After reading many good reviews at Dinehere.ca, I decided to give Pho Tan a try.

First impression was only okay. I called ahead to ask if they accepted VISA. The woman who answered the phone said, "Hello." This is a pet peeve of mine. I answer "hello" when I am at home. When I am at work, I answer, "Hello (or, better yet, good evening) then state my company name." This is basic professionalism. I asked the woman if I had reached Pho Tan and she said "yes." I asked my question "Do you take Visa" and she answered something unintelligible. I asked again, this time a little slower and tried to be more clear. She stated, a bit impatiently that it was cash only.

Anyways, they have no telephone manners.

I tired the place anyway (and brought cash)...

The place is decorated nicely - a bit more atmosphere than most.

There were lots of people there including lots of families (so we felt we fit in nicely).

We ordered our standard fare (Rare Beef Pho, vermicelli bowls with chicken, minced pork and spring rolls and I had my favourite drink - a salty lemon on soda).

The prices were very reasonable ($7 for a large Pho; $7.50 for the vermicelli bowls and only $2.75 for my salty lemon drink; soft drinks were $1.60).

The Pho was tasty. The bowls were okay - I found the minced pork had a weird powdery seasoning on it. The chicken was good and it was nice that it was completely boneless. The spring roll was tasty. My salted lemon drink was very tasty and had just the right amount of preserved lemon and sweetness. I ordered two of them!!

Our waitress was very pleasant and efficient.

I would go again if I was in the area, but I have another favourite Pho place which I will continue to go to as Pho Tan and my other place are the same driving distance from my home.

Went here on a Friday after a friend pre-ordered a few items which isn't available on the menu. Beer crab came in a clay pot, very good with some soup on the bottom to add to some white noodles after. Crab was moist and very good. Lamb chops were made in some tangy sweat sauce and BBQ'd, very good. Then the oxtail was in some five spice and came in a thick sauce, again very good. Also had the boneless chicken wings and spring rolls off the menu.

Would go again but pre-order. The service was very good and changed plates with a better than your normal Pho place ambiance. Value was good.

If you're looking for good Vietnamese food, this is the place to go! A first time experience last night will lead to more visits here. Friends took us after raving about it a few days before and I knew it had to be good as he used to be a food writer in Asia. He pre-ordered (not on the menu) the day before some interesting dishes that I would not have tried and I have to say the sauces for these dishes were fabulous!!!

1) Beer Crab - flavor explosion and the broth was great with vermicelli noodles. It's served in a clay pot steaming hot.
2) Lamb chops over fried chips with a slightly sweet sauce that doesn't cover up the taste of the meat but enhances it.
3) Ox tails - had a more Asian sauce with star aise or was it 5 spice? It was like having a stew where the meat fell off the bones and was juicy and tender.
4) Assorted spring rolls - crispy outside and a flavor explosion with each bite.

Highly recommend this place!

Came here for lunch today at around 330pm. There were only about 3 other tables so it wasn't busy. No complaints about service. I got my food about 5 mins after ordering. I came here after hearing good reviews from friends and its silver rating for best vietnamese from vancouver mag. I really like the broth, didn't taste msg nor was i thirsty afterward, and it had a really nice flavor. The amount of rare beef was about standard but they were a little stingy with the tendon. The sprouts and basil were fresh and clean (this is important to me). The decor is also nicer than other pho places. Would definitely return.

Preamble: a quiet Tuesday night

Food: not overly impressed by the boneless chicken wings or lemongrass pork, the former by a lack of flavor and the latter by the small portion size and a tad too much of the salt. We ordered two soup noodles and they were certainly better than your average Vietnamese restaurant quality. MSG usage was moderate.

Service: better than usual. They will give you an entirely new tea kettle to replace the old one. Quick and efficient.

Value: not the cheapest for the portion size, but not outrageous either.

Ambiance: better than usual. Slightly darker with blinded up windows. Fan running as no A/C.

Overall: will try again

I love my pho. At least once a week I go somewhere in the city as I travel. I have been here 4-5 times now and it is always great. I like spicy and they will bring me chopped thai bird chilis on the side with a smile.

The specials are really good. The owner/boss (?) told me last time I was inquiring about dishes coming out of the kitchen they were 'not on the menu' he informed me with a days notice they will make house speical ox tail, pork chops and crab. The dishes looked unreal and would feed a table of 8.

I would go here for pho alone or reserve a party. Well rounded menu and great clean flavor.

The restaurant decor and furniture is definitely nicer than most pho places that I've been to. The spring roll/pork/vermicelli combo is awesome. So is the pho- tasty soup, perfectly done pho. Big portions, very reasonable prices for these dishes, in the $6-7 range. The only minus is that the rice dishes that I've seen come out leave something to be desired- something that looked like a stirfry and another one was a porkchop? Anyhow, it looked a bit like something the average person would cook up in their kitchen which is not a compliment. Stick to the pho or vermicelli and you will not be disappointed!

We're new to Vancouver and are so glad to have found a great Pho place. I recommend the House Special Pho - a spicy coconut broth with rare beef. The spring rolls are also very good. I've been there twice now and the food is great. Seems to be popular locals and folks from all backgrounds. Highly recommend it if you liek Pho and Vietnamese cuisine.

Among the many Pho places in Vancouver, I would say this one has one of the more comfortable seating environment ie no big bright neon lights, dirty tables, sketchy chairs, etc. We ordered 2 different types of noodles and the minced pork crepe dish. The noodles were pretty good portions and the soup was delicious. The crepe was somewhat disappointing as the crepe skin tasted tough...like as if it was left out in the open for too long. But if I ever wanted comfort food, especially during rainy cold weather, I would come here again.

This is one of our favorite places to go with the kids. Everytime we go, the waitress brings us kids bowls and utencils without being asked. Service has been fairly consistant each time. Friendly fast efficient servers. Like previous reviewers, the food always arrives quickly (which is a good thing when you have children). Favorite dishes are the seafood dry noodles, lemon grass pork chops, pho, and spring rolls. Can't really go wrong with anything here. I hear they have specialty dinner items such as whole fish cooked in traditional vietnamese soup but haven't had a chance to try that yet. One time we did have an issue with our food (hair in the noodle/sprouts), the server apologized, took the food away, and returned with a replacement right away. Parking can be found fairly easily in that area. There are a few spots in the back as well. Highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area.