Lunch Lady is a restaurant with much fanfare in Vancouver. Hailing from the family of the “original lunch lady” that the late Anthony Bourdain visited in Vietnam. I’ve actually been twice before writing this blog post. I went once when they first opened when they had a line out the door before opening, and again after their Bib Gourmand recognition in the Michelin Guide. Suffice to say, this is Vietnamese food a step above the traditional hole in the walls but still full of family-run vibes. While not everything was a home run, everything had a gourmet twist or elevated creativity to it. Suffice to say, the hype around this place is real – even today the place fills up within 30 minutes of opening. Read on to see everything I had.

Lunch Lady takes up residence in a lovely corner spot, and they even have a giant mural on the side celebrating Vietnamese street food culture, which honestly vibes just fine with the rest of Commercial Drive. The inside is very homey. Among the very utilitarian stainless steel tables and chairs is a very warm interior with large incandescent lightbulbs and family photos adorning the walls. There is seating for about 60 guests inside as well as a 20-something seater on the side patio.

Service was awesome at Lunch Lady – way better than any common Vietnamese restaurant. Water service happened frequently, and dishes were cleared as they were finished. I get if that’s not your vibe, but that’s probably why things feel so elevated at Lunch Lady because normally for most Vietnamese restaurants, the bar for service is set so low.

They don’t take reservations and the place fills up fast, so I would recommend coming here with at most a party of 4 and coming as close to opening hours as possible unless you like waiting for other people to finish eating.