Award-winning

The Lunch Lady

Name: The Lunch Lady
Address: 1046 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5L 3W9
Telephone: (604) 559-5938
Price range: CAN$31 to CAN$50
Rating: 4.6

4.6

588 Reviews

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Vietnamese

Top tags:

Enjoy award-winning Vietnamese street food in the heart of Commercial Drive! Lunch Lady is not your average pho joint – dishes showcasing the PNW’s best ingredients, craft cocktails, and Michelin quality service makes us a crowd favourite with locals and international guests alike. Come and discover our modern and soulful dishes that are distinctly authentic to Vietnam. We look forward to serving you!

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Dec 9, 2023

7:00 p.m.

Booked 34 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Cuisines
Vietnamese, Comfort Food, Tapas / Small Plates
Hours of Operation
Lunch Tue–Sun 11:00 am–2:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
Phone number
(604) 559-5938
Website
https://thelunchlady.com/
Payment Options
Mastercard, Visa
Dress Code
Smart Casual
Owned/operated by
Asian & Pacific Islander
Executive Chef
Benedict Lim
Private party facilities
management@thelunchlady.com

Location
1046 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3W9
Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
Neighbourhood
Commercial Drive
Cross Street
Commercial Drive & Napier St.
Parking Details
None
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Popular dishes

What 588 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.7Food
4.6Service
4.5Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

588 Reviews

DT
DavidT
Las Vegas
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We celebrated my wife's birthday last night and had the family style dinner for 2. Everything we had was delicious and the overall experience was great.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Toronto
10 reviews
vip
4.0
10 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Great food, service is not quite a Michelin star, disappointing that this restaurant doesn’t except American Express credit card?? Considering it’s a Michelin star
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RS
RichardS
Seattle
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The food was excellent, we were seated on time, our waitress made some very good recommendations
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KR
KenR
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Alex, out server, was very nice and accommodating on my birthday.
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SD
ScoobyDoo
Vancouver
3 reviews
3.0
3 reviews
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Great ambience but food not really worth the higher prices than other Vietnamese restaurants. Ordered Vietnamese coffees and were bizarrely not authentic.
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L
Leah
Vancouver
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Wonderful evening at Lunch Lady. Bone marrow and octopus hit the spot for us!
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VG
VancouverGuy
Vancouver
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Food and service was excellent. The food was flavourful and nicely displayed. Service was friendly. The restaurant was full so it was difficult to hear our servers explanations of the best ways to mix / enjoy some of our dishes with the noise level even though we were seated in a corner of the restaurant. Lunch Lady will be one of our go to places for Vietnamese food.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Better than our expectations! All food was delicious and complex and unexpected - our waitress recommended the set menu for 2 and it was amazing! Want to book again right away!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
First time at the Lunch Lady and we shared the set menu for 4 people. Everything was stunningly tasty and the service very attentive. We had a great evening!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Edmonton
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 29, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Best Vietnamese restaurant I’ve been to. Everything was amazing.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Vancouver
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 29, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The wagyu beef noodle soup is extremely salty, not worth it at all.
The Lunch LadyResponded on November 30, 2023
Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the disappointing experience you had with us the other day. Our commitment is to deliver high-quality dishes and exceptional service, and we regret falling short of your expectations during your visit. To make things right, please contact us and we would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Kindly, The Lunch Lady Management.
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S
Stellap
Vancouver
19 reviews
4.0
19 reviews
Dined on November 28, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Two of us went for lunch after shopping at the Gourmet Warehouse Appetizer: Prawn fritters.... 1 order.shared between 2 of us...3 very big fritters. Nice crispy batter. If we'd known how big our lunch would be we would ahve skipped the appetizer :) Main: we both had Pork Skewers and vermicelli.. Took half of it home for DH's dinner. HUGE. Pork skewer had nice charcoal grill taste.. Pork spring rolls (2) were delicious. Could have used a bit more of the sauce (simply because there was so much vermicelli) Noise level was high but table was small so we could talk ok. We were both chilly as we were seated near the door to the outside service area. Definitely make a reservation as there was a 1 hour wait for walk ups though it did clear while we were there (came at 12:30) seated by 12:40. Will be going back to try duck salad and intend to save room for dessert.
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NL
NicholeL
Toronto
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 27, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This place is amazing. Staff was so kind and polite, just a really great energy overall. Will definitely be back!
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LM
LexiM
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 27, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food, but music maybe had too much drake haha. Joking but it was a lot of drake.
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K
Kayley
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 27, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Reservations Recommended. Great birthday dinner from start to finish. All staff was very attentive, and worked collaboratively to ensure drinks stayed filled, plates were removed, and food was served hot and fresh. Drinks were yummy but food was out of this world. So fresh, authentic, and flavourful. Totally worth the hype. Can't wait to go back.
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LS
LiamS
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 26, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food was great and the service was excellent, not much else to say.
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AM
AMYN
Vancouver
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 26, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Food was quite delicious but wish all the hot food didn’t come at the same time. Our food got cold really quick
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Vancouver
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 24, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
My partner and I enjoyed an excellent set menu meal. Highly recommend
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LK
LK1986
Los Angeles
11 reviews
vip
5.0
11 reviews
Dined on November 22, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
10/10 cannot wait to go back! Prawn fritters are a must and the veggie Pho is delish!!!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Vancouver
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 21, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The spring rolls were good, my friend and I shared the chicken noodle pho with chicken balls. I thought the chicken was tough but the flavour of the broth was nice. Had panang dessert and was delicious
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RC
RebeccaC
Vancouver
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on November 20, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 5
My husband and I tried the Family Style spread on Sunday night and there was so much food, even though we doubted when we first looked at the menu and was contemplating whether we needed to order an extra bowl of Pho. The family style variety was so worth it and we highly recommend their food! Every dish was prepared with such high quality, and the flavors and ingredients just go so well together, we couldn't stop talking about the food after. The highlight was the octopus skewers, and the pandan coconut sticky rice dessert; would come back 200% just for these items alone.
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CL
CrystalL
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 18, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
phenomenal as always! Great food, huge portions, and very fair price point. We love it here every time. Service is always friendly and knowledgeable.
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H
Hopingformore
Vancouver
14 reviews
3.0
14 reviews
Dined on November 17, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Been here before and loved it- this time seated with my back up against a pipe. The menu was complicated and our server was difficult to Understand in part due to the loud music and loud crowd. We might have partaken in the fixed menu or tried some other things but we felt like we didn’t get clear answers about the menu so we opted for what looked understandable and not too much food. The food was on the greasy side and mostly not that interesting. Not a Michelin nite- don’t need to go back.
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LW
LindaW
Vancouver
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on November 17, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The four dishes we had were very good, however we felt there were no other items on the menu that interested us. Consequently, we may not return. We found the food was a bit pricey as well. Both of us have been to Vietnam a few times and have never seen any of the dishes available, except the spring rolls. I find it hard to believe this is really Vietnamese street food. We were celebrating a birthday and we’re presented with a tiramisu and candle. Very impressed! The service was amazing.
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NB
NaomiB
New York Area
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 16, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food is exceptional! Great service, great atmosphere. Cant get enough of the Vegan Pho. Prawn fritters are excellent
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K
Kaitlin
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 16, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Everything I had was excellent. The guavarita was perfectly balanced and the spicy rim was lovely. The garlic noodles were delectable (it was hard not to scarf them down they were so tasty!). The vietnamese tiramisu was a dream! All the staff, host, bartender, and servers were friendly and professional. Truly a great place to enjoy a tasty meal out!
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NC
NatCanada
Vancouver
26 reviews
vip
4.0
26 reviews
Dined on November 15, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Visit was decent. Was celebrating my cousin’s birthday which had been put in the comments/what we were celebrating. Just an acknowledgment or candle when we ordered dessert would have been nice. Also not a fan of the lunch exclusive soups only offered during lunch. Wish that was advertised more clearly on the website or on social media. Bone marrow amount was not proportional to the amount of crisps. Normally I’m asking for more crisps but this time I had nothing to put on the crisps because the amount of marrow was quite little. I’ve ordered this several times so that was a little disappointing. Prices go up and seems portion sizes are less.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Saskatoon
9 reviews
vip
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on November 14, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a great lunch today! The vegan noodle soup and the grill chicken on rice hit the spot. Thanks for the great service and food.
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LG
LauraG
Vancouver
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 12, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food, prawns are a must try! Fun restaurant, service was great. Book to avoid being disappointed.
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C
Char
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 12, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We ordered the family style menu for four people and it was even better than the set for two people. The food was superb and flavorful. Great value for your money too. Drinks were also delicious and service was amazing!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Vancouver
6 reviews
3.0
6 reviews
Dined on November 12, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 2
This is my sixth time dining at Lunch Lady. I brought 3 of my good friends since I think it was a great dining spot. I was sooo disappointed by the food quality which has deteriorated since my last visit 4 months ago. The crab meat fried rice was a disappointment. It used to be my favourite dish that it’s a must order at LL. The rice last night was so moist that it doesn’t qualify to be a fried rice (fried rice supposed to be dry and each single rice should be separated). The flavour was ok that the crunchy bits were still there. The bone marrow dish was a failure. All we can tasted was the hoisin sauce…there was barely any bone marrow to be scraped. Spring rolls were overly deep fried that was almost burnt. The pho Bo was mediocre. The only good dishes were the beef carpaccio and the garlic noodles, 2.5/6 ! The 1.5 hour dining limit was really rushed that we were literally being forced out of the restaurant because the next party was there. We obviously can’t even make it to the desserts! I understand that LL owner is trying to maximize their profits but there is a fine line between maximizing profits and rushing your customers out of the door. It has totally spoiled the dining experience! My humble opinion for LL is if they want to excel and continue to be on the Michelin Bid Gourmand list, they have to ensure their food quality, the taste and the consistency is key! Finally, having such a tight dining time limit will just turn people away because it really spoiled the dining experience. This is NOT a fast food chain at the end of the day.
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JS
JasonS
Vancouver
16 reviews
5.0
16 reviews
Dined on November 12, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Food was delicious. Service was fantastic and attentive. I will be back!
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H
Hann
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on November 11, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Hi, We dined at the Lunch Lady for a 9.30pm reservation on Friday (we would have come earlier but it was booked out.) We love the LL and always look forward to dinning here so were happy to take the later booking. We sat down and ordered all our food and two glasses of wine pretty promptly. The food was epic as always. At 10.20 our server came over to us and told us that the bar was doing a last call for the night. We were half way through our first dishes. I totally understand wanting to close but if you are going to accept late bookings my expectation was that we would be able to dine and drink comfortably. The restaurant was still full. We ordered another drink but the fact that we knew that we wouldn't be able to order anything else pretty much ruined our evening. Our mains came and we ate them quickly as we no longer felt welcome and tables were being folded down around us. We were not offered desert or coffee. We were celebrating a special occasion and were out to have a good time. Super disappointed as we were looking forward to it and had a really negative experience. Cheers
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JA
JorgeA
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 11, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fabulous ambiance and delicious food. Excellent service as well. Will definitely go back
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JM
JoanM
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 11, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The food was amazing!!! We had the veggie crispy rolls, crispy prawns, lemon grass tofu and garlic prawns, all SO delicious. Our server was very sweet and super efficient. Our only complaint is that we felt a little rushed for our dinner; 1h30 for a table of 4 is a little short.
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f
foodiefan
Vancouver
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on November 11, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Food and service was excellent. Flavors for Family style menu was unique and flavorful and portions were very good. We loved the butterfly prawns, carpaccio and octopus skewers. Fried pandan dessert was amazing, the tiramisu also decent. Parking was minimal around the area so give yourself extra time especially since seating are reserved in 1.5 hr time slots.
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J
Juanita
Vancouver
3 reviews
3.0
3 reviews
Dined on November 10, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
Food and service good but it felt rushed. We were in and out in 45 minutes and we ordered 5 dishes. While the food was good it is kind of expensive for the type of food.
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NH
NikkyH
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 9, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent overall I love this place. The bone marrow is so delicious and the staff are very accommodating for birthdays as well as allergies.
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C
Cboogie
Vancouver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 8, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious. Worth lining up for, except on a rainy day, unless you're getting a Pho dish.
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y
yummers
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on November 8, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
I understand that there is a 90 minute turn around but it was mentioned 3 times. Kind of unclassy.
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Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitising
- Surfaces sanitised between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitised menu provided
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily
- Sanitiser or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available

Screening
- Staff is vaccinated

FAQs

You can order delivery directly from The Lunch Lady using the Order Online button. The Lunch Lady also offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. The Lunch Lady also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (604) 559-5938.

The Lunch Lady is rated 4.6 stars by 588 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Dec 9, 2023

7:00 p.m.

Booked 34 times today

Order delivery or takeout

1046 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3W9

Additional information

Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
Cross Street
Commercial Drive & Napier St.
Neighbourhood
Commercial Drive
Hours of Operation
Lunch Tue–Sun 11:00 am–2:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
Price
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Cuisines
Vietnamese, Comfort Food, Tapas / Small Plates
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress Code
Smart Casual
Parking Details
None
Payment Options
Mastercard, Visa
Owned/operated by
Asian & Pacific Islander
Executive Chef
Benedict Lim
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://thelunchlady.com/
Phone number
(604) 559-5938
Private party facilities
management@thelunchlady.com

The Lunch Lady

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Popular dishes

MÌ XÀO TỎI - GARLIC FRIED NOODLES

CHẢ GIÒ - CRISPY SPRING ROLLS

STEAK LÚC LẮC

Menu

What 588 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitising

Screening

FAQs

Does The Lunch Lady offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is The Lunch Lady restaurant rated?

Is The Lunch Lady currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information