Their bun rieu is the best I've had in the gta! The tomato soup is flavourful and they give you heaps of crab meat/stuffing (not sure what to call it) and large pieces of tomato. Also comes with pieces of actual crab in the shell though I can't manoeuvre it to get any meat out. This is the perfect meal on a chilly day. Their bun bo hue is flavourful and pretty spicy. I would recommend both noodle soups :) -1 star for the service, which is basically non-existent. They are super understaffed for how busy they are. When I got there, I had to wait for a table for ~10 minutes even though there were at least 3 vacant tables (just not cleared or wiped yet). I was not even acknowledged once after being seated and had to ask for the menu and water multiple times. Actually not even sure if they forgot or just didn't hear me or understand me every time I ask for something. Server gave us another table's drink order and was confused when we said it's not ours. Bean sprouts on the side that comes with the soup is cooked.. which I thought was weird because it's not usually cooked at other pho places. Conclusion: service is very bad, but food is good read more

Best crab pho (bun rieu) I've had. Always so fresh. I always change the vermicelli to rice noodles, I find it tastes better. The spring roll is massive, so tasty, I got the pork, happy with it, loved the crunchy stuff they put in it. Very friendly staff! read more

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Been here 4 times......LOVE IT!!!! However...don't go there if you are in a hurry....it's just a small family run business with usually one wait staff. DO NOT expect to be greeted & there is no number system so stay in line & pay attention! I have witnessed a few squabbles!! Can get entertaining LOL Come early 5-5:30 or come late around 9 or be prepared to wait. Food is FANTASTIC!! Must try the Hugh Vietnamese roll #50...the appetizer platter is a crowd fav....curry is very tasty.....Tom Yum pho is so yummy....treasure fried rice is made with tomato paste - very interesting ....of course the Pho with your choice of many toppings...I will be back to try everything on the menu!! read more

Bong Lua Vietnamese Restaurant - 2 types of meat combo - Vietnamese Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Been meaning to try this place out for some time now and finally made the trek. I thought it was just alright. Would I go back? Sure. But if I had a craving for some pho (especially), I'd go to my usual spot. This place though is cozy with friendly staff. I went during the week around lunch and the place was quite packed. I ordered for take-out and it didn't take too long. Rare Beef Pho - Though most people would prefer more fat in their beef, I personally prefer the more leaner cuts/shreds. I found myself taking most of the fat off which didn't leave much left. Also found it a bit tougher than other places. On top of that, it wasn't even all that rare as I had preferred and ordered. The broth itself was pretty good. What is noticeable though is that the broth wasn't as salty as other places which I would assume is a bit healthier. 4/5. Fried Spring Rolls - This was alright. Thought it lacked a bit of flavour and was on the greasier side. Even with the sauce (which also lacked a bit of flavour), it still lacked some flavour. I usually love ordering this whenever I go out to a Vietnamese restaurant but I'd probably skip it from now on. 2.5/5. read more

Food is still amazing and prices are still reasonable. 4.5/5 The one thing I noticed this time though is that they're severely understaffed. There were 3 runners last time and today, there was only 1. The lady was already overworking herself and service got sloppy. 3.5/5 read more

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Came here based on recommendations from my coworkers as they said this place has really good Pho and I agree! Visited here around 1:30pm on a Sunday and they were packed. Mind you, this restaurant is very small to start with, but there were at least 10 people waiting for tables when I got here. People were seated quickly and service was moving at a decent pace. This is a small family run business and you can see each person working their hardest to serve everyone. I tried their House Special Beef Noodle Pho and Deep Fried Spring Rolls. The soup for the pho was flavorful and not overly salty. Beef was served slightly raw so you could have it cook in the soup. Overall a pretty good bowl of Pho. The spring rolls was the highlight for me. They were extremely crispy but also really easy to bite into. Probably one of the best crispy spring rolls I've had at a Pho restaurant. Glad I gave this place a try and would come back again! read more

Bong Lua Vietnamese Restaurant - Deep fried spring rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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The food here has never been a problem for me. In fact that's why I keep coming back. And that's probably why there's always a lineup to get in. I only order pho here, so I can't really comment on the other dishes though. My problem is that service has gone downhill lately. On my latest visit we didn't have any spoons at our table. The tables around didn't have any either for us to steal from. When we finally got some there was a bean sprout stuck to one of them! The two waitresses seem stressed with the workload and they could probably use another. The kitchen is getting noticeably slower too, with some specialty soups (like the beef and carrot stew) taking a lot longer than regular pho. So you end up with a situation where half your table is almost done when your dish arrives. But service can easily be remedied (they're trying to hire more staff). Each time I give them the benefit of the doubt and try them again. And one day I'll finally be able to give them an extra star or two. read more

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This little family run business is hidden in a little plaza on birchmount is a hidden gem. The food is exceptionally well made and authentic. I don't remember the actual Vietnamese names but the noodle soups 101 and so on has very good homemade broth that is not too salty, the noodles are homemade and fresh and delicious. Number 119 the crab vermicelli noodles is amazing and I haven't had any like this anywhere else! Number 50 the wraps! Omg this is a must try! The rolls are huge and delicious with a combination of meat, crunchiness and chewy wrap! The parking lot is a problem though, it's small and it's full of cars even though most businesses are closed at night! The nearby townhouses all park here leaving no room for customers to park! read more

My favorite pho place in Toronto. The duck leg pho and the 'pretty girl' pho is always a hit with the family. It's pretty much what we always crave when we want a hot bowl of soup and noodles. Best thing is that you don't get thirsty afterwards from drinking the soup! read more

First time here and my first impression was that this place was pretty homey. It is a bit small in size so for larger groups be sure to have someone arrive early to reserve seats. There weren't too many servers and it didn't seem like there were too many cooks, either. However, the quality of food definitely made up for it. I got #119, the sweet and sour crab with vermicelli noodles. The flavour was great the broth was light and with slight spiciness. I very much enjoyed the bowl and devoured the broth as well. Would definitely recommend this dish in the future. :) read more

Bong Lua Vietnamese Restaurant - Sweet and Sour Crab with Vermicelli Noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

A friend wanted to be try this place out. I had a bowl of braised beef in carrot soup. And some chicken rice wraps. I'm not a huge fan of rice wraps in general. So don't let my bias on this dish away you from anything. The skin itself was actually not bad, that's usually one of the main parts of the wrap that I don't like. Inside, there are some veggies, crushed shrimp crackers which was new for me, the chicken, and some crushed peanuts. Everything was pretty good, but I'm not a fan of the crushed peanuts. That's probably the second main reason why I generally don't like rice wraps. But if you like those 2 things you would likely enjoy it. Onto my noodles. This is usually one of my go to items at pho restaurants. Usually had a nice flavourful broth to go along with the braised beef and carrots. It looks spicy due to the redness of the broth, but isn't at all. My noodles are gonna be the "ho fun" or rice noodle. And I haven't been to a place that sucks at making that yet. Braised beef will get stuck in between your teeth though. read more

An authentic Vietnamese restaurant! Food is great! The crab soup is amazing. Service is slow, so count for extra time when you go there read more

Bong Lua Vietnamese Restaurant - Dont remember what it is called but it is beef - Vietnamese Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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Shut up and listen! Do you like spicy beef satay? Do you like pho? Then come here and get the beef satay. It comes in a hybrid pho form with plenty of sauce and nuts. Words cannot describe how disgustingly good this stuff is. If I could boil it down and inject it into my veins, I would. Don't read the menu. It's a waste of time just order the spicy beef satay. read more

My family friend from Vietnam actually recommended this place to me. They said the food here is really authentic. They recommended their sweet and sour crap soup vermicilli and fried spring roll. I came here at 5:45 pm on a friday evening and I was the onlh one there. The resturant is quite small. The sweet and sour crab soup was very very fishy. The crab was not fresh. They have alot of tomato in the soup but I honestly couldnt taste it. The fishy smell covered any tomato flavour. The fried spring roll was 5.50 and it came out hot and fresh. But i dont like the skin, it sticked on to your teeth. The staff was friendly, but I probably wouldnt come back. Maybe this was just a bad experience because I did hear many people recommending this place. read more

Bong Lua Vietnamese Restaurant - Fried spring roll 5.50 - Vietnamese Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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Bun Rieu #119 Get it...it's the bomb! This spot has great value for their pho. It's a small shop though so expect to wait if you're eating at prime time for lunch or dinner. Maybe try it with a table for 2 if you don't want to wait. Don't expect great service or politeness, but come here for the food and you won't be disappointed. If anything I appreciate the directness. read more

Best vietnamese restaurant in Scarborough imo. Their wraps are so good and i love their crab & egg noodle (not sure what its called in vietnamese). read more

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Came here yesterday and got the following: sweet and sour crab with vermicelli (#119) - pretty good broth and I liked that they added real crab in the soup noodle large fresh spring roll with pork (#50) - yum this was actually better than the crab vermicelli and comes with a dip I liked the fact they had servers that spoke English unlike other places. I didn't like that the other patrons had loud screaming kids (which made the dining experience less enjoyable), and lack of table space. Food is very tasty and surpassed my expectations. Will def be back to try other items from the menu specifically the fried rice and the dry vermicelli. read more

I'm used to supposed "bad/indifferent" service at stereotypical congee places but this didn't even cut close. This place is understaffed and hence is disorganized in so many ways. So there were 4 of us that were in line, with 3 people behind us but seemed really keen on grabbing seats. The moment we thought it was our turn the waitress put a reserved sign on a table. I don't know if they are regulars or what not, but the waitress decided to give the open table of 4 seats to them first, til I obviously butted in and told them I was here first. Later, I noticed that right when their table sat down at the table that was previously reserved, they received their food (so they must've ordered when they were waiting in line, even though they were behind us and they allowed it? By the time we got our food, they left the restaurant.) When we were waiting for our food, which took at least 20 minutes for simple pho, I noticed that a later pair got theirs prior to ours. We were the only table without food even though we came in first prior to 2 tables and ordered promptly. Time came to eating. I was so distracted by the unfair service, I couldn't even enjoy my food. First thing I noticed; no napkins or spoons. Unclean utensils (My tongue got an allergic reaction when I started using the spoon - EW what if I get Hep B because these aren't even washed properly). We approached the counter at least 4 times when no one else needed to do it. Hire more staff during regular meal hours and weekends ffs. With such disorganization, I suggest your business be a cafeteria, not a restaurant. read more

After a good 20+ min wait to be seated for a quick lunch on a Sunday afternoon, I was grossed out right away to see the server wipe down our table with a dirty towel (yes, a towel. like the hand tower you would use at home) as we sat down to haphazardly push the remnants of the previous diners spills onto the floor. The restaurant was crowded and the servers seem so flustered, busying around taking orders, cleaning and cashing people out. Totally disorganized. We waited another 10+ min to order our food and 20+ min more to get our food. We ordered a large house Pho and a satay beef pho. First off, their condiment bottles were just disgusting with caked on spill overs of sriracha and hoisin. Our chopstick basket sat empty and we had to ask them to bring us some chopsticks. My husband's house pho was ok. Decent size bowl of noodles with different meats and meatballs. The broth tasted fairly standard and nothing to write home about. My satay beef pho was the most curious looking thing ever since my encounter with just as odd bowl of satay beef pho at Pho Mono in Ajax. The broth was thick and it was a yellow curry base. Out of my surprise, I asked the lady who brought the food and she simply said, "yeah, satay beef." The satay beef pho was over-cooked noodles bathing in a thick (thickened with cornstarch) in a yellow curry soup base. My years of Pho eating experience failed to prep me for this encounter but since we had already spent too much time waiting to be seated and getting the food, I decided to just eat it so we could leave. Over all, the flavour of the satay pho wasn't bad. It was just not the satay beef pho I wanted. Would I be back to Bong Lua? Not in a million years. read more

Came at 1 on a Sunday. Waited not long to get a table. Ordered 2 bowls of noodles and one rice roll. 102 the Tom yum pho, way too sour. I came with the bf so after we shared that bowl of Tom yum we continued to wait over 20 mins for our 2nd bowl of crab soup pho. Now if you ever been to Kim bo across pmall the bowl at bong lua is the worst tasting pho I've ever had. Another 15 mins later they brought our spring roll in a to go box saying they mixed up. I mean if this tasted good the wait would be tolerable. But the food tasted terrible and service was terrible I would definitely not come back. 1 stars for food 2 stars decor 1 star service read more

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Bun reiu was 6/10 bland. Pho 5.5/10 Spring rolls were tiny and not crunchy. Fish sauce was weak AF Price is pretty good if u want food on the cheap read more

Ever since a friend introduced me to this restaurant called Kim Po by pacific mall, I realized there is much more to Vietnamese cuisine than just typical stuff that I know of when it comes to noodle variety. My wife and I came here and order crab noodle soup and regular pho. What a score!! Price point - awesome, taste awesome, speed and service - awesome! This is a triple A mom's and pops joint and I highly recommend this place to any viet food lovers with little bit of adventurous minds. We came back in 3 days and ordered chicken soup based noodle dish that comes with seafood and 2 different type of noodles (thick egg noodle and vermicelli), and what looked like a giant fresh rolls wth grilled pork inside. I wanna try their beef stew and other noodle dish next time but we love this place!! So far the best place I've found on the east end. Try it, you won't be disappointed!! read more

Great pho, and great springrolls. I was recommended this place by coworkers and while it looks a bit shabby from the outside, the food is to die for. While the food was fantastic, there were a few things I found off putting. First off, even for a small, Asian restaurant, the place is dirty- on one occasion, I was sitting in a corner enclosed by the counter and the wall, and it felt so gross. Just take a look at the health inspection pass posted on the outside window- there's a dead wasp stuck between the glass and paper. Secondly, the servers always forget that I ordered a shake and I have to remind them. By the time it comes, I'd already be almost done my meal. Food wise though, this place has really great Viet food and that can't be contested. Just wish they'd clean up the interior a bit. read more

Bong Lua Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese spring rolls topped with green onion and dried onions - Vietnamese Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

"Once it hits your lips, it's so gooood!" That #119 sweet and sour crab noodle soup is probably one of the best noodle soups I've ever had. Period. I finished the noodles, sucked on a crab carcass, and drank all the broth. Then I was sad. I'm not even a big fan of crab. It was really that good. Come early or prepare to wait. This place is small and is usually packed. read more

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Bún Time at Bong Lua! Winter is great for steaming bowls of beef Pho or tomato-crab Pho but what to eat when T'O starts sweltering? It's Bún Time! Dry noodles (preferably rice vermicelli) served at room temperature with 2 or 3 toppings, julienned carrots and cucumbers. Top it all off with the ubiquitous salty-tangy Nuoc mam pha sauce and you'll stay cool even when the mercury hits 40. Today, I tried the beef wrapped in betel leaf and immediately fell in love with the aromatic flavours. My other Bún topping choice, the traditional lemon grass chicken, was succulent and satisfying. Some other dishes that I'll be eating this summer include the ever-popular giant roll with lemon grass pork and prawn crackers (#50) AND the crispy rice flour/mung bean crepe (Banh Xeo #54). read more

Bong Lua Vietnamese Restaurant - Bún Time: dry vermicelli salad with beef in aromatic betel leaf + succulent lemon grass chicken. - Vietnamese Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Food is pretty good and lots of variety. It can get quite busy here especially with the number of take out orders. Service is painstakingly slow though. Often they only have one person serving, cleaning, taking the bills and taking orders back to the kitchen. It can get overwhelming very quickly. I haven't been back since I actually got up and left after waiting over an hour for my food - repeatedly asked the server for the status and kept being assured it was coming next... more than an hour was just too ridiculous for a bowl of pho... read more

3. 5*Mediocre is how I would describe the curry I ordered. Under the influence of the waitress I decided to order this curry. I patiently waited for this so called amazing curry and finally it arrived to my table. First bite didn't quite capture my attention. It tasted salty with a bit of sweetness in the after taste. Don't get me wrong this curry is not bad at all, it just doesn't deserve being called good curry. ( Maybe I'm just picky because I'm on the journey to find the best curry). The coconut flavour and spiciness was lacking in this dish. Chicken was fairly tender and vegetables were crunchy and tasty. Curry to Rice ratio was perfect as I finished both at the same time. This is an alright curry it'll pass as comfort food but definitely not a pleasant dish. Ranking system: 色: 3/5 (dish appearance) 香: 2/5 (dish scent) 味: 3/5 (dish taste) PS. Service was slow but polite. read more

Bong Lua Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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Whenever I come to bong lua, I am looking for the bun rieu. They have a wide variety of Vietnamese dishes but the bun rieu is especially outstanding. I've tried bun rieu at a number of different places but I haven't had any that were even close to being as good as this one. There's something about how they prepare their egg and how it is mixed in with the crab tomalley that gives it a very rich crab flavor. They have a snail pho that's pretty interesting as well if you're into that kinda thing. read more

There's more to Vietnamese food than just pho, pho, pho, and the occasional banh mi. However it's hard to find a place in Toronto with an expansive menu. My sister came across this Scarborough strip plaza place via an Instagram post, featuring bun rieu, the crab noodle soup we grew up on. Not too often you see that in town, sadly. The food itself was decent. The bun rieu she craves was made with a chunk of real crab, legit. I picked some sort of curry noodle bowl that had quite a spicy kick. But man the service, slower than a 56k modem. We walked in and it didn't seem like we were noticed for a good minute, and took then just as long to serve your table. Busy and pho of diners as the place was, it took them forever to clean a table and get the next batch of diners in. From what I've read, maybe it's time this humble restaurant grease their bearings with extra staff, otherwise the next time I crave bun rieu, it'd be at my mom's dining room. {TTC: Bus 17 or 169 to Birchmount at Huntingwood} read more

I have a friend that used to work there in the kitchen, if you complain about your food and ask for a replacement the Bitch lady owner will throw your food on the ground and put it back in your bowl and serve it to you. Please stay away from places like this unless you want the runs. read more

I was craving a hot bowl of Pho on this rainy day, so I decided to try Bong Lua but I was quite skeptical because the previous owners which operated under a different name was quite bad. I find it really offensive when chinese people open Vietnamese restaurants and serve unauthentic garbage food. For me, I find it disrespectful to the culture, I understand everybody is trying to make a living but at least try to have some pride in the food you serve and keep the food authentic and genuine. I just had to get that off my chest, now to the review. I ordered a large Pho Dac Biet (Special) and an avocado shake. It was $6.50 for the large bowl which is quite reasonable, especially for how much food you get. The broth had a decent flavour but did lack some complexity. The beef was above average, the noodles were fine but the tendon was of poor quality. All in all, it's an average bowl of pho but better than quite a few of the establishments in Scarborough. The owners and cooks are Chinese/Vietnamese. One think that really impressed me, is their menu. They offer a lot of Vietnamese dishes that are not offered in Scarborough. They had bun bo hue, bun rieu, banh hoi dac biet, banh cuon, canh chua and a lot more. For example, 90% of the Vietnamese restaurants in Scarborough do not offer bun rieu which is a pretty common soup in Vietnam. I'm definitely going to go back to try some of the other dishes. It's quite unfortunate that they are situated in a terrible location because they definitely deserve to be busier. read more

The goat curry rice is BOMB OMG so good!!! Not spicy. It's a coconut curry. Even my grandparents loved it!!!

When my friend suggested Pho for our catch up lunch, I immediately thought of this place. I forget how amazingly this place stacks up to other Pho places. Large portions of noodles and toppings in a clear broth. They also have lots of specialty items that you don't normally see at other Vietnamese places, like crab vermicelli, duck and bamboo shoot noodles and their fresh rolls are amazing. The place is quite small and gets very busy, so if you are headed for dinner, either go early or expect a bit of a wait. The service isn't greatest but the quality of the food makes up for it. read more

I am updating my review based on recent visit. I don't expect much service at a place like this; just bring me my food in a timely manner, that's all I ask for. My recent service, service was extremely slow. I ordered noodle soup which is nothing fancy, it should it served quickly. My husband got his steamed rolls order and almost finished eating it and I still didn't get my noodle soup. Steamed rolls were just ok and very small portion for the price; I don't recommend it. Bun bo hue was good, decent portion for a small; broth was flavourful, not a lot of meat in my noodles though. Deep fried chicken wings were just ok; kinda disappointed. I was expecting fish sauce chicken wings at some viet restaurants but it wasn't quite that; a bit bland IMO. It did come with a sauce and I did need the sauce to enhance flavour. I had other viet wings at other places; it was so flavourful u wouldn't need to dip in sauce. read more

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I must admit that the food photos looked amazingly delicious. The food itself wasn't as good as it looked but it was decent in this area. We visited here Saturday afternoon and this place was completely filled, a good sign! I ordered satay beef noodle: definitely not the most authentic taste but was good for what was available in the area. The noodle portions are quite generous, a little too much for me which I would ask for reduced portions next time around. Bun rieu was 7/10 authentic and appreciated the fact that they used thin vermicelli as traditionally used in Vietnam. The beef brisket stew noodle my brother ordered was 5/10 it had a pungent taste of something but can't explain what it was, perhaps licorice? One downfall during my visit was that they were so busy and under staffed. It took forever to get our orders in and forever to receive our bill. Numerous tables were not cleared with a long line-up of people waiting. I would still like to revisit this restaurant in the future again to try out the other vast variety of options on the menu. read more

Great Vietnamese food close to home, with little next to no MSG! Since I tried the Hot and sour soup that a Vietnamese friend introduced me to, I've always wanted for more, but I had to go all the way out to Mississauga. It's an appetizing dish with lots of vegetables. It comes with chicken, shrimp or fish. This is the only Vietnamese restaurant that carries it in the area. I've been ordering almost every time I come with friends. I also like the menu here. You can pick any Bun (cold vermicelli noodle), rice, or pho (beef broth noodle soup) with any meat combination, and there is plenty of selection. There is not much to say about the decor. Seating is as maximized as it can be. It's typical family restaurant, nothing fancy. I do'n't care much about the decor unless it was some kind of celebration. After all, I'm here for the food. read more

Came here as a large party for a family lunch, on recommendation from my cousin. Service is slow since there's only two people working, but food is good. It's not your typical pho, so be adventurous and try some new things. The stews are good, and the shrimp rolls are well-made too. They have a really good fish soup with just the right kick as well. We were a large party of 10, which they easily accommodated before they got busy. But once the place started picking up, service went completely downhill. We waited forever for food, and orders were missed. I feel like I should give this place a second shot with less people, but we'll see if the opportunity arises again. read more

When we first got here, we saw that there was a line formed all the way out front but it was turned around win 20 or so minutes as they tables were served, cleaned and reset up very quickly. Came here with the family and tried several items which the friendly staff gave us recommendations on. The restaurant seemed to be family run. We ordered a crab noodle soup, spicy curry beef rice, a bowl of pho and a dry noodle dish and a side of pork rice rolls which was recommended by staff as replacement for skewers which they ran out of. From tasting everything, the rice rolls was the best dish and while other dishes were traditionally made, the taste was not very exciting nor spicy. The crab noodle soup was quite large with 2 pieces of real crab which was mostly shells or legs. The spicy curry beef rice had nicely sauté veggies but the curry was fairly clean taste was not spicy. The pho and dry rice noodle dish were both very similar other places. Overall, here's my ratings: Overall - 3 Food - 2.5 Service - 4 Atmosphere - 3 (not loud but crammed seating) Would I come back here again? Probably not read more

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I loved the ambience here. I expected the waitresses to be grumpy old Chinese ladies but they were first-class. However, I won't go back for the pho. It was only average and the other dishes looked 10x better on Yelp. & don't get the spring rolls - overpriced and tasted slightly odd. Will be coming back to try other things. read more

One of my go-to pho places! My favourite dishes include the Lime Beef Salad, spring rolls (nice and crispy), and grilled meat rice rolls. Pros: - Cheaper than average pho prices - Huge selection of Vietnamese cuisine, ranging from curry, rice, appetizers, pho, and vermicelli - Friendly service (I believe they're a family business) Cons: - Small space; difficult to seat larger groups - Rush hour: longer wait times - Sometimes, their cutlery appear a little grimy read more

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