Mui Ngo Gai

I’ve been here twice. Once with someone and once alone.
Certainly don’t go here with expectations of any kind of customer service so with that in mind you’ll note some of their phở (at least the two dishes I tried) have spaghetti noodles?!
And even if you order your starter don’t expect it to arrive first — in fact today’s two narrow spring rolls which were cut into thirds and served with a tiny tiny bit of thin sauce came AFTER the main dish of soup. (I thought it was just the fast food places that pictured food better thab they actually were in person? Spring rolls looked way different than menu photo)
A favorite of mine elsewhere, today I tried the spicy noodle soup #35 Bun Bo hue
Spicy beef soup w sliced beef shank pork balls, Vietnamese ham seasoned pork roll, (ordered without cooked pork blood) with large round rice noodle. Small $ 7.50
Personally I felt it was light on meat and certainly lacked the usual spice (thankfully there is the thick chili spice on the table). Served with a pile of sprouts (my favorite!) and only a quarter sized half slice of lime (is there a shortage?) with a thin red hot pepper (which I left on the side plate — no thank you).
The small phở I had last time wasn’t spicy nor noteworthy sadly.
Today the restaurant might have had one other table at like 3pm however customer attention seems to be last priority. I had to wait to be seated, once seated I was given a menu and a mug of tea then she left (not allowed to order a drink?), had to flag down the gal to order, had to flag the gal down to get my leftovers to go (package it myself), was never checked on, never offered more tea, had to approach the cash register to get the gal to go find a bill and then never shown it — instead type into a calculator and show that. Sigh.
Yeah. No tip. Thank you
I’ll probably return to give the food another chance but otherwise wouldn’t really recommend.

This is a combined review of two visits. We were around the area and decided to stop by for an early lunch the first time. It was a Tuesday and there was one other table occupied in the restaurant. Second time was there 30 minutes before closing at 9:30pm on a Friday night.
Ambiance: cleaner looking and definitely bigger than other Vietnamese restaurants. As usual, not a lot of heat in the premise. Seems like another restaurant that uses heat generated by the kitchen to be used in the restaurant.
Staff service: average for Vietnamese restaurants. We were seated within 1 min both times. Lady took our order in 5 mins. Tea was served with condiments.
Kitchen service: First time we ordered at 11:07am and our dishes are here by 11:15am.
Second time we order at 9:24pm. Tea and condiments arrived at 9:27pm. 9:38pm.
Both times we ordered small BBH (#35) and Phở special (#15).
Cleanliness: appears to be cleaner than other Vietnamese restaurants.
Taste:
BBH: more fishy taste and less spicy than Phở Tan, Bao Chau, and Song Huong. Less «angry red» colour of soup, which means less spicy oil. Ratio of ingredients to noodles is approx 1.2:1. Ingredients (pigs blood, porkballs, etc) are better. They don’t give us a chunk of pork feet to waste space in our bowl. Balls are small but flavourful and bouncy.
#15: soup is very clear with stronger lemongrass and beef taste than other restaurants. Meat is thinly sliced and not fatty (type we like).
Condiments: very fresh
After dinner water test: we were not constantly reaching for water after dinner. We believe this is attributed to the good soup base sans MSG.
Portions: both ingredients and noodles are smaller than other restaurants. We don’t eat a lot by any stretch of imagination, but we were a tad hungry after the small. Hence, minus 1 star.
Price: approx $ 6.50 for small #15 and $ 7.50 for small BBH. Avg to most other cohort restaurants
Overall: we will definitely go back again.

I came here with a group of friends post hike on Cypress, so we were all looking forward to some delicious protein and carbs.
We started off with some spring rolls. Crispy and had good flavour but i wish they had more meat in their spring rolls.
I got their phở, which was satisfying with their warm, rich broth. The meat and noodles were good as well. It did what phở noodles are supposed to do — put you in a happy food coma.
However, I think the best dish was what my boyfriend ordered — Three types of meat rice dish. The grilled chicken and beef had lots of flavour and were tender. But it was the «special mystery meat» that had a glorious flavour and was so tender it didn’t need a knife. I knew it was some kind of spiced up ground pork, the pinkness worried me a little but it’s apparently like that and I didn’t get sick. Regardless, that rice dish had so much flavour and meaty goodness.
Service is nice and they refilled our teas. They accept credit card as well! Overall, a really delicious place to get your Vietnamese craving murdered. Note: parking is a pain, street parking is better.

This place was just ok for me. It would never be my first choice but If I’m in the area and was really hungry with no other choices then I would certainly stop by. They had your typical Vietnamese fare but nothing distinctive about the flavors that really set them apart from other places.

Team Fam came here for dinner and I had the following:
Phở Tai Gan (~$ 7)
Spring Roll (~$ 5)
Salad Roll (~$ 5)
The Phở Tai Gan was a hearty bowl of Vietnamese rice noodles, tendon, and rare beef in a pool of beef broth and the usual fare of scallions and onions. The broth here was quite watery (think Sinh Sinh up the street) and so the noodles didn’t absorb much broth. The tendon was almost non-​existent but there was a standard amount of beef.
The Spring Rolls here came out piping hot and at first glance looked really good. Unfortunately, by its use of wheat paper, the rolls got flaky fast and became a mess to eat. I prefer rice paper which provides a chewier texture and less residual.
I thought the Salad Rolls were better than the Spring Rolls based on the used of rice paper. These rolls had a chewier texture and the beef inside was juicy and well-​marinated. I think the other entrees here must be good because this restaurant has a killer high rating. Not on my dine in with the phở and spring rolls though, unfortunately.

Vancouver definitely has a lot of good Vietnamese restaurants and this is one of them. My friend and I shared a variety of food today and they were all so good.
We ordered their hu tiu sate (沙嗲粉) to try one of their speciality noodle soups. It is definitely different than your regular phở. Lots of sauce to evenly coat all the noodles. The sauce was perfect. Just enough peanut flavor along with the lemon grass. I would eat this again!!!
We also ordered some appetizers to share: crispy spring rolls (越式春卷) and dumpling (越式蝦豬肉蕉粽). Must try their dumpling. Their tapioca pasta was very chewy and just enough to wrap the steamed pork and shrimp. Great appetizers to share with others.
Must order: Avocado smoothie!!!
I will definitely go back to try their other dishes.

Good food, fast service and delicious phở:-) Nr 43 make it spicy one of the best I ever had!!!

[Phở Fusion]
After a night of sports, our group of friends had the usual debate about where we should dine. It bugs me a lot when some indecisive friend says «I’m good with anything» and when you suggest a spot, they say no. #@#*&%! Anyways, after a bit of a summit meeting, we ended up at Mui Ngo Gai.
What I love about this place is as follows:
1) Value. You can combo almost any spring/​salad roll, noodle bowl or rice dish, and a can of pop for $ 10 – 13.
2) Selection. Aside from the usual soup offerings, there’s a bunch of different and unique variations of salad/​spring rolls, noodle and rice, dishes, and even some hot pot choices. Where else can you get a salad roll with pork or snail and tofu soup? Their menu consists of 6 huge pages jammed with pictures and food offerings. Some of it is quite Fusion-​ey but it’s good nonetheless.
3) It’s clean and nicely decorated as far as Vietnamese restaurants are concerned.
4) They can always accommodate larger groups — even last minute. They didn’t seem to mind that we were extra loud.
The only gripe I have about the place is that service is hit and miss. It’s a mom and pop operation and with our group of 12 on a Thursday evening, I wasn’t expecting much. Despite there being located on Vietnamese Eat street (aka. Kingsway and Victoria), I see myself coming here often as its accommodating, cheap, and tasty.

I ended up at Mui Ngo Gai on an aimless Friday night. We were starving but couldn’t decide where to go. One of my pals wanted Vietnamese but there were factors to consider (price, parking). So I jumped on Unilocal and made an executive decision.
Such a good choice. The atmosphere is warm and comfy (kinda dark and shiny, perfect). The servers are nice. I ordered wine and ours asked me shyly for ID (she also mentioned how YOUNG I look for my age, cha-​ching!).
I ordered the BBQ minced pork and spring roll on vermicelli. It was yummy and filling. Free tea.
Also, you can’t beat the prices here. I paid $ 15 total and that was including wine.
Parking in da rear.

MùiNgòGai is a simple restaurant without much ambiance. But basically clean and spacious. Price for portion is fairly good as most things come with rice or noodles, making it easy to get a filling meal. Free wifi but you need a password. SHAW wifi as well.
Tht Kho t Caramelized pork, 越式炆豬肉煲 ($ 12.95) A special dish in which the delicate sweetness of a light caramel balances the vibrant saltiness of fish sauce.
— What you get is salty pork in a sweet sauce, which goes a long way toward tempering the saltiness.
— Comes with a large bowl of normal rice. I recommend you taste the pork first, especially the sauce that sinks all the way to the bottom of the hot metal pot. Then for convenience, throw all your rice in and mix well.
— Sweet-​sauced pork is tasty but as a dish, it is monotonous.
— Good quantity of pork for $ 12.95 — possibly 2 cups or so. If you are a light eater, this could possibly be a light meal for two with room left over for a special drink or light dessert.
Sinh t mng cu Soursop smoothie 林琴菓攪拌汁 ($ 4.25)
— Looks like Starbucks grande size portion. Price for portion on their smoothies therefore pretty decent.
Overall, a simple place with good price for portions. Their ph is also priced fairly cheaply at $ 6.85 for small and $ 7.85 for large.

Looking forward to returning and trying new items.
I’ve been here 3 times now. They have a lot of variety, and the food has been great every time. The prices are reasonable for Vancouver’s standards.
There are 2 factors that are holding me back from rating this restaurant 5 stars.
1. The spring rolls were surprisingly dry, and a bit bland
2. During my most recent visit, the interior had a pretty foul smell
Update: Owner of restaurant concluded that the foul smell was due to a young child vomiting in the restaurant prior to my arrival. They claim that it is uncharacteristic for the restaurant to have foul interior smells.

It was 10:30 pm and my fiancée & I were craving for phở. Came here via the help of Unilocal.He had the bun bo hue & I had their phở tai chin. Both had light flavored broth and both were tasty.
Service was also good. A lady seated us quickly & got us our tea. Both soup didn’t take more than 5 minutes to arrive.
Parking is street parking.

Wow this place is amazing! They are open late and the phở is huge! I always get the rare beef and they give u a lot of meat, sliced thin enough. The noodles are firm and not over cooked. The broth is very rich and delicious. The spring rolls are very crispy and a great starter!

Passed by many times and my first visit was amazing. Amazing food, reasonable price and friendly servers. I’ve tried Bun Bo Hue (#35) which had good ratio of soup and noodle. It had plentiful of toppings of onions, pork blood, Vietnamese ham, beef slices and green onion.
Soup was very light. It wasn’t salty or spicy at all. Pinch of chilli oil added more flavour to it. In the end I finished the whole soup without feeling thirsty. Not to forget you get to choose small or large size phở.
Love this place. I’ll come back for more.

Think I found my new favourite Vietnamese restaurant for Phở. For starters, they have the actual Sriracha hot sauce bottle on the table so I know it’s the real deal. The sprouts that come with phở, well they had a whole red hot pepper; you know that got broken up and put in my soup. The soup was served HOT and it took longer (not long) than most places to come out & it tasted super fresh. Loved it!

Thank God, a Vietnamese restaurant WITHOUT NEON LIGHTS.
The restaurant is spacious, clean, and inviting! I appreciate the comforting warm colours and the fact that the servers actually look at you and smile while taking your order. I’ve been to MANY vietnamese restaurants in my life and this one is pretty up there on the quality scale! Not only is this place warm and family friendly, but the food does not disappoint either. The portions are generous and the broth in the Phở (#18) that I had was flavourful and delicious. At the end, I had the coloured dessert drink. What a perfect end to my night! I’d definitely order it again… and maybe get the iced coffee too. :)

I come to Mui Ngo Gai at least once a week and sometimes even during lunch. The food is amazing and the workers are super friendly! The food they serve is super affordable and they also give you discounts if you’re a student.
Also I recommend getting the Taro bubble tea because it taste really good!

3 stars for food and 2 for service.
Asked for rice paper wrap for my banh xeo, got replied «we do not have it» … What??? What type of Vietnamese restaurant does not have rice paper wrap and they have summer rolls as appetizer…
just give customers what they want for additional charge… Everyone happy…

I’ve only been here twice but have always enjoyed the food everytime. Although it’s not the best phở, it’s not bad.
The décor is more clean and modern with a big screen tv for sports watching (for those that enjoy that while they eat). The waitress is nice and is keen on bringing tea soon after you’re seated in your seat.
Their B13 drink is perhaps the best mix beans and jelly drink from the various phở restaurants. Perhaps they use a little more variety then the regular yellow bean, red bean and green jelly.
Will return, but perhaps next time with a larger party to try a lot more different goodies on the menu.

The phở here is the best I’ve had in Vancouver. The broth seems simple but you can actually taste the limes, chili, coriander and bean sprouts once you add them and they transform the broth so that it is really flavourful but light. I especially love that they use limes instead of lemons and chilies instead of jalapeños. It makes a huge difference. The noodles were very fresh, thin and delicious. I always get the Phở Không but a friend said the meat in the Phở Tái was thinly sliced, didn’t overcook in the broth or get tough.
The iced coffee with condensed milk is the best I’ve had in Vancouver. It’s served in a Vietnamese coffee filter along with a bowl of fresh ice. I’m a tea person (if I’m home I have a cup of tea in my hand) but this is the only kind of coffee I can honestly say I love. The tea here is also pretty delicious each and every time I go.
This is one of my top 5 restaurants in Vancouver. It being open til midnight is another bonus. The staff is always so warm and friendly and the tea is incredibly refreshing