Pho Lan

Flavourful Vietnamese food at a decent price. This place is near my fiancé’s house so whenever we are hungry and looking for a quick and filling dinnertime is our go to place. I usually order the beef brisket and beef ball phở with a side of fried spring roll while he order the rice dish with pork chop. The rice dish is large in portion and decently priced at 8.95. It’s so flavourful and not too oily. I love the phở and spring roll, I think it’s the best I’ve had in Richmond. It’s a small little place that is consistently good.

Well im from a country which doesnt need to tip for the service casually, but whenever i go traveling around north america and europe i always tipped generally cos you know, i believe most of ppl ever did part time job like table service and stuff? Anyways i meant to say, i understand being a waitress/​waiter is really a hard work. Cos i had 2 years of experience working as a waitress in the restaurants. But seriously, this restaurant, the service is the most terrible one ive ever had in my whole life. For the very first time. I refused to tip them.
And the phở? Seriously, just tasted exactly like msg, i have been lived in LA for few months, i had phở most likely 3times a week, so i know what a really good phở tasted like. And i accidentally looked thru the kitchen it was… scary…i saw the guy just picked the meat and put it into the soup with his fingers in.
My first time been there, my first time posted negative note.
It was a terrible experience, i stopped craving phở for exact 2 weeks after this.

Phở Lan is cheap, delicious, and has some of the best deep fried spring rolls around. While there are definitely better phở places in the Lower Mainland, in a pinch, Phở Lan will easily whisk you away to noodle-​y broth heaven, wrapped in a blanket of Vietnamese coffee and sprinkled with crispy spring rolls for good measure. Yes the spring rolls are that good!
I definitely agree that the interior is a bit dated, and in my mind the broth to noodle ratio is a bit off (too much broth, not enough noodles), but you don’t need a fancy place to enjoy phở and the broth is still very tasty!
So come to Phở Lan and take a break from all your worries.

i go to this phở like once every 6 months, and recently havnt been there at all
10 years ago it was a dirty restaurant serving very good phở,
but I THINK the owner changed, and the place still dirty,
and then still dirty, and havent been there long time and give it a try after a while, still dirty…
now gave up.

Absolutely the best Vietnamese food in the lower mainland, bar none! You won’t be disappointed. Very old school, rare these days. Make sure you try a Vietnamese coffee, hot or cold it is delicious.

Service is questionable but food is quite good compared to all the generic viet resturants. I ordered the lemon grass chicken and pork chop on rice. Chicken was tender and tasted better than the overcooked chewy pork chop. Portion size is big too, their large is gigantic and goes by small, medium, and large for phở. I got another rice dish the next day on my break and they overfilled my container with too much rice. I also really love how the menus are displayed under glass on the table so we don’t have to touch dirty sticky menus.

Phở: the beef is of good quality, proportion between noodles and beef is good, though the soup base tastes flat, like salt in water with very minimum broth.
Vermicelli bowl: I ordered the BBQ pork with fried spring rolls (nam) and I have to say the jam is REALLY good and authentic. The BBQ pork was also very good — juicy, not too dry, done just right. Though I was a bit disappointed with the lack of finesse in the way they cut the lettuce, and the disproportionate amount of vermicelli with lettuce and nuts.
Price is reasonable and the place is a bit run down but it’s worth it overall.

Came here 2 nights ago for a late dinner. They were closing at 10pm so thankfully they still served us at 940pm.
Ordered the rare steak phở. Came within 5 minutes and the beef and broth were both delicious. They also serve limes. I wouldn’t say they are known for their service but it doesn’t matter much when the food comes out quickly.
Only downside is the place definitely needs a makeover and is cash only. Probably needs a bigger parking lot in the back too. But nevertheless, 4 stars.

Hands down the best Phở restaurant in Richmond. Tasty Phở broth, big portions compared to other places, and efficient and friendly service. Atmosphere — it’s a phở restaurant so what do you expect? Good food AND a nice place? It’s not disgusting but it is a typical hole in the wall phở place but not too dirty that we won’t go there. The best spring rolls ever too. Parking can be a challenge. there’s only about 8 spots in the back by the garbage bins.

My favorite phở hands down in the lower mainland. I have been going here for at least 8 years and love it. Décor is ugly but the food is fantastic. Nothing like a bowl of 15 medium spicy! Family run business that makes sure you are happy as a customer.

Food is average. Price is ok.
Place is dark (not in a fine dining way) and old; kitchen looks dirty; air musty.
Servers just ok, but the cashier has zero customer service skill (our hunch is he’s the owner – coz he acts like he owns the place, and the people in it). After my meal with 2 other folks, we requested for the bill, the guy in the counter loudly said «You MUST pay here!» (pointing to his counter) which is about 4 – 5 ft. from us. We said oh-​sorry its fine –besides the counter is right by the door to No. 3. rd. Our group smiled and look at each other whispering «MUST!??”-and we just shrugged it off since we are having good conversation, and thought it could just be a grammar thing.
We went up the counter and while paying, one of us took a couple of those free candies in a jar… the guy in the counter just blurted out «ONE Only!!!» we were shock by his reaction and we said — «seriously? Its candy»; so my friend returned the candies, paid, then we rush out of there – cant believe how rude that guy was.
T’was our first and last time there.

Seriously, don’t judge this place by its appearance. It’s totally run down and maybe even slightly dilapidated from the outside, but I promise you the food is completely worth it.
My must-​get item every time I’m there is the deep fried spring roll. The skin is so crispy and the flavours of the fillings are just right. Their phở might just be the best one in Richmond; broth, broth, broth. Very generous portions, especially concerning the meat. If you think you can tackle the large, you’re probably wrong. I was a bit shocked when the large came out. I mean, the bowl is big enough to use as a small face basin.
Service is here very efficient, so the food comes out rather quickly. The price is just a tad more than other places, but honestly, the portions, and flavours really make up for it.

Large portion of food, but DIRTY! Soup spoons and tea cups are so dirty… Makes me wonder how clean the food can be…

According to my dad, phở lan has been here for more than 15 years. That is why the interior design of the restaurant is so old. Phở lan certainly needs a renovation. I have been to phở lan more than 20 times. Because Richmond doesn’t have too many Vietnamese restaurant, phở lan is one of the most popular phở place to go to on a rainy/​gloomy/​cold day.
The restaurant is small and it is pack at noon and dinner time especially on a rainy day. I have never waited for more than 10 minutes to be seated. It goes by fast and you are seated quick. There are 1 – 2 servers and 1 greeter in the front. The manager/​owner is always there. Server are quick with food order and process. Once order, food is delivered ASAP. If you order phở, it comes to your table within 3 – 5 mins. If it’s other dishes, it may take longer. For the most part, I love how fast it is so if you’re in a rush — I would recommend phở lan!
Phở is delicious. I usually order phở tai or phở bo vien or a mix of both. Maybe a side of spring rolls or salad rolls. Nothing crazy. Phở lan has the best phở in Richmond. I haven’t found anywhere else better yet. A lot of people would agree too!
I give phở lan a 4 and not a 5 because of the interior design. I am fine with it but some of my friends think it’s dirty inside. It only does cause the restaurant is old. Would I still come back? Yes!

This is a great phở dive that can be easily missed. From the outside you’d probably miss this place if you blink as it doesn’t look like much. Actually, even if you saw the place it looks somewhat run down from the outside. Inside, it has the homey hole-​in-​the-​wall cozy feel.
The food is certainly better than the physical appearance of the restaurant. The phở dishes are tasty and authentic. In addition to their drinks and desserts, they have around 40 items on their menu with an average price between $ 7 and $ 9.
Service is fast and efficient so if you are in a rush you’re in luck. During lunchtime it can get a bit busy but I’ve never had to wait.
Like most Asian restaurants in Richmond, they take cash only. There’s some parking in the back or nearby on the side streets.

Gotta admit… it was a bit funhouse-​type creepy walking from the back parking to the front of the restaurant with the dark narrow hallway, mystery doors… finally the kitchen. The place definitely had a hole-​in-​the-​wall feel.
But the food was excellent. My favorite thing to order is lemongrass chicken on rice. My mother had beef phở and I ordered a side spring roll. The platter I received was generous, no skimping on the chicken at all… kinda even got a bit overwhelmed. The food on the plate was plentiful… then tacking the springroll made getting through my lunch a task. All the food was excellent in quality and presentation. Service was quick and attentive as well.
If I am in that area again, I will definitely return!
CAVEAT: CASH ONLY… there is a TD Bank across the street and RBC two blocks north.

Gotta get that spring roll, they deep fry that thing to perfection and the texture is tidied for!
Phở itself is above average compared to others on Richmond, but paired together with the spring roll it is a must-​have combo!
This place is run by a very nice Vietnamese family, so it will feel nice and homely.

I came, I ate, and now I can write about this joint. As many have said this place has been around for awhile, practically a staple for phở for the Richmond folk, and it seems like this place has not changed in décor over time as walking in here it does feel a little old. The lighting, let alone the color of the furniture in here makes it feel like a ‘hole-​in-​the-​wall’ which is always a welcome sight to me, as usually all the effort is in the food product coming out that has kept these places alive. Coming back here I had to see if things have changed in terms of perspective, and now I can finally throw my 2 cents in.
I remember coming here and this place used to be packed, used to be, maybe it was a Wednesday night, or maybe they have been affected by the recent moving of Phở An Nam that is literally just down the block from them now. I came with a friend as it was his suggestion, and he told me while we were walking in that his son doesn’t like to come here cause it smells like an old furniture store. This place definitely needs a facelift, like a true renovation to if not get rid of the smell of old furniture, to really brighten this place up. There is no tv here, so no sports for you, and it’s cash only, talk about barebones restaurant.
We both decided on the Phở Lan special phở (no.7 if you must know) on the menu, and order of pork spring roll, and a shrimp salad roll. The first thing that came was the shrimp salad roll, which was very plump and big in size (as the order on the menu is per roll). It came with their house peanut sauce and cut up for easy sharing, if your not that hungry, really one roll is pretty big, buyer beware! Next up was the spring roll, originally, based on presentation alone, I think they need to clean the oil, as these things looked dark, one side burst out a little due to breakage of the wrapping. I can say after eating the fried spring roll, this sucker was evil good, something very meaty and tasty… and did I say… it’s FRIED! Then came the bowl of phở. the main star. Before I go on about the phở I will say this… this is the first place where I have ever seen a S, M, and L size, aren’t there usually only 2 sizes? It’s not the cheapest either, as it starts at $ 7 and goes $ 8 then $ 9, and you charge tax, and you are cash only… hmmm.
I ordered a medium, and it eventually came, with a big dish of bean sprouts, a lime wedge, then a lemon wedge (what happened, they run out of the green fruit?). I can say that they don’t cheap you out on the meat, as when I was almost done the noodles there was still lot’s of meat floating around in the ocean bowl! The description is no lie, rare steak, well done flank, tendon (big piece at that), tripe, and a good few pieces of beef meatball. I now have a thing where I try the broth before poisoning it with bean sprouts, lime squeeze and dosing Sriracha sauce on it, and it didn’t have that sweetness that some others had, a little on the oily side, nothing too special, till after I ate this whole bowl. The noodles were cooked pretty good, not al dente, but very close to it. While getting to the end of the bowl is where I starting to drink lots of tea, and realized this thing was laced with MSG, the one where it gives you the mild hangover headache which I really wasn’t asking for.
This place definitely has it’s followings as they I see they acknowledge returning customers, as I noticed one guy walking in, and the server and person from the kitchen came out to greet him and saying, «you have returned!» But with all the competition of phở places in Richmond this place has been affected by change and not being able to change with the times. Parking in the back of the place, located right across from city hall, it just feels a little bit more costly for what this place is.

This place has HUGE servings of phở.
I only had the chance to try the beef Phở, but am itching to go back and go for the Phở Ga.
There is something about having a giant piping bowl of phở on a rainy day and this place just hits the spot. We were here around 2pm on a weekend afternoon and this place was still buzzing with customers.
It’s a dark inside though and the back entrance is a bit sketchy. But meh, it just adds to the adventure.

BBH — Meh.
Regular phở (rare steak with beef balls) — Decent.
Spring Rolls — Amazing! Get the spring rolls. It’s the only item on the menu worthy of 5 stars!
PS. They have a (small) private parking lot at the back.