Well considering that CHÉN's hasn't even been open for a year yet screams volumes as their always seems to be a line up inside or out the door. Going on a not busy day at a not busy time seems hard to find. Even going on a random Thursday right as they opened had the restaurant packed with very few tables available. That being said, the space is pretty nice if you go in a group of 4-6 people. If you have read any of the other reviews for CHÉN, then you'd know that they're serving Northern Vietnamese food. You'll see and eat things that are familiar and items that are just now getting popular with the new trend of not just pho. We ordered: Salted Coffee $7.75 Pho Tai, Nam , Bo Vien $16.95 - rare beef, well done brisket and beef balls Bun Cha - Nem $21.75 - Hanoi style Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork & Crispy Crab Parcel The pho broth was clean and not too salty. The noodles are a bit thicker then other places but a warm bowl of hearty meat and noodles is hard to beat. The Bun Cha platter comes with a mix of lettuces and herbs. The grilled pork and pork meatballs are swimming in this warm sweet and tangy fish sauce like soup. If you generally like the fish sauce dip, (Nước chấm) you'll love this combination. The crispy crab parcel is surprisingly light and not greasy. The price for this platter is a bit more expensive then if you just got a bowl of vermicelli. But the presentation and fact that this isn't that common of a dish comes into play. Its also good to share. The salted coffee is strong and creamy! Not like they used instant coffee. Which some places I've been too have tasted like. The interior feels almost like walking into someone's house. The walls are beautifully painted with scenes from Vietnam's side streets. Tables are close together and sometimes you just have to share a long table with others if you want to get seated. Expect a little bit more of a wait time if you plan on going. I know many other reviews had mentioned that the service is slow. But there are somethings you just can't rush. Especially during a peak time. read more

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Our party of 4 really enjoyed our food and time at this establishment. I ordered the Bun Bo Hue special and it was good. My friend ordered a rice and the pork had such a great char grill flavour. Please remember that this has more of a northern Vietnam flavour, and most of the restaurants I've been to in the past are southern Vietnam. The service was a bit on the slow side, but we didn't mind it as we were not in a rush, but can see it being difficult if you only have an hour lunch. That being said, the staff were extremely kind and accommodating, so you can always ask. They also have a sign thanking for your patience. The portions are big so worth the price. Even their washrooms were clean, neat and tidy. We would definitely be back when we're in town. There are so many dishes I'd like to try next! read more

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The restaurant isn't big, limited seats but nice renovations, bright inside. Small staff but efficient. Northern style Vietnamese style, different taste and lighter flavour, love that they make Chicken Pho selections. I had the house special, love when the bean sprouts is raw, gives the soup a better tastes. read more

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Chen is a newly opened Northern Vietnamese restaurant featuring some interesting and novel dishes as well as well-done classics. My boyfriend and I came in on a Friday afternoon and managed to secure a walk-in spot at the bar. He wanted soup and ordered the bun bo hue, and I wanted to try something different and new, so I ordered the vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste. Normally, he does not say much about food. It's either "food" or "not food". However, today, he decided to make a comment saying it was good, which leads me to believe that the soup is truly exceptional relative to other places that serve bun bo hue. After trying the broth, I conclude that it is hearty, spicy, and rich (but much too spicy for me). The fermented shrimp paste was very unique and packed a huge punch of flavour and taste. It is, however, an acquired taste, so I recommend that first-timers order it with someone who is guaranteed to like it. That way, disappointment can be avoided. I liked the variety of fried tofu, pork hock, and special fried rice cake, as well as the heaping pile of veggies. The portion size was quite large, and I was left with 2 extra meals of leftovers. Service was prompt and friendly. The restaurant gives a homey but bustling vibe, excellent for casual diners or couples/families trying to grab a quick bite. I would love to return and try some of the other items! read more

Chen - bun bo hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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So so so so delicious! The meatball platter is simply mind blowing, I was speechless every bite I had. I loved the aesthetics of the restaurants. Pho was also delicious too but I think it should have more meat. One complaint I had was the sugar cane juice tasted artificial. Service was ok, they are busy so took a long time to get their attention every single time. read more

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Chen is a new restaurant in North Burnaby on Hastings Street. We enjoyed the food except the crab parcels tasted and looked like salmon I asked our server and he assured me they were crab. read more

Chen - Noodle bowl - Vietnamese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Recently discovered this new Vietnamese restaurant in Burnaby Heights and was absolutely blown away by the variation of Vietnamese dishes they offer. Each table ordered a beautiful dish served in bamboo platter. And a popular choice is #41 vermicelli noodle and fermented shrimp paste. This platter had a good variety which included pork hock, photo food, and young sticky rice. The waitress also taught us how to make the fermented shrimp past sauce and did warm us that the sauce can be very pungent. The sauce was delicious and only a very late amount is required to flavor the meat and vermicelli. It was a fun dish where you can get hands-on or in the order as you please. We also tried the #9 rare beef, well done brisket and beef balls and we quite enjoyed it as well. The soup was very flavorful and had a good amount of protein to noodle potion. I would definitely come back again to try out more dishes. But do you note, lineup can get pretty long during prime hours. When we went on a Friday evening there was quite a list of people waiting before us, but we got a table after a 15-20 mins for a table of two, which wasn't too bad and helped build up our appetite! read more

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Looks like Sushi Uomo died (I think my friends and I ate them out of business *looks around*) and reincarnated into this fancy looking Vietnamese place. Parking is available on Hastings during certain hours, as well as the side streets. There is also a public lot behind the building. The place has a nice floral theme, and clearly is going for the Hanoi feel. Staff are from Hanoi as well. Interestingly enough, this place did not have a house or special pho (my go-to as it contains a mix of everything). Even though it's not from Hanoi, I had the bun bo Hue. Pretty solid, but was quite expensive for the price. The bowls are small (smaller than regular size for other places), and there is no "large" option. The bowl sure looks pretty though. Lemon grass, onions and green onions, some beef ball, meatballs, pork blood, and of course beef slices. I also tried their vegetarian spring rolls. Tasty but finger sized. Yeah I left hungry. Knock 1 star off for lack of value. My buddy ordered a rice dish and it was clearly better value (larger portions, lower price). Guess I'm trying this next time. read more

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Really delicious Hanoi food This is my second time back and I am glad I made it for dinner with the family Staff are very friendly even when it's a full house, there was a queue by 6:30pm on Sunday I really enjoyed signature dish #39 (Hanoi Style vermicelli noodles with crispy crab parcel, chili lime sauce, meatball, grilled pork and fresh herbs) last time & came back for #40 Hanoi Style vermicelli noodles with Grilled pork jowl The grilled pork jowl was tender and tasty, perfect combination to dip it into the refreshing bowl of chili lime sauce. The sauce is tangy with a kick! The staff came by to check on our water, and taught us how to eat their signature dishes too #24- Grilled lemongrass chicken, springroll with rice - the chicken was marinated well but meat was a bit mushy #4 - rare beef and well done brisket pho- good flavor soup with wider rice noodles The presentation is beautiful, flavors are bomb and it makes me want to fly over to visit Hanoi ! read more

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this place was so nicely decorated; i felt very immersed in the atmosphere. I got the #7 pho ($16.95) and it was okay. Bowl was super big but I realized it was mostly broth. they use wide noodles though so that was special. otherwise, I felt the beef brisket was too thin so it kinda got lost in the soup. broth was also mostly salty and lacked depth compared to other ones I've tried. otherwise not a bad option! would like to come back and try their rice/ dry vermicelli dishes read more

Chen - 7. Pho tai, nam bo vien ($16.95) - Vietnamese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Visited during their soft opening and their ambiance was 5 stars. Plus their choice of special ceramic bowls and tea pots definitely added to the overall warm and cozy decor. There were some tables in the middle that are very close together and feels too cramped for my liking so we asked to be sitted by the wall/window tables. There was a large beautiful mural of paper flowers with folk art illustrations of motor bikes, bamboo lanterns, and vintage wooden cabinets that I wish I could capture in a video but it was too busy during my lunchtime visit to share its decor in more photos or videos. It was perhaps too busy during their soft opening and my food wasn't as good or memorable. I ordered #15 (Special Hue Spicy Noodle Soup) in hopes of getting a true taste of their speciality dish from Northern Vietnam so it was disappointing to discover that the broth wasn't spicy at all. Servers were all nice and have good attitudes but at this visit, they were too busy to top up our teas. I would also recommend training all staff to explain menu for official opening as it would be helpful if more than one staff knows the menu unless owner plans on having only one server take orders. From its decor and special menus, I can see owner put a lot of thought in bringing this new restaurant to Hastings Street. I would like to return to try the unique dishes on their menu, not often found at other Vietnamese restaurants offering Pho noodles. This is a cute place that promises an authentic meal experience from Northern Vietnam. read more

Chen - No. 15 on menu - Vietnamese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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Tasty spot for Vietnamese on Hastings! The number 34 vermicelli bowl with and spring rolls was nice and filling. The number 7 pho came out nice and hot, with a good amount of meat. As an appetizer, the crispy crab parcels were really tasty and different from typical spring rolls. Decor was cute and service was efficient. Good amount of seating. On the pricier side, but good quality. read more

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Great portion. Lots of meat. Added their meatball as an extra. Great taste. Good and friendly service. Small restaurant with limited seats. Plenty of parking around. read more

Chen - Vietnamese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Came here for dinner and it filled up pretty quickly so I recommend getting there a bit earlier. The staff were so cute and friendly, and I overheard them also helping other patrons who have never had this kind of food before. We ordered spring rolls and the BBH dac biet and it was so good. The broth was super flavourful and there was so much meat! I have to come back to try their mam tom for sure. read more

Chen - Bun bo hue dac biet - Vietnamese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Came here on a Saturday for lunch. The restaurant was just about full and could clearly tell they were busy! Interior was beautiful and seating was comfortable. The service was great. The rice dish came with a soup and overall I really enjoyed the food. Portion is slightly smaller than expected compared to another Vietnamese restaurant nearby. A couple reasons I felt like I couldn't give this a 5-star: The shrimp was a bit disappointing, as the shrimps were on the smaller side and were overdone, which made it dry and difficult to get off the skewer stick. The food was quite slow. I waited 20-25 minutes for the food to come. They probably needed an extra chef as I noticed other tables waited quite a bit too. read more

Chen - Lemongrass chicken with shrimp - Vietnamese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Second time visiting CHÉN. This time it was for lunch and ordered the lemongrass chicken and spring roll rice plate. It was very good. Service was ok since the food took a little longer. read more

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This is a newer restaurant that opened in the area. I stopped by right at opening and the restaurant quickly filled up within the hour. I can understand why this restaurant is popular. They offer some unique options not found at many restaurants like the crab spring rolls and fermented shrimp paste. I ordered the Hanoi style vermicelli noodle with crisp crab parcel platter. The spring rolls in the platter were perfectly fried so there was a good crunch with every bite and I could taste the crab filling. The noodles made the meal more filling while the herbs and cucumber slices added freshness to the meal. Service was efficient and friendly. Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience and I will come back to try other items. read more

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Very authentic Vietnamese food. Felt like I was back in Vietnam . Flavours are good, certain dishes I have not found in other restaurants aside from those in Vietnam. Portions are generous. read more

Dined at Chen Restaurant in Burnaby Heights. A Northern Vietnamese eatery. I was hoping to find fried eel here but sadly no. Lots of dishes with pork. The chicken noodle soup taste pretty close to the one I had in Hanoi (early this year). The crispy crab parcel is good too. read more

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Wow! Was very impressed with this restaurant.After our old Pho changed ownership.The wife and I have been looking for someplace new.We have tried most of the Pho restaurants on E.Hastings.One day we noticed Chen,they have only been open a few weeks and we decided to try them.We loved the deep fried spring rolls,the deep fried tofu was pretty good to,but the star was the lemongrass Pho.So much flavour,don't know if because fresher ingredients,but this was the best Pho we have had.Next time we dine indoors since this time was take home.I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Been here twice, and neither was a good time. The first time, they asked us to move after they seated us. Very rude and bad first impression. The second time, I went and the service was slow enough that I did not leave a tip. The pho broth was good, but not great. Not a good sign when you need to add a second spoon of hot sauce to make it taste right. If you have an appointment, do NOT come here before because you will definitely be late. For a much better pho experience, head 3 blocks down to Pho Mr Do. They get it right everytime. read more

While waiting to get in there was a table with seats near the front door for the elderly and self serve water. We had Nbr 37 grilled pork and pork meat balls with vermicelli and Nbr 23 Lemongrass Chicken and prawns. Food was delicious! The servers were friendly and helpful! A smile goes a long way! It was very busy and service was still good! The washroom was pleasant, clean, thoughtfully laid out with soap, dental floss, and mouth wash! We will definitely be back! read more

I've been here twice since Chen opened in my neighbourhood and glad there is a northern Vietnamese restaurant so close by. The restaurant itself has neat art/decor and is bright and inviting. During our recent visit, our servers were very helpful and prompt. Ricky gave us some great recommendations and another server (didn't catch her name) was also attentive showing us how to eat certain dishes. We ordered #39 which was delicious and fresh. I especially liked the sauce the pork came with, and our server gave us an extra bowl to easily mix all the ingredients together (noodles, meat, herbs, veggies). One suggestion I have is for #15 (Bun Bo hue specialty dish) which I ordered during my first visit. Typically, this noodle soup is spicy, but I felt it was quite mild and didn't include the pork rinds as described on the menu. read more

Food is reasonable no surprise. Service is good. As the tables are very close to each other, a bit noisy when it is full. There're nothing absorbing sound in the restaurant. read more

Delicious Vietnamese food and great ambience. Awesome dim sums and rice bowls. It's big on pricey side but all in all okay

I've only been once for take out. They were very busy but very efficient and the food was good.

10/10 top to bottom .....everything from the Lemongrass chicken to beef broth were the best I've tried by far.

Food and service were both amazing. Been here twice since they've opened and will definitely go back again