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.
Great place for Pho. I love pho & we have many great places in Toronto/Markham. This place has pho that has great depth & flavour. The grilled chicken has a smoky flavour that lingers even when in the broth. 10/10 - go for the XL grilled chicken pho - you'll thank me later!
Family-owned restaurant, right in the heart of Chinatown. We've been eating their pho for years now & it's still excellent (especially their grilled chicken pho).
Although the place looks kinda old, the service makes up in niceness & efficiency. You'll be in for a good meal for a very reasonable price. Recommended!
Jan 19, 2026
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This is a very solid pho place in Chinatown. Decently priced, good fast service. The pho is amazing & the combos are also great if you want both pho & a meal. Go to spot for comfy pho when it is pretty bad outside!
The pho is very generous & tasty 100% recommend it but what truly made the experience special was Hannah (Or Anna) she is truly a spectacular hostess & treated us like family I can't stress more how everyone should give this Gem a try. Definitely will come back!
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 ✌?🍜🍲
It was not the greatest in my opinion, the beef was very chewy. But the tea that they gave me was very nice. I sat there for around an hour & played some chess on my mobile phone.
the food was around 16-19 dollars I think.
6.7/10 for me. I would love to have some garlic chili vinegar in it next time.
Phenomenal Pho, the XL is the way to go, delicious broth, a nice clean well serviced restaurant. The service is great, very nice people & a definite place to go in Chinatown!
J'ai eu une très belle expérience , la nourriture était super bonne mais ce qui m'as le plus marqué c'est le service. Le service était incroyable au petit soin. & la dame était plus qu'adorable & thank you Guys for the amazing expérience. Si vous voulez manger un bon pho this is the SPOT.
Sep 22, 2025
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Usually the pho & the Vietnamese food is not bad here & usually I would give 3 stars... But unfortunately I found a fly on my Pho noodles in the soup! Therefore I must remove 1 star. In addition, they still ask me to pay despite I showed them the insect in my food! In addition, the price has gone up & the quantity & quality of the food is the same or worse as before, so I will stop coming.
A totally unassuming simple Pho joint with irresistable food, though the grilled beef & rice are not the same as a few years ago, its still worth visiting.
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. 😋🍜
