Pho Big Bowl -  Mississauga,

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.

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.

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