Pho Capital — Restaurant in Coquitlam

After running out of places in the South Burnaby and New Westminster area to eat, I’ve been gradually expanding my range to areas around the Burnaby/Coquitlam border. This area is primarily known for having lots of Korean restaurants but I wasn’t really in the mood for Korean so I stopped by Pho Capital.

Like most restaurants in this area, Pho Capital is located in a rather nondescript mini mall. The restaurant wasn’t very busy during my visit around noon on a weekday but I’m not sure if things pick up later in the day.

I ordered the #14 Pho Noodle Soup with Eye of Round Steak, Fatty Beef Brisket, Soft Beef Tendon, and Beef Tripe ($8.50 for a small bowl) also known as Pho Tai, Gau, Gan, Sach. Almost immediately after placing my order, the waitress was back at my table with my meal and a plate of bean spouts, basil, lime wedge, and jalapeño slices.

The pho was topped with a couple of pieces of rare beef (something that I look forward to when having pho). Underneath, there were plenty of thinly shaved pieces of brisket and a few pieces of tendon and tripe. The broth was pretty good and I think I’d come back to try some of their other items.

As it turns out, I came back about 4 months later and ordered the Marinated Lemongrass Pork Slices and Fried Spring Roll with Veggies ($11.75) or Bun Thit Nurong, Cha Gio. The crispy spring roll was made with a wonton wrapper and the bowl was fairly big (with lots of shredded cabbage underneath). By itself, it lacked a bit of flavour but it was easy enough to kick things up a notch with the tableside sauces.

As with my last noodle soup here, the Bun Bo Hue ($10.99 for large) which I ordered at the end of the year, came out really quick. Interestingly, while I was hit with the aroma of this soup as soon as it arrived at my table, it wasn’t overly spicy and I resorted to the table sauces to kick it up a notch. In the bowl, there’s thin slices of ham, well-done flank, and chunks of chicken balls. The thick, rounded noodles were pretty good and had a nice chew to the bite.

On my last visit, I decided to opt for the Marinated Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and Pork Chop on Rice ($12.75) which I found to be okay but a bit dry. Similar to lemongrass pork, there was a lack of flavour which required the use of the tableside sauces.

Overall, a fairly no-nonsense Vietnamese establishment with somewhat muted flavours. Note: they only accept...

Pho capital is a humble restaurant (it doesn't sell itself off as being overly extravagant, modern or chic). Its just a homey, family owned noodle house. The service is immediate and accommodating to your requests, be it extra beef balls or switching your broth for another. Never had a problem, since everyone working was very friendly. Menu covers everything you would expect for a Vietnamese restaurant. The food is always fresh, especially with the continuous influx of customers (never needed to wait long though, since food flies out of the kitchen). Pho Caps' would never serve a customer anything they wouldn't serve their own family. One of the main selling points for myself was the fact that the restaurant itself is immaculate. Any other Pho restaurant typically has a sticky, grimy, molding wood smell/feel, but not Pho Capital. The restaurant is open 364/365 days out of the year (talk about dedication!). Owners take great care in what they do, and it shows in every aspect. Give them a try, and say hello to your new regular Pho joint.

*As with all my restaurant reviews, I try not to comment on any specific one dish. I leave that to the reader and their preferred sense of taste. I just hope you'll trust my recommendation to give it a try (or not), and the ambiance each...

I’ve been coming here for years even when it was under old ownership. The new owners have been running Friday discount for quite sometime and we decided to go there as kids had a day off which was a big mistake, as it was busy. We ordered 2 special chicken pho. Depending on the day you go, you get either boiled chicken or grilled chicken🙄. When we received our order, we noticed that it has 2 different broth. One chicken and one beef. On top of that, the noodles weren’t fully cooked. As a non beef eater, I approached the owner and told her. She assured me that it was chicken. It was when I told her to smell it, then she agreed to change it. This wasn’t the first time that it has happened. When she brought out the replacement, I noticed that it wasn’t a whole new order. In fact, it looked like they had drained and rinsed the old noodles and meat and put chicken broth in it. How I knew was that I had already taken a bite out of the chicken. I honestly enjoyed the food here despite of the inconsistency but don’t think I will be going back. Maybe the owners, shouldn’t rush and maybe have more helpers in the kitchen to...