Pho Viet Noodle Ottawa Review – Truth About Slow Service and Dry Beef in Hintonburg – Average EV Score: 5.8/10
Reviewed by Tastes of Ottawa
Each dish is rated using our EV Score (Enjoyment-to-Value Score), based on enjoyment, price paid, and benchmark pricing.
Table of Contents
Pho Viet Noodle Restaurant Overview
1100 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y4
Pho Viet Noodle is located in Hintonburg, an area known for its vibrant mix of cafés, restaurants, and shops. Like most businesses in this neighbourhood, there’s no dedicated parking lot, so you’ll need to rely on street parking. It’s manageable, but depending on the time of day, you may find yourself circling a bit before securing a spot.
The restaurant itself replaced what used to be a fried chicken place, and while the space has been refreshed to fit its new identity, it still feels like a fairly standard pho shop. There’s a fair amount of seating — enough tables to accommodate a steady flow of customers without feeling overly cramped.
On our visit, however, the service was really slow. Despite only four tables being occupied, our food took nearly 15 minutes to arrive. To make matters worse, another group who came in about 10 minutes after us received their food first. That kind of misstep is frustrating, especially for a dish like pho, which is typically fast to serve.
The staff themselves were friendly and welcoming, but friendliness only goes so far when the service pace drags the experience down. In Ottawa, where pho restaurants are plentiful and efficient service is the norm, it’s hard not to compare — and Pho Viet Noodle comes up short.
Would return?: No.
Pho – Beef Brisket
😋 Enjoyment: 4.5/10
💰 Price Paid: $16
🎯 Benchmark Price: $16
📊 EV Score: 4.5/10
🔁 Order Again?: No.
The broth was actually the strongest part of the dish, with a solid depth of flavour and the kind of warmth that pho is known for. The noodles were cooked well, holding their texture without turning soggy. Unfortunately, the brisket brought the dish down significantly. It was dry, tough, and lacked the tender, fatty richness that makes brisket the star of a pho bowl. When the protein doesn’t deliver, it’s hard to enjoy the rest.
Pho – Well Done Beef, Beef Brisket, and Beef Tendon
😋 Enjoyment: 5/10
💰 Price Paid: $16
🎯 Benchmark Price: $16
📊 EV Score: 5/10
🔁 Order Again?: No.
This bowl offered a bit more variety, but the results were still underwhelming. The broth and noodles were once again solid, but the proteins continued to disappoint. The well done beef was overly dry and bland, and the brisket suffered from the same issues as in the previous dish. The tendon, however, was the one redeeming element. It had the right texture and flavour, offering some contrast to the otherwise lacklustre proteins. Still, one good component wasn’t enough to carry the whole bowl.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
😋 Enjoyment: 8/10
💰 Price Paid: $7
🎯 Benchmark Price: $7
📊 EV Score: 8/10
🔁 Order Again?: Yes.
The iced coffee ended up being the highlight of the visit. Bold and sweet, with the condensed milk giving it a smooth finish, it was refreshing and exactly what you’d hope for from a Vietnamese iced coffee. It’s a small win, but when the coffee outshines the main dishes at a pho restaurant, that says a lot.
Final Thoughts
Pho Viet Noodle sits in a competitive part of Ottawa’s dining scene. Hintonburg is full of restaurants that not only deliver great food but also efficient service, and pho in particular is a category with strong contenders across the city. Against that backdrop, Pho Viet Noodle struggles to stand out.
The location has some challenges. With no parking lot, you’re left to find street parking, which isn’t unusual for the neighbourhood but still adds a small inconvenience. The interior is functional with a fair number of tables, but it doesn’t have the atmosphere or polish of some of the better-known pho spots.
The biggest issue, though, is the combination of slow service and disappointing proteins. Pho should be comforting and satisfying, but when the brisket and beef come out dry and chewy, it undermines the whole dish. The tendon offered a glimpse of what could have been, but it wasn’t enough.
Friendly staff help soften the experience, but at the end of the day, service speed matters, and there are simply too many other pho restaurants in Ottawa that do it better. Places like Pho Van Van, New Pho Bo Ga La, and others not only serve better food but also manage to deliver it quickly. Against that kind of competition, it’s hard to imagine Pho Viet Noodle carving out a loyal following.
In short: Pho Viet Noodle left me unimpressed. The broth and iced coffee were solid, but the slow service, unreliable proteins, and lack of standout qualities make it a place I wouldn’t return to. With so many better pho options in the city, it’s simply not worth the visit.