TRAN Cantine: A Second Address Near Concordia

Nearly ten years after opening its first address in Saint-Henri, TRAN Cantine has a second one, this time steps from Concordia University. The house brings along what has set it apart from the beginning: a house-made phở broth built on chicken following family tradition, a know-how passed down over three generations, and a menu rethought for the student neighbourhood around it.

TRAN Serves A Broth Nobody Takes Their Eyes Off

Where most Vietnamese tables in Montreal build their phở broth on beef, TRAN went with chicken, and that choice sets an entirely different rhythm in the kitchen. Chicken bones are more fragile than beef bones, they don’t forgive inattention, and there’s no question of leaving them to simmer alone all night the way you would a beef stock. Someone stays there, watching, skimming, adjusting. What comes out is rich in flavour, with a depth that builds hour after hour. It’s a labour of love in the most literal sense of the term.

“There are so many Vietnamese restaurants in Montreal. What makes us unique is our chicken broth,” sums up Marylyn Tran, who founded TRAN cantine with her husband Wayne. They also serve some of the best bánh mì in the city.

Sharing the Tradition

That standard goes back a long way. The co-founder grew up in her parents’ restaurant, Pho Tay Ho, and the family recipes were adapted rather than copied out. Her mother, 65, still cooks and takes her station every morning, and her own children may carry the tradition on one day.

TRAN downtown runs on five people: the founding couple, Shayan Vu, a former manager of the house turned co-owner, and two of their friends. “It all started in friendship, and we developed that family side that brought us here,” she explains. The counter shares its space with a Thai Express, and here again the bonds formed on their own: the two teams cross paths every day and get along beautifully.

Chicken From A to Z

The downtown menu adjusts to its neighbourhood. There are duo, combo and trio deals, a student discount with ID, a loyalty card and house-made drinks that change with the seasons. And above all, one thing exclusive to this address: the bánh mì mama, the cold-cut classic reworked entirely with chicken, picking up the house signature. Chicken pâté, chicken charcuterie prepared on site, crispy skin saved from the birds that simmered for hours for the broth, all of it in a house-made baguette. Nothing here is bought ready-made, and you can taste it.

As for what comes next, it’s already taking shape: “My goal is really to have people taste this food across Canada. It’s a dream,” she confides. With home cooking of this calibre, there’s little doubt the rest of the country would dream of tasting TRAN Cantine’s dishes too.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on September 22, 2026

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