pot of rice. The fish on rice is awesome. We also ordered some other items such as BBQ short ribs. The ribs were hot and fresh, and the meat came off the bone without too much difficulty. It came with a bit too much vegetables (basil leaves and cilantro and other good stuff), but this was exactly the way they also do it in Vietnam, so if if anything, the restaurant was just being authentic. We also ordered the pancake. This one also came with a huge side of vegetables. The pancake itself was quite dry and crispy. It wasn't bad, but the beansprouts inside made it very difficult to cut up and eat. The filling spilled everywhere. As for the salad roll, it was quite large, and the shrimp were fresh. No fishy taste here. Just to be adventurous, I also tried the hot egg yolk + condensed milk in soda. This tastes exactly like what it's called. Actually it tasted like sweetened soda. The only indicator that there was an egg yolk mixed in there somewhere was then I would get the occasional mouthful of membrane. The place looks dirty as hell but it's good. Recommended. read more

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this/viet cuisine,good location across a mall,10%off every tuesday,free but limited parking by the rear plus street parking.small restaurant with diverse clientele.service is easy-calm-fast not excellent but not bad.good food.My relatives in Seattle everytime they visit Vancouver this is one of the place that is always at their bucket list,...aside from steambuns....... I had the lemongrass chicken wit shredded pork and rice,plus i ordered fried spring roll,serving is not that generous by still to go half of my meal,just like before(been here often) yummy foods and im satisfied.Another resto that is Cash basis only......ill vist again soon.... read more

Thai Son Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Ordered the $5.00 Vietnamese salad rolls around 2:00 PM on a Saturday for take out. The eatery had approximately 10 people seated and took 5 minutes for my rolls to arrive. The menu offers pork and shrimp protein options for $5.95 but no tofu or vegan. The server offered a non protein roll for a reduced price of $5.00.The eatery was noisier than average with a significant amount coming from the kitchen itself. The take away items included a plastic carry bag, styrofoam container, a single piece of saran wrap surrounding both rolls, larger than average container of peanut sauce. No napkins were included. The rolls were well above average size and well constructed. The veggies were nicely prepped and distributed which helped create a nice balance of fresh flavours. The peanut sauce was slightly lacking peanut flavour but decent overall. The larger than normal peanut sauce container made for easy dipping. Enough sauce was included to satisfy both rolls. Overall nice execution of simple veggie ingredients. At $5.00 these large veggie rolls and generous sized peanut sauce created a solid value. Would recommend 3.75 stars Ingredients: rice wrapper rice noodles lettuce, carrots, bean sprouts, parsley | cilantro Salad Rolls 376g read more

Thai Son Restaurant - $5.00 Vietnamese salad roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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To be honest, I thought this was a Thai restaurant. I saw "pho" written in the window but I thought maybe it was a Thai/Vietnamese fusion. But I was wrong. This is all Vietnamese. The place was packed on a Sunday post lunch rush. With so many Asians dining here I knew it was going to be good. Although my standard gauge for comparison is usually the house special pho, I decided to deviate and go for the pork chops. I almost regretted my order when I read "shredded pork" strips. My previous experiences with shredded pork strips were not good. They tasted like rubber bands. However this place does it right! They aren't rubbery. And the pork is delicious. I was so involved in the taste I totally tuned out the world around me as I enjoyed every bite. If the side soup they serve is any representation of their pho, I will be back! ---- I went back and had their house pho. While the soup base was decent, it lost a lot of flavor once it cooled down. The meat was fine but they need to cut the tripe smaller. I got a wad of tripe I couldn't chew and ended up spitting it out. Probably won't return for the pho. Their salad roll had three types of protein filling, so that was cool. read more

* Old dog * Inspired by Nikki W's strong recommendation of this spot I had to go check it out and see how it compared to my longtime favourite pho spot Hai Phong (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/hai-phong-vietnamese-restaurant-vancouver#hrid:ZVktS5vyptpi7EjrRBUpXQ). I ordered pho tai gan (rare beef and tendon), which are my two favourite toppings for beef pho. The waitress brought me the standard sides of sprouts, chili, basil, and citrus. The sprouts were fresh, although I saw several other tables get blanched sprouts. I guess I looked like I like them raw! The basil was mostly good, with a few leaves that had significant black spotting. The chili was jalapeno, and the citrus was lemon. I prefer lime. But at this time of year lots of places seem to be giving lemon instead for some reason. Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/ZHbiidBB8LVmh_hQQbRjig?select=pRF92JUygcVTs3QcML-ElQ When the pho arrived I was a bit confused as it seemed like they gave me pho tai nam with brisket instead of tendon. I asked the waitress and she told me to look underneath to find the tendon. It wasn't there - at all. So she went and came back with a small bowl of a single tendon which was cold from the fridge. Oh well. The rare beef (http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/ZHbiidBB8LVmh_hQQbRjig?select=zftKQvY9M-ZqSjkSPDTm-Q) was nice and rare and a decent quality cut. The noodles were cooked nicely - but it was not an overly generous portion of noodles. They could have definitely given more. But the true downfall was the broth. It was truly lacking. It didn't have a rich complex flavour. It was mostly just salty (perhaps too much MSG added?) and was overly oily with a significant number of particles floating on top as if it hasn't been skimmed properly. Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/ZHbiidBB8LVmh_hQQbRjig?select=MNCcL3ERgHaGyLqN7mkAIQ I guess I'm like an old reliable loyal dog. For my pho fixes I'll be sticking to Hai Phong until a new trick comes along which wows me. read more

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I'm surprised at the fact that this place doesn't have more and better reviews. To disclaim: I've been here just this one time and ordered only the brisket and tripe large. (#10). For the price, this may be the best pho I've ever had. The portion was huge, the broth perfect and it arrived quickly. What more can you want? read more

THEY TAKE AMERICAN CASH! YES THEY HAVE PARKING YES! GET THE LEMON GRASS CHICKEN But they didn't take VISA :( The pho here has meat balls (Which is usually an Add-On in the states) It was a clean broth compared to the fatty ones in OC. Not Bad Not Bad 3.25 CAN so like 2.25 USD for two piece of chicken thigh cooked perfectly! Had no complaints about this place it was a god send for a resting place read more

**Quick tip** This place is Cashola only! I was first brought to this restaurant by a Vietnamese couple (star 1) who came all the way from Abbotsford (star 2) to have Pho here. The restaurant was crowded (star 3). I'm a simple pho lover. Pho tai and a salad roll and I'm happy as Larry. Having been here a number of times over the course of a few years, I was well prepared to give them 4 stars. (4th star for the fact that it's consistently good) But then they put a piping hot plate of bean sprouts in front of me which had lost all of their crispiness --which is my whole reason for loving bean sprouts -- and I had to wonder - what happened? Did I miss the memo - do bean sprouts come cooked now? As I was leaving, I saw the most beautiful plate of food. It was the Bun Bo Nuong, Rau Song (grilled beef ribs) served with lots of sauces and whole lettuce leaves for wrapping, rolling and dipping. There were also crepes on their plates. I know exactly what I want next time! read more

Thai Son Restaurant - The entrance at Thai Son on Broadway, Vancouver - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Best lemon grass chicken on broken rice. I'm not Vietnamese but if my Viet friends agree and say the same thing, you know it's legit. (Actually I only have one Vietnamese friend and he's not even 100% Vietnamese. LOL...anyway...) If I'm not ordering the lemon grass chicken on rice, I'm usually getting the Pho w/rare steak and beef balls. They don't have the best soup, but on cold rainy Vancouver days, they do the trick. As for their BBH, it was alright. They definitely put a lot more chili oil than I'd prefer. Overall, I don't think it's their specialty, definitely not something I'd order more than once or twice. The interior is definitely a lot cleaner now that they've renovated after the fire. And parking can be found at the meter parking on the street, or you could luck out and find a spot in their ever so tiny back lot or further down around the residential areas. read more

Thai Son Restaurant - Bun Bo Hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Pho Thai Son is one of the better restaurants in Vancouver to try for alternative authentic Vietnamese cuisine other than pho. Usually a particular restaurant has its specific specialty and everything else on the menu isn't as great. Here the rice dishes are good, the crepes are good, the spring rolls are good...there is a lot of variety to choose from. Personally I like their special dry noodle dish with seafood. All of their dry dishes (dry noodles, rice plates) also come with a complementary bowl of soup broth which is really tasty and thoughtful of them to include. The pho here is okay too, but personally I think the rest of their menu is much more flavourful. The pricing here is extremely reasonable and great if you are on a budget. The location is also acceptably clean and well decorated. Much better than those new Vietnamese restaurants selling the same sort of food at a much higher price and calling it fusion. read more

Thai Son Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Thai Son is a Vancouver institution for Vietnamese food and I've been coming here for years. It's mostly good although they seem to have consistency issues - at best I'd say it's 4 stars and other times it's been a 2, like on my most recent visit, so I think 3 stars rounds it out. Their pho is decent although their broth lacks the real depth of flavour I've found at other Vietnamese restaurants, but it's still enjoyable. My wife loves this place although if I was in the mood for Vietnamese and it was up to me I'd choose a different restaurant. Both her and my father in law love their dry tossed noodles with seafood. On my most recent visit, I got the lemongrass grilled pork with spring roll on vermicelli, AKA the white guy special lol. My wife's dish came out and then I waited nearly 20 minutes for mine. When it came, there was barely any pork, and what was there tasted like it had been in a refrigerator for far too long rather than lemongrass. This dish is usually pretty good though, so I'll likely order it again and hope for the best. I've never really been a fan of their spring rolls as I find the filling to be mushy and a bit mealy. Their service is ok as in they have it at the restaurant - you order and they bring your food, although I can't say it's the most friendly service and we usually have to get our own water. Also, it's cash only, which is fine as long as you remember to bring some. read more

We've been eating here for almost a year now as we live nearby. It's cheap, delicious, with large portions! The pho can be a little too salty sometimes but otherwise amazing! However... we order takeout today and there was a large bug under all the food and in between the rice. We ordered #44. It was horrendous and wriggling all over. Now, we may not go back to this restaurant as that was a traumatic experience. Dear Thai Son owners, please look at the food carefully when you're packing it!!! We don't want creepy crawlies in our meal :( read more

First time at this location. It is pretty busy around this area but there can be some residental parking available. We came over straight at 12 pm and we were able to get seated for a group of 6. 15 mins later the place was packed. So make sure you come here early if you plan coming for lunch. I got the #11 small I believe it had rare beef, tripe and tendon and it was a great portion. There was a lot of meat which surprised me. The broth nice and hot which was great. In terms of flavor it was okay but it was really enjoyable because this cold weather. I am glad I got my pho craving fixed. My coworkers got the #46 I believe it was the lemon grass chicken and I have to say it looks amazing. They said it was really delicious. This place is really quick and affordable. I would come here again to try the lemon grass chicken. read more

We had a brutal time getting to Vancouver from the USA outback--we arrived at our airport to be greeted by a delayed flight that would cause us to miss our connection, so we slunk back to our house and had to wait until way too early the next morning to depart for Canada. So when the evening hours rolled around on our first day in Vancouver, our exhaustion had us looking for close-by comfort food. Thai Son could hardly have been a better choice. We lived in New Orleans for more than a decade, where Vietnamese food was plentiful and diverse. Thai Son reminded me of some of those NOLA places: just very basic Vietnamese standards, with no pointless effort to cater to Caucasian expectations. Decor was very basic--plain tables and bright lighting, almost a diner atmosphere--and service was efficient and competent, but not much more (also a bit diner-like). Pho dac biet was hearty and meat-heavy, although the broth itself might have been slightly on the bland side. The meatballs were some of the tastier I've had in a Vietnamese place. Goi cuon were big and fresh, but seemed to lack pop. Thai Son is a solid and workmanlike, if unspectacular, Vietnamese restaurant. To me, that means it's good eating. read more

Are the prices really that great? Seemed pretty normal to me. Food was ok, and I'd say portion size generous. Service was odd and a bit stilted. They asked if we were really to order at the 30 second, 2 minute and maybe 3 minute mark of us getting menus. Take a look to see if we LOOK ready maybe? The place has a few greasy spots on the floor but not too bad on the divey scale. After being over-served at the start, we were ignored 3 times trying to get the bill. If I worked in the area, I'd probably come here once in a while, but doubt I'll return otherwise for such a generic offering and Pho places I like better being so plentiful. One hot tip: "Thai" son,... not to be confused with Thai food. Before we checked Yelp and saw this place as a plan B to our original destination,.. we didn't know it was Vietnamese because we misunderstood the name. read more

Love Thai Son! The food is always hot and fresh. The staff are always friendly. This is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants. If you're in the area I highly recommend that you stop in for a steaming hot bowl of Pho. This place is great if you're in a hurry. The staff are always friendly and can answer any of your questions. I believe in Tuesday's you can get 10% off your meal which is deal as the prices I find are very reasonable. read more

I love how this place is cash only. My dream is one day they take debit but have a minimum amount. Food is great. read more

This is one of my go-to spots for Vietnamese cuisine. I've never had a bad meal here - I always leave happy and satiated. It's also clean and the service is quick if you care about stuff like that. The portions are generous and it's an especially good deal on Tuesdays when it's 10% off. My personal favorites are #35 (grilled pork, shredded pork, spring rolls, salad on vermicelli), #48 (lemongrass chicken, fried egg, salad on broken rice). FYI, if you order pho, they will cook the bean sprouts unless you ask them not to. read more

Thai Son Restaurant - #46 - pork chop, chicken, shredded pork and egg on broken rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Pho. As ubiquitous in Vancouver as sushi and the rain it seems and as such it runs the gamut - the full spectrum - of quality. From watery broth with sub-standard cuts of meat to the rich hearty broths with premium cuts of meat that make you realize that the simple soup you are slowly slurping up is a labour of love and as such should be appreciated. Pho is a magical thing and a good bowl can be almost a transcendental experience. It's a meal, a hangover cure and a flavour canvas that you control. It's rare to find a foodstuff that allows the consumer so much control over how the end product will taste. With a selection of sprouts, fresh basil leaves, jalapenos, citrus, hoisin sauce, sriracha (It better be the real shit!) and often salt pepper and chili oil the end result of two different bowls will always be markedly different. That and the selection of meats ranging from the basic pho tai with thinly sliced steak to the more adventurous tripe and tendon. Not to mention seafood pho and vegetarian pho. Pho Thai Son is good. Quite good. I have been visiting there for about 5 years now and actually it was the first place I ever had the pleasure of consuming this bowl of liquid comfort. I have had relationships that were intricately tied to their pho and many memories of taking home steaming hot bowls of pho to eat on the couch on cold winter nights while cuddling and watch TV. So it was, as it often is, that I arrived bright and early with the roomie and his girl on a St. Patrick's Day Saturday afternoon and commenced to eat. Now I usually have the Pho Tai and can taste it just writing about it. Slightly salty with a definite umami tang to it the hint of cinnamon or all spice is noticeable behind the rich beef and pork broth. It has a good mouth feel and there is quite a lot of onion floating within... I add a ton of hoisin to up the sweetness and a good deal of rooster sauce to kick up the heat. A squeeze of lemon or lime and a few sprouts for crunch and I am a happy camper. Today though I was hungry and a bowl of soup wasn't gonna do it... Enter the entrees. Number 56 had my name on it. Lemongrass chicken and shredded pork on steamed broken rice with a fried egg!? Hell yes, Vietnamese brunch! Tyrelasaurus had the same but with a pork chop instead of chicken and Megan had some sort of pho she ordered by number so I missed it... Food arrived and I dug in, failing to get a photo of it. I have to get focused (no pun intended) on taking more pictures! The massive portion of rice is a bed for an equally large portion of mystery chicken. I have no idea what the cut is but it is of mid range quality and tastes divine, the slight lemon hint and smokey grilled flavour are enhanced by all the hot sauce I douse the bugger in. the shredded pork is more of a tactile thinhg but is quite pleasant, and the egg gets cut up in the whole mess. Then doused with left over Vietnamese spring-roll sauce and the green salad that comes on the side I have a meal that will satiate my belly and my palate. I demolished my plate, leaving a good cup and a half of rice uneaten and soaked in the tasty sauce that had been created. Megan and I had both ordered "White" coffee and it had brewed to perfection in the time it took to eat my meal. The slow drip of the coal-black-kick-in-your-teeth-strong coffee took me back to the mornings we spent in Saigon waking dreary eyed and hungover to face the bustle of Ho Chi Minh City once more. I stirred the large dollop of syrupy sweetened condensed milk into the darkness and drank back the now super sweet super strong brew. Like a speed-ball my heart rate immediately jumped to around 100 BPM and time seemed to slow a bit as my mind became fully alert from the caffeine and sugar blast. Deliciousness incarnate. The cost of the meal and coffee was around twelve bones - cash only mind you - and there's not a thing wrong with that price. It was far from my first time there and it won't be my last. There are a ton of rad pho places in the city and this one just happens to be close to home so it's my go-to. Maybe soon I will travel further afield and we'll see what I can dig up. read more

If I need my Vietnamese fix I usually go to Thai Son just because they have a good variety and the food is passable... I'm not saying it's good. The service is terrible, as expected with most vietnamese places and the ambiance is... very Kingsway-typical (you do not want to touch anything that isn't used to eat). I find that any soup based dishes here are a complete and utter miss. Just too much MSG and the flavors are all the same (same broth for chicken pho, beef pho and bun bo hue... it's insane!). The dry dishes are OK. I usually get the com dac biet or bun dac diet, with grilled meat, veggies and all the works! It's hard to mess it up to be honest. Also the lemon grass chicken is nice, the meats here aren't premium AAA, but I guess it's edible but most of the time really tough and chewy. As I said before service is non-existant. Sit, order, throw food, eat, pray that you don't need anything or it will take a century to get, pay, get out. read more

L is for the way you look at me O is for the only one I see V is very very extraordinary E is even more than any pho that I adore See, this song can be used in almost any situation. Thank you Nat King Cole. Thai Son is fantastic, the food is quick, the place is large but always bustling, and the take-out portions don't skimp. My go-to dish is always the noodle beef with stew (#64 I think?) - it comes with carrots and large chunks of stewed beef in a thick tomato-y beef broth. It's heaven, people! You get ample bean sprouts and basil leaves, and their spring rolls and avocado shakes are yum as well. Overall, one of my favourite go-to places for a late night comfort dinner. Cash only, as everyone has already stated, but you probably don't need more than $15 to completely fill you up! read more

Bowl of pho that hits the spot and freshly fried spring rolls. Great combo. I was surprised at how quickly the place went from empty to full during weekday lunch hour. Definitely my new neighbourhood go-to Vietnamese noodle joint. Yum... read more

This restaurant is very hit or miss. The reason for my review today is because of my experience last night. I have been coming here for a few months now : at least three times a month, but last night was not good. When I showed the waitress the crawling live caterpillar/larva on my basil plate she didn't even take the basil away, just gave me more on the side. We had to ask a few times for cilantro (since whenever I ask for no onions in the soup, I also receive no cilantro). Our waters, asked for at the beginning of the meal, were given to us at the very end. Now I realize that this isn't exactly fine dining, but I just wanted future customers to have a heads up that this is a spot with good pho and an adequate atmosphere. read more

This is my current go-to comfort Vietnamese place! Super tasty pho broth and excellent broken rice. I've been there twice now, both during a weekday, street parking is relatively easy at that time and the restaurant is busy but not full. Delicious food, alright service and ambience but the food is what you go for! Very affordable and portions are generous. It's also a great place to order take away, the two times I've called in, the food has been ready in 15mins. What to get: Pho dac biet (dining in), broken rice and the vermicelli bowls w deep fried spring rolls, shredded pork + grilled pork/chicken (my go to for take out). Definitely recommend this place, it's a staple among the Vietnamese places in Vancouver. read more

It was very coincidental that a couple of days ago, a thread showed up on yelp asking whether anyone "really enjoyed pho?" My Answer is YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that some people may turn to it for a cheap meal, filled with msg, and good meat to compliment, but I love the texture of the noodles, the richness of the broth, the ability to load my bowl up with bean sprouts, and the sarachi and hoisin sauce I can drizzle to add additional flavours. It happened to be pretty chilly last Sunday and it seemed like everyone had been out golfing for a chilly 4 hours... so I suggest Pho :) Going to Thai Son - I knew to check out the House Special Pho because it is on the LIST!~ Vancouver's 101 Best Eats Before you Die: Item: House Special Pho Contents: a good portion of noodles with a variety of meat including: raw beef, brisket, tendon, beef balls, and flank. It was definitely more than I had expected, but that didn't stop me. The noodles were soft but not overdone, I just couldn't stop eating! Cost: $5.95 for Small, $6.75 for Large, Cash Only! Broth: Super tasty, very rich, and very satisfying. Definitely warmed my tummy right up! Service was minimal, and tea was definitely not hot enough, but I came for the pho and I got good pho! read more

Congrats on the comeback Thai-son, the neighborhood misses you. I have to say that the service, food is better than ever. I appreciate their integrity of not turning it into a condo like every other "accidentally" burned down building in the Mount Pleasant area. In additional, among the dozens of other Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver, I like that this one as it's a more of family oriented restaurant and willing to welcome anyone who walks through their doors. Only drawback is that I've noticed that they did however increase the price , but so has everything else in the neighborhood. read more

Thai Son is definitely a favourite amongst my friends and myself to meet up for a fast, cheap and tasty meal. I usually find myself ordering by number. No. 2 (Great Pho), No. 57 (Tasty Beef Ribs), or No. 42 (Satisfies my Pork Chop craving) read more