Food is meh, prices are good though. I usually just come here for the cheap beer. read more

We've become completely dependent on Yelp but without a data plan on our Toronto trip, we had to decide on restaurants the old fashioned way. It was past 11pm and we were hungry so we decided on Xe Lua because it looked bright and nice from below. The bf ordered a large bowl of standard pho and it's nothing special compared to the pho we have at home in the SGV. The broth and meat were good but the noodles were not cooked properly. I ordered Beef Satay with Egg Noodles and I also didn't love the noodles. The other problem was that the slices of beef in my bowl tasted completely flavorless. read more

I don't know why this place only has 3 stars. I've been here for years. You're always able to find a seat or you'll be seated in minutes. I reckon this place has the best bunh (cold noodle salad with fish sauce) in the city chock full of spring roll and sprouts and etc! Super flavorful and fresh. I know people think the service is rude and slow but if it's an Asian eatery, it's really not rude to flag down the waiter. I also recommend the coconut milkshake or avocado milkshake. read more

I've only ever had the tea here. We came in with a friend because she raved about the place. However, two of us were vegetarians. There was nothing on the menu that was even remotely vegetarian. We asked what they could make that didn't include animal products and the only thing they could come back with was fried rice - even then I was nervous. Steer clear of this place if you're vegetarian. read more

No fuss, cheap and satisfying. Good spot for larger groups as they have a large space. Large selection of different options for vermicelli bowls, pho and appetizers. read more

My go to pho place! Love their rice noodles with wontons!! Pros: price, food, watching Chinatown from above Cons: sometimes service is mixed (but eh? For this price I'm fine with paying at the front instead of waiting for the recipes and then waiting for the machine to pay) read more

I'm told by my hardcore pho friends that this place is the place to go for pho. I keep coming here but have never been impressed at all. As soon as you walk in there is this waft of foul odour that is not coming from the beef broth. It stinks of dirty dish water. GROSS. The best part of the pho was the noodles. The broth, as some have pointed out does not have that rich beef flavour. The noodles from their pho and bün are not over cooked which is good, but that's about all that's good. I had the BBQ chicken and porkchop and I'm sure the chef does not know how to cook meat. The porkchop had a thick piece of fat that was not trimmed or rendered off. The chicken's skin was flabby and not crispy at all. The service was atrocious each time. They throw the menu and order forms at you. Some of the servers are really unprofessional, i.e. there is this kid server who dresses like a punk, pants falling off, and wears his hat barely on his head. Out of no where he starts swearing out loud "oh shit! Oh shit". This will be my last time here. read more

The Toronto Lover system: 5 stars = Must visit! 4 stars = Really good. I take my friends here. 3 stars = Somewhat worth it... if you have nowhere better to go. 2 stars = Below average. Attend only when necessary. 1 star = Do not visit! Xe Lua is a bit like a cafeteria for people who don't want to wait or pay much for food at strange hours. They serve decent pho and tasty soups, and everything is in the $6-10 range. The service is terrible, but your order will be taken and the food will arrive, and you shouldn't expect any more. I like the fact that it's upstairs, because it creates a cleaner essence than other late night Spadina dives. However, I wouldn't bet that you can name everything that goes in the broth. What can I say about this place: it serves up good stuff at good prices; it's always open; and there's always a seat. Another bonus - and forgive me if you're into political correctness - is that East Asian people do seem to frequent this place, which gives it an air of authenticity, even if it's superficial. Have a soup, and enjoy those noodles. I can't recommend anything else. 2 stars read more

Service: Below average at best. Walking in we were not greeted at all and had to ASK for menus. 45 minutes after taking our orders, we asked where our food was: apparently they lost our ticket. With no apology whatsoever, they continued with business. Food came out very quickly afterwards. This mix-up may not happen often, but the poor service and lousy staff are consistent. Food: Decent food, this is what we come here for. It is well priced and tasty. Pho is classic here. Decor: Typical restaurant. Average in terms of cleanliness. The restaurant is located upstairs. read more

This restaurant is decent in the pricing for the portion and food. Although, as the quote says, "you get what you pay for.". I noticed that there was a large amount of oil in my broth which made me not want to finish the pho broth. It was a shame since there wasn't many options in the menu as well. The service was decent as well which was a plus to this restaurant. Overall, I would go here again but I wouldn't expect a lot from it. read more

Good food that doesn't cost too much. I go to this place for lunch all the time, the service is reasonably fast and the prices are low. And on top of that the food tastes good too. If you are in for some Vietnamese food then this is one of the places I would recommend. The place itself is on the second floor. And I think they have an elevator for people that have difficulty with the stairs. Just make sure you are not seated at one of the tables in the south-east corner behind the staircase enclosure because they might forget about you there and the music might make conversations harder because of the position of the speakers. The nicest are the booths at the north side of this restaurant. If you are with a big group (6+) this place can usually seat you without problem. read more

This place is incredible! I'm not a pho expert, and the waiters probably want to roll their eyes when I ask for a fork, but in my opinion this is somewhere to frequent as often as possible. I will admit, I always order the same thing (the first pho soup on the menu- number 101 I think?) but lots of friends have told me their meals were equally delicious. Tackling a large soup on your own is doable, but really only if you're starving. Side note- can anyone teach me what the lemon iced tea is called in english? Not the Nestea in a can, but the tea with ice and sugar in a glass... I know it has a name! read more

Since I've been a young child, every Saturday my family would take a trip to Chinatown and we would dine at Train (Xe Lua). My father's Vietnamese so he always had a preference of having Vietnamese for lunch instead of Chinese. Because of this, Train remains a restaurant close to my heart. So when it comes to this review, I might be a bit biased about Train. I remember when Train used to be on the first floor of the location, covered with cardboard boxes and sticky floors everywhere. It's come a long way from back then. However, the food still delivers. There are two dishes that I usually order at Train, the vermicelli with barbeque pork, spring rolls and 'raw pork' (also known as Nem Chua which is Vietnamese Fermented Pork) and pho special (101). I never used to order vermicelli at Train, but it grew on me after trying it on a hot summer day. My dad would sometimes buy Nem Chua at Nguyen Huong (a Banh Mi place down the street) and after eating it with homemade vermicelli, it was a dish that I really enjoyed. My dad would also make his own version of the Vietnamese barbeque chicken/pork when I was younger which tastes exactly like the one at Train. All the components of their vermicelli dish are ones that I have had the homemade version of and although it does taste great, I do prefer the one at Train. The fish sauce at Train is quite strong and the amount they give you tends to be too much for me as I prefer my vermicelli light and fresh. The peanuts add a nice crunchy texture to the noodles, and the bean sprouts and veggies, give it freshness. But with everything in the dish, it's a great combination. Train uses fresh noodles while many other restaurants use dried noodles for their soups. This make a huge difference in texture as fresh noodles are softer while dry noodles are harder and less pleasant to have in pho/soups. The noodles here are also thicker than what you get at other places which I find to be a lot heartier when scooping a mouthful. The broth is nicely seasoned and isn't too salty. However, I will admit that the broth is a tad oily and will leave a film in your mouth. Tendon has always been my favourite part when it comes to "toppings". If you leave the tendon in the warm broth for too long, it dissolves and does add even more oil to the soup. So my suggestion is to eat it up fast before it melts into the soup. I enjoy getting both the cooked beef as well as the raw beef in my pho. The raw beef should be dipped into the warm soup so that it cooks it but the longer it sits, the tougher it'll get. The service at Train isn't like any other restaurant. They're not known for their service but despite that, the efficiency of the food is quite impressive. It doesn't take long for your food to come, even if the place is packed. The broth of the pho, as like most Viet places, is already prepared and they just scoop it onto the noodles and meat. The prices at Train are very affordable and $10ish can get you a bowl of pho/bowl of vermicelli as well as a drink (try the 3 bean drink with coconut milk!), which is a decent amount of food. After rereading my review, I guess there is an art to eating pho. There are certain items in the broth that are much more enjoyable when they are consumed in a certain order. That may be just me and how I eat but this is my personal review of the restaurant and food. I enjoy Train a lot and trying other Vietnamese places don't compare (...well, maybe Pho 88 is alright - but that's a review for another day). Even though I'm on a quest to experience as many Vietnamese places I can, Train will be one that I'll always come back to. (This review is solely for the Spadina location of Train, I've been to all the other locations and quality of food is indeed different at all the locations.) read more

Pho Xe Lua - Mung bean drink. - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Group sports activity aftermath = pho. Wings and beer would seem to be the more obvious choice, but my mates and I could throw any number of suggestions out there, and pho is the only option that we could all come to a consensus on. At 'Train', the hefty quantity offered in a large bowl of pho (currently $6) is enough to leave me stuffed with no room for anything else, including my favourite avocado shake. *sniff* What a dilemma deciding between eating less pho, or skipping out on a thick, creamy shake! This place is consistently a good value for money, is always open and I like the newish colourful menus, however, I'm still thinking of the time I went and the table was cleaned with a smelly cloth. Conclusion: Train is a solid restaurant if you're short on ideas or if it's really late. Also, it doesn't skimp on its portions. Otherwise, there are better options out there. read more

Another Vietnamese restaurant in chinatown. Service: Absolutely horrible. They always rush you when you order. When you ask for more tea, a fork, etc. they usually forget and you'll have to ask multiple times for it. One thing that was really shocking was when we asked for the bill, the waiter brought it and stood right in front of our table holding the bill waiting for us to pay. First time I ever experienced service like that! I was like kind of shocked I must say. Food: I usually only come here for Pho. They put a lot of random stuff and random pieces of meat in your pho. Not my favourite. Cleanness: They are one of those restaurants that have all the chopsticks and spoons out. Kind of unsanitary since I've seen what people have done to them in the past. I always make sure I clean them with some tea before using them. Plus, I question about the bowls that are used for the pho. The sides of the bowl are extremely greasy and kind of gross. I love pho, but I will not return back to this location. read more

My favorite Pho place in Toronto!! Reasons: -Quick service - never a wait -Delicious Pho -Big Portions -Cheap I have been addicted to this place over the past month..l think I've eaten here at least once a week. Perfect spot for a quick lunch, relaxed dinner, or take-out on a cold night when you want comfort food. And it's SO cheap! $7 for a Small Pho (which is NOT small, it's big!) Don't expect pleasant servers though, sometimes they are a bit rude especially when it's busy. But I mean....for the speed of service and the price it doesn't matter haha read more

Horrible attitude from a lady who had the nerve to yell at me for changing my order even though I had JUST placed it. This is the first and last chance Im giving them after another incident when they splattered dirty soup all over me. read more

I come here once in awhile . But when i do iam always satisfied.i 've tried a few of their pho dishes . And always finished them looking for more. What got me were the awsome spring rolls read more

Pho Xe Lua - Never dissapointed - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I've been to a LOT of Pho places in Toronto and Xe Lua still remains one of the places I'll return to fairly regularly. You'd wonder why I wouldn't give it a higher rating but it's all relative to the other better options out there. That being said, it's still a solid option that never disappoints. Regarding their food. The normal non-pho options are pretty standard against most other Vietnamese places. Their pho itself is on the high average side in regard to broth quality, noodles, and meat quality/quantity. There is one dish that really keeps me coming back here and other people have confirmed and agreed with me that their curry goat soup is one of the best in Toronto. This one dish truly shines here and as long as they keep making this one dish so well, they'll have me returning regularly. read more

Pretty decent pho, not bad not the best either. I usually come here for the pho only, I've had the rice dishes here also they aren't so bad either. Avoid their vermicelli, noodles are served cold. Just ruins the dish completely in my opinion. One thing I really dislike about this place is that it doesn't feel authentic, Majority of their staff are Chinese and they play Chinese music time to time besides radio. Just think of the place as a Chinese run Vietnamese shop. Service here can be at times upright obnoxious, and more like lack of service despite having lots of staff on hand. This place does open up late on the weekends and can get quite busy here after 12am. Only bonus here is getting reasonably price pho after a night out at the bar or club, there's still an infamous video on YouTube with a fight breaking out on Halloween, worth a watch. Pretty funny. read more

good taste but the worst service i wait with my girlfriend like 20 minutes for somebody but never apear i have to go for leave my order then he food come and we ask for some lemon and this guy never apear again my girl have to go and ask for those and not only us three or more tables too read more

I had 2 different kinds of Pho and I wasn't impressed. I would rate it a C+ overall. There broth wasn't rich and that plays a big part in quality pho. I suppose they just want to get people in and out and the standards have dropped. I wouldn't go back personally. read more

After clubbing, most of my friend disperse to either Pho 88 or this place, which is actually called "train head" in Chinese. For some reason, I always end up at Pho 88 instead. I visited here for the first time this weekend and was a bit surprised as to why this is one of the go-to places for pho. It isn't bad, but isn't the greatest. They do, however, provide plenty of noodles and beef in your bowl. Now, about their bowl, it's not your typical large bowl opening, but their small bowl is pretty narrow and, you know when you add all the basil in your food but you don't eat basil?, you have a hard time actually getting noodle without the basil because of the tiny circumference. I was also irritated by the fact that when I ordered a small iced coffee with milk, they didn't give me a plate to place the filter when i had to take it off the mug and pour the coffee into the glass of ice. Needless to say, the area in front of me became a caffeinated mess. All of this sort of points to the overall experience of the restaurant. It's not so bad that you'd vow never to come back, but there's just something askew. A few notes: - by default their noodles are wider than normal pho noodles, if you want normal size noodles, you have to ask for "thin noodles" - they do serve cold tea now...according to Vivek S. in one of the June 2011 reviews, it wasnt available, but when I went this weekend, it now is. read more

Worst customer service, even worst with their food! Ive been to almost all of the Asian restaurants in china town area and this restaurant has been my worst experience so far. Ok on the food, they are not even the authentic Vietnamese food. They are all chinese. I ordered a chicken curry soup and it tasted like raw and not properly cooked. Beside, i found a piece of chicken which was partly bitten off even before i touched it. Thats when i stopped eating, paid for the food and left the place ASAP. The service, pffs, all oof the waiters are with the most disrespectful attitude towards the customers. Most rude waiters around town. Personally, i will never go back to that restaurant again. Theres an authentic small Vietnamese restaurant downstairs and their foods are way more delicious and offer best customer service. read more

I agree with Neil. People, you don't expect fancy decor and personalized service at the Pho restaurant because you're paying $4.50. Be my guest and shell out the extra money and get the service. I care about the food and it's consistently solid here. The Pho is among the best and fresh. A deep broth. Great meal for great value. read more

This is my favourite Pho restaurant in Chinatown. I have to admit, I haven't tried them all, but definitely all the ones on that main strip of Spadina. The prices are cheap, it tastes good, and they don't skimp on the meat!! The best soup noodle dish there: Beef Brisket Curry. SO DELICIOUS, you have to try it. It's the dish that pushed this place over the others to become my favourite. They also got new menus since the last time I went there, so they're much prettier to peruse now. read more

I have been frequenting this place when it was located downstairs and nothing has changed much except the size of the place. I only go here after a night of drinking and I want some soup to sober me up and it's one of the only pho places other than Pho Pasteur that is still open at 2am in the morning otherwise I would never ever go here for Pho. Most of their business comes late at night from the club crowd who are looking for something to eat and to sober them up. Some dishes are not bad but their Pho is pretty bad. 1. Their broth has no flavour. 2. They are guilty of overcooking their noodles quite often. 3. Their meat is quite suspect. Yes, I go here but only when I'm intoxicated and I'm starting to think that the people that say this is the best Pho in Toronto fall in the late night clubber category. If you don't agree head to Pho Tien Thanh on Ossington or Pho Linh on College St and you will notice a huge difference in what a authentic bowl fo Pho should taste like. Also, you don't see many Vietnamese ppl or families eating here, which is a true sign of authenticity. Service: Other than Alex who has been there for years, many of the staff do not know what they are doing or what a lot of the dishes are. We asked for Canh Chua Ca one time, which is a Vietnamese sour fish soup and the guy had no clue what I was asking for until I showed him the menu number. read more

#101 is my standard order. The size is larger than those in the north part of the city. The Pho noodle is smooth and tasty. The waiter/waitress speaks Mandarin rather than Vietnamese. It is located on the 2nd floor and if you are not familiar with the location, you can miss the entrance very easily. Given some of the reviews by Yelpers, may be that's the reason why it is quite quiet during the lunch hours. It used to be packed! read more

this is part of my college experience... along with quite a few other china-town restaurants ofcourse. After i moved away from d/t area for a while i couldn't find a pho place like this, until recently i found another branch by steels and yonge! YES! Everytime my parents are in town we always go there. dad loves the pho too! best pho ever! my fav things are pho, bun bo hue, spring rolls, curry beef with rice, chick with onion and lemon grass. read more

The post-clubbing 3am pho spot. $5 cab away from Easy, with judgey, middle-aged Asian men perpetually hanging outside the restaurants. I like the standard rare beef one, but also the brisket/tendons/tripe pho as well. The menu #'s are too much for my then-inebriated brain to remember, but pretty sure everything on the menu would taste delicious considering people would usually go there after a night of dancing and round of drinking. Standard pho prices, worth a go if you're ever near the area read more

Good location. Good size. Good quality n quantity of beef. Lousy lemon grass chicken, no flavor, not seasoned enough. Good price. Service pending on which server. Some male servers are very nice and attentive. Some female servers look very unhappy with their job. read more

My go to!! Love the staff here! Tough as nails, but all soft and incoherent at best... Maybe because, I'm a wee bit tipsy when I'm here at 3am lol read more

Food is average. The price is decent so it's still a good deal. The service is super slow. I've been here 4-5 times at different days and times. Always slow. So if you have time then you are fine. If you're in a hurry then go to the one downstairs next door. read more

Not the cleanest or nicest venue, but the food is great if you can ever manage to order it :P (trying to say the service isn't the best). Also, my first time there they screwed up our order and I had to spend 25 minutes arguing with a Chinese gentleman who could barely speak English. And I speak absolutely no Chinese... :S Maybe I'll learn... read more

I initially had sentimental feelings about Xe Lua, because it was one of the first places Boyfriend and I went to dine together (hey man, we're poor students). We've both decided now, that there is no reason for us to visit Xe Lua ever again. The last time we came, we went before attending a show at Theatre Passe Muraille, but Boyfriend's food took so long that we had to leave before the food came! He ordered vermicelli...that's COLD noodles. I don't understand why it took 45+ minutes to prepare cold noodles with grilled chicken on placed on top of it. Don't they usually have a pile of cold noodles prepped? Isn't it just a matter of putting it in a bowl? Location-wise, for us, it's not great, since we work at U of T. It's further than a few other pho places, and let's face it, my deadened Korean tastebuds can't really distinguish between the different restaurants anyway. May as well go to a closer establishment that serves the food while I'm still hungry. read more

Ask the waitress for the best sandwich and she deadass brought us soup. Then I was trying to pay and get it to go and buddy steals it from my table. Now I have no lunch today and I'm gonna starve and die. read more

Hmm, Im going to keep this one short. This place is 10 times better buzzed after clubbing then perfectly sober and coming for lunch. Guess beer googles also blurr the taste buds! :X read more

I stumbled into this restaurant late on a Friday night with the invite from a friend I hadn't seen in a couple of months. It was my first time having Vietnamese food. It was good. I punked out though and got a fried rice type of dish out of fear of the pho, lol :(. My friend got some curry based type of soup that he gave me some of and it was delicious. I'm going to have it one day when I will inevitably end up there starving early in the morning. However I should mention, my friend couldn't remember the name of this soup so it took two other servers and a lot of pointing and over exaggerating before we could figure it out. You would think I would remember the name of it but alas, I don't. If you're looking for customer service fair warning: this is not the place. The servers aren't really looking to talk to you. Each menu item has a number. After you decide on what you want you are expected to write the numbers on a provided notepad and leave it at the edge of your table for a server to grab on their way by. That's it. No further interaction. Like I said they did help us figure out the soup but it's not standard practice here. I tried some steak type thingy that was really good. My rice was the expected fried rice and went well with the chicken skewers type thing my friend encouraged me to get. There was complimentary green tea that I sipped on all night, which was nice. This is a late night spot that's decent and good for conversation, and if you live that type of exciting life sobering up after a night of bad decisions. read more

Pho Xe Lua - Grabbing garlic bread :) - Vietnamese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Everything tasted so bad , I think this place had the bad pho I ever had. We had 6 people and none of us had good plates or bowls, and everything wasn't hot at all. If you want authentic Vietnamese foods, don't go there. Don't let the crowd fool you. read more

This is where my bf and I turn to for our bun (vermicelli) cravings. Very very delicious and sooooo cheeeeap! LOVE IT. As for their pho, it really depends. I've had more bad than good experiences with their pho. Sometimes it can be not bad, but it can be pretty bland sometimes. Their rice noodle rolls are pretty good! As for other dishes, I've only tried two and they seemed just okay. Still love to come here for their bun! read more