Hoang Yen

Reviews

• Sandy Y.

  star star star star star 31 May 2026

  Hoang Yen has very unique fish cake soup.  They have regular pho with beef, but they also have special pho with fish cakes.  They are very different from other Vietnamese restaurants around town.
  
  We came here all the time for their Special Fish Cake & Vermicelli in Soup (#24 Bun Cha Ca Dac Biet).  The soft vermicelli is covered by extremely lots of herbs and fish cakes.  The fish cakes are fresh and moist.  They serve with Vietnamese mint, fill, cilantro, Thai basil, leaf lettuce, beansprouts, and lemon.  Super aromatic and delicious!
  
  Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen is located at 5083 Victoria Drive, Vancouver BC.
  
  Food:  5/5 MustTry!
  Service: ‍‍‍3/5
  Kids:  2/5 Meh! (Very small space and gets busy)
  Price: $20-$30 for two
  Presentation: 2/5
  Parking: along neighbouring streets parking
  Tips:
  usually has a line up.
  may have to share a table with others.
  accepta cash only.
  is a eat-and-go type tiny restaurant.  
  Would I Return: Yes ‍

• PennyandRusty P.

  star star star star star 28 May 2026

  It seems like I've been waiting pho-ever to try this place out... Okay, go ahead and groan... that was a bad pun. As their name implies, this Vietnamese restaurant is well known for their specialty pho... a fish cake noodle soup (bún ch cá).
  
  The interior of this place is fairly typical of most Vietnamese restaurants but I doubt that people come here for the atmosphere. When you open the menu (which only lists the name Hoang Yen on the cover), the thing that you want to find is the Bun Cha Ca Dac Biet ($11.95 for a small) aka the Special Fish Cake and Vermicelli in Soup. Seriously, this is one good pho! The broth is quite light but still aromatic and flavourful from the use of fresh herbs. The smooth and tender rice vermicelli noodles are the best that I've ever had.
  
  With your order, you can also do add-ons such as the Salad Roll ($3.25 add-on). It's a bit typical but I do appreciate how nicely packed the salad roll was (nothing worse than a salad roll that just falls apart when you pick it up).
  
  I also ordered the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($11.50) which turned out nicely as well. It's kind of similar to Phnom Penh wings and comes with a lemony-peppery dipping sauce.
  
  Overall, the food was quite good here and you can tell by how busy it gets at times. Best tips are to avoid the peak rush period and make sure you have some cash on you because it's cash only here.

• Jen M.

  star star star star star_border 26 May 2026

  Every time I drive by here, I always notice quite a crowd waiting outside for a table. Luckily I was seated right away when we came around 5:00 p.m., though the place was already full and there was a steady stream of people coming in.  From what I can tell, small groups may be seated at the same table since space is limited.
  
  We got the crab noodle soup, which was delicious.  The broth was clean and tasty, tofu and meat was good and also came with chili peppers so you could adjust the heat.  I don't think there was actually any crab in the soup though.  I would have personally preferred thinner noodles but still .. a great comfort food dish!  We also got a grilled pork and shrimp bun.   Admittedly, I couldn't tell the difference between the 2 to 3 grilled pork and grilled shrimp bun offerings, and even asked our waitress, but she told me that the marinated grilled pork and the lemongrass grilled pork were the same... but the pictures did help inform my choice.  I liked the noodles in this dish - I'm not sure if they were stir fried, but they had a nice texture... Different than the buns I normal get.  The fried chicken wings were also tasty and I will definitely reorder them again.  The side citrusy? dipping sauce added an extra pop of flavor.   Can't wait to try more things here.

• Christine H.

  star star star star star_border 20 May 2026

  Vancouver's ultimate hole in the wall. Super popular place so expect to wait at least 10 min. They are now open until 9 so if you arrive at like 8:30..8:45, you will likely able to get a table upon arrival.
  
  Must order: #24 and #60
  
  #24: Fish broth filled with dill, lemongrass, and fish cakes. Super flavourful and round noodles make the textures just so tasty. Defs one of the best pho in town
  
  #60: deep fried tilapia which is very well done. Crunchy, flaky..I don't know what their batter is but impressive
  
  Don't expect the service you get at fine dining restaurants. These aunties will take no b.s.
  
  Also cash only.

• Paula C.

  star star star star star_border 11 May 2026

  There are quite a number of Vietnamese restaurants along Victoria Drive but this restaurant is definitely tops them all. They are particularly known for their Bun Rieu - a crab soup base pho with rice noodles. This dish is not your ordinary bowl of pho. Not only is it generously filled with meat in the bowl, but it has sooo much flavour from the buttery crab innards they use in the soup. Nothing beats a hot bowl of pho! Highly recommend coming here to try out but be prepared to wait a little or share tables with others as it is a small little restaurant that gets quite busy.