Pho Phoenix

I don’t normally carry cash on me so Linh across the street wasn’t an option today. Though this place is better so I’m not disappointed. Vietnamese is in my top 3 favourite foods. I’ve been to quite a few restaurants across Toronto. I would say this restaurant is one of the top 5 for me. Great portion sizes and they don’t skimp on the meat.
Service was quick and courteous.
Really tasty fresh rolls that were just stuff to the brim with fresh ingredients. I ordered a vermicelli grilled beef & meatball dish. I think I’ll order a dish with one type of meat next time since they give good portions of it.
Lots of vegetarian options which is cool too.

Delicious, friendly, lots of variety, large sitting area, clean, and (worth repeating) delicious!
I find myself craving their salad rolls often (they are slightly warm and filled with freshly grilled chicken). Their chicken soup, phở, and other soupy dishes are super comforting. The broth is always very aromatic. Their rice-​based dishes are LARGE and very tasty.
They use good quality ingredients — fresh veggies, chicken breast, etc. — and there is ample option for healthier meals. Easy to eat vegetarian and «light».
Very much recommend it!

We used to go to Linh, but they dropped the ball pretty hard about a year ago, and Phoenix picked it up and ran with it. We LOVE coming here. The phở broth is aromatic without being overwhelming, and the bun is possibly the best in the area. And the family who runs it are so sweet! I love, love, love them! The owner is always friendly and in a good mood, he’s been teaching me about Vietnamese ingredients (it’s impossible to find good nem nuong in this town!).
There are also many vegetarian options here, more than I’ve seen in other Vietnamese restaurants in the city, and it’s great with groups, too. They take cash and debit, too!

After being sorely disappointed with Phở Linh across the street, I came upon Phở Phoenix and decided to give it a shot.
The spring rolls were fantastic. Absolute best spring rolls I’ve ever had. However, the soup was just OK. I had the vegetarian phở and I thought the selection of veggies was strange: celery, tomatoes, okra… where are the mushrooms and the onions?!
That said, the space is big and bright and looks relatively clean. The bathrooms are fine. The experience was OK.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been here… Place still looks the same and the phở is still great. The service is quick albeit a bit too eager to get your order I think.
The vegetarian spring rolls are really good. They use rice wrapper rolls and they come out flaky and explode into crispy shards of crunchy goodness when you take that first bite. Yum… Be careful vegetarians as I did find a chunk of meat in my roll.

When I was in university I used to live on top of this restaurant… And it’s just as I remembered it then (yup that deer head that scared me then, still hangs on the wall). I have yet to find another Vietnamese restaurant that makes their Vietnamese sausages sometimes called meatballs the way this place does. If you like sweet meat that’s exactly what these are. I am pleasantly surprised that this place is still around. Happy it is! The owner even remembers me because common I used to live on top of it! I ate there all the time! Now the truth about their Phở, it’s broth is sweet filled with different flavours it’s quite great however there is quite a bit of oil in it. So I warn you if you like you broth clear without oil floating oil patches, get something else on the menu. The other thing that is great, mind you I only got them in the summer is their avocado shake, it’s delicious! Glad this place is still around and I will always go there when I’m in the area, worth the hassle of finding street parking!

I am still very confused at how I am now at phở nho. I am now getting tasty things. Hurrah!
I went to phoenix as it is a stat holiday and everything was closed but I was coming down college and saw the open sign. I Unilocaled it and it was good in my books :)
I got the hue style beef and pork phở and the fresh rolls.
The fresh rolls sucked, they had a weird curry like noodle that was crumbly in it. Almost rice like but then a massive hoard of lettuce that filled it. I ate half of one and decided it just maybe wasnt my thing.
I got the phở and had a few sips with noodles and could barely eat another bite. It was so insanely spicy I thought I should ask to maybe have some broth poured in to even things out a bit. The guy beside me noticed me not eating and asked if it was too spicy. I said ya! Its crazy! And he said oh ya sometimes they do too many chili peppers, dont worry theyll take care of ya! So I was like great, thank you kind eavesdropping sir :)
I decided to bring up the bowl as nobody was around for awhile. The guy grabbed the bowl and I started to explain that it was very overly spicy and I couldnt quite keep eating it as it was. I asked if he could add a bit of broth or if I could change soups. His phone rang and he handed the soup off. He talked on the phone for 5 mins and once he got off didnt say anything to me still standing there.
I asked him «oh, hi, helllooo… yes me here…» If I was waiting for the soup to come back. He said you dont want it wrapped up? I said no no, its too spicy to eat and explained again. He looked at me and said HA well youre paying your bill. You dont just get a free soup. I didnt once even think about this until he said it. I certainly didnt come here to get free soup.
I looked at him very, very confused. The last thing I wanted was to remain hungry and have a back and forth with someone. I said Id be happy to pay if we could alter the soup in any way. He said no. You order it. You pay it. Literally those exact words as he pretended to read through take out orders as to not make eye contact.
So I paid. He started muttering in what I suppose is vietnamese and the server came over and his hands went up and they spoke back and forth as he fumbled around for my change.
My god I’ve never felt so belittled and stupid for trying to figure out a solution to something that certainly is not very hard. I wasnt mad or even looking to not accommodate their needs as a business.
I went to say bye to the guy who had spoke to me earlier, who heard this all, and he just put his hands up and said oh miss, im sorry thats not right.
He was one of the most awful people ive met and one of the worst TO restaurant experiences ive had. I hope the 15 $ he got from me makes him very, very entitled and pleased.
Now thank goodness phở nho is open and im re doing the exact order I just had but with awesome service, amazing food and a warm atmosphere. Happiness.
Please please dont give awful people your business. Phở ling across the street (if proximity is your thing) is the top notch option.
:)

Standard Phở place. If you’re in the area and want Phở I highly doubt you’ll find better for cheaper. Friendly staff too.

Tonight I brought 3 of my family members here. Order was incorrect twice-​thankfully we could look back to the proof on the bill to ensure what I requested was actually what was to be received. The spring rolls were way too oily. Phở was decent Service was absolutely appalling. No apology given for mixing up the order. The waitress was so quick to clear our table that she spilled the remaining soup on my new phone. No apology, no remorse. Very poor customer service. I definitely won’t be going back again.

Plats copieux, authentiques avec un menu très fourni. Ce restaurant vietnamien familial est essentiellement fréquenté par les habitants du quartier ou ceux de passage le long de College Street. Bön rapport qualité prix.

Had never been but was a refreshing surprise when a friend brought me there about a year ago.
First off, the broth is fantastic. It doesn’t separate as the soup sits, which is a sign of high quality soup. I also like that the beef is thinly sliced and a good cut. The noodles are a perfect consistency. As far as side orders go, the grilled chicken rolls are a nice option if you want to cut back on the grease. Lots of seating. Worth going to any day. Oh, and they do debit and credit. A rarity in the phở and pan Asian food world. Bonus points ;)

So, I’m kind of obsessed with this place. If you have a hangover — it’s cheap and satisfying. I always stick to the same thing — 118! It has vermicelli noodles, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, grilled chicken and a spring roll. Let me stop there; the spring rolls are enough to get me excited but combined with the food — so good! All the spices/​sauces you want are on the table.
My only gripe is sometimes the chicken is a little fatty but I can get passed that. It’s fast, friendly and delicious. It’s got something for everyone.

Simple Vietnamese place with great food. I live in Little Portugal and really believe this is the best Vietnamese restaurant in the west end.
Their deep fried vegetarian spring rolls are one of the best in the city, in my opinion.
I also regularly order the lemongrass tofu.
Good vegetarian options.
I once made the mistake of going to Phở Lin across the street — never again! Phở Phoenix is the real winner on the street.

On our way to another Phở place we decided to try Phở Phoenix just for some variety.
Their food, it’s decent. When I walked out i looked into the kitchen to see them making something. The guy there said it was something off the menu special for Chinese New Year. He said it must be ordered days in advance. Ohhh, how elitist. But I get it, sometimes you just need time to prep and stuff.
They have a lot of tables that are relatively clean and they have tvs for you to watch sports. How better is that phở and sports?
The food came very fast, they got everything we need. Wasn’t refined or anything, just what you’d expect.

My absolute favourite spot in the city for phở, hands down! Service is super fast and efficient, with no BS. I usually order the rare beef/​fatty beef phở, and it never fails to satisfy. The broth is rich and tasty, and the beef is of good quality, nice and fresh.
Also, I saw that someone said it’s cash only. This is false, they take cards as well.

I had the fresh vegetable spring rolls and a rare beef and beef ball phở. The spring rolls weren’t too bad. Didn’t feel as fresh as I would have liked. The phở was ok. I liked the ratio of meat/​noodles/​broth which is good. Taste wise nothing to call home about.

3.5*
Cash only.
Phở Phoenix (try saying it fast a few times!) gets an extra star for being one of the few places that was open on a cold and snowy Sunday night.
The restaurant doesn’t really have the cozy feel of some Vietnamese joints I’ve been to, but one could appreciate how clean it’s kept. The menu is the typical dictionary format that includes factorial combinations of every Vietnamese food you have ever heard of!
The deep fried spring rolls were decent, though not as good as the ones I’ve had at Phở Pasteur. The vermicelli with ginger beef is also pretty tasty and light.
The phở I found the most interesting; first, don’t skip out on the 75 cent price jump between the small bowl and the large! The difference in size, and the amount of meat is HUGE! I’m really not sure how the math works out at this place!
Second, the broth is different in a way that’s very refreshing at first, but get’s a bit overwhelming by the time you’re halfway through your meal. The most likely reason for this is the rather generous amounts of cinnamon that was used at the time of my visit. This would be a good ingredient to add to your own phở halfway, but a whole bowl’s worth was a bit too overpowering for me.
Overall, Phoenix is worth a visit if you live in the area. The service is pretty decent, and the ingredients seem to be fresh! The fact that there were a few cops eating here during my visit was a pretty good sign for me as well!

Decent food for a decent price.
Pretty standard phở restaurant — both in terms of food and aesthetic. Definitely a better option for vegetarians compared to lots of nearby phở/​Viet places. The faux pork was super delicious.

Came here with two friends and we tried their phở and bun.
We had the grilled beef vermicelli bun and rare beef and tripe phở. The vermicelli according to my friend was pretty good and smelled very good. My phở was ok; the best part was the soup base.
This place looked relatively clean and the tables were not sticky but I did see a bug on my phở which they quickly changed it for me.

The phở was PHOnomenal. This is how the conversation with the server went:
Server: Hello, how are you?
Me: I’m great! How are you?
Server: *pauses* I’m… so-​so.
Me: Aw :(
Server: :(
But he took my order and brought it quickly and it was amazing. I ordered the usual ph bò (beef phở) and the deep fried spring rolls (heavenlyyyy).

Now called Phở Phoenix.
This place is… not good… for multiple reasons
1) A small phở bo had ONE freakin slice of beef in
1, really?
2) Service is shite. Took 20 mins to get our bill after asking twice.
3) The first menu item I chose, they couldn’t make (no wontons in stock) OK. But they couldn’t make the second item I chose either. Get some bloody inventory.
Everything else was average.
There are two stellar Viet places right across the road, choose those.