Thought it was odd that the staff was speaking Chinese as we walked in, but it all became clear once the food came out. No nice way to put it: the pho was bland. The noodles and beef tasted fine, but the broth was missing all the requisite flavors of Vietnam's signature soup dish. I feel it would have been perfectly acceptable if they labeled it beef rice noodle soup instead of pho. On the other hand, the hu tieu was passable. I'm hoping the rice entrees and dry noodle dishes are more promising. It's understandable how good soup can be hard to prepare well though; if it were easy to cook at home, we wouldn't need pho restaurants at all. read more

The food is good, the service leaves A LOT to be desired. The wait can be long if you're there at prime lunch or dinner hour. And if you get seated, you may or may not get your server's attention. Once, my husband went to order take out for me on his way home from work. Why did it take 30 minutes for him to get his food? That being said, my husband and I have it in one of our top restaurants to go to. Why? We love the spring rolls there. Pho is pho like many of the other pho restaurants in this area... but they give you cilantro AND basil among other things in the condiment plate. The only restaurant that I know that does that. They have good lunch specials, decent amount of food and a good price. The vermicelli bowls are awesome. Crispy beef, veggie pan fried noodles, five flavored (not fried) tofu are some of our norms. So yes, we acknowledge the poor service but the food brings us back each time. 3 stars might be harsh, but we've been here so many times that I feel it justified. My experience at this restaurant has been on and off, so it's been normalized. Now... if only they also serve pink jello then I'll add an extra star just for that. read more

I have been here about 4 times and while I like the food a just slightly more than An Loi the service has been awful all 4 times. For our most recent trip we were seated immediately and then ignored for 25 minutes. We tried flagging someone down to take our order but it didn't work. We ended up at An Loi and had hot Pho in my face faster than Pho Dat could get us water. read more

If I could leave no stars, I would.This place was the worst. My friend and I came to this place for lunch. For starters my friend has a baby and they wanted to sit us by the door. It wasn't busy at all so we asked if we could sit further from the door because of the baby. she mumbled and put our menus on other table and walked away. The service is terrible, the food is not even that good, the bean sprouts and other greens were not fresh. They slammed out plates on the table and pushed my arm out of the way. did not get an excuse me or anything. We had to keep calling someone over when we needed something, they did not check on us not once. Went to pay and the waitress kept my change as a tip, didn't even ask. I had to demand my change and she kept asking why. I love exploring new Pho places but never coming back here. read more

The restaurant is nice and clean and the servers are attentive. The pho is decent, and I only say decent because the broth is not great. I've been to several dozen pho restaurants in California, and Pho Dat Thanh doesn't come close to competing. The heart of pho noodles is the soup and PDT's soup just doesn't cut it. Its much more bland than what I'm used to. Its as if the soup has been diluted too much with water. Noodles are noodles - they buy it from a wholesaler and they don't make it themselves. I went a second time to give it another chance and I had egg noodles. The broth for the egg noodles is far better than the pho, but the pork was stale for sure. I love pho, so I'm sure I'm going to be a sucker and return to try the pho again. read more

Everything is fine here, except for the service. Go to An Loi instead - they actually want your business.

Pho Dot Grill was our first experience with Vietnamese 8 years ago and have visited hundreds of other Viet places all over the USA and this place IS as good as it gets. The Pho is just fantastic and the fried rice is just plain STUPID good! They have also kept their pricing good, with other places charging up to $10 for a small Pho. Gotta tries are also the A1 and A2 rolls! read more

I used to be a huge fan when the place first opened, but have seen a steady decline in the quality of the food over the years (and change in management). The food is certainly more than passable - some of it is extremely good - but a certain "greasiness" has definitely crept in to many of the entrees. The pho remains one of the stars on the menu, as do the spring and summer rolls. The fish hot pot used to be one of my "can't go wrong" dishes, but the past 4 visits showed this is extremely inconsistent in its preparation: it's been spot on twice,and the other two times it had a kind of "funkiness" to it. BTW, they make good smoothies, but I would not recommend the durian smoothie (very much an acquired taste). read more

Been going here for a few years whenever I crave their grilled beef. They have very good lunch combos that allow you to choose 2 or 3 meats with A LOT of rice. Their Pho is very good also, I like the one with all the seafood. Spring rolls and summer rolls are also good. Can't really go wrong here. read more

NO NO NO. This is NOT real viet food. Coming from a viet girl, trust me you might as well go get chinese food. This place is owned by chinese people and no one in there knows a lick of vietnamese. Not authentic at all. read more

The Pho here is solid, but not the best in the area. What is nice is the diverse menu which includes a broader variety of Asian entrees. It makes dining here easier for families or others who may find the standard Vietnamese menu limiting. I really enjoy the Pork pot which consists of nothing but sliced pork in a unique sweet sauce, served in a metal bowl with a lid. The service here is mixed, somethings not too bad but when its busy you have to flag them down. read more

I like the pho here, the place is always clean and I've never had a problem with the wait staff. I think that you can get a good deal on a lot of food from the combos, but that's probably not why people come to Pho. affordable and tastey. read more

Although the Pho was great, I had to give it 2 stars because of the service. Extremely rude, as if its an honor for me to be spending my money on their food, I guess they missed the service part in their business plan.. Had stood there waiting at eye level for the hostess to acknowledge me, while she stood and made 3 drinks in the process. I would of expected her to say, I will be with you in a minute. But not an utter, and when she did acknowledge me, she had a very nasty disposition. Even though I enjoyed my meal, I will not be back due to the poor service. read more

Been going to the other place in towson and then moved. I couldn't find any good place for pho and learned that they have a location here in columbia. The food is really good and the price is pretty decent. Been looking for a good pho place and finally found one. read more

Great standby for all occasions when we feel like getting good food quick. I am partial to their Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup, C9). Comes with thick rice noodles, plenty of chewy tender beef cuts and 1-2 pork hocks in a piping hot beefy broth. It's not that spicy nor is it truly authentic vietnamese Bun Bo Hue (no essence of lemon grass), but it's still very tasty and my favorite thing on the menu. Also, their service is quick and friendly. An all around no muss, no fuss kind of joint that we frequent at least once a week. read more

I placed my Order (Beef Lo Mein) to go, they estimated to be ready in 10min and surprisingly it was ready in10 min.... They really have the best Beef Lo Mein I have ever tried at any Asian Restaurant.... Maybe because they grill their Beef chunks more and it cause it to become really tasty and yummmmmyyyy...I'm not sure for whatever reason it is the best Beef Lo Mein and will try them again sometime soon for more!!!!! read more

Not real Vietnamese own and cook( Chinese owned ) if you are Vietnamese, don't be there , it's not what you expect, not good at all, taste ...no "Pho" flavor read more

I came here for dinner today, because I came here once before, last year, and had a great experience. This time it wasn't so great, but I really should have known by now that having any expectation is an absolute killer of positivity. In the first place, our waitress had plastic surgery so that her face is permanently scowling. At least that's the only plausible explanation I can think of for her attitude. I mean, she was young enough that it wasn't possible that life had already drained every ounce of benevolence out of her being, and yet that seemed to be the case. When I asked her whether the smoothies were made from fresh fruit or paste, she said "I don't think so" and turned right around and left. Is that an answer? After that I stopped talking to her entirely. I couldn't even order, I was so pissed. I just pointed to something and threw the menu back in her (ugly scowling) face. I ended up getting the smoothie anyway, with boba. It came with, like, exactly 6 bobas in it. Considering that boba cost extra, it comes out to about 9 cents per boba. Does anyone else think this is a really excessive price per boba? The other problem is that the kitchen is completely inflexible. It's not even as though we were trying to change anything big, it was something like "no cilantro." And they were like, um, no, we can't not pile the cilantro on top of the noodles, it has to be exactly the way it is on the menu, otherwise we'll get shut down by the FDA. I just don't get it. Maybe I've lived in California too long and am too used to saying things like "no cilantro," not knowing that it is a totally politically incorrect and racist and offensive thing to say in other states. Cilantro is the new black. I mean the new African-American. The good thing though is that the food is still okay and comes in ginormous portions. So the bottom line is that if you like passable food in giant bowls thrown at you by really mean and angry people, come here. Or I guess if you live in Columbia, it's like the only vietnamese place for miles and miles so you don't have any choice. read more

We were in Columbia visiting friends and on our way to a wedding for the weekend. I was in the mood for Pho but unfamiliar with Columbia since it's been many years since we've lived there. Long story short we looked on Yelp and decided to give Pho Dat Thanh a try. The restaurant is in a strip mall but don't be mislead. The customers represented a mixture of ages and cultures. It was after 8 in the evening and we were seated immediately. What a gem. Three of us got Pho and one got the Vietnamese pancake. One of my sons was in Vietnam earlier this year and commented regarding the authenticity was spot on. The wait staff was extremely courteous as well as accommodating. In addition to Ledo pizza Pho Dat Thanh will always be on our list of must go when visiting. read more

Faded Star Over the years we have enjoyed our meals at Pho Dat Thanh. We go for the unique dishes not found at any other Columbia restaurant. And so, on our last visit to our local favorite, we enjoyed the unique place that is Pho Dat Thanh. However, the passage of time, the large customer following shows in the well worn interiors of the dining room. The walls leading up to the bathrooms are dirty. The day we were there the ladies room had no soap. When we informed the staff, it was not clear that that they understood enough to remedy the situation. This is a major health department violation for which they would pay dearly if discovered. So, our faded star has slipped due the passage of time. Pho Dat Thanh has aged along with the rest of Columbia. However, there is room for redemption. Clean up the place, fresh paint will do, clean the bathrooms, check the soap frequently, and never change the excellent food that they serve up so well. read more

My husband and I were looking for a place to get a nice hot meal. We stopped in to pho dat thanh to see if they had bun bo hue. And surprisingly, they did! We were immediately seated and brought water and hot tea. We ordered summer rolls and they were brought within 5 mins. That was great because we were starving. The atmosphere was nice. Not to0 loud, and a lot of seating. The waitress was very polite and sweet. Our meal was brought within 10 mins! And it was very tasty! I would definitely recommend this place! read more

The broth is good, beef is very tender. Most importantly, the small pho looks like a large one - very satisfying portion.try the beef wrapped in grape leaf , Love this place. read more

I've been here many times for friend's birthdays and random get togethers. They do great with accommodating a large group, as long as you have reservations. The place is always busy and the staff is friendly. The bar service is pretty slow and the server isn't happy if you order your own drink, even though it takes them 15 minutes to bring you one. Overall, it's a nice place to get pho. read more

Been coming here for years. Definitely our local go to Pho spot. Service is prompt and they have a awesome menu selection. You don't come here for the environment/decor (really minimalistic) you come here for the great food! Summer rolls and Spring rolls are perfect starters! Love the lemongrass chicken (the sautéed onions are my fav!) Pho rice noodle soup with beef and beef broth is my go to (believe it's D12?). Ask them for the onions soaked in vinegar to add to your pho takes it up x10 notches!! For dessert, or something sweet to go with your food try their mango boba!! Thick and delicious;) read more

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I used to love eating here with my family. However, sharp turn in service and food quality. Hopefully it gets better cause this used to be 100 read more

I've been to many different Vietnamese restaurants. This is the worst one. Service here is horrible. The servers are not good at their jobs. They seems nonchalant and inattentive. The food is below average. The ingredients do not seems fresh. Most of the food seems like they have been recycled especially thr appetizers. All in all do not come here. read more

This place is awful. The service is horrible. The servers are very lazy and unfriendly. The food is horrible. All of the appetizers seem like they came out of the freezer, which makes me wonder if they recycle their leftovers for the customers. The noodle dishes do not taste fresh. The noodles seem very stale. If you're looking for quality vietnamese food, do not come here. read more

This 0 lace is good not great. 5 he good is great filling and flavorful. But it's not my best Pho experience. However, the octopus was delicious. read more

I liked the fast service and light crowd at 5 pm. The server is attentive as well. I had D.7 which is flank need well done with rice noodles. Adding the usual sauce and heat brought the broth alive, the ingredients seemed fresh. Thy beef was way too tough and a bit bland. The rice noodles were good. I would try something else next time of o found my myself here,but it's not going to be a place I on my recommendation list. read more

I love this place. The food is great and the broth is truly addicting. Steamed sprouts and lots of cilantro mixed with some spiracha, now you are talking a hearty lunch/dinner/breakfast. I have had pho many places throughout the US and this place is in the top five best pho places. read more

First time trying this place.. I ordered vermicelli noodle with grilled pork. Not appetising at all. The fish sauce was bland, has no taste to it. Restaurant was clean, food came out fast (but not good). read more

This is a poor representation of true vietnamese food. Granted it could be that it's run by chinese, so it's chinese versioned viet food. Dined for lunch with mom. Had cha gio (spring rolls), bun bo hue, and pan fried seafood noodles. Cha gio was not fried well nor wrapped well. They were not fully crispy and not tightly wrapped. The filling was mediocre in taste. The bun bo hue is such a fake. It looks similar with your vermicelli noodles, brown/red broth, pig's foot, meat but the flavor was all wrong. Broth is very key in this dish and this broth tasted like they used a seasoning packet used to cook viet beef stew and then added some spice. The type of meat they used was the same meat you would use in viet beef stew. They seemed quite confused on this dish. Pan fried noodles were eh, I think they forgot the other half of the sauce as there wasn't much on the plate. The imitation crab meat they used was mushy. Would I return? No thanks...there are better options for true viet food. read more

My husband and I are regulars here and for good reason. Their crispy spicy squid is THE BOMB!! I love it love it love it!! I can seriously come here everyday and have that as my meal. Sometimes I do switch it up by ordering the lunch/dinner combo with the stir fried lemon grass chicken, the grilled pork and vegetables which is also delicious! Ironically, even though it's a Vietnamese restaurant, I hardly order pho here unless I'm sick and don't have an appetite. Their pho is a hit or miss for me. Sometimes it's good, others (or most of the time) it's very bland. Overall, lots of variety on the menu and a personal favorite! read more

The WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!! DONT GO HERE IF YOU WANT AT A MINIMUM DECENT CUSTOMER SERVICE! Our family of four didn't want to sit next to the bathroom to eat ( why would anyone) and there was a table for 6 available. The owner ( who lacks any knowledge of customer service , looks angry all the time, and is rude and nasty) didn't help or even attempt to help us. The food is ok it's not the best and I'm sure the tips these people get reflect the lack of customer service. I went right down the street to an loi and will never ever come back here best believe . read more

Beware!!! You might be paying for other customers' fault... Been coming over here for several years and had no problem till today. I noticed that we were charged with approximately 20% gratuity in which I don't have any problem paying if it's their customary procedure, but it's not. When I went to the cashier area to pay the bill, I noticed that on the other bills the gratuity was not included, so I asked the cashier why my bill was automatically charged gratuity and the others were not. The first excuse was that other people did not leave tips. I told her that I always leave an appropriate tip and it is not my fault if other people do not leave tip. Second excuse was because I am with a party of five. As I mentioned earlier, we've been coming here for years and it's always been party of five or sometimes more, but we've never been charged extra, and also she can't show me in writing regarding automatically charging gratuity for party of five or more. I know it is hard to make a living and it is unfortunate that there are people that do not leave tip, but they can't choose someone to pay for others' fault. read more

This place is worth a visit. I've been about 5 times and it is a great place for Pho. I order the number 6 which does not have tripe and is consistently tasty. The friend eggrolls are much better than the other appetizers. Prices are reasonable and the service is good. The combination fried rice is great. The singapore rice noodles average. read more

My first Pho experience, and I loved it. My husband and I had the beef strips appetizer and it was delicious as well. Very quiet place, no background music...keep your voice down unless you want everyone to hear your convo. We made the mistake of ordering large sized bowls of Pho. Unless you haven't eaten in 3 days, go with the small. The large bowl is the size of a bowling ball cut in half. read more

Did you say you wanted some pho, well come get some pho king pho from pho dat thanh. duh. And if you bring your friends who are big babies and dont like hot water and noodles( @.@ ) they also have tons of other dishes. I have not tried them, so can not say about their quality, but the pho was good stuff. Will be returning here on pho fridays. read more

My 16 year old went here with a group of friends tonight. She ordered one order of spring rolls and was brought two and told she had to pay for both. Then when they got up to leave the hostess chased them down and said they had not left enough of a tip and it was rude. They may be teenagers but they are still paying clients. Taking advantage of my kid and my money is NOT okay, FYI. None of us will be back. read more

Hello yelp world. I created an account today solely to inform and warn the general public about the rude and even incompetent service I received at this place of business. Iof went with 6 adults and 3 children. Our total bill was about 140 $ give or take. At the end of our meal we ordered 3 thai iced teas. (These were probably about 3$ each) after all of the adults at the table tasted the tea everyone was in agreement the tea had a burnt taste which was undrinkable. We notify our server of the unsatisfactory drinkas She leaves and after 7 minutes a different woman comes back to tell us the supervisor says there is nothing they can do for us. We request to order different drinks in place of the ones which are undrinkable. Mind you we were regular customers not because the food was spectacular but the options for pho in columbia are limited. The bottom line. Our total bill for lunch was 140$. 7 $ of that bill comes from beverages which were undrinkable We simply requested the drinks be replaced with something else. Needless to say we left the drinks untouched on the table after being forced to pay for an adulterated Product. The restaurant took it upon themselves to pre add the gratuity of 20% to our bill for the most outrageous service. We will never return and I hope the 60 cents it probably cost to make the 3 cups of iced tea was worth losing regular customers. Next time you should train your staff and particularly your supervisor in the importance of customer service in the restaurant business. It is a shame there are still businesses that operate this way. read more