Under new management, still great but not as homey. No more big round tables, no more little dishes of fresh chilies with your soup, no more fish sauce. No more green papaya salad; instead there’s a broader range of wraps and rolls, and some Thai choices as well. But the soups are delicious and come with generous portions of condiments, and it’s one of the few Pho places here that includes cilantro leaves.
The trick with this restaurant is to look past their older, less aesthetically-pleasing appearance. Pho Bac may not be well-decorated, but it's a great place to try some of Vietnam's more traditional foods, the ones that go beyond your simple pho or rice & grilled meat plates.
The two special dishes that Pho Bac does best in Ottawa is their "banh cuon" (rice rolls with meat and chinese black mushrooms) and their "bun cha ca" (spicy fish noodle soup). Any Vietnamese person attest to the authenticity that Pho Bac has mastered with these two dishes. Their spring rolls are also particularly unique, as they follow a more Northern recipe using rice paper, leaving them chewier yet very crispy.
Great traditional vietnamese food. My 3 favourite dishes from this restaurant are Bun cha ca(rice noodle soup with chop tomato and fried fish cake) a little spicy but very yummy; Cha gio (crispy spring rolls deep in prepared fish sauce) very tasty appetizer; and the Rice rolls with stuffy so deliciously smooth on every bite. I come to Pho Bac every time I have a chance to come down town.
I love the spring rolls here! Different from your average spring rolls, these ones are fried with rice paper so that they have a crispy outside and a chewy inside. Love it! I especially like the value of them; at $6 (the average price of spring rolls in the area), you get two extra large spring rolls!
That being said, the pho was pretty average. It wasn't as hot as I would have liked (the bowl I had was a little more than lukewarm) and I wish there was a little more variety in the meat. Not bad though.
Overall, this is a quaint little shop. You can tell that it's family-run by the decorations on the wall. It's really quite cozy. Service is quick and friendly too!
Would I go again? Definitely - if I were in the area and craving pho.
Order the "Bun cha ca" (fish noodle) because they are the best at making them here, and for such a cheap price. The space is a little crowded but the food and service is excellent. :) Give it a try.
Small and a little bit grungy, this place has some great food, good prices, and friendly owners.
Tip: Get the chả giò (spring rolls) and the bánh cuốn. Those are the best in town!
Niiiiiiiiice. Easily the best spring rolls in Ottawa. Friendly, fast and good value.
Best banh cuon. Pho Bac's specialty is definitely the banh cuon (rolled rice cake, often filled with ground meat, shrimp, etc eaten with fish sauce and usually topped with vietnamese ham). The ham is cut into big pieces and the portions are huge, not to mention not a bad price. You can find this under the "Miscellaeous" section and cost is ~$5-6. Definitely try this dish if you're unsure of what to order here.
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