Inner-city Vietnamese restaurants in Calgary

When Calgarians want healthy, tasty restaurant food that’s priced to move, they choose Vietnamese. While there are many, many Vietnamese restaurants in the city, they’re not so plentiful in the central core. The following Vietnamese restaurants are located between the Bow River and 17th Avenue Southwest.

Inner-city Vietnamese restaurants in Calgary
Ian Doig By

Golden Bell Saigon

1
1112 17 Ave Sw, Calgary, AB T2T 0B4

A fixture on the 17th Avenue Southwest strip, Golden Bell has a relatively large seating capacity, and features a few street-side patio tables in summer. This spacious spot offers the requisite big bowls of steamy pho as well as vermicelli noodle bowls and baguette subs. You’ll also find Vietnamese crepes, pad Thai and salt-and-pepper squid with rice among the entrees.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Pho Hoai Vietnamese Noodle House

2
16-132 3 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0B6

One of Chinatown’s busiest restaurants, table turnover is conveniently speedy at Pho Hoai. Located within the Far East Shopping Centre in Chinatown, hot and fresh bowls of rice-noodle pho with sliced beef and heaping vermicelli bowls fly out of the kitchen at an unmatchable pace.

Orchid Room Fusion Cuisine Inc

3
244-315 8 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 4K1

This attractively cozy spot on the second level of Bankers Hall serves Vietnamese cuisine with French and Thai influences. Start with mango-shrimp rolls or lemongrass chicken fingers as an appetizer and move on to unique entrees such as caramelized salmon, Tamarind prawns and spicy pad Thai. And the orchid-garnished plates are a beautiful touch.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Balo Vietnamese Restaurant

4
1238 8 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1A9

On the corner of Eighth Street and 13th Avenue Southwest, this redbrick restaurant with high ceilings features a substantial outdoor patio in summer. A family-run affair, Balo’s pho noodle bowls include the bestselling sate beef noodle soup. Also try entrees such as the cashew chicken stir-fry, grilled chicken with tiger prawns and various vermicelli bowls. The menu also features Korean- and Thai-influenced dishes.

Trung Nguyen Vietnamese Subs

5
10-132 3rd Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0B6

A closet-sized Vietnamese sub shop in Chinatown’s Far East Shopping Centre, service is speedy at Trung Nguyen. A few small tables are available in the hall just outside the eatery. Hearty baguette sandwiches include satay chicken, veggie and assorted cold cuts. Also choose from a nice variety of bubble tea flavours.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Oriental Phoenix Restaurant

6
105-401 9 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 3C5

On the main floor of Gulf Canada Square, Oriental Phoenix is appropriately upscale enough for business meetings, and this downtown spot is one of two locations. The Du-Huynh family serves Southern Vietnamese cuisine, pho noodle soups, rice vermicelli bowls and notable entrees such as sliced pork or fish du jour in black pepper sauce, tamarind-basted chicken and stir-fried satay beef.

Saigon Y2K

7
310 Centre St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 2B8

A Chinatown Vietnamese restaurant conspicuously established at the turn of the century, Saigon Y2K serves some serious slurp-able 21st century pho and much more. A popular lunch stop for downtown office workers, it’s also open for dinner. Its menu of Vietnamese standards includes charbroiled meats on rice, vermicelli bowls and a lengthy list of soups. Try the house-special sweet and sour chicken or prawns with vegetable soup.

Ha Long Bay

8
240 7 Ave Sw, Calgary, AB T2P 0W6

Opposite Scotia Centre on Seventh Avenue Southwest, Ha Long Bay is foremost a pho noodle soup and vermicelli bowl café. However, you can also order rice topped with charbroiled meats, stir-fries and several Vietnamese baguette subs (try the shredded pork and chicken). With whatever you order, be sure to treat yourself to an iced coffee.

Codo Vietnamese Restaurant

9
1411 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 0C6

Down at the far west end of the 17th Avenue Southwest promenade, Co Do feeds a very loyal neighbourhood clientele and does a brisk takeout business. Standout dishes include the house-special grilled sate beef with shrimp and meatballs on steamed rice, stir-fried curried veggies and tofu as well as satay tiger prawns in rice noodle soup.

More from Ian Doig Ian Doig
Ian Doig’s week may include dim sum lunch with friends, rummaging through indie bookstore shelves as well as scribbling in his notepad at Calgary shops and farmers’ markets. It most often concludes with a relaxing Friday evening pint of locally brewed craft beer.
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