This restaurant has become a regular lunch time spot for us. We stumbled across Van Son while we were looking for a quick bite to eat at lunch time.

We’ve come here a few times now and we can honestly say that the food has been consistently great every time. If you’re looking for a heavy meal that’s going to probably send you to sleep for the afternoon, this place should be your go to restaurant. Portions at Vietnamese restaurants are always notoriously massive, and Van Son never disappoints. I don’t think I’ve ever left without a giant bag of leftovers.

So how is the actual food then?

Lou usually likes pho, and recently has opted to go for the Satay Peanut Beef Noodle Soup. This is a real crowd pleaser on a cold winter day, and super filling. The tender beef tastes great, the broth is full of flavour (not too spicy for me!), and there are enough of those delicious chewy noodles for almost two meals!

I, on the other hand, don’t really like to fill up on soup, and tend to go for something a little bit heavier. My regular favourite is the “Shredded Pork, Grilled Pork & Pork Spring Roll Vermicelli”. These are a giant pile of cold vermicelli noodles topped with all different types of pork, salad, and spring rolls. The spring rolls are delicious, crunchy, and full of flavour, and the house fish sauce perfectly compliments the other ingredients. At $10.50, you can’t really go wrong here.

Last week I decided to try the Chicken, Beef, Shrimp & Vegetables Stir Fry, on a bed of crispy noodles. I’d been feeling like I hadn’t had enough vegetables lately, and thankfully, this dish was heaped in them. Delicious, crunchy vegetables, crispy noodles, tender chicken and prawns pushed this dish straight to the new number 1 spot for me. I’ll definitely be getting this one again next time. Once more, this dish is probably enough to feed 2 people.

If you’re looking for real bang for your buck, Van Son also does a lunchtime special, which usually seems to consist of a soft drink, salad rolls, and lemongrass chicken vermicelli. This costs about 11 bucks (if I remember correctly) and is an absolute bargain.

Every time we come here we have an excellent experience, and our food is always out within minutes. While Van Son clearly isn’t a fine dining restaurant, we’ve been to a few Vietnamese restaurants in Calgary, and we’d happily place this one near the top of its class. It’s perfect for a quick lunchtime meal, and I would definitely recommend giving it a try!

Location:

16th Ave, On the Corner of 2nd St NW and 16th Ave. Parking onsite!