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Pho Vy Vietnamese Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
25 reviews for Pho Vy Vietnamese Restaurant
Review Highlights
"I had trouble stopping my slurping of the broth."
(in 10 reviews)
"My favorite is number 23, or brisket."
(in 4 reviews)
"Devinely tender brisket slices, vermicelli and a smooth..."
(in 5 reviews)
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25 reviews in English
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Review from David N.
Victoria, BC
1/31/2012
The seating, tables, and decor has a school lunchroom chic but the food is awesome.
None of the staff there spoke Vietnamese, but that's not really important. They have great service and the food is terrific. I'll be back for sure. -
Review from Rodger B.
Victoria, BC
2/11/2012
The atmosphere has all of the charm of a bus station, but the food is great and priced reasonably. One of the best places for lunch downtown. Make sure you come early, because there will undoubtedly be a line by 12:15.
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Review from Ella s.
Victoria, BC
1/10/2012
One of my fav restaurants! I don't eat a lot of meat so I get the veggie pho when I go and its amazing, cheep and huge portions. I will order pho and eat some there and take the rest home I can never eat it all and it becomes a second meal.
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Review from Ken L.
Quick summary here:
Pho: broth tasted fine but the noodles were the WRONG kind. Real pho uses the thinner rice noodles and not the thick, wide ones. The ones used by Pho Vy were a cross between Pad Thai noodles and Pho noodles. A let down to me though it seems I am in the minority here.
Rice combo dish: Much better choice and portion size is just enough. The charbroiled pork chop is marinated well and the dish itself is satisfying.
Egg rolls. Crispy but small and pricey at $6 for just three.
If I return, rice combo dish for sure. Pho Hoa maybe better for Pho across the street I would imagine.Listed in: Things to do in/near Victoria,…
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Review from Ernesto G.
2/17/2011 1 photo
Want to warm up quickly? Nothing beats a nice bowl of Pho Bo Vien (meatballs) on a crisp, cool afternoon in Victoria.
Swung by Pho Vy today for lunch and it was good. Service was prompt, the soup was good (a little bit too much oil for me, but still an acceptable level) and the meatballs were nice and chewy.
$8.90 (all in) was a little expensive for a regular bowl of pho, but tasty nonetheless.
Would I still come back = yes, but will check out a few other places in town just so I can compare. -
Review from Dustin D.
Victoria, BC
I approach a worn door with paint flaking off of it. I enter and the door squeaks to a near close but refuses to shut correctly behind me. After a few minutes, an unhappy worn out looking guy tells me to sit and wait. I've seen him dozens of times before, but there's not the slightest glint in his eyes to indicate he recognizes me. I sit and he finally asks what I want, he disappears to the back and comes back with my product. I consume it as fast as possible because I keep being given the "hurry up and make room for someone else" - look. What I'm consuming gives good bang for the buck and is really addictive and they don't have any concern how bad some of the contents may be for me. There's a certain level of grime on many of the things around me while I sit and I do my best not to touch anything but my product. They have a list of everything they sell, but every person that walks in is buying the same thing. The entire experience feels slightly tense and uncomfortable, so I try to focus on my product and then GTFO (Get The F Out). Nobody says thank you for my business as I leave, they don't act like they care at all if I ever come back. Despite all this I still go back, over and over and over. I think I have a problem that may require professional help.
To anyone who has seen just about any cop show ever, this may sound like the perfect description of a visit to a crack house, this is not the case! This is a fairly accurate description of almost every visit I've ever had to Pho Vy, the restaurant with a product you can't stop wanting, and the service you can barely tolerate (and which barely tolerates you).1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/21/2010
Pho Vy completely deserves a full 4 stars, especially when compared to their local competitors.
I'd… Read more »
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Review from Jason L.
The thought of offering any genuine Vietnamese pho joint 5 stars or less blows my mind, but unfortunately Pho Vy has earned a "Meh. I've experience better" 2 stars on Yelp.
PHO:
- Bland soup broth. I agree with the other reviewer who commented on it as being "Chinese" in flavor
- Not your typical chewy thin strands of rice noodle, the noodles used here are wide and come in a hot mess in your bowl
+/- Meat parts are so-so. The steak slices are fine although not rare enough, but the parts like the tripe and flank are good
OTHERS:
+ Iced drip coffee with condensed milk will leave you with a "wow" on your face
+ Egg rolls were fine
- Restaurant space is dark and ridiculously hot; don't believe me? Try walking in with anything less than t-shirts and a pair of shorts and then ordering a blazing hot bowl of pho
If the name of your shop has the word "Pho" in it, I expect the focus to be on the pho. And in this case, their main star is completely lackluster. -
Review from Kirsten H.
1/8/2011
The reason I'm giving this place 2 stars instead of 3 or 4 stars is because of cleanliness and customer service.
When I walked in, I was greeted by a sign that said, "Please wait to be seated." So I waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, a girl in the back waived me over to a table in the back of the restaurant.
I ordered the Pho. My soup arrived very quickly. It was tasty. Half way through eating my soup I noticed a black hair that was not my own. Gross. Then, I started looking around. The flower on my table was covered in dust and brown sauce (likely from container sitting next to it). Underneath the glass table cover was dirt, the window sills were dirty, the more I looked around, the dirtier I felt. At this point, I couldn't finish my food. I pushed my plate away, put my napkin on the table, and tried to make eye contact with one of the wait staff. I waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, I got up and went to the cash register and asked for my bill.
Their food was good, but the surroundings just ruined it for me. -
Review from Sara B.
8/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
Had the veggie Pho. Was good but the place was so warm inside and no air flow. it made it difficult to enjoy a meal when you are sweating during the whole thing.
If the temperature was better I would give it 4/5 stars. -
Review from Eric B.
Victoria, BC
5/2/2010
I'll give it a 4/5 b/c the broth is damn good and finding good broth with pho is really, really hard. I had trouble stopping my slurping of the broth.
The rest of the experience is ok - the serving size is a bit small especially for the money. My large 22 was supposed to be brisket and meatballs and the brisket was not fatty and very crumbly while the meatball count was 3 quarters - I'm accustomed to a bit of fat in my brisket and a meatball count closer to 10 than to 1.
Worth a stop in my opinion. -
Review from Jennifer H.
Victoria, BC
12/29/2009 2 photos
Pho Vy is not for the posh dining room snobs, but where they fail in decor, they more than make up for in the food. You shouldn't judge a cafe by it's yellow and green sunshine colour scheme. I have traveled to many South East Asia countries and Pho's decor is perfectly in line with some of the best food adventures I've ever had. But enough about the paint.
The service may not be the most talkative, but from the time it took us to walk from the car, stand in line, order and receive our food it was less than fifteen minutes. Service hint, order by number. My favorite is number 23, or brisket. Devinely tender brisket slices, vermicelli and a smooth broth. Throw in the sprouts and basil and it is the best bowl of Pho ever. I liken Pho's food to be like something someone's grandmother would make.
And the bill is worth mentioning as well. Dinner for two for under $20. Can't beat that. -
Review from andrew w.
8/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
Holy hot inside. It was about 25 outside, but 35 inside! AC wasn't doing any good either.
The Pho was pretty good. Not amazing, and as a beginner to Vietnamese, I'll be exploring much more before returning here. -
Review from Beth C.
Victoria, BC
5/11/2010
It's on the expensive side, for a pho joint. And initially, I thought "oh no", because I took my boyfriend here for dinner, our first time here, and the salad rolls we shared to start were without question the worst salad rolls I've ever had. 99% lettuce and vermicelli, totally devoid of flavour. The shrimp in them was fine, but what was supposed to be pork and is usually a bit of BBQ pork meat was at Pho Vy....some kind of uniformly grey pork-loaf with bits of jellied something or other in it. *shudder*
The peanut sauce served with the rolls was so-so. A bit bland, but all right.
My spirits were heartened when the pho arrived. My boyfriend had steak and meatball, and I had steak, flank and fatty flank.
I love that they include cilantro in the dish of fixins - a lot of places have basil, bean sprouts and jalapeno only, and I really find the fresh cilantro adds a nice flavour.
The broth was excellent. Some of the best I've had. Really flavourful without being overly salted. We both found that there were generous portions of meat in our bowls, too, which is nice - I find some places skimp.
We each had one salad roll (AGH!) and one regular-sized bowl of pho, and left full enough to not consider dessert. I would come here again for the pho happily - but Lord, stay away from the salad rolls until they upgrade the pressed ham-lint slices with real food. -
Review from Amanda J.
Victoria, BC
3/11/2010
My boy and I are pho fanatics. Going out for pho is an integral part of our relationship. We had "our" pho place when he lived in Toronto, and now that he's in Victoria, Pho Vy is quickly becoming it's replacement.
The service is, well, brisk... and you may have to ask for your pot of tea or your second chopstick more than a couple of times, or see tables that arrived after you get served way before you... But the food is so consistently good that we keep coming back. We actually get cravings for their garlic pork salad rolls, and the pho always leaves you full and satisfied and happy. -
Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
3/30/2010
If I'm gonna go out for Viet food in Victoria, this is usually the place I'll go. The pho's are pretty good and the service is fast and nice. I've tried their vermicelli dishes as well, but I usually stick with pho! Comes with a good side serving of bean sprouts and leaves.
That being said, if I have visitors from Toronto or Vancouver, I likely won't take them out here or any other asian food in general :D They're usually blown away by price of pho in Victoria. -
Review from Jen S.
Victoria, BC
4/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
As far as Pho goes, you won't find a better broth, anywhere. Service is a little abrupt, but due to the fact that they seat only about 25 people it kinda has to be. You are in and out in usually 30-45 min.
A bit dingy inside, needs an overhaul, but once that soup is on your table you forget about everything else and all you taste is the Pho.
Must have. -
Review from Graham I.
Victoria, BC
2/23/2009
There are a lot of Vietnamese Restraunts in Victoria all of a sudden and this a good one.Does not look like much from the outside and the inside look unchanged from the 1950s but the food is great and its always got a good crowd at lunch.
Service is fast and friendly and prices are very reasonable. Soups are enormous and the Noodle dishes with meat and spring roll are for hearty appetites.
Have a great smoky hot peanut sauce on the table that is highly recommended. -
Review from Penelope F.
Vancouver, BC
1/7/2010
As mentioned, Pho Vy isn't about the atmosphere - it's about the pho. And the pho is good!
I always go through food phases because I rarely cook for myself (though my New Years Resolution this year will threaten this habit.) Pho is my new obsession, and Pho Vy is my favorite in town.
Sure the service isn't that friendly, the place isn't that clean and the it is always packed, but the bottom line is that the food never disappoints.
Warning!!!! Perhaps it is the ex-vegetarian in me but I feel a need to warn unsuspecting people about the pork. What I thought was tofu in their salad spring rolls turned out to be pork - pressed, thinly sliced pork with a spongy texture. I found this out because my boyfriend ordered the pork pho and we thought it was tofu. Next time I was in I checked the menu and sure enough - it was pork (I just hadn't read it that closely before). I have a thing with pressed meat - it grosses me out and I can't eat it. It is just a personal thing and so I figured that I should warn anyone who has the same hang ups that I do about the matter.
All other ingredients seem to be top notch so I really am not complaining - just putting it out there! -
Review from N W.
10/30/2011
This is where the locals eat pho. A friendly elderly Canadian man gladly answered our question of , "Where's the best place to get a bowl of pho?" He quickly replied that Pho Vy was the place. The place was packed. I could tell that more than half were locals, and a small smattering was tourists. The pho may not be as good as one can get in the Seattle area, but does one really go up to Victoria, BC to eat pho. It really did hit the spot, though. Good noodles, good meat, extremely fresh veggies, and a fragrant broth that I didn't add anything to. If I compared Pho Vy to some Seattle pho spots I'd give it three stars, but gave it four because if you're in Victoria, there aren't too many places to choose from. But since this is so popular with the locals, I'd go here before anywhere else. They do have other things on the menu besides pho, and the inside of the place is cozy and small. I was very satisfied with my pho from Pho Vy.
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Review from monique c.
Vancouver, BC
3/31/2009
yay for pho vy!
being from seattle, a city saturated with pho restaurants, i really wasn't expecting much but boy was i ever wrong!
the best thing on their menu? definitely their spicy noodle soup.
they also have the best brisket at a pho place that i've ever had.
for the vegetarians out there, i'd avoid their veggie pho. super tasteless and though it was advertised with veggies AND tofu, i had to request for the tofu after the noodles arrived because they had forgot to add it.
over all, wonderful. : ) -
Review from Wade P.
Victoria, BC
11/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Out of most Pho restaurants, this has on of the better broths. From scratch type of quality versus package stuff someplaces seem to serve. Quality and portions are ample. I usually like the Pho Vy special which has a sample of different cuts of meat. Service is flaky. During the dinner rush they are usually good, but sometimes by end of the night they can be burned out.
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Review from jacko l.
5/21/2010
Nice attempt at pho. Coming from Little Saigon, Westminster, CA and being Vietnamese and having a mom that cooks killer pho I'm a snob. I think this is Chinese pho instead of Viet pho.
I had to pour 10 table spoons of fish sauce and squeeze 5 lime wedges to make it tasty. The meat was tasty, good quality and the saving grace. Broth wasn't pho broth. Needs way more seasoning , cooking and soul. It was watered down. Food wasn't terrible but it wasn't good
Service was tentative and came with a smile. Eggroll was ok. I would not order again.
I wouldn't come back here. -
Review from Derrell P.
4/29/2010
We were stuck in Victoria for a week and I think we ate here every other day. Good pho, good lemongrass chicken over vermicelli, good vietnamese iced coffee, decent service, and reasonably priced.
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Review from john h.
7/21/2009
The brisket pho was really great with a subtle and savory broth. Reasonable prices and quick (though not really friendly) service.
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Review from Alison W.
1/4/2010
We walked forever from where we parked to try to find a wonton place. But it turned out to be closed. So hungrily, we stumbled along till we saw this place. It was about half full despite it not being a peak eating time (around 3 in the afternoon) so we decided it must be good (as in locals only - no tourists). It was a bit pricey than what I'm used to paying for pho. More like $7-8 for a bowl. But maybe that's the norm in Victoria and with the price conversion to US dollars it all works out. The place was also a bit run down with about 15 small tables. Anyways, I got the number one on the pho list which comes with everything. We were starving and freezing so I don't know if it was a fair judgment to say it was the best meal ever. It was pretty good though - hot and filling with lots of meat and noodles. The service wasn't as quick as I've experienced at other pho places. Usually it's pretty simple to make and then serve. But our friend's dish which was the dry vermicelli with the pork and egg rolls came out quicker. And the people working there weren't too friendly but I've come to expect that from Asian restaurants. More and more people started coming in after us so it must've been a popular place despite there being another Vietnamese restaurant across the street. Wasn't too thirsty later on so there wasn't too much MSG.
