#1 Best PHO Near Me in Ottawa🥇 - ParLê by Viet Fresh Vietnamese HALAL FOOD- Consumer Choice Award — Restaurant in Ottawa

All flash, no substance. Not sure how this is #1 pho in Ottawa, because it isn't. Looks great on pictures, but will be the most disappointing Vietnamese foods you will ever buy. Brought my Vietnamese parents here on Canada Day this year (2025) for lunch. Ordered 3 specials (banh hoi, bo me, and pad see ew), none of which was available and we were only told after ordering each one. Apparently the restaurant was short-staffed with no one who can stir-fry. I counted about 5 wait staffs but did not see how many in the kitchen. Doesn't make sense having over 10 specials and yet half of the menu isn't available to order, especially on lunch time on Canada Day while being so close to parliament. The staffs didn't know and had to come back for us to re-order 3 times, each time we were told the kitchen could not make this, which is quite unprofessional. I ordered bun bo hue, but the broth was so oily and overly spiced (with cumin and chili oil, yet not that spicy). Pho was mid and loses out to smaller restaurants in Chinatown. Broth was also lukewarm. Staffs and service were okay, but also seemed disinterested and overworked even though the restaurant isn't even half full. For a restaurant in the the byward market next to Parliament on Canada day, this was very disappointing, especially when the restaurant looked and felt very nice and high end. Overall, came here once, will never again. People who knows Vietnamese food can tell this is a gentrification of a respectable cuisine and lost all of its authenticity in the process. Maybe less neon lights and serve at least half of your menu if you are going to be open...

The food was incredible and a great introduction to authentic Vietnamese food. I had the Bo Kho beef soup with noodles (medium) a Lychee drink and their grilled chicken rice plate. All was delicious and delectable. However I had an issue with the service, specifically the fact that none of the folks who served seemed to care that I was having their cuisine for the first time. I asked my first server some questions about the serving size of the Bo Kho because I hoped to have 2 entrees. I decided to order to dishes however I advised the seever that I would like the Bo Kho first followed by the other meal. She ended the interaction by saying what we will do is I will check when your done with the soup and if you still want the other entree, I'll order it. However when I was done, another server appeared I and clearly he had no idea pf the prior discussion so I asked him for menu. He shows up with a bill. It was at this point that I began to feel a bit u welcome but I pushed through, clarified that I needed a menu and proceeded to order a different item. Once I finished this and was looking for a server or host to get my check, NO ONE was on the floor. I kept looking in the direction of the kitchen until I saw the second server poking holis head around a corner and was able to beckon him to share the bill. The bill was presented by a 3rd person.

The food was good but the immature wait staff, not so much. Don't let immature folks spoil a good thing. It should he good food and...

Overall good experience! The place is well decorated with a good ambience. The service was mixed depending on the server. Restaurant wasn’t busy. There was a fly in the dining area as other reviewers have mentioned. Washrooms need a deep clean and maintenance as they have a strong odour and no tissue to dry hands.

The short rib pho in hot stone had the hottest pho broth I’ve ever had. I really appreciate that as when I add bean sprouts at other pho places, it cools down the soup too much. The short rib was tender and well cooked. The broth taste was good but not amazing. It was the Saturday special so worth it on that day. Definitely best dish of the table.

The rice dish with mixed meats was ok. The beef meat had shreds of bamboo or wood in them. I suspect this happened when meats were prepared as skewers. At our table, we had 2 of this dish and the leftover shreds were consistent in both dishes unfortunately. Friend initially thought they were small pieces of bones in the beef.

The pad see ew tasted okay. Expectations were not high as this is a viet restaurant serving some thai dishes but family wanted this dish. The noodles were well cooked and separated. Lacked a little flavour and the portion was a little small for the price paid.

Overall, prices for Vietnamese food are more on the premium end. Would gladly pay these prices if restaurant had cleaner premises and better...