The food was so good!! Mama was so friendly and welcoming. It was so good I had to go back twice in the same day. 35 was so good and the Vietnamese coffee was bomb!! Definitely would come back if I could. read more

Not my favourite Vietnamese restaurant but worth trying at least once. Conveniently located.

What a nice experience! The people here were so warm and welcoming! The food was fantastic. I wished we lived closer as we would be regulars! read more

Really good noodles here! The staff are very friendly and the environment is pleasant with all of the aquariums.

One thing I've found about Vietnamese restaurants is that it's all about the atmosphere. I find that most Vietnamese places all pretty much taste the same but it's about the people who are serving you and the restaurant itself. My friend and I went here for a late lunch today - based on her suggestion. I had never heard of it before and it's tucked away in a strip mall just off Macleod. I googled it before I went there and based on a comment, saw that someone said they had great pho so I decided to try that. I got beef and shrimp with spring rolls to start and an Avocado shake. What I really liked is that the lady serving us (I'd guess mid 40's) kept calling me her son and was always talking about something when she came to our table. Asking us how the food was, making small talk, etc. One of the times she came, she picked up my shake and moved it away from my food...telling me that I had to save it for dessert lol. I would definitely recommend going here if you're in the south and craving some Vietnamese. If not for the lady :) read more

Huge servings and the best food. Been going here for years and I can say that this is one of the hidden gems in Calgary! The owners are so nice too read more

Bolsa is my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Calgary, and Ive been to a ton of them. The family that owns the tiny restaurant are always friendly and welcoming. They know all their regulars orders,and make sure to always checking to see if your food came the way you wanted it. They do not skimp on the portion sizes, and have the BEST Won Ton Soup Ive had. A great little place for a casual meal or take out. read more

Great easy dining experience, delicious and large portions, accommodating for children would return anytime the craving strikes!

Review #5 of Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 2012 Bolsa has such a welcoming and comfortable environment that I feel like I am dining at home when I go there for food. The owners are always checking each table if their food is ok or if the customers are getting what they need. They' re like your parents who are so excited to see you and couldn't wait to feed you after being away from home for so long. Also the younger generation (who look like their kids maybe?) were also very friendly, always ready to fill our glasses and bring us utensils/bowls before we can ask for them. On our very first visit , the very helpful lady suggested what their best sellers are and her suggestions did not disappoint! When we came the first time, we were soooo tired and hungry from yoga and most of the time that tricks me into thinking that the food I'm served is better so I postponed doing a review until after my second visit. The food suggested on my second my visit was also as satisfying as the first! I suggest getting the spring rolls (their sauce is different from other Vietnamese places I've been to) ,Special Wonton Soup, #57 (beef in some spicy sauce) and #59 (chicken and veggies in a sizzling plate). I don't think I'm ever gonna run out of nice things to say about this place but if you're in the area try it! Service and food will not disappoint :) read more

Bolsa might be better known as the site of an unfortunate New Year's Day shooting a few years back, but the truth is... it's actually one of the better pho places in Calgary. Customer service is great; I haven't been in the restaurant for over a year and the owner still knows I take the #12 Not Spicy. The pho itself is pretty decent, with flavorful broth (on the saltier end), firm and fresh noodles (with firm I mean not overcooked), and plenty of meat. My friend commented that the satay was on the spicier side (compared to what she was used to), but again, not bad. The prices are comparable to other pho places in Calgary as well (8.95 Reg, 10.95 Large) although I would advise you to make sure that you are clear with the size that you want when they take your order. I say this because I'm not entirely sure they asked us properly at the beginning, and my friend and I ended up with large bowls. Well, I'm not sure exactly what size we were served, but I definitely paid for the large ones. Anyway, I would still come back for another bowl. Bolsa is one of the few Vietnamese restaurants in Calgary that does pho right. read more

You know you're in good hands when the person who greets you at the door takes a look at your sleeveless top and insists that you sit on the other side of the room because it will be warmer for you as the air-conditioning is very cold! Dan is the proprietess at Bolsa Restaurant, a motherly figure who is obviously well-liked by her regulars. I am early so I sit at my table, play a game on my phone and watch as patron after patron is greeted by name or even with a hug by Dan. I peruse the menu and find that it is interesting that the pictures in the menu aren't of the dishes. At each corner of pages are pictures of beautiful women modelling the National costume of Vietnam or else pictures of the beautiful scenery of the country. (see photo) It is an extensive menu; each item given its Vietnamese name and then a listing in english of what the dish is made up of. I order an appetizer of Deep Fried Vietnamese Rolls, It is 5 for $5.95. When trying a restaurant, I always like to order at least one of the staples to test it out. My philosophy is: you can tell if the food is going to be good if they can do a standard dish of that cuisine well. The springs rolls arrive just as my guest seats himself. They are nice and hot, a bit over-fried but the filling is a good balance of meat, vegetables and vermicelli. The next test is the Noc cham. It is a sauce made from fish sauce, vinegar or lime juice, sugar and sometimes a dash of hot chilli paste. This is an everyday condiment, and determines how good the Bún or spring rolls are going to taste. The sauce is everything I can hope for. This is a great sign that the rest of the food will be good. Dan is obviously proud of her establishment and food and tells us that we must try her food and then go around to all the other restaurants and then make up our minds. She is sure that she has the best! We elect to have Bún which is a choice of meat or spring rolls or both served over rice vermicelli and shredded vegetables (usually bean sprouts, lettuce and carrots). I opt for the Bolsa Special which is Vietnamese sausage, Ground Shrimp and BBQ pork and Spring rolls. My companion has the Combo which has BBQ Shrimp, beef and chicken. There are 2 sizes at Bolsa. This is fairly unusual as most restaurants will only have the one size for Bún. The regular is $10.95 and the XL $12.95. The regular is a bit on the smallish side in comparison with other restaurants but tastes great. Vietnamese sausage is bit like spam but more al dente in texture. The pork is well seasoned. There is less vermicelli in the dish than I have seen in most other restaurants. The dish is still filling and leaves one satisfied. My companion had no complaints about his meal either. While we were waiting for the Bún to arrive, Dan would make sure she stopped and showed us the dishes that were going to other tables and tell us: "See, it's good food, taste great!". Along the way she stops to tell us that it's a slow night. There has been a steady stream of customers from what I observed. She tells us it's slow because it's the Tuesday after a long weekend, during the weekends the line up is out the door and around the corner. She suggests that next time I come I should taste the hot pots. It seems to be a common dish being ordered by other patrons; I nod my agreement. If you're a fan of Vietnamese food then this place is a must for you. It's great to see a family-run place. The dining experience is made complete by the friendliness of the owners and staff. Who doesn't want to go somewhere where they'll get to know you by name? I'm looking forward to my next visit. Bolsa is located at Macleod Plaza which is between Macleod Tr and Bonaventure Dr on 94 Ave SE. read more

Bolsa Restaurant - Bolsa Restaurant menu page - Vietnamese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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One of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the city, and you don't have to go to the NE or forest lawn lol. Great location, great food, great staff/owners. read more

The couple that runs this place is very friendly. My parents have become regulars and the owners cook something special for them every time and don't even bother with menus anymore. The menu is pretty standard as Vietnamese goes but the quality is superb. The owners say the difference with their food is that they use fresh vermicelli and not dehydrated like most restaurants. You need to try this place! read more

Best vietnamese I've had in the city. "Mama" makes the trip worthwhile. She's super friendly, and gives hugs are arm-squeezes to everyone that comes in. You'll have no idea what she's saying most of the time, but you know it's full of kindness! Order the "hot plate". Spicy, but SUCH a good meal. read more

Fantastic soup and vermicelli with NO MSG! Very friendly service, obviously family run. (The mom told my wife she needed to eat more :). I had the lemon grass chicken on vermicelli (spicy version) and my wife the chicken soup with extra vegetables. The food came quickly and everything was nicely presented. The soup had the usual bean sprouts and lime on the side. Although there was a bit of fat on the chicken, everything in the soup was fresh and delicious. My vermicelli had a good amount of spice and again, was also delicious. We'll definitely be coming back here! read more

I had a chance to check out what Yelp reviewers were saying was the best bowl of pho in town. I tried the special (#8 pho dac biet) with the owner's recommendation to have it prepared extra spicy. I have to admit it is probably the best bowl of rice beef noodle soup I've ever had. The broth is top notch and the balance of meats was perfect. No need to drown it in Sriracha and Hoisin. The portion was good and the price was a little higher than what I would pay in Chinatown. The atmosphere was really good and I enjoyed the booth-only seating style with high backs and a centre wall divider which gave you plenty of dining privacy. They also played western music instead of the traditional tunes some places shoot for, which I also liked. The place comes across as clean, reasonably contemporary, but still has that down to Earth 'dive' feeling that I've come to associate with quality Viet food. Service was really quick. Definitely worth a shot. read more

Bolsa has absolutely amazing pho! The proprietor is a sweet little Vietnamese lady who refers to herself as "Mama." Mama greets you with a huge smile and tons of energy. This was my first pho experience so Mama assured me that she would "take care of me," and she definitely made good on that promise. She recommended #10, which is a spicy sliced beef pho. It was OFF THE CHARTS delicious! Enough heat to make my nose run and give my lips that subtle burn when I was done eating, but not that scorching heat the sends you diving for your beverage or doing your best to ease your flaming tongue. The broth has an amazing flavor that is accentuated with bursts of cilantro. The noodles were perfectly cook and the beef was very tender. My only complaint is that I live in the U.S., and can't return regularly for Mama's wonderful personality and delicious pho! read more

Bolsa Restaurant - #10 spicy - Vietnamese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Best pho in Calgary. "Mamma"makes you feel like part of the family and she only feeds her family with quality and love! read more

Bolsa Restaurant - This is the Phô dreams are made of - Vietnamese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

So many vietnamese places to choose in the area, but gave Bolsa a shot to compete with my other favourite place on MacLeod. The owners are facetious and cute, there are tons of aquariums around which would be cool if you brought children with you. Standard Vietnamese menu, I ordered the lemongrass beef - my benchmark when comparing new places. Mine came out and it was chicken. I mentioned this to our server, and she told me that "the beef was no good today" and I should have the chicken. Not sure if this was her covering for a mistake, or the truth. Either way I'm not one of those people who sends food back, so I ate it and enjoyed it. Bolsa has a nice flavour in their fish sauce that is more unique than other places, but as fare as Vietnamese, still not my favourite. read more

The best I've ever had. Vietnamese Pho prepared with enough careful detail to compete with great Japanese Ramen. read more

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WOW. Our family has been to almost every Phõ place in the city, this one hands down is a keeper. This was our first time here and we were very impressed. Our kids shared a bowl of Rare beef and meatball Phõ. And my husband and I each had the Chicken Phõ. The kids quickly slurped up their soup and tea so you know it's good. The broth is what makes or breaks the Phõ in my opinion. The broth tasted home made and had plenty of flavour. The toasted onions added a delicious smokey flavour and the fresh cilantro was a nice change. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed, not trendy or fancy. Lots of goldfish tanks around to keep the kids occupied during the short wait for our meal and desert. BUT the cherry on top of our night was the customer service. This wonderful lady -who I believe is the owner. Took the time to go around to each table and talk for a bit. Making sure everyone was enjoying her soup and was having s good time. She was a joy and we are definitely making this our regular place to Phõ. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. read more

Good but the moat expensive pho i've had 17 buck? Too many other good ones for less. I's noodles and broth? Why so much. read more

One of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Calgary. The food is great and the people that run it are incredibly friendly. I have had a number of dishes there and all have been great. Try the hot pots you won't be disappointed. read more

Gross not fresh and a dirty restaurant! Ordered Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli but got Chicken. They took away scraped off most of the chicken and then topped it up with beef. Yuk!! Ordered a Vietnamese iced coffee and the condensed milk tasted sour? How is that even possible? Go to Oriental Phoenix or Colonial Fusion if you want GOOD Vietnamese food! read more

I ordered the vegetarian egg noodle soup and it was just not good. Few slices of carrots, mini tofu, green onions. That was it. I have never seen a pho soup with cauliflower. It wasn't authentic Vietnamese. I've had a lot of veggie pho soup in the past that were way better and authentic than this place. I didn't like the salad roll either, just mediocre. The peanut sauce was good though. I eat with my eyes so the presentation is very important to me but the way they plate their food was unappetizing. The soup was not hot at all. It seemed like it has been prepared way earlier than the rest of the order. Some in the group seemed to like their food that's why I'm giving this place 3 stars. Sorry. read more

I found this place via Yelp. It was the perfect chilly day for a nice hot bowl of Pho. Upon arrival nothing too impressive on an atmosphere a bit of a hole in the wall to be honest. I was greeted by a very friendly and very busy Vietnamese woman who referred to herself as Mama. Don't expect too much for atmosphere or even the most prompt service however, what you can expect is hands-down the best bowl of Pho you'll ever taste. Generous portions for a reasonable price and just a delicious broth that satisfies beyond words. I went with beef meatballs , brisket , tendon ( held off on the tripe) extra spciy. Every spoonful and bite were just delicious. Mama really made the experience quite enjoyable as she's very passionate about her food and the people she serves it to. She told me she cooks the broth slow and low overnight. If you're in the area and want to experience one hell of a bowl of Pho I highly suggest it. There's a big parking lot as it's part of them all so no need to worry about that. In the words of my former governor I'll be back. read more

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Best Vietnamese in Calgary, the owner "mama" never forgets a face and will always welcome you back with the biggest smile, she is the cutest! Never ever been disappointed in the food ever even when I made special off the menu requests, she provided! Only negative I have to say is that it's a bit more expensive than a lot of the other Vietnamese places but well worth it. read more

This is a busy place for lunch, they have nicely spiced beef sate with a kind and good wait staff. The restaurant itself is dated and a little dingy, however, it's got a certain charm. This is by no means comparable to some of the best pho spots in the city, but it's a good spot to drop in for a quick bowl. read more

Bolsa Restaurant - Beef sate - Vietnamese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Friendly service. Reasonably priced. Clean Good portion. I usually order pho or rice vermicelli. read more

I chose Bolsa as my first Vietnamese experience and I have to tell ya peeps....absolutely amazing! I was not disappointed at all. The staff were very friendly and the food was delicious. So many options to choose from and I look forward to trying another menu item read more

So good, and so fast! Don't skip the spring rolls, and the Vietnamese subs are fantastic.

Quit watering down the damn hoisin sauce, cheap asses. I dunno what's up with this place but I've tried to continue supporting this local pho restaurant but it's just not tasty or authentic we prob won't be back.. just my 2cents. Great service though we love momma read more

Yes, the food is delicious, especially the Soup, but you will come back for the excellent customer service. My husband introduced me to their restaurant 8 years ago, the owners always remember you and what you ate the last time you were there. Favourite item no longer on the menu? It's okay, they will make it for you the same way you had it last time. Recently we stopped for lunch with our 1 year old son, Mama came over to our table, took his dish to the kitchen and came back with a bowl of chicken soup made especially for our son. Because my husband ordered his soup without spice so he could share with our son (and Mama knows he likes spice!) she took his bowl back and fixed it up just the way he likes it. Love this restaurant and will always recommend it to our friends. read more

Bolsa restaurant has the best Vietnamese food period. I went to Vietnam and the food there does not even compare to the high quality of ingredients used at bolsa. If you like Vietnamese food I guarantee you will love this place. The owner is friendly and kind and I've never seen anybody unhappy with their food there, ever. 11/10 read more

awful. i ordered a seafood vermicelli dish. received some kind of terrible egg noodle slop dish and was told that it was vermicelli. i wasted my money here and they don't seem to care. continued to tell me i'm wrong. there's only one kind of vermicelli noodle. read more

Bolsa Restaurant - does this look like vermicelli? i'm told it is. BULLSHIT - Vietnamese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I went to Bolsa at about 330, and I was the only customer sitting down inside. I ordered Vietnamese spring rolls to start which came out swiftly, hot and delicious. I also ordered a chicken sate Phö with veggies and NO CILANTRO!!! .. I hate to be a cilantro party pooper, but you either hate it or love it. Well, soup came out with tons of cilantro.... She dropped it quickly and left. Guessing she noticed the mistake, and didn't want to hear the complaints. I waited about 10 mins, and walked up to the counter to wait for someone to come out from the kitchen... No one came. I needed water and napkins! I sat back down and began picking my cilantro out and eating my soup. Well, there was so much of it, and I had no available drink either! When I was finished barely eating my soup, and I just walked to the counter and the gentleman apologized for my cilantro, and when I mentioned it to him, he just said "next time, next time." He was on the phone shouting at someone in Vietnamese, and just typed a number into his calculator and showed me 21.99! For a small soup and spring rolls? Usually, I have good service here, the owner is bubbly and facetious. I won't return. read more

Ordered the #10 which at the moment can't remember exactly what it's title was but it was a Pho and spring rolls. Both were excellent. Staff was very helpful with reserving us a table, taking our order and attending to our needs even though there was a slight difficulty understanding each other. Would recommend to anyone and everyone. As others have said, this is a family oriented restaurant with a very family ran mom and pop feel. My daughter loved looking at the fish tanks throughout the restaurant and her child size Wonton soup. After supper the staff on two separate occasions returned to our table to give our daughter lollipops and to tell us how beautiful she is. I will make this a regular stop when in Calgary and will be a big booster of this place. read more

A friend from work suggested this restaurant as his favourite Pho restaurant in Calgary. I found that the customer service is fast and excellent with owners engaging with everyone of their customers during busy lunch time. The food was authentic Vietnamese, well prepared and very flavour full. I highly recommend this place. read more

How can you not just love this place! The food is wonderful and the family that owns it are just lovely. Mama gives you such a warm welcome, she remembers everyone and their orders. It is the best of what a neighbourhood restaurant shouts be. read more

I've been going to Bolsa for a few years now and I just realized I've never written a review for it. I love Bolsa. I usually get beef pho with a side of spring rolls. Yum! But recently, I've branched out and tried other things on the menu. My favourite so far has to be Happy's Coconut Rice - phenomenal. And the homemade hoisin sauce is outstanding - I don't like sweet very much and the sauce has just enough sweet without going overboard. I introduced some friends to Bolsa and now it seems Bolsa gets picked whenever someone celebrates a birthday. Highly recommend Bolsa! read more