What to know
Keith Lee gave Pho Ngoc Yén a near-perfect 9.4/10 during a surprise 24-hour stop in Toronto, calling it “the best pho” he’s ever had—quickly sending the video viral.
The family-run restaurant says the exposure could be “life-changing,” potentially boosting sales and allowing them to bring staff back and give them more hours.
Co-owner Tan Trinh says the team is meeting to plan how to handle the expected surge in customers while maintaining quality, as the buzz adds to past praise from Kehlani.
An impromptu visit from Keith Lee to Toronto Vietnamese restaurant Pho Ngoc Yén is currently going viral, and its co-owner says it may bring stronger sales and more hours for staff.
On Sunday night, American food critic and content creator Keith Lee, known for highlighting hidden gems posted about visiting family-owned Vietnamese restaurant Pho Ngoc Yén during his 24-hour stop in Toronto.
@keith_lee125 Pho Ngoc Yén taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic ♬ original sound – Keith Lee
“You can’t tell me that that don’t look amazing? I love Toronto,” he said in the video, after showing his order of beef short rib pho with sugar cane and passionfruit juices. He rated the pho a 9.4 out of 10 — a very high rating for the food critic. “This might be the best pho I’ve ever had in my life. It’s spicy, it’s fresh, the amount of lemongrass in here is incredible. It’s super rich,” he added.
Speaking with Now Toronto on Monday, Pho Ngoc Yén’s co-owner Tan Trinh described the food review video as “life changing,” especially for their staff. Lee explained that as the economy slows, he’s seen a decline of people dining out, affecting how much staff the restaurant can afford to keep.
“We were looking at potentially cutting hours for our staff, but with this, I think it’s going to boost our sales… So now we’re going to have to bring our people back and give them more work… I think that’s a really positive thing for our staff. It’s a wonderful thing,” Trinh said.
Since its release on social media, the co-owner joked, “We haven’t been able to sleep all night last night since the video came out.”
Within 24 hours of posting, the video currently holds more than 400,000 views and nearly 70,000 likes at the time of publication. Trinh is in shock in response to the views on Keith Lee’s video, but assures how grateful he is for the exposure. “We’re very, very excited,” he said “[Lee] has done amazing things for a lot of wonderful restaurants that boost their sales, change everything about the food industry.”
In anticipation of a surge of customers, the Pho Ngoc Yén team will gather today to determine a strategy and plans to accommodate this increase in popularity without sacrificing quality or customer experience.
Feel free to check out one of their three locations:
First location, opened in June 2017 in Mississauga at 1090 Kamato Rd.
Etobicoke location at 1596 The Queensway, which opened on Aug. 1, 2023.
Lee visited the newest, and third location in downtown Toronto at 350 Adelaide St W., which opened on July 1, 2025.
Trinh shared it looked like Lee ate the signature dish, a meal prepared by Trinh’s brother-in-law, Chef Tri Tran. The chef braises the beef for hours until it’s so tender it falls off the bone. The broth is savoury and the meal is placed in a “humongous bowl of soup.” The meat inside the dish is also high quality, Trinh explained.
Many celebrities gravitate towards this dish, such as singer Kehlani who’s previously also claimed this restaurant had the “best Vietnamese food [she’s] ever had in my life.”
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@kehlani i’m finna start Life wit a Back Back Taurus series. TORONTO ILL BE DREAMING OF U PHO NGOC YEN! on Adelaide W lol @Towfu @Jamie-Lee B. ♬ original sound – Kehlani
With such popularity to this meal, Trinh shared he’s thinking of renaming the dish in honour of Kehlani and Keith Lee — if the artists give them permission.
“That’s how we get our name out there. It’s through our customers. They come, they dine, they like what they see, they like what they taste,” Trinh said.