Horrible service. Took over 1.5 hours to get our food and they messed up our order. Server Lydia was extremely rude. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

The food was authentic and service was quick. I had the lemongrass chicken vermicelli and my son had the beef fried rice. Our server wore a mask the entire time and the bathroom was clean read more

The food was really good I ate a lot and didn't feel sick after. The crab rangoon are so good and the dumplings. Had good service though it wasn't busy. Definitely recommend good food no complaints here! read more

We had such a great experience here the first time we came that we braved the drive to CR just for lunch this past Saturday. We arrived and were greeted and seated by a waitress, who got our drinks and then took our order. And that was it! We were essentially the only customers in the restaurant, and it took another couple coming in, getting their appetizers, and then getting their meals for me to realize that we'd been completely forgotten. In an empty restaurant! After waiting 20-25 minutes I got up and notified someone of what happened, at which point they had to take our order again. What happened to the first order? I have no clue. The servers were apologetic at this point and the waitress made some excuse about being sleepy but really, there's no excuse for this, not when we're your only customers. I'll give it two stars instead of one just because the food that came to us eventually was great, but the drive from Coralville took less time than it took a server to get our order to the kitchen. In an empty restaurant. I don't necessarily think that this is the status quo for service here, but we won't be back. read more

Definitely my favourite pho place in Iowa city/ Cedar Rapids ! I'm Asian Chinese and the noodle dishes are so so good! Especially number 29- Mi Hoanh Thanh - taste just like home cooked meal !! They make their own spring roll (which is deicious) and wonton. I Never fail to come here whenever I go/ come back fr the airport. I've been to a LOT of pho places, and this is definitely one the BEST Authentic place. a must try if you are nearby. read more

I am a frequent flier at a local Japanese restaurant, and saw this restaurant while going up to Cedar Rapids for some errands and thought to try the food. The food was good, I had Bong Bun Nung (Sorry for everyone who I just offended by trying to spell phonetically Beef and delicious noodles) It may have been number 48? The crab rangoon was good, the mango bubble tea was awesome, and the #48 was as good as anywhere I have had that dish. Two of us ate for $24 and did not leave hungry. I would go back and eat here again if I am in the neighborhood. The worst part of the meal was the server who was overbearing. He was not actually our server, but kept stopping by and asking us (as well as others) awkward questions. Like how do you feel about the price, do you think you would return, are you 100% satisfied with your food? I started to wonder if he was doing market research and filling out a questioner as he was asking people these questions. Our server was fine... read more

Fantastic! If you like authentic and aren't afraid to try new things. ..this is a great place. Even my sister who doesn't like anything loves this place. read more

Before I ate here I had never experienced Vietnamese Pho before. Well, this place ruined it for me for all other restaurants because theirs is SO FREAKING GOOD!!!! (Like what I did there? You thought I was going one way and then went the other...) Anyways, the only downfall this place has is it's really, really slow service. If you're in a rush or have limited time to eat, it's probably best to avoid this place as a typical dining experience for me here is usually in excess of over an hour (and that's even if I'm by myself!). However, if you've got time to kill, on a date or are waiting on a movie to start at the theater next door, this is a great place. The Pho w/dumplings made of pork and chicken is simply amazing and cannot be equaled. Believe me, I've looked all over 2 different nearby states and cannot find anything close to the quality they serve. The Spring Rolls are also excellent and tasty. I miss it soooo much and I can promise that when I return to Cedar Rapids to visit this will be the first place I eat! read more

Best Pho ! Their vegetarian pho is amazing. I am addicted to pho and this is absolutely the best.

So we did not like the food not at all there fault. We did not understand what it really would be like. We love Asian food and thought this would be great. We were very disappointing. The staff were very nice though and it smells amazing. read more

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Since it's cold in Iowa! Pho is always a great idea! The broth is delicious! Also they have great bun bo hue , second best option on a cold snowy day! Yum! read more

Came in from over an hour away for the 1st time while in town for an appointment on December 2nd. Took my mother-in-law out for a birthday lunch. Just had water and lovely, fragrant hot jasmine tea to drink. The appetizers (spring rolls and rangoons) and entrees (a noodle dish and a soup) were all excellent, and served at appropriate temperatures. Portions were huge! Fresh, bright ingredients, well-seasoned dishes, with lovely presentation, and flavorful balance between sweet, savory and sour, with just enough "kick." Someone in the kitchen takes pride in what they serve guests, and it shows!Service was also friendly and timely, with overall solid knowledge of menu in order to make good recommendations. Atmosphere was ok, with some noise coming through from the business next door, and a very strong air freshener that took a while to not notice, but overall, a very pleasant experience, in a fairly clean and well-kept restaurant, with really great food at reasonable prices. I'll definitely be back--and with the commute to get there, that's saying something! Some of the best Vietnamese I've had! Thank you for a wonderful lunch! :) Recommended for anyone in search of good Vietnamese in the CR area. Not sure if they deliver, but if they do, I'd be ordering from there for lunch on a regular basis if I lived closer. Next time, I plan to stop in for dinner. read more

Found this place on Yelp when I was in town for a business trip. I live in Houston so I have pretty high standards for Pho but this place has pretty good Pho. I got a rare beef Pho and spring rolls. The broth was very flavorful and the beef was fresh. I'm not very impressed with the spring rolls I wouldn't order again. The peanut sauce was to sour and not creamy at all. read more

You could say it's a whole in the wall BUT in a newer strip mall and be hesitant about wanting to go visit. It's actually a nice surprise. Service can be slow when it gets busy BUT it's worth the wait. Staff knows the details about their dishes and will gladly explain. This place is frequented by international inspired customers of all ages. Love that they play NO country music here too. Seating is comfortable tending to be on the simple side. OMG - their dishes are amazing and seem made very fresh...again, worth waiting just a bit longer. Apparently, they also have a popular following for take out dishes. Plenty of delicious options for vegetarians as well. A must visit in the Cedar Rapids area if you like Asian kitchen. read more

I am a bit of a pho-snob, so i went into this place with some doubts. I must say I am pleasantly surprised. Broth is savory yet not oily. Plenty of meats. Don't forget to get the boba tea. Lots of different kind--i got the classic black tea milk tea. It was fantastic. I will be back when I am craving some pho when I am in town! read more

The server this time recommended we try the Lemongrass Beef with the Vermicelli noodles. He said it is more popular and it was clear why when we received it. The portion is HUGE and it was so yummy and flavorful. Will definitely be back when we head back to Cedar Rapids! read more

One of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants hands down. They allow patrons to personalize the level of heat in the food, which was extremely spicy for me. They use very fresh ingredients and fresh mint on their spring rolls. Mai Pho is a wonderful addition to restaurants in Cedar Rapids. read more

I love everything about this place. But I would like to offer some advice for anyone paying in cash....count your change. Shortchange artist practicing at this location. Owner beware. Not good for business. read more

I talked my fiancé into giving Pho Mai a try last night even though we usually frequent the other pho place in town, and sadly we will probably not be back. The server, who appeared to be the only one working the front of the house, told us to "sit wherever" and then we waited ten minutes for him to take our drink order. After another fifteen minutes we finally got our water, but not the hot tea we ordered. Our bowls of pho came out before our spring rolls, and the server seemed incapable of figuring out what to do. I could have forgiven the poor service, but the beef in my pho was nearly inedible. The broth was delicious, and when they arrived the spring rolls were good. They do have hot chili oil, which is great for those who like a little kick. It was not enough to balance out the terrible service though. Two tables walked out without ordering while we were eating. I don't think I'll be back. There is a better option a few miles away. read more

Where do I begin? We walked in and were told to sit wherever. Well...there was only booth that wasn't full of people or dirty dishes, and it had food on the benches, dirty napkin and straw wrappers, and the table was sticky. There was only one person working, and he wasn't in any hurry to wait on us (or anyone else). We waited almost 10 minutes before we were given menus and had a chance to order drinks. After almost 10 more minutes without our drinks (we ordered water) we left. So obviously we can't comment on the food as we would still probably be waiting to get it. I've never been in a dirtier place with such poor service. Won't be going back there. read more

I love this place! I come her all the time and the they already know my order. Actually I might go in today. Loll

Not the most authentic tasting pho in town but do make up for it with larger sized portions of soup and meat. Spring rolls and crag Rangoon's are both solid. Go here if you are hungry and need you pho tooth tamed. read more

The Bun Bo Hue was delicious. Nice portion. Nice meat to noodle ratio. Broth was flavorful. I went 2 days in a row.

I've been to a number of pho places on the west coast, Hawaii and the Midwest and this is one of the best. Their portions are enormous for the price and the meals are traditional. Great flavor and consistent. Try the spring rolls with peanut sauce and chicken pho (#17). read more

This appears to be the most 1 and 5 star rated restaurant in CR. The reviewer who saw hair in food has me concerned, and I looked up the health inspection report at http://www.dia.iowa.gov/food/controller.aspx?cmd=establishmentDetails&eid=RS57-3000948. They reported some scary sounding items during an inspection in October 2013, which appeared to be resolved in a follow up inspection. I'm going to keep eating here. The tables and lighting fixtures are similar to an upscale restaurant, but the silverware comes in loosely wrapped paper napkins. I like the casual feel. The food is great and flavorful. There are six entree categories: Pho soup, Yellow Egg soup, Rice dishes, Stir-Fry, Vermicelli Noodles, and Vegetarian. I've tried something from each of the categories and The Pho soup is my favorite- the broth is delicious and as you eat, the jalapenos become increasingly concentrated & spicy in the remaining broth. I only made the mistake of adding hot sauce once... the final bites had me sweating! The vermicelli noodle dishes are second best. If you are at Pho Mai with coworkers or to meet your girlfriends parents, get the vermicelli noodles instead of the soup. The soup can bit a bit challenging to scoop & slurp. The vegetarian menu descriptions are all a little vague, and the one I tried was stir fried veggies and tofu on top of a salad of dry noodles. If I was a Cedar Rapids vegetarian I'd definitely try eating here for variety from the salads and fried cheese products at other CR restaurants. I don't know how to reconcile the reviewers giving this place 1 star because of the taste of the food. My guesses are: 1. This place was terrible for a couple months that I didn't eat here in the summer/Fall of 2013. 2. I've avoided the right dishes, although I've had at least 1 dish from each of the categories. 3. The 1-star reviewers are meat & potato types. If your idea of a great meal is a hamburger with only ketchup from Applebee's, you may not like Pho Mai. I'd encourage anyone who dislikes this place to try a #15 soup on a cold day and update your review. Speaking of cold day, don't sit near the front of the restaurant during winter. Every time the door opens a vacuum sucked blast of freezing air will hit your spine at 30mph! A stream of people were asking to be relocated this afternoon. read more

Well, service was non-existent. I ordered 3 things all 3 times they came back 10 minutes later to tell me they were out of it... The only reason they get 2 stars is for opening something that's not your typical American Chinese food ready in 5-10 minutes place. Other than that pretty un impressive read more

If you like good pho check this place out! I'm definitely what you'd call a regular. #13 large pho is my norm. It's huge but that's ok with me because then I've got left overs for the next day. We also get an order of the crab Rangoon and an order of the crispy dumplings along with a coconut bubble tea, or a chai tea. If you don't want soup there are plenty of options as well. read more

Great place with wonderful service. I've never had Vietnamese food before so this is my first place. They were very helpful with choosing really great food. Even available for take out and will help you to put the order together at home. We had the number one, number 29, and number 47. Everything was delicious. read more

I want to rate this place 4-5 stars based on its great tasting food but the service is just abysmal. They need to hire more servers and work on teaching their staff to touch more than one table at a time. I didn't write this review after one visit. In fact my family and I have frequented this establishment a multitude of times over the last couple years and every single time we had slow service. Even though this was expected we hoped over and over again maybe we just had an off experience. Often we didn't get water or a drink till after we got food. So to boil it down... if you don't mind sitting and waiting for long periods of time before you get to order or even after than this place has really good food. I really hope the owners read this and understand they need to make some changes. Unfortunately, we're not giving it anymore chances. read more

We love coming here for the Pho and the bubble tea and everything else. If you call ahead they can accommodate large groups. My five year old likes the appetizer crepe and the older kids eat the egg rolls and pho. I eat my pho with the steak on the side and they are happy to accommodate! Great service and great food. read more

My and I really like this place were always searching for a good pho place on town. The house pho is delicious! The broth is on point clean almost consomme like and comes with all the fixing meatball, tendon, sliced beef, lots of veggies on the side. Only complain is wish they have liquor license i need beer with my pho! read more

Excellent food, very clean food. Not too greasy, won't make you feel like crap after eating. Get the fresh spring rolls and lemongrass chicken ! Pho is good but portion compared to other pho places for the noodle soup seem to be smaller and only 2 sizes. Really only two places for Vietnamese in town. Good alternative to Phong Lan. They have this one video of Vietnam on repeat. Would be nice to have other videos of nature. They have excellent rainbow jelly ice drinks. read more

One of the best Vietnamese restaurant in Cedar rapids, Coralville and Iowa City. It's a small family owned restaurant which I love. The food is not Americanized and it has all the authentic viet flavors like it suppose to taste. I see a lot of Asian restaurant catering to American people standards of liking and I hate it when they do that. When you come to Mai pho you'll get the best home land flavors. I like their whole menu so I'm not going to go on about which I like the most. read more

Food was great, service was good and LOVE the bubble tea. I had the coconut one. Next time I want to try mango. This place also has a nice atmosphere including a fish tank. read more

The best bubble tea and pho in Cedar Rapids by far. Easily a must try if you like Vietnamese food.

I always get number 50 and 13 on the menu and they have never disappointed me. I really enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant and the crab Rangoon's there are pretty good. the only reason I'm leaving a 4 star review is because the service is just a tad bit slow and I feel kind of bad for the one server that works there that has to run around and greet customers all the time, but other than that everything is great. read more

Loved my summer rolls and how good the spring rolls were on the bun dish. Everything was very fresh and just what I expect. I've eaten at over 100 Vietnamese places and this one is in my top 10. read more

So happy i have found a place that sells bubble tea drinks tastes just like home, although the pho is pretty delicious i have yet to find something similar to hawaii. But Mai's will always be my go to for pho defiantly try it out specially the lychee jelly bubble teas read more

I'd been really excited to try this place, but was really disappointed. Service was absolutely AWFUL. I sat and waited 15 minutes before anyone took my drink order, then waited another 15 before having to ask for my drink to be brought out. The waiter was in no way apologetic but instead acted inconvenienced that I had the AUDACITY to ask for a drink. And then, after taking one sip of tea, I had the taste of dish soap in my mouth, which was absolutely disgusting. I'd be understanding about slow service if it was busy or understaffed, but it was neither. Further, having a flippant waiter soured the experience. Then, I waited another 20 minutes after getting my drink for my pho, at which point I found a hair in it. I pointed this out to the waiter and yet again he seemed unfazed and upset with me for bringing the mistake to his attention. I split some of the pho from another member of my party, and it was pretty good but not good enough to excuse the horrendous service. Then, as though the service couldn't get any worse, we asked for a to-go container to take home the leftover pho. The waiter brought out a plastic container with HUGE crack at the bottom that would undoubtedly leak any liquid put in it. This was a thoroughly awful experience. I will not be returning to Pho Mai any time soon, if ever. read more

Great bowl of soup. Delicious broth and tasty Vietnamese iced coffee. Nice to find this in Iowa.