Review Pho Hoa Restaurant - Victoria

Went to Pho Boi, A Taste of Vietnam for lunch and it was delicious the staff were great location is great

October 2023, I know things are tough. I got a large and felt like there wasn't even much meat in there. I guess for downtown Victoria this place might be good, I've had better

Very good Pho. Would highly recommend!

It’s a wow for me for a big serving. Tastes so good. Good Job to the server, Ms Anne and the Chef!

Pho boi was the first restaurant I’ve visited when I reach Victoria and I fell in love already. Carrot beef stew is my favorite and the spring rolls are very fresh. Anne was very hospitable, she always greeted us with joy and had a quick chat with us. She is so pretty every time she smiles at us. For sure we will be back again and again. 😍😍

Great location, casual Vietnamese spot among other great shops on Fort street. Staff was friendly, somehow I didn’t have any clue on what Vietnamese curry soup was and they did their best to explain it to me without making me feel like an idiot. It turns out, the curry noodle in soup with fried tofu was the bomb. It was a spicy yet sweet, aromatic broth, a little oily but I’m guessing it’s from the coconut milk so I’m ok with that. We also had the beef and carrot stew pho. It was a beefy tomato-ey broth, with chunks of moist beef and al dente pieces of carrots, nicely seasoned but not too overpowering. My kid loved the grilled pork and deep fried spring roll on vermicelli with that side of nước chấm. Would go again for sure.

Always coming back because of how tasty the pho is and how warm the service crew is especially Ann. She always makes sure that you got everything you ordered. I must say i’ve become a regular customer and will continue to cz the food is good and service is great.

This place is my go to on colder/rainy/gloomy days or if you just want the comfort of a good broth soup. I’ve never waited to be seated, as soon as I’ve been greeted I’m seated right away which is nice when you are really looking forward to the meal. Service has been great and quick. No real wait to have your order taken and not much longer your meal arrives. I usually get the chicken noodle, regular size since it’s a pretty big bowl. Feel free to try the large if you’re extra hungry but I find it hard to finish a regular even though it’s delicious. I would highly recommend this as a stop if you’re looking for a bowl of pho.

Anne gave an outstanding service. She made sure that we are enjoying our stay and meal the whole time.

If ever I’ll be around Downtown VIC. I’ll make sure to visit PhoBoi. The food and service is astounding. Thank you Anne for always making us feel welcomed whenever I visit with my family. I look forward for another visit 🥰👍🏼🙏🏽

I walked in the front door and there was about 22 customers there. Someone greeted me kindly and walked me to my table for one. They brought me tea and I ordered the large flank pho with spring roll on side and my food was served within 5 minutes. Spring roll was small serving, but tasty. Pho had enough noodles, meat, but more cooked veggies in the pho soup would be good. The broth was ok. Overall I finished it all, except for some spoonfuls of broth😁

Went here for an after work bowl of soup was great (the picture was taken when I was almost finished)

It's a good Vietnamese restaurant to wind down if you need somewhere that has a chill ambience. Anne and Lasta the servers are great and friendly!

OK food terrible service. 3 times in the past week I've come to pho hoa at 11:20<br/>And they have been "out of soup" or closed early. Ridiculous considering posted hours are state they are open daily till midnight. Not too much of an inconvenience considering the food is lackluster at best. Perhaps management should consider correcting their open hours. Or hire new staff that is willing to work.

I did not enjoy my meal..... I had planned to study and take a nice trip to Phoa . I learned how quickly their staff can prepare a chicken Phoa and I must say how I learned ! So the quicker the meal the lower quality the poultry? I took a bite of dry chicken , some okay noodles, broth not bad then went in for more chicken unveiling an entire bowl of brown/ grey old chicken with fat attached to it. I pulled out an entire sprout plate full of these things! It was a very unappetizing bowl of Phoa. I could not bare it any longer and had to speak to the cashier due to I could not bare the insult any longer so luckily I did get the doggy crap for free but still I am left with the feeling of being disrespected. If I had known the service staff had that much attitude I probably would rather consider going to a food chain franchise over pho hoa Victoria although; with my food allergies would never , so what this means for me is one less place I thought that I actually could eat at without breaking the bank.

Rude and crappy food! Avoid it at all cost!. Service was really poor the first time we went there and the waitress didn't even speak English and messed up our order! <br/><br/>We decided to come back to give them a second chance but service is really crappy and the consistency of the food was poor. Manager was a dick when we complained about the food!

Very disappointing, dare I say, "the worst Vietnamese restaurant in Greater Victoria." And the only reason we went here at 11:15pm on a week night is because every friggin restaurant in the downtown core shuts down at 9pm or earlier! Seriously, we suck as a city when it comes to late night food culture because we have none. We do not have late night eating places other than bars or pubs. But I digress... Our food tonight tasted and looked like it was served up from a trash can. My wife's pho broth was luke-warm and resembled dirty dish waster. My rice noodle dish was poorly presented and tasted like hours-old leftovers. And they get away with this because there's no late night competition. If there were other eateries open late on this block, this place would be dead; even so, it was dead when we were there. Pho Hoa is a world-wide chain, prompting me to suggest it's the "McDonald's of Vietnamese food," perhaps worse, because at least at McDonald's they have quality control policies in place that assure consistency. I gave this place a bad review before, but now I've learned my lesson. No more visits to Pho Hoa, even if it is the only restaurant open downtown after 11pm.

Cheap, fast for takeout but incredibly rude service and won't let you order small portion for takeout

VERY poor service. They have good food but a really bad service, for a take-out soup it has to be large, why cant i order the regular size? and the lady on the phone gave me an attitude, since im not vietnamese I dont know what the dish is called, so i started describing the food that i want and she gave me this poor attitude, very rude.. i am speechless ( in a bad way)

Tried twice, not again. I'm not sure how this location compares to the others (chain restaurant), but of the 5 Vietnamese restaurants on or near Fort St., Pho Hoa is my least favourite. The salad rolls were fine, but the peanut sauce didn't taste that great and was actually kind of gritty. The first time we went, the meat on our grilled pork & vegetables on vermicelli was cold. The second time was better, but the food was nothing special. Overall, it wasn't exceptionally bad or anything. There are just better places to go (like across the street). Service was fine. Decor is not what you would expect, much more commercial.

Service sucks but best pho I've had

Can't believe this place has bad reviews!. I always come here for quick, cheap Vietnamese food. They've renovated too so it's a decent dining experience now (except for the bathrooms, yuck). It's my favorite place for pho!

Horrible service, worst vietnamese food I've ever had. There's better places in town avoid this one.

Walk 5 minutes to Pho Vuong, trust me! I am an obsessed foodie and Hoa isn't even close to Vuong in any category. Your palate will thank me!

Delicious soup & the staff are always friendly! I go often & wouldn't change that.

Why do people hate this place?. Read the title guys. Can someone answer my question please? <br/><br/>My experience at Pho Hoa wasn't as bad as most claim to be based on the reviews I've read on Urbanspoon. My brother and I were actually a little intimated go to in because of this. It was labour day weekend and we had wanted to try Saigon Harbour but they were closed. <br/><br/>I've always been a picky eater and when something isn't up to my own personal expectations, I get a little upset. Maybe that's why the majority who have written a review for this restaurant were unhappy. Bad experiences, whether it may be the food, atmosphere, or the service. However, when I say bad experiences, I don't understand how this restaurant can be compared to Pho Vy across the street. Both atmospheres aren't that pretty, but Hoa is more roomy. Service was actually more attentive than Vy across the street - and another thing I noticed is that they were child friendly. Now that is something I don't see the male manager nor the in-your-face grumpy woman would like. I don't have children, but it's nice to see an atmosphere that can accommodate children, especially when it's at your average eatery, nothing fancy just like how it should be. I refuse to go to Vy now, just because of the shocking, rude service my brother had. Ordering something he didn't order, them insisting he did, and us leaving very uncomfortable about the whole experience. We are paying customers supporting your rent, your staff, and a whole bunch of other things to keep your business operating.<br/><br/>The Pho is what I go for when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant, and honestly I didn't notice anything particularly different right away at Hoa. Both Vy and Hoa have good both, both have good noodles, both have same quality of sides, minus the cilantro not offered at Hoa: jalapenos, bean spouts, etc. The only thing that would set these two restaurants apart when it comes to the Pho itself would be the quality of steak I had. Vy is just a TAD more firm, but it still wouldn't want me to go back to that place. Honestly, I know this is a review about Hoa, but Vy is exactly like the soup nazi on Seinfeld and why put up with that BS when you can just go across the street. As for the "Mcdonalds of Pho" comment, just be happy that Victoria actually offers plenty of pho restaurants in town. Choose your pick wisely.

Food is OK but the place is a dump. I love pho, and eat it a lot. The quality of the pho here isn't bad at all. It is pretty good. Service is a bit slow at times. The decor is dreadful.

I'm not impressed with this place, I had a take out order and the food wasn't very hot. I didn't take long to get there either. It was not fresh at all, while I was eating my food, my stomach was making funny sounds. Even 2 hrs later my stomach is acting up . Very poor quality and unproper handling of food.

Yummy Soup + family friendly. The steak soup & pork spring rolls are delicious! The staff is always pleasant. Service is fast and very consistent. The large soup (approx $10) will feed 1 adult + 1 child so good value for families.

What the pho^?. Best vietnamese noodle soup in the city (period)<br/><br/>The noodle salads are okay too, but the soup is definitely their strongest menu item. At just under $10 a bowl, the price is not as good as what you would expect to pay, in a big city like Vancouver or Toronto, but its still pretty reasonable for Victoria.<br/><br/>The other thing that I really like about Pho Hoa is their superhuman speed. You go from ordering to eating in only a few minutes, which means less of that awkward, hungry/grumpy feeling.<br/><br/>Disclaimer: I am not vietnamese, nor have I been to Vietnam, so I'm no judge of authenticity, but I do love food, and this place has holds it down. If you want a great lunch/supper spot for a hot bowl of noodles on that all-too-common rainy Victoria day, Pho Hoa is the real deal.<br/><br/>A Victoria gem! See you there...<br/><br/>"Keeping Victoria tasty"<br/><br/>-Inspector Yummy

Used to be the best... Pho Hoa used to have my favorite pho in Victoria. I never understood why people liked Pho Vy better, because frankly, I find their food repugnant. In the last year or so, though, the quality has taken a big slide. They skimp on the meat and the broth tastes watered down when it used to taste really, really good. I'm sure I'll go back one day, but Pho Vuong is my new pho place.

Go for the food - not the atmosphere. I like this place and often eat here alone. The restaurant is lit with fluorescent lighting so you probably wouldn't go for an intimate date.<br/><br/>I almost always eat the grilled pork vermicelli which I love. Fruit shakes and vietnamese iced coffee are interesting too.<br/><br/>Recently I went to Pho Vy and I think that is probably even better...

Worth time and money. If you like vietnamese food you will like this place. i go at LEAST once a week and have tried almost everything once. place is pretty clean and food is always hot and fresh. i hae yet to be disappointed!

Large Please !. Pho Hoa is always full be it lunch or dinner. That's why they always have a reserved area which they will opened up once the right side of the restaurant is in full swing. The food is to be recommended. The environment is clean and comfortable and a great place for newbies of Pho. Order large if you love their beef broth and the type of meat of your choice. If you like it dry, try the grilled beef, it's delicious !

Crave it. I fell in love with this place last year. So much so that I crave their #18. I love the soup, the bean sprouts you put in there and the tea is delic

Finally the soup I'm looking for. The spicy chilly sauce is my favorite and pho hoa has it. I usually have the veggie soup which is always superb. The chicken soup is ok but I have had better meat elsewhere. For soup this is always a destination for me when downtown. The perfect light meal fix. Quick service quick soup at lunch but a little slower when busy at dinner.

We're a little obsessed.... We go here weekly for a #32 and Summer Roll. SO amazing it's making my tummy rumble thinking about it! The staff are super quiet, but super cute. Love Love this place.

Mediocre. The soup at this place was not as tasty or ingredients as good as I have had at many other Vietnamese Noodle Soup restaurants both on the island or mainland.

Being Vietnamese myself, I think that it is safe to say that I know a fair bit about Vietnamese food. Last week, desperate for a steaming bowl of Phở, I opted to go out instead of making a bowl for myself at home. Despite Victoria's size, we seem to have a reasonable amount of Vietnamese restaurants. My personal favorite Vietnamese place, Le Petit Sài Gòn wasn't open and so I settled for Phở Hòa. Originating from my motherland, Phở Hòa has now become the notorious McDonalds of Vietnamese Cuisine. After being seated at a table a by lifeless hostess, I was immediately offered water/drinks which was a pleasent surprise. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. I ordered the following: Phở Tái, Bò Viên ̣̣(Noodle Soup with Beef Steak and Vietnamese Meatballs) Shortly after ordering, I was served a plate of Bean Sprouts, Herbs and Lime. All of which seemed to be wilting besides the lime. Soon after, my steaming hot bowl of soup arrived. After adding the herb

I did say once that I'd revisit this place again in hopes some improvements were made. It's happening in baby steps and just like a toddler, despite being "three decades" old (according to their website), it is still stumbling like a baby in his diapers. The management really needs a manual to give to its staff at how to wait on tables properly.

Yes. I know. Pho Hoa is the McDonald's of Vietnamese food. I get it. That being said, i don't even go for the Pho, so who the hell cares? i went for lunch with my ever lunch ready pal, Jeffy. We decided to hit up pho hoa because I am pregnant. Oh sorry, d

Located in the most competitive area in Victoria (Fort St, between Douglas and Blanshard), Pho Hoa is a chain Vietnamese restaurant. It is exactly across from Pho Vy, a local favorite when it comes to Pho. It is a medium sized place, and has a look and feel very different from Pho Vy (its tables are nicely spaced and its the menu screams chain restaurant). I ordered a #44: Pho Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach: Brisket, Flank, Tendon, Tripe & fatty flank. What a mouthful. I was slightly disappointed. The meat was dried out, and overall, felt average. The natural comparison for this restaurant are its two Vietnamese neighbours: Pho Vy, or around the corner, Saigon Harbour. In my opinion, both places offer a better product. In terms of price, there is not much variance between the three. There is, however, one saving point for Pho Hoa. It is a place that stays open later than the others. They close at 10:00 PM, if I remember correctly, which is why I sometimes end eating there. Verdict:

A staple and mainstay of Vietnamese cuisine, pho is a simple, yet effective noodle dish, which explains its proliferation into the Western restaurant scene over past de