I had the Mekong martini and it is a delicious martini drink poured over cotton candy. Our party also had : ginger chicken, the viet crepes (shrimp and beef versions) and the beef cubes and all were amazing. Huge tv screens and very close proximity to Rogers place and the mall. The customer service was outstanding! Would highly recommend to anyone visiting Edmonton!
I have had the privilege of dining here numerous times. The food is incredible & the staff does a great job. Katana is a special person that makes the experience worthwhile. The friends I have brought there share my enthusiasm for this gem of a eatery in the best part of a great city
New favourite spot! This place has a great atmosphere, delicious food, and the service is top notch!!
Amazing place excellent atmosphere, great prices and awesome crowd.
I love the establishment. Being Vietnamese, I'm more critical on anything related to the cuisine. However, I ordered 4 things: Bun Bo Hue, Betel Leaf Beef, Vietnamese spring rolls, and Rare Beef Salad, none came disappointed. The tapas size was perfect, as I don't like large portions, but still able to enjoy more variety.
Also, the music was great. I would never expect to be enjoying some old school R&B while eating my people's food. It added values into my time there.
Pricing was also really good. I actually expected a much higher bills than what I got.
I also recognize them for their gender-neutral washrooms. Some people seem to be offended by the piece of decor hanging in there, but I find it funny, unless I'm not aware about something.
Good spot to hang out with friends on a friday/saturday night for some delicious food and drinks!
Ox tail fries are a must try!!!!!! Awesome place. Good food, friendly staff, nice atmosphere.
Torontonian visiting Edmonton for work. Came across this place by accident. Couldn't get a seat because there was a private party. The kind hostess recommended to try Black Pearl. Was impressed by her recommendation, so I came back another night. I was not disappointed! Jamie the bartender took good care of me and I have to say the spicy fish sauce wings were sooooo bomb! Also tried their Viet crepes which also very good! Will visit again next time I'm in town!
Oxtail fries is a must try! Can't wait to come back for lunch too. Pretty cool to eat a bowl of pho while jammin to the Weeknd at the same time�
Francois Lacroix-Leung
+5
love the food and love the atmosphere! Definitely will come back to try the challenge again!
Love this place. Great lunch. I have had multiple items here and they have all been excellent. The service is good as well. I have had the chicken pho. Some peanut chicken soup which I love and a vermicelli dish.
Decent pho, good vermicelli. Bowls, yummy spring rolls, and well priced. I enjoy lunches here. I heard the ice coffees are good as well! I would recommend
This is my first visit to this new downtown destination. I had the BBH (Bun Bow Hue) pho which our waitress said was their most popular dish. It was spiced just perfectly; enough to be a soup to be reckoned with but it won't scare most people away. I liked how the solids didn't run out before the broth. My wife had a rice bowl combo 2 which came with lots of chicken. And a delicious spring roll. I also had the Vietnamese coffee but only because the didn't have regular coffee. If tasted good but I would have preferred a regular coffee. Our service was incredibly helpful, fast and friendly. It's really hard to to find anything not to like. We'll be back, but next time I'll skip the coffee. 4.5 out of 5!
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I've been here twice now and I have to say that the Vietnamese food here is legit. I also like how it's so bright with so much natural light coming into the dining room. I also like the bathrooms that says "whatever" on the gender sign... awesome. Keep it neutral. The prices are also reasonable for downtown, especially considering the portion you get. What I didn't quite like was the servers... hahaha... um... I don't know how to put this but I felt like they were either new at serving food or they are just not good at it. Maybe they are better at serving drinks? I don't know... I was kind of scared with them handling my hot pho. They were nice though for sure. Maybe that's what I'd look like if I were to serve food. Anyways, aside from that, you'd be happy to be here. I want to bring my friends here to have some drinks and then eat some yummy Vietnamese food. I can't wait to try the oxtail poutine. Cool place to hang out! Last but not least, you can order Gong Cha legitimately from where you sit and they will deliver it in the coolest way possible. Come here and you'll see what I mean :)
We love to head to XO on a Sunday afternoon for a quiet happy hour. While the selection of draft beers is limited, there is also a nice gin/lychee cocktail and $2.50 salad rolls on happy hour.
The salad rolls are great, the papaya salad is lovely, and the skewers are tasty. The betel leaf beef is worth trying, but the calamari and spring rolls are generic (not bad though). I have not tried the pho or bun bo hue yet.
We've not been blown away by the service, but everyone there is very nice. It's worth dropping in to grab a drink and some appetizers before committing to a full meal, and you won't be disappointed.
XO Bistro+Bar. It’s a Modern Vietnamese restaurant that opened up a bit later in 2016 in Edmonton’s Ice District. They serve some more classic dishes like noodle bowls rice and pho, but their main emphasis is on their Vietnamese street foods and other unique dishes. This review is based off their appetizers, as we came during dinner time, and their vermicelli, pho, and rice bowls aren’t offered at that time.
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This was my first time at XO and I went for happy hour between 3-6, though they also have it from 9-close. Because I went during happy hour they were serving food from both the lunch and dinner menu! I have to say when I went in I was extremely impressed with the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant. It has trendy modern bar feels with lots of big windows and natural lighting. It's attached to the bubble tea chain Gong Cha and you can order from them while you eat at XO too!
We got the salad rolls for $2.50 per roll for the HH special. You have a choice of protein (shrimp, beef, chicken, pork) and we tried beef and chicken. They were both very good and I noticed they put a rolled up deep fried spring roll wrapper inside the salad roll - a yummy and unique touch! We also got the oxtail fries on HH special for $5 down from $11.95 regular. This dish was SOO good, it reminds me of when my mom makes pho with oxtail at home. It's like an oxtail poutine with an egg on top... I highly recommend this dish. I would gladly play the full price for it if I had to.
We also got the Bone marrow dish for $12.25 regular price. I definitely wasn't expecting the bone marrow to be so big. It was absolutely delicious, though I wouldn't recommend putting too much of the marrow on the toast per bite, as it is very flavorful. Not pictured were the green onion cake ($3 HH special), and some Jowl skewers for $3 a pop, both of which were very yummy but not as outstanding as the other dishes.
All in all, I've rarely been so impressed with a restaurant after the first try. I most certainly will be back so I can try the pho and vermicelli bowls.. and really everything else on the menu.
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When we first walked in we were immediately greeted and sat. Our server asked us if we've been there before and welcomed us since we hadn't. She explained the menu's and told us we can also order bubble tea from the table (BONUS in my books). We ordered oxtail fries, shaken beef cubes, chicken salad rolls and bone marrow. All food came very quickly, besides the marrow that had to bake. The oxtail fries was a nice twist on a classic "poutine," minus the cheese, add a perfectly cooked sunny side up egg. The gravy was so savoury and the egg brought the whole dish together. Our shaken beef cubes were very tender and I think the potato pancake is a nice touch. My favourite part about the chicken salad rolls is the crispy roll they put inside to add a crunch, and as well as the chicken being warm and fresh off the grill. On to the marrow. IT MELTS LIKE BUTTER IN YOUR MOUTH. It is the best marrow I've ever had. Everything we had was a must try. We did also end up ordering from Gong Cha, the bubble tea place upstairs, which came down in a cute pulley system. Also a must try, and it came down in a timely manner.
XO is a trendy, unique take on the traditional Vietnamese experience.
Highly recommend!
Pros:
Location - great place to stop for food & drinks before or after Rogers Place events, or a quick lunch downtown.
Food - can't go wrong pairing ox tail fries with Pho! Bonus bubble tea located upstairs with Gong Cha.
Cons:
Parking - street parking can be a nuisance at times with downtown events
Classic Vietnamese pho perfected with a twist of modern class. The food is absolutely delicious and plate presentation is classy. Portions size is more than substantial, especially for reasonable price point. The modern environment is something never seen before in a pho restaurant. Definitely would recommend this place!
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XO Bistro + Bar is new to Edmonton’s food scene, right in the heart of the up and coming Ice district in downtown Edmonton. Introducing an unconventional bar scene with a modern take on Vietnamese cuisine.
The room itself is very aesthetically pleasing, hands down most modern and upscale restaurant for pho. The room is huge with plenty of tables and booth seatings against the back wall, a bar in the back, and a hefty drink menu; hence the bar part of the name. We arrived on a friday for a late dinner around 8pm, with only 1 table already occupied. The dining room lights were dimmed having a similar atmosphere as Earls or Moxies, not necessarily a bad thing but not what I’d expect when I’m coming for a hearty bowl of soup.
Service throughout the night was alright, not very informative or enthused. With how empty the restaurant was and the amount of staff present; Service was overall underwhelming.
Bone marrow ($12.25) 5/5 Didn’t know what to expect when this came to the table, but man THIS WAS SO GOOD. Scooping the marrow and spreading it onto a piece of the toast, you notice the gelatin consistency right away, but the aroma! (OMG). As soon as you take a bite you get an immediate pleasant umami flavor. MUST TRY.
Oxtail Fries ($11.95) 5/5 Another one of XO’s signature dishes. This was a very hearty dish, I loved how tender the meat was and how amazing the egg paired with the whole dish. Great take on an Vietnamese inspired poutine.
Bun Bo Hue ($12.75) The menu referred to having a mixture of flank, rare beef and pork balls as”The Works” When we ordered though, the server asked us which one of the three we wanted to choose. I decided on just the flank but I guess if you want a mixture you just have to tell them you want “The Works.” The broth was really good, nice amount of heat. Very impressed.
Jowl/shrimp skewer ($3) ⅖ Per one, not worth it.
The food at XO is executed perfectly, especially their signature dishes. Not quite a fan of the dinner atmosphere, though maybe coming for lunch when there is light and a cheerier tone would change my mind, I’m in no rush to come back.
XO Bistro Bar opened late last year, offering Edmonton’s downtown core a modern take on traditional Vietnamese cuisine. You’ll find classic dishes like vermicelli or rice bowls, salad rolls, and noodle soups like phở and bún bò Huế, but it’s the small sharing plates that really make XO Bistro Bar fit into the busy arena district.
Excellent spot - just walking the Rogers Ice District and stumbled across this place. Wasn't sure if it was a bubble tea place, and it is but that's upstairs. I was greeted by a young manager as soon as I walked in. He sat me down and the waitress was tending me within minutes. Ordered a green tea and she recommended a few items so I went ahead and ordered a bowl of there famous: Spicy Bun Bo Hue soup. It was served with red cabbage; thicker noodles; flank; rare beef and pork balls! Must try and certainly be back for tapas food with friends. Great service 10/10 and nice atmosphere - busy. 👌👌👌👌👌
Went there for lunch on a weekday. The bistro serves Vietnamese cuisine. The food tasted fresh and delicious. The fried chicken was crisp and wasn't oily, while the grilled chicken and shrimp were decent. The server was courteous, fast, and seemed knowledgeable regarding food suggestions. The food options are good and it is reasonably priced.
My son and I spent the past 3 days trying out some pho in our local area and this was our favourite spot. It's a great airy space and the service was perfect, attentive, not intrusive. We had papaya salad for an appetizer and I think I probably could have had the regular soup and would have been right full. Portions were really filling. Altogether delightful!
Underated, this restaurant delivered on Vietnamese dishes with a twist. The Pho Beef Dip, a Bánh mì sandwich made to taste of a traditional Pho was phenomenal! The bread alone was perfect, it had the perfect crust and soft interior a true Vietnamese baguette. The dip brought it all together. The XO fries also a hit, with shredded carrots and cilantro... couldn't get enough. I left full and impressed. As a side, great cocktails but most importantly, awesome service!
First time trying take out from XO, the foods are delicious! We ordered Satay with all kinds of meats, bun bo hue, spring rolls, satay noodle, ox tail fries and beef jerky papaya salad, the prep time is great, it only takes 20 mins for the order to get ready for pick up. Overall, I will say it's the best Vietnamese restaurant in Windermere area.
The staff is so kind & friendly. They were welcoming and the food was delicious. The cocktails are beautiful and there was a huge selection to choose from. The beef dip was personally my favourite and the pho the works was amazing as well !
I went for lunch here for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at how inviting the atmosphere was. The aroma of fresh cooked food filled the entrance and smelled very good. We were seated promptly, despite a busy lunch crowd. We ordered our meals and didn’t have to wait long for our order. The staff are all so kind and attentive. Definitely will be going back for lunch again.
Food was fresh and delicious. Portions were large and filling. Service was fast and the server was attentive and polite. A definite little gem for a nice lunch break downtown.
The ox tail fries and gravy and the green onion cakes are amazing. The bun bo hue is the best soup type dish I've ever had in my life. Sapporo on tap. Great spot.
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