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    Wooden Fish

    4.0 (73 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    WOODEN FISH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Wooden Fish

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    Robin L.

    Man oh man, this humble Vietnamese joint in West Van packs a punch. Although the menu is not much different from most other Vietnamese spots in Vancouver, the star of the show for me, personally, was their array of hot sauces. Typical Viet pho spots usually have the basic combination of hoisin and sriracha as accompaniments to a bowl of pho. I was honestly looking around for the duo of squeeze bottles but was pleasantly surprised by how the sauces strangely worked with our meal. Noodles were good but nothing special. Definitely will come back to try out their other rice dishes because they looked DIVINE as they were rushed past us. Pho bowls are offered in mini and regular - mini was cool because it allowed you to try other options on the menu while still getting a little slurp of soup!

    The story of Wooden Fish. The reason for the name and the intent behind the business.
    Chris C.

    One of those moments at the end of a lovely day and the conversation goes something like "where do you want to eat tonight?" The thought of being downtown is awful...hot summer night, BC Lions game on, beaches packed. So over the bridge to West Vancouver and to Wooden Fish because it's there, it's reliable and the owners and workers there are kind. All they want is for you to enjoy the food, but - and this seems true of many family run Vietnamese places - there is a story they want you to be a part of. So the story of Wooden Fish is captured on their menu, and I share that below, because it's an important part of the experience of eating there. The food is great. A small bowl of spicy beef noodle soup hit the spot and I wish I had noticed the specials sheet because the satay soup bowl looked amazing too. They were out of the home made lychee kombucha of the day, but that's on me. They always sell out of it. I love the staff here. They care for you as a team. They make your day better. Let them feed you, feed your bellies and your heart. It's good food, not standard Vietnamese fare, but home touched, played with a little, offered proudly and quickly but with care and genuine gratitude.

    Rolls
    Shruti J.

    The one thing I would highly recommend out here is the egg foam Vietnamese coffee. It was creamy, did not smell like eggs and perfect strength. The rolls out here were alright, nothing to write about but the chicken curry was really good. They served it will white rice and it tasted really good. Service was good.

    Outside
    Greg T.

    My benchmark of a Vietnamese restaurant is the pho broth. Wooden Fish has a Hanoi beef noodle soup that stands on its own - the broth was delicious without the need to add bean sprouts, basil, chili oil, Hoisin sauce, or anything else. The skewer plate with vermicelli looked fantastic. I tasted a bit of my friend's pork skewer and was impressed. They have an assortment of homemade sauces - something like Sambal sauce, garlic, and a couple hotter sauces. Prices are slightly higher than your standard Vietnamese, but not by much, and well worth the extra few dollars. They have outside tables that are covered with heats, so you're mostly comfortable in the non-summer months. We sat just inside the door and got a chilly draft every time someone came or left. Good thing we had soup to stay warm. Solid list of alcoholic beer and wine. Free parking off the main street. Just check the signage.

    Vietnamese Egg Coffee
    Hoa T.

    Was looking for dinner when my family and I were in Vancouver for the weekend and stumble upon this Vietnamese restaurant that was near our Airbnb so we decided to go try it out! Restaurant was limited on seatings but workers there were super nice and got us two tables to connect with each other since we had a party of six, everyone there was super nice from the first time we walked in to when we were finished. Wooden Fish was a Northern Vietnam side restaurant where they had a lot of northern dishes that I was excited to try. I been wanting to try some Vietnamese Egg Coffee, this was discovered in the Northern side and WOW! I would highly recommend trying the coffee out if you love Vietnamese Coffee! The egg foam on the top tasted like tiramisu, it was fluffy and the perfect sweetness to go along with the strong and bitter Vietnamese Coffee! What caught my eye on the menu was their Bun Cha! I knew I had to try this since I always see people eating this online. Presentation was super nice, you get a bowl of warm fish sauce that has Hanoi grilled pork and patties with the pickled carrots and papaya in it! You get a side of veggies and vermicelli too and you dunk all those in the bowl of delicious fish sauce and man it was chef kiss* I also ordered some spring rolls too and the peanut sauce was on point! Overall, I would defiantly come back and try their bun Bo hue and other dishes too! Thank you Wooden Fish!

    Natasha P.

    Hands down the best Vietnamese on the North Shore. The beef pho was light and flavourful, the veggie spring rolls were packed full of fresh vegetables including mushrooms, the spring rolls were tasty especially when accompanied by the peanut sauce, and the papaya salad was massive! We received the food quite quickly after ordering which was surprising on a Saturday night at 7pm. There were quite a few tables available and given how quick they are with getting orders out, the turnaround in tables is quick ensuring wait times (if any) are minimal! Love this place and I can wait to come back to try out some other menu items!

    Beef carpaccio
    Tasha C.

    We were really craving something warm and soupy after a cold day walking in Stanley Park and shopping at Park Royal a few weeks back. Had Wooden Fish bookmarked for ages so dropped by for a casual dinner. Between the two of us, we got the grilled baby octopus, beef carpaccio, salad roll sampler, small bun bo hue for me and small pho dac biet for him. Loved the various condiments they have on the table - the homemade chilli oil got two thumbs up from my boyfriend and the pickled garlic was my favourite! We loved the baby octopus dish. It was a generous portion with lots of pickled veg on the side, perfect for piquing the appetite before the rest of our meal. The beef carpaccio was also a tasty appetizer. Similar to Phnom Penh's famous butter beef, I found Wooden Fish's to be a bit better balanced. The thinner slices were easier to eat and had a nicer texture than the beef in Phnom Penh's take. With the salad roll sampler, you get your choice of three full-sized salad rolls. We hadn't even started digging in when our server noticed one of them wasn't what we'd ordered and she promptly had the kitchen make another order. Great attention to detail and wonderful service! With that being said, we both loved the shrimp cake rolls, which had a great springy texture that contrasted nicely with the refreshing vegetables. We'd originally ordered regular sized noodle soups for both bowls, but our waitress advised against as we'd already ordered quite a bit. I'm glad because we were both honestly pretty full by the time they came. These were both tasty as well but not our favourite in Greater Vancouver. I'm a purist and like the classic pork blood cubes and pork hock in my BBH, so I felt something was lacking. Overall, Wooden Fish is a solid option for Vietnamese eats in West Van and I'd recommend it. I'll come back when I'm in the neighbourhood to try out some of their other rotating seafood specials.

    Hanoi Beef Noodle Soup - "Pho Bo"
    Marilyn V.

    Wooden Fish is definitely a surprise for me and my family. We expected the usual pho noodle soup, fried spring rolls and lemongrass chicken but there's more offerings here. Ordered the following: *Crispy Spring Rolls *Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio *Grilled Octopus (replaced with cuttlefish today) *Green Papaya Salad *Hanoi Beef Noodle Soup - Pho Bo *Five Spice Duck Confit *Shaking Beef - Bo Luc Lac *Bun Cha Out of all these, The Hanoi Beef Noodle Soup is something I can omit next time. Everything else is very yummy. The different flavors are interesting - salty sweet tangy spicy - are all entangled in a dish. Definitely have to try.

    Lemongrass beef soup

    The flavors of both dishes we ordered were bland, almost tasteless. The lemongrass beef soup was greasy and virtually without flavour, while the lemongrass chicken was similarly awful. I will never spend money at the Wooden Fish again. For Marine Drive in West Vancouver, this was just one unpleasant surprise.

    Cuttlefish (substitute for the Octopus)
    Sarah P.

    Sat outside on a lovely day - greeted almost immediately by friendly staff - cute little patio table but I wouldn't recommend sitting out front. I tried the sangria and one other drink; I can't remember the name of but it had tequila and egg whites (not a margarita). The sangria was lovely with the guava but I wouldn't order the tequila drink again. I love the cucumber infused water. The food is delicious! I had two salad rolls, one prawn and one shrimp cake, and my boyfriend had chicken skewers. The prawn salad rolls had the perfect amount of cilantro. I ordered the octopus as well but they had cuttlefish which I would not recommend - I love cuttlefish but it has to be cooked properly and some pieces were perfectly cooked while others were impossibly chewy. Overall a nice trip but we will have to come back to try the Pho!

    Baby baby octopus
    Azadeh S.

    After a long walk along Ambleside, we craving pho. We saw this little restaurant and look like a welcoming place. Service: Clean, and friendly staff Food: We order grilled baby octopus, spring rolls, pho Hanoi and we end the night with Vietnamese coffee. Parking: On the main road you may have a hard time park but You can park on Ambleside area parking and walk a bit to the resturant. Baby octopus: soooo good with those pickled veggies The Pho: taste and smell amazing Spring roll: good And do not forget to add their complementary garlic pickles, which go perfectly well with Pho. Definitely recommended and we'll want to try more dishes next time.

    Weekend Special - fish noodle soup
    Carolyn L.

    I stumbled upon this place on my way to 7-11 (across the street) and needless to say, I never did make it there after all. I saw the menu on the window and it looked different from the typical hole in the wall mom and pop pho place. The prices were more upmarket and there were more interesting dishes. There was some thought put into the interior design and it was a welcoming place. I had been craving grilled octopus (Greek style -- still searching for it here) and ordered it since it was on the menu. While it was good, they were not as expected as they were the baby octopus. Great with any of the hot sauces provided. The staff recommended the special for the weekend -- a fish noodle soup. Every weekend has different special. Check with the staff. The fish noodle soup was so good! It took me back to Asia with the deep fried fish (tilapia) and fish cake (tasted like omelette, maybe it was coated with egg and deep fried). The broth was tangy and light with tomatoes and dill and other herbs. I could taste the freshness and quality of the dish. At $19, it was steep but at least it was delicious. I love the house made hot sauces. They were all very good. The service was excellent too. My water glass was refilled without me asking, and the staff even brought a bottle to my table. The weather was so hot that I just downed the entire glass of water after being seated. The place seemed to have many regulars and I overheard the staff telling some customers who came in they were going to call them to inform them of the special. How's that for service? This place is a nice change from the usual ubiquitous pho restaurants in the lower mainland. I will want to try other dishes here next time.

    a plate of food on a table
    Sally C.

    This restaurant offers a very innovative menu, with many fusion dishes in addition to traditional Vietnamese food. I ordered several special dishes but they came out to be a hit or miss. The foie gras fried rice was an unique offering that I haven't seen elsewhere. The foie gras itself was cooked to a nice level and drizzled with a slightly sweet and tangy sauce that complemented its heaviness. The rice itself, however, lacked any flavor despite its color, making the dish a bit bland since there is only a small piece of foie gras. The sablefish suffered from the same problem of blandness too, having a nice presentation but lacking any tastes of "miso". The fish itself was also a bit hard and dry. We also got some staple dishes including the papaya salad and chicken & shrimp skewers. Both came out to be solid but there wasn't anything too special. The coconut pudding dessert was pretty fragrant and not too heavy, which I loved.

    The pho with extra meat

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    9 months ago

    The food was absolutely tasteless. I had to wave down the waiter numerous times, the ambiance is ok there's nothing special.

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    2 years ago

    Excellent PHO, friendly, efficient service. Good place for lunch and/or takeout. Conveniently located.

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great place. Small. Cost. Reasonably priced. Food comes fast. Place can seem cramped when it's busy.

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    2 years ago

    The food were amazing. Has the grilled octopus and soft shells crabs. Love their lemongrass sauces and salad dressing.

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    2 years ago

    Amazing job! The green papaya salad and bun cha vermicelli bowl were incredible. Your team is doing an amazing job keep up the good work!

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    Wooden Fish Reviews in Other Languages

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    Anh and Chi

    Anh and Chi

    4.0
    (791 reviews)
    9.0 km
    $$$

    The Vietnamese food was delicious; the spring rolls and rice noodles were especially tasty, and the…read moreportions were generous. The ambiance was comfortable, and the service was friendly, making it a pleasant dining experience.

    Carmelized sablefish - THE BEST. It reminds me of a Korean dish. The sablefish was so tender that…read moreit melted in your mouth. The sauce or broth was SO GOOD. I would pour it all over the fish until it's utterly soaked in it. Highly recommend getting this dish. My friend and I devoured it. Signature vermicelli bowl w/ grilled chicken - a plate with variety of ingredients that you mix altogether with the sauce. So fresh esp the veggies and not overly heavy at all. The grilled chicken has the perfect texture and it was tender. The sauce was so good. It was their own sweet soy sauce that they make in house. Wok fried noodles - eh, it's like your typical noodle dish. I asked the waitress for some hot chili to add more flavor to the dish. Otherwise, it's kind of bland. Housecat sunbeam - omg that spicy mango and gochujang mixed with the salted lime Mexican lager was so good and refreshing, absolutely loved it and the ingredients blended well together Rhinestone cowboy - very refreshing and light and the taste is very unique but still good Make reservations ahead of time! It fills up quickly! Bathrooms are designed as gender-neutral.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    DIY street-side platter - $42
    DIY street-side platter - $42
    Khay banh hoi lui nuong

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    Khay banh hoi lui nuong
    Pho with Us

    Pho with Us

    3.6
    (5 reviews)
    9.5 km

    Located at UBC just off University Blvd and Westbrook Mall. I decided to try them out after seeing…read morethey had some vegan options. I ordered the tofu & vegetable noodle soup with veggie broth ($16). It came out in under 10 minutes. The soup contained 4 pieces of tofu puffs, broccoli, cabbage, carrots and plenty of vermicelli. The broth was pretty simple, without much depth, but adequately salty and amped up nicely by their homemade chili oil. Given how many top-notch vegan phos are available at Vietnamese places in Greater Vancouver, this one didn't stand out. But it was perfectly serviceable.

    I didn't know where to set my expectations for Pho with Us, but I was pretty impressed with the…read morefood here! I had the Tofu & Veggie Rolls with Dry Noodles and a Tofu Pudding w/ Ginger Syrup. The noodle dish (vermicelli) was totally delicious, especially the veggie spring rolls! Even though the tofu and spring rolls were deep-fried, the dish didn't have an oily taste. I saved one of the spring rolls for later and was still very full - I could have gotten two light but complete meals out of this if I hadn't gotten excited and eaten so fast to start out with. The tofu pudding was okay, kind of bland. I haven't had a dessert like this from a Vietnamese restaurant before so I don't know how it usually should be. I appreciated that the ginger syrup wasn't too sweet but I would have liked the ginger to be stronger. This was also a large portion so I took half home. Like other restaurants in University Marketplace, the environment is rather cafeteria-like, meaning not much ambiance to speak of, but the people who run it are nice and hard-working. For campus eats, it checks all the boxes: tasty, great value, and quick. And it's great to have a Vietnamese restaurant at UBC now.

    Photos
    Tofu Pudding w/ Ginger Syrup
    Tofu Pudding w/ Ginger Syrup
    Tofu & veggie pho with vegetable broth (vegan)

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    Tofu & veggie pho with vegetable broth (vegan)
    Pho Garden

    Pho Garden

    3.2
    (43 reviews)
    2.9 km
    $

    This pho place stands out in the North shore since they offer excellent food and service. It seemed…read morethat the restaurant is a family-run business and I've always had a great, fast service there, despite some reviews commenting on the bad service. I usually order pho noodles there, which is great. The size is not too big or small. Moreover, the hard fried spring rolls(not the soft one) are the best spring rolls I had, so I often go just for the spring rolls. Overall, it is a great restaurant with great food, which is also very wallet-friendly where the prices are either cheap or reasonable. 100% recommend!

    Our first and last time here…read more Bare environment. Rough service. Below average food. I think I've gone to a fast food joint with more flare than this place. We wanted to sit at a two seater and were told to sit at a four seater. No room for negotiation lol. I ordered the beef stir fry and was served the seafood stir fry, and was told it was my mistake. It wasn't. I'm too anal to make mistakes like that. Listening to them yell about it in the kitchen in Vietnamese made it even more awkward. Moving on...... Even the beef stir fry was a let down (see pic.) The Beef Pho was so underwhelming and amateur it was comedic almost. Stellar Pho speaks languages to you, grabs your hand and takes you on an aromatic, exotic, thrilling and invigorating ride, with the last sip slapping you back into your chair glad to pay the bill. This Pho was hot water, cheap beef, some noodles and a couple of basil leaves with Hoisin sauce doing all the work. Yet, still failing.

    Photos
    Cafeteria style beef stir fry.
    Cafeteria style beef stir fry.
    Very very basic Pho. Nothing much to it.
    Very very basic Pho. Nothing much to it.
    Pho Garden

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    Wooden Fish - vietnamese - Updated July 2026

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