Little Minh's Kitchen — Restaurant in Burnaby

I have very mixed reviews from this place. It’s our go to because it’s clean and spacious when I’m in the area. We were one of the first patrons when it opened and became a regular for my friends and family.

Since pandemic they switched everything to plastic containers and paper cups. I find it super wasteful since they still have to wash the bowls and cutleries anyways. Why can’t they put out the sauces in small bowls when people order? I ordered two salad rolls and went through 6 sauce containers with lids. In total our table probably went through over 12 sauce containers.

The spring roll was amazing. Very crispy and light and flavourful. The salad rolls was large but it didn’t have much protein inside. I got the chicken and regular one. Then came the build your own rice dish....

You can choose 3 items for your dish. I have two boys so they were going to share this dish. I got 2 grilled lemongrass chicken and fried egg. Please see photo for reference. I was shocked. One piece of chicken thigh was sliced in half and there was a semi partial small piece of chicken next to it. I kindly asked the server was there a mistake? She said she will ask the kitchen. She came back and said everything is weighed. I have never in my life seen anything like this served in any restaurant. I’m not sure if they’re cutting back but if I ordered 2 pieces of chicken I expect 2 pieces. Not 1 cut in half and a bonus leftover piece.

I just let the server know this doesn’t look professional at all and I didn’t expect this since I’ve been coming here regularly for the past 2 years and this never happened before. She said she can bring it back but I wasn’t sure what can be done. Plus it was getting late and we were all hungry.

Our friends joined us for dinner as well and when they were paying afterwards the server gave them a discount for the mishap with MY experience. 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳 I had prepaid online before the food came out. I don’t think I will...

I had a good impression of The Little Minh Kitchen from a past visit, so I returned with a group of 10, expecting the same quality of food and service. Unfortunately, this visit was somewhat disappointing.

First, the kitchen seemed overwhelmed during busy hours. Our food took quite a long time to arrive, and since dishes were served at different times—even when we ordered similar items—some of us started eating while others were still waiting.

I ordered a vermicelli bowl and asked for more vegetables instead of vermicelli. The restaurant informed me that adding veggies would cost extra, but reducing vermicelli wouldn’t lower the price. While I understand that each restaurant has its own policy, other Vietnamese places I’ve been to usually accommodate similar requests as long as I swap ingredients rather than simply adding more. In addition, the grilled pork and grilled chicken tasted strangely similar. I could not even tell which one I was eating.

The ambiance of the restaurant was still pleasant, but one major issue stood out. If you’re dining with a large group, be aware that an 18% gratuity is automatically added to the bill. The young server didn’t mention this and instead handed over the payment machine with the gratuity option appearing first—before even showing the pre-tip total. I don’t appreciate this approach, as it feels like an attempt to rush customers into double-tipping. Always check your bill carefully...

10/10 for the food & service. Highly recommend this place - this restaurant is located in a plaza, so there's plenty of parking. Dine-in tables are spaced out and the restaurant is quite spacious, but it does get busy. If you prefer takeout they offer pickup and delivery options.

Bun Bo Hue (brisket, flank, viet ham, pork balls in a lemongrass beef broth w/ thick vermicelli) had a rich and flavourful broth, very good level of spiciness for me, and is amazing with a large squeeze of lime. Their lime/basil/beansprouts were also super fresh, and I was impressed (no leftover end pieces or wilting veggies). Honestly one of the best Bun Bo Hue broths I've ever had.

Sate (sautéed beef, chili sate and peanut butter w/ rice noodle). This was recommended by our server, and is apparently a popular and unique item on their menu. Lovely mix of flavours, and it tastes like a less thick version of the peanut sauce on satay skewers as the soup base. I found this spicier than the Bun Bo Hue. Good portion of raw sautéed beef on top, that cooks and becomes very tender when mixed into the hot soup.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee This was one strongest Viet coffees I’ve ever tasted, and loved. Definitely recommended for strong coffee lovers.

Staff is also very attentive, and the prices are...