In Ottawa, few noodle houses are this good. The Vietnamese style here is fantastic, and it never fails. I've been here twice. The place is clean, and the staff is polite. I am glad for their consistency! The decor is straightforward, and I will never forget their on-loop videos of sea turtles with piano background music. It is quite calming when you are famished. This video is still playing, and I wonder if they will ever change it. This place is suitable for lunch, but it takes them a while to prepare the food. Their Pho options are delicious and are well-served. Their pick-up and dine-in options are lovely. Portions are good, ingredients are fresh, and tea is always served. I will always advise visiting this little spot near Chinatown, with spot-on prices. If you are wondering, -What's good?- I recommend their beef rare and beef flank rice noodle soup. Enjoy! read more

Great service, nice little shop. Simple "write on ticket" ordering style. We got 2 small size of #8 (noodle soup with beef) and it was a solid bowl of noodles. Beef was a little tough, but flavour of broth was perfect. Other notes: bathroom on same floor as restaurant, single/gender neutral, up 1-2 steps read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Close up of noodle order #8 - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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I recently stayed in Ottawa - what I always explore in big cities for lunch is noodles, especially Pho. Although Ottawa does not have as many options as we have in the GTA (where I am from), I found several promising Pho places, especially on Somerset street at the eastern edge of Ottawa's small Chinatown. The Chinatown is smaller and quieter compared to GTA's. But looks like there are several long-established Vietnamese places. After researching (my focus was rare beef Pho) - and considering where we were staying - I decided to try this place. It was highly recommended by the local media as well. I do not know well about the history of this restaurant - but it looks an unassuming, family run and genuine place. When we entered inside, most of their tables are occupied and there was a customer waiting for his take-out order, pleasantly conversing with the owner's family members. We tried #8 Beef rare rice noodle soup #11 Beef rare & Beef brisket rice noodle soup The service was quick and the bowls were served hot. A few minutes before the bowls were served, a dish of super fresh basil, bean sprouts, and lime was brought to the table. The bean sprouts were very thick and crispy. My expectations were running high when I saw it! The Phos did not disappoint. They had a lot of lean and soft rare beef, and the brisket was impressively melty tender. The soup was hot and rich, and the saltiness and a hint of veggies' sweetness were perfectly balanced. Not fatty, very smooth, clean, and pure. The Phos' bowls do not look sophisticated but are no-frills-genuinely tasty, which I appreciate most. I look forward to coming here when I come back to Ottawa again. read more

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Best place to get Vietnamese food at! Place is nice and the staff are amazing! The food was DELICIOUS!!! Plus the portions here are hugeeee! They offer a variety of Vietnamese food! and trust me you won't be disappointed in it! read more

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we waited 40 minutes for our order. It was very busy and there was allot of take out orders. However, we didn't mind waiting 40 minutes for our order since the food was so good. It was actually the best Pho noodle place I've been too. read more

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Okay so I had heard of this place and read reviews that were glowing so on Thanksgiving Day my wife and I decided to give this place a shot. We rolled on shortly after noon and the place was already half full so we got there just on time. My wife ordered vegetarian spring rolls (#4) and the veggie pho. I ordered the 3 beef combo pho (#15). The service was fast, the place was clean, the beer was cold, and the food was fantastic. My wife's spring rolls blew her away - best she's ever had and she raves about the broth in her soup. My pho was also perfect - everything was just right from how clean it was to the depth of flavour to the 5 pounds of beef in my soup. This was one of the best bowls of pho I've had in the NCR and we have tried a bunch. We will definitely be back. read more

Pretty sad pho. All beef was over cooked even if you get rare beef. The stock was watery. The serving sizes are small. The shrimp spring rolls were really small the diameter of a loonie maybe. Would not come back read more

Some decent pho here. Not a lot of room for seating but if you can get in I don't think you'll be disappointed. I ordered the rare beef ( I get it on the side) and tendon pho with a shrimp spring roll as an appetizer. The pho was quite flavorful and the shrimp spring roll although looking quite dark, was quite good with big chunks of shrimp inside. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Crispy shrimp spring roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Looks like 1000 other pho restaurants; dull, basic Rare beef pho was very good; heavy on sodium $24.75 for 2 bowls is a lot to charge Otherwise 4 stars read more

The cafe sua da here was better than even in Vietnam. It was a rich, smooth dark Vietnamese drip coffee with a hint of mocha, and the ubiquitous condensed milk. What's not to love. My spouses's chicken and rare beef pho' was excellent. My grilled chicken on rice vermicelli was very acceptable, the nam plah had the perfect amount of fish sauce. One gristly piece spoiled the overall experience but it was still good. A reliable go-to place, with a diverse clientele. My comfort zone kind of place. Our waiter was professional, polite and very personable. Lots of patience. Well done! read more

Ottawa has plenty to choose from when it comes to Vietnamese food in Chinatown. I actually believe there are more Vietnamese restaurants so it should be called little Saigon instead of Chinatown. On the eastern end of Sommerset is Saigon boy Noodle house. It's a simple little restaurant inside decor is similar to your standard Viet restaurants. The menu offering is Vietnamese pho soups, rice dishes and vermicelli noodle dishes. Your standard fare. On my visit I went with a Bun vermicelli with grilled chicken and fried pork spring roll. I also ordered some extra spring rolls plus an avocado shake to go. The vermicelli was awesome. Lots of crispy fresh veggies with noodles and the mix of meat and spring rolls. It's one of my top ten fave meals. They do a strong above average version here at SBNH. Spring rolls were on point! Definitely a place to hit up if you are in the mood for some solid Vietnamese in O-town! You shan't be disappointed! read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - 3 fried pork spring rolls and small veg decor that was tasty - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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We opted for this restaurant since our plans had changed and we were in a bit of a rush. I found that waiting times here for food was a bit slow. We got the shrimp fried spring rolls and the Thai fried spring rolls. Both were underwhelming and didn't taste special. The chao tôm (ground shrimp paste on sugarcane) was not sweet enough and tasted very bland. I also found that the colour was not vibrant and orange like regular shrimp but instead looked more pale. The Pho I ordered was the Saigon Boy bowl. I assumed it was the one that had the assorted meats and toppings. The portions here are pretty big. Upon tasting of the broth, I found that it was slightly sweeter than what I preferred and not salty enough. The aroma was there though. All in all, this place is not bad for a Pho restaurant. read more

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My parents and I had an early dinner here today and it was awesome. Their small soup bowls are $7.95, medium is $8.95 and large is $9.95. I got a small #31 which was "shrimp, pork, fish cake and crab meat in tapioca noodle soup". My mom got a small #28 which was the "Saigon Boy Rice Noodle Soup" (aka Deluxe Pho - rare beef, beef brisket, tripe, beef tendons, beef meatballs and a quail egg). My dad also got the #28 in medium. I really loved my soup. The broth was so flavourful, and not too salty or fatty. I got 2 good sized shrimp, 2 pieces of imitation crab (there's no real crab meat unfortunately), 2 pieces of fried fish cakes, 4 pieces of thinly sliced pork and a few spoonfuls of ground pork. There's a good amount of meat in the soup! The tapioca noodles were awesome. I love the chewiness of tapioca noodles and these did not disappoint. They sprinkle some fried onions on top of the soup, which adds a great flavour to the dish. There's also cilantro and green onions in the soup (so if you are a cilantro hater, ask them to omit it). This was the best noodle soup I've had in Ottawa. My parents also loved their soup. They said it was much better than other places they've had in Ottawa and even better than some places in Toronto (!). My mom's only complaints were that the tripe was too chewy, and the yolk of the quail egg was too mushy (because they likely used canned quail eggs instead of boiling fresh quail eggs - but this is likely true for all pho restaurants in Ottawa, as fresh quail eggs are super expensive and a pain in the butt to peel), but other than that, she loved it. We were greeted as soon as we walked in. We got complimentary tea as soon as we sat down, and the server checked up on us appropriately. The place seats less than 30 people. The restaurant is clean and the staff were nice. FYI: I don't think they have a liquor license. Also, I don't think they accept credit cards, so cash or debit only. Street parking only. Overall we loved it. We will be back :) read more

Authentic and cozy. Family owned business. Portions were fair. The grilled meats in our bun noodles and rice plate were definitely the best things on the menu. Lots of flavour and generous amount (but the rice was a bit hard). Pho was good (standard). read more

Great prices and a nice atmosphere as well as a solid offering of noodles. I got the chicken soup egg noodle with pork and Shrimp. The protein and noodles were excellent though the broth left me wanting at first till the fried garlic and chili had released their flavours. The meal seemed a lot healthier than other pho offerings with less salt, recommended for the health conscious who want a clean place with great service to eat. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - #36 - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Visited Ottawa today for Canada and decided to check out Chinatown with the fam. Came across this spot and we were lucky despite our big family. It was pretty difficult to serve our table(s) but they pulled through. As for the food, it was great. Nice portions, great taste, assortment of sides that come with the rice plates was good (especially the pickled carrots and onions). Looking around at the pho bowls, it looked like that would've been a good choice also. Pretty good overall. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Triple combo rice plate, pork chop, grilled chicken, topped with a fried egg - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

DAMN BOY!!! Another solid pho place on Somerset. I got the #18 large. If they had told me the large was the size of a bucket I would have opted for something smaller aka they have awesome portion sizes. The broth has a nice flavour to it and doesn't taste like the broth is half MSG, I will leave the other places unnamed. There's a nice portion of cilantro on the top and they do put a decent amount of toppings in your bowl. Rare beef, brisket, tendon and tripe...not bad at all. Add some hoisin and sriracha and it's a hangover cure of champions. It's a divey place with solid food...cash only, don't whine later if you read this review and they won't take your card! Also if you get the large you better be hungry. read more

Great food & ambience -- usually I expect Chinatown restaurants to be bustling, this one was quiet. I got a vegetarian pho (item 39 on the menu), and some vermicelli rolls (that I didn't quite like). read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I have been having a hard time finding a good pho restaurant to eat in Ottawa, and I think I have found that place. Saigon Boy Noodle House is a great place if you just want a comforting bowl of pho for a nice meal. Their broth is simply amazing, and I have not had a decent pho broth for a good while. There is a good ratio between broth ,noodles, and meat. The prices are very reasonable for each size of pho. The interior atmosphere is very pleasant and simple. If you want a bowl of pho in Ottawa, this is the place to go. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Pho broth had really great flavor and nice big portions! The restaurant was small, so it was difficult to seat multiple families of 7. Better to go early if you have a big group. read more

I had pho tai. It's on par. It didn't blow me away but it didn't disappoint either.

This cute little place is close by Chinatown in Ottawa. The service was good and attentive, the broth and meat is good. I'm giving it a 3 because they don't use fresh rice noodles that I'm use to back in Toronto. They use the dry noodles that can be bought at any Chinese grocery market. Perhaps, Vietnamese pho restaurants in Ottawa all use those noodles. All in all, the portion is good. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

We love pho, so we tried this place based on good reviews and we were not disappointed. Vermicelli dish was amazing , the pho broth was maybe best we have had. The summer rolled with grilled pork were fantastic. We will definitely be back and highly recommend this restaurant. Friendly and helpful staff. read more

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I've been to pretty much every pho shop on Somerset, but somehow hadn't tried this place--probably because it's east of Bronson and hence not in the pho epicentre. Reviewers below are spot on: this place is a gem, and I can't imagine going anywhere else for pho at this point. I have long been a partisan of Thu Do, mostly because their spring rolls are so great. I was mostly of the opinion that pho is pho and you can't really stand out too much. Saigon Boy revolutionized my pho worldview because they have literally 3-4 times as much meat as their competitors! My large bowl of rare beef and beef ball had nearly 20 large pieces of meet and as many halved beef balls. I was especially blown away because the last time at Thu Do I was thinking how their really wasn't much of a meat difference between their medium and large bowls, where one gets about 7 pieces of rare beef and 6 halved beef balls. Saigon Boy is a gamechanger, meat-wise. They deliver on the all the other pho metrics as well: piping hot, rich savoury broth, big mass of noodles, fresh accoutrements. Price is standard, I found, at $8.99 or so for a large bowl. I can't attest to anything other than pho, but I will certainly be trying other items in the future as this is now my go-to spot. The owner is super nice, and he even popped by to ask me how my meal was--don't think I've had that at any other pho spot. I'm going back tomorrow! read more

It's a small and cozy little restaurant. We've had a great experience each time we've come. Food taste great at fair prices. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

This is my go to pho as it's spitting distance from home. I tend to opt for a combination of seafood/pork and my better half always goes for the beef brisket with tendon, etc. Both the chicken and beef broth bases are excellent. We have always enjoyed our meals here, and in my opinion there is nothing better on a cold night. Great value, clean and pleasant atmosphere. I do enjoy that they do take-out as well. Be warned: cash only. read more

Good Vietnamese restaurant with good prices. Fast service and small intimate seating area. The rice plates are generously portioned and the pho is great. The soup base tastes authentic , home made and not from a base. All in all a better than average pho place. Better than ok but not fine dining. Great value. read more

First of all, there is only street parking and u need to pay for street parking. The average food price is about $9 to $15. We ordered 2 beef pho noodles soup and seafood pho for 3 person. We also ordered shrimp cold roll. The beef pho was kinda bland. The cold roll rice wrap was very hard to chew. My seafood noodles soup was pretty good, the soup has a good amount of taste. However, the noodles were sticking together( seems like it's still frozen. The service was ok, we had to wait for a bit before they take our order. The waitress did come and check on us once a while. The total is $35.40. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Seafood noodles soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

This has become my regular pho place. The location of the restaurant makes it pretty easy for me to walk to. I've found the broth for the pho soup to be my favourite that I've found in Ottawa. Prices are reasonable, restaurant is clean and the service is very courteous. What more could you want? read more

Delicious pho broth! The broth smells and tastes like it's home made. I was recommended this place by a fellow yelper and have been very happy with the last 5 visits there. Service is normal, rice wraps are delicious in veggie or non veggie options. The place could use an uplift though. It looks a bit run down and not very well taken care of. I don't always feel super comfortable eating there. Unfortunetly this type of "rundown look" is very common in chinatown area so I can't complain too much. read more

Best vegetarian pho. Fast and friendly service. Lots of seating. We are regulars there and have never been disappointed. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Vegetarian Pho (in veggie broth), so delicious! - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Most comments I read before coming we're accurate : fastbservice, tea right away. I ordered #8 (traditional beef pho) and it was good. A tad sweeter than what I'm used too. Also for a Wednesday night thebplace was full which is a good sign for Ottawa. Places close early.... Pho are better in Montreal for sure but if you have a craving it won't disappoint. read more

Saigon Boy Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I had the #43: Grilled beef with spring rolls on rice vermicelli. A perfect meal for a hot day. Generous portion with lots of julienned vegetables. My only suggestion would be more fresh herbs. read more

We visited Ottawa and someone suggested Saigon Boy. It was terrific! Our server Parker was very friendly and made excellent menu suggestions. Saigon Boy is known for their bowls with vermicelli. The bowl has noodles, veggies, and protein served with fish sauce and egg rolls. Perfect! read more

Went here based on various reviews, wasn't really impressed at all. The broth was average at best and for me, the quality of a Pho restaurant is *all* in the broth. That's what distinguishes one from the other. A good pho broth takes time and love, needs quality ingredients, lots of bones to enrich the broth, the spices and not too much fish sauce or MSG, but just enough. The meat was extremely fatty and I didn't even order the fatty cut of meat. Perhaps they were better before, but when I went it was a miss. Many better pho restaurants in this area. PS: They do take interac now, which apparently they didn't before. read more

I cannot say enough about how great this restaurant is. Hui and his family are amazing, they try to remember your name when you're a regular and the pho broth is just the best. Very flavourful and not too salty. Ingredients are fresh, the service is fast. If you care about supporting a hardworking guy and his family-run business, then this is the place for you! read more

Mr Hui the owner is a great hard working man and he serves great food. Everything is always fresh and he has the best pho in town. Make sure to thank them in vietnamese "cam-eun" ! read more

I love their rice dishes!!! OMG so tasty, chicken, pork and beef grilled over rice, can't get enough and big portion too.

Went there with my family for the first time this weekend. Good pho, some of the best beef I've ever had at this type of restaurant and generous portions. Seems like a family run business that was sincerely concerned with providing caring service. We will be back, read more

The food was good but the service was nonexistent...it was busy so it is somewhat understandable but waiting 30 minutes for drinks and over an hour for food is crazy! Recommend going on a slow night or go knowing that you will be waiting awhile until you eat. We read more