Xe Lua

I would give it less if I could. While waiting to be seated, I saw an employee knock over a large bowl of cut up lemons from the counter. He just scope them back into the bowl & put them back on the counter. The same ones they expect you to garnish your food with! Walked right out, yuck!

The service and quality of phở has gone downhill since the last time I tried.
First, the service was almost nonexistent during my last visit. Took 2 minutes to get seated, though servers are walking around and tables were open. Had to go up and get an ordering sheet. Had to go up and give them the sheet to order. They came back and said that the Banh Cuon was all gone (at 6:30 on a Saturday night). They didn’t want to refill the hot water for the Vietnamese coffee when we asked (…“but you still have a bit of hot water in there. Use that first”) Had to go up and pay, when the meal was done.
And the phở was not at all impressive. For the special phở, there were no beef balls, maybe 1 piece of tripe, and the noodles were clumped up.
No thanks. I’ll go elsewhere for my phở fix. Maybe somewhere with a better parking situation too.

Very bad service
I order shrimp the waiter gave me fish
Also order a noodle and came plain
Coz ran out of bbq pork and other ingredients
Aren’t they suppose to inform customer
I won’t go back anymore

The staff is very cocky, and give attitude to customer. Food is good, but i will not come to this restaurant any more!!!

Pros:
— Staff are accommodating.
— Overall, food was tasty and was consistent with other Xe Lua restaurants in terms of quality.
— Food is prepared quickly.
Cons:
— Takeout was definitely rushed. Utensils were thrown in together with the bag full of basil leaves and washed bean sprouts.
— Not enough meat for the beef noodle phở and chicken phở that was ordered as part of the takeout order.
— The take out bag smelled like sweat. Not exactly an ideal for takeout.

Ordered take out from here for the first time as an alternative to Vic Hong at Bayview/​Major Mac plaza. The phở is decent! I was most impressed at how accurate they were with my order: I asked them to leave out parsley for one of the others and take out tendon for the other order. Naturally I left a tip.

2 stars simply because the phở. oh nooooo.
The store itself is clean and I never have to wait too long (thank god phở is the fast food of vietnam). The service is fast and the food comes faster, so nothing to complain about there. I’ve tried the viet vermicelli, which I’ve always enjoyed so nothing is off about that! Fresh meat and chewy noodles, mmm… how do I always manage to make myself hungry through my reviews. oh man. My boyfriend has tried the satay beef noodles, which was pretty good– not really satay at all but it had a great thick spice to it. however, it was a bit oily.
Now. the phở. oh goodness. Now, I don’t mind the thickness of the noodle at all, in fact the noodles are the best part of this disaster. Chewy, textured and not overcooked– great! The beef was hard and stiff without much flavour, and the broth was just. meh? It didn’t leave me with the usual satisfying feeling I have when I eat phở, which sucks! I’ve also had this coconut milk with jelly before and it was SO gross! Coconut milk is already sweet by itself and doesn’t need additional sugar! It was sweet to the point where I couldn’t continue on after a sip.
All in all. not a good phở place, but I’d come back if I was in the immediate area looking for a quick bite! Sticking with the satay noodles if I want a warm meal next time!

So we just ended up choosing this place because we were in the area. I ordered the seafood phở with transparent noodles. It was OK the broth was tasty. My hubby ordered rare beef phở and my daughters ordered grilled beef/​prawn/​rice noodles. We ordered a mango salad on the side as well. Everything was OK. Nothing to rave about. Prices were OK. Service was pretty good. The staff were very quick and very polite. Would I go again… Not sure.

POOR SERVICE. been here since the grand opening years ago. Food and service just keeps going down the drain. ordered a vegetable dish, the mushrooms r all soggy and shit. Prob one of the worst phở restaurants in GTA. Asked the waitor for WiFi password and he said he forgot.

This place receives no crowns nor any accolades. Came here three times and each time I had an issue with the server. They’re all men, no women in the house. HOW DO YOU RUN A PLACE WITHOUT WOMEN?! It’s no surprise when I holla that I won’t get a holla back. Asked a gentleman 3 times for a flippin’ bowl and he disappears. Ask and you shall receive? When you’re eating here, ask and you shall be ignored. However, there were other gentlemen that were very courteous and attentive to customers. That’s the difference with men service and women service — women does it better while men does it typically half ass. Yes offence lol
Food was ok, not the best. Portion was not stellar but passable. Phở should NEVER, EVAR be thick noodles. It should be the dry (thin) noodles. My gripe will always be that for every chinese run Phở restaurant. Arghhh

Okay place for Vietnamese food.
Good place for a quick bite, reliable good, okay quality not great, quick service

First time here and I thought it was pretty good. Would definitely come back for some quick phở if in the area. The soup for the phở was good and came with a good amount of meat and noodles. I couldn’t even finish a small bowl here. You also get to pick between the thin and thick noodles, and I personally like the thin noodles. Spring rolls were also really tasty. This place is fairly priced. Nothing to really complain about other than their strawberry milkshake/​smoothie that just tasted like blended frozen strawberries. Very watered down and has the freezer burn taste. Good service as well when I went.

Horrible service.
Didn’t give us any prep for the soup.
Fresh rolls were not fresh at all.
The papaya salad did not have any papaya in it.
Will not come back.

I ordered take out this week and noticed the discrepancy in what was written on the take out menu and what was charged to me when I ordered. I brought this to the attention of the manager and said that this is because the menu is old. In my confusion, I asked him, didn’t you just open? He said yes but he brought over a stockpile of old menus from another restaurant. That was the extent of the conversation. Poor business ethics. I will not be returning not recommending this place to anyone.
Food tasted average, portions were small in comparison to what was being charged.

Xe Lua right on Bayview in a small strip plaza is nothing to rave about but it is close by and in a neighbourhood that lacks a decent phở place. It is also right across a High School so it can be crammed during lunch hours during the weekdays. Pricing and size of phở is on par with the avg phở restaurant. Service was bad but I didn’t expect to be «wow» in that department.

One of my favourite places for their Tomato-​base Beef Brisket phở.
The prices are very reasonable and they’re open late.
Really not much to complain about. It isn’t the best phở joint in town, but you definitely get what you pay for.

The phở is good at this local spot, good size for the price, been there a couple of times. The fresh rolls are delicious, I get them every time.
I give it a 3 star rating because of the service I receive every time I go. Needless to say I go back for the convenience in location.

My husband and I dine at this restaurant once in a while when we crave phở. Since it’s close by. I personally like the thin rice noodle, but for some reason they serve the thick flat noodle (like the Chinese fried rice noodle). I don’t mind thick flat rice noodles for my fried noodle dishes but no for phở. That’s why I always ask for the thin rice noodle before ordering.
Otherwise their food is up to par and I would recommend this restaurant to those that are seeking a new viet spot to check out.

I see a lot if mediocre reviews for this place. I’ll admit there are better phở places out there but this isn’t a bad spot. I’m no stranger to phở restaurants either. One thing about this place, at least for me, is that they’re consistent with the soup. I find a lot of other places are varying in taste depending on the visit. This place is the same each visit (about 5 for me). I don’t often eat anything other than soup and noodles from these places so i can’t comment on the other dishes they offer.
The price is pretty standard as far as phở places go, small soups starting at $ 6 and only a few bucks more to up the sizes. Most people would be fine with a small.
As mentioned in earlier reviews, the location is a pain unless you’re already travelling south on Bayview, but this isn’t a deal breaker for going here.
I will keep coming here for my phở and iced coffee woth condensed milk!

Every so often, I’ll get a craving for phở. Every so often, I’ll pop into Xe Lua.
I feel pretty safe ordering from here. As in, I am relatively certain whatever I order will be good. Having had various combinations of noodles and soups, I can say that there hasn’t been a time (that I can remember) where I’ve been left with a frown in my tummy.
Though they once did forget an order of fried tofu, but they were great about it. Surly service overall but I prefer the challenge of hunting the wait staff down.
For what it is, Xe Lua is a solid a-​ok.