It’s no surprise that Toronto, Ontario offers some of the best Vietnamese cuisine in the city. That’s especially true when it comes to hunting for the best pho spot in Toronto.
But if you’re planning a day or road trip and looking to get your Pho fix outside of the big city, look no further than Pho Xyclo in Niagara Falls.
This popular restaurant is located in a mini strip plaza, but don’t let that deter you – the food here is delicious for a small town spot. It’s actually one of the best pho in Niagara Falls compared to the other ones we tried in the past like Pho Viet Nam 3969 and Pho Kha. We also tried a few in St. Catherines but after going to many, we always naturally go back to Pho Xyclo!
Pho Xyclo Vietnamese Restaurant in Niagara Falls Review
It was a nice sunny day, so we decided to make a day trip to Niagara Falls. We don’t like thinking about what to eat for lunch, so we just stopped by Pho Xyclo since we always enjoyed their food in the past.
The extensive menu offers all of the Vietnamese classics, from delicious pho soup to vermicelli bowls, and they’re all affordably priced. The service is fast and friendly, and the food comes out quickly too. So if you’re ever in the area, be sure to stop by Pho Xyclo for a satisfying and tasty meal!
Pho Xyclo Menu
You can take a quick look at some of the most delicious dishes from their menu. They actually have over 700 items to choose from, which is shocking!
Rui and I always love ordering pho noodle soup, classic rice dishes with pork chop, or vermicelli with grilled meat and spring rolls because, like most pho restaurants, those are pretty much their signature items.
You’ll also notice that some Vietnamese restaurants offer Chinese and Thai cuisine together because they do have some similarities when it comes to making certain dishes.
However, we always recommend checking out the best authentic Chinese food and Thai restaurants whenever you’re in Toronto — these top picks won’t disappoint!
Here is what Rui and I ordered a month ago when we stopped by Pho Xyclo in Niagara Falls. We wanted a variety of dishes, so we ordered two medium pho noodles along with a vermicelli bowl to share.
1. Well-done Beef and Beef Balls
Rui usually orders the house special (like a “pho dac biet”) whenever we’re at Vietnamese restaurants. However, this time, he was feeling for some beef slices and beef balls and he decided to go for just that.
He thought his pho noodle soup was delicious and packed with the right amount of flavour. Not too salty like how some Vietnamese pho places make it. Let’s just say it didn’t feel like “MSG-overkill”! 🙂
There was a good amount of beef slices, but similar to other restaurants, they never really give you a lot of beef balls. It’s usually a max of 5 or even fewer.
Like the usual, it came with mint leaves, bean sprouts, and lime. We used all of these ingredients to elevate the flavour and taste of our pho. In fact, I would never recommend skipping them because it just makes the pho so much better!
2. Well-done Beef Pho Noodle Soup
I usually like to order medium-rare beef because I enjoy soaking the beef into the hot bowl of soup and letting it cook to perfection. The beef slices are pretty thin, so it only takes a few seconds for it to cook in the hot soup.
Instead of medium-rare, I ordered the well-done beef this time. The well-done beef was also flavourful and not dry at all — I was really happy with my pho!
I thought the noodle soup itself had a good amount of flavour. It wasn’t too salty and had the right amount of sweetness.
The great thing is their broth didn’t leave us feeling thirsty like some other places. But still, I always make sure to bring a tumbler filled with warm water in case I need to rehydrate myself.
Overall, I was pleased and would definitely order it again the next time I’m back!
3. Grilled Pork and Spring Roll Vermicelli
Rui and I are usually still hungry after a bowl of noodles with soup. This is especially true when it comes to eating Japanese ramen noodles. Almost all ramen joints give you very little noodles compared to Vietnamese and Chinese style, so you can imagine how we’re always left feeling hungry still!
Anyways, we decided to share a vermicelli bowl with grilled pork and spring rolls. They didn’t give a lot of grilled pork. Despite that, it was tender and flavourful, while the spring rolls were crispy and had the perfect amount of filling.
The vermicelli itself was cooked perfectly — not too soft nor too hard. You can adjust the amount of fish sauce (nước chấm) yourself to your personal preference.
We try not to flood the entire bowl with fish sauce because, with this type of fish sauce, the classic recipe does call for a lot of sugar! It’s why we prefer adjusting the sugar level when our family makes it at home with our special nước chấm recipe like this one here. We also have the vegan fish sauce version.
I know we were just complaining about not being full. But what we didn’t expect was the amount of vermicelli they give you here! The pic doesn’t look that way from this angle because you can’t see how deep the bowl goes in real life.
It’s not really a good thing because the ratio of vermicelli to meat and veggies is pretty off. This bowl was 70% noodles, 15% meat including the spring roll, and 15% veggies. I have to admit I appreciate that they gave you some real mixed greens including red and green oak leaf, spinach, and arugula. It wasn’t just cheap iceberg lettuce that most restaurants give!
Rui finished off the remaining noodles anyway because that’s what it mostly came with.
If you’re a big fan of carby food and fish sauce, then you’re going to love this dish. However, if you were hoping for more meat, then this may not be the dish for you.
Food: 3.9/5
For a smaller city, Pho Xyclo is one of the best pho restaurants in Niagara Falls that we’ve had so far.
It can be comparable to even some of the top Pho places in Toronto too depending on which restaurant you eat at.
This is one of our favourites whenever we’re near the Falls and we would recommend it if you’re ever in the area!
Service: 4.5/5
The service was amazing! Our waitress was super attentive and always made sure we had everything we needed.
He was fast and always had a smile on his face, which made the experience that much better.
Price: $$
Each bowl of pho was $12 for a medium, which won’t be filling without ordering another dish or appetizer to share. The large pho is generally $14 and we actually recommend the large size if you don’t plan on ordering anything else. The vermicelli bowl was $16.
The prices are comparable to other pho restaurants in Niagara Falls including Toronto.
We have to say that eating out has gotten more expensive over the years and it is what it is due to inflation. Ugh!
Our bill at Pho Xyclo came out to be $45.50 with tax but before tips. Including tips, our meal for two people was $53. That works out to be $26.50 and we didn’t even order any drinks.
If you pay cash, you will get a 10% discount.
So, the price does depend on what and how much you order.
It’s still considered a very budget-friendly lunch when you compare it to the restaurants in Niagara Falls tourist area. They will charge you an arm and leg there, so it’s best to eat elsewhere nearby if you want to avoid getting ripped off.
Ambiance: 3/5
Pho Xyclo is very spacious and clean inside. It resembles more of a casual family dining restaurant than a hole-in-the wall type of place.
It’s nothing fancy on the inside but it’s clean and bright with lots of natural light coming in.
The tables are spaced apart nicely so you don’t feel like you’re right on top of the person next to you, which is always a plus.
Pho Xyclo Rating: 3.9/5
If you’re looking for a good bowl of pho in Niagara Falls, then Pho Xyclo should be your go-to spot! The service is great and the food is even better. Just be warned that a medium bowl of pho noodles may not fill you up, so you may want to order a large if you’re really hungry. But that’s the same case with all other comparable Pho restaurants. Plus, it really depends on how much you eat. Otherwise, we would highly recommend this restaurant next time you’re in the area!
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