I have become an accidental pho cononisseur.
Watching my boyfriend experience new cuisines is one of the small joys in my life. Together we’ve eaten our way through Korea, China, Japan, all unknown food frontiers to him when we first met. I like explaining dishes and ingredients to him (even though I’m no foodie myself) and watching his reaction to unfamiliar flavours and textures.
About a year ago, we stumbled upon Pho Vistro on Queen West. Vietnam was a country we had yet to cross off our culinary map. Two enormous bowls of noodle-filled broth later, and we inadvertently began a year of seeking out new pho places nearly every week. He loves the clean, healthy feeling he gets from eating pho, and I crave the slippery noodles and umami broth that’s slightly different wherever we go.
After trying eight different pho spots between us, I’m confident we can offer a quasi-authoritative take on the best and worst Vietnamese noodle bowls in Toronto. Our review can be somewhat objective since we always order the same thing wherever we go: rare beef with rice vermicelli noodles.
The Best
Our favourite. We return to this cozy cafe more often than any other spot on this list. The broth is what sets this pho apart – it’s immensely flavourful without being overpowering. The rare beef is always buttery and the noodles perfectly cooked. I’m salivating as I write this.
I count these two together because to us they have become interchangeable – when one is closed (or we can’t get a seat, as both are usually quite busy), we simply walk down the street to the other. Both have delicately flavoured broth and perfectly cooked noodles. Both are also popular with local families, so there’s a chance you’ll get to look at cute babies while you eat.
The one spot on this list I’ve visited without my boyfriend. Maybe it was because I fasted that day, but the pho here is like a warm hug – flavourful and filling.
Pho Phuong Vietnamese Restaurant
Affectionately known as our backup place when Cafe Pho Nho is closed, Pho Phuong holds its own as a respectable, dependable bowl of pho. What sets this place apart is its 3-scoop ice cream dessert – 1 each of coconut, mango and green tea. Yum.
The Worst
Nostalgia just wasn’t enough to save this spot from the bottom of the list. While the pho was tasty enough to get us hooked on the dish, after trying several other phos in Toronto this bowl just doesn’t hold its own. The broth simply leaves a strange aftertaste in the mouth. Not totally unpalatable, but not one of the city’s best.
Broth is once again the killer at this joint, though it is far worse than Pho Vistro’s. It seems to be tomato-based, which gives the pho an unpleasant ketchupy taste.
Avoid. Tasteless broth and stale noodles. Pho Pasteur holds the honour of being the only place where I could not stomach finishing my meal. The excellent reviews of this spot online makes me worry for the people who like it. There are far better places to enjoy pho in Toronto. Just look above.
The Roaming Homebody 