Viet Family - The Vegan House — Restaurant in Vancouver

I genuinely don't think I could say enough about this restaurant. Perhaps the only negative thing was that we had to wait about 20-30 mins. around 7pm, which isn't that long, and is only an indicator of how good it was.

The menu is a reasonable size; they really focus on twenty items or so and do them superbly. Between us, we had three dishes: the eggplant chik'n, spare ribs, and fried cauliflower. The curried cauliflower tasted amazing with a beautiful texture: crispy on the outside but still firm and toothy on the interior, with a nice bite of spice on it. The eggplant chicken was juicy and fall-apart tender, served steaming hot with some pillowy rice and some mixed veg that was to DIE for. Lastly, I have no idea how they managed it, but the spare ribs (tofu puffs, if I'm not mistaken?) perfectly mimic the texture of boneless ribs, and their subtle taste was right on point. And the purple sticky rice? I believe it was some kind of wild rice, and it was lovely. The dish came with some raw cucumber and tomato that didn't make a ton of sense to me, but they were a nice palate cleanser between bites if nothing else.

I also had the viet iced coffee, which was somehow fluffy and intense at the same time. It wasn't too bitter or too sweet, but it was a lovely refreshment to sip along with the food.

The ambience is great, too: it's small, and a little loud, but there are dozens of plants and nice art on the walls. It's very cozy, and the laughter and conversation around you makes you feel at home.

Lastly, the service was fantastic. This is the kind of place where they seem to enjoy working there; at the very least, they care about the little things that make the experience of dining so much better. Attentiveness with bringing water, stopping by to check in, but not too frequently, even cleaning the tables--I noticed the servers using cloths to shield the spray of sanitizer from other patrons when wiping down the tables. It's those small notes that make a huge difference in your evening.

I happened to go there during their 3 year anniversary, and they gifted us a slice of lovely cake to end off the meal. What a kind gesture to seal the deal: I'm going to be recommending this restaurant to everyone I know, vegan or not, because no matter your diet there's something for everyone and the quality of food far exceeds so many other places I've been to in Vancouver. I will definitely be going back. Thanks so much...

My friend and I were VERY happy with our meal here. We shared an appetizer and dessert, and each ordered our own dish but shared a bite with each other. A few words about everything I tried: Summer Fizz: Seasonal drink with sparkling butterfly pea flower tea and guava nectar. I really like both of these flavours so it was no surprise that I liked this. It came with pretty layers, and I enjoyed sipping each layer separately before mixing them. The guava nectar was very strong on its own but the tea balanced it own when mixed together. Caramel crackers: Crispy vermicelli crackers with a topping of juicy, aromatic protein mince. The texture was so fun! Chả cá hà nội: This was my entree, I was intrigued by the vegan fish. I think the "fish" was tofu - it tasted very much like tofu but with a flakiness and seaweed flavour that alluded to fish bites. While I wouldn't have mistaken it for actual fish, it was a unique presentation of tofu! Lots and lots of dill in this bowl - my favourite. Bún Sài Gòn: This was my friend's entree, but I tried the steak and spring roll. The steak was very soft, a lot more than other vegan steak substitutes I've tried, which caught me off guard, but I think the texture would've grown on me if I'd had more. I loved the spring roll! The filling had a really satisfying “meaty” texture and flavour. Kem xôi: Ice cream with pandan sticky rice. We were expecting vanilla ice cream, but it was actually some sort of cookies and cream. The ice cream and pandan-infused rice were delicious on their own, and the contrast of the warm and cold was really nice. The service was friendly, and I really liked the aesthetic of the restaurant with muted green colours and soft wood. My friend said it reminded her of the restaurants in Vietnam. I hope to be back soon! Update: I did come back and brought my parents (who aren’t vegetarian but like vegetarian food). I won’t write another full-detail review, but we tried all different dishes from my first visit and everything was still excellent. Love the unique tastes here. There’s a good balance of familiar flavours and their own dishes...

This place was so elegantly awesome!

I ordered the “beef” pho and it was delicious! Special mix of seasonings was what made it stand out from my usual fare. I initially asked what the biggest main dish was that they had. The server said “all of them”. Ha! Yes, apparently so. (I’ll know for sure after my second visit.)

Even if you’re not a vegan / vegetarian and just “eat vegan out of guilt”, this particular dish (can’t comment on the others yet) was flavourful enough that not only will your eco-conscience rest assured, you'll freely enjoy a hearty meal as well.

(Hardcore meat eaters… probably not your thing, but you never know.)

There were some obvious chunks of tofu, which I don’t usually like, but the broth’s flavour made them good. Their texture wasn’t bad either: Hard enough to chew, not too soft. The vegan beef strips & meatballs pretty darn good too! I enjoyed them as much as any real beef. Again, the flavours, the flavours…

My server brought this dish out with a tiny dish of hot sauce and that brown sauce that Vietnamese restaurants typically serve pho with as well as something not immediately identifiable. She said it was “highly recommended”. Turns out it was (I think) pickled garlic slices with stringy bits of some kind of spicy red pepper. Highly recommended indeed! Great taste! (Once I got into it, I put more into my soup and probably overdid it; still great flavour but then too spicy — but still GOOD!)

The place is bright, clean, & calm. The service was quick & polite. The cost was reasonably priced too.

Even the seat was cushiony without being too soft & the hand soap was lightly scented (I was tired & had dirty hands when I arrived).

If you’re into Vietnamese food, vegan / vegetarian food (my that’s a lot of “Vs”), or are willing to experiment with something new, this is a place to go to! I’ll be going...