Party of 6 Thursday 5:30pm Immediate seating We ate here at the suggestion of a relative of a friend that has lived in Waco for five years. This is a spot they frequent often since his wife has dietary needs that the Clay Pot can support. The menu is a bit overwhelming with choices, so we started with appetizers: steamed chicken dumplings and the Clay Pot sampler. I enjoyed a couple of the steamed chicken dumplings with the house sauce which is a bit sweet but quite tasty. I ordered Bun Bo Hue soup with tofu. It was spicy and delicious. The tofu was fresh and cut into generous pieces. I ate as much as I could because no one wanted any and there is only one size. Our waiter Issac was amazing. read more

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At first we were not going to stay for dinner, we were going to just have appetizers. I am so happy we stayed. I had the best Spicy broccoli and I finished the whole thing!!! Sooo yummy! read more

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Takeaway: Will kind of scratch your pho itch if you're here for college from a big city lol, but not great. Food: 2.5 Gluten Free Options: 3 Service: 3 Atmosphere: 3 Cleanliness: 2.5 cleanliness: 2 A confusing Asian restaurant, definitely not authentic or traditional for a pho restaurant. Visually gives China but serves Vietnamese I think bc I have never been in a pho restaurant that was decorated like that lol. I'm not Vietnamese or Chinese, but have just eaten a lot of pho, so that's what it felt like to me. The Pho is SUPER bland but will scratch the itch until graduating college if that's what you're here for, I was here on a school visit for my sister. Spring rolls were honestly pretty bad and again not traditional tasting at all (apple???). Bottles of sauces were filthy (held them with napkins lol), and they didn't take our order for a long time even tho there were only like 3 parties in there. Waiters weren't exactly overly friendly. Atmosphere was ok, pretty quiet when we were there. Another reviewer said the pho had to much star anise, I would say that was spot on. Gf wise, it was the spring rolls and the pho as options which is pretty typical. read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Chicken Pho (w sriracha added) - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

Not horrible pho but not the best either. I've been having a hard time finding good pho in Waco. I wouldn't go back for it personally. I also ordered the fried egg rolls to which they looked and tasted very different than an authentic Vietnamese roll. Service was nice and friendly. read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Pho + brisket - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

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Always enjoy eating here. The food is fresh, environment and location are fun and service is reliable. I especially like the shrimp spring rolls and pho. read more

I was really excited to try out Clay Pot but I ended being disappointed. We ordered the Ca Kho Mam and the Beef Pepper Steak. The Ca Kho Mam was made with cod. It was flaky but tasteless. It has no flavor that is reminiscent of Vietnamese braised dishes in clay pots. The Beef Pepper Steak was over cooked, as in well-done. It was on the charred side. It should be more on the medium to medium rare side. Since I returned the Ca Kho Mam, I ordered the Pho with Meatballs. The pho broth had too much star anise flavor and was on the sweet side. The meatballs were good. I realize that everyone makes their food differently but it should still have the traditional taste of Vietnamese food. The service was good however, just not the food. read more

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We were visiting Waco and found this place as a recommended place to eat. I must admit it's not much to look at, but it has absolutely awesome food. While we were there, there was mainly takeout orders moving across the counter at Bright neck speed. The food itself was absolutely delicious And I can see why it has high ratings and such a following. read more

The service is good the server checks up on you various times. The food is amazing i absolutely love the won ton soup. The broth is absolutely delicious and i always eat all of it even when i am full. It's a nice place. It has a lot of bamboo and it gives a positive vibe. read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Decorations - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

We did a ghost tour and the tour guid recommended this restaurant. We visited on a Sunday evening before a Monday holiday. We parked in a lot on the north side of the building that I'm not entirely sure we were allowed to park, but there was also some street parking. When you first walk in, there is a large menu directing you to order at the counter. Behind the counter is a menu that seemed a little different. There was only one group ahead of us in line, but the line got crazy while we were there. We started with the fried chicken egg rolls. They were really good, but I was expecting egg rolls with fried chicken, not chicken egg rolls that were fried. My wife got chicken curry and I got bun bo hue with brisket and meat balls. Our food came out a little slow, but it was busy and we heard a server tell another table they were short staffed. All of the food was delicious. My pho wasn't very spicy, however there was a large selection of condiments near the drink area with plenty of spicy sauces. read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Men's bathroom - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

*This is a vegetarian review If you visit this place on a nice weather day you have to make your way to the back patio! The clay pot seams small but is packed full of veggies and rice. I wasn't able to finish it all! Service was very friendly and food didn't take long at all. This long time Waco gem is worth your visit. read more

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The service wait was too long. It's the nearest Asian restaurant near so we went. I'm hoping it's not this slow all the time since the restaurant is maybe 50% occupancy. The food was ok. The place is good, convenient, and easy to find. read more

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The Pho was great! We will be returning if we're ever in Waco again. It was the best carbs that I needed before the 70.3.

Went to the Clay Pot today for lunch. I ordered the beef fried rice and am sooooo glad I did. This was the BEST fried rice I have ever eaten in my life. I have never had fried rice so seasoned and flavorful. Every bite, including the beef was just bursting with goodness. Also, the server was so sweet and knew the menu inside and out. My friend had the chicken egg rolls and steamed veggies and said they were fantastic. Try this place. You won't be sorry read more

Good dishes, but bring back the Tom Kha fried rice!!! It was amazing. Clay pots used to be better and crispy when made in the little pots

Terrific experience! Broad menu with large portions including several delish vegan options. Clean inside and outside. Wonderful courtyard, BYOB, BYO birthday cake. Easily handled a large group. And Wendy was amazing -- moving like she was four people, leaving no one waiting or impatient. Highly recommended! We drove two hours to get there and will definitely do it again. read more

5/5 for texas Asian food 1/5 for Asian food for an avg of 3/5!!! Great ambience, the remodel looks awesome but the food does not always meet the mark. love the convenience tho and it can't be easy having a Vietnamese restaurant in Waco read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - 2. Curry Lunch, spring roll, pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

Consistently great. Classic Vietnamese. I love the Spring rolls and Wonton soup. My husband loves the Pho.

Ordered takeout online and it was an easy and pleasant experience. Pho was delicious! Sampler platter was good to try everything. Would reorder the dumplings and egg rolls but not the whole platter again. They provided plenty of sauce packets for the to-go order. I would definitely go back for the pho! read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Clay Pot Sampler - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

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Awful restaurant, the food was cold and tasted horrible. Our waiter was very rude and half the food we ordered either came out way too late or never showed up and the waiter still attempted to charge us for it. By far the worst fried rice i've ever had in my life it was stale and no seasoning was used. Way too expensive and I would never come back to this place. There are so many other great places in waco and this place is not one of them. Also-One of our friends got severe food poisoning after eating here. Come at your own risk read more

Two companions and I had lunch here today. (First visit for two of us) Ordered the meatball skewer meatballs for share appetizer. I had Cod Salad (excellent!!). 1st companion had Wok Shaken Beef and enjoyed it. 2nd companion (who had been there before) had Tofu Clay Pot, her go to. Service was good and restaurant was clean. Will definitely return. read more

What a find in downtown Waco! Beautiful interior, extensive menu, great food, nice service--what more can you want. Loved this place.

Great food, atmosphere and a clean place to take a date or spend quality time with family.

We've been a few times. The food is great. They use to serve alcohol and don't now. The atmosphere isn't remarkable but it's clean and we love going downtown. read more

The food was delicious. We had Tofu and Veggie spring rolls, Spicy Broccoli with Chicken, Chicken Curry, Pho Chay, and Bun Ca Cay. The Spicy Broccoli was distinctively flavored, medium spicy, and the only fault was that it could have used more broccoli. The Chicken Curry had a generous amount of chicken and the flavor was fantastic. The Pho Chay was not spicy at all, but still flavorful and it had an excellent amount of tofu and veggies, not a ton of mushrooms, but it was still a satisfying amount of veggies. The Bun Ca Cay had tons of fish slices and the broth was flavorful and just spicy enough for me. The portions and pricing were great. There seemed to be a good amount of vegan options and many menu items were listed as able to be made vegan. We sat on the patio and there was a fountain, which created nice ambience. The service was excellent, we were helped fairly promptly and the food was brought out quickly. read more

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The food was comforting and healthy at all times! Couldn't ask for a more nutritional HUG!

Initially I was concerned about making a visit because there were so many unfavorable reviews, but I'm glad I gave it a chance! The customer service was great on both visits, and I appreciate that consistency. The ordered the Pho Deluxe and a various appetizers, everything was flavorful, came out quick, and was more than enough to share. My son loves the meatballs, so if you have a picky kid or a toddler in general, try that! I can't wait to go back! read more

I've been a long-term customer of 4 years. Ever since they remodeled the restaurant in 2023, it's been going downhill. They changed their menu, and their pho tastes like water with no seasoning. Also, they raised their prices...now the pho is AT LEAST $15. I ordered brisket in my pho, and the brisket was so chewy and disgusting that I couldn't even swallow it. I also used to love their spring rolls, but after the remodel, they changed the spring roll recipe so now the spring rolls also taste different and gross. It's missing ingredients that they used to include in it. This restaurant used to be my favorite in Waco, but now it's the last restaurant I'd go to. It's sad that they felt the need to change everything about their menu and restaurant when it was already successful. I wish they would bring back the old menu and recipes. read more

Please believe the rating. I stopped in as soon at they opened for the day. Ordered the spicy soup with shrimp. The bowl looked good but far from flavorful not spicy. After adding chilli past hot sauce it finally tasted like something. I only gave 3 stars because the shrimp was cleaned properly but also quiet bland. read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Spicy soup with shrimp. - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

This is our third time there and have also picked up some to go. We love this Vietnamese restaurant! The food is fantastic! Our other fav is Bangkok Royal which is Thai and we like it too. The Pho soup is da bomb at Clay Pot read more

I ordered sesame chicken and was literally given frozen chicken tenders from a grocery store doused in sauce. "Best $58 meal I've ever had!" - said no one eve. read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

Ordered the following Sesame Chicken Deluxe 3 Meat Pho Pork Chop Milk Tea Boba is blended Alot of workers but seem like they are standing around doing nothing. My water cup was empty and people just walked by. Don't care for not seeing a bill and just being charged on a tablet. Food was okay, service was subpar read more

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Not many Vietnamese restaurants in wacko. Fortunately this place did not disappoint. We were on the last stretch of or drive home to Fort Worth, from Houston, and I am struggling to remember what we had, but I don't remember. All I can say is we liked what we had, and we will be back (next trip to Houston is next year). If we hit the Clay Pot again, and we plan to, I will do a better job of remembering what I had. If it helps, my wife is Vietnamese, and she liked our choices too. So this review is not much help on suggestions, but I really don't think you can go wrong. Bottom line: Definitely was worth the stop! read more

Went here for my moms birthday as well as mine and my wife's. We really enjoyed ourselves. We are glad we got here early for lunch as it got very busy as we were leaving. Was nice to see the owner checking on things. I really enjoy the new place. It seems a lot lighter and brighter. I really enjoyed the appetizer the Bank Khot. I like interacting w food. The lemongrass lunch special was a good value. I liked the soup but would get the spring roll probably next time. The spring rolls are w rice paper and peanut sauce. The chicken was spiced very well for me at moderately spicy. They have chili oil and sriracha as well. My wife had the Bun Met w shrimp and thoroughly enjoyed that. It was very good and we will be back soon. read more

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Nice restaurant in Waco downtown. It was busy on a Friday night, clean and service was good. Had spring fried rice which tasted like a hospital food (no flavor) until I added large amounts of Sriracha hot sauce. I would not mind coming back and finding if all other dishes are as blend! read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

Food is always good, ambiance is beautiful, and the service was amazing! Definitely recommend! Hidden Jewel for sure!

Absolutely loved it here! Our server was so kind and thoughtful. She made our first time experience awesome. My little grandson enjoyed the chopsticks. Everything was delicious! When we are back in Texas we will definitely be back! read more

We tried this place after walking around shopping in Waco. The food was really good and love the spring rolls! Jimmy always says you can never go wrong with Pho. Eat well! read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

Mom had the special soup which was all veggies. She added chicken. The soup broth was fantastic. I had the wok stir fried steak with onions and rice. We also had the dumpling appetizer. The entire meal was fantastic! The water was great, very polite and accommodating. We will definitely be back! read more

Clay Pot used to be one of my favorite restaurants. We decided to stop by for lunch. They've remodeled, and it looks floral and spacious inside. Our table was sticky, and the tray of condiments was dirty. I ordered a hibiscus lime tea then, when the waitress came back to inform me they were out, I ordered a brown sugar milk tea. The tea was easily the best part of the entire meal. For food, I ordered the cane sugar shrimp (cane sugar wrapped in shrimp and pork then fried) and the clay pot sampler (meatballs, dumplings, egg rolls, and fried green beans). My husband ordered wok shaken beef. The beef was TWENTY-TWO dollars! He ordered expecting a large portion. Several minutes after ordering our food, the waitress came back to tell me they were out of meatballs, so the cook was going to replace them with sweet potato fries. I asked if I could have a chicken satay skewer or extra dumplings instead to replace the main meat portion of the dish. I was told no, it would be sweet potato fries. When the food arrived, my husband was immediately disappointed in the portion size for the price of his dish. He said it tasted ok. Nothing special, but edible. He did not like anything on the sampler besides the sweet potato fries. The dumplings were wet. They tasted very bland and watery, almost like they were frozen dumplings that had been reheated. The egg rolls were fine. I enjoyed the fried green beans. They had a nice crunch and a hint of spice. I took one bite of the sugar cane shrimp and stopped eating it. It tasted very fishy, and the pork didn't look fully cooked. The inside had a light pink coloring that, combined with the taste, I just couldn't get past. After my reaction, my husband decided not to try the shrimp. I actually mentioned to the waitress that I really didn't like the shrimp and could not eat it. She apologized and asked if I wanted to talk to someone. I declined, and then she asked if I wanted it to-go. I was so disappointed with almost the entire meal. The prices were higher than average and honestly the quality was not on par with the new price point. Maybe we should have stuck with spring rolls and pho. read more

Clay Pot Restaurant - Wok-shaken beef ($22!!!) and cane sugar shrimp. Beef was edible, not sure why they included a knife. The shrimp were awful - Vietnamese Near Me - Waco, Texas

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Just saying, "Blasian Asian" and "Curry up and wok this way" take notes. Each time I come here to get my to go order they give me plenty of food. I don't feel like I'm paying for a box of nothing. They serve you like you're family and that's what I really love about this place. I have not had a chance to dine in, but I definitely plan to soon! So far, no complaints! read more