* = Tasty, flavorful pho (with tender beef)
* = Gorgeous interior with beautiful artwork
- = Absolutely
- = Awful
- = Service
I didn't know what all these other reviews were talking about, complaining about the service... until I went in a couple Saturdays ago with my wife around noon. I'll tell you exactly what happened:
After we stepped into the restaurant, I took note of 2 people working: one was a middle-aged lady and the other was a young'ish (19-22 year old?) boy. There were also people in the back, but only 2 out front.
The lady welcomed us, walked us to our table, and gave us a couple menus. Asked if we wanted water, we affirmed, and she brought us a couple glasses.
After a few moments, the kid walked up and sheepishly asked us if we were ready to order, in a tone that was little more than a meager whisper. His hesitancy to engage us led me to believe that he's probably someone's nephew or son, working at a family establishment. He clearly had no desire or intention of being a waiter. We ordered and off he went.
Our waters were 90% ice, so they were gone in under 2-minutes. Nobody offered us refills at any point. We waited and waited and waited and, after 15 minutes, I saw the water pitcher on a table near the kitchen, got up, and helped myself to a refill.
The table next to us cheered and asked if they could get the water after us - as they were equally dry. I passed them the pitcher and they thanked me. The middle aged woman emerged from the back, flashed a frustrated look, and disappeared into the kitchen to look for the kid. To her credit, she seemed to be managing all 5 tables in the restaurant (of which, only 2 were in her section). The kid (meanwhile) was out to lunch the entire time. Hardly ever emerged out of the back... and when he did, he was visibly texting on his phone.
After less than 5-minutes, our pho came out (delivered by an older gentleman who looked to be a cook). We thanked him... but the guy clearly wasn't a waiter, so he didn't ask if we needed anything; just dropped the bowls and took off. At that point, I flagged down the woman and said that I was still waiting on a Sprite (which I'd ordered from the kid, alongside my lunch). She nodded and got the drink.
The pho was flavorful and tasty; we enjoyed every bite of beef and noodle, sparing only a small puddle of broth in the end. After finishing our order, we sat there. And sat there. And sat there. And after 20-minutes, I got up, turned around, walked to the register, and just waited. The kid was no where to be seen. The lady, who'd been running around, asked if I needed anything. I said we just needed the check. She got it for me in under a minute.
All in all, this place has good pho... but you'll be tearing your hair out if you get the wrong server. If you have other options for pho, avoid this place. read more