St. Clair Banh Cuon Pho Ga

Just wanted to add that it’s sometimes really difficult to order on the phone, because someone who works there doesn’t speak English, even the numbers. So speak very slowly and have patience… the food is worth it!

Their banh cuon is the best I’ve ever had. I had a craving one night for it but they were closing but my husband managed to call them and they were nice enough to tell us to hurry in and pick up the order. It satisfies my cravings. It’s so fresh even at closing and the fish sauce was so flavourful. Definitely a must try if you are in the area.

The place is very small and dated also on the dirty side. They specialized in Banh cuon, banh cuon is also a vietnamese breakfast. It’s steam rice flour roll with mince pork filling in the center. All of their soup base food isn’t worth mentioning. There isn’t much viet restaurant doing fresh banh cuon like this. Making banh cuon is more time consuming then phở and com. A lot of vietnamese people frequent this place. However just because vietnamese eat here doesn’t mean it’s good. This place is located in North york and there is a large vietnamese community living there. There are also 4 or 5 other vietnamese restaurant on the same block. They are not consistent with the banh cuon, sometimes the rice roll are way too thick and with very little fillings. With this type of food it has to be as thin as possible, almost translucent like. Like I said very hard to make, can’t blame them. In the last 10 or so years their price has only increase like 50 cents so it’s very affordable. I believe its $ 5 for banh cuon and $ 6.50 for one size phở. Now do you get why so many vietnamese eat here? lol. They also sometimes microwave the banh cuon so watch out for that. Overall very good price and food is so so.

Had the duck soup and banh cuon with ground meat. Good banh cuon. Very thin and ample filling. The broth in the soup was good. Clean taste which you get from thorough washing of the broth which means it done traditionally and with effort. Duck itself was OK. The place was a little dingy but it’s common in Viet restaurants.

This is a small little place that has some delicious Vietnamese dishes! It is my favourite place to get banh cuon. The phở ga there is really good as well! Definitely understand why they named it phở ga banh cuon. The prices are so cheap and is a bang for your buck! Recommend.

Nice vietnamese restaurant with a nice variety of viet food on the menu. I got bun oc and it tastes like when I had it as a kid. Dive type restos are the best places so dont expect anything fancy with the look of this place. But I’m here to eat so it’s all good!

All Vietnamese restaurants serve phở of course, but not many also do bánh cuon (Vietnamese steamed rice rolls). My sister complains that the bánh cuon served around little East Chinatown are disappointing shit. In the search for a local restaurant that can live up to what we were used to at home, the mechanical fairies of Unilocal suggested this place as one with promising potential. After all, it’s in its business name.
Among the small Viet enclave along St. Clair, Banh Cuon Phở Ga is one of a handful of restaurants packed with old neighbourhood faces hanging out for a weekend meal and chat here. So typically dingy, unassuming and basic hole-​in-​the-​wall-​looking for a typical Viet diner (like so many others on the block), and empty tables seemed to have missed the attention of a complete post-​meal wipedown. It seems also that you get more service attention the closer you sit to the open kitchen, because I had to haul my own ass to hand over our order sheet or to pay. They do get a lot of takeout orders though.
But in terms of food, they keep it simple – a short menu compared to most other Vietnamese places that give you a gazillion ways of serving phở. And damn cheap too. All phở $ 6, and them banh cuon start at $ 4 – four! – for the most basic kind with ground pork.
The rolls come in sets of four, which is enough to be filling or be like a large appetizer. It’s decent but I find the skin to be rather thick and bland. The shrimp cupcake though were delicious – a good mix of soft and crispy.
Can’t speak about anything else they make here. Though for me to haul ass this far for phở is a big stretch. Keep this place in mind should one ever be this far in St. Clair West. And yes, cash only.
{TTC: 512 to the Silverthorn/​Hounslow Heath stop. I guess you could also get here using the West Toronto Railpath all the way and keep going all the way on Osler St until you are facing it on approach.}

This place really grossed me out. I had ordered a fresh coconut drink but never even took a sip when it came after seeing the waitress grab the ice cubes with her bare hands and tossing them into my drink. A waitress who handles money, cleans tables and takes away dirty dishes should NOT directly touch your food and drinks with her bare hands. This is how disease spreads.
I was a good sport and decided not to complain because I’m not one to complain before my food arrives, if you know what I mean. A minute into my bun cuon, I pulled out a thick black hair.
The food was mediocre. The place was comfortable because the air conditioner gave the place a nice breeze. The staff were generally pretty nice, despite the nasty surprises, which is why I’m not giving them a 1 star.
But they really need to be more hygienic.

Must advise that the best Banh bao (steamed pork buns) in the GTA — possibly te best anywhere are sold here. I made the mistake of only buying 5. They have a deal where you can buy 10 and get 1 free. They cost $ 1.75 each before the deal but to be totally honest, after having tasted it, I would pay $ 3 apiece. The exterior (bun portion) is perfectly seasoned and light and fluffy. The filling has the precisely perfect balance of meat with caramelized onions and Omnomgoodness. There’s a tiny piece of Chinese sausage (lap Cherng in Cantonese or lap suong in Vietnamese) and a quarter of a hard boiled egg. I still love their mien ga (clear noodle chicken noodle soup). When I have broth left over, I save it for my next bowl of rice. It’s got msg in it but I don’t mind cause it tastes so darned good going down. Their bun bo hue (spicy beef noodle soup) is the best I’ve had at a restaurant. It tastes like it’s cooked with care– none of that crap where they reuse their phở broth and try to make it spicy. It’s got the strong lemongrass and spiciness to the flavourful beef broth. They serve it with a heaping pile of beef shank cooked to the desired level of tenderness. I don’t want them to get so busy that I have to pay for parking when I order take out but they have earned this raving review for their food.

I don’t see it. I don’t see how this place is reviewed so highly, but then again, I am not Vietnamese and have never been to Vietnam. I only know Vietnamese food from restaurants!
I tried what was recommended — the Pork Banh Cuon (rice rolls with ground pork), and found it disgusting. It was mealy pork, there was WAY too much rice wrapper, and it was just a nasty dish to eat. I think this might be something you either love or hate, and may or may not have grown up with it.
I tried the Spring Rolls as well, and I’ve come to the conclusion that Vietnamese places on St. Clair West don’t know how to do a damn good spring roll. The chicken was mushy and ground up rather than being left in whole chunks, and it was just… disgusting.
The best spring rolls still remain at Khmer Thai on St. Clair West. BEST in Toronto.
I also tried the Duck Vermicelli (Bun Mang Vit), and found it all right. It wasn’t anything to crow home about and although I found the noodles and broth light and tasty, I just don’t see the appeal.
I’ll give them another shot but I don’t have high hopes.

The Banh Cuon is mediocre. I find that they use a little too much rice noodle in ratio to the pork –though I love the shrimp cupcake that comes with it! Ive been coming to this place as a cheap eat all year. It’s quick, fast and close to home. The service is not great, well they’re asian. So I don’t expect much. (Lol. Its okay. I’m asian. I’m allowed to make these assumptions.)They also don’t care much about presentation nor the ambiance of their restaurant either. My germaphobia really kicks in when I look at their utensils… But hey don’t let their run down appearance fool you, their Banh Cuon is always freshly made. Haha :)p
Recently I tried the duck and bamboo noodle soup… My. God. Why have I been eating the Banh Cuon all this time? LOVE the soup! Omg I’m about to head there for the 3^rd night in a row…
Also, the ginger sauce that comes with the duck is perfect!
I’m going to clean up this pile of drool and head out!

Undoubtedly the best beef Phở I’ve had in Toronto.
The broth is exceptional. The flavours are fragrant and bright. Yum! They give you lots of basil and lots of meat as well.
I think I’m addicted.
They make delicious coffee. The spring rolls were nothing special, I would pass.
They’re cash only, important to remember!

I always come here for the bun mang vit (duck noodle soup with bamboo), and so far it’s the best in the city. I’ve tried the same dish in countless other places in Toronto but they’ve all paled compared to Banh Cuon St. Clair. I don’t ever finish an entire bowl of noodle soup, including the broth, anywhere I go, but if it’s here, it’s guaranteed I will slurp up the entire thing until there is nothing left.
If I’m feeling famished, then I usually get a large banh cuon order (with the shrimp cake — a must!!) to share and that usually puts me and my boyfriend thoroughly satisfied. The banh cuon is good as long as it’s fresh. I’ve noticed that sometimes they make extra and keep it on hand and serve that. Try to always get it fresh if you can, I’ve never requested it (since I always get the bun mang vit) but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
The décor is very run down and dated but the food and price is right so I can’t complain: P

Small place with a small menu but it’s very busy inside with mostly Vietnamese customers which I thought was a good sign. i got the banh cuon with ground pork. It came with some herbs, bean sprouts, and nuoc cham. The banh cuon was piping hot and with a dip into the pungently garlicky and hot nuoc cham, I was in heaven. I devoured everything within minutes and it only cost me four dollars. This place is an incredible gem. I can’t wait to come back and eat some more.

The food here is really high quality and good value.
I have been hunting for a good Viet place and I think my search (at least within Toronto) is over.
It’s not just the Banh Cuon — their phở bo and the Viet coffee are extremely authentic. I hate to be that guy but I’m just going to embrace it and say that this is probably the best Vietnamese food I had since I had been in Vietnam.
Décor feels very authentic too — if it was a bit more run down, dirtier and had those tiny little plastic stools and tables it would make the experience perfectly authentic!

Really great phở and wraps! There is nothing bad I can say about the food I’ve eaten.
The really interesting thing about this place is that they make the actual rice paper for the wrap at the restaurant. The wrap is def. a must try!
However I am taking a star off for the atmosphere… Pretty dingy and not a place
I want to stay for long. If your ever unlucky enough to sit right in front of the kitchen, you will be attacked by the strong smell of fish sauce.

Another review JUST for the FOOD.
Décor and feel, definitely below average. But heck, it is true old school asian dining experience. Like old Chinatown before many of the restaurants did renos.
It’s more of dine-​in, dash-​out place, or pick up.
Food itself, I’ve had the Banh Cuon which is aweseome. This is what the place is known for, and it delivers. Can’t really describe what it is, but it’s like a flat flour roll with pork and other meat and vegetables in it. Similar to what you get at Dim Sum.
Phở, I would say is also my favorite, or up there. It is very ‘neutral’ but flavourful. As someone else said, not oily or salty. They give you this chopped peppers and garlic in a little container as your hot sauce. Truly takes it to a whole new, unique experience.
This is also the only place when I get Phở, I do not need the Siracha or Hoisin sauce. The chopped pepper/​chili more than does the job in putting it in the soup, or putting it on the beef instead of dipping it in sauce.
Too bad it’s kind of far and out of the way, but it’s worth an effort to try it. I’ve also scanned and put the menu up.

It has banh cuon in its name, so their banh cuon should be good. It is not a fancy restaurant, but they have good food for good prices.
The price of the Banh Cuon dishes jump from $ 4, $ 6, and $ 6.50 with no tax to boot. I usually get the first one, the $ 4 one (i forget the name but has pork in it), or you can get a variation of it with fried bread with a shrimp in it.
There is a residential street just around the corner, so you can park for free while you sit in for your scrumptious meal.

I don’t understand why restaurants specializing in banh cuon choose to reheat dishes that have already been made! What’s up with this disease that’s running rampant at banh cuon restaurants all over town? I don’t get it.
Anyway, here’s the lowdown:
1. This place reminds me of Vietnam. It’s very nostalgic in that sense (dirty, missing washroom, grimy, amazing).
2. Phở was a solid 3.5 stars. Only one size, slightly oily and cloudy broth, but tasty. Tendon is nice. $ 6.
3. Banh cuon was meh. You could tell it was heated in a microwave as the sweet sweet innards were piping hot. Plus it came out in about 2 minutes. Still though, it was like $ 4.50…not too bad of a risk, but not worthy of the «Banh Cuon» in the restaurant’s name.
4. Location… not so good if you don’t live in the area. Not really a destination place with so many other (better options) closer to the core.
5. Huge +1 — super cheap and no tax. A phở, banh cuon, and duck noodle soup came to $ 18. You can’t beat that.
Overall, it’s acceptable but not worth the trek out that way.

Went here looking for new viet dishes to try and it sounded promising based on Tina N’s review.
Menu was limited (which is nice, easy to make a selection unlike some other viet places with 500 menu options). I tried the Duck Noodle w/​Bamboo Shoot (number 101) which did not disappoint! It had lots of duck meat, thick noodles and the broth was tasty. Also sampled some of the steamed rolls which were also very good.
The place is dingy (–1 star). Our table felt grubby on the surface and there was a cigarette butt on the floor underneath my chair.
Also, they don’t seem to have washrooms, not that I would have especially wanted to use a washroom there.
Service was good, just one guy there doing all the cooking and serving, but the place was empty so it didn’t slow him down.