Chorney-Booth: Wake up and smell the pho! An Sang does breakfast, Vietnamese style

An Sang is a new restaurant in Calgary specializing in Vietnamese breakfast, which, as it turns out is a lot like Vietnamese dinner

We independently select everything we recommend. Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but the adage is truer in some cultures than others.

India? A big breakfast country. Ditto for Mexico and Türkiye.

Vietnam can also be added to the list as a place where people like to front-load their caloric intake at the start of the day. What exactly, though, is a typical Vietnamese breakfast? An Sang, a new restaurant on 17th Avenue S.W., answers that question.

As it turns out, Vietnamese breakfast looks a lot like what most Westerners might think of as a Vietnamese dinner. “Breakfast is the most important meal in Vietnam. Sometimes people skip dinner or lunch, but I will say they rarely skip breakfast,” says An Sang co-owner Nin Dang.

“You get the best pho and the best banh mi in the morning. I never eat pho or banh mi later in the day.” Which is not to say that most Calgarians have been doing pho the wrong way this whole time.

Dang jokes that with the time change we’re probably eating our soup and sandwiches at the exact same moment people are having their breakfast in Vietnam. Still, she does want Calgarians to give a morning Vietnamese meal a try. Dang has been in Calgary for three years, after first moving to Toronto from Vietnam.

Looking to start something in her new home city, she opened the very popular Bee The Banh Mi kiosk in the Fresh and Local Market and Kitchens in Avenida in 2024. Originally from the central part of Vietnam, Dang wanted to share a wider range of Vietnamese styles and flavours with Calgarians than she saw in more typical Vietnamese restaurants, which quickly won her a solid customer base. Figuring it was time to expand to a proper bricks and mortar space, Dang, her husband Danny Truong and chef Eric Nguyen set their sights on a space on 17th Avenue S.W., right across the street from Tomkins Park.

Thinking ahead to when she might be ready to start a family, Dang liked the idea of doing Vietnamese breakfast to avoid late night hours. The name An Sang literally translates to “eat breakfast” and the restaurant’s catchphrase “An Sang Chua?” means “Have you eaten breakfast yet?,” a common greeting in Vietnam. That said, the restaurant is open all day for those who do want their pho for lunch or dinner.

An Sang boasts a friendly and modern-looking casual dining room. Its 45 seats include a bar wrapped around an open kitchen, which emits the sound of sizzling food and intensely savoury aromas. Reflecting its ownership, the room has a youthful feel, with fashionable wood accents and social media-ready mirrors and artwork.

As for food, once you get over the idea of having a solid Vietnamese meal as early as 9 a.m. (though Dang is considering extending the opening hours even earlier) ordering a morning pho or banh mi to fuel up for the day makes sense. There are several varieties of soup, ranging from a simple beef ball pho ($18.99) to the An Sang special with oxtail, brisket, and beef balls as well as a poached egg ($34.99). Then you’ve got six different kinds of banh mi ($14.99 to $15.99), sizzling plates of steak and eggs with paté and beef stew ($34.99), and broken rice plates with a choice of protein ($22.99 to $28.99).

To make ordering easier for those plagued with indecision, Dang identifies some “must tries” on the menu including her bun bo hue ($22.99), a soup made with a lemongrass beef broth, beef shank, crab meatball, and thin noodles. Dang keeps her broth mild and clear to let the lemongrass shine, but those who prefer a hot and spicy broth can throw in the accompanying plate of chili flakes. Also, pay special attention to the pork chop and broken rice ($22.99) a version of the very first dish Dang cooked for her family when she was young.

Another element morning diners will appreciate is An Sang’s selection of Vietnamese coffees, with several varieties as well as quenchers including calamansi juice and an avocado coconut milk drink. An Sang is located at 843 17 Ave. S.W. and can be reached at 403-707-9889 or through Instagram at @_ansang.yyc.

The restaurant is open every day except for Tuesdays from 9 am through the dinner hour. *** In other brunch news, Maven, the popular brunch restaurant just a few blocks from An Sang, recently released a new menu.

The restaurant has leaned into its roots as an eclectic daytime affair with an emphasis on interesting culinary combinations and a whole lot of flavour. Look for new creations like pistachio creamsicle pancakes, miso salmon hash with a crispy fried egg and Chinese spiced hash brown potatoes, and Lanzhou braised beef with mustard spaetzle as well as old favourites like kaya French toast and Singapore-style pork congee. Maven is located at 1006 17 Ave.

S.W. Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.