The Lunch Lady

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1. FM

   FoodieM

   Chicago

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   overall5food5service5ambience4

   Try their tasting menu - excellent variety, incredibly tasty and great value! Service was lovely - even received a phone call that they were running late to seat us which was impressive. Good explanations of each dish as it was served.

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2. LB

   LaurenB

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   What a hidden gem!!! We had a reservation and good thing, because people were lined up. The food was delicious! The prawns and the xoa noodles were superb and they treated us to free dessert for my birthday. Can't wait to go back!

   Report
3. WK

   WallyK

   Vancouver

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   overall3food4service4ambience2

   My wife and I are retired, so the ambience was a bit exhausting. The soup and fried rice were excellent, but the bone marrow bahn mi was expensive for the small serving. The mango and cranberry juices were refreshing and a good price.

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4. L

   Leanne

   Vancouver

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Came here with my boyfriend after hearing such good reviews from peers. Made a 5pm reservation. Food arrived quite quickly, with food that was as high quality as anticipated. Worth coming to again!

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5. SY

   SussanY

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 18, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Delicious quality food! We tried the Family plates for 2 and tried different dishes that didn't stop surprising us with more rich yet delicate flavours

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 18, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   It was just terrific, the flavour combinations were amazing. So fresh. We had the pleasure of eating at the first Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto started by our friend Peter Tran back in 1980. My husband was honoured with the Order of Canada for his work starting the 1979 sponsorship programme for the Vietnamese Boat people called “Operation Lifeline”. The intake of Vietnamese peoples to Canada has made such an amazing contribution on so many levels…..their cuisine being one. We shall return. Nancy & Howard Adelman

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7. VG

   VanGirl

   Vancouver

   63 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   63 reviews

   Dined on January 15, 2023

   overall5food4service5ambience4

   Overall great food, but the cha goi spring rolls were so disappointing, dense and boring. From photos I thought they did the rice wrapper version. The bone marrow was great, ling cod yum, and fried rice is also delicious. The staff was lovely!

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8. D

   Dindins

   Vancouver

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 15, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Highly reccomend, we had a great meal. I reccomend family style to try more dishes.

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9. LY

   LYfoodie

   Vancouver

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on January 12, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Excellent! We ordered the Family Style and it was superb. A good amount of food for the value. My favourite was the octopus skewers. Drinks were fabulous, even had good non-alcoholic options. Will be back for sure.

   Report
10. YV

    YVRguy

    Vancouver

    17 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on January 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Really, really good food! Four of us did the set menu and it had more then enough. Could do with a veggie dish but totally worth it. Plus the Cafe Negroni is worth a try!

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11. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Calgary

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Enjoyed it

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12. N

    Noel

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 4, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience3

    It was a good dinner. Honestly nothing was super extraordinary, but it was all solid. A little over priced and table and chairs were very uncomfortable. And you only have an hour and a half to eat. I would potentially go back but def wouldn’t be dying to get a spot.

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13. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 1, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We tried their new family style menu and it was delicious and impressed with their presentation and explanation of the dish. Highly recommended and their drinks are top dollar. Will be going again!! Happy New Year!!

    Report
14. SL

    ShibeLife

    Vancouver

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 31, 2022

    overall1food3service1ambience1

    Although the food was not bad, we won’t be coming back due to the poor service we received 😞 Our thoughts on the food🖊️ 𝙲𝙷Ả 𝙶𝙸Ò - 𝙲𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙿𝚈 𝚂𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙻𝚂 $𝟷𝟷 - taste like any other standard spring roll! 🥢Could be a bit crispier 𝚃Ô𝙼 𝙲𝙷𝙸Ê𝙽 𝙶𝙸Ò𝙽 - 𝙲𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙿𝚈 𝙿𝚁𝙰𝚆𝙽𝚂 $𝟸𝟶 - very unique prawn concept, overall flavour was deep and fresh! If you have sensory issues tho you may not like the shell 🍤 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚆 $𝟸𝟸 - BIG disappointment. 🦴Secret sauce is basically hosin sauce 🧂and tasted like we were drinking it on small crostinis 𝙿𝙷Ở 𝙱Ò - 𝙱𝙴𝙴𝙵 𝙽𝙾𝙾𝙳𝙻𝙴 𝚂𝙾𝚄𝙿 (𝙶𝙵) $𝟷𝟾 - not too salty! Was very good but the beef was too chewy🍲 𝙲𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚂𝙸 𝚂𝙾𝙳𝙰 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙷 $𝟼 - a great refreshing drink after any meal to cut out the salt and msg 🍹 Things they should work on: 1. Being kind and polite at serving, the waitress we had was giving us attitude for no reason and we even reserved in advance! We asked if we could change our table as we were seated at the takeout station but she said no as there was a “big party coming”. We were ok with until she seated in a walk-in couple right after saying that. 😒 2. Online menu. It is difficult to follow with the massive font and disorganization.👩‍💻 3. Decrease the amount of over seasoning 🧂 Shibe eats rate: 5.04/10 all the points go to the chef

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15. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Vancouver

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 29, 2022

    overall4food4service3ambience5

    We arrived at 5p.m. on time for our reservation and there was a line of people for the restaurant opening. Once the door was open, the host didn’t help us first and requested us to get in line with the Walk-ins to be seated. After about 10 mins of lining up and seeing people almost filling up the restaurant with most Walk-ins and some reservations, the obnoxious host finally seated us besides the entrance and it was cold. After multiple complains, the manager moved us to the patio between heaters. It was warm but we didn’t have a place to put our coats and the stools were in the way with the heater so it was tight. In comparison with coldness, naturally we chose a tighter seating. We ordered family style for 4 (45/person) plus one beer for each of us. The food was flavorful and enough for our party. The family style provides you a good tasting menu for The Lunch Lady specialities but it would be great that some soup was included in the set. We ended up spending about 250 after tips for 4 last night; however, honestly it was not the best experience for the price tag. It is slightly in the more premium and finer dine side, but the host is arrogant and obviously provides the worst first impression for the restaurant. What is the point of having a reservation if the host sees us the same as Walk-ins and the Lunch Lady has a policy of holding the reservations for 15 mins. I understand restaurants have portions of Walk-ins but isn’t it a common courtesy to seat the reservation first when the restaurant opens? The manager addressed to us that she noticed the issue and kept apologizing, but the host didn’t make any gestures for her negligence. The host kept staring at us as if we were some unreasonable guests. I have guests over visiting Vancouver and I was kind of sad providing them a bad dining experience. Overall, the food was fair for the hype but the service is below average.

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16. ST

    StellaT

    Vancouver

    22 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on December 28, 2022

    overall4food3service4ambience4

    It was a year since I visited them and I must say since they won the Michelin star, the standard of the beef main has gone down. Wasn’t as soft and tasty as before. The fried prawns that I ordered didn’t have enough taste. The crab fried rice was good though.

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17. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 18, 2022

    overall4food3service4ambience3

    Great ambiance, the lighting could be dimmed a bit for the evening, however the pork belly, negroni and 3 layer cake dessert was to die for!

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18. DB

    DanB

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 14, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Amazing food, very authentic flavors. Best mussels I have ever had. Also the Jasmine Rice lager was the perfect compliment. Will 100% be returning!

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19. T

    Taff

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 12, 2022

    overall5food4service4ambience5

    Def recommend, 2nd time there and will keep coming back !

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20. DT

    DavidT

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 7, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    WOW - just amazing food and service. Oh ya, I will be back!!

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21. JW

    JeremyW

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 24, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    A great experience. Had the chili prawns, chicken roulade and garlic noodles. All three were a hit. Service and ambience were excellent.

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22. YV

    YVRguy

    Vancouver

    18 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on November 14, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Excellent food and drinks. Already booked for dinner again!

    Report
23. SC

    SophiaC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 12, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Went to the lunch lady for my birthday with some family and friends and we absolutely LOVED it! The service, the ambience and the food was perfect. The staff was so lovely and checked in the perfect amount, they also had some awesome recommendations. We got a couple appetizers that were all delicious but our favourite was the carpaccio, we also ordered taro chips and our waiter suggested that we place the carpaccio on top of the taro chips and wow what a beautiful combination. Cant say enough great things about the lunch lady, if you’ve never been please do yourself a favour and go check it out!

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24. JC

    JCeats

    Vancouver

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    Overall, a good dinner. The spring rolls were very standard so wouldn't recommend paying $11 for them. The Wagyu beef pho was unfortunately SO salty, which we did tell our server and she kindly apologized but didn't say if it was meant to be salty. It was the most disappointing and thought it was priced at $32 for a reason...sadly it was not worth it. The crab fried rice was the winner! Would definitely come back just to order that again. The tofu was also very delicious! The sauce on it was amazing and super crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.

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25. SD

    SaraD

    Ottawa

    3 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 6, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience3

    Everything was great except the time limit. Seatings are only 90 minutes in duration so we were ushered out before having time for dessert and without really finishing our dinner conversation with our friends. I don’t think 90minutes is realistic for a Saturday night dinner timeframe. I think lunch lady should extend the allowable time in favour of letting guests have a good experience.

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26. LM

    LauraM

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 6, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience3

    Delicious food! Service was attentive, friendly and food came out in a reasonable amount of time. We really liked the steak luc lac with fries and pho bo. We also got a dish with chicken and slaw which was tasty but I'd pass on it next time. Restaurant was noisy due to acoustics. We're looking forward to coming back!

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27. TB

    TashaB

    Calgary

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 2, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Amazing and wonderful experience! Will be going back again.

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28. VV

    VivV

    Vancouver

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 21, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience3

    Best Vietnamese-fusion in town if you don't mind some higher prices and 1.5 hour maximum stays which means no lingering for longer catch ups with friends.

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29. JN

    JacksonN

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 17, 2022

    overall2food3service2ambience2

    Overpriced food for the quality and amount. 34 dollars for a cold steak. There are many other amazing vietnamese restaurants in Vancouver; this restaurant was disappointing.

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30. C

    Courtney

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 13, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The food is magnificent and the environment is cozy. Great cocktails. Servers are wonderful.

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31. N

    Natalie

    Vancouver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 13, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Went for my birthday and it was fantastic. Excellent food + beautiful presentation, unique delicious cocktails, and wonderful service despite my father being a lot to handle. They offered a free birthday dessert that was out of this world.

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32. MM

    MonikaM

    Vancouver

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on October 9, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience3

    Fantastic food and service! I will revisit again soon.

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33. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Vancouver

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on October 7, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Amazing! Food is so good. Four of us shared all the dishes (and we tried almost all of them) everything was well balanced, wonderfully presented and simply delicious. Drinks were on point and service was top drawer. So glad we finally checked it out.

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34. SV

    SugarVan

    Vancouver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 29, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Delicious , would recommend. Service and food were great

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35. JC

    JessC

    Vancouver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 29, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    delicious! highly recommend, fried rice was so yummy and loved the crispy prawns

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36. A

    Allie

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 24, 2022

    overall3food2service3ambience4

    The vibe is nice for a drink at the bar but the food definitely did not meet my expectations. Bone marrow was drenched in hoisin and over powered the dish, the clams were almost flavourless and under seasoned and the garlic in the noodles was burnt and bitter. I’m not usually interested to write this type of review but I was pretty disappointed in my experience. Initial service was also quite slow.

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37. I

    Iliketotry

    Vancouver

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 19, 2022

    overall1food1service2ambience3

    I went with my gf on a Sunday evening, and was looking forward to trying the "world famous" lunch lady, but unfortunately came out disappointed. To start, the food quite honestly was overpriced for the portion. We got the beef noodle soup (pho-bo) and the taste nor the quantity was worth $18. The bone marrow with "secret sauce" which tasted like hoisin (personally love hoisin) was on the salty side and in my opinion not a good complement to the biscuits. The clams served with a rich lemongrass broth had great umami, so we enjoyed that. But again the dishes felt overpriced, although I guess it comes with the name and costs in Vancouver. Service was fine and we didn't experience anything that made us uncomfortable. We sat at the outdoor patio space. That being said, our experience at lunch lady was more mediocre than legendary.

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38. JC

    JustinC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 18, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Easily some of the best food in Vancouver. The lobster salad was something you just can't find anywhere else.

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39. CN

    ChloeN

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 16, 2022

    overall2food3service4ambience2

    Food taste is ok, not bad just like other Pho places I’ve tried before but the price is not worth it. Too expensive for the quality. I’ve ordered wagyu Pho but the broth was just a bit warm, so the marrow and wagyu were still so raw after I engulfed in the broth, they put too much Pho noodle for one portion. Never come back again.

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40. JS

    JillS

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 7, 2022

    overall2food3service2ambience3

    Overhyped and overpriced. Too much dried shrimp in the XO Noodles for my taste. Shrimp perfectly fried but dipping sauce could have used more zip. Waitress was functional but added little to the experience.

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