Song Viet Restaurant

Average phở but great appetizers.
#3, charbroiled pork salad rolls…4 stars. A good portion of tasty marinated grilled pork rolled up with iceberg lettuce and vermicelli noodles. Not the best I’ve had but worth trying. The rolls come with a hoisin-​based dipping sauce.
#6, Song Viet Spring Rolls…4.5 stars. Shrimp and ground pork wrapped in a crispy eggroll wrap. Plenty of mini shrimp in every bite. My only gripe is the interior is a bit soggy cause the pork filling is a little light, leaving too much air space for moisture.
#8, charbroiled pork skewers…5 stars. Excellent. Perfectly grilled marinated pork slices. Very authentic taste!
#16, Mest Ball Phở…3.5 stars. It’s all about the broth and, unfortunately, it’s only average. The flavor isn’t as bold as I’d like it but will satisfy most Western palates.

Very bland beef phở… it was just ok and slightly sweet. Meatball was odd. Had very ordinary Spring rolls.

I would like to give Song Viet a higher rating because their menu has a wicked selection of food and the place is spacious and well spread out however I am solely basing the three stars on their Phở. It was honestly very bland, and I am picky when it comes to good Phở. Also the meat was too rubbery for my taste.
Maybe if I ever come back I’ll try something other than their Phở, perhaps they have a better vermicelli dish. Thumbs up to them though for having a wide vegetarian selection.

Food here is very good… The place is not very fancy, but the location is great!,. This is a great place to have lunch in downtown if you work around… Even when is not the best restaurant I have ever been, I would go back there…

Shrimp Salad Rolls — Usual fare — OK for me.
Ordered the Fried Rice Noodle with Seafood — 5 shrimps and some pollock, 2 brocolli stems and some bean sprouts — the plate of noodles was very little for $ 12! I was appalled! Not enough to share for 2 people if you’re really hungry!
Slow and erratic wait service.
Long lineups to pay during lunch hour.

One of my favourite Phở places downtown, Song Viet is pretty much open all year round except for Christmas. I was last here on New Year’s Day, hoping that there were some food places open downtown, and I was ecstatic to see that Song Viet was.
They offer a menu very similar to other Vietnamese places in town. You can find all sorts of Phở (including chicken) plus various rice vermicelli dishes. The prices are very reasonable here, especially when you consider the portion sizes you get. Menu prices for appetizers and entrees range from $ 6 – 16 with many dishes ranging between $ 8 – 12. You can easily eat your fill for around $ 10 or less.
If you’re a frequent Phở connoisseur, you know that each place makes their broth a little differently. Here, the broth is light, so if you have a sensitive pallet, or are looking for something whose broth won’t overpower everything else in the soup, this one’s not too bad.
I’ve been here often enough to know that if they’re running low on ingredients, they’ll send someone out to shop at the various stores in Chinatown to bring more in. So in that sense, many of the food items are fresh like that.
If you’re looking for an affordable yet tasty place downtown to satisfy a Phở craving, Song Viet is an excellent choice.