PHO IN LOVE AUTHENTIC VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT & BAR — Restaurant in Vancouver

Pho in Love is a true hidden gem located in Vancouver's West End. This family owned and run restaurant serves delicious and authentic Vietnamese dishes that you will surely pho (fall) in love with.

Staff:

The staff excel with their proactive attitude and greetings. If they notice you heading down the stairs, they will often open the door before you reach the bottom step. They will not hesitate to offer assistance should you need guidance down the stairs. I noticed that they will even assist if you need to bring a stroller down to their restaurant!

One is always greeted with warm, genuine smiles and their hospitality is unmatched. The staff will make thoughtful suggestions if you need assistance choosing what to eat and/or drink. Service is quite unobtrusive and they are quick to refill beverage vessels when they notice a guest's glass or cup needs refilling.

Atmosphere:

The restaurant is tastefully decorated with several hues of green (their banquettes and lighting fixtures) and wood furnishings. The dimmed lights paired with the soft background music, create a cozy atmosphere that enable guests to feel at ease while enjoying their meals. The soft background music allows guests to speak to one another without the need to raise their voices. The layout of the tables of the restaurant allows for ease of accessibility should one need to use the restroom or to get up and stretch.

I am also delighted to note that this is a family friendly restaurant: they have high chairs readily available.

Food:

I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Every single item I've tried has been delectable (and the portions are generous!) The dishes are prepped and cooked by the owners' mum and dad. The love and effort they put into the food is a testament to Vietnamese cuisine.

Some dishes I have tried and enjoyed include: chicken wings (both butter and chili fish sauce flavors), shareable appetizer platter, bánh mì with grilled pork, phở bò (beef noodle soup), rice vermicelli bowl with grilled pork and beef, grilled lemongrass chicken, cơm chiên (wok fried rice), grilled beef short ribs, bò lúc lắc (Vietnamese shaken beef), bánh xèo* (Vietnamese crêpe), and sữa chua (Vietnamese yogurt).

*Try their bánh xèo (Vietnamese crepe) as most restaurants do not serve this dish!

Beverages:

Their salted coffee (cà phê muối) is an excellent and addicting pick-me-up beverage. The contrasting sweet and salty flavors creates a distinct flavor experience to enjoy. Other beverages worth noting include the Vietnamese coffee either black (cà phê den) or with condensed milk (cà phê sữa), cà phê martini and their avocado milkshake (sinh tố bơ).

Miscellaneous:

They currently offer daily happy hour from 2 pm - 5 pm. Their happy hour includes: 10% off of food and $3 off of beer and spirits.

Tip: ask to try their Vietnamese coffee affogato! The vanilla ice cream pairs well with their Vietnamese coffee and the condensed milk drizzle is the most scrumptious topping. If you're feeling extra indulgent, ask to add Kahlua to the affogato -- you won't be disappointed!

Treat your taste buds and visit Pho in Love for an...

I can't lie this is now my favourite vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver, it's a must try when you're in the west end area. they've got a variety of options, lots of classic viet dishes so there's something for everybody, plus vegetarian options! they also don't mess around with portion size.

Bun Bo Hue: very aromatic, flavours were well balanced and the amount of spice was not overpowering. they do have sate on the side which I believe is homemade if you prefer more spicy. I also like how they have extra toppings on the side like purple cabbage and banana flower to add in.

Signature Pho with slow cooked beef rib/oxtail, comes with a poached egg: broth was so rich and savoury, definitely gave me nostalgia being back in Vietnam eating in cold weather. I was impressed with the amount of meat it came with and how tender it all was. this also comes with a side of fresh bean sprouts and basil garnish.

Lemongrass chicken Banh Mi: a classic sandwich with soft fluffy baguette, very well seasoned lemongrass chicken and good amount of toppings. perfect for when you're in a hurry and need to grab a quick bite.

for dessert/drinks, I got all the childhood classics: Che Ba Mau, avocado smoothie and Vietnamese styled yogurt, all had a good amount of sweetness. there's also a cocktail menu which I'll be sure to try next time I'm back, the Ca Phe Espresso Martini sounds interesting.

overall, I had such a pleasant time here, all the staff were so friendly and attentive, which makes sense as they are a family-owned restaurant. the ambience was warm and inviting, you could tell they put a lot of thought and work into developing the menu and interior design. Pho In Love will quickly become a west end...

As a Vietnamese, I have high expectations when it comes to Vietnamese food at restaurants... and let me tell you. This restaurant did not disappoint.

Every restaurant in BC is known for it's infamous dishes, that one dish, that made them well known for it.... but Pho in Love, doesn't just have one dish. It has many. A great menu to choose from.

I've been here a couple times since they have opened and every time, I try something different... and every time, I am not disappointed.

Pho is my favourite Vietnamese dish. Something I can eat meal of every day so I had it as my first dish to see if it could live up to my expectations and it definitely did. I tried the Spring roll (cha gio) and it is crispy and perfectly flavourful.

The second time I went, my wife tried her favourite dish Bun Bo Hue. Of course I veered to mine but she insisted I try something else. So I tried the Mom's Special rice dish (Com Tam). The pork was tender and juicy. Full of the grilled flavour and seasonings. My wife let me try a small bowl of her Bun Bo Hue and it was awesome. Perfectly seasoned how we like it. We also tried the Fried Won Ton and Crispy fried shrimp. Those are truly appies I could munch on each visit.

The drinks are phenomonal. The salted coffee was different from a traditional iced coffee but I definitely could drink that every morning. The Hot coffees are also very delicious and not too sweet.

Dessert was next. We tried the Three coloured dessert (Che ba mau) and usually Che ba mau is a bit more on the sweeter side but this was just so well balanced with flavour and the right amount of sweetness.

I look forward to my next visit to try the adult drinks with some...