Pho Phoenix Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

Came to eat here with a friend and ordered 2 XL 106’s with the menu clearly stating they were $14.40 each (It even says on the website). When we finished and went to pay, to my surprise we were each charged $17.90. I asked why I was over charged and he said service, while I was completely unaware of a service fee. It’s funny because a while back I’ve eaten here once before and had the same problem. This time I came afterschool wearing my schools uniform and yet was overcharged. I think it’s fairly unethical to take advantage of some high school students who are just looking for a cheap filling dinner. I came here hoping for a cheap bowl of pho instead of the place on Dundas that charged $16.50 for a large. Being overcharged I might as well have went where there instead, definitely won’t be coming back.

(Edit: I just saw the reply and thank you for your swift response. I understand that it is customary to tip, however it is still known that tipping isn't completely or legally mandatory. Honestly I would've been more than happy to tip, however with the service charge that was automatically implemented and was completely not communicated visibly or verbally, I felt robbed and exploited. Most restaurants display such a charge on the bottom of their menu or on a sign, however without anything as the customer we are oblivious to such a fact. To add, most auto gratuity are implemented in restaurants for groups of people, typically the size of a party. However in my case is was literally just a friend and I. I'd like to add that we both didn't order much other than 2 bowls and didn't bother to receive nor ask for water, drinks, or any more orders of food. Hence the only service we received was the initial ordering, getting the food, and having to walk up ourselves to pay at the counter. I appreciate the kind service, although general and minimal service like that is the reason why your employees get paid by the hour. As someone who used to work in a fast food restaurant where the demands of quality service, food, and cleanliness are much higher, not once did I find myself demanding or receiving a gratuity tip. Even when I had to make the food, serve customers, clean the disgusting tables, and more. I'd like to apologize for sounding "cheap" or "rude" but as a student, cheap meals are definitely attracting, which is why I love eating Pho as it commonly meets those qualities. Overall, the pho bowls were great and I'd love to come back for another bowl, however with my last experience (Also one the first times being blindly charged) I'm going to stay within the comfort of my other...

I have been dining here for nearly 20 years, and the food, service and atmosphere have always been top notch. However, on my recent visit I was extremely disappointed.

It started out great. The waitress was super friendly and chatty, with great rapport. Well, the food was beyond disappointing. We ordered two vegetarian dishes - a curry and a stir fry with crispy noodles (meant to be hot). They were barely warm, but hot in some spots, indicating possible microwaving - yikes. The Vietnamese curry was not at all what was indicated on the menu. There was no sauce - it was basically large cubes of tofu fried in a very highly concentrated curry paste (meant to have coconut milk added, but there was none). It was mixed with raw vegetables and lettuce for some reason - odd. I had asked for rice but was given rice noodles. When I expressed this to the friendly waitress, she basically said I was wrong. Not kidding. She sweetly told me I ordered the rice noodles.

The vegetarian spring rolls appeared to have been through the deep fryer more than a few times and were literally pooling oil on the plate to the point of being inedible. There was a tablespoon of oil sitting on the plate afterwards. 🤮

I honestly can't believe this is the same restaurant I've been going to for so many years. The lovely older owner guy wasn't there and I guess the place has fallen apart in his absence. Shame.

My advice to whoever is running this place: if a customer tells you you made a mistake, listen to them and don't try to gaslight them while smiling. You've lost a longtime customer over this. I won't...

Giant 2.5 inch DEAD GRASSHOPPER in my bowl of Pho

Didn't think to take a picture of it before I returned it to the kitchen. But there was a giant grasshopper in my bowl of Pho, I noticed it after eating for a couple minutes, so I could have easily bitten into this thing. It was green and with extremely long legs, definitely not any brand of grasshopper we have here in Canada.

The owner barely even blinked. He blamed the server guy and said he wouldn't charge me for the soup, but he would still charge me for my spring rolls. When I objected, he freaked out and was adamant that I have to pay for the spring rolls. After discussing this at a higher than normal volume level, another patron spoke up and said the owner shouldn't be charging me for my food, he's lucky he still even ordered food since he saw the grasshopper as well. My friend and I left without paying for our bill because we were so disgusted and turned off from our dinner from this madness.

The owner was utterly unapologetic and so stingy that rather than have the lose less than $5, he tried to make a point as though he was right. Total insanity. Will be checking with government health and safety services to report this place — do...