Joyeaux Cafe & Restaurant

I got to agree with other reviewers that joyeaux is not the best in Vancouver, but for downtown vancouver it’s considered the best there is. The prices may be leaning towards the pricier end of the phở spectrum; however, their one size phở is equivalent to a large elsewhere. With a decent amount of meat given per bowl and quick service, it is my go-​to phở lunch spot. Try to come not right at noon during the weekdays as you’ll be in a line behind many office workers coming from the financial buildings nearby. It’s less than a block from pacific centre and I would highly recommend it to everyone in the neighbourhood craving a bowl of steaming phở.

Definitely not the best Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver, but for Downtown Vancouver it is pretty darn good. I always get the daily special: lemongrass chicken on vermicelli with either a salad roll or spring roll. It is a lot of food for the price! It gets really busy during the lunch rush so it’s best to go at around 11:30am or 2pm.
I have never tried their phở although my vegetarian colleague loves their veggie phở and always drinks all the broth.

Server gave our food to the wrong table, then after the other diner played with it for a while and realized it wasn’t his, the server returned it to the kitchen and 30 seconds later returned it to us claiming it was fresh. Go figure! Is this the way to do business? If no other people order this and there was only 3 tables dinning, how can it be fresh.

Came here for a late lunch today. And I have to tell you that they are still busy! This is a good sign as you know the food will be fresh because of the constant turnover. But be prepared to wait for a bit or come really early. I’ve never had a bad experience at this restaurant. Food has always tasted good and the service has always been excellent. A great place for phở noodle soup as well

Been here for dine-​in lunch, dinner, & take-​out multiple times before. Lots of choices on their menu, ranging from traditional Vietnamese dishes to breakfast & varied sandwiches.
The food is decently good. Cleanliness of restaurant is a little questionable. Self-​order at the cashier and they bring the food out to you when ready.
I always get the «Today’s Special». (Note: In the past year or so since my first time here, I’ve never seen that special change, ever. So I guess it’s safe to say those options are always «Today’s Special», haha!) I usually switch it up between the Lemongrass Chicken or Fish, on vermicelli & with spring roll. Prices have gone up recently, but at around $ 11 for lunch downtown, it’s not a bad deal at all.
Tip: if you don’t want to be thirsty all day after your meal, go easy on the fish sauce!
The place is usually crowded during regular lunch hours but relatively quiet at dinner time.

They were really nice and the food was great. I came near closing without realizing it but they were still willing to squeeze my order in and I really appreciate that, considering I’m on vacation and so many places close around 6.

Rating Joyeaux as a dine-​in lunch spot.
— Three stars for food — it’s a-​okay and quite reliable for portion, value, flavours, etc. That said, nothing exceptional to write home about.
— Two stars for atmosphere — it’s pretty crowded, noisy, lots of passing traffic, and cleanliness is hit or miss. In the most recent experience, a miss.
— Three stars for service — staff are friendly and professional.
On another note, I’ve had Joyeaux a few times for take-​out and have really enjoyed it those times. Won’t be dining in anymore, but a good choice for take-​out food orders.

If you didn’t know better, one would think that this little hole in the wall was solely a breakfast joint! Although they do offer all day breakfast, they also offer some solid Vietnamese eats as well. I got the Lemongrass Chicken and it was TASTY, albeit a bit smaller on the portion side than what I’m used to. The folks that run the place are also incredibly friendly so that’s definitely worth a few extra points in my book as well!
Only qualm with this joint is it’s quite pricey when compared to other Vietnamese places around town.

Meh, the phở was lacking in flavour. The meat used also didn’t seem like very high quality. They also charged me for tea which I find unusual for a phở restaurant. I wasn’t impressed and won’t be coming back.

Wow. I loved this place. Hole in the wall, but delicious Vietnamese food. Best lemongrass chicken I have ever had. Came with rice, shredded pork (also delish) a salad and fried egg. Really great food and service. Will eat her again!

Wasn’t much out of the ordinary, but I have been to a variety of Phở noodle places.
I had the house special noodle with beef ball and brisket. It was overloaded with onion and beansprouts with not much noodle. The soup was nicely seasoned which I liked. (But maybe add a little siracha sauce for a little kick)
My mom had the vermicelli bowl with chicken. Wasn’t all that great. Not much flavour.
This place is nothing out of the ordinary for me. It is very packed at lunch time, and there is only two servers, so you might need to wait a little.

This place is ace. It’s really cute, cozy and comfortable for solo dining.
The outside of the restaurant isn’t a marvel. It looks and feels old, but also oddly inviting. I popped in on an impromptu lunch break one afternoon and was not disappointed. Service is very casual — you can tell they’re all family, or just really, really close friends. The diners around me seemed to be regulars, too, so that’s always a good sign!
It was a slightly rainy afternoon (I know, in summer!) so I felt like a nice, hot glass of Vietnamese coffee and Beef Phở might just be perfect. And it was.
Vietnamese coffee is just wonderful. It’s aromatic, it’s potent, it’s delicious, it’s just so much better than any drip coffee out there. I can feel the eyes rolling. *chuckles*
Phở was nice and warm. Flavourful soup base, good cut of beef and beef balls.
Just in case phở doesn’t tickle your fancy in any way, they have a variety of breakfast foods and other Vietnamese noodle items. Prices here are quite reasonable — it’s not cheap; neither is it expensive. Just to give you an idea, it’s about $ 9 for a bowl of phở.
I ended up sitting for an hour. It was that comfortable. I’ll most certainly be back for more!

Annie’s. That’s what the regulars call this place. It’s been «Annie’s» since their original location on West Pender.
There’s no denying that this is the place to go downtown for true, basic Vietnamese food. Lunch is a crazy time to go. They get so busy that the line up is out the door, and people willingly share community seating at the longest table.
It’s cafeteria style service where you order and pay at the till, then grab a seat with your order number in hand. In spite of the chaos, the staff manage to get steaming hot bowls of phở out with efficiency. These people have been at it for years.
Great, authentic food. Decent-​for-​downtown prices. Get there early or get take out.

For breakfast, order their fantastic omelette and americano for breakfast. Try ham, mushroom, avocado, and cheese with extra fresh fruit instead in lieu of toast. My husband had the French toast with bacon and fresh fruit. It was delicious too.
For lunch/​dinner, the lemongrass chicken with rice noodles was delicious! Very fresh veggies, light sauce, and with unbreaded chicken.
They were open on a holiday and have free wifi too. We will be back the next time we get to visit Vancouver!

Recommended by my friend, visited here two times already and loved their authentic food and service. The building looks very antique, you’d go in and pay at the till first before sitting down and food will be brought to your table. I’m definitely coming back for more nomnomnommm

Heard about this place from colleagues and finally made it here for lunch. The place is packed and cafeteria style, get in, line up, order and pay by number than you get a seat. The service was slow and they messed up on our orders but food was solid. Great Vietnamese joint downtown.
Most dishes are under $ 10 good value.
Value ⁴⁄₅
Atmosphere ³⁄₅
Service 3.5÷5
Quality ⁴⁄₅
14.5÷20

phở options in DT are limited… very limited
That’s why it’s always when I come here for lunch.
Their phở is average. Not great but good enough.
Price is a tad on the high side (around $ 9 for a phở) but it’s understandable given the locale.
Bean sprouts and basil leaves come with the soup rather then on the side.
One thing irked me today. All tables were taken except for 4 tables with reserved signs, so I was forced to sit at the angled counter right next to the exit.
The counter seats are really uncomfortable because you’re literally sitting on a ramp on a crummy stool with people bumping into you trying to get in and out.
That wasn’t fun.
They don’t even take reservations so I’m not even sure why they had those signs…
One guy completely ignored the reserved sign and he just sat down. Maybe that’s what I’ll do next time.

Phở Sho Bro, this place is phở-​tastic, I always order the same soup and it’s always been great, the Beef Brisket phở (soup). I made the mistake of ordering some sea food phở one time, it was phở-​gettable.
I wouldn’t qualify this place as phở-​nominal but it is phở-​ever delicious (and cramped) boy do they know how to pack in a crowd.
Furthermore, there is no phở-​king way that I wouldn’t come back to Joyeux Café & Restaurant.
Should you eat here, phở-​shizzle.
(In summary: I know nothing of Vietnamese food, authenticity or otherwise. I just really enjoy the soup here, highly recommended).

This is one of my favorite restaurants in DT Vancouver. The exterior looks more like a Western café!
I have been here on multiple occasions and it never disappoints. I normally order take out ranging from Viet subs to their lemongrass chicken and rice. On rare occasions I would eat in and order phở. Food is delicious, fresh and extremely affordable. Oh yeah, their servers are super friendly (all smiles no matter how busy) and I always see them explaining and giving recommendations to their diners. Definitely way better Viet food than the food courts at nearby Habour Centre.
NOTE: Please be very aware that this place is packed M-​F during lunch.

Joyeaux Café & Restaurant is a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Vancouver that serves traditional western fare such as breakfast & sandwiches.
My Overall Rating — 3 ½ Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Return)
Atmosphere — Joyeaux Café is a brightly lit restaurant with high ceilings and arches. The restaurant is long and deep and has indoor and outdoor seating. It’s a unique look, and in fact when we visited the restaurant recently, we realized we had been there 5 years earlier. We had an immediate déjà vu moment but it was interesting how little changed. 1 Star.
Service — The staff was very friendly. We had a decent sized group and ended up sitting at a long table with another patron on the end. Our server’s got confused and thought we were all together, but all in all they were great. They gave us an update since the last 5 years and the impact of the Olympics. It was nice to see they were still there. 1 Star.
Food — Our meal was good not great. We chose the Vietnamese items (Phở, egg rolls, Grilled pork vermicelli), nothing bad but nothing unique. These were items I could get at any number of Vietnamese places. One interesting note is that we ordered chi (Vietnamese jelly dessert) and it came topped with ice cream. Usually this item uses coconut milk, but the ice cream was different. My kids liked it, and overall I had no complaints. 1 Star.
Will I Return? — Probably without knowing it. It didn’t make a huge impact on me 5 years ago, nor did it this time. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up here again on accident on my next trip. And honestly that’s fine with me. ½ Star.
My Unilocal Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star — Atmosphere — Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I’ll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star — Service — You can have a great meal with bad service. But that’s also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It’s important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars — Food — I’ll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it’s really all about the food.
1 Star — Will I come back? — If I know for a fact I’ll return, I’ll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Unilocal score.