Pho-Bo-Ga La Restaurant

Reviews

• Jennifer P.

  star star star star star_border 8 June 2026

  I had dinner here with my parents, as part of their "try every pho joint in Ottawa" endeavour and we really liked it.
  
  So in Chinatown there are a lot of pho restaurants with really similar names all containing "Pho" "Bo" and "Ga" (In fact, there are even 2 different restaurants with the exact same name, very weird. There is a Pho Bo Ga 2 at 834 Somerset St West AND at 857 Somerset St West, so if you're meeting friends at Pho Bo Ga 2, you better specify which one!). I have to admit that I've been avoiding these places because I'm like "why don't you come up with more original names?" But then I realized that I would be missing out on like half of all the pho places in Chinatown.
  
  Anyway, my parents both got the Pho Thap Cam (Combination Pho). My mom got the small ($9.50) and my dad got the large ($11.50). I got what I usually get at pho restaurants if it's on the menu: Hu Tieu Nam Vang (Phnom Penh Tapioca Noodle Soup). I got a small ($10.50).
  
  The portions here are generous. I have a big appetite and small was sufficient for me. I probably could have eaten a medium, but I would have been uncomfortably full. My dad has a huge appetite and he admitted that the large was a bit much for him (although he finished it, lol). To think that they even have XL!
  
  My Hu Tieu Nam Vang was delicious. The tapioca noodles were chewy and the broth was fragrant. I got 2 large shrimp (peeled except for the end of the tail, and properly deveined), 2 slices of fried fish cakes, some ground pork, lots of slices of lean pork, and a quail egg. I love that the pork slices were lean. So many places give you fatty pork. I know that some people like that, but not me. I prefer lean meats. The soup also had some fried shallots, green onions and napa cabbage. I told them to hold the bean sprouts. The soup was tasty and I liked that they gave me a lot of toppings/protein. I did not run out of meat before I ran out of noodles. Yay! I hate it at other places where at the end I'm pretty much just eating noodles and broth because I ran out of meat.
  
  My soup also came with a shrimp cracker which was fried dough with a shrimp in it. It was super oily and greasy, so I didn't eat it, but my mom loved it. The shrimp in the shrimp cracker was not peeled but at least did not still have the head on it. I know that unpeeled and head on is the traditional way, but I prefer peeled and headless! It's too freaky for me otherwise, haha.
  
  My dad loved his pho. He especially loved the variety of meat in it. The Pho Thap Cam came with brisket, rare beef, cooked beef, beef balls (meatballs, not testicles, lol), chicken and a quail egg. He said he got a piece of tripe, but my mom who ordered the same thing said she didn't get any tripe (?!?) My mom enjoyed her pho too, but commented that the chicken was hard and chewy.
  
  My mom wanted some Che Ba Mau (a tri-coloured dessert with beans) but they didn't have any left :(
  
  Service was polite, efficient, and competent. The place is a bit small and cramped.
  
  Overall, I really liked my meal and I would rank this restaurant among the top 3 pho restaurants in Ottawa.

• Dale L.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 2 June 2026

  I went to the restaurant the other day and the first thing was that the service was horrible! the server did not even ask us what to drink. when I asked for water, rather than tea, he just gave me the stare...
  
  I ordered the typical rare beef noodle. The soup tasted off and the beef was for sure frozen 10 mins ago. I asked for hot sauce twice and they forgot it twice...
  
  I do not recommend this place.

• Soohyun K.

  star star star star_border star_border 21 May 2026

  Walked into this restaurant with a group of friends for a Friday night dinner. Not too busy when we walked in (it was around 7pm). We ordered - I ordered #13 in a small size, which was just under $10 before tax. It came with rare beef, beef tendon, beef brisket, and beef tripe noodle. The taste was okay, pretty good but nothing spectacular. I was a bit disappointed with my portion (small was really small, and only $1 under the medium size so I would recommend getting medium instead or large if you are really hungry). I chose #13 because I wanted a fair mix of all the different types of meat. However, I only had a small tiny piece of rare beef and just a lot of beef tendons (about four pieces?) which I am not too big of a fan of. I wish there was more variety in the portion of meat given.
  
  The place is very casual and you can walk in easily and stay there chatting with friends for a while, so I would recommend it if you are looking for an easy, quick meal with friends.

• Amelia J.

  star star star star star_border 17 May 2026

  One of my favs! It's the blue one up the stairs!
  
  They make the special Phos really well. I especially love their bun no hue and the bo kho! Spicy Phos are my fav for sure!
  
  Their regular pho broth is on point too.
  
  They are quick with service and the place is cozy.

• Victor C.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 16 May 2026

  I came here with a group of 6. The portion was so small. I usually get a medium size at other pho places and that will fill me up quite well. This place medium bowl only had like 3 pieces of beef! Last but not least, when I was paying for the bill they tried to scam us by charging us an extra bowl which made sense why they did not want to split our bills. Never will I come back here again.