isn't flashy or fancy, but it is one of Vancouver's top Vietnamese restaurants.
Now the no frills restaurant known for its Northern Vietnamese dishes is starting what Crab Hot Lau chef and owner Cherry Pham calls "a new journey," by expanding as a franchise.
Specifically, Pham calls it a "smart franchise," which allows for the original Crab Hot Lau to "continue to own and protect [its] recipes, operations, procedures, quality and the soul of Vietnamese cooking."
"It's a soul, passed on with care," says Pham on behalf of the business. She adds that the "smart franchise" owners are a "dedicated Chinese family who shares our vision for authentic Vietnamese cuisine."
Pham "will personally train the team and oversee full restaurant operations, ensuring that all procedures and flavours at UBC remain true and consistent" with the original Crab Hot Lau, which is at 2141 Kingsway.
The second Crab Hot Lau will be located at 2192 Western Parkway. The space was previously another Vietnamese restaurant called Pho With Us, and, before that, a Red Burrito outpost.
Crab Hot Lau is known for dishes that are hard to find at many local Vietnamese restaurants, including its signature square crab spring rolls (Nem Cua Bien) and several seafood noodle soups and rice dishes. Screens hung inside the Kingsway restaurant show looped footage of how the spring rolls are made and offer a glimpse of the business' deep Vietnamese roots.
In both 2025 and 2024, Crab Hot Lau won Best Vietnamese in the 麻豆传媒映画Magazine Restaurant Awards.
An opening date for the Crab Hot Lau UBC location will "be announced soon," according to the restaurant.
Watch: Trying Crab Hot Lau on Kingsway
Featuring some special Northern Vietnamese dishes you won’t find at many 麻豆传媒映画restaurants.
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