I was a bit disappointed to find out that Bentara was closing but excited to learn that a Vietnamese/Thai restaurant with a promising menu was taking its place. Being from Hawai'i, a melting pot of Asian cultures, I was quite well versed in Asian cuisine. Seeing dac biet and banh mi on the menu meant signs of promise! A few of my friends and I decided on trying this place on a windy Saturday afternoon. They immediately sat us and were quick to fill our waters. We ordered a bunch of appetizers (golden bag and summer rolls) and when I proceeded with ordering the large pho, I was informed that the bowl was HUGE, so I went for the medium. My friends ordered the avocado dancing curry and drunken noodles. Our orders came out within ten minutes. The appetizers arrived with them piping hot. The crab rangoons were golden brown and generously filled with crab and cream cheese goodness. The summer rolls were nice and fresh with crisp vegetables, shrimp, and pork. Our waitress then brought out the entrees, and she was right in that the pho was large even though mine was only a medium. The sign of great pho is in the broth. A taste of the clear, flavorful broth convinced me that this was made by a cook who knew what he/she was doing. My bowl was also filled with generous amounts of noodles and enough tendon, tripe, and steak for each spoonful. I also had a taste of my friends' dishes and they were very good. This place has promise send definitely represents Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. I will definitely be back soon. read more

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mid food, but a picture is worth a thousand words, we were done with our food by the time we noticed the additional guest running around the dining room floor read more

Pho Thai - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Came here with two of my friends and it was average, decent. Large selection of pho and ramen....the dining room was full, with only 2-3 servers so the service was not good - but they were trying and obviously overwhelmed. A lot of other people were calling the waitress over, which you should never have to do. We got the gyoza - they were good, standard. Maybe i need to try other things on the menu, but i felt like this place was just average. Very nice dining area though. read more

Pho Thai - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Pho? In New Haven? Really? On the recommendation of some friends who went here for lunch earlier in the week, I stopped in on a Sunday afternoon for some lunch. The place was fairly empty, which allowed for a relaxing meal in what can only be described as a pretty space. I decided a large pho dac biet (flank, rare steak, tripe, tendon) would be the best choice for my first meal here, and when they say "large," boy do they mean large. It was a gigantic bowl, and while there was more tendon/tripe and less flank/steak, the broth was decent and there is enough hot oil and sriracha to make anyone happy. They were pretty accommodating with my cilantro aversion, and while they were a bit absent when I needed things, it wasn't too big a deal because I wasn't in a rush. One of the key things about this place is that they deliver, so I will have to see if they'll deliver lunch to my work at some point. Otherwise, a fairly good place in New Haven (not that there's much else to choose from) when you need a pho fix. read more

Pho Thai - Pho dac biet with bean sprouts and plenty of hot oil and sriracha. - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Delicious new pho place in New Haven! It's a bit of a walk from campus proper, but definitely worth it. For around $10, you can get a heaping bowl of pho. I opted for a very classic, no frills bowl with beef and it was soooo good. I really appreciated that the meat was so thinly sliced-it allowed a lot more flavor to get in. My only complaint is that service was definitely slow. You really have to wave the waiters down and they take forever to sort out your check. To be fair though, perhaps some of these kinks will be ironed out as the restaurant gains some experience. The space is beautiful and huge! Definitely lots of room for groups. read more

Pho Thai - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

The Thai/Vietnamese food here is pretty good. Came in right before the dinner rush and was able to get a seat right away. They had a special going on for half off during July. The restaurant has a more modern look, compared to Thai/Vietnamese decorations in a mom and pop restaurant. The service was excellent and the food was tasty. I would come back here again based off of their food and service. Appetizers 5/5: We ordered the Spring Rolls, the Thai Sausage, and the Tom Yum Soup. The Spring Rolls were the typical rolls with shrimp, the peanut hoisin sauce was very tasty. The Isaan Sausage was nicely grilled and reminded me of my moms cooking, I wish there was more of them in an order. It's a slightly sour sausage with hints of lemongrass. The Tom Yum Soup was a small order that had lots of sour and spice to it. It also had lots of meat inside of the small dish. Main course 4/5: I was excited to see that they had the Crispy Pork Belly in Spicy Basil, unfortunately they were out of it, so we ordered the Chili Duck and the Chili Shrimp. The Chili Duck was very tasty. The chili is kind of like the sweet chili sauce that comes in a bottle that you eat with egg rolls. We ordered the duck thinking it would be like the typical Chinese roasted duck, very surprised it was like a duck confit. It was very tender and fall off the bone. The Chili Shrimp was good too. It was more like a sweet and sour chili sauce. The shrimp were like thick battered tempura shrimp. They were bigger in size, but only came with six pieces. We expected there to be more shrimp, felt there was more veggies than shrimp. read more

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Great experience. We were happy to come in to the restaurant quite empty (a few other occupied tables), because it gave a cozy feel. The staff had no problem letting us choose to sit wherever we wanted, so we could have a quiet corner all to ourselves. The pho was delicious, and the bo Kho was very good as well. Thai tea is served here, which is always a plus! They also have more traditional hot green tea. The menu is very large so it's good to know what you're in the mood for before you come; I came here for pho but you may end up coming here for Thai food or ramen instead. This menu makes it easy to please a large group! We had the fried gyoza appetizer as well and it was delicious. Wait service was prompt, eager to please, and friendly. I would highly recommend this restaurant and come back to try more. It does appear that they are renovating right now, yet still operating the restaurant. That was a bit jarring as far as the atmosphere, but if you can look past a few unfinished countertops and boxes in the background, you'll see a nice intimate restaurant with great food, great service, and reasonable prices. read more

The food at this place is pretty good. Best item on the menu is the bun bo hue. The only problem is inconsistent hours. PLEASE PUT YOUR HOURS ON YOUR DOOR. They open and close whenever they want and rarely pick up the phone when you call for pickup orders. It is very disappointing to drive down there and then have them be closed. All I want to know are the days and hours you are open. Ridiculous. Update: 4/3/18: went for lunch cause I saw this new sign a week ago. Guess what not open! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. read more

Pho Thai - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

They get 5 stars. Kindly sat us in the window. Staff was attentive and very friendly.. The food, the food. Heaven. My son had the Tom Cua. Seafood noodle soup. I had the Three Musketeer lunch special. It included seaweed chicken soup. The seaweed and cilantro with scallions made it taste so fresh. The Three Musketeer was so flavorful. Beef and chicken were tender, veg. crisp and fresh. No frozen veggies here. Just a pleasant experience all around. Thank you Pho Spice! read more

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Big spacious place, but the food were generally really salty... we had to ask for hot water and pour into our soup based noodle dishes. Other than that, the portion was pretty big, you will be stuffed ! The price is generally around 12-14 dollars. Staffs were really kind and friendly. Service was excellent. Wish the food was less salty ... read more

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This is a great place to get popular Vietnamese dishes. The Pho is flavorful with great portion sizes. I ordered a large Pho the very first time that I ate here, and we had plenty of leftovers between the two of us. Their other dishes are also appropriately sized. I appreciated the attentiveness of their staff who were quick to refill our drinks and to respond to any questions or requests. There was no drink menus at the table, but one was brought out to us when requested. There is only on street parking! The restaurant itself is quite large with open space and plenty of seating. They have a 55" TV with footage from Vietnam playing in a loop. The design can leave you wanting more, it is clean and simple but often seeming too simple (again, not even displaying a drink or dessert menus at the table), not much on the walls except for a few vases, and empty tables and chairs that have an "IKEA" look to them. The glass windows offer great lighting, and I appreciate their entryway that would limit the amount of cold air entering the restaurant as guests enter during the colder months. The lighting away from the windows is dim. Overall it is a relaxed atmosphere with solid customer service. I've yet to have a bad experience here. I appreciate the simplicity and clean look, what is mentioned above is simply a far description for those who care about the aesthetics. Their food is what is important, with a great cost for the portion size and quality of food (the sides, noodles and veggies are always really fresh and crisp). The food is also brought out relatively quickly. I will note that each time I've gone we were one of only a handful of guests. Always seated by the windows and never there on what I'd consider a busy day. I was here last night on 9/2, with only 4 other tables filled. read more

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Excellent experience and the manager is so nice and adorable. The environment is calm and very helpful with picking out what to get. Recommend. Coffee was excellent as always! read more

Went there again for dinner and would say my previous lunch experience was much better. Quality of the ingredients was not as good, not fresh. I think it is due to less business there. We were their only custumers that evening. read more

Pho Thai - desserts and app - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Super friendly people and delicious bubble tea! The cashier was able to accommodate my requests . It was extremely worth it !

Since changing hands from when it as Pho and Spice, there are very few Thai and Vietnamese items on the menu, and the rest of the "Asian" dishes on the menu were very untraditional and unrecognizeable, and not particularly tasty. The service was slow, as the restaurant was busy and there were many take out or delivery orders. I never did receive the dish I had ordered, so we asked to have this item taken off the menu and asked for the check. I won't return, and I don't suggest that you go here for Vietnamese or Thai food, as there are many more other more authentic restaurants in New Haven for these types of cuisine. read more

Excellent Thai restaurant. I highly recommend the duck pho noodle soup, best I've ever had!

Not quite sure why this place isn't more popular. It is fresh ingredients and the beef is very tender. We added a side of 'fresh vegetables' and I highly recommend it - just fills out the meal. Price point is about what you'd expect. They do have a very nice lunch dine-in special which looks good and I'm going to try to get to sometime! read more

Pho Thai - Lunch special. Dine-in only. M-F. - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

O glorious pho, o glorious authentic pho, I give thanks that thou hath reappeared in New Haven at long last. When I heard that this place had just opened, I immediately made it a mission to come and try it for myself. As soon as I walked through the front door and smelled the familiar aroma of genuine, slow-simmered pho broth, I knew it was promising. Then I saw the words "đc bit" on the menu and almost cried in happiness. The pho did not disappoint - the broth was hot and fragrant, and the ingredients and garnishes were fresh and plentiful. Not the best I've ever had, but better than I expected for sure. Prices are slightly higher than I would pay back home in L.A., but that's to be expected. In any case, the large bowl at $11 was probably the most enormous bowl of pho I've ever eaten. There was definitely a good liter of broth in the large bowl. There were definitely a few problems with the service - half my table was served water and the waitress forgot about the other half for about 10 minutes, and the pho took about 15-20 minutes to serve, which isn't egregious but definitely longer than you would expect for pho. They also ran out of bean sprouts, which is my favorite of the garnishes, but I see them in other Yelpers' photos so I'm going to chalk these problems up to kinks being worked out, as they're only two weeks into opening. I'm absolutely going to be making many return trips here, so if the service gets better, I'm anticipating bumping them up to 5 stars. Thank you for opening, Pho and Spice. Henceforth, I shall fear no hangover in the city of New Haven. read more

Came back to check out their lunch menu and YAS their lunch specials will make all y'all who don't like pho rejoice (idk why you wouldn't like pho though, shame on you) I had the Tamarind Duck lunch combo special ($9.95), which I'd definitely recommend! It came with a seaweed soup, Vietnamese crispy spring roll, and 1 Thai dumpling (fried). My dish also came with a serving of rice (although you can also get a vegetarian fried rice). The crispy roasted duck was boneless and thus only encourages my laziness (YAY). The main thing holding this dish back was the fact that the vegetables tasted like they were frozen at some point...hmmph. Takeaway: come for the pho if you're craving that, but don't be afraid to try other items off their very extensive menu! read more

Pho Thai - Tamarind Duck lunch combo special - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Went here for lunch the other day. It was fairly quiet - the restaurant is big, almost too large for the lunchtime crowd. Nonetheless we were seated quickly and handed a pretty massive menu. I'm not as big on pho so I ordered a lunchtime curry special. It came with a seaweed soup (pretty good), a dumpling, a spring roll type thing, and the chicken curry itself. All very good! It was either $9 or $10 which I thought was pretty reasonable. I was definitely full afterward. My boyfriend had pho and it was definitely super spicy, the way he prefers it! Every table had sriracha and fish sauce at your disposal. Service was prompt. Only downside is there was a gas leak down the street that afternoon and they had to close the restaurant around 1 pm, not letting in additional customers. Was just one of those awkward like "Should we still be in this restaurant? Am I going to die before I finish my lunch?" As the story ends, I survived and I yelped. I'd likely go back here - it'd be great to serve groups. They have plenty of big tables and it's the only local Pho in town! read more

This place is kind of confusing. I'm always a little suspicious of pho joints that try to incorporate modern decor. Pho is suppose to be rustic and unpretentious--it should be served in a hole-in-the-wall setting where a bunch of cigarette-smoking ruffians are guffawing loudly or something. At least the pho here isn't bad. I've definitely had better, but I've definitely had way worse (looking at you, Pho Ethan in Wallingford). The broth is flavorful but could use a touch more salt; the typical pho table accoutrements came in handy. The portions are fairly generous, and the meats were fresh and tender. The food is probably this place's strength. What was absolutely abysmal was the service. I'm not even comparing this place to an actual restaurant for service critique. This place is bad even when compared to other pho places. No napkins were given to us by our server with our utensils. No napkins even after a request. Had to go on a napkin quest! Food was also slow to come out. Whatever, though. At the end of the day this place still gets 4 stars because New Haven's pho game is too weak. read more

Pho Thai - Dac biet - small and medium bowls - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Far from authentic when it comes to the small vietnamese section of pho choices. I ordered pho dac biet (special), pho bo vien (meatballs) and Bo Kho noodles. The bo Kho was super salty, hard to eat. My husband also said the pho was on the salty side as well. Manager or probably the owner came out with 2 pho bowls that had only thinly sliced beef. I decided to keep 1 because my son wouldn't notice the difference but I had asked them to take one bowl back and give me the dac biet or bo vien (meatball). Manager then comes out with the same bowl that was brought back and decided to argue with me that they were in fact both made correctly. The pho bo vien HAD NO VIETNAMESE MEATBALLS!! The special pho was the exact same, thin beef. No flank nothing, so nothing really special about that. Didn't even bother to ask if we wanted something else. She wouldn't even budge and kept telling me it was correct so I didnt even bother any longer! I just quickly fed my son because he was hungry and left. We also had another server and she was very sweet. But the Manager has no slight clue of customer service. I will never go back. The menu consists of mostly Thai food --- just take Vietnamese soups off your menu. ‍ read more

Pho Thai - So called pho bo vien (meatballs) - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

I've been here a handful of times now and general have a pleasant time, but not an extraordinary one. Today I happened to be here with a vegetarian so I think I could provide a good perspective. The good: I got the chicken curry pho which was a wonderful creamy texture. The colors were visually appealing and it was a huge portion. My vegetarian friend got the vegetarian pho. She says that the portion was perfect, the variety of vegetables was fantastic, and the meal was filing but not overwhelming. Price point is great, giant bowls of soup for $10-15. The cons: Both of our pho was good but slightly bland. The vegetarian had to douse hers with Sriracha and the curry was good but not great. The service to give us our food was fast but then we sat there waiting for the check for wayyyy too long. Overall, good but not great! read more

Pho Thai - Yellow chicken curry pho - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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I feel like you see a lot of restaurants trying to turn things around, but their recent change was truly impressive. I've always thought of Pho & Spice as a solid 3-4 star place. Really quite good but not great. Today I went back for the first time in a couple months and they'd revamped the menu entirely. Much better presentation, consistency and quality. Cheaper lunch specials, amazing bottomless Thai iced tea, and straight up some of the best drunken noodles I've ever had. read more

Went here for lunch, not busy at all. I ordered the crispy duck which came with white rice. The duck was crispy however the honey glaze was too sweet for me. It was better with the sweet chili sauce, maybe because of the chili. The veggies were good & the sauce that it was cooked in was perfect. I had a taste of my friend's spicy ramen. I would say I've had better. We also shared the summer roll, which was very tasty. The part that turned me off was that our meals came out separately with quite a wait in between (4-5mins). We all started eating at different times so some of us were waiting and some were eating already. But overall, I'd give it another shot. read more

Pho Thai - Crispy duck (honey and sesame glaze) - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Pretty good restaurant open on Memorial Day that offered dine-in option. The food was delicious although few items from the menu were missing, therefore the 4 stars. Drunken noodles were great. read more

Awesome food. Always happy to get a solid meal. A family favorite and well priced. Thankful to see that they have done well through the pandemic and will continue to serve this community. read more

Stopped In for lunch last Thursday for some pho. Ordered the tai pho in a medium thinking that would be an appropriate portion after asking the server. I was mistaken. The soup was huge and way too big to have during the middle of the day and then go back to work to sit at a desk. I was able to eat the noodles and meat but I did not put a dent in the broth whatsoever. In fact it came out so hot I'm not even sure I managed to comprehend its true complex flavor. This is not something one can eat quickly and head back to work with the way they make it. I think it's best left to those you have more time in their hands. I also ordered the same pho to go to pick up later that afternoon. When I got home I realized there was not nearly as much broth. The meat provided was raw so I heated it the broth up to boiling point to cook the meat like a traditional pho. The person who ate this pho found it to be very filling with so many noodles and not enough broth. For under $10 it's a great deal and I'll be sure to find my way back. read more

Pho Thai - This is a medium. Beware the sizes. - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Everytime I come here I always order Dac Pho Biet or the Rice Pork Chop Platter. By far two of my favorite dishes to get at this restaurant. The flavoring in the broth is good but could use a bit more seasoning and flavor but overall delicious. The meat taste amazing and well cooked. Portion sizes are generous and they recently redid their entire menu so you can focus on the best dishes they have to offer instead if zipping through an entire menu book. Certainly would reccomend this to anyone in the New Haven area looking for Vietnamese food! read more

Pho Thai - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

I came here 2 times. "Pho & Spice" is the best Pho in New Haven downtown (that's why I give 4 stars), but NOT the best in Connecticut. I ordered: Pho Dac Biet, Pho Ga, Banh Mi and Bun (vermicelli noodles). The Pho & Bun noodles were mushy (probably overcooked). Pros: - Generous portion - Fresh meats - Place Cons - Slow service read more

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Returned here for lunch with a long-time friend. Food was as good as I remembered it. From what I gather from other reviewers, the place has changed management, but for lunch everything was pretty good. I ordered from the lunch menu and got the Ginger Dish. Everything was crispy and tasty. The portions weren't large, but the meal was filling and the included side dish option was a nice touch. I selected the dumplings, but there were a few other options. The dumplings were small and were served in a chilled-style. My friend got pho, which he was happy with. Overall, the food and service were pretty good. No complaints and I really like having this place as option near me. read more

I ordered delivery from here. Let's just say, I am rating this place 4 stars due to great quality of ingredients. The vegetables where fresh. I ordered the Pho Chay (vegetable broth Pho) and bun tofu (traditional rice vermicelli dish). The pho was deconstructed as it had to come suitable to delivery packaging. One advice, do not deliver pho. It's a better experience to have this in the restaurant. The package came with vermicelli noodles and vegetables in a small white box with the broth and tofu in a cylinder container. It came with sprouts and a sweet soyish sauce paste. You need to add the sauce otherwise the whole soup is bland. Also, they need an upgrade on adding the right amount of salt. Better to stay in the restaurant since I've heard they have fish sauce and sriracha (both things I didn't have). They should definitely give packets of these. The bun tofu was different. It's more like a noodle salad with a pickle vinaigrette on the side. There needs to be some liquid in it. However, it tasted well because some of the cabbage had salt and lemon. Over all, I never expected vietnamese cuisine to be bland. But I like the pho better than the soups at York street noodle house. The investment is worth it. To all chefs at Pho and Spice: please update the menu, add salt and garlic, and remember to add all condiments when delivering. read more

Ordered from this restaurant and received a dish with a plastic cooked glove in it. Never eat at this place or order from it. They do not respect that they are preparing food for someone to eat. read more

We have dined here on both a Saturday and Friday evening, and there's never a wait. I can't believe it! It has amazing food and actually has better decor than many places around in this price point. I can only think there aren't many people because it's not as centrally located. The Tom Kah soup is excellent, vegetarian spring rolls and gyoza were all superbly fresh. It's a good middle of the road decor, easy enough to feel like you can bring kids but also feel good going here for a date night!! Come try it!! Want to make sure this place succeeds!! Yum!! read more

Sat there. for 45 mins after ordering as other people got their orders. Asked about our food only to find out order was never put in... Left without receiving anything. AVOID.. Oh, and they brushed something of our plate and set it down instead of getting us a new plate... read more

I like the decoration and space of the restaurant but not the food. We ordered Pho and Rice Dish. The Pho was giving a mixed experience of both Northern and Southern of Vietnam. Not very impressive but decent. The rice was bad. Dry and not warm rice. The pork was stiff. read more

Food was excellent! Had pho, spicy miso noodle soup, beef ginger and the sesame chicken. All were very flavorful and colorful. Cute little bar in the front. Place is very spacious and can accommodate big parties. read more

Pho Thai - Vietnamese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Food is passable, but everything is too salty and too sweet. Slightly more expensive than comparable places. Menu is inaccurate. Waitstaff is slow. Horrible service. This place has been under new ownership since at least late March, if not earlier. They have not bothered to change the menu, though the kitchen and the food has changed. Which means the description is inaccurate. They also do not bother to tell customers the food they'll get is not what they ordered. I ordered spicy pork chop, which is described as Vietnamese style crispy pork chop with salty spicy sauce. I've ordered it many times in the past two years. This time, they give me grilled pork chop with spicy sauce on the side. When I said this isn't what I ordered, they told me just try it and left me. When I got their attention again (which took ten minutes) and explained again that this is different from the description in the menu - which says crispy - they said they'll ask the kitchen to redo it. They came back with exactly the same grilled pork chop with spicy sauce lathered over it, not on the side. The waitstaff was slow and didn't speak great English - and I'd waited an hour for my food at this point - so I gave up and just ate. When I asked for my check, I tried to explain to the waitstaff why their menu description is inaccurate. I thought there was simply a misunderstanding. They cut me off and told me that THEY KNEW THE MENU SAID CRISPY AND THAT THEY KNEW CRISPY MEANS FRIED, BUT THAT THE KITCHEN HAS CHANGED AND THE MENU HAS TO CHANGE. Which brings me to so many questions. Why wasn't I told when I first ordered? Why was I told "just try it" when I asked about it the first time? Why did I wait for the kitchen to redo it when the redo still won't be what I ordered? It would have been fine if they told me that this item isn't available or that the server misunderstood my order when I asked. It's just your standard Asian place you go to for a quick bite - I don't mind eating what I didn't order. What I do mind is the hourlong wait for something I didn't order. And the careless and thoughtless way in which they addressed my questions. read more

I recently visited this place for dinner since it changed from Pho & Spice to Pho Tai. I am not sure if the owner or chefs have changed at all, but was hopeful that maybe the place got better. I order the pho dac biet and found a rubber band in my soup. I alerted the waitress of this fact, to which they apologized and took $3 off my bill. The $3 told me all I need to know- that's how much they value their service and food. They also made the pho soup spicy which it was never spicy before. I won't be coming back. read more

Terrible service. Came here on a quiet Monday for lunch. The entire restaurant was empty except for one other table, but we stood by the door for a solid three min waiting to be seated. The waitress finally came out but proceeded to ignore us. We had to physically walk up to her and ask to be seated, to which she unapologetically says "I'll be with you in a moment." When she finally walks over to seat us, she's rolling her eyes and complaining to employees in the back saying "another table" RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. Like, I am SO sorry for inconveniencing your empty restaurant with my presence. If you're going to complain about having customers to their faces, you really should not be in the restaurant business. Anyways, we get seated -- no one comes to pour water or ask us if we want anything else to drink. At this point, we're so put off by the service that we simply leave. Maybe this was an off day for them. Maybe the food is really stellar. I'll never know because I don't plan on coming back here. read more