Cafe Phin and Pho

78 reviews and ⁴⁄₅ stars??? People must be desperate or really foolish to go to this place!
It said «OPEN» and the sandwich board was outside.
I entered and asked if their sandwich chicken was deep fried and she told me «no of course not, its chicken!» in a condescending manner. I paid $ 6.83 with tax (mind you these sandwiches ought to be not more than $ 3.50 — $ 4.50 because of little to cheap ingredients). As soon as I paid she says «can you take the this to go?» and I asked «are you closed?» she says yes! I told her I would be done by the time her table of three would be finished eating.
She said «ok then you have 20 minutes» — I nearly asked for my money back but explained that I went to a few other places and they were closed and I am coming from a long distance and hungry. I didn’t realize I was to beg to get food when they still had an open sign out and door WIDE OPEN.
A man came and got his TO GO meal. Another came in and ordered my chicken but with rice. Really? Suddenly he didn’t have to take it to go? Aren’t they closed?
My sandwich had very little chicken meat, a lot of spicy mayo, iceberg, 1 strand of cilantro, carrots and cuke. That was it. No jalapeño or really enough chicken. i could get a nice deli sandwich, gourmet italian sandwich or anything for $ 9 (2 dollars more). Bread was warm and crunchy (good) and the sandwich was tasty but chicken was mainly fatty. I was starving still…
Bad manners. Bad food and now I’m HAngry!

I’m sorry that I have to agree with the naysayers but this establishment is extremely basic and I can’t say authentic. I had the papaya salad, avocado rolls, and the beef stew. The stew was anything but and I felt like it was a packaged stew base that was then watered down. I can imagine the criticism of their phở being bland is accurate. The avocado rolls were decent and I would return for a quick, light snack but unfortunately the peanut sauce felt weak and watered down as well. The papaya salad was mostly carrot which I don’t have major issues with. By comparison to more authentic versions in town, the salad was only alright. Even the rice was overdone and mushy in places. I had high hopes for this little place. That’s too bad.

I’m a dedicated regular at this little joint. It can be considered my second dining room as I have ordered here for delivery more than 100 times (Yeah there’s stats). Love the concept that they are establishing. Food always comes packed carefully, with double bag for the soup and neat transparent boxes for the rolls.

Yeah don’t trust the reviews… we had the phở and lemongrass chicken… it was amazing how flavourless and bland it was. Probably the worst phở i’ve ever tried.

1 star for nice service. No stars for food. Phở is watered down so bad that I would I choose phở train over this any day lol. Meet has no special taste. The ham Sandwich contain no ham but 99% pork fat. Bread was good and spicy mayo was good too. Not coming back tho.

Hey yo. Just came back to the US after my long tiring flight, sorry for the late late review. So… Well you guys are the closest to the authentic Vietnamese food that I know, prolly since the owners are Vietnamese and know exactly what you’re doing?! Lol anyway, great food, awesome service, definitely worth the money. The only thing I don’t like is Sriracha… Which is not your fault. Lol so here’s five stars for you, and keep up the good work! Will come back when I’m around.

Clearly one of the best wonton soup I have ever had. Very close to the Wonton I had during my Hongkong trip last year.
The soup broth is Msg-​free (I’m allergic and very sensitive to MSG). The veggie is crunchy and the wonton are super chubby.
We are new to the shop and did not sure what to order at 1^st. The waitres at the counter walked us through the menu with very detailed advice and we finally got our eyes on the wonton soup and chicken banh mi.
Wish to have more but the portions were too generous that we might have to come back tmr to try other stuffs.

Great food and excellent service. The chicken coconut curry is amazing!!!
Great for take-​out!
The only minor issue is that the restaurant can feel a bit cramped when busy.

Got around to checking out the Pork Belly Sub today. cilantro, pickled Vegs, pork belly and other veggies on wonderful bread. I liked this more than my previous experience; to me more exotic flavors, and tastes like it is more fatty, but definitely a fun indulgence sometimes!

WORST FOOD EVER.
No taste, extra meat option is not reflected in the order.
Don’t trust the rating.

I got the Phở Tai. The noodles were really good! But I thought the broth was a little bland even with the lime, red chillies and basil. The avocado smoothie was delicious though and the service was great.

I’m not sure how this place got such high ratings. I came here hoping to get a good bowl of phở because the weather was rainy and cold. The other people in our group ordered bun bo hue, papaya salad, and the rice with chargrilled chicken. When the food came out, it was a disaster. The phở had bun bo hue noodles and the bun bo hue had phở noodles. The phở soup had no flavor, just tasted like hot salty water. The papaya salad tasted like the pickled carrots and daikon that are placed on the banh mi sandwiches. The staff here are very friendly, but if you want good food I wouldn’t recommend eating here.

I have had their Pork Belly Salad Rolls approximately 24 times and I am still not switching my order yet…
Anyways, if you live in the West End. This is something cheaper than cooking by yourself!

If you’re in the area, definitely worth checking out. That said, I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here.
Atmosphere was pretty meh, as were the prices. For $ 9 we got a lemongrass chicken bowl, and for $ 6 we got 2 huge salad rolls. Both tasty, but considering we were sitting in a boiling hot vietnamese sweat lodge, it didn’t feel like a bargain.
Service was very friendly, and food arrived quickly, which would bump my rating up to a 3.5 stars if that were an option. I’d go into more detail with the food, but truth is it was very similar to other offerings in town. Well executed, but not mind blowing or anything.
If I’m hanging out in West End, I would definitely come back, but I won’t be making an effort to go dine there.

We stumbled in here after a long walk in English Bay not knowing what to expect. We were getting hangry [hungry to the point of anger], and impulsively walked in. Appearances were pretty average. We ordered the «most popular» lemongrass chicken bowl ($ 8.99) and the prawn salad rolls ($ 5.89).
I had no real expectations when my food arrived. I took the first bite and BAM! flavour mania. The bowl was so well balanced that I couldn’t help but get excited! The chicken looked like plain white meat strips, but was seasoned to perfection and had a great bite due to the crispy onion garnish. The carrot and cucumber salad had a mysterious minty flavour, a welcome twist on a classic. I was even impressed with the vermicelli– I find most Vietnamese spots don’t toss it in oil so it clumps and sticks, but these noodles were perfect.
Overall, a kick-​ass lunch! Will be back phở sure ;)

Pretty good! Small little place on Denman, homely vibe to it. Young guy at the counter was welcoming and friendly, and it looks like he was running the shop and making the sandwiches.
Sub was good but a bit over toasted. Fillings were not bad, but lots of pickled veg. Salad rolls were definitely fresh.
Didn’t have to wait too long to get the food. Parking is a pain though, as to be expected at that part of Denman.
Overall it’s good, I’ll be back to try the soups as they get some great reviews.

I love phở. My wife and I rented bikes and froze our butts off. Something warm was in order and after a quick search, Phin and Phở came up. This was incredible and so dang affordable. I got the lemon grass chicken and my wife got beef. This was seriously the best phở I’ve ever had. The broth was seasoned well. The meat was seasoned well. The people were nice and the food came out quick. I don’t know what else you could ask for. It’s a little gem. Find it and go :)

Café Phin and Phở is a little more expensive than your typical Vietnamese restaurant, but it’s worth spending the extra few dollars.
Denman street has a ton of options, but after much research, I chose Café Phin and Phở. I ordered the garlic chicken with vermicelli and meat spring roll, which came with a small soup ($ 10.50 including tax). The portion matched the price, and I found the meat very flavourful. However, the spring roll was not anything exceptional (I added it onto my meal for the extra dollar). It reminded me of a Chinese spring roll, and less of a Vietnamese spring roll. However, I was stuffed by the end of the meal.
Their seating is limited, and I went on a weekday during lunch and it wasn’t busy. The staff are friendly and the food came to the table within 5 minutes after we ordered.

We were visiting Vancouver for the day, and after spending hours at the Capilano bridge, we were starving. We came upon Café Phin and Phở after a quick Unilocal search and decided to give it a try. The wonton soup was amazing! Reminded me of my neighborhood place growing up. The service was exceptional, he made us feel right at home. The lemongrass chicken bahn mi is also delicious. And the ca phe sua da is to die for! If I am ever in the Vancouver area, I will visit this place again. :)

I have been to this eatery for at least once a week without miss. Must try items are chicken curry, wonton noodle and the banh mi selection. Everything is huge and relatively below $ 10. Since I found this place, I havent cooked much and could not get bored of their foods. Service is very attentive and cheering. Keep it up, Phin& Phở. We love you guys.

My current favorite Vietnamese rice vermicelli in Vancouver. Just a bit more flavour and spice than I’m used to from the standard noodle house. I look forward to returning to try more dishes.

Over the past 12 months I estimate that I have consumed at least 20 of the prawn and vermicelli salad rolls, with few pork belly and avocado thrown in. That is all.

Delicious wonton soup — make sure you add chicken! And the shrimp /​avocado salad rolls are yummy as well. Really friendly service, the people who work there seem HAPPY to be there.

I’m here because of the great Unilocal reviews.
I ordered two smoothies to go mango passion fruit and Pineapple Guava. I can’t wait!
We were greeted right away. Friendly service. Limited seating. Smells great in here!
Parking s*cks tho!

Worst customer service ever, won’t be ordering from them again. Forgot one item and told me in order to get an orderit driver to come back I had to spend another $ 25 worth of food. The item that was missing was $ 8. What a scam

Delicious food love the homemade wonton noodle soup and the fresh, crunchy, generous filling sandwiches. Plus the staff seems to be the happiest and most welcoming people.

Dropped by just before close to get a mango passionfruit smoothie. I really like the variety of smoothies here, not usually found elsewhere such as avocado, honey lychee and pineapple guava.
Also loved the great service so close to closing time. A lot of restaurants take it easy but the service is consistent no matter what time of day. The owner Nick is awesome!

I’ve been there few times and never disappointed, my fav is a lemongrass chicken baguette, So delicious.

I love that this place is within walking distance from the office. Their salad rolls are big and totally worth the price, their subs are delicious and the broth of their phở is definitely sipping-​quality. I also love that they have the shrimp papaya dish that many places tend not to have. The workers there are always very friendly, courteous and professional. And the cherry on top — you get a mango gummy for dessert. Yummy!

I’m so glad to have chosen this eatery by random after wandering around Denman St. on a post-​bicycling afternoon in Stanley Park. The place is small and cozy, so service is easy to get– and friendly, too!
The five spice pork bahn mi that I ordered was served quickly. The crunchy bread had just the right hard crust with soft insides to absorb the delicious pork and vinegar juices. The veggies were fresh, and the spicy mayo and jalapeños on top made the sandwich really something tasty. Washing it down with a can of cold coconut water perfected an already great meal.
I will absolutely return here, because the service and the food have a truly welcoming appeal– that, and the prices were excellent!

Wow, just wow!
After a long trek around Stanley Park, our large group stormed into the place like a swarm of locusts, ready to consume anything in our path. We tried all the banh mi from #1 through #5, and each of them was distinctly different yet delicious. The bread was nice and soft and the filling was more than generous. It was hard to decide which one was our favorite, but the pork belly ended up edging out the traditional ham.
Service was attentive and accommodating! I’ll be sure to come back for my banh mi fix whenever I’m in the area!

Best place to eat in neighbourhood for me! From time to time I want to change the cuisine, but finally end up there again. Super nice helpful staff, very tasty food. I tried almost everything in the menu and can’t say what’s best. Plus very friendly prices.
I recommend pork chop with noodles, honey garlic chicken with noodles, avocado spring roll, beef phở… Or something else, everything is great!

I went to this place for the first time
yesterday and I was disappointed.
The guy at the front was very nice and friendly and I proceeded to order a rare beef phở and a beef spring roll. While I waited for my phở, I ate the spring roll which was absolutely delicious (ended up ordering 3 more with my friend) my phở didn’t take long at all, it was served before I even finished the spring roll. The portion of phở wasn’t big at all (like my other 2 favourite phở places) I put all the stuff I normally do in it and then I started to eat it. The broth had no taste whatsoever, I didn’t taste like beef or anything at all. I ended up having about 5 bites and decided to take it home. Probably will come back to get more spring rolls, but that’s it.

Loved the chicken phở here, great authentic taste and clear broth!

Fast service, friendly servers but I didn’t like the food. I ordered Rare Beef Phở and the soup itself was so salty. The moment I ate the noodle, it tasted so salty and not sure if that was msg I tasted. Beef slices and noodle were good though.
I wanted to give 4 stars, but soup didn’t taste good and felt like waste of my money. It was not impressive. Maybe I should’ve got something else.