Surprisingly impressed by this place. It's relatively clean, service is fast, food tastes good and it's a really good price. I got the house special and found some of the meats quite fatty so would probably get the rare beef only next time. Also they use fresh noodles which is a bit different than most places. I generally prefer dry noodles that are rehydrated but I'm not sure if they have that here. 5% discount if paying by cash. read more

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Pho Xe Lua on Spadina is one of my top favourite restaurants in Toronto! I've been going here for over 30 years and their food is so damn delicious!!! I always feel I get a balance diet with my meals. And the dishes are so colourful. It just went through a renovation in summer of 2024 but ambience is still wonderful and spacious. We love getting a window booth and never too busy at lunch. I usually order same dishes and this time got two appetizers to share with my pal: -Spring Rolls (2 rolls) (Pork, taro, dry mushroom and mixed vegetables) -Shrimp Rolls (2 rolls) I got: Rice with Caramelized Jumbo Prawn, BBQ Chicken and Steamed Egg/Fried Egg My friend got: Vermicelli with Spring Roll and BBQ Chicken I love this place and service is also super fast! Highly recommend!!!! read more

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Everyone knows Xe Lua or better known as the train restaurant for years. However, it looks like this restaurant chain may be losing its hype with just down to 3 locations left in the GTA. Also, they do not open late anymore as I see they closing at 10pm. With so many new VIetnamese restaurants popping up lately in the GTA, I am quite concerned at this restaurant longetivity. Competition is intense and there are so many choices. Prices are still reasonable. Portions are big. Their Drinks are freshly prepared and huge. I really enjoyed my freshly prepared Mango and Durian drinks. Their broth soup is clear and delicious, full of flavours. Service was ok. Nothing spectacular but does the job. The place is big so no long wait time for a seat. The decor isn't as pretty as other restaurants but in the end, you are eating the food, not the decor :) read more

Glad to see the train hasn't left the station. Pho Xe Lua, or affectionately known as the "Train Restaurant", brings back fond memories of Vietnamese food. This was a staple for buddies of mine during our university days. Even now, it's a popular Chinatown spot in downtown Toronto. Finally had a chance to revisit for a quick meal. Our typical order was pho but for this day, we ordered Caramelized Prawn & BBQ Chicken w/ Rice (425) and Beef Stew Noodle w/ Tomato Soup (207). The rice plate was served with a smallish prawn but juicy marinated grilled chicken. For extra flavour, we poured the sweet & sour fish sauce onto broken rice. The beef stew was hearty yet the intense & spicy base didn't taste quite as clean as before. I was ready to give a 5-star review for old time's sake but this was an ordinary 3-star meal that didn't quite live up to the hype in my head. For appetizer, we added the Deep Fried Octopus Tail (621) which was served in a crunchy dark batter. It was slightly bitter from overfrying. The obligatory Avocado Milk Shake was refreshing & sweet to help drown down the food. Staff was kindly willing to put drinks in takeout cups for easy transport. With large portions, we were a bit drowsy after the Vietnamese meal. A mini food coma perhaps! The exterior storefront & stairs were still the same, but the restaurant interior has been slightly refreshed. Fun to pop by for a bite, and reminisce about the good ol' days. read more

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pork chop / egg / rice ($14). cheap ish menu items here but taste not that great, def prefer pho hung read more

Pho Xe Lua - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Reasonably priced Vietnamese restaurant complete with the usual staples. The bowl of vermicelli I got looked a bit small, but deceptively filling. A friend ordered the pho and found it not hot enough, as his meat was still red despite it already sitting for a few minutes. Staff was friendly enough to bring a small side of broth to help expedite the 'cooking'. Come prepared with cash or debit if you don't think you'll meet the $20 minimum spend. Or order a few dishes as the prices are fairly priced! read more

Pho Xe Lua - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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My sister and I came here for dinner one random weeknight. It's a standard Vietnamese restaurant so interior isn't anything special. We had tried the Vietnamese restaurant next door a few days prior and wanted to see if this restaurant was any better. My sister ordered the pho tai which came out pretty quick. The pho was standard; nothing remarkable. We also ordered some cha gio to share. This didn't come with a side of fish sauce and we had to ask the servers for some. I ordered the rice plate with caramelized jumbo prawn, BBQ pork chop, and steamed egg (menu item #421). I wasn't sure if they forgot my order, but it came out 30 minutes after my sister's and by then, she had already finished her meal and was waiting on me. Portion wise, there was more rice than anything. Taste wise, it was nothing special. Overall, it was a quick stop for dinner and price wise, you get what you pay for. read more

Found this place on Google Maps and it didn't disappoint. Had the vermicelli Phô with beef brisket, rare beef and tripe which was delicious. Had the XL bowl as was hungry and it was only $17 so pretty good deal. It was a fairly large bowl. Saw most people getting the Large size. Beef was great, with fatty parts and the soup broth tasting amazing. The server was friendly and engaging and overall great experience. Recommended. It was chill inside, didn't feel rushed or anything. read more

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Extensive menu and everything I've had so far has been great. The flavours really hit the spot for me and their menu doesn't leave you wanting for more because whatever combination of things you might be craving, they'll be able to put it together for you. read more

Pho Xe Lua - Entrance - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Ordered takeout from this place, and was unfortunately quite let down. I was fairly excited for my vermicelli (bun) - I ordered it with grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, and minced shrimp on sugar cane. While this order typically comes with a generous portion of greens (pickled carrots, julienned cucumbers, and bean sprouts), the order had a minute amount. There was also insufficient amounts of fish sauce to accompany the large portion of vermicelli. The grilled chicken was super greasy and simultaneously dry - after eating it, I felt quite nauseous and sick. The minced shrimp was similarly greasy; I could feel the oil burst out with every bite. The grilled shrimp was quite large, but I felt cheated as there was only one piece and it was really dry as well. I also ordered some drinks to go with the meal, including a creamy avocado shake and a dessert, the red bean ice cream. Both were good ways to end off an otherwise disappoint meal, though the avocado shake was a touch too sweet for my liking! read more

Xe Lua, or Pho Train is known for a few things: Being randomly featured on World Star Hip Hop, being open extraordinarily late, and for being one of the nicest and biggest pho restaurants you'll ever be in. Let's start with being open late. It is no longer really true. Apparently the long-time manager Alex quit and has headed back to Vietnam and that along with Covid, spelled the end of 5am pho. Very sad, but best of luck, Alex! I don't know what happened with World Star Hip Hop, but Xe Lua is still the biggest and nicest pho places in town! It's pretty clean and has lots of seating options which are spread out across the restaurant (although the floor always seems to have this lightly greasy feeling to it. Watch yer step!). The food is good, but it's not like other pho places you'll go to. It's tough to explain: The broth is good but it's quite different than others which are sweeter or saltier. Still good. The noodles are what I don't get. I've never had noodles made this way. The standard bearer here is a slightly broad and thicker noodle. I prefer the thinner ones that traditional pho has, but these are okay. They're very slippery though, but velvety smooth in texture. They do have the thinner noodles as an option, which they call 'dry' noodles. The problem is they clump together but unlike other places where you can break the clump apart, you can't do that here. They stay together like glue. If you do manage to break some noodle off of the clump it is a very strange texture. As the term alludes to, it seems dry but it's not uncooked, it's a weird hardened noodle and doesn't cook any more no matter how long the noodles sit in the broth. You think you can out wait the noodle but it's impossible. And I've tried many times. The pho is still good, but this is weird. The rest of the menu is pretty decent. Highlights include spicy deep fried tofu (no spice, but salt and pepper and the aroma of McDonald's fries make it delicious. They do lack a bit of consistency as sometimes they're way too salty and other times not enough. I also love the pork skin rolls which, besides Ahn Dao, are the best rolls in the city. Service is quick and efficient. You probably won't get a conversation or smile, but the food is decent and you get to look at Spadina passing by if you choose a booth. Worth the trip read more

I would go here with my mom's friends all the time. The food here is great and waiters are polite. I dont like how you have to walk up stairs to go to the place buy besides that its great read more

Just a decent Pho restaurant that opens till very late so it's popular among people enjoying a night out in the city. The restaurant is located upstairs and it didn't seem like they have an elevator to make it accessible for everyone. The environment felt kinda greasy and you could pretty much look into the kitchen if you sit close enough to the counter. I didn't find the food to be anything special when I ordered a Large House Special Pho to share it with a friend. It was enough to fill both of us because there were a lot of noodles, but definitely could use more meats compared to some other Pho restaurants that I've been to. The soup contained way too much MSG for my liking, that I kept feeling very thirsty after I finished my meal. Would not return again. read more

Pho Xe Lua - L size special pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I love this place, I've been coming here for many years, in fact over 20 years, this place is fairly consistent, good quality pho and bun, GREAT spring rolls!! fairly priced as well. What i come here for most of all, is the Pho Sate, they make it like no one else does, spicy, sweet, sour, thick and glutinous. an umami bomb imo, this dish is so hard to find elsewhere, go around the corner to pho pasteur and their version is simply adding chili oil to their pho. it's a mystery as to this dishes origin, but it's damn good in my opinion, 9x out of 10 the food here is excellent, but they do seem to have a "C" grade chef working from time to time and they are just terrible, just do make the food nearly as good sadly. read more

Met up with a friend for a much-needed catch up and we decided to give Xe Lua a go. Located in an upstairs unit overlookimg Spadina and a side street, the interior is bright and welcoming even at night, and being tucked away upstairs while still overlooking Chinatown, it feels both abuzz and intimate. As a vegetarian, I greatly appreciates how Xe Lua included a vegetarian section in their menu. Usually I'm grateful for just one option, so an entire section feels luxurious! Though if you're craving pho or soup, that's unfortunately not part of the list. Settling on the vermicelli with spring roll and shredded tofu, the meal was tasty and satisfying. As is expected, there's no shortage of vermicelli, a generous helping of tofu, a variety of herbs and a roll of very yummy and crunchy spring roll, all for $8. Also on the menu are two clay pot items (clay pot with mushroom and tofu and one with eggplant), something I have yet to try at a Vietnamese restaurant. As well, at the front of the menu, though I didn't indulge, there's also a amazing selection of drinks. From mung bean coconut slush (labelled "mum" bean), to warm soy milk with egg, to red bean, grass jelly and coconut, it has me intrigued and vowing to revisit. read more

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Probably one of the worst pho places in Toronto. The broth isn't as flavourful compared to other Vietnamese restaurants I've tried and the way they cook their noodles is different. A tad overcooked and they use wide rice noodles versus the traditional thinner ones that most authentic pho places use. The service was terrible and slow, our server always seemed annoyed whenever she came by and we always had to grab someone's attention for something. Although, I did enjoy my Vietnamese iced coffee and they're one of the restaurants that open late; so for that they deserve 2 stars. read more

My favourite pho restaurant in Chinatown, it has never failed me whenever I wanted a nice hot bowl of pho. It's located upstairs and although the place looks uninspired, there are plenty of tables and nice windows with a great view of Chinatown. However, the food speaks for itself, it has some of the most delicious Vietnamese food out of all the places I have been too. Although I always think of getting something different with each visit, I just end up getting the usual beef and tripe pho, its just too good. Also try the traditional condensed milk Vietnamese coffee, its an absolute treat. An essential visit if you're ever in Chinatown, and its open late! read more

Pho Xe Lua - Fresh noodle roll platter. They provide your rice paper wraps that you soak in water to soften and fill with whatever you like shown. - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is one of the better places to go in Toronto for pho. NO1 thing is they have the one of the best services in downtown Toronto. Staff is always on looks for customer/s needs. They are fast pase walking all the time i feel bad for the hard work they have to put in to maintain the quality of service. The dies are always good. I ordered the XL size pho, Satay chicken noodle soup, wonton noodle soup. I have had wonton noodle soups in so many places, this place does the BEST among all Chinese and Viet places . The wontons are filled with delicious ground pork well seasoned and with pepper and ginger , and also each wonton came with a shrimp with the pork in the filling. And the wontons are HUGE! The noodle and dumplings have SOOO much flavor! The satay noodles are absolutely delicious. The chicken slices are very juicy and tender. It was Too spicy for me, so i ended up ordering the wonton soup instead and was preparing to take the satay soup home or just deal with it later. The owner of restaurant saw me not eating it, they told me its okay they took my dish away and canceled that dish for me without me asking for it. I was very impressed with that. Over all this place def has MUCH better service than most of Chinese restaurants around. The place is open and inviting. The food is served fast and meals are quick and easy. Overall everyone can find something on the menu. Cozy food! read more

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I came here on a weekday for dinner with a friend. It wasn't too busy and we were able to get a table right away. The restaurant is on the second floor and is definitely on the older restaurants. You can see that the floor is old and dirty in colour and the place hasn't been renovated in a long time. The tables were quite sticky and some of the plates were dirty, I had to ask for a new one. The service was good and they served us tea and helped us out right away. I ordered a vermicelli and asked for extra broth on the side (for free). The portion was very filling and the flavours worked well together. The spring roll tasted delicious and was fried perfectly. For the price you pay, I thought the dish was decent and worth it but I do wish there was more meat. I don't think the dish was anything special though and nothing about it stood out to me. Overall this is a good place in Chinatown to quickly grab a bite to eat. It's cheap and the portions will fill you up. Also, they don't accept credit over a certain amount (I believe it's $20) so make sure you have enough cash on you! read more

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I can't believe I haven't left a review for this place after countless times dining here! For almost 3 years now, this restaurant has been my go-to for a hot bowl of pho. Their pho has quality has always been consistent. The broth definitely has its flavor from South Vietnamese pho - very potent with a subtle sweet after taste. This restaurant is one of very few pho spot that uses fresh flat noodles instead of dry ones, which makes it even more authentic. My favorite is #112 Pho brisket and tendon and they're really generous on the amount of meat. A small bowl is already super filling! I've also tried their rare beef; however, it was kinda off as the meat was too chewy. Besides pho's, the restaurant also offers many other Vietnamese dishes, such as rice platters, stewed brisket, etc. My second favorite to pho is definitely chicken vermicelli. However, the dish have not been very consistent - from time to time, I'd find the grilled chicken to be way too dry. Service is mediocre. The servers will just do their job of serving food and no more than that. I honestly don't expect good customer service from here. Also, they only accept debit cards for bills over $10, and credit cards for bills over $20! Overall, I'd definitely recommend trying out Pho's here over any other restaurants in Chinatown. TIP: for $2 extra, they will add A LOT of meat to your pho! read more

Pho Xe Lua - #112 Brisket & Tendon Pho ($7 for small) - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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There's no way around this place - people either love it or hate it. There's no in between. Clearly I come in on the "love" side of things. It's great pho, and it's super cheap. Some people talk broth, and noodle type - and that's fine. I'd suggest coming here just once and figuring out if it's for you. It's my favourite place on the strip these days. The waiters get you your food, then leave you alone. There's always room. I love looking out over Spadina from the second storey. Even when you're done eating they'll keep refilling your tea, and never hover and make you feel like it's time to go. I might suggest wearing a bib though. So many shirts have died here as a result of my own foolish oily spill. read more

This is a good place to go for cheap pho! I got a small bowl of pho and it was only around 8 dollars but was filling! It's located in Chinatown and on the second floor. They only accept cash unless your total is over a certain limit but other than that it's good overall! read more

Pho Xe Lua - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I remember when I was much younger, when I lived with my parents and every Sunday we would go to Chinatown and do groceries. Once that was done we would go to Pho Xe Lua and have lunch which mostly consisted of Pho. Now, on cold days I come with friends and think about how the restaurant change from family dining to a more lucrative student/cheap eats 'cafeteria' now on the second floor of which use to be on the first floor. The pho did not change thankfully, although not the best in Toronto definitely still trustworthy. 103 rare beef and tripe is my go to, size small with a side of meat--yes you can ask for extra protein for $3 which is amazing! When in doubt, go for 101 Pho David Biet, the special where you can have a taste of everything. The Satay Noodles is pretty good as well if you're in that mood for satay and a kick of spice. Their spring rolls and fresh rolls are also decent as well. read more

Pho Xe Lua - 103 small with extra meat - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great comforting food during a cold winter day. I ordered the special pho - which usually has tendons in it but they had meat balls instead. I didn't read the menu close enough, but I'd probably mention it for an adjustment next time. The food was pretty good. The meat were slightly fatty and dry, but I gave most of my meat to my partner anyways (I'm not a huge meat eater). The broth was pretty good as well. I would say nothing spectacular, but still a really lovely bowl of pho to enjoy on a cold day. :) read more

Pho Xe Lua - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Winter is coming and nothing beats a piping hot bowl of pho. Walking into this restaurant, you get a whiff of fish sauce right away, and servers busily pushing carts they use to deliver your order. It feels a little disorderly, and minimal efforts are put into the store decor. There are plenty of seating available, even for bigger groups. The noodles served here are a little from the other Vietnamese restaurants. Here, the rice noodles are thick; I'd say 4 times thicker than the usual. As a result, it's harder to slurp, making the eating experience less satisfying even though each bite is more filling. The soup base is pretty good, beef ball just very slightly fatty, and tripe has a good crunch. The raw beef is a little tougher, maybe because it's not as thinly sliced, or they pre-cooked it a little too much. I really like the spring rolls here. Perfect crunch on the outside, good mix of meat and taro on the inside, great texture contrast against the hot bowl of soup. There are a lot of different dishes to choose from, a good spot for big groups with different food preferences. Lots of vegetarian options too. read more

Pho Xe Lua - large pho ($8.50) - the noodles are super thick in comparison to other pho places - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I've been to this restaurant a handful of times over 5 years and they haven't disappointed me. speedy service and everything tastes fresh. I normally get their durian milkshake which is never watered-down and their grilled porkchops on rice. I like the fact that it comes with 2 pieces of porkchops with a bit of fat - to me it gives it more flavour. I also recently discovered their "fish in clay pot" dish (called ca kho to in Vietnamese) - and it is so amazing! probably one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes for the taste and its' presentation - serves in a clay pot like the name! best to eat this with white rice as it's supposed to be on the salty side good place for any meal of the day - service does not falter read more

Good for very late night eats, but place is dirty! tables are sticky, floors too, stained plates and utensils. I know most restaurants are not as clean as they seem but this place doesn't seem to try to hide it. Ick... But only one of the few places open very late and decent Vit flavours. read more

Delicious Chicken Pho, one of the few places that serve the thicker, wider type of pho noodles in the city. I always order a side of spring rolls when I come here, its nice and crispy and the meat filling is very good. read more

Pho Xe Lua - Chicken Pho & Spring Rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

They don't care much about their customers, food quality is inconsistent AND the place can be quite dirty. HOWEVER, this is my go-to place whenever I have night out in Downtown that involves a lot of drinking since my college years. I am always drawn back to this place, I guess it's mostly because they are open until very late and the price is pretty cheap. I always debate between BBQ chicken dish and Pho whenever I come here, and good old classic Pho special is the winner most cases. If I end up ordering BBQ Chicken, I usually ask for a bowl of Pho broth. If you find yourself wandering around the city late night, looking for a fix for your drunkenness, this is the place you should be. read more

Pho Xe Lua - BBQ chicken dish - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I got a Pho, the noddles were so overcooked that they were breaking when trying to grab them with the chop sticks, broth was tasteless, for the first time in a long time I barely ate and just left the food. My BF got some fried spring rolls there were ok and raviolis tasting the old fried oil, meat inside was tasteless. I was disappointed as I've heard good things about this place. Maybe it's because of the late time (8.30pm on Saturday) and it was the end of the pot and they had to refry the raviolis? I won't take the risk to double check. With that said this place was VERY budget friendly but I would recommend going to Pho Hung for cheap Vietnamese food. read more

Ive been here several times years ago, and remembered Xe Lua to be a decent, no frills restaurant. I decided to come back last night after wandering around TO in search for a quick dinner. I regretted my choice almost instantly. Although the food tasted standard, the 1 star comes from the ridiculous amount of fruit flies swarmimg our table; every time I looked back down at my bowl, there were 1 or 2 new flies chilling on the edge of it. Not. Cool. Not only were the flies swarming around the beansprouts, food, drinks and the table (how stupid can the flies be to purposefully fly into something that will kill them????), there were also a ton of them in the air where I was sitting. I also dont want to forget to mention my mini fruitfly napkin graveyard off to the side of my table. Fan. Tastic. Maybe it's because we sat near the kitchen. Maybe it was nearing the end of the day and they didn't get a chance to take out the garbage yet. In any case, there is no excuse for any restaurant to let fruitflies run rampant in the dining room (or anywhere else). read more

Pho Xe Lua - A drowned fruit fly in soy milk. Blegh. - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I like the loft-inspired space of Xe Lua, spacious and open. Right away the high industrial ceiling grabbed my attention. Great windows throughout the space. Booths were very inviting, lined along one wall and the remaining tables and chairs were modern in style. After a quick scan around the restaurant, I told myself not to expect benevolent service here. What ever happened to service with a smile? Wide range of affordable items on the menu. I was impressed with extensive choices of Pho and Bun. I thought the "Snacks" section on the menu was interesting, for example, Chicken Satay and Deep Fried Vietnamese Sausage. I ordered a Large bowl of Pho with sliced raw beef and beef meatballs, vermicelli with grilled pork, and chicken satay. - Pho with sliced raw beef and beef meatballs: I found the broth very bland, something was missing. I think it was the lack of spices. Noodles were overcooked and mushy. However, raw beef was tender and meatballs were very tasty. + Bun, vermicelli with grilled pork, was excellent. The best part of this dish was grilled pork. It was well seasoned with lemongrass, crispy and yummy. Shredded lettuce, carrots and cucumber were fresh. - Chicken satay was different from what I grew up with. I like my satay seasoned with herbs and spices, this version was also tasty with red chili sauce. Overall, it was an average experience, food was decent and came out quickly. read more

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There's late and then there is Past Late (which comes right after Pretty Late). And it's only past Past Late that you show up to joints like Xe Lua. I visited here for the first time after the Yelp Magic 8 Ball with a group of hardcore night owls all hungry for noodles. You'll miss it if you walk too briskly up Spadina; it's embedded on the west side of the street, south of Dundas on the second floor of a Chinese commercial complex. It's a large and inviting space, perfect for your uncle Ken's 68th birthday party. From what I can recall the food was OK. I wasn't wowed by my noodles and pork, and the broth was lukewarm and not terribly exciting. Still, I'd come here again. Even if the servers seemed like they wanted to gouge our eyes out with metal chopsticks, the atmosphere was much nicer than your typical Chinatown digs, they have a lot of options, and did I mention they were open late? They're open really, really late. Obligatory Title Pun: What the PHO? Menu Readability: Chock full with photos. Need to mention: They take credit. Oh, and no "cold tea." What this place teaches me about myself: Being open late might earn you a whole extra star. read more

Pho Xe Lua - 420! - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I've been to this restaurant even before they were moved to the upstairs floor (they used to be on the first floor where a hot pot restaurant is now!). It's my favourite place to bring my grandparents whenever we're downtown - they love Vietnamese cuisine. Their prices have gone up a little but it's still very cheap nonetheless for the portion sizes. I am usually satisfied by the end of my meal and this visit was no exception. I typically get the pho with rare beef and beef tripe but this time I was craving wonton soup with egg noodle & shared deep fried wonton with my brother. I find the appetizers aren't too worth it because it's expensive for the small portions they serve (definitely go for full meals here to get your moneys worth). Their food is pretty consistent but can be salty at times (a tad). Like others have mentioned, the servers seem to only focus on serving the food. You will need to flag them down if you need anything as they do not check on you once your food has arrived. Nonetheless, it's not too difficult to call for a server has the space is open enough for them to see their patrons. read more

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I have eaten here twice with friends. Food: The pho is good but not the best. The menu holds many many items, and I find the list of sweet drinks/ desserts to be amazing, such as che ba mau. I also tried the wonton soup with egg noodles, it tasted like how it should taste, however there was too much shrimp in the wonton than pork, but that is just my preference. Be careful when ordering items that are above $10, they give you a lot of food for those items which can be bad if you are not that hungry before sitting in, happened to a friend. Atmosphere & Service: You find a place to sit or someone seats you (not sure if that is the right word). You are given a menu, each menu item has a code, and you mark in your order on this bubble sheet. The staff members are efficient. The seating is great, the interior is clean, overall a nice environment with lots of windows. Pricing: Pricing is fantastic for the amount of food you are getting and it is very very reasonable. Even though I give this place just three stars, I will still come back again. read more

Hits the spot for those after-club nights! Not sure why this place always feels so grimy and smells a little weird, but this is my fave spot to get Chicken Pho (Pho Gat?). You know when you go to pho places and sometimes the soup smells off or it tastes like plastic? The broth here is pretty good, and the chicken is not too dry. I used to get the beef house special but it's way too greasy for my liking now. I've also tried the avocado milkshake here and it's not too bad. Definitely not fresh or anything but it's not bad. It's usually a quick meal since pho doesn't take too long to make and they have tons of servers, which I appreciate. Hard to say what makes a 5-star bowl of pho but for the dining experience overall, I give Xe Lua 3 stars (but that won't keep me from coming back, this is definitely still one of my go-to spots). read more

I was considering giving this place 0 but that's not possible. oh well. I came to this place for bun. It was pretty disgusting that my rice noodles tasted like they were soaked in dirty dishwater. Enough said? If it was an "off" day, they officially turned me OFF from ever returning. read more

Xe Lua pretty much set my high standards for pho. As a Vietnamese/Chinese Canadian, this is truly the place to go to if you are in the mood or craving for pho ! Service is excellent, there are a lot of menu choices with reasonable prices! Obviously, you have to try their pho, they have many ways and sizes you can enjoy your bowl of pho. Their are many other menu items to try like their rice dishes and vermicelli dishes . If you are only trying Xe Lua for the first time, the one drink you must consider ordering is their hè au õ, Xin Xáo, Nùoc Dua (Red Bean, Grass Jello with Coconut Milk & Ice), the perfect drink to compliment your meal ! You will not regret coming to Xe Lua, still one of the most authentic Vietnamese restaurants in Toronto! read more

Decades ago, there was this rumour that circulated, that made me avoid their pho like the plague. A few years later, after a late night I found myself here eating their pho. It was pretty good, the broth was my favourite, not too oily and nicely seasoned. Since then I've been coming back! I really like their spring rolls, which have never disappointed. In addition to ordering pho, I sometimes order Phuc Kien seafood noodle soup, which is mixed yellow noodle and vermicelli with seafood, and a crispy shrimp cracker to top it off. Their food quality I find is the same at all times of the day, from morning to late night. The prices are reasonable, and the service is very fast. Heads up, the place can get pretty packed on a club night (Friday and Saturday) after 2 am. read more

Pho Train is famous. Seriously, my friends from Waterloo have seen videos of the historic Asian fight/faceplate that took place here. (Oh, btw, I don't know anyone who calls this place "Xe Lua". It's Pho Train.) My review might be a bit skewed, seeing as how 90% of the time I eat here it is after consuming a substantial amount of alcohol. But in my experience, the pho here never disappoints at 3am on a Friday/Saturday night, when all the post-clubbing Asians (and some non-Asians who've caught on) gather for the age-old hangover cure. The avocado smoothie is also pretty dece, as are a few of their other drinks (the 3-colour-drink with jelly, red bean, and coconut milk is really good). The curry chicken I once sampled from here was also quite tasty. I'll be back, with admittedly thinly veiled hopes of witnessing more drunken Asian drama. read more