Gold Train Express

This is our regular, close to home phở place. I almost always order the #20, it’s a bowl of broth with wontons and veggies. I have it with rice noodles, you do have your options of 3 noodles.
The place is usually always busy! The service is fast. It’s cheap and cheerful, just remember to bring cash as that’s all they take.

So good and very delicious authentic phở and other soups. Makes me feel like I was back in Thailand.

Good

Really good Vietnamese food! Usually I have to drive to East Van to get my my proper Bun Bo Hue/​Spicy Beef Phở/​or Satay Beef Phở. But honestly this place really hits the spot too. I’m really glad this is so close to me.
I know there are some negative reviews. Such as décor/​meat to noodle ratio. All of these things are pretty much the same across most Vietnamese food. It’s not fine dining so don’t expect so much!
Staff is friendly, fast and polite!

I came here to for a small bite to eat. Ordered the House Special in XL, because I’m a big eater.
This place meets my standards for phở in Vancouver. The broth had a nice hearty taste to it and the meat was decent. I felt like they threw in a lot more noodles compared to their meats to make their dish «X-​Large». The bean sprouts and lime are fresh so that is a plus.
Despite the sub-​par looks of the place, they make up with it by delivering exactly what you expect from a phở restaurant. Next time around I might try the Viet coffee and update you on it. As of right now they’re on my map of ‘places to eat’, but not necessarily my first choice on the list.
Going here, you get what you pay for.

I came in for a quick dinner after I finished my exam at 8:30pm, we were seated really quickly and to my surprise from previous reviews, the restaurant was a lot cleaner than I’d expected.
I was surprised to see small, large and extra large as choices for phở noodles so I picked small since I usually order that size elsewhere. However to my disappointment, their small is much smaller than smalls in other places, and their large size is more like a small that I’d normally have.
For $ 6.50 for a small phở that isn’t even enough for someone with an average appetite is not quite what I’d expect. But their noodles and soup base are above average than your typical phở restaurants, since their noodles didn’t stick together and the soup base isn’t overly salty.
A down side for me is that they only accept cash.

I used to come here last year often, however I don’t think I’ll be going back. They’ve raised their prices by quite a bit, and their food is not worth the price you pay. The food is mediocre and the décor looks incredibly sketchy.

My best friend and I stumbled upon this shop after a few unsuccessful attempts to go to other restaurants that were all closed. It definitely wouldn’t have been our first choice, but it was almost 10:30PM and we were pretty desperate. We weren’t sure if they were open so we made sure to ask. The guy working assured us that they were and told us to pick a table.
The prices were decent for phở. The quality of food was not. I ordered the wonton soup. The broth was a little on the salty side, the wontons had all fallen apart, and the egg noodles were mediocre. I was ready to gnaw my arm off from hunger, so I wolfed the food down anyway.
One of the waitresses came by and dropped off our check fairly quickly. It took them longer to serve us the food than it took for her to give us the check. I paid the check, leaving a 20% tip, and continued eating because I had barely made a dent in my food.
At 10:58pm, the waiter came by to tell us «we close at 11, so can you just hurry up?» We were still clearly in the process of finishing our food, but we were doing our best to finish quickly. About 5 seconds after he had walked back to he kitchen, the waitress that had dropped off the check came out and gave us a pointed look.
Now feeling highly uncomfortable, I started to scarf my food down. The two employees then proceeded to stand by the door with their bags, making it very obvious that we, the paying customers, were inconveniencing them.
I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular walking into the shop, but considering we did ask if they were still open for customers, and we did tip them decently, I feel like the rude treatment was not only unwarranted, but unacceptable. Sure, the price is cheap, but in my opinion, I’d rather get a cheap meal at McDonald’s and be spared the frankly crap décor and service. The one star is because my friend seemed to enjoy her beef noodle soup… and because Unilocal won’t let me give zero stars.

I’ve been here a few times. I think it’s the same guys that run the place on Kingsway. That one is open ²⁴⁄₇ and much closer to my house. Usually just the the large phở tai for, can’t really go wrong with that one.
Occasionally the food quality could be sub-​par, but 90% of the time it is to my standard. Noodles are nice, but not sure that they are made in house. Beef is usually of good to fair quality.
Have also tried the different plates that they offer, but honestly my recommendation is that you should almost always get phở at a phở place.
Overall I recommend this place.

I have been to this place a few times in the past as it is close to where my parents live, but not since I become phở obsessed in the last year or two.
I couldn’t remember if it was good or bad, but wasn’t expecting too much considering the décor. I don’t think I have seen a place that cares less about interior décor. Most of the décor is left over from when this place was a greek restaurant and what is left is peeling, old and of course extremely outdated.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t look dirty and I know that my brother eats there regularly.
I ordered my usual (rare beef) and was surprised when it came. The beef tasted really fresh and the broth was nice and tasty. I was disappointed that they didn’t have the chilli oil, but they of course had the hot sauce.
It was only $ 5.50 for a small bowl, which was the perfect size for me. For that price along with the fresh taste, you won’t find better in this area.

Voici un restaurant à éviter à tout prix… Au moins que vous vouliez vous débarrasser de quelqu’un! Je l’ai essayé deux fois, juste au cas où la saleté s’agissait d’une chose passagère. Malheureusement, la deuxième fois que j’y ai essayé j’ai fini malade, intoxiqué grâce à leur cochonnerie. Des exemples très clairs à voir: de la graisse qui recouvre les murs, les assiettes où votre mets vous est servi ont souvent des déchets de celui du client antérieur collés aux côtés… Vous vous en faites l’image. Dégueulasse!

Warning chili oil appears to be homemade and contains a lot of ginger! A surprise for someone who eats phở often, with chili oil, and have never had ginger in it (good thing cause I hate it). Broth was ok. Meat — rare steak — was not nice strips like other places, was more… stringy? Also a lot of fatty gristle which has not been my experience. Salad rolls were ok but not tightly wrapped and open at each end so noodles and lettuce fell out.

Ive loved this little phở place since my days as a UBC student. This place gets pretty packed during lunch on school days being the only good phở place in the area.
The décor is sub-​par, but the food make up for everything.
I would recommending trying their spicy soup. One of the best of all phở places.
Tried all the other Golden Trains. This one is best by far.

Do you want good food in a scary looking restaurant or bad food in a beautiful restaurant?
If you want good food then keep reading:
Street appeal — 3 out of 10
Inside first impression — 3 out of 10
Service /​seating to table — 8 out of 10
Time to place order — 10 out of 10
Time to bring order to table — 9 out of 10
Mens bathroom — –5 out of 10
TVs held to the ceiling by wire — –3 out of 10
Kitchen appearance — 0 out of 10
Proudly displaying certificate of vermin control from Orkin — not sure if this is plus or minus
Soup taste — 7 out of 10
Noodle texture — 8 out of 10
Beef taste — 10 out of 10
Beef texture — 8 out of 10
Quantity of beef — 9 out of 10
Quantity of noodles — 8 out of 10

Super good hole-​in-​the-​wall Phở Noodle House. Good, cheap and delicious. Service was prompt and polite. The broth was fantastic. Not much for ambiance but that’s not what you’re looking for generally in this type of place. Great to share with friends.

Indeed this place is the bomb. «Thai Spicy!»
Favourite place for phở in all of Vancouver. Something about a combination of good broth, perfectly chewy noodles, toppings and lime (yes, they use give lime not lemon) makes it a stellar place to go for soup on a wet rainy day, which is every other day. I will devour the large sized bowl in no time and leave only with $ 8 out of my pocket.
Has anyone been able to count out how many TVs in total are mounted? It’s a fun game next time if you happen to visit.

thee place for Vietnamese noodle soup for UBC students. décor inside borders on «dive» territory, but it’s clean enough. It has multiple old CRT TVs around giving it a sort of kitchy-​ness. Fast service and good food. Spring rolls here among my favourites in the city. still wondering if they use msg though.

Pretty good, cheap and fast service. Weird interior with a fish tank, several TV’s and last time we visited it had an interior tarp for a roof leak. That adds character I guess. Cash only but almost every bank just is down the road. I recommend the Avocado milkshake. Also it’s nice to get a slice of orange and a fortune cookie at the end. If you share a large or extra large they will bring you little bowls.

This place is the bomb!!!
i love all their food here, whether it’s the hot noodle soup, or the cold vermicelli — everything is good here. Their hot soup is really tasty, and I don’t sense any MSG coz I don’t get super thirsty after… and their cold vermicelli selection is delicious, and i like how it comes with one spring roll…
my personal favourites… #14 in the winter, and #70 in the summer…
one thing about this place though, it can be cleaner for sure… but for the food, it’s definitely as good as it gets…

This place has so many names it took me forever to find out what they are officially called. The restaurant has like five names on the outside. There is «Golden train express,» and «Thai, spicey, Vietnamese,» and Unilocal calls it «Gold train express,» so whatever you call it, I call it yummy.
I used to go here once a week during the winter while at UBC, it’s cheap, fast and fresh and even though they only have a couple veg. friendly options, they are all delish.
Unfortunately, I feel like this place has gone downhill over time, but maybe it was just me eating there too much.

A part of the Gold Train Express chain, this Vietnamese Phở shop (I can’t get myself to say «Phở» properly due to my self-​consciousness in the huge potential that I would spit while attempting to do so) is located in the right place for poor students to go for a huge bowl of phở at a decent price.
Different toppings are available with the phở noodles (mostly beef, beef tendon, tripe and such). Other choices of noodles are available if phở isn’t your thing: There’s vermicelli and the wonton egg noodles. Comes in 3 different sizes: Regular, Large and X-​Large. X-​Large guarantees an average, starving, big appetite student a full stomach for at least the next 4 – 5 hours at a price of approximately $ 9, not to mention the signature beef burp smell. Regular size is good for the average female, just to give you an idea priced at approximately $ 5.
If you don’t like phở, try the other Vietnamese-​style rice dishes and appetizers. Honestly, I’m only here for the phở (which I believe is the most worth it item on the menu due to price and quantity), all the other things on the menu I wouldn’t vouch for, but my friends have tried and are ok by standards.
Tea is a given. The cleanliness of the establishment is questionable, but what student would mind when there is the prospect of a full stomach for under $ 12?
By having a cylindrical container full of chopsticks and another for the spoons and sauce dishes so that the customer can choose whichever utensils they need to their little hearts’ desire, really captures how it is at street-​side noodle shops in Asia.
Warning: Not a place for the weak-​stomached or the over-​obsessed clean freaks.