Bun Rieu Phuong Nam: Authentic Vietnamese food in Burnaby

Bun Rieu Phuong Nam is a local Vietnamese restaurant located in Burnaby. They are kind of like a hole in the wall except they are getting increasingly popular – popular enough for them to close shop by 8pm so make sure you come a bit earlier! Most Vietnamese places are open late, but not this one because they don’t need to be lol.

This review is based on several in-dining experiences.

Interior

The interior of Bun Rieu Phuong Nam is very casual. It has a similar vibe to a lot of family-run Vietnamese places.

Out of the many times we’ve eaten here, the restaurant is almost always full (we usually come around 6/6:30pm for dinner).

They can seat large tables but you’ll probably have a longer wait. Usually for a table of 2, it doesn’t take that long because their service is quite fast.

Food

Here are some of the things we’ve ordered from Bun Rieu Phuong Nam.

Deep fried spicy garlic chicken wings ($13)

We ordered these with the hopes they might resemble the chicken wings from Phnom Penh, but sadly they do not. The chicken wings are fried well and I do like the spicy garlic sauce that comes with the wings, but the chicken wings are not super juicy or meaty. Overall, the wings are decent but I wouldn’t order again because they are pretty average.

Bun rieu cua phuong nam ($14/$15)

This is a must get and the most popular item on their menu! If anything, come here just to order this. This is the special crab soup with vermicelli. It contains tofu, Vietnamese pork ham, pork leg, shrimp and tomatoes, as well as lots of shredded crab meat or crab guts. A small bowl is $14 while a large bowl is $15.

This crab soup vermicelli is quite unique because I’ve never seen it at other Vietnamese places yet. The soup is very crabby and has seafood, and the noodles are always soft and chewy. On rainy days, I find myself craving this again and again.

Bun cha ca ($13/$14)

I would say this is the second most popular soup-based dish on their menu – the fish cake soup with vermicelli, $13 for small and $14 for a large bowl. Compared to the crab soup vermicelli, this fish cake one has a lighter and cleaner broth and more of a dill/cilantro taste to it (vs. the crab one is more tomato based).

I actually really liked this bowl as well. Noodles are still the same quality, but the only thing about this item is that it is mostly fish cake, whereas the crab one has crab and shrimp so it feels more “worth it”. But otherwise, I like this broth better.

Make it a combo – 2 spring rolls (+$4)

Usually for one of the bowls, we will make it a combo by adding 2 spring rolls for an additional $4. The spring rolls are pretty normal, nice and crispy with lots of filling. Dip in fish sauce for pairing.

Banh Xeo Phuong Nam ($17)

We ordered the crepe, which is stuffed with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, onions and rice flour. It comes with a few cucumbers, veggies and herbs for you to wrap your crepe in to eat.

I was a little disappointed by the crepe because it fell apart pretty quickly when I began eating it. The crepe could have definitely been better made and more crispy, and the filling inside was a little sparse. Overall, I wouldn’t order the crepe again because their soup vermicellis are 10x better.

Compared to this one, the crepe we had at Do Chay was much better, even though it is vegetarian.

Final thoughts

Loewe’s rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I actually don’t really like pho so I’ve always had a hard time ordering at Vietnamese restaurants (I usually end up getting a dry vermicelli bowl or a banh mi sub), but I love Bun Rieu Phuong Nam for the crab soup vermicelli alone! Fish cake soup vermicelli is also high up on my list for when I am craving something soupy and homey.

The place is very casual so I like to just walk in with no makeup on and eat my comfort food and leave. If you see me, please don’t say hi lol.

Service is fast considering there’s only like 1 or 2 staff tending to all the tables. They work fast clearing tables and getting you seated, so even if there is a wait, know they are trying their best!

We will be returning for sure for the 2 soup vermicellis that I like so much. Really happy to have discovered a little hidden gem.

Sincerely, Loewe