Night Owl Vietnamese Cuisine — Restaurant in Calgary

My meal from Night Owl this evening has turned me off of Vietnamese food for awhile. It was late night, I was looking for something fresh and tasty, Vietnamese usually fits the bill. I ordered through Uber Eats. It was $30 for the "boneless chicken and shrimp on rice" and a Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. I chose this place because of the reviews and the delivery time being 15 minutes. I know that's just an estimate, but my order originally said 1:00pm. It kept changing. The restaurant took 40 min to prepare this before it was even picked up. The wait ended up being an hour total. You'd think the food would be hot and fresh, I'm less than a 10 minute drive. When I opened the carton, it looked as if it had been sitting for a long time. The Vietnamese coffee portion for $6 was insulting. It was full of coffee grinds and the ratio of ingredients was way off, it was so sweet I couldn't finish it and I had chunks of coffee in my teeth. The meal was not good. The boneless chicken looked unappetizing, I took the rubber like skin off and cut the chicken up. I'm glad I did because there were pieces of bone/cartilage, had I bit into it, I could've seriously chipped a tooth. There was a scoop of green onion/cilantro placed on top that had turned to brown mush. The "sauteed" shrimp were more like "cooked until rubber". The shrimp were not cleaned either. I put them aside. The rice was a hard lump. I was able to stab the portion with my fork and pick it up in one solid piece. Everything was less than lukewarm. I had a few bites, kept getting stringy, chewy chicken....was so turned off of it, I'm sorry to say, I fed it to my dog. The house still smells like the dish. It's been a few hours and I'm writing this from the toilet, because I'm not feeling well at all. $30 for one of the worst orders I've ever had off Uber. I'm assuming it was extremely busy in the restaurant or maybe my food for forgotten or something. But the thought of Vietnamese food is so unappetizing to me now....which sucks. The reviews really had me intrigued, the dish sounded good and I love Vietnamese coffee....I'm not sure whoever made the drink knows how to make one. Sorry, my experience...

This place gives me "late night noodle shop" vibes, just like when I would go out for ramen late at night in Japan. The food is flavorful and thoughtfully created, and I wish I had more time and space in my stomach to try more on the menu.

My favorite dish so far is any of the sate noodle soups. This place took a dish I thought I knew and introduced me to an entirely different perspective I haven't had before this. Sate style broth usually leans hard on the chili oil side or hard on the peanut style side. This has both elements in harmony - it's spicy (but not overwhelmingly so, though I would not mind that :) ), and it has the nutty nod to the peanut. The sate broth is slightly creamy and uses toppings of cucumber and tomato. Both toppings not usually found in North American pho - which I think compliments this broth far better than most places do it in Calgary. The cucumber retains just enough crisp somehow in the soup, and the tomato quarter gives that hotpot style tomato feel - just a perfect harmony. This is a dish I have thought too much about, and redefined good sate pho for me.

There is only one size but it's a generous portion. Service is attentive and beyond what I expect in a small place. It's also been consistently good in store, though quite busy at night so good luck getting parking! Highly recommend parking nearby elsewhere. Also the only pho place open...

Night Owl Vietnamese Cuisine is a late night vietnamese restaurant. This place features classic favorites such as Pho, Bun Bo Hue, rice dishes and more.

The location of the restaurant is slightly awkward. As it is easily accessible from one side of 16th Avenue and not the other side. The parking is small and can be difficult go in or out.

Night Owl Vietnamese Cuisine opens at 5pm. As of this moment, they do not serve lunch. However, they are open until 2am in the morning. Allowing for the night owls to enjoy a hot bowl of vietnamese soup.

The food is quite tasty. The Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Beef Soup) is spicy. Most other places will not be as spicy. At times the spice can be overwhelming but it is welcome. The portion is quite filling. The Bun Bo Hue is missing some key meat. However, it is tasty overall.

The inside of the restaurant is perfect for late night food. There is only 1 or 2 tables. The rest of the space is bar space. Meaning, if the restaurant is busy, dining in can be difficult. The price is more expensive than other vietnamese restaurants. This can be due to no late night competition. Expect to pay a few dollars more than normal.

Overall, this is a great addition to Calgary's late night dining. I hope they continue to serve late, as finding a hot meal can be difficult during those times. Definitely give this place a try if you are looking for some late...