Restaurants

Pho Linh

Currently 2.85/5

Rating: 2.8/5 (52 votes)

Posted by Staff / Reviewed on March 1, 2007 / review policy

50 Comments

Colonialism sucks, right? Sure it may not be cool to admit you're a fan, but riddle me this batman: where d'ya think that yummy bowl of soupy noodles you so adore slurping came from? (and you do dig them--Torontonians love their pho like Coltrane loved the horse). Whether you buy the competing French or Chinese pedigrees of this humble noodle dish the fact remains that pho is both the original fusion food and quintessentially Vietnamese; born from a legacy of culinary influence and violent oppression it's a perfect microcosm of a peoople's history, speaking volumes about bombs, bullets, bowls and the indomitable spirit of Vietnam.

All quests for the quintessential bowl of pho should lead at some point to Pho Linh Restaurant. Occuping an unassuming shop front west of dufferin along a quiet strip of college this noodle shack probably wouldn't catch your attention as you walked past. Once inside, seated among the vintage war-era posters at one of the retro 80s tables you'll probably still be wondering why you're there. Well let me enlighten you, Jackson, you're about to dig into arguably the best pho in the city.

The broth is wonderfully flavourful-- not watery in the least-- complex and deep, kaleidoscopic with subtly smoky hits of anise and cinnamon it's almost a shame to disrupt with the addition of the ubiquitious sirahcha or hoisin sauce. You'd be hard pressed not to finish the entire bowl of broth even if you've ordered the large.

In the 'special' pho (aka the #01, $5.50-$6.50), the intensely beefy broth submerges chewy beef balls, paper-thin slices of rare beef and equally paper-thin brisket along with wonderfully glutenous bits of tendon and a healthy helping of tripe (I'm a sucker for offal, sue me). Complete the sublimation and replace the typical supermarket rice stick with 'fresh noodles' offered at no extra charge. Accompany this meal-in-a-bowl with an order of crispy veggie spring rolls ($3/2, $6/5) so good they'll disappear faster than the XFL and brace your palate for an ever changing parade of tastes and textures. Since you can never be too hydrated, test that bladder by ordering a fantastic preserved lemon with soda ($2.50)-- salty-sweet and redolent with citrus-y goodness-- to go with your soup.

If you're lucky enough to visit Friday through Sunday you can order the incendiary Hue Style Pho ($6-$7) with its spicy broth secreting away tasty slices of fatty pork, sausage and generous pieces of pork hock; a perfect prescription for a cold winter night.

Shameless displays of Pho favouritism being de rigeur here 'mongst the rarefied pixels of BlogTO this review should come as no surprise. There are probably more pho joints in the city than there are opinions about them. A trip to Pho Linh will definitely raise your standards.

Pho Linh - 1156 College St. (at Dufferin) - 416.516.3891

Discussion

50 Comments

Sort By Oldest First / Newest First

Tanja / March 2, 2007 at 12:18 am

Will definitely have to try this one out!

Japhet Bower / March 2, 2007 at 12:08 pm

You don't have to be a fan of colonialism to enjoy pho.

Emilio Boves / March 2, 2007 at 06:29 pm

you convinced me i'm totally trying it

HanoiMark / March 3, 2007 at 03:17 am

I must agree Pho Linh is among the best Viet joints in the city and I'm glad to see it getting it's due (their banh cuon is fantastic too)...but must things Vietnamese always be seen through the lens of the War? ("bombs, bullets, bowls and the indomitable spirit of Vietnam"?)

PK / March 8, 2007 at 09:03 pm

I don't like the fact that I can see something that looks like blood in the first picture...makes it really unappetizing looking

meathole / June 25, 2007 at 11:37 pm

PK get a grip.
Pho has uncooked beef in it!

tine / July 8, 2008 at 05:39 pm

THE BEST RICE ROLLS!
YUM!
( =

Jennifer / March 21, 2009 at 08:54 pm

I've been eating here ever since I was 3, I find the Pho to have more essence in the soup, but I only ate pho from 4 different places before, Pho Linh's restaurant is a family favourite ^_^

alanna replying to a comment from Tanja / December 7, 2009 at 03:00 pm

I love pho and havae tried many places. This the only place that keeps me coming back.

theycallme che / February 12, 2010 at 08:56 pm

just got back right now... had to stop on way home to sprint into a public washroom, seriously, something totally flushed me out... shrimp cake? soursop shake?

had something called Shrimp cake, not good at all, pho was pretty tasty but heavily ladden with MSG...

but the menu is very short and my partner who is veggie/fish eater (most places accommodate with at least a few dishes) had practically nothing she could eat, but the shrimp cakes and one or two other items.

basically never going back and with its extensive menu and superior taste and quality, Phoenix across the street is WAY better than Pho Linh.

But Hanoi 3 Seasons is THE BEST in the city, by far...

Jennifer / April 17, 2010 at 04:48 pm

Yes, I'm the same Jennifer from March 21, 2009. The red meat that looks bloody (it has no blood dripping out of it) is meant for you to have some interactivity with it. Using your chopsticks or spoon, you submerge the meat into the hot beef soup and they'll be cooked in no time. May I suggest the green bean (the colour is white) shake/ drink.

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I do not believe I've seen this described that way before. You actually have clarified this for me. Thanks!

Curtis / June 6, 2010 at 02:49 pm

When lived in Toronto, I loved going to Pho Linh for dinner and breakfast too, Porkchop, Egg, Rice and a Vietnamese coffee. Can not forget the soups!

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David phan / August 22, 2010 at 06:27 pm

Pho linh was good until they startled charging tax on the bill. Before the price was exactly what you see on the menu because it was included which made it efficent. Now the prices are almost the same except for some items but it's now also %13 more. Talk about a rip off.

If they included gst and pst before in the prices then HST wouldn't make a difference, and they don't even keep records of there transaction so ty for scamming the customers and goverment pho linh.

Iluvmw2 / August 23, 2010 at 06:07 pm

Ya I notice too that pho linh started charging the 13% on there listed menus price which before included the tax. So basically we are paying 26% total or 13% extra. You lost my business, I'm going to phoenix next door where the prices are 20 cents to 75cents cheaper.

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Ben / June 30, 2011 at 03:05 am

Once agian, pho linh raised there prices. As the other posters commented it's not 26% more expensive then last year and they beef up the prices by 50cents. Even tho the food is quick and good it's too expensive now.

Anna / July 25, 2011 at 08:17 pm

I went to pho linh for the first time last night. I happened to bike past as I was considering what to make for dinner & I'm so glad I went in...this was the best vietnamese food I've tried in a long time! I had the rice dumplings - I think they may be called rice rolls on the menu - anyway, they were delicious - a perfect meal on a hot day : )

The only issue is that there seem to be no veggie options on the menu...so no bringing your veggie friends.

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todd / April 22, 2012 at 01:12 am

i drove by steeles ave w. near york u and saw that a sign that said Pho Linh and was wondering if they are opening up a 2nd location?

Anyone know if this is the same owners cuz it would sure save me a drive to college st. when I'm craving their banh cuon.

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monica / November 15, 2012 at 05:56 pm

I was at the new location on 2100 steeles in north york and had a chicken and beef noodle soup. It was horrible, the chicken thigh looked like it had been in the freezer forever and the beef was crusted with chunk of fat and not to mention the waiter was cocky and unfriendly. I would not return to the restaurant again.

Dan / January 22, 2013 at 02:36 pm

I visit the 2100 Steeles avenue west location on a weekly basis.

I've been to dozens of Pho places in the city - and this one is simply another level then most places.

Their broth is beefy, and strong - not weak like many of the chinese owned downtown places.

Their "S3" is simply one of the best soups in the city. IT's a spicy special beef broth filled with tender chunks of stewed and delicious connective tissue. You simply wont find a better pho in Toronto.

Jennifer / January 30, 2013 at 09:07 pm

I usually go to the location on College, but I was at the new location up in Vaughan and decided to grab a bite. I had the banh cuon + banh cong and their banh cong was hard as rock! I was very disappointed because it wasn't very tasty, the inside filling seemed raw, it had an odd smell to it, and it didn't look very fresh. As for the banh cuon, the inside filling did not smell as delicious. The flavours were inconsistent, some parts of the filling was a little sweeter and the some of the other parts were on the salty side. This is my second try of the banh cuon + banh cong at this location, but even then, it was still really disappointing. My friend had the Com Tam Suon Bi Cha (rice with the egg topped meatloaf, shredded pork, and grilled pork). The bi (shredded pork) and the cha trung (egg topped meatloaf) did not seem very fresh and the suon (grilled pork) was somewhat burnt. I'd usually go to Pho Linh on College and the food here is actually really fresh. Pho Linh is known to offer the best banh cuon. I love ordering it when I go to the one located on College, but I would not give it another try at the one on Steeles. The service at the new location was not very friendly. Most employees seemed very lazy, unwilling to work, and inappropriate. It didn't seem like a very serious or appropriate work environoment because workers were playing around (touching each other) and sitting down talking to each other. I am not impressed and I will definitely not return to the one located in Vaughan.

Liz / March 6, 2013 at 10:44 pm

I heard so many great things about this place and decided to visit this place earlier today! I went to the one on Steeles. The food was okay, not what I expected it to be. The broth of the pho was a little salty and it seemed like there was MSG used because I felt really thirsty after. Maybe I should give it another shot? Maybe try another meal? Service was friendly, but you had to write down your own order. I'm going to visit the one downtown and see if there are any differences between the two and make a comparison, since I heard that both are owned by the same owner(s)? Overall, it didn't reach my standards. I'll give it a satisfactory, rating would be 3/5 for now until I make another visit.

Matthew Wong / March 10, 2013 at 06:17 pm

"Once agian, pho linh raised there prices. As the other posters commented it's not 26% more expensive then last year and they beef up the prices by 50cents. Even tho the food is quick and good it's too expensive now." - Ben

Actually your wrong, if you haven't here for a long time you would see the price difference. Before on the menu it said GST and PST included, then when the government decided to combine both taxes to HST, pho linh also decided to charge Tax. So before prices were already expensive because they included tax then they added on HST so tats 26%, then they increase their prices and added some new sizes to banhcuon etc etc.

Too expensive now, should go eat pho ga st clair or pho cuu long on stclair

Lisa / March 11, 2013 at 09:24 pm

The food at Pho linh has been relatively the same over the years. The servings are decent, and taste is good. But as time went on price goes up and like other posters I notice this as well and you can see the once busy place isn't that Jam pack till people flood into the streets on a cold winters evening. Personally I only go their if I stop by dufferin mall and want fast vietnamese food. Otherwise nothing special here, since banh cuon isn't a rare attraction anymore, especially when you can fit the each one in your mouth with room to spare. To sum it all up, decent food (not many selection), high prices, but fast service.

Linh / March 13, 2013 at 04:50 pm

pho cuu long mien tay has stolen my business, they have lau (hotpot) and 7 kinds of beef and charge no tax and most dishes are under $7. Cya pho linh but if you can't afford to pay the tax for me, I'm gonna take my business else where.

p.s you still get your smoothies in a plastic cup like pho linh for all those lovers lol.

Gregory / April 29, 2013 at 04:26 pm

We use to go their twice a month but now we moved futher away but were craving some banh cuon. From what I remember it was a good place to eat and always busy and affordable pricing.

When looking at the menu, most of the items remain the same except some sizing changes like XL banh cuon and prices increase probably because of inflation. When we got the food it was just like how I remember. Taste good, but still craving more. 4 of us ended up eating 2 bowls of XL pho and 4 plates of XL banhcuon.

Overall it was ok, but when we got the bill it was over $55 without tip :O One of my friends mention that they do charge tax now and like the other posters we probably won't eat here again. As the price wasn't worth the amount of food given.

Lily / May 9, 2013 at 12:36 am

GOOD FOOD. OVERPRICED.

This place became a yearly eat out for my family. I taken my husband and two sons a few times in the past. Its great if you want to eat quickly and feel decently full. But for weekly lunches and dinners their are far better places mention by other bloggers :D

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