Pho East Lake

This is one of my go to lunch places in Airdrie. It’s pretty authentic Vietnamese food (not Westernized like most places), quick and best bang for you buck. And it also gets very busy, so that says a lot about this place. You have your choices of traditional dishes: phở, vermicelli with spring rolls, pork & rice — all of these get a thumbs up from me, so you can’t go wrong with whatever you choose.

Love the phở and the vermicelli bowls. The spring rolls are also wonderful. Very tasty and great prices. Fast and friendly service.

The phở was really good, broth was flavourful! One of the better places I’ve tried since moving to Calgary over a year ago. (I had the rare beef phở with sate and veggie salad rolls.)
The menu options are average, but better than the last place I tried. Service was great. I will definitely be back!

So, my bar for Vientnamese food is set pretty high and this restaurant doesn’t meet ‘said’ bar. However, after saying that, this place is right in the middle of the pack.
We went in on a Saturday afternoon and there was a respectable amount of people there for 1:00. The restaurant is clean and decorated very sparingly with zero character. They are well suited for the industrial area of town. The servers are friendly but not around much.
We started with the spring rolls and they came out hot and crispy. They taste and look suspiciously, identical to the ones we buy at T&T Market. Traditionally they are served with lettuce leaves so you can wrap them and these were served with one limp piece underneath. We were not provided plates for our shared starter so I had to go up to the counter and ask for a few. They were totally mystified as to why I needed a plate.
My bun (vermicelli noodle bowl) was tasty, I had the Rainbow Combo and really enjoyed the charbroiled beef although I found the chicken flimsy. The serving size is big so I had to take some home to enjoy later. My Hubs had the Phở and ate it down to the last bite so I have to say he quite enjoyed it.
Here is where I stand when I think about returning; I can’t go back until I have tried every other Vietnemese place in town because there has to be better out there.

Delicious Vietnamese. The did here has a wonderful balance of spice, savory, sweet that I haven’t had anywhere else. The beef is a better cut than midst places in Calgary, it could actually be a main and not part of larger dish.
The young coconut was delicious with large pieces of coconut.
2^nd time here in two days and I’ll be back.

Once again I went for my favourite Vietnamese dish, Beef Sate which is number 31 at East Lake. The menu «warns» it’s spicy but I really don’t agree. However, the clear broth has a really nice flavour, rich in aromatics and beefy goodness.
The menu looked extensive as you’d expect and the service is prompt and very friendly. No visa under $ 15 or debt under $ 5. Prices are reasonable but servings are a bit smaller than most other places.
Is like to say I want to return to try other items but I know for me, it’s number 31.

The staff is friendly and the food is good. A popular place with the high school kids at lunch time. The atmosphere is somewhat lacking and appropriate for the industrial area near where it is located rather than as a restaurant.