Au Petit Café

One of my favorite banh mi and phở place in town! Love the shredded chicken banh mi!

Haven’t been here in years then returned the other day. Amazing food. Spring rolls were crispy and delicious. Unfortunately they ran out of beef balls but we did go pretty late. Always super busy as it nice and comfy cosy. Lemon grass chicken phở was a nice change and was very flavourful. I think this might be my new favourite. Lemon grass chicken (you can ask for it without skin) on rice was also very good. Family owned and operated.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to try Au Petit Café, but if you’re around Main street then do give it a go!
Au Petit is casual and small, and I received what I expected. The prices are standard, and the service was fine. I had one of the viet subs, and it was decent. The baguette was crispy and warm. The amount of fillings were moderate in quantity, and satisfactory in taste. The vietnamese spring rolls was just meh. I think they weren’t crispy enough!
Overall, a decent viet place, but not worth waiting in line for.

I really like this place. It’s super small and very busy all the time. The beef stew is very good but the portion size is pretty small. The staff are efficient and tables turn over fast. The Vietnamese subs are very good but pricey compared to many Vietnamese sub places. Maybe it’s the price you pay for eating it in a restaurant instead of take out.

Had #1 (banh mi), and #2 (banh mi with pâté), #17 lemongrass chicken on rice noodles, and #27 phở with sliced beef and meatballs.
Sandwiches were great. I like pâté more. Others liked theirs more. Big crusty rolls that collapse as you bite and are never too hard.
Lemongrass chicken was great. Deliver little bites that didn’t have big fatty bits.
Phở was alright.

The service and pricing here is quite good. It’s a small spot, and it’s always busy. They also offer take out.
We tried the spring rolls, which were probably my favorite. They were crispy outside and soft inside. The vinegar sauce could have been a bit more tart.
The phở –bbq lemongrass chicken & noodles– was quite good. The chicken tasted good, but it had a bit too much fat. The soup had enough flavor, but the broth was a bit on the sweet side. Also, the noodles could be a bit softer.
This is a good spot if you’re craving Vietnamese food. However, some of their competition in the city is ahead of the game. Vancouver has some pretty great Vietnamese spots.

Family-​owned Vietnamese restaurant.
Right when we walked in, the owners greeted us.
The lady is very friendly and nice.
Extensive menu. Affordable prices.
I usually don’t like phở, but with Vancouver weather, I much needed it.
Instead of getting it with rare beef, I tried phở with fully cooked meat.
This time, it was good! The broth was flavorful, and the noodles were firm.
The only downside is that some of their utensils were dirty, so we had to ask for new ones.
Overall, for affordable prices, pretty good phở.

Love the sandwiches and the curry beef noodles. It’s very busy so takeout is a good option. The service is fast and efficient. Prices are great — sandwiches are a steal.

Probably my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver. I’ve tried almost everything on the menu, and all of those items were delicious. Their marinated chicken is definitely one of a kind — so tender and full of flavours. A lot of the food are homemade such as meatballs, ham, chilli sauce. Cheap price for extremely delicious food!

By far this is one of my favorite places to go to. Very small gem. Family owned restaurant which gives you that small town vibe. The food is excellent! The broth they used is very pure and you can tell it is well made because of the clarity that the broth has. Try their meatball sandwiches, it’s to die for!

I’ve always known of this place. It’s close to the racquet club I play at and convenient for the people to have lunch or and early dinner after sessions. I always notice a line as well on the weekend.
I’ve tried this place maybe twice. The first time for the phở, which was average. The second time for takeout for salad rolls (prawn and prawn and pork). It was $ 16 for two orders of salad rolls. I’m more used to these costing about $ 4 – 6 dollars each (not $ 8, for take out too), The taste was good, but I still don’t think it was worth it for just an average salad roll. They were quick to prepare it however.

Great Vietnamese restaurant. Best chicken bun ever. Friendly service. Excellent value. Highly recommend.

Au Petit Café Vancouver on Main Street has really delicious beef stew, phở and banh mi! This tiny restaurant is located beside Long’s Noodle House and equally has long lines throughout the day. Au Petit is our go to Vietnamese sub place. It is family owned and has won several awards. No doubt prices has gone up over the years (ex. spring rolls went from 7.75 to 9.00 a plate), but the tastes remains the same.
Banh Mi Dac Biet 5.65: #1 French Bread sub with home made ham, house meat balls, vegetable and hot peppers. No more boring sandwiches!
Hu Tieu Bo Kho 9.50: Beef stew with rice noodle in soup. How can you come here and not order their beef stew phở or the beef stew with french bread? Flavors are rich and the beef is tender!
Bun Bi Cha Gio 9.75: Vietnamese Spring Roll, shredded pork, vegetables with rice noodles and fish sauce. This is a nice combo if you don’t want to order the big spring roll dish for $ 9.
I love Au Petit Café. Their Vietnamese food is pretty solid. Remember they are cash only. There is a bank few blocks North of Main if you forget. This restaurant isn’t anything fancy — a hole in the wall if you may — but damn well tasty.

The place is tiny, like seats 20? We had the rare beef and meatballs with a baguette on the side. I love their broth. It really has a ton of depth. No one flavour overpowers any individual. Its like a dozen synchronised swimmers in your bowl. Your aware of their individuality but they move together… ahhh. Yeah, ummm ok noodles were good, cooked to order. I think they make their own chili garlic sauce. its divine. The baguette was like a #%*^&$ cloud I tell ya, a cloud with a thin crispy edge that you could almost fall through. Service is good for a PHO place. I wasn’t offended by the staff at any time. 2 bowls and the baguette were under $ 20 bucks so certainly within boundary for a great bowl of Phở, so yeah they are in my top ten Phở places in Van so they get my PHO SHIZZLE mark of excellence!

My favorite weekend place to eat.
Favorite items to get here: French Bread w/​House Meat Ball /​Banh Mi Xiu Mai, Banh Uoc #13, Banh Beo #14 (weekend only)

From tiny space with a pink theme to table/​chair, the coffee cup and small bowls. It looks like it was running straight from the front of someone’s house. This place kinda reminds me of restaurants in Saigon in the ‘90s.
Coming up from San Jose, California. The phở was meh; broth was uncharacteristic. It was neither good nor bad. Felt more like a chinese-​styled phở. I asked for hanh giam, vinegar onion on the side, but the waitress was clueless. She didn’t know what it was and thought i was asking for basil.
Luckily my girlfriend redeemed the experience with the banh mi and the xiu mai/​meat ball. They were godly. The bread was soft warm yet crunchy blending harmoniously with the filling and veggies inside, and the xiu mai was oh-​my just melt on your taste-​bud goodness. The low-​key chilly they have on the side was surprisingly good. It packed a kick and had a distinctive but subtle fragrance. Very unique! Vietnamese coffee was good. The waitress was prompt in taking the plates away. This place was solid, but skip the phở in my opinion.

Always get the ham salad. I dunno why. it’s the crispy shallots and the fish sauce… the dressing is so light but flavor impact is amazing.
Phở is good. subs are very good. the curry chicken with the French bread is on point. Iced coffees strong. Small place. Always packed. Good service. Prices decent. One of the go to places in Vancouver for sure.

I crack up every time I go to this place. There is a guy that wears an ear piece to take orders over the phone. I have been going to this place for over 10 years and this guy has never taken this ear piece off ever, seems like he is always talking to himself until you remember that he has that stupid ear piece on and he is actually taking orders. Just one funny lookin character that gives me the heebeegeebees.
Of course, how can I forget… the food. Food here is great, I particularly love the beef phở with the house special Ban Mee. Get ready to line up if you go in peak times as there is probably only seating for 12 people in the whole restaurant.
Good food and cheap thrills watching the ear piece man.

I can only comment on what I had today which was the meatball banh mi, which is supposed to be one of the items they are known for. The meatballs themselves were very mushy, almost to the point of where I’m not really sure if they are fully cooked or not. They were also a little pinkish — while certainly moist, the banh itself needed more pâté as I kept choking on the crusty bread. Not sure I will go back …
Also the man kept on talking (headphones) and I couldn’t tell if he was talking to me or not. Rather confusing/​offputting.

Haven’t come here for years. Like decades in fact.
Used to be the go to place for Bahn Mi. Decided to try it again after a bit of a Bahn mi kick around Vancouver.
I have to say after trying some of the newer places in Vancouver this place is not keeping up with competition.
The sandwich is still very good. Fresh, warm, very good bread and warm fillings.
But it’s also small, lacks a bit of distinctive flavour and not enough veg for my liking.
This is definitely the right texture for a Bahn mi but not the flavour I’m looking for.
And at 5.50 $???
Meh. I could pass.
Sad that such a legendary place is not keeping up with the jonses

Wandering around Queen E park with the wife… we decided we were close enough in the neighbourhood to check out this café… I likes me banh mi, and people are playing it up… let’s go!
Ok… got an order of spring rolls to share, and then we both ordered pretty much the same thing… #1 (ham and meatball banh mi), and vietnamese coffee (Iced).
The bread was great… the rest… preference based (but it’s my preference, and my review… so… umm… there). I don’t like squishy meatballs… my wife… no problem. She’ll make up a soup or a sauce and simmer the meatballs in there. Not my thing. I like a little crust or crunch on the outside. I’m a firm believer in either pan frying, or more preferably oven roasting them. They get a beautiful outside crunchy crust hiding a nice delectable juicy centre. Au Petit Café is more the wife’s style. The ham was fine… the meatballs tasted fine… just that squish that I didn’t care for (food texture is a thing, just like taste is…).
The coffee was very nicely strong with that sweet undertone from the condensed milk… was a nice refreshing hit that I needed.
The spring rolls were scalding hot when served… I found out only after popping a piece in my mouth. They had a nice flavour and crunch to them as well.
And… down to the question… would I go back… was it the best banh mi I’d ever had… well, I would have liked a little more veg, and some spicy pepper (jalapeño or something), and a crisp meatball… again, personal preference… so no, it wasn’t the best banh mi. Would I go back… if I was in the neighbourhood… yeah. Why not. It was pretty good!

Short and sweet:
I had the number two, which was fully delicious. The bread, ham, pâté… everything was fresh and fabulous and had a decidedly authentic feel.
Four stars only because the iced coffee could have been bigger for the price and I would have liked the option to pay with debit (though I should probably just keep a cash float in my wallet for times like this)

I still love their subs, thats all I come here for, but the prices are unfortunately climbing :(
The banh mi dac biet (ham and house meatball sub) is now $ 5.25, but I love their pâté, so I’ll cough up the extra $ 1 for it. $ 6.25 for their sandwich. it still is tasty, but its getting pricey!

I haven’t been there for about 1.5 years now. The food is still fabulous, but the portions got a lot smaller T-​T especially their curry beef stew served with steamed rice.
Oh… And their Dark French Coffee was overly sweet this time.
I’ll still go back just because I love their viet subs… But I hope their portions will increase in size the next time I go.
Note: Since it’s a relatively small café and it’s always jam packed… there’s always a relatively long wait to eat there… It’s best if you went with only 2 people.