Popped into this new Vietnamese spot by Herald Square for a quick weekday lunch. The place is fresh…read moreand clean, with a modern self-serve setup where you order via iPad. I got the pho ($21.78), which is steep for pho, but I guess that's Midtown prices for you. The wait was a slog--over 20 minutes for a bowl of pho, which other Yelp reviews warned about. When it finally arrived, the soup lacked that authentic pho aroma, which was a letdown. On the plus side, the beef was fresh, and the reusable to-go bag was a nice touch. Decent, but the wait and price make it hard to love. Might try again if they speed things up.

Okay, so I came back after a couple weeks from my first visit and had the most perplexing…read moreexperience. I ordered "Plain Pho", which is described as just broth and noodles, no garnish or meat. After waiting 30 minutes, for what is literally the simplest item on the menu, the bowl is brought out and it's a bowl of broth with a couple slices of chicken. No noodles. When I inquired, the server told me it's because I ordered the Plain Pho... yea and I said it comes with noodles and broth. They told me they could get me noodles, but acted like they were doing me a favor by fetching noodles for me, which was quite offputting because the noodles were quite literally half of the dish I actually ordered. How does one wait half-an-hour at a very casual fast Vietnamese food place, for premade soup and noodles, and still have the order wrong? In the end, I did get my noodles and broth, but the fact that I had to spend this much time and also justify my request for noodles (which are part of the dish) is quite insane. I put this at 2 stars for now, because I enjoyed my first time. Hopefully the service will improve.

Came here for dinner on a weekday. The restaurant is near my friend's place. The place was exactly…read morewhat we were looking for... Inexpensive, cozy and comfortable atmosphere! The place was a little busy, but they didn't take reservations. Amazing service and delicious food! The food was fresh and came out fast. Portions are generous, so you definitely won't leave hungry. My favorite dish was Vegan Pho without tofu, which was delicious, also gluten free, dairy free and soy free. Others had something else I had no interest in to remember the name. Their menu has many options to offer, including gluten free, soy free, and dairy free options. We would come back again and highly recommend you check out this place if you are in Murray Hill Manhattan.

Stopped by Nom Nam as a family after a long day doing the Statue of Liberty tour, and it was a…read moremuch-needed sit-down meal. We ordered a mix of things and overall the food was good. The viet bao stood out--really flavorful and probably the best thing we had. The pho was okay, but coming from LA, it's hard not to compare, and Little Saigon still does it better. My daughter got the famous wings and those were solid. The kids especially liked the prawn chips that came with them--ended up finishing those pretty quickly. Good spot to recharge after a long day out, especially if you're with family and want something satisfying without overthinking it.

So yum!!!! Top 3 thai spots for me…read more Food- Classic order of Pad Thai & Drunken Noodles. The pad thai noodles are a big thinner than i've had before but that didn't bother me, it has such great flavor too. I recommend ordering it spicy, it's the perfect heat if you're looking for that kick but don't add it if you can't handle spice. The drunken noodles are not spicy in my opinion but i can handle a bit of heat. Loved the flavor and the noodles had the right texture, could've done without the huge chunks of tomato but great otherwise. The summer rolls were good, hard to mess those up. We also got a free mango salad with the order and that was so fresh and delicious. We just popped in for pick up but the hostess was really nice and attentive as soon as we walked in. It looked to be a nice casual spot, could be good for dinner with friends or date night.

Obao has delicious food. If you're in Hells Kitchen and happen to stumble by Obao, it is worth…read morecoming in. Obao is has both Thai and Viet food. It does well with doing the whole "fusion" schtick without losing the essence and flavor of the dishes. Pad Krapoa Moo Krob, the meat on the pork belly was so juicy - the pork skin was crunchy and chewy at the same time, flavors of Thai spice, basil, and bell peppers harmoniously working together to bring a balanced meal. The shrimp basil fried rice was delicious, a great alternative if you're not feeling the crab fried rice. The service at Obao is always prompt and helpful, whether it's questions about the menu or recommendations, anyone is willing to help. Inside Oboa is dimly lit, a moody vibe that is fun and invites playful conversations.

Midtown New York is not exactly known for quiet, intimate dining experiences. It is known for…read morecrowds, noise, and restaurants that seat you next to a stranger close enough to accidentally share an appetizer. So when my family stumbled into Pho 39, a tiny spot with just a handful of tables tucked away from the chaos outside, it felt less like finding a restaurant and more like discovering a Rebel outpost that somehow survived undetected in the middle of Imperial territory. The menu is exactly what you'd expect from a solid Vietnamese spot: pho, combination rice plates, the usual lineup. We were ready to order and move on with our lives. Then we saw the tacos. Vietnamese tacos. On the menu. Sitting right there between the banh mi and the spring rolls like they'd always belonged. Nobody in my family said anything for a full three seconds, which for us is basically a standing ovation. We ordered the duck spring rolls to start, which were fresh, well packed, and disappeared faster than a starfighter in hyperspace. For the mains we went with the beef flank pho and the banh mi combination special. The pho had a clean, well developed broth that clearly had some time put into it, and the beef flank was tender enough to make you slow down and pay attention. The banh mi combo was solid, balanced, and hit all the right notes. We did not get the tacos this visit, which means we have a built in reason to return and nobody can argue with that logic. For a small room in the middle of one of the busiest cities on the planet, Pho 39 manages to feel genuinely calm and focused. Good food, good value, and a menu with enough surprises to keep things interesting. The Force is strong with this little spot.

This review is for takeout-- I ordered a catfish banh mi for…read morepickup. A banh mi is about 11 bucks before tax which is pretty rare around midtown nowadays. It isn't massive but you can finish it and not want to fall asleep at your desk afterwards which is ideal (for me). I walked in maybe 10 mins after I ordered and was greeted with smiles. My sandwich was ready for me too which was great, in and out, easy. The sandwich itself is delicious! It comes with a small ramekin of very spicy rooster sauce. I would definitely order for pickup from here again for the days I want to grab a quick lunch and get right back to work!

UGH; where to begin? This was one of the few places close to the Kipps Bay movie theater so we…read moredecided to try it. We should have know better when a restaurant tries to do Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese on the same menu! There's no restaurant that can really perfect pan Asian cuisine. It's all so regionalized and specific. Everything we ordered were bland and textures were off. The servers were really nice so I can't knock the service. Ambiance was what you'd expect; bland like the food.

Came on New Year's Day in the evening for dinner and it was pretty busy. Nice little place with…read moregood music and good service. The Thai ice tea was delicious and so was the short rib pho. The short rib was tender and seasoned perfectly. Not sure if I like or dislike that they serve evening separately. The broth could use a little more spice but the sriracha helped to boost it up.

This restaurant offers great Thai food, and a very flavorful and "saucy" Pad Thai is a highlight…read more The dishes are served on disposable plates, making the meal informal, but the quality of the meals is very good and always enjoyable.

I've seen the LoveMama food truck in Williamsburg many years ago but never got around to trying it…read more I knew about the restaurant but also have yet to try it until yesterday. They have a great lunch special for $13.99 entree & drink. Very nice deal. I ordered the Nasi Lemak with chicken and the calamansi honey jasmine drink. As a Malaysian, I can confirm that the Nasi Lemak was good. I would just recommend that they give the rice and curry a few minutes to cool down before serving. This dish should never be served piping hot. This is a lukewarm or room temperature dish. I would also recommend peeling the cucumber completely which is the authentic way. The peel had a bitterness which wasn't pleasant. The calamansi drink didn't have any jasmine flavor and needed more calamansi, but still refreshing. I ordered a mango sticky rice to go. It was just ok. Overall, I'd come back to try more things. Service was friendly. Fyi there's a fee for credit card payments.

Older couple making the food, and it's a good banh mi. Cost about $10-$11 for the big PhoMaster…read more It didn't have cilantro or any real sauce like Mayo or anything as far as I could tell and I would prefer more of a fresh veg burst of flavor. There was a side of a hot chili sauce which wasn't crazy spicy which I liked. The bread was fantastic but it did take a pretty long time to make. Quite large and delicious, a few tweaks and I'd rate this up there with some of the best. The fact that they enlarged the sandwhich and it was still a good banh mi is actually impressive. Cash only on the opposite corner from Bryant park by the bank of China.

Solid midtown lunch choice…read more Have walked by many times and it's usually busy. Saw an opening today and decided to pull the trigger. Got a pork chop noodle salad bowl with extra meat that was served very quickly. Pork was thin and just a little over the line past cooked and into dry territory, but still flavorful. There were more veggies (lettuce, pickled carrots, etc) than noodles, which is not a bad thing. Whole thing gets topped with peanuts and fried shallots. Comes with fish sauce and sriracha separately packed. Speed, solid quality and value. A good addition to the lunch rotation.

I was staying 3 blocks away and craving Pho. This is a small quaint restaurant on second Ave. The…read moreservice was prompt, and I received my hot bowl of PHO within minutes. Here's what I had: Beef and brisket pho- The bowl was huge! However, the flavor was a little lacking for me. It was decent, but the broth just didn't do it for me overall I would give it a 3.5.

With the limited options in the area, Pho Avenue is a solid choice. The positives right off the bat…read moreare the quick and friendly service. The Vietnamese coffee also hits and is strong. The beef pho was not heavy on the flavor however the noodles had great texture. With some work on the depth of flavor I think Pho Avenue could be a solid 4 stars but I would rate it 3 stars for now. The ambiance was fine and the place was pretty spotless. I probably won't be returning but hope them success.