Pho Bac receives strong praise for authentic, flavorful pho with rich broth and generous portions at a reasonable price, with fast, friendly service that many describe as warm and welcoming. The Chinatown location is convenient and the staff often go the extra mile, making guests feel at home, though several reviews note an aging space with a noticeable odor around the dining area and bathrooms that can detract from the experience. While the food is consistently described as comforting and delicious, occasional issues include variable service, crowded seating, and a few quality hiccups such as certain dishes not meeting expectations or concerns about cleanliness. Despite these concerns, many customers still call it a go to spot for Vietnamese bowls and recommend the XL sizes for value.
My family have enjoyed Vietnamese cuisine across a number of US cities. Our favorite has always been bowls of hot, steaming pho. While visiting MTL, we stopped in & Pho Bac 97 truly serbes the best pho we've ever had. The pho broth comes from hours of simmering beef bones -- the old fashioned time-honored method to make the best stock. It has a depth & unctiousness which no one else's pho stock every had. Stop by & treat yourself to our gold standard of pho at Pho Bac 97.
After having traveled to 30+ countries, this place remains my favorite pho restaurant in the world ex-Vietnam. Have been here since 2011 (shoutout Yang), & despite that I don't live in Montreal anymore, I keep going here at every single of my visits to the 514. My order is always the same, #5 XL ✌?🍜🍲
Dec 7, 2025
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Pho Bac 97 has always been one of my favorite spots whenever I visit Montreal. It is right in Chinatown, which made it really easy to get to since our hotel was only a few minutes away.
The people here are honestly the best part. The owner, the male staff, & Hannah were so sweet & welcoming. They made us feel at home right away & it's clear they can connect with anyone because they switch so easily between English, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, & probably even more languages. That kind of warmth really makes a difference.
We ordered two Pho Dac Biet XL bowls & one Bi Cuon roll, & with taxes & tip it came to around $50 for the two of us. The food was comforting, flavorful, & authentic. As someone who is part Vietnamese, I really appreciate when a restaurant captures those traditional flavors, & this one absolutely does. At the end they even gave us fortune cookies, which was such a simple but thoughtful little touch.
I'll be honest, there is a strong smell around the bathroom area that can be a bit distracting, maybe from the age of the building or cleaning issues, but it didn't take away from how kindly we were treated.
I still want to give five stars because this place feels special to me & the staff treat you like family. Thank you again for such a lovely experience. Sending love from Candy & family from Toronto. 😋🍜
Restaurant with around 30 tables on bld. St Laurent since 27 years. The little details count to maintain a loyal & satisfied clientele in these crisis times, knowing that I have tried ALL the tonkinoise restaurants in St Laurent (in the surroundings of the quartier chinois) & this is my prefered spot. There is also a big variety of other Vietnamese dishes. This is one of the rare places that includes tea, which is more than enough for one person. It can be repeated as needed. But also each table has its own napkin dispenser, without being stingy & having to ask for another one every time, as is the habit everywhere in these days of economic restrictions. & since the specialty is tonkinoise & my favorite dish (a medium beef is $16), it is abundant, tasty & well seasoned bouillon. With large portions of meat, dressings, according to specialty, in a pleasant, bright & clean place. By now, the parking spots are very rare, for the street reparations. I have always been lucky because the waiters have been diligents, helpful & available. For all this, I return every time I visit Old Montreal... !
Definitely my favorite pho place. Service & atmosphere is typical for chinatowns the world over. But the pho was excellent. Broth was flavorful & the pho itself was to die for. The vietnamese coffee was strong & sweet, the best I've had outside of Asia. Definitely my new favorite pho place on mtl.
Aug 1, 2024
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This is one of my favorite places to eat ever! I come almost every time I go to yhe city. The pho soup is so good, it's crazy. I always get the number 7, I think it's the best thing on yhe menu. If you've never had this soup, your life is incomplete. You NEED to go here & get some. Fairly cheap, massive bowls, & fast service. Even if you don't love the food, yoy can't complain about anything else, this place is literally perfect. They also serve you tea the second you sit down & it's really good. I love it so much.
