Pholicious — Restaurant in Vancouver

I was walking by actually on my way to somewhere else but their menu in the window caught my eye and I decided to give them a chance. It's a little stuffy inside but the staff was so nice!! They have lots of vegan options and even had a veggie wonton noodle soup on special, which you never see unless you're at a dedicated vegetarian restaurant! So I decided to try that. I thought it was very good! The wontons had a light but umami veggie (maybe mushroom?) filling and a thin but tender skin. On first taste I was not particularly impressed by the broth but with some stirring to distribute the "sediment" it was more flavourful. Lots of veggies. I got the regular size (which is the smallest size - it's regular, large, or XL) and was pretty full. The value is great - I can't remember the last time I paid $10 for this much food downtown, but it's actually quality stuff. I noted that they serve all the cold drinks (besides water) in plastic to-go cups, and my lemon also came out in a little plastic, which takes away major presentation marks when it would be easy to just use glasses (actual glass or reusable plastic). Highly recommended for anyone craving no frills Vietnamese with bonus friendly service, especially for...

The prices at this place are great, but it was obvious why when I had my first taste. The broth, the most important part of a bowl of pho, was possibly the blandest I've ever tasted, likely a watered down chicken or vegetable stock with a slight hint of star anise. The MSG laden instant pho packets I have at home would make a better broth unfortunately. I ordered the House Special, and unlike most other pho places their House Special does not have tripe or beef tendon, instead there's some grilled chicken and chả lụa balls. This is described in the menu so it wasn't a surprise, just different and the grilled chicken was actually tasty so it wasn't all bad.

Overall, I think this place is to pho as what Olive Gardens are to pasta in that there's a specific market that Pholicious is great for: People who aren't yet adventurous enough for the full gamut of spices, flavours and cuts of meat in regular Vietnamese pho. I would recommend Pholicious to those who have a more conservative palate and want a safe experience to the world of Vietnamese...

Went here on a whim since it was the closest Vietnamese restaurant to my office. Was very surprised by the prices as they were a lot cheaper than other Vietnamese restaurants. There was a steady stream of customers lining up...which I took as a good sign. I opted for their Pho Ga (Chicken noodle soup) and a side of 2 spring rolls. The pho came out incredibly fast. It was SO salty that I had to add some hot sauce in it just to offset the salt. Also, I told them I was eating there but my bowl was a plastic to-go bowl. It seemed like they didn't serve in reusable bowls even if you dine-in...which was too bad since it's so wasteful to use plastic:( My spring rolls took ages, I was done my soup and reminded them. She brought it out right when I mentioned it to her....they were cold...which means they must have forgotten to bring it to me and it was sitting there the whole time. I don't think I'd go back. Even though prices were reasonable, my experience wasn't great. With that said, it was my first time..so perhaps the other...