Hanoi Bistro

It’s not bad. The broth seemed to be a little light compared to other phở places. But the combo is very inexpensive. I ordered a beef brisket phở along with a prawn salad roll and a mango smoothie. The phở had a lot of noodles and beef. My friend ordered the lean beef and said he got a lot less beef than mine. The server forgot to bring us basil leaves and bean sprouts as we had to ask for that. The broth tasted lighter than other phở places I’ve tried. I could not put my hands on it but it was missing that richness in flavor that I’m used to. The salad roll was very good. It had more vegetables in it than most places. Some places just put a lot of vermicelli in their rolls but not this place. The salad rolls here were really good. The mango smoothie was better than Ok but not the best I’ve had. It was still a nice treat though. The combo pricing made this a very inexpensive dinner and I’d come back. Especially for the salad rolls.

I order delivery last night #c3 combo phở & veggie spring role with a can soda and #c3 lemon grass chicken vermicelli
Phở broth was missing flavor. I did request to seperate noodle & meat from broth so it would not be over cooked.
Vermicelli was ok but nothing remarkable.
I don’t think I will order from here again

I had phở with rare beef. No msg in the broth and I could definitely tell the difference. Will come back for more.

Decided to hit this spot up yesterday while out with a girlfriend. First impressions were good and servers were very friendly. We ordered two combo phở and prawn salad roll with an Agadashi tofu as well to start. The salad rolls came and the phở came but no tofu :(. There was only one other table in the whole place so I’m sure it wasn’t missed due to being busy. In general the flavours were good. But, as I was eating I seen a mouse scurrying across the floor. I kinda lost my appetite. For a new place that appears to be clean … I wonder what is happening behind the curtains. So while the staff were great and the food did taste good… Before the mouse… This place still needs some work.

Nice interior and clean, although small.
The foods were decent for tourist taste.
All in all, five stars for cleanliness, nice interior, customer service, decent price, and taste good.

My new favourite Vietnamese restaurant! Very very tasty pâté sandwich and vermicelli combo. Added a yummy spring roll. My date had the chicken soup and really enjoyed that too.

Good restaurant, good choice for the menu, they were quick and nice :) I ate spring roll and a phô, very good !!!

YES! Peanut saté broth that I don’t have to travel all the way to Commercial Drive to get! It, along with the Vietnamese-​style agedashi tofu and Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk that I ordered, was pretty delicious and exactly what I was expecting.
Service was friendly and fast (always a great combo), and the space is clean and modern, with bench seating at the front and standard tables at the rear. Will have to try their standard phở next time to get a full idea but so far I have nothing but likes for this place.

Magical, magical tea! I have no idea what was in it, except love. It tasted like coconut water and lemongrass and heaven, and I wanted SO MUCH MORE!
The phở was good — pretty standard, but the broth was tasty and I didn’t add much in the way of other sauces. Service was decent, and the place was pretty empty at 9pm on a Friday.
Somewhere I’d certainly come back to when I’m in the area.

Wanted to see all the hype they claim with no MSG so we gave it a go. Great interior with a clean setup for all customers to see what they’re preparing for you. The menu tempted me with a great variety of Vietnamese dishes from classic phở to curries and bahn mi. I opted for the chicken liver pâté since it’s been a while. I ordered the combo with a coconut smoothie. My partner ordered a phở with half bahn mi combo. Seems like a great idea to try different dishes and get a real feel for what they can offer. Looking back I think I would have preferred a phở/​bahn mi combo, but I think I wasn’t super hungry. Service was typical of any Asian restaurant and it’s never that which makes me come back to an Asian restaurant. The phở seemed a bit flat but wasn’t terrible. After that, I thought to myself I was glad to stayed away from the phở. The chicken liver pâté bahn mi had all the right flavours and the perfect mix of textures: crunchy and crispy with a smooth liver finish. The pork was super dry and seemed reheated: not super fresh. Coconut smoothie was yummy though I had enough sweet after finishing. Not a great experience but I’d go back for the liver since it was just rich enough and I really enjoyed the textures of the bahn mi.
Verdict:
The good: yummy chicken liver bahn mi and very nice presentation of the plates.
The bad: phở is not on par with other places that are just across the street in the over saturated Vietnamese restaurant market.
The ugly: the overall lack of patrons in the restaurant was really telling of the critical reception of the restaurant. They won’t be able to survive the demanding tummies of DT if they can’t offer something unique and that delivers in the promises. At least it’s not Moxies.

The phở broth was some of the worst broth I’ve ever had. Flavourless — with a weird powdery texture. They served jalapenos which are inappropriate for Phở, IMO, but atleast they served limes and not lemons (I’ve actually seen this happen). We requested some red chillies on the side and were told we would get them right away but we never did. I couldn’t even finish my phở, and I’m still starving.
We also ordered some prawn kebabs which they completely forgot about. The waitress even came up to us repeated our order twice to double check. And no it was not a busy day — no more than 2 other tables occupied. If the food was good though, I would understand the bad service as she seemed new and inexperienced. Unfortunately, the food was not good.
The vietnamese drip coffee with condensed milk was very strangely presented. It was served in a very impractical manner. We were served ice in a cocktail glass with a straw, which made it near impossible to transfer the full-​to-​the-​brim coffee with the condensed milk into it without spilling. Tradition works for a reason. I confess I prefer it the proper way, with a bowl of ice, some tongs and a tall glass with the coffee dripping into the condensed milk. Not to mention that it tastes correct. The coffee here was practically water.
My favourite Vietnamese place in Vancouver is still at the top of the list, if only it were closer to where I lived. I was hoping to find a replacement but, instead, this just made me miss the other place even more.
Food: ¹⁄₅
Service: ²⁄₅
Ambiance: ²⁄₅

Modern phở that was meh.
We ordered the kangaroo kebob, seasoned nicely but slightly greasy. Kangaroo tastes exactly like beef so I’d recommend the beef instead for a cheaper price. Same with the kangaroo meat phở.
I had the beef ball phở. The noodles were over done and too soft. The broth was ok, nothing too special. The beef balls were bouncy and good but again, nothing to rave about. There was not enough soup to noodle ratio (not enough soup).
It’s a hip take on phở but I think I’ll just stick with the traditional phở next time around.

Fancy phở? Is there such a thing? Well, now there is. Glass stemware for water? Proactive servers? Soup spoons that fit both noodles and broth and doesn’t give you a hand cramp or slip into the soup? Yup, Hanoi Bistro have thought it all.
Love that the kitchen is at the front of the restaurant, yet I feel somewhat frustrated when I keep seeing the staff run back and forth. Comfy seating and layout. Go ahead and put your elbows on the table, no sticky residue from this place. Love the big communal table at the front of the restaurant.
Bison and elk skewers: well grilled. Bison was yummy, elk was too chewy-​had to spit and wrap.
Kangaroo phở: nothing special with the kangaroo, tasted like beef. Noodles a tad over cooked, broth was slurp-​licious.
Lemongrass chicken phở: yums!!!
Will be back to try everything!

Hands down the BEST Phở in the city. Definitely stop here for a meal… Owners are twee and ken. Super nice, try the subs too!

This is a Vietnamese restaurant that has a very authentic feel to it. We had the kangaroo kebab and two subs along with the iced coffee. All were very good. We will definitely eat there or order out from them again.

Hanoi Bistro come back to North Van please !
I haven’t been to this location, but have been to their previous location. The food is great — fresh ingredients, awesome staff that know what they’re doing, reasonable prices. The menu looks upgraded with more offerings than their previous menu.
If the new Hanoi Bistro is anything like it was while in North Van, you won’t be disappointed.

Came in last night for some take out salad rolls. They were made fresh on the spot and were brimming full of vegetables and fresh herbs (thai basil and mint– my favourites!). The peanut sauce was amazing! The best salad roll I’ve had in a long time!
On browsing the menu I found the prices to be more than reasonable, with a few interesting takes on Viet fare. Kangaroo phở? Viet style Agedashi Tofu?
The staff were very friendly also.
I plan to come back to try more menu items and eat in the restaurant.

Just went there for the first time. The rare kangaroo soup and the salad rolls (especially the peanut sauce) were delicious. The broth not too salty as at other places.
Also staff was super friendly!!!

Came in for a solo dinner and was promptly greeted and sat at a table. The restaurant looked nice and clean and there are tables in the back and a larger picnic style table in the front.
I ordered a regular rare beef, brisket and beef ball phở and a side of half dozen wings.
The phở was pretty good. Portion was decent even for the regular size. The wings were okay. I didn’t enjoy the sauce that was drenched on top too much. I kinda wish it came on the side.
Only complaint is the broth for the phở wasn’t hot enough. I prefer the soup piping hot like most other phở places. But the flavours were there and the menu had some interesting items I’d like to come back and try. I’d recommend checking this place out.

Came here 4 days ago on a Friday for lunch. Was originally going elsewhere but it didn’t pan out and noticed this place and their giant grand opening special 15% off sign. Who doesn’t like a deal?!
Go in, we just beat the lunch rush, but it was a little bit before we were greeted or seated by someone. It seems like the staff are very new/​are still being trained. Evidently they only opened 2 days prior on July 1^st.
The décor is very modern, new, and clean! The mirrors on one side of the wall is a good touch as it makes the restaurant feel much bigger.
They have some exotic items on the menu, such as kangaroo. But I wasn’t feeling that adventurous. I ordered a combo, which gives you two items and a drink. I had the regular rare beef noodle soup and ½ pork sandwich and a can of pop. Also ordered the beef carpaccio.
The phở was about what one could expect. The broth was good and there was a good amount of meat. The pork sandwich was definitely the winner though. The bread was crispy yet soft enough for you to chew without getting cuts in your mouth. The pork itself was friggin delicious. The beef carpaccio was rather interesting. I personally liked it, it’s not overly saucy and it is a bit on the sour side because I think they use fish sauce.
I’ll definitely be back.