What to know<\/p>\n
Keith Lee gave Pho Ngoc Y\u00e9n a near-perfect 9.4\/10 during a surprise 24-hour stop in Toronto, calling it \u201cthe best pho\u201d he\u2019s ever had\u2014quickly sending the video viral.<\/p>\n
The family-run restaurant says the exposure could be \u201clife-changing,\u201d potentially boosting sales and allowing them to bring staff back and give them more hours.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
An impromptu visit from Keith Lee to Toronto Vietnamese restaurant Pho Ngoc Y\u00e9n is currently going viral, and its co-owner says it may bring stronger sales and more hours for staff.<\/p>\n
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 Y\u00e9n<\/a> during his 24-hour stop in Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n @keith_lee125<\/a> Pho Ngoc Y\u00e9n taste test \ud83d\udc95 would you try it ? \ud83d\udc95 #foodcritic<\/a> \u266c original sound \u2013 Keith Lee<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t tell me that that don\u2019t look amazing? I love Toronto,\u201d 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 \u2014 a very high rating for the food critic. \u201cThis might be the best pho I\u2019ve ever had in my life. It\u2019s spicy, it\u2019s fresh, the amount of lemongrass in here is incredible. It\u2019s super rich,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Speaking with Now Toronto on Monday, Pho Ngoc Y\u00e9n\u2019s co-owner Tan Trinh described the food review video as \u201clife changing,\u201d especially for their staff. Lee explained that as the economy slows, he\u2019s seen a decline of people dining out, affecting how much staff the restaurant can afford to keep.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe were looking at potentially cutting hours for our staff, but with this, I think it\u2019s going to boost our sales\u2026 So now we\u2019re going to have to bring our people back and give them more work\u2026 I think that\u2019s a really positive thing for our staff. It\u2019s a wonderful thing,\u201d Trinh said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since its release on social media, the co-owner joked, \u201cWe haven\u2019t been able to sleep all night last night since the video came out.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s video, but assures how grateful he is for the exposure. \u201cWe\u2019re very, very excited,\u201d he said \u201c[Lee] has done amazing things for a lot of wonderful restaurants that boost their sales, change everything about the food industry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In anticipation of a surge of customers, the Pho Ngoc Y\u00e9n team will gather today to determine a strategy and plans to accommodate this increase in popularity without sacrificing quality or customer experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n Feel free to check out one of their three locations:<\/p>\n First location, opened in June 2017 in Mississauga at 1090 Kamato Rd.<\/p>\n Etobicoke location at 1596 The Queensway, which opened on Aug. 1, 2023.<\/p>\n Lee visited the newest, and third location in downtown Toronto at 350 Adelaide St W., which opened on July 1, 2025.<\/p>\n Trinh shared it looked like Lee ate the signature dish, a meal prepared by Trinh\u2019s brother-in-law, Chef Tri Tran. The chef braises the beef for hours until it\u2019s so tender it falls off the bone. The broth is savoury and the meal is placed in a \u201chumongous bowl of soup.\u201d The meat inside the dish is also high quality, Trinh explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n Many celebrities gravitate towards this dish, such as singer Kehlani who\u2019s previously also claimed this restaurant had the \u201cbest Vietnamese food [she\u2019s] ever had in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n @kehlani<\/a> i\u2019m 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. \u266c original sound \u2013 Kehlani<\/a> <\/p>\n With such popularity to this meal, Trinh shared he\u2019s thinking of renaming the dish in honour of Kehlani and Keith Lee \u2014 if the artists give them permission.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how we get our name out there. It\u2019s through our customers. They come, they dine, they like what they see, they like what they taste,\u201d Trinh said.\u00a0<\/p>\n