Bac Ky Vietnamese Canteen

I’ve been here probably ten times. It’s really good, fresh, simple food. Idk how ‘authentic’ it is, but it’s definitely tasty. It’s fast service and really cheap for the area. Eat in area is small but very cozy and takeout service is very fast.

3.5÷5
*The term bac ky is actually a derogatory term for people from Northern Vietnam (like me). I’m not offended by any means and apparently the owners picked that term to pay tribute to their parents, who came to Canada from a city in Northern Vietnam. Quite strange.
*The menu was pretty basic for any Vietnamese restaurants with a few options for each categories. I was surprised to see that everything is priced under $ 10, which is really rare for a restaurant in King Street West.
–Shrimp Fresh Roll — $ 5
The roll was well-​made and refreshing with lettuce, bean sprouts and the carrots were slightly tangy. The fish sauce was disappointing as it was extremely watered down. A bit more fish sauce and few slices of red chilies would do the trick :)
–Bun Rieu (vermicelli noodles, chicken soup broth, fresh tomatoes, dried tofu, crab meat balls made with ground pork, egg, crab paste) — $ 8.80
it was way much better than the one I had at Banh Mi Bar! It was light and not too oily along with stewed tomatoes that contributed a slightly tart and natural sweetness to the dish. However the soup was a bit salty for my taste and there was too much broth for the amount of noodles and meat in the dish. I also found that since the soup had been modified to be healthier, the broth doesn’t have as much depth of flavor as the ones I had in Vietnam. But I supposed this will have to do if you are craving for bun rieu and unwilling to travel outside of Toronto.

Having heard from a co-​worker that there was a Vietnamese restaurant that opened fairly recently close to work, I went here to pick up phở for the first time today and was really looking forward to having some delicious phở broth on a cold and rainy day.
I ordered a phở bo vien (phở beef noodles) to go and went to pick it up. Got to the venue and it looked like a fairly cozy enviroment, had quite a lot of people but the cashier line was moving along quite quickly so waiting to pay wasn’t an issue. What I didn’t like while waiting up there however, was the terrible smell of stale and dirty water that was probably used to wipe the counters since the odour was quite strong. Cashier was nice, I paid and left to head back to the office and try my food.
I’ve been to a lot of Vietnamese restaurants and have had really good phở so maybe I have high standards for my food but the phở I had was a big disappointment. The broth, which is the key to any good phở tasted bland. It was as if the bones used in cooking phở wasn’t cooked long enough for the flavours to really come out, and it was just the taste of hot water with MSG and onions.
I probably had like 3 or 4 small slices of rare beef that came with my phở and it left me wanting more. What I did have quite a lot of, was the rice noodles which unfortunately wasn’t that appetizing since the broth wasn’t great. I had to put a fair amount of salt into my dish to be able to get through it.
Might quite possibly give this place another shot for some other dish since it’s quite close to work, but I won’t be having the phở again.

A great addition to the area, nice staff but a bit of a let down on the food.
If you are used to visit other vietnamese, you may find this one a bit blend and not remarkable at all. Just ok.

I like having a Vietnamese place close to home. I’ve already been here about a dozen times and its usually quite good, although I have seen a slight decline in the quality of meat since we started going. I’m worried that the quality of food will continue to decline, please don’t let that happen!
I love the avocado fresh rolls & beef phở. I always ask for substitutions (cause I’m annoying that way) and they’re always happy to give in to my irritating requests.

Really wanted to like it, staff was great, good price point but the soup was sooooo bland. Throughly disappointed as I live close and was hoping to become a regular.

The food here is amazing and excellent. Not sure where Leesa’s 1 star review is coming from but she’s a hater and whats with the racist white references LOL. The other negative reviews are just not true. The food here is fresh, tasty and Im sorry but going to Chinatown is sometimes a crap shoot and there is great phở all over the city and the phở at Back Ky is worth a visit and try. The place is cozy, well decorated and at least isn’t dodgy like some other phở places. Stop being haters bad reviewers and grow up. This place rocks.

I did not have the phở like others so I cannot comment on the phở. But Viet food is more than just phở.
What we did try:
Bun rieu ⁴⁄₅
less salt, less meat, and less egg than the norm. Overall theyre just going healthier with their recipe. It can use more egg, like the whole bowl should be covered with that tasty egg on top
Bun with pork slice ⁵⁄₅
It’s excellent, the pork tastes great, the spring rolls are pretty tasty. It’s a great dish. But their fish sauce needs maybe more sugar and vinegar.
Matcha mango smoothie ⁴⁄₅
It tastes like matcha. With mango. And some small pieces of mango sunk to the bottom.
Note: you order and pay before you get the food.

Went here to try a new place for lunch and lets say ‘save your money’.
I am not a Phở expert or anything but this place is a joke!
Location: convenience
Food: who are we catering too? I understand Caucasian people won’t know the difference but we live in such a diverse city that I’m sure the whitest person can tell if it’s good ‘phở’ or bad Phở.
I ordered a Phở Ga — which tasted like MSG watered down, and the bean sprouts were not even fresh! The chicken were cut into the smallest pieces. Ugh!
Next, I ordered an avocado milkshake which was the worst $ 5.50 wasted again!!! It was like ¼ of an avocado maybe less? A ton of almond milk that was warm and maybe a tiny bit of condensed milk and no ice! It was so warm I couldn’t even finish it. It was basically a blended almond milk with a little slice of avocado.
Do yourself a favor, go to Ginger which is probably better than this place OR talk a walk to Chinatown.

I work nearby, and sometimes craving for Vietnamese phở and Chinatown is too far of walk during lunch. So this place is just right for me, however comparing with Chinatown the quality and the price are obvious not as good, but is decent and clean.

this place is terrible… Close to king west and by far the cheapest option but nothing to rave about.
If you want real vietnamese food and have the time, walk over to china town and save your money.

What the phock?
I’ve been to hundreds of Vietnamese restaurants and this was by far the worst I’ve ever been to.
The Phở broth tastes like sweet and sour sewer water. Inedible, I couldn’t finish and had to go and eat elsewhere.
Go here if you want to throw up a little.

I had walked by this place a few times before noticing that King West now had a Vietnamese place, and was excited to check it out!
It was pleasing to see Bun Rieu (one of my faves) on the menu — ordered that and some shrimp rolls. One touch I really like is the self-​serve water cooler — with both lemons and limes!
The rolls and soup came out quickly, presentation was nice, and portions were generous.
I was really surprised by the rolls — the veggies/​herbs in them were super-​fresh and crunchy, but what put them over the top for me were the bean sprouts inside, the added texture was very enjoyable!
The savory flavor of the soup was bolstered by super-​fresh tomatoes and herbs, and was surprisingly (and enjoyably) light compared to other places I’ve tried it.
Had a nice chat with one of the staff before departing — she recommended the ‘Homestyle’ roll, which I’ll definitely be returning to sample!
A welcome addition to the restaurants in the area, pop in and check it out!

Good enough! Prices same as in Chinatown which was a pleasant surprise given the location. Not the best Phở ever, but so close to home and perfectly located for those hangover/​craving days. A great addition to the hood and I hope it stays cuz I needs my Phở when I wants my Phở. Fresher herbs and beans sprouts and beer would be great, please!

new and promising. aimed at local residents as one of the few Asian offerings on King W, for lunch, after work or post-​gym take away. more like a home made joint with cool music and that backpacker vibe, than a destination restaurant with iconic food.
i had the bün which was ok, but light in the meat portions. spirng rolls were awesome though — packed with lots of chicken. they do vege protein shakes too with fresh ingredients mixed in front of you.
hopefully they can up their game in the portion sizes, originality of offerings, and a broader range of menu items. right now, it may be too soon to tell.

The hunt for good phở in Toronto continues. I was really hoping that someone had finally come along and elevated phở beyond something more than just the late night chinatown stop or hangover cure. Something along the lines of what Bahn Mi Boys did for the Vietnamese sub. Unfortunately this isn’t it.
Its the same old phở presented in the same way you’ll find in any Vietnamese phở joint. Although a bit more expensive and window dressed with cool music and an attempt at creating a more hip environment, this is King Street after all.
Phở Hung and Phở Pasteur is still as notch above, albeit possibly laced with MSG, of which I did not detect at Bac Ky. A cleaner but less flavourful broth and with slightly thinner noodles. The rare beef was hardly rare by the time it arrived to the table which like any other rare beef phở you end up having to peel its layers away in order not to consume half your beef in one bite. Bac Ky does seem to be positioning itself as a healthier version of a phở restaurant with its Vega health smoothies. An odd, but interesting choice.
Also long legged people beware. If you hate Nana’s recreation of the street food alley with its tiny plastic stools you’ll find a similar experience here. Short, although more comfortable, stools than Nana still leave my legs wanting a good stretch afterwards.
Bac Ky is still in its infancy and I’m hoping they can still find a way to raise the bar for phở. Even a bit of creativity and ingenuity would be all it needs to raise itself above Toronto’s sea of phở mediocrity.

i really, really wanted to like this place but was disappointed. i’m hoping they work things out but if they continue as is i doubt they will be here much longer. :(
i ordered a small beef phở to go. what i received was a container with rather bland broth and overcooked beef ball halves and a container with mushy noodles, rare beef, onions, cilantro. i also received chopsticks, a spoon, napkin and two ketchup style packets of hot chili sauce. sorely missed was the thai basil, chili peppers, lime, bean sprouts, and hoisin sauce that are pretty much standard with any other phở place. the soup definitely needed the extra help.
perhaps it’s a much better experience when eating in the restaurant rather than getting it to go. all in all very disappointing.

This opened not too long ago (less than a month) and I was super excited to try it (King West does not have a lot of great Asian food options, except maybe CoCo Rice). I went in for lunch and it’s canteen style so you order and pay first before sitting down.
I ordered a small bowl of phở with a side of pork fresh rolls. I like that their spring rolls and fresh rolls menu offer a lot of variety. Shrimp fresh rolls are more common but I prefer pork so glad that was an option. There are also vegetarian options as well. Overall, the food was OK. Soup is good, a little on the saltier side. Could use more meat. Pork is somewhat dry and flavourless in the roll but the sauce it comes with can help with that. Doesn’t compare to the phở places on Spadina or Ossington, but if you’re in the area and craving some comfort food it’s not a bad choice. Total came out to just under $ 13.
One interesting thing about this place is that they offer protein shakes. You can even get a full size container of Vega protein powder. I would come back to explore their smoothies and dessert menu.
Overall, it was okay. I’ll come back if I’m craving phở and am in the area. Can see this being good for takeout too. So far it’s a good spot for lunch hour since it’s not too crowded (yet).