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 long standing Montreal favorite, with many describing its broth as incredibly flavorful and its pho among the best they have had, a comforting go to on cold days with generous toppings and fast service. The dining room vibe receives mixed notes, ranging from a lively authentic atmosphere and friendly staff to a colder, louder space with slower, disorganized service and sometimes a sterile feel. Cash only is a frequent gripe, though some reviewers mention an ATM on site or nearby, while others say the policy dampens the experience compared to places that take cards. Portions and value are often praised, fresh herbs and chilies are highlighted, and the idea of a reliable, nostalgic staple persists, though a few reviews describe issues like thin noodles, small meat portions, or broth that can taste flat or MSG heavy. Overall the reviews converge on a beloved institution that inspires strong loyalty and memories, with a hope that consistency and reopening stays true to its character.
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
Been dining to this restaurant from time to time for many years when I have a craving for Vietnamese chicken soup or grilled beef lime with side dish of imperial rolls. Small restaurant with Jo reservation so you might have some lineups depending on time & day. Note that cash only is accepted but a ATM machine is inside for cash.
May 18, 2024
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Love this place! My girlfriend has been going to this place for almost 20+ years. & for the past 7 years or so, it is one of our most common restaurant destination. Food is great, tasty & fresh. I recommend the "Soup Tonki" (chicken or beef "well cooked"). Their spring rolls & imperial rolls are also delicious. Love ending super with their traditional cold coffee (strong coffee, slowly dripped into condensed milk). What a great finish to an amazing meal. Whole family loves this place. Service is nice. Only (small) complaint about this place is that parking is sometimes difficult to find, & depending on time, paid for. As for the place, it is absolutely tiny. & usually quite busy. So you are sometimes "crammed" (if you will). When we see that it is too packed & we have the whole family, we just decide to take it out instead. Prices are very decent & affordable. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone!
J'ai toujours bien aimé ce restaurant. La soupe à toujours été très bonne tout comme les grillades. Mais voila que ma femme & moi avons commandé pour emporter hier & à notre grande surprise, c'était meilleur que d'habitude ! Avez-vous changé de recette ou de chef ? Bref, je vous recommande de commander ;)
Ate here & the soup was great. Before it was salty but now it's very balanced. Very tight spot & only accept cash. They do have an ATM & there's a Royal Bank across the street.
Very disappointed. I've been coming to Pho Lien for years & tonight's meal is by far the worst I've had. There are better Pho restaurants out there than Pho Lien. The chicken Pho soup is boiled sliced chicken, not even grilled chicken. Not worth the price at all & I will not be coming back at all. Nobody from my table enjoyed their meal. We should have gone elsewhere tonight instead of going there!!
Very delicious! The soup is clear & tasty, & I don’t feel thirsty after I finished the soup. It happened to me when I had pho in somewhere else. I will come back for sure!
Je crois que ce resto a été vendu. La salade de papaye n'est plus servie avec du vinaigre, mais avec de la sauce de poisson. Les grillades de boeuf sont rendues minces comme des feuilles. Le bouillon des soupes tonkinoises est dilué. C'est vraiment dommage, j'aimais tellement ce resto.
Voilà ça c'est un restaurant à la hauteur des attentes des clients, la soupe phô est succulent & savoureux à l'excellence, bien garni & d'une qualité quasi parfaite. Malgré des prix excessifs, Bravo mes compliments, félicitations, c'est un plaisir de venir déjeuner chez Pho Lien, je vous le recommande, ce restaurant connaît le sens accueil, sourire, bienveillance & le plus important, l'écoute du client, c'est primordial. Certains concurrents devraient prendre exemple sur Pho Len...
Extremely poor sanitary measures.
First I find a bug, now I find a string of hair.
Few years ago, I found a bug in my soup but I did not write any bad reviews because I thought I may have been unlucky.
Today, I found hair which was clearly not mine.
If you look at the picture, above is the hair I found & below is mine for comparison. You can see that the hair above is not mine because:
1) my hair is clearly much shorter (note that the hair I found was split in two while I was pulling it out of my mouth)
2) my hair is black while the hair above is light brown.
3) the hair string above is much thinner than mine.
(For this website, I could not attach a photo)
2 years ago, when I had found a bug in the soup, at first, I thought it was some sort of a thin black bean & wondered why there would be a bean in my pho. I pushed on it with my chopstick & saw wings sticking out.
I wanted to puke.
The restaurant refunded me the soup (which is why I did not post any bad reviews at the time) but they never apologized.
Instead, they asked me why I had eaten the soup if I had found a bug, insinuating that I put the bug in myself. (This is because I had only found the bug floating on the soup when I had almost finished eating it.)
I don't understand how anyone could eat from here. You think this won't happen to you, but think again. Go to a clean pho. These pho's rarely keep their sanitary measures & this one was not an exception clearly.
This restaurant will never change as long as you keep paying for their dirty soups.
We have been going here for many years & still have to say their tonkinose soup is one of the best in town. The flavour of the broth may vary slightly but it is always very tasty.
