Before Lunch Lady opened on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, Nguyễn Thị Thanh was serving a different noodle soup each day from her stall in Saigon, Vietnam. Anthony Bourdain visited her on No Reservations and called her the Lunch Lady.
The Vancouver restaurant opened in partnership with Thanh in 2020. It still serves the rotating soups, alongside a broader menu developed by chef Benedict Lim, and has earned a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand. Thanh passed in 2025 but the restaurant continues her legacy.
I went for lunch with a few friends, so we ordered several dishes to share.
The Beef Carpaccio was thinly sliced and topped with herbs, peanuts and crispy shallots. I liked getting some of each in a bite, especially with the lime dressing. These went with with the crispy taro chips served with it.
The Prawn Fritters had tiger prawns and shredded taro in a crisp coconut batter. They came with lettuce and herbs, so I wrapped up pieces and dipped them in the chilli lime sauce.
I really enjoyed the Fried Tofu which had a lemongrass garlic glaze while retaining a crisp edge under the sauce.
The Duck Salad gave us plenty to share. I kept taking a slice of duck with some cabbage, herbs and the crispy topping together for a flavorful bite.
We tried the Bún Bò Huế which was the Friday special with Vietnamese ham and other cuts of meat in a lemongrass broth. I really enjoyed the light yet flavourful broth.
The Steak Lúc Lắc was a substantial dish which came with sliced ribeye, peppercorn sauce, rice, watercress and a fried egg. I broke the yolk into the rice and ate it with the beef. There was enough on the plate for us to share.
I thought that all the dishes we tried were very good and I would return to have these again or try more of the menu.
Lunch Lady is at 1046 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.