Had family pick up food from here while i’m in the hospital and it was the most fresh, delicious, comforting food I could ask for. The portions are well worth the price and the presentation even in a togo box was beautiful. The vegetarian rolls were delicious!!! It truly made a bad day better and warmed my heart! Kudos to you guys :-)

Consistently great meals here. We love the pho and spring rolls, and all of the entrees I've had there are extremely tasty and very well prepared. Sometimes the vermicelli is a bit overcooked. The service is quick and they always keep your drinks full. Delicious desserts as well. Only complaint I have is the volume of conversation- the dining area is a large open room with no walls between tables. I still love the place and am currently enjoying yummy leftovers.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! We had the crispy chicken half, spring rolls, chicken and beef salad. Also the Vietnamese coffee was amazing. Everything was very fresh and flavorful. The chicken was so rich in flavor and was not dry at all. Reasonably priced for how well the food is made and the wait staff was so kind and helpful. Want to go again soon!

As someone who works for an airline and loves good food, I can say this spot has the best Vietnamese food around. The pho is incredible, with a rich and flavorful broth. The Com/Bún Bo Nióng beef dish with peanuts is another must-try, packed with fresh ingredients and amazing flavors. If you're craving authentic Vietnamese food, this is the place to go!

Good soup base, it could have been hotter. I also had a hot Vietnamese coffee and that was absolutely delicious.

The Pho was so delicious and filling. Like a warm hug. The service was pleasantly warm and kind as well. Great place to dine.

I went on a busy lunch time on Sunday. I was very impressed with both the service and my food. I ordered chicken with rice vermicelli and it was a very large amount of food! It was also incredibly delicious. One order us probably enough for 2. There is only 1 waiter and 1 server for an incredibly busy restaurant, but do not let that fool you. They both did an amazing job! Very quick service, and very polite. I will now bring my friends and family here!

I dream about the tofu curry and the steak tofu. I go through withdrawals sometimes. Van's stop making me act foolish!

The food was so good here. The service was quick and the staff are very friendly + attentive. I only gave the atmosphere 4/5 stars since I think it was a little empty inside, decoration wise but other than that it would be a 5! If you want authentic Vietnamese cuisine please come here. The coconut pudding (a dessert that was only $3!!!) is to die for (I forgot the name of it).

pho tai all day. prices did increase, but worth the extra money

+1

Fabulous Vietnamese restaurant, authentic food, big portions, everything was super fresh and delicious. Our waitress was great - answered questions, made recommendations, quick service, even took our group family photo!!

Such a welcome place. With excellent atmosphere.They didn't mind us making a little noise. CUSTOMER SERVICE was on Point. Thank you

Delicious food, generous portions, good service. My husband and I ordered half the menu and loved everything! The spicy mussels are a must to try!

Amazing food for extremely affordable prices. Interesting neighborhood I might not want to be in to far after dark, but pretty sure that adds more flavor !

Very nice Vietnamese restaurant. There is a parking lot next door.

Great authentic Vietnamese food in Albany that you may miss if you're not paying attention. It's calling card outside is the green sign out front with the bright white lettering. It was fairly empty when I got there with four other people. Our order was taken quickly, with a smile from the woman server (didn't catch her name). Our appetizers and entrees arrived quickly and we were happily surprised. The portions were huge! If you are ever in Albany and craving Vietnamese food, this is the spot! The wait staff is quick and friendly. The food is really authentic. The interior is a bit outdated, but who cares?! there's giant bowls of pho, among other great dishes, waiting for you.

I ordered Com/Bun Bo Nuong at Vans for dinner and it was delicious! This service was excellent too!

Under the weather and it’s cold in NY. This pho was exactly what I needed. They don’t give you the wide selection of ingredients like the pho joints I’m used to, but the pho was so good that I forgot about them.

I absolutely love this place it’s so good every time i go

Food here is super legit and staff is very polite and accommodating. My lunch was very flavorful and fulfilling!

Great food and wonderful atmosphere. Almost no wait time except maybe on the weekends. Highly recommend it.

Capital regions most delicious pho. They also offer delicious smoothies! The restaurant is family run and they are absolutely the sweetest! You can taste the love in every slurp. 10/10 would recommend to anyone! Especially those who want to experience Vietnamese cuisine for the first time!

Ahn helped us make good choices re: appetizers that are super sized. We are accustomed to appetizers being. Wry small portions! Everything was beautiful to look at and delicious to taste. We are vegans and we’re delighted about seeing many options. Thank you Van’s!!!

I have been so many pho place in NYC, Las Vegas, Northern Virginia. So far that's the best pho place in capital region.

the food was so so yummy, and portions are very generous! the staff was also very helpful and kind. will definitely be back for my next pho craving :)

We had a great lunch here. The Durian shake was great... if you are into Durian. The Vietnamese iced coffee was quite good as well. The vegetarian Pho soup was well flavored with fresh pepper, bean sprouts and basil and was plentiful. I feel that it can actually be somewhat difficult to make a large piece of tofu taste good but somehow their huge tofu steak was very good with a spicy peanut sauce, asparagus, cilantro, pickled daikon and carrot and tons noodles. The staff was very friendly and helpful, I even witnessed one chase down a customer who had forgotten his credit card.

Spring rolls are very delicious and crunchy. The vermicelli pork is okay. The meat was a little dry.

Love Vans! I was in Vietnam earlier this year, fell in love with the cuisine. Since returning have been on a mission to try all the local Vuetnamese restaurants. Vans tops the list for flavors, quality and authenticity ❤️

Well done Vietnam foods. We had few kinds of pho and vege dishes. Vege dish was very fresh and good. I like it! They put tofu in rice paper. Oxtail pho was really aresome. Deep broth make me happy.

+3

**If my review is helpful, please click on the "LIKE" button...thank you!** Awesome place to get Vietnamese food! The Pho is just excellent, and you get enough for 2 meals! 😁 Try the summer roll appetizers for sure (see picture). And, at the end, have a coffee with condensed milk (see picture). OMG, let me tell you...I LOVE coffee, and being from South India, I'm partial to strong South Indian coffee. Well, I finally have to delegate South Indian coffee to second place - this Vietnamese coffee is INCREDIBLE!!

Van's is the best Vietnamese food available in Albany. After having traveled to Vietnam, having any other option pales in comparison. They are the best best best!

I will pretty much eat anything, so don't take this review too seriously, but I think Van's makes food, especially the Pho, to compete with anywhere else. We went at 5PM on a Sunday and it was mostly empty. The credit card machine was down but they did their best to be accommodating. The waiter was a pleasure to talk with and answered all of our ignorant questions gracefully and actually seemed pleased we were there. The Pho itself was delightful and I have a hard time imagining the pickiest of eaters finding fault with it. Price was very fair, considering that one bowl is at least two meals for me, and the setting was bare but intimate and certainly didn't detract from our meal. Highly recommended if you're in the mood for some heart healing food.

Van's has Authentic Vietnamse Pho and Bun Bo Hue (spicy noodle soup). Bun Bo Hue has tender and melting beef shank. Second visit, I ordered shrimp salad, spring roll (gỏi cuốn) and special Pho. So yummy and feel stuffed. 👍

+1

Delicious food and big portions!!

The menu isn't as expensive as other Vietnamese places I've been too but what they do offer, they do it well. You cannot go wrong with any of their pho offerings...

very authentic vietnamese dishes affordable price pho has a deep flavor if you like vegetables you will love their tofu salad grill chicken lacked some flavor but overall great place to visit if you feel for vietnamese food

+2

The food was great and had great flavor. If you go to Van, go to the Albany one and not the Schenectady one.

Van's is a neighborhood treasure! We went with friends in the know, and... yummy!!!! We shared our plates with one another and had a great time. Everything was delicious, but best dish was the BBQ Salmon, I wish I was eating it right now! The staff is super friendly, too.

Everything was so delicious. I am from Seattle and there are a lot of pho places there and when I moved to Albany I could not find one! But the staff was very nice and polite. The food was brought out promptly. My fiance and I loved everything about the restaurant and we will be back again soon.

Their beef pho is excellent. Their broth very tasty. I love how they presented the bowl of noodle soup with so much greens. Will be back if we are near Albany again. Great service. Friendly staff.

Pho was really good I bought 3 beef phos and a seafood one and they did not disappoint as I have searching for a good spot they definitely did not let me down 1 hour drive for some pho was definitely worth it 5/5 if you ask me and thats hands down

Order takeout for a beer pho and the broth is simply phenomenal!! The broth is so flavourful and rich. Takeout was package neatly and nicely. A lot of veg came with the pho made my stomach so happy. This pho/ broth is the absolute best and authentic I had in a very long while. Not cheap but highly recommended! 👍🏻

I usually try to go to a place multiple times to get different dishes before making reviews, but pho is like the cornerstone of Vietnamese cuisine. I went during lunch time and there were a busy number of people eating, with only 2 or 3 servers, but the servers were on top of everything. I ordered traditional pho with flank, brisket, and meatballs and the service was friendly and quick from start to finish, even though it was sort of busy. The food tastes great, and there was a lot of it, with bowls going for around $9-$14. They had everything I wanted to add on the side too. The place is spacious as well, so it won't ever feel crowded or like someone might bump into you. Recommended.

The food is delicious and the staff is very attentive. I ordered the spring rolls which came with a wonderful peanut dipping sauce and a bowl of Pho with flank steak, beef meatballs, and beef brisket. Loved the atmosphere and the cleanliness. Will definitely dine here again!

Stopped in to get some Vietnam food on a cold autumn day, and very glad I did. The grilled pork was flavorful and enjoyed the fried spring rolls. Would return.

Van’s has been someplace I wanted to go for a while and finally had a good reason when me and my sister decided to meet up for delicious authentic Vietnamese food. I was absolutely enamored with how amazing the food was. Everything I tried was cooked perfectly, and full of flavor. I will definitely be back, as I am already looking forward to having more aromatic - slow simmered decadent bone broth.

Favorite place to get good size portions and comfort food. Get the pho if you can!

Very nice pho place. We had the very authentic pho tai ( flank steak ) and Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. The recipe tasted original except the replacement of bird eye chillies with jalapeños.

Absolutely phenomenal. Shrimp summer roll with the satay peanut sauce was amazing. Ground shrimp sausages on sugar cane was different and delicious. Pho with meatball and chicken just so so good. Highly recommend.

The spicy mussels were amazing, sauce was unbelievable. The bbq salmon was probably one of the nicest pieces of salmon I've ever had. In preparation, presentation and flavor

No fancy decor, but excellent Vietnamese dishes! My favorite is the Tofu steak. Van's is a classic fixture in Albany. I've been going for years, and hope to continue for many more.

I usually don't like gỏi cuốn, but the one at this restaurant was excellent w balanced ratio of meat vs. bún and rau. Sườn in cơm sườn nướng was well marinated without being salty! Phở was flavorful without being too rich. Sinh tố bơ was tasty and creamy without being too icy or too sweet. Much better than most Việt restaurants in NYC. Will def be back when I'm in Albany next time.

The beef broth is really good. But the vegetables broth wasn’t our style. The grilled pork, fried pork and vermicelli platter tastes great. Iced Vietnamese coffee is perfect for me, wasn’t too sweet. There’s only one person who is serving , so it takes a while to get your order but not crazy long. Nice, clean and easy to communicate. Overall,I enjoy these so much.

This is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant and they're definitely the best in the area. I love spring rolls they're so good and tasty.

Pho soup is taste good ,the owner is sweet and the seating is comfortable.

Jessica Scott

The shrimp summer rolls and pork summer rolls are my favourites! The grilled chicken over rice and the salmon over rice are my favourite entry. Such great food!!

Robin Miller

Van's has the best Vietnamese food in the area. Everything is consistently delicious and presented beautifully! Van's staff are friendly and very hard working. Highly recommend! Pho Van's in Rotterdam is equally excellent!

Joseph Doane

Van's feels like a hidden gem but is clearly well loved by the people eating there. While the restaurant is visually dated inside, they don't compromise on food and flavor. Appearances do not define Van's. The owner can be seen visibly working hard to make sure every guest gets what they want and need. People should pay more attention to this place, you'll find excellent food.

jennifer sharp

So good!! Nice to find Pho, even nicer to find Pho this good!

The Doctor

I can't share a photo, the Pho-- it's so good, it's like a holy whole-body healthy-food infusion; it is so good it just disappears. Top-tier homemade Bone broth is fresh, ample, gluten-free rice noodles, the served Bean spout and Basil and pepper always crisp, available pepper oil will sear with wonderful flavor if you add it, and or real sriracha & hoisin. It's the kind of place that James Beard might not have reviewed because he wanted to keep the place to himself. It's simply the best local pho, and worth traveling to savor.

kimberly lopez

Absolutely love this place! Have been going maybe twice a week and it is amazing, if anything it keeps getting better as I go. The pho is phenomenal and even better service!

Elaine Liu

The food is so amazing and big portioned. Seems like an authentic family owned restaurant!

+2

Victoria

big servings!! good for the price and so good!! half roasted chicken w/ rice and bun bo hue!! 10/10

joseph berben

I realized I’ve been coming here for almost 20 years and have never left a review. In my opinion, the Tofu Steak is the best plate you’ll find in Albany. Consistently perfect and a massive portion. Amazing staff as well. My wife and I usually split the tofu steak and fried vegetable spring rolls over vermicelli. The Pho is very good as well.

Alayna Anderson

I go once a week. So fresh, and delicious. Portions are never skimpy. And everyone is so nice! Best Vietnamese food in the Capital Region for sure.

R K

Just had the most authentic and comforting Vietnamese meal at Van's! Their Pho was a masterpiece - rich, flavorful broth brimming with tender beef and noodles. The spring rolls were crispy and bursting with fresh flavors. What truly made the experience special was the warmth and hospitality of the owners. They were incredibly friendly and welcoming, making me feel like part of their family. Van's is a must-visit for anyone craving delicious and authentic Vietnamese food in Albany.

Risa

Love this place. Delicious food, enough for a second meal. I was with two other people and loved it. I had a form of roll wrapped in rice paper over rice noodles with veggies and a great sauce. One dinner companion had tofu steak, and the other had tofu curry. We started with tofu salad. Staff super friendly, prompt. Plenty of tables. Will return.

Farin Chowdhury

Amazing and authentic Vietnamese food. Their Pho is so good, especially during cold days. The portions are big, the price is good and the staff is nice & attentive. Note: if you are allergic to peanuts, let them know because a lot of the food and sauces come with peanuts.

Deb

Traveling West through New York state stoped by based on reviews.. let me tell you when somone says " u could kiss the chef" we had the Comb Beef Pho & Salmon in BBQ sauce both best ever! Everything was on 👉

Honestly not the greatest pho I’ve ever had and I’ve been to many many places growing up, trying various items on the menu. The spring rolls are always a must so I tried them and they’re really good but I was disappointed by the meat in the pho. Extremely tough and chewy, but the noodles and broth were amazing :). Service is pretty close considering it is only one person at the front of house, hosting and setting tables as well as taking orders. Most likely a family business! I will definitely be returning because the food was good and the people were very nice, but it’s been a hard year for all small businesses so I hope they get back on their feet!

Food was absolutely fantastic, but service was very slow, 2 hours for simple dinner for 2 with an app. We weren't in a big rush tonight and will definitely return again - but not before a show!

Lots of menu choices, quick service, friendly staff!

Started out with the tofo spring rolls, which were very tasty, esp. with some of the siracha and hoisin sauce from the pho, which was also excellent and served with a beautiful collection of sauces, sprouts and lime. 3 pho and an order of spring rolls $52 incl tax & tip. And the leftovers were packaged very nicely for the ride home. A very good night.

Food was great, so was the service. The atmosphere was not outstanding but it is good for family and friends to get together. We ordered beef pho and grilled pork slices over rice. The food was overall good and served quickly. I enjoyed a cool Vietnamese beer too.

I love their pho and the beef short ribs but I’m taking off one star bc I found this in my drink today. The bug was already frozen and stuck on the ice so it went into the drink when it was in the refrigerator which is upsetting.

PHILLFS

The place is understaffed and is unable to serve customers well. While I was seated right away, it took 15-20 minutes to take my order. If u order any specialized meal, it will take much longer to get ur order. The staff do their best and try to be friendly and polite, but the long waits cannot overcome this. Food is above average.

Crystal Kim

Yummy! They serve authentic Vietnamese dishes. I ordered pho and pork with vermicelli. The pho is not too salty nor overly flavorful, but it's just right to enjoy. The vermicelli dish with pork is really huge with a nice Vietnamese flavor (lemongrass and a bit of fish sauce). I love this vermicelli dish!! Iced coffee with condensed milk is awesome as well. Highly recommended!

VOLODYMYR Odessitt

Pho soup 🍜 was a The soup was unsweetened, not salty, excellent traditional soup, the meat was ok, the sprouted women were not very fresh. The siera sauce was good, the waiter ignored us for 5 minutes but then they still came to our table, which we really didn’t like, and the service itself is good for a lover of true and real pho, you should visit this place

+7

Used to be my go-to Vietnamese food place but lately the food quality has gone down. Recently went to Saigon spring and was surprised by how the foods should taste like. We miss the authentic taste. Please make it the way you used to! (Spring rolls are not as crispy nor fresh; Vietnamese curry has become very starchy and bland than before; Bon bao wae(sp?) Is not served with pork feet, real meat and now substituted with ham; Vegetables are stale.. and not fresh anymore..)

This restaurant serves good Vietnamese dishes. However, the waitress who served was very rude. Me and my friend (who was African American) were made to feel unwelcome, as if they would be relieved if we left the restaurant early. We didn't like such brash display of inhospitality. It is a very good restaurant. I hope they act more professionally.

Small place but fits quite a few people very comfortably. Food is good. Price is reasonable. Can get busy during dinner time.

The lady was so rude to me and my friend and was all up in our faces talking really unnecessarily loud pretty much shouting and when I asked her a simple question abt the pho she pointed at the menu and repeated the menu and rushed us and said she’ll come back when I make up my mind.

Jun Simons

While the food here is good, they seem to do a mandatory gratuity of more than 20% even though this isnt listed in the menu. The receipt doesnt tell you how much each item was or how much the tip was, and this needs to be more transparent. When calculating it seems like the tip was more like 29 or 30%… very strange. They need to list the automatic gratuity policy AND the percentage tip on the menu, and I will reconsider my rating The pho is very good, the broth is delicious and you will want to drink it all. The lemongrass spicy beef I also recommend, its fragrant and a large portion size, but its fairly expensive to account for this. I appreciate that they will package your leftovers for you, and fill your water. The Vietnamese coffee and thai tea here are standard If the tip situation becomes more clear (they need to post the policy, and maybe make it a more reasonable %) then I will adjust my review

+3

Waited to be seated and the lady was very rude. I asked if I can just pick a table and she was immediately dismissive saying “No, you have to wait!!” Duh? I was asking you didn’t have to respond like that. I obviously went out and didn’t wait for a seat anymore, not worth it, won’t let this place to ruin my day!

The owner of this restaurant need to see this!!!!!! First of all, the food is delicious! The woman working in the front with a white shirt is unbelievable rude for absolutely no reason. I come to this place because multiple people recommended the food for me. First time come in, the woman gave me rude hand gestures, demanding and told me I have to sit in the corner to order. After I looked at the mean and ready to order she wasn’t around, I waited patiently until the woman started to yell at me over 10 desks “ you need to wait for 5 minutes.” I’m not even sure why she yelled or had such an attitude towards to me when I’m being perfectly polite and respectful, and there’s no line, no customer. She came back to the front counter and said to me again “ you need to wait.” All I wanted is place my order and have it to go. When I finally waited and ordered, she said she can not break a 20, and she gave me 50 cents short without letting me know what’s going on. I’ve never ever ever been talked, treated and disrespected like this in my entire life, especially I didn’t do anything slightly unpleasant to her from the very beginning. Dear owner, if you decided to keep this woman you will lose all of your customers. Period.

Food is good Vietnamese food for the area but there is a forced gratuity for large parties (our table was 5 people) that is not specified anywhere on the menu or by the staff. Gratuity was 30.8% which again, is not specified anywhere on the menu, signage, or by the staff. This left a bad taste in my mouth.

I’m writing this review not because I’m just mad at the fact I spilled soups but because I want to know what really makes this happen. I would have visited the restaurant after this happen but since I’m already out of Albany, didn’t really have a chance to talk to a manager about this event. Hope that the owner could see this review and please pay attention to the containers if you want to keep charging your customers for the takeout container!!!

Berated customer infront of us for not tipping enough, credit card system stopped working so made me walk out to the atm and withdraw cash, and passive aggressive after I didn’t tip 20% because of the terrible service. The food was fine but don’t come here, there’s better places in albany.

Gertie-Mae Sliker

We were loving the Pho until we came across a secret ingredient. We won’t go back.

Elyse Drexler

I had always enjoyed the tofu steak which was accompanied by asparagus and pickled daikon,carrot and cucumbers. The steak was grilled and tasty with peanut sauce. What I received on November 13 was disappointing, if not downright awful. The tofu steak was redolent of oil from what could only have been all all fry cook,the asparagus was non existent, and the side veggies were replaced with tasteless, steamed broccoli and bok choy. The entire meal was a far departure from the good dish I used to enjoy.