I'd call this restaurant just alright. iPho is located in a pretty good location in the Byward Market, and popped up as a Vietnamese restaurant that I noticed has to compete with other pho restaurants nearby. I was going with a few friends, but had to arrive later since I had another commitment. I got them to order for me a medium pho with "the iPho special": rare beef, brisket, tendon, beef balls, chicken, and a quail egg. Once I was done and commuted to the restaurant, it had been around 45 minutes; the pho was just about ready to be served! My friends had been waiting the same quantity of time for their orders. The atmosphere was interesting; we did go at a time between lunch and dinner, so there really wasn't anyone else around. Also worth noting is the decor, which looks like a traditional western pub; I think that's what this place might've used to be. We did eventually get our dishes. The pho was inoffensive but ultimately nothing outstanding, even with the extra toppings and sides. Filling, of course, but that's what you would expect from noodle soup. Would I recommend coming here? I wouldn't think so; I think there are other Vietnamese restaurants in Ottawa that respect your time and have more flavourful dishes. read more

Wow wow ! Pho is the bomb. We got Ipho special. My fiancé said best ever pho she has tasted. I am with her. Also ordered shrimp deep fried rolls, papaya salad. Everything was top notch in flavour. For drink we got Vietnamese coffee and Coconut bubble tea and it was very good. Recommended ! read more

See all

Would call this spot average, which did not disappoint but was nothing special. The shrimp rice rolls were lacking a flavor component, I feel like usually there is a mint leaf or something in there, which was missing from these and they were incredibly small and lacking some flavor. read more

Easily the BEST Pho. We ordered using Skip The Dishes and the food came in separate containers... broth in one, meat/noodles in the other... and garnishings in a little baggy. Very thoughtful. Their noodles are AWESOME! This is now the only Pho restaurant I will order from. Love 'em! read more

Did a quick take out order from this place. I originally wanted just 2 shrimp salad rolls or shrimp rice paper wraps as they call it here. I should have known that something was wrong when I went to pick it up and was charged $13. I thought it was normal because this place was in the Byward Market and things are sometimes priced higher. Obviously when I got back and looked more carefully, I got two orders instead of the one that I ordered. Not the biggest issue because they were eaten and shared with others. The big issue is the person taking the order didn't speak or understand English well. Anyways, I've had better shrimp rolls from the places in Chinatown. read more

IPho - Shrimp Rice Paper Wraps - $5.95 for 2 - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Had a reservation for 5 people yesterday. Walked in at 6:30 to an empty restaurant. We seemed to surprise the only person working who was working on something in the corner. We were told to sit anywhere so we did. Sitting down, we noticed the table hadn't been wiped and the floor was filthy, full of scraps of food and crumbs. Clearly, this place wasn't taking care of itself and dirty tables and floors are a pretty good predictor of what the kitchen must be like. We got up and walked out. read more

At first I was apprehensive about the name and location in byward market, but this is a legit Vietnamese restaurant in a unique and convenient setting. The chicken broth egg noodles I ordered were delicious, with the best bbq pork I have had in a pho restaurant in Ottawa. The broth was excellent and the medium more than filled me up. I love that they had three hot sauces to choose from. Highly recommended for dates due to the location and nice interior (Old English pub style). read more

IPho - Chicken soup egg noodles with shrimp and bbq pork - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Portion pretty large. A medium size filled me up good. ( for reference I'm a 24 decent build male) The pho was very nice, and the soup is excellent! read more

This restaurant is not welcoming kids or they don't have good manners. We eat our all the time with kids, but this is the very first restaurant that I felt very uncomfortable because of the server/owner's attitude toward our infant. Pho was just alright. Grilled chicken +beef wasn't so good. Not sure why they charge so much on not-so-good food. It's really hard to find Vietnamese restaurants that have bad grilled chicken and beef. read more

I stumbled onto this place, and it was exactly what I was looking for; clean, family run, authentic Vietnamese food. The Vietnamese coffee was perfect, as were the fried pork spring rolls. The rare beef/brisket Phó was everything for which you could ask; adequate table salad to add onto the soup, perfect amount of noodles, savory stock, and it was served nice and(therapeutically) hot. The family that runs it was very nice, which can sometimes be hit and miss(culturally) at Vietnamese restaurants. I always search for the best Phó in every city I visit; while I have no way of knowing if this is the best in Ottawa, I can say that it was excellent. Recommended. read more

IPho - Vietnamese coffee and wonderful bowl of beef pho, specifically rare brisket and beef. Pho-nominal. - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

See all

This is a boba review only We came in for milk tea with boba on a hot afternoon in August and were very disappointed with what we were served. I had never before ordered boba and received jelly milk tea. Verdict: Wouldn't return. read more

Food was good, service was good. Enjoyed our meal. I suspect they get a good business at lunch and will do well in the summer. Would I return: if it was convenient and I wanted pho. Would I recommend: if someone wanted pho in the market area i would have no problem sending them here. read more

Very good pho and shrimp rice wraps. Very nice customer service. (Asked for more water and more bean sprouts) Good variety of food choice, great and peaceful ambience until the pub next door decided to blast rock music. Great place to take pho Virgins! read more

See all

Poor service, food mediocre. Owner always looks pissed off when you go to the cash to pay. A little hello or how was your meal never hurts. Have had much better vietnamese in Ottawa. The quality of meat is poor and the portion of meat is poor. Won't be going again. Usually bring business colleagues out for lunch but not going here again. read more

Food is just like other pho place. The service though! As we walked in and sat down, the waitress brought two dishes wrong for two different tables. I know for sure she took down one wrong and she argued with customers and claimed they were wrong. After they ate what she brought, she said you could have asked me to take the meat put. They already ATE it! Bad bad bad service! Don't go! Then the older lady went to the table after they paid to argue with the customer. What the hell? Generally the food takes longer than other pho places. read more

tldr: Terrible and deceitful service. If you want to be treated disrespectfully and dishonestly, visit this establishment. Otherwise, stay away. Not only was their service inadequate (no water given, no napkins, nothing) but I had this experience: I specifically went to this establishment because I heard that they had spring rolls made with rice paper. I've had them before and they are different from regular spring roll paper because it is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Not only are they different in taste and texture, but they also cost $1-2 more. In the menu it lists different types of spring rolls and this one in particular specified that it was made "with rice paper." However, when it arrived it was made with regular spring roll paper. Me and my friend didn't notice because we were talking and starving until we were almost done. It was then that it clicked so I asked the waitress, not really expecting anything except an acknowledgement, that it was wrong. However, she proceeded to argue with me and tell me I was wrong. I refused to back down and she directed me to who I believe is the owner's wife. She also kept telling me I was wrong and was very condescending. She pulled out BOTH wraps and tried to convince me that the one that said rice paper on the package wasn't rice paper. This is when the owner comes out and he literally asks me "What is your problem?" I tell him and we, AGAIN, proceed to argue about the difference between normal spring roll paper and rice paper, while the two things are in front of us. He switches arguments then and says that in Vietnamese, the two things are the same word. This makes absolute no sense because if they were the same, they wouldn't need to specify a difference and charge a premium. Furthermore, I knew they weren't the same because I've tried it before. We argue for another five minutes before he switches arguments, AGREES with me that they messed up, but in a condescending tone, tells me "Well you finished almost all of it, so we can't do anything. You should have said earlier." By this point, I felt beyond frustrated and disrespected so I asked that they discount the premium since what I was served was just a regular spring roll. He refused and said that wasn't fair for his business and that since it was just $2, I should just leave it. I disagreed and we argued until he agreed, but not before he said to me: "I'm only doing this once. This is not how you do business. This is wrong. It's not ladylike for you to be doing what you're doing." Not. Ladylike. Not ladylike to ask to be treated honestly? Ridiculous. I told him to mind his own business when it comes to how I act and went back to my seat. However, when the bill came, it was not discounted as mentioned. I had to go back to him and ask him about it again. He was dismissive and waved his hand at me. I asked him what that meant and he told me if I wanted a discount, I could do it myself. So I did. In the meantime, he gave me lip, telling me "This is the only time I'm doing this. You're being a bad customer. You should be ashamed of yourself. Next time, I won't do this." I told him, "Don't worry. I won't be coming back." And he said, "Good, I don't welcome customers like you." So, like I said in the beginning, if you want to be treated dishonestly and disrespectfully, visit this establishment. The owners WELCOME you. The rest of us? Stay away. read more

It's hard to fine a nice, humble Asian restaurant in Ottawa these days. Being a family-run business, they really keep you comfortable in a professional, serene environment. Since I am Vietnamese myself, they hit Pho right how it should be. A smooth broth with fresh noodles and fine beef brisket and beef balls. For my appetizer, I had the spring rolls that tasted like Vietnam itself alongside my Vietnamese coffee (if you haven't tried this yet, then you haven't lived). Definitely recommend. read more

Delicious pho!!!!! I ordered the pho with beef balls. I usually find a lot of places don't serve pho steaming hot (like its meant to be) and that's why I don't get the rare beef. This pho was amazing! The soup was really hot and flavorful, the portion (I ordered a medium) was generous, and I was totally in heaven! I also ordered the shrimp fresh rolls - which were terrific. And also the coconut water (good). read more

IPho - Pho with beef balls - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

So after reading the reviews, thought I'd check this place out with my family. Background: I am from Vancouver, and perhaps the pho scene there skews my perception of the food at this location. Ambiance: 5/5 very clean, good noise level Location: 5/5, right in the heart of Ottawa nearby tourist attractions Menu: 5/5, huge variety of choices for everyone including vegetarian Now comes the bad part. The portions of food were tiny for what we paid. We ordered two large pho, a beef on rice, and a stir fry. The two bowls of pho barely had any meat in them and not a lot of pho either, and this was for the large bowl. Mind you, the bowl was huge and we received a ton of soup. I ended up filling myself with the soup, which tasted amazing if you don't mind all the MSG. Very disappointing. Food: 0/5 Final thoughts: 1/5 Unless you really have no other choices in the area, I wouldn't recommend. What really hurts is after finishing dinner and checking the photos posted on Yelp, I cannot believe the dishes others had. Maybe it was just not our night. read more

Overpriced and small portions and uncooked veggie. First time ever see uncooked Napa in my soup dish not even warm enough. Not recommended.

I'm not from Ottawa, so I'm not too sure as to what places are really worth eating at. Although it had such a silly name, iPho looked like it had decent reviews, so my family and I decided to go there for dinner. Walking in, I thought it was a bit of a run down place - their phone was dinging quite loudly, there was no background music, one upper seating area was well-lit while the lower seating area was quite dim, and there were two televisions playing the CBC with no sound, one TV looking a bit staticky. I definitely think their business can freshen the place up a bit. However, the food made up for the lack in atmosphere. I had the Shrimp Rice Paper Wrap and Pork Spring Rolls - a definite must! Then I had a small bowl of BBQ pork and udon noodles in chicken broth. I was genuinely blown away. It was delicious AND filling, and moderately priced, too! I'd absolutely recommend this place. read more

See all

Read other's reviews. Very bad service. We went on Thursday lunch and the lady was so rude. I guess she is the owner. When the food out we asked to pay so we can leave as soon as we finish because we are hurrying. She refused and said we can pay at cashier when we done, its only one minute-she said. Its fine, seem like she wants everyone slowdown in her business. We eat for couple minutes and came to the cashier to pay. No one at the cashier, we have to wait, but thats ok too. She showed up and I asked to pay and a togo box. She is unhappy, I don't know why. She don't know anything about customer service, rudest ever restaurant I ever been. She mad at me with whatever I do/asked. The hand held POS asked for confirmation before I can input the card, but I didn't see it so I put the card in. She got mad and told me I have to confirm fist. I told her because I don't know. She got supper mad at me. She ask me why my face like this, I told her because I am customer and I hope for a better attitude. Then she said I can throw away the togo foods if I don't like. Foods are blain, worst customer service. I will give negative stars if I could. read more

Great service and some of the best Pho I've had in the area. The medium is more than enough to satisfy a healthy appetite. The fresh spring rolls were very good with several choices available. I tried the grilled pork and really enjoyed them with the dipping sauce provided. Overall, one of the better Vietnamese restaurants in the Byward Square area. I also agree with some of the other reviews regarding restaurant cleanliness. Good service, clean restaurant and great food. read more

Best Pho in the market of all the places I've tried. There are lots of choices on the menu. As a vegetarian, I found that a lot of Pho places don't offer vegetable broth - or if they do it's super bland - but here, I was able to order my vegetable Pho with vegetable broth and it was delicious. I would recommend this over any other Pho place. I've tried Pho By Night which comes up first on Yelp for Pho in the market, but this is much better. read more

IPho - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

The worst bubble tea I ever had in my life. Extremely sweet and very weird testure of the boba. also, no napkin is provided. The pho with beef brasket and tendon is good but the size is small. I will give 0 to the bubble tea and 3 to the pho, which ends up with a 1.5 stars. read more

food is good. But the waitress serves really bad, unfriendly! We asked her what kind of noodle it is, she was very impatient to answer, suggesting "Can't you just read it? Why you guys ask me!" The service is really bad. The only star is for the food. read more

We came by for lunch. Took 45 minutes before anyone even came by to take our order. Was another 30 before our food showed up, and to top it off they even got the order wrong. The Pho was not bad, but after waiting for an hour to eat ... anything would taste good so who knows ... If you have an hour to kill and really have a hankering for some mediocre Pho, then this is the place for you. Otherwise you should pass on this place. We will never be going back. read more

Well, lets start from the positives. The restaurant itself is really nice. We ordered the rice chicken wraps and the pork spring rolls. Honestly, they were delicious. However, where everything fell short was the pho itself. I ordered the rare beef pho. It tasted like beef and veggies in boiled hot water. There really was no taste. I had to add a large amount of seasoning myself so it somewhat didn't feel like I was drinking hot water soup. read more

IPho - Chicken rice wrap with pork spring rolls. These are a must have! - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Since having pho from several Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown, I'd say the beef broth from iPho is below par. It isn't flavourful enough so the noodles don't absorb any flavour, making the fish as a whole kind of bland. But iPho is still the better, in terms of food and price, Vietnamese restaurant in the Byward area. read more

We tried the pho, spring rolls and fried wonton. All of the dishes were pretty tasty considering we were in touristy area. The reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because everyone was really thirsty after so there was most likely a lot of msg in the food. read more

I used to love coming here. Kind service, great food and funky environment. Yesterday, I had a visit with them that might have ruined pho for my entire life. About three spoonfuls in I noticed a little bug, similar to a fruit fly with two small wings and four little legs. I felt humble and frankly embarrassed for them. I said nothing. Then I noticed more bugs. Three is all I found before I put my foot down and notified the waitress. I stayed calm and polite and showed her what I saw. She saw it too. Her kind and helpful demeanor instantly became volatile and accusatory. She actually said, "sometimes we get bugs in the onions" and proceeded to walk away. I informed her that I wouldn't be paying and got up to leave. When I reached the door this is when she grabbed me and jerked me with enough force that I lost my footing. I came back into the restaurant to see a furious manager and waitress waiting to begin an assault of accusations, including "liar and crazy." He asked me to show him the bug, as though it was my job to defend myself, as if I was in a courtroom. I showed them the bug, he picked it up, squished it between his fingers and said "no bug" and gave me a look I can only construe as threatening. I then told them that I would be calling the police, which I did. I have also made a complaint to the city of Ottawa Health inspectors. This entire situation could have been resolved easily had it been dealt with professionally and with dignity. It is now literally a police matter. I will never return, less because of the bugs, and entirely because of their disrespectful and intimidating behaviour. read more

Extremely rude penny pinching owner with poor customer service skills makes this place a hit or miss. The food is decent but service can be poor at times. read more

ipho is probably the best viet choice in the Bymark area. The owners are a sweet couple and they are very friendly. Food is solid and all around good viet flavors. The prices are on the slightly high side but this is somewhat attributed to being in the Bymark area. I would for sure come again if I was in the area. 4 **** stars. read more

The portion is large, but I wish they could add more meats. We ordered the special bowl, the broth is decent. We're in Canada, so we don't expect too much, just enjoy it during the cold weather. read more

Who would guess you can find such a decent pho soup or vermicelli in the byward market!!! This place is clean compared to other pho places and right in the market. Just delicious. we have been here so many times already! read more

Closer to a 2.75 stars but I always round up.lol. Great service and affordability factor catered to cost conciencious clientele in Byward Market. The spot is open late most nights so it gets crowded when people are out clubbing and they're looking for a cheap place to dine $-$$. We bought our staple of pho soup meal and rice with grilled chicken and beef combo. Also got a Lychee milkshake but it was more of a straight liquid drink than a typical Vietnamese milkshake which is more like a slush drink. There was at least Lychee fruit like a Lychee cocktail presentation. The Good: you can't beat good price and great service. The Bad: for a Vietnamese eatery the layout seemed out of place like an Italian restaurant look more than a Vietnamese experience. The Ugly: Sorry I didn't have my phone so no pix. My ugly bad! Tip: if you want to save even more get their combo which comes with spring rolls and soup. read more

Great location and a patio. The prices seemed a bit high compared to Vancouver but the quality is good. The young man serving me forgot my water (no big deal) and didn't check to see how everything was. A sign says they're now open until 4am on Friday/Saturday so could be a good spot to hit after a show at The Rainbow Club upstairs or Zaphod's around the corner! read more

In terms of the food, it was fine, nothing too spectacular for Pho, but the service was AWFUL. I've dined at many Pho restaurants, and I don't necessarily go for the service, but this place was particularly disastrous. 1. when we sat down we were asked three times within the span of ten minutes if we were ready to order, which we weren't. Be the time we were ready to order the server was MIA for fifteen minutes. 2. when we were finally ordering, I asked what kind of tea they use in their bubble tea, black or green (which is a standard choice at any bubble tea spot). Her answer was that they don't use tea in their bubble tea.... That doesn't even make sense. 3. we then WAITED AN HOUR for our meal. My mother finally went up to the front desk and asked what was going on, the man replied that they were waiting for everything to be ready to bring it out all at once, which defeats the purpose of ordering our appetizers. 4. when I asked for a refill of bean sprouts (I ate them all during the hour long wait) she took away the plate with the basil leaves and limes on it, and came back with only bean sprouts. I was counting on those basil leaves and lime wedges :( 5. the server generally seemed incompetent, confused and unfriendly. Will not be returning to this restaurant in the future. read more

Thanks to previous reviews, I chose to stop by this place on my way back to Toronto, and iPho is truly excellent. Pros: Delicious pho (easily better than the good ones in Toronto) Good portion Excellent service Reasonably priced Vegetarian friendly Clean washrooms Cons: Can't think of any Highly recommended! read more

TERRIBLE TERRIBLE! I have received food from this place that had HAIR in it. When I called they told me I would get free pad thai next time I ordered but when I called they refused. horrible customer service here, I DO NOT recommend read more