I grew up eating Vietnamese food in Saskatoon in the early 1990s. Back then, it didn’t feel remarkable to slurp bowls of “noodle soup” or tear into “crispy rolls” (as we called them as kids) in Saskatchewan; it was simply part of the dining-out landscape. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how special that was. While much of Canada was still getting acquainted with Vietnamese cuisine, many Prairie cities had already woven it into their everyday food culture.
More than 30 years later, that foundation has evolved into something far more dynamic. Calgary, in particular, has quietly built one of the most compelling Vietnamese food scenes in the country. It may sound like an unexpected claim, but it’s one I stand behind wholeheartedly — especially as someone who seeks out Vietnamese food at every opportunity and spends as much time as possible travelling through Vietnam itself.
Salad rolls, spring rolls and pho in Saskatoon — where my Prairie love for Vietnamese cuisine began.
The conversation has moved well beyond pho, and diners are increasingly ready for the nuance and regional specificity that define Vietnam’s culinary identity. It’s an exciting one, let me tell you.
In this vein, Calgary’s Lai Rai is the latest and clearest signal of that evolution. The fun, casual spot on the cusp of downtown Calgary (just off the corner of 10th Avenue S.E. and 1st St. S.E.) is serving an array of vibrant Vietnamese dishes for lunch and dinner. I have a certain spidey sense when it comes to an exciting new Vietnamese restaurant in town — anywhere in Canada, really — and Lai Rai immediately set it off.
The new restaurant comes from the team behind Pho Dau Bo and Mot To — two establishments that, in different ways, have helped shape Calgary’s Vietnamese dining narrative. Pho Dau Bo has long been a cornerstone of Calgary’s food scene, serving deeply flavoured, comforting classics that generations of Calgarians have come to rely on. Mot To, meanwhile, garnered national attention when it landed at No. 5 on the Air Canada Best New Restaurants list, notably placing ahead of Major Tom, the contemporary steakhouse perched 40 floors above the city with sweeping mountain views and the full force of a polished hospitality group behind it.
With the team behind Mot To at the 2022 Air Canada Best New Restaurants event in Toronto.
It was a quietly powerful moment. Being at the 2022 Air Canada Best New Restaurants Top 10 event in Toronto, I remember tearing up over it — truly.
A family-run Vietnamese restaurant, driven by intention and cultural specificity, outshone a high-design dining room backed by a formidable PR machine and an army of trend-driven diners. It proved that depth, heart and doing things a little differently can resonate just as strongly — if not more so — than spectacle. It gave me hope for the small-scale restaurateur, the one who so often finds themselves in a David-versus-Goliath situation in today’s dining landscape.
(That said, I do love the cheese toast and “frozen” dirty martinis at Major Tom.)
With Lai Rai, the co-owners appear to be doing something slightly different again, leaning into regional dishes that remain surprisingly uncommon in Canada, even in cities with strong Vietnamese communities.
They’ve got bánh khọt on the menu (which is pictured at top of article). Yes, please. Upon my first bite, I was immediately transported back to my travels in Vietnam. Turmeric-tinged rice flour pancakes studded with prawns are crisp at the edges and tender in the centre. You wrap them in lettuce, dip them into punchy fish sauce and devour. One bite or two — it doesn’t matter. They are interactive, textural and unapologetically bright-tasting. It’s a regional Vietnamese staple that so rarely makes it onto Prairie menus, which makes its presence here all the more exciting.
Equally compelling — and rare on restaurant menus in Canada — is the bánh cuốn. One of my very favourite Vietnamese dishes, it’s comprised of delicate sheets of steamed rice batter filled with seasoned pork and wood ear mushrooms, topped with fried shallots and, here, Vietnamese ham as well, and served with fresh herbs. Rooted in Northern Vietnam, you’ll find the dish on many menus in and around Hanoi, but in Western Canada? Much less common. Best order two servings, I’d say.
There are many dishes beyond these two worth enjoying at this new Vietnamese restaurant in Calgary, along with favourites like sate pho, bo kho (Vietnamese beef stew) and more. If you consider yourself a fan of Vietnamese cuisine (I mean, who isn’t?), then best check this spot out A.S.A.P.
To me, Lai Rai is an exciting example of just how far Vietnamese cuisine on the Prairies has come — or perhaps more accurately, how willing the average diner has become to explore beyond the typical world-famous dishes of the culture. It also serves as a reminder that Calgary is not just participating in Canada’s Vietnamese food conversation — these days, I would proudly say it’s helping lead it.
Lai Rai
110-201 10 Ave S.E. Calgary, AB, T2G 2G5
Open Mondays to Fridays 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit lairai.ca for full menu details and their Instagram for seasonal dishes and features.
