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Thai Son is an authentic Vietnamese restaurant just east of Main Street, across the street from Kingsgate Mall serving Pho and other classic Vietnamese dishes.
I put the kibosh on my gf's dinner options one night and instead came here. I had heard good things before and with dime a dozen pho joints it was worth at least a trip.
Furnishings are mundane yet clean but through and through you couldn't mistake it for anything else but a noodle shop.
We split the grilled lemongrass chicken on rice and the somewhat hard to find banh xeo, a delicious savoury-type crepe made with coconut milk and filled with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts to be wrapped with lettuce, basil, mint and fish leaves. While the lemongrass chicken hit the comfort zones exactly the banh xeo was excellent. You could taste the hint of coconut milk through the crispy crepe and using uncooked bean sprouts made all the difference in freshness. Portions are ample as both of us came out packed to the brim.
Service is all about efficiency, prioritizing table clearing over chit chat; no complaints here.
With no pho experience here it's hard to justify top marks for food but considering the tepid experiences I've had with banh xeo locally when I could find it, this one easily sits at the top. Will be back.
The Beef here seems to be of better quality and the portions above average. The appies such as the spring rolls and salad rolls are pretty good. I've not tried any of the crepes or rice dishes but they look very good.
Neighbourhood is a bit sketchy so wouldn't go there during later hours.
The pho here is fairly standard. The broth is good and the flank steak is always tender. The portions, however, could be bigger. They are fine for lunch, but for dinner the large bowls are not enough. For larger, manly sized dinner portions, try Pho Thang Long on Main Street instead.
Went to Thai Son on EB yesterday for lunch. The restaurant was packed at just after 2pm when we arrived but the staff quickly found us a seat.
Quickly ordered the Spring Rolls which arrived in record time. Very speedy.
The rolls came pipeing hot and quite tasty. The nice clear sauce with garlic and a splash of lemon juice added to the taste of these spring rolls.
For lunch my dining partner and me ordered the same thing, lemon grass chicken with egg. Very nicely done. A huge portion too by the time I was finished I was stuffed.
Everything came quickly , we were in and out of there in about 40 minutes.
The servers, althoug efficient could kick things up a bit in the smile department. Not much personality shown.
In the end a nice tasty inexpensive lunch that has left me wanting more.
Compared to other Vietnamese restaurants, this is one of the better options. The food is not as greasy/oily as other Viet restaurnts so that's a plus.
The soup base on the noodles is very good.
Prices are more than reasonable and finding parking was not a problem.
Defintely will come back again.
Have to agree with the last reviewer, I've been here many times before and I gotta say, each time gets a little worse. Was there for lunch today, had the salad roll and a bowl of pho as did my mom. The soup was really good I thought which is what I go by at a Pho place, but the beef, tendon, tripe etc. weren't too good, not the greatest quality. I've been coming here for years and it's still pretty good compared to some other Pho restaurants but just not as good as it used to be.
I'm sure this place must've gone downhill, since previously people have been quite happy with it. When we went, it was still very busy and we had high hopes since many people had indicated it was a very good place. Maybe our standards have been raised, since I spent quite a few years in San Jose (with what is probably the largest Vietnamese community on the continent) trying a lot of good Vietnamese food.
We ordered a variety of dishes, including pho, a rice dish and many other things. We felt it was mostly heavy on the MSG. The pho was barely passable. The broth was quite bland. Nothing special.
No need to waste my breath on this one. Green Lemongrass in Richmond was MUCH better. I doubt we'll be back to this one.
Everything else was mediocre to poor at best. The fish soup with rice on the side to go with it, served hot-pot style, that was the highlight specialty that made me go back to here often before in the past. Until the point when the fish they used just got to be toooooo fishy tasting. It seems they lost the recipe in masking it's fishy bad parts, to bring out the sweet seafood quality of the fish.
This is still their authentic location, the one that started it all, the one that recieved all the raves but the food's been going downhill for years. It's hard to maintain a reputable food consistency, it's understandable but too bad for them there's a lot of competition for pho in recent years and thai son doesn't do it. The soup base is WAY too salty, too much msg, and isn't flavourful so much as salty like i already mentioned. The beef is just alright, the noodles is fine. Overall, I look for a decent soup base and thai son doesn't impress me. Their spring rolls are just okay.
I mentioned I am not much of a Pho person, but I love springrolls and lemongrass chicken. So that's what I usually eat at Vietnamese restaurants.
Sadly, both these items are not up to par. The dry egg noodles, on the other hand, is extremely good. Much better than Phnom Penh's.
There isn't much to write about the service. All I can say is that it is much better than most asian restaurants.
Ambiance: Your typical asian restaurant.
Return? Just for the dry egg noodles.
I ordered their special menu, which was spicy beef noodles or something. I can't deny that the noodle soup is indeed delicious and generous. However, I think their food is just too fatty. I can see too much oil floating on my soup. I thought it was jsut because they put a lot of chili oil, but then it was the same case on somebody's clear beef noodle soup without chili oil. They also use low quality beef that is full of fat. I struggled when eating my meal because I was trying to trim the fat inside every slice of beef I was about to eat. I might be coming back to try another kind of food, but not sure of that.
been to this restaurant several times and every single time the food and service is just as good. my family and I always go there for their shrimp sweet and sour hotpot which comes with a side of caramel fish. it feeds 3-4 and comes with a big big bowl of rice to share. if you've never had Vietnamese hot and sour soup this is the place to go. another dish that is very filling and yummy is their rice dishes. wow their broken rice and lemon grass chicken is amazing. it also comes with a bowl of soup! and last but not least, their egg crepe/omelette. its a huge dish and comes with all the vegetables you can think of. it has a nice crunchy texture and is filled with lots of stuff, very good with fish sauce. oh i cant forget their 3 bean dessert/drink, its awesome!!
overall this restaurant has good food and service, would recommend it to everyone!
Thai Son is perfect if you’re really hungry with little time. Service is quick, the staff is pleasant enough and the food is ALWAYS good.
The rice and meat dishes are almost heaping. The rice is always cooked perfectly and the meat seasoned and cooked well.
My favorite is the number 6 on the menu spicy. The well-done beef in noodle soup. This arrives in minutes of ordering it. It’s always piping hot and comes with bean sprouts, jalapeño slices and sprigs of bay leaves (I think?).
The price is right, great value for your money.
The ambiance is again basic. At times it’s been a little cold but after getting a large bowl of soup you warm up right away.
I have eaten this restaurant several times, the first time wasn't long after it opened several years ago. It was slightly above average then, but both quality and quantity have declined over the years. There isn't as much meat, even for large bowls, and the soup is not as flavouful as before. They blanch the bean sprouts, a practice I don't like, but perhaps done to appease common taste. Service has always been bare bones. You are lucky if you get a smile, but you probably won't be mistreated either. On a wall they have newspaper clippings of some Asian celebrities that I don't recognize patronizing the restaurant. For me, this is an average Vietnamese restaurant. The best pho I've had is unfortunately still from a little family establishment in Toronto.
Thai Son used to be one of my favorite places to go and have vietnamese food with my friends. But recently the place has really seemed less and less appealing. The service and the environment is pretty nice: the place is always packed full of people so it's quite nice if you like that kind of feel.
The food is only pretty decent. The Pho there is alright... they don't give you a lot of noodles, and the soup is not as amazing as it used to be. The rice dishes are good-- it's comfort food, but afterwards you realize.. the rice was kind of dry and the meal leaves you with a weird aftertaste that hints that there's maybe a little bit too much MSG put in there.
It's not that I won't go here again, because this place is nice and cheap-- but if you're looking for something better, you'll definitely find it elsewhere.
Thai Son is my neighborhood Vietnamese joint, so when I'm feeling hungry and lazy it's a frequent destination. I don't go to Thai Son for Pho unless I have rabid craving - the broth is one-dimensional, lacks depth and hints at an instant stock. The beef is respectable but a great bowl of Pho begins with an aromatic homemade stock. The Lemongrass Chicken or Pork with broken rice and a fried egg fares much better - nothing fancy but good Vietnamese comfort food. The Seafood Crepe is a treat to share with a buddy. Shrimp Salad Rolls with peanut sauce a treat in summer.
I've been coming to Thai Son for years and still love it! The lemongrass chicken or pork chops on rice are to die for. If you feel like something besides Pho, try the beef short ribs or the crepe it's served with a lettuce and herbs and is suppose to be eaten like a lettuce wrap. But there's only one catch with these two dishes they only serve it after five, but if it's not to busy they sometimes make a special request. You won't be disappointed!
Thai Son is my new favorite place to get Pho. I too was a fan of Thang Long on Main before it closed down. Pho Hoa on Kingsway has always been an old standby, but in my humble opinion Thai Son has the edge. Very fresh sprouts and basil (the mark of a good pho place in my opinion), very nice lightly flavored broth, and decent serving sizes. The service is wonderfully efficient and genuinely friendly. This place is always busy but I've never waited for a seat. I should also mention that this place seems very popular with actual Vietnamese patrons, always a good sign. I've had the lemongrass chicken which was also good. I believe the food here is Vietnamese with a Thai angle on it. Plus they play Canucks games and are in the hood (Mount Pleasant). What's not to like?
This restaurant has high quality beef with noodles in a tasty soup. Their rare beef seems to be of a higher grade than most other Vietnamesse restaurants.
Ambiance is not bad, at least the place look clean. Service is average.
Today 3 hungry bears went to Thai Son to have some Pho to warm up on a rainy day. This place was packed during lunch, but luckily we were able to get seats rather quickly.
Food: We had deep fried spring rolls to share, and each of us ordered noodles. I had the seafood pho which was delicious! I can't speak for others, but seemed like they enjoyed their meals.
Service: A little bit better than average, because it didn't take them long to get our orders and serve us the food.
Ambiance: Looks like they recently added a few touches to their existing location which makes it look a little more attactive. (But don't worry, you won't get the neon-glare here.)
Price: Comparable to other Vietnamese restaurants but very yummy food in my opinion (which makes it worth it).
Overall: Great authentic Vietnamese food that is consistently prepared and delicious. If you haven't been here, then you've been missing out!
| 1. | Richmond (11 km) |  |
| 1. | Sushiyama (5 m) |  |
| 2. | Cafe D'Afrique (39 m) | |
| 3. | Tri-Countries Foods (84 m) | |
| 4. | Pho Linh (103 m) |  |
| 5. | Jiro (117 m) | |
| 6. | Rhizome Cafe (121 m) | |
| 7. | Hime Sushi (124 m) | |
| 8. | Starbucks (124 m) | |
| 9. | Salt & Pepper Grill (148 m) | |
| 10. | Jaz Sarap! Grill n' Cafe (175 m) |  |
