Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
  1. Home
  2. Canada
  3. Vancouver / British Columbia
  4. Vancouver
  5. Commercial Drive
The Lunch Lady, Vancouver, BC
Award-winning

The Lunch Lady

4.7
4.7
1062 Reviews
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Vietnamese

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 71 times today
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Lively
  • Hot spot
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!

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Phone number
  • Price
    CAN$31 to CAN$50
  • Cuisines
    Vietnamese, Comfort Food, Tapas / Small Plates
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue–Thu 11:00–14:30 Fri 11:00–15:00 Sat, Sun 10:30–15:00 Dinner Tue–Thu 16:45–21:30 Fri, Sat 17:00–22:30 Sun 17:00–21:30
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Benedict Lim
  • Delivery & takeout

What 1,062 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Lunch Lady offers an exceptional dining experience with "amazing food" and "outstanding service." Guests rave about the "delicious" Vietnamese dishes, including the beef carpaccio and Wagyu pho. The restaurant provides a "memorable experience" with a lively atmosphere and family-style meals that offer great value. Reservations are recommended due to its popularity.

1,062 Reviews
  1. Linds

    Vancouver2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing food . The only thing I had that was mediocre was the spring rolls . They were disappointing. I found them non flavourful and bland . I had the beef pho and added satay and an egg and it was incredible !! Also had the mango cheesecake dessert . It was awesome ! Not very sweet . Just perfect . Reminded me of a citrus type of crème brûlée. Can’t wait for the next visit .

    Is this helpful?

  2. Ishika

    Vancouver2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Came here after 2 weeks of anticipated reservation booking and boy it did not disappoint. Probably the most unique and exquisitely delicious food I’ve tried in a long time in Vancouver, if this place is rated Michelin, it’s one of the few that deserve this title- not overly expensive either and our waiter set us a menu to help reduce the price while still getting the full experience of the variety of food here. Come here with your loved ones who haven’t tried lunch lady because they will Thankyou for life.

    Is this helpful?

  3. OpenTable Diner

    Vancouver2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Happy with our orders in terms of proportion & definitely the taste.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Karen

    New York City7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Visiting from Ottawa and was referred by my dsughter. Blew us away. What a treat.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Sally VIP

    Vancouver18 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Convenient place for a quick lunch. It is really busy so do not overstay.

    Is this helpful?

  6. OpenTable Diner

    Toronto1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 3 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Best restaurant in Vancouver hands down, pandan sticky rice is on my death row meal

    Is this helpful?

  7. Patricia

    Vancouver2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 28 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    This was my 5th lunch at Lunch Lady. But today I was told I had one hour at my table. My reservation was for 12:00. I arrived on time and got my table shortly afterwards. My food arrived at 12:30. I now had 30 minutes to wolf down my large, steaming hot bowl of Pho. My friend ordered the same. We got one plate of sprouts, basil and one small bowl of sauces to share. Oh and 2 spoons. My friend had a cold and after a few spoonfuls of soup she used her spoon to serve herself some of the sauce. I had to ask for my own sauces in a separate dish, as I was not keen to share with my sick friend. At 12:50, our waitress filled our water glasses, we weren't even halfway through our Pho. I said do we really have to vacate this table at 1:00? She said she would give us an extra 15 minutes. We asked for take out containers and took the rest of our soup with us. I laughed when the waitress asked us if we wanted dessert? We hardly had time to enjoy our Pho! My take - Lunch Lady is trying to turn over its tables as quickly as possible. They don't care about the customer, just how many tables they can fill and then rush you out the door. If they want you out in an hour, then bring the food sooner so you have time to enjoy it & maybe squeeze in dessert as you run out the door. I won't be returning to Lunch Lady anytime soon.

    Is this helpful?

  8. KHRYSTYNE

    Los Angeles2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 27 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Only using this space because I can't just send a private note alone

    Is this helpful?

  9. Parker

    Calgary1 review

    4.0

    Dined on 24 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a lovely anniversary dinner at Lunch Lady. The food was great and in good portions. We ended up sharing 3 mains and all came out quickly after we ordered. Our server seemed to get a bit busy near the end of the meal so we ended up having to wait a bit to ask for the cheque but they did gift us a desert for the special occasion, which was very nice. The line is for reservations if you arrive at 5pm so don't be intimidated by the crowd!

    Is this helpful?

  10. Catherine

    Vancouver15 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Had dinner at The Lunch Lady on a Saturday night and it was packed, and for good reason! Even after we left at 9pm there were still people waiting to be seated. We had made our reservation for 7pm and arrived on time but still had to wait 15 minutes for our table to be vacated by the previous guests. We were given 1h 45m to finish our dinner. There were three of us and we ordered 2 appetizers and two special entrees made for sharing, and a dessert to share as well. This proved to be sufficient for us and we were glad we didn’t follow the server’s recommendation to order an additional entree. The crispy prawns and soft shell crab were lightly battered and tasted great. The steak luc lac was equally good. The friend rice could have had more “air of wok” in my opinion; it had a rather soft texture to it. The pandan cake was a lovely finish to dinner. In fact, I would have loved to have that all to myself, ha ha! I also had a calamansi soda which I thought needed more simple syrup. It was overwhelmingly sour and needed some sweetness to balance the taste. Overall I would come back. My friend had been there other times and mentioned that it is not recommended to sit on their outdoor patio because the ground on which the stools are on is sloping, so it’s not a comfortable sitting position to hold for a long time, and the stools are metal and a small seat pan (read: not for large people). Keep this in mind when making your reservation.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Lunch Lady offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. The Lunch Lady also offers takeaway which you can order by calling the restaurant at (604) 559-5938.

The Lunch Lady is rated 4.7 stars by 1062 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 71 times today
Google Map for The Lunch Lady

1046 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3W9

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Phone number
  • Price
    CAN$31 to CAN$50
  • Cuisines
    Vietnamese, Comfort Food, Tapas / Small Plates
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue–Thu 11:00–14:30 Fri 11:00–15:00 Sat, Sun 10:30–15:00 Dinner Tue–Thu 16:45–21:30 Fri, Sat 17:00–22:30 Sun 17:00–21:30
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Benedict Lim
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable International Ltd. Alphabeta Building, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo