Truong Thanh 2 Restaurant — Restaurant in Nanaimo

Here’s a tip: if the name of the Vietnamese restaurant is hard to pronounce AND it has a number in it, you know it’s going to be good. Second tip, if there’s no Vietnamese on the menus - that’s usually a bad sign.

Ok, so we stayed on the island for two nights and we still somehow managed to squeeze two Vietnamese meals in. The first one was very “meh” but TT2 was WOW.

We knew it was going to be good once we stepped in, the familiar smells and aromas hitting our nose. Glancing over the menu too heightened my expectations as they have many delicious sounding options. I settled for the Satay pho and my wife got her usual lemongrass chicken on rice.

The soup in the Satay is coconutty and peanutty with a slight kick. It really warms the soul on a cold day. Not every restaurant offers this option of pho and not every one does it well either. I can say that this one was very good and really hit the spot.

My wife’s lemongrass chicken was excellent. The chicken had strong flavour and cooked perfectly.

We chatted up the waitress for a little bit and found out that this is actually the sister restaurant to the original that is in Vancouver on Kingsway. We thought the name sounded familiar. We have eaten at the Vancouver shop before. After eating here, I think we’ll go back to the Van shop again soon.

So final thoughts, really really good food here. Might be the best on the island in terms of Viet. We will need to do some more exploring next time.

Ray’s tips: Lots of free parking in front of the restaurant. Credit cards accepted. There’s an attached grocery store that sells many Vietnamese and Asian items. Have a look...

I come here when I get a craving for soup. I don’t usually finish pho broth, but the pho satay here is good til the last drop. Unlike some places the beef portion in the soup is very generous as well.

Sometimes they bring jasmine tea right away and other times I’ve asked for it, so if you want it, just ask and they’ll happily bring you some. They also actively go around refilling glasses of water, which is great.

The first time I came here I asked if they had banh mi (Vietnamese subs), but they didn’t. Well in case anyone was wondering, they’ve added it to their menu! I’ve had the cold cut meat sub and it’s been very good each time.

The TV inside is always playing footage of street food/pastries being cooked and served in Vietnam and it all looks so delicious. It’s...

Vietnamese Food is Always a Must — and Truong Tranh Delivers!

We’ve enjoyed Vietnamese food across the Lower Mainland, the U.S. (Austin, TX), and throughout Southeast Asia — including Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh.

Since expatriating overseas to an area in Southeast Asia known globally for great foods, good pho has been one of the things we've missed most.

When we’re back in Canada, Vietnamese food is always one of our first go-to meals. Truong Tranh came highly recommended by a local friend, and we’re so thankful for the tip. The food was full of flavor, the portions generous, the service warm, and the value fantastic.

We’re not in Nanaimo often, but we’ve definitely found our pho go-to spot....