Review Green Leaf Bistro - Victoria

The best pho and vermicelli. Pho broth is flavourful and not overly salty; you can taste the cloves and star of anise which I don't find often. The spring rolls were fab. Will come back next time I'm in the area.

Vietnamese foods in here are wonderful. Big portion, price is reasonable, clean and they have a good service. It will cost you around $20/person. If you wanna look for Vietnamese restaurant jn downtown, here is one of a place I recommend.

Huge portions, delicious food, amazing service. We were visiting in town and decided to try this place out because we were crazing Vietnamese food and it had good reviews. Would highly recommend!! We got the chicken wings, chicken combo rice, pho noodles and salad rolls - they all hit the spot. The waitress was very attentive and nice - she brought over some candy when our toddler was having a tantrum! 60 golden seconds of distraction.

Recommended by a friend. The food here really surprises me. No matter fried chicken wings, salad roll or beef pho, they are all tasty. The white wine they served is also good. Highly recommend! 👍

Really enjoyed the food there! Love the crunch in the salad roll, such a bonus and add on texture to already flavourful roll. Also the peanut sauce has a bit of chocolate taste in it. It is a bit sweet for me by I don’t mind it. Green leaf’s fish sauce is so delicious! I don’t know how they make it, but I’m thinking of stealing there sauce recipe lol Their pork chop is always the to go one! The best! The beef salad flavour was good, but the beef was kinda overcooked, a little bit hard to chew. Besides that it was great! Definitely gonna come back and try more stuff next time

Nice place, traditional food. We ordered a family place, the fish. It was delicious but a bit too oily. Servers are nice and polite. Would recommend.

One of my favourite dining spots in downtown Victoria! An ideal spot for a quick, delicious meal. When I go for pho, I can reliably get in and out in 30 minutes or less (whilst eating at a leisurely rate). The pho broth is extremely flavorful and the staff is nice and attentive. The Vietnamese hot and sour soup combo on the menu is excellent for a couple and is great for those looking to try something new -- it's tangy and fragrant in all the right ways.

That was delicious. I can't remember what number I ordered, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to become addicted to your fish sauce because I've been thinking about it ever since my last visit.

That chicken vermicelli noodle tastes amazing! I really liked the smoky flavor. Also, they give generous amount of meat inside pho. The waitress was also very lovely and generous to us. Overall it was a great experience here.

Came to this place before catching the ferry back to Vancouver. Came for the food, stayed for the wonderful service. Von was so attentive and such a joy to be around! Made our already bright & sunny day even brighter. Food was superb as well; We both got the veggie vermicelli with spring rolls, and the spring rolls were so delish! We both left so so happy, and would definitely come back again.(PS. their chilli oil is spiiiiiicy! But so good ;)). Thanks Von for the best end to a trip to Victoria! Will be back for more chilli oil, vermicelli, spring rolls, and laughter. Literally almost missed the ferry because we stayed 10 min too late lol.

This is the best Bun Bo Hue( spicy noodles) in British Columbia period. I’m from Vancouver and my family make authentic Vietnamese food because they’re from Hue. You can taste the lemon chili oil in the broth. Service is awesome.

This is one of my favorite Vietnamese Restaurant in town ! Convenient to anywhere in downtown area and they are always busy, you can tell most people knew what they are looking for when comes to the quality of food! Next to this place, my regular Vietnamese food place is the one close to silver city theatre 🎭! I had lunch there and even though many people were there that day , but we didn’t wait too long for our order! When you look out from the windows, you can see beautiful downtown and busy street with people come and goes from all different directions. Love this place and will go again! when my daddy came to canada 🇨🇦 visited me , one thing about Canada he loves best was Vietnamese food! If he ever come to Victoria again, this will be the place I take him for lunch or dinner ! We will try every Vietnamese Restaurant in Victoria ! And more reviews to write and more points to be earning ! Cool ! Thanks a lot for google maps providing local guides such wonderful opportunities to discovering the place we are living in! And be able to sharing with more and more people online ! Life is better when we can share it!

Good experience. Lots of good authentic food choices.. and all tasted on point.

Very good food, nice portions, can't stop eating the beef salad, the soup was tasty, the staff are very nice too. Would go back when in town for sure!!

○service was definitely alot better than their other location<br/>○decent food<br/>○family friendly<br/>○convenient location<br/>○pricey<br/>○if I had to choose 1 dish : deep fried wonton<br/>○would i go back ? Maybe<br/>

My favourite is the hot and sour soup flavoured with tamarind, chunks of tomato and pineapple. Its mouth watering. <br/><br/>Price is slightly high but the portions are large. <br/><br/>Definitely a good choice when you are in the area.

Spicy sour thai soup was amazing. Highly recommended. Spring rolls were good. My family also enjoyed their Pho and SpicyBeef soup. This is a good restaurant

It was the 40th birthday of my three children's mother. We drove from Seattle. All you had to do were cooking pho and serving pho but nothing was decent. The pho were cold and tasteless. The servers were loud, rude and too busy to talk about other people's lives. What a disgrace.

There was a mistake in the bill <br/>I was overcharged <br/>A female sever was not friendly <br/>She sneered at me when I couldn't understand what she said<br/>I'll never go to this restaurant again

Great lunch experience! This place was on the busy side but service was great. I started with a pork and jicama rice roll which was very filling and a great balance of cards, meat and veggies. The peanut sauce though was a little too sweet and watery to my liking. I had a vermicelli plate with spring rolls, pork and chicken. Each of the components was excellent: Flavorful and In generous and balanced proportions. Overall, Great experience at Green Leaf!

Green leaf bistro is my FAVE vietnamese restaurant, so far at least! Salad rolls was filled with tofu, vermicelli, carrots, cucumber, and lettuce and served with peanut sauce with peanuts on top= DELICIOUS. My entree I ordered was vermicelli with spring rolls and veggie. So glad I had because the balance of fresh vermicelli noodles and deep fried spring rolls was harmonic! the spring rolls were crunchier than the usual spring rolls because green leaf bistro put an extra or two spring roll skin to create the extra crunch (as I was answered by a staff member when I inquired how they made the spring rolls) also the spring had taro in it which made the spring roll softer compared to the usual carrot, cabbage, vermicelli spring roll. The tea they served was lip smacking also

Their food is delicious, especially the spring rolls, salad rolls, and vermicelli dishes. They also bring out your food very quickly. The only problem is the service. They dont check up on you often, but isnt a big deal if you dont mind flagging down the waiters.

Some of the worst service I've ever had.  After taking our order and delivering the food we didn't see our waiter and no one checked in on us, no drinks were refilled.  We flagged down another waitress not assigned to our area to ask for a side plate, she never returned.  Early in the meal a friend discovered a piece of metal wire in her food, most likely the core of a twist tie.  It poked her in the gum and made her hesitant to finish, who knew what else lurked in the food?  No one ever came to our table so we were not able to inform anyone. Finally we managed to flag down another waitress who did not seem pleased to be dealing with a table not in her area.  No apologies for the wire, just a grumpy mumble about how it wasn't her fault, it was a kitchen issue.  Only when pressed did we get some sort of confirmation that we would not be charged for the dish.  The food was perfectly fine, fairly standard Vietnamese fare.  But the total lack of service during the meal and lack of any sort of concern or apology over the wire means we won't be going back.

Awesome!. I call and order for pickup, most of the time its ready in less than 10 mins. Solid portion, good price. #45 is the bomb!

Bad experience. I love vietnamese food, but this was awful. The air conditioning was not working, we were miserable. The food was greasy, too salty and generally speaking, the place was far from clean.

Poor service and demand 15% tip. We had lunch with 6 people to our party. The service was poor, although we were 1st in line for a table they seated another party of 6 people before us, but we were first in line. When seated there was missing servings and had to ask twice. They got two of the orders wrong. When it came to paying the bill, they said their credit card service was down, but they produced an invoice of our group with 15% tip added to the bill total. We asked about the 15% tip and the reply was it the rule if or parties of 6 people or more. I find this very wrong as the service was not good and it is the customer choice on how much the tip should be. We were not mentioned of the credit card service problem and the rule of 6 or more people to a table.<br/><br/>The food is average compared to other Pho places in Victoria. I would never go again and let other know of our poor experience.

Good Service Despite How Busy They Are. Green Leaf Bistro is one of my favorite restaurants in Victoria. Aside from the food always tasting delicious, the staff never disappoints me even when I expect them to because of how busy the restaurant is.<br/><br/>Even though they have a limited service staff, they always are able to refill my tea/water at least once no matter how packed the restaurant is. The service staff is well trained, efficient, and friendly. I never have a bad experience when I go there and would recommend people who love Vietnamese food to give it a try.

Good food but service is garbage. We were seated but received no service for 10 minutes. Observed people seated after us served and eating before we had even ordered. <br/>Good for takeout and the food is fine, but liike I said the service is a joke.

GET THE PANCAKE. All I can say is get the pancake! It is SO GOOD and very satisfying. It is big enough to be shared, but I never want to share it, I eat the whole thing!<br/><br/>I have no idea what the spice is that they put into it, but it's savory and slightly sweet. The pork/sprouts and prawns add a delicious texture to the dish. I try to get other items on the menu, but I always end up with this, and when I don't get it I always wish I did ;-)

Average taste, below average service. It was our third time and also our last time eating at this restaurant. We gave ourselves a chance and them a chance by coming back the third time, but not only nothing had improved, it was a big disappointment. This time it took the servers a long time before we got our water. We ordered a bowl pho, a rice dish with grilled pork and some salad rolls. The pho was average, the grilled pork was too salty and the salad rolls were very dry and boring. When we politely complained to the server about our experience, all we got is a funny look and an attitude from her. We'll never step our feet in this restaurant again.

Service is alright. fried wantons were just okay. and their grilled pork chop with rice is pretty decent! as for beef pho, it was abit light, BUT didn't have that MSG taste to it :) <br/>Overall a good Vietnamese restaurant! Almost as good as mainland's Pho 99

We like their spicy beef noodle, coconut udon with meats, grilled bbq quail and sometimes order the pancake/crepe. Definitely, big portion and tasty.

Quick and delicious lunch at a great price.

Don't order the fried rice. The pho was pretty good, the service was good. My daughter ordered the fried rice and it was nothing short of disgusting. Tasted and looked like something a very inexperienced cook would throw together. Basically it was warm, leftover rice tossed with ketchup, frozen vegetables and sliced weiners. Yuck. We were very disappointed.

First of all this was my first experince going to the Langford location. First impression was good they took us in right away told us to sit where we wanted we did and in less than five minutes they came around three times to ask what we wanted which was okay butI felt like it was a little pushy. So we finally ordered. I ordered the 76.. which is tofu and rice! my order comes and its soggy oily noodles I explained thats not what I had ordered. she reassured me I had ordered 76 and I said yes and she said thats what I ordered so.. in order to keep the peace and not be that annoying customer I thought i would give it a try. the noodles were gross. I could barely eat them what if I had an allergy to the noodles? So to say the least they didnt fix my order they had brought wrong. didn't apologize or wven give me a discount of any sort this is by far the worst experience i have ever had!

Good and Bad. Food is amazing, service amazingly bad. Great place to go to enjoy great food and not feel obligated to tip as the service deserves 0%.

Awful service, mediocre food. My friend received a dish which she didn't order - and each time we asked for something (napkins, spoons, chopsticks), they forgot and we had to go up and get it ourselves. The food was nothing exciting at all. My Pho had a variety of unidentifiable meat in it even though it was just described as having beef in it. No one came to check how we were. We eventually guesstimated the bill and left the cash on the table. Thoroughly unimpressed.

My favorite. Cosy, low key, no pressure, feels like home when you go all the time. Number 34 is perfect easy sweet delicious coconut-ty goodness. Lemongrass chicken is tasty, and the Pho is my favorite in town. Avoid the spring rolls - they are nothing special and dry, uninspired, but the salad rolls are very likeable in my opinion. Craving for their pho as I write...

Veg no. Feeling non meaty, ordered the vegetarian vermicelli, apparently 'with vegetables and vegetable spring rolls.' Instead of substituting, say, grilled meat, with any vegetables except the lettuce/carrots that come with everything, a bowl of vermicelli with same. hello! ?/ ok a few spring rolls --wITH NO vegetables TO sPeaK of, except potatoes. If I wanted samosas I wd go elsewhere. Lots of starch, no veg. sad very sad. and the nerve---TEN BUCKS.

Good location but THE most terrible service ever. Had to ask for ice water 3 times...never came back to the table to ask how everything was. Food was old and stale.

Just ok. Fresh rolls had a weird slice of chicken inside accompanied by a strange peanut sauce. I judge a Vietnamese place by how good their rolls are!

Yummy!. Had lunch with a friend at Greenleaf on Sunday afternoon after visiting the nearby Beehive yarn shop. Loved every drop of my tamarind based, spicy seafood soup which contained mussels, prawns, squid and a scallops. My friend thoroughly enjoyed her salad roll and beef salad. Yeah, the service was not the best but we were attended to and enjoyed a lovely lunch. Thank you Greenleaf, and thank you Victoria for being so lovely on Sunday! :)

It is terrible restaurant. The service is abysmal. They ignored all the requests to bring something like a bowl,fork and bill. Even the server frowned at me when I requested a small bowl. It is crazy restaurent.

Dissapointing meal. I have been to green leaf bistro once a few months ago and I was quite dissapointed with my meal. I had a vermicelli dish with spring rolls, prawns and veggies. The vermicelli noodles tasted very unusual and almost low quality which I was surprised by, and the spring rolls were some of the worst I have ever tasted. They were very meaty and unappetizing...I would try elsewhere if you want a fresh yummy Vietnamese meal.

Great food! If you aren't very adventurous like me try number 34!

Terrible service. My Husband and I love Vietnamese food. We were heading to Kim's but it was closed on Sunday night so we decided to stop in at Green Leaf. While the food was on the good side of the usual Vietnamese fare. the service was abysmal. All requests for a fork, extra sauce and our bill were ignored, no quality check and when my husband went to the bar to ask for the bill so we could pay and leave, the server just stared at him and said "What?". Also, because there is no waiting area for people who are waiting for a table, they all crowd around the door and any people who have been unlucky enough to be seated in the vicinity. The food is not good enough to put up with that kind of garbage service.

Poor service last time we went. Food was underwhelming to the point of bland. There are numerous other Vietnamese eateries downtown serving better pho.

Tastiest Vietamese Food in Town. Great rice vermicelli dishes and they make subs and bun xao (special order). The Pho is not the best in town though.

One of my favourites. We go there often. Try numbers 42 or 66. It is clean and friendly, reasonably priced and delicious.

Abysmal service. Well, I wish I could review the actual food at this restaurant, but apparently that's not to be. I walked in around 2:30 on Sunday, November 4, and was led to a table near the back of the restaurant. I was given a menu and a cup of tea, and after looking through the offerings, decided fairly quickly what I wanted. I closed my menu, placed it near the end of the table, and proceeded to wait for the server to come by. And wait. And wait. And wait. Glancing around, I could see the place was not particularly busy. A few small tables, some pickup orders, and me. There had been a table of 4 in the same area as me when I entered, but they finished a few minutes after I arrived. I should point out that the entire time I was waiting for a server, no one came by to clear the table the group of 4 were at. I waited another few minutes and checked the time; almost 20 minutes had gone by with no service. So I left. Absolutely unacceptable for a small restaurant during off-peak times. I'll stick to Pho Vy, where I know both the food and the service are reliable.

Bland broth, chalky noodles. Couldn't even choke down half of it. Which is too bad, because the bi cuon were quite good.

I really like this place. I've grabbed dinner at Green Leaf twice in the past week and both times my bill was less than $15 with enormous portions of food that came home with me in a to-go box. The ingredients taste so fresh and flavorful. I hate veggies, but I eat 'em here. The only place you'll ever see me eat cauliflower haha

Appy was deep-fried Tofu. Sweet onion and soy sauce.<br/>I had the #19, rare beef pho. Ordered the large; could only slurp half of it. Will make a good lunch.<br/><br/>My wife had # 55, chicken Nd rice. We were pleased with the flavours.<br/><br/>We'll return.

Tasty food and good value. I had the ginger chicken and rice for lunch. For $10.50 I received a decent-sized plate of tasty food. Service was also pretty solid. I wasn't blown away by anything, but I thought the overall value and experience was good.

Good!. Good, fresh tasting food at a reasonable price. We has salad rolls and stir-fried lemongrass chicken, both very tasty and enough food for 2 people for $18.

Feeble. I can't say enough about how bad this restaurant is. Not only is the service terrible, the food is easily the most insipid garbage I've ever been served. When we finally got our correct bowls of pho, after two tries, the primary flavors of the weak broth were cloves and soap. Our "Rare" steak was extremely over cooked, and clumped together at the bottom of our bowls, and the noodles were bland and mushy. The wrappings on our salad rolls were so under cooked that they were difficult to swallow, and the warm lettuce in them didn't leave me with the impression that it had been washed. After asking twice for water I had to go to the bar to get it. Green Leaf was a severe disappointment.

Amazing! Best Vietnamese in Town.. Wow, My BF took me here last night and I loved it! The waitress suggested the pancake appy. It's essentially a really yummy omelette with ground pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts with a side of salad. It was huge, you could easily get a meal out of it. I then had the number 44, vermicelli bowl with grilled pork, spring roll and pickeld veggies. It was colourful, fresh and lean. My BF had a bowl of Pho with rare beef and brisket. The broth was fresh with no msg and it came with super fresh salad sides. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who would either like to start adventuring into asian food or is a connoisseur of asian food like we are. I forgot to mention it's really inexpensive and the quality is amazing. So if you want to eat out somewhere in Vic with great, food, prices and services I recommend this place. Can't wait to try the Vietnamese Sub (Banh mi), $5.95 with a can of pop for lunch!

Spicy Soup!. #31 The best Bun Bo Hue in town. If you don't like the meats in the beef bowl, you should just add the spicy soup to your pho because it's that good.<br/><br/>Jicama Salad rolls, BBQ Quail, Grilled Pork Chops, Black bean sea bass.......so far have not been disappointed. <br/><br/>I'm a regular and want to see Green Leaf succeed and be around for a long time. <br/><br/>With the food, it has the potential to be the best but all is needed are a few tweaks with the service standards. <br/><br/>I'll be back regardless :)

Sit down and have an iced vietnamese coffee. It is worth the 5 minutes to wait for the coffee to drain into your mug, melting the condensed milk that awaits it at the bottom. But that is not the final destination.... pour it in a glass full to brim of ice and you have THE BEST thirst-quencher on a hot Victoria day. You will see what I mean.

Can't wait to go back. I went in on friday after the lunch rush and was seated promptly by a very friendly server. I ordered the beef salad and a Vietnamese sub. The beef salad was amazing! Almost as good as the Guu shabu salad at Guu with Garlic in Vancouver (my favorite salad anywhere). I saw it on the sandwich board and knew I wanted to try it. But how often does food arrive at the table looking as good as it did in the picture. That day it did. <br/>For me, a Vietnamese sub is either acceptable or it is s***. I've had so many and they are pretty hard to mess up. The ingredients were very fresh and the flavours were good. My server said that they made everything in house but I'm sure that doesn't include the noodles for the Pho. I'll be back to try the soup and the rice another day, I hope they are as good as my lunch was, because I've been here in victoria almost six months and I haven't found a good place for Pho yet. I left stuffed and happy. I will return very soon.<br/><br/>EDIT: Went back for Pho, it was good, but not as good as the beef salad.

Best Spicy Beef Noodle Soup broth on Vancouver Island. Very rich tasting and warming. If you like the beef rare or done when you want it to be, ask for the slices to be laid over the bowl edges, yummm!

The food is excellent and fast. The servers don't smile... Ever.

In a word...fresh. I have been here a half a dozen time with friends and family and I am always pleased with the food and the service. I don't know one dish from the next but so far they are all tasty and they are overwhelmingly fresh - a big plus. Couple that with reasonable prices and you have a winning formula :)

Too bad !!. I went there long time .right now i thought i dont want to come there again beause poorly service .In the morning ,i went to greanleaf for luch and i ordered meal .staff service didnt bring tea and everything i asked them .when they have time chat each other .But it's ok i only came there for dinner friendly service ,funny ...

Wonderful place. Delicious and nutritious food at very good $ value.

Among the best pho places in Vic. This and Pho Vy are the only places I'll eat pho at in Vic. Green Leafs atmosphere is definitely cleaner and roomier than Vy though. The food has always been great for me but I just wish they'd cut up some of the meat a little bit smaller in the pho so it doesn't seem like I'm pulling out a mini elephant ear with my chopsticks lol. Overall this place is great. Doesn't beat my grandmas cooking though ;p

Not impressed. I went here after hearing good things and I was very let down. The spring rolls weren't very good and had a weird mushy inside. The Pho didn't have much flavour in the broth and the noodles and vegetables were over cooked. I don't think I'd bother giving it a second chance.

Good?,...oh ya. It really rained today,...the first really hard rain of a winter moving in. It drove me there for lunch today,...I'll be back with frens.<br/>Nice modern decor, clean, and instant service from a friendly staff.<br/>At lunch my food was prepared quickly and beautifully presented.<br/>Pork Chop/shredded pork/spring rolls/salad and vermicelli,...it was ALL good, and I mean the home made spring rolls and crispy/marinated/tender pork.<br/>A generous sized portion,...I can see going back and sharing this meal and a big steaming bowl of Pho with a fren for a very filling/hearty meal.<br/>LaNina?!,...bring it on,...I've got my wintertime health food scoped out.

Awesome Dinner. This little inconspicuous place has both fantastic food and really nice prices. My husband and I ate there for under $30 and the food was great. The waitresses were fab and the place clean and tidy. On the outside, it doesn't look like much, but as they say, you can't judge a book by its cover. We would definitely go there again!

Best Hot & Sour Soup!. I went here for the first time the other day! I loved the salad rolls and the large portion of Hot & Sour Soup! Soooo delicious! My taste buds were perfectly satisfied! I also ordered the papaya salad, but that wasn't too good... in fact, I couldn't find any papaya in it! It was mostly beef. Anyhoo, all in all, great service, nice decor, and great food! I highly recommend this place!

My new favorite. There's a lot of good Vietnamese restaurants to choose from in Victoria. I'm a huge pho fan, so I've tried most of them. Since it opened last year, Green Leaf has beat them all for me. It's about the only place in town with consistantly great food, attractive presentation, warm & prompt service, and nice ambience. The menu is huge: lots to pick from on the rare occasion I don't want one of my usuals. <br/>And the pho? Fragrant, beautifully seasoned broth that pulls me in by my nose, and keeps me coming back for more with its unforgettable flavours. The portions are generous, especially with respect to the beef. Never greasy, unlike some who clearly don't skim the broth as faithfully. You also can't go wrong with the noodle bowls, especially the chicken and shrimp. Think big fat garlicky prawns, and I don't know what they marinade that chicken in but it's downright addictive (also served in the Vietnamese subs). <br/>Other good bets are the fish hotplates, savoury crepe, and beef shortribs. There is really little you can go wrong with here. And at these prices, you can come often & try it all.

Great food, crapy service

Delicious vegan options! The best lemongrass vermicelli with tofu and my husband is nuts for their subs!

Worst service ever. My drink? Napkins?... Had to ask 3 times for both. We sat staring...waiting... for our bill. It never came. We were the only people there. Food was mediocre.

I go here for a few dishes I can't get anywhere else in townl. I like this place, I like NOT for the pho (I think pho Vy still has a bit of an edge) but I like it for the Bánh xèo - Vietnamese Crape, Bánh cuốn - Vietnamese rice rolls.<br/><br/>So far the only place in town I know of that has those two items.<br/><br/>The rice noodle bowls are good as well.<br/><br/>Oh yeah I have been to Vietnam many times and this place is legit.

A mixed review. This restaurant has great potential. It is in a large, bright modern space. The food is on the good side - not stellar for Vietnamese food but lots of choice and better than average. I had the stir-fried Lemongrass Chicken. It was tasty but not a wow. However, this restaurant rates poorly for service. We were given menus promptly but others that arrived well after us were given menus and served their food before our order was even taken. The service was indifferent and slack throughout the meal.

I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. Super clean, lovely polite service, and excellent tasty food. Great prices a few blocks off the beaten path.

Tasty but.... Went twice. food was pretty damn good. Only the girl put my debit card through twice. Still trying to sort that out.

Just so-so....... The soups were rather boring but there was nothing wrong with them. Clean flavors but seemed a bit watered down. Spotty service - depends which person is working the table.<br/><br/>Lamest spring roll ever....what the heck is in there?

Not too good. Many vietnamese restaurants are much better and much cheaper. I would never go back . Bad food, bad service and too expensive

Great for Pho. Same price for all the bowls. Came fast and was fresh as expected. Slightly more modern decor than Pho V.

HORRIBLE. Ugh.. Went in with high expectations given the ratings on here and how my friend said it was the best pho in Victoria -- man, was I ever disappointed. We sat down and waited quite a while to be served by a waitress who could barely understand what we wanted and kept staring at us from afar after we ordered. I ordered the pho with beef balls, steak and brisket along with a fried roll to start. While the portion size for the fried rolls was generous (three full-sized rolls for $6) they were mediocre at best and the filling had a bizarre texture, almost like kidney beans. Next came the soup. It looked fresh enough and the meat was OK, but my god, that's the only positive thing I can throw its way. The broth was dishwater-grey and nearly tasteless, and was accompanied by a heaping helping of overly-soggy noodles. Being a pho fanatic, it pained me to have to give up on trying to eat the disaster of a meal halfway through, but it really was that bad. My friend ordered his with tendon and tripe and the flavor was only marginally better. Two days later, and i still regret wasting $20 bucks of my hard-earned money at this place. There are way too many fantastic pho places in Victoria (Saigon Harbour, Pho Vuong and Pho Ever, to name a few) to waste a trip for Vietnamese at a place like this. I should have taken a hint and dashed when I realized it was a Vietnamese restaurant filled with Ikea furniture.. LOL.

I love it

Doesn't like. Terrible foods, no taste. I never come back there again

Best BBQ pork!. Went there for dinner for the first time. Clean inside, friendly service, and good food! I ordered a bowl of vermicelli with bbq pork and I was quite impressed with the pork. That's probably the best bbq pork I've had so far in Victoria. The only downside was that it took quite a long time for the waitress to bring us a check after the meal... There were only a few groups of people (it was like 5:30 pm) and two or three waitresses were on duty, but it was waaaaaaaay too long before we got our check. Otherwise, I highly recommend this place!

Aromatic pho, good service. I've been here twice and have tried the papaya salad, pho and lemongrass chicken (in order from least impressive to most). The papaya salad wasn't bad, but I could do without the meat on it. The pho broth was incredibly clean and aromatic, but was lacking in salt; this is easily improved by the addition of fish sauce right on the table. Finally, the lemongrass chicken was moist, sweet and smoky -- probably the best I've had. Service was also excellent. I'll be back.

Tasty dinner. This was my first time eating vietnamese and it was very good! My girlfriend and I both ordered the rare beef pho (kids size), shared the veggie fresh rolls and the savoury pork and shrimp crepe. We could have just eaten the soup and the rolls as we barely touched the crepe we were so full! But we brought home the crepe and some soup as leftovers, the portions are large. The service was very good, we were seated immediately and tea was brought to our table. Great experience cant wait to go back and try other items from the menu!

Friendly service. Large portions. We really enjoyed our dinner. I recommend the lemongrass chicken vermicelli. Also the vegetarian salad rolls were very meaty and healthy tasting. Will visit again.

Great taste.....but they skimp on noodles in their soup? I could not understand why they would skimp on such a cheap item. The stir fryed dishes were great.

Not bad, but needs improvement-->Gotten better. [Update: April 2011] I've tried my favorite grilled & shredded pork & eggrolls twice since my Nov. 2010 review, and I was pleased that vermicelli was much better on both occassions. <br/>However, during my last visit, I noticed they only had one kind of pork (probably the grilled one) as the topping, although the portion was sufficient. It's a minor detail, but I wish the waitress had told us in advance. <br/>The spring roll was shatteringly crispy without being greasy and was very good. I would keep going back.<br/><br/>--------------------------------<br/>I love vietnamese food and went to check this place out upon reading many favorable reviews. <br/>I ordered my favorite dish, vermicelli with grilled & shredded pork & eggrolls (no. 44). The topping was generous and the flavor was good. The eggrolls were freshly prepared too. <br/>However to my big disappointment, the vermicelli were way overcooked (perhaps reheated?) and were clumped together and broke into small pieces when I tried to pick them up with my chopsticks. I went there around 7pm on a weekday when the place wasn't busy at all, so perhaps they may have used some leftovers from lunch. Too bad since their portions and price are better than Phy Vy (on Fort St.), which is also a hit and miss when I order this dish.<br/>The vietnamese pancake which we ordered for appetizer were crispy and nicely prepared (although a bit sweet for my personal liking), but the shrimp was also something they pre-cooked which was thrown into the filling towards the end (thus not heated properly).<br/>All in all, it wasn't a bad dining experience at all, but was underwhelmed due to high expectations.

Fresh and yummy. We ate here earlier this week and it was amazing! We loved how fresh everything was- from the soup to the rice to the noodle dishes. My little one even loved all the food! We ordered vegetarian dishes and when the spring rolls came, they looked like they had pork in them since they were lumpy like meat. We wanted to be sure they were meat-free so we asked the server and she wasn't sure herself, so she took them back to the kitchen. It turned out they were veggie but they made us a new order! How nice!! The service was very good too and the place is clean and comfy. We will be going back for sure.

Nothing Special. We went here for dinner last week, and were both underwhelmed. The service was prompt and polite, but also seemed untrained. We weren't quality checked, and our water glasses sat empty for a long time before being filled. Our table didn't have the condiments that others had, and the containers that we did have were empty. Small details like this stand out a lot when the restaurant is mostly empty and we could have been sat at one of the fully stocked tables. Our food was alright but nothing special. I found my bbq pork to way too fatty. I like pork fat, but not unrendered chewey fat. My partner's shrimp ball had no flavour at all. Based on other reviews I'll probably give this place another shot for a sandwich at lunch, but their noodles are a miss.

Tasty Pho and Rice. We ordered lemongrass chicken rice and beef, meatball noodle soup. The pho was delicious, and filled with meat. The lemon chicken rice was well-marinated. Also, the lighting of this place makes it feel like a tropical setting, which fits the Vietnamese cuisine nicely. Overall, this is definitely one of the best Vietnamese restaurant in Victoria, if not the best.

A new favorite. There Bahn mi and Pho are comparable to what you find on the streets in VN, which is a breath of fresh air as lots of places here "westernise" there food...

Another great Victoria Vietnamese option!. Victoria has always had an abundance of great restaurants, but always fell short in good ethnic food. That is why I am beside myself with joy at the amount of great foreign restaurants opening lately, especially of the Vietnamese and Japanese variety. Green Leaf Bistro is one such restaurant and I'm happy to report it's delicious. I have only tried the Pho (noodle soup) and Banh Mi (Vietnamese sub sandwich) and they were both excellent. Service was great too. I still give the edge to Pho Vuong for best Pho in town, but they now have some serious competition less than a block away. Definitely recommended!

My wife was so completely with her soup (#37) that we may have to move up here to Canada just for the food.

Food. Havn't found any other vietnamese resturant in town that has the friendly look and feel like Green Leaf. Beside the atmostphere the food is fantastic from the presentation to the quality. Very tasty, definitely will be back.

A cheerful Vietnamese eatery serving generous portions at low prices. A large selection of noodles, soups and rolls with many vegetarian options. Some of Victoria's best Southeast Asian cuisine.

Really, I wouldn't put this bowl of pho above any other bowl of pho.

Omnivores don't fret; there is lots for you too including meatball pho, ginger chicken, lemongrass shrimp or crispy skinned barbeque quail.

I visited again, with friends, and my view hasn't changed. Good and tasty pho makes it the best Vietnamese of the area. It was our final destination because they stay open the entire day (a big plus!) Also, I'd rather go here than the Thai next door. Verd

I had walked, biked and driven past the Green Leaf Bistro at least a hundred times. I failed to pop in mostly due to the name of the restaurant. I'm always leary of places that throw in words that