The Lunch Lady (Nguyen Thi Thanh) on Postcard

"Lunch Lady is a restaurant in Vancouver, Canada, inspired by the original lunch stall in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, owned by Chef Nguyen Thi Thanh. It offers a dining experience that stays true to Vietnamese culinary roots while incorporating local Canadian ingredients. The menu features traditional dishes like pho and steak luc lac, along with unique cocktails, including a special negroni inspired by Anthony Bourdain." - Michael He

Meet Anthony Bourdain’s Favorite ‘Lunch Lady’

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"Fifteen years ago, the late chef Anthony Bourdain fell in love with the food at a nameless lunch stall in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. Years later, those timeless recipes have made their way to Vancouver, Canada at the aptly named Lunch Lady. Suelee Wright/The Lunch Lady. The most popular dish is steak luc lac, also a favorite of the Lunch Lady herself. Instead of chopping and stir-frying the beef, the chefs use French sous vide techniques with inspiration from Canadian steaks." - Michael He

Meet Anthony Bourdain’s Favorite ‘Lunch Lady’

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"Banh canh cua are luscious Vietnamese noodles known for their thickness, crafted from tapioca flour or a combination of rice and tapioca flour. Banh canh cua specifically refers to banh canh noodles served in a sumptuous and velvety crab soup, often enhanced with the delightful addition of quail eggs." - Lana Tran

Vietnam 101: How To Eat Vietnamese Food Like A Local

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Fresh ingredients from the market, world famous for her soups

Vietnam

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Cobe

Google

I’m a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and it’s one of the reason I came here to try it. I’m short, it was a disappointment. They only have one dish of the day and I got the crab noodle. It came out like warm and when it’s a thick soup, it tasted extra thick. The area was filthy. You can see shrimp tail and napkins discarded on the floor. I can handle street food but these ladies and just sitting around. It’s not pact or anything. In fact when I got there at 1 pm, I was the only person there. They also brought me a dish with deep fried spring rolls and shrimp crackers. I didn’t k ow of it was part of the meal or not so I ate some. It was gross. The oil and soaked and it tasted like it’s been passed around all day. I wonder if that was a dish they offer and if you eat it, you pay otherwise it gets passed on to another. I was that sucker. Don’t eat it. The ladies there were just sitting around. Traffic here is purely from a positive feedback from Anthony years and years ago. I was really looking forward to this place but was disappointed. I couldn’t even finish my food which is rare. Also ordered a Pepsi. All of this for 120k. A bit overpriced in my opinion.

Regaleatsmelb

Google

The Lunch Lady serves a rotating daily noodle soup special that comes with Anthony Bourdain's tick of approval. I loved it here from the outdoor setting to the small tables and chairs to the minimal English spoken - I mean what else is there to say other than one special of the day and whether you want it small (half size), medium (regular size) or large (extra meat size)? Serving bánh canh cua only on Saturdays, this rich soup with its thick Udon-like gooey noodles and generous amounts of crab meat tasted as good as it looked. There is so much going on in this bowl that it’s an explosion of both colour and taste and an absolute must eat! But be warned - snacks and sides will be put on your table, it's not free - but at 40,000-60,000 dong for a bowl depending on size, don't overthink that eating a shrimp cake or adding Vietnamese donuts will break the bank!

Adhitya Suvarna (Addy)

Google

Very delicious food, we sat down, said 1 to share and then the food came with all that’s in the pic. Not sure what it was all but had beef brisket and some beef balls. The soup was heavenly delicious (having had a few last few days, this one tops it all). The sides are additional so if you don’t tell them(refuse when it’s being laid out), it will be charged automatically. But those crispy crakes with prawns in them were out of this world delicious. So I really don’t care if they were charged. A must visit for those in Ho Chi Minh.

Sek Lih Pang

Google

She serves different noodle or menu daily. I had Vietnamese and Thai fusion noodle on Monday. I love the tangerine spicy soup. The pork spring rolls and fried prawn cakes are yummy too. Worth trying local food stall. I’ll definitely want to come again to try her other menu.

Kevin Nguyen

Google

Delicious ! This street stall serves 7 different noddle dish a week ! And they are all delicious ! The venue is typical HCMC street shop,but the taste and quality of toppings is worth dying for,way better than some shiny stores. Pricing is very reasonable. 50k/bowl which is enough for a regular male eater. Go for the “special” order size if you are a heavy hitter

Adrian Pe

Google

Was very luck to go there without that much people and is one of the must try's when in saigon. The broth is quite sweet but does transform when you add lime and chili. The soup contains chicken, pho, bits of crispy pork and various vegetables. *be prepared to squat as the chairs and tables are very low to the ground! Practice squatting before your trip

Jeffrey C

Google

It was Thursday so we had Bun Mam. Soup is super tasty and ingredients were super fresh with generous helpings. The place was super hot though. (On a 38 degree hot afternoon). Minimal English spoken here so brush up on your basic Vietnamese.

Jonathan Ng

Google

I had to visit this place because of the late and great icon - AB. Maybe because it has been a while since the first time AB visited but when I went in Jan 2024, very disappointed. The soup was not hot. The staff gives foreigners/tourists extra dishes without us ordering (springrolls and fritters). He does not give those to locals. We told the person we did not want them. They charge for them as well. I'm glad we (me and my wife) got to see the Lunch Lady stall and finally eat there. However, we will probably not go again. There are a TON of other shops in HCMC that are excellent in both taste and value. Oh well, one check off my bucket list of places to visit.

Cobe

Google

I’m a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and it’s one of the reason I came here to try it. I’m short, it was a disappointment. They only have one dish of the day and I got the crab noodle. It came out like warm and when it’s a thick soup, it tasted extra thick. The area was filthy. You can see shrimp tail and napkins discarded on the floor. I can handle street food but these ladies and just sitting around. It’s not pact or anything. In fact when I got there at 1 pm, I was the only person there. They also brought me a dish with deep fried spring rolls and shrimp crackers. I didn’t k ow of it was part of the meal or not so I ate some. It was gross. The oil and soaked and it tasted like it’s been passed around all day. I wonder if that was a dish they offer and if you eat it, you pay otherwise it gets passed on to another. I was that sucker. Don’t eat it. The ladies there were just sitting around. Traffic here is purely from a positive feedback from Anthony years and years ago. I was really looking forward to this place but was disappointed. I couldn’t even finish my food which is rare. Also ordered a Pepsi. All of this for 120k. A bit overpriced in my opinion.

Regaleatsmelb

Google

The Lunch Lady serves a rotating daily noodle soup special that comes with Anthony Bourdain's tick of approval. I loved it here from the outdoor setting to the small tables and chairs to the minimal English spoken - I mean what else is there to say other than one special of the day and whether you want it small (half size), medium (regular size) or large (extra meat size)? Serving bánh canh cua only on Saturdays, this rich soup with its thick Udon-like gooey noodles and generous amounts of crab meat tasted as good as it looked. There is so much going on in this bowl that it’s an explosion of both colour and taste and an absolute must eat! But be warned - snacks and sides will be put on your table, it's not free - but at 40,000-60,000 dong for a bowl depending on size, don't overthink that eating a shrimp cake or adding Vietnamese donuts will break the bank!

Adhitya Suvarna (Addy)

Google

Very delicious food, we sat down, said 1 to share and then the food came with all that’s in the pic. Not sure what it was all but had beef brisket and some beef balls. The soup was heavenly delicious (having had a few last few days, this one tops it all). The sides are additional so if you don’t tell them(refuse when it’s being laid out), it will be charged automatically. But those crispy crakes with prawns in them were out of this world delicious. So I really don’t care if they were charged. A must visit for those in Ho Chi Minh.

Sek Lih Pang

Google

She serves different noodle or menu daily. I had Vietnamese and Thai fusion noodle on Monday. I love the tangerine spicy soup. The pork spring rolls and fried prawn cakes are yummy too. Worth trying local food stall. I’ll definitely want to come again to try her other menu.

Kevin Nguyen

Google

Delicious ! This street stall serves 7 different noddle dish a week ! And they are all delicious ! The venue is typical HCMC street shop,but the taste and quality of toppings is worth dying for,way better than some shiny stores. Pricing is very reasonable. 50k/bowl which is enough for a regular male eater. Go for the “special” order size if you are a heavy hitter

Adrian Pe

Google

Was very luck to go there without that much people and is one of the must try's when in saigon. The broth is quite sweet but does transform when you add lime and chili. The soup contains chicken, pho, bits of crispy pork and various vegetables. *be prepared to squat as the chairs and tables are very low to the ground! Practice squatting before your trip

Jeffrey C

Google

It was Thursday so we had Bun Mam. Soup is super tasty and ingredients were super fresh with generous helpings. The place was super hot though. (On a 38 degree hot afternoon). Minimal English spoken here so brush up on your basic Vietnamese.

Jonathan Ng

Google

I had to visit this place because of the late and great icon - AB. Maybe because it has been a while since the first time AB visited but when I went in Jan 2024, very disappointed. The soup was not hot. The staff gives foreigners/tourists extra dishes without us ordering (springrolls and fritters). He does not give those to locals. We told the person we did not want them. They charge for them as well. I'm glad we (me and my wife) got to see the Lunch Lady stall and finally eat there. However, we will probably not go again. There are a TON of other shops in HCMC that are excellent in both taste and value. Oh well, one check off my bucket list of places to visit.

The Lunch Lady (Nguyen Thi Thanh)

The Lunch Lady (Nguyen Thi Thanh)

Photos

Highlights

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