The frog legs come three ways, and that is only item eight on the appetizer list.
Viethaus, a new Vietnamese kitchen and bar, opened in late July on Kingsway, taking over the former La Chuoi unit.
We covered La Chuoi’s closure earlier, and the new tenant has completely renovated the space rather than inheriting it.
The self-description sets the tone: a newly renovated room built to be spacious and comfortable, serving traditional Vietnamese dishes, signature pho, grilled specialties, seafood, and vegetarian options, backed by handcrafted cocktails, beer, and wine.
That last part matters, because the bar program pushes this out of the standard pho-room lane and into date-night territory.
The appetizer list is where the ambition shows.
Saigon imperial spring rolls open the list next to Hanoi heritage green rice cakes, the cha com of Vietnamese street tradition.
There is a house crispy sticky rice dumpling, banh it ram, plus roasted duck bao buns, golden fried chicken buns, and a crispy soft-shell crab for the table’s big swing.
The frog legs come tossed in your choice of artisan fish sauce glaze, garlic butter, or chilli salt dust, and the chicken wings get the same three-glaze treatment.
A lacy golden seafood plate of fish fillets and prawns, blossom enoki, and a flash-fried tofu and vegetable salad round out the fried side.
It reads like a kitchen aiming above the neighbourhood’s usual order, keeping the pho faithful covered while giving the table something to argue over.
Pho anchors the mains per the restaurant’s own description, though the mains page was not in our photo set, so pricing there stays unconfirmed.
Kingsway has needed the good news.
The corridor has churned through closures this year, and a full renovation with a bar program is a bet on the block, not a placeholder.
We have not eaten through the menu yet, so consider this the map, not the review.
Viethaus joins the list of recently opened Vancouver spots like Sushi Nami, Angus T Davie, and Maria Celeste.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
Address: 2780 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC