Review Ox Head Restaurant - Ottawa

We ordered vermicelli and Pho for our first visit. I think there is another better choice of vermicelli in Kanata. But I was impressed with their Pho. The soup was awesome. I didn’t feel thirsty and uncomfortable after having the soup. The environment is clean and the price is reasonable. I will visit for their Pho no doubt.

Had the vermicelli with chicken, beef and spring roll. Food was very good and the portion was big. The vietnamese spring roll was different then the other ones I've had before. Definitely a highlight for me, the best so far.

This Vietnamese noodle restaurant is one of the best pho I have had the pleasure to eat. Its located across from the Landmark cinemas, so you can get a quick affordable nutritious meal before a movie. If you want authentic Asian food fare, this is the place, you will not be disappointed.

Today I went to a restaurant that had good review's and thanks for that. Here I got a delicious Wontai soup that just tasted marvelous. Thank you so much for this food. I'll gladly come back. And I will since I'll be here for two more weeks.

I always order rare beef and meatball Phò. It wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great either. It’s in a nice and convenient location though, you can catch a movie after or do some shopping. The star loss here is simply because I had 3-4 flies constantly swarming at my head. Definitely need to get some fly tape or something and take care of that problem.

Soup is so tasty and full of meat. Medium size will do for a cold day and an empty stomach. The staff is so friendly and always attentive to your needs. Service is quick and place is clean. Recommend

Best pho place hands down in the Ottawa area. I’ve tried just about everyone of them and Ox head is the only place that does a delicious Bo Kho. Try the HC6 and you will see that this is will be your go to place for pho.

The food is amazing quality. Staff are friendly and responsive. The food...omg it's simply some of the best pho in kanata. If you like tripe in your pho you need to eat here and order a custom pho tai Sach!

The service here is really slow, I waited forever for my food. The staff were super rude, and the owner in particular made me feel very unwelcome. Not to mention that the food has hardly any flavour. Not worth it at all.

This place is awful, horrendous, and disappointing. I had tentative hope because of the good reviews but this is probably one of the worst pho places I've ever had the misfortune of eating at in my entire life. The employees are not hostile but completely lacklustre. The owner seems kind of rude and the food is definitely not up to par. There are so many good pho places in Chinatown that this place shouldn't even be open anymore, to be honest. The meat is fatty and flavourless, the soup is disgusting, and the only redeeming quality is that the portions are large. I ordered a smoothie that took so long to arrive that I had basically finished my meal and had to ask for it multiple times. I wouldn't recommend this pho place to my worst enemy. Even for Ottawa, you can do better than this restaurant, easily! DO NOT VISIT!

There were four of us for lunch, in a near empty restaurant. We ordered three main course and one appetizer. Two entries came, after some time the appetizer came, then finally, as everybody else was finishing, the final entree arrived. The food was kind of bland, not what I would expect. Don't think I'll be back.

I loved to eat there in the past, almost always ate the crispy noodle but the one I had yesterday was different. It did not taste the same and had less seafood ( 1 shrimp!!! ) and the broth was thicker. My son had the same thing and same result. We did take out but if I would have eaten in I would have sent it back. I hope they go back to their old recipe, if it is not broken don't fix it.

Really liked this place! We have tried a lot of pho over the years; we very much appreciate a good pho broth, and this one was great. And I'm really picky with meat but the rare beef was quite nice too.

Traditional and healthy Vietnamese food, delicious👍. I like the crispy fresh taugé to add to the soup! Defenitely will come back regularly when I am living in Kanata (visiting relatives, I live in the Netherlands)

Great soups and rice paper spring rolls with peanut sauce!<br/>A new rest spot after a marathon at Landmark cinema.<br/>I will be back!<br/>FOOD - A<br/>PRICE - A<br/>SERVICE - B<br/>OVERALL - A-

I had been here a couple years ago and rather than hit up that (overhyped) spot for my viet fix, I headed around the corner to Ox Head. Not a fancy looking place but I don't mind. Server barely acknowledged my presence even though there were only three tables filled. Took my own seat. Tea brought before I could tell them not to, eye rolling when I asked for water. Made my choice and wrote it down on the little paper provided at the table. Server collects it with all the approachable friendliness of a teenage girl who has been told she can't do something. Doesn't look up, smile, ask anything. Dead eyes. At least I know it's not me, everyone else is dealt the same reproachful treatment. I comfort myself with the smiling family portraits printed out and stuck to the wall by the bar -- must just be a case of the Mondays. Sadly the food, though quick to arrive, does little to change my outlook. The meat is so full of sinew that I can't eat it in any presentable manner. I have ordered this same dish a dozen times. I'm also cool with chewy beef, and don't expect sirloin. But to have to put my chopsticks down and try to wrangle each strip hoping for tender bits, only to find myself in the gross position of having to spit out a mouthful of tendon and gristle is not my idea of a good time. Especially when I am paying 15 dollars for the privilege. Server nowhere to be found, though I already get the impression re-dos are not the key to her heart. The pink soap in the washroom solidified my resolve. I won't be giving this place another try.

The service here is ridiculously fast for the quality of the food. Like if you only had 30 minutes to order, eat, and pay you could be in and out of here in 20 depending on how fast you eat. What you should really order is their pho. Not that the other menu items are bad, they just don't compare to the level of deliciousness that awaits you with any of their pho dishes. Today I tried their special Ox Head rice plate which consisted of a pork chop (sooooo juicy), shredded pork (not a fan of this one, kinda dry and crumbly), and a pate (I didn't even understand why that was on the plate). The pork chop really saved that dish from the weird and unappetizing vermicelli pate but next time I'll just stick with pho. Their bubble teas also aren't that bad as long as you aren't expecting the tapioca to be perfectly cooked.

As far as I know the best Pho in town.<br/>Nice place with very friendly and quick service. All for a very good price. What else would you want?

I absolutely LOVE this place. The pho is amazing. You get a lot for what you pay for. The service is great and I always get my food in less than 15 minutes. It's quick and easy and delicious!!! I come here regularly.

This is my go-to pho place. Best I have had, hands down. Service is usually pretty fast, portions are big and prices are reasonable. Used to go every other Thursday, when I worked in Kanata. Occassionally, I still make the trek out there specifically for their food. Highly recommend.

Awesome!. I've gone to ox head since it opened when I was in high school. The food has never disappointed me and it is my go to Vietnamese place. I still have yet to find spring rolls like theirs.. They are the best! The pho and vermicelli bowls are great as well are the crispy noodle stirfrys. Best rice wraps as well, they're delicious and huge! Love their peanut sauce and I've never had a problem with service. I highly recommend!!

Ordered the chicken pad thai and it was literally noodles with a sauce that was literally just ketchup and hot sauce. Would avoid at all costs. If you do eat here get a bowl instead

Awesome. The ox head restauraunt is one of the best restauraunts i have ever been to, although the menu is a little bit complicated it has good food and the service is usually pretty good. however the tables are sometimes dirty when they sit you and the beverages are sometimes a bit warm and the noodles come in big hard heaps sometims.

Delicious, delicious, delicious. Probably one of the best Vietnamese place in town! Perfect place to grab lunch after a movie on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon. Can't go wrong with a V16 or a HC8...<br/>V16 - Grilled Chicken, Grilled Beef & Spring Roll on Vermicelli<br/>HC8 - Spicy Beef Stew with Rice Noodle & Egg Noodle Soup

Can't review an empty plate.. Arrived at Ox Head at six thirty and wandered in to the half full dining room. I noted my order on the slip of paper and waited for someone to pick it up. It was wordlessly snatched by one of the servers and shortly after a warm can of soda was shoved at me with no straw and no glass of ice. Roughly 15 minutes later I enquired about my food since neither the appetizer nor the main course had put in an appearance. I was told "not long - you wait!" I waited another ten minutes and this time was informed that, in fact, my order was lost. But! It would not be long and all would be set right! Fifteen more minutes and it became clear that the order had not been placed - at least the look of confusion on the kitchen staff's faces would lead one to think so... Although the ruffling through of the order sheets was a nice touch, if not very convincing. My advice - have the good sense to go elsewhere. This place can't even serve up an apology. Betsy food wise would have been terribly disappointed.

My favorite pho place in Ottawa, by far. Also, my favorite soup ever!!

This is one of those places that you go for the food. Low on ambience, high on food quality and easy on the wallet!

Usually good but..... We have dined @ OxHead before and enjoyed their pho and the Pad Thai, but during the course of our last visit on March 21, 2013, the Pad Thai tasted like 'day old gone bad food', it was barely warm and truly awful... We did not have to pay for that but it did not make the experience better, it would be appreciated if they did not try to push recycled food.<br/>....again, usually the food is good ....can not be too complimentary about that establishment at the moment, sorry ...

Had a vermicelli bowl for lunch. Huge potions, delicious food and awesome service. Will definitely be back.

Love the place. Food is great (HC1), so flavourful. The summer rolls are so big. The price is great. We tried to tip more than 15%, but they refused! Who does that these days? I have gone back more than 15 times now and still counting. Totally recommend it.

So amazing! I love this place. Their food is always delicious and never a disappointment. It's clean and waitresses actually come check to see if you need anything. This place is jut fantastic!

Great at first. We've been going to this location for a long time on a regular basis. But it seems that prices have gone up and service has gone down. Before when this place was not well know the owner or waiter or waitress used to come to the table to take the order, come and ask if you needed anything, and even come and chat with you.<br/>But this place has gotten so popular and busy and it's become difficult to get a waiter or waitress.<br/>Best to go during nonpeak lunch or dinner hours.<br/>Great food.

Pretty standard. Portions are very generous, food was delicious. The spring rolls are a must have! Very inexpensive but filling dinner - the only downside was the service. Luckily you get a pot of tea to start otherwise getting a drink may have been very difficult.

Quick & delicious!. I went here for Pho prior to a movie - nothing fancy (it is what it is) great soup, in & out in under an hour. No complaints at all!

Better food now. My family and I visited this place several years ago and the food are bad. The beef in the soup was very chewy. I visited agin this year and what a great improvement. The price is great so is the food. This soup and dishes are bigger portion now and my daughters love them. I would recommend to all Vietnamese food lovers.

Good authentic Vietnamese dishes. One of the best in Ottawa for sure.

Good food, reasonable price and quick, courteous service. Lively atmosphere, lots of activity- a busy place.

Good pho and affordable (as pho should be).

Great food lots of it ok minimalist venue but gets the job done. Recommeded

Big Bowls of Awesome. A co-worker has been recommending this place to me for awhile, because of the good food but as well because of the large portions for low prices. This past weekend I decided it was time to give it a try.<br/>Upon sitting down your immediately brought a complimentary pot of hot tea. Nothing with a strong flavor but very comforting to sip on while looking over the menu. I had intended to try the Pho but as I was explaining Vermicelli to my friend I talked myself into having it as well. I went with the Grilled Pork and Beef Vermicelli and she had the Grilled Chicken and Spring Roll Vermicelli.<br/>I soon learned that everything comes in bowls here. Great big bowls, filled to the top. The portions are huge. With all entrees having a price tag between $10 and $11 this is a very good thing.<br/>The pork and beef were a little on the tough side but tasted amazing. They both had a touch of sweetness to them. The fish sauce was not quite as strong as I would have liked but was good. My friends eyes lit up on her first bite and after trying one of her deep fried spring rolls I understood why. These things are absolutely incredible. Nice and crispy and not oily at all. The flavors inside were out of this world.<br/>Although the Vermicelli was really good, hearing the costumers at the next table slurping away at their Pho with faces buried in their bowls was making me a little on the envious side. So much so that the next day I could not stand the jealousy anymore and I returned for lunch. This time I have the Mi Bo Kho (Spicy Stewed Beef with Egg Noodles). The broth was a deep red and smelled heavenly. It tasted even better. The beef itself was very tender and the large chunks of carrot were cooked to perfection. I soon had my head buried in my bowl, slurping happily away.<br/>The tea, still being warm after both my meals really helped digest the food. I don't see this often and think it's a great idea.<br/>All in all, large portions for cheap prices with fast and friendly service, how can you go wrong here. Even though it is across the city from me, I plan on frequenting Ox Head. I just wish I had tried it sooner.

Yes! They have avocado shakes!

Get the fresh shrimp spring rolls. I'm a big fan of this place. the spring rolls are always a big win, though the soup is about standard.

Love the pho and they serve huge portions for a tiny price

Great rare beef pho and rice noodles with chicken dishes. Very reasonable prices and excellent service

It smelled amazing! I could SMELL the spice in it...this was gonna be great! I sticked right in to the bottom to grab some noodles to go with my meat and veggies; it is always nice to get a little of everything in the first bite. It was fabulous! The meat was juicy and tender, all the vegetables were cooked until they were just starting to be tender and the noodles were perfect. I wasn't used to having my cold salad served in the same bowl as my hot entree, but there is a first time for everything. The salad was definitely made from fresh ingredients, especially the bean sprouts. I'm pretty picky about my sprouts...ANY sign of brown on them and I get spastic. Their sprouts were wonderfully bright, crisp and the whitish yellow color they should have been. I didn't feel like I needed the fish sauce to make this dish any better, it held its own. It was filling without being heavy, just like I wanted.

the spring rolls at Oxhead are rolled in an extremely light rice paper and coated in some sort of flower before frying. This makes the casing quite crunchy and tight

To start, CK and I split the fresh shrimp spring rolls. They originally come with shrimp and pork, but we asked them to make them with shrimp only. The peanut sauce they served with these rolls had a nice light taste.