PHỞ BIG BOWL

Probably will not return to this store again as there is no surprise while they priced everything higher than usual Pho restaurant in the city. There is no physical menu that you will have to scan the QR code to access to their menu. However, you will have to put down your order on the order form. Everything is kind of no service like a fast food store. The only service is when they bring you the order. Basically, you were just doing everything by yourselves from the time you take the seat to the time you pay your bill. The food is just average. It means it is not better than others in term of taste, presentation, size or serving. Customer will have to line up at the cashier counter to pay. There is only one cashier. Customers will have to wait patiently inline waiting for the cashier when she is taking phone order. While as I said, the service is very limited, but they preset the tip percentage on your bill from 15%, 20% and 25% for your choice. This is another great example of how crazy the Canadian tipping system nowadays. Will you pay extra 15% (on top of the total including HST) on top of your bill when you did not actually receive any service??? Honestly, I don't. Tipping system is a way you pay as gratitude as a result of receiving extraordinary service, and as a way of appreciation. I am fed up with it.

I went to Pho Big Bowl and ordered the Bun Bo Hue. The soup was very good — rich and flavorful. The service was excellent, and the staff were very friendly and welcoming. I was a little surprised that it came with fried onions (hành phi) on top. It’s not very traditional for Bun Bo Hue, so it felt a bit unusual to me. It didn’t ruin the dish, but it did make it feel a little different from what I expected. Overall, still a good experience.

The food is delicious. I particularly like the Beef Stew, but the Pho is also great. Only issue I have is with the service. Might just be something common on Pho restaurants, but you don’t have a waiter assigned to your table. They all share the responsibility of taking care of all tables, but that usually means no one is really checking on you. I’ve been to the restaurant multiple times and you usually wait for a bit until someone comes to take your order (sometimes I just walked to the counter and gave them my order on the paper they leave at the table) or if you need an extra set of cutlery or would like to order something else, unless you draw their attention (not always easy if the restaurant is busy) or go to the counter yourself. Not a deal breaker, just something to note. I still return as the food is great, especially if you want Vietnamese in the area.

Excellent place for Vietnamese cuisine. More choice with Pho dishes like the Sate Pho, compared to other Vietnamese restaurants. Prices are also competitive. The ambience and the staff are great too!

My wife and I usually hit up a pho spot during the colder days, so we’d say we’re pretty well-versed in a good pho.. and otherwise. That said, this has to be our favourite pho spot. We’ve visited them at their old location and just came from the new one. The broth is amazing, and while the portions might not look as big as some other places, they’re packed. We usually order the brisket pho, and you get meat in every bite. On top of that, it’s very kid-friendly (boosters and high chairs) the washrooms are accessible, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. Love this spot.

I ordered the rare beef with beef brisket to go, and unfortunately the experience was very disappointing, especially given the positive reviews. The meat quality was questionable, and the order only came with beef brisket — the rare beef was completely missing. I also noticed blood on the noodles, which was very disgusting and unsanitary. The pho broth itself lacked flavour and depth, making the dish even more underwhelming. The staff were not attentive or welcoming, which added to the poor experience overall. Based on the reviews, I expected much better, but this visit left me unhappy and dissatisfied.

it was good! a few minor things abt service imo that could be better but I loved the food & aesthetic of the place sm! “It was good” (my brother)

Amazing food, the pork balls are to die for, very generous portion when it comes to the pho as well, I would definitely come back here when I’m in the area. Thank you!

Updating in mid 2024: I've had the beef brisket pho a couple more times, 10/10 my favourite pho place currently. I think the service is fantastic and crazy fast to get orders ready. Great pricing too.

Recipes are no longer the same. Pho Big Bowl used to serve menu items with consistent quality and taste. We ordered Vermicelli, Spring Roll, Minced Shrimp on Sugar Cane and BBQ Pork along with the Pad Thai Stir Fried Noodle with egg, shrimp and chicken (Vietnamese style) which has been one of our standard orders for well over a decade. In 2019, when the original owners left to open up Pho XL (Financial Drive), we continued to come back here because the recipes stayed the same. More recently when we ordered our dishes, we knew something had changed. While the vermicelli bowl was good, the Pad Thai was lacking in flavour and did not have the secret Vietnamese lemongrass seasonings we had come to love. When asked, we discovered that they brought in a new chef. Service could have been better as well. We had to ask twice for new side plates - both times the plates came out dirty and the wait staff did not bother to check when they brought a replacement. Although the restaurant looked fair and clean at first glance, sanitation probably needs a closer look. Needless to say, I probably won't be returning anytime soon.

This is the closest pho place near me so I would always come here. They used to give bigger portions for the price but now it's gotten smaller so I find it to be expensive for a bowl. We got the house special and the vermicelli. The flavour of the pho broth is good and the vermicelli was also pretty good. Service is a bit slow though. If there was another pho place nearby, I would probably stop coming here.

Just visiting and needed a quick meal right before closing. Owner was able to accommodate us 15 mins prior to close. While not the best Pho by far, it was fine, and the chicken over rice dinner fit the bill. We split an extra large bowl and it was in fact huge able to satisfy 3 lighter eaters.

Pho Big Bowl's vermicelli is my new obsession this summer. My go-to at any Vietnamese restaurant has been pho for well over a decade. In the summer months it's a bit too hot to eat noodle soup, so this time I decided to go with the vermicelli with meatballs, pork, and spring roll (~$13). I fell in love and have been finding excuses to come back ever since. As a long time fan of fish sauce, I usually only get to eat it when I order spring rolls. I like this dish because it's doused in fish sauce and that forms part of it's intense flavour - it keeps it tangy and refreshing for summer and prevents it from being too dry. The balance between the salad/veggies, meat, and vermicelli makes the meal filling without being super heavy. The different types of meat are spiced differently so you get a wide mix of textures, flavours, spices, etc in one dish. The best part about it though is the meat (both the meatballs and ground pork) is very fresh and undoubtedly made in-house. The wait is much longer than other places I've been to, for the exact same dish (like 20 mins) but well worth it. Every time I've ordered here, the vermicelli has been piping hot, full of flavour, and generously spiced - elsewhere, the "meatballs" they serve is something akin to sliced Spam, but here it's an actual meatball. I've been a couple other restaurants where the same dish is made in minutes but the meat doesn't feel as fresh, it's only warm, it lacks flavour, and it's clear it came pre-made or out of a package. This fact alone makes or breaks the dish so I no longer eat this dish anywhere else. I've also tried the pho here but didn't like it. The broth was strong, portion size good, but the broth had intense flavours of what I would guess is bone? Similar to Korean beef bone soup, and I personally wouldn't try it again. But others around the store seemed to all be eating pho, so it definitely has an audience. All in all, best vermicelli I've had in Mississauga at any pho store or chain. I'll be coming back asap. Location is good, portion sizes great, and pricing excellent. The food is very fresh and so I find myself a dedicated fan.

I always had take-out from this place and even then, the food was hot and packed with flavour. This time I decided to try dining in. The place was really clean and well-kept. It was quite busy and I can understand why. The food came pretty quick. The house special pho is our go-to. The broth was made well with a lot of umami. The spring rolls were crunchy and filled with lots of meat. The BBQ chicken with the vermicelli is a must try as well. Its savoury taste was balanced well with a hint of sweetness. Definitely one to visit if you're craving Vietnamese food

Food good but that can only take you so far. They don't like it when you share and the service is horrible. I ordered three apps and two large pho for four of us to share and told our server when I ordered. When the food came I asked for extra bowls they bought me the smallest bowl and then informed me the large bowls are in limited supply. I might've understood if they were busy but we were here at 430 on a Monday and there was one other person in the whole restaurant. I constantly have to get up to engage the staff and no one asks you if you need anything. There is also a fifteen percent gratuity for five people and no one tells you

I was in the area and craving Pho, so I stopped by Pho Big Bowl. The staff were attentive and the place seemed busy for a Tuesday afternoon. I ordered the rare beef pho with a side of deep fried spring rolls. It took almost 15-20 minutes to get my order, which is very long considering most pho places have my pho ready within 10 minutes. The spring rolls seemed over done, almost too crispy and the filling lacked flavour. The pho also lacked any flavour so I had to add hoisin and hot sauce (which I don't normally ever add to pho). I also did not like the style of noodles they had - it was a thicker rice noodle which I am not used to (but this is a preference). I honestly would not come back, only because I prefer other Pho places over this.

One of the best pho in town. Avoid weekdays during the lunch hours, always packed. Their spicy satay pho is a must try

my takeout order was incredibly disappointing. The meat was just gross, fatty and felt like cartilage. It was my favourite restaurant but never again.

The service was good but the pho was very bland and disappointing. The broth was watered down to the point of no flavour

Fast service, good soup, spring rolls are too oily, more pricey than other pho places.

I love Pho Big Bowl. Casual place, good food. Love the vermicelli bowls. Nice spot. .

We've been coming here for many years. It was a favourite of ours, then they changed cooks and we stopped coming for a few years. We gave it another chance a few years ago and it was good again. Our last couple of visits have been disappointing again. The pho is ALWAYS good, so no worries if that's what you're ordering. The broth is so tasty and the prices are good. The vermicelli is hit or miss. During this visit it was obvious the grilled pork had been pre-cooked and reheated at least once. It was tough and very dry. The shrimp on a sugarcane was the same story, extremely dry. The spring roll was good. Spice level is another unpredictable factor here. I used to order the satay soup and it was spicy, but delicious. Last couple of visits, it's been so spicy it's almost inedible. We are big fans of very spicy food, so it says a lot when we find it that hot. Service is fine, but definitely not what I'd call friendly. Not unfriendly, just expressionless. If you like pho with tender (a bit fatty) meat, definitely get #18. It's my favourite. The hue style soup is very spicy, but has a huge amount of meat and is tasty. No blood cubes in it, which is what I prefer. The restaurant is generally clean and so are the washrooms. I'm sticking with a 3-star review as it seems to waver between 2-star and 4-star quality.

This place used to be good but it's gotten pretty bad lately. Last few times we have gone we have had items missing from our food, entire orders missing so one person was left without anything to eat. We've had to point out that orders were missing ingredients. It's not as well run as it used to be. Also, the last time I was there I went to use the bathroom and the urinal was clogged and overflowing with urine. Pretty disgusting. I'd rather not go back.

I'd have to agree with the other reviewers about this Pho joint, they have all the elements of a classic Vietnamese restaurant, but flavour intensity is lacking the punch that you'd expect from this unique asian cuisine. I came in on my own on my lunch hour and was greeted by a guy wearing a baseball cap who appeared to be the owner. He winced when he realized I was on my own, and after the place filled up and a lineup formed I knew why he preferred full tables, this place is popular! I would consider this more like Vietnamese fast food. I ordered the beef Pho along with some greasy spring rolls. I didn't ask for hot chill oil, but they did have a squirt bottle of Sriracha sauce on the table, good enough I suppose. The beef Pho was ok, but after eating at Pho Hung on Spadina I realize that making this type of food delicious must be more difficult than it appears. I'm still on a search for a Vietnamese restaurant that offers a couple of unique items that I've only had out West, lemon pepper shrimp and wings, and bread rolls, along with cheap pre made ice coffees that you can drown yourself in. I'll keep searching!

I revisited as I read they are under new management. My last meals here prior to the change were not that great and I wasn't impressed with the customer service. Changes include increased prices my usual order #44 with chicken costs $2.00 more but includes more chicken that is chopped now instead of sliced. Taste is similar except for the spring roll which had a good balance of meat and vegetables. Service has improved immensely.

They have no awareness of allergies. I was very clear about my sons allergies and they insisted the food was safe but he had an allergic reaction and the staff was oblivious. Horrible service since the change in ownership a few years ago.

I like Big Bowl. Its my local pho place, so you can't beat it for convenience. I find the food comes out very quickly and obviously is piping hot. Have had issues with consistency in the dishes though. There is a bun dish (no soup) that is delicious. However, the last time we went, they jacked it full of peppers. So much so, my mother could not finish the bowl. I dug in thinking she was being a wimp. NOPE. It defeated even me. And I love spicy food.

I really enjoy the food but the angry lady makes me not want to go in. I even tried to avoid her by ordering take out and she answered the phone ! Eeeesh! To much trouble to attempt to be pleasant can't even say thank you if good bye. Too bad the food is pretty good.

This has been a favorite spot for a while now. Good pho, just, good pho. Good price point, good portions, wonderful broth. Service is prompt and I've always felt very welcome.

Ordered the 44 with chicken. The chicken was old and dry. Ended up picking out the chicken and just eating the noodles and salad mixture. I was pretty disappointed because Big Bowl usually doesn't serve unfresh food

I've had to update this review a few times now cause it's on of my fave places . Over the last year I've loved this place to then not really wanted to Come cause they changed cooks ..to going to back to quality ...if they keep the current cooks I recommend the pho and vermicelli bowls , there fantastic period ! Prices are great and food is good I recommend trying vermicelli bowl #48 or any of the pho bowls but my fave is 22 Enjoy !

Had a bowl of beef and tripe soup with a bowl of fried Wontons. The Pho soup was good but more beef flavor was expected. Wontons were simply great!

Not the best pho at all. Meat pieces are too thick. Broth is on the bland-only chicken and cloves tastes. No saw leaf. Long to come out of the kitchen. Staff lost notion of smile and customer care. Cha gio is not meaty enough. Roasted quails are on the skinniest quail side I ever had. Not an Asian customer in the place (except my gf who likes bland pho soup more than me and forced me to give 3 stars instead of 2 to this place).

Only 2 stars from me My friend loves coming here, i dont see her reason why. The food is not that good. The actual Pho soup here is mehh. The spring rolls here i didnt like, no flavour at all! The service is all right. The layout of the restaurant is interesting i find. Just like what my tip states "iv been to a better pho, this one aint it"

Nothing wrong with this place at all. Today was the PERFECT day for a Big Bowl of Pho... or a Pho Big Bowl. I was so glad that Yelp directed me to this place as I couldn't do another calorie laden Gastronomic food fiesta (much as I love them). I'm not sure if it's a sign of popularity or a sign of bad tidings but this was my first time to a Pho joint and it wasn't packed with a predominately Asian demographic, in fact quite the contrary - caucasians abound! I thought it had snowed INSIDE for a moment! Enough about StatsCan figures, back to the Pho. It was hot, tasty, soothing and at $7.50 for a large with an option to add extra steak and meat balls for $2 and $1 respectively, I was in Pho-king heaven! Service was a tad slow off the hop but only because it was busy. Pro-tip, if you're traveling east or west on Dundas, there is NO entrance off of Dundas, the only entrance is off of Liruma, so make sure you're in your turning lane if following your GPS. Feeling all warm and full now and that means HAPPY! Eatcrest Out!

The vermicelli bowl is to die for! Very tasty and very good service. The pho broth at this place is darker than i prefer. I prefer clearer broth, but it still tastes pretty good.

Mice alert! It was a late night pho craving..found this place close to my hotel...... MICE alert. The staff caught a mouse right there in front of me. I paid in full. They took my money.... didn't finish my meal :(

TLDR: average quality pho, bit over-priced. Location: easy to find, it's right off Dundas. Parking is usually not too bad. Environment: Kind of a funky arrangement inside; seems a bit disorganized. Seating for 2-6, more on the lower end. This place can really get packed, but because the food doesn't take long to cook, the turnover is pretty fast. Food: As a note, they give you the order form and you fill it out yourself, then flag someone down when you're ready. Like most Asian places, they won't come by unless you're fairly assertive in getting service. I got an XL pho with brisket and round, and my friend got some veggie egg noodle stir fry. We split veggie eggrolls and the shrimp on sugar cane. General impressions were not that great. It's not a good sign when it's a cold day (below 10 with wind chill), and a warm bowl of pho doesn't seem like the most amazing thing ever. Portion size is great, but the vast majority of it was soup. Definitely didn't have more than $4 worth of actual beef in there, so I felt a bit cheated paying a difference of $3.50 for soup essentially. On the plus side, the basil and the bean sprouts are good and fresh. But the soup overall was not that flavourful. I actually drank about 2/3rds and then stopped, not because I was full but simply because it just felt like a waste of stomach space. This was after several hearty shots of hot sauce were added as well. Everything else that I had was good, nothing amazing or horrible. Bill ended up being about $32 before tip for all of that (no drinks ordered).

This use to be my favourite Pho place, I've been going here for over 10 years unfortunately the quality of the food and service is now unacceptable. The portion size is now a quarter of any other pho and the broth isn't as good, it's sour. The staff are friendly however I've been turned down multiple times because they were closing early. This upsets me as big bowl is a 2 min drive from my house and now I find myself driving 20-30 for a good bowl of pho.

Use to be great before new owners, was going twice a week Now hours are changed food is bland, can tell they are penny pinching It's a shame

Service is bad and food is even worse. One of the severs asked the people at the table beside me if they were ready, but they weren't so she walked away while rolling her eyes. The restaurant wasn't busy with maybe only 6 tables taken so there was no reason to rush them. I ordered #51 steamed rice with BBQ chicken. The chicken was dry and stale. They served 2 slivers of tomatoes and lettuce which were also not fresh. Also, it was so cold in the restaurant that all the other restaurant guests were still wearing their jackets.

outside looks sketchy, but inside is really really clean. The portion is small af if you order a small and there is no medium so you gotta go big or go home. the soup is extremely tasty and I am very satisfied every time i come here. their pork balls are my favorite appetizers!!!

Really wanted pho during the winter storm and this one was the closest one we could find to my friends house. Extremely happy we didn't drive the distance to our usually spot because this pho is the way to go. It's a small joint with traditional decor (nicer than a lot of other pho places) The staff seems a bit shy but they are friendly. The pho broth is so flavourful and the portions are big. What more can you ask for?

This place is just not right. The soup was decent but the meat was just wrong. Maybe i had a bad part of the cow but the meat was just not right for pho. We also ordered curry goat and that was wrong as well. Taste and meat was wrong. It actually got worst. The spring rolls tasted like a large veggie roll that you normally get at a Chinese restaurant for Canadians (if you know what i mean). Lol Ok, maybe not as bad as I'm describing. But i drove over 1.5 hrs from Markham to there during rush hour on a Friday night and i was hungry. I don't know what led me to that place but i ended up in that parking lot. Will i come back... sorry.

The rating on here definitely does not reflect the food. Been coming here for over 6 years best pho anywhere! Not to mention they also have the best spring rolls (#01 on menu)

This is my hit up spot for the rare beef pho soup. It's consistently flavourful and the portion size is quite filling. Other options I have tried are the fresh rolls. They are chewy but most Vietnamese style fresh rolls are. The chicken wings are well cooked. My family also gets the wonton soup with egg noodles. That one needs more broth. It's quite noodly. The rice dish with pork and the spring roll is also a family favourite as long as you add lots of hoisin. It's quite flavourless without it. It's a good spot to visit when you want a good hot meal.

Went to Big Bowl for lunch and the experience was just ok. We got the typical pork on rice, pho noodle soup and deep fried squid hoping that it would be as good if not better than most. It took a bit of time till we got our food but we eventually got it. The food tasted ok, was average at best my pork chop was seasoned well but overcooked and the deep fried squid looked like it was store bought and lacked some flavour. There are room for improvements and I see this place becoming a foodie spot but till then I would rate this place as average.

Worst spring rolls bar none. Worst vermicelli with egg rolls compared to ones I had before at other places. Did not try their Pho. I will not go back here even though it is the closest Vietnamese restaurant near me. Decent interior decor. This place raised the price 15-20% recently. Another reason I will not be back.

My Dad raves about this place. Apparently, if you are into spicy, the goat meat dish is to die for. I'm more of a "order some pho" kind of girl, and it's not that great. Pricier than the usual $5 for small, I paid about $7-$8 for a small pho during lunch. Not expensive at all, but I guess I was expecting it to be loaded with meat. So, it was disappointing when my beef pho came with very little meat. I will note, though, that this restaurant is an upgrade from the usual Pho shacks in Mississauga. It definitely is a place you can come with family. The decor is welcoming and the atmosphere cozy. The staff didn't speak a lot of English; but there was a lot of nodding and smiling, so it didn't feel too awkward. All said, I'd probably go back if I was in the area and craving pho. But it's really not worth a long drive down.

After 20 years living the area, I finally got a chance to visit Big Bowl. It was a sunny afternoon and I could not make up my mind between Pho or Vermicelli. I decided with the Vermicelli! We ordered the minced shrimp on sugar cane to start. When they brought it to our table, I was a bit taken back as was my friend on the presentation. The sugar cane sticks were cut and we had to hold on to the cane like a corn on the cob. I decided to be dainty and used my fork. The minced shrimp was ok, nothing really special. When I got the vermicelli, the presentation was pretty but my chicken look dry. And it was dry. The noodles were flat. The only saving grace were the vegetables. I had to ask for a second bowl the sweet and sour sauce/broth they provide you with your vermicelli to rehydrate my chicken. My friend's pho bowl looked good though. I tried some of the broth from his soup and I quite liked it. He enjoyed his meal. We were chatty and ended up getting three refills of tea, the waitress was attentive and did not seem to mind that we were just hanging out and chatting. Overall, I give this an average review. I have had MUCH better vermicelli at other pho/vietnamese places. I will try the Pho at my next visit for a true Pho experience at the Big Bowl.

My absolute favourite pho joint in Mississauga. My family and I have been customers for 10+ years! I would highly recommend, especially #53 if you like spicy food.

Really enjoyed the beef brisket pho. The noodles are not too soft which is perfect for me and there was a lot of beef in it! I got a small bowl for ~$6 which was enough for me for lunch. Great portions, great brisket pho.

I think the ownership changed here, it's alot better than it used to be. Simplified menu, portions are perfect, quality of meat and broth is much better too. Used to go to Ben Thanh when it still existed, but now out of all the oakville phos along dundas this is probably the best one.

Was here a year ago, but it's gone downhill. I came here with my son tonight and was really disappointed with the service and the food. Because my son doesn't eat much I asked for two bowls to split the food and was basically given a look by the waitress. And when the food came I was shocked and how little beef there was in the pho. Even the tea was hardly tinted- I looked in the tea pot and there was only a few leaves in there. Won't be coming back

I go here once per month whenever I am in the area for work. Going here tonight. Highly recommend.

Decent pho for the area. We go quite regularly. Portions are decent, service is as expected.

Good Pho! The fried spring rolls were ok and service was fair. These are the only reasons for not giving a 5.