Saigon Lotus offers a lovely selection of vegan and vegetarian Vietnamese dishes. The flavors are…read morefresh and well-balanced, and the fresh spring rolls and pho are highlights. Portions are reasonable, though some dishes could be a bit more flavorful. Service is friendly and attentive, making for a relaxed and enjoyable dining experience

My family has been coming here for a while everytime we're in Toronto. We've tried so much the menu…read moreand the soups are never a miss. The service here is always amazing, I definitely recommend! Esp if you're veg it doesn't feel like you have to compromise any flavors or substitutions.

I really enjoyed my visit at this Vietnamese restaurant located in Chinatown. If you go there on a…read moreweekend, get there before 8 PM to beat the rush. Food was excellent and service was accommodating. I had beef rib pho and complimentary warm tea. The sauce to go with the beef rib was quite good. I got the rest of the pho to go, as it was a huge serving. It was a bit of a challenge trying to put the contents of the huge bowl into the takeout containers and I imagine other people have this same issue. Will definitely be back. Next time I'd like to try their banh xeo and com sườn bì chả.

Anh Dao located along Spadina Ave near Cecil St. (closest big intersection being College St.)…read moreserves up Vietnamese food in a casual space. They specialize in meat platters where you can create DIY fresh rolls. The platters come with lettuce, mints, vermicelli, rice paper and house special sauce. They also have pho, rice, and vermicelli dishes as well. Washrooms are located downstairs which are not accessible. They only accept cash (with a 10% cash discount) or debit. I previously have had Anh Dao for take out before - their pork sausages (nem nuong) are delicious and perfect when you wrap them with vermicelli and fresh herbs. Even when I got take out, the restaurant gives you plenty of fresh ingredients to create your own fresh rolls. I recently went to Anh Dao for lunch to dine in at the restaurant on a Friday around 12:30pm. The place was pretty quiet as it seemed like I was their first customer that day. During my time there, there was another party of 2 that also came in to eat lunch. I opted for the house special soup pho ($19.95). Service was friendly and my food came at a reasonable time after I ordered. The house special pho included slice rare beef, beef brisket, beef balls, and tripe. The soup was slightly sweet with a nuttier flavour. The noodles were unfortunately not the fresh kind but there were ample beef ingredients in the bowl of pho for the price you are paying. I love how in addition to siracha and hoisin sauce, there is also ground up chili sauce as well as a pickled sliced garlic and jalapeno pepper mixture at the table. Moreover, you get bean spouts, a red chili pepper, fresh herbs, and lime that you can add to your pho broth. Overall, a tasty bowl of pho where the quality of the beef was good. Anh Dao is a tasty option for Vietnamese food in the College and Spadina area. Definitely do try their meat platters as they are quite delicious!

Great food, fast and awesome service. Most items are reasonably priced. The food was very…read morecomforting and delicious. Cash or e-transfer only so come prepared! Love love love this spot :)

I visited on a Friday night at 6:20 PM, and there were plenty of tables available. I had been…read moredebating whether to try this restaurant for a while, and while I'm glad I did, I'll still be going to my favourite Vietnamese spot down the street, Anh Dao. I ordered the bun bo hue, pho, and spring rolls. The bun bo hue tasted more like a spicy pho broth, and the pho reminded me of the broth at the Michelin recommended restaurant on Ossington. Overall, the bun bo hue and spring rolls were just okay, nothing special. The pho was good if you're looking for something simple. They also put a large piece of beef tendon in the pho, which I loved! One thing I didn't like was that the owner seemed to be rushing us to order, which felt a bit off putting. I'd come back for the pho and spring rolls, but I'm not sure about the other dishes.

This is like a hole in a wall, Love this spot to get banh mi and noodles…read more This is cash only and it's pretty affordable compared to those fusion banh mi spots. Hot tip is to visit within 30 min of closing, they usually have discounted prepared food. I got a packed vermicelli noodle with sausages and fish sauce for $5. Normal pricing is about $7.50 (still worth it)

Tiny place with an amazing Banh MI…read more My son fave is the cold cut banh mi. My fave is the sesame ball and the vegetable spring roll.

New Viet restaurant joins us on Augusta Avenue in Kensington. This was previously a crepe place…read more This pho spot has an original version in the burbs so they know what they are doing. The store front looks inviting and once inside the thought and details of the interior speaks to their experience in welcoming diners. Beautiful inside with a fresh and clean vibe. I had a fish cake with dill vermicelli soup which was delicious. It came with the usual side of sprouts and greens to use as toppings. My bill was $23 with tip on my card for the soup. Service was quick and efficient with plenty of staff around to help you enjoy the experience. The front patio is really nice! Will be a great spot to eat while people watching at this iconic corner.

Inconsistent at the moment…read more I've been there 2x for the same order #45 tomato, softshellcrab w vermicelli. The soup on my first visit was great, had depth, flavourful! I tried to finish the broth because it was so good. I would have given that first bowl 4 stars! Today was terrible! It just felt like a super water-downed broth that I didn't want to drink. Everything was just boiled and dumped in a water-downed soup base. The least they can do is use broth and dump it in the seafood tomato based soup. This was a 9pm dinner. They had their own family visiting to close up shop at 11. I tried asking them what happened to the broth today but they didn't speak English or just decided not to. It was disappointing for a bowl of $21 + tax noodle that was just pretty bland tonight even though it looked the part.... Sigh 2 stars today but couldn't average it out to 3 because now I remembered the spring rolls from the first visit were soggy Yes they are friendly but don't know if it's a place you should come before 7pm to catch the good broth?

They have 5 types of dry noodles with pork tossed with sauce, which is super hard to find as a dish…read more(even if you look for similar dishes in Singaporean, Malaysian, Thai and Cambodian cuisines). The dry noodle dishes under the green column use egg noodles & those under the brown use rice noodles but the toppings & sauce are the same. The most pricey rice noodles are Japanese but otherwise the difference is width. Got the thin egg noodle version in large. It's recommended to add pickled garlic & red vinegar. The soup was pretty tasty with a natural sweetness, 2 springy half fishballs & a large, very fresh shrimp. The sauce was basically oyster sauce but pickled garlic, red vinegar, hoi sin & chili sauce were available to add complexity. The noodles weren't wet but were not dry either. Large was a very big bowl it came with minced pork, thin sliced pork beansprouts & greens. The pickled garlic was good. Also got a shrimp fritter on the side for $2.50. It was big with one tiny shrimp. The juxtaposition was comical but it was cheap. It was not warm but the fritter was crispy & tasty. Unfortunately the shrimp itself was dry & brittle. Service was good, especially for an Asian place.

How do I keep forgetting this place? They have been around forever, and I mean literally forever…read more Perhaps I overlooked because they don't fall into the usual perception of Viet food, but it's definitely genuinely and authentically, Viet! Right down to the non-white washed clientele. I'd always prefer to dine where the "locals" dine, and being in a multicultural city like Toronto, it's difficult to fine a hidden gem that hasn't been invaded by foreigners (I'm laughing inside because I'm not Viet and am disliking myself for being that invader; however, I can pass for a Viet if I just point to the table I want and the menu item I'd like ). So, please keep this place to yourself as I would hate to line up the next time I come.

I visited this Vietnamese restaurant years ago and had a good impression back then, so I decided to…read morecome back recently. Unfortunately, this visit was very disappointing. The restaurant has no atmosphere and is cash only, which I normally wouldn't mind if the food were affordable and tasty. However, prices have gone up over the years, and the quality has gone down. The food tasted like it had been microwaved and was not enjoyable at all. The portion is so small. Because of this experience, I wouldn't recommend coming here, even though the restaurant still has strong reviews. I suspect many of those are from years ago when things were better. I genuinely hope the owner sees this feedback and considers revamping the business by improving cleanliness and, most importantly, the food quality.

The French bread has a nice crunchy crust with fluffy interior. Cold cut filling is not super…read moregenerous in quantity but commensurate with the low price. We ordered at the counter, & the cashier was very friendly. If you are in the Kensington Market areas and craving banh mi, this is a nice stop to make.

This is one of those og spots in Chinatown which have been around forever (and has been frozen in…read moretime and could use some upgrades). Cash only, with ATM on site. The convenient thing is that they are open 24/7, making it a great choice for anytime. The food here is generously portioned and delicious, especially the vermicelli dishes, pho, and bun bo hue. Prices are on the higher side for Chinatown Vietnamese food. Service is pretty friendly compared to other Chinatown restaurants!

My friends and I came here at around 10am and there was nobody there except the staff who were…read moreprepping. There was a short wait after ordering as this was the morning. I got the rice with grilled pork, chicken and fried egg. Portion wise, it was a good amount. A big piece of both meats sitting on a bed of rice and a sunny side up egg right on top. The meats were really flavourful which I liked. I can eat but this really filled me up. All my friends also enjoyed their portions too and some were too full and had to take out the leftovers. The ladies working there were nice. Atmosphere wise, there is a lot of seating, especially for large groups. It looks like your typical Vietnamese resto with the utensils and condiments on the edge of each table.

The Bun Rieu Oc (crab rice noodles soup) was flavorful and accompanied by a nice ginger fish sauce…read moreto dip your escargot in. For those adventurer who wants a more robust savory flavor, you can ask for the extra shrimp paste (mam ruoc), which will add more umami to the already flavorful soup. The only thing lacking was the side veggies, which were missing some herbs such as spearmint and perilla leaves. The service staff was very friendly and attentive. The place opens up into the street and you can sit facing outward to watch walkers going by. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised that the taste is quite good and almost comparable as typical restaurants in the OC, heartland of viet expats...

Clean Vietnamese restaurant, with an extensive menu. They have a pretty good variety of dishes from…read morebanh xeo to bun rieu and more! We just went with broken rice with pork, chicken pho, and the pork and spring roll vermicelli. Yummy! Servers are pretty friendly and quick to serve us

We love this place and it is a go-to for celebrations! Trendy and chic decor that is formal enough…read morefor special occasions but also casual enough that you don't feel unwelcome if you're in simple jeans and a tshirt. The stone bowl is obviously a specialty and beautifully presented, but the chicken pho is just as delicious at about half the price. A definite must visit, and order a fun cocktail while you're at it!

Great atmosphere fun vibes with friends family or date night. Good for small or large groups. No…read morecomplaints on the service either. Food was yummy but not particularly unique. Got the dry pho with chicken - personally would prefer a bun (vermicelli) instead. The green onion tofu had a good flavour with the sauce but found it was fried a bit too much, making it crispier than I'd like (it felt more like tofu skin than I could enjoy the tofu itself). The stuffed chicken wing was my favourite of the 3, just felt slightly pricey for what it was. The mango sticky rice cocktail was delicious - would get again.