Vietnamese cuisine is a great choice for people in Toronto, especially those looking for something different from the standard North American fare.
With its delicate balance of fresh herbs and spices, Vietnamese food is both hearty and flavourful — making it the perfect comfort food during Toronto’s chilly seasons.
From traditional dishes such as pho and banh mi to modern takes on classic favorites like spring rolls and vermicelli bowls, there’s something for everyone at Linh Anh Vietnamese Cuisine.
Rui and I enjoy trying the best Pho restaurants in Toronto, and we wanted to check out Linh Anh when it first opened, but due to the hype and long lineups, we never got around to it. Finally, after months of anticipation, we paid a visit and were not disappointed!
This restaurant offers an array of authentic (and modernized) Vietnamese dishes that are sure to tantalize your taste buds. Whether you’re new to Vietnamese cooking or just looking for a delicious meal out with friends or family, Linh Anh has something special waiting for you. And you can find them at Midland and Finch.
Address: 3290 Midland Ave Unit 1, Scarborough, ON M1V 3Z9
Linh Anh Vietnamese Cuisine Review
It was Valentine’s Day and we decided to treat ourselves to some of the best pho in town. Upon our arrival, we saw that there was a lineup. This time, we just decided to go for it and wait in line. Pleasantly, the lineup wasn’t as long as anticipated — it took about 20 at most and we were seated.
I just wanted to let you know that they don’t take reservations. Also, when you arrive at the restaurant, you’ll want to write down your name on the piece of paper the moment you enter the door. Many people got confused and didn’t know, so I am just letting you know.
The atmosphere at Linh Anh is relaxed and inviting — it’s the perfect spot for a casual dinner or lunch date. What made the experience more memorable is the staff members are friendly and attentive, always ready to help if you need it.
More of Our Honest Pho Restaurant Reviews Near You:
- Best Pho Places in Toronto
- Pho Metro and Banh Mi Review
- The Pho Restaurant in Markham Review
- Pho Tai Bac Review
- I Love Pho Mississauga Review
Linh Anh Menu
They have a wide selection of delicious Vietnamese dishes. Pho is the star of the show — it’s a savory and fragrant beef noodle soup that will warm your soul and leave you feeling content. For those in search of a lighter option, they also serve tasty spring rolls and vermicelli bowls. Here is their menu for you to check out.
So, here’s what we ordered for dinner.
1. Pho Duc Biet (Large)
This is one of their most popular orders on the menu, which can only be ordered when dining in. In other words, there is no takeout option for this.
A classic and delicious house special pho with bone marrow (this makes it different from most other pho restaurants), rare beef slices, tendon, tripe, flank, and beef balls.
Rui and I shared this along with another main.
As soon as I took my first bite, I instantly thought it was literally one of the best pho I’ve ever had. The flavour in the soup was different from any other traditional pho I’ve had, but despite its unique taste, this dish still retained its original essence.
It came with two massive (and heavy) pieces of bone marrow! I tried to pick it up with my chopsticks and even a spoon many times, but it kept dropping them into the soup, and I ended up making a huge mess on the table. Hence, I did not take a picture of the bone marrow because it was so troublesome.
Despite the heavy bones, I can’t complain because I think this is what made the soup more flavourful and powerful. Without it, it would probably taste like any other pho bowl at most traditional Vietnamese restaurants.
Rui agrees with everything I said here. He was totally satisfied with this order and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is pho obsessed. It beats all of the pho places we’ve tried in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and even in LA and New York City.
In fact, Pho Metro, Pho Linh, and Pho Tien Thanh used to be some of our favourite spots in Greater Toronto, however, we might want to reconsider that now we got a good taste of Linh Anh’s pho dac biet.
Read more: Pho Metro’s Pho Tai and Dac Biet Review
2. Bun Rieu Cua
Bun Rieu is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes next to a classic bowl of pho!
My mom used to make this a lot at home and to be honest, I never enjoyed any restaurant’s bun rieu due to how fatty, greasy, and oily the soup is made. But it’s not to say the restaurants’ version doesn’t taste good. I just prefer a cleaner homemade version, lol.
Anyway, I am always curious about bun rieu at Vietnamese restaurants I pay visits to because I like comparing it to my mom’s recipe. You can also check out my bun rieu and pho review at Pho Tai Bac restaurant here.
At Linh Anh, I was expecting some classic and traditional bun rieu, but I was caught by surprise!
I can’t even say this tastes like bun rieu.
Initially, I thought it was the wrong order, but it wasn’t.
It comes with thick white vermicelli noodles, tomato crab base soup, sausage, pork hock, pork blood, beef shank, brisket, beef slices, mix veggies, and fresh herbs.
I told them to take out the sausage and pork blood since that’s not stuff that I like to eat.
Yet, even after requesting them to take away some ingredients, this bowl was still quite big and came with loads of meat – yes, lots and lots of meat! So, it’s perfect for you meat lovers out there!
So back to what I was saying, this doesn’t take like bun rieu. It did not have that tomato crab soup base flavour. I can’t even tell you what it tastes like. It had a nice aroma and was sort of spicy with a hint of chilly and loads of herbs. I want to say that it tastes like bún bò huế but I don’t know… It wasn’t “bun rieu”.
Had this not been advertised as “bun rieu”, I would have given this dish a 4 out of 5. The flavour was really good and addicting, but because I was expecting an actual classic and traditional “bun rieu” recipe, this did not meet my expectations.
Either this is a really different type of bun rieu, or they just really tweaked the recipe and modernized it to the point where the taste is unrecognizable. Call it an enhancement or facelift, this “bun rieu” dish was still a pleasant surprise. A little spicy though!
Would I order this again? Probably not because I enjoy the classic bun rieu. On top of that, their pho dac biet and any pho bowls are worth more than this!
Update: I just realized that they gave us the wrong order. They gave us a bun bo hue! No wonder why it did not taste like bun rieu! Either way, I think you can’t go wrong with either order. If you enjoy bun bo hue, then I’m confident you’ll enjoy Anh Linh’s recipe. This is the bun bo hue…
Food: 4.3/5
Rui and I would say this will make it to our list of the best pho restaurants to try in Greater Toronto.
The pho was different from other classic restaurants. Not only do they tweak their recipe a bit, and the fact that it tastes better, but it’s also more aesthetically pleasing compared to the rest. We are most likely coming back here to try their other dishes!
Service: 4/5
The service at Linh Anh is friendly, efficient, and speedy. Other pho places lack customer service, but we felt that the people here had a friendlier demeanor. We were greeted and they actually said “bye” to us in a friendly manner. It gives people a good impression and would likely make them want to come back again.
One more thing I want to mention is they don’t rush you. You don’t feel pressured to leave despite how busy the place is. There were a couple of tables where a group of people was still hanging out 30 minutes after they were done, but they were not told to get up and leave.
Atmosphere: 4/5
Linh Anh Vietnamese Restaurant is new and nicely renovated.
I’ve got three words for it: classy, hip, and modernized. It definitely has a different vibe compared to other pho restaurants in Scarborough like Pho Metro. Rui and I felt more comfortable and cozy dining in here!
Price: $$
In total, our meal was under $50 including tax and tips. Given the amazing taste, good service, and big portion sizes, we were totally satisfied with this price! We would call this a pretty budget-friendly dinner for two in today’s times.
Overall Rating of Linh Anh Vietnamese Cuisine: 4.3/5
We don’t have any complaints about Linh Anh.
At first, we thought the hype would be exaggerated or overrated, but we can see why people really like this place. The food is great. The service is great. And the price is great.
What’s there to complain about (other than the fact that there’s a lineup)? 🙂
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