Pho Tru

Solid pho location at downtown Victoria. We were dining with locals and it was their first time trying Pho Tru and they said that the pho was much better than the pho places they have tried in the area. Better than Pho Boi nearby. Broth is deep, delicious and not too sweet or salty.

Small area inside with a few tables.

Walk up to the counter to order and pay first. Then wait at a table for your food to arrive. You can grab water at a water station at the corner (cold water).

Service was polite & efficient and they got us everything we needed. Table centerpieces were not fully refilled so we had to grab some napkins/chili, etc from another nearby table.

Did not taste the rice dishes, but the family enjoyed the pho that they had, even my mom's vegetarian pho. Pho broth is delicious and approved!

Casual, counter service, no frills, affordable restaurant serving delicious Vietnamese food.
The pho bowl sizes come in regular and large. The regular size is a generous portion and large size is a huge portion for the hungry or could be shared by 2. Ordered the following:
Kim's crispy rolls (ground pork, shrimp, glass noodles and veggies served with a side of fish sauce) - tasty and perfect crunch
Pho with steak, brisket, tendon, tripe, oxtail - delicious, the broth was flavorful and meats and noodles were prepared well. One of the best bowls of pho I've had.
Grilled lemongrass chicken rice plate - the chicken marinated with lemongrass was delicious and flavorful

So glad I came across this hidden gem and would definitely come back for more pho.

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=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE
Sure, there are a lot of choices for decent Vietnamese food in town - but with good eats, good service, decent prices, it's easy to recommend Pho Tru to family and friends!

=== 2. FOOD
Summer Rolls ($10)
Two come at this price and they're done well. We may debate about the peanut sauce (I prefer the lighter-coloured, less bitter one) but this is a good snack or happy all-year round.

Fish Tacos ($8)
They were out of fish today but we got it with the recommended grilled pork instead - and that was a great decision! The pork was not too thin yet tender and flavourful. It works out to be $4 per taco but the good meat with crisp fresh veggies make the price of admission worth it.

Pho #19 ($17)
It's basically a house special: all of the meats - and with flavourful soup and a healthy portion of noodles, it's a great choice!

Pork Vermicelli ($16.25)
A great option for those that don't want any soup splashing around: good portion of fresh veggies mixed with noodles and pork that's thicker than what was included in the tacos, but still tender and flavourful.

=== 3. SERVICE
The service is stellar: the same man who greets you, takes your order, serves your order and ensures all is well before the cheery greeting upon departure is the one making the experience worth the trip! It's relatively busy with dine-in patrons and food app/takeout orders, but the speed of service to the counter did not disappoint.

=== 4. ENVIRONMENT
It's a little older looking, but it's simple, clean, and effective. Windows on the street side let in a good amount of daylight for tables of up to 8 when all of the two- and four-tops are combined. Once you get past the front door (not automatic/mechanically openable), wheelchairs and baby strollers should fit with some ease. Parking is all street based, which is paid up until 8:00 pm each night.

Got a banh mi from here. I'm used to Chinatown specials but it's ok. Friendly cashier.

Pho places around Victoria just seemed mostly average. I was really trying to avoid touristy places that overcharged and was trying to find a local joint so I ended here. I'm genuinely confused about how close things tasted to being authentic, yet so far simultaneously. Starting off with the spring rolls, the filling was definitely traditional, but the wrapper is just the generic egg roll kind vs rice paper. The fish sauce for dipping was very watery, weak and too sweet for traditional tastes. The pho broth was just ok, if anything it was lighter and less fatty without being too deeply flavored. The grilled pork (as part of the vermicelli) just needed a bit more char, otherwise the lemongrass flavor was great.

The place isn't anything fancy inside. Service, although nice, is minimal. Order at the counter, self serve water, pick a table, and get your food delivered to you.

The person who took our order at the counter is so nice. I give him 5 stars for amazing customer service. We chose to seat outside and he brought food out for us, great service.
This is one of the cruise port stop for us, we were in desperation for pho, no more cruise food lol. We took Uber here, 10 minutes from our dock. The Kim eggsrolls was really good, highly recommended. Pho and spring rolls is decent , I'm from San Jose , so my expectation is really high when it come to viet food lol.

A tired looking place.

The food was average. We got 2 phos and the bun bo hue. The meat was a bit overcooked in the broth. The beef balls had a weird spongy texture. The bun bo hue had a nice spicy lemongrass broth as it should but the noodles were overcooked.

The servers were friendly and spoke both english and vietnamese.

My gosh, soooo good! We used to go to a pho place called Number Nine. It was the absolute best, and when they were forced out of their lease we all mourned. That was 5 years ago, and we've been searching for pho as flavorful ever since. Until now! Love everything about this spot, and will definitely be back.

This is a solid pho shop. The summer spring rolls were nicely wrapped and filled with shrimp, pork, rice noodles, cucumber, and lettuce. I ordered a regular size steak pho. There was a good amount noodles, however, there wasn't any Thai basil and only a little cilantro. The broth was good not great. Overall, we enjoyed our meal. The pho really hit the spot!

Incredible service; nicest guy ever! And the pho was really good. Tons of meat and the meat was well proportioned to the noodles and veggies. The restaurant was very clean as well. I would return in a heartbeat!