Pho Lien is a Vietnamese restaurant that offers great quality food for the whole family at an affordable price. The menu features lots of soups, some noodle-based dishes, spring rolls and grilled mains flavoured with lemongrass and sesame.
Pho Lien is widely praised as a top pho spot in Montreal, with a rich aromatic broth, well balanced toppings and noodles with good bite, and many diners say the beef pho is superb and among the best in the city; portions are generous, prices affordable, and service is typically fast and friendly, with extra bowls and fresh chilies available on request, though the cash only policy and an on site ATM are noted; the atmosphere ranges from cozy and welcoming to busy and cold depending on seating and renovations, and some reviews mention a return after a fire that was celebrated; while concerns include flavors leaning toward MSG, inconsistent quality, small meat portions, higher prices, slow or disorganized service, cold rooms, or lack of card payments, many longtime visitors still consider Pho Lien a favorite for both dine-in and takeout.
The best pho in mtl. Even though I'm mostly vegan, I often make the exception at this restaurant & get the rare beef & extra veggies when just veggies won't cut it on those days. These are the rare times (pun unintended) i eat red meat. Just don't try to show up on a tuesday because they're closed
2026: I had the weekend special soup that has a spicy broth, beef & pork & round slurpy noodles & I really enjoyed it. The place has been renovated to look more modern & the service is really human, polite & chill
The best pho around. I have always loved it, the broth is so delicious & everything is fresh. Lately I have been eating there more often since a loved one is staying at the nearby hospital. They treated us so well when we stopped in to pick up food, I felt like they not only were providing food, but they knew they were giving people a moment of comfort.
Apr 18, 2026
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THE BROTH 🙂???🙂???🙂??? Thank you!
We got food to go & the vibe in the restaurant was so cute, everyone was so happy to have their fav open again after the fire, it was nice to see/feel ☺?
Sadly incredibly mid. This place gets recommended constantly, & I'd heard people were excited when it reopened after the fire, so I really wanted it to be good. Sadly, it was a huge letdown.
The broth tasted almost entirely like MSG. MSG itself isn't the problem, but here it felt like the only flavour, flat & one dimensional. The noodles were thin & broken apart, the meat portions were tiny, & the rolls were mushy & completely forgettable.
It's also more expensive than most pho spots, which makes it harder to justify. The service was slow & disorganized, the room was cold, & the music was loud, horrible radio slop that made the whole place feel even more unpleasant. They even charge for tea, which came in a tiny teapot & tasted extremely bitter. The atmosphere feels sterile, like sitting in a suburban boomer kitchen, & they don't accept cards.
If you're nearby, just go to Nguyen Phi down the street instead. The staff there are warm & funny, the service is genuinely welcoming, & the pho is excellent, deep, clear, aromatic broth with generous, well prepared toppings. The vibe is great, the decor is awesome, & the music is weird & cool, it actually feels like a place with personality.
Cash only! They are sooo busy with full tables & non-stop take out orders for a reason. I got fatty broth pho dac biet with a side of tiny fiery green hot chili's & chili oil... heaven 😋
The noodles have a good bite to them & they have an excellent mouth feel when combined with all the things. I barely needed to dip my meats in hoisin sriracha mix, the broth is that flavourful!
If this isn't the best pho in Montreal somebody please let me know
I had the beef pho, i dont like bloody so i get mine cooked real well!! The imperial rolls were not my fave but the Pho TOP QUALITY! So damn good! I crave it so much 😩!! So so so good! The service is so fast & thorough, the broth is the BEST in Montreal. Keep in mind it's cash only! They have an atm in the restaurant tho!
Mar 26, 2025
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My daughter wanted to warm up on a cold February day & try Pho Lien, a restaurant I loved during my medical residency (it's right across from the Jewish Hospital & around St. Mary's).
I'm ecstatic to report that the deliciousness lives on. She nearly finished her large chicken pho & I dug right into my XL well done beef (my infectious disease & medical microbiology colleagues recommend well done). Add a shot of hot sauce & hoisin, & I could eat that broth all day. My husband would've picked the spicy pho, available only on weekends. My father was the only person I ever met who could finish the extra large size without blinking.
The bean sprouts, herbs, & lime slices were extra fresh. It was served so fast that Anastasia was eating before I got back from the bathroom.
Small notes: I had recommended the beef or chicken combo also, & we ordered the beef rice combo on the side to taste & bring home. The waiter pointed out that we already had soup & suggested we trade the included soup for a second roll, which I happily accepted. Anastasia said it was cold, but I'm not sure how promptly she sampled it. It was cold by the time I tried it ten minutes later, since I'd prioritized eating my pho, which is at peak perfection while hot. The combo was still delicious cold. Environmental note: we bring our own containers to reduce waste.
I tried the hot coffee with condensed milk because it was freezing outside, but it turns out I prefer the iced coffee. I used to drink the iced coffee while pregnant with my kids, & this is a happy memory. I added a few ice cubes from my drink. All good.
The bathrooms are not fancy, which doesn't bother me. I will always pick a mom & pop joint with excellent food over a place where looks are more important than taste.
Pho is about $20, tax already included. Cash only. Closed Tuesdays. I hope to bring my kids sometime in the summer to try the patio, which was wonderful.
I was so happy to see that you guys were open on thanksgiving! Ordered tonight & I don't know what happened but I paid for two XL pho tai gau & it just wasn't like usual. Less noodles & meat, less bean sprouts (which had browned some already), it was greasier than usual too & the broth wasn't as flavourful... Not impressed at all, & I hope it was just an off day today because this is my favourite pho restaurants.
Oct 14, 2024
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The best, most authentic pho outside of Vietnam! this is really an institution. the service is speedy, friendly & warm & the food is so so excellent. The broth is rich, deep & perfectly seasoned & full of flavour. The noodles are fresh & bouncy & the beef is excellent quality. Hands down the best pho I've had! Service Dine in Meal type Dinner Price per person $10-20 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes Pho Soup Raw Beef Pho
The best, most authentic pho outside of Vietnam! this is really an institution. the service is speedy, friendly & warm & the food is so so excellent. The broth is rich, deep & perfectly seasoned & full of flavour. The noodles are fresh & bouncy & the beef is excellent quality. Hands down the best pho I've had!
Today I ordered from.this restaurant on uber eat, I have a cold so.i wanted soup , boy o boy let me.tell you it was absolutely delishes, the broth was amazing & the way that they package the broth separately from.the noodle & protein is great , it came hot with fresh veggies on the side to top up the soup. Anyways absolutely delishes, loved it, thank you
May 30, 2024
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Best Pho restaurant in town. The broth is amazing. However, very small meat portion. Really small & crowded place, but friendly staff. The service is quite fast. They don't accept debit/credit cards, which is really annoying nowadays. Also, the price has drastically increased over the past 5 years (passing from 11$ to 18$ for the x-large).
Best pho I've tasted in Montreal. We usually order in (frequently!!) but for once we went there. Reasonable price. Killer broth. Wish you were open every day but I'm happy everyone takes at least one day off!
Delicious. Line out the door so you know the food had to be delicious. Was not disappointed after I had the first bite. The broth was flavorful & the noodles were perfectly cooked. Highly recommend!
rating: 3.8 / 5 ☆ Prior to 2020, I used to have lunch here fairly often with my family. Out of the many pho restaurants located in Montreal, we preferred Pho Lien because of their appetizers, three-coloured drink & obviously, their pho. Over the past 3 years, we hadn't dined here due to multiple reasons, the main ones being the implementation of restrictions associated with covid (lockdowns) & the 45 minutes drive it takes (used to come here after tutoring lessons back in high-school). On Friday, October 6th at around 11:15am, my family & I decided to come for lunch, as we had plans in the vicinity. We (4) were seated immediately & ordered the following: - pho (beef) - spring rolls - papaya salad - rice cakes & eggs - three-coloured drink (+ more pho for takeout) For starters, overall, the quality & the taste of the dishes are what I remember them to be. Although I have noticed that the broth contained slightly less MSG than before (based on its taste alone), which i personally prefer. Also, the three-coloured drink was extremely sugary & the taste of coconut was much less prominent, which sadly altered the taste. On a positive note, the spring rolls I grew up loving taste just the same & the peanut sauce is still to my liking. (I'm quite picky when it comes to the consistency & the taste of peanut dipping sauce, truthfully I'd give theirs an 8.5/10) However, the portion of some dishes are significantly smaller than what my family & I remember them to be- which is rather disappointing, considering that the price has increased as well. I understand that the rise of food costs leaves businesses no choice but to increase the prices on their menu, however diminishing the dishes' portions on top of that is simply a bad business move. For instance: - the amount of noodles in the pho was nowhere near enough when taking into account the size of the bowl ordered (the amount of beef was fine though) - the rice cakes & eggs dish has shrunk by a lot (this is my mom's favourite dish, therefore she noticed right away) - the glass used to serve the three-coloured drink is shorter & smaller, as the handle of the spoon used to be barely visible when inserted in the glass & while mixing the drink before taking a sip I sincerely hope this review reaches the business well & serves as constructive criticism, as I truly wish to continue supporting this restaurant whose food takes me back to my childhood & other memories that I'm fond of. Service: Waiter was polite & the dishes were served fairly quickly, though we went before rush-hour took place.
