Pho Orchid

The place itself is outdated and doesn’t look clean. I tried not to think about that because I was so hungry and there was no quick alternative. The staff was nice and friendly. The food was better then you can expect after long and boring waiting time. But after all, portions were generous and grilled chicken and fresh spring rolls were good.

WARNING: DON’T COME TO THIS RESTAURANT, ITS FOR UR OWN GOOD. This is the worst restaurant I’ve ever been. The waiter «served» us with the worst attitude like we owe him money. And there were only few customers in the restaurant, and we still have waited our phở for half an hour. Then I asked the waitress, who I believe is the chef as well, how much longer should we wait? The she yelled at us, «u r not ordering fast food, I have to cook!» Believe me, she said that without any manners. Then my friends and I left right after, however she began to curse us and say don’t come again. Well, i think at some points, don’t come again, is the only thing we shared. PS: I do believe if we stay, that waitress would spit in our food.

Came here with my non-​Asian colleagues for lunch here and was very disappointed. My colleagues loves this place, no comment. I ordered the satay beef noodle soup and it was the worst I’ve had in my life. It tasted like crappy phở soup with added chilli. The noodles were overcooked. I would never come back here, not even if it was free as it would be a waste of my calories.

Me and my wife stopped in for lunch to try phở for the first time. We loved it, she had the seafood phở and I had the chicken and beef. Would definitely go back!

I’ve been to a lot of phở places and this place was just not good. I came here because I was looking for somewhere close to the Greyhound station. I got the rare beef and beef balls phở and received it very quickly — A+ for speed. However, the beef was stuck together as though it was just thrown in frozen and cooked quickly. The noodles were also just stuck together in a huge clump. The soup was extremely bland tasting (I felt like something was missing in it — it just lacked flavour). Lastly, there was a what looked like a nose hair in my phở which completely ruined my appetite. I won’t be returning!

This used to be a great Phở place, and I used to go there quite frequently. The portion sizes were good, and they had a good variety of food options. However, there was always a slight issue with cleanliness. The tables were a bit sticky, the entrance to the restaurant has always been grimy, and the sauces didn’t look too fresh. However, my most recent visit may have been my last. While browsing the menu, my friend noticed something scurry across the table next to us. I got up and took a look at what it was, and it turned out to be a small cockroach. Seeing that, we quickly got up and left. The Phở Orchid has always been a decent, cheap place to satisfy your Phở craving. I really hope that the owners pay more attention to the cleanliness of their establishment.

The sign outside says «Authentic» but I highly doubt this. I had a phở special and the broth is clearly lacking something. And the prices are not cheap either. Not expensive, but I can get much better phở for the same price.
Even if I am craving phở I would go out of my way to find a better place before considering here.

This small spot gets super packed at lunch! I have only had their veggie phở which is really delicious. Lots of bok choy, broccoli, carrot, mushrooms and tofu. The fresh spring rolls are amazing as well. Be sure to get there before noon as the lineups tend to get long. Decent phở spot if you’re in the area!

If you’re looking for a no-​frills, «hole in the wall» spot,
then this place is for you. Decent prices, standard food! Quick service and bathrooms were clean. Probably a good option for take-​out if you care about a fancy setting.

Went last year and from what I remember, food wasn’t that great and service was pretty lacking. Food mostly edible, I guess, so not terrible, but definitely not recommended.
I do like their atmosphere, though! As some people pointed out, they’re in a basement, but I thought it was pretty well decorated and looked nice.

Ok, so I took my daughter here for lunch today… not impressed. She is part Vietnamese so she knows good phở as do I since I have been having it for over 20 years. The broth was missing something. Just couldn’t figure it out. So we ate our meat (her, beef and me, seafood).
The fresh shrimp rolls were good though. And I like that they served it with individual peanut sauce for both of us. Allowed us to double dip all we wanted.
It surprises me because this place is always packed up so I had high expectations.
Don’t think I’ll be back.

For downtown phở, it’s decent. Can understand some of the concerns on cleanliness here, but I honestly think it’s on par for most cheap Vietnamese joints. Of course, being downtown a large dac biet phở is $ 10 here — and it’s loaded with flank meat. Just keep expectations reasonable here and you’ll do fine.

I like the convenient location to my school and the fresh roll was good as I was starving. The phở I chose was veggie and since I’ve never ordered veggie phở before I have nothing to compare it to unfortunately but I would say the broth tasted sour? and not hearty and comforting like I’m used to. It tasted salty and a bit off. But It wasn’t horrible or anything. I loved that they loaded the veggies which I find ginger skimps on. They didn’t just throw onion on top and call it a day. Broccoli Bol Choy sprouts leaves I can’t remember what they are and carrots. Supposed to be mushroom but didn’t see any. I ordered green tea which they were confused about. the boy who I’m not sure is even 16 kept asking if I wanted nestea lol like NO hot tea dammit ! He then said its a dollar extra which is usually free at places like ginger the place did see to be dingy as its in a basement and old building. The decorations are from the early 80s but I was there for the food and to be left alone to study. I wish I took a picture of the crowd. The guy across from
Me was the loudest eater and he was gaming while slurping soup and dipping dumplings and a straw sipping cola all at once. Nice butt crack for the view. Girl to the left was suspiciously eyeing me and I was probably looking the same to her. I was just wondering why she was reading her Margaret Atwood book aloud or I think that’s what she was doing? Strange noises over there … Overall exactly the type of place I wanted as I was left alone to study and refresh even if ginger is better i would never have known if I didn’t come here and I like to give businesses a fair chance to compete Anywho 4.00 for two spring rolls cut in half and 7.50 for the small veggie phở plus 1.00 green tea by tetley also would Love to point out that I gave my leftovers to a beggar lady who sits outside the temple across the street. She is wear a face and body covering and mumbling to herself. I gave her the soup she started screaming and spitting at me and acted like I was murdering her goodness sake so do yourselves a favour and continue to not acknowledge her because I don’t know what her deal is but she seemed to be cursing me not in English and I felt my feel good gesture go to waste especially since as a student that half a meal would have been nice for tomorrow :(

I read the reviews below and quite a few people thought the phở was just «meh». I actually really enjoyed it. I’ve eaten at quite a few «top phở» places in Toronto and while this is definitely not up there, I really enjoyed the broth, noodles and brisket. My major concern with this restaurant is CLEANLINESS. The wall next to my table was filthy. It was coated with some kind of grease or grime. I was really sketched out because of this and this will be the reason I probably wouldn’t return. The owners of the restaurant really need to deep clean this place… if the restaurant is so filthy, then how is the kitchen?

This place is nothing to look at but we love the Phở. They’ve got a great appetizer platter perfect for sharing if you’re a group of 4+ people. The prices are great too!

Love stopping by this restaurant for lunch! Really a good spot for getting your Phở fix. I have been coming to this place for quite some time and have noticed that the food and the overall presentation of their dishes has improved drastically. I typically order grilled chicken vermicelli bowl with a spring roll and it’s absolutely delish. The dish is always beautifully plated, the bean sprouts are fresh and crispy, the salad is full of rich flavors, the meat is lean and well cooked and the spring rolls are fresh and well spiced. They now serve this dish in larger bowls, so you definitely get more food for the same price. The only negative would be the interior of the restaurant, as it looks quite outdated. Otherwise, I really thought that the was food was fresh and tasty and I will defiantly be coming back soon.

Reviewed Dish: Phở
Reviewed during: Mon — Fri Lunch time
Service Speed: ³⁄₅
Cooking speed: ³⁄₅
Food Quality: ³⁄₅
Food Quantity: ³⁄₅
Price: ³⁄₅
Cleanness: ZERO /​5
Repeat: NEVER!
The phở was not memorable, the quality and quantity is mediocre.
I first visited the place a few years back when they just opened. It was hot summer day and the AC was busted, I never returned until recently.
I have eaten in holes in the wall all over the world: A noddle cart in Rural Thailand, street vendor in Tijuana, a wooden shack in South Korea, an old school Chinese restaurant in San Francisco which probably never washed the exhaust fan since they opened 30 years ago.
But I have never been so disgusted until now… when I come face to face with a big cockroach crawling on the wall inches from my face, directly over the utensils… I wasn’t sure if I should be relived or disgusted… Needless to say I would never return.
I never given a 0 out of 5 for cleanness until now.

This place is ‘A-​ok’ as 3 stars would say. I decided to eat here today after starving myself to go to sansotei ramen down the street. IT WAS CLOSED. Boo, so I used the last of my energy to drag my dying body down the road before I settled on phở orchid (Or ‘phở o chid’ since the R was ripped off or something)
I went downstairs to find an empty restaurant but I was greeted and given menus right away. My boyfriend and I sat at a table, and everything seemed to be nice and clean even though the atmosphere gave off a bit of a filthy/​old vibe. I started reading Unilocal reviews as I was peering through the menu and was horrified that I made a bad choice when I saw only 2.5 stars… but you know what… I had no more energy and if I go back up the stairs without food in me, I may only make it halfway.
One thing I don’t like is the fact you need to go to the front to order (I think this time they just didn’t see us even though we were waving our hands like a mad man) and you have to go to the front to pay– even cash…
However, the food came super quickly and I was full after a M size house special phở. The beef was ok. I like mine rare and soft, but it was already fully cooked. Not a HUGE fan, but the boyfriend loved it. The noodles were quite good, very chewy and had the ‘phở bounce’. The broth was nothing memorable. but maybe that’s because I doused it in sriracha before I could try it raw. I also got a mango milkshake, which was quite small for $ 4. It was ok. I could taste the pure mango but also the little chunks of ice that survived the wrath of the blender. I couldn’t finish it, and that has never happened with me and ANYTHING mango before.
This place is convenient and I can see myself coming here if I’m downtown and I need a place to eat quickly. Servings are nothing to brag about, and it’s also pricey for phở. Then again, I’m used to phở luxury uptown so…

How this establishment has more than 2 stars is beyond me. If I can give it 0 stars, I would but sadly Unilocal doesn’t offer that option.
The place is absolutely filthy and needs a good cleaning. Very dingy.
Food is subpar (and I like almost everything so this means A LOT). The soup base is full of MSG and whatever food flavouring there is, makes you extremely parched. Meat is sketchy as well. My friend and I got stomachaches right afterwards.
Then after this terrible meal, we went up to pay. Lady barked at us that if we wanted to split the bill, we had to come to the front. She was extremely rude and we think she is the owner. I tried to pay with AMEX and she barked again «NO AMEX». Then proceeds to take my card and ninja flick it off the counter. So, at the point I had to pick up my credit card off their nasty floor AND still had to pay for such a bad experience. A tip? Yeah right.

(3.5 stars) Convenient location near Eatons for quick lunch meal, service is quick and the place does get really packed. The menu items are around $ 6-​$ 9 generally, depending on what you order. I got the chicken vermicelli with spring rolls (~$ 8) and my friend got medium phở (~$ 7). My dish was alright, the only downfall in my opinion is that the vermicelli was a bit dry even with the sauce and portions stuck together in chunks. Other than the both the chicken and spring rolls were pretty tasty. However, after the meal both of us were extremely thirsty which mostly likely is MSG…
I would only come back here for the convenience factor, but with so many options on this stretch of Dundas W, I would recommend trying other places for around the same price.